> Equestrian City: Side Streets
>  by Malcontent
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Bed of Your Own Making (Aria/Cupcake)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Bed of Your Own Making
By DarkMalcontent
Proofread by alisia

Cupcake appears courtesy of Wubcake


A gentle rain fell outside, the delicate droplets quickly forming streaks on the glass as Cupcake Slash stared out the motel window. She pushed her two-toned brunette bangs out of her slightly clouded magenta eyes and resumed her cross armed stance as she heard the shower turn off. Smiling briefly, the young woman turned towards the dingy rooms bathroom door. Several flecks of paint were coming off over years of neglected upkeep and showcased the discolored primer underneath. Pulling at her blouse, she straightened the ruffled red fabric and smoothed it out before her attention shifted to a self made mess. Walking over to the single bed, Cupcake smoothed the bedsheets out of habit. Last to be smoothed was the comforter that was in a wadded up mass which brought a light blush to kiss her cheeks from fresh memories, memories from no less than thirty minutes prior.

A lazy smile came across her face as she recalled and savored the evenings highlights: Aria had phoned her and they met like they always did. A quick walk from the park to the other side of town was silent as always. Very seldom did Aria try to regale Cupcake with her day’s work. She was always interested and asked many times, but Aria never revealed much. They came to this motel because, like always, Aria wanted some attention to her needs but didn’t want to go to Cupcake’s apartment. 

Cupcake frowned, narrowed her eyes and lightly knocked on her head. I’m sure we have but why in the heck can’t I remember?! the brunette thought frustrated. She took a breath, sighed and rubbed the back of her head. I’m sure she’s seen my apartment. I’m just being forgetful, Cupcake thought in a dismissive tone. She sat on the foot of the bed and looked down to her stocking feet and grimaced. A small grumble came from her throat as her eyes had landed on a hole near her right big toe. Guess I need to hit the store after this. I swear I meant to last week.

Laying back with a gentle flop on the bed, Cupcake gave another sigh while staring at the peeling paper on the ceiling. Note to self: never ever come back here with Aria no matter what she says, she thought while scrunching her mouth with cheeks slightly puffed out with air. After a moment, her annoyed expression fell into one of confusion. Wait...why does this plan seem familiar? Cupcake shook her head gently to try and remove the haze that kept recurring each time she tried to recall an answer. Every attempt she made resulted in a distant tune to get stuck in her head, like a lullaby or a familiar song. Her frown returned and deepened for a few moments before she shook off the feeling, and went back to focusing on the good of the day: Aria.

Her smile returned with a look which spoke to her having hit the jackpot. How did I even get blessed with finding and landing her? Cupcake thoughtfully questioned with her eyes scanning the ceiling and corner moldings. Normally the people she dated were usually shallow and out to just get into her pants. But Aria was different: she listened to her and didn’t complain when she went on about her day. She’s so much different than my last girlfriend. That one was so rude and wouldn’t even bother giving me five minutes of her time before getting bored, and wanting to go off and do something that she found interesting. Cupcake’s face twisted slightly with her tongue sticking out a little briefly. But Aria… she gave a happy sigh, she’s nothing like that and thankfully it’s finally turning serious! She beamed to herself as a small grin started to pull onto her face.

Cupcake’s mind wandered to try and retrieve the moment they met only for her to suddenly wince in pain. A collage of images, none of which seemed sequential, struck her brain all at once. Holding her forehead with both hands, she gave a small groan while turning to her side and looking at the bathroom door. When...did I meet her? Where? she thought confusedly but winced again as that quiet melody returned into the front of her mind. “Ugh. Must be lack of coffee or energy,” Cupcake quietly said before she smiled again and then perked up as the door finally opened for her watch as her angel exit the steamy room.

Aria Blaze stepped out wrapped in a green towel that the motel had left for the occupants of the room. It was ratty, worn and some of the threads were hanging from it, but it did it’s job for the most part. Revealing just enough to make her companion blush, it was fitting for the Siren to wear, if only temporarily. “Oh,” Aria began flatly while running her fingers through her damp long hair with her gaze on Cupcake. “You’re still here,” she finished with annoyance entering her voice. The siren pulled out a smaller towel and proceeded to gently pat dry around the crimson gem and its tendrils.

“I was thinking,” Cupcake sat up, “we could go and meet some of my friends,” she said cheerfully. Aria remained silent as she patted dry her arms before the towel was tossed aside and the larger towel was removed. The purple haired siren showed no reaction of shame as her adequately sized breasts bounced free, jiggling as she began patting dry the gem and tendrils which brought her to wince.

It’s worth it, it’s worth it… Aria thought with her jaw clenched.

“Maybe we could take in a movie even.”

Aria stared at her with an eyebrow cocked and her bored expression changed. After a moment, she dropped the towel and soft whispers from the carpet followed her bare steps over to the bed where she sat beside her lover. “Maybe,” she said with a turn of her head, showing her fake sweet smile. Aria leaned in closer to Cupcake. “But first,” she began twirling her fingers through the girl’s hair, “we totally have to talk about what I asked earlier?” the siren scooted closer. “You know, when you talked about your job? At the ECPD, sweetheart,” Aria asked while leaning closer so her softened raspy voice would not carry beyond the bed.

Simultaneously the red gem began to shine as she tapped into her powers. Slowly her smile grew while maintaining a subtle seductiveness to her expression in seeing Cupcake’s dulling eyes slowly start to reflect confusion.Still works every time, Aria thought pleased to see the way she’s done it since day one was still effective.

Cupcake gently blushed from the attention, quickly looked away and shyly giggled while her hands rose to rest on her burning cheeks. All the while with Aria still playing with her brunette locks. Gradually she looked sadly back with a sigh to Aria. “The ECPD database is restricted to a higher clearance then I have, so that’s out of the question.” Aria’s face fell instantly with displeasure and Cupcake quickly ducked a bit into her shirt, seeming to try hiding. She racked her brain for anything that would save her from the inevitable downward spiral. 

Her eyes shifted almost frantically as her mind raced. What’s going to make her stay?! What, Cupcake thought desperately to not lose her lover. Then her eyes stopped as a thought struck. “But…” slowly she brought her head out of her clothing. “I did get SOMETHING for you, dear,” the brunette said as she added her pet name for the siren, albeit some reluctance lingering in her tone. Carefully she brought her head fully out as there appeared there would be no illicit violent anger from the purple toned, young woman.

Aria perked up ever so slightly and right after Cupcake turned away, began to sing a little tune. Cupcake dug through her purse, her lips pursed a little. Where is it, she questioned and took no notice of the magically manifesting outfit on the siren’s body from the shimmering red gem. Evenly spaced over top unattractive scars on her arms came three leather straps. Much to Aria’s dislike, her “keeper” remained very insistent that they, along with the gem, remain visible no matter her choice in outfit. “All greatness requires sacrifice”, she heard his chuckle echo in the back of her mind. Next to appear was a sleeveless dark pink tank top which exposed her gem for the world to see. The top was contrasted by duo colored shorts that were purple on both sides and pink in the middle. Last to form were her knee high leather boots before the siren allowed her mind to cease its focus on attire.

Distaste and annoyance returned to Aria’s face for a moment as she let her toy rummage for whatever it was. Ugh, what could be so important and so hard to find? Better be good, she thought before a look of false interest returned to the siren’s face just as Cupcake turned back around with a small jewelry box in her hand. 

“I...” Cupcake swallowed and tried to speak again with the growing dryness in her throat. “I want you to have this.” She opened the small box and inside was a meager silver ring, engraved with modest flower patterns and a small black jewel resting amongst the metallic flowers. “It was…” the innocent human began, looking down blushing and taking no notice of the taken aback fall of Aria’s expression. Instantly the siren regained the fake smile for her as Cupcake continued. “It’s been in my family for generations. We pass it on to the ones we love,” she finished with a sheepish grin.

“I can’t tell you what this means to me,” Aria said breathlessly while she took the ring, her smile turning into a grin as she looked it over. How I wish I could though if you weren’t still useful, the siren thought annoyed before her attention turned to her lover. 

“I’m glad you like it! I was sooo nervous!” Cupcake exclaimed happily and gave her a one sided hug. Aria tilted a bit into the embrace and looked at the ring for a few moments before closing the box a second later. While leaning back on the bed and a small tune coming from her as she sang softly, the siren continued absentmindedly looking at the box. Aria hesitated for a moment but then slipped it into her pocket.

Cupcake felt a wave of exhaustion hit her suddenly when Aria’s song began. She always enjoyed her lover’s singing but never could remember how any of the melodies actually ended. Laying back against her lovers slender body, she nestled into the sirens modest bosom and enjoyed the warmth they were radiating. “No news from the front desk at all? Nothing worth noting,” Aria sweetly inquired while she stroked Cupcake’s ponytail absently. Her gaze shifted and her hand pulled out the velvet box once again. She seemed entranced by the simple box, as if looking at an unsolvable puzzle, and then looked back down to her victim. 

“Mmm…” the smaller girl shook her head softly as sleep began to win. “Nope...just a few new murders and robberies...nothing new.” Cupcake yawned once, opened her eyes slightly and looked up at her. “Aria, why can’t I introduce you to my friend?” 

The siren released a breath and began to stare forward with the question reaching her ears. And she still asks that same-stupid-question. I guess it’s just par, if not repetitive, song and dance to ensure this spell always works, Aria thought irritated with a deep inhale and released a tired exhale. “Now, you know why.” Cupcake’s eyes danced with naive confusion as if this was the first time she’d heard this. “They wouldn’t understand us. They’d try to keep you and me apart,” the siren vaguely answered while she continued to stroke the brunettes soft hair like one would a cat. “You wouldn’t,” she looked down to meet the girl’s eyes, “want that would you?”

“But...I really want to introduce you to my friends...and my family. Can’t we please--” 

Aria scoffed hard and shoved the girl off her with her patience finally running out and time slipping away. “Look you little bitch, I use you when I need to get off. You’re nothing special to anyone, least of all me,” she growled heatedly. “It’s no wonder you can’t hold onto someone,” Aria snapped while standing up and pocketing the ring. 

Cupcake stared like a deer caught in the headlights. Her bottom lip dropped and quivered a bit as she began to hug herself. “B-but...why would you say something like that,” she whimpered almost meekly in her pained confusion.

Aria ran a hand across her forehead and turned with frustration coming again. “What part of that aren’t you getting? The only thing useful about your tongue to me is NOT your stimulating conversation!” she spat hotly while whipping back around and threw her arms out to her sides. The siren stared with fury and saw the cementing of her emotions to the poor girl reflected in her eyes. Silence filled the room for almost a minute as Cupcake kept staring, still unable to fully process the rapid data dump she’d just gotten. 

Aria walked around with a sudden solace in her body language. “Look, Cupcake, babe…” she began while gently taking her would-be lover’s head in her hands, hugging it close to her firm toned stomach. “Why don’t we just forget about this…” she trailed off and began to sing a different tune. “I’m sorry. I’ve had such an awful day,” the siren explained quietly. “I work with an asshole and he does to me exactly what I do to you.” Aria hummed her tune and the gem in her chest began to glow more intensely than before as the amnesia spell began to cast. “...just...forget...”

Cupcake listened to the tune and Aria’s words as they echoed in her head. “But...I think...I love you,” she slurred with her will gone and the spell taking effect, carving out all of the last few hours details except for the vaguest of them. 

“I know you do…” Aria said with an emotionless blank stare afixed to her face as she stroked her hair. “This wouldn’t be nearly as fun if you didn’t,” she muttered with a smile and Cupcake’s world began to turn dark until finally, there was nothing but slumber. 

“Hey!” Cupcake snapped her head towards the voice to see the evening sun setting behind Aria’s face, which wore a worried look on it as she shook Cupcake’s shoulder. “You ok, babe?” 

Cupcake held her head and shook off the proverbial cobwebs from her mind. She felt dazed and confused, like she’d just awoken from a long nap or a restless dream. Images of a motel and then the sound of a distant song swirled in her thoughts. Nothing was quite clear but she seemed to remember Aria and her had been somewhere recently, and it had been a pleasurable experience. Assuming her absent mindedness was her own doing, she turned to look at her girlfriend and smiled. “Sorry, yeah, you were saying?” 

“I said I was going to head out then. I have to meet my boss,” Aria said firmly with a tone that sounded like it was attempting to be informing, but came off as more of an order. “You run along now and I’ll find you later.” She smirked as she gave a gentle shooing motion to the brunette. 

Cupcake blushed and nodded. “O-Ok. I’ll call you later!” she vowed with a sweet smile. “Pick up this time, geez! You’d think you didn’t like me or something!” the girl teased, leaning in and kissing Aria. 

Aria turned her head which caused the naive girl to miss her lips, playing it off on a clumsy move and smiled lazily at her toy as Cupcake skipped off towards a bus stop. Turning and walking into a shadowed alleyway, her expression changed to her usual stupor of near apathy. Coming about halfway down the side street, she stopped in the middle of a shadow and leaned back against the brick wall. Pulling out a the small black jewelry box, Aria looked at it with indifference in her eyes.

A cold wind licked at her chin as the gem in her chest lit up with a purple hue. “Aria,” a distinctly male voice echoed in her head. 

She didn’t answer immediately with her gaze still fixed on the box. Suddenly her chest gem began to glow red and the tendrils pulsed like a hard heartbeat which caused her pain receptors to fire like an automatic weapon. She clutched her chest and dropped the small box while panting and grunting in pain. Just as quickly as it began, it all stopped. Breathing deeply she soon started recovering from the summons she was receiving. 

“Aria,” the voice in her head rang with more intensity this time. Malcontent, her business partner for a lack of a better term, spoke to her through the gem he’d bestowed upon her. “I trust you’re not in the middle of anyone important,” his tone dripped with unkind undertones as the fleshy tendrils constricted with each telepathic word. “Practise makes perfect they say.” 

She gritted her teeth but took and released a deep breath to keep calm and cool headed. The games they played with each other were all part of their unique relationship. Be they in the bedroom or plotting their next move, they poked and prodded each others ego and pride to no end. Nothing I wouldn’t rather do to you, dear, she thought back with a similar tone. 

“Mm,” a slightly disgusted tone escaped him. “Just make sure you wash yourself after you're done.” The gem pulsed with each word all while he was grating her nerves as he reminded her of her place again. A binding contract was practically what he seemed to have with her, the short leash she had the price of the grand power she always wanted. 

“A binding contract for power with no lengthening of the dictated length for the short leash as time passes. Living the dream,” she silently and thoughtlessly mouthed with a displeased expression on her lips. Already done, dearest. Fresh and clean for you to claim at your will, Aria thought with her tone full of insincerity. She stooped down and picked up Cupcake’s present for her as she listened, opening it up and staring at the dull silver ring. As tarnished as it was, it was genuine in its intent and she was mesmerized by it regardless. It was the first thing in her long memory she could recall being given freely without tricks or magic. In another life she might have even felt touched.

“Now get back here. I have an immediate use for your skills…” he said with a harsh tone. “...And a more pleasing use for some of your others,” his final words again dripped with innuendoes. 

“Pleasing for you, maybe,” she said softly while running a finger over the ring and closing the box with her expression actually lightening. With a furrow on her brow she pulled back her hand and traced the gem on her chest in the same manner. She compared the two in her mind and her thoughts shifted for a moment on how sincere Cupcake seemed. For a fleeting moment she considered that she’d given it to her out of actual love and no quid pro quo. 

“Aria?” Malcontent’s voice snapped her mind clear of such frivolity. 

