1 - Black Swan Event

Lyra Heartstrings - 19th of Megan, 17, 29 AE

Ponyville - The Dream Realm

Thirty Years Ago

Within the ever changing landscape of the Dream Realm sat a singular place of order, Ponyville. The town floated atop a sea of cold magma, riding on the lump of earth which had been taken along with it, like a toy boat a giant’s foal had misplaced.

The ancient town was not meant to be within this immaterial place. It was a place of reality, not of dreams, transported here by the Princess of the Night in an attempt to save the citizens from a gruesome death at the claws of monsters which had engulfed their home.

It didn’t work.

The Princess of the Night knew the Dream realm well and had placed Ponyville in a spot she knew to be safe. Unfortunately, the safe harbor had been flooded with Nightmares. The threat of flesh and blood monsters had been exchanged for a threat of immaterial monsters whose lack of a solid body meant little in terms of their ability to inflict pain, and far worse.

A Nightmare's greatest desire is to locate the person who dreamed it up and become their new reality. Mere minutes after arriving in the Dream Realm, Ponyville was filled with the terrified screams of ponies whose nightmares had found them.

Pure chaos of a kind not seen since Discord’s reign gripped the streets as a thousand different nightmares tormented their creators. Ponies ran from animated dolls, cowered in corners from phantasmal parents who mocked them, ex-lovers prowled the streets, laughing menacingly and calling out for those they once loved like spiders seeking flies.

In the midst of it all, the Knights of the Rampant Moon ran from street to street, leading every unaffected pony they found to the safety of Twilight’s Castle. Octavia Melody, Vinyl Scratch, Lyra Heartstrings, Bonbon, Colgate, and Twinkleshine (aka Meep) had been Princess Luna’s bodyguards for decades, hidden away behind the veil of obscurity. But now, to the citizens of Ponyville, they were true heroes and their last hope.

The six mares worked as hard as they could on their own, each taking a sixth of Ponyville to try and save as many as they could. Not a one of them liked working alone, the ancient mantra ‘Don’t split the party’ echoed worryingly in the backs of their minds as they ran from street to street and building to building.

Some of their fears were mitigated thanks to the enchanted bracelets Luna had quickly made for them. So long as the Knights wore their bracelets, their attacks could affect the Nightmares. A necessary tool, one which Lyra had used countless times in the last hour.

The mint colored mare stopped for a moment, ducking behind a collapsed stone wall to rest atop a tattered black and purple rug. Her chest and barrel heaved as she struggled to regain her breath. It was rare that Lyra got winded anymore.

Most of the Knights had become vampires in an accident involving a game of twister and a victorious cry of ‘Ha! Bite me, Octy!’ A very poor choice of victory cry when playing a friendly game with a recently turned vampire who had just started experiencing her first hunger.

In the many years since that day, Lyra had lived with the benefits of a vampire’s supernatural fitness. As she gasped for breath behind the pile of rubble, she realized that this very well may have been the first time since her transformation that she’d ever been truly exhausted.

Lyra sat back on her haunches and grabbed the messenger gem which hung around her neck with a hoof. The light beige gemstone glowed as she picked it up, signifying it was ready to make a call.

“Knights,” Lyra commanded, waiting a moment for the magic to link their gems before continuing. “Girls? Quick question. Anyone got a mana bar? Or a blood pack? I’m really tired.”

“I do,” Bonbon answered immediately. “But I’m clear on the other side of Ponyville. You should probably run back to the castle. I’m pretty tired myself… I think I’ll head back after clearing this house.”

“I’m not tired yet, but I’m feeling a bit winded,” Octavia replied.

“I’m still fine,” Vinyl said a moment later. “I guess this is just another drawback to you being the furthest away from dad. Sorry, Ly.”

Lyra smirked and shook her head slowly. Vampirism perks became fewer and less potent the more diluted it became. Vinyl was the biological daughter of the first vampire, a near perfect copy of his full power. Octavia was next, turned by Vi on their wedding night. Then Bonbon thanks to the Twister accident, and finally Lyra.

The last possible link in the vampiric family tree before the blood was too diluted to do anything at all.

“Meh, I’m used to it,” Lyra said with a slight smile. “Heading back is probably for the best. I think I can still make it there if I go now. Not sure about that if I keep going.”

The wind flared up, blowing clouds of dust and broken sheetrock around the streets. Lyra frowned, her ears twitching as she swore she heard something in the wind. A low hiss, like escaping gas.

“Go get something to eat,” Vinyl ordered. “Actually, everyone should fall back and get something. I’m low on medical supplies, I imagine you guys are too.”

“Yeah… There’s been a lot of injured ponies,” Colegate said, distress creeping into her every word.

“Woah,” Lyra said with a sharp frown. “Cole, get going now. You clearly need some rest.”

Lyra closed her eyes, doing her best to not think about what could possibly have disturbed Cole like that. Cole had kept calm when the knights had dismantled a foal trafficking ring. Whatever she saw today-

Lyra’s ears swiveled, homing in on the distinct sound of claws tearing into stone. Her heart began to hammer, something big was here.

“What the hay was that?” Octavia asked worriedly.

“It’s near me,” Lyra whispered. “I- I’ll meet you at the castle. Lyra out.”

She dropped her gem, the crystal dimming as it dropped, once more hanging from the end of its chain. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Lyra timidly peeked out from behind the rubble, only moving a single golden eye out from behind cover to scan the street ahead.

A fallen lamp post. A deep crack in the road where a water pipe had smashed its way out of the ground. The remains of a nightmare-made golem Luna had fought yesterday. Lots of broken glass.

No monster.

Lyra pulled her head back behind and looked behind her, checking the street back the way she had come down.

A flattened building. A small stretch of eerily clean cobblestones. A dark, ash-colored, greasy smear against a wall where she had defeated a Nightmare five minutes ago.

No monster.

Lyra frowned and stood up just enough to begin quietly walking backwards into better cover. The scraping had come from ahead of her position. It wouldn’t be the first nightmare creature to be invisible. She’d just have to sit back and wait it out. The time to strike or flee would come soon.

“Hello, mother,” a voice whispered.

Lyra’s eyes widened in horror. She’d heard that phrase a hundred times in the past few days. The phrase a Nightmare said when it found its creator.

She pulled herself flat against the corner, the rubble wall to her left, the still standing part of the house to her right. Lyra’s eyes began to flick back and forth, searching the area, looking for the dark black and purple nebulous form she knew Nightmares to possess.

She had to kill it before it touches her. She’d seen the things they could do to a pony. She’d been told in no uncertain terms that a Nightmare's curse would persist into reality after they returned.

Worst of all, Lyra only had a few Nightmares. All of them equally horrifying.

“You are good at fighting us, mother,” the voice whispered, half proud, half cautious. “My brothers merged with me so that one of us would have the strength to overwhelm you. But I tricked them. I only needed cunning, and now I have their power as well.”

Lyra’s looked up, checking the sky above her for any sign of the Nightmare.

“Why don’t you come out and test that?” She asked, putting on her best ‘badflank’ voice to hide her exhaustion.

“I am not hiding, mother,” the Nightmare giggled.

Lyra grit her teeth. Each time it had spoken, the voice seemed to come from a different place. She wasn’t going to get a chance to strike first. There was only one thing to do.

Lyra took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down as much as she could. She closed her eyes, focusing all of her attention on the sounds around her, trusting her supernatural hearing to pinpoint the threat as soon as it attacked.

You can do this, Lyra, she thought to herself. As soon as it attacks, full power spellbolt to the face. Just like any of the other’s you’ve fought.

”There’s no need to search for us, mother,” the Nightmare mocked. “You will not hurt us. You’ve already lost. We were… patient.”

Lyra furrowed her brow. The Nightmare was close. Very close. It would attack soon.

“You haven’t cursed me yet,” Lyra countered.

“We want you to see it coming,” it laughed. “Look down.”

Lyra’s heart skipped a beat. The rug! It took the shape of a rug! She realized in horror, jumping up as high as she could, twisting mid-air to fire a bright gold arcane blast into the hideous shag rug.

The moment her blast connected, the rubble wall melted into a nebulous black and purple fog. Lyra didn’t have time to curse before the Nightmare pounced, grabbing her around the waist and sinking into her body.

Lyra screamed, not in pain, but in terror as flashes of the Nightmare raced through her mind as its alien magic warped reality itself, twisting the world into a waking version of itself.

”I don’t love you anymore, Lyra.” Bonbon said between sobs.

Lyra hit the ground, not even bothering to land on her hooves. “N-no! Please! Any other one than that!” she begged.

Lyra ran from person to person. Begging for their help, “She’s cursed! Please! I can’t break it myself.”

“There’s nothing I can do.”

“She says she doesn't want to change back, that she’s happier this way. Frankly, Lyra, I can’t see any curse here. Sometimes ponies orientations change. I won't help, it’s immoral to change somepony like that.”

“I-I don’t understand. That spell should have returned her to normal. That’s not scientifically possible!”

Lyra grit her teeth and twisted her head to point her horn at the Nightmare. Its ethereal form was rapidly fading to nothing as it converted itself into the powerful reality-warping curse. Her horn blazed as she fired a half dozen bolts of magic into the Nightmare. A half dozen bolts which passed harmlessly through it’s mostly decomposed body.

”L-look… I’m sorry. I just don’t like mare’s anymore, okay? We can still be friends,” Bonbon said, a smile on her lips.

“She’s forever lost to you, mother,” the last dregs of the Nightmare said happily as it faded away, finishing its conversion into a curse.

Lyra Heartstrings - 13th of Midsummer, 29 AE

Lyra’s Apartment, Deck 13, USS Phoenix - Phoenix

Present Day - 30 Years Later

My eyes snapped open as I sat bolt upright, cold sweat dripping off my body. It took me a few moments to understand that I was in my bedroom, rather than laying down in the streets of Ponyville sobbing.

I hadn’t had that particular nightmare in years. Luna had been keeping a special eye on me for a long time now. Not just for my mental health, but because she was afraid of what I was doing. She said she wouldn’t stop me, but I knew that she would, if things got bad.

I took a deep breath to clear my head and looked over at the nightstand on the left side of my bed and smiled. The quartz crystal held within the spider-web-like arrangement of carefully placed enchanted wires glowed brightly. I’d done it!

After thirty long years, I’d finally made real progress!

I threw off the covers and slipped out of bed, immediately plucking the crystal out of the dream catcher I’d made with my telekinesis. The moment my magic’s aura touched the Crystal, I could feel it.

There was no mistaking the alien feel of Dream Magic. Even a pony who had never seen the stuff before would be able to tell this wasn’t the usual Light Magic or even Dark Magic.

It felt, well, alien. Other. Like a thing meant not to be.

I flicked my bedroom light on with a hoof and held the crystal up so the light would shine through it. I could see the flecks of black and purple energy dancing around inside the crystal, filling the tiny intricately engraved arcane runes.

“Ha! Won't be having you again, jerk!” I laughed, mocking the trapped nightmare before setting the crystal down on my nightstand.

I never pictured myself as a wizard of any kind. I’d always been more of a Jill-of-all-Trades. I liked to learn lots of things. Focusing on one thing really hadn’t been who I was. But I guess that had been a simple lack of motivation.

I’d gone to everyone I knew for help to break the curse. Just like the nightmare had me doing every time I’d dreamed it. I had no choice, I had to. It’s the way the curse made reality be.

I’d known none of them could help. I knew how this nightmare went. It was the one I’d had the most after all.

I’d had some hope that Sky could help me in the beginning. He had some sort of tech that made him immune to mind-affecting spells after all. But no. He tried, he did come up with lots of ideas, we even tried a few, but they all failed.

I know why now of course. Dream Magic isn’t a traditional spell. It doesn't just make something happen when physics says it shouldn’t. No, Dream Magic takes something and makes it into a fact, a constant.

No one can help me free Bonbon, it was now a Scientific Law. Most ponies can’t even try to help thanks to mental compulsions, and those who can help thanks to having a strong will or protection, well… They simply fail when they try.

It’s no wonder Celestia not only outlawed Dream Magic early in her reign, but also ordered all information on the ancient art purged. Given enough power, a wizard specializing in Dream Magic could erase someone from time, making them never exist in the first place, and all kinds of other illogical, impossible nonsense.

The art allowed you to make dreams real. That’s dangerous.

Dangerous enough for almost every nation to ban its use. Which had made it hard to learn myself. Even in the limited capacity I wanted to know.

I wasn't insane. I wasn't going to rediscover how to make ancient WMDs and write that information down. Someone would inevitably steal my notes and hurt people. I just needed to know how to find, extract, and kill a nightmare.

Nothing about that nightmare had said I couldn’t personally find a way to end it. I’d spent the last three decades hunting down exceedingly rare books, scraps of ancient artifacts, anything that survived the purges four thousand years ago.

That’s why I had moved from Ponyville to the Emerald Changeling’s hive. The Citystate of Phoenix didn’t ban the study of Dream Magic, just its use. I could keep my library and collection here. Back in Equestria, well… I worked for Luna. She knew I had this stuff. She would have had to come over and burn it.

Besides, I hadn’t been able to live with Bonbon as a roommate… I had to move out anyways.

I gave the glowing crystal on my nightstand another look, savouring my accomplishment.

Few knew that dreaming created a living entity within the Dream Realm. A sapient manifestation of that exact dream. Every time you dreamed of something you had dreamed before, that’s the dream entity creeping back into your mind to feed on your emotions and become stronger. Sometimes, by accident or through forbidden magic, those dreams can slip into reality and do the one thing they want to do, become real events, things, or people.

My dream catcher had made a small hole through which one could slip. The crystal was a prison. That Nightmare was now trapped inside a slightly modified mana gem, unable to manifest itself or return to the realm from whence it came. As long as it was inside the crystal, I would never have that nightmare again.

Or so the rotting tome I’d read two weeks ago had claimed.

It was time to see if part two of my plan would work.

I trotted across the room, resisting the urge to do a little happy dance. While I had tried many other things out during the last three decades, this was the first time something had actually worked!

Many books and scrolls I’d recovered were incomplete, damaged, or just total horseapples. Which makes perfect sense. They were all at least four thousand years old, or copies of those ancient records. I’d managed to cast a few Dream Magic spells before, but anything more advanced than basic identification, monitoring, warding, and spells to conjure simple small objects had never worked.

“I’ll bet you never thought this would happen to you, huh?” I asked the trapped nightmare as I reached my workbench and switched on the DM/TC converter I’d built for this test.

I’d have to give Metal Head a call after this if it worked and thank her for the electrical engineering lessons. Getting indirect help from others was the one loophole I’d found in the curse. So long as I hadn’t asked them for help before, I could indirectly get help, as long as they didn’t know what I was getting it for.

Unfortunately, I’d asked all the big guns before figuring that out. At least Sky had plenty of ponies in his crew who were willing to teach me the odd skill or two!

Realizing that I was being a bit scatterbrained thanks to all the excitement, I stopped and took a few calming breaths. It was go time. I couldn’t screw this up.

If I screwed this up, I would be releasing a Nightmare into the waking world. The exact thing banning Dream Magic had been meant to prevent. I wasn’t being stupid, I’d taken all the precautions. As far as I could tell, the only reason things were dangerous back then was idiot wizards were hoarding the knowledge of the safety measures for themselves.

“Okay,” I said to myself as I slotted a charged mana gem into a slot on a ward generator I’d made.

The generator flashed pink, then projected an elaborate arcane circle onto the wood floor so the circle didn’t have the generator inside it. The circle brightened as the ward began to protect the area. I picked up the converter and placed it inside the warded bubble on the floor.

Next, I fed some of my own magic into the hexagrammic wards I’d covered my apartment walls, floor, and ceiling with. The wards began to glow a light pink as well, signifying everything was active.

If the Nightmare broke free of the crystal while I was using it, it would be trapped inside the warded bubble. If it broke the ward the generator contained, it would be trapped within my apartment.

I walked over to my nightstand and opened up the drawer. The silver bracelet Luna had enchanted for me all those years ago glittered as I took it out and put it on. I’d had to recharge it a few times over the years, but a tool which let me fight dream creatures was definitely something I needed on hoof at all times.

Especially since the enchantment was simple enough to copy. Which reminded me…

I made sure that the simple silver circlet was secure around my ankle, and then stepped over to my bedroom’s intercom, and pressed the button.

“Lyra to security: The dreamcatcher worked. I’m about to proceed with phase two of the experiment. Do you have marines standing by just in case?” I asked hopefully.

“Security here,” a female changeling replied immediately. “We’ve been on duty for the last three hours. We’re ready to move in if needed.”

“Good, I’ll keep you posted,” I said as I let go of the intercom button.

It took me a month to get permission to try this experiment. If it went off without a hitch, Captain Skritt would probably let me do anything else I wanted. As long as I submitted a report in advance that showed the safety precautions.

Taking a deep breath, I picked the trap crystal up with my magic, turned around to face the converter, and slotted the crystal into the socket on the left side.

The moment the crystal clicked into place, I cast three quick spells. Each one did the same thing, but in a different way, analyzed the Dream Magic and other forms of magic in the area.

I projected the spell’s data onto three different illusionary screens in front of me so I wouldn’t mix them up by keeping all of that information in my head. With one last nervous breath, I took note of the initial levels of magical energy and then flipped the small switch atop the converter.

The gold box hummed quietly, the vents in its sides almost immediately beginning to spit out waves of heat as the techno-arcane machine chugged away. I glanced up at the screens. The converter was working!

The nightmare's power was dropping. Not very fast, but it was noticeably going down. Reaching over to my desk with my magic, I picked up a pen and notebook and quickly jotted down the data points. I’d have to make this thing more efficient later on!

I kept watching, recording, and waiting for the inevitable failure as the crystal was slowly drained of energy. Then, after what felt like an eternity, the converter chirped then clicked off.

I glanced at each of the three screens. The crystal was empty. Not a scrap of Dream Magic left within the warded area. No leakage into the environment. The total amount of energy remained the same inside the bubble.

I’d done it. I’d deleted a nightmare! I would never have that nightmare again. It was dead. Dead and converted straight into something actually useful!

The converter hissed, releasing one final wave of heat as the side panel clicked open, revealing a glowing blue mana gem. If everything had gone correctly, that gem would hold about fifty-five percent of the captured dreams power. The rest having been wasted as heat by the conversion process.

I retrieved the charged crystal with my magic, gently plucking it out of the warded bubble, which would need to stay up for a few hours so the ward’s magic could cool off the superheated pocket of air the converter had made as a byproduct.

I carefully set the gemstone down on my desk. I’d ordered a specially made high capacity mana gem for this, but it still looked to be overcharged, even though I'd only gotten around forty percent of the energy I'd expected. Either I got ripped off when I bought this gem, or even if the converter was less efficient than I’d predicted, Nightmares held more power than I'd thought.

As soon as I was sure the gem wasn’t about to explode, I stepped back over to my bedroom’s intercom and pressed it again.

“Lyra to security: Mission successful. Security can stand down,” I reported proudly.

“Wait, you actually did it?” The security officer asked in surprise, something falling to the ground with a thunk.

“Yep! Not a scrap of it left. It’s all heat and thaumaturgic current. I’m going to start studying it’s arcane makeup now. Thanks for letting me do this,” I said with a smile.

I almost thought that the curse would have prevented them from allowing me to perform the experiment. But, then again, the nightmare didn’t say that I couldn’t fix it myself. I just hadn’t had anything close to the skill necessary until now.

“Okay, Lyra,” I said to myself, needing someone to talk to before I exploded with excitement. “You’ve proven the book’s hypothesis to be true. A nightmare can be captured so long as it hasn’t manifested in the real world yet, and a captured nightmare can be converted into raw magic.

“The question now is ‘Can you capture a nightmare after it’s manifested’?”

I pulled my chair out from my desk and sat down. Today was my day off. Luna didn’t need me to do anything, I could just focus on studying the arcane signature of Dream Magic. If I wanted to find a way to take a nightmare that had already done its thing, and pull it out of reality, I’d have to be able to detect how it was manipulating reality.

That’s a thing it had to do with magic. Because that’s what magic is. The force that tells reality how to behave. Hence, why I’d converted a nightmare into magical energy.

I picked the charged gemstone up and turned it over, inspecting it for cracks, or occlusions. The gem had been perfectly clear and flawless before I charged it. It looked a little cloudy now, but it didn’t seem unstable, just overcharged. I’d want to bleed some of that energy off soon.

But before that, I had to take an initial reading to make sure the bleed off didn’t change anything.

I closed my eyes to focus on an identify spell, and paused. I had said I would tell Metal Head if this worked. I should take care of that real quick.

I set the gem down and slid my communicator across the desk and started to punch in her’s number.

No one who lived in Phoenix used messenger gems. I can’t say I blame them, Phoenix was built inside the wreck of an ancient starship the Emerald Changelings had found in the ‘Celestia was young’ days. Their ancestors, and the ancestors of the ponies, zebras, griffons, and dragons who lived here with them, had spent thousands of years reverse engineering the ship’s technology.

At present, they’d worked out everything the ship turned underground city had to teach them. And we're making improvements to it. Naturally, Phoenicians prefer tech-based solutions to magic ones. Sometimes even when magic was more convenient. It’s a culture thing.

My comm buzzed for several minutes before chirping as Metal picked up.

“Hello?” The sleepy Earth Pony mare mumbled.

“Sorry for waking you up, CC,” I said greeting her with her prefered nickname. “It’s Lyra. That project I was doing, it worked! Thanks for the lessons! I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Oh, well that’s good,” CC yawned. “Glad things worked out for you. I’m going back to bed, okay?”

I blushed lightly. “Sure thing. Sorry for waking you up,” I said with a sheepish grin.

“It’s fine,” CC said, the comm clicking as she hung up.

Right, now back to work!

I pushed my comm away, just in case someone called me and the signal interfered with my spells, set the charged gem down on my desk, and cast my best identify spell.

My ears drooped as a wave of discouragement washed over me. “Oh, crapbaskets,” I grumbled.

The gem’s arcane signature was massively complex, and I was no Twilight Sparkle. “This is going to take all day,” I moaned, rubbing my temples with my hooves.

I spent hours recording everything I could and taking more measurements. Literally. Hours.

I’d expected things to be complicated. The scary part was that wasn’t the problem. The problem was the arcane signature was incomplete.

I checked the wards a dozen times. Read back through the recordings I’d taken while converting the Dream Magic to Thaumaturgic Current. Checked the gem itself five times, and even did a full diagnostic on the converter.

Everything had worked as intended. No part of the Nightmare had escaped. The energy loss from heat only diminished the total amount of energy, it hadn’t messed with the energy’s signature. The signature present in the mana gem was exactly what Dream Magic’s arcane signature should be.

Which meant I had made a discovery. Dream Magic was a corrupted version of something else.

I leaned back in my chair, six different pages of notes held in my magic’s grip in front of me, collectively holding the single scariest thing I’d ever read in my life.

“How can this be a corruption?” I asked myself, eyes flicking around the pages, searching for any pattern which would shed light on this terrifying discovery.

If Dream Magic was a version of something else, and a lesser version at that… What in Tartarus could it be?! Discord’s magic? No, it couldn’t be because Discord had failed to fix Bonbon, so Dream Magic couldn’t be related to his magic.

“It’s not dark magic,” I mumbled as I puzzled through things.

Light and Dark magic were two sides of the same coin. Light magic responded to positive emotions, Dark magic responded to negative emotions. Well, usually. Gross oversimplification aside, Dream Magic couldn’t be a member of the Light-Dark family.

If I added in the standard spell matrix for either of those kinds of magic, it would just make random noise. I’d have to work backward from Dream Magic. Puzzle out what it would be if I untwisted it.

There were lots of different families of magic. Each with their own unique way of casting, since that’s what a family of magic was. A way to think about magic so as to let your brain more easily think through your spells. Usually with some sort of unique perk for using magic that way, like how Light Magic made spells much easier to make exactly the same every time.

I knew Light and a bit of Dark. But other nations used different means altogether. Prance was big into using Elemental magic. A good number of ponies in Neighpone used Spirit Magic. Whatever un-corrupted signature I got out of Dream Magic, I’d be able to find its match easily enough.

And finding out what form of magic Dream Magic was based on would be a HUGE step forward. Especially if it was a form which wasn’t illegal in most countries.

After all, the Dream Realm wasn’t a natural place. Every book I had ever found which discussed its lore agreed that the Dream Realm had been created by a large group of wizards in the Prehistoric Era to prevent wizards from casting spells in their sleep and, you know, blowing up a town or summoning monsters.

Dream Magic, therefore, had to be based on SOMETHING. If I could find that something, I could probably devise a way to break this curse much more easily than how I currently planned to.

I got lost in my work. Hours flew by, maybe even the whole day. I had no way to be certain. This was a puzzle I needed to crack. Unfortunately, I wasn’t making any progress.

Though I had devised a very simple spell which allowed me to just look at sources of magic and see the arcane signature. I already knew one of course, but this version worked with this crazy magic. Which was more than a little helpful when trying to understand a pile of notes and keep an image in my brain the whole time.

Again, even after thirty years of studying Wizardry, I was no Twilight Sparkle. Training alone will never overtake training and talent.

I’d just taken a moment to pull back from my work and realize that I had made a little bit of progress by getting a single part of the matrix unscrambled when the intercom chimed.

Somepony was at the door.

“Please don’t be security…” I moaned, quickly setting everything down in a way which would make it easy for me to pick stuff back up when I could get back to it.

I didn't have a very large apartment, which made the trip from my bedroom to the front door very short. All I had to do was walk around the kitchen table and cross my living room to the sliding door.

The apartment doors in Phoenix have a really cool feature where if you press a button near the door, they turn transparent like a one-way mirror so you can see who's there. Unfortunately, as per usual, I only remembered that after I pressed the door release.

The door opened to reveal the large steel-walled park-like hallway outside, along with Vinyl, and one of the two new recruits to the Knights of the Rampant Moon, Orange Sherbert.

Sherbert was Scootaloo and Lily’s filly. Apparently, she’d been wanting to join us for years, but kinda had assumed she wouldn’t pass muster unless she literally went to Neighpone to become a ninja.

Silly filly, your parents, and aunts could have trained you here.

Still, she’d actually finished training at a ninja academy! Which probably explained why she always wore the black karate gi with her school’s name embroidered on the back in Kanji. Even though black is not really a stealth color.

So, well, yeah! That was cool an-

I blinked. My aura detection spell was still active. Vinyl had a super weird aura, was she using any enchanted gear or-

No. No, I just hadn’t seen this part so her aura before! It didn’t show up in the normal Light magic spectrum.

Huh. Weird. That must be the magic her parents used to bring her to life since vampires can only have stillborn foals. But… What is it? It wasn’t necromancy.

Vi raised an eyebrow at me. “Uh, Lyra, are you okay? You’ve been standing there silently for about… A minute?” She asked looking over at Sherbert.

The tall pale orange mare nodded in agreement. “At least, yeah,” she said with a little grin.

Whoops!

I shook my head and gave them an embarrassed smile. “Oh! Um, sorry. I’ve been working all day. Lots of analysis. Had a breakthrough!” I babbled happily before stepping aside. “Come on in.”

Vi tipped her head forward, looking at me over the top of her glasses. “Wait, really?” She asked in surprise before trotting inside, Sherbert following close behind, her silken gi making a cool swishy sound, so quietly that if I weren't a vampire I wouldn't have heard a thing.

Muahahaha! Vamp beats ninja! Well, except for when Sherbert was actually trying to sneak about... How the heck did she move that quietly?

I hit the door close button and then flopped down on one of my two couches. I’d set up my living room for tabletop games. We didn’t play here too much, but I liked the two couch and a game table set up. It was good for just sitting and talking too.

“Yeah!” I said with a proud, but tired smile. “I’ve got half the theory handled. I CAN capture a nightmare and destroy it by converting it into arcane energy. All I need to do now is see if I can reverse the process they use to become a living curse to turn it back into a Nightmare. Which I probably can do.

“I found a ritual spell for forging what the author called an ‘Aether Crystal’, which would be the tool I’d need to do that kind of thing. But you know how Dream Magic lore is, most of its horseapples. Even if the book claims to be a copy of Mage Meadowbrook's work.”

Vi nodded and took a seat across from me. Sherbert meanwhile just stood awkwardly near the table. Unsure of what to do.

Poor mare… She’d had less than a month to get used to how the Knights worked. And most of her time had been spent getting her own house for her and her herd. Which wasn’t easy since her wife Kazumi was well… Disabled. And not in a physical way.

I frowned and looked over at the new mare. “Hey, Sherbert? How’s Kaz doing? She feel okay in your new place?” I asked hoping to pull her into the conversation.

Sherbert nodded once. “Yeah… She’s comfortable enough with her room to feel safe moving around in it. Just that one room so far though,” she said with a sad sigh.

I winced. Ouch. I thought showing concern for her family would be an icebreaker… Nope!

“That’s too ba-” I said stopping cold when I noticed something very odd.

Sherbert had the same odd bits to her aura as Vinyl. Nowhere near as many. Vi was basically all whatever that was with a dash of Light magic and a splash of unicorn. Sherbert had only a trace amount.

The more I looked at the odd magical signatures, the more they creeped me out. The energy looked… Well, like a hole in reality. A nothing that was a something.

I frowned and stood up slowly.

“Huh… Hey, Girls? Did you guys do anything with magic on the way over?” I asked looking back and forth between the two of them.

Vi shook her head no. “Nah, we just came over. Didn’t even teleport magically, we used Sky’s pad. Wanted to see if you wanted to go out for dinner with us,” Vi said with a grin, which rapidly faded into a frown. “Wait, why do you ask?”

Sherbert nodded a worried look on her own face. “Yeah, is something wrong?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly, flicking my tail as I stepped closer to Sherbert to look at one of the anomalies more closely. “I forgot to turn off a new aura sight spell I made and… You guys have bits I’ve never seen before. Do I have them too? Is this just some layer that’s normally hidden?”

I turned around looking into the large mirror I had hanging on my living room wall to inspect my reflection.

Nope. I didn’t have them.

“Nope… What the hay?” I asked myself, frowning sharply.

Then it clicked.

“OH!” I exclaimed before anypony could say anything. “I must be seeing the leftovers of Biomancy! Sherbert, your dad did some work on you, and Vinyl was stillborn, but her parents somehow breathed life into her. Had to be biomancy! That would explain the different amounts.”

Sherbert blinked in surprise and turned around to look Vi in her eyes. “Wait, you were!?” She asked in shock, her tail standing up in alarm.

Vinyl winced, her ears falling slightly. “Thanks for bringing that up in front of the new mare, Ly,” she grumbled. “Yeah, Sherb. I was. Vampires can get pregnant but we can’t give birth to a live foal. Just won't happen.

“Uh, I don’t know exactly how my parents raised me. So, I can’t tell you if your biomancy theory is right or not, Lyra. Mom does know a little bit of it, but I don't think she can raise the dead with it.”

I tilted my head slightly. “Wait, you… You don’t know?”

Vi shook her head. “Nah, they refuse to tell anypony. Even Celestia. She and I think they used necromancy to do it, but she refuses to investigate or punish them since she knew they were trying to have a foal for like three thousand years and were desperate.”

Sherbert finally took a seat, sitting on the couch next to Vi. She gave Vinyl a sympathetic look. “That sucks… But like, at least they have you now. Right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Sorry Vi, my bad. I know you hate that being brought up. Just… Weird things are kinda my thing. I got excited.”

Vi nodded twice and gave me a dismissive hoof wave to let me know it was okay. “Yep. Don’t worry it’s fine. Sherbert’s on the team now. She’d have to learn sooner or later. Especially if we go to my dad’s for a holiday or something. Sooo… Back to the cool stuff. What nightmare did you capture? Is it like, Nightmare Moon, or-”

I held up a hoof for her to stop immediately. “No no no! Don’t get any ideas like that!" I insisted. "Nightmare Moon was an impossibly powerful nightmare that had already manifested itself as a part of reality. All I can do right now is capture the wimpy ones when they are still just living dreams, and convert them into magic.

“It’s not a very good conversion either. I get like forty-three percent of the energy I need. But it’s still pretty useful! This method was apparently used by ancient priests to gain the power needed for huge ritual spells without, you know, sacrificing a hundred ponies to use their souls, or having a thousand unicorns combine their magic and risk mana burnout.”

Vi hummed thoughtfully, one brow arching in that ‘Group Leader Mode Active’ expression. “So you’re saying that your wizard phase has paid off in the form of giving us a source for a LOT of mana?”

I nodded slowly. “Well, yes and no,” I agreed hesitantly. “I’m not very good at it yet. In another decade I could probably start getting a lot of energy this way but right now- Oh! How about I just show you the gem I charged this morning?”

Vi nodded once and flashed me a smile. “Sure thing! Should give me an idea of what you can do.”

I nodded and got up, trotting into my bedroom for just long enough to pluck the charged gemstone off my desk with my magic. As I pulled the gem towards me, I couldn’t help but give its aura another look in the hopes that the short break from looking at it would give me some sort of insight into its makeup.

Nothing doing.

“Dang it,” I muttered as I turned around and walked back into the living room.

“Okay, guys, here it is,” I said looking at Vinyl so I could levitate the gemstone over to her.

I held out the gem. The gem’s aura floated in my vision, right next to Vinyl’s. A side by side comparison.

That’s all my brain needed. With those two pictures, the answer was obvious. I could see how everything fit together logically.

I dropped the gem in complete shock, my eyes widening as my brain zoomed through a million different possibilities at once.

“WOAH!” Vi yelped, her own eyes widening as she caught the gem with her magic before it could hit the floor. “Lyra, what were you thinking!? This gem is way overcharged it could have ex- Uh… Lyra?”

Sherbert gave me a worried look. “What’s wrong? Are you sick? Do we need to call a doctor?” She asked, starting to stand up.

I shook my head to clear it.

The strange magic flowing through Vi. It was the basis for Dream Magic! Whatever that weird, hole in the world magic was, it was the core Dream Magic had been forged with.

“Y-y-your aura!” I stammered, my eyes flicking over to Sherbert. “Yours too! They contain- Sherbert! What forms of magic do you know?”

Sherbert frowned at my demand. “Um, I had a bit of an accident. I don't have unicorn magic anymore. Just the stuff my implanted gems gave me, and my special talent,” she answered.

I nodded. “Your talent is a temporary physical attribute boost, right?” I asked

Sherbert nodded. “Mhm.”

“And your gems let you teleport and shapeshift, right?” I drilled.

She nodded again. “Yep. That’s it.”

“Yeah, I can see all of that,” I confirmed. “And something else. Little flecks that are like… Holes in space. But not holes. There’s a thing there. It’s hard to describe. What’s that?”

Sherbert’s already pale face grew even paler.

“I can’t tell you!” She yelped in panic, her ears and tail standing up straight.

Vi and I gave each other a suspicious look before turning back to look at Sherbert.

“Why not?” Vi asked for me, getting up off the couch, looking at Sherbert suspiciously over the rim of her glasses.

“Because I promised Discord that I wouldn’t talk about it,” Sherbert replied.

VI’s horn flashed blue as she cast a quick lie detector spell. “Can you say that again?” Vi asked.

Sherbert nodded nervously. “I’m not lying. I really did promise Discord that I absolutely wouldn’t talk about it with people who didn’t already know about it. I’m sorry, but it’s super, super important that I don't talk about it. He made that very clear,” Sherbert insisted.

I looked over at Vi, she nodded and peeked over her glasses at me, canceling her detection spell. “She’s telling the truth,” Vi confirmed.

“Well,” I said with a slow nod. “In that case, since I doubt Discord will tell me… I think I need to have a chat with your parents, Vi. Because of the signatures in your auras? They match up with what Dream Magic would be if it weren't… Corrupted.”

Vinyl’s eyes widened in surprise. “I- um… Yeah. Yeah, let’s go do that. Right now,” she said decisively.

I frowned. “Vi… I have to go on my own. I can’t get help with this, remember?” I prompted.

Vi shook her head. “You have no chance of them telling you, Lyra. I mean, I know you found your loophole, and as long as you didn’t tell them that you wanted to know because it would help you, blah blah blah. But the thing is, they WON'T tell you.

“I’ve mentioned how they won't tell CELESTIA of all ponies how they raised me. I’m the only pony that even has a prayer of getting that info out of them. So come on, let's go.”

“L-let’s go?” I stammered, eats falling back in shock.

Vi nodded. “Yeah. We’ll port over right now. This is kinda important. I need to know what the hay I am if I’m full of some weird Dream Magic stuff that Sherb can’t talk about because Discord says it’s dangerous!” Vi said with a worried quaver in her voice.

“B-b-but… But you couldn’t help me before!” I protested, the world exploding around me as the impossible continued to happen. “It’s a law! If someone says they can’t help, that won't ever change. If they say they can, they always fail! You said you couldn’t help me when I asked you decades ago!”

Vi nodded. “Yeah, because I had no idea how I could possibly help you if Luna couldn’t. But now I know a way to help you, come on. Let’s go! This is important to me too,” she insisted.

“But… But… But you haven't offered help in thirty years!” I protested. “If you actually could, why haven’t you sooner!?”

“I honestly had no clue of anything I could have done to help you!” Vi rebutted. “You’re rebuilding a whole system of magic from scratch and I’m not a wizard, I’m a warrior! I don’t know the first thing about curses.”

Sherbert frowned sharply. “Wait, I know you’re cursed but no one can help you with that curse? I don’t remember hearing about that part,” she asked.

This would be the second time we’d talked about this infront of her. I guess she just didn’t pick up on the details. Or we hadn’t explained them well since we were all used to everyone knowing.

I nodded. “Yes! That’s what made the nightmare so horrible. That’s why Vinyl suddenly being able to help me is impossible. Part of the curse prevents help from being offered, or successful.”

Sherbert nodded. “Okay. I have a theory… I can’t tell you the details, but please ask me to do something to help you with this. Right now.”

My head tilted in confusion, seemingly of its own accord.

“Um… Okay? Would you please look at the notes on my desk and tell me if you see anything in them that’s related to the way Dream Magic correlates to your… Mystery thing?” I asked slowly.

“Sure,” Sherbert answered, looking around my apartment. “Which one is your workroom?”

I pointed at my bedroom door. “That one.”

“Thanks,” Sherbert answered, trotting off into my room rather quickly.

Vi and I waited quietly for a few minutes. I couldn’t say a word. My brain was too busy trying to comprehend how Vi could just… Ignore the curse’s effects. It made zero sense!

Vi was probably too panicked about what her parents did to her to talk. I mean, I would be. When Discord demands something is to be kept under wraps…

Sherbert cleared her throat as she came out of my room. “Well, I can’t tell you anything,” she said firmly.

I nodded, sighing in relief as normality was partially restored. “Right. You failed. Like the curse makes you do if you can agree to help.”

She shook her head, making her short mane swish. “No! I can see what it is, kinda. I’m not a wizard, but I can see the thing. I can’t tell you because I promised Discord I wouldn’t talk about it. But I did see the relationship.”

I blinked once, my brain coming to a crashing halt.

“W-what?” I demanded ears flicking randomly in confusion.

Sherbert frowned, struggling. “I- I Pinkie Promised, okay? But um, I think that it’s okay if I let you know that anypony with the aura bits like Vinyl and I have can probably ignore the effects of Dream Magic, or at least a Nightmare's curse. Sooo uh… We can help you!”

“Ooookay!” Vi said, her voice strained with worry. “Lyra, my folks, place, right now!”

This mystery was getting resolved TODAY. Especially since to pull off plan A… I actually did need help.

I nodded in agreement. “Oh yeah! Your folk's place, right now!”

Grabbing my saddlebags off the rack with my magic, I raced out the door towards this deck’s teleport station, Vinyl, and Sherbert hot on my tail.

Today was the start of something big. I could feel it.

2 - Family Secrets

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Vinyl Scratch - 19th of Megan, 29 AE

Weir Station, Hollow Shades - Equestria

The sharp crack of the teleporter echoed off the old train stations walls. This stop was ancient. Hollow Shades was one of the first stops built nine hundred years ago when the railroad was a wagon trail. When the railroad was built, the only addition to the building was the deck for people to more easily get on the train. That had been four hundred years ago.

Aside from installing the teleport pad, no one had touched this place since then. No maintenance. Light cleaning only. The whole place looked like a ghost town. Especially since the clerks who worked here were required by law to wear enchanted rings to look like ghostly apparitions.

Dad’s got a great sense of humor. But the station should really look nice. There’s a reason we had the pad installed.

My family’s estate was kinda important. Ponies have three classifications for animals: Person, Creature, and Monster. People are a pretty obvious category. Creatures are anything that’s not a person which does not eat ponies. Monsters are anything that’s not a person which eats ponies.

Hollow Shades is where a certain subgroup of monsters are sent to become people. Not every monster is intelligent enough to be treated, but a hooffull are. Vampires, were-creatures, lamias, any diamond dog the Guard captures, and a few other rare monsters all come through here.

This dusty, old, decaying train station was going to be one of their first memories when they obtained Personhood. It should look more welcoming. I mean, I know dad has his whole theme going, but maybe the reason most people stay in the village instead of moving out into Equestria at large is they think that other places just are not where they belong.

That they need to be someplace spooky.

It’s how I had felt. I almost didn’t want to leave home all those years ago. I’m glad I did.

“Woooah, Um… Girls?” Sherbert asked timidly, her hooves clicking on the pad as she turned around, taking in the decrepit station. “Did we go to the wrong place?”

“Nope,” I answered reflexively smirking. “This is home.”

Damnit, Vi! Why do you do that? The smirk. It’s unnecessary. You try so hard to be cool all the time.

Lyra frowned, looking at me oddly. “Are you okay?” She asked in mild concern.

I frowned, wondering what had given my self-criticism away.

“It’s fine. Just nervous,” I said with a short sigh.

For someone I’d just met in a VR game, Fae was right. I may be ‘the cool one’ of the group, but I needed to start opening up sometimes.

I’d been the leader of Luna’s Knights for forty five years now. There was more to that job than just thinking of strategy and making sure everyone was keeping up with training. I had to keep their morale high too.

That’s hard for a team leader to do. You need to make sure that everyone feels confident that you can lead. You need to appear strong, courageous, and smart. All the time.

Fae may be a good, if new, friend. And she may be very inciteful, but a person you know through a VR game isn’t exactly guaranteed to know how to manage stress as the leader of a military group. We have more people to think about than ourselves, and for good reasons!

When it came to leading my team, I followed a specific military doctrine. It was the best one I could find, the one used by the best infantry in the world. The Prench Army Officer’s Manual.

Prench Officers do not duck. They just don’t. They never flinch under fire, even if the world is raining spellbolts, bombs, arrows, bullets, and hexes. Why? Because the stallions don’t like it when their leaders are vulnerable.

If their leader is afraid, so are they. The experienced guy with the plan is afraid, that’s a good reason for you to be afraid. If that same guy is sobbing their brains out because they can’t get over something they saw, then that’s a pretty good reason for the soldiers under them not to be courageous.

An officer leads by example. That’s why I hadn't told anyone about my problems for years. I was still the same pony as I was before Luna recruited us at heart, but… But I had to stay cool, calm, and collected all the time. Especially since no one else in our group could get everypony organized.

“You’re not at all okay,” Lyra decided with a steeper frown. “Do you need a bit to think about what to say to them?”

“... My ears are pointed forwards, aren't they?” I asked Lyra, wondering if that was my stress tell.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Yeah, they are,” Sherbert agreed with a sympathetic nod. “I’d be nervous talking to my parents about a thing like this too. Especially since all you were planning for tonight was dinner with friends.”

“Heh, yeah,” I agreed with a genuine smile.

That was a little funny. I’d gone over to Lily’s clinic for a quick consultation, and to check and see if he could even work with a vampire. I didn’t get an answer, but at least he was processing a tissue sample to let me know.

I’d ran into Sherbert on the way out, and decided to get to know our new recruit better over dinner as a way to both help the group and destress. She’d asked if we could take Lyra along. That was it. The whole plan.

Now we were at my family estate to talk to my parents about the fact that I seemed to be animated via unknown magic. Four hours after having a flashback to Operation Chrysanthemum because an MMO’s quest had the exact same scenario, against large wolves that looked pretty close to werewolves, and Fae had the same thing happen to her that happened to that poor griffon chick...

Come to think of it, the woods around the station looked almost exactly like the part of the Everfree where the wolf caught up to her an-

I took a quick breath, forcing my mind to think about nothing. I wasn’t going back there again today.

Lyra cleared her throat and started to trot out of the station, walking past me and nodding at Sherbert. “Come on, I’ll lead the way. It’s not far.”

Sherbert nodded and followed after her, so I walked along, bringing up the rear.

We walked up the spooky, tree overhung ‘tunnel-road’ in silence for a while. It was nice at first, but then I started to feel a bit well… Bad. I had to say something.

“Oh, hey, Lyra,” I began casually. “I finally got to try out ETURNITY today. I think you’d like it. The VR tech is really slick! It’s a neural link instead of a visor rig, and the game’s pretty fun! The adult stuff is all on separate servers too, unlike, well, most games. Heh! I’d be willing to make a new character if you wanted to play on a family-friendly one.”

Lyra shook her head. “Maybe after we figure out what’s going on here and get this curse dealt with,” she said dismissively. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you got to try a game you’ve been wanting to play for a few months, but I don't exactly have time for them personally.”

“You play VR games?” Sherbert asked, turning to look at me over her shoulder.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve had a lot of spare time lately. Octy is away from home a lot more now, classical music made a pretty good comeback while you were in Neighpone. And well, the rave club scene has been declining for the last decade or so.

“It started to pick back up, but I can’t get into the new electronic genre that’s driving the thing now. Just doesn't sound right to me. So I don’t get booked for many gigs myself. Maybe one or two a month.

“That’s fine, I don't need the money. I’m nobility. Leaves me with a lot of free time though. So I took up games as a hobby, it’s a good way to stay social since I can't go to the current clubs. The new music gives me the worst headache.”

Sherbert tilted her head, her tail lashing in confusion. “But… Don’t we have to stay on call at all times? Princess Luna could have a mission for us at any moment!”

I laughed. “We won't get too many missions, Sherbert. You can expect to be at home on your plot all but maybe six days a year.”

Lyra nodded and laughed. “Yeah! Equestria is crazy safe these days. Uh, do stay near your communicator though. If it beeps, it’s go time.”

“How do you listen for it with a full sensory VR rig on?” Sherbert asked me worriedly.

“I have everything set to forward calls to me into the headset,” I answered with a proud smile.

That had taken SO LONG to get set up.

Lyra nodded. “Yep. If this game works like the last one she played, if Luna calls it will auto-logout and switch to video chat.”

“Yep, same deal here. Had to get my helmet custom made for that,” I grumbled. “Uh, not that I hate having that system installed. It’s critical that I do. I’m not going to endanger the Kingdom with my hobby. Just means I had to wait three months after launch to play.”

Sherbert nodded, seemingly satisfied. She was about to say something when we rounded the bend in the path and Hollow Shades came into view.

It was always fun to watch a pony’s first time reaction to the village.

It was a breathtaking view. Especially in the carefully crafted ‘spooky’ night Dad’s weather teams lovingly maintained. As soon as the Giant Sequoia trees parted, you could see the eerily cloudless sky, except for that one stray cloud that was covering exactly one-third of the moon, and the one small cluster of clouds hanging unnaturally above the clifftop spiky gothic castle which overlooked the crater lake.

And then there was the lake. Eerily calm and still, with a pale white glow coming out of it. If you didn’t know we had sea ponies living down there, it looked like magic was just radiating out of the waters. Which since the lake was made from an obvious meteor crater, was all sorts of creepy to lots of ponies.

It didn’t help that the village itself was built in terraced layers around the crater’s rim either. The whole village fits inside the crater, all supported on a big timber shelf that spiraled down into the waters below like a corkscrew. It looked like the magic lake was gobbling up the village. Except it wasn’t. It was just, you know, the road to the seapone district.

Sherberts ears drooped, her eyes widened, and-

And she vanished! She actually disappeared into thin air! While I was watching.

Me! A first generation vampire. Here! In terrain, I knew like my turntables.

Celestia’s mane that mare was GOOD! I should make EVERYPONY attend Kōmor- Kōm- Whatever her Ninja School was called.

“Woah! Okay, how did you do that?” I asked, my jaw dropping.

“She’s got an implanted gemstone that lets her teleport,” Lyra answered a light blush on her face.

I frowned. “Wait, then where did she go?” I asked looking around me.

Lyra trotted over and gently turned my head to make me look at the top of the village’s road. Sherbert had teleported over to a filly werewolf who was sitting outside of what was presumably her house. The young one was transformed into their wolf form and had been enjoying a drumstick, and at the moment was looking a bit shellshocked.

Because she’d been literally ninja glomped.

I wanted to giggle, I really did. I understood why that had happened. Give a filly some puppy features and you get a ball of adorable so dense it should form a black hole. However…

“Sherbert! NO!” I called in warning.

Too late…

“You’re so adorable!” Sherbert giggled beaming the terrified little filly a smile.

The craftscolt style bungalow's door exploded open as the filly’s dad jumped out onto the porch, he wasn’t a werewolf himself, just an Earth pony. A dull red and brown earth pony the size of a small mountain with a cutiemark in the shape of a boxing glove punching through a sheet of steel.

I have no idea what his name was. Because everypony just called him things like ‘Brick Bonemeal’, ‘Rip Steakface’, ‘Mister Colossus’, or ‘AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!’ if they met him in person in the dark of the night.

I’d used him as a boss in O&O games before.

The rippling pile of muscle that passed for an earth pony glared at Sherbert, growling at her with enough bass to vibrate the porch. “What the HAY are you doing with my daughter?!” He demanded through clenched teeth.

Sherbert scrunched up, more than a little afraid. “I-uh, I’m sorry! She’s just super adorihugable and- Uh- NINJA SMOKE!”

Sherbert yelped as she reached into her gi, throwing a small black pellet at the ground, reappearing next to me as a plume of white smoke filled the space she had occupied.

I took a deep breath and resisted the urge to facehoof. Too bad Octy wasn’t here. Sherbert could use a whack on the head.

“Sherbert… Little puppy-fillies are adorable, but you're not allowed to glomp them. Understood?” I asked, giving her my most serious possible deadpan-glare.

Her ears fell slowly. “Yes, Ma’am,” she said with a sharp nod.

“Hopefully you didn’t give her teleophobia,” Lyra said, suppressing a laugh. “We should go before Calm Creek sees us over here.”

“Wait, you know what his name actually is?” I asked Lyra while Sherbert cast a quick transmutation spell to make herself look like a blue pegasus stallion and somehow hiding her gi as well.

She nodded and started fast walking uphill towards the castle. “Yeah. I used to watch boxing back in Highschool. He’s an old champ,” she replied.

I nodded and started to walk after her. But froze as Creek called my name.

“Lady Scratch!” He yelled. “Did you see that just now?!”

I turned around and nodded. “Yes, I did. I’ll let dad know some ninja wannabee is prowling around. Already on that,” I promised.

I mean. I’d be introducing Sherbert already. Heh.

“Did you see where she went? Nopony tries to kidnap Moonie without getting their pelvis kicked through their head!” He growled angrily.

