> Nightmare
>  by Salty Alty
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Symbiosis (Revised)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stepped off of the train, shivering a bit and nuzzling my scarf as the crisp winter air rolled off of my coat and licked at my fur, the faintest veneer of frost leaving its mark on me as I took a deep breath. I grinned as I exhaled, eyeing the small cloud of vapor that came out of my mouth, before laying my eyes on my destination, the not-so-sleepy town of Ponyville. Even with the world being tinted from the sunglasses I wore, it still looked as bright and cheery as it had always been.

Truth be told, it had grown a lot from the little hamlet Mom used to take me to when I was younger. Messy dirt paths had since been replaced with neatly cobbled roads, power lines now snaked their way around the town, and there'd even been a cell tower erected since my last visit. 

But the overall spirit of the town hadn't changed a bit.

The joyful laughs and chuckles of foals that I remembered from my youth still filled the air as I took my first steps into Ponyville in what must have been a decade, and a warm melancholy filled my chest despite the biting cold. 

"Oof!" I felt a slight impact on my side. Turning on my hooves to chew whoever it was out, I raised a hoof...

And came face-to-face with an obnoxiously pink earth pony, her bright blue eyes staring me dead in the eyes as every ounce of anger died in my throat. 

"H-Hello? Can I uhh... Can I help you?"

Suddenly, she rose into the air, let out a huge gasp, and... flew away in a cloud of dust?

I sat there for a second, taking a moment to process whatever the buck it was that I'd just seen. "Whaaaat... the haaay?"

Shaking my head, I quickly scanned to see if she was still anywhere nearby, but came up with nothing. Taking a deep breath, I chuckled to myself and resumed walking through the town, brushing off the fearful looks some ponies gave me upon seeing my fangs. That came with the territory of being a Thestral, unfortunately. Hated by Griffons, hated by Pegasi... I did my best not to let it bother me. I shook that thought out of my head, continuing my traipse through town. 

I found myself surprised by just how... unchanged the town was after all this time. Sure, many modern luxuries had made their way to the area through investments by the Rich family, but I found that it retained that cheerful, rural charm, despite everything. 

Rummaging around in my coat, I retrieved a crumpled up photo of my destination, and resisted the urge to chuckle as the pun ran itself through my mind.

A literal treehouse. 

Celestia knows who'd decided it was a good idea, but the Golden Oaks library had been around since anypony in Ponyville could remember. I remembered the fun little activities they would set up for the colts and fillies during the Summer Sun Celebration to keep us occupied, and how we would always get a piece of candy afterwards. 

Good times. 

Stuffing the picture back into my coat, I soon found myself in front of the large library, its branches barren and covered in snow, and a small amount of dim light peeked its way out of the windows. Perhaps the best way I could have described it was that it was the textbook definition of "homely". 