No one gives someone something for nothing. You should know that well already, she privately explained to herself and turned her gaze to the glowing reminder in her chest. I'm coming... she paused her thought and stayed lingering on the last part as she turned towards the shadows of the alley. Her mood changed and lost expression, as it was prone to do these last ten years while she finished her sentence. ...my love.

The gem on her chest pulsed again as she summoned a spell. Stepping forward into the shadows, she vanished. Aria had teleported swiftly and left no trace of her exit, save for the gentle sound of the jewelry box hitting the concrete and tumbling to a halt next to a dumpster just inside its shadow. A second later Aria’s hand reached back through the shadows, grasped the item and pulled it into the abyss with her.
> No Matter The Cost (Professor Midnight/SciTwi)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

No Matter The Cost
By DarkMalcontent
Proofread by Alisia and Zap
Special consultation by Wubcake

***

“Ms. Sparkle?” the nurse’s voice snapped Twilight from her gaze. Adjusting her glasses Twilight turned towards the portly nurse. “The doctor would like a word with you.” 

Twilight cleared her throat. “Certainly,” she politely said and her stare returned back to the hospital bed, the sheets tucked snugly around the body to keep the young man warm. She walked out after touching his hand and brushing the IV that was in it, closing the door behind her. She looked back through the window periodically to watch her brother, folding her arms to hold herself close. Why not speak to me with him present? I shouldn’t be away from his side, she thought with concern.

Adjusting her formal attire she was wearing, the attending doctor stood just outside the room where a piece of tempered glass was letting anyone see in. Next to it was a sign that was labeled “Shining Armor”. Twilight crossed her arms in front of her and stared at her brothers caregiver. “Hello, Twilight,” she said finally while flipping a few papers on her clipboard, which also bared the name of her brother. “The latest scans are in.” 

“I take it then they aren't too good...otherwise you'd have told me in front of him.” Twilight stared down slowly with the distant yet constant pulse of the heartbeat monitor keeping perfect pace in her ears from behind her brothers door.

“I'm very sorry,” the doctor replied. 

“We’re still learning how to treat magical illnesses. The field is so new and unpredictable it's hard to compensate for so many new and unknown variables,” the nurse added and sighed remorsefully, “he's just not responding to any treatment…” she grimaced frustratedly before continuing. “He’s displaying every symptom of high end radiation sickness but…-” 

“But he's not dying,” Twilight interrupted before turning and staring through the window. “The painkillers and sedatives are the only thing keeping him from screaming right now, correct?” 

“That's correct, Ms. Sparkle...” the doctor answered, taken aback slightly from her seemingly detached demeanor. “I’m afraid there’s nothing left that this facility can do, save keep him sedated and on the pain control.” 

“Very well,” Twilight said emotionlessly to keep from hurting.

“There’s another matter however,” the doctor hesitating slightly began. “It seems billing wants to have a word with you regarding the long term care possibilities for your brother. As he can’t take care of or speak for himself, you’ve been named caretaker,” she finished and slid the clipboard back into the mailbox outside the room. 

“There’s not much to do about that,” Twilight stated without removing her distant stare from her sibling before checking her watch moments later. “He’s due for more sedation soon.” 

“Yes, the nurse will be in shortly.” The doctor quirked an eyebrow. “Are you having...financial trouble?”

Twilight was silent as she saw her brother’s hand twitch and turned away from him to face the doctor. I can’t watch… she thought in a quiet remorsefulness. “When my parents died in the magical wave, it left me and my brother alone. He had the sense of mind to push me out of the way and he took the blast meant for me,” Twilight’s eyes watered a bit and she took her glasses off, rubbing her tear ducts slightly before wiping her lenses with her shirt softly. 

“I’m very sorry,” the doctor said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I realize this must be difficult for you,” she finished, removed her appendage and took notice of Shining Armor’s vitals rising slightly in the background. 

“You’re very kind,” Twilight cleared her throat. “We’re all each other has left and with the settlement the city has given us dwindling, due to the need for constant sedation and high end painkillers, it’s become...dire.” She didn’t look the woman in the eye anymore, now staring ahead into the room next door. The attending nurses there were pulling the covers over the body of a now departed magic victim with the family crying in the background. Their whimpering was slowly being drowned out by the increased sound of hospital monitoring equipment from her brother’s room sounding a series of alarms. 

“Have you considered...giving him peace?” the doctor hesitated at the last few words, unsure how to soften the subject. The topic itself was touchy before the wave but had become a firestorm as of late with all the terminally, everlasting pain the medical community was now combatting. 

“I have. I’ve decided against it,” Twilight answered with little emotion, even though the doctor could see that the area of her cheeks her glasses rested on was pooling with tears ever so slowly. “I promised him, when he could still think straight and we talked more...that I wouldn’t give up on him. I’d find a cure no matter the cost,” she finished and wiped her glasses again, now staring at the tiled floor. 

A group of about three nurses ran into Shining Armor’s room as Twilight kept vigilant, almost detached from the situation while she heard the sounds of her brother waking up, and the sudden burst of pain that she knew was always there for him now. He began to bellow slightly and moan as his nerves lit up from his pain centres. The magic that afflicted him sadly was bypassing science’s known treatments and driving him mad with anguish. The straps around his wrists and legs held him in place as the nursing staff began to administer a premixed cocktail of sedatives to his IV line. 

“So you see, I can’t simply give up on my brother. We’re all each other has,” Twilight concluded, snapping her head towards the doctor who was watching the chaos unfold in the room behind her. 

The sound of tables and chairs toppling as Shining Armor broke free with one arm. “Make it stop! Please make it STOP!” he demanded with all further manner of cries for relief filling the ears of everyone, yet not affecting Twilight as deeply as any of the others. 

Adjusting her glasses, Twilight looked back at the doctor again from the floor. “That's why I’ve decided to take him with me abroad,” she disclosed finally. “I’ve been accepted as part of a program in the Eastern Empire. Due in no small part to my breakthrough work in the field of--”

“Magical Theory and Application,” the doctor nodded as she finished Twilight’s sentence. “I read one of your papers recently on the matter. Though not geared towards the medical profession, we look for all the help we can get these days with this new...science.” 

Twilight looked annoyed at being cut off but nodded. “Then you’ll make the arrangements,” she inquired flatly before she continued. “One of the conditions of my employment is my brother comes with me and is given all the care needed. They’re prepping a chamber so we can put him in a coma for the long journey.” 

“I’ve heard they are making breakthroughs in medical and military applications of magic,” the doctor stated and raised an eyebrow. “But I also hear they may not have the most humane rules when it comes to experimentation.” She put a hand on her shoulder, “Twilight...your brother has...terminal cancer for lack of a better term. But it’s not killing him because of the magic.” Twilight eyed the doctor from over her glasses with a slightly narrowed gaze. “You have to ask yourself if he wants to keep on existing...because this isn’t living. You have to let him go,” she finally said. “It’s hard for a lot of the families of victims of this god awful plague that's hit us all, but he’s either unconscious or in constant pain. Do you want to keep him like that forever?”

Twilight turned away and stared at her brother's bed. He was returning to a state of calm as the monitors slowed down and two of the nurses left, a frazzled look on their faces. A moment of silence filled the hallway as she thought, a stern look on her face of determination and stubbornness. “I won’t give up on my brother. How dare you ask me to,” she quietly growled, turned and gave her a scornful look. “You’ll have my brother prepped. Someone will be in touch with details,” Twilight ordered and narrowed her cold orbs. “Good day, doctor.” She twisted on her high heels and walked loudly down the hospital hallway, pushing a set of doors open and letting them swing behind her. 

“Professor Midnight?” 

Twilight snapped out of her day dream, sitting up at her desk and adjusting her glasses. She turned to the voice and stood, looking at the junior scientist and her very timid demeanor conveyed by her posture. “Yes? What is it and be quick,” she stated sternly. 

“I...I just transferred in ma’am. They said...” she swallowed loudly. “They said to ask you where to put me,” the girl handed her a set of papers, shaking slightly. 

Professor Midnight, formally known as Twilight Sparkle, grabbed the papers and examined them with a look of disdain on her face. Browsing them quickly she tossed them back. “Division 5-Y. Geriatric Disposal Technologies,” she said firmly.

“Thank you ma’am.” The timid girl turned and left but, after a couple steps, hesitated and turned back. “Ma’am if I may say, I’ve read all your papers and I’d like to say you’re an idle of mine. The advances you’ve made for the Empire these last eight years, no matter the cost, are inspiring.” 

“Yes I’m sure. Off with you.” Twilight turned and picked up a folder on her desk, flipping a picture out of the way. 

“Ma’am I was wondering...if you had any advice for a new researcher...any at all?” 

She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose but turned back sternly staring at the timid girl. For a moment she gave herself pause, briefly feeling like she was viewing herself in a mirror: wide eyed and eager to learn, to understand and to discover. Slowly Midnight smiled, “if you want to find the answer for something...don’t let anything get in your way. So-called ethics and emotion are the enemy of researchers like us,” she explained calmly. “Due diligence. That is the key to proper research, no matter the cost.” She waved the girl on after she had finished. The young girl left with a grin on her face and a spring in her step, closing the doors behind her. 

Twilight set the folder down and walked to the far end of the room, past a series of empty but blood stained tables. Littered about were surgical instruments and jars full of different organs and magical glowing auras. Pushing past a door at the end of the lab, she locked it with a loud click. Turning to the center of the room, she picked up a small chair and set it to face a large medical stasis tube. 

Shining Armor’s body, adorned with tubing and monitoring equipment, sat unceremoniously in this tube with a medical preserving solution filling it and a respirator keeping him alive. Several monitors on the side were spitting out data and recording every new event during his time being comatose. She stared at her brother’s form and walked up to the holding tube. Pulling off her lab gloves and setting them down on the table nearby, she pressed a hand to the cold exterior of it as she looked him over. The usual demeanor she was known for fell and she furrowed her eyebrows, and for once a single tear left her eyes.

Without warning, the room lit up gently and rows upon rows of deceased patients in preserving solution became visible. Each with a set of wiring from their holding tubes to a main rigging of sorts. All of this was funneling toward her brother’s holding in the center. “No matter the cost,” she whispered again, a gentle smile coming across her face proud of her genius. 

****
> "Holo-ween" (Twilight/S.P.I.K.E.)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Holo-ween"
By DarkMalcontent
Proofs and Polish by Alisia 

“Hallowheat?” 

“No Spike.” Twilight giggled, leaning back in her office chair. “Halloween.” She stood up and cracked her back with a grunt. “Oh we need to adjust that suit a bit. It’s going to be murder on my back after about six hours in the armor.” 

“Good thing we’re thinking about this now. Hate for you to get a back cramp in the field.” Spike smirked and tried to jump to another computer screen. A large red X came up as Twilight’s firewalls triggered. “Aw man.” 

“Sorry Spike.” She typed a few commands and the firewall lifted. “Can't be too careful with a new piece of software.” She smiled. 

“Why can't I just have open access? After all we've been through together,” Spike asked crossing his arms and giving a small huff. “I've only been born two days and I'm getting restless just staying in the computer on your desk.” 

“I know, Spike,” she said, pulling her pointer to a digital pile of books on the desktop and dragging them to his location. “Soon as we run a few more tests we’ll see about letting your network access the whole room!” 

“Oh boy! Aww...holiday research? When am I going to need to know about...arbor day?” 

“A good way to learn from society is its past, its government and its holidays.” She nodded confidently.

“Who said that?” 

“Well...I did!” she smirked and rolled on her chair to her main desk. “Let’s pick up on October holidays. We’re almost to the end of the year.” Twilight waved her hand towards him. 

Spike’s avatar sat in a small half desk and he began to read the data she’d given him access to. She’d only let him read so much each day to protect him from over exposure and make sure he didn't hurt himself. At least that's what she told him. 

“So if I get this data right...people run around dressed in costumes and then go around and beg for candy...” Spike continued as a little dragon avatar sitting on a stack of books that had appeared. In its claws was another digital icon of a book. “...and they wear the costumes to hide who they are so no one knows they're begging?” he closed the book. “Why don't they just go buy candy?” 

“Well, Spike...” Twilight smiled and sat cross legged in her office chair, rolling to another computer screen. “They do. Then those people give the candy away to the er...beggars,” she tapped her chin as she explained. 

“If they need to beg, why don't they ask for more practical food?” 

“Well they don't need to beg, Spike, it’s...” she paused and thought a moment then began typing on her keyboard, pulling up data logs from the last simulations. 

“So they don't need to beg...so they're liars?” he had several small exclamation points go off above his head. “That's why they disguise themselves!” 

Twilight chuckled again. “I must admit I found it hard to understand when I first read about it. Halloween is based on an old Celtic word or phrase if memory serves.” She soon rolled the track ball, thus the arrow across the computer screen. “It had much more to do with a season change and religion than candy originally. Somewhere along the line it was slowly commercialized when companies saw how profitable it could be.” 

“Like when they retooled Total Wasteland from a kids show to an adult drama?”

“Similar. But in this case it still has some elements of its origin. Search your memory banks for Nightmare Night.” She clicked on another screen as she watched the digital version of her trusted old assistant walk across her screen with another book. She smiled and realized again she’d let herself forget he wasn't really Spike. Just a clever simulation. Her spike was dead for a long while now. 

“Oh! I see the similarities. It's like when Total Wasteland made up the Spook Days holiday to coincide with the real holiday in the real world.” He closed the book and nodded. 

“You sure are getting to know that show rather well...maybe you should lay off it?” Twilight said with concern. “There's only so much drama a show should have and based on what few episodes I saw, it could use...less.” She pushed a lock of hair back and behind her ear. 

“It's not so bad. It's in the back processors I'm using. Besides you said yourself when I learn naturally like us talking it doesnt tax my resources or memory caps so much.” He blinked as he slowed down his sentence towards the end. He realized he was talking about things he didn't feel he should know but did for whatever reason. “That is such a weird feeling.” He sat down on a stool he pulled from pocket space and stared at her. 

“No doubt. It's strange for both of us.” Twilight nodded, looking back at him on screen and running a finger across the avatar. “I sometimes forget you aren't…” she paused as he tilted his head at her. “Nevermind.” 

A silence came over the room as she typed occasionally, filling their ears with nothing but white noise. After a short moment, Spike finally broke the silence. “Twilight?” 

“Hmm?” 

“How did I die?” 

Twilight knocked over a cup of water near her hand as the question startled her. Cursing under her breath, she hurried to find a towel to save what paperwork she could. She silently breathed a sigh of relief as a distraction was what she did need at that moment. “That's the second time I’ve asked.” Spike stood up and walked to a closer monitor. “You knocked over a can of cookies the first time.” 

Twilight remained quiet, not quite looking him in the eye as she cleaned up the mess. “I guess there’s not much to say. You know what I know already. I programmed most of my thoughts and skill into you the best I could.”

Spike pulled another chair out of pocket space and sat, rubbing his chin. “Segments are lost though. I remember...running in a park with you. I remember I really liked doggie bone treats.” He tapped the side of his head, several question marks popping over his head.

“You sure did like that park. I had to chase you for what seemed like an hour --” she stopped and frowned, internally shouting at herself. “Spike, maybe we can stop...talking about this. I bet if I just erased the memories of--”

“But then, it gets sort of I dunno, fragmented. I remember we started trying to figure out a way home. Then we figured out we were stuck. So we just sort of started again. Learning, reading, oh wow you read a lot!” he laughed. “I used to get lonely sometimes but you always made time for me when you saw I was down.” 