I shook my head. “I didn’t see her run away. Sorry.”

Creek nodded and turned towards his house, saying something to his kid before ushering her inside.

“That’s why you don’t do that,” I grunted at the disguised Sherbert.

“I couldn’t help it! She is too adorable,” Sherbert mumbled, kicking the ground with a hoof.

“In the future, restrain yourself. Baby laimias are even cuter, but their dad would EAT you for that,” Lyra pointed out.

“I thought Hollow Shades was a monster reform place… Doesn't that mean he wouldn’t try and eat me?” Sherbert asked as we approached the castle gate.

“Some instincts can’t be controlled. Don’t mess with a lamia’s family,” I said as adamantly as I could. “Unless you have a vore fetish and a death wish.”

“Got it,” she eeped, wings doing the worried pegasi swish flick.

Damn, she was REALLY good at those transformations. Not changeling good, but those little touches definitely sold the image of ‘odd-looking flappy pone’. Without them, you’d definitely call her out as being disguised.

I looked up at the castle wall, I knew the old stonework well. I had no reason to admire it. Instead, I was wondering why the portcullis was down.

Dad almost never closed the gate. What’s more, when he did, a sign was normally posted to explain why. I couldn’t see any sign this time. Or even anypony standing watch.

“Huh…” I mused aloud. “That’s weird, somepony should be standing by to open the gate but-”

My ears swiveled as I heard the loud creak of the castle door about a hundred meters up the hill opening. That wasn't unusual. They squeaked kinda loud, and it was a calm night. I should hear anything that loud at that distance.

What was weird was the clink of metal. Lots of it. Very few things sounded like that. But the number one was-

“Hoof steps, metal clinking, dad’s sending out his Guard,” I said with a sharp frown. “Sherbert… What do you do when you see an adorable filly!?”

“Nothing,” she sighed, hanging her head in embarrassment.

“Damn straight!” Lyra laughed. “Those poor ponies are probably freaking out at the thought of fighting a ninja!”

“I’m a shinobi,” Sherber grumbled. “There’s a difference.”

“Not outside of Neighpone there’s not,” I snickered, shaking my head. “I better take care of this.”

I was tempted to transform and fly over the gate, but since I was going to be talking to my parents in a bit, and mom found it rude and uncivilized to talk in Hunting Mode, that left one option for getting through the gate.

The wall was enchanted. You couldn’t climb it. Too slick. Even for a vampire’s enhanced grip. I mean, duh. This place had been built to hold off hostile vamps.

But there was a reason dad almost never closed the gate. It was a piece of junk and the shield spell placed in the archway was better than some steel and wood. Especially since the enchantment to close the wooden gates never worked. Meaning only the portcullis could be closed remotely.

Trotting up to the steel grate, I grabbed the bottom bar with my forehooves and simply pushed it up as if doing a deadlift, raising it over my head with a few grunts of effort. My hindlegs trembled as I held the heavy gate aloft. I couldn’t do this for too long...

“Please go inside. This is heavy,” I ordered as Lyra and Sherbert stood gawking.

“I HATE being the weakest one of us,” Lyra grumbled as she slipped through the gap.

“So uh… How much can you lift?” Sherber asked quizzically as she slid through as well.

“This is about my limit,” I admitted as I stepped forward and let the portcullis slam down behind me.

While we had slipped through, the sixteen guards dad had sent to the wall had made it to the gate. They wore Dad’s black and silver armor well, and all of them appeared to be normal ponies. Which meant that some foreign dignitary was visiting, or was about to visit.

CRAP! This could make talking a problem.

“Well,” the pegasus mare at the front of the squad, her helmet marking her as a sargent, said with a frown. “That gate is worthless. Good evening, my Lady.”

“Evening,” I replied. “Did Creek call in that Ninja?”

The sergeant nodded once. “Yes, Ma’am! Your father ordered us to go on an obvious patrol of the village to distract hostiles while a few wolf packs sniff about.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Go ahead and stand down,” I ordered, picking up Sherbert with my telekinesis. “I have the ninja right here. She’s with me, and just never had seen a little wolf before. Didn’t want Creek to punch her into orbit.”

The guards snickered amongst themselves as I set Sherbert back down. “Wait, that’s a mare?” somepony whispered. “How can a girl be that butch?”

“Obviously, she’s a changeling ninja… Luna! That’s a scary thought,” somepony else reprimanded.

“He can do that?” The Sergeant asked me, completely believing my BS claim about the earth pony mountain's strength.

To tell the truth, I sort of believed it myself.

“He definitely looks like he can,” I said with a shrug. “Is the formal armor to draw attention because ninja, or-”

The Sargent shook her head. “A diplomat from Neighpone is coming by tomorrow to negotiate rehabilitation for a few prisoners. The Count thought that a ninja showing up meant someone was planning an assassination. I- Oh! One moment.”

The Sargent reached behind her breastplate with one hoof and slipped out her messenger gem, and spoke into the glowing blue stone. “Count Scârţâi: My Lord, your daughter has arrived. It would seem that the ninja is with her, it was just a reaction to seeing a pup for the first time, sir.”

“She is? Wonderful! Vinyl, why didn’t you call ahead? Also, I trust you have reprimanded your friend already?” Dad’s voice echoed slightly through the gem, his Trotsylvanian accent making some of the newer guards smile.

I wonder if they would still find it funny if they knew that was the cliche vampire accent because that was just what his accent had always been?

“I have,” I answered, stepping forward and speaking loudly so the gem’s limited ‘hearing’ would pick up my voice. “As for not calling ahead, I didn’t plan on visiting. It’s important. We teleported here.”

Dad was silent for a moment. “Is it business? There’s not a rogue pack of werewolves in Manehattan again, is there?” He asked worriedly.

“Nothing like that fiasco. It’s personal,” I replied.

“Ah. Well, come on in. I’ll meet you downstairs,” he said happily. “Oh, and Bastion, go ahead and do your patrol anyways. Another security sweep can’t hurt, and it will make Absurdly Buffstallion feel better.”

“Yes, sir!” Bastion said, nodding to her squad. “Get the gate open, we’ve still got a job to do.”

I nodded at her and stepped aside. “Good luck,” I said with a playful smirk. “Sherbert… Wanna wait ten minutes then play tag with them?”

She shook her head, and dropped her disguise, her body seeming to just warp into her normal pale orange unicorn form, with her gi flowing out from her back. “Nah. That would be mean,” she said seriously.

The three of us stood aside and let the guards crank open the gate and slip through before continuing up to the castle. I felt more and more stressed out with every step. I was almost eighty. They hadn’t told me about my creation in seventy-six years.

And here I was, about to demand an answer. An answer to a secret they kept from everyone.

This was going to be a nightmare…

As we reached the doors they creaked open, dad's black-furred butler, Ravensfield, having apparently decided to play doorstallion today.

“Thanks,” I said as I stepped inside.

Dad had gone whole-hog with the decor for the meeting tomorrow. Sure, normally the castle was all black marble, rosewood, and silver embellishments, pretty fancy. But he had put out the good carpets, fresh white roses in the expensive vases, and the gold embroidered rugs.

Must have been someone in the Imperial Family coming by. But not Emperor Mysuki. She’d scoff at decore like this for her sake. Pretty sure she’d prefer cheesy posters of B action movies and some old weapons that looked legendary in some way or another.

I barely had time to take in the extra layer of fancy before dad called to me from atop the stairs.

“Vinyl! My little filly! How delightful to have you home again!” He called, smiling as wide as he always did when giving me his stock, but genuinely loving greeting.

I guess when you spend three thousand years trying to have a foal, you love her no matter what once you have her.

He looked as properly vampire as ever. Same stark white fur, same red eyes, same dark black cape with the crimson lining. He may go out of his way to make the castle look nice for a visitor, but he wouldn’t change his look for anyone.

I returned his smile, but I knew he could see the stress on my face. “It’s nice to see you too, dad,” I greeted.

Lyra frowned. “Wait, do you greet her with that every time? I can’t ever remember you saying anything else.”

“Of course I do,” dad replied with a chuckle. “I mean it. Now then, young miss I have not seen before. There is to be absolutely no random hugging of foals in my fiefdom. Understood?”

Sherbert had been staring up at dad for the last few moments. Not quite afraid, but also not quite calm. “Yes sir, sorry sir,” she answered with a salute.

Dad waved a hoof dismissively. “None of that! You're not in my employ,” he said as he began to walk downstairs. “So, what brings you three to my castle? Not that you’re unwelcome, It’s just that you haven't simply come back without a word since high school- Oh. Oh dear, there aren't any problems with Octavia, are there?”

I shook my head no as firmly as I could. “No. She’s busier than she used to be, but it’s great that her career is taking off. We’re still close, even though she’s away pretty often now. But that’s fine, I expect things to be normal in ten years or so.”

Dad nodded happily. “Good! Well, shall we adjourn to my study to talk about whatever this is? You’re not thinking of moving back home, are you? That would be wonderful!” He asked as he turned to walk towards his study, nodding for Lyra and Sherbert to follow us.

“Not yet,” I replied as I walked alongside him. “Maybe soon though. I’m still enjoying living in the sun. Um, we should get mom too.”

“Mom too?” Dad asked suspiciously. “I’m afraid that we can’t. She’s accompanying tomorrow's guest to the castle, and is currently somewhere over the Celestial Sea. Is this… A family problem? Ah, yes! That’s what this must be. You and Octavia want to try for a foal, yes?”

I shook my head. “Not yet. But it’s a related question, and it’s very important. I can’t not have an answer to it. Not this time.”

“We hardly need to talk face to face for this,” Dad said in a question deflecting tone. “The usual potions should affect you just fine. When it comes time to put a bun in Octavia’s oven any adult novelty shop will sell the proper concoctions. Just don't get a permanent variety by accident. Well, unless you want to. Lots of mares forget to read the label and wind up needing a hospital visit to remove a certain something.”

Heh. Oh, dad. It’s so you to try and push things away like that.

But two can play at the awkward conversation game!

“I know all that,” I answered chipperly. “The only real problem is finding a potion that can create a size Octy likes. Pretty sure we’re out of options without getting a custom potion made. She gets grumpy when things are too loose. But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

Dad sighed, and stopped walking. We’d reached the ebony and gold door which led to his study. But it was clear that he didn’t intend to go inside.

“Vinyl, We’ve been over this many times. I will not talk about your creation,” he said firmly. “When you want a foal of your own, your mother and I will do the work needed to raise her for you. End of discussion.”

I nodded. “Right. Lyra, explain,” I ordered.

“Count Scârţâi, are you aware of my study of dream magic?” Lyra asked in a professional manner.

Dad frowned slightly. “I am.”

“I recently made a discovery. Dream Magic is a warped version of another form of magic. One unknown to me,” Lyra said, her businesses mare tone remaining calm and informative. “Whatever this magic is, Vinyl is completely saturated with it. What's more, our new recruit Sherbert has a bit of it floating around in her as well. Miss Sherbert, tell the Count what this magic is, please.”

Sherbert awkwardly shuffled her hooves. “I can’t… I Pinkie Promised Discord not to talk about it,” she repeated.

Dad’s frown deepened. His eyes filled with worry. He knew what I was going to say already. Not a shocker, we were always close.

“Dad, whatever you did to bring me to life is the only thing that my normal unicorn aura can’t account for,” I said, being as blunt as I could, my tail lashing worriedly as I spoke. “That’s the only thing that Lyra could possibly be seeing. I need to know what it is because now it’s a national security matter.

“I would rather talk to you and learn why Discord, DISCORD, thinks this stuff is too dangerous to talk about, to the point of invoking Pinkie Promise. Because if I go to him and ask him about it, like I’m going to have to if you won't tell me, because I might be a cosmic level environmental hazard or something! I... He would know that YOU did whatever he thinks is very dangerous in order to make me.

“So please, tell me, what did you do? Why am I alive? How? Am I safe to be around? Is there any moral or ethical excuse for me to not report whatever you did?”

Dad nodded once. “You’re safe to be around. That’s not a problem. Come inside,” he said opening the door and walking inside the brightly lit mini-library.

I nodded and trotted inside, hooves loudly clicking on the hardwood floor as I entered. Dad took a seat on one of the two red velvet couches, and nodded towards the other one, and stopped as Lyra and Sherbert began to follow us.

“Miss Heartstrings, Miss Sherbert, you are not invited to this conversation. Remain outside,” he ordered. “I am not speaking as your friend. This is an order from an Equestrian Count.”

Lyra nodded and immediately walked outside. “Yes, sir,” she said gently putting a leg around Sherber’s shoulders and guiding her out of the room. “No ninja tricks. He outranks you. We’re not listening in.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Sherbert said with a frown. “But-”

“No buts,” I said as I gripped the door with my magic. “Dad’s NEVER serious with my friends. I’ll be back soon.”

I closed the door, took a nervous breath and trotted over to the couch across from dad and sat down on the velvet cushion.

Dad closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly meditating on exactly what to say. I waited patiently for him to talk. It was about time I knew, but I could wait a few more minutes.

“Nothing your mother and I did was illegal,” dad said firmly after his moment of silence. “No laws exist covering this. What’s more, we did it outside of Equestria. It’s important to know this before we get into detail.”

I nodded. “Alright. I’ll check that out for myself, but I believe you for now,” I said politely.

“We raised you in what’s now the far north of the Crystal Empire,” dad said, shifting slightly on the couch. “Princess Cadence is the only pony with legal authority over the region. And since Celestia was only the Steward of the Crystal Empire, she couldn’t enact new laws in the region, she could only enforce those that existed. The Crystal Empire, had no laws on the books at the time. You can check all you want.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Then why be so secretive? Celestia and I thought you used necromancy for it. The only reason she hasn’t jailed you for that is she sympathized too much with wanting a child,” I pointed out.

He nodded. “Yes… The thing is… The fewer people who know the better. Your mother and I are good people, Vinyl. The reason we wanted to never tell anyone at all about this is because-” Dad signed, his shoulders slumping. “Because we found the entity which gave Sombra his power.”

I was not ready for that. I just sort of… Stopped. “W-what?” I asked, blinking twice.

“We found, deep beneath the ice sheet, the entity which gave King Sombra his complete and total mastery over Dark magic,” dad repeated. “It was easy. He is my brother after all. I have a few copies of his journals. Celestia gave them to me for safekeeping.

“When your mother and I failed for the third time to animate one of your stillborn siblings, and yes we were using necromancy at first, we realized that we would never be able to make a soul, and that for whatever reason, if we sparked those bodies to ‘life’, they wouldn’t create a soul on their own like a normal infant does upon their birth.

“I decided that the only thing to do was to consult a higher power. I was tempted to ask Celestia for help again, but she had declined before. I believe she felt that only Biomancy or Necromancy could do the job, and she didn’t wish to dip into the forbidden arts. After all, that would send a very bad political message. Specifically, it would paint her as a hypocrite.”

I nodded. “Right. ‘This is illegal but I get to use it to help a friend.’ She does that and suddenly everypony think’s it’s okay to use it themselves.”

“Exactly,” Dad agreed. “Eventually I recalled how my brother had gone from a normal litch, to something far more powerful. As far as I knew, such a thing was impossible. Yet, he had done it. As an ancient immortal wizard, I knew that whatever he had found which allowed him to become even more of a monster, such power could likely also help me.

“Your mother was onboard with the plan form the start. We were desperate. Vinyl, I- I don’t think I can explain to you how much we needed you. The two of us poured over his journals. His writing is absolutely the stuff of madness, but one page stood out.

“See, your uncle was mad, but madness is simply logic which does not align with reality. Mad people work in very specific ways, as I myself can attest. Sombra NEVER wrote in the margins of a page. Ever. Nor would he use a different color of ink in any book. Ever.

“And yet, on one page in volume three of his journals full of raving, there is a note scribbled in the margin. The journal is written in red ink on black parchment, and this note is written in white. It reads as follows, ‘Please tell me how fighting the Moon Lord goes.’

“Something important had happened around that time. Something so important, that someone else wrote a note to Sombra in his journal. So we ripped the entries around that date apart, decoding the mad ravings as best a sane mind can.

“Especially because, well, apparently Sombra was supposed to fight a Moon Lord, and that was never one of Luna’s titles. Nor did anyone I know of refer to her as such at the time of the journal’s entry. Which led to the question of ‘What the hay is a Moon Lord?’”

I nodded, quite engrossed in the story. But there was a nagging question. “So, whatever gave Sombra his power boost did so to help him fight whatever a Moon Lord is slash was?”

“Mhm,” dad confirmed. “We decoded the entries, and it turned out that Sombra had located the remains of Mage Meadowbrook's tower. It’s located far to the north, beneath the ice sheet near the hamlet aptly known as Buckingcold. Trust me, if you go there, even the most prudish and polite person in all of the existence would agree that the place could not be named anything else. Because it’s bucking cold. And nothing else.

“Regardless, we journeyed north, seeking out this entity dwelling within the remains of her tower. Mage Meadowbrook died roughly when I was, oh… Twenty-five. Her tower would have been abandoned for thousands of years a thousand years ago. Locating it based on Sombra’s journals was more than a bit of a bear. But locate it we did.

“We managed to slip past the… Thing which should not be, that I believe she set to guard her tower, and penetrated the defenses, making our way to the innermost sanctum. And there we found him. The being which gave Sombra his power.

“I dare not speak of him. He is vast in power and completely insane. Not in a mentally diseased way, no, this creature is… Hellishly lonely. Leaving it was a nightmare in and of itself. It did not want us to go. Sometimes, when I’m trying to sleep… I can still hear it begging as we ran. But at the same time… I fear that looking at him for too long would drive me insane again.”

I winced. “Wait, really? What is it, or um, he? You kinda imply that whatever this is it has a gender, but you keep using it. Why?” I asked worriedly.

“Because I have no idea what species it is. But it’s a guy. Or at least it sounds like one,” dad replied with a shiver.

I nodded. “Alright. So… What did you do? With me, I mean.”

“We took you out of the portable freezer we’d used to keep your body from decaying and asked him if he could give you life. And he said ‘Okay’,” Dad answered.

“And?” I asked with a frown.

“And absolutely nothing visible or arcane happened. But you started to cry. Your mother picked you up, and you squirmed. You were alive. Just like that. I asked how he did it, and well…” Dad trailed off and looked off into the distance for a few minutes.

“He said you wouldn’t have anything like his power. But whatever it is, they have siblings. Because he told me that he brought you to life by putting the remains of his sister into your body. A soul transplant.”

“Wait- I, but…” I stammered. “Explain!”

“I can’t. Not very well,” dad said with an apologetic ear twitch. “All I can remember is that he said Mage Meadowbrook was experimenting on his kind, and had captured him and his sister when they decided to explore. She died during an experiment, and he put the shreds of her soul into your body, which created a new distinct, separate entity, which I was assured would be a pony. You. And you are in all detectable ways, a pony. So, I don't think he lied.”

“I… Well… I always knew you made me somehow. Didn’t think that it involved spare alien parts,” I mumbled half to myself.

Dad nodded. “Well, we had to get a soul from somewhere. You’ve never been abnormal in any way, aside from well, being born a vampire and all that entails. He kept his promise as far as I can see.”

“Well, I feel normal so, yeah. I guess he did,” I agreed with a shrug. “But why would Discord be afraid of the magic at this guy’s disposal?”

Dad coughed. “Well, frankly, it’s likely because he seems to be able to do the same sort of things. He thought we were attacking him at first and turned the room into just the flat stone floor, floating in an endless maelstrom of chaotic colors, filled the place full of epic music, and cracked off a cheesy villain line.”

I opened my mouth to say something. Dad interrupted me. “Yes, cheezy by my standards,” he said with a light blush.

“I have to know,” I pressed, biting my lip to prevent myself from laughing.

If DAD thought it was cheesy.

“It was ‘What is a pony? A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk. Have at you!’ oddly enough, it seemed sad that I didn’t get the joke,” Dad said with a nervous laugh. “Sounds like badly translated song lyrics, doesn't it?”

I nodded in agreement. “Okay so, you found an imprisoned creature of Discord level power. That sounds like the sort of thing he’d want to keep classified. Especially if it just grants favors to anyone who stumbles across it.”

Dad coughed. “Well, it’s not actually a favor,” he said, tapping his hoof slightly nervously. “We made a deal. Uh… He sees you as a reincarnation of his sister. We were supposed to be a family…”

What.

The.

Actual.

BUCK!

I gave dad my most genuinely upset glare. “YOU PROMISED THAT AND YOU DITCHED HIM IN A RUINED TOWER UNDER THE ICECAP GUARDED BY A ‘THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE’!?” I demanded angrily. “I can’t believe you! I actually CAN’T believe you. You’d NEVER do anything like that.”

This whole conversation so far had blanked out my brain quite a bit, but that one little detail snapped me right back into reality like a punch to the back of the head. I NEVER broke my word, EVER. Promises are sacred. Dad had drilled that into my head ever since I was lit-

Oh. I see. He feel bad about this. Good.

Dad shook his head rapidly. “You don’t understand Vinyl! He is ALSO a thing that should not be. It attacked us on the spot, we had to MAKE it talk to us. I felt my mind slowly slipping away just looking at it. We couldn’t release it.”

“Yeah! But you know what it could have done?” I asked with an accusatory sneer. “Vaporized you while you ran away and took my soul back to keep for later. That is, if it’s really as powerful as you claim… Which it should be since I exist. I think that’s proof that it’s trustworthy! And you just shatter a deal you made. Did you even try asking ‘Could you do something to not drive me insane, please?’”

Dad held up a hoof to protest, inhaling as it to start some long explanation only to pause. “Um, well… No. But in my defense, if you saw him, you wouldn’t exactly be functioning in a sane and logical mindset yourself!”

I wanted to be mad, but at the same time, I understood that. When you’re afraid, really afraid, traumatized really, you just CAN’T act like a person. Your instincts go full animal on you. I’d been there.

“It’s okay dad,” I said with a long deep breath. “I forgive you. I understand… Things like that. Do you feel any guilt over it? At all?”

Dad stood still for a moment then nodded once. “Yes. A little. But not much. You’d understand if you went there.”

“The ice caverns beneath Buckingcold, right?” I asked as I stood up.

“Don't go,” Dad warned. “Your mother and I got in, but only barely. And getting out was almost impossible. The guardian is-”

“I am going,” I said firmly. “It’s my duty as a Knight of the Realm. I need to go and see if this is a powerful but peaceful creature which deserved to be free, or a dangerous monster to destroy. And I need to do that before talking to Discord.

“It existing means others could stumble across him and if he felt bad for Sombra and gave him the power to fight some mysterious creature, it could be unintentionally creating MORE villains. This is a problem. It needs to be dealt with, and it’s personal for me. Because you know, technically speaking, it’s my brother.”

Dad closed his eyes tightly and turned around walking over to his bookshelf. He took a scroll case from the shelf and passed it to me with his magic.

“What’s this?” I asked suspiciously.

“It’s the map of the ice caverns,” Dad replied. “I heard some ponies were mining in the area but abandoned the project. There’s invisible protections, and some very much visible ones too. This map will let you find the tower safely. We probed its defenses for months.

“Don’t go alone. Sherbert seems to have an idea about this already. Take her with you. If she was allowed to join the Knights of the Rampant Moon, she has to be able to hold her own. Lyra said she could see the magic used… I would take her as well.

“You’ll need artic gear with exceptionally high energy wards. Preferably stealth systems too. I can tell you are going to do this now, and that means there’s no time to teach you the spells you mother and I used for this.

“Remember, it may not have killed us as we fled, but it attacked us on sight seemingly just for fun. We only barely survived and persuaded it to talk instead. There’s no guarantee that it won't blast you on sight. It’s not exactly peaceful or safe to be around. Be careful.”

I nodded and walked over to dad, giving him a tight hug. “I will dad. I’ll drop by on the way back to show you I’m safe,” I promised.

He returned the hug and then quietly sat down. “If- If I was wrong. If it is peaceful and can make itself safe to be near… Bring it here, so I can apologize.”

“I will,” I promised, turning and opening the study door, so I could walk into the hall.

Lyra and Sherbert immediately stood up, they had been sitting on a bench beneath a decorative red and silver abstract tapestry on the wall across from the study.

“So, what’s the news?” Lyra asked hopefully. “Anything that will help me?”

I nodded firmly. “Yes. We’re heading to Mage Meadowbrook's tower. I have a map. We can’t talk about it here. That study is warded for privacy, this hallway is not.”

Lyra’s ears perked, her eyes widening in something beyond mere incredulity. “You- you know where the tower is? We need to stop by my apartment first! I have to go there. She’s on record as having had a very specific ritual chamber, I need one and there’s no way I could-”

“We’re stopping by Sky’s place already. You’ll get your stuff. What do you need to get from the tower?” I asked quickly. “So I can plan this out. It’s very, very dangerous.”

“I need to use some equipment she was known to have to forge a crystal that I can use to help break the curse,” Lyra answered immediately. “That’s been the plan for the last three years. It’s the only lead I have.”

“Well, you may not have to do that. Because of why we're going to the tower. I’ll explain in private later,” I said as I nodded towards the castle’s entry.

Lyra’s face scrunched up as she repressed a whole butload of questions. “I- but- Okay. I’ll wait. But we’re RUNNING to the teleporter.”

“Is there anything you can tell us now?” Sherbert asked worriedly. “I mean, I should probably tell Discord that-”

“DON’T!” I snapped, immediately flinching at my outburst. “Sorry. I, this is personal. We need to go there first. I have to see things with my own eyes. If it's really that bad, we will talk to Discord immediately. I know the spell to summon him.”

Sherbert nodded once. “Alright. How is it personal?” She asked with a frown.

“Apparently I have an older brother,” I said, walking off down the hallway.

3 - Cold, Buckingcold

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Sherbert - 19th of Megan, 29 EoH

Deck 13, USS Phoenix - Phoenix

We returned to the Phoenix with a sickening jolt. Well, I did. I don't know what it was about Uncle Sky’s teleporters but after I had touched the void they always made me a bit queasy.

Not sick queasy, just… They didn’t feel right.

As we arrived, a changeling guard looked up from his magazine, noted the three of us, and then turned back to his reading. Lyra lived here, Captain Vinyl was here twice a week for Princess Luna’s game night, and I was Sky’s niece. He knew us, the alarms hadn’t dinged their little ‘these people are transformed’ warning, he’d done his job.

Lyra was the first to move off of the silver and brass teleport pad.

“You girls get the equipment, I’ll meet you at Sky’s lab. It’s pretty late but he’ll probably still be working on something,” she called as she ran out of the room.

The changeling guard hummed as she ran off and looked up. “Are you girls needing equipment for something?” He asked curiously.

Vinyl turned around and nodded. “Yes, is there a problem?”

The guard nodded. “Mhm,” he answered with a frown. “The Chief’s scheduled to depart for Ponyville in twenty minutes. You won't make it to the Engineering deck in time. Scale of one to ten, one being Luna broke her stove, ten being The Dark God was reborn, how badly do you need equipment?”

Vi bit her lip thoughtfully for a long second then shrugged. “Maybe an eight?”

The guard tossed his magazine aside, not caring as it slid off his console and landed on the floor.

“Stay on the pad,” he instructed as he began tapping a rapid series of commands. “Standby for a transport. Transporter room to Engineering.”

I groaned. Aw, man! Not another teleport. Come on!

“Engineering here,” a pony’s voice replied. “Something wrong with the transporters?”

I turned to look at the console in concentration. I’d heard that voice before… Who was that?

“Negative,” the guard said. “Captain Scratch of Luna’s Knights requires mission equipment for a significantly dangerous operation. Standby to receive transport.”

“Will do,” the pony replied.

That’s a mare. Who do I know who sounds like that and is-

Oh! CC. General Mechanic. Nice mare, hangs out with Lyra. Uncle Sky likes the way she does electronic circuits.

The teleporter hummed, and with the odd jerk-snap feeling Vinyl and I were spat out into the Engineering bay. My ears immediately lay back as I was bombarded with the sounds of a hundred different tools at work. Ugh, why do engineers insist on prototyping via hoof? Use the stupid printers…

“Ugh, really? Port them directly in front of me?” CC grumbled directly into my corneas.

I took a few steps back from the poor mare, doing my best to focus on her right eye instead of the patch when I spoke to her.

“Sorry,” I said with a blush. “I guess he didn’t-”

“Think about accidently transporting you inside me, and failed to use the minimum safe distance protocols. Like an asshole,” the slate gray mare griped while turning around to wave across the lab at Uncle Sky as he walked down the stairway from the observation pod which overlooked the engineering floor. “HEY! CHIEF!”

Despite the noise of the ‘shop’, Sky paused, turned towards us with a curious expression on his face, noticed Vinyl and I standing next to his crew pony and waved back, quickly trotting down the rest of the stairs and moving over to us across the floor.

As Sky approached, he flicked a small screwdriver off a workbench with a wingtip and gripped it between his teeth as he walked, passing it to a hoof as he stopped a few steps away from us.

“Okay, hand them over,” he said with a casual smirk.

“Hand what over?” Vinyl asked for me.

“Your comms,” Sky answered with a jovial wink. “All three of you had your comms break at the same time and couldn’t call me to say ‘Hey, we’re over here. Mere’. So you had CC yell. Heh heh.”

I rolled my eyes as Sky tossed the screwdriver back onto the workbench with a casual flick of his foreleg. “So, whatcha girls need?" He asked more seriously. “I’ll get my crew on it before I head out. I’ve gotta go. The Pink needs to be ponked.”

I blushed a bright red. “Ummmmm!” I said, unsure of how to reply to that.

“That’s Pinkie speak for a back massage,” Sky said with a snicker.

“Why didn’t you just say that?” Vinyl asked, one eyebrow raised up enough to tent over her glasses’ rims.

“Because then I wouldn’t have made my niece turn pink! And today was a good day. I’m happy. I like to have fun when I’m happy, don’t you?” Sky rhetorically asked, turning to look at Vinyl this time. “No really though, what do you need? I want to go home.”

Vi nodded. “Sorry, this came right out of left field,” she said as seriously as she could. “We need three of your environment suits adapted for as cold of weather as possible, preferably to operate in space-cold temperatures. We need one fitted for me, one for Sherbert, and the last for Lyra.

“They should be armored for light combat, and contain stealth systems equivalent to-”

Sky shook his head rapidly and held up a hoof. “Whoa whoa whoa, hold it!” He said with a sharp frown. “What’s up? This sounds like a thing I’m going to get dragged in to. What do you need all this for?"

Vi paused for a moment, searching for the right words to use. I was only barely starting to get a good ‘read’ on the Captain. She took her position as a Knight Captain very seriously… Which clashed with how laid back she was about everything else in her life.

“We’re on a mission to locate and search Mage Medowbrook’s tower for a classified proper noun, Uncle,” I said for Vinyl, doing my best to sound and look professional.

Vinyl nodded quickly. “Right. The one under the ice near Buckingcold, just in case she had more than one,” she added.

Sky’s face went pale. His wings lifted up, getting into a quick-launch positions while his ears lay flat against his head in terror.

“N-never again,” he mumbled half to himself.

Wait… He’d BEEN there!? Oh! Yes, that’s right!

Uncle Sky and Pinkie Pie had gone there during the Tartarian invasion to retrieve Pinkie’s Element’s reagent. He never, ever talked about that. Pinkie didn’t either.

That didn’t bode well.

“Um, are you okay, sir?” CC asked, walking over to get a better look at her boss. “Do you need some water? Anything?”

Sky shook his head. “No! No water. Guh… Why did you have to offer water?” He grumbled before taking a deep breath and shaking himself out of his funk.

Literally.

Shake, shake, shake, normal happy look restored. It was a total Pinkie thing to do. I guess she’d rubbed off on him a bit after all the years they had-

EW! Brain, why did you phrase it like that then picture it in that way!? They are blood relatives!!!

“Hokay!” Sky sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before raising his watch up to use it. “So! Dealing with Lovecraftian shit ey? Luckily for you, I just finished drawing up plans for some armored space-suits for digging out the starport ruins on the moon. Sai, pull up the Dead Space designs. Send them to CC’s workstation."

"On it,” the AI assistant applied chipperly.

Vinyl tipped her head forward to look Sky in the eyes without her glasses being in the way. “What’s Lovecraft? You’ve clearly been to where I’m going. What should I know?” She asked with a concerned quaver in her voice.

No. Not just concerned, empathetic. She understood that whatever had happened to Uncle Sky had been actually traumatic, and she knew exactly what that felt like.

Suddenly it clicked.

The twitchy way Vinyl had been all day, the haunted look she’d had in her eyes when she’d walked into Dad’s clinic. The way she’d spaced out when we’d teleported to her old home, and just stared at the forest all spooked for a full minute.

Vinyl had gone to dad to get help with flashbacks. Dad wasn’t a psychologist, but he was an MD, meaning he could diagnose-

“Lovecraft is a really old, dead, author. Wrote about a lot of really scary monsters from beyond-space time itself. Cosmic Horror. Not really my genera. But nothing else I’ve ever heard of comes close to describing Buckingcold’s mines,” Sky said with a shiver. “Oh, um, CC. Make them some suits, will you? Use the arctic variant I designed. And a few weapons. You’ll really regret going in there unarmed. So don’t.”

Vinyl nodded. “Yeah. Our informant said it’s dangerous, that's why we're here for suits and not at an Outpost Alpha buying commercial artic gear,” she said with a smirk. “We’ll be fine. We’ve gone into dangerous places before. Oh, um… That far north is definitely not within the teleport grid.

“Would you mind giving us a lift up-”

“NO!” Sky snapped, ears falling back fearfully.

Vi and I stepped back under the sheer force of his refusal.

“Umm,” I said, frowning worriedly. “You don’t have to go incid-”

"NOPE! NEVER GOING BACK! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME?! WELL NOPE, NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" Sky exploded, fearfully lashing his tail.

Vinyl held up both her forehooves. “Woah! Take it easy! You don’t have to go. I just meant ‘Can we borrow a shuttle?’ this mission needs to stay small. It was almost impossible for two ponies to get inside. We can’t take the whole team, so we won't have a portal.”

“Oh!” Sky said, letting out a deep breath of relief, his ears standing back up. “Yeah. Yeah you can borrow a shuttle. Hey, CC, you can fly, right?”

The blue gray and darker blue gray mare nodded. “Yeah, I can. I don’t mind taking them up either. Especially not if that counts as my shift for today,” she said hopefully.

“Sure does. Whip them up some suits, get some weapons done up too. Soon as it’s all done fly them up there. Monitor their vitals. The SECOND you see any sign of injury, beam everyone right the buck out, directly into the shuttle, and fly right back here. Got it?”

CC nodded and snapped a salute. “Got it!” She said as she turned to Vinyl and I. “Come on girls, let’s get you loaded up. I guess Lyra’s grabbing her own equipment? Do you know if she’ll be wearing her cyber costume? I’ll need to know if I should print hers for a human or a pony.”

“Pony,” Vi answered instantly. “She hasn’t worn that on a mission since the time she got impaled in it. Doesn't like making Sky fix it.”

CC nodded. “Makes sense. That thing’s systems are NUTS! Okay, hold still so I can get some shape scans of you two. Let’s get the fit prefect.”

One of these days, I would have to learn what happened down there that made my uncle so afraid. I had a very bad feeling that today was going to be that day.

Lyra Heartstrings - 19th of Megan, 17 EoH

Buckingcold - Crystal Empire

I had no idea CC had been trained as a pilot. I mean, it made sense. She was an engineer, and she helped design and maintain the shuttles. But I never really thought you’d need to know how to fly them to know how to fix them.

She felt differently. ‘If you don't know what the pilot means when they say it’s flying a bit slippery, you can’t really fix it.’

A good point. One which I was trying to apply to the other thing on my mind.

“We’re nearly there,” CC called from the cockpit. “We should be landing in three minutes. Soon as I find a solid patch of ice to set down on.”

“Solid patch?” Vinyl asked with a worried frown. “Is the ice sheet messed up?”

“Look like it, yeah,” she said with an unworried laugh. “It’s ice covering a network of tunnels. As snow builds up and weight shifts you’ll get tunnel collapses and unstable bits. We’ll be okay, just need to spot a good place to land.”

“And that will take three minutes?” I asked curiously.

“Mhm, probably shorter. It’s just a ballpark estimate. You girls should get those helmets on. I’m reading forty three below outside,” CC warned.

Ah yes. The suits.

I looked down at my rather bulky padded cloth jumpsuit. It had some armor plating on it, but not as much as you would expect for a combat suit. But then again, it apparently wasn’t a combat suit, just a spacesuit. And not even a hardsuit, hence the bulk.

“What is the armor for again? Aren't these just designed for cleaning up some lunar ruins?” I asked as I reached up with a hoof to tap the ‘helmet deploy’ button.

Please don’t clip off my ears…

The helmet clamshelled shut around my head, my vision going black until the helmet’s sensors blinked on. And revealed a design flaw. The helmet’s sensors were worse than my enhanced vision. Great.

Well, at least the suit looked cool. And my ears were fine. Whew!

Nothing against Sky. His designs were great. But he didn’t build this one. CC did. And well, she was good, but not Sky. I was super worried she’d gotten my size wrong.

“Trying to land here,” CC called back, a bit annoyed.

Sherbert deployed her own helmet, its segmented plates unfolding from the chest and back plates, then closing around her head securely. I winced, worried about ear pinching. But nothing happened.

What ever happened to, you know, helmets you just put on? Only thing about these suits I hated. Looked good, were warm, bulk didn’t impair you too much. Why the helmet?

Sure, it was a signature thing, and after moving to Phoenix I learned that Sky really only designs something’s internals and takes the cosmetic look out of random movies and games in the Phoenix's entertainment packages. But still… Ear pinching. Maybe even snipping. Not okay!

“Well, getting the Lunar Spaceport up and running has been a Shipwide goal for two decades now,” Sherbert answered. “And since there has been working security systems on the Phoenix's decks that resulted in a few people being hurt while clearing out new decks, you put armor on the space suits in the places most likely to get hit.”

“Why not just go full armor though?” I asked with a frown as I checked my saddlebags.

“Fuel,” CC called from the cockpit. “More mass, more fuel. Till we get that starport running, sending things up there is expensive. And no, you can’t just portal or teleport large amounts of stuff up there for less energy cost.”

“You could send a few squads of armored people up to clear hazards first, then send engineers,” Vinyl pointed out.

“Yeah, and we are. But they could miss something. And even if they don’t, one suit puncture and you have a dead pony. So you know, armor the bits most likely to get scraped, poked, or cut when you accidentally brush against something. Hold on, we’re about to touchdown,” CC said.

A half second later the shuttle stopped with a sharp jolt, listing a few inches to the left side.

“Whoops! Guess that snow wasn’t as firm as I thought,” CC said nervously. “Ummm, oh. No. We’re fine. Nice and stable. Just a crusty top layer. Okay, everyone ready to go?”

“Let me finish checking my bags,” I said as I resumed inspecting my saddlebags.

“You do that, I’m closing the cabin door so I don’t freeze,” CC said, reaching back with one hoof to pull the cabin door shut. Sealing it immediately afterwards.

Can’t say I blamed her. Minus forty three is too cold. We needed some pegasi over here to get rid of the cold.

Heck, that time we’d traveled to the Wendigo kingdom, it had been warmer than this. And they were a species that survives by eating heat.

I shook my head and went back to checking my supplies. I didn’t exactly have a mission bag packed specifically for this. I hadn’t expected to actually go to Mage Medowbrook’s tower for at least another year. I’d had everything in boxes. I was pretty sure I’d gotten everything I’d needed.

This ritual spell was the only lead I had. I’d expected to find something like this decades ago, but no.

The first thing in my saddlebag was a scrapbook. My copy of the Veiled Grimoire, the reason it had taken me so long to make any progress. Most books on Dream Magic talked about its history. Some talked about spells and rituals, but they were all about channeling raw energy from the Dream Realm.

The Veiled Grimoire was the only book I was told had information on how to manipulate Dream Creatures which survived the purges… In part. It had survived in bits. A page here, a fragment there.

I’d spent three decades traveling from place to place, dungeon delving, and trading with collectors to assemble the volume in my bag. Those little tiny bits of progress were the only thing that had kept me going for so long. The only real progress I had made towards ending this curse.

My copy wasn’t complete. I had perhaps sixty eight percent of the full book. Assuming I wasn’t missing any more sections in their entirety. But it did have the entirety of the instructions on how to make an Aether Crystal.

“Let’s see: Coral snake eyes, donkey hair, powdered snakeskin, redwood bark, dried briar fox heart, crystalized black mamba venom, powdered nitrate, uranium dust. Yep. I’ve got all the alchemical stuff,” I said to myself as I dug through my bag. “There’s the crystals, wait, where's the- Oh! There we go. Yep, I have everything. Let’s roll.”

Sherbert shook her head slowly. “I’ll never get how Alchemy works,” she mumbled.

“It’s not hard,” I said as VI hit the button to lower the cargo ramp, the cabin immediately filling full of icy air and flurries of snow, even though the ramp was only open by a centimeter. “Oh joy! A blizzard.”

Damnit! How the hell were we supposed to find out way in this mess?

It seemed like Vi shared my concerns. She hit the button to close the ramp, tapped the side of her helmet to turn on the radio, and asked. “Hey, CC, where are we parked in relation to the entrance I showed you on the map?”

“About a hundred yards north by north east,” she answered. “Need navigation assistance?”

“Yep! It’s just a solid white wall of snow outside,” she sighed.

“Wait, like, I landed in a snowdrift?”

“No, it’s snowing so hard that all I can see is white,” Vi corrected.

“Ah. No problem,” CC said, the sound of a few switches flipping in the cockpit crackling over the radio. “Ooookay! Open the hatch.”

I stepped forward, getting close to Vi, basically putting my face in her plot. “Sherbert, this looks stupid, but do it. Visibility out there-”

“Yeah, I saw,” Sherbert said with a shudder. “I don’t want to get lost either.”

The hatch creaked open once more, the horrible wall of cold came flooding back in. This time I could see ice forming on the cargo bay’s walls as the moisture in the air flash froze and stuck to the bare metal.

How… How does anyone LIVE in the Crystal Empire? There's more settlements than the Pleasure City! What insane fool would-

“Okay, Vi, turn left a bit more. Your suit’s compass should have a barring of twenty two degrees. Head that way and keep moving straight,” CC instructed.

We started to walk out, single file, close as we could be. Almost immediately the white snow camouflage pattern on our suits bit us in the flanks. Even with my nose just a few decimeters from Vi’s plot I could only barely see the outline. Of her plot. Not her whole body, just her plot.

“What kind of murder snow is this?” Vinyl grumbled as she trudged onwards.

I understood what she meant the second my hooves touched the snow. It was like glass. The freshly fallen snow felt like walking on glass.

“Luna… No wonder Uncle Sky's still freaked out about this place. We’re not even in the mines yet,” Sherbert mumbled.

“Let’s keep going. At least the interior of the caves wont have this snow,” I said optimistically.

What? Somepony had to be.

We kept walking single file for what felt like half an hour. What with the slick snow, heavy snowfall, and gusts of wind which literally blew us off course three different times… Why the hay was there a village near here!?

I don't care if it had been built to house mages and scientists for some sort of long term study. No one should be living here! The world clearly wanted people to stay the buck away. Why else would the world literally be plunged into a white void of death?

It was so bad that by the time we could see more than just a leg’s length ahead, we were inside the ice cave. We’d wandered inside a freaking CAVE without noticing it.

I turned around to look back the way we had came. “Woah! You can’t even tell how far into this cave we even are,” I said with a worried frown.

“The wind must be blowing into the cave,” Sherbert said with a shrug.

“It can’t be. Because there’s no wind in here,” Vi pointed out, gesturing around us to the way the faint dusting of snow on the floor was just well, sitting still.

In fact, the wind seemed to stop in a clearly defined straight line about three meters behind us.

I shivered slightly. “It’s like that one dead zone place you came up with for that one Nightmare Night game a few years back,” I commented.

Vinyl nodded once. “Yeah, almost exactly. Just with ice instead of rock,” she mused before taking an ice axe out of her saddle bag with her magic and carving an arrow into the right hoof wall. “So let’s do that thing you guys didn’t do.”

“I marked the maze walls!” I protested angrily, glaring at her behind my visor.

“Yeah. With chalk. Which is a thing you can easily erase,” Vi pointed out before turning and beginning to walk deeper into the cave.

We followed her, moving ever deeper and deeper down into the ice sheet. Vinyl was right to carve marks to show us the way out. The further we went, the more I could see some alien creature following behind us, scraping painted markings off the walls to lead us to our doom.

The cave started out okay, but… It didn’t stay like that. After just a few minutes of walking it became a ratsnest. A proper labyrinth. No natural cave would form like this, with nine to twenty six different passages per junction. Corridors that ran just straight enough to seem like a logical place to go, but at once clearly couldn’t have formed like that naturally.

Something had built this place. And a little voice in the back of my mind kept whispering to me. Insisting that whatever had dug these caves was still here. Watching. Waiting. Salivating.

“I am so glad you have that map, Vi,” I said quietly as Vinyl made a sharp left hoof turn.

We had been heading right towards a tunnel which looked very much like ‘the right way to go’. The way VI had turned looked like it would loopback on where we had come from.

But I could see the map over Vi’s shoulder. The road ahead had a warning written on it: ‘Ice Worm summoning trap, 10 meters in.’

“Yeah, without this we would be screwed,” Vi said with a way too playful giggle given the nightmarish creepy evil place we were in at the moment. “Oh shit, I just jinxed it. Watch, some... I don’t know, wall yeti, will just reach out of the ice and snatch away the ma-”

I reared up and shifted my stance so I could walk comfortably on my rear hooves, drew the compression rifle CC had printed for me, and dialed it’s power setting right up to eleven.

“The buck it will!” I snapped. “Not if it knows what’s good for it!”

She said at max this thing would disintegrate almost anything pony sized you pointed at it. Yeah I’d have two shots before the power cell ran dry, but I had extras in my bags!

Sherbert winced. “Uh… Paranoid much?” She asked. “The suits hooves are padded, we're moving silently. They are EVA suits, so nothing with thermal vision will see us. We have a map, and so far there’s been one long safe route to get to the tower.

“I’m not a wizard myself, but it seems to me like you’d make a safe path to your house. We’re just walking down a dead wizard’s driveway, and the Captain has the route clearly marked. It’s fine!”

“It’s always fine before it’s suddenly terrible,” Vinyl said supportively. “Also, Sherbert, everypony here works better if we act like family. Call me Vinyl, not Captain.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” Sherbert said with an awkward shuffle of her hooves. “Sorry.”

“Sooo, I’m the only one who swears we’re being watched? Hunted even?” I asked nervously, turning to look behind myself.

Vi turned around, gently putting a hoof on my shoulder. “Hey. Keep your cool.”

I sighed. Vi was right. If I panicked I wouldn’t react properly when we were ambushed. “Thanks… How can you feel so at home here? It’s just… Unnatural. I swear the cave walls sometimes pulse. Like they are breathing,” I admitted with a shudder.

Sherbert tilted her head. “Uh, I’m not seeing that. It’s just a kinda twisty-turny ice cave,” she said.

VI nodded in agreement. Her helmet lights flickering as if dying. “Yeah. I kinda like it actually. Feels cozy.”

“Um, your helmet lights are dying,” I pointed out. Just for safety's sake.

“Are they?” Vi asked.

“Yeah, the lamps just flickered,” I answered.

“No they didn’t,” Sherbert objected.

“Yeah, I didn’t see that either,” Vi agreed. “Do you need to take five, Ly?”

I frowned and looked around. How could they be comfortable here!? I-

I was seeing things. They were fine, I was seeing things.

“Yeah. I… I guess I do,” I said with a frown, reholstering my weapon and sitting down. “Sorry. I- I don’t know what’s gotten into me. But this whole time everything’s seemed, well, unnatural.”

Vi and Sherbert shared a look. “Mmm, too bad it’s minus sixty three down here,” Vi sighed. “I’d do a medical check-up.”

“The suits have medical sensors,” Sherbert said helpfully.

“Yeah, which are calibrated for ponies, and changelings,” I pointed out with a grin. “What are Vinyl and I?”

“Ponies?” Sherbert said heastently.

“Vampires,” we corrected.

“There’s biological differences,” Vi said casually. “For example, we’ve got TONS of a particular symbiotic microbe living in us. Take that out, and we’ll die almost immediately. Because that’s the physical manifestation of the vampiric ‘curse’.

“We also have different healthy vital signs. Our heart rates are slower, brain activity is different… If Sky had built these for us, I’d trust the medical sensors to be properly calibrated. But he didn’t. He got an underling to do it.”

I narrowed my eyes in indignation. “Hey! CC’s a great friend of mine!” I protested.

“So why have you never invited her over for game night?” Vi countered.

“Because our group is already big enough to where it kinda slows the game down a bit. Add another player and it would take FOREVER to do one combat round. I invite her to movie night sometimes. You have friends outside our little clique too,” I said defensively.

All of that was true. Not every friend of yours would or should be a part of every group of friends you-

“Actually I don’t,” Vinyl countered. “The ponies I mention from time to time are all online friends, or fans I talk to on occasion. We don't ever hang out in person. Heck, I don't even know where they live.”

I winced and stood back up, giving Vinyl a hug. “I’m sorry. That has to be rough,” I said as I let go.

“A bit. But it’s not that bad. We do stuff a lot, and once Classical music is back out of fashion Octy will be home a lot like she used to be. I can put up with a few years of lots of lonely afternoons. It’s not a big deal,” Vi dismissed with a hoof wave. “So, feeling better? We’re not too far from the tower according to this.”

Vinyl waved the map at me. Not rudely, just to draw my attention to it. As I looked at it, she put a dot on the map with a light spell to mark our position. Squinting at the very fine hoofwriting, I tracked the route ahead and then blinked in surprise.

“Really? That’s what, fifty meters to the edge of the central cavern?” I asked with a hopeful smile.

Vi nodded. “Mhm. Then it’s just this ‘guardian’ thing to deal with and we can get into the tower,” she said comfortingly. “To quote Sherbert: I’m not a wizard myself, but it seems to me like you’d make a safe path to your house. I honestly can see why dad had a hard time coming down here in the first place, there are so many death traps on this map that well, it’s scary.

“But we have a clearly marked path, and that includes a very specific route across the central chamber’s floor. I don't think we’ll have to fight any guardian if we stick to it. All the hard work has been done for us.”

Sherbert nodded in agreement. “Yeah! If we were scouting this on our own I’d feel just like you. But we have the map, and I know you feel like we're being chased but I haven't heard or seen anything. I may be a bit of a derp sometimes, but I’m still a shinobi. I know how to spot a tail.”

I nodded twice. “Yeah, I know. It’s just… This pace feels so unnatural! Let’s get going,” I said with a nervous laugh.

Vi shook her head. “You’re weird, Ly. But that’s why I like you. It’s just an ice cave. Let’s get into the tower. There’s no notes about it… That’s where your worry will come in handy.”

She turned, checked the map twice, and then took the right hoof fork which lay ahead. Exactly where the map said we should go to avoid a deadly pitfall trap.

Yeah! We had this on lock. We could do it.

I followed along after her, and sure enough, after just a few more seconds we finally left the creepy caverns and walked right into a huge chamber cut out of the ice sheet.

The bubble-like chamber looked like all of Ponyville could fit inside of it. It was kilometers across, and at least one kilometer high. Maybe a bit more. Aside from the chamber’s immense size, it was also completely terrifying!

The chamber was unnaturally smooth. No icicles, no stalagmites. Flat floor, perfectly carved office stairs leading down from the cave system to the floor. Complete with hoof rails also carved out of the dark blue ice.

In the center of the cavern, partially obscured by eerie shadows which seemed to ooze and slide over everything, was a massive tower. I’d never seen anything like it.

The tower was made from Bismuth. Just. Pure. Bismuth.

Rainbow colored crystal from base to the needlepoint of a top which I swore only had a pony’s head worth of space between it, and the top of the ice bubble. The tower’s shape was just as insane as the choice of material. It looked like a very tall, pointed cone, with a very thin base. Except instead of being a circular based pyramid, the tower was composed of overlapping cylinders.

Three big cylinders made the bottom layer, intersecting somewhat, but still distinctly cylinders. Then more clusters of three cylinders, only of a slightly smaller size were stacked on those, but offset a bit so the bottom edge of the next set of cylinders slightly hung over the edge of the base layer. And that pattern just continued going up and up and up.

The tower was a spiral of clustered cylinders, right until just one single spiky bit formed the very tip top. It looked sort of like a staircase. Only a kilometer tall and made by the most assholeish of art deco focused architects.

Everything was brightly lit by big beams of sunlight shining down through the ice. Despite the swirling shadows. Despite the fact we had only been in the caves for two hours, and had landed at night. It wasn’t mage light, or electric lighting. It was proper, real, sunlight. You could see and feel the difference. The light was white, pure, and warm. Physically warm. I could FEEL the light.

Through my suit. I could feel the sunlight. Through the two and a half centimeters, of SPACESUIT!

“What the buck is this?!” I squeaked, taking a few steps back into the cavern to exit the light, my heart pounding and away in my chest like a jackhammer.

“Ooooohhhkay,” Vi said slowly. “Sherbert? Can you restrain her if she panics? There are too many death traps back the way we came.”

“If I panic!?” I snapped, pointing at the bright rays of light. “Why are YOU not panicking!? You can feel the sunlight, through your suit! SUNLIGHT FELT THROUGH SUIT!”

“What light?” VI and Sherbert asked together.

“The bright white sunlight lighting up everything in the cavern! You’re STANDING IN IT! How can you not notice it?!” I demanded, sweeping my forelegs around the cavern. “It’s everywhere!”

“Uh, no. It’s just as dark in here as it was in the caves,” Vinyl objected.

“No it’s not,” Sherbert disagreed, shaking her head. “There’s some light in here, but it’s not bright like sunlight.”

I stared incredulously at them for several long seconds. “I- but, what do you-”

Then it clicked.

Vinyl felt at home here. Sherbert was a bit nervous. I was freaking out.

Sherbert saw some dim glow. I saw very bright light. Vinyl saw nothing.

I had none of the strange magic I’d discovered in me. Sherbert had a bit of it speckling her aura. Vinyl was basically made of the stuff.

The wards around this tower took into account that magic’s signature as part of their operation!

I facehooved. “Oh wow! I’m a HUGE idiot,” I moaned. “It’s wards. It’s a big mind affecting ward.”

“Explain,” Vinyl said in her ‘commandery’ voice.

“I need to confirm it first,” I said, closing my eyes and concentrating on my magic, quickly casting the detection spell I’d made earlier this evening. I opened my eyes, and looked around. I could still see all of the shadows, and the light, and the bubble itself… But now I could see dark splotches of the strange magic sliding and oozing all over everything. Moving in a way which suggested it was organized into a spell of some kind, but not in any system I recognised.

Based on how the magic moved, the dome’s perfection was an illusion. There were bumps, and cracks, and small icicles hanging from the ceiling. The ‘flat’ floor had lots of pits and holes, and seemingly bottemless voids, with very few safe paths going all the way to the large island around the base of the tower.

Interestingly, the tower itself was completely clean, and truly appeared as it seemed to at first.

I nodded triumphantly. While still afraid, I wasn’t panicked anymore. I understood it was all a lie. And I should have from the get go. The ward must also affect your judgment.

“The magic type I discovered is completely saturating this place,” I informed. “It’s arranged in a spell of some kind, and if I watch the auras, I can see that the chamber ahead isn’t how I see it visually.

“Sherbert you have a little of that magic in you, and you see some of the illusion, but not all of it. Likewise you were only a bit creeped out by the caves. Vinyl, you’re basically all… Whatever this stuff is, and you’re entirely unaffected.

“It’s just like any other aura detecting ward, only keyed to this strange stuff instead of an individual’s aura. Hence, I get the full effect. Sherbert gets a glitchy version as the ward can’t decide what she is, and Vi… Well it seems to just be welcoming you with a red carpet. You said it feels cozy.”

Vi hummed and then nodded once. “Okay, that would make sense. After all, if this magic is what Dad said it should be-”

“What did your dad say it was?” Sherbert interrupted with a worried twinge to her voice. “Because um… I’ve been seeing the, um, stuff the whole time we’ve been in here. But you know, I Pinkie Promised.”

I closed my eyes and groaned. “That promise of yours is REALLY biting us in the plot.”

“Agreed!” Vinyl said irritably. “I’m not upset you made it, Sherbert. But since we can see the stuff, or at least Lyra can, why doesn't that count as ‘we already know what it is?’”

“Because you don’t know what it is!” Sherbert countered. “You can see something but not know anything about it other than ‘This is a thing. It’s over there. It looks like itself’.”

Vi took a long, deep, super frustrated breath for me. I decided to spare her the rage-rant.

“Discord. Doesn't. Think. Like. That.” I stated flatly. “We can see. It. We’re interacting with it. We have the need to know. We’re aware of this stuff. What. Is. It!?”

Vi nodded in agreement. “Yeah! I know that the source of this stuff is most likely an extremely powerful magical entity that can rival Discord himself. Does THAT count as knowing what it is?!”

Sherbert shuffled her hooves worriedly against the ice. “I- I don’t know! Have you ever seen Discord pissed off? Genuinely mad? Projecting killing intent? I have. He teleported in front of me, looking like he was going to vaporize a continent, staring right into my eyes, when he thought I was a thing that um… That makes the stuff you’re seeing.

“I’m NOT risking this. At all. Ever. So unless you actually know WHAT this stuff is, by name, I’m not opening my mouth. If Pinkie can tell when a Pinkie Promise is broken, Discord can too!”

I growled in frustration. “Ugh! I- That’s understandable. But we’re all surrounded by the stuff, and it’s clearly a risk to us. If you see any threat, TELL US!” I demanded, stomping a hoof hard enough to crack the ice.

Sherbert nodded, stepping back slightly. “I- I will. I’m sorry. But- But I’m not going to-”

“We understand,” Vinyl signed.

I turned to Vinyl and gave her a weary look. “So… A magical entity trapped here, huh?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. I figure this is a private enough spot to talk about it,” Vinyl said as she looked around. “According to my dad, some sort of eldritch sounding creature is imprisoned inside the tower. It’s able to do things like, say, grant Sombra the insane amounts of power he had compared to any other litch in all of history. And also bring me to life when nothing else could.”

I blinked once. “Wait, we’re heading to the source of Sombra’s power?”

“Mhm. And that same source is what lets me be alive. By uh… By having used parts of a similar entity to give me life,” VI mumbled awkwardly. “So um, it’s kinda sort of my brother. Because it made a soul for me out of its dead sister. Yeah.”

The three of us were silent for a long long time.

“Uh… That, that should count,” Sherbert decided nervously. “The thing imprisoned here is called a Voidborn. They live outside of our universe. There’s little ones that are like extra dangerous monsters, and big ones that uh… Well, Discord said they literally eat entire universes. Just, as food.”

I squeaked fearfully instead of cursing in terror like I wanted to.

Sherbert waved her hooves urgently. “No no no no! We’re fine. We have to be fine. I mean, a mortal mage’s power can keep this thing imprisoned, so it has to be a little itty bitty one. But it still has magic which is based on raw potential. So it can do almost anything it wants, including impossible things that violate physics, even magical physics.”

Vi coughed. “Well, obviously. It forged me a soul… Are they true monsters? Or are they like us? Because dad said he had a conversation with it.”

“Discord seems to think they are all evil,” Sherbert admitted, looking down at the floor.

“Can’t be,” I objected. “This one did something nice.”

“Yeah, well, Dad was supposed to sort of let it free so he could live with me. It apparently sees me as it’s sister and-” VI paused, then laughed. “Oh wow. No. This one CAN’T be evil. It has a sense of family.”

“Diamond dogs do too. But they will still kill and eat you and then never feel bad about it,” I reminded.

“Oh,” Vi said, the wind visibly falling out of her sails. “Good point. It may have not killed dad for breaking their deal because of me being in the line of fire.”

“Soo, now that we know what’s here, I vote we go get Luna, and have her get Twilight to go over this place and make sure that prison’s bars are nice and stable and will last for the rest of eternity,” I said firmly.

Sherbert nodded. “Yeah. And also tell Discord about it.”

“Only if we know he won't blow up the whole Crystal Empire to kill it,” I countered with a wince.

If she wasn’t exaggerating how he’d reacted to detecting the void’s magic in her...

“No. We’re going inside,” Vinyl said adamantly.

“The hay we are!” I protested, turning around to leave.

“We are going to verify this entity as hostile or peaceful before we do a single thing, Lyra!” Vi insisted. “Do you not remember history class in college? Mage Medowbrook wasn’t exactly a good pony. Yeah, we remember her mostly for her contributions to magic, but she was still a pretty amoral wizard.

“Remember that time we went to Hound? How their diamond dogs are, you know, tall, thin, healthy looking. Usually pretty smart? Know how ours are dumb lumbering beasts with no real single uniform body shape?”

I blinked once as the faint dregs of history came rushing back to me. “Oh! Oh shit, you’re right. Mage Meadowbrook devolved Equestria’s Diamond Dogs to make conquering them easier for the pre-Celestia Equestrian army and to make it harder for them to butcher pony villages established in or near their territory,” I said with a sharp frown.

It’s not like me to forget lore, that’s sort of my thing. I’m the party’s bard, in game and out. The wards must have shaken me up more than I realized.

“Ex-bucking-actly,” Vi said witha sharp nod. “She may have given us the standardized spell system. Basic medical magic, and basic crystal energy storage, but she also did a lot of things we would call monstrous now, even if our ancestors didn’t.

“We’re going inside. If it’s evil, we go with Sherbert's plan. If it’s nice… We’ll work something out. But we are going in. Because trapping a cosmic entity to use as a massive battery is totally something she would have done.”

“This is a REALLY bad idea,” Sherbert objected. “Discord was very very clear about how they are.”

VI nodded. “Yeah. But we’re going to double check. Because everypony keeps forgetting that Discord and his kind are not omniscient. He can be wrong. I’m not going to permanently imprison or kill someone who isn’t evil just because someone else thinks all of their kind is evil.”

Sherbert paused as if to object to that, but then sighed and hung her head. “Okay. That’s a fair point. It’s not very nice to judge a whole group like that. We’ll go check… But I do want to point out that all timberwolves are dangerous and will eat you. All Tatzlwyrms are dangerous and will eat you. Griffons from the Griffon Kingdoms have no problems eating you if you can’t physically fight them off. There are some groups that really are universally a certain way.”

Vi started to walk down the ice stairs towards the tower. “Follow me exactly. There are bottomless pits, wards, and… Landmines? Huh, Okay.”

I began to walk after her once more, pausing only to look at Sherbert and say. “Yeah, we call those groups monsters. But Vinyl and I are reminders that some monsters are just damaged people, and can be fixed. There’s always exceptions. So we look first, shoot second.”

Sherbert sighed. “I know but… I trust the word of a literal god with, you know, litteral universes worth of experience.”

“He’s still failable!” Vi called back loudly.

I nodded in agreement and jogged to catch up to Vi. I wasn't about to go off the path.

And what a path it was. With my detection spell running, I could see the safe walking path in terms of what wasn’t a pit of death. But what I couldn’t see was the places where hidden spells were planted. Those were marked on the map, and Vi had us move around them.

We never had to jump or anything, but taking the time to move along the dropped spaghetti noodle shaped path, and avoid the minefield was… Aggravatingly slow. By the time we reached the safety of the central island, my suit’s clock indicated three hours had passed.

Three hours. To travel a straight line distance of maybe four kilometers.

I sighed and looked back the way we had come. “Man… Too bad we’re not pegasi,” I grumbled. “That would have taken like, two minutes.”

Sherbert paused, and facehooved, her hoof making a loud metallic ringing sound as it met her helmet. “Oh for pete's sake! I could have shape changed and flown us across one by one!” She snapped.

“Well… We’ll do that on the way back,” Vi said with a laugh. “That’s my fault too. I forgot that we have a new asset on our tea-”

The ground beneath our hooves shook. Vi and Sherbert snapped to attention, clearly feeling it too. It wasn’t the illusions at play.

The ground around the tower cracked, splitting open and withdrawing away from the island the tower sat in. Forming a hundred meter wide gap in the blink of an eye. A massive, hurricane-like, wall of wind screamed to life, enveloping the tower in what may as well have been a solid wall.

And above the deafening noise of the wind, coundless whispering voices could be heard chanting, “Yog-Sothoth… Yog-Sothoth…”

Before anypony could even scream, the ground around the tower cracked appart as purple, fleshy, root like tendrils burst forth from the ground, flowing together to form large blisters of sickly flesh from which thousands of bulbous eyes erupted like pimples. The abomination formed a wall around the tower, from which tentacles the size of large trees oozed and slithered, each one tipped in at least one fanged maw.

Then we screamed. We screamed so hard that the only part of my mind not completely terrified was the little blip that was happy the suit I was wearing had waste collection.

The thing spoke in a voice like a grumpy old stallion in the pre-coffee minutes of his day.

“I am The Lurker at the Threshold, The Key and the Gate, The Beyond One, Opener of the Way, The All-in-One, and The One-in-All,” it said. “You trespass upon ground that is forever mine, given by mortal and immortal minds. You seek treasures forbidden to you, treasures forever held here under bargains struck in good faith.

“Know that my speaking to you is only so you may grasp the insignificance of your beings before I awaken- Oh.”

“O-o-o-oh?” Vinyl stammered reflexively, cowering in terror.

“Sorry,” the abomination said, than audibly yawned. “I didn’t recognise you, The Light. Sorry. Really sleepy. I’d just drifted off from when those two vampires woke me up a few decades ago before your mortal friend there decided to ring that stupid bell.

“The Darkness is upstairs… As he always is. Go inside. I’m going back to bed.”

The winds died down. The land cracked back into position. The flesh-wall of terror dissolved into a few wispy strands of void, which drifted off into a small cabin near the base of the tower. Inside which I could see a single bed, a desk, a comfy chair, and a bookshelf filled with what had to be volumes of forbidden lore neverment for the eyes of living beings.

“Um, Y-y-y-y-you won't kill us, right?” I squeaked, still quite terrified.

“So long as you do not awaken me again,” the thing that should not be grumbled in it’s old man voice. “Ah, but I must be certain before I leave you to your own task. The Light, I trust you remember what the Chaos God and I agreed? You may not take any of the Mage’s final inventions, nor writings, from the tower. If you do, I will annihilate you.”

“W-wait, Discord knows you’re here?” Sherbert and Vinyl asked together.

“Of course. Did you forget our bargain? I required a place to nap where another Voidborn wouldn’t find me. He wanted the mage and her work safely contained, and could not do it through his own power.

“Occasionally destroying foolish mortals and lesser Voidborn as a guardian and a jailor is a small price to pay for a good nap in the safety of a hidden universe. A treasure which you are presently denying me. I advise you go inside, and take care of your business,” the thing growled. “You do have business here, do you not? If you woke me without cause I will eat you all.”

“We do! We’re visiting my brother!” Vi said with a terrified laugh as she ran behind Sherbert and I, grabbing our shoulders with her forehooves and began to pull us towards the tower door.

We didn’t need anything more than her first light tug to bolt headlong for the tower’s doors using the quietest terrified-panic-run ever.

4 - The Dark Tower

View Online

Vinyl Scratch - 19th of Megan, 29 AE

The Bismuth Spire - Crystal Empire

That. Was. Sisters. Damned. Terrifying.

My heart hammered away in my chest, threatening to explode while I stood shaking in the tower’s entry. I had no idea where exactly I was, or what stood around me. For once I felt the lack of situational awareness was justified. No need to kick myself over this one later.

“We need to go, now!” Sherbert hissed quietly, panic clinging to her voice.

The sheer stupidity of her statement snapped me back to reality just enough to wheel around and stare at her.

“Are you crazy?” I retorted. “You heard that thing. It will kill us if we came here for no reason. I’ll bet my cutiemark that it can see what we’re doing in here even while ‘asleep’. We’re doing something in here before we leave.”

Lyra nodded nervously. “I’m with Vi on this one,” she agreed.

Sherbert took a deep breath, and slowly nodded. “Okay. Fine. But- Vi! You said you knew how to call Discord! You can do that, and we can report this Voidborn, and he can get us the hay out of here,” she exclaimed.

Lyra jumped at Sherbert, clamping her hooves over her helmet’s muzzle. “SHHHHHHHH!”

“Keep. Quiet,” I reminded Sherbert, my commanding glare manifesting as an intense but brief flare of the lights on my helmet. “I’m not calling Discord. For starters, I think he already knows. With how terrifying that thing was, it’s words slipping your mind is completely understandable.

“Also, I’m pretty sure that would wake it up. And despite mistaking me for someone it knew, that took it a good bit of time to do. Do you REALLY think it would recognise discord instantly? I don’t.

“Say we call Discord here, maybe he survives the instant black hole creation, or whatever that thing feels like doing, but we sure as heck wont! So be quiet, explore a bit. Don’t take any of the books, it said that her writing needs to stay here. Maybe take an artifact or two. Just do purposeful things, and keep quiet.

“We will leave, in a little while. Once we can be sure it won't be pissed because we woke it for no reason. Okay? Okay.”

I turned my attention to the lobby around us. I half expected the bismuth to make up the inside of the tower as well as the outside. The building resembled the Crystal Spire a lot, enough to have had the same architect. The Crystal Spire was crystal inside and out. This place wasn’t.

The inside was granite. Either the bismith was a veneer, or a shell built around the polished gray-white stone slabs which made up the interior.

Having grown up in a stone castle, I could tell that the masons who built this place were experts. You could only rarely see where one stone block ended and the next began. Furthermore, the room looked almost exactly like a single piece of stone. Including the short staircase which led through a truly massive archway into a big central chamber just a short ways away from the entry-

I frowned. Wait… Arrow loops to the sides. Murder holes above. This wasn’t an entry. This was a barbican.

I focused on the hud elements which turned the scanners on, my suit interpreting my eye’s movement as the command. They’d been really good at detecting those physical landmines and the hex-traps on the way up. If this entry was passively defended, they would find whatever was hidden beneath the decaying black velvet carpet.

The scanner’s gridlines raced away from me, tracing over every part of the structure within the suit’s limited range. No defenses. But I did find the way forwards.

“Looks like we have a big indoor garden up ahead,” I informed, starting to walk to the stairs. “There’s three stairwells in there too. One going down, one going up one floor, and the next going up, well, um, more!”

Lyra tilted her head suspiciously. “How do you know that?”

“Are… Are you not using the suit’s sonar mapping?” I asked incredulously.

“Wait, these have a mapping system!?” Sherbert exclaimed.

I facehooved and groaned. “Yes!”

“But- But you needed CC’s help to find the cave entrance!” Lyra protested, stamping a hoof indignantly.

I knew she was just upset she forgot part of the equipment briefing, and acting out a bit. But I still felt I should address her specific question.

“Yeah! That snowfall was too heavy for the system to map anything. It was telling me I was in a solid object,” I said as bluntly as I could. “I don’t- How- CC even showed you two how to work the eye-tracking interface! It was part of the- Oh forget it!”

I sighed and walked through the archway into the dead garden. This garden once grew enough food to feed a thousand ponies, and based on the odd looking enclosed glass ‘cages’ around some of the grow beds, exotic ingredients for potions or alchemical processes.

I was really impressed that the building could support a room this huge without any pillars. With how old it was, there’s no way it had a mana reactor in the basement keeping a structural integrity spell running for all these years. This had to have been done the hard way, with support structures concealed by the dome-like vaulted ceilings ‘decorative’ ribbing.

“This is a seriously cool room,” Lyra said for me.

“Too bad everything here’s dead. Like we’re going to be if we stay here too long. It’s only a matter of time before one of us accidently knocks over a bookshelf or something,” Sherbert said worriedly.

“Good point, Sherbert,” I said with a nod. “Everypony, don't touch anything without inspecting it for rot or whatever first.”

“Sooo map. How do I turn it on?” Lyra asked me with an embarrassed hoof shuffle.

“It’s the second menu option from the top. The first one toggles the floodlights,” I answered.

Lyra paused for a few moments, presumably updating her suit’s own map. “Okay… So we have a basement, probably a dungeon, as well as storage. We’ve got the next floor up which looks like… Servant's quarters? Guest rooms? And then we have that one really really long stairwell.”

“Who builds a tower this high without an elevator?” Sherbert asked curiously.

“A mage who can teleport,” I said with a smirk. “Did you know that Twilight only included doors on her renovated castle for her friend’s use? She just teleports wherever she wants to be.”

“Sooo, Mage Medowbrook was an asshole to her friends?” Lyra joked.

“Looks like it,” I agreed with a nod. “So, here’s the deal. We have two objectives. First: Find my brother. Second: Find and use the ritual circle Lyra needs.

“I think that the best move would be to locate the mage’s lab in here. Because if you’re keeping an eldritch creature prisoner, that’s more of a thing you use a mage lab for than a dungeon. Of course… You may NEED a dungeon-sized space for all themagical equipment needed to hold something like that. But there’s a good chance the lab would have everything we need in one spot.”

I wonder how Sherbert would react when she learned almost all of my plans were based on ‘What would I have done if this was a O&O game module I wrote?’ It would probably be even better than Celestia’s mini-meltdown. Heh heh. She simply couldn’t accept that a tabletop game held value as a training tool.

“Not a bad idea,” Lyra said, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “We can be assured that the dungeon is down. But the lab? Could be WAY down, or way up. Why did she need all this space? We’re going to be looking through… Oh shit! This place has to be about… Um, at least three hundred thousand square meters of space. Probably more!”

I flinched. “Owch. You’re right. Well, hopefully most rooms are this big,” I said with an optimistic smile.

“This room was made to grow some seriously massive trees inside it!” Sherbert protested. “We can’t assume that every floor is this ta- Wait. How did she get trees growing in here? Mage light isn’t good for plant’s, right?”

I frowned and looked up, searching for any windows, mirrors, or source of light. There were none.

“That’s… A good question. Because yeah, magelight wont grow plants,” I confirmed.

“What the hay? There’s nothing up there for… What were these photosynthesizing?” Lyra asked looking to the large grow beds full of dead plant matter.

My DM senses tingled. In a bad way. This is where you’d put the Blood Bramble grove slash Vegepygmy platoon encounter.

“I get the feeling that we shouldn’t dig in those grow beds,” I said with a slow nod to myself.

“Why not?” Sherbert asked stepping over to a bed full of dead thorny, leg thick vines.

“Because plants eat too,” Lyra said bluntly. “If they are not getting their food from the sun, well, everything here had to have been a carnivorous plant. So under the dirt…”

“Ah,” Sherbert said slowly. “I get it now.”

“Let's leave this graveyard and check this place out top to bottom,” I decided, turning and walking over towards the taller staircase.

Sherbert hummed thoughtfully. “These suits have radios. Why don’t I go downstairs, Lyra goes up to the next floor and you-”

“NOPE!” Lyra exclaimed.

“Yeah that’s a terrible idea!” I agreed with a sharp nod.

“But this place is huge?” Sherbert ask-said.

I cleared my throat and nodded towards the taller staircase. The only proper way to say this was to sing a snatch of the old song. I just had to do it quietly.

“Don't You Know? You never split the party! // Clerics in the back to keep those fighters hale and hearty. // The wizard in the middle, where he can shed some light, // And you never let that damn thief out of sight…”

Lyra perked up, I mean, it was her favorite nerd-song. “We were skulking through this dungeon - A pretty sorry lot,” she said, apparently intending to start the whole song to calm her nerves. “Old Galliard the fighter had been actin' like a sot. // Our cleric had colitis; our torches all were wet-”

“Not up to doing the whole thing, Ly. Especially because you get loud on the third chorus,” I reminded urgently.

“Oh. Right. Sorry,” she said with a sad sigh, leading to a few moments of quiet as we started to climb the stairs.

“Why is there a song about that?” Sherbert asked finally.

“Because you NEVER, split the party,” I said as firmly as I could.

“It works out fine if you have a large group,” Lyra pointed out. “I mean, if there’s enough people to make two rounded groups.”

I glanced at my map, frowning as I couldn't figure out what was in the floor above the guest rooms. Two pillars in the middle of a huge empty room?

I nodded “Mhm, and there are three of us. In what would make a really good Evil Overlord’s lair.”

Sherbert nodded, only the fact that there was space enough for the three of us to walk side by side up the spiral staircase permitting me to see that.

Everything about this place was huge. I understood mages wanting to have big important looking homes, but who needs this much physical space if they are not trying to make a city within one building?

We climbed up and up for what felt like ages, all the while my suit continued to map the central chamber. Which just became more and more confusing. The center of the tower was, well, just two huge pillars! The outer sections of the tower had rooms, tons of them, but the middle? The vast majority of space used in the whole tower? Empty! Just the two huge support columns that presumably let the top of the tower have a floor.

Who did that!? Even using magic building something like this would take forever, or be super expensive. Had Mage Medowbrook died before finishing the tower? That would be the only reasonable expl-

We came around a bend in the staircase, arriving at a landing to access a floor. It hadn’t been the first one we’d been to, naturally. But it was the first one that led into the middle of the tower.

“Can we take a minute to check out the middle room?” I asked hopefully. “It’s REALLY buggign me.”

“I know right!?” Lyra demanded. “Unless it’s a massive aquarium for a huge sea-dragon or something I can’t figure out why you’d build that.”

“Build what?” Sherbert asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“Switch on your mapping system,” I sighed as I trotted towards the doorway into the mystery room.

“It is on, I’ve just been checking the little rooms for anything that looks like a lab- Oh, weird! The center is just those pillars and empty space!” She exclaimed as I opened the iron door into the biggest room I’d ever seen in my life.

The tower’s central chamber was one huge, massive, complex byond comprehension, enchanted object. The walls were just covered in brass, and arcanite circuitry, and inlaid rose quartz forming one HUGE single thing that I couldn’t even begin to make sense of. Everything looked like it fed into the floor far, far below us into a big gold-yellow sigil.

A strange sigil at that. I took highschool Enchanting, and that weird question mark, thorn, exclamation point looking thing shouldn’t actually do anything. But you wouldn’t build one that big out of bucking GOLD and hook this much stuff into it if it didn’t do something.

A pretty interesting mystery, which instantly became so minimally important due to what was inside the room.

The floor I was standing on, was not a floor. It was a gantry, one designed to retract away from the center of the room. There were lots of them from here working on upwards to the top of the room, where a whole mess of cranes hung from the ceiling, most of which held up enormous plates, parts, and rods made of brass, stone, bronze, and a mystery metallic substance.

Parts which clearly had been meant to attach to the thing in the center of the room. The room wasn’t empty, and those were not pillars. Those were legs.

Half finished legs, attached to a colossal golem, built with way more anatomical correctness than you needed. Most golems were vaguely shaped like a living thing. This one didn’t look any different from what I could see of the few finished patches of ‘skin’. No, it was the internals that made it weird.

The mystery metal had been made into a completely accurate equine skeleton, to which strange fibrous materials had been grafted to form an accurate analog of muscle. Silvery arcanite pipes ran through everything, making a pretty darn accurate circulatory system out of the magical superconductor. Lumps of what looked like silica gel formed fat deposits, padding out the places a healthy unicorn would be padded. The parts which had skin were skinned with a layer of blood red crystal plated in thin layers of different colors of brass, replicating the many layers of the epidermis.

The colossal construct was far from finished. The skeleton was all there, but the stomach was a huge gaping hole, with a few bare ribs poking through the finished portions, with only some of the bits you’d expect to see present. The only thing I could see within the chest that wasn’t spine was a heart, made of something so black it looked like a two dimensional inkblot.

The more I stared at it, the more I felt like I should step into the blackness. It was… A chair? No. No more than that. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew that if I walked into that heart, I wouldn’t ever come back out.

The black heart pulsed once, sending a wave of magic through the arcanite veins. The colossus was still powered. Nope!

I slowly backed out of the room, closing the iron door behind me.

“What’s in it?” Lyra asked quietly, watching my slow backward shuffle.

“Boss fight,” I answered quietly.

Lyra frowned and stepped past me, pushing open the door to look for herself.

I almost stopped her, but I understood her need to know. I also trusted her to not do anything stupid after seeing the colossus inside.

Sure enough Lyra spent three seconds looking inside, and then slowly backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“Did you see the Old Equish blueprints on the workbench on the gantry? That thing was called ‘Apotheosis’,” Lyra squeaked nervi-citedly. “And that spell matrix! Holy crap that’s complex. So many things! All I could make out was a conduit for shrinking the thing down.”

Sherbert gulped nervously. “Uh, so should that door-”

“It’s staying SHUT,” I said adamantly. “We’re not dealing with a kilometer high zombie golem that wants to stuff you into its heart.”

Sherbert took a few steps back from the door. “Eeep!” She squeaked.

“You said it, sister,” I said with a nervous laugh. “Uh… Let’s finish going up. There MIGHT be room for a lab on top. I’m not sure.”

We resumed the climb, which was only made bearable by my vampiric endurance. By the time we reached what I believed was halfway to the top, I was carrying an exhausted Sherbert on my back. The poor mare just couldn’t keep climbing the stairs. The many, many, many stairs…

“Whoever built this place should DIE!” Lyra moaned as we started on the final spiral of the doom stair.

I blinked in surprise. “Woah, wait, you’re tired?”

Lyra nodded. “A bit. Mostly bored! It would almost be worth building an elevator to go back down,” she grumbled.

Sherbert nodded, sliding off my back, apparently rested enough. “Yeah… It almost would,” she agreed. “So, this looks like the last bit of stairs. The room on top has a library sort of look to it. Guess it’s not the lab.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “It would be an ancient style lab though. So it’s worth a look. Besides, do you really want to go down all those stairs right after going up them?”

Sherbert paused, then shook her head. “Nope.”

“Well, your the ninja,” I pointed out nodding to the door as it came into view. “Care to scout the room?”

Sherbert looked at me, and shook her head. “Uh, no.”

“Why not?” I asked curiously. “Any tactical reason?”

“Yeah. It’s a single entrypoint for what would be a secured room. I’m not magic, I can’t just walk through a front door and go completely undetected. If I wanted to infiltrate I’d need to impersonate someone, or go in through a window. This is more of a, well, a Samurai thing.”

Lyra nodded once. “I agree. This is a breach and clear situation.”

I frowned sharply. I’d still like to get eyes inside before we did that. But, well, she was right. We had one known way in. Ancient wards might or might not still be working. This tower was pre-Necromancy Ban, merely opening the door could unleash a horde of skeletons.

“Okay, we go in hot,” I decided, moving into position to open the door and using my telekinesis to draw the energy rifle I’d been issued. “Hot, but quiet. Fire at will, but only after confirming a target. I’ll take point. Lyra, you take the rear. Sherbert, you’re in the middle.”

After waiting a moment for everypony to take their positions, and draw their weapons, I reached for the white oak door’s handle, and slowly turned it. Thankfully the ancient metal didn’t squeak, through the latch felt stiff. A very gentle nudge later and the door quietly shushed open, making a little bit of noise, but nothing I would expect any mortal to have heard.

No wards screamed in warning.

No preserved remains stood up to attack us.

The door merely opened, revealing a dimly lit library, some purple light flickering deep within the maze of bookshelves and relic containers.

And allowed us to hear faint whispers of something deep within the library.

“Iä cf'ayak'vulgtmm, vugtlagln vulgtmm,” it said, the words themselves feeling dark, old, and… Terrifying.

The three of us winced and began to move forwards, slowly navigating the rows of bookshelves, looking everywhere for any sign of the speaker. Whatever it turned out to be, I wanted to see it before it saw me.

“Ph'nglui mglw'nafh wgah'nagl fhtagn. Tsathogguanyth naflshogg vulgtm, Shub-Niggurath ftaghu nnnsgn'wahl cee ftaghu- Pfff! Seriously?” The voice said with a slight snicker.

I paused, and turned back to give Lyra a worried look. Had the thing seen us sneaking towards it?

Lyra didn’t seem to think so. She shrugged and nodded forwards, taking a few more steps.

“Okay, let’s just keep going then,” the voice whispered almost malevently.

I gulped nervously. It had seen us. Fleeing wouldn’t be an option. I raised my weapon, and began to look around even more intensely than before. Nothing. Not yet. Maybe a better angle would do.

I waved everyone forwards with a hoof gesture and continued to walk towards the library’s center, only a few book cases stood between us and the enemy. We would need line of sight if we were to survive.

“Fhtagn nilgh'ri, phlegeth ebunma y'hahog k'yarnak shugg ph'zhro s'uhn. Shtungglinyth ebunma uaaah ilyaa stell'bsna shogg r'luh,” the voice continued, shaking with barely contained laughter.

Sisters! This was some sort of spell, wasn’t it?

“Shield spells, go!” I whispered to Lyra.

Lyra nodded, and focused for a moment, casting three shield spells as quickly as she could. Fortunately, her helmet contained her horn’s light. Though, the faint gold shimmer of her overlapping hexagon shield cast a dim light across the ground around us.

Then again, it knew where we were...

“Chtenff tharanak gotha h'r'luh navulgtlagln, ebunma mglw'nafh Cthugha Fom-” the voice continued, now quavering with malevolent amusement.

Whatever this thing was, it was evil. I could feel it. We had to destroy-

“Pfff! Seriously?” The voice giggled.

I slowly stepped around the final bookcase and looked out into the center ‘nook’. It was circular, with a lower and an upper section. The lower section was mostly workbenches and writing desks. The upper section was nothing but bookshelves, accessed through twin staircases.

This was all beneath a small glass dome which gave us a view of the ice sheet above us. Directly below the dome sat a blue glowing magical circle surrounding a stone basin. And within that stone basin was a dark orb, black as the blackest void, somehow appearing both real and fake at once.

The orb was big enough to contain an alicorn with her wings stretched out, and burned with an ethereal purple flame, the source of the flickering light which lit the dark library. But within the orb…

Within the orb sat a mass of nothing, nothing that was something. Nothing which wore a pale faded cloak which was once a dark green, with a featureless face formed only from a wooden mask with only a pair of eyeholes and a slit where a pony’s mouth would be along with a single strip of iron down the forehead and nose to give it any sort of appearance.

The thing within the globe was holding an old book, and looking down at a old dusty skeleton covered in time ravaged wizard robes.

“Oh my god! Your R'lyehian is SOOOO bad!” The thing that should not be giggled in a male-ish voice. “I should have read this comedy millenia ago! Mglw'nafh fhthagn-ngah cf'ayak 'vulgtmm vugtlag'n. Hehehehehe!

“That’s not a spell. That’s ‘Please taco this vagina-sock, oh great water-drinker-man.’ You really should have forced me to teach you gram- Wait, what?!

“‘H' mgepah llll fhtagn ya front lawn.’ HA HA HA! Ya front lawn!? That’s not even- You just called yourself a front lawn. Ya, meaning I/self/my being and then, in Equish, front lawn.

“Ohhhh, boy! This- I just… How did you get the grammar for that ‘become a god’ spell you invented correct, and yet still have such a poor grasp of this language that you created a prayer which if it could work, would have made a pact with The Lord of Dead Dreams resulting in the creation of a sentient golem made from banana cream cake, manifesting itself in front of a person who wasn’t even born yet when you made the pact, and declaring its undying love for her?

“How did you even get to that? I remember this one, you were trying to summon an endless supply of natural rubber. Zero out of ten, worst literacy.”

Lyra slowly turned to look at me, I could feel her incredulous, jaw dropped stare through her helmet.

“Vinyl?” She asked in a mixture of terror, confusion, incredulity, and mirth. “Is that an Eldritch abomination mocking a dead wizard for their bad grammar?”

“No shit I am,” the thing giggled in response. “This this is the worst flubbed R’yleh-”

The thing stopped speaking, leading to the horrifying realization that up until now, it had been unaware of our presence in the room.

“Wait, that was speech. Who said- Oh! Hi!” It said as it’s mask-face swiveled towards us.

“FIND COVER!” Sherbert screamed in panic, firing three shots from her rifle in the vague direction of the globe.

The golden energy rays lanced into a bookcase on the far side of the room, missing the globe by a hoof’s edge.

DAMN IT, NEWBIE! Why does the new guy ALWAYS miss the reaction shot?

Lyra and I shared a single look of pure terror before darting behind the feeble cover offered by a bookshelf.

“Ohhh! Sorry, I wasn’t on the ball,” the abomination said, the apology sounding sincere. “I didn’t do my thing in this realm, I wasn’t expecting a ‘Slay the Ancient Evil’ quest. That is what this is, right?”

It wasn’t attacking right this moment, but if it was taunting a dead person over bad grammar, it would definitely toy with us before it killed us.

“It is now,” I mumbled, my mind whirling as I tried to find any possible way to beat this thing.

Lyra flinched. “Why did you say that? It may have let us go!” she hissed.

“WHY AREN'T YOU SHOOTING IT!?” Sherbert screeched, another four golden beams flashing through the dark library, exploding into harmless sparks as they struck the globe of darkness around the creature.

“Sounds like fun!” The self professed Ancient Evil said with an audible grin. “I didn’t come up with any sort of character. Wasn’t intending to do my thing here. I hope it’s alright if I recycle something? Oh! Wait, I know!”

The library shook violently, as if the world was being torn to pieces. It began to spin, books flying everywhere as everything but Lyra, Sherbert, and the entity was flung away, smashing into the edges of the room. The ceiling began to peel away, hellish red light pouring through the cracks as the world above us became a breathtaking yet eerie cosmic backdrop of stars, nebula, and impossibly huge worlds.

The floor below us warped, buckled, and tacked disintegrating into powder, revealing an infinite flat plane of clear crystal which looked to be flecked with tiny pockets of blood as decoration. The globe containing the entity vanished with the floor, though the magic circle remained, it’s six subcircles blazing even more brightly then they had been before.

The entity warped as well, it’s nothing-something from coalescing into the form of a wizened, old, decrepit, charcoal gray stallion with bright, weirdly happy, kind looking blue-green eyes. He was wrapped almost entirely in old cloth bandages, the mask moulding to fit over the face, and the cloak transforming from old and worn to bright, new, and clean.

“There we are,” the entity said in a voice which sounded as old as its new body looked. “Now, lets just get you three into more fantasy heroic looking outfits. Where did you even get those Dead Space arctic survival suits?”

“My Uncle,” Sherbert said seemingly reflexively.

“Sherbert…” I said slowly. “Just focus on surviving this. Don’t let it get into your-”

The entity’s head snapped around to look at me, cloak billowing dramatically. “Sis!?”

I blinked once, and saw my armor simply fall to individual pieces as if every woven fiber, rivet, weld, and other fasteners in my suit had decided ‘Eh, buck it’ in unison and just given up on holding things together.

“Sis!” The entity exclaimed happily.

“I- um, p-possibly?” I stammered taking a step back. “I- I know what dad said but I don't know-”

The entity, my brother, shook his head rapidly. “Nononono! No mistake, I’d recognise my big sis anywhere. Sure, you didn’t remember our quintillion years together, but you’re still you! Same personality, same everything but powers!”

“S-so does this mean we don't have to fight you?” Lyra asked worriedly.

He blinked in surprise and turned to look at Lyra, the mask seeming to show confusion. “Um, well, I mean… No? But you’re one of the Chosen Ones, right? You and big sis have been friends forever, born to a family where you could acquire adventuring experiences, yaddah yaddah, set out in the name of The Light to slay The Darkness, right?”

“Um, w-well, yes?” Lyra and I stammered.

“Yay!” he exclaimed. “A tiny bit of your memories have to remain if you remember how to play your part of our old game! One REAL fight for old time’s sake coming right up! Oh! Let’s do that one you thought would be fun last time! Hold on, I need to change character!”

The Darkness’s form warped and contorted, every aspect of it simply reshaping and recoloring itself a he transformed into an absolutely monstrous tan colored pegasus stallion clad in thick, bulky, pseudo medieval looking black power armor with skinned faces and a cloak made from the pelts of a dozen different ponies which was secured to his armor by simply being nailed on with iron spikes.

“MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” He cackled, his voice warbling and crackling in an otherworldly demonic fashion. “Fools! I anticipated this encounter from the day the seers proficized, whoops! Typo. Ahem, prophesied our meeting! You do not face me alone, but also my body guards.”

As he finished speaking, he swept his forelegs out in front of him, making his cloak billow in just the right way to look both dramatic and cheesy, and also rip the air between us open as he conjured a whirling vortex of purple, black, and green energy.

“Behold! Forces of good, corrupted and brought over to my service as loyal minions!” He said as shadowy silhouette creatures emerged from the portal one by one, and were introduced. “Kaldor Draigo! Commander Dante! Commander Farsight! Ghazghkull Thraka! Commissar Ciaphas Cain! CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED! Sebastian Yarrick! And of course, Sly Marbo!”

The shadows figures began to resolve into flesh and blood humanoid creatures, each one clad in exotic looking wargear, and snarling evilly. I scarcely had time to take in any details when the entire world froze, as if someone had hit pause, and The Darkness popped up in front of me in the form of, well, a de-aged version of the stallion he’d been a moment ago.

Despite the twice-Celestia’s-size evil pegasi form he’d been using still being where it- he had been.

What the buck was even- SO MUCH CONFUSE!

“Hey! This bring back any memories?” The Darkness asked hopefully.

“N-no,” I admitted, more than a little shaken from the emotional chaos I was going through.

“Awww,” he moaned sadly, looking down. “Oh well, I’m sure fighting the same party you threw at me in the last universe we visited will jog your memory! If any of it’s there.

“Please don’t hold back! I want to have a good fight, and if I win, I want to win for real for once, okay? Love you, sis!”

He wrapped his forelegs around me in a tight hug, and then vanished, the world resuming action. Just as if it had been unpaused.

I reared up, grabbing my head with my hooves. “I have no idea what’s going on!” I screamed in total and utter confusion.

The world instantly jumpcut back to the library we had been in before. The books were all in place as if nothing had happened. The orb was back. The Darkness was once again a nebulous form wearing an old mask and a cloak. My armor was whole and on my person.

None of that had happened? But… WHAT!?

“Awww…” The Darkness whined sadly. “I was looking forward to playing with you again. Now I’m going to have to explain everything… You don’t remember anything? Not even a little bit?”

“NO!” I snapped. “I have no idea at all.”

“Okay,” The Darkness said, nodding. “Well, in that case, I’m your brother, known as The Darkness, and you are an incarnation of my sister The Light. We traveled the universe together, playing a friendly game where I take the role of an Evil Overlord, and you take the roll of a Chosen Hero to stop me.

“If I won, we would feed on the energy created by the mortal inhabitants fear of the impending darkness before moving to a new universe. If you won, we would feed on their celebration of the impending golden age! We’re sort of the reason why so many universes have a concept of the narrative structure called the Hero’s Journey. Because that’s our game.

“It was super duper fun and you should totally let me recreate that arena and fight me so we can have another round because I am SO BORED! Please?”

5 - One Sided Reunion

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Lyra Heartstrings - 19th of Megan, 29 EoH

The Bismuth Spire - Crystal Empire

“What the hay was that!?” I demanded, my voice joining Vinyl’s and Sherbert’s as our confused, frightened cries echoed through the library.

“Um, me talking?” The Darkness asked, sounding just a bit confused.

Me talking? ME TALKING?! What kind of-

“NO! Not you talking!” I snapped, pointing a hoof at the thing angrily. “The battlefield you just threw us into! You wisk us all away into a weird nether realm, summon a brute squad, give an overly dramatic introduction to them, and then just POOF! Toss it all away when Vi freaks out?!

“You don’t want us dead, if you did, we would be. You have the power. Why are you toying with us? If you want us to fight you, why are we here again and not wherever that arena was!?”

Sherbert stared at me in pure horror. “What are YOU doing!? Don’t piss him off.”

I rolled my eyes, wishing she could see the gesture through my visor. “If he wanted us dead, we so would be. He could just teleport us into a black hole! Or just make us stop being! You saw what he did, that was Discord level reality bending. He’s NOT going to kill us.”

The Darkness cleared its throat. Not that it had one.

“Actually,” he said, his voice dripping with embarrassment. “I didn’t do anything of the sort.”

“Horseapples!” Sherbert, Vi and I cried together.

“You absolutely did put us into some kind of battle arena and summoned people to fight us,” Vi pointed out with an insistent stomp of her hoof.

“I did not,” The Darkness countered. “I hardly have the power to do that. I’ve been sitting here unable to eat for ages, running on reserves, and while that wizard was alive she was draining me to use as a power supply and also poking at me all arcane-science like. I’m bone dry, down to just my core essence.”

“Lies!” I shouted, shaking my head. “You won't convince me that didn’t happen! We all saw it.”

“Oh no! I DID do something, but I didn’t warp reality or gate in entities from another universe,” The Darkness corrected. “I- I thought you could tell what I was doing. You all have those little conical energy sensing organs on your heads.”

I blinked once. “It’s called a horn,” I said slowly. “And no, I didn’t sense any thaumaturgic current. You weren't casting spells, that wasn’t an illusion.”

“I didn’t detect anything either,” Sherbert agreed, nodding firmly.

The Darkness sighed. “Annnd I’m guessing you didn’t either, sis?”

VI shook her head once.

“Okay,” The… Overly long-named guy said.

Screw it. Calling you Dark.

“Here’s what I did,” he said like he was starting a lecture.

The second he said did, a pony’s brain, spine, and dozens of little strings I guessed were nerves poofed into existence, accompanied by a cartoon puff of smoke.

“Ew,” I said by reflex.

Sherbert squeaked and took a step back.

“It’s not real,” Vi sighed, giving Sherbert a look which said ‘come on’.

“This,” Dark began. “Is your nervous system. Not literally. It’s a diagram. I didn’t snatch one of your body’s components to show you this.”

I had a lot of questions, but Dark just rolled right along at full speed. A bunch of big yellow dots appeared around the ‘diagram’, each one about the size of a pencil eraser. The kind that’s at the end of a pencil.

“These, are electrons,” Dark stated. “They are NOT to scale. Hopefully, this is very obvious.”

“It is,” the three of us said together.

“We’re not dumb,” I added indignantly.

“Good!” Dark said with a sigh of relief. “That means I don't have to oversimplify this explanation. I didn’t warp reality. I just moved things about.”

The yellow lights began to move in simplistic patterns along very specific parts of the nerves hanging off the illustration. Nothing touched the brain, or the spine, just the little fibers.

“I took some electrons, and made them move like this, right along here. That’s your optic nerve,” he continued. “And also here and here, which are your Vestibular nerve and Cochlear nerve. Then lastly here, here, and here, and those are y-”

“Y-you just, moved electrons around our nervous systems to make us see an hear what you wanted us too?” Vinyl stammered in disbelief.

I nodded. “What she said!”

Holy bucking Celestia's Cake Fetish, that’s just- The sheer amount of mental coordination required for a spell like that is- This is exactly WHY illusion spells exist! It’s so much easier to just make a picture and put it in front of someone!

“Yeah!” Dark said cheerfully as he floated in his bubble. “Way less power intensive than making things, or images of things, heck it’s even a little less stressful on the old noggin. I figured you could see me doing it, since I wasn’t messing with your ‘horns’.

“I guess to you and your senses, my telekinesis is invisible. Or just not magic in this universe. Which it could be! Most places have different physical laws.”

“All of that, was like, a overly elaborate impossibly coordinated juggling act?” Sherbert asked slowly, sounding like her jaw was hanging open in disbelief.

“Nah, more like jacking into open ports and sending a CPU new information,” Dark disagreed. “I basically improvised the effect of a Deep Dive VR rig. Oh, um, do those exist here? I can’t see much in this bubble.”

“They do,” VI said with a sharp nod. “I’ve played with them. And now that you mention it… Yeah, that did feel like VR. Especially because there wasn’t any smells.”

“Huh, yeah. Now that you mentioned it, all I could smell was the library,” I agreed before narrowing my eyes. “But that doesn't answer my original question! Why do all of this? If you can just move electrons at will, you could wave a hoof and pull all the electrons of the atoms making up our bodies and kill us as we just fall apart into goop!”

“Nope, I can’t,” The Darkness said, shaking his mask firmly. “Not only is pulling electrons off atoms too much work for me right now, but I also sort of can’t actually hurt you. Even if I really really wanted to. Which I don’t. I’m Darkness, not Evil.

“All I wanted to do was play a game. I’m bored, and you mortals love fighting! You do it all the time, and in so many different ways. With words, weapons, laws, economics. Everything's a battle for you. I like to play, and that’s the game you guys play.

“I’m a fan of Adventure, Real-Time Strategy, and Four-X games. So that’s what I play with you.”

Vi reared up and waved her forehooves disbelievingly. “Woah, woah waoh, HOLD the PHONE!” She demanded. “Are you telling me, that you and your sister, went from universe to universe, setting up an evil empire, causing untold pain and suffering for centuries or whatever, only for you to fade into obscurity, just so you could then a thousand years later come back all mustache twirling, and then your sister would gather people from that universe to fight you, and you called that a GAME?!”

“Yeah, so did you,” Dark said with a simple nod. “But we didn’t actually make an evil empire. We just spread stories of one across multiple generations repeating the same story until it became legend, and then waited a little bit before I got to have my real fun. The object of our game was to gain food. You don’t eat nine burgers to make one burger.”

I winced. “Yeah… There’s another thing. You said you would either feed on dispair or joy based on who won your ‘game’...” I pointed out, still trying to figure out what the hay this thing was playing at. “So you hurt us to live. Why and what are you doing with us?”

“Agreed!” Vinyl said taking a step forward. “What do you want with us? And why exactly do you consider me your sister? I was just made from her remains.”

“I’m bored,” The Darkness stated dryly. “I want to play with someone. Because I’m lonely, bored, and now there are other minds present who can do things which I don’t dictate.

“Sure, I could conjure up a bunch of phantasms, like I did for you a moment ago to see if sis recognised famous people from the universe we were in before this one… But they are just more mes. I’d be playing against myself.

“That got REALLY old, really fast. I’m tired of playing with myself. It’s not satisfying.”