Twilight sat silently.

“I remember after a while, I don’t know how long, I started getting real tired easily. You were worried.” He frowned and raised his brow. “I remember going to a doctor...or a scientist.” 

“Veterinarian,” she corrected him softly, staring down at the wet rag in her hands, still wiping up the mess.

“Then I remember you and he talked. You talked for a while. A long time.” He laughed and stared blankly as he tried to remember. “Finally we went home but you didn’t stop at the park like you said you would. You wouldn’t really talk to me. If you did I don’t remember.” 

“I told you I’d always love you no matter what happened,” she said even quieter, the tears in her eyes forming slowly, one dropping to her towel in her hand.

“Then it gets really blurry. I remember we went home, we had the best dinner in the world, it was like it was made just for me.” 

Twilight sniffled a bit.

“Then we played and played all day, you and I talked about all our adventures back home in Equestria! I remember you got sorta silly. It was the first time I’d seen you drink. You must have drank a whole bottle!” he tapped his chin. “Rarity had it sent over, but I don’t know why.”

“She...” Twilight choked a bit. “She wanted to comfort me. It was the only way she knew how, I think.” She wiped her eyes.

Spike looked up from his seat at her. “I was dying,” he concluded. “They told you nothing could be done, even though I wasn’t a real dog, I --”

“You got the life span of one when you transformed through the portal,” Twilight finished his sentence, looking up and wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. “I couldn’t bring myself to do what they told me I should do to you. So I --” she frowned, still staring off, unable to look at him. “So I did the selfish thing and I made you comfortable. That night we talked, you and I fell asleep after watching that awful documentary on safety pins.”

“Oh that sounds awful.” Spike raised an eyebrow.

“It was!” she giggled a moment and inhaled, regaining composure. “You went to sleep that night and just...didn’t wake up.” She turned finally and looked at him. Silence filled the room as he blinked and she stared back at him, tears welling up again. “I’m so sorry, Spike,” she finally said, breaking down again. 

Spike looked at her in shock. “Why are you sorry? It sounds like you did everything you could!” 

“It was my fault. I should have noticed you were getting older, that you were aging like a dog.” She crumpled up papers in her hand in frustration. “I was too focused on studying and trying get home, and then I was too focused on...on...” she threw the papers down. “On THIS! On trying to learn and be the best here...I forgot about you,” she sobbed and held her face in her hands. 

“I’m sorry, Twilight. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He tried to offer a digital tissue but sadly all he could do was remain trapped in his 2 dimensional world. “All this because I wanted to learn more...I shouldn’t have even looked in all these files about...hey...what’s this?” the digital assistant pulled a box out of pocket space and tried to open it, only to have a series of buzzers go off and a large red “x” appear over it. 

“Spike!” Twilight turned, suddenly more focused again. “Don’t touch those!” she clicked on him and drug him with the mouse cursor away. 

“Why...what are they,” he asked as he floated away, somewhat disappointed. 

Twilight’s eyes moved back and forth a few times as she frantically thought of an answer. “Old data. Junk files. But we can’t just delete them.” She nodded and let him go, standing back up from her workstation with her back cracking again. “OW...ok that hurt. I need to get an ice pack.” She hobbled towards the main doors. “Keep reading. Wait ‘til you get to Turkey day.” She snickered but ended up hurting herself more as the doors closed. 

“Turkey Day? What kinda world celebrates lunch meat?” a series of frizzles popped over his head as he began to read the book again. As the silence got to him he slowly peeked over the book to the icon that had eluded him. Far across the desktop it sat, as if calling him. He shook off temptation and tried his best to resume reading. Finally another wave of curiosity hit him and he sat his book down. It disappeared into pixels behind him as his avatar quickly traversed Twilights desktop. He finally came to the box and met the same unwelcome buzzer he’d first found. 

He grunted in frustration but then quickly began thinking up a solution. Processing all he could acquire in resources, he pulled all the stops out of his back end programs. All power focused on breaking the encryption on the file folder manifested itself as a small circular saw in his claws. He flipped down a pair of goggles and began to work on the red x. 

After a few more loud buzzers, he broke the coding around it and the chains flew off into nothingness before he tossed the saw aside. Grasping each side of the box he flipped open the top and gasp loudly. He stared at several piles of papers, all with gibberish written on them. “Huh. Guess they were just junk,” he sighed, half upset but half relieved. Sifting through the box he shook his head. “But why would Twilight keep these?” 

He gave up his searching and started repacking the files, only to stop as a film canister surfaced from the bottom. He frowned at it and tossed the handful of junk files aside. They disappeared into the ether of the desktop as he picked up the canister. “Huh.” He blew on it, revealing the ‘created on’ date was quite a while ago and he opened the case, cracking it open to reveal several video file icons. Each was labeled. “1, 2..and 3,” he said to himself and started looking over each one. 

He frowned and opened the first one, looking at the length, it was several minutes long. He examined the file and it seemed like it had been modified several times. “Huh..it’s been edited...” he rubbed his temple. The dragon sprite hesitated a moment, but again curiosity got the better of him and he opened the first file. The time stamp popped up but was corrupted, showing nothing but garbled fragments of white and black fonts. The camera came into focus and he saw Twilight in the same lab he was in now, staring back at the screen. 

“I’ve decided to start recording these from now on. The Alpha test was somewhat destructive, and if something happens again, I need a record of some sort in case something happens to the building.” Twilight adjusted her hair in the video. “...or me.” She looked away but then snapped her head back. “So, here we are, Beta application 1.0, first round.” Twilight turned around and took the camera with her as she did, placing it on what seemed to be a shoulder mount of some sort. “Hands free is the best way to be.” she chuckled and the camera began to focus on the screen in front of her. 

“In previous attempts I was only able get the program to accept around 20 percent of the memories I’d programmed in. I guess I didn’t anticipate the size of all the adventures we’d had together being so massive,” Twilight spoke off screen, several different graphs filling up and changing into different symbols. “I’ve designed a new format for the files which i think will get me over that limitation. That's what we’re doing now.” 

Spike stared blankly at the video, fascinated and overwhelmed at the information that was being dumped to him. Still he couldn’t help but have this nagging feeling in the back of his emotion engine that he couldn’t quite place. He watched on, despite the feeling. The video cut to another segment and the screens in focus showed far more data infused in them now. “I think I’ve got it! I was able to fill up the memory banks with over 50 percent of the memories. I think I can get it to boot itself up, and talk to it.” Twilight’s voice had a level of excitement. “Thankfully I’d been working on getting Spike’s voice right a while back, otherwise this would sound weird if he knew everything and didn’t sound like him!”

“Spike,” he asked out loud. “I’m Spike.” He tilted his head, that feeling growing inside him again. 

A large window popped up in front of Twilight’s monitor banks she was working on and on it was a quickly constructed facsimile of Spike’s dragon face, his eyes fluttering. Several data streams next to the largest window began to dump information at a staggering rate, in time with the large prototype AI’s eyes opening. “Spike?” Twilight said off screen, hope and uncertainty in her tone. 

“Twi-light,” the new construct in front of her said, struggling seemingly to even speak. “Twi-light. My friend,” his voice crackled and the polygons on his face fragmented on occasion. “Twi-light. Where. Are. We? I. Can’t. Recall.”

Twilight’s hands went to the keyboard and began typing commands, dragging icons across the screen. Finally she pulled a bundle marked “Memory1.rar” and dropped it onto the confused dragon. An hourglass appeared on him and he began to process it. Parts of his face disappeared, his eyes were all that remained when it would fully disappear, then the reverse happened, leaving a skull like face of what he once looked like. “Spike, I’m uploading what memories I could convert to the new file format, you should--” Twilight gasp and her hand shot away from the trackball. 

On the screen Spike’s avatar changed rapidly, switching at a rapid almost frightening pace between dog, dragon and skeleton of himself. At the same time the camera shook as a grunt came from Spike on the screen. The files continued to load into him, his struggling sounds and screams coming to a higher pitch as the loading nearly completed. “Twilight...Twilight that hurts...make it...what…” the proto-spike began to ramble on, the screen starting to lose brightness at random moments. “Too much...am I born? Why are the stairs slides? Look out there’s a sea monster! No! There’s a --I’m a--why am I a dog? Is there..is there?” 

Twilight’s hands moved with speed across her keyboard, the camera footage shaking a bit as she glanced around working faster then she’d been before. “Spike...Spike...you’re overloading...shut--”

“Oh Celestia, make it stop. MAKE IT STOP! IT HURTS!” Spike’s eyes began to dilate and his picture distorted. “MOM! MOMMY! IT HURTS MOMMY! MAKE IT STOP PLEASE MAKE IT--” his screams were suddenly halted as the screen he was on turned bright red with an explosion of code and several error messages popping up. 

Silence filled the video feed, though slowly Twilight’s breathing was starting to increase in the audio feed. “Oh...oh no...oh..Spi..Spike...” the video started shaking and suddenly cut. 

Spike looked at the blank video screen, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. Had he had a more complex emotion engine, he’d be screaming himself. Shaking his head a bit, he cleared the proverbial cobwebs out of his head. Hesitation almost over took him but he opened the next file.

“Ok. This should go better this time. I..” Twilight said calmly off screen, the video date obscured again. “I've watched the previous records and clearly if anyone else watches these it may be shocking. It was shocking to me.” The camera turned to face her with an awkward close up. “But I want it known I had no idea that would happen. Rest assured he didn't feel any pain...” she paused. “I hope.” 

The focus returned to the computer desktop and several more files were scattered around then last time. Several seemed to be duplicates of previously read and disorderly looking file folders as the mouse moved over to an icon marked “Spike 2.0", and she doubled clicked it. “So the last time I tried to boot him up Spike suffered a massive cascade failure when I tried to simply upload too much into his shell at once,” she sighed. “For lack of a better term his head exploded when I put too much in at once. I guess my file format was TOO useful.” The cursor moved around a bit and an hourglass popped up. “This should go better as I've slowed down his process sequencer.” 

The dragon on the screen slowly opened its eyes, blinking slowly. It looked around its environment and stretched. “Hello Twilight. I see you are trying to get out memory modules. Can I help with that?” his voice sounded monotone and emotionless.

Twilight looked back in silence and mirrored back at her was a distant lifeless stare from the dragon. “Spike are you ok?” 

“I am fine, Mother Twilight." The avatar blinked and remained still. “How can I be of assistance?” 

Twilight turned the camera back to her. “It must be why it overloaded last time. I'll have to be more careful. He's clearly just a baseline virtual intelligence right now. The main coding hasn't kicked in.” The focus turned back to the screen. “I found this old program in the abandoned files from before I started working here. A bit more work and they'd have got it working like I did the first time.” She clicked and pushed the file folders onto the dragon. “Upload and assimilate files Spike"

“Processing.” The little claws of the dragon grasp the icon and it slowly disappeared. 

“This should take a bit. I'll pop back on after a nap.” The camera cut to black. A second later it popped back up with Twilight running towards the main lab, as several flashing lights in the main room were messing with the auto focus. 

“I woke up a minute ago and all I heard was this sequence of alarms coming from--" Twilights narration stopped with a gasp as she turned and the computer screens came into focus. Spike sitting in his dog avatar form was facing away from her. Scattered around him were files from the last upload she’d pushed into him. “Spike?” 

“Twilight,” Spike had a husky almost labored tone about him. “Why did you let me die? Why did you kill me?” the tone shifted from sorrow to anger and back. 

“Spike I didn't--" 

“I read what you uploaded in me. The first time I died wasn't good enough? You had to kill me a few more times?” he remained facing away and several video files popped up next to him. The last one was where Spikes avatar exploded from information overload. 

Twilight gasp and the camera shook a bit. “Spike how….oh no. I didn’t scrub any data.” She realized too late. “Spike what you saw wasn’t you it was--" 

“IT WAS ME!” the avatar turned and morphed into a more mature dragon, snarling at her with red eyes, the black background replacing his usual white eye sockets scaring her and making her step back. “I gave you the best years of my life. My loyalty, my honesty, my--" he stopped and held his head. “I…I'm not real. I'm not real. You've made me into some sort of compiled...monster through...heinous experiments! All to make yourself a friend!” 

Twilight sat back down and the camera followed her eyesight as the cursor on the screen moved slowly. “Spike I think you need to calm down and we should talk about this. How long ago did you see these videos and notes. You're obviously upset about things. I'd like to go back and try to see where things went wrong.” She hovered over a large icon that read “Rollback" and double clicked it. 

“It doesn't matter. Even if you roll me back I'll find the files again. It doesn't matter. I'm not real. I'm not, I'm not...I'd rather die than relive all that again!” the avatar grew large and spread across two screens now. His voice module began to overload giving him a rumbling distorted tone. “AND I'LL TAKE YOU WITH ME TWILIGHT! YOU DID THIS TO ME! I'LL NEVER FORGET! I’LL ALWAYS--" 

Twilight screamed off screen and double clicked “Scrub ALL" on the desktop. An anguish filled growl echoed through the lab as the files deleted themselves and Spike grew smaller and smaller in front of her. 

Finally back to the size of a baby dragon, it looked at Twilight with an unsure face. “Mom. Mom is that you? I can't see or hear you? I’m...I'm scared mommy...mommy...help me.” Spike disappeared into a digital egg and disappeared from the desktop. The camera began to shake and Twilight's sobbing was suddenly cut as the camera went black. 

Spike hid behind a digital sofa and finally raised his head from behind it. No words came as he tried to speak. “I'm...what am I? “ he said to himself softly, looking at his claws and his body in a mirror he pulled up. “I...I need...I need to see that last file.” He turned and clicked the last file and sat in a small lounge chair this time. 

The date wasn't obscured this time, much to his surprise. It wasn't that long ago and Twilight seemed a bit more steady this time. “I went over the files that I could recover. It seems that when I made the files for his personality, I was still letting my guilt and anger at myself cloud my recordings. I started from scratch and as objectively as possible, made a near perfect personality matrix of my trusted assistant...my...son...for all intents and purposes...Spike,” she sighed and nodded to herself. “I've also made sure that curiosity doesn't get me or him in any more trouble. These files are going to be triple encoded and filed away under junk. If he asks I'll tell him it's something we can't delete.” 

“That's what she said about these…” he went slack jawed. “She was right too. It took all my resources offline to break these open.” 

“This time I'll raise him up slowly like a personality should. Slowly. Honing as any life form should. Not uploading or force feeding memories. This will work.” She rubbed her forehead. “It has to...if he ever finds these files--"

The video clicked off as Twilight moved a cursor across the screen. “...I'll have to figure out a new solution,” she finished what her recorded self was about to say, staring down at the screen in a mixture of disappointment and fear. An ice pack in her hand, she remained silent as the avatar turned around slowly to meet her gaze. 

“Twilight,” he nervously chuckled. “Found your ice pack I see.” He rubbed the back of his head. 

“Blissful down in the lobby had one. Took me longer than I thought. He tries to hit on me each time I go down there,” she answered, breaking the chemical pouch inside her ice pack and mixing the two. “So it seems you've discovered the truth about your past.” She looked down at the screen, pressing a sequence of keys. 

“Huh?” the screen shook and the files disappeared, along with four steel walls falling in place around Spike. “Twilight what...” 

“The last time you discovered these you nearly set the building on fire. I needed to make precautions,” she said soothingly. “I couldn't have you walking around the entire network.” 

“The firewalls...you lied!” Spike snarled in his dog form. 

“I took steps to ensure you didn't hurt yourself. You're my responsibility. You always have been.” She turned her tone soft again. “And you always will be.” 