Sherbert snickered once, then eeped and covered her mouth with both hooves.

“Hahaha! Made you laugh!” Dark giggled, one corner of his cloak pointing at Sherbert. “Seriously, what’s your deal? I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

“You’re still a cosmic entity that flew around devouring people’s essences or whatever!” I protested. “That sounds like ‘I’ll hurt you if I’m hungry’ to me, and hey, you said you hadn't eaten in ages mere minutes ago!”

HA! Got him. He’d admit he was evil and then Vi would snap out of her funk and we could improvise a plan to deal with this monster or escape.

“What? No!” Dark sighed, the corners of his cloak coming up to rub at the masks’ temples. “We would feed on the psychic energies we’d created through our actions, bleeding the energy off from all the mortals of that world’s zeitgeist. All that happens is most of them would forget about the events over the course of their lives and the adventure would fade into obscurity.

“The only people we ever hurt were members of Light’s party. And even then it’s because they were on the adventure, other players. NPCs never got hurt! Not for real. I made all the hurt people and corpses from scratch to decorate the tabletop. They vanished back into the nothing from whence they came at the end. It was a GAME! Not a real attack. I’m dark, not evil.

“I’m also a very minor Voidborn Entity. So was sis. If we actually ever did more than just nibble at replenishing resources, a bigger fish would have spotted us and snapped us up. The best food for one of us is another one of us.”

Oh. Um… Well shit. He’s harmless.

UNLESS HE’S LYING!! A voice in the back of my mind screamed loudly.

“How do we know you’re not lying to us?” Sherbert asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.

Vi nodded in agreement. “If what you said is true, then frankly, we’re ethically bound to let you go. Because you’re a harmless person who simply does what they need to do to get the food they need to survive. Food which does not harm any sentient life to obtain. Well… I mean, you’d cause some chaos but-”

“Sure did! But that’s a good thing,” Darkness interrupted. “You guys love to fight, and that’s okay. Fighting is fun! But you always fight each other. You don’t really fight external threats to yourselves. So all your fighting just hurts yourselves.

“That’s why I think our old game was a good thing. We would come in, and either the mortals learned how to band together, overcoming their eons of barriers to cooperation to face me and stop my ‘threat’, or they failed and the people realized just how doomed their foolishness made them only for the threat to be stopped by a group of united mortals who took the shame they felt and turned it into the strength to carry on.

“Well not really. Light would just spawn some NPCs and we’d make a big show of my ‘death’. Well, that’s what we did the two times I ever won. And I do think you let me win, sis. Didn’t feel real… Soooo Rematch!? Please?”

Sherbert cleared her throat. “You’re avoiding two questions,” she said firmly. “How can we know we can trust you, and why do you call Vinyl your sister?”

“Oh, sorry,” he apologized, his nothing-from dipping down slightly as if ashamed. “I forgot you asked those. Please remember that I’m slowly starving to death in here.

“A good deal of my mind is occupied with certain existential questions, and then another chunk is hoping I can get you girls to play with me so I can have a little fun before I go incase you don’t let me out. I’m not saying that to invoke pitty. I’m just trying to explain.”

“Then answer the questions,” Vinyl commanded. “How can we trust you, and why do you call me your sister?”

“You are,” Dark replied instantly. “Think about it. What is a soul? Do you know?”

“Um, well you. It’s all the information that makes you who you are in one metaphysical package. Every thought, you’ve ever had, every memory, ever-” Vi started saying only to slowly trail off. “Oh…”

“Right,” Dark said oddly kindly. “Your soul is what remained of The Light after she was given to Doctor Pony Mengele here,” he said nodding towards the skeleton on the floor. “If she hadn’t tortured you to death, the memories would be intact, and you wouldn’t be using a mortal shell as a life support system. Your soul would be able to survive just on its own. Like me.

“Sure, you’re a different person now because you have different memories. But you use the same words she did when speaking, you sound like her, and if you’re a fan of games, music, and you seem to be an adventurer aligned with goodness and the like. So some of your subconscious memories must remain.”

“I do like games, tabletop, computer, some sports. Anything challenging really. But isn’t that common?” Vinyl asked skeptically. “Like, MOST people enjoy that sort of thing.”

“Sure. Still, in my eyes, you’re my crippled amnesiac big sis. The one person in the entirety of the Void, guaranteed never to eat me for my power. You’re all I ever had. As such, I care about you even now and always will no matter what happens to you. Even though you very well may have nothing of her left in there, I don’t care. You’re my big sis,” Dark said simply.

Vi paused for a few moments, then nodded. “Alright, that answers one of the two big questions. But what about the other one?”

“Yeah!” I exclaimed in agreement.

Dark’s mask recoiled as if in surprise. “What? But I said- I answered both! Pay- What are you paying attention too? Word choice is important!” He grumbled irritably.

Sherbert cleared her throat. “I um, I think he did actually answer that. He said that Vinyl is the only person he can trust among his own kind. So, lying to her would be unthinkable,” she said semi skeptically.

“Exactly!” Dark proclaimed.

“But how do we know that’s true?” I countered. “You’re an eldritch abomination who can force AR onto people and likes to make a game out of causing terror and panic, even if you don't physically hurt anyone, you enjoy traumatizing people!”

“I don’t enjoy that, but it’s necessary,” Dark objected indignantly. “Do you understand the point of darkness? I dare say that I do. Light and Dark are NOT the same as good and evil. Very very evil things can be done by those in service of the Light, and very good things can be done by the forces of Darkness.

“It’s what you do, not who you are. Yes, I enjoy combat and creating elaborate apocalypses, but not just to fight or kill. I don't do it to inflict misery on others, or exclusively for my own personal gain. I do it for mutual benefit.

“Think for a moment. What happens when a people who have never known conflict, war, or real danger encounter actual evil? They are crushed like an ant beneath a boot as they have no experience in these sorts of emergencies. Nations very well may tear eachother apart instead of working together against their mutual threat. That’s just sad.

“Enter darkness. I come in and inject a little bit of grim reality into a world. My game spawns a world with legends of heroes which are passed down through generations and inspire others to rise to the occasion and face threats which actually mean to harm them.

“Yes, while no real person is truly harmed or killed when my sis and I were playing, mortals were traumatized. But that’s actually good. People need to learn how to overcome traumatic experiences. No universe is totally peaceful forever. Even those with super long goldenages have those ages end, and end HARD eventually. Good versus Evil is a struggle more powerful and older than even I know.

“A struggle which sees me firmly on the good side, just in a shady corner. I leave worlds with living legends, heros ready to defend it, ones who are experienced and can teach others. I leave them with parents who experienced great loss and tragedy and can empathise with their children, and any others who suffer in the future, and I also leave them with legends of greatness for future generations to draw upon. And probably an ancient artifact of power or two. I’m not a
bad guy.

“I am the terror that vanishes at dawn. I am the purchase that overdraws your account. I am The Darkness!”

The three of us just stood there, staring at the imprisoned creature for several long moments.

“S-so uh…” I stammered slowly, not afraid, no I was dumbfounded. “The thing outside had a huge list of titles. Are um, are those-”

The Darkness raised a corner of its cloak and rested it over his mask. What was that- Ah. That’s a facehoof. But why?

“No! Those are comic metaphors which illustrate my point,” Dark groaned. “I am a minor nuisance you overblow, and in the end, teaches you an important lesson. Ultimately, I help you.”

“Well how the heck were we supposed to get that out of a COMIC metaphor?” Sherbert asked raising her left hoof incredulously.

“I CAN'T HELP IT!” Dark snapped, pointing to the skeletal remains with a cloak corner. “This asshole fucked with my essence and tried to cram a shitload of- Ugh! Look, your virtue based magic system is- I was NOT prepared to be injected with forty CCs of Laughter, okay?”

Now THAT made me pause. If I hadn’t been seriously studying theoretical magic for the last few decades, that would have meant nothing to me. But I had been doing exactly that. The Virtues were no joke. Almost every pony carried a certain amount of each of the Virtuous Energies with them as a part of their aura.

These energies greatly influenced behaviors, not overtly in a mind control way, but in a simple ‘part of who you are’ way. They also were what allowed certain ponies to say, bear an Element of Harmony. They had enough of one VIrtue to in essence act as an avatar of that Virtue.

If what Dark said was true, then Mage Meadowbrook had found a way to transfer Virtuous Energy between individuals, and had injected him with a bunch. Which would, well, vastly alter who he was.

I turned to Vinyl and really, really wished my helmet wasn’t in the way of expressions. She needed to know how serious I was.

“Vinyl, he won't lie to you. Ask him if he was actually infused with Virtues, and which ones,” I ordered, putting every ounce of urgency I could into my words.

Vi nodded, understanding my tone, if not my request. “Um, alright. Well, were you?” She asked for me.

“Ask the ENTIRE question, so we have to get a completely honest answer,” I said with equal force.

“The answer is yes,” Dark said irritably.

“Were you infused with virtues, and if so which ones?” Vinyl asked for me.

“For starters, Honesty,” Dark said dryly. “You don’t imprison a Voidborn and let it lie to you. Sure I can lie, but it’s hard to bring myself to do that. Unless I’m in character for a bit, or roleplaying. ‘Telling a story’ doesn't seem to count.

“I’m bringing that up because of how paranoid you are about me telling you the truth. I can put on a costume and laugh, saying I’ll rip your heart out with a spoon so it will hurt more, because it’s pretend. I wouldn’t really. I’d just use my VR powers to make you think I did.

“But me? Like this, as I am now? Real, actual normal me? Nothing doing.”

I nodded once, somewhat satisfied. After all, I would definitely ensure that a creature I’d summoned and bound to gain information couldn’t lie to me. Or to anyone, just so it couldn’t trick an apprentice into letting it go. And if a Virtue infusion didn’t do it, then that’s likely one of the functions of the glowing magic circle which-

Which I should REALLY examine more closely.

“What other elements?” I asked while letting my eyes flick over the complex circle, trying to pick it apart.

“Laughter, as I mentioned. I really took to that one. I’ve always been about fun. The others didn’t stick, but apparently I’m already so loyal that TR-8R would shed a tear, so no improving that,” Dark said with a chuckle.

“You know, it would probably help if you told jokes that made sense,” Sherbert sighed irritably.

“It makes perfect sense!” Dark objecteted. “You just lack context because you’re limited to living in a single universe whereas I have lived in countless different worlds across more universes than you can possibly imagine.”

I shook my head once. “Um, no. Your joke doesn't make sense because there was an evil wizard a few decades ago who made a clone army, which now serves Princess Twilight. They all have a letter-number label starting with TR. The clone designated TR-8R is famous for being a crybaby. She’ll sob over anything, so yeah. It’s not funny.”

“Ah,” Dark said with a giggle. “Well, that’s unfortunate. I can’t see much of your world from in here. I’ve tried to scry places to find something interesting to watch over the years. All I know is that you’ve got an absurd number of heros who look like they would be fun to play with.”

I raised an eyebrow suspiciously. I didn’t even need to ask anything. Vinyl asked for me.

“Okay, so,” she said slowly, thoughtfully. “If we let you out of-”

“We're NOT letting him out!” Sherbert insisted. “Discord made it very clear that these things are dangerous!”

“We really are,” Dark agreed with a little nod. “My sister and I are a massive exception to the norm. If you’re not very aggressive and self serving you’ll be devoured by the first thing that’s bigger than you you bump into.

“We only survived because the spark of potential which created us split into two by happenstance. Two heads are better than one. Hence our whole ‘Hide inside universes to not be eaten by the big scary monsters’ plan.

“I understand your fears, young lady who has very rudely not introduced herself yet, but I wouldn’t hurt anyone if I’m let free.”

“Yeah, maybe. What WOULD you do?” VI asked insistently.

“I’d look out for my crippled amnesiac sister just like how she always looked out for me since I’m a dork and used to bite off more than I could chew when we needed to protect ourselves, and also try to figure out a way to let her and any carbon based friends she’s made survive the heat death of this universe because a googol years really isn’t that long, and YES that is actually a real number and not just some pretend value,” Dark answered.

Vi took a slight step forward, and then stopped. I could tell what she was thinking. She’d almost made up her mind. The odds we were going to release this thing were, well, it was almost certain.

Sherbert seemed dead set against it, and of the three of us she was the only one who had spoken to Discord. I was mostly certain that Dark was telling us the truth, but there was a lot we didn’t know. Maybe Voidborn naturally corrupted the world around them. Perhaps merely looking at him would drive people insane.

Because the way he described himself, he was basically an extra powerful changeling wizard. I mean, changelings didn’t really hurt anyone by feeding on their metaphysical energy either. But… He did have an absurd amount of power. He had completely sucked us into that ‘illusion’ with his VR trick. He could do a lot of damage if he really wanted to.

I was on the fence. I needed more information.

“Vi?” I asked loudly, just to make sure she’d hear me if she was debating internally herself.

“Yeah?” She asked, her helmeted head turning my way after a heartbeat.

Yep. She’d been in thought.

“Call Discord. We need to ask him what the dangers involved with a Voidborn creature being free are. For all we know, he could rip holes in spacetime just by existing, or something,” I said with a slow sigh.

“Hey!” Dark said, sounding genuinely hurt. “I’m not fat!”

“F-fat Voidborn rip apart spacetime?” Sherbert squeaked in terror.

“Pfff! No,” Dark giggled. “But bigger ones can if they want. Look, yes. Most people who saw me in this form would go mad from staring at the raw potential that is my essence. Right now you are protected by the bubble I’m in. But that’s not a problem. I can fashion a body for myself to house my essence in which will shield everyone from that effect.

“I may be on minimum power, but I can still do that.”

“What CAN you do?” VInyl asked.

Now there was a critical question I forgot to ask! Thanks VI.

“I can currently make void stuff constructs, such as a body for myself,” he answered. “I’m able to manipulate the pathways of free electrons in a three hundred meter radius. Aside from basic senses, the ability to move objects by force of will, and the locomotion capabilities of your typical dataform, that’s it.”

“Dataform?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. You’re a lifeform. A being made of living tissue. I’m a dataform. A being of living information. Not the official term, because there isn’t one, but I like it,” Dark replied, his cloak shrugging slightly.

“Sure, he’s at that power now, but if we free him, he can eat. Which means he’d gain more power, and be able to do more things,” Sherbert said cautiously. “We don't know if he could end the world within a week.”

Dark coughed, his mask’s features warping into an embarrassed grin. “At the height of my power, a single pony archmage kicked my ass and stuffed me into a bubble. The height of my power which I had obtained over a number of years so large you are incapable of understanding the concept of anything that numerous due to your very biology. I think you’re being a bit of a worrywart,” Dark said with a friendly sarcasm that made me grin like a dork behind my helmet.

Managing to keep myself from laughing, I turned to look at Sherbert. “You know, Sherb, he has you there.”

“Okay, yeah, but his whole game!” She protested. “Even without his old power he could do that and lots of people would panic! There’d be chaos. Sure, Ponyville is used to that, but the rest of the world ISN’T Ponyville.”

“Sherbert has a good point,” Vi said with a shallow nod. “You wouldn’t be hanging out with me all the time. You will gain power as time goes on. What WOULD you do for fun?”

Dark’s mask warped again, the awkward grin turning into the expression of a king, one who was deadly serious about a particular subject.

“Of the few things I have seen in your world, one was a giant robot fighting a giant worm in the middle of a lightning storm in a sandy desert,” Dark said matter of factly. “I saw the robot’s pilot. I know his face. I would seek him out.”

“Why?” I asked suspiciously.

“Because he built his robot to look like Big-O,” Dark answered, his mask changing once more, this time into a dorky grin. “I’d gather enough power to create a large construct and make Big Fau then slowly walk it towards his place to see what he’d do, and then have a giant robot fight. Because that’s a simple law of physics. If two giant robots exist, they must fight.

“Then, I’d ask him how he knows about Megadeus, and with any luck it’s because he’s been to other universes too, and then I’d have a friend to chat with about places I miss. Maybe.”

Sherbert cleared her throat. “Um… Uncle Sky would definitely panic if you did that.”

“Huh,” Dark mused, looking at Sherbert critically. “Small world. Well, I’m sure he’d have fun after the initial scare!”

“Well… It’s just the badlands,” VI mused to herself. “And Sky probably would wind up having a blast with that. But the thing is, if you KEPT doing things like that, it would cause trouble. You can’t just go around creating conflicts.”

“I know,” Dark replied with a short nod. “I wouldn’t do that. I’d find a few people to play with as an outlet and ensure that you’re safe, comfortable, and happy. You’re my sister, you’re hurt, and I want to support you and help with recovery, if possible, which it’s not, but I’m pretending it is for my own happiness, okay? Okay.”

The three of us stared at him for a while. Eventually the eldritch thing coughed into a corner of his cloak. “L-look, it may sound strange, but I’ve always liked the mortal idea of family. I took a lover every time we set up shop for a round of Overlord.

“If I do that, I should care for my siblings too, right? She’s my big sis, she’s hurt. All but dead. I need to care for her. That’s how it works.”

Sherbert sighed. “Okay… I can see that you two are going to let him go. But PLEASE, can we call Discord first?” She pleaded.

“That really is a good idea,” I agreed with a nod. “Just to double check-”

The circle!

It finally clicked! The circle he was in! It was the ritual circle I needed to use.

“-BUCK!” I swore, stomping the floor with a hoof angrily.

“What’s wrong?” VI asked, wheeling around.

“We HAVE to let him go,” I insisted. “That circle is in use, and it’s the one I need to use.”

“Oooo, yeah. Bad luck. These things only do one spell at a time,” Dark apologised. “What are you after?”

I hesitated for a moment, should I tell this thing about my curse? No. No I should not. But I could say a little…

“I need to forge an Aether Crystal to help me capture and kill a Nightmare,” I replied.

“Oh!” Dark said worriedly. “You have Nightmares here too? A Moon Lord is bad enough… I hope that guy managed to kill it. Gave him a ton of my power. Hold on a sec.”

“What even IS a Moon Lord?” Vinyl asked curiously.

“Moon Lords are the Payday Loan Companies of Voidborn,” Dark answered. “Literally nothing you do in your life will ever be worse than dealing with one. They are motherfuckers. That’s right. Fuckers of mothers.”

“Well… I never heard of it, and Luna’s been to the moon soooo she’d likely have attracted it since you guys eat powerful things,” Vi mused. “I guess King Sombra did kill it.”

“Maybe. Hopefully. He said he almost beat it before and just needed a bit of an edge. Weirdo kept calling me a Goblin King though…” Dark muttered half heartedly as if concentrating. “There we go! Pone in the middle, behind your head, one Aether Crystal. Enjoy!”

I turned around suspiciously, my too good to be true alarm going off at max volume. But, sure enough, there it was. A large pale green rod shaped crystal with blue flecks scattered randomly throughout the crystal’s core, which glowed with a soft white light. Exactly as described in the book!

“Horseapples!” I exclaimed, shaking my head. “You’re trying to trick me somehow! Make me like you.”

“Um, yes. I am trying to make friends. Because lonely,” Dark reminded. “It’s real. Why do you think a wizard would make this sort of ritual circle if they weren't going to make these crystals? Did you see her god-body downstairs? It uses these things as well, lots of different parts.

“She was mass producing them, there’s a bunch all over the place. I took this one out of a box behind that bookshelf over your right shoulder. It’s from the last batch she made before moving me from the dungeons back up here, to well… I’m not sure what her plan was. She died just after securing me here. Heart failure.”

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense,” I was forced to admit. I reached out and gently grabbed the crystal with a hoof, letting it rest on my hoof for a moment. It felt real…

I slipped the crystal into my bag. It fell into place amongst my other stuff just like I expected a real thing to do… You know what, I’d trust him on this. It was real.

“There. Now you can leave me here if you so choose,” Dark said with a sad sigh. “I hope that shows I’m not trying to trick you into letting me go.”

“Discord!” Sherbert yelled. “Call! Please!”

“Um, you’d have to leave the tower to do that,” Dark pointed out. “There’s a big sigil downstairs dedicated to a Voidborn whose name I will NOT mention because you idiots would say it aloud and summon him here. Long story short, the entities you refer to as gods can’t see the things going on in this tower, nor can they come here.

“That’s why Yog was asked to guard this place. You can’t keep him out of a universe, he’s truly omnipresent. But harmless. Old dude just wants to nap and read.”

Sherbert squeaked fearfully. “B-but-but I can’t see him everywhere, and I can see voidstuff!”

“I don't feel like taking the several days necessary to explain the physics to you. Just accept the fact that he’s omnipresent, but took the bits of himself in your world and put them all here, along with what I think is most of his bulk, so he can safely nap without others constantly nibbling infinite tiny bits off him all the time.

“But he can still instantly appear where he wants because he’s also still everywhere… The physics dont really work if you only understand Three-D space and- Oh forget it. Too complex to explain,” Dark sighed. “Now, if you choose to free me, the thing you need to do is to press the funky backwards lambda symbol on the circle, and slide it to the left.

“Oh! Um, everyone but sis should look away while I make a body so I don't hurt you. I can’t help being composed of the stuff I’m composed of, nor can I help your reaction to seeing it without a filter.”

Sherbert growled angrily, and yet also worriedly. “Fine! We let him go. But the FIRST thing we do is take him directly to Discord. If we dont tell him about this, we’d be in just as much trouble as we would be if we went outside to call him because that would DEFINITELY wake the thing outside back up.”

Okay… Here goes nothing. “Alright, Vi, do it,” I said as I turned around.

Sherbert turned with me, the two of us staring at the bookshelf behind us nervously. This could all go south so fast. If any part of the story were untrue-

Something made a sound like crystal shattering. I immediately turned and opened up my left saddleback, my eyes desperately searching for the Aether Crystal. Which was fine. Still sitting there atop my books.

“Huh, didn’t expect that bubble to crumble like that,” Vi remake.

“Me either,” Dark agreed. “Sorry everyone. Hope that wasn’t painful to listen to. It was for me. Okay… Here goes.”

Something liquidy squelched in exactly the way anything that ever existed should NOT sound.

“EW!” The three of us said reflexively.

I felt my stomach turn in disgust, making me immediately force myself to keep hold of the lunch I’d had earlier just to enjoy some normal food. That had been a mistake.

“Sorry!” Dark apologised. “I’m rusty. Alright, sis. I’m a pretty thin, smaller male pony. That way we can say that I was sick most of my life, and I was away for special care which just finished curing me, and that’s why no one’s seen me around before. I’ll look the part, as a clearly underdeveloped stallion. Sound good?”

“Um, yeah that is a good story,” Vi agreed. “But you need a cutiemark. Also a name.”

“A what?” Dark asked.

“A cutiemark,” I answered. “That’s what the marks on our flanks are called. Um, I mean, I figure that you can see through our suits.”

“I can. I thought those were just tattoo equivalents. Those are things everyone has?” He asked.

“Yeah… Well, almost everyone,” Sherbert mumbled. “I can’t believe we're doing this! This is a VERY bad idea.”

Not really. He was out of the thing, if it had been a lie, we’d all be dead now.

“Whatever the picture is, it hints at your special talent, a thing you’re uniquely good at,” Vi informed. “Also, I’m white, dad’s white, and mom’s white. You’re charcoal gray. We could be related based on face shapes, but the color is… I mean it’s possible, just unlikely.”

“I’m not gonna be white. I’m dark. It’s my thing. White is your thing,” he said firmly. “Okay so, since I can manipulate electrons, that’s a pretty good thing to call a talent? Right?”

“Yeah. If you’re a unicorn you could call it a unique spell you created,” I said casually. “Can I turn around yet?”

“Not quite yet, I need to make edits. I went with a winged pone body,” Dark sighed.

The squelch echoed through the library again.

“AAA! Don’t do that!” Sherbert whimpered.

“Be glad you don’t have to see what happens when he does that,” Vinyl said softly.

“Heh, now you see why I like feeding people VR constructs. I SUCK at this… Matter based stuff,” Dark admitted feebly, his voice definitely masculine, but with a slight higher pitch to it than average.

Much better than the creepy, haunting, evil entity voice he’d been using before.

“I decided that being in a hospital for most of my life, that being an alchemist and chemist would be a believable background. Does this ghostly, chemical burny, flame look like a proper cutiemark?” He asked hopefully.

“Yeah,” Vi agreed, her voice sounding approving. “So, you do chemistry… Most ponies names relate to what we do. It’s tradition to take an adult name after you find your talent so they match… I mean not everyone does but-”

“Given how pony names work, and my personality, let’s go with Chemical Fire,” Dark suggested. “It sounds appropriate based on what I’ve heard, it’s related to chemistry, matches the picture on my butt, and since my talent is based around making electrons dance, well, I could easily start a chemical fire.”

“D-do you like to burn things?” Sherbert asked worriedly. “Is that why it matches your personality?”

“No. I’m a dork and such. Sis called me cute all the time. Chemical would be shortened to Chem, which easily makes for a cute nickname of Chemy. See?” ‘Chem’ pointed out.

“Point tanken. It’s a good name,” I was forced to admit. “Can I turned around now? I’m getting anxious here… Kinda suspect an ambush.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t think you might feel in danger,” he apologised. “Yes, you can turn around now. I’m done changing. This will work. Right, sis?”

“Yeah, it should. If Discord okays you existing here, you do look like a normalish unicorn. Just, well, having been ill would explain everything,” Vi said.

I turned around. She was absolutely correct.

The Darkness had become a short, thin, somewhat androgynous looking, but still definitely male stallion. He looked okay, but you could tell that something had been seriously wrong with him while growing up. He had light gray, nearly white, hair which was cut in a longer style, it had a sort of O&O novel feel to it. His tail matched the mane, naturally, and the light gray went well with his coat’s dark charcoal color.

He’d given himself red vampiric eyes that matched Vi’s in hue. He also took care to make his facial features match her to the point where he really DID look like he was related to her. The color difference was NOTHING. I’d seen red mares with blue sisters. It happens. But that shape? Unmistakable, everypony would agree they were related.

He also further sold the ‘sickly’ part by keeping his green cloak. While he had the hood down, the cloak was wrapped around him tightly, as if he were bundling up against the cold.

The newly transformed eldritch creature held out a hoof and gave me a polite smile. “Hi! I’m Chemy, nice to meet you Sis’s Friend Number One!” He joked.

Despite my fears based around how good he was at creating a ‘character’, I couldn’t help but decide to at least try to be friendly, if weary, towards him. After all… It did seem like he just wanted to be with his family.

I took his hoof and shook it. “I’m Lyra Heartstrings,” I introduced. “She’s Sherbert. Nice to meet you, Vi’s little bro. Now, let’s get out of here and hope that we didn’t just piss off the God of Chaos by letting you go.”

6 - Morality Test

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Sherbert - 20th of Megan, 29 AE

Ponyville - Equestria

We had CC fly us directly back to Ponyville. We didn’t call Discord as soon as we left the tower. Not for lack of trying either. The spell just wouldn’t work anywhere under the ice.

Vinyl hadn’t wanted to talk to him in the middle of the still raging blizzard. I can’t blame her for that. The moment we stepped outside my suit started to ice up. It’s like the snow was mad that ‘Chemy’ was leaving.

I was.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been, but I was. He really did seem harmless, at least, as he was right now. But that’s the thing, he WOULD seem harmless. Discord had said, 'They seem to exist only to destroy, and are quite capable of killing myself and everyone like me. They are very bad news.' Those were his exact words.

And so were '...while eavesdropping on my own creator, I happened to learn that this universe exists as a lifeboat to escape a universe that ONE ancient Voidborn had gotten its tendrils into and was devouring.', 'The vast majority of them are extremely hostile, and very dangerous.'

Discord's words. Not mine. Yes. He'd said vast majority, not all. But he had also teleported to me, looking like he was ready to atomize a city block, and then said, 'it must be a very minor incursion. Perhaps just a few cultists being fed energy, at the worst it's a single minor Voidborn.'

Discord had been in full attack mode for a minor Voidborn, the kind that The Darkness claimed to be. Again, that was full attack mode for a MINOR Voidborn. For a thing of Dark aka Chem’s alleged power level, Discord had charged in ready for real serious battle.

You don't get that kind of fear from an immortal god-like entity from something which wasn't a thing to worry about. I mean come on! If I were a universe eating creature from beyond the edge of reality, I would do absolutely everything to convince people I was a nice guy. That's how you get them to let you eat their universe! You make them pity you, you make them trust you and want to help you, and all the while you eat away at their support structure until it comes crashing down around their unaware heads.

That's basic shinobi training. BASIC! To infiltrate a group, make them like you and empathize with you. Become the pitiful, yet likable wretch, that they just can't help but like and will never suspect to be the one who cut the ceiling support beams.

And what was Chemy doing? 'I hardly have the power to do that. I’ve been sitting here unable to eat for ages, running on reserves, and while that wizard was alive she was draining me...', 'I’m lonely, bored, and now there are other minds present who can do things which I don’t dictate.', 'Please remember that I’m slowly starving to death in here.', 'This asshole fucked with my essence...', 'I can lie, but it’s hard to bring myself to do that. Unless I’m in character for a bit, or roleplaying. '.

Alarm bells! ALL OF THE ALARM BELLS!

He literally said he couldn't lie unless he was doing quote 'a bit' end quote, and then he shows that he can create a pretty well crafted persona within seconds of thought. How was I the only pony here that saw this? He's a person who is a member of an exceptionally dangerous and hostile species, who has little physical power, but is able to create elaborate false realities, and seems to specialize in deception and presenting himself as something he's not, and then reveals that he can lie if he's in character.

Why am I the only pony here who didn't trust him at just his word? I'm not racist, Discord had said most Voidborn were bad, not all. Chemy very well could be completely honest and no threat at all. But we only had him to vouch for himself! We had NO other source of information. Just what he chose to say, and assumptions Vi and Lyra made.

Not. Remotely. Okay.

Not when dealing with a creature that has a relative which EATS UNIVERSES!

Vinyl had spend the entire flight back to Ponyville just chilling next to her possible pseudo-brother, chatting. Catching up on what they used to do, getting a feel for the guy. I really, really hoped everything was fine and that we weren't bringing a lying threat to all that lives back home.

Vinyl needed this. She was not in a good place right now. Ignoring the truth behind her origins, she'd been messed up even before she'd learned about that. And I'd worked it out. I'd figured out what was wrong with her.

She had said she was feeling lonely, that her old hobbies weren’t as interesting to her anymore. She'd seemed irritable, agitated, and had seemed to experience a brief flashback when we'd arrived at the train station in Hollow Shades. All the classic symptoms of PTSD.

She was a soldier, and an officer. I didn't know everything that the Knights of the Rampant Moon had done, I only had access to mission records for a month and I'd been dealing with Kazumi's mental problems and getting her comfortable at home. I hadn't had time to read up on the Order's history yet. That said, Vinyl is the youngest of the Knights, she's the one making the hardest decisions as the Captain, and I knew the sorts of things the Knights dealt with based on their declassified adventures.

I'm surprised that the entire Order wasn't having issues with past trauma. We're not like the Elements of harmony. We don't have super powerful vaguely defined, seemingly omnipotent magic artifacts we can point at to go 'they obviously protect us from that sort of thing'. We're just... Well, sort of normal.

Vi really needed this. She needed someone not attached to her work she could confide in. Octavia wouldn't work, Vinyl worked with Octavia. She'd in essence married a coworker. One she had authority over in the workplace. With how Vi tried so hard to be cool all the time, well, she had to be worried about opening up making her look weak...

A long lost sibling would be the best thing for her right now besides a therapist. But the odds were just too good that Chemy was pulling the wool over our eyes to find a place to take root and devour the entire world!

Ugh... I couldn't blame Vi for not summoning Discord on the ride back. She had to be excited to have someone not a parent, spouse, or co-worker to- Oh, Gods! ALL of her friends were work friends. That's not healthy at all!

“Hold on, girls,” CC's voice called from the cabin, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I'm setting us down in the fields just south of Ponyville. The city itself is too dense for me to feel comfortable landing in.”

I spread my hooves out to more firmly brace myself against the seat. CC's previous landing had been a bit rough and-

The shuttle gracefully touched down on the ground with a light tap, the landing legs creaking slightly as they took the shuttle's weight.

“Hey, how about that,” CC exclaimed happily, honestly surprised. “My first perfect landing. Okay, offense not intended, but you girls bringing someone back with you from that particular place has skived me out just a little bit. I mean, I get it. Sibling trapped in a creepy location. Still... How DID you survive that blizzard during the walk to the shuttle?”

Chemy shrugged. “Muffin button,” he answered with a little grin.

“No, really, how?” CC asked raising an eyebrow.

The pilot's chair creaking as she spun it around to look out of the doorway at his green cloaked body. Cemy chuckled and shook his head slowly.

“Magic cloak,” he replied, using a foreleg to wiggle the hem of his cloak for her. “I survived in the far north for a very long time, Ma'am. Machines won't do up there. Their failings simply don't allow even suits as well built and designed as the one my sister sports to last for months in such cold, wet, and abrasive conditions.”

CC nodded, seemingly quite satisfied. “Makes sense. Though I'll bet we could design a suit that would work for years at a time out there. Those are spacesuits, not arctic gear.”

Wait... Space suits could fail in the arctic? The arctic was more dangerous? But, how?

CC turned around and tapped a few buttons on the console, causing the cargo ramp to hiss open, slowly descending and flooding the cabin with the first dregs of light from the rising sun.

WOW! We had been gone all night! Good thing I'd opted for those no-sleep potions back in training. I could only imagine the hell that would be trying to soldier on through all of that.

“Alright everyone, let's go,” Vinyl said, getting out of her seat and walking out of the shuttle. “Thanks for the ride, CC. Oh! Uh, you want us to take these suits off here?”

“That would probably be for the best,” CC said with a laugh.

“I already ditched mine,” Lyra said, nodding to the storage locker near the cabin.

She'd taken that thing off almost as soon as she got back on board. Weird. You'd think she'd like suits with how much time she spent in that cybernetic human costume.

I stood up and slowly removed my own suit. The heavy material was a bit cumbersome to remove. Though with this being a spacesuit, that was kind of a good thing. You didn't want it to open up because you snagged a bit of it on a protruding rivet or something.

A minute later I stepped out of the suit, and immediately cringed at just how sweaty and grungy the inside was. I'd been sweating a LOT in that thing. You'd think that with how cold it had be- No. No ignore the thermometer's numbers. That was outside the suit. You were inside, with a heater.

As soon as Vi and I finished stripping the four of us waved goodbye to CC and stepped out of the shuttle. CC closed the ramp as we left, waving bye from the cockpit before the angular, vaguely teardrop shaped, wingless shuttle lifted off with a quiet humm, rising for a few dozen meters before extending its wings and vanishing into the distance with a dull roar.

Chemy shook his head slowly. “The technology of your world is so anachronistic,” he chuckled. “It's not the worst I've seen, but it's up there.”

Lyra laughed, her head shaking slowly. “Not really. It's just well, we have magic. Lots of it,” she corrected.

Vinyl nodded. “Yep! Ponyville's houses are about three hundred years old, sure. Yeah they still have thatch roofs, but the actual wood and stuff isn't what's keeping the rain and cold out. There's so much magic in those houses it's not even funny. They are actually a bit better than a modern designed tech based house over all.”

“You don't replace a building just because it looks old. They still work just fine, so they stay up. Besides, it's nice to preserve historic architecture,” Lyra added.

I did my best to keep myself from screaming in frustration, and only barely managed to succeed.

“Okay, so, girls,” I began, doing my best to keep calm, but unable to keep my ears from laying back in anger. “We need to get Discord to vouch Chemical Fire.”

Vinyl frowned, clearly not really wanting to do what we needed to do. Again, I couldn't blame her, not completely. But the fate of the world was almost certainly at stake!

“Yeah, we need to,” she agreed after a few seconds. “Sorry, Chem.”

“No no, it's fine. I completely understand,” he replied, holding up one hoof in the 'stop' gesture. “You only have my word that I mean no harm. You'd be stupid not to check.”

I frowned as his words brought fresh worry to my mind. That may mean he's on the level, or it could mean that he had a good trick ready to play which he thought would-

Hold it brain. What could possibly fool Discord?

Well, plenty, actually. He's not omniscient. He can be fooled. Heck, Fluttershy's fooled him before!

Then again, he could certainly tell us the true scope of Chem's power. So we'd at least know if he had lied about that.

Vinyl's horn seemed to ripple as she cast her summoning spell. Unlike the normal magical glow you'd see around a unicorn's horn, this spell was pure white, and manifested as splotches of shimmering white light. Almost the same moment Vi began to cast her spell, the air in front of her blazed white, the usual crystalline 'shing' which accompanied Discord's magic echoing across the field as the god of chaos appeared before us.

Wearing a bathrobe, pajama pants, fluffy pink slippers, and holding a cup of coffee. Well, I mean, duh. It was the buttcrack of dawn.

Discord yawned, and looked down at Vinyl critically. “I never thought you of all ponies would know my number. Reading Lulu's dairy in private, are we?” He asked with a playful smirk. “I'm not sure if you're aware, but I gave this spell to Celesta and Luna expressly for emergencies of the 'Sweet merciful heavens! It's swallowing the moon!' variety. While I'm impressed you can cast it, and now that I think about it the Princess's body guards should know it too-”

Discord paused, leaning over to Lyra and I to whisper, “Because if you ask me, those two are unable to use their magic in emergencies far too often. More than their age and experience should allow,” and then stood back up straight to continue talking to Vinyl.

“Don't use it again unless it's actually important or you want to go get ice cream,” he finished raising his talon to snap it and vanish back home.

“Wait!” Vinyl exclaimed rearing up to grab his talon with the urgency of... Well of three ponies standing next to a thing that should not be. “This IS an emergency. Lyra and I know about the stuff Sherbet promised you she would never never tell another soul.”

Discord snapped his talon.

I was ready for the globe of darkness which enveloped the five of us like our own personal starless night sky. Lyra and Vinyl were not. The two mares yelped in fright, tails raising in alarm as they looked around the tiny isolated pocket of the world we were now in.

Chem, on the other hoof nodded, seemingly impressed. “Pocket universe creator,” he said observationally. “Snazzy.”

Discord ignored his remark and turned to me. “I know you didn't tell them,” he said in a calm voice. “How much do they know?”

“Uh, we know about the people, place, and general power of everything living outside of universes,” Lyra said for me.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. That about sums it up for what they know, but-”

Discord nodded twice cutting me off. “Alright, and what's this guy know?” He said jerking his paw's thumb over his shoulder at Chem before turning around to look at him. “And who is he?”

I felt my eyes dilate as I fell into an endless ocean of terror. He could hide his power level from Discord!

“He's how they know!” I blurted. “Scan him, right now! Him specifically. As hard as you can! He's really good at fooling your scans!”

Chem's ears drooped, his head turned to face me. “Ow...” He fake moaned. “I'd be more hurt but well, you are right. I easily could be tricking you right now. However, I am not. Sherbet is right, Mister Chaos, sir. You should take a good long look. You're missing something.”

Discord's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He leaned forward, looming over Chem's frail form. His talon snapped once, covering Chem with a bright flash of light and enough magic for me to feel the thaumaturgic current from the good six meters away where I was standing.

Discord's magic slowly cleared away, and he leaned back, floating in the air as he stroked his beard for a long time.

“Wow,” he said with genuine surprise after a full thirty seconds of just starting at Chem. “You are so near death that I can only barely find you in that puppet.”

Chem winced, a fearful look flashing over his face. “Uhhh, well, that's worse than I thought. I don't suppose you'd mind if I had just a quite bite to-”

Discord snapped his talon again, and iron bands appeared around Chem, both gagging and immobilizing him with that one snap of the fingers.

“Well done, girls!” Discord praised. “I never thought I would see the day where anyone managed to capture a Voidborn alive, much less people with your limits. I'll just take him someplace safe to interrogate and then dispose of. I'll have to think of a suitable reward for each of you, and of course, you can't breathe a word of this to anypony. I'll be needing some Pinkie Promises from each of you.”

Vinyl cleared her throat. “Uh, we didn't capture him,” she said with an urgent look in her eyes. “We let him go. He claims to just want a safe place to live.”

Discord wheeled around, staring me full in the face. “Sherbert, explain,” he ordered urgently.

I gulped nervously as his red and yellow eyes bored into my own.

“Vinyl and I went to Lyra's home to ask if she wanted to go to dinner with us,” I began, doing my best to summarize everything as briefly but fully as I could while also talking. “She was working on her thing to break her curse, and found a way to see Voidstuff. She noticed that Vinyl and I are saturated in it, and was curious.

“I told them I knew but promised you I couldn't tell anyone anything, so we went to Vi's parents house so she could ask them how they brought her to life as a foal. Turns out they had this guy do it for them, and he says he did it by repurposing his dead sister's soul. He sees Vinyl as his sister reborn, and I think she's starting to see him as a little brother.

“And he talked them into letting him out so he can watch over her, claiming that's all he cares about. Well, that and staging adventures of the ‘evil Overlord Returns’ variety so his sister could fight him and drag some of us along for the ride. And he claims to only have done that with some sort of VR like spell, so no one really ever actually got hurt.

“And now we're here because they want to have you make sure that he's trustworthy, and to get your permission for him to exist here. Which personally, I don't think you will because of how clear you made it to me that these things are SUPER dangerous and you know, you kinda made an entire factory vanish into the ether because they built a set of armor containing a Voidborn charm.”

Discord nodded once. “Yes. They are exceptionally dangerous. We are talking about creatures which consume entire universes quite literally for breakfast,” he agreed. “We will need to interrogate… And since he’s too starved to be a threat to me…”

Discord snapped his talon, banishing the restraints. Chem didn’t react much to his restored freedom. Maybe he couldn't?

Vinyl’s ears drooped sadly, but she otherwise remained calm looking. Lyra nodded slowly, her mouth taking on an odd expression.

“Yeah… Sherbert explained that,” Lyra said slowly. “I’m all for understanding risks, recognising danger, and doing something about it, but it just feels wrong to say that every single member of an entire species is evil.”

Chem’s ears perked up. “Oh! Fun Fact, in some universes that’s objectively true. I’ve been to tons of places where good and evil are actually parts of physics itself which can be measured and manipulated.

“What really bugs me is that every one of those universes where magic also exists, they can detect ‘alignments’ and in so doing, know if someone is good or evil. But here’s the thing, alignments don’t really change for the majority of people.

“And so you wind up in the very very dumb situation where the king’s adviser is a scheming evil person out to kill the king because no one thought ‘Hey, let’s make alignment screening a part of the job interview process’. It’s like they WANT to be constantly dealing with coups, evil mages, and other easily avoidable nonsense.”

Vinyl blinked and turned to Chem. “Wait there’s universes where physics are tabletop rules?”

“There are infinite universes. Everything that can be is, well, somewhere. You just need to find it,” he replied casually.

Discord raised an eyebrow, but didn’t acknowledge Chem’s ramble. Instead he floated backwards a bit to get everyone in his field of view.

“I did say that,” Discord said to Lyra. “And to be frank, of the eighty thousand total Voidborn we have encountered across this Universe’s thirteen previous cycles, exactly four have been non-hostile.”

Discord yawned, and lazily pulled a calculator out from behind my ear, quickly tapping out an equation on it before nodding to himself. “That gives us a stupid tiny fraction of a percent chance that this particular person isn’t hostile, and isn’t trying to consume our universe from within like some sort of Extradimensional Space Cancer.”

“I actually never got powerful enough to eat spacetime,” Chem said professionally. “It’s a cost benefit thing. Sure, this place is made of really tasty and nutritious stuff, but it’s very hard to break down into a digestible form. I’m still at the point where I can only eat other voidborn and psionic echos.”

Discord raised an eyebrow again. “Your kind eats each other?” He asked skeptical.

“Yeah! All the time, we’re our own primary food source. The only reason we’re not the best food source is we can fight back. That’s why many of us turn to other sources. It’s also why almost every Voidborn you ever see will kill you. So you don’t get the chance to eat it,” he elaborated with a sad sigh. “We’re not creatures which can become civilized people. I fully understand your distaste. My sister and I are only different because we chose to hide from our fellow voidborn by ducking into universes.

“It just so happened we discovered we could feed on the joy and despair of the little meat critters inside those bubbles, and so we started farming them. After all it makes little sense to cut down the apple tree to get at apples. Our first universe was full of freshly sapient lifeforms, we grew up with them. Did the whole god thing, and eventually left when, well, that universe got eaten.

“My point is that my sister an I are very atypical. We didn't mature under true survival of the biggest and meanest conditions. Unfortunately, few freshly spawned people seek shelter in universes. Because you know. Old Ones eat them.

“Good job hiding this one, by the way! We didn’t see it until just before Mage Meadowbrook reached out and yanked us inside. I doubt any threat you’ve faced has found this place by any means other than literally running headlong into it.”

“Mmmmhm,” Discord said slowly as he tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I don't see any spell effects around you, and you seem to be telling the truth. But of course, you could be concealing your magic from me. Care to run that by me one more time?”

I cleared my throat. “Um, Discord? Is there any spell you could use to force any spells he has going to stop?” I asked curiously.

“I do, but at his current strength that would kill him,” Discord informed with a grim sigh. “Which isn’t something I want to do until I am certain he’s not that zero-point-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero four-nine percent which is not going to hurt anyone.”

“That seems a bit high,” Chem remarked.

“Why don’t we try making his aura appear?” Lyra suggested. “He implied that he’s basically a soul that’s able to exist without a body, so he should have an aura like any other living being. Do that and we can judge the quality of his character visually.”

“That would work, except he is able to create false realities,” Discord pointed out.

“They wouldn’t work on you,” Chem said urgently. “I do it by moving electrons in organic beings nervous systems to create false data. You’re not a corporeal creature, nor a machine, I have no ability to influence you.”

Discord hummed and turned to me again. “Is that true?” He asked skeptically, floating over to look Chemy in the eyes.

“Well, that is how he explained it to us,” I said with a nod. “But he could be lying.”

“That is true,” Chem agreed. “I could be lying. However, I think you will find that there’s no way to be scientifically certain of my intentions. We can take this as many steps as you are willing, but that final step will always require some level of trust.”

“This is true,” Discord agreed. “At some point it will be a matter of trust. But there has to be a reason for trust to exist, trust doesn't grow on trees. Celestia refuses to allow abstract botany.

“But fortunately for you, there is one way I can be absolutely certain of your intentions.”

I raised an eyebrow skeptical. Vinyl’s ears perked hopefully. Lyra pursed her lips uncertainty.

“How?” Lyra asked, taking a step towards Discord. “How can we be certain that someone who can alter our perceptions of reality is being honest?”

“Elementary my dear Lyra,” Discord exclaimed, snapping his tallon to summon forth a horrible looking brown checkerboard patterned hat and a wooden pipe. “When reality itself is suspect, one can only rely on evidence which comes from a source that can ignore reality.”

Chem and I blinked in unison.

Chem cleared his head of surprise with a little shake. “Um, I fail to see how such an entity could exi-”

Discord snapped his talon, summoning forth a large white flash of light which cleared to reveal a confused looking Pinkie Pie, standing up on her rear hooves and holding a spatula.

“-AAH!” Chem yelped, jumping back in what looked to be shock.

Pinkie’s ears flopped down sadly. “Dissy… I was making pancakes! They’re going to burn if I dont flip them right now,” she whined, giving Discord bambi eyes.

This is a brilliant idea! Why didn’t I think of it?

Discord shook his head defensively. “Now now, Pinkie,” he soothed. “I paused them for you. Far be if from me to ruin breakfast for the sake of national security. I won't even bother you for very long. All I need from you, is to turn around, and tell me what you think of the pony in the green cloak.”

Pinkie nodded and turned around, immediately squinting at the voidborn in concentration. She raised a hoof to her chin, leaning forward for maximum scrutiny. “Hmmmm….” Pinkie mused.

“Sooo, is he a bad guy?” I asked Pinkie hoping she’d say everything was fine.

Pinkie walked up to Chem, slowly circling him as she proceeded to check from every possible angle. Chem’s ears flattened in what looked to be fear as she circled him.

“Uh, h-hi,” he said, holding out a hoof for her to shake. “I’m Chemical Fire. Also known as The Darkness. It’s just a title. Not actually bad. What’s your name and uh, purpose? Reality failure reset button?”

Pinkie giggled and shook his hoof. “I’m a baker, sillyfilly!” She said with a big grin before looking back at Discord. “He seems fine to me! Can I finish cooking now?”

Discord nodded and floated down to gently rest his paw across Pinkie’s shoulders. “Of course you can, Pinkie. Thanks for your help! Oh, and you may wish to squeeze a welcome party in your schedule because-”

“Because he’s Vinyl’s long lost brother and he wants to move in to help her?” Pinkie guessed, doing her creepy on-the-nose guess thing.

“Exactly!” Discord said. “Ta-ta!”

He snapped his talon, returning Pinkie to the kitchen from which she came.

“What even was that?” Chem eeped, thoroughly spooked.

“That, Mister The Darkness, was Pinkie Pie,” Discord replied as he slowly turned around. “You do not anger the Pinkie. Nopony knows how she can do what she can do, not even me. Nonetheless, she can do it.”

“I uh… I believe you,” Chem said, trying to recollect his wits. “She’s not… Dangerous, is she?”

“She’s the exact opposite of that,” I said, feeling just a little insulted. “My aunt is one of the nicest people to ever exist!”

“Good! Good. I’ll take your word on that,” Chem said with a relieved sigh. “Soooo, I’m all clear? You all understand that I’m no threat to anyone who doesn't try to hurt my big sis?”

He should be. I mean, if Pinkie vouches for you, that’s more than enough.

Discord nodded once, then reached up with his paw to sculpt his face into a caricature of a serious expression.

“Very well then, ‘The Darkness’,” Discord said harshly. “Since Pinkie says you’re a good person, I will give you a chance to live here, IF you beat me in a game of your choosing. A game that is NOT your whole LARP Thing.”

I looked at Discord and raised an eyebrow. “You play O&O in LARP format with my aunts twice a month,” I accused. “Why not play him in his favored game?”

“That’s actually a good question,” Lyra said in agreement.

“Yes. We do,” Discord agreed. “The way I see it, it’s a fun game to play with friends, and Chemy is not my friend. It also takes a long time and I have things to do today. Important things. Things which will need some time to do. Things which may or may not involve ten thousand pies, Celestia, and a series of cleverly hidden catapults.”

Chem nodded once. “I understand,” he answered.

“Then choose a game. One which will not take all day to play,” Discord instructed, floating downwards into a lower position to get on a more ‘eye level’ position with Chem’s pony body.

Chem tapped a hoof to his chin thoughtfully for several moments, then his ears perked excitedly.

“I choose…” He began dramatically, only to suddenly rear up and conjure a small wooden box from nothing, while flourishing his cloak dramatically. “Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker!”

“PASS!” Discord moaned, rubbing his forehead slowly with his talon.

“What? Why?” Chem asked with a disappointed frown.

“The only intricate thing about that game is it’s ban list!” Discord protested irritably.

Vinyl raised a hoof. “Question, what even is that game and how can you even have something that combines chess and poker?” she asked.

“And how do you make it strip?” I added. “Do you dress first? How much clothes do you put on? OH! Is that the difficulty setting?”

Chem cleared his throat. “Also, how do you even know about that game? It only exists in the last universe I lived in. To my knowledge, that is.” he asked curiously.

Discord snickered. “Hold the phone,” he exclaimed with a huge grin. “Are you telling me that so many universes exist, that any given fiction will be real, somewhere out there?”

Chem nodded once. “Yes. Ohhhh! Was there a story here dealing with- Wait a minute! You rejected playing a round by quoting Magnus! Ha! Then you know exactly where I lived last. That place was the best! You should seriously play a hand though, it’s a great game when you’re playing.”

“Except it’s not,” Discord countered. “I played it when humans still lived on this world. They invented the analog version.”

Chem frowned. “Humans really do pop up everywhere, don't they?”

Lyra’s ears perked. “Wait, this is a human game? I want to play!” She exclaimed hopefully.

“No you don’t, it’s terrible,” Discord siad with a dismissive paw wave. “Literally anything else, Chem.”

Chem flashed Lyra a grin. “I’ll swing by your place later and teach you how to play. It’s fun! As long as you’re not playing with a certain cigar smoking bastard…” He grumbled, tapping his cardbox with a hoof. “Are you sure you won't play this? I don't have a cheap themed deck.”

“ANYTHING, else,” Discord sighed in irritation, turning around to face away from the thin stallion, crossing his arms over his chest.

Chem raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Are you going to just do that annoying girlfriend thing where you shoot down every suggestion I have until I ask what you want to do and then we just do that?”

Vinyl and I snickered and looked away, doing our best not to burst out into a laughing fit

Discord moaned and drifted down to the ground. “No… No I’m not,” he sighed.

“Theeeeen you’ll play with me?” Chem asked with a hopeful smile, looking for all the world like an excited young colt.

“No, you’re fine. Just go. Have fun. Live a life. I wanted to determine what kind of a person you are by watching you play a game. But, knowing you’re the sort of geek who would risk his entire future on a round of a terrible children’s card game simply because you like it is more than enough,” Discord said with a shrug. “You’re free to do anything you like which a mortal could do, but do not leave this planet without telling me first. Enjoy your freedom. Ta-ta!”

Discord snapped his talons and vanished, taking the darkness bubble with him. We once more stood in the grassy field outside of Ponyville, the city a short ways away, lit by the pale orange glow of the barely rising sun.

“Awww…” Chem wined, his ears drooping sadly. “It’s a good game though…”

And now he looked like a young colt who had just been told there would be ice cream, but there was no ice cream.

OW! No, bad heart! Don’t feel this bad over an eldritch abomination not getting to play Zoroastrian-hyperbole… Whatever.

“I already said that I want to learn to play,” Lyra prompted, trying to cheer him up.

Vinyl nodded. “Yeah, she did. Why don’t I take you to see my house? You can settle down in the guest bedroom, then Sherbert and I can go get dinner like we planned before this whole thing. You two can go play some cards for a while.

“I promised dad I would take you by so he could apologize, but I want some time for my own emotions to settle down. I had a rough day before this whole shake up happened. I hope that’s cool with you.”

Chem nodded twice. “It totally is. I’m sorry for any stress and fear that I caused you three today. I understand how and why, and I don’t blame you for how you felt. I freely admit that I am very much someone who goes against the grain of my kind’s norms.”

I nodded once, and scratched the back of my head awkwardly. “Hey, um… I’m sorry for being a bit too harsh and overly cautious. Forgive me?”

“Nothing to forgive. Any of my own kind I’ve met myself who couldn’t eat a universe from the outside would do exactly what you thought I was trying to do,” Chem countered.

Vi smiled and shook her head. “Come on girls, and guy,” she said with a happy laugh. “Let’s get back to normal life. Oh, hey. We’ll need to introduce you to the rest of the girls, Chem.”

“Should probably keep his real nature classified, even from them,” I warned.

Lyra nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Sherbert’s right. Chem’s got to be just another pony to everyone else. Chem, you said that saying a Voidborn’s name can summon it, right?”

He nodded. “Mmmmhm. It’s best if no one in this world knows about us. It will keep you all safe. Soooo…” He began to trot forward eagerly. “Come on sis! I want to see your house. It’s been AGES since I got to see you? I think I was what? Four? Yeah, four!”

I shook my head slowly. It WASN'T a character he was putting on, was it? He really was just an energetic little dork who liked to play the villain. Probably because in fiction… Wait, let’s actually check this.

“Hey, Chem?” I asked as we all began to walk towards Ponyville. “Why do you like being the villain in your game anyways?”

“I get to have a cooler outfit,” he replied instantly. “Also you can ham it up and everyone appreciates you for it.”

I smiled and shook my head. Yep. Dork.

Man I feel bad for judging him like that… I’ll have to find a way to make it up to him. Maybe Pinkie would let me help with the welcome party? Yeah, that would do.

And if not, I’d make things right with him some other way. There had to be something I could help him with in the future. Heck, with a little luck, maybe it could be something cool! Or even an adventure!

And hey, if one couldn’t find us, well… Chem could definitely whip one up. Either way, I’m sure he’d enjoy it.

7 - Plan Q

View Online

Lyra Heartstrings - 20th of Megan, 29 AE

Deck 13, USS Phoenix - Phoenix

I was starting to understand exactly why Sherbert had been so nervous about trusting Chem. He really was extremely good at creating a convincing character. We'd arrived at Vinyl’s house and he immediately inspected the place, seemed to like it, and then after seeing where his sister lived (and how she lived) he pointed out the very simple fact that he had to be able to integrate into our little social circle as seamlessly and convincingly as possible.

That's a bit trickier than most people think it would be. After all, Chem was literally coming into our lives out of nowhere. He had no real background or explanation for his existence other than the truth. These things would need to be crafted, carefully and elaborately created with more care than even I would put into my O&O characters.

For starters, Chem would at the very least need Vi’s dad to agree that he existed and was his kid. We couldn't exactly just go back to her dad's place and fill him in on all the details. After all, they were preparing for that foreign dignitaries visit today. Who knew how long that would last? Not us.

Since the very most basic and fundamental part of a cover story could not be crafted as of right now, Chem had elected to follow me home and hang out with me until we could get a good story worked out to explain where he came from.

I wasn't exactly used to having visitors. Not that my friends never came to see me, of course. They did, it's just that they usually only ever came over for us to go somewhere else.

As my apartment doors hissed open, the sparse, fairly unwelcoming environment was revealed for Chem to see. I didn't really have anything in the way of decoration, just a few houseplants to add some nature to the place. Everything inside my apartment was practical because I never intended to stay here for any real length of time.

Yes, it had become a few decades, but I wouldn't be living here for much longer. Just having the basic furniture elements didn't matter anymore. It had never mattered. I had two couches and a game table, a dining table and four chairs, and then my workstations in my bedroom, and the bed. That was it.

The rest of the apartment was just blank white walls, and the pre-installed tech that came with every home built in the Emerald Changeling’s hive. A big flat panel television-like display, the smaller panels in the walls for controlling the rooms temperature, humidity, the lights, ambient sounds, and so on. And of course, the molecular printer that never really printed anything that well.

Oh right! And my bookshelf. I mean, that was sort of part of the workstations, but I still had some novels on there too. I still had some fun, it wasn't all work.

Chem whistled as we walked into my apartment. it wasn't the sort of whistle that you would use if you were impressed by what you saw, this was more of a way to say ‘wow. Really?’

“So uh, you don’t exactly seem like the sort of anti-fun person who would live like this. Am I being pranked?” Chem asked with an amused smirk.

I sighed and shook my head slowly. “No. This is my place.”

Chem raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Seriously?” He asked as I walked inside.

“Look I wasn't exactly planning on staying very long okay?” I explained with a lash of my tail. “The only reason I'm living here instead of back in Ponyville is they let me study Dream Magic here. That stuff's illegal back in Equestria. I really only started renting this place to use as a workshop. But, I wound up living here as my work just took more and more time.”

“Oh,” Chem said as he followed me inside, looking around curiously. “I can see that. So how long have you been working here?”

“Ummm,” I said tapping my chin in thought as I flash back across the years. “I'd say around uh, about thirty years?”

Chem froze, his eyes widening in surprise. He stood there, shocked, long enough for the doors to close on their own behind him.

“You mean to tell me that you've been living in a place, for three decades and you haven't felt the slightest need put up a poster, or buy some lamps, or paint the thing something other than depression grey?” Chem demanded incredulously as he waved a hoof at his surroundings.

My ears drooped with embarrassment. “I- uh, well…” I closed my eyes and sighed, letting all the grief out in one long breath. “I am a pretty single-minded pony okay? I'm here to work on breaking a curse that took my girlfriend from me, and prevents us from getting back together. She was my world. I never felt like anyone else ever really cared about me.

“I'm not bad-mouthing my friends. I mean care about me in the way that you have an actual relationship go, you know? Bonbon was my only real family. My parents? My dad does love me, but I'm still a reminder that he was once completely controlled by the evilest bitch imaginable who didn't become some kind of Evil Overlord.

“He's only just now starting to treat me like it his actual daughter, instead of a reminder of the time in his life when he was screamed at for simple things like just trying to spend an afternoon with a friend having a dinner or a drink.

“All I had for a long long time was Bon. And then a nightmare took her from me. So I'm going to get her back. I don't care how long it takes. I don't care that my house doesn't look pretty. Cuz I'm not going to be here forever. I'm going to get her back, and things will go back to the way they were before, and she'll get to do all the decorating like she did last time and it will be beautiful.

“Until then, I can put up with the whole sterile industrial look. Because I don't care okay? It's not important.”

“What do you mean it’s not important?” Chem asked looking at me with one of the most perplexed looks I've ever seen in my life. “The place that you are sitting in when you're trying to study or learn or invent or do any kind of mental activity is one of if not the most critical steps in the entirety of the process of invention, discovery, all that stuff!”

I shrugged. “Well I mean I got this far, right? I figured out that I'll need an Aether Crystal, how to trap a nightmare, how to convert it to energy, I've got everything done really. The only thing I have yet to figure out yet is how to actually extract one from reality after it's become a part of it.”

Chem frowned and looked at me uneasily. “I thought you said you were cursed,” he said with a suspicious look. “Why don't you tell me what's really going on? After all, I'm an Eldritch Abomination. It's not like you have to worry about keeping secrets from me lest I go mad. Are you dealing with another of my kind?”

Now that was an interesting question. Was I?

The discovery I made yesterday which linked the magic of the Void with the magic of the Dream Realm did have some serious implications. Maybe nightmares were some form of Voidborn? That was certainly possible, but I doubted Discord could miss something that big.

“I don't know. I might be,” I admitted. I turned around to face Chem so we could talk properly. “It is a curse. It follows all the rules for a curse, at least in The Big Picture level. What happened is I encountered a creature that we call a nightmare. They live in a place known as the Dream Realm.

“It is sort of a pocket dimension where, well, your dreams exist. According to legend, it was created so that when mages dream we won't accidentally cast a spell on our sleep. Instead, that magic will occur in the Dream Realm, and you don't burn down your village.

“But as a consequence of this, apparently our actual dreams become living creatures there due to all the ambient magic floating around in that place. Nightmares are what we call the creatures that are formed from our nightmares. The only thing these creatures want to do is to escape the dream realm, find the person who dreamed them up, and then they manifest themselves. Meaning they modify the rules of reality itself, and turn your life into whatever nightmare they specifically are.

“Whatever happens to you in that nightmare you had, will then happen to you, in reality, no matter how absurd it is or how impossible it is. The normal rules are completely overwritten. Anything is possible.

“In my case, my nightmare was Bonbon leaving me because she became straight due to a curse, and also because of the curse she would not consent to being fixed magically, and even worse, everyone I asked to help couldn't help. That was actually my worst nightmare. Got to say, it's just as bad as I dreamed it would be. But I'm very close to finding a way to pull that nightmare out of space time or whatever happens to it when it manifests as its whole ‘reality edit’ thing, and reversing what it did.”

Chem nodded thoughtfully and trotted over to the couch on the left side of my living room and sat down. “I see,” he said slowly, “I don't feel any force compelling me to not help you. Would you like some help? I can think of a few ways I can actually fix this right now.”

I felt my heart leap in my chest. With how little energy Chem had said was in his system and how close to death he was, I hadn’t dreamed that he be able to help me physically anytime soon. Of course, I had plans on asking him lots of different questions to get information from him. After all, it seems like void-related things were immune to their nightmares effects. But this?

“Y-you can lift the curse? Like, right now?” I stammered, awestruck at the idea that in one simple night of work all of this hell would be over. “I thought you’d need way more power before you could even think about doing something like that!”

Chem laughed and then nodded a few times. “Well, I did get a good amount to eat on the way over. I don't think I'm starving to death anymore. I've got enough to sustain myself for a little while, and enough to have a little bit of fun.

“Of course, it does take a lot of power to rewrite the rules of a reality. I don't think I could just reach out and rip some creature out of the miasma underpinning your reality. But I do have some solutions if you care to hear them. Ones I could enact right now.”

I nodded, my enthusiasm diminishing a little bit. Transforming from a raging bonfire to a smoldering pile of coals.

“Okay, let's hear them,” I said as I took a seat on the other couch opposite Chem.

Chem looked into my eyes and smiled. “All right, don't be afraid okay?” He asked.

Before I could wonder what he was going to do, let alone ask him, Chem waved a hoof through the air seemingly grabbing onto the air itself and tearing it apart with a rather savage downwards yank. The air split apart forming a portal. Well something like a portal at least. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't quite the tamed wormholes I was used to seeing. It was more of a window.

The window gave me a view of another place, and in that place, I could see Bonbon. She was sitting down with her back facing me, on the top of a hill I had never seen before which overlooked something which could have been the Everfree Forest, but felt different somehow.

Perhaps... Something about the trees?

“What are you doing?” I asked Chem, my eyes hardening as seeing Bonbon like this felt as if we were invading her privacy.

Chem grabbed the edge of the tear he had made and rotated it, changing the view so that I could see past BonBon's back. It immediately became clear that I was not looking at my Bon.

First of all, she was missing an eye. The injury couldn't have been recent because the scarring around the socket was all old, and healed as well as it would ever be. Also, she had a patch, not an organic eye or a bionic replacement like she could easily have gotten.

Secondly, she was looking at my gravestone. And crying. And had just put flowers down at the base of the stone. Because I was dead.

I felt the fur on the back of my neck stand up in terror. “W-what is this!?” I yelped fearfully.

Chem rolled his eyes. “Calm down,” he said in a kind voice. “This is Plan A. You are looking into a universe that isn’t your own. You see, there’s an infinite number of universes. Every single possible permutation of every single possible reality exists. In fact, it exists an infinite number of times in that exact same configuration.

“Right now, there is an infinite number of yous, who have all lived the exact same life, under the exact same conditions, and are all right now, missing their loved one. This is due to the nature of universes, and the matter based creatures like yourself who live in them.

“I, along with my kind, are the exact opposite. There’s only one of me. There are no alternate versions of myself, nor are there parallel versions, nor copies. Only me. This is because there is only one void, and there can be no other.

“This means that only the version of yourself, which you are right now, is able to have this conversation. Of all the infinite yous that exist, only this one, only you, are here and talking to me. You have just made yourself unique, you just broke free of the mold from which all other yous are cast.

“As such, there won’t really be any problems if say, we make a major change to your life. My mere presence here makes reality more mutable, makes destiny subvertable, because I am an entity of pure potential who would like to be your friend.”

“That’s all good and well,” I said as I stared into the tear. “But what’s that have to do with this… this hole?”

“That is a window into another one of the infinite realities like your own,” Chem explained, pointing into the tear with his left hoof. “This one is not parallel to your own, it’s divergent. In this particular world many things are different from how they are for you, here and now.

“Specifically the you that lived in that universe has died. I don’t know how, I’m not yet powerful enough to look outside of this universe and immediately analyze everything I see like back in the old days. But I can still find places where you no longer exist or never existed, but Bonbon does.

“As you can clearly see, she survived whatever event that took your life in that world. She misses you, she’s grieving. She too feels the same pain that you do from missing your other half. I could, with a small expenditure of my energy, pluck her from that world and place her right here. Right in this living room. Right now.”

I felt my face scrunch up slightly. I wasn’t sure how to feel about this. I opened my mouth to ask a question, but Chem cut me off with a raised hoof.

“Now, I know that you will likely have some problems with that idea,” he said understandingly. “Just hear me out.”

I frowned, unsure of what exactly I should say. so I just nodded.

Chem nodded in return. “Thank you,” he said. “The first obvious problem: that is not really fixing things. Your world’s Bonbon would still exist and still be affected by the curse. However, you did say that part of this curse has her being happy with the change right? She doesn’t want to be turned back?”

I nodded. “Yes. That’s true, but I mean, that’s not her decision. It’s not her own free will. It is a curse.”

“Yes,” Chem agreed. “But she is happy. It’s not a bad fate. Eventually given enough time, I am certain she will find a nice male and settle down with him. It’s not like she was cursed to constantly poop an infinitely long, neverending, single solid poop or something else truly horrifying.”

I felt my stomach turn at his idea of a horrifying curse. “EW!” I exclaimed, doing my best to keep my guts from rebelling.

Chem nodded. “Yeah. That one would be particularly horrific,” he said with a casual nod. “But the point I was making is that this is a curse that still permits her to lead a full and happy life. As such, it’s not immoral to leave her alone and to instead simply focus on making you happy.

“Since you do want her back in your life, and since there are infinite versions of her, just like how there are versions of you, we can take any one of her who has lost her 'you' and bring her here.

“She would very most likely be happy about this. Yes, she was pulled into another world, one which could be very different from her own, but she would have you again. The person she loved and lost. The person who was her world. You would have the same thing returned to you.

“True, it wouldn’t be exactly the same. There would be differences in how you remember the relationship going. It would technically be a brand new relationship. But you would be the same people. You would get along in the same way as you and this world’s Bonbon did. In time, you would be completely satisfied and never regret this decision. Well, with a little luck at least.”

Chem paused for a moment to give me the chance to think. I mulled the idea over in my mind, focusing on every detail that I could. It was a solid plan, but it didn’t quite feel right.

“I don’t know,” I sighed slowly. “I mean, yeah, maybe that could work. But are we seriously just going to snatch that mare from that hilltop right now?”

Chem shook his head. “No. Of course not,” he said with a laugh. “It is the absolute most foolish thing possible to take the first one we saw the moment we saw her. For all we know, in this universe, the two of you were serial killers. And the reason why your grave is out in the middle of seemingly nowhere is that she had to bury you in a place the law wouldn’t be able to find her because she’s currently at large.

“No, Lyra. Instead, the two of us would just sit here in this room, and channel surf realities. We’d sit here and watch, and watch, and watch until we found the Bonbon who had lost you, wanted you back just as much as you want her back, and is either the closest possible version we can find to the Bonbon you were with, OR, one that you especially like. Then, I would step out for a moment, and invite her to join us in this world. How does that sound?”

I bit my lip, my face scrunching in discomfort. “Let’s... That’s an okay back-up plan, but, I don’t really like it just for the one that we’re going to try for. It doesn’t quite feel right. But I mean, maybe if I get really desperate?

“In theory, the curse is supposed to end after a few hundred years because the nightmare will have run out of power. They can’t change things forever. If worst comes to worst, I can wait. I’m a vampire, I’ll still be alive, and so will she.”

Chem nodded twice, leaning back against the couch. The tear in reality vanished as he nodded at it with a dismissive look on his face.

“Sure,” he said with a shrug. “You know, unless something kills one or both of you. You’re immortal, not indestructible.”

I cringed and turned away from him for a moment. “Let’s... Let’s talk about another plan. You said you had a bunch what’s Plan B?”

“Plan B is a little bit simpler, but it would take more energy on my part,” he explained casually. “I think I would actually have to feed a little bit more before doing it, but it’s still something we could do today.

“Plan B involves you letting me read your mind. I would copy every single individual memory that you have of her in perfect detail. I would then go to her, and do the same thing. This would give me complete and total knowledge of every last part of your relationship with her that either of you could possibly ever remember.

“Using this information, I would create a body from Voidstuff. An exact duplicate of her in every single physical way, into which I would place all the knowledge I had obtained creating a copy of your Bonbon in every single way that matters. A perfect simulacrum. Absolutely no one would be able to tell the difference between her and the original.

“Except for the simple fact that the copy, well the clone as I suppose I should call her, she would love you just as she had before the curse was inflicted upon you. How do you like that idea?”

I shook my head immediately. “No. We’re not doing that,” I said with my ears laying flat.

Chem tilted his head to one side. “Too distasteful?” He asked with a frown. “I’m sorry. It was just an option.”

“Yeah, well... It’s not one will be taking,” I said adamantly.

Chem smiled at me. “Understood. Would you like to hear Plan C then?”

“As long as it doesn’t involve you reading her mind without her consent in order to make a clone of her, yes I will hear plan C,” I said hoping that that would leave no room in his mind for plans which required the violation her free will.

“Um, quick question before I tell you about Plan C. Are you objecting to that plan because I didn’t say that I would get her permission to copy the memories? For the record I would have obtained permission. I despise breaches of the mind’s privacy,” Chem asked me with the concerned frown.

“Sort of,” I agreed, giving him an ambivalent look. “It also just kind of skeeves me out. The idea that we can just replace a person, with another person who is exactly the same in every single way.”

“That would be a problem with Plan A too,” Chem pointed out shifting on the couch slightly so he would be closer to me. “Of course, in that case, we could actually acquire a version of her with some differences from the original. In fact, I could do that with the clone too. She wouldn’t have to be an exact duplicate, but she could be if you desired.

“Is that the problem? You don’t want to replace her but to regain her?”

Shit. Yeah, that was the problem.

I look down on the floor and sighed. That was the only response I need to give him.

Chem stood up and walked around the coffee table. To my surprise, the disguised Eldritch abomination wrapped his arms around me in a caring hug.

“I understand loss too,” he reminded me sadly.

I returned his hug for a brief moment before letting go. “Are these all plans you came up with to deal with losing your sister?” I asked, my voice full of sympathetic sadness.

He nodded, his eyes looking down at the floor sadly has he returned to his previous position on the couch.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Not the first one though. That plan will not work for me. You are very fortunate that it will work for you, should you choose to allow me to help you that way.”

My ears perked up as I came to a sudden realization. “Wait a minute,” I exclaimed standing up in surprise. “You went with Plan B! You made another one of her.”

Chem smiled at me. “In a way I did. In another way, I did not. You do need to remember that I used my sister’s remains. I didn’t take memories out of my head and cram them into the stillborn foal Vinyl’s parents brought to me. But I do agree that I did do something similar to that.”

Now that I understood that Chem had thought most of these plans through enough to use them himself to solve the problem of his own broken heart, I knew that he wasn’t simply pulling these off the top of his head. He would never create a cheap copy of his sister. So if I did decide to let him use Plan B at some point in the future, I would be guaranteed a quality result.

Not that made Plan B feel any better ethically.

“Anyways,” I said as I sat back down. “What is plan C?”

“Plan C,” Chem said slowly and apprehensively. “You’re not going to like plan C. But, it’s probably the healthiest option available to you.”

I raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Plan C involves you allowing me to once again enter your mind,” Chem explained. “Instead of copying memories, I would play the part of a therapist. I would find every single part of your mind which still screamed out in pain, and I would silence them.

“To put it another way, I would allow you to move on. To get over her. To no longer care about the curse and be able to live your life in any other way then this endless 'Pursuit of the Magic Bullet' required to return everything to the way that it was before. I could even make you forget the details of your relationship with her entirely, so there would be no chance of this pain ever returning.”

I felt my stomach turn. He was right, that was probably the healthiest way. But it wasn’t the Lyra way.

“Pass?” Chem asked me, looking into my eyes with an understanding grin.

“Pass,” I agreed.

“I knew you’d say that,” Chem laughed, shaking his head slowly. “If there’s one trait I share with mortals, it’s that I absolutely, unequivocally, always, will do everything in my power to get things to go my way. Lucky for you, I’m not a jerk and my way is most always good for you.

“I do have another plan, well, two more plans. But only one of them can be executed right now and would solve the problem right now. Would you like to hear them?”

I nodded twice. “Duh,” I said rolling my eyes. “That’s what we’re here for. Figuring out how you can help me. Um, of course, if you do help me I will absolutely return the favor.”

Chem laughed and flashed me a smile. “You don’t need to do anything for me,” he said simply. “I’m helping you because I understand your pain. Now, Plan D.

“Plan D is one I’m certain you will absolutely object to. It would be either the same thing as A, or B. Except before we enact either of those plans, I would modify your memories so that you would have absolutely no ethical or moral problems with the plan, and could be assured that you go on to live a happy life with either the Extra-Universal Bonbon, or the Clone Bonbon.

“But, as I now know you will object that sort of thing thanks to this conversation, we won’t be doing that. This is my final plan for now. It won’t solve things now, but I guarantee it will speed your plans up quite a bit.”

I laughed and nodded in agreement, sliding forward on the couch somewhat in order to look Chem in the eye.

“You’re damn straight we’re not going with Plan D,” I said shaking my head slowly. “I have already spent thirty years trying to bring her back to me. I don’t mind waiting a little bit longer. Especially, because… Um, well, I have no idea of what to do now that I actually have the crystal.

“I really wasn’t expecting to get that for another year or so. Maybe even five years. And well, that places me pretty far ahead of schedule. I don’t really even know what to do in order to start the next phase.

“I know that I have to find a way to extract a nightmare, but, well, you know…”

Chem frowned sadly. “Yes, I imagine it would be quite hard to do that. And if after thirty years of constant study, you have no idea of even where to begin... Well, it’s safe to say that you’re probably the first person to do this.”

I flinched, recoiling back against the couch cushions. “Sisters! I hope that’s not true. I really hope it’s not true. I’m not sure that I could find a way to do that from complete scratch.”

Chem pursed his lips nervously for a moment.

I raised an eyebrow, both out of curiosity and fear. “What is it?” I asked nervously.

“Well,” Chem began with an awkward and worried look on his face. “You’re also assuming that it’s even possible to extract a Nightmare after it’s applied itself. Could very well be impossible. I really hope it isn’t, but it could be.

“That’s why I told you of the other plans before this one. I want you to know that while it’s very unlikely we’ll succeed using the methods you desire, there’s still a way to get what you want in the end. Even if, well, you object to it.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know. It could be impossible, but I don’t give a buck. I’m going to try. And if it’s impossible, it’s impossible. And we’ll learn if it is by hitting that brick wall at full speed,” I said with a grim nod.

Chem cleared his throat and flashed me a smile for a brief moment. “Heh, I like you,” he said shaking his head. “Well then, Miss Heartstrings, the final thing I can do to help you is to work as your lab assistant. Not only can I provide you with a good amount of knowledge that you would otherwise be completely unable to obtain, even if you became besties with your universe’s Chaos God, but that arrangement benefits me as well.

“You see, while your friends and I have decided that this identity of mine will be a chemist, or at least an alchemist, I am not sure exactly which your universe uses, however, I would need a job. What’s more, I need a backstory which explains why I’ve been absent from Vinyl’s life for so long, and why I’ve never been mentioned before. Especially when her friends have frequented her father’s estate and are on friendly terms with him.

“Unfortunately, there’s not much that sounds plausible. Everything will have to be a little bit odd. But one of the least odd things that I can think of would be if I were sent to live in a hospital as we originally decided, and at some point during my life, I vanished. Vinyl’s parents could simply have chosen to not mention me so as to avoid the pain of loss. What’s more, if we say that I am not that much younger than Vinyl, her not remembering me could be as simple as her not having memories from being that young.

“Of course, there’s the matter of how we reunited. I believe that the most plausible explanation we could use is that you found me while looking for information which would be useful to you, on your quest. I came to your home to deliver something and just happened to run into Vinyl when she came over last night.

“The family resemblance was fairly uncanny, so we decided to ask if she had any relatives she was unaware of and it turns out that yes, she did. How does that sound to you?”

I took a deep breath and shook my head slowly. Sherbert really did have a point. A big one.

“You are seriously, really, honestly, scarily good at coming up with characters,” I said with a nervous laugh. “I’m kind of starting to see why Sherbet was terrified that you were deceiving us.”

Chem’s mouth stretched out into an incredibly wide grin. “Heh, well, I am unfathomably old by even your gods’ standards. And for the entirety of my existence, my sister and I have essentially been role-playing. This is what I do. I make up people to be and then be them. Though, it is weird not being a villain...”

“Makes sense,” I agreed with a smile. “Though, that does make me wonder... What is it like to play O&O for eighty and a half quintillion years?”

Chem snickered and shook his head. “Pretty lame really,” he said with a shrug.

I felt my heart fall sadly. The poor guy! He had to just be so bored of it all and-

“I mean, I think you’d agree that no one can actually play a good game in just an hour,” he said flashing me a wink. “Short game sessions are no fun at all.”

I recoiled in pure horror, my ears falling flat against my head as my eyes widened. “Y-you’re THAT old? That feels like a bucking HOUR to you?”

Chem nodded. “Mmmmhm,” he chuckled. “So! I take it you like my plan? Both my plan to have a plausible way to exist here and also to help you, of course.”

“Yeah!” I exclaimed smiling happily. “Yeah, I really do. It’s solid, and any questions people have about it will have mundane answers. It’s a good plan. As for helping me, please! Please do! I need all the help I can get.”

Chem nodded and stood up, walking over to me once more.

“In that case, Miss Heartstrings, I offer you my services as an assistant until such a time as we have solved your problem in a way which satisfies you,” Chem promised, giving me a polite bow. “Shall we get started? I imagine you are eager to continue making progress.”

I laughed and stood up. “You bet I’m eager!” I agreed. “But it is going to take you a pretty long time to get familiar with all my work.”

Chem’s ears flopped backward as his eyes widened in mock horror. “Oh no!” He fake-gasped. “It may very well take several days on your timescale!”

I blinked, then facehooved. “Time... Time just doesn’t matter much to you does it?”

Chem laughed again. “No, not really,” he admitted. “It’s experiences that I care about. I don’t value the day, I value what happens during that day. Please, let’s begin. I want to help you. You seem like a fun person. The kind I would enjoy playing with. But you’re super down right now. Let’s fix that so we can have some fun.”

I nodded in agreement and walked around Chem as I made my way to my bedroom door. It was still open from when Sherbert had examined my notes earlier, allowing me to simply walk inside.

“Everything is in here,” I said as I took my seat at my desk.

After sitting down, I used my magic to float a basic primer on Dream Magic off my bookshelf so I could hold it out to Chem as he entered the room. “We’ll get you started on the basics. Go ahead and read this. I’m going to work on understanding exactly what my last experiment means in terms of the large-scale stuff.

“Once you finish the book, let me know and I’ll get you on the next one. As soon as you know everything I know about this stuff, then I’ll share my notes with you and we can hash things out.”

Chem nodded slowly. “Okay, we could do that. Or, you could let me take all the knowledge from your mind and save me the reading time.”

“I’d prefer it if you got it from the book,” I said with an embarrassed smile.

“Ah, sanctity of the mind and all that. I completely understand,” Chem said as he sat down on the edge of my bed, the book floating over to him and opening seemingly of its own accord.

“Actually, I’m not entirely sure if I understand everything in these books correctly. I would much rather have somebody on my team who had a different perspective than me, rather than a clone of me.” I corrected.

Chem looked up at me, seemingly quite impressed.

“Lyra,” he said. “I think that you and I are going to work very well together.”

“I’m glad you think so,” I agreed as we both turned to our mutual work.

I had an assistant. This wasn’t going to take long at all.

8 - Shall We Play a Game? (Part 1)

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Vinyl Scratch - 22th of Megan, 29 AE

Equestria - Ponyville

There’s a rumor floating around which says Celestia got really mad at Twilight after she gave her Ponyville as her fiefdom, and Twilight lifted the old restrictions on buildings’ looks. I don’t believe for a minute that Celestia yelled at her, but I do think her highness was more than a little disappointed when modern concrete and brick buildings began to pop up in the former historic preserve.

Ponyville had lost some of its charm over the years. It was still nice, and still looked like something out of a fairytale, and I couldn’t disagree with Twilight’s logic. The old building codes did prevent better defenses from being built, and it would be unfair to lift restrictions for the nobility but not the peasantry on something as simple as architectural regulations.

Not to mention keeping the old restrictions in place on peasants would mean that most homes in the city couldn’t be fitted with modern defenses. So it was a safety issue too.

It wasn’t all bad though. It would be more accurate to say that the old charm had gone and new charm had moved in.

Celestia’s sun shone down on Lyra, Chem, and me as we walked up the cobbled street towards Bonbon’s for today’s gameday slash ‘I met my previously unknown long-lost brother’ introduction. Everywhere you looked, unicorns and earth ponies trotted up and down the street, happily talking to each other as they went to and from dozens of small shops or hung out on public benches. The skies overhead were full of pegasi flying about or lounging on decorative clouds as they did the same as everypony below.

The street was lined with all kinds of buildings, some old with magically augmented wattle and daub walls and thatched roofs, others new with brick, concrete and glass walls painted up and decorated to look as rusting and old-fashioned as the newer designs could. It was as if Ponyville had moved out of the Classical Era into the Solar Era.

Heh, given another thousand years, maybe it would finally catch up to how Manehattan was thirty years ago. Just in time for everything to be all sci-fi with gleaming glass towers covered in living plants and neon lights.

As we walked up the road I couldn’t help but notice that Solid State’s Software Shack was having a fifty percent off sale on techno arcana. I’d have to swing by the later and pick up a DV-MI converter so I could put my VR helmet's display on my bedroom’s magic mirror. That way Octy could watch me play if she wanted too.

“Mmm, that’s right,” I said to myself as I remembered another thing I had to pick up.

Lyra’s ears perked as I spoke out loud by accident. She and Chem had been talking shop ever since we left her dungeon of an apartment. I wasn’t able to understand anything they were going on about. I might have been a wizard if fate hadn’t stuck me in Luna’s court. But instead of a Mage Academy, I’d gone to Officer’s School.

Life's funny like that.

When it came time for doing, I’d help all I could. But, now was the time for theoretical thaumaturgy, and well, that’s not my bag.

“Sorry, did you say something, Vinyl?” Lyra asked with an apologetic frown. “I um, I was focused on Chem.”

I shook my head and gave her a reassuring smile. “Nah, just thinking out loud. There’s a sale on at my favorite electronics store and that reminded me that I need to pick up a DV-MI converter, and a replacement for the Imagizer Octy and I used to have.”

“Used to have?” Lyra asked with a confused frown.

I nodded. “Mmmmhm. Turns out that you can't use it to stream HD audio and video to um… Like… Three, maybe four hundred mirrors? We tried to rig up a home-broadcast-station to do a one-time jam session for our fans in Ponyville. That crystal cracked almost immediately. Shoulda went with a tech solution.”

Lyra nodded and shook her head while grinning. “Yeah, tech is way better at mass broadcasting right now. But give the mages a few more years and it will catch up. It’s not like there was much demand for that sort of thing thirty years ago. Well, aside from the radio,” she agreed, slowly frowning as she finished.

I smirked. “You remembered that radio is tech based, didn’t you?”

“Heh, yeah!” Lyra snorted. “It’s a bit hard to keep straight what uses what.”

Chem looked over at the old enchanted item emporium across the street from Solid State’s Software Shack. I always liked Charming Charms. The store, not the pony. She was a real jerk. But her shop sold great things, and the loving care she’d put into her shop to make the inside and outside look like an ancient wizard's laboratory was really cool.

“Why not get them now? We’re right here,” Chem suggested casualty.

“No can do,” I said with a frown. “Luna actually has work to do tonight, and it’s game day so we need to pack the afternoon as full as we can. We also have to introduce you to everyone, and that’s going to eat up some time too.”

Chem’s ears folded back sadly as I gave him the explanation. “Sorry sis,” he said, face seeming to retreat into his green hood somewhat. “I didn’t mean to cut into your days’ entertainment. I could return to working on the theory Lyra and I are crafting and we could take care of this another day.”

I waved a hoof dismissively. “Nah, it’s fine it’s fine. It would be weird if we left it for another day and everyone’s free now. Besides, Luna’s going to be busy with something Celestia’s asking her to do. She could be gone for a few days. Or maybe even forward the job on to us.”

Chem nodded slowly. “As you wish.”

Lyra snickered, prompting me to raise an eyebrow. “What?” I asked her curiously.

Lyra gave me a hurt look. “I- I specifically gave you a copy of that movie to watch!” She protested, stopping just long enough to stamp a hoof indignantly. “I even gave you the original version instead of the one the Emerald Hive reshot with changeling actors to make a pony version!”

“What, did Chem just reference something?” I asked with a confused flick of my tail.

“Yeah, he did! Hopefully intentionally,” Lyra grumbled.

“Totally did,” Chem laughed. “Fun fact: That movie exists in every universe where humans become advanced enough to produce films.”

Lyra tilted her head. “Every universe? Inconceivable!” She mock-protested.

I was so lost…

“Um, Lyra? You give me a LOT of movies to watch. I may be a vampire with eternal life ahead of me, but I still do things. I don't have unlimited free time all at once. It’s portioned out over, you know, eternity,” I said for the hundredth time.

Chem turned to Lyra giving her such an extremely serious look that it genuinely frightened me. “We are making her watch The Princess Bride,” he said matter of factly.

“We so are!” Lyra agreed with equal seriousness.

Deciding to steer the conversation elsewhere before one of them decided to tie me up and force me to watch half a dozen movies all so I could expand my geeky joke lexicon, I cleared my throat and pointed off towards Twilight’s palace.

“Sure we can do that sometime,” I quickly agreed, nodding once. “Chem, we’ll be heading past Twilight’s palace on the way. You can see it, well, from anywhere in Ponyville. Just thought I’d point it out to you as a palace instead of a fortress.”

“It does look pretty forty,” Chem agreed with a chuckle. “Is that really what you guys call a palace? I hope not. I’ll have to Rogal up a proper palace to show you all how it’s really done.”

“It’s a palace in name only,” Lyra said for me.

“Right,” I agreed. “It’s really more of a castle, or fortress. The really cool thing about it is underneath all that plaster and paint which makes it look like a real tree holding up a stone castle, the whole thing is actual solid crystal. It’s pretty cool just how much nicer Princess Twilight made it look with what amounts to stage dressing. I mean, if I hadn't told you, would you have been able to tell?”

“Yes,” Chem answered matter of factly. “The surface of an object is not a barrier for me.
My vision is quite different from yours. I see the crystals under the surface, and the molecules which compose those crystals, and the atoms which in turn make them, all the way down to the tiny slivers of raw potential which form each and every string laying at the heart of each subatomic particle.

“By the way, that cheeseburger you ate for lunch isn’t digesting properly. You may be mildly lactose intolerant, or perhaps the combination of cheese and B+ blood doesn't sit well with you… Or the cheese wasn’t up to health code.”

So that’s why I was feeling a bit gassy… Also, I should probably definitely absolutely find a way to shield my bedroom from his vision.

Lyra shuddered and looked over at Chem looking a bit more green than usual. “Keep that X-Ray vision horseapples to yourself!” She demanded.

“I plan on it,” Chem replied with a shy smile. “It’s not a sense ponies possess. I only mentioned it because my sister specifically asked if I could see something.”

“Well, we’ll be passing it in a few minutes,” I said with a laugh. “I’ve always wanted to know how Twilight stuck on the extra tree branches. I could use the same method to mount bigger speakers on my walls. Would you mind telling me how they are stuck on when we get there?”

“I wouldn’t mind in the slightest,” Chem answered immediately. “Ah, yes! As I was saying before, Lyra, if we can get a fresh data set of your curse in action we can use that to work backward and-”

I began to tune their conversation out as it once more became little more than math and wizardry.

Math and WIzardry. Now there’s a tabletop game for those even geekier than me.

Twilight Sparkle - 22th of Megan, 29 AE

Ponyville - Equestria

“ARRRRGH!” I shouted, throwing the bundle of useless notes across my study into the now overflowing trash can. “Useless! A complete waste of time!”

As I pushed myself away from my desk I could feel my left eye starting to twitch. I’d spent the last several weeks trying to learn this stupid spell. Not master. LEARN!

Me. Twilight Sparkle, Equestria’s Archmage, unable to learn a spell.

To be fair it was a spell which, to my knowledge, no one had ever actually managed to cast. But I mean come on! The theory behind everything checked out. I had the raw power needed to cast it. Yes, it was so complex that the single spell took thirteen standard length spellbooks to write down even if you used the teeniest text and most efficient font known to ponykind but COME ON!

I took a few deep breaths, doing my best to calm down. “It’s just a spell, Twilight. You’ll crack it eventually,” I said in an attempt to reassure myself.

It failed. Fortunately, no one was around to witness the failure.

The Sevenfold Shield was becoming- No, had become, my nemesis. I would conquer the spell no matter what it took. One day, the theoretically unbreakable shield would protect all of Ponyville from harm. Well, at least external harm. It would still be vulnerable to internal harm, but if I could just master the stupid thing, I could eliminate one entire direction for threats to come from!

If I could learn the spell, then I could do what the Unknown Mage couldn’t do and actually cast it. I could experiment, adapt, alter, and improve. If the energy efficiency could be improved, then I could have the spell work even if I wasn’t in Ponyville. Maybe we could one day have every town in Equestria protected by the Sevenfold Shield!

“But we will never get there if this stupid thing keeps refusing to let me have more than two of the protections active at one time!” I growled to no one as I glared at the malformed spell matrix through my new goggles.

I loved these goggles. Not only were they masterfully crafted so the two brass frames were tempered to a nice blue color which matched my mane, and not only were the enchanted lenses colored precisely to match my eye color, but the dark brown leather cushion and straps were super soft! No irritating stiff bits digging into my skin. Perfect comfort!

And the functionality! Oh, Sisters Above the wonderful functionality! These sweet little things let me see a spell’s matrix right down to the individual particles of mana. And their other features! Mmmm, zoom levels, light filtering, wavelength isolation. Everything controlled by thought alone.

They even stored and displayed the text of books I’d read while wearing them.

Gentle Repose was a godsend! Custom enchanted equipment on demand, why hadn’t I employed an enchanter as part of my staff the minute I’d become a princess? Everyone needs a good-aligned, work-oriented, me-level, science loving, friendly litch, who happens to be a master enchanter living in their basement.

”I see… And you need them by tomorrow evening? Of course, Princess. I’ll carry on straight through the night and have them for you by noon. Perhaps sooner if I can machine the frames properly the first time.”

They were on my nightstand when I woke up this morning. Along with a nice hardwood, velvet lined, locking case.

Too bad Repose was a rare exception to the usual rules regarding the undead. If more of them could be fully sane and preferred to keep themselves from rotting, I’d organize an ‘enchanters who never sleep, eat, nor enjoy not spending every last moment of their unlives building things’ service for every last researcher in Equestria.

I reached up to hold my head and whimpered. “This is the fifth time I've gushed over these goggles to avoid reading the stupid spell again,” I moaned allowed.

AAAAAAAAAAAAA! IT'S SO HORRIBLY COMPLEX THAT MY BRAIN IS STUCK IN A LOOP! INCLUDING THIS FREAKOUT OVER BEING STUCK IN A LOOP! HELP ME, FUTURE ME!

That’s it! I’ll just time travel forward until I found a version of me who had finished this and have her teach it to me.

I paused long enough to stand in awe of my own genius.

That plan is perfect. YES! Nothing could possibly go wrong with-

Somepony politely cleared their throat behind me, making my ears perk. “I see that I came at the right time, Darling,” Rarity said, her voice quavering slightly with concern.

I turned around, my spinny chair creaking as it rotated. I’d long since gotten used to Rarity’s new look. Well, old look. She’d been cybernetic for three decades now.

While none of us had seen her choosing to get parts of herself replaced with bionic versions AGAIN after Lily had replaced her first set of crude emergency replacements with proper organic parts, it suited her in an odd way.

Every few months, Rarity would have a new paint scheme or differently shaped chassis for her bionics. She even had begun selling high fashion conversion kits for replacement limbs alongside her clothing lines. Leave it to Rarity to suffer severe bodily trauma and turn prosthetics into art.

Of course, sometimes art is strange.

I laughed as I saw Rarity standing behind me, looking almost completely normal thanks to a textured white paint job which matched her silky white fur almost perfectly. You could only barely see the seams between her front leg and barrel, though the seams between her rear flanks and her pelvis were more obvious. All three of her mechanical legs looked like they were parts of a costume, which made Rarity look half dressed for a party.

“Don’t you normally prefer to make your metal parts stand out?” I asked, shaking my head. “What happened to yesterday’s clear acrylic thing?”

“Sometimes subtle is better than overt,” Rarity said as she trotted over to me, her face full of concern. “Darling, that wasn’t yesterday’s ensemble. I was wearing that particular number last week. Do you even know what day it is?”

I felt my heart skip a beat. “OH NO! Did- did I miss the presentation on the History of Unusual Arcana I promised I would give for the graduating class of Ponyville High?” I asked, my eyes shrinking in terror.

I couldn’t possibly have forgotten to-

Rarity shook her head quickly. “No, no you did not. That’s in two days. Whatever are you doing in here, Twilight? We haven’t seen you in a week.”

“I’m trying to learn how to cast the Sevenfold Shield,” I replied, rubbing my temples to try and soothe my headache. “It is NOT going well.”

“S-still?” Rarity asked, her eyes widening in surprise. “It’s taken you more than a week to learn something?”

“I think it would take Sunset a year to learn this,” I moaned, leaning into my hooves. “And she has an eidetic memory! I just have a really good normal memory. I don’t… I can't even get a third layer of the seven layers to work and there's no reason why I am failing that I can even- Just- I- ARRRRGH!”

Rarity flinched and stepped forward, gently laying her metallic left hoof on my shoulder. I couldn’t help but notice she had made this hoof feel like a real flesh-and-blood one. I guess she was trying out a more natural looking and feeling line before releasing it.

Her horn glowed light blue as she picked up some of the discarded Hayburger wrappers from the floor around my desk.

“Twilight, Darling, we’re going to go out and have a nice lunch. A real lunch. Please tell me you’ve been eating something other than-” Rarity said as she levitated the wrappers over to my study’s trashcan only to set them beside the full can. “Ah, well… I’m certain you’ll pay your maid extra for this.”

Was it selfish to issue a royal decree to make Hayburger create a delivery service? Yes. Was it worth it in the end for all parties involved? Also yes.

“Yeah she gets double during study periods,” I mumbled, cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

"So, always then?" Rarity joked.

The joke pierced some of my mental fog, bringing a smile to my face. "No, just almost always," I corrected. Truthfully.

Rarity gently picked me up with her telekinesis and set me down next to my chair on my hooves. “Come on, darling. We’re going to a lovely little bistro I discovered last week. It’s not too far, and getting out of this… This mess will help you think.”

It probably would.

I nodded and followed Rarity out of my study, down the stairs, and out the front door into Ponyville. As we walked she filled me in on what everypony had been doing while I was… Away.

No one had done anything major. After all, I hadn’t been asked to help with something. My friends had ‘study interruption privileges’. I’d stop if they needed me. But there was still plenty of things to catch up on.

Rarity was developing a new more natural looking line of cyberware for amputees who couldn’t afford synth fur ”After all, many amputees can not afford the services of a good Biomancer. They must wear their bionics for life. Not everyone is into elaborate designs, and everyone deserves to feel like they are properly presentable. There’s no better way to know how these limbs look and feel than to try them for yourself. After all, I would never deign a dress for somepony in a style I had never worn myself.”

Dash had started working on a new trick and managed to not hospitalize herself this time. Pinkie Pie invented some sort of white chocolate dipped mango pie which she was entering in a contest. Fluttershy had FINALLY gotten brave enough to publish an album of vocal covers under a pseudonym. Applejack had been up to the normal springtime farming chores.

A nice normal week. Shame I missed it, but then again Twilight Sparkle drives herself nuts sciencing up some magic is also part of a nice normal week.

We’d just exited through the palace doors when Rarity cleared her throat and gave me a hopeful look. “Twilight? You seem to have forgotten to remove your goggles,” she said, clearly hoping I would take them off.

“Sorry, but these need field testing,” I replied with a polite smile.

“I, um… It’s just that you look odd with an accessory but no clothing to pair it with,” Rarity sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. “Can we at least go back inside and get a jacket?”

I bit my lip and waited for a few moments, letting myself feel the rather intense sunlight on my fur.

“I think it’s a bit hot for a jacket today, wouldn’t you agree?” I asked Rarity apologetically.

I did understand her point of view. I had to already be a mess from working all through the week. I couldn’t remember showering… I mean, I probably did, but maybe I didn’t. My mane and tail were a mess.

Rarity just wanted me to look like a proper Princess, and that was okay.

But I didn’t have time to waste today on showering, dressing, and being proper. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle and this is Ponyville. Everypony here knows what I’m about.

“And if you pushed them up on your forehead, you wouldn’t be able to test them,” Rarity sighed in defeat. “I trust they do lots of neat sciency things? And you got them recently?”

“Mhm!” I exclaimed with an eager nod.

“What can they do?” Rarity asked as we resumed walking down the steps towards the street. “Oh, look! Vinyl and Lyra are out and about today."

I hummed in surprise, my ears perking up in excitement. "Really? Lyra's here?" I asked happily. "I'd like to get to talk with her, apparently she's really buckled down in learning wizardry! Maybe she'd have some ideas about the spell I'm working on."

Rarity nodded and flicked her enhanced eyes across the crowd. "I think you'll get to do that, darling. They seem to be heading this way? Mmm, yes! I think they are. You don’t think Luna would send them as messengers, do you?”

I frowned and squinted through the small crowd of ponies passing by the front of my palace. I couldn’t see the two knights, but that didn’t mean they weren't there. It was a pretty packed crowd. After all, it was lunchtime and we were looking at Main Street.

“She might if she were busy herself and couldn't use a messenger gem, and it also wasn't urgent... I should have had Repose make these things tag people I know,” I commented as I continued to search the crowd.

“Just to our left, darling,” Rarity said as she pointed the two out with a hoof. “And frankly, if you did that, you’d regret it because it would be highlighting and naming everypony in town.”

“That’s true,” I giggled as my eyes FINALLY found the pair of Vampire Knights.

The two looked as if they were passing by… But Rarity did have a point. I had been too wrapped up in my studying lately. A quick conversation wouldn’t delay them from whatever they were doing and would help me pull myself back into a stable mindset.

I raised a hoof and waved at the pair. “Hi, Vinyl! Hi, Lyra! How’s it going?” I called as loudly as I could to be heard over the buzz of conversations which filled the street.

Vinyl’s ears perked as I called her name, swiveling in my direction before her head turned to look at me. Vi said something to Lyra who turned and looked as well, and then the two began to walk towards the palace steps.

No, not the two.

The three began to walk to the palace steps. A smaller dark furred stallion bundled in a thick green cloak walked along with them. For a moment, I swore the cloaked stallion was somehow sinister, but as he got closer I could see that he was very thin. Malnourished as a foal thin. He was most likely bundled up for warmth.