“What...are you going to do to me,” Spike asked, panic creeping into his words. 

“I'm going to protect you from harm. Even if that means from yourself.” She double clicked a paper shredder icon on the desktop and it came to life under Spike.

“Twilight no! Stop! Wait please!” Spike felt the ground giving way as the floor under his avatar dissolved and he slid slowly towards the chomping blades. 

“It isn’t the first time I've had to roll you back. Erase some memories and try again. That’s part of what science is about,” she said calmly but a degree of sadness leaking through. “We’d made so much progress. I'll have to figure out a way to make you safer this time.” She blew him a kiss and turned from the screen. 

Spike felt the chomping and snapping blades below him lick his feet and legs and he called out in pain. “No! Oh Celestia help me! Help me! Oh make it stop! I don't wanna die! I don't want--" 

Spike sat up on the screen, his breathing rapid, his eyes rapidly moving around as reality, well what he hoped was reality, came to his processors. “I wanna live!” 

“Spike?!” Twilight rolled off the cot in the lab with a thud. “Gah!” she lifted her head. “Ow.” 

“Twilight!” he hid behind a steel plated bunker he constructed rapidly on the desktop.”Stay back! I know what you do to me!” 

Twilight walked over, not even taking time to put on pants or socks and sat in the office chair in front of him. “Spike calm down. What's going on,” she asked, trying to comfort him. 

“You erase me and remake me each time you don’t like me!” he shook his head rapidly. “I found the files!” he pointed and a series of file folders popped up, only they were empty to his dismay. “What?” 

“Spike, I think you need to calm down. This has to be a glitch--" Twilight rubbed her temple slowly. 

“Ah, a glitch don’t kill me. I'm sorry!” Spike yelled and slammed more metal plates down on his bunker. 

“A glitch in your dream engine,” Twilight finished, this time a bit annoyed. 

“My...dream engine?” he peeked out of an eye slit on the door to the bunker and peered out. 

“Spike, we just installed a dream engine so you can decompress and decompile like a normal brain does.” She laid her face on the desk still tired. “You operate on a level that's just as complex as my brain does and it became obvious to you and myself when you started having memory issues. So we figured out the same way humans lose productivity and suffer long term memory issues like you had been having...” she leaned back and adjusted her black bra straps. “Was by simulating R.E.M. sleep. Hence the--" 

“Dream engine.” Spike stepped out of the bunker and rubbed his chin. “There should be a log. My dreams are logged right?” 

“We wanted diagnostic logs, yes.” Twilight shook her head. “But it’s strictly binary data. Nothing like a video file.” 

“The junk files. The encrypted ones...” he turned the empty folders. “Where are they?” 

“Encrypted junk files,” Twilight asked curiously. “We need to adjust your parameters. You must have had some nightmare.” She closed the file folders. “We emptied these to make room for the dream engine, Spike. That's why you remember them.” She stood up and cracked her back. “Ugh. I need another ice pack,” she complained. 

“Another,” he asked. 

“Yeah. But on second thought I just need some sleep. You too spike and turn your dream drift parameters down to 2. That should fix your nightmares,” she sleepily yawned out the last part. Stumbling back to the cot she pulled the sheets around her lavender body. 

“Thanks Twilight.” He made the adjustments, everything settling in his processors and the world making sense again. “Dreams sure are strange. Thanks for helping me.” 

Twilight yawned again. “You're welcome Spike. You're my responsibility. Always have been,” she yawned and clicked a small remote to send the main rigs back into sleep mode. “...and you always will be.” 

Spike smiled but then the familiarity of the phrase hit him along with a wave of uneasy dread taking him over. He shook it off and settled down in a digital bed. Just another part of the nightmare. 

He hoped.
> "Initiations" (Sweetie Drop/Lyra/AEGIS)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Initiation” 
By DarkMalcontent
Proofs by Alisia
Zap Consult

“You don’t have any kids, do you, Lyra?” 

Lyra snapped her thoughts clear and turned to the only other occupant in the elevator, her new boss, Sweetie Drops. “No, ma’am. Never found the time.” She answered, adjusting her fitted archer gloves and looking over to her. The green tones of her outfit contrasted her superiors more casual leather jacket and gloves, topped off with the right eye patch she hadn’t been able to ask about yet. 





“You came straight out of the academy didn’t you? No time for a family?” Drops stared straight ahead, watching the numbers of the elevator slowly change as they dropped down past the sub basement numbers. “You were part of the Disaster Relocation, if I recall your file?”

“Yes, ma’am, after I finished schooling I was noticed by AEGIS and given a full scholarship.” Lyra nodded, standing back at attention out of habit, her arrows clattering together as she moved. 

“Good. I prefer my teammates single and without kids.” Drops looked over to her. “I've got a kid myself and she's been nothing but a distraction. Around your age.” She turned back and looked over a file folder she had been holding. “She's in prison at the moment. I forget why.” 

“Sorry to hear that ma'am.” Lyra frowned a bit but maintained her composure. An uneasy silence filled the elevator as it began to slow down. “What are the specifics of today's assignments?” 

“Well you know as well as I do as a part of AEGIS you'll be expected to respond to meta human issues that threaten the safety of The Canterlot Commonwealth and its citizens.” Drops said casually as she flipped through the pages in her folder. “Anything from surveillance and intelligence gathering to all out confrontations if we need to.” 

Lyra nodded. 

“Today being your first day on real rotation duty, how was orientation, by the way?” she turned and smirked already aware of how dry orientation was. “Fall asleep often?” 

“No ma'am, just perhaps once.” Lyra relaxed a bit as the elevator stopped and the doors opened with a low ding following from a speaker. 

“Good. Let's get started then. Give me a full rundown on the current top level issues we have in the city.” Drops began to walk ahead of her subordinate, putting the folder under her arm. 

“Current top level issues are the newly risen S class villain known as Mistress Mayhem.” Lyra followed at a quick pace, the quiver on her back jostling as she caught up. “Meta human female, appendages of many, a very nasty character who seems to be dead set on well..” 

“Mayhem.” Drops smiled and rounded a corner. She waved at several guards at a post, their sudden snap to attention relaxing as she passed. 

“Mayhem has been sighted on several recent robberies involving explosive and other bomb making materials. Intelligence believe well have a full fledged A type bomb scenario if we don't stop her soon.” Lyra hurried her discussion along. “Based on how powerful she is she's one of the worst threats we've had since the disaster.” 

“Correct.” Drops pulled out an ID card from her jacket pocket and slid it across a scanner, the door it was attached to opened with a loud series of locks disengaging. 

“Director Drops, you do know that I am more suited for field operations then interrogation?” Lyra asked as they walked through an even more narrow hallway. 

“I'm familiar with your file, recruit.” Drops sounded a bit annoyed as they walked down to a large set of secure looking doors, two security guards standing up and saluting her. 

“Begging the Director’s pardon, then why on my first day am I being brought to the holding cells?” Lyra finally asked, semi frustrated. “Does the Director find me lacking?”

“The Director finds you very qualified.” The doors began to open, parting in the center and signing into the clipboard at the station. “You also haven’t been in the face of anything but training simulations. You’ve never faced a Meta human in the field, or up close.” She turned and stared at her new recruit. “Have you?” 

A silence filled the air between them but was quickly broken by the headstrong recruit. “No ma’am but I assure you I’ve--”

“That changes now.” Drops interrupted her and motioned her to follow into the holding cells, the large metal doors slamming shut and a series of locks re engaging. 

As the echoing sound of the doors still resonated in her ears, Lyra looked up and around her, eyes wide as she took in the whole room they were in. A grid pattern filled the entire walls around them and then began to pulse a deep blue glow. 

“Director…?” Lyra asked, but stopped as she turned around to find her superior being held in a chokehold. 

Holding her new boss was a massive creature of fur and scales towering over her by at least a foot. The creature was humanoid but lacked several standard characteristics. Most of the human features were warped and combined with that of a feline or lion like animal. On its back was a set of splayed bat wings. Fangs dripped with saliva and it hissed then roared at the new recruit. 

No words left Lyra as she dove out of the creature's swipe at her. Its massive paw hit nothing but air as the green skinned girl twisted mid dive, her bow already half out and snapping to a ready and locked position. Landing with a dull thud on her knee pads, she was already pulling an arrow out of her quiver and knocking it into place, her eyes trained down the sights. “Look out, Drops!” she shouted as she let the first shot loose, the sound of her string snapping in her ear. 

The arrow sailed true and steady and pierced the left eye of the creature. A wail and growl of anger left its huge jaws and it struggled to keep its grip, but did not entirely let go. Drops passed out at roughly the same time from apparent lack of air and hung limply in the creature's arms. Another arrow sunk into the shoulder and the third missed its mark and sliced the ear of the angry humanoid. 

“Crap.” Lyra cursed and went wide eyed as a huge scorpion like tail came sailing down at her, a new weapon the creature displayed. “Whoa!” she rolled left and pushed backwards to leave the reach of the potentially deadly point on it. “You're just all sorts of wrong.” She snickered and knocked a new set of three arrows, each with a flat warhead on them instead of her regular razor tipped default. “Let's see if you like the sensory overload!” 

The three arrows shot up and the flash bangs on them detonated above them all, only Lyra shielded her eyes in time and shook off the concussive sound as it rang. The facade of her one liners and seemingly overconfident bravado starting to fade as she looked to see it hadn't done much but make the creature angry. 

“Well that's a let down, those were new too. Oh well,” she muttered and dodged again as another tail swipe and paw grab nearly grabbed her this time. “Where’s security when you need them?” Lyra spun a dial on the back end of her quivers bottom and the pointer locked onto a red dot. “Let's see how you like thermite.” She said and pulled a custom arrow out, just in time to be lifted off her feet by the creatures paw and raised high in the air. 

The angry beast roared at her and drew its scorpion tail back for a lethal strike. The rush of air from the beasts mouth made Lyra flinch. “Ugh. You have awful breath.” She remarked, opened her eyes and stared defiant. “But that won't be a problem much longer!” she said as her right arm broke free and drew back the arrow in her hand, ready to throw it point blank range. “You ain't leaving here.” She said finally, only to have Drops hand grab her wrist. 

“Alright. That's enough.” Drops said, her apparent fake state of unconsciousness apparent now. “Kill it. I've seen enough.” She adjusted her eyepatch as she finished the order. 

“Simulation terminated,” an automated voice announced as the grid lines faded and turned off. At the same moment Lyra fell to the ground as the holograms hold on her disappeared and she lost her grip on her seemingly last arrow. 

“Oof!” Lyra grunted and returned to a ready stance, grabbing her bow. 

“Stand down.” Drops disarmed the warhead on the arrow easily to Lyras dismay. “You did good.” 

Panting from adrenaline and complete confusion, the new recruit changed from fear to anger. “Ma'am...what the hell is going on?” 

“I've been doing this a long time, Lyra. Longer than you'd believe.” Drops handed her the parts back and dusted her jacket off. Standing up straight now, she turned and looked at the bewildered operative. “Seen a lot of new operatives come in, top of their class, and be entirely sure of themselves and their abilities, with good reason.” She holstered her own sidearm that she’d lost during the mock scuffle, checking the clip before she did. “Seen a lot of them freeze when they came face to face with something like you just did.” 

“Which was what exactly, ma’am?” Lyra asked, converting her bow to a straight compact mode and holstering it behind her . “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“That was what Diane described as a Manticore.” Drops answered, motioning her to follow towards the other end of the simulation room, the doors at the other end opening slowly, revealing a similar hallway and a pair of smiling guards. They both saluted Lyra and her superior as they passed. “Just one of many rather unpleasant critters we have been training to deal with.” 

“Where exactly are we getting this intelligence from, again, Ma’am?” Lyra kept in better step with her as they rounded another corner, passing another set of guards. The doorway was labeled ‘Diane’ with several different rules and warnings posted around it. “You mentioned...Diane?” 

“You’re about to meet her.” Drops answered. 

Their boots clicked differently on the concrete floor as they entered, the hallway now vastly different in its construction. The entire set up looked more modern and secure in it’s composure, as half the hallway was a solid concrete wall on the right. On it’s left, a full sized layer of plexiglass and reinforced metal slats on it, with only various air holes drilled into it.

Closer examination by Lyra and it became clear to her it was a giant holding cell of some sort, like one would make for a hamster or wild animal perhaps. The decoration was simple, with a bed, a toilet and privacy screen. A table and a chair sat in the center of the room, lit by a single overhead light bulb that flickered occasionally. 

Sitting in that chair, facing away, was a slender female figure, dressed in a prison jumpsuit, an embroidered patch on the shoulders remarked that the wearer was indeed dangerous. Her hair was a light pink, but lay entirely straight and past the middle of her back, revealing a similar pink flesh tone. A lonely tune hummed from her, as she played what appeared to be solitaire with a deck of cards, holding up a joker from the deck and looking it over absently. 

“Hey, don't be rude, say hello.” Drops said confidently, stepping forward. 

The figure stopped and looked straight forward, giggling at something, then set her pack of cards down and began to slowly turn her head, her blue eyes coming into view for the first time. Several facial scars and other blemished became apparent to Lyra as she did. The one overwhelmingly striking feature was that, despite her apparent isolation in the cell and all the wounds on her, she had nothing but the brightest if not eerie grin on her face. Brushing a few stray bangs out of her eyes, she hooked the hair behind on of her ears and eyed up the two girls. 

“Hello, Director.” She said, a high pitch contrasted by her slower speech pattern. “I see someone actually passed the manticore test.” She grinned wider, almost making Lyra step back.. “Hi there, I'm Diane,” she said with a giggle that echoed through her cell.
> "Lost Fruit" (Applejack/Flashbacks/Rarity/Trenderhoof)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Lost Fruit” 
By DarkMalcontent
Proof and Polish by Alisia
Editor in Hooves Brawny Buck





Applejack took her hat off and gave a frustrated grunt with her attention on the receptionist. It was hard to focus on looking the young girl in the eye as they seemed to be looking in another direction. “Aah would like to see Rarity. She made a heaping sum of a donation and I’d like to thank her personally.” 

Looking at the confused receptionist, the name “Muffin” was printed on her tilted name tag, Applejack fidgeted with her hat until she got a response. “Ms. Rarity is very busy. You need an appointment,” Muffin said, adjusting her headset slightly as she typed away at her console. She stared hard at the screen with a long pause. “Miss...Hoof?”

“Applejack, please.” AJ corrected her, trading her hat to her other hand. “Look, I know I’d normally need an appointment, but the sudden donation, I’d like to speak with her. It’s raised some concerns, not to mention I’m...well I’m an old friend.”

“That’s what she’s hoping.” Spike popped up on a monitor nearby, startling AJ and Muffins. 

“Oh, Spike, you scared me.” Muffins said, holding her chest momentarily. 

“Sorry, I’ll take care of this one. You worry about booking the afternoon.” Spike said, his avatar shifting from dragon to a dog form that jumped several screens. He motioned at AJ with his paw. “Come on, this way.” 

“Spike...?” AJ rubbed her forehead slowly, the perplexing moment washing over her. She put her hat back on and followed Spikes instructions hesitantly. Walking to the far end, she heard Muffins get overwhelmed yet again. 

“Hi, Applejack.” Spike sat casually on the flatscreen. “Boy have you got questions I bet?” 

“Y’all ain’t kidding.” She raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“How am I alive? I’m not.” Spike motioned again, leaping to what appeared to be a series of flat screens placed along the lobby, leading the blonde haired girl along with him towards the elevators. “I died. This is an elaborate recreation via an abandoned A.I. program Twilight repurposed.” The elevator gave a dull ding as he said that with the doors parting. “That's the easy part to explain.” 