Or perhaps the cloak was some form of arcane life support. He seemed to bleed magic. Like, a LOT of magic. I could tell that most of the magic wasn’t his, that cloak had some serious power behind it. More than enough to keep a stallion alive and healthy.

Poor guy! My heart went out to-

Wait. Vinyl is a vampire. She’s gotta have some food source in town which doesn't harm anypony. A volunteer, or a deal with a local blood bank. That’s the law.

The stallion could also be a starving vampire. In which case, extra poor guy! There are social programs all over Equestria for people in need of uncommon foodstuffs. The poor thing must have been some sort of village outcast.

Good to see that Vinyl was kind enough to share- Wait a minute…

I squinted through my goggles, taking in the stallion’s features. And the unusual magic which permeated his body.

If I hadn’t had my goggles on, I would never have noticed the subtle way ‘his’ aura moved. It tugged and pulled on his body like the strings of a puppet. That’s not normal!

Usually, the aura is pulled on by the body not the other way around. This wasn’t a creature producing magic, this was magic moving an object so expertly concealed I would never have detected it without a tool to aid me, especially with the enchantments on the cloak the golem wore.

That's what it was, a golem. Nothing else would be worth using this much power to create and operate, nor the level of detail put into hiding the animation spell. An animation spell which didn’t have a whiff of necromancy to it, cutting out the possibility of the thing being a zombie. Hence, Lyra and Vinyl were leading a golem around.

A very realistic, very pony-like, indistinguishable from a living creature to the naked eye, golem.

D-did somepony in the Crystal Empire start making extra creepy ‘adult dolls’?

As Vinyl and Lyra drew within talking range to Rarity and me, Vinyl gave me a smile.

“Hey, Twi!” she greeted happily. “What’s up? We’re heading over to game night with Luna and the rest of the gang, so if you have a message or something for her, we’d be happy to deliver it.”

I shook my head. “Oh, no! Nothing like that, I just wanted to say hi. I don't talk with you girls very much, but you’re Luna’s bodyguards. It just seems like we should be better friends.”

Lyra nodded, her lips pursing slightly in thought. “Yeah, that makes sense. Luna treats us like family, and you’re her sister via adoption. We probably should at least be close friends instead of just friends.”

“It seems to me like you should think of her more as a cousin,” the golem said in a rather pleasant voice which fit its slender male boy rather well.

It. Spoke. In a whole sentence. Saying something that couldn’t have been pre-scripted. AWESOME!

“Cool!” I squeed, hopping forwards slightly to get a better look under the construct’s hood. “Who built this golem? This may very well be the first one with the ability to speak properly!”

Vinyl tilted her head forwards, looking at me over the rims of her glasses. “Uh, Twi? This is my brother, Chemical Fire.”

Rarity cocked her head. “You have a brother?” She asked skeptically.

“I’d remember if you had a brother,” I said with a worried frown.

Lyra laughed. “They had no idea the other existed until a couple days ago. I hired Chem to help me with a project and he ran into Vinyl at my place. We just came back from asking her parents about this whole thing.”

The Golem cleared its throat. “Are those some form of arcane detection goggles?” It asked me curiously. “If so, you should know that I grew up very ill. My cloak provides me with the normal range of mobility, as well as other helpful things. It was this or a wheelchair.”

I frowned, and took a step back, squinting at the enchantment again. “I suppose you could repurpose a golem animation spell for that purpose,” I said as I suspiciously analyzed everything I could see in his aura. “Sorry for the mistake.”

This didn't smell right at all. I took a few moments to read everything again.

“It’s alright, no offense taken,” ‘Chemical Fire’ said diplomatically. “Truth be told, I don’t exactly know the precise workings of the enchantment myself. This was imported from Estoneigha. Is it using some form of construct animation system? That’s rather brilliant!”

I was right. The body had zero arcane aura. It was NOT made of living tissue. I’d walked into something big. But were Lyra and Vinyl lying because we were in public and this was all classified, or because of some other more sinister reason?

Vinyl shook her head. “Thank Luna you’re a forgiving kind of pony, Chem. That sort of mistake would be a terrible first impression,” she said, shaking her head. “We really are related, Twi. He’s got his hood up which might make it hard to see, but we’re pretty similar despite the color difference. He looks a lot like dad, just younger. Uh, Chem? Put your hood down so she can see we look alike.”

The construct pulled down its cloak’s hood, and I tilted my head downwards to get a proper look at its face. An annoying part of maturing as an Alicorn which I’d only recently gotten used to.

With the shadow removed from his face, his features became clear. The red eyes, the charcoal gray fur, the jet-black mane, the pronounced cheekbones. Fill in the sickly, unfinished looking parts of his face and-

My eyes widened in pure horror as everything clicked into place.

This was Sombra! I was looking at a younger Sombra! Just younger, ‘damaged’ looking, and lacking the physical changes related to dark magic corruption! He wasn’t a perfect match, but then again, why would he make a fake body that was a perfect match? Everypony knew his face!

Sombra was a Litch. With Necromancy banned in Equestria, I had known very little about Litches. Then Repose joined my household staff. Now I knew almost EVERYthing about Litches. I lived with one.

They come back if you kill them, but don’t break the enchanted item keeping them alive because they are a disembodied consciousness. Sombra was once able to slowly push his own consciousness into Trixie’s body through the Alicorn Amulet, which turned out to be a relic of his.

Sombra was back, and he had stuffed his consciousness into a well-crafted golem, and had deceived or hypnotized Vinyl and Lyra in order to infiltrate Ponyville!

Unfortunately, there was one flaw in his plan. I could and would stop this right here and right now!

I smiled at Sombra. “Yes, I do see a resemblance to someone I know… Sombra!” I announced as I readied my magic to cast a simple spell.

He looked at me with genuine bafflement. “Huh?” He asked, clearly in an attempt to deceive me.

Wasn’t going to happen! I’d been over-analyzing things all day. No way a plan this simple was going to slip by me!

My horn burned with arcane light as I prepared a deactivation spell. He’d forgone defensive wards for the sake of stealth! I could simply turn this body off and then destroy whatever charm allowed him to control it.

His eyes flicked up to my horn as I readied my spell, and as he saw me about to attack him, his eyes lit up with glee. Then he actually squeed. That settled it. This was Sombra.

“TWILIGHT, NO!” Rarity, Vinyl, and Lyra yelled.

I fired.

Sombra reacted with impossible speed.

In one swift motion, he lunged forwards, cape billowing as he hurtled across the two-meter gap between us, and pushed my chin upwards.

He didn’t hit me. It wasn’t a uppercut. He just grabbed me and pushed my chin upwards, tilting my head back so the ray spell fired harmlessly up into the air.

Or so he thought! I’d just redirect the beam’s path and pull it back down towards-

The whole world around me suddenly twisted, warping and blurring as everything moved towards the center point of my vision, like water draining from a sink. A loud hissing flowing sound like metallic sand flowing down a hillside accompanied the terrifying reality-melt, fizzing ever louder until the entire world was nothing but white.

Everything remained white for just a heartbeat before the white flared brighter, shrinking to a single point of blinding white light which hung in an inky black sky which in turn rested above a jagged, crater strewn landscape entirely covered in fine gray-white dust. The last of the sand spilling away hissed by as the landscape emerged from the whiteness.

Unless I was mistaken, I was on the moon.

“HE TELEPORTED ME!” I yelped as I frantically wracked my brain for any spell which would allow me to breathe in the vacuum of-

Wait, what!? Did I just- “Speak in space?” I said finishing my thoughts out loud as my tail stood up in alarm.

I had. I had just spoken in space. WHAT!? THIS IS NOT SCIENTIFICALLY POSSIBLE!

Wait a minute… My eyes narrowed as I took stock of everything I could see around me.

I could see the sun, but not Equis. Luna keeps the moon tidally locked, the same side always faces Equis. I was on the dark side of the moon.

Speaking of the sun, it was too large, and bright, and pure white to be Celestia’s sun. I had seen images of her sun taken via spacecraft. This couldn’t be Equis’s moon. Especially because it had an atmosphere. It had to, how else could I possibly talk?

Where the hay was I? How the hay did Sombra teleport me here? The theoretical maximum range of a teleport spell is only enough to put you into orbit. I couldn’t imagine the power needed to teleport someone to another star system entirely!

I turned around, hoping to spot anything that could be some sort of clue, and came face to face with an imposing humanoid creature. He stood just a bit higher than me, which would put him almost on eye level with Celestia, or horn-tip level for me.

He had to be a wizard of some kind. He was dressed in red, gray, black and gold robes which were mostly form-fitting, save for the black carbon fiber skirt, and the voluminous gold trimmed hood. A steel mask with a single dark eye slit covered his face, and bulky silver vambraces studded with glowing red LEDs and a large black jetstone each protected his arms.

The robes looked to be sealed, as if they were a spacesuit. In fact, on closer inspection, every last bit of material was not natural fibers, but rather a space-age material, and the dark eye slit visor was really a piece of black mirrored glass, and the mask’s mouth portion contained an intimidating looking respirator, making it some sort of breath-mask.

In his left hand, he held a techno-punk looking wizard’s staff which looked like the foal of a classic wizard's staff from fantasy fiction and one of Sky’s gauss rifles. In his other hand, he held Rarity by the scruff of her neck.

All pretenses of finding a way home vanished from my mind the second I saw her limp unconscious form clutched in the hand of the entity which had to have brought us here. There was no question that he was hostile.

I glared at the creature, spreading my wings to look as big and intimidating as I could.

“I don’t know who you are, but you had better let her go and put us back on Equis right now or you will learn why I am the foremost protector of Equestria,” I ordered.

To my surprise, he held Rarity out, and let go of her.

Also to my surprise, instead of falling to the ground, a bright pink diamond-shaped crystal unfolded from nothingness to encapsulate Rarity’s body, keeping her now imprisoned form floating in the air.

My ears flipped backward as the final straw fell into place. If this guy wanted a fight, he would get a-

The wizard vanished, transforming into a bright blue pillar of light, as did Rarity and her crystal prison. The beams arched across the sky, touching down atop a distant lunar mountaintop, from which a massive obsidian castle seemingly made entirely from evil looking spires grew like they were parts of the universe's fastest plant.

“What?” I asked of reality itself.

I took a deep breath, focused on the base of the tower, and teleported. Or rather, I tried too. I felt my magic flow, I heard the distinct pop of a teleport, but when I opened my eyes I had only moved ten or so meters.

Okay, Twilight. Teleportation is being dampened. No problem, we’ll just fly the ten or so kilometers and-

“I AM FROM BEYOND!” A male’s voice bellowed dramatically. “Reclaim your friend and all you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!”

A male’s voice which matched Vinyl’s brother’s perfectly.

Ooooookkkkaay! My mistake, he wasn’t a revived Sombra. But he was a something! A powerful and mysterious something. A something which wanted to test me for whatever reason.

Sure. Why not? This whole situation was hardly the weirdest thing to happen to me... This year.

“A test huh? I guess nobody told you that Twilight Sparkle, NEVER, FAILS, TESTS!” I announced with a serious look in my eyes and a grin on my face.

The second I finished speaking, a very poorly made sword emerged from the lunar dust in front of me, seemingly shaking its way free of the loose dust. I wasn’t even into swords, and I could tell that it was well… Minimal and crude, despite having pointless glowing circuit patterns on the blade which made it look ‘techy’.

Curiously, I picked up the blade with my magic. The second I did a thousand warcries split the air as countless scores of creatures I could only call goblins in armor fashioned from scrapped high-tech equipment emerged from the ground itself, from behind rocks at random, and seemingly from thin air in a few cases.

The techno goblins charged, crude but seemingly functional technologically enhanced machetes, spears, and even a few dangerous looking guns raised to attack.

I lowered my horn and fired a spellbolt at a goblin experimentally. The bolt hit it’s armor and crackled, doing just as little damage as the first spellbolt I’d ever fired. Namely, nothing at all.

“Ooooh, boy,” I moaned, hefting the crude sword I had been given.

I had not thought I’d be slashing my way through an army of goblins on the dark side of the moon today.

9 - Shall We Play a Game? (Part 2)

View Online

Lyra Heartstrings - 22th of Megan, 29 AE

Equestria - Ponyville

I felt my heart slam against my barrel as Chem rushed forward as Twilight attacked. Had we been wrong? I didn’t have time to react! If-

I sighed in relief as I watched Chem tip Twilight’s head back. Thank goodness! With how little time he’d spent outside the tower I didn’t know if he even knew about that unicorn counter.

Unfortunately, now we had an angry Twilight who mistook Chem for an old enemy on our hooves! Should I try and restrain Twilight or not? Legally, as a knight, I was required to protect the innocent, citizen or not, but did that apply to Royalty in terms of-

Twilight flopped over onto her side and lay still, snoring like she’d been awake for a week straight.

Oh no… Either Twilight was up to something sure to cause chaos or Chem just did something to her!

Rarity’s ears lowered in alarm as she saw Twilight fall. Vinyl and I shared a quick glance. The jig was most definitely up. But what should we do?

“Oh my!” Chem exclaimed, taking a step back. “I didn’t think a simple defense charm would effect an alicorn. She’ll be alright! She’ll only be asleep for a few minutes.”

I got ready to toss up a shield spell. Rarity wasn’t dumb, and that excuse didn’t really ring true for me. If she decided to attack too, there would be trouble. The mare’s telekinetic power… Well, there’s a reason she kept getting scholarship offers in the mail from wizard schools.

“Explain yourself,” Rarity said slowly, her eyes hardening slightly.

Good! She wasn’t sure if there was really a problem or not.

Chem nodded immediately. “You don’t have to ask me! I just tranquilized a princess. Of course I’m going to explain,” he said in a rapid-fire-fear filled voice.

He also sounded and looked rather tired. Or perhaps distracted. Was that to sell the bit?

“I’m not exactly in good shape. You can probably tell by looking at me but I was a very sickly young colt. That block took about everything I had,” Chem lied with expert grace. “I’m not a pony who can defend themselves, not physically.

“I have protective wards on my cloak in addition to the mobility assistance it came with. Someone with hostile intentions came into contact with me, and they put them into a deep but brief sleep. I didn’t think the charm would work on an alicorn, though it is quite strong. Nor did I suspect a mage as well known and powerful as Her Royal Majesty, Princess Sparkle wouldn’t have her own protections.

“I sought only to protect myself from her random attack, and did not have the mental stability to cast a shield spell.”

I saw Vi’s ears perk up out of the corner of my eye. “So uh, Rarity? Twilight does know that Sombra was my uncle, right?” She asked with a nervous laugh.

Rarity’s lips rolled up, forming a little o. She offered Chem a sheepish smile, the worry, and hostility melting out of her body.

“After Twilight pointed it out I did see the resemblance to the Lich King. But you’re absolutely right! Of course a dark furred member of your family would resemble him. I’m terribly sorry,” she said with a polite nod before clearing her throat to address the small worried crowd of ponies in the street. “It’s alright, everypony. Twilight’s just been overworking herself again. Please go about your business.”

The crowd immediately began to disperse, murmurs of understanding mixing with chuckles of amusement, and the odd comment or two from a pony who was disappointed there wasn’t going to be a wizard duel in the street.

Chem frowned and turned around, watching everyone trot their separate ways.

“That… Worked?” He asked, genuinely confused.

“Yep! It’s Ponyville,” I said with a grin. “Twilight causes about half her own problems.”

“More like a third,” Rarity corrected. “So, Chemical Fire, was it?”

Chem nodded. “That is correct, young miss,” he answered with a polite bow.

Rarity blushed lightly, and tipped a hoof in his direction. “I’m afraid you’ll find that I am taken, Mister Fire. And I very much doubt you can compete with a stallion who can give me the stars. But thank you,” she said with a wink. “Now, I do believe the four of us should take some measures to ensure Twilight doesn't wake up in a few minutes and go on a rampage.

“Lyra, Vinyl? Please help me bring Twilight to her bedroom. Mister Fire, please accompany us. If you’re not right there I doubt we’ll be able to talk her out of immediately finding you...”

Rarity trailed off, looking at Chem’s face with a good measure of worry. “Are you alright?” She asked.

I looked into Chem’s face. He looked distant. As if he were both physically tired and also lost in thought at the same time.

“Hmm?” He asked before blinking once. “Oh! Yes. I’m alright. As I said before that quick-step took quite a bit out of me. Yes, um, your idea is quite good. We have perhaps… Five minutes? The spell affected her normally. I think it’s safe to say she will be asleep for the normal amount of time.”

Twilight Sparkle - 22th of Megan, 29 AE

Presumably a Metal Album Cover - Simulated Reality

Over the last few hours, I had managed to make my way to the Obsidian Castle. The further I’d gotten, the tougher the goblins became. Which was a bad thing since I’d never been very good with a sword, after all, I had no need of weapons elsewhere.

The castle’s drawbridge was lowered, and I could see the inside of the dark castle. Through the gate lay a large courtyard, and then the keep’s main gate. The Wizard and Rarity would be inside. The only thing stopping me from rescuing her was the two, maybe three hundred goblins which blocked my path.

The small army of bodily secretion colored bipeds jeered and laughed at me as I battled the few goblins they decided to throw at me at a time. Sisters Above knew why they didn’t all rush me at once…

I dodged left, narrowly managing to avoid my current opponent's furious swipe. I felt the wind from his (her?) blade on my right flank while I swung my own. Not to hit the goblin, no that would be very inefficient.

My blade carved a line deep in the lunar dust as I slashed at the ground. The goblin who attacked me hissed angrily and slashed at me a second time, forcing me to levitate my sword into position to block the miniscule goblin’s impractical sword.

Our blades clashed, sending a shower of green sparks everywhere as the weird technological magic present in our weapons lashed out at their respective opponents, waging their own duel as the vomit yellow goblin and I pushed at each other's blades.

I’d fought these goblins for at least an hour. I’d tried non-lethal tactics, that didn’t work. I’d tried to kill them when it became clear they would kill me. I’m not sure if that worked.

Either these goblins exploded into a cloud of red energy when they died, or the wizard teleported them away to heal them if they became too injured. As racist as it sounds, they all looked pretty much the same. I could be fighting the same dozen or so goblins over and over and over for all I could tell.

The goblin screeched something. Three of his friends began to charge forward, the glowing portions of their scrap-armor flickering as they moved and pulled at the electrical connections inside (and atop) their armor.

I couldn’t deal with a group right now. I was getting tired, and if too many of those little monsters ran around atop my work the last five minutes would be for nothing.

I spread my wings and flapped them gently so I wouldn’t disturb the dust underhoof, then flew a short distance back to the center of the magic circle I’d inscribed into the ground.

Recalling my own magic was suppressed here, I aimed my blade point down and stabbed it into the center of the circle. The sword’s dying magical charge trickled into the circle, arching from rune to rune to send an electrical shockwave blasting outwards from the circle.

The circle blossomed with blue-white lighting, becoming the center of a field of electric vines which lashed out at the goblins, arcing between their armored bodies amid thunderous crackling and electrical shreaks.

A pen may be mighty, but when all you have is a sword, you make do.

The goblins screeched, dropping to the ground the moment the lightning vanished. The ground around me disappeared into a bright red cloud as the small army of freshly toasted goblins vanished into the aether.

I smiled grimly. The battlemagic I’d studied over the last thirty years had finally paid off. I didn’t want to imagine what I could do when my full power was at my disposal.

My body suddenly began to glow a bright blue-white! A loud musical ‘waaaaooom!’ seemed to come from everywhere, and yet nowhere at once. I felt strength return to my body, along with a small fraction of my arcane power, and the glow vanished.

“W-what?” I stammered, tail standing up as my ears dropped in confusion.

I- I just got some of my power back? Did destroying his minions somehow disrupt the dampening field? Did the Wizard have to drain some energy from the field to heal his soldiers?

Shaking my head at the unanswered questions, I spread my wings again, I flew through the castle’s gate and into the oddly square courtyard.

The first thing I noticed was the entrance to the keep itself. Rather than metal or wooden doors, the keep’s looming archway was blocked by a dark-star filled forcefield, in front of which sat a single podium made from what appeared to be marble, only red instead of white or black.

Since the rest of the courtyard was oddly barren (no stairs to go up to the walls, no statues, no fountains) I landed next to the podium and began to inspect it in the hopes of finding some means of turning off the keep's force field. The podium had a simple cuboid design to it, as if someone chiseled it out of a big rectangular block, and then cut two centimeter wide half centimeter deep grooves into it a hoof's width from the top and bottom to prevent it from looking too plain. But then they completely gave up and just cut the top off at a twenty-three degree angle.

Seven tetrahedral slots had been cut into the angled surface. Each of the slots had rows upon rows of tiny gold pins sticking out of the bottom of each slot. Even a foal could tell that you were meant to place something in each of those slots. In all likelihood, the slots were keyholes meant for very technologically advanced keys.

That settled it. This was for function. Not form.

“Well done, little pony! Your efforts are to be rewarded!” The wizard's voice boomed from everywhere and yet nowhere.

I yelped in surprise, even before the ground beneath the began to shake and buckle as a small steel chest forced its way out of the cobblestones. The chest open on its own, creaking with unnatural loudness despite the hinges being perfectly clean and free of rust. Inside the chest was small gray disk, no bigger than the flat of my hoof.

I reached down and picked up the disk. It was very light, almost weightless. As soon as I touched it the smooth metallic surface began to glow with gentle green light. It only took me a few seconds to realize that the device was a map, and on this map were seven blue dots which were spread out quite far from each other and bordered the very edge of the screen.

I groaned and slapped a hoof against my face, pulling it slowly down across my muzzle.

“Are you kidding me?!” I demanded of the air, assuming the wizard could hear me. “You hide the keys to enter your castle in seven different places... Why even have keys? Just make it so they have to break the spell to get in!

“And if you MUST have keys to let friends in or something, why would you give me a magic map that shows me where the keys are? Now I'll just go get them, get into your castle, and foil your plans.”

The Wizard's evil laughter echoed dramatically through the empty courtyard, making me realize that the lack of decoration was entirely for acoustic purposes.

“Oh, but you will never retrieve the Crystal Talismans, my little pony,” he mocked. “Each one is secreted away inside a puzzle dungeon, requiring at least one specific gadget to get through. Thus forcing you to complete a series of trials in a particular order as each dungeon also holds the gadget for solving another dungeon.

“You will never be able to acquire any of them, for they are beyond the reach of all but the most brilliant of minds!”

I decided to stare at the large looming castle door as if it were the Wizard himself. I gave the archway a deadpan stare. “I am Twilight Sparkle. This is a Tuesday for me. Open up and save us both some time.”

“The door shall only open for she who holds all seven Crystal Talismans,” the Wizard declared dramatically.

I continued to deadpan the archway. “You just built puzzle dungeons to watch someone crack them, didn't you?” I asked with a frustrated sigh.

The Wizard didn't reply.

“You're REALLY going to make me do this, aren't you?” I sighed in extreme annoyance. “You do realize that this is just going to make me want to fight you more and more with each frustrating challenge, right?”

“I thought you liked tests,” the Wizard said sadly. “Well, I guess since you refuse to take them I'll just have to fail-”

My left eye twitched. I knew he was playing me for a fool, but that just cut me to my very core.

“Which one's first?” I demanded.

“Oh, no no no. You made yourself perfectly clear,” the Wizard insisted. “I'll just write an F on your evaluation, and give the papers to-”

“WHICH! DUNGEON! IS! FIRST?!” I demanded angrily.

“That's more like it!” the Wizard praised.

I took a deep breath and let it out to calm myself. “Why do you want me to foil your plans!?” I demanded.

“Cuz this is all supposed to be fun,” he laughed. “Don't you like fun?”

The eye twitch came back. “Kidnapping ponies and forcing one of them to save their friend by solving puzzle dungeons is NOT fun!” I yelled, ears falling flat in anger.

“You haven't even tried the dungeons yet. How do you know they won't be fun?” He asked.

I paused for a moment. Just a moment. After all, that was a pretty logical point. But on the other hoof...

“Because my friend is in danger!” I snapped.

“Of course she is. It's a classic plot. Oh!” The Wizard said in sudden realization. “Is that the problem? Is this too standard? What sorts of books do you like?”

The last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

The lack of powers. The sudden granting of a weapon. The way the enemies mindlessly attacked with no self-preservation, and vanished into nothingness when defeated.

This was a game.

“Discord, I'm not in the mood for games... Take me back to Ponyville,” I sighed wearily.

“I'm not Discord,” the Wizard corrected with a polite edge to his voice. “But he does know I am here, and gave me permission to live on your world.”

Ah. So, one of his relatives then.

“Okay then, whoever you are, I am not in the mood to be used as a toy for some higher dimensional entity's amusement. Put me back in front of my palace, please,” I asked as politely as I could, given the circumstances.

“That's not what I am doing...” the 'Wizard' said apologetically, with just a hint of sadness.

“Sure seems like it!” I objected, my eyes narrowing in anger.

“You attacked me,” he said defensively. “You clearly wanted to play with me. So I took us here so we could have a nice versus match in a place where we wouldn't hurt anyone or cause any property damage. You're not my toy, you're player two. If I wanted toys I could wave a hand and have millions.

“But, if you want out, so be it. I just thought you might like a more fun wizardly duel than throwing beams around a populated village full of civilians, but hey, if that's what you'd rather do-”

“WAIT!” I called urgently. “You're the thing Vinyl introduced as her brother?”

“Yes,” he answered simply.

“What are you?” I demanded.

“We can have this conversation in your world,” he sighed sadly. “Let me just clean up a bit before sending you back. Recoop some power from this wasted effort... And you felt like a proper adventurer too...”

I shook my head quickly. “No! I need to know what you are, don't avoid the question,” I insisted.

“I am Vinyl's brother. Sort of,” he replied. “I'm... Let's call me a wizard of incredible power from another reality. I had a sister, she died, I was trapped in your reality by one of your kind, Vinyl's parents found me and asked me to breathe life into their stillborn vampire baby, and so I did. Using my sister's soul fragments.

“She's not a true reincarnation, she's her own person... But they are similar! And I just want to have a sibling again. I'm no threat to anyone. You are only here because you attacked me and I'm really bored after thousands of years of total isolation. I decided to set up a game for us to play rather than just retaliate in a typical way, because you're a powerful person too, and you had the look of a seasoned adventurer and those sorts of people tend to enjoy this sort of thing.”

I frowned, mentally running over his words and how he said them, checking for any hint of deception. What I wouldn't give for Applejack's opinion right now...

“And you decided that kidnapping Rarity and teleporting us to this random moon would make for a good game?” I asked incredulously, shaking my head slowly.

“Well, since you're not going to play... I didn't really kidnap her. I didn't even know her name, actually. I just created an illusion of her under the assumption that you were friends and you would feel motivated to free her from the clutches of an evil wizard,” he admitted cheerfully. “It's best to play with someone who is you know, motivated.”

That took me by surprise. My anger started to fade. “Then... No one except for me was in any danger?”

“No one was in danger. Any injury you may have suffered would have been undone if you 'died' or won. Or found health items. I had a whole thing set up to make everything, well... Fun!” He grumbled irritably.

“Oh... Well, I've still been here for at least an hour! Maybe even two. I don't appreciate my time being wasted like this,” I said with a grumpy glare at the archway, before I blushed and cleared my throat. “You set up a time differential, didn't you?”

“Mmmmhm,” he confirmed. “It's only been a few seconds back home. I'm about to dial it back so I can safely return you to your own world.”

Now I felt a bit bad. Sombra couldn't do anything like this. If he could have, he would have done it when I fought him. Or had traps set up in his castle which sent me into deep space. So this wizard wasn't Sombra. Which meant I attacked a lonely immortal out of nowhere without due cause, and he'd responded by creating an environment where we could fight but not hurt anyone.

Not even each other.

And then he'd filled the environment with a bunch of different challenges which would take my mind off of fighting him and- He's set up a whole action adventure game just to help me calm down! And did so in a way which wouldn't take up any external time. He made a room for us to punch it out in without any consequences at all, other than resolving our differences.

That's not something a bad person does. I, just... Wow! I'm being a colossal jerk here!

“Uh, so, what's your name?” I asked, looking down to hide my embarrassed face.

“I'm afraid you may not know my true name, as it is a word of power. I am going by the name Chemical Fire, or Chem, while on your world. But, if you wish to know one of my personal names, I am sometimes known as Zeneanus the Ever-Living... No relation to Mum-Ra,” Chem replied. “Okay, I'm ready to send you back. You may have a slight headache-”

“NO!” I said as quickly as I could. “I mean, It's very clear that I misjudged you and you went through a lot of trouble to make a safe place for us to resolve our differences. But um, you also made it a story, right?”

“Well, yes and no,” Chem said with uncertainty. “There's a story, it's just a crude one. 'An evil wizard stole your girlfriend, noble hero! Kick his ass.'.”

I blushed lightly, my tail swishing with just a little embarrassment. “We're just friends. Rarity is straight,” I explained. “Well, mostly. She's very much into masculine traits. But she did date a Pegasus mare who was an extreme tomcolt and a bodybuilder once.”

They had been such a nice couple! It's too bad Lateral Press had to go back home to Germaney.

“Oh...” Chem said thoughtfully. “I take it you want to go through with this experience I've concocted?”

“Well, I would have if there was a story,” I admitted, my ears drooping apologetically. “A fully immersive first-person story sounds like a neat experience. But since this is just the plot of an arcade game, well...”

I hissed with regret. “How about we keep talking back home? I'm sorry we got off on the wrong hoof, but we can be friends!” I promised with a polite smile, which became an eager smile as I realized that Chem was a wizard who could do THIS!

I could have a real peer! I hadn't had one since I surpassed Celestia a decade ago. Magic as a special talent had its downsides...

“Or,” Chem said slowly. “Bear with me, I could weave a rich narrative and append it to this game so as to better entertain you while I gain insight into your fighting style so as to determine how to take you on in the most personally entertaining way possible.”

I paused and rubbed my chin with a hoof. “Hmmm... Can you do that? What are your limits? This is a LOT of conjuration and illusion, you must be burning a lot of-”

“Actually, this is a simulated reality. I am omnipotent here,” Chem said proudly. “I was not joking. Anything you desire can be yours... As long as it's in here. I lack the power to do anything like this in realspace at the moment.”

My ears perked with interest. “Anything?” I asked quizzically.

“... Y-you indicated you're homosexual and that 'anything?' sounded aroused. I uh, I guess I could make this more of a girls-only hentai game if that's what you're wondering,” Chem mumbled awkwardly.

My entire face turned the brightest red imaginable. “Actually-I-like-everyone-and-that-is-totally-not-what-I-meant-at-all!” I squeaked.

“Oh! Um, well, then what do you want?” Chem asked in relief.

I bit my lip to take my thoughts away from Chem's idea, which now kept poking me in the back of my mind, trying to make me ask him to do that if only for the sake of novelty.

“Well... There's a bunch of dungeons and artifacts to get which open the door of this castle. That reminds me a lot of Daring Doo and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue. So what if we keep the high technology theme you have going so far, and add in some of the plot elements of classic adventure novels and see where this goes?”

Chem was silent for a few moments, making me wonder what he was doing. Or even if he was doing anything at all, he could just be thinking about what to do.

“Okay, I have some ideas. However, it would be best if you told me things you want first,” he said at last.

“Well, I prefer adventuring with a companion rather than adventuring alone,” I said off the top of my head.

“Humm... The puzzles would break down if there were multiple players,” Chem mused. “Unless... Yes! I have a solution. What else?”

I smiled at the archway happily and sat down. To my surprise and delight, a rather comply beige armchair silently arose from the ground beneath me, giving me a comfortable seat in which to help plot the upcoming plot.

“Well, what if we...”

Lyra Heartstrings - 22th of Megan, 29 AE

Twilight's Palace, Ponyville - Equestria

Chem had said Twilight would be unconscious for five minutes. It had been seven so far. Fortunately, I knew enough first aid magic to be able to keep an eye on Twilight's vitals. She was perfectly fine, just in a deep REM sleep.

Chem had become somewhat unresponsive, preventing us from asking him to check Twilight himself. The poor guy was seemingly exhausted beyond reason. I remembered he got tired like this when he burned too much energy testing our WIP Nightmare Siphon spell. He probably saw the angry Alicorn and overreacted with his sleep spell in a panic.

After all, he was captured by a pony wizard once before. No way Mage Meadowbrook was a more powerful mage than Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight's Bedroom door opened, making me turn and look. Rarity and Vinyl walked through the door, quickly followed by Luna and the rest of our little squad.

We had decided to bring everypony here. After all, if Twilight woke up angry who better to restrain an Alicorn than another Alicorn?

“So, this is the stallion who caused today's mini-calamity,” Luna joked as she trotted into the room, giving Chem a critical look.

“Yeah, he's pretty out of it. I think deflecting Twilight's spell took more out of him than he was willing to admit,” I warned.

Chem's head tilted slightly as he turned to look in the direction of Luna's voice, his eyes fixing on her mane.

“My god... It's full of stars,” he mumbled quietly.

Vi winced sharply. “Ooo, yeah that's real out of it,” she agreed with a nod.

I heard Octavia snort with amusement. “Now this is certainly a memorable first impression of a long lost-” she trailed off, her face growing worried as she looked at the fairly wretched looking stallion. “- Sir? Are you alright? Lyra, you're our field medic why aren't you helping him? He's on the brink of death!”

I shook my head. “No, he looks like that normally. Malnourished as a colt. He's just super exhausted at the moment.”

“Well, I do hope he regains his strength so we may be properly introduced,” Luna said as she walked over to Twilight's side and sat down. “I can see why she attacked him. He does bear a slight resemblance to Sombra.”

Vi nodded, then looked over at me with worry in her eyes. “Hey... I should look a bit like him too. Uh, you girls think Twilight might jump me if I dye my fur a dark color? Because I was thinking of going to this year’s Nightmare Night Fair as Batmare,” she said with a playful but worried grin.

“I'd avoid it,” Luna recommended as she levitated one of the many piles of Hayburger wrappers over to a trash can. “At least, if Twilight's been studying this hard again. He he!”

Sherbert filed through the door, and closed it behind her since she was the last of our group to arrive.

“Oh! I have an idea,” she exclaimed suddenly, rushing over to Luna with an eager smile. “Twilight's asleep, so you can go into her dreams and explain the situation so she wakes up with no problems.”

Luna nodded once. “Theoretically yes, but Rarity did say that Mister Fire knocked her unconscious. Normally people don't dream if they are knocked out,” Luna reminded. “Though it is worth a try.”

Luna closed her eyes, her horn sparkling slightly as she connected herself to Twilight's dream. A few heartbeats later, her horn's spirals lit up bright white. She was in Twilight's dream.

I expected Luna to stay in her meditative pose for several minutes as she talked to Twilight. Instead, Luna's eyes opened wide, a look of delighted surprise stamped on her face.

“Girls... Twilight dream is 'read-only'. I can't interact with it,” Luna said, slowly shaking her head and forming another spell as she spoke. “I'm not worried about that. It happens on occasion. But well... If I didn't show you what's happening you'd be very mad at me.”

I raised an eyebrow, but before I could Ask why Luna finished her spell, creating a large magical screen which gave us a window into Twilight's dream.

A window which was solid black! No, wait text faded in forming a... A movie title?!

The Legend of Twilight: Return of Zeneanus!

In the distant future year of 1992,
war has returned to the galaxy!
Ten centuries ago, brave heroes defeated the wizard,
now Chaos reigns and evil returns to the Kingdom of Fife.
The space knights of Crail are defeated.
The fortress of Triton is lost.
Zeneanus rises once more from his prison of frost!
The Galaxy's final hope rests upon the shoulders of Fife's youngest Princess and her robotic best friend...

“Is that an opening scroll? In a dream?!” Vinyl asked in stunned disbelief.

“Forget that!” Octavia exclaimed, her eyes lighting up in delight. “The background music is amazing!”

It was! The dream had a nice classical score which gave everything a nice dramatic feel while a synthesizer added a layer of science fiction to the-

“Are Twilight's dreams always this well, uh, produced?” I asked, slowly shaking my head in disbelief.

Luna shook her head. “Nope! So let's enjoy this rare treat. Twilight won't mind me sharing a particularly good dream of hers as long as I skip any sex parts. I'm ten minutes ahead of you girls, I started you back at the beginning.”

The dream screen faded from black to silvery blue as we were suddenly swooping down like a pegasus slowly diving down only to level out before hitting the floor, then slowly circle the room. The odd 'camera' angle gave us an excellent view of a really cool domed futuristic throne room. One which had been blasted to Tartarus and back in a recent firefight.

The scorched metal walls still glowed orange where plasma bolts had punched clean through the throne room's walls. Tapestries smoldered on the floor. Suspiciously body sized piles of ash lay scattered about the floor amid piles of dismembered boxy robot limbs.

Into the shouldering battlefield strode Twilight. She was dressed in a cool futuristic looking outfit which made me think of the time I joined in on Sky and Ayna's movie night and the three of us watched Space Pirate Captain Harlock. Because that was totally Harlock's outfit, only dark blue and without the skull and crossbones.

I couldn't help but notice the really cool looking chrome handled, green crystal headed, tech-warhammer strapped to her back. I wanted it.

Twilight looked around the room, her eyes wide with horror. “M-mom?” She called, her lip trembling.

“P-p-prin-in-c-e-e-e-e-e-es...” A feminine synthetic voice stammered.

Twilight's head turned to the left, her eyes focusing on a bright pink, heavily damaged robot. This one was less boxy than the others, but still looked really industrial. It reminded me a lot of my sister's wife. I'd seen her without the synth fur a few times.

Apparently, android pony fur is removable so it can be washed in a clothes washer.

Lucky. Bucking. Jerk!

“Gadget!” Twilight shouted, running over to the damaged robot and kneeling alongside it like a dying friend. “What happened?”

“Zeneanus returned... We were overrun. He took your sister, Rarity,” the robot reported as it struggled to stand. “I must... I must... Avenge my fellow Mini-Cons, but I can not stand.”

Twilight's eyes closed for a moment, a look a sadness and duty overtook her. “We'll go together,” Twilight vowed. “Gadget, can you still transform?”

“Y-y-y-ye-e-e-s princess,” the robot stammered in reply.

Twilight's eyes narrowed as she looked up at the carnage around her. “Engage power armor mode,” she ordered.

The pink robot's plates unfolded, shifting about as it wrapped itself around Twilight, turning into an elegant but practical looking set of armor in the blink of an eye with the coolest mechanical-swooshing-humm sound effect ever.

Right as the final piece of armor snapped into place, Twilight and her robot friend opened their wings and took off, leaving behind a bright green streak of plasma as they flew through a hole in the palace’s ceiling, out into the star filled void of space. A gloriously cheesy rock song began, the long whining howel of an electric guitar split by the delightfully oldschool cry of a stallion as the lyrics began:

Something evil's watching over you,
Coming from the sky above,
And there's nothing you can do!
Prepare to strike, there'll be no place to run
When you're caught within the grip
Of the evil Zeneanus!

Rarity cleared her throat next to me and pressed a hoof to the side of her head just below her ear. “Indy? Darling? I don't suppose you could beam down some popcorn?” She asked hopefully.

“So uh, forget gaming today?” I asked as I levitated one of Twilight's beanbags over to sit down on.

“YEP!” Luna said, grinning ear to ear. “This thing is five hours long and counting. I'm copying it so if she wakes up we can keep watching!”

“And some peach sodas too, please,” Rarity added.

Vinyl, Sherbert, and I shared a look of regret. If this is what his games were like, I needed to be next in line...

Executive Board Room, Severn Valley Industries - Heartstrings, Marelund

22th of Megan, 29 AE

On the other side of the world, a group of thirteen ponies sat around a triangular table in a dimly lit room. The table was dark oak, the chairs black leather, and the room's walls were paneled in dark oak of a shade just a touch darker than the table itself.

All in all, a fairly normal looking boardroom. If one discounted the abstract art which decorated the walls, the dark yellow carpeted floor, and the very disturbing manner in which the room contained absolutely no right angles, nor was there any pattern to the random angles. Each corner was just ever so slightly not square.

All of these things gave the boardroom a subtle aura of wrongness which would drive the average pony mad if they tried to figure out exactly what was wrong with the room.

Around the table, the thirteen executives sat upright, attentively listening to one of their number speak.

“Unfortunately, there's little which can be done to secure the materials any sooner than late next quarter,” the fat pegasus mare informed in a neutral voice. “However, once we have acquired the materials, the eighth and final Cloud generator will be online within two weeks. My best estimate of when we will have permanently closed our storm's grip around the city is eight weeks and four days. Though it may be as long as eleven weeks and two days if Stream can't solve the labor issues we're having.”

Stream, a toxic green earth pony stallion cleared his throat. “Slave revolts happen. There's little I can do other than let the army handle it and force the remaining thestrals to breed replacements. I have plenty of aging spells stockpiled in scroll form. We will be back up to the normal numbers in a week.”

“Excellent,” the fat mare said with a disgusting smile full of too large, misfitting teeth. “My Lord Paddock, I hope our progress pleases-”

The seemingly featureless stallion at the head of the table held up a single hoof. The room instantly fell silent.

“Someone is using void magic in Ponyville,” Mister Padock informed, his eyes slowly sliding over each of his executives. “Which of you dispatched one of my agents to Equestria? I fear you forgot I declared Equestria off limits for Phase Two.”

The members of the board looked at each other nervously, searching for even the slightest bit of additional fear which might indicate guilt. Each of them ready to jump up and throw the blame upon anyone else's shoulders, and in so doing escape their master's wrath.

One by one, the twelve ponies declared their innocence. Each one more worried than the last as with each declaration of “I didn't order anyone to Ponyville, My Lord,” Paddock's eyes turned to the next pony, without a single spell being cast.

“I- I haven't ordered any of your agents to do anything in the last year, My Lord,” the final pony said with a worried gulp, his wings twitching nervously.

Mister Padock nodded and reached down with a hoof to adjust his bright yellow tie. “Interesting, none of you are lying,” he said as he stood up. “I will be unavailable for a few hours while I dispatch a scout to handle this issue. Stream, tell my secretary to cancel my appointments.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Steam exclaimed with a bow as he stood up and quickly left the room.

“The rest of you are to continue our normal operations as previously planned,” Paddock ordered. “I will brief you about this new development upon my return. Be ready to act swiftly.”

With those words, the nondescript stallion vanished from the boardroom without a sound, nor a single spark of magic.

Within a dark and evil place, a pocket universe formed of the damned and bound together by the will of its master and attached to the outside world like a blister upon the universe itself, there appeared an amorphous octopoid-like figure, half-concealed beneath a bright yellow flowing robe.

The Unspeakable glided through his fleshy palace, moving with purpose towards a large chamber, at the heart of which sat a large polished silver mirror, held aloft by a frame of bones. The abomination drifted over towards the mirror and gazed into it's ever writhing surface for several long moments before it's tentacles plunged into the mirror, breaking the surface like that of pond water, and swiftly dragging the mangled somehow living corpse of a bright yellow, red-maned pegasus mare kicking and screaming out of the mirror.

The King in Yellow stared into his slave's eyes as her body began to rapidly repair itself. “Hello again, Miss Xii. I have another job for you.”

10 - Shall We Play a Game? (Part 3 - End)

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Twilight Sparkle - 22th of Megan, 29 AE

The Distant Future Year of 1992 - Simulated Reality

The collapsing colossus’ cracked crystalline carapace crunched beneath my hooves as I ran up its back towards its bulbous head. Below us, a host of adequately equipped Goblin Techno-Barbarians fired up at us, no longer concerned about striking the colossus now that it had been slain.

“Incoming at six o’clock!” Gadget warned over the sound of her twin shoulder mounted laser turrets scorching various projectiles out of the air.

I hesitated, Gadget wanted me to stay as stable as possible in order to aid her aim, and I didn’t want to take a bullet or arrow to the snoot again (If only Gadget’s power armor mode included a helmet! Curse you, action/adventure film tropes!). Hence why I was running down the collapsing colossus rather than flying away.

Deciding to risk it, I spread my wings and used them to flip myself up into the air, preforming a micro-aileron roll and landing facing the opposite direction I had before. Dash’s flight lessons paid off in spades as her maneuver allowed me just enough time to parry a death-blow from a Goblin Warlord as he leapt down off the back of a Lunar Dragon!

I caught the edge of his crystal-laser battleaxe with the Astral Hammer’s haft, a shower of green sparks covering the two of us as my weapon’s godly enchantments detected the level of drama, and reacted with appropriate visuals. The Warlord screeched something in Goblish, its see-a-doctor-now-poop-black face twisting into an enraged snarl as it pressed its axe against my hammer, trying to break through my guard.

I braced my rear hooves, readying myself to twist in just the right way to slip past his strike, letting the force of his blow amplify my own telekinetic might so I could-

Gadget sighed, rotated one of her turrets, and shot the Overlord five times in the chest. He screeched in agony, tumbling down the colossal crystalline cephalopod before vanishing in a flash of red mist.

“Gadget!” I cried in mock anger. “That was my kill!”

“I’m tired, need some Energon to munch on, and we have a bigger evil to fight,” she responded grumpily.

I winced as I heard her tone of voice. The poor girl was genuinely fatigued. She just couldn’t keep up with a fully re-powered Alicorn. I’d been looking for some good armor in the real world… And ‘Zeneanus’ did promise me a reward if I won. Maybe he could make Gadget real!

I’m certain Sky could give her an overhaul for me.

“We’re almost inside the castle,” I reminded her as comfortingly as I could while putting on a fresh burst of speed as I resumed my run towards the slain colossus’ head.

We were nearly there. This thing was five kilometers tall. And in the low gravity there should be-

“Not enough time! If it falls over before we get into position...” I yelped as my brain finished the math for me. “Gadget! Full power to boosters.”

I felt the four ports on my back and flanks pop open, and another as her hooves rotated downwards, forming wheels. The transformation sent a metallic shudder through my entire body even before the plasma-jets kicked in, rocketing us forwards.

We surged forwards, riding a bright gold arc of plasma, arriving at the top of the dead monstrosities’ head just as its body began to slam into the obsidian castle’s central keep. Zeneanus’ ace in the hole crushed a quarter of his army flat beneath its crystalline bulk even while smashing a hole in the side of his inner sanctum.

Obsidian cracked and crumbled, producing a hellish sound which would have sent me running in fear if I weren’t riding the biggest adrenaline high of my life! It’s one thing to read about over the top fantasy adventures. It’s another to live them.

My real adventures were scary, dangerous, and had far flung consequences. This? This was pure fun!

The slain colossus slammed onto the moon’s surface at long last, sending a huge plume of reflective dust into the air. Everything behind me sparkled in Sol’s light as I stepped off the very edge of the slain monster’s head and onto the black marble floor of Zeneanus’ innermost sanctum where ‘Rarity’ hung in her crystal prison like a chandelier.

The ‘evil wizard’ sat upon an elegantly carved ebony throne with two skulls decorating the ends of the armrests. One Equine, one Cybertronian. I swore I’d seen that throne before, probably on one of Rarity’s album covers.

Two points of dull red light glowed behind his mirrored visor. Eyes, narrowing in rage.

I reached into my saddlebags with my telekinesis and produced the seven Crystal Keys, holding them out to Zeneanus with a playful smile.

“Hello, neighbor! I noticed you dropped your house keys while out murdering my parents this morning,” I said, grinning ear to ear.

I couldn’t wait to see what he had planned for the boss fight!

Zeneanus raised his hands above his head and clapped them three times. Each individual clap echoed menacingly, despite the gaping hole I had made in the wall.

“Welcome, warriors of Selene,” he said as he stood up, his robes billowing in accordance with the Rule of Cool. “You have proven yourselves to be mighty indeed! Such valor must be met with an appropriate… Offering.”

His hands began to glow with a bright green light. He raised them dramatically, the power crackling around them building upon itself, forming two blinding spheres of scintillating light.

YEEEESSSS! This was it! It was going to be so cool!

The top of the keep exploded as he released his spell. The obsidian shards flew away from us, trailing green energy as each individual chip was flung not by simple physics, but by telekinetic force. Only Rarity’s crystal and the floor beneath us remained, the rest of the castle vanished within the violent blast.

The starscape above clouded over, thick, rolling coal-black clouds oozed into the world from someplace outside of it. The air crackled and rumbled, green lightning surging through the clouds before they erupted unleashing an endless torrent of lightning bolts and a thick rain of fireballs.

The deadly rain fell upon everything my eyes could see save for the floor Zeneanus and I stood upon. I felt a bit disappointed at his display.

The third dungeon had contained a section where I fought my own shadow brought to life, aided by dark echoes of my past lovers, who could not be stopped through violent means, but could only be dispelled by reminding the warped reflections of who they were. And doing that caused the Outer God who had created them to emerge from the shadows and attack!

But this was just a standard-

“You have your friends, Princess. I have friends as well,” Zeneanus said calmly.

The world shook. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The ground covering the mountains behind Zeneanus seemed to crumble, slide, and ooze. I squinted past Zeneanus for just a moment, peering into the distance.

An army of technologically infused undead unicorns charged down from the mountains. The entirety of the Kingdom of Selene, reanimated as robot zombie soldiers. Nice touch, Chem! But a simple background element wont-

A loud almost musical tone blasted from the heavens, drawing my attention away from the tech-zombies. They slid down slowly through the sky, their four talon-like legs seeming to reach out for the ground. I could only describe them as robotic squids, or perhaps cuttlefish. Gray, with a sheen of deep purple, like rotting meat.

Four of them slammed into the ground, one in each cardinal direction. They towered above everything, bigger than every building I’d ever seen, their four legs propelling them slowly towards our arena in an insectoid manner.

Four panels on their backs slid open, revealing large obvious weapons which began to glow with a red light and enough Dark Magic for me to FEEL at this distance. The things had heads which hung beneath their bodies, each of which seems to stare directly at me.

“What are you doing?” I quietly hissed, giving Chem a suspicious look. “This is off script!”

“I’m setting up a sequel, giving this battle artillery support so you have a fun timing element, and hopefully getting you interested in playing a role in some fanfiction I’ve been working on,” Chem answered.

Gadget beeped in confusion. ”Uh, why are you two talking like old friends? And what do you mean script!?” She demanded, making me stamp a hoof in anger.

My eyes widened even more. “Wait, what!? Why can she tell that we’re out of character?” I demanded worriedly.

Chem coughed into a fist awkwardly. “Well, in order to make a companion for your story which had the level of reactivity you wanted it was simplest to just create an actual living mind… So uh, yeah. She’s real too,” he answered before crouching down to look me in the barrel. Or rather to look Gadget in the face. “I’m afraid this is all just a game Sparkle and I have created for our personal entertainment.”

I felt my heart stop for a moment. “Y-you just MADE a person!?” I asked incredulously.

“Um, well, yes. I did. Sorry… It was wrong of me, but I can’t just unmake Gadget now that she exists,” Chem said, nervously tapping his fingers. “I just didn’t want you to be dissatisfied with our gameworld…”

“W-well I do prefer it when characters feel real, but that doesn't mean I want every book I ever read to actually create people!” I objected.

“Yes. This occurred to me AFTER I did it. I know I made a mistake. I’m not perfect. But it’s fine. I have a solution,” Chem promised.

“It had better be a good one!” Gadget demanded stamping my hoof.