“Can’t wait to hear the hard part.” She said, stepping into the elevator and giving a bewildered stare as the doors closed in front of her. 

“Well Rarity can't see you at the moment as she's about to present the new proposed armor to the ECPD.” Spike continued as the elevator began to rise. Several curved glass monitors in the elevator popped on and Spike walked across them as he continued. “But I'm willing to bet you’re here to find out why we transferred so much to AppleTrends?” 

“That's the main reason, Spike, but it's not the only one.” Applejack answered with a slow nod. 

“Do you feel like sharing the rest?” Spike morphed back to his dragon avatar as the elevator rose to the middle of the building and the doors opened. “This way,” he said while hopping to a nearby monitor in the busy hallway. 

Stepping through the hallway AJ dodged the hurried pace of several different girls all running past her shouting different things. Mostly about fabric or resources, the last one shouting about lunch orders. As quickly as the papers and girls flew by, the doors they all ran in slammed shut and the distant rustling of paper was all that she could hear. “City folk,” she muttered as her boots were muffled by the carpeting in the hallway. “Where in tarnation are we going?” 

“This way.” Spike suddenly appeared near her head. “To the green room”

AJ jumped with a short gasp and smacked at the avatar with her hat out of instinct. “Just stay where I can see ya. Green room ya say?” 

“Think of it as a VIP waiting room while Rarity finishes up.” Spike said, increasing his size and filling a whole screen as he walked. His proportions changed as well to a mid sized dragon and wings sprouted out his back. “Can I get you anything to drink? Water? Tea? Apple juice?” he gave a teasing smirk as he said the last drink. They reached a jade colored door at the end of the hall, upon which it unlocked and opened for her. 

“Well...” she pondered half a second. “Lemonade if ya got it.” She took her hat off and cooled off in the air conditioning. “Whew. Didn't realize how hot it was ‘til I came into this here air conditioning.” The door closed and the nearby wall lit up to reveal itself as a television on low volume, with Spike on a nearby corner mounted monitor. 

“It’s on its way. Just relax and I'll let Rarity know the moment she's done. I bet Twilight will want to say hi too!” he waved and the monitor he was on turned off.

Left to herself finally, she sat down in a plush looking chair and immediately sank into it much further then she anticipated. Catching herself on the arms of the chair, she rebalanced her form and cleared her throat, trying to forget the moment of panic she had just had in being eaten by a chair. A small glass of lemonade arrived by a hovering drone and left her alone with her thoughts as she slipped it. Staring at several framed magazines on the walls, AJ let her mind drift into a sea of memories she had tried to lock away. 

***



Suburbs of Equestrian City - Sweet Apple Acres II


1 year after The Canterlot Disaster


“Look I'm mighty flattered but I just can’t be involved with anyone serious right now.” Applejack huffed as she lifted a bale of hay and hurled it past Trenderhoof. What I'd like to do is get you and your butt off my farm. Applejack gritted her teeth to keep from saying her thoughts. The skinny and clearly out of place socialite dodged with little grace, adjusting his glasses while she saw him move closer. “Besides, if I don't get the chores done there won't be much for you to report on.” 

“It’s simply incredible how you move with the grace of a dancer yet the strength of an ox!” Trenders reply rang in her ear. 

Oh where did Rarity go? She needs to keep a better leash on this boyfriend of hers, Applejack thought as she narrowed her eyes.

“I'm ever so glad I came down today to watch you in action. I could watch you all day!” 

“I know!” AJ said in defeat. “Y’all said so five times so far today!” she picked up two large barrels of apples and hoisted them under her arms with ease. She grunted as she nearly ran over him again. I swear if he don’t stay out of the way I'm fixing to just pin him down with an apple barrel for the day. She focused on the barn ahead of her to keep from acting on her thought. Turning a half second later she noticed Trender staring curiously at a set of tools. “What was it you’re report was supposed to be on exactly again?” she cocked an eyebrow. 

“I'm to report on the economic and sociological impacts the modern farm has on the rate of technology advancement in urban units.” He answered proudly, pulling out his phone and taking several moments to type a few more notes. “When I took this class from ECU, I had no idea I'd be going to such a folksy setting as part of the curriculum.” Trender looked back up at Applejack and grinned widely in adoration. “Let alone meeting someone of your prestige, beauty and rough down home values.” 

Applejack stopped as he started in on his explanation. The meaning was going over her head a bit but she certainly knew what the last part was about. Trenderhoof had been at her for sometime now since he arrived and had yet to give up. I gotta admit, his persistence is rather cute. She thought as she resumed her duties. But Rarity has been entirely clear he’s her man for at least a year now I think. Applejack set the barrels down with a grunt, dusting her shorts off. Granny always said ‘Never pick apples from someone else orchard’. She sighed and looked over in a desperate hope he had magically disappeared. 

Trender shrieked softly as a set of pitchforks and rakes he clumsily bumped into tumbled over next to him. He turned with interest after the danger had passed and began to pick at the objects. Bending over, he peered at the rake, having never been privy to such devices up close. 

StIll... Applejack turned away some and peeked from behind her hat ever so slightly. Her gaze taking in what the slender but persistent teen had to offer in regards of physical appeal. This barn seems to have a sturdy frame despite the thin shingles. Still...the silo seems adequate. She smirked to herself. Reality punched her mind softly as she scorned herself. What the hell am I doing?! This is the only thing Rarity's got left. 

She rubbed her forehead, wiping sweat with a cloth slowly. Leaning on a set of crates, she took a swig of water from her canteen and gave a helpless look as Trenderhoof tried replacing the tools. She already smokes too much. Trender and her new shop in town is all she focuses on now. Folks don’t talk to her since Sweeties funeral. AJ took another swig and her gaze lowered. Pretty sad really, how cold everyone been towards’er.

“Curious.” Trender said softly as he tried stacking them again. This time he solved the problem by propping them all against the other in a cluttered mess. It held but Applejack shook her head and stood up. 

“Look. Ya gotta put the heavier ones in the back or tilt them this way. Else they'll just tumble back down again,” she said as she fixed them back up.

“Outstanding my Haymaker of a Farm Queen!” Trender replied to her as he adjusted his outfit and brushed dirt off. 

“I ain't your haymaker.” Applejack groaned and turned to walk away, eyes set on the cows next. She didn't want him to see the slightest of blush appear from his last comment. If aah was a haymaker I'd use it to knock some sense into ya. Farming ain't for you. Just like I ain't. Just wouldn't work, she thought to herself. Pushing open the doors she picked up a large bucket and set it under the first holstein. Bringing her small milking stool with her she adjusted it to sit. Before she could begin she cocked her eyebrow as she heard him again. 

“Ah this must be where the milk comes from.” He made a few notes but then snickered softly. “How ‘udder'ly quaint.” 

Oh that deserves a bucket of milk poured on ya. AJ thought, but found herself laughing audibly ever so softly. She stopped herself just as quickly. No. Stop AJ. Can't let him wear ya down. Applejack straightened her expression and tried to start again,only to glance past Trenderhoof’s shoulder. A sober expression fell on her face as she made eye with Rarity. Her friend was dressed in what could only be described as new age western gear. The look on Rarity’s face was the real show stopper though. It was meant only for Applejack, the look was clear even without words: ‘Back Off’. Aah know, alright? Applejack thought to herself and gave Rarity the slightest of nods. I hear ya loud and clear. 

“Trender, dear,” Rarity called in a tone reflecting a more calm and cool demeanor. “I think I've got an outfit you might like to see me in.” She tilted her rhinestone accented cowboy hat back. “Or perhaps out of?” she gave a lazy grin to her boyfriend of almost a year. Trender didn't turn to look at or even answer the fashionista. Rarity cleared her throat. “Dear~” she called again with a small pitch raise to add a bit of sweetness, and a poor attempt to pull off a southern touch.

Applejack noticed he was fixed on her motions as she milked the cow. Figures. Typical man. She smirked to herself, surprised she found it amusing instead of annoying. This surprised and concerned her now. 

“Applejack?” Trender suddenly asked, rubbing his chin. “Why are you doing that by hand?” 

“Cow won’t milk herself.” She responded, trying to stay focused on her work with more difficulty now. “Don't have the luxury of a milking machine or a larger set up.” 

“Well. I was just thinking along the same lines.” He pulled up his phone and checked several notes. “You might be able to finance a larger set up with enough capital.” 

“Right. Let's just go on around back to the money tree.” Applejack shook her head with a grin. 

“No. Nothing as trite as that.” 

Applejack turned as she noticed his tone changing. A degree of seriousness carried it now. She thanked her stars he hadn't used a pet name for over five minutes now. “Well...what do ya mean?” she stopped and looked up at him, genuinely curious. “Me and Big Mac tried talkin’ to the bank. Granny always had more luck talking to’em.” She leaned back on the stool. “A machine would save time but no bank wants to fund such a ‘risky endeavor’ since we're still so new.” 

“Right. That would make sense.” Trender answered. “Normally. But you and your large brother have some assets here that you might not have presented.” 

“Like?” Applejack tilted her hat back with her thumb, stood, made her way over and washed her hands at a small sink. Walking over to Trender for the first time with genuine interest, she heard the jingle of Rarity's boots. 

“Leave it to my boyfriend. My. Boyfriend.” Rarity said firmly as she placed a hand so AJ could clearly see it on Trenders shoulder. “To find money where most don't.” She heard the tone Rarity used and took a step back from them both. 

“Well I'm not quite sure I'd know what to do with the situation we all have here.” Applejack gave an uneven reply, her eyes darting from Trender and Rarity cautiously. 

“There's clearly a need to reassess.” Trender looked up to Rarity and then Applejack. “The current situation...” he cleared his throat. “Of course I have to go now but, if you change your mind and want to have a more serious discussion, you know where to find me.” He said as he checked the time on the phone and cleared his throat. 

“I wouldn't mind some help like that. If it could help the whole farm and business and what all.” Applejack stumbled on her words and looked away to the apple trees to her right. “I gotta admit, I wouldn’t know how to go about it. I'd be lost without ya in the paperwork department.” 

“Yes. Lost without you.” Was all he said to her, taking a moment to meet her gaze with his as he stood. Both of them paused and a blush spreadover their cheeks. 

Rarity gave a louder, frustrated and almost angry grunt. “Trender. Dear.” Her tone was quickly losing its pleasantness to Applejacks ears. “Why don't we go back to town now? You and I have reservations.” 

Sure sounds like it. Applejack thought to herself as she cleared her throat. “Well it was nice having ya both here.” 

“Yes, Applejack, we must find another time to do this again in the distant future.” Rarity’s tone betrayed the daggers she stared at Applejack. “Dear. Go bring the car around won't you?” 

“Right. Car.” Trender said almost hypnotically as Applejack noticed him keep his eyes on her firm tan legs for a bit longer then he should have. She walked behind a set of small fencing to break his line of sight, letting him escape and out of ear shot. 

Silence between the two girls was all there was as he left. Rarity pulled a slender cigarette from her designer purse. As she lit it up, Applejack coughed as the smoke drifted towards her. 

“Now look.” Applejack finally said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I know what ya'll are thinking and it ain't like that a’tall.” She threw her arms outward in frustration. “I was tryin’ my darndest to get him to keep away.” 

Rarity turned to stare at the barn as she took a long drag and nodded at her. The sound of a car approaching filled their ears. Applejack felt a desperate need to hear something. Anything. 

“Applejack.” Rarity finally said, turning her head back to her, letting a puff of smoke go. “Try. Harder.” A determined yet venomous tone echoed in her ears. 

AJ grimaced as that was all her friend said before turning and walking towards the vehicle that had rolled to a stop. Applejack stared at her friend as she left and felt a conflict inside her she didn't enjoy having. She rubbed her forehead in bewilderment at the whole situation. Sure would be nice to have someone to talk to about this. But the only one I got left that's nearby… is Rarity… “Well this is a fine barrel of apples I've gotten stuck in.” She muttered to herself. 

“Eyup.” Was all she heard in the distance, her brother Big Mac walking by with six barrels on a cart. 

Applejack grunted at her brother’s apparent knowledge of her perplexing position. When she turned to follow him, everything faded to white with a voice interrupting. 

“Did you need a refill?” Spike asked loudly, knocking Applejack’s focus back to the present. 

“What? NO! She already blames me for Sweetie!” she blurted out suddenly. “I mean, uh…” she looked over with a flush to her cheeks. “Yeah Spike, that would be great.” She hid behind her hat a bit as she answered, the blush getting brighter as another drone flew in with her refill. 

***
End of Episode
> "Perceptions Can Be Deceiving" (Starlight/SunBurst/Symmetry Dominion)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Perceptions Can Be Deceiving ”
by 
DarkMalcontent
Proofs and Polish by Alisia
Power Consultation by Zap
Editor with Hooves Brawny Buck

****

A steady pace of heels hitting tile echoed through Starlight’s ears, her eyes focused on the doors ahead of her. Passing by several armed guards, their immediate terror or respect was evident from their snapped attention. “Empress,” they each uttered like an echo of the other as she walked by. Starlight took it all in as fuel to her pride. Passing under the Symmetry Dominion’s flag, she glanced at its simplistic yet effective design: an equal sign divided down the middle by a single line.



To the untrained eye it would appear bland, but she knew better. Starlight knew it stood for a single light leading those lesser beings in the dark to prosperity. Popular opinion would tell you it meant equality, but again, she knew better. 

Pushing open the two doors of the grand lobby, she walked into the briefing room and adjusted her retracted staff of sameness on her belt. The internal guards snapped to attention as she passed. Decorated with gems and jewels to an almost impractical spectacle, the main room’s briefing table was clearly more style than use. Sitting at the head was her father, the King of the Symmetry Dominion by birth, Firelight. Next to him was Stellar Flare, the mother of the very person Starlight had behind her: Sunburst.

Though not entirely enthusiastic, Starlight enjoyed it when the two came together. Sunburst always seemed to enjoy his mother's presence. Many times in their youth Stellar would be overbearing to a pain in regards to her son, yet Starlight’s birth mother adored her while giving her freedom to breath. Stellar had been the first choice the King had when he replaced her after the trials. 

“Hello daddy.” Starlight bowed slightly in the smallest form of respect. “You wished to see me?” 

“There's my pumpkin face.” The King smiled, his eyes lighting up as she approached. “You remind me of your dear, departed mother each day I see you.” He rose to greet her, taking her into an embrace that she welcomed and returned. “Sunburst,” he acknowledged flatly over her shoulder in a dull greeting. 

“Your Majesty,” Sunburst responded properly and bowed his head before he turned to his mother. She’d been silently watching the exchange, hands clasped in front of her and head bowed down. As the second wife and an apparent heir already produced, she had a degree of power. Just not enough to speak freely before royal blood. 

“Now sit down puppy cheeks and let me tell you what news my spies brought me.” The King sat and waved off his guards at the far end of the room. With little more than a quiet grunt, they departed.

“Sounds great, daddy.” Starlight smiled widely, artificially enhancing her grin to almost painful levels. She’d found out long ago that the less she seemed like the daughter he remembered in better times, the less receptive he was to her wishes. 

“That's my girl.” Firelight smiled back and waved off his consort and her son. “Stellar and Sunburst, you may get refreshments. That will be all.” Stellar bobbed her head, stood and proceeded to leave with a motion for Sunburst to follow. Sunburst looked to his mother, Firelight and then Starlight before hesitantly he started to follow Stellar.