“Oh but it is!” Chem insisted, holding up his hands defensively. “If Twilight hadn’t decided to break the fourth wall just now, and I never thought she would in a million years, you would never have known the truth of your origins.

“There are infinite universes out there. I would have placed you into a universe identical to this one save you died in the climactic battle. That way you could have lived a happy life, none the wiser while that universe's Sparkle would just be happy to have her best friend back. You’d both be a bit confused, but happy.”

I raised an eyebrow. That was a good plan. With one flaw.

“She knows now. So do I. That plan won’t work,” I said suspiciously.

Gadget nodded her turrets in agreement. “Yeah, that won’t work.

Chem sighed. “No… But I can delete this information if you want the veil to be sewn back together, then we can finish out game-”

Gadget reaered up with me inside, waving her forelegs in a ‘stop’ gesture. Which is good, because I wanted to do the same thing!

“WAIT!” She demanded. “You keep saying it’s a game. All of this, ALL OF THIS, is a game!? Like, you two are LARPING!?”

“Um… Well, yes?” I said, embarrassment making my cheeks flush before I looked back at Chem with a little disappointment. “Why didn’t you tell me you made her real!? I would have been nicer to her!”

Gadget scrunched around me slightly. “N-nicer? But I’d already ask if I could date you if you weren't married. W-wait… Are you married?”

I bit my lip awkwardly. “Yes, but we’re open… Not that that is an invite.”

“Aww…” Gadget whimpered. “Still looking forward to being treated even nicer!”

“Because I didn’t think it would matter?” Chem said, answering me at last. “At the end all real entities would have found a home and lived happily ever after. Nothing immoral here. Save for keeping some deception to myself for the sake of not making anyone feel weird.”

“Yeah! Good job there,” Gadget mumbled angrily. “What ARE we going to do about me? And why did you think this would be a good idea to do?!”

Chem sighed, “ I’m sorry. I’m just really lonely… And Twilight asked for a LOT of reactivity. It was either write millions of lines and make an ‘AI’ which wouldn’t have done the job well enough without me spending way too much of my own lifeforce on it, or create a real person who I later find a home which matches this world we made.

“I took the best option, in my opinion. At least in my opinion at the time. I know I made a mistake, and I have been working to make it right. That’s the best anyone can do.

“As for what this is for us, yes, it’s LARP. I’m sorry for not informing you, but it didn’t feel right to create someone who knew they had been poofed into existence for one express purpose. That’s how I came to be and I hated it so much I found a way to twist it so I could be good. I wouldn’t wish the need for that sort of destiny mangling on anyone.”

Begrudgingly, I had to admit he did have a point. I had asked for a LOT in my character’s companion… And he really did seem to feel bad. I couldn’t see his face but I could hear it in his voice.

I guess I backed him into a corner. The poor guy had been desperate for someone to play with, I guess he was afraid if he didn’t meet my every whim I’d go away?

Gadget made us stand back up, letting out a relieved sigh. “It’s LARP. Thank Primus! No one is actually hurt, I presumably can’t really lose the only real friend I have, and this is just a sporting match between friends. I am SO HAPPY the world isn’t literally ending around me. Especially since I can punch you in the nose for making me feel all this stress!”

Chem tilted his head, seemingly taken aback. “Y-you’re cool with it? Then, we can be friends after this is all said and done?”

“Yes. But only because I get to hit you now, and only if I get to keep being her armor outside of this simulation” Gadget said gleefully. “That would make us even.”

“That’s fair,” Chem decided after a moment’s thought. “Let’s see who wins this, and then we can figure out what to do with you since you’re now aware that this world is fictional.”

“I um… I didn’t expect you to be… Well, real,” I said to Gadget apologetically. “I actually was thinking about that reward promised if I beat you, Chem. I um, I sort of was wondering if you could make her real. Because I could use some good armor back home.”

“Good! I’m glad we’re on the same page. You may have wanted to avoid creating me for a singular purpose, but all of my memories have me being built to be Sparkle’s armor and companion. It’s what I want to do, and I don't care that those memories are just made up. They are MINE, fake as they may be.

“Now stop talking so I can beat the crap out of you and make us all square!” Gadget demanded.

“Right!” Chem said with a nod, clearing his throat to get back into character.

I shifted my stance to get back into a dramatic fighting pose as well.

“In this battle begins the final war,” Zeneanus said calmly. “No hope. No mercy. The universe you knew is nothing but a memory and I have no intention of leaving anyone alive to honor it. This is my gift to you, Sparkle”

I narrowed my eyes. “Then we’ll just have to stop you!” I declared.

Zeneanus laughed and raised his hand, a green lighting bolt crackling between his fingertips!

I cast a shield spell, bringing the Astral hammer to bear with my telekinesis as Gadget deployed her turrets as well as her micro-missile launcher. The two of us charged, reality seeming to move in slow motion as a single grandiose note left the amp of an electric guitar to join us seemingly from nowhere.

”You got the touch!
You got the power!
Yeah!”

“... THAT’S why reality has a soundtrack!” Gadget quietly mused.

Zeneanus let his lightning fly, it raced towards my shield and-

And everything went black.

“DAMNIT!” Chem swore, his voice coming from everywhere but nowhere. “Sorry, Twilight. I’m out of energy. I didn’t realize how much this game was drawing from me. If I spend anymore I’ll die and be unable to reawaken you, as well as preserve Gadget’s consciousness pending her getting a proper body.

“We’ll have to pick this up in a day or two. Standby for the return trip h-”

Lyra Heartstrings - 22th of Megan, 29 AE

Equestria - Ponyville

“NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Twilight screeched as she sat bolt-upright in bed, making every last one of us jump a whole meter into the air.

I scarcely had time to process the fact that Twilight was awake before she jumped out of bed, using her wings to pull off a sort of double jump and land next to Chem. Thankfully, Chem finally seemed to be fully conscious and-

Oh. Duh. The game must be over and-

Twilight grabbed Chem by the shoulders. “We were not done! Start it up again! SISTERS! Is she okay?”

“I can’t! I’m out of ‘mana’,” Chem protested defensively, gently pulling Twilight’s hooves off his shoulders before producing a small white crystal ball from beneath his cloak. “And yes, she’s fine. Here, keep her safe. Don’t worry she’s paused. Won't know any time has passed at all.

“Please be careful! I feel bad enough that she exists, I shouldn’t have.... I won't allow her to have a bad end.”

My ears drooped in a mixture of panic and confusion. Twilight had clearly figured out exactly what Chem was. Well, poop. But she wasn’t dumb. She could keep a secret.

BUT EVERYPONY ELSE IN THE ROOM WASN'T AS TIGHT LIPPED!

Thinking quickly I stood up and ran over to Twilight as she gingerly took the crystal from Chem and placed it on her desk with a worried look on her face.

“Twilight! Thank goodness you’re okay. You were out for four hours,” I said as loudly as I could, hoping that would be enough to snap everyone’s focus away from the fact that Chem had clearly been the architect of her ‘dream’.

Twilight’s ears stood up in shock. “Four hours!? Chem, I thought you said you set up a time differential!” she said with an accusatory glare.

“I did. But you adventured for eighty days of in universe time,” He laughed, flashing her a huge innocent grin. “Don't blame me for the lost real-space time.”

Twilight’s ears flopped over as she blushed. “Oh, that’s right… Well you shouldn’t have made things so fun!”

Luna cleared her throat. I knew that particular version of her polite ‘a-hem’. My plan did not work. Not at all.

Luna stood up, and crossed the distance to Chem, looking down at him with a mixture of suspicion, curiosity, and astonishment.

“I take it you were the architect of Twilight’s dream, my little pony?” Luna said, using one of her sister’s turns of phrase for… Uh… I had no clue why, actually.

Chem nodded once. “Indeed I was, my tallest pony,” he replied calmly enough.

Luna’s mouth flipped from suspicious frown to a genuine grin for half a second thanks to Chem’s little remark. But her smile faded quickly.

“I was informed that Twilight’s incapacitation was the result of a simple stun charm. Can you explain the discrepancy?” Luna asked quite seriously. “And can you also explain how you were able to manipulate her dreams?”

Chem nodded. “Yes. I can,” he replied evenly as he looked up at Luna.

He made a face as if he was about to keep talking, then stretched his head up as much as his neck would allow, preceding to fidgit for a few moments before his ears grumpily flopped down, and he climbed up onto one of Twilight’s chairs, standing on it so he could look at Luna on her eye level.

I couldn’t help but bite my lip to hold in a giggle, and from the sounds of things neither could anyone else. Either Chem was an expert at diffusing situations via humor, or-

“Sorry. That was just really annoying,” Chem admitted bashfully.

Pfff! HA! It really bothered him that much!

Luna faked a sneeze to prevent herself from laughing. “T-that’s fine,” she said through a barely held mass of seriousness. “Please, explain yourself.”

Chem looked across the room at the assembled knights, then returned his gaze to Luna. “Are all of these people in your service? And do you work with the local Chaos God? I believe his name was This Chord.”

“Discord,” Luna corrected reflexively.

Chem blinked then facehooved. “Yes, that makes much more sense as a name,” he grumbled to himself.

“And they are, and I do. Why is that important?” Luna said, appending the new question to her previous list.

Chem cleared his throat. “It’s important because I am allowed to live her by virtue of Discord’s permission,” he answered with a polite smile. “Part of this promise includes keeping my true identity secret. However as a member of his pantheon, I assume you simply have not yet been informed. Feel free to double check with him later if you disbelieve me.”

“Um, Luna’s not a deity,” Twilight pointed out for me as she stepped over to Luna’s side. “You saw me before her, and I’m more powerful than she is. Do you think I’m a goddess too? Alicorns are not deities. We sit right on the edge of the god/mortal line.”

Chem shook his head. “No no no. I am referring to the vast amount of dark energy oozing from her very being. That’s not a mortal thing that’s a-”

Luna nodded to herself. “Ahhh, I see. Not many can sense that part of my aura. At one point I was possessed by a Nightmare. Many decades ago, it gave me its essence to use since I had demonstrated that I could contain it flawlessly and it wanted me to destroy a monster which hurt a person it had made which saw it as her mother.

“But I’m not a goddess either. I simply have a measure of power byond my natural means.”

Chem raised an eyebrow. “You should really reevaluate that opinion. Especially given what your vassal, Lyra, has discovered about Nightmares. Regardless, an entity of your type, young age, and power should be brought up to speed.”

While Luna simply looked at Chem in confusion, I looked at Luna in genuine shock. Closing my eyes I quickly cast my detection spell. If chem was right then that meant-

The hidden layers of reality appeared before my eyes. Luna didn’t look like everypony else. Nor did she look like Twilight. Alicorns DO have a different aura after all. But this wasn’t an aura.

Luna looked like a hole in reality. Just like Chem did. Exactly the same. None of the flecky weirdness that infused Sherbert or Vinyl. They looked identical, aside from their shape.

Luna had become an eldritch entity herself…

“Ohhhh, shit he’s right!” I eeped, ears laying flat as I realized now that I had said that allowed-

Luna turned around quickly, looking at me with a confused look stamped across her entire being. “What’s he right about?” she asked worriedly.

“Y-you, Uh…” I stammered, shuffling my hooves. “Um… Soooo, as far as I can tell nightmares, and all Dream Magic, is a very slightly modified version of a different sort of creature and magic. His kind. I uh… The two of us are pretty certain that the entire Dream Realm was created by basically taking a pocket of his ‘universe’ so to speak, and sewing it onto our own.”

“It’s complicated, there’s time to go into it later,” Chem promised. “But for now…”

He held out his right hoof. “Hello! I’m an extra dimensional entity most commonly referred to as ‘Eldritch Horrors’ by three dimensional creatures such as yourself. I’m not going to hurt anyone, I like the trappings of villainy but actual villaining never sat right with me.

“I’d give you my true name, but that’s a very bad idea for everyone involved. Instead, you may call me by any of my favorite names I’ve acquired over the years. The Darkness, Zeneanus the Ever-Living, Ublaz Mad Eyes, Prince Regal, Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, Richard, Melkor, Mr Dark, Zim!, The Horned King, or by my latest moniker, Chemical Fire.

“They are all masks, naturally, and some of them I copied from fiction as I enjoy cosplay. Oh, and one of them is just a thing I did when I needed a break from being remotely competent at anything. However, since my actual name being uttered would attract the attention of my kin, and almost all of us are bad news, nicknames will have to do.”

Chem glanced around the room as if expecting to have to try and comfort an entire room full of terrified ponies. His eyes saw the exact opposite.

“Huh,” Octavia remarked. “Neat!”

Luna sighed. “I knew Celestia turning Ponyville into a weirdness magnet would produce something like this sooner or later,” she said softly to herself.

Chem raised an eyebrow. “Is this ‘everyone’s cool with everything’ day?” He asked incredulously. “Not that I’m complaining, but I expected a reaction out of everyone.”

Frankly, I had too. I stood still in stunned disbelief while everyone just sort of shrugged things off.

“Discord wouldn’t knowingly let anyone who was a danger live here,” Twilight explained with a smile. “Besides, when I attacked you out of nowhere, you responded by making a whole fake reality where we could punch things out without hurting anyone. Not even each other. That’s not a bad guy thing.”

Luna nodded in agreement. “This is quite true and- Wait you made a REALITY for you two to have a duel in?”

Chem shook his head. “No. I ‘hacked’ her nervous system and made a virtual reality. I’m sort of starved half to death at the moment. Making real things is not something I can do without prep work and spare power. I nearly killed myself just now. I’ve been told that I feed like your changelings do, is there any nearby party or other source of joy?”

“We can take you to Sugarcube Corner in a few minutes,” Octavia offered casually with a polite smile. “Pinkie Pie always attracts a small group of traveling Changelings for that exact reason. I don't think she’d mind another psychic mouth to feed.”

Chem flinched slightly. “You know, that mare creeps me out. I mean, what even IS she… But she doesn't seem dangerous, so why not? And you guys are REALLY seriously okay with this? How and why?!”

Colgate giggled and flashed Chem one of her perfect smiles. “Besides Twilight and Sherbert, nopony in this room is normal. In fact, we’re all technically monsters. I’m a windigo, Meep is a changeling, Lyra, Bon, and Vinyl are all pure blood vampires, Octavia is half vampire half werewolf, and it seems Luna has finally joined our ranks as an Eldritch Entity. So even our boss is a monster. Hehe!”

Bon snickered. “I wonder how long it will be till Sherbert transforms somehow?” She asked rhetorically.

Vinyl and I giggled. “Actually, she’s sort of infused with Eldritch energy,” Vinyl elaborated. “She doesn't eat ponies or pony products, so she’s not a monster, but she’s not a normal pony either.”

Chem blinked twice. “Wait, wait, wait, wait… This is a universe, populated by sapient adorably diminutive equines who are gifted in magic, but have also embraced technology to the point where I am standing in the middle of a Renaissance themed village next to a haunted forest, which is guarded by plate armored soldiers who wield arcane enhanced plasma rifles, and somewhere in this beautiful world is an entire nation protected from giant monsters via equity giant quadrupedal battle mechs, while the kingdom I am in is protected by a heroic squad of actual vampire knights, along with other mythical monsters?!”

Luna flashed Chem a huge grin. “Yes! And since Sherbert is a ninja, every one of my Knights of the Rampant Moon has a nocturnal theme. Cool, huh?” She asked, her grin making her look like a huge dork.

Chem returned her grin, managing to make himself look equally dorky. “Five stars! Best universe I’ve been too in 4 x TREE(3) years. It is going to be SO HARD not to do my usual thing here and fake the return of some ancient evil so I can have a good fight with your world’s heros,” he half squeed half moaned.

Octavia frowned slightly. “Your usual thing? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, well, we Voidborn are created from nothingness. Quite often were the embodiment of a thought, or a concept. Or we latch onto such things for the sake of having any identity at all. I was formed as the ultimate antagonist, True Evil. But I HATED it. I hated it so much that I’ve never done that which my inborn purpose demanded for real.

“Unfortunately, I have to be who I am. Even if I’d rather not. SO over my lifetime I’ve lived relatively normal lives being as good of a person as I can while using games to get things out of my system. I also had my sister, who was my exact opposite. She was only too happy to always stop me from doing anything actually evil. Especially since I didn’t want to.

“For the last quarter of my life, all that remains of my once strong urges and leanings is my love of cheesy villain cliches, physical combat, and hammy acting. I don't think I am capable of changing more than I have. But that’s fine with me!

“What I do for fun now is I find the greatest heros of a universe and pretend to be some horrible threat so they’ll attack me and then I play with them. They almost always win, even if my sister isn’t helping them, but that’s not the point. The point is I trick people into attacking me, and then give them the most fun and challenging experience I can provide.”

Bonbon tilted her head to one side and raised an eyebrow. “Um, have you ever thought about just, you know, asking them to LARP with you? Because that’s what you’re talking about, right? Live Action Role Playing?” she asked heastently.

“Well, yes. That is one way you could describe it. I like to think that I provide a much more entertaining experience than some costumes and foam prop weapons can provide though,” Chem said, looking at the floor, seemingly hurt by the comparison.

“I’m certain you can,” Luna said diplomatically. “I also know of plenty of people who would enjoy a danger-free adventure.”

I raised my hoof eagerly. “One adventure, please!” I asked with an enthusiastic smile.

Vi laughed in agreement. “Yeah! That would be fun. The only bad part about this job is well, the pain and suffering… If it wasn’t for that, fighting a kaiju by climbing up it and stabbing at the vital spots would have been awesome.”

Chem blushed a bright pink. “I, um… You’re saying that I could actually just ask people? But- Why would anyone willingly seek danger? It’s fun, but you guys generally are ruled in part by fear and-”

Twilight cleared her throat to get everypony’s attention. “So… I just noticed Luna’s dream projection floating above my bed. Were you guys watching us?” She asked calmly.

My ears twitched fearfully. “Um, y-yes? I hope you’re not mad,” I said with a wince.

Twilight shook her head. “Of course not. I gave Luna permission to share my dreams. I intended her to share them with scientists and mages since I often dream about various theorems and- well, that’s not important. What is important is that Chem and I sat down and planned all of that out. And then he brought it to life. Literally in the case of Gadget.

“My point is, you girls have been playing Oubliettes and Ogres for almost a century now, and Vinyl has been your Game Master for the entire time as far as I know. Maybe you should give her a break?”

“Because I LIKE Game Mastering. But it would be fun to co-GM with someone,” Vinyl replied instantly.

She turned to Chem and looked at him over the top of her glasses. “Hey, little bro, you’re standing in a room full of gamer geeks who would be completely down for Deep Dive game nights. We should see about adapting some of our planned adventures into your sims.”

Chem’s eyes widened like a teenage colt’s who had just been accidentally teleported into the public ‘baths’ in the Crystal Empire. “Y-you mean you guys WANT to have fun adventures?”

“Well, I don’t play,” Sherbert said with a shrug. “But I’m sure everypony else would like it.”

Vinyl turned and gave Sherbert a hurt look. “You said you liked playing with us,” she accused.

Sherbert nodded, kicking her hoof against the floor awkwardly. “Y-yeah… You’re my boss… And you’re all cool! I like spending time with you. I just don't enjoy the game much. That’s all.”

Chem’s eyes narrowed in mock anger. “Did she hurt your feelings, sis?” He asked.

“A little,” Vi admitted. “Sherbert, you need to be honest with everyone. Don't worry about scoring cool points or fitting in prefect-”

“I could throw her into orbit for you, if you’d like,” Chem joked only to instantly backpedal as Luna's head snapped around. “I was kidding! I’d only do that if she actually physically hurt her and we weren't inside. Property damage and-”

“Nononono,” Luna said, shaking her head rapidly. “I knew you were joking. Do you mean to tell me that Vinyl is your actual sister? That it’s not just a cover? Meaning she’s really the embodiment of the prefect good and ultimate hero?!”

“Sort of,” Vi admitted shyly.

Chem nodded. “Yes, and also no. Mostly no. She was stillborn. Her parents brought her to me and asked me to animate her for them. I did, but I used the shredded remains of my sister’s soul to do it. So in a way Vinyl is a reincarnation of Martina. Oh! That was your name, by the way. It’s safe to say since you’re dead.”

Twilight hummed her face twisting into her trademark ‘SCIENCE!’ expression as her eyes seemed to burn into Vinyl, analyzing her down to her very molecules. “Does that give her any enhanced abilities or special powers?”

“No,” Chem sad with a sad sigh. “She doesn't remember anything either. I just did it so that I could have someone I could sort of call family again. The only effect is her personality is the same. But that’s all. They have different likes and dislikes. Example, Martina was straight. Vinyl is married to an adorable mare. Then again, you guys are so cute that I’m entertaining the idea of trying out romance myself… And I’ve never done that before. So maybe that’s just your species being absurdly cute and cuddly looking.”

Luna nodded, satisfied. “Well then, since you are starving we should go and allow you to eat. I want to see you feeding for myself just to be absolutely certain it’s safe for you to be here.”

Chem laughed. “It is! But if I do hurt someone somehow, please let me know. I’ll fix it.”

“Speaking of fixing things…” Twilight said, suddenly taking in a deep breath. “Once you’ve got more energy, we’re going to finish this! I REFUSE to be cheated out of the ending to a good story!”

Chem laughed and hopped off his perch atop the chair to hug Twilight around her shoulders.

“I’d feel bad if I didn’t. But that will have to wait a few days. I imagine we’d get a bit too into things again, besides, you want me to bring Gadget here, right? That will take some doing. I also have to keep helping Lyra with her problem, as I promised. But don't worry, we’ll finish our game as soon as we can,” Chem promised. “After all, I’ve never gotten to fight a wizard powered by friendship before! It’s an interesting difference! And when you’re as old as I am, new things are a treasure.”

“That begs the question, how old are you?” I asked tilting my head curiously.

Chem closed his eyes seemingly in annoyance, and inhaled as if he were about to say a really, really big number. “I’m twenty three years old. But that’s in Voidborn years. TO convert to your years that would be around Twenty Three times TREE-Three years old.

“Now, TREE-Three is a number which cannot be spoken or written down in a reasonable amount of time for you, so it gets an equation. To understand that equation you’ll need to take in the following logic. Pay attention. For this purpose a Tree is undirected graph in which any two vertices are connected by exactly one path.

“Given a tree T with a root, and given vertices v, w, call v a successor of w if the unique path from the root to v contains w, and call v an immediate successor of w if additionally the path from w to v contains no other vertex. Take X to be a partially ordered set. Taking T 1 , T 2 to be rooted trees with vertices labeled in X, we say that T 1 is inf-embeddable in T 2 and write T 1 ≤ T 2 if there is a map F from the vertices of T 1 to the vertices of T 2 such that-”

I flinched. “So uh… Really old?” I asked interrupting his explanation before the math killed somepony.

Chem nodded solemnly.

“You have no idea,” he and Twilight said in unison.

I shook my head slowly. “You’d think that with how old you are, you’d be able to just lift the curse for me because you’ve done it before for someone else,” I muttered grumpily.

“Sorry, you’re also one of those rare new things. But I do have some ideas of what we can do now that I’ve seen Luna. If that’s how Nightmares work, well… Eh, we can discuss this later during work hours. I really am on my last legs at the moment. So please, can we walk and talk?”

Sherbert closed her eyes in frustration. “All of the void stuff was supposed to stay classified! Discord was very clear about that,” she grumbled.

Luna laughed. “This is Ponyville. Celestia’s First Law of Shenanigans should have told you there wasn’t a chance of that happening. But we should talk in code in public. Why don’t you tell us about yourself as a person using your cover identity, Chem? I think I’d like to get to know you as well.”

“I’d like that,” he replied with a happy smile. “Lets go. Quickly please.”

The room became a sudden buzz of conversation as everyone moved for the door, excitedly talking about what new possibilities our gaming group had now that we basically had a Deep Dive VR system and a dedicated creative ‘pony’ to run it for us.

I was eager to talk about the possibilities too, but as we began to leave, Chem tapped me on the shoulder, and leaned in to whisper to me. “Luna became a Voidborn by absorbing a Nightmare. The process by which it was ‘slain’ is identical to how you would kill me. Or any of my kind. I do know something that will work on it. But we will discuss it later. In total private, after you swear to me to never use it on me, tell anypony else, or write down what I tell you. Understood?”

My heart leapt in my chest, filling with hope. “Understood!”

“Splendid! Now let's go get a bite to eat from the Keter Class SCP Pony,” Chem said with nervous laugh trotting off towards the door.

I frowned despite the hope welling up within me. One of these days, I would have to ask him for a book of all his references or something. What did that even mean?

11 - I Am That Is

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Adnam'heir aka Chemical Fire - 5th of Plantation, 29 AE

Ponyville - Equestria

This world’s magic is amusing. Plenty of realms in the infinite cosmos have magic. Not all that I have visited have had it, not even most, perhaps two fifths. The ratio may of course be larger, or smaller. I am limited to my own subjective viewpoint after all. It is of course quite possible that I had chanced upon more mundane realms than magical through the many years.

But this Equis, it was delightfully unique. Normally magic is this strange force which exists apart from nature, an entity unto itself which can only be understood by those who dedicated their entire lives to the study of its detached field. As if it were an entire separate science.

Equis’s magic wove itself into every part of this reality. Magic WAS physics here. Space-time curved to create the illusion which mortals call gravity because that’s what magic told it to do. If this were the extent of magic’s entwinement with the universe, I would have found it interesting, but nothing more than that.

The beings who lived here were the key. In other realms, they would have possessed a measure of magic. Here? Here they were a part of magic themselves. Every atom of their body, every electron of energy in their minds, every thought, every feeling, every action; all in accordance with the simple rules of magic itself.

Most realms have humans. Most humans have someone who comes up with the idea ‘We are the universe's means of exploring itself.’. An arrogant assumption based on instinctual need to be important.

For these ponies? For the other people with which they shared their world? It was true! They existed because magic willed it, and their universe existed as a physical expression of magic itself.

I wonder if they knew how special they were? Perhaps that is why most ponies are so happy?

Or perhaps it's the interesting way magic responds to bonds of friendship. In no other world I had been to in all of my inconceivable years had I ever found a world where reality itself rewarded mages with more power in direct proportion to their number and quality of friendships.

When you’ve seen as many universes as I have, you discover that they exist within a certain set of rules. There are a few constants, but most of the Universe Equation is composed of variables. There are so many different ways for everything that is to be. So many that a mortal could only perceive them as an infinity.

Infinities are a funny thing. Even a child understands that there are infinite numbers. Explain to them that there are an infinite number of decimals between each number, and they will come to understand an important truth. There are infinitely more real numbers than whole numbers.

One infinity can be larger than another. Or to put it into terms of universes; there are infinitely more possibilities a universe could be, than there are configurations universes do take even though there are infinite configurations taken by univerces.

Against all odds, all trends, and all rules I knew, this universe in which I found myself existed in its present state. This world was special, perhaps even unique. It needed to be defended, cared for, and cherished.

Which is what I was doing on a roadside bench in Ponyville all day. Cherishing the universe in all its splendor. A shame I couldn’t get one of the mortals to quark gaze with me due to their limited senses. They make such beautiful patterns here. As do the neutrinos. The poor things were missing out on most of their world’s beauty.

Note to self: Acquire painting supplies.

I was grateful for the chance I had to get out of Lyra’s laboratory and see more of Ponyville. If we maintained our boss-employee/friends relationship after breaking her curse, I would have to show her how to create dangerous devices more often. I don't understand why ‘I would like to not be here right now.’ isn’t a valid reason to leave one’s place of employment, but ‘If this device malfunctions I will die so long as I am within three kilometers.’ is.

The trick would be finding more destructive devices which were only a threat to people like me. I’d have to think of something, because small ponies are adorable and fun to talk too.

The sun was setting, I had made my way to Sherbert’s home to have a much needed conversation with her, and had been told upon arrival (by a neutron star powered Cyborg of all possible people) that Sherbert was out and would be back in a few hours.

So I’d sat down on a bench in front of their large bay-and-gable home and waited.

For the first hour, I had no company other than a rather small pony occasionally giving me fearful looks through a window in Sherbert and her astonishingly-awesome-roommate's home. Under the assumption the two were in fact a couple and raising a child, I took it upon myself to wave to the little one every time she looked out. By the end of the first hour, her fear was replaced by mere curiosity.

I’d wanted to say hello, but upon asking was told ‘Kazumi doesn't go outside’. And since I didn’t want to enter Sherbert home without her permission, it was back to waiting. Lonely, lonely, lonely waiting.

Much to the delight of this impossibly old soul who still perceives time on the mortal level, my loneliness did not last for long. It would seem that a small stallion wrapped in a cloak, seated upon a bench for hours on end attracts a particular sort of company.

Oh! I should be almost done telling them that story. I should switch my primary focus back to my body to see their reactions better.

“Below, the whole Universe twinkled at Rincewind,” I said to the tiny jade-colored pegasus mare, resisting the urge to send her and her two friends images of what I was describing. “There was Great A'Tuin, huge, ponderous, and pocked with craters. There was the little Disc Moon. There was a distant gleam that could only be the Potent Voyager. And there were all the stars, looking remarkably like powdered diamonds spilled on black velvet, the stars that lured and ultimately called the boldest towards them…

“The whole of Creation was waiting for Rincewind to drop in. He did so. There didn't seem to be any alternative. And that’s where the story ends.”

“W-what!?” The small earth pony next to the mare yelped, his eyes wide with surprise. “He just dies!? That’s IT!?”

I really needed to remember what Vinyl told me you call young ponies… Bolts and lillies? No, that’s not right. Bah! Stupid mortals, calling children something different in every last universe I’d ever been too. Just call them kids! It’s really jerkish to make people like me need to remember half a Graham's Number different ways to say ‘child’.

The little pegasus gave her shocked friend a punch to his shoulder. A light one. More affectionate than anything else.

“No, you dummy!” She exclaimed rolling her eyes. “Scr- Uh… Scr… Screefee-”

“Scrofula,” I said for her.

“Yeah! He said that Rincewind would reincarnate,” she correctly pointed out.

“I don’t know what that means!” Her friend shot back.

“That’s cuz you don’t pay attention to Miss Cheerilee,” their crystalline friend giggled. “It means he comes back!”

It was just so strange that the crystal pony wasn’t a construct… I had to remember that silicon based lifeforms were a thing here. And that apparently carbon based lifeforms could birth them.

I should also do my best to remember these specific ponies names. They had seen me sitting completely still and assumed I was some sort of undead creature and ventured forth to slay me. With a little plastic sword sized for an action figure. Because that’s the only ‘weapon’ they could find.

I liked them!

“Oh…” The little Earth pony said with an-

Rock Candy! That was his name.

“What happened to him next?” Aurora (the little pegasus) asked me with wide hopeful eyes.

She’d stabbed me in the face. Even yelled ‘Die, foul monster!’ like a proper hero of yore. Admittedly her little toy’s sword snapped in two, and she’d looked so crestfallen at her failure, rather than what she would have thought was her imminent demise. Then she cursed the toy maker calling them liars since the sword was marketed as a blade of evil’s bane.

I liked her the most.

I chuckled. “I don’t want to spoil that story. It’s quite good,” I said with an apologetic smile.

Her hopefully eyes twinkled mischievously as she wrapped her face into the most adorable looking sadface ever. Unfortunately for her plans, I’d seen the twinkle.

“That won’t work on me, young lady,” I informed her with a wink. “I’m the younger sibling in my family.”

Aurora stamped a hoof in irritation. “Awwww! Come on! I wanna know!”

“Yeah!” Her red-and blue speckled crystalline friend echoed in agreement.

I wanted to say her name was Terrance? No, no couldn’t be. That wasn’t a pony name.

So many years. So many names. They all blend.

I shook my head slowly. “I would happily tell you that story, but it’s rather long and it’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be going home?”

Rock’s ears flopped back, pushed down flat by a wave of primal fear which also pulled his eyes open wide. “EEP! Mom’s gonna be so mad!” He squeaked, turning to the other small pony. “We need to go, Snootle!”

Snootle? Was that her name? Sounds like a nickname… But that could be a pony name.

ARGH! CURSE YOU, HUGE DATABASE OF QUINTILLIONS OF INTERLINKED NAMES AND FACES OF PEOPLE I KNOW!

Snootle frowned fearfully and nodded in instant agreement. “Y-yeah! Bye, Aurora!” He called, quickly running off down the street, Rock following close behind after giving his own farewell.

Aurora remained sitting in front of me on the sidewalk.

I looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. “I was talking to all three of you,” I reminded the little one with a knowing smirk.

She returned my smirk with one of her own. “My parents are dead.”

She said it with such truth and conviction that I knew she couldn’t possibly be lying. But the way she said it well… She said it like the sky was blue. Either they died before she was old enough to have memories, or they had died a long time ago.

“I said ‘go home’, not ‘go to your parents’, Aurora,” I reminded jovially. “I’m really just a big kid inside. I still know all the tricks.”

“I don’t have a home. That’s a grown up thing,” Aurora rebutted coyly.

I couldn’t help but grin ear to ear. “You’re a great kid,” I said reaching down to give her mane a little ruffle. “Go back to whomever looks after you. The mares who live in this house know how to contact me. I can tell you stories another day.”

Aurora frowned. “But I want to hear more now! And you’re still just sitting here because whats-her-name isn’t back yet,” she protested.

I sighed. “I know that’s what you want,” I said, shifting in my seat slightly. “But what about your guardian’s wants? I’m certain they want to know you’re safe at night.”

“I don’t have any,” Aurora grumped, crossing her forelegs over her barrel.

I rolled my eyes at the little liar.

“You’re too clean and well fed to be a street orphan,” I informed, waving a hoof at her freshly washed coat.

“I take baths at the pool,” Aurora countered. “And there’s farms everywhere, and I can fly.”

I looked her directly in her bright purple eyes with as serious an expression as I could muster. “Are you really homeless, or are you lying so I’ll tell you more stories even though it’s late?”

Aurora sighed. “I don’t have parents or guardians, or a home,” she said suddenly performing a series of gestures as she intoned, “Cross my heart, hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye.”

I saw it. The spark of magic accompanying the gesture. The Pink One, an oath had been sworn in her name, and she knew!

I paused for a short moment. I’d seen her teleport…

Nope. No hyperactive pink mare appearing to school the little one for lying in her ‘name’.

“I find that hard to believe,” I said despite the evidence before me. “Your friends go to school together, and talked about classes. Your teacher would know if you-”

“Oh!” Aurora exclaimed suddenly. “I don’t REALLY go to school with them. I just hide in the library and read about whatever Rock says was taught in class that day.”

“Mmm…” I said slowly. “And you’ve never been caught?”

“Sure I have!” she giggled. “Mister Mix, the librarian, he doesn't know everypony who goes to the school. He just kicks me out of the library and tells me to go to class. Then I just sneak out for the rest of the day.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “But if that’s true, why haven't you gone to anyone for help? I know there’s an orphanage in town.”

Aurora returned my serious gaze with one of her own, even leaning forward for dramatic effect.

“It’s evil,” she said ominously.

“Ah,” I said nodding slowly. “You’ve been there?”

Aurora nodded once. “Sleeping under a cloud house on my own cloud is better,” she said with a sad wine.

Mmm, there it was. The lie. She didn’t like being homeless, but she liked whatever went on in the orphanage even less, and managed to successfully run away.

“How long have you been on your own?” I asked.

“Um… Six winters? Maybe seven?” She replied with a little shrug.

I looked up the street. No one. Turning my head I looked down the street. Also no one.

Looks like it had to be me. Alright. I could do that.

I devoted a part of my mind to weaving a set of fortune boosting and protective enchantments, and cleared my throat.

Picking the little pony up with my magic, I set her next to me on the bench and wrapped the hem of my cloak around her.

“Here, it will get a bit cold. It wouldn't be fair to continue Rincewind’s story without your friends. Would’ you like to hear another one from the same world?” I offered kindly.

“Please!” Aurora exclaimed happily, her darkish blue tail wagging happily.

Hehe! I loved how despite being equines these ponies looked a little bit like cats and acted a bit like dogs. This is the best universe!

“Okay, I’ll tell you another story tonight if you promise me something. You will come back here tomorrow, just before school starts so I can give you a proper breakfast,” I said as adamantly as I could.

Aurora blinked at me. “Uh, that’s supposed to be a terrible price to pay?” She asked with a confused frown.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a litch, and even if I was, they don’t make deals for souls,” I said, trying to hold in a laugh. “I just want to know you’re okay. This is a remarkably nice place, but it’s still not safe for a little girl to be out on her own all the time.”

Aurora hummed. “Can you get me some cheese?” She asked hopefully.

“Cheese omlets it is,” I said decisively.

Aurora wiggled a bit deeper into the fold of my cloak I’d offered her. I willed the fabric to stretch and thicken, giving her more to bundle up with. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice the change.

“Sooo story now?” she asked hopefully.

I nodded.

“Everything starts somewhere. Though many physicists disagree,” I began, leaning back against the bench. “People have always been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder aloud how the snowplough driver gets to work, or how the makers of dictionaries look up the spelling of the words.

“Yet there is the constant desire to find some point in the twisting, knotting, ravelling nets of space-time on which a metaphorical finger can be put to indicate that here, right here, is the point where it all began. In their search, most people turn to the oldest stories they can find, and say ‘Here it is. This is how it all began.’ But they are wrong.

“Most people forgot that the very oldest stories, the ones from which all others come, are, sooner or later, about blood.”

I paused as Aurora gently tugged on my sleeve. “Is this a story about an ancient warlord or something?” She asked curiously.

“No. It’s actually the story of DEATH and his granddaughter Suzan saving Hearthswarming from total annihilation by a group of evil Old Ones known as the Auditors,” I answered with a grin.

Aurora’s ears perked up with interest. “I didn’t know that people told stories about Dusk!”

Note to self: Find out who Dusk is.

“Um… No, it’s not about anyone named Dusk,” I corrected. “Do you want me to continue?”

Aurora nodded eagerly. “Uh huh! The last one was really good!” She said happily.

I took a breath and resumed reciting the ancient book from memory. If only I could have found a universe to match those stories. It had to be out there somewhere.

I could use a comedy based universe for a vacation home.

“Our story begins in Ankh-Morpork, the twin city of proud Ankh, and pestilent Morpork. The biggest city in Discworld. A city where magic is just another job, and the Tower of Art of the Unseen University of Wizards looms over all the dark narrow streets. It is the first night of a midwinter festival bearing a remarkable resemblance to your Hearthswarming.

“And so it was the night before Hogswatch…”

Sherbert - 5th of Plantation, 29 AE

Ponyville - Equestria

“That train was the WORST!” Ash groaned as we pulled our cart up the street.

“Tell me about it,” I agreed, ears plastered flat with annoyance.

Just like they had been since we left the train station.

“We had a railway worker on the train!” Ash grumbled again. “I don't get your bureaucracy. Back home he would have been put on duty the second he encountered a problem within his profession! But nope! Can’t do that here. He’d get in trouble if he just fixed the stupid tracks in the time it took for a repair crew to get out there...”

“Yeah, well, in Equestria we respect off hours,” I sighed. “Even if that screws four hundred ponies out of three hours of their lives.”

“I hope none of the groceries went bad,” Ash said looking back over her shoulder at our full cart with a worried frown.

“Eh… Cart should have kept them fine. I replaced the crystals powering the preservation charm last month,” I said with as much of a shrug as the cart would allow. “Better question: Why the hay did we pick up groceries too? The stock is heavy enough!”

Ash giggled and shook her head. “You tell me, it was your idea,” she teased, sticking out her tongue.

“Tami had better appreciate her stupid forge, that’s all I’m saying,” I grumbled, wincing slightly as the cart’s harness dug into my shoulders.

We had to be pulling at least ten tons. I didn’t resent Tami for wanting to get back into an old hobby of hers, or even the trip itself. It’s just that this sucked. It sucked hard. And it was my own stupid fault for offering to pick up the forge and fuel and stuff she’d ordered from Manehattan for her.

Tami was almost completely a machine. She could pull this all day no problem. But noooo! I just had to have the dumb idea to do it for her so I could get out of the house for a while.

I’d just been too hung up on ‘Chem’ all week. I’d needed to get away from the problem to have the chance to think it through properly instead of stew.

I’d been sort of a jerk to him. He had to be nice. He’d had a whole week with direct access to two of the three princesses and almost total trust from everyone around him.

Nothing bad had happened. Not one thing.

There was so much he could have done. Make Twilight think she received a Declaration of War from Drake. Fake an assassination attempt on Luna with his VR powers. Arrange the destruction of a town and make it look like some cult had blown everyone up and drop hints that other towns were next to sew terror.

Nothing. None of that. He’d just hung out with Twilight once or twice and helped Lyra build a machine.

A Machine that could have been a doomsday device, but I had it on good authority that it wasn't designed in any way that would make sense for a WMD, and in fact didn’t seem to really DO anything at all as far as the material world was concerned (Thanks, Uncle Sky).

I’d been banking on that being his scheme. But Lyra had switched it on this morning. Nothing had happened. Either it failed and Chem was an incompetent threat to the world we could easily stop or… Or it wasn’t a weapon.

All things considered, it was the latter.

He wasn’t a threat. He really was a rare exception. I owed him a huge apology.

“I’ve had a lot of dumb ideas recently,” I said to Ash with a sad sigh, hanging my head slightly.

Ash shrugged. “Eh… Admittedly I thought Kaz could handle meeting Fluttershy too,” she said as we turned the corner onto Galloway Street.

“Well, she did,” I giggled, doing my best to hold the laugh in. “At least until Fluttershy tried to hug her.”

“I’m glad we can laugh at that mess now,” Ash snickered, looking at our house down the way. “Almost ther- Huh… Looks like we have a visitor. Or Twilight decided to allow busses and put a stop in front of our place.”

I looked up with a confused frown. The night had just started to roll in making it kinda hard to see, but there was someone sitting on the bench in front of our house.

“No way Twilight let busses run in town. Ponyville’s nowhere big enough to need mass transit across it,” I said slowly as I tried to identify whoever was waiting outfront.

Clothes are something I’d learned to recognise in Neighpone. Neighdo was a HUGE city, and even with as varied in appearance as a pony can be, in a place that big you get a LOT of lookalikes. Clothes help with that.

Cloaks were not common there. Here, where clothes were basically just for costume parties or work uniforms? I knew of TWO people who wore them. Twilight’s Captain of the guard, Shadow, and Chem.

Both of their cloaks were a shade of green, and in this light I wasn’t able to tell what shade the cloak was exactly. Even with my bionic eyes. Not much a camera can do to clear up an optical effect in reality itself.

Ash and I began to trot a bit more slowly. My danger sense was starting to tingle, and Ash had sworn we’d been followed all day… Maybe she’d been right. Maybe stuff was about to go down.

“You have your morpher on you?” I asked casually, keeping my tone consistent so anyone listening in wouldn’t think much of it.

“Mhm, always,” Ash answered, nodding slowly.

Good! She understood.

“I don't think it would help me pull this cart though,” she added with a sigh. “Heh! We could try sticking it into your magic pocket.”

Ah, she was making sure I had my naginata on me. Good girl!

“Yeah, it’s kinda full and a bit too small for anything this big,” I laughed, angling my ears forwards to try and hear anything the distant figure might be saying or doing.

I only had to hear the voice to recognise Chem. But the strange thing was what he was saying. He was telling a story. To no one!

“There illuminated in the light from the burning gates stood a warrior on the battlements. Badrang recalled him in a flash,” Chem recited with a hint of bardic cadence. “This was the one called Martin, the young mouse who had defied his authority, the one he had tied over the gate and imprisoned in the pit. The mouse warrior fought like ten beasts. Reckless of caution, he was everywhere at once, teeth bared, eyes glittering as he threw himself into the fray.”

I raised an eyebrow and looked over at Ash, who was looking back at me equally confused.

“Uh… Soooo it looks like a crazy stallion is reading a book aloud in front of our house,” Ash summarized.

“That’s um… Only a bit inaccurate,” I said quietly.

Ash squinted into the distance. “I don't think that’s a mare?” She said uncertainty. “Kinda smallish, and it is dark… But, I’m pretty sure-”

“No no. I mean I know who that is,” I said before clearing my throat and calling. “Hey! Chemical Fire? What are you doing at my house?”

I hoped that didn’t sound too accusatory.

Chem looked up, turning in my direction. His motion pulling his cloak away enough for me to see a small pegasus filly sitting next to him.

“Hugging the wallshadows, Ba- OOP! Sorry, Aurora, that’s the person I’ve been waiting for. We’ll have to finish later,” Chem said to the filly apologetically.

“Nooo! I was just getting to the end!” Aurora whined, immediately jumping up and buzzing her wings to hover at Chem’s head level as she faced Ash and I. “Go away for another hour! Please!?”

“First, there’s only about ten minutes of story left,” Chem corrected. “Second, this is the third story I’ve told you this evening-”

“But they’re so good! And you don’t skip the fighting! Like in grown up stories!” The filly exclaimed excitedly.

“-Third,” Chem continued, “You should get some sleep. I’ll be around tomorrow.”

“It’s just ten minutes! I’ll wait!” She begged.

Chem sighed, “Oh alright… But only because it’s a good story and I know you’d be up all night wondering what happens.”

I shook my head slowly. Foals. Heh!

Also, he didn’t vaporize the annoyingly energetic little thing. Another point in ‘good guy’ for Chem.

Chem stood up and walked over to me, taking off his cloak with his magic to drape it over Aurora as she sat back down on the bench. A nice gesture. It was kinda chilly out, and she was extra small.

But that was a little bit creepy when you knew that the stallion you were looking at was a puppet and the actual entity was a mask, THAT CLOAK, and a ball of darkness.

At least Aurora looked happy and warm bundled up in the eldritch horror...

“Sorry about that, Miss Sherbert,” Chem apologised as we drew near. “You may find some weeds in your yard near the curb have sprouted, and the grass will be a bit uneven. I uh… I may have gotten carried away and did some time dilation so I could tell her stories in a more efficient amount of time.”

Ash blinked. “Uh… So, Sherb, when did you meet an Archmage?” She asked half impressed half worried.

“Last week. It was a work thing,” I answered before turning back to Chem. “It’s fine. It’s just grass… What are you doing here? I kind of wanted to talk to you but I didn’t expect you to literally be right here when I got back.”

Chem nodded once, his eyes giving me a sad look as he did. “Yes… I wanted to speak with you as well. I know you dislike me, and that’s perfectly alright,” he said in a surprisingly understanding tone of voice. “You’re what… Thirty? Barely grown up as I understand. You can’t be mad at young people for taking things the way they do. You lack experience, and the wisdom which comes with it.

“PLEASE! Do not take that as an insult. I mean it only in so much that I understand why when a very powerful and important person told you in no uncertain terms just how dangerous people like me can be that you took him at face value and didn’t think about the specific circumstances for yourself. That’s perfectly alright. You’re young. That’s just how young people are.”

I tilted my head a little bit. That was a little insulting… But he did have a point. I hadn’t exactly been around that long.

Ash cleared her throat and slipped free of the cart’s harnice, letting it drop as she walked away. “This sounds like an important and private conversation. I’m going to go inside and make dinner,” she said, dismissing herself.

“I won't be long!” I called after Ash as she quickly headed for the front door.

Returning my focus to Chem I shook my head. “I should be the one apologising,” I admitted, hanging my head in shame. “You shouldn’t ever judge someone for what they are, and I did that to you. You’ve had a whole week to do…anything. But you haven't. You’ve just been helping Lyra, or playing with Princess Twilight, or apparently telling stories to fillies in front of my house.”

Chem chuckled. “Well, I suppose I should accept that apology. I do accept it, but at the same time, it’s alright. You’re young, I imagine Discord scared the bejesus out of you… I can sense some trauma related to matters involving my kind from his actions. I asked him how things went with you discovering us.”

I nodded and scratched the back of my head with a hoof. “Um… Maybe a bit? That was really scary…”

“Do you think that just maybe, your fears are understandable, given that and then immediately having to escape a burning building due to some cultists summoning a fellow minor entity, which tried to kill you, only to later run into me?” Chem asked rhetorically. “I understand. And I hold no ill will. I’m glad I do not have to do anything to allay your fears of me having any desire to take over the world, or hurt anyone. I only ever liked that sort of thing in games, after all.”

“You’re right,” I agreed with a nod. “But I still should have payed more attention to the evidence.”

Chem smiled. “So, you’ll be more open in the future?”

“Yeah,” I replied simply.

“Good! Then you’ve learned an important life lesson. None of this was a real mistake,” he said happily.

I was about to reply when Chem suddenly froze for a moment, his eyes glancing over my shoulder, then back to me, but now looking about ten times more excited than a filly who got to have a Pinkie Pie catered birthday.

“Say, Sherbert… You’re a real ninja, right? It’s not just some fake martial arts title?” Chem asked hopefully.

“Shinobi,” I corrected reflexively. “But yeah, I went to a real academy. Why do you ask?”

More importantly, what are you looking at? You either stared off into space or Ash was absolutely correct and we had been followed all day. PLEASE be the former! There’s a filly within ten meters!

Chem beamed me a huge grin, “Do you happen to have a rival of any kind?”

No…

“I did. She’s dead,” I answered bluntly.

Chem nodded twice. “Mhm, mhm… So you could conceivably have a sibling seeking you out on a quest for revenge?” He prompted with way too much hope.

No-no-no…

“Um, well, yes. I could,” I said as the fur on the back of my neck began to tingle.

Please just be Chem wanting to start a game. Please just be Chem wanting to start a game. Please just be Chem wanting to start a game.

“Cool! There’s a ninja on the roof behind you and to your left giving you a death-glare. Can I stick around and watch the ninja battle?” Chem ask-stated with the most hopeful-geek look I’d ever seen in my life.

I spun around as much as the cart and harness would allow. Sure enough, lying flat against the rooftops, was a red and gold clad ninja in full gi. I recognised the flying horse dojo’s uniform instantly.

BUUUUUUUUCK!

I reached down to the bracelet on my left foreleg, opening the magic pocket inside to draw my blade. “THERE’S A FILLY HERE, IDIOT!” I snapped as I whipped the blade out.

“Oh! That’s what you call them,” Chem exclaimed in realization, still sporting the same simple smile.

“Protect her,” I said, rage evaporating into pure confusion at his casual attitude towards the FILLY IN DANGER OF-

Something bladed whistled through the air. I spun around, sweeping my blade up in front of me to deflect a projectile. I sliced air.

The blade wasn’t heading for me. It was heading for Aurora. And I’d already missed my chance to stop it.

Adnam'heir aka Chemical Fire - 5th of Plantation, 29 AE

Ponyville - Equestria

A heartbeat ago, I had been looking forward to a nice one on one ninja battle. I’d assumed with how silly this universe seemed that such a thing would be a high octane version of a GI Joe cartoon battle.

I had not expected the enemy to be the sort of monster who targets a child as their opening assault.

The ninja’s knife slammed into the air in front of Aurora, coming to a dead stop as it struck the defensive wards I’d placed around her. The wards appeared briefly, the intricate lines of the arcane sigils flaring bright green as the attack overloaded them, destroying the spells I had so carefully calibrated to keep her safe.