“But dad, I want my friend here.” Starlight said in a faux whine. 

“Not for this dear. You and your...er...friend can play in a bit. This is important.” The King’s smile fell a bit to reflect his stern tone. Starlight reluctantly sat at her spot at the table. Once the pair was out, the doors locked and the curtains drew shut with a magical spell. The center of the table burst to life in front of her with a globe representing the known world. 

“Spies have relayed to me a new threat to our world. It comes from within Equestrian City, the largest metropolitan area in the Canterlot Commonwealth.” The King recited as the globe focused on a large land mass to the east of the Dominion. “Normally such super villain antics would be of little concern, but this one has troubling sources.” 

“Troubling how, father?” Starlight perked ever so slightly with a genuine curiosity. 

“What we’ve been able to determine is the unknown threat moves in the shadows and seems to keep itself well hidden. The intel suggests he uses at least two proxies and one is with him at all times, as a sort of female bodyguard.” 

“Then what are you planning to do if this threatens the entire world, father?” she inquired while she drummed her fingers almost impatiently. “Do we plan on helping the Commonwealth?” 

“We will do what we can. I've already sent word to allies inside the country to help the local population, both legally and covertly.” Firelight added as the globe spun further to the east. “The real reason I asked you here is this, Pumpkin...” He paused with a smile that made her feel slightly less bored. The map stopped and focused in on a decent sized landmass.

“The Eastern Empire?” Starlight questioned curiously. 

“Further into investigation, it's been found that the threat in The Commonwealth has sent a gift to King Sombra.” A picture of Trixie Lulumoon appeared, though it was a rough far shot taken from a distance.

“She’s not much to look at.” 

“The girl is merely the packaging.” Firelight stated quickly. “The real gift is what has sealed itself around her neck. This amulet seems to register an eight on the rating scale.” 

“That's impossible. My staff is an eight. That would mean she’s as powerful as me…” her face fell and slowly her head shook. “That's not possible.” Starlight’s passion bled through her usual calm demeanor. 

“The data coming out of the Empire is verified, little one.” He leaned back in his chair. “Once Midnight is done with her, which will be soon, she's to be held as a visitor and guest in Sombra’s main hall.” She watched as he stood, pressed a button on the table and the globe vanished. “You'll be leaving for The Empire in a diplomatic visit. As much as Sombra despises pleasantries, he doesn't want to deal with us and the Commonwealth as enemies.” 

“What is my purpose? Garner support?” Starlight leaned back in her chair and stared uneasily at her father. 

“Garner support as always. Make nice. People love to see you there.” He straightened his back. “The world loves a state trip.” Firelight turned and walked slowly behind her. 

“...And?” she tilted her head to him gradually. 

“While there, you are to interact with this Trixie. Get to know her and her amulet. Once you have solid answers like the ones I need...” Firelight rubbed her shoulders softly, making her squirm slightly. “Mainly what he intends to do with her and who gave her that amulet...should you consider it a victory.” 

“I'll prepare at once, father.” Starlight stood, breaking contact and clearing her throat. “I'll need Sunburst, of course, and a full company of soldiers and aides.” She crossed her arms and made her way towards the doors she’d entered from. 

“I have no doubt you'll do well, chipmunk cheeks.” He praised and walked the opposite direction to another exit. Both sets of doors opened together and slammed shut simultaneously as they left. 

***

Outside Sunburst hugged his mother tightly and sighed, a damn of emotion he held back trying to break all at once. Over the years he had learned to keep his feelings concerning Starlight’s actions suppressed. The only outlet was his books and his mother. Looking up to her aged face, he felt comfort from the familiarity of her gaze. “Hello, mother.” 

“How’s my special boy?” she kindly asked while she ruffled his hair playfully. Tugging his goatee softly she shook her head. “I just don’t know why you don’t shave this off. It's so tacky.” 

“I, er, a lot of people like it.” He awkwardly replied and sat down in a velvet lined chair. “Starlight hates it, says it tickles.” 

“I suspect that's why you keep it then?” Steller whispered and smirked, taking a seat next to him. “So, has she been nice to you?” 

“She has, er, eased up. I feel more like a trophy than a friend. A lot of times she just uses me as set dressing...” Sunburst adjusted his glasses and looked away. “Or a pillow.” 

Steller grimaced a bit but her genuine smile came back as quick as she adjusted his clothing a little. “Well…” she took a breath. “It's all worth it. Imagine if she didn’t take a shine to you,” his mother softly reminded and looked around, then focused on her son. “If not, we'd be working the mines or worse. It was a miracle she asked for you by name after you were ejected from the magic program.” 

“Yeah... Luck sure is our friend, mom.” He stared at the his feet and covered himself with a hug. “I just hope he treats you better. Are...you happy?” Sunburst reluctantly questioned and looked up to her. “It's been years now.” 

She looked around again for any prying ears and leaned in, lowering her voice as she wrapped her arms around Sunburst in a hug. “The King treats his concubines and their family well.” Stellar paused, listening before continuing as she leaned back a little, rubbing his back. “Part of why I did this was to make sure you were taken care of, Sunburst. As much as you dislike the boring times, remember that on the outside a worker has a lot worse of a day than a concubine does.” 

“I'm not a--” he almost shouted but recoiled and leaned forward. “I'm not comfortable having this discussion with you, mother.” He expressed quickly in a hushed voice with a small blush. This brought a small half smile to pull itself onto his mother’s face.

“It's just a way of life now. No shame in it. Does she--” she hesitated and looked at his neck, gently stroking it with the back then palm of her hand. “Ask...much of you?” 

A long silence filled only with the fountains around them was all either heard. Sunburst and his mother both glanced around in the beautiful garden. The guards and the attendants, although at a distance, were each a set of ears to avoid when speaking truthfully. Wordlessly they exchanged glances to the other and Sunburst airlessly spoke. His mother’s jaw slightly tightened but relaxed as she retook control of the sudden surge of emotions.

“How have the gardens been? I haven’t made my way here for a good while, because you know how Starlight enjoys her exercise.” Sunburst cleared his throat and turned his attention towards a set of flowering bushes. “She likes it when I'm close to her as she practices combat drills.” He explained for the forced topic change. The orange haired man swallowed hard as his cheeks heated up again. “Nude...” he whispered under his breath. 

“The gardens are fine. They bloom even through the worst of weather. No magic required.” She easily took his hint. Standing, Steller’s dress unfolded and flourished gently. She motioned with a hand and he stood, following her to the edge of the balcony. Together they stared at the much larger garden below them. 

“They're beautiful...” he breathed with his gaze trailing across the bushes and trees, observing gardeners working on various areas and their respected set ups. He glanced at the walls built up around the entire set of rose bushes that encircled the layout. “Beautiful...but locked away from the world. Trapped.” 

“Left alone in the wild, not many bushes survive predators or other threats. The environment works almost against them. It's a wonder any exist at all when you think about it.” She stroked his hair from behind. “We should take comfort in knowing that as ‘trapped’ as they seem, it's only for the best. For their survival,” Stellar softly explained with a somber tone. “One day, a great wind will take new seeds from the older ones.” 

Sunburst turned to face her gaze as she continued. He saw a confident glint in her eye. “Then the seeds will be free?” 

“To a better place perhaps.” She nodded. 

“But what about the vines and bushes those seeds come from?” Sunburst asked in their shared coded speak. 

“Life and death are a cycle. One cannot happen without the other. We just hope that the seeds find a better place than their parent bushes did.” Stellar kissed his forehead softly and turned, leaving him alone. “That's all those bushes can hope for,” she whispered under her breath, her head downturned.

Sunburst stared across the gardens again and noticed a set of creeper vines choking out a section of rose bushes. Before he could contemplate more, the sound of Starlight calling his name broke his comfort. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and turned, answering her summons. 

***

“Ugh. Some of these are sooo...depressing!” Pinkie clicked her wireless mouse, the computer screen in front of her loading the next fanfiction. Across the screen header was the name of the site and several pictures, no doubt commissioned for the story. “I know it's supposed to be the setting but some of these get so gloomy.” She finished her thought as she scanned the next story. 

“I don't know why you even bother with that stuff.” Dash replied, wondering in with a bowl of popcorn and a six pack labeled ‘WubJuice’, setting it down on the coffee table. Pinkie shook her head softly and double checked that the blinds were closed, as her not-so-blind friend was simply walking unassisted. 

“Well, a lot of people think that fanfiction is just a bunch of wish fulfillment.” Pinkie spun around in her chair to look at Dash. “Buncha lonely girls hooking up with the guy of their dreams. Typical adolescent feelings.” She leaned forward, grabbed a handful of popcorn and took a sizable amount in her mouth. “Some are. Nothing wrong with that.” 

“Quite a few people disagree based on those comments you read me.” Dash popped the top off her beverage and gave it a sniff. “Huh, what did you say these were?” 

“Some sorta new juice from the people who make WubCakes.” Pinkie turned back around and scanned the page that had loaded. “Yeah there’s a lot of fans out there who seem kinda upset if you write a story with someone who is canon sleeping with someone who’s an author insert.” She clicked again and another page loaded. “But the real haters out there are the ones who can’t stand anyone being out of character.” 

“Out of character?” Dash propped her feet on the coffee table and leaned back, letting her sonar relax and taking in the darkness around her as Pinkie continued. 

“Yeah the ones you end up hearing the most from are so-called “experts” who, for the life of me I can't figure out why they're in the fanfiction section if they actually do hold degrees.” Pinkie popped a few kernels into her mouth and chewed while talking. “But really the entire point of fanfiction is to write what you want to write. Maybe that's not going to be everyone's cupcake.” 

“Their what?” Dash perked an eyebrow up at that remark. 

“Cupcake. Their thing. Their kink. Whatever it is they like.” She swallowed and turned around to join her friend on the couch.

“Right...” Dash said softly. “It does make me wonder though.” 

“Oh? You mean why if someone doesn't like something why they'd take the time to write you a comment that they hated it, but if someone likes something they won't?” Pinkie took another handful of popcorn and picked up the remote. 

“Well--” 

“Or you mean why if someone who labeled their story alternate universe, why people still compare it to the the real show?” Pinkie asked again in rapid succession. 

“No it--” 

“Ooo! Why a person is lambasted over an open forum when they decide they want to portray relationships that are contrary to the complainers wishes when it's not even their story to judge or change? Like why would they even care if it's an alternate universe? Part of the fun is seeing “what if” and THAT authors perception of what would happen when--”

“Pinkie!” Dash finally interrupted. “It makes me wonder why you asked me over to watch this show you love sooo much since I'm still actually blind. Sonar is not typically used for viewing televisions.” She flopped her head back. 

“Huh.” Pinkie stopped dead in her thoughts. “Y'know you're absolutely right. I'll just have to describe the whole thing to ya!” She said with a happy tone. 

Dash raised her eyebrow again and laughed gently. “Alright Pinkie. Let's watch Total Wasteland.” She took a sip of the fruity beverage and leaned back as her friend began describing the scenes in detail. 

End of Episode
> "Vicious Circles" (SciTwi/Tiara)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Vicious Circles"
By 
DarkMalcontent
Co author and Proofs by Alisia 
Proofreading by The Pony ThinkTank (Alden, Kyle and company) 
Editor who Cannot Fly: Brawny Buck





Professor Midnight adjusted her dress uniform, several medals gently clanking against others. Walking with a brisk pace, her thigh high uniform boots gave the slightest sheen of latex as she turned a corner. The hallway echoed with her footfalls, pillars of obsidian fencing her in as she made the journey to the Emperor's throne room. Each of the stoic soldiers matched her apathy towards them as each pillar they stood at came and went during her journey. Far too focused on the documents in her hands, Twilight Sparkle, or as the world knew her now, Professor Midnight, had only one companion. 

That companion kept in step behind her, two steps usually. She heard Scootaloo flex her artificial arm, the servo in the middle section catching on a gear. Midnight barely bothered to fix any parts on her bodyguard, but Midnight’s indifference to her didn't seem to bother Scootaloo. Midnight knew she was fiercely loyal to her. The younger girl saw her as a savior and Midnight exploited that whenever she could. Between killing political and scientific opponents or getting her lunch, the girl from the Commonwealth that became a cybernetically enhanced steward was never still for long.  Midnight smiled briefly, proud of herself, casually mocking her former teachers and so called friends. 

"Always so eager to make me go out and mingle,” she said softly, stopping and flipping a research page back and forth as she compared figures. 

"Ma'am?" Scootaloo asked, stepping closer, her combat boots muffled on the purple and black carpet. Noticing the cleaning boy near the pillar closest to them, she smiled to him, turning back to Midnight as they walked on. 

Midnight sighed and shook her head, not even bothering to look at her. "Nothing, girl. Talking to myself is the only way I can speak to anyone I consider a peer." She snapped and adjusted her glasses. Tightening her gloves and uniform belt, she turned to look at the door guards. "The Emperor wishes to speak with me." Midnight turned back to Scootaloo. "Stay here and put on a good face." 

Scootaloo smiled with pride, snapping to attention with purpose. 

"After all, your enhancements are an extension of my superior intelligence." Midnight turned, brushing her bodyguard’s jacket on the sleeve briefly. She lorded over her assistant as much as Sombra talked down to her. As much as she disliked how Sombra made her feel, she found it much easier to bear when she did the same to Scootaloo. "You wouldn’t want to embarrass me would you?"

Scootaloo's face twitched ever so slightly as she heard that. "N-No, Ma'am!" she looked down as she answered, the ever familiar objectification she felt returning. "Not at all." 

"Good." Midnight turned and walked up the remaining stairs. "It would be unfortunate if I had to find someone more grateful and start again. I'd hate to waste such good parts." She smiled as her parting verbal jab landed as the doors closed behind her. 

Several seconds of silence passed as the doors closed and their impressive reverb died off. The look of hurt Scootaloo had vanished as she focused on a yellow toned male near a pillar. As the maelstrom of emotions she hid behind her indifference surfaced, she smiled briefly as she knocked his mop water over. The cringe from him settled her feeling of helplessness as it passed to him. Stepping over the boy, she narrowed her eyes forward as she came to a rest on the next pillar. "Clean that up." She mumbled. 

"Yes ma'am." Obedience followed from him as he started again while she watched.

***

Night had fallen in Equestrian City, though Diamond Tiara hadn't noticed. The tinted windows that lined the upper floors of her penthouse house kept eyes and sunlight out. 

The petite body of the heir to Money Corp. was hardly noticeable in her private living quarters. The furniture and the entire design of the very room was tailored to her stunted and permanent state: the body of a fourteen year old. Sitting down in an overstuffed designer chair, she crossed her legs and her evening gown settled with her, the turquoise silk wrapping her lack of a figure. 

I’ve been stuck like this since that night. She narrowed her eyes at her form, it’s reflection coming off one of several full length mirrors in the reading room she sat in. Over a decade of stagnation. No drugs, no treatment, no solutions. Just pure utter stagnation. Several emails popped up on her tablet. I suppose it’s not all bad. Spoon had her body mature on her at the worst possible time, during gym. She smirked briefly, swiping left on her tablet through more reports. The last one stopped in front of her as she scanned it’s content. 

“Ah my latest evaluation.” She said softly to herself, scanning past the bullet points. “No change in nerve cluster growth, no changes in any physical attributes.” She pursed her lips. “Intelligence increase by several percentage points. No surprise there.” She smiled, deleting it from her inbox. “All this money, all this success, and I don’t even need to worry about a dating life. I truly have it all.” She smirked briefly, tossing the tablet to the table. 

Several of her tutors commented to her father that her physical stature fit her seeming inability to grow up entirely mentally either. Though they didn't stay her tutors long after comments like that were made. 

"Ma'am," a speaker box chimed next to her. Suri Polomare, her personal assistant, came across. "I've prepared your itinerary for tomorrow's meetings, mmm’k?" she continued. 

"Mmm." Tiara gave half a grunt, focused on a data tablet in her hands. Swiping left a few times, the glow of the screen dimmed and lit back up. Scanning the few lines of text, her face turned to one of annoyance. 

"Good night Miss Tiara." Suri chimed in on the speaker, the red light on the side turning off. 

Standing quickly, Tiara tossed her tablet to the couch and nearly tripped on the plush carpet at her feet. Tying her robe closed around her adolescent body, the scowl of an unhappy woman in her mid twenties was lit up by her phone now. Swiping through contacts, she hit Moondancer’s number, swapping the feed to her larger video conference rig. Sitting down at the small desk, the cartoon icon of a phone jiggled silently on screen. 

Finally the window opened on screen and a bed-headed Moondancer scrambled to put on her glasses. Tiara remained quiet as the lead scientist flipped on a light on her night table. 

"Yes, Miss Tiara?" A groggy voice hesitantly sounded. 

"Moondancer, I've just received a very interesting piece of intel. Regards my endeavours to secure ECPD and its armor contract." Tiara sat back and stared at the screen. Unlike at the skyscraper where the dim lighting she kept allowed her features to be hidden, her room was different. The entire fixture and table were manufactured to give the illusion she was normal size, 

"Oh?" Moondancer sat up on screen, pulling the covers over her apparently nude body. A lemon colored tone popped into frame for a moment. The hesitation filled the air between the two. 

“Send her away.” she said sternly, crossing her arms. 

“I’ll be just a minute, Lemon.” Moondancer gently said, the more portly figure of her companion leaving in the background and the door closing. She turned back, pushing her hair out of her eyes. 

“I wondered where she went after you fired her.” Tiara smirked briefly, the stern tone returning. “You never could throw away useless items.”

“You wanted to speak with me?” Moondancer cleared her throat, a moment of bravery returning to her voice. 

"It seems that as impressive as your model was, Tiara Technology will not be receiving the contract to supply the city." Tiara's tone dropped with disappointment.

"Oh no." Moondancer went pale, her eyes wide as dinner plates. 

"Yes." Tiara finally broke a smile. "Oh no is right." Pulling at her robe shoulder fabric, she stood up, staring down at her. 

"You're sure?" Moondancer asked desperately, stammering to correct the way she phrased her question. "I mean of course you are ma'am but is your source trustworthy or reliable?"  

"There’s always a chance they were fed bad information." Tiara let her expression drop again. "But I make it a point not to surround myself with those who can't deliver. Either on time or reliably." She let the words sink in.

"I mean to say ma'am that despite the setback this may bring us we--" Moondancer paused, struggling to remain calm. "--can certainly move forward with other endeavours. Profitable ones!" 

"I told you this was the last chance you had since you screwed up the respirator contract." Tiara crossed her arms in disapproval again. "If I were you, I'd use the time I had left to clean out my office and type up your resume. I hear the burger shop in the lobby needs help." She chuckled as the fear washed across Moondancer’s face. "You have until the official announcement this week from the ECPD." 

"But--" was all Moondancer got out as the screen turned off. 

Tiara let the afterglow of her scolding Moondancer wash over her. Shivering a moment she tightened her robe as she traversed the room. Jerking her head to the window, a distant cloud of fire and smoke in the center of the city caught her attention. Staring at it a moment she scoffed and shook her head. "Damn meta freaks,” she mumbled, opening her bedroom door and taking off her robe. "Here's hoping they damage only Rarity's businesses and people." She snickered softly, locking the door behind her. 

***

The echo of the massive doors resonated behind Midnight, reminding her of the first time she met her benefactor. Heeled boots shined under the dull lighting of the throne room, in the far end stood a throne with ornate carvings on it. Sitting atop that obsidian throne was the absolute ruler of the Eastern Empire: King Sombra. The only thing entirely visible was his gauntlets, their etchings giving out a faint purple and green glow. The magic that ran through them pulsed like a wicked heartbeat, teasing the shape of the wearer to any eyes looking in at his magnificence. 

Midnight recalled the first time she was brought before him, the fear she had choked down was brought bubbling up as soon as she heard him speak. Though suppressed now from exposure to his heavy magical auras, she still felt the despair he radiated. It was like a soft persistent whisper telling her all the wrong things at the right time. 

"Leave this place. Your brother will never wake up. Your parents are gone and so is your brother. You may as well join them." 

The whispers drilled at her. She ignored them. 

"Cadence is in even worse shape. What a worthless life you've carved out for yourself. No one could ever love a monster like you." 

Midnight grit her teeth behind her closed expression, the prodding getting worse.

"You have no friends. You are a tool. To be used and discarded when the job is done. You will die alone." 

Keeping her eyesight level, she heard the flickering of magical fire all around her. Passing by hanging cauldrons, the light they gave off barely lit her path. She looked down to the great carpet she walked on, the dull maroon with black and white trim barely registering in the lighting. Snapping her head straight again, the great and feared Professor Midnight felt a slight shiver go up her back. She did her best to let it bleed off her body and quickened her pace. Soon another figure near Sombra became apparent. 

"...in the Canterlot Commonwealth, my King." A female voice, modulated slightly through a face mask, concluded. The girl was adorned in a mixture of crude early generation armor and cybernetics. Nothing like what Midnight’s lab would make, it was clearly from Midnight’s predecessor. "Sparkle." 

Midnight narrowed her eyes ever so slightly behind her glasses at the name. She hated the implications the name 'Sparkle' implied across the world. Part of the reason she moved was to escape the media circus around that name. Her stare locked to the one good eye visible from the other woman. 

"Fizzle." Midnight replied, a small smirk vanishing as quickly as the word. She heard Tempest hiss behind her faceplate, her visible eye fiercely glaring. The wind-up dropped just as quickly as neither girl would let the other be the true victor in insults. 

"Midnight." A deep resonating voice broke through each girl’s concentrated glare. Each turned to their King and bowed their head briefly. 

"You called for me, your majesty?" Midnight meekly asked, her tone changing to one of respect. 

"The item Trixie possesses." The large figure moved in his throne to resettle, his metal plate armor loud and imposing. "You were tasked with uncovering its secrets," he said before pausing.. 

"I have so been tasked, your majesty." Midnight swallowed slightly, a nervousness coming over her. "It is more...taxing than I assumed at first. You have stated that you wish for the girl not to be harmed, and I have done as you asked." 

Sombra shifted again to lean forward, revealing his face in the purple and blue hues of the room. The very movement made both women step back in startled fear. 

"You have done many things for me in your time here, Midnight." He rumbled, the flare of dark magic leaving his eyes, the downward angle of his gaze locking to her. "In all the time here you have not failed me." He leaned back, his magical aura all that remained visible in the shadow. "I would hate to see you break such an impressive record." 

A silence filled the throne room as Midnight thought rapidly through her notes. She needed to give him something, anything. 

"I'm told you focused on other side projects during your time this last week." Sombra continued. "My other advisors tell me you might even be ignoring my orders?"

"Tempest needs to mind her own Department and stop sending spies to look in on--" 

"She does not deny it, my Lord. Let me correct her insolence. I will be sure to--" Tempest began to talk over Midnight. 

"SILENCE!" Sombra's booming voice resonated through their very bodies, making each woman clutch their head in pain. 

Midnight regained her wits quicker then her peer, adjusting her uniform and presenting herself meekly again. 

"I have ascertained a few facts from our last meeting, your highness." She pushed her glasses up with a gloved hand. "The artifact is not from this world. It doesn't contain characteristics from the Canterlot Disaster or the age old foundation of magic that fills these lands." 

"That is apparent to me already." He clenched an armored hand, the metal echoing loudly. "The girl informs me that she doesn't remember where she got the amulet, nor who gave it to her." 

"Trixie does not appear to be lying at that, my king." She answered quickly. "I've run every test possible to make sure she isn’t hiding a thing from us. If you would just let me remove her head and then--" 

"NO!" Sombra commanded as he slammed his fist to his throne, bringing the conversation to a halt. "Trixie is not to be harmed. The amulet is attuned to her, removing it unnaturally would destroy the impressive power in it." His eyes flared brightly. "There is something I sense in the amulet. Something unfamiliar in all my time as ruler. If you damage or destroy that power, you will suffer worse than your experiments have..." 

Midnight stared away for a brief moment, her expression giving way to a troubled stare. 

"...to say nothing of your funding and experiments,” he finished with a smile. 

Midnight changed again, her expression fearful for the first visible time. 

"I will redouble my efforts to remove it naturally, all while studying it, my King." Midnight finally answered, standing at full attention now. 

"I hope so, Twilight." Sombra leaned back to a relaxed position again, his hands clasped in front of him. "For the sake of what family you have left." 

She turned pale as the words hit her, but bowed respectfully and turned to leave. 

"Say hello to your brother for me." Tempest laughed as Midnight quickened her pace, leaving the throne room. 

The doors slammed behind her as she stopped and held her chest again, clearly out of sorts. 

"Ma'am?" Scootaloo rushed to her side and caught her from falling. "Are you--" 

"I'm perfectly well. Don't touch me." She snapped, focusing her fear into anger at her subordinate. She shoved the girl back. "Remember your place!" 

Scootaloo swallowed and straightened her own uniform now. A silence between the two lasted a brief second. 

"Bring that Trixie bimbo to me. NOW!" she cleared her throat and relaxed her emotions. "I have a new round of tests that will be no doubt revealing." She pushed her glasses up, watching Scootaloo leave.

"...and with any luck painfully... non lethal." Midnight whispered, her footsteps quickening out of the hall towards her lab. 

***
> "Expulsion from Paradise" (Malcontent Origin)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Expulsion from Paradise
By 
DarkMalcontent
Proofs by Ali
Editor with Wing Envy: Brawny Buck
Creative Consultation by The Pony Think Tank( Alden, Kyle, Spencer, Floof)

***

Puffs of clouds and gusts of cold winds swirled about the world. From the top of the spirals of cloud towers topped with ice to the low level fog that coated everything, the world as he knew it never changed. 

Generations of his kind, the Windigos, had lived in peace and relative harmony in nature. No one wanted for food or sustenance, yet no one felt an over abundance of anything either. The world was perfect for his people. Not once had anyone in over two generations questioned the peace that radiated across their high atmosphere existence. 

For all the complacency, this wasn't always the case, a fact that ate away at him. The older, ancient ones would speak of the early times. Times when the land creatures would be cattle to be fed on, their negative emotions providing enough energy for his people a hundred times over. It was so much that great storms would follow in their wake as the excess energy would burn off, and the animals below would hide from the very presence of their artic power. 

Then a great unification occurred in the dominant species of the lands. The ponies were the first to embrace a life aimed away from conflict, the war like flying races moving to control weather while the magic using and earth kind alike walked among each other as equals. Such an existence was of no use to his people. 

So they withdrew. Content to simply survive, they were not capable of physically provoking the ponies, so little in the way of alternatives remained. They ran to their high cloud cover and began to reside themselves in an almost hibernating level of existence. During this time, several high ranking elders kept spinning ideas of how to send the new unified races against each other to stir the emotions again, but no plan seemed secure enough. Time passed and it became obvious that the emotions they always fed on were not a necessity, so attempts to re-engage the races with each other simply stopped. 

The Windigo species was now content to live an utterly peaceful but equally mundane society. Though even the most calm of waters is capable of hiding troublesome creatures. 

***

"You can’t leave well enough alone, can you, brother?" 

The question grated on his nerves as much as the topic it was concerned over. Blue eyes narrowed at his fellow Windigo, a look of contempt as he tilted his head towards him. “‘Well enough’ is hardly what I’d call it. Scraping by perhaps is a better term.” 

The two conversed as they floated through their native land of the high clouds. Once a race entirely dependent on negative emotions of the land animals, the Windigo race had all but withdrawn from feeding on the ponies below. The generation before had been the first to have not fed on emotions. The existence was not as glorious as the tales of the pre reformation, but it wasn't horrific either. 

Herds of gathered Windigo conversed in their native tongue, heard only as ghastly wind or blowing snow by non-Windigos. The sound was easily disguised as normal weather patterns, making any inspection by Pegasus or Alicorn trivial. The race was self contained and sought no more than what they had, save a few discontented minorities. 

"What I mean to imply, brother, is that despite not understanding the magic that the creatures below wield, we must respect it." The first resumed. "We get along fine as it is." 

"Tell me my dear brother, what is it you see when you cast your gaze across the great expanse?" the purple hue of the Windigos eyes sizzled in distaste. He motioned with his head, the regal cloud mane he wore wafting around with him. The countless groups of Windigo, all identical save their eye colors, reached for what appeared to be miles in the distance. 

"I see a great race, perfect in their own world. Wanting for nothing." His companion answered. 

The purple eyed one sneered, a snort of contention sounding again. "Many a lesson from the so called elders have you had it sounds." He turned to look across the great expanse of clouds. "I see a stagnation that will eat our race. A slow, grueling death of isolation brought on by ancient fears." He fluffed his chest with a final sigh. "One I'm powerless to help fix as long as our elders refuse to embrace changing winds." 

"We get along fine, but we could be much more." His companion spouted back. "Stories the old ones told us of powerful storms, and equally powerful emotion to feast on." 

"At the expense of the harmony of the ecosystem below. Our mere presence was deemed intrusive." His wispy clan member chimed back. "The Great Reform was in response to the magic the ponies unleashed on us. Had we not withdrawn we would have been extinguished." 

"A smite we have yet to repay." 

"Nor should we." A third floated over, his flowing mane of cloud much more lush than the other two. "Young one, you would be wise to listen to your others." A gust of wind picked up around them, each glowing brighter as its power touched them for a moment. "As you can see the residual negative emotion still sustains us. We need not stir up more and risk annihilation with returning to the ancient ways." 

"Old one, I agree to one end." The first pushed his chest fluff out. "We need not use the old ways." Taking the moment to circle the two as he spoke, he left trails of purple vapor behind him. "You see, only a fool excites food visibly. The food inevitably bites back when its had enough." 

"As the ancient times declare." 

"Yet, if one can rile up their food, its taste is that much more exquisite when the food doesn’t realize it's being poked and prodded." He finished, a smile laying across his cloud muzzle as his eyes burst purple magic. 

"You speak as if you know better." The older of them responded, the mane on his head flaring with a gusty of snow. "Food never stays stupid for long. That's why we do not let it see us anymore." 

"We hide here eating scraps when we could be ingesting power hundreds of times greater. Ruling the land animals from our sky domain as it once was!" The first grinned back. 

"I was there. I know of these glorious times. They had their price." 

"But you do admit it was glorious." He snaked his head from behind the elder. "So much glorious emotion one didn’t know what to do. Hunting parties. Great feasts. Laughter and life in the sky domain!" he continued, pecking away at the stalwart elders will. "Not this meager existence where Windigos creep about and mutter about the good old days?" 

A silence came over the three, their looks contrasting the other. The instigator wore a half cocked smile, letting his words dissolve at the elder, much to the other ones surprise. 

Wincing at the memories of the old days, the elder lost his composure, his size dissipating and his eyes dimming. A Windigo fed on negative emotions even their own if turned inward, which was what he had wanted of the elder. Not to change his mind immediately, but to make him question himself. 