Safe in a normal scene. From cold. From heatstroke. From germs. They had not been rated for sustained combat.

Better not let the monster know her shields were gone.

I’d just finished those, you dick!

“Aurora is quite safe. Slay that monster, I’m going to make sure she doesn't see it,” I instructed, whirling around to grab the frightened child and-

Aurora had picked up the knife. She was scared, shaking, her eyes wide, but she had picked up the knife, and was holding it in that way every untrained person holds a knife to try and protect themselves.

I ran back over to the bench, hooves pounding against the cobblestones. I heard Sherbert run as well, presumably running for the rooftops.

“Oh, no!” The ninja called mockingly. “You spotted me, and I so tried to be hidden all day. I didn’t remotely intend for this to happen. Now I’m not going to get in trouble for KILLING YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO SAW ME!”

The venom in that voice… Wow. Methinks the mare doth subtle too little.

I scooped up Aurora and my cloak in one swift movement, pulling her off the bench and into my ~~arms~~ forelegs. “You’ll be safe, just hold still and don’t mess with my things,” I warned as I pulled at the walls of reality.

Most voidborn keep a realm for themselves. A universe cataloguing their history. That always seemed excessive to me. I kept a closet instead.

The air warped and rippled around the ‘closet door’ as I set Aurora inside.

“Thank you mister wizard, s-sir!” Aurora squeaked, looking at me with wide terrified eyes that held just a hint of budding courage.

I couldn’t help but smile. I loved this little-

My body registered a sharp pain in my left side. What in the blazes was that?

Oh. She threw a second knife. Mmm, poisoned too, judging by the organic matter coating the blade. Based on the trajectory… She’d been aiming for Aurora. Again.

“You’re going to regret that,” I said to the ninja despite her being too far away to hear me.

Aurora gasped in shock. I flexed a hoof and shifted the door into another spatial dimension, sealing it’s access by mortals, but keeping it accessible to myself. I might need a tool or two.

I slumped over, faking death by shutting my body off. The knife had punctured a lung after all, and learning what I could about a foe before striking was Lesson Number Seven.

I lay face down on the bench, listening to the fight taking place on the rooftop. The constant clash of steel on steel made me wonder exactly what was going on. I longed to abandon this body and watch… But the spells I’d wrought today meant replacing this body would be impossible.

Lyra’s subspace disruptor. Aurora’s protection spells. The time dilation so I could keep telling her stories. Accessing my closet… I was completely out of spare energy.

“I guess you guys are mad the Empress is purging your clan,” Sherbert shouted over the class of blades. “I’ll have to let her know at least one got away.”

“Ha! Why would I care about those week fools?” The ninja snapped in reply.

Something went bang. Not a proper explosion, more of a pop.

The enemy ninja appeared in front of me in a puff of white smoke. “You’re wizard friend’s dead, Sherbert, and this whole street is sealed by magic. No one gets in, no one gets out. It’s just you and me!” She taunted, grinning like a savage behind her mask.

Mmm, yes. I was starting to see the full picture. This was a psychopath, one who played by no rules other than ‘survival of the most brutal’.

Sherbert teleported, her magic leaving a neat little ripple in the nutrieno rain. “Who are you?” She asked, holding her naginata out defensively. “Mai’s sister? Cousin? I’m sorry I killed her, but she was-”

She reached up, and ripped off her mask revealing….

A completely ordinary looking yellow furred red maned pegasus mare! Boo. I’d been hoping for a skull face.

GET OVER HERE! And all that.

Sherbert screeched in terror, nearly dropping her weapon as her eyes widened more than I could possibly imagine. “Y-you’re dead!”

Despite being dead myself, I raised an eyebrow at that remark.

The ninja (presumably Mai) grinned savagely, and lunged forwards, swinging the ball end of her sickle-flail thingie. Sherbert just barely managed to avoid getting her naginata snared by the chain, leaving herself open for the sickle, which she avoided with a quick flip and a teleport behind Mai.

Mai seemed to know where her foe had gone and spun with unnatural speed to block Sherbert’s desperate overhead chop.

“I just went away for a while, bitch,” Mai spat. “I’ll never die. But you? Heh!”

I raised my other eyebrow. Was she bullshitting or…

I ‘squinted’ focusing all of my senses on the monster I saw before me. The monster which was saturated with void stuff. Mmm, yes. A psychopath likely killed by that cult Discord took care of who was ritualistically raised as a supernatural regenerating butcher or something like that. A shame that my kin’s power can be invoked by any who know their names.

A double shame that some of their names can be stumbled upon by accident…

Sherbert swung her blade again, and again, entering a desperate series of fairly advanced looking moves as she did her best to kill the monster before her. Each of her slices ended in a shower of sparks as Mai turned her blade aside with supernatural ease. Toying with her.

Yeah. Okay. You like to toy with opponents less skilled than you eh? Well… I have a thing for that.

Maybe. Hopefully. He sort of hates me.

I focused my consciousness, moving it through my hidden yet still open closet door. Aurora was being a good girl, and sitting just inside, having not touched anything. She wasn’t frightened anymore either.

Good! She felt safe.

Moving away from the entrance I ‘flew’ deeper and deeper into my closet. Past my old costumes, past the keepsakes from my old mortal friends, and to the section I’d reserved for those objects I couldn’t bear to let die with their universes at heat death.

Endless weapons, hosts of armor, books, scrolls, disks, and hard drives galore. A million little things each one as precious to me as gold. Indeed, gold adorned many of my treasures. The simple artistic value of the pieces within this section of my little closet was truly a king’s ransom.

If I sold the jewels, gold, silver, and other refined rare materials here I could do as I pleased on any mortal world of any technological level. The treasures of a thousand universes long dead. A hoard the envy of any dragon. Which is why these things remained here as keepsakes. Using them in any way would be cheating at the game.

But this wasn’t a game. This was life. And she tried to kill a child.

I floated up to a simple cruciform sword which hung on the wall. It’s hilt was plain, wrapped with black strip sof leather. The pommel was decorated with a single red stone; nothing fancy, just a humble carnelian. All in all, a very plain sword, the sort any warrior might be seen carrying. Though the blade did sparkle very nicely.

I placed a ‘hand’ on the hilt.

<Unhand me, villain!> He shouted, his voice as impressive and properly heroic as ever.

<Now now, just because your reincarnation’s grandson killed me while I was being a Pirate King doesn't make me a villain at present,> I refuted.

This guy… Every time. Hopefully this time He’d actually let me wield his blade.

<I tire of your trickery, Darkness. Remove my sword from your vault so it might be found by another and we may do battle once more. Our war will not stop until one of us is truly dead. That was our arrangement!> He reminded me, radiating outrage at my resistance.

<It’s been more seasons that you can possibly comprehend,> I sighed. <I am no longer the evil you knew. Not all universes have good and evil as physical forces. Most places allow people to change their hearts.>

<So you have said before. But how can I put faith in something I have never seen?> The warrior asked, as always. <If you do speak true, many good souls have held my sword in the past. Those I made my champions were few, even amongst their number. Why would I lend my strength to someone who once held evil in their heart? Even if->

I directed his attention out the closet towards the fight. Sherbert was backing away from an increciously ferocious onslaught. Mai’s sickle flashed and twinkled sinisterly as it cut the air, drawing ever closer to Sherbert’s throat.

<If a young hero is about to die at the hands of a monster my kin created?> I asked hoping to prompt him to action.

The warrior was silent for a moment. <Granted, I would absolutely have charged in to save the day in life. But a warrior must face their own challenges or they are no warrior at- By the dark forest, is that a child?!>

<WHAT!?>

I wheeled around to look for myself.

Aurora had gotten out! Somehow she’d gotten out! HOW!? I’d only turned my back for a minute!

The little filly was charging unsteadily on her hind legs, the large knife wielded in both hooves like a sword, her wings outstretched for balance. Grim determination and fear filled her tiny eyes. It didn’t take a psychic to know her every thought was simply ‘Make the bad guy go away’.

<SHE CAN NOT BE HARMED!> I bellowed, ripping the sword off the wall. <YOU WILL ASSIST ME!>

<This once, I shall!> The warrior agreed.

Sherbert - 5th of Plantation, 29 AE

Ponyville - Equestria

How is she alive!?!

I parried her strike with the middle of my naginata haft. The wood chipped and splintered. Not even an earth pony should have been able to chop into the magically hardened wood, but she did.

How is she alive!?!

My heart felt like it was beating one long single beat. But I knew it had to be pumping faster than fast. Cuz I couldn’t think. I couldn’t focus. Magic was out of the question. All my moves were instinctive. Muscle memory struggling to keep me alive.

Alive, how is she alive!?! Chem wasn't alive. Her poison had killed him. Or at least his body. I didn’t know how long it would take him to come back. I was on my own fighting a ghost!

I’d turned Mai into mud. I’d snapped. I felt every last blow. I’d seen what I’d done to her. This was her. I knew it was her! HOW IS SHE ALIVE!?

Mai’s smug face laughed as she whirled the ball end of her kusarigama, swinging the weapon in a savage arc towards my head. My body ducked, instinct again saving me. But dooming my weapon.

The chain wrapped around my nagainata’s haft at long last. Mai cackled and with a savage yank, ripped the weapon from my hooves.

How? How can she be here?

Her eyes burned with a monstrous glee as she flung my weapon away with a casual flick of her forelegs. “I knew this would work, Sherbert,” Mai said through her grin. “I didn’t kill you the first time because of your stupid aunt. I didn’t kill you the second time because of your silly little powers. But this time?”

Mai raised her kama, the blade twinkled as the moonlight danced along the edge.

Mai smirked even wider as she winked at me. “We all know that the third time is the-”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” A tiny voice roared in an equal mix of terror and heroism.

Something hard hit something wet with a thump. Mai screamed in pain.

The scream snapped me back to reality just enough to see the filly Chem had been talking to. Her hooves gripping the handle of the knife that had been thrown at her, which was now embedded a good inch or so into Mai’s back.

Mai whirled around, the knife wrenched out of the little Pegasus’s grip. Mai sneered at her, adjusting her kama’s aim. “You little brat! I just regrew that kidney last week!”

“NO!” I screamed, lunging forwards as her blade fell.

Her sickle flashed. The filly’s eyes locked onto her blade. I saw the murderous edge reflected in her purple eyes.

I didn’t need to tell my magic what to do. My hoof launched forwards, propelled by the wave of arcane power now coursing through my veins. I grabbed hold of Mai’s leg as her blade reached the filly’s ear, clipping a full centimeter off the tip before stopping just above her skull. I’d done it!

Mai growled in rage, her muscles bunching as she moved to retaliate.

The filly didn’t make a sound. She didn't pass out. I don’t think she even knew she’d been cut.

I rammed my other forehoof into the small of Mai’s back, and fell over backwards, throwing her away from the jade filly.

“RUN!” I screamed at her.

“No! She killed my friend!” The little filly anger-sobed.

I didn't have time for this! Mai was going to be back on her hooves any second now. I turned around, raising my hooves and clearing my mind as much as I could. Hoof to hoof against blade NEVER worked in the unarmed pony’s favor. This was going to hurt before I had a chance to wi… Win?

A strange scene unfolded before me.

Chem’s corpse stood up right, and then reared up into a bipedal stance, bones popping and crunching as he rearranged his joints. The knife in his side pushed outwards, clattering to the cobblestones. His eyes opened, focusing on Mai with a hatred I couldn’t even fathom.

“I- but… That poison counteracts magic!” Mai stammered, more than a little confused.

“Rule number twenty five,” Chem intoned, his glare intensifying. “Some heros can not be defeated simply by making them die.”

“YAY!” The filly shouted.

“Then I’ll just have to keep killing you till you stay down!” Mai screamed, reaching into her gi and drawing a wakizashi.

Why am I standing still!? I have a chance to grab my naginata! I turned, looking around the street for my weapon.

There! It had been flung next to my cart. Fifteen meters away. I could make that.

I ran towards my cart. Mai turned, hearing me move. She cursed, starting to turn to intercept me.

Chem’s angry glare deepened to unnatural proportions, contorting into a look that no pony’s face could ever possibly make. It was a look with lifetimes of hatred in it. Focused hatred. A hatred of all evil mixed with extreme self loathing. The look of an evil being which wished for nothing more than to destroy every monster like itself.

My body refused to move as I learned what ‘scared stiff’ really means.

“Rule number one hundred and five: Never, EVER, HURT THE LITTLE ORPHAN GIRL A REFORMED VILLAIN LIKES!” Chem bellowed, slamming his hooves together, producing a flash of white light which he pulled apart, transforming the white light into a blazing bar which became a sword. “DEFEND YOURSELF, MONSTER”

That sword! It looked so ordinary on the outside, but glowed with so much magic it hurt to look at!

Mai raised her wakizashi defensively. She couldn’t see it. She was a pegasus, not a unicorn. She lacked the arcane scenes to know that blade was- Sisters knew what it was other than bucking TERRIFYING!

Mai swung her wakizashi, seeking a preemptive strike. Chem’s longsword flicked downwards, intercepting her strike with absolutely perfect technique. The parry was effortless, perfectly effective, and took seemingly no effort. It was a parry performed by a true master who had spent their lifetime doing nothing but practicing the sword.

And Chem hadn’t performed it.

He hadn’t moved the sword.

I could see them now, the little tendrils of magic flowing from the sword through Chem’s body from the sword. The sword with an aura as bright as an especially powerful pony, like Twilight before her ascension… That blade was alive, and it wielded you.

Mai flicked her blade again, testing Chem’s defense. His sword remained still, ignoring her feint. Mai took a step back and threw a proper cut, slicing upwards seeking to cut Chem from hip to shoulder. The sword barely moved, intercepting the cut so effortlessly it made her well practiced strike look clumsy.

I turned to resume my sprint for my weapon, Chem seemed content to use that magic sword to humiliate or terrify her. But someone needed to be able to defend the poor little-

The filly looked up at me, unstable wobbling as she holding the end of my naginata up for me to take. “I got your sword-stick for you,” she informed helpfully.

“Uh, thanks,” I said uncertainty, taking the weapon from her little hooves.

What even was this filly?!

Chem’s face retained the same grim look as the sword threw his first cut, a simple side flick of the blade. Mai turned, parraying the strike amid a shower of sparks and a horrible shriek of metal on metal as Chem’s sword cut into Mai’s.

He CUT into her SWORD! Not through it, but the deep gouge in the blade was visible from the moment the blades parted. He’d chopped a quarter of the way through it…

“W-what is this horseapples!?” Mai squeaked.

“This is the blade which protected a peaceful people against countless evils for untold millenia, each worse than you by far,” Chem informed. “Inside it’s starmetal blade is the soul of a great warrior whose knowledge and experience spans each and every person to ever wield it in his name over the countless ages. He hates evil even more than I. Particularly the kind that hurts children. Like you!”

I felt two waves of determined righteous fury emanate from Chem. Both he and the sword were in agreement. The monster would die, and regret it’s evils before it did.

This had to end now. A filly was watching.

“Cover your eyes,” I said aloud.

To my surprise, she obeyed.

Taking a deep breath to focus myself, I widened my stance and swung my blade. I felt it bite into flesh, and bone. Mai’s headless body remained standing for a moment, then toppled over, falling to the ground with a wet thud.

Chem remained silent for a moment, then looked at me with pure gratitude in his eyes.

“Thank you… I can keep one person’s hatred of monsters in check. I can’t keep two,” he sighed wearily, turning the blade to look at it. “I don't think I want to wield you again even if you’ll let me. But I will honor our arrangement. I’ll put you somewhere for a real hero to find.”

He flexed his hoof, and the sword vanished in a flash of white light. Hopefully returning to where it came from instead of going to some random place.

I flinched slightly. “Uh, is that the best id-”

Chem and I yelped in shock as Mai’s body began to boil, dissolving into a puddle of liquid. The pool quickly dissipated, vanishing into nothingness as it evaporated into a cloud of dull yellow smoke. I swore I saw some pattern or symbol in the cloud as it twisted and rolled before vanishing completely. Judging by the terrified look on his face, Chem did too.

“OH FUCK ALL KINDS OF DUCK!” Chem yelped, his tail standing upright.

Wait, did he just swear? That was the first time I’d heard him swear. This couldn’t possibly be good.

Chem raced over to and grabbed me by the shoulders, looking me dead in the eyes. “Did discord find ANY trace of Voidborn in this reality when you purged that cult!? DID HE SAY THERE WAS ANY THREAT BESIDES THEM!?” He demanded with impossible urgency.

“N-No!” I stammered. “He said we got everything! It was just some minor thing? Why?! What’s wrong!?”

“THa- that… her… It’s signature, I…” Chem closed his eyes and took a few rapid breaths. “You are SO FORTUNATE that group didn’t make it past a cult because that… THING was made using the King’s power. Discord would know if he were here. He’d have to. All your gods would have to, there’s no way they could miss the presence of a true Great Old One.”

“I- um… S-so that’s the-” I gulped nervously. “The ones I thought you were?”

“HAHAHAHA, no!” Chem laughed in genuine terror. “That’s the kind which eat that kind! Dodged a bullet! Ow… Heart stopped. Always wondered what heart attacks felt like. This really sucks.”

Eats… That… Kind…

One moment.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Okay. There. Got it all out of my system silently.

“STOP SCREAMING IN THE STREET!” Somepony yelled from their window. “Foals are trying to SLEEP!”

Oops...

I looked at Chem, completely pale and thoroughly terrified. “What do we do?”

“Nothing. It’s fine. Just some of his power used here-” Chem said pausing as she noticed the filly’s clipped ear, and calmly picking the severed tip up with his magic and sticking it back on. “- Sorry Aurora, let me just put that back for you.”

She tilted her head. “S-stick what back on?”

“A bit of your ear. It’s fine now. Don’t worry. Anyways, as I was saying, some of his power was channeled by a cult which was purged. We’re fine. It’s all fine. You go home and live your life. I need to go back to Lyra and get her to make some more Void Snares just in case any of my kin ever actually DO come here,” Chem babbled worriedly.

Aurora squirmed next to me, looking more than a little afraid herself. “U-Um… W-will you be here t-tomorrow? Like you said?” She asked worriedly.

Chem shook his head. “No.”

Aurora’s ears feel like her joy had been sucked into a black hole.

“I didn’t finish,” Chem said. “Giving you luck boosters and wards is no longer an option. You’re coming with me. I’m not letting you live on your own when monsters like that exist in this world.”

“Okay,” the little pegasus said with a relieved flutter of her wings.

“Wait, she’s homeless?” I asked worriedly. “Are you SURE?”

Chem shook his head. “Not anymore she’s not.”

“I’m not?!” Aurora yelled in a half panic.

“You’re not. You’re living with me,” Chem clarified, the little filly relaxing immensely. “I’ll see Twilight tomorrow to take care of this officially. You go home and get sleep if you can… I’ll look into seeing if she’s truly dead or if she will reincarnate again as soon as possible. We need to remove any trace of the King in Yellow from this universe permanently. Understood?”

I nodded. “Understood.”

Shouldering my naginata I stumbled towards my door, legs just now starting to throb with pain from a few strikes Mai’s flail had got in on me which I hadn’t noticed in the heat of battle.

As I turned the doorknob to go inside, the worst thought occured to me. I’d thought Mai was dead or gone and this was all over twice before. It couldn’t be. It wouldn’t be.

Call me paranoid but this was far from over.

Like Mai had tried to say, third time’s the charm.

12 - The Unspeakable

View Online

Lyra Heartstrings - 6th of Plantation, 29 AE

Lyra’s Apartment, Deck 13, USS Phoenix - Phoenix

There’s a phrase which describes an event that is so far removed from what seemed possible and expected, and has such a huge impact on something, that the world can never be the same again. A Black Swan Event.

Starswirl the Bearded discovery of the Laws of Time.

The North Eastern Dragon Flight deciding to stop being migratory and settling down to form the nation of Drake.

The founding of Equestria creating the Fires of Friendship and uniting the Pony Tribes.

Clover the Clever creating the first two Alicorns.

Three silly fillies digging a friendly Old One out of the ice.

I carefully nudged the copper coil, ensuring it would stay in place before closing up the junction box. This circuit was ready to go.

“Everything’s fine here,” I called to Sky.

Sky grunted in annoyance, his upper body hidden by the bulk of the secondary emitter. “You’re SUPER sure? I don't want to have my whole home town disintegrate if this malfunctions. A LOT of power is going to be contained in this thing,” he said with a heaping tablespoon of worry.

“Yeah. This circuit is fine,” I repeated.

It was. I triple checked it, and Chem hadn’t handed me blueprints for this thing. He’d burned them into my brain. Building it was as easy as breathing for me. Chem refused to tell me how to do this any other way.

‘There’s zero room for error due to the possibility of devouring a block of spacetime if it’s not properly directed at the immaterium. I can only help with the first two stages of construction. After that, there’s a high risk I could be killed by interacting with the device. The knowledge must be second nature to you,’ he’d warned.

If this thing worked, with the flip of a switch I’d undo the curse by literally eating the Nightmare causing it. It’s pseudo-sentience would end, and all that power would be mine. Exactly like what happened to Luna, except without the Nightmare agreeing to the process.

In about thirty minutes, at around one ten in the morning, a unicorn would ascend to a higher form of existence because three mares dug a friendly Old One out of the ice.

If that’s not a Black Swan, I don’t know what is.

What would I even do with my powers when I had them?

“Okay, this emitter is to spec,” Sky said, backing out of the hardware and closing it’s access panel. “Everything's exactly how you said it needs to be. At least, as far as my multimeter can measure.”

Good things, obviously. I’d do good things. Like help ponies break curses.

Speaking of curses… How exactly did this one’s logic work? Why could Sky check the system before I used it, but couldn’t help me build it, nor did any of his prior attempts work?

My ears fell as I realized the machine might fail. That would definitely allow him to help. If this just didn’t work.

NO!

This would work.

We’d be together again for breakfast today. End of story!

“I wish you’d tell me how this thing works,” Sky grumbled as he popped open the third and final emitter’s case to inspect it. “I mean, you know, exactly how it works.”

“I um, I really actually can’t do that,” I admitted bashfully.

It was true. I knew how to make it. Not what it did.

“Not a word more than that half-a-summery you gave me before?” Sky asked nervously, his multimeter beeping as he checked a technocrane circuit.

Thirty years… All that time had made me possibly the foremost expert on Dream Magic next to Luna herself. I had no idea how this thing worked.

“Well, no. I can tell you what I do know again,” I offered as I began my own inspection of the secondary crystalline amplifier.

I knew that the energy went into the big glowing green rock, which made the emitters go… I’d explained it in more technical magey terms but that was it. Chem wasn’t keen on spreading knowledge that could maybe be made into a spell which could be used to kill him.

I couldn’t blame him for that.

“I remember everything,” Sky grumbled. “I don’t like poking at tech I don’t understand. Last time I did something like this I was still just a Crewman. We were fixing up Tilk’s medbay. A friend of mine spent a week as a mare because I activated an auto-doc by accident.”

I couldn’t help but snicker. “Wait, really?” I asked, biting my lip to hold in the laugh which was desperately trying to escape.

“Yeah. Not a fun time for any one involved,” he grumbled, his multimeter beeping again. “There’s a reason we don’t have those here anymore. It was programmed to perform a gastric bypass.”

Wait… “Uh-”

“On a human female,” Sky continued. “Which he wasn’t. So it made him one, because it decided there must be more problems. THEN it preformed a gastric bypass. Took forever to get the stupid thing to undo it. The whole system died for good when we decommissioned the old AI core.”

“Well, this is simpler than a starship,” I remarked cheerfully.

“Mhm… And it’s not a WMD,” Sky agreed. “But it’s a big thing that’s using stellar output levels of power according to you. Anything like that can easily become a disaster.”

I nodded, then made a very very slight adjustment to the crystal amp with my telekinesis, rotating it just a tenth of a degree clockwise.

“Well, that’s why we’re doing this triple check. For example, I just fixed a slight misalignment of an amplifier,” I reported.

“Good!” Sky called back. “This emitter is also to spec.”

I nodded and continued my inspection.

“But the real point of my story was that even if a machine is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do, it may not do what you want it to do,” Sky added as he closed the emitter panel.

I looked up at him and opened my mouth to reply when the doorbell rang. Two simple beeps, followed by a pleasant synthesized female voice announcing, “Miss Heartstrings, Bonbon is at the door.”

Oh my goodness! She could watch everything end! This would be prefect we’d hug as soon as I did the thing.

I gingerly stepped over the quartz slurry pipe, careful not to knock it loose from the tangled mess of weirdly organic looking hardware which had grown to consume my living room and made my way to my apartment's door. I immediately hit the door release, smiling even before they finished opening, the sliding doors revealing Bonbon’s face.

“Hi, Bon! It will just be like, a half hour, okay? You can come in though!” I said eagerly, my tail swishing behind me.

Then I noticed Bonbon looked upset.

“W-what’s the matter?” I asked, my excitement turning to worry.

“Can I come in?” Bonbon asked with a sigh. “This isn’t a conversation for the hallway.”

Oh.

I see.

The curse was compelling her to stop me. I understand.

Wait, how did she even know?

“Only if you Pinkie Promise not to break the machine,” I said firmly, moving myself to fill more of the doorway than I had before.

Bon nodded, a hurt look in her eyes. “It doesn't affect me that much, Lyra. But, I understand. I won't break it. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

I gave her a satisfied nod and stepped back, gesturing for her to enter. Bonbon trotted inside, the doors closing behind her.

I felt a pang of guilt as I realized this was maybe the tenth time Bonbon had been in my apartment without having tagged along with anypony else I knew. After the first year without her I just… I couldn’t bear to be alone near her. Everything we had lost…

I could handle it with others nearby. We still had fun as friends. Just not fun alone together.

Not that we were really alone together right now. Sky was here. But it was almost like we were alone with how deeply hidden in the Void Syphon he was right now.

“I’m sorry we don't just hang out much anymore,” I apologised. “I- Getting this far took a lot of time and… Focus.”

“It’s fine,” Bonbon dismissed with a wave of her hoof.

I knew that had to be the curse, but my heart still felt like it had been punched.

Blinking the tears out of my eyes, I nodded to the tiny square of couch left visible under the intestines-like maze of pipes and tubing. “Have a seat?” I offered.

Bonbon nodded and trotted, over, taking a seat on the couch.

“Vinyl told me about… This,” Bonbon said as she waved a hoof at the machine. “This completely stupid idea!”

I nodded to myself, a grim look on my face. “It’s okay, Bon. I know that’s not you talking.”

“IT SO BUCKING IS!” Bonbon snapped, jumping up from the couch, her ears laying flat. “This is EASILY the dumbest idea you’ve had since you tried to live in that human costume Sky made you!”

I rolled my eyes. “Chem’s not evil. He’s clearly friendly, and could have killed us all by now if he wasn’t. I trust his designs. This WILL work!” I said with a firm nod.

“Oh, my, Celestia, that’s the entire problem!” Bon said, slapping a hoof to her face.

I raised an eyebrow. “This isn't you talking. The curse will be gone in half an hour. I promise.”

“Or, you could NOT be a total idiot and it will be gone in three hundred years,” Bonbon said with a groan. “Not even that much anymore! Just two hundred seventy. At the MOST! It could be gone right now for all you know!

“Even with all your fancy new spells, discoveries, and ability to see the Dream Realm’s… stuff, YOU DIDN’T HAVE ANY MEASUREMENTS OF THE NIGHTMARE'S POWER TO BEGIN WITH!”

Okay, admittedly, that was a good point. However…

I walked over to the side of the completely buried couch and sat down on the floor, hoping that sitting would help me remain more calm.

“That’s true, yeah. But if it is gone now, you could easily prove it. Give me a kiss, or a hug, or anything!” I begged, pleading at her with my eyes.

Bonbon winced, her lips pulling back in that distinct look of disgust any straight mare gave you if you flirted with them.

“See? Not gone,” I pointed out with a sad sigh. “And every day without you hurts.”

“And binding a Nightmare to yourself is a really really really really really really really dumb idea!” Bonbon retorted with an eye twitch. “I think it might even be the dumbest thing you COULD do! Remember what happened the last time a Nightmare was bound to a reasonably powerful mage? Here’s a hint, ATTEMPTED ETERNAL NIGHT!”

I took a deep breath. “Luna didn’t have a friendly Old One’s help with her-”

“A WHAT?!” Sky yelped from inside the Void Siphon.

Bonbon looked over in surprise. “Oh! Uh, hi, Sky. This is a bit awkward…” Bonbon siad with a slight blush. “Uh, Chem isn't actually a mortal. He’s sort of an Eldritch person, not really an Old One. Just a ‘person from beyond’. I’m sorry, I know this is awkward but I need to keep yelling at Lyra before she doom’s us all.”

“He’s totally cool, Twilight checked,” I added.

“A WHAT?!” Sky repeated, sounding like he was a bit mentally shut down.

“Sky will back me on this once he’s done panicking,” Bonbon said with a short nod. “Lyra, you can’t do this! Maybe you CAN pull the Nightmare into one entity again instead of the curse with this thing, but it might fail to contain it, or merge it with you. There’s all sorts of dangers!”

“If it fails to merge it with me then we have a Dream Catcher set up to snare it. Then I’ll be able to kill it,” I said with a smug grin. “Chem and I thought of that.”

Bonbon gave me a look of total horror. “Lyra, no!” She squeaked. “That thing worked when you were DREAMING of a Nightmare! You’ve never tested it out on a Nightmare that wasn’t inside your head!”

“Yeah, well, there’s nothing which says it should work differently. It’s a zone. It’s not targeting my head or anything,” I grumbled, giving Bonbon a hurt look. “Which of us has thirty years of experience with Dream Magic? I know what I am doing with anti-Nightmare countermeasures.”

Bonbon facehooved, “Lyra, if you do this you either wind up becoming a new Nightmare Moon, or you won't even be a pony anymore. Don’t do it!”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “There’s like a five percent chance of me being controlled by the Nightmare and if that happens Twilight will sort it out. She always does,” I answered. “As for the other option, I don’t care what I am as long as we can be together. I need you, Bonbon.”

Bonbon’s face twitched in a way I’d only seen once before. She was beyond pissed. Super pissed. Ultra-mega-maxi-pissed. At me.

“LYRA!” She growled, giving me a death glare. “I swear to every Princess, Discord, and everyone in his entire family, if you do this I will NEVER forgive you! The curse is NOT permanent, and we’re immortal. We can wait it out.

“What’s more, if you’re THIS desperate to be in a relationship with me again after nearly thirty years of being apart- I, Lyra, it’s like day one still. You’re still completely and totally- I just-”

Bonbon took a deep breath to focus herself. “Lyra, if you’re still this torn up about a temporary separation, your love for me can’t possibly be healthy!”

This time I couldn’t keep back the tears as my heart was punched.

“D-don’t say that,” I whimpered, looking down so she couldn't see my cry.

“I’m serious!” Bonbon insisted. “Lyra, you need help. Real help. Go see a therapist before you use this stupid thing! Because with how obsessed you are with me, I just… If you’re really so co-dependent that you’d mutate yourself to be with me again, then us being together is a terrible terrible idea. ESPECIALLY since we could conceivably be together for thousands of years.

“Get. Help. First. For me.”

That had to be the curse. That couldn’t be her talking. That could never ever be her talking.

Please, universe, don’t let that be her. Please.

My damaged heart began to burn with anger as tears streamed down my face. I stood up, nostrils flared.

“I’m in a machine an Old One designed,” Sky muttered worriedly. “In a room with angry lady vampires yelling about relationship problems… Nope…”

The sight of Sky carefully creeping out from the machine, moving like he was playing a game of ‘the floor is nitroglycerin’, was almost enough to make me laugh even as mad as I was.

Almost.

“Bonbon,” I said as calmly as I could. “What we had was everything to me. No one else ever cared about me before you. My mom is actually evil, my dad was too broken by her to care about me as a filly. Only you cared! You’re the reason I didn’t wind up in juvie, or committed suicide, or wound up in any other one of a hundred different bad ends in high school.

“No shit I don’t want to live without you! YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO ME!”

The doorbell chimed twice. “Miss Lyra, Vinyl Scratch is at the door.” The door announced emotionlessly.

“Tell her to wait!” I snapped. “We’re having an argument.”

A heartbeat passed.

“Commanding Officer’s Override Accepted,” the door informed as it hissed open, revealing an extremely worried looking Vinyl.

“Oh, buck... I’m way too late,” she moaned, closing her eyes tightly as she saw Bon and I at each other's throats.

“TELL HER THIS IS STUPID!” Bonbon screamed, her eyes flooded with range and worry.

“It is stupid, but there’s no way any of us will talk her out of it, or stop her!” Vinyl retorted, her voice hardened and in full blown Captain mode. “Stand down and return to position!”

“Position?” I asked, slowly turning my head to look Vinyl in the eyes.

“The rest of us are stationed just outside the Phoenix. In case things go wrong. And we need to stop you,” Vinyl admitted slowly. “Luna’s orders.”

My eyes twitched as I snapped back to face Bonbon. “SEE?! There’s fail safes set up that I didn’t even think to do! It’s perfectly fine!”

Bon took a breath, about to explode. Vinyl ran forwards and pushed us apart from one another.

“As your Knight Captain I order you two to be quiet!” Vinyl shouted.

HOW DARE YOU-

“DON'T TURN IT ON!” Someone screamed from down the hallway.

Great! MORE JERKS!

“FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER RELIGION’S DEITY YOU HAVE DON'T TURN IT ON! IT ONLY WORKS ONCE PER DEVICE!” The voice screamed again.

Wait… That was Chem.

Chem exploded through the doorway, panting heavily, his body dripping with sweat, cloak billowing behind him extra dramatically, a small jade colored pegasus filly riding in a saddle on his back. Somehow sleeping despite the movement, noise, and general chose around-

SISTERS! NO ONE TOLD HIM RIDING WITH A SADDLE IS A BONDAGE THING!

“Chem-using-a-saddle-makes-riding-sexual-and-she’s-WAY-underage!” I blurted rapidly, ears standing upright in alarm.

“THAT’S STUPID!” Chem yelped, rearing up to wave his forelegs in panicked random flails for… some...reason? “WE HAVE A BIGGER PROBLEM! DON'T TURN IT ON!”

Somehow the filly stayed on his back.

Oh. Right. She had a saddle.

“What’s wrong?” I asked with a wince. “Did you make a mistake in the design?”

“That’s the Old One,” Sky squeaked as Chem filled the doorway. “Uh, Hi-hi… I um… I’m gonna go. Can I go? Please?”

The doors hissed shut at long last as Chem looked over at the control box. “Oh thank all the holy things that ever holied it’s not powered on yet!” He laughed hystaric-terrifiedly. “The King! Your universe has The King in it! Gotta stop!”

“What king?” Vinyl asked, her face scrunching up with worry.

Chem’s eyes flicked across the room, and locked onto Sky’s toolbelt. “You! Mechanic pone! We need to recalibrate the Void Syphon,” he instructed. “The Unspeakable King in Yellow is on your planet, right now! Big problem! BIGGEST PROBLEM!”

Sky’s ears flopped back to the maximum possible point. “Uhhh, y-you’re an Old One.”

“Outer God, technically. Not really. Never achieved full power. Don’t care to. Old Ones are worse. HE’S ONE! We NEED to stop him, NOW! We’ll have to make adjustments to the emitters and the main coils. Have knowledge, Mechanic Pone!”

Chem reached out and tapped Sky’s head, a small green spark leaping from his hoof to Sky’s head.

Sky nodded once. “Okay, doing the thing now,” he said turning immediately around to make the adjustments.

“W-what did you show him?” Bonbon and I asked Chem with wide, frightened eyes.

“I showed him what The King did to a universe I was in,” Chem laughed nervously. “And showed him how to target him with the syphon so we don't all die horrible horrible deaths!”

“WHAT KING ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?” I snapped, my left eye twitching.

Chem wheeled around to face me, a look of pure panic in his eyes. “HASTUR, YOU F- UUUUUUUUUCK!” He screeched, immediately slamming his head into the floor. “I SAID HIS NAME! WHY DID I SAY HIS NAME!?!”

Someone knocked on the door three times.

“The King has arrived,” the door announced reverently.

It wasn’t programed to go off for knocks…

Adnam'heir aka Chemical Fire - 6th of Plantation, 29 AE

Lyra’s Apartment, Deck 13, USS Phoenix - Phoenix

What have I done?

I broke the first rule of stealth. That’s what.

Curse my very name!

I know why I did it, but it is not forgivable. Even as an accident. It matters not that I am unused to experiencing fear. It matters not that I can count the times I have been afraid for my own life on one human hand. I doomed us all.

In the impossible circumstance there may be a way out, it is my duty to save everyone.

But what can I possibly do?

I could see his presence in the room already. True Old Ones don’t need their avatars to affect change. Only their attention and will. The King’s power saturated the entire room, reaching out with invisible tentacles (What is it with most of my kind and tentacles?) to grab everyone and hold them in place.

Conscious. Aware. Completely Paralyzed.

I was free. I could act. Because he knew there wasn’t anything I could do to hurt him one on one.

The doors slid open, pushed aside by his will, their gears protesting with a metallic shriek he modified to sound like a woman’s scream in the distance.

His choice of Avatar was very very interesting. The King in Yellow normally appeared as a vaguely humanoid figure in a yellow robe sprouting tendrils. Here, he appeared as a pony.

The most bland, featureless, forgettable pony you've ever seen. He didn’t have a single memorable or notable feature. His only memorable features were a simple black three piece suit, and the most unsettling yellow tie I’d ever seen, complete with a tie tack fashioned from yellowed bronze in the shape of his Sign.

So that’s how he was undetected by Discord. I’d tried to tell the Chaos God Hastur was loose. He hadn’t believed me. This world’s God of War could sense nothing amiss, nor could the others. I had to be mistaken.

Poor optimists.

His Sign… He’d found a way to miniaturize it. Last I recalled the glyph needed to be a meter in diameter to work. All actions were concealed from local divinity's sight right now. Could I use that in any way?

And then I looked past the King’s body and found the true horror of the day. Beyond the unassuming pony’s form was nothing. True nothing. The void, in all it’s not-black darkness.

We were no longer on Equis. The entire room had been transported, or seamlessly replaced by a construct. I couldn’t tell which.

The King adjusted his tie with a hoof, and walked inside, the doors shutting behind him. “Good morning,” he greeted in a manner both conversational and smug. “Miss Heartstrings, Miss Scratch, Miss Drops, Doctor Trigger, The Nameless Darkness, I do believe this is the first time we’ve met.

“No need to introduce yourselves, this gathering will be quite short. Besides, I do not intent to allow you agency.”

By the Void, Chem, you NEED to think of something! He’s toying with us. As usual. We have some time. But a plan! I need a plan. Winging it will make things worse.

“You may or may not know me,” the King continued, slowly circling the room, casually inspecting the Void Syphon as if he were merely amused by it. “I am a simple businessman, performing simple business. Your... Companion? Patreon? We’ll go with friend.

“Your friend was so kind as to utter my name so I do not feel the need to repeat it. As for my business, I am afraid that by associating with young Darkness you have all become obstacles in my path. Ones I am going to remove.”

I could open a gate back to Equis beneath everyone and- No. No he could redirect us back here. He’s adept in dimensional travel too. Perhaps I could open a gate into the heart of an ancient star as a distraction then-

No. I don’t have the power to shield everyone against that. BLAST!

Why, oh why did I not leave Aurora with Discord?!

I could feel the terror and panic radiating off my friends. The King was absorbing some of it, lightly snacking. I could feed on terror too… Maybe, if I kept him talking long enough, I’d have enough energy to protect them.

He’d sense what I was doing. But what other choice did I have?

I opened myself up to their fear, taking it in as quickly as I could.

“Let them go,” I demanded. “I did not gift any of them with occult knowledge aside from instructions for this machine. I will delete that knowledge from their minds and they will be no threat to you. You can then do to me as you will.”

The King chuckled, turning to face me with a smile. “While I rarely indulge in mortal emotions, I find fear too delicious to not partake in when I have due cause. Besides, the good Doctor is a business rival of mine. They will die. Painfully, as I make you watch.

“It’s so sad you wasted your life caring for these things, child. Your father would have cared about you if you spent your time properly.”

Ah, yes. Child. It’s odd he would think that word of all things would insult me.

Wait a moment…

“Erm, we don’t have parents,” I said with a skeptical eyebrow.

He chuckled, sparing me a mocking glance before turning to inspect Lyra in detail, as if she were a statue.

“You naive little child,” he mocked. “As dimwitted as the toys you play with. Perhaps that is why you like them.”

“Better a child than a monster,” I declared boldly, hoping to keep him talking.

Especially if he’d explain what he meant by parentage. Was he implying the Void had a consciousness? That could be possible.

The King looked up at me and rolled his eyes drolly.

“Monster? Please,” he said with a smirk. “I’m merely a businessman. This universe belongs to someone who at present can not enter it due to an occupancy limit of one such being at a time. We had a deal, he gets to live here in total comfort for all eternity, I get to devour his old universe. He delivered his side of the bargain, but I accidentally allowed a certain individual to come here before him.

“As such, it falls to me to destroy her and tidy up this silly little planet the universe made in response to her desires. Stupid place… It responds to its owners heart’s desires, makes things fun and interesting for them without their direct control so as to prevent boredom due to instant gratification.

“I’m sure you’ve seen how it’s semi-self-aware? Disgusting. What an abomination of the natural order… I had to get a local god’s help purging this place and even then life kept popping back up again. Ironic, considering my former underling’s position in the pantheon.

“Thankfully, I don't need to be here much longer. That’s all this is. A business deal’s hiccup. I’m hardly a monster. I’m merely evicting a squatter from real estate I sold and cleaning the property up after her.”

“And to do that you’re going to kill one specific person?” I asked with a curious frown.

That wouldn’t be so bad. Given what the King normally does to places he goes.

“Oh no, there’s more work to be done than that,” he clarified with a bored pursing of his lips. “I have no idea who she is. Not precisely. Additional this planet is the way it is due to her desires. I said I was cleaning up after her, did I not? No, it all must go. Every last thing here must be sterilized and reset.”

I felt rage boil inside me the likes of which I had never felt before.

“Sapient beings live here! They may be made of meat but they are people too. It’s not right to kill them, and this universe belongs to them by virtue of existing within it!” I shouted, clenching my teeth angrily in the hopes I might get through the unfeeling bastard’s thick skull.

“Anything can be bought and sold,” The King scoffed. “You don't need to own it yourself in order to sell something. You merely need the power to enforce the transfer of ownership. Which I have.”

Anything can be bought and sold, eh?

I grinned. “If that’s the case, I would like to buy this universe,” I said as firmly as I could.

The King blinked, grinned, and then laughed, going as far as to reach down with one hoof to hold his side for several long moments as he broke down into a fit of hideous laughter.

“Child, you do not possess anything which I value,” he said, his laughter ending unnaturally sharply.

I shook my head rapidly. “That’s not true. I know for a fact you value art. I have a vast collection of mortal artifacts from across countless universes. Every last one was taken from it’s iteration of its origin universe at the very last moment of that iterations existence. There is no one who might be searching for these versions of each relic I possess.

“There are thousands, if not millions, of pieces in my collection. Each one is powerful in a particular way. You’ll find uses for everything, I assure you. I’ll trade them all for this universe.”

The King hummed and stroked his chin with a hoof for several long moments, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

“No,” he decided. “Those are already mine. Once I kill you, your property reverts to me, see? And you do not have the power to destroy them. Not at the moment, nor will you feed enough on their fear to gain that power before I destroy them.”

I’d have been worried he knew about my powering up if I didn’t see that coming. At least he wasn’t anticipating suddenly a Neutron Star. That might mildly injure him. A bit.

“Well… Yes. But I can still make killing me quite annoying,” I reminded him. “If you allow my friends to live, I’ll go quietly and even open my closet for you.”

“Sorry, I’m enjoying listening to their thoughts regarding their impending demise far more than I would value slightly less irritation,” The King dismissed, turning his attention to Vinyl. “Especially hers. Miss Scratch, this fear you have for failing to protect children? Delectable! How do you prepare this dish, I must know!”

Urge… To kill… Rising…

NO! Don’t snap. Take this calmly.

“How about a wager!?” I offered in desperation. “You like pain? I’ll give you pain! Vinyl contains the remains of my sister.

“If you can beat me and all of them at one of those ‘oh so childish games’ I enjoy, I will give you everything I have, and personally kill each of them for you before destroying myself. That will cause me more pain than I you can imagine. But if I win, you leave and never return. Nor bring, direct, or divert harm to this universe ever again!”

The King rolled his eyes again. “I don’t gamble,” he stated simply. “Nor do I enjoy simple games.”

Crap!

No, wait. He didn’t reject it because he didn’t like that idea. He just said he didn’t gamble. Come on Chem you’ve spun things to convince people to play before you can do it again!

“Well if it’s so simple, and I’m so weak and powerless compared to you, then it’s not gambling. Because you’re certain to win,” I pointed out. “Or is this all the bluff of someone with more raw power yet such little skill in using it they think I could kill them?”

The King laughed. “HA! It would be amusing to watch you futily struggle,” he remarked, stroking his chin yet again. “Very well, I accept this bet. On the condition that there are some conditions to our game to keep things… Interesting.”

This stank of all the not-good in the Void.

“What conditions?” I asked heastently.

“These ones,” he answered, conjuring a neatly typed contract with a thought, the sheets of paper floating before me so I could read them.

This contract details an agreement between Him Who Is Not to be Named, Hastur, The Unspeakable One, The King in Yellow, and The Nameless Darkness.
A game is to be played between the two parties, with the addition of the following individuals chosen by Hastur from among The Nameless Darkness’s associates:
Miss Lyra Heartstrings
Miss Vinyl Scratch
Doctor Sky Trigger
Princess Twilight Sparkle
The following individuals are to be kept suspended within the void as collateral to ensure fair play, and will be released in the event The Nameless Darkness, or his friends, prove victorious:
Miss Sweetie “Bonbon” Drops
Miss Aurora Trail
The nature of the game is to match The Nameless Darkness’s typical games (Namely, a live action version of a fantasy adventure game such as Shadowrun, Dungeons and Dragons, Starfinder, Legend of the Five Rings, F.A.T.E., and others.) with the following adjustments to the norm:
The game will take place in realspace, not a virtual environment.
Deaths therefore will be permanent and irrevocable.
All parties will be limited to actions which can take place under the gameworld’s physics.
No actions can be undone.
The game world is to be chosen by Hastur upon the signing of this contract.
Hastur may not choose a world which would give him an advantage over The Nameless Darkness.
The world must not be in any form of crisis either side could take advantage of.
All players must use corporeal avatars, and may not assume their true forms for the length of the game.
Avatars must be appropriate for the world used as the gamefield.
Avatars may not be more powerful than the natural inhabitants greatest champions, nor greatest villains.
All players will have one hour to decide upon an avatar, and will be gifted the knowledge of available species, backgrounds, and other required information upon arriving on the Game World.
If a player’s Avatar is killed, the player is to be placed into a suspended state wherein they must observe the remainder of the game.
Hastur’s Avatar’s identity will remain unknown to all other players.
The victory conditions are immutable and are as follows for each respective side:
Hastur shall win upon the deaths of each player’s Avatar fighting on The Nameless Darkness’s Side, including The Darkness Himself.
The Nameless Darkness shall win upon the death of Hastur’s Avatar, so long as it was slain by either the Nameless Darkness, or any Avatar or other agent working directly for him, or his side, which has express orders to slay Hastur’s Avatar.
In the event Hastur’s Avatar is slain by any other means, Hastur is allowed to create a new Avatar and the game will continue as if he had not been slain.
Each side may only use the resources, people, and items of the world chosen for the game to further their side’s goals.
Summoning items, individuals, or power from other universes will result in immediate disqualification and a victory for the opposing faction.
Using items, individuals, or powers from other universes will result in immediate disqualification and a victory for the opposing faction.
Twilight Sparkle may utilize the sapient armor created for her in her previous game with The Nameless Darkness if she so chooses as consolation for being forced to play despite not being among those presently slated for execution by Hastur.
All avatars must not begin play more than one thousand kilometers apart.
The Nameless Darkness and his friends will enter play no more than 5 meters apart from one another.
The Nameless Darkness and his friends will enter play in a position which will not immediately slay them.
Upon conclusion of the game, one of the two following events must take place without protest, retribution, or vengeance at a later date:
Should Hastur prove victorious, The Nameless Darkness will execute his friends in a manner chosen by Hastur at the time of his victory. He will execute his sister’s soul container last, and then destroy himself.
Should The Nameless Darkness, or his friends, prove victorious, Hastur will depart from the aforementioned friend’s home universe without performing any further actions within that universe, never to return, nor in any way send harm to, towards, or near enough to the aforementioned universe so as to spill into it. HOWEVER, the responsibility of dealing with Hastur’s current client will be transferred over to The Nameless Darkness.

Well, that was a much more fair deal then I had expected. At least in writing. There was just one little problem.

“Yeah, there’s not exactly any authority which can force either of us to abide by this contract,” I pointed out, giving Hastur an accusatory glare.

“Very well,” The King sighed in exactly the way which revealed his intention to not honor the contract. “If my word as a businessman is not enough, let us make this bargain official.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How?”

The King closed his eyes, his power focusing around himself, retreating inwards save for the tendrils used to bind my friends in place. He was showing me he wasn’t doing anything other than that.

But why?

“Yòg̷̵͠-Ś̕͞o҉t͜h̕o̴̧t̨h̸̕͞!” Hastur called, throwing his head back to the ‘sky’. (Sadly this did not mean he looked at Doctor Trigger.) “The Lurker at the Threshold, The Key and the Gate, The Beyond One, Opener of the Way, The All-in-One, The One-in-All; two of thy sons have forged this pact in good faith! Let he who breaks it suffer your whims.”

The void itself twisted and warped in an organic fashion, manifesting ink onto the bottom of the contract, creating a third place for a signature and a single signed name.

Yog-Sothoth.

“Witnessed,” power itself boomed from all that was and was not.

Hastur let our a nervous breath. “Satisfied?” He asked.

I wasn’t about to think of going against the contract. I couldn’t imagine he wanted to either. Because I was certain that WAS the void itself just now. That kind of power...

“Extremely,” I agreed with a nod.

He nodded once, conjured a pen, levitated the contract over to himself, and signed it. The King then held the papers back out to me, along with the pen.

Sorry for roping you into this, Twilight. I’m sure you understand.

I signed them. There was no other way for my friends to have a chance to survive.

“Let us begin,” the King said calmly.

The world around me turned to inky blackness as I was sent directly into a gateway. Destination unknown.

To Be Continued...

Voidwalkers

by Meep the Changeling

1 - Black Swan Event

2 - Family Secrets

3 - Cold, Buckingcold

4 - The Dark Tower

5 - One Sided Reunion

6 - Morality Test

7 - Plan Q

8 - Shall We Play a Game? (Part 1)

9 - Shall We Play a Game? (Part 2)

10 - Shall We Play a Game? (Part 3 - End)

11 - I Am That Is

12 - The Unspeakable