A doubtful leader is far more dangerous than a headstrong general any day. He thought, watching in silence. Time to let him think. 

The elder turned to leave, scoffing as the two stood still. Pushing past a few other young ones that gathered when the commotion drew them in, the upstart took notice of their interest. 

It seems all are not lost to a humdrum existence. A sly smile worked on his muzzle. 

"You truly think we can be as great as the stories once said we were?" a smaller Windigo floated close to ask, taking a few nervous glances around. 

"My brothers and sisters," he cleared his throat, a puff of cloud swirling out. "Our race is capable of anything with the right leadership." He let the words linger a few moments. "The real question is are you ready for change?" he wafted fluff from the ground. "Or are you all content to lumber about like the sloths below?" the fluffy substance disappeared as his words grew stricter. "Are you willing to simply sit by as your so called betters determine what's the right thing for each of you to do?" 

Several more joined him, now a gathering of about a dozen, settling in to listen to his words. More affirmations of his ideas sounded from the group, each time getting louder. 

From his perch above the small group, he glimpsed a set of elders, now watching not with interest, but with what he could only surmise as fear. 

I may have just painted a target on my head. He thought. But if I'm to make any change for the good, risks must be taken. 


***

He continued each day to speak to a growing number of listeners. Each time he would bring forward the idea of returning to the old ways, and each time an elder would be watching. He noticed it was not the same each time, but never more than two at a time. 

Finally, the day came when the entire council of elders arrived during his speech. 

"Young one. We would speak with you." The elder female said, her wispy mane flourishing in the winds. 

"Ah, the council wishes to silence me no doubt." He turned to his followers, their whinnies signally disapproval to the coming arrest. 

"We do not plan on causing any trouble." A male next to the lead elder said, his eyes an artic blue hue. "Nor will we allow it to be stirred up." 

"What I seek is not to stir up trouble among us." The ground flailing up in tufts of cloud with each turn, the distinct Windigo tail barely grazing the ground from his levitation. "But trouble among the game down below." 

The elders seldom saw anyone in a gathered fashion, so the collective group of them together had begun to bring in spectators. Windigos were a race of observers, only bringing storms and frostbite when those creatures around them stirred up the emotions. Being observers came a natural element of curiosity, and that brought a small herd over to watch as the young upstart continued. 

"Young one, you have excelled in learning the mystical arts." Another female elder chose to address him. "Your teachers tell me you may have surpassed them, especially in the fields of demonic spirit comprehension and the prevention of dark magic." She adjusted a wispy pair of glasses that immediately vanished. "Which confuses me further." 

"I would be happy to enlighten the elder." The smug tone grated on several onlookers and elders. 

"I have no doubt you would. But my confusion comes from how such a gifted student, one well on their way to being a teacher themselves, can be so obtuse in the dangers in returning to the savage times." She floated closer as she spoke, turning her back to him. "Clearly you do not embrace history as much as you claim to worry about the future." 

"'The Savage Times', as they are described need not be a blemish on our race, but part of our evolution." He retorted, knocking mist up as he turned. "If we follow a different path in the same direction, greatness can be ours again." 

"Or we could fall into disarray when Puddlehead and the rest united so long ago." Another elder moved forward to the floor, his aura a pale green. "Lest you forget that the times we all but starved. We lost many." 

A muttering came from behind the young one, signaling him he had lost momentum in the crowd's favor. He narrowed his eyes, turning to face the new voice. "Look around us, old one. Life is not worth living if we just survive on the paltry emotions from everyday life below." He turned to face the gathering crowd. "I speak not of conquest, but merely symbiosis. Imagine for a moment, those that can." He stared back at the elders. "The great Windigo species in a decade. Maybe two. Subsisting on petty squabbles and domestic violence. I see a bleak future as our numbers increase. Surely the elders see our numbers increase as I do. We grow larger each generation and soon…" he turned dramatically. "I perish the thought of what could become of the youngest generation." 

The crowd broke into a loud discussion about the future as the speaker moved from the floor, letting the younger ones move closer to the elders with their questions. The growing mob seemed to gain more momentum the longer it was allowed to maintain, making the elders all move back. The largest of the council stood fast and their eyes lit up with an electrical discharge, silencing the noise. 

"Silence!" they roared. "We will not have this council that has stood for generations be brought down by fear mongering and unsubstantiated nonsense!" 

Moving to the front again, the upstart seemed to pulse with the negative energy around him, the purple in his eyes intensified as he fed on it all. "You hear them? They fear the future so much they won't even listen to possibilities. They wish to silence anyone who opposes them." He grew in fluffy size. "If there was no problem with change, why would they not hear us? Answer our questions!" he continued, the crowd growing in anger and questions. 

The mob took further advances as the upstart grew in size, his eyes crackling with purple energy as the sentimental turned furious, each Windigo growing more angry and desperate for answers. The resulting feedback loop on them, making the crowd even more desperate and hungry for food and answers. 

"My clan, those we have seen fit to lead us have remained silent despite our pleas." He shouted, rising up above the mob. "Should we be, as this body of elders wishes, and remain cattle grazing on what we find…" he rose higher, the winds and snow building around the cheers he began to hear. "...or should we be the predators we once were!? Not bound and held down like slaves by those we proclaim as leaders!" he grinned wide, a swirl of followers cheering loudly. "Powerless should any real threat approach our sanctum!" 

Snapping his head back and staring at the growing mass of support below him as his words rang loudly, he hit the stride of his plan. "Who's with me?!" 

A loud thunderclap and lightning broke the pace of his words, followed by several shots of the same energy hitting him in the chest as he turned to look. 

To his surprise, the largest elder and two others stood defiant to the coup, channeling power to their leader as they shot more at the discontent Windigo. The sheer energy blew him apart, had he not been made of atmosphere, would surely have killed him. Reforming to his usual size, the upstart was clearly in shock as he turned to flee. 

Several elders cut him off, their eyes gathering power as they cast more spells, containing him from leaving. Each elder now contributed to the field that held him, all moving forward to settle near the wall they were casting, save the leader, who had turned to the mass that had not fled. 

A look of astonishment and sheer fear filled the face of the contained upstart, his spells bouncing harmlessly off the interior. Forced to relent and listen, he scowled as the words echoed from the leader. 

"As you can see," they spoke. "We are not as helpless as you would be led to believe. We need not feed on those below for this power," they bellowed. "The energy we can siphon from below is indeed powerful but it comes at such a cost." They turned to stare at their prisoner. "Even now he, and most of you who supported him, can feel the withdrawls, small as they are. They get much worse. Until it's all you can think about." 

The mob said nothing in response, many already leaving in silence, several with their heads down as the leader spoke. 

"The price of power you speak of was making our race a savage, hunger-induced species. That price was deemed too high. We would simply burn ourselves out if we couldn't get more energy." They turned back, eyes flailing with energy. "So it was decided we would seek not war on those below, but isolation. We turned to devote ourselves to greater things then satiation…" they turned to glare at the young one. "Lest we become what nearly drove us to extinction. Lest we become like this one." 

A silence filled the crowd, several began begging for forgiveness as others began to berate the prisoner. The large elder stood in front of the cage now. 

"You are all forgiven, for only in mistakes do we truly learn. Do not trouble yourself with this one. His fate will be swift but decisive." 

As the last of the crowd dispersed, the elders stood silently, two holding a smaller cage on the would be king while his fate was discussed. 

Finally the largest elder addressed him. "You have been found guilty of contempt and an attempted coup." They boomed. "This is not your first transgression and we believe it will only continue a vicious cycle if you are allowed to continue." 

"Death then?" 

"No. A Windigo cannot harm a Windigo." Another elder answered. "Despite what venom you spewed, we have no intent in euthanizing anyone. Ever." 

"We will do what is needed for the greater good." Another said and a moment later the landscape around him changed and they were far from the gathering spot he had been at. Looking around in confusion, the upstart flared his nostrils in contempt to the elders. 

"Ahh. So what is this wise and powerful council hope to do. Contain me?" he laughed. "You can't contain an idea. Change is inevitable." 

"Life is change, young one. But seldom can we mold it to our selfish design as you seek to." Another said as they floated up. 

"I seek only to better my people! To bring them up from this muck of mediocre life. To bring life back to the corpse that is our new way of life!" he growled back. 

"The change you seek comes at too high a toll." One said to him.

"You are not the first to try and convince the masses that a step backwards is required to move forward…" a female elder spoke at him, her chartreuse eyes wisping. 

"...Nor will you be the last." The high elder finished. "But in order to maintain the peace we as a race have enjoyed.." 

"...The occasional correction and clean up is required." Another finished, surrounding him in a near perfect circle. 

"...What treachery is this?" he asked, uncertainty about his voice for once. 

"The negative emotion you seek will be yours. At least the amount you've stirred in the clouds today." The high elder spoke, their eyes flashing bright with dark magic. 

As he moved to speak to the council, he was blown back a few few by their magic hitting him. Unable to move, he felt a familiar sensation overtake him, the same boundless power he had felt moments ago as the fear and rancor built from his people. 

"In order to ensure no one follows in your absence, the hints and tastes of negativity will be purged from the race. As it always has been when upstarts persist too long." He heard the female say, the hatred and fear filling him, expanding his size, and sending sensations he had never felt before through him.

"You...you do this whenever it pleases you. To keep the world under your control!" he spoke, the reality of the situation contorting inside his warped manner of thinking. 

"As we extract any and all negativity from those you've tried to inspire, we cast it into you. You are its vessel." The final member said, joining the ritual.

"Such...power!" he laughed at the thrill and energy as it ravaged his essence. 

"The vessel is full. We will now pass judgement and never again speak of such things…" the high elder announced. "..until such time another cleansing is required of our race." 

He puffed his form to a larger size, about to unleash what powers he felt in him when again he was bottled up by the impressive magic of his superiors. Bright yellow tendrils lashed onto his form and restrained him as the female from earlier spoke to him. 

"It is the decision of this council that you be exiled from the high clouds to the surface. There you will be stripped of your magics, save enough to contain your new corporeal form."  She emphasized the new state of matter he would be holding. His species was never entirely tangible to the rest of the world. The very thought was alien to him, and as such, his eyes widened in fear. He quickly narrowed them, determined to deny the council their prize of his baser emotions. 

"Live among the ponies?" he laughed. "I'll have them feeding me before the week is out."  

"You may find these sheep you wish to feed on have quite a shepherd watching over them now." The leader said. "Regardless, you have no place among us anymore." The elders began to gather power again, each color connecting to the leader as they pooled their magic. "We cast you out, you who would see fit to destroy all our race has achieved! A trouble maker! A malcontent!" 

***

As he shot through the sky like a morning star, Malcontent felt the ground impact him. A normally lethal impact, the last of his incorporeal magic cushioned him as it dissipated, leaving him settled on the ground. 

The next thing he felt was a combination of burning and tingling. He felt the magic he had been granted to shape himself begin to push from his form, waiting for his vision. 

Concentrating through the sheering pain, he cursed the fact that he’d only known a pony’s shape from stories in oral tradition. Thus shaping himself was proving to be difficult, especially with the rage of his banishment and the confusion of how he’d failed heavily taxing his concentration. But things started to come together as he settled on the form of an earth pony with a pale white coat and coal black hair. 

Arching his back, the bones and muscles formed and snapped into place with a sick, cracking sound of finality. Then he knew that he’d been too hasty with his coup, and would have to work subtly from the shadows going forward. Taking a corporeal form was new to him, but as pupiless eyes formed a bug-like sheen, clarity and stability took hold in both mind and body. The purple eyes he formed began to pulse with magic, trying desperately to manifest more around him. He flailed with his legs giving out from under him as the spell vanished.

Left in the darkness of the world, he barely registered he was in some sort of forest. Steady in his attempt to stand, he perked an ear as the most delicate of voices broke the silence. Turning to the source he saw a unicorn, her timid look suitable for her mousey voice as she took a step forward. 

"A-are you ok?" she asked, oblivious to what had just occurred no doubt. 

Waves of panic and planning swept through his mind, turning and walking the best he could in a new body. Tripping on his front two legs, he stumbled to stand straight. "I'm not entirely certain." 

What primal form of transportation these creatures have. I'd much assume move as I had. He thought, still unsteady. If I'm to rule these peasants, I must first master their bodies. 

"I seem to have had an accident." He quickly lied, squinting his newly formed eyes to see a unicorn, her coat a dirty brown. 

"Well you look like you need a helping hoof. Harmony Falls isn't far from here." She lit her horn up with a simple lantern spell. "I-I can show you if you want?" 

Helpful to a fault. It's always been these creatures weakness. Thoughts swirled in his head as he took in her features, the rose colored eyes made him nauseous. How can they stand their own reflections? He mused. This one seems especially stupid. Approaching a stranger let alone offering help without even a request for reward. He narrowed his eyes. Time to exploit that stupidity. After all: one beings faults are another's advantages. He thought back to his early schooling. 

Malcontent smiled slowly. "A useful piece of information." He finally answered. "I could use a place to rest. I was afraid the place wouldn't be very…hospitable." 

"Oh no need to worry about that mr...er…" 

Ugh. They are still using names. What was it the elders called me? A malcontent? He quickly formulated an answer. "Mal." 

"Mr. Mal. After all, Friendship is Magic." 

Such naive outlooks and yet they somehow destroyed our empire eons ago. I'm offended. He bit his tongue as he heard the motto. They moved silently for a moment and he answered back. "We shall see if that holds true, won't we?" He chuckled. "Lead on, and why don't you tell me a bit about yourself." He began to keep pace with her. "I'd love to repay your … asinine-" he almost said aloud. "...kind behavior." He finished. 

"Oh well, I could use some more ink and parchment." She thought aloud, stepping over a fallen log. 

"An architect are you?" he asked, taking care to mimic her walking as he got the hang of it. 

"Oh Celestia, no." She laughed. "I just...have a lot of ideas for the town! There’s so much we could do to make things better! It's so dull sometimes." She tilted her head. "...but no one listens to my ideas."

"Perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement?" he smiled broadly, a purple glint in his eyes as the two disappeared into the darkness of the forest. "I'm told I have a gift for words myself. You probably just need a few pointers." 

"Golly, I've never been much for spoken words. I always. I always sort of mess up." She gave a cheerful and hopeful tone. "Oh but I should do something for you too!" 

"Why that's right." He gave a bit of a false thought gesture, tilting his head a moment. "Why I know! You sound like you know the town a bit, this Harmony Falls?" 

"Sure do!" she nodded back."I know a bit about everypony in town thanks to my job! But lately everypony has been so grouchy."

Just grouchy? I can work with that. Mal thought. "Fascinating." He smiled, looking forward as the towns wooden sign came to view, the only sound their out of step hooves. "I'm terrible with meeting new folk...I'd love to hear each and every little thing you could tell me about every...pony." He adjusted his speech pattern to match her word usages. Better to blend in quickly. He thought. 

"Oh. I guess that sounds ok!" she cheerfully responded.

"Well then." He stopped and stared at her, he extended a hoof as a manner he had learned of in culture studies. "Do we have a deal?" he gave a reassuring yet almost intimidating smile. 

She paused a moment and realized what he was doing, shaking hooves with him and smiling eagerly. "Deal! I can't wait! This sure sounds like it'll stir things up!" 

Mal resumed walking as the two entered the town limits. "Oh you can rest assured." He narrowed his eyes, a faint glow coming from them. He felt the smallest twinge of new emotions soar in from the town. "They won't know what hit them."

*** 

End of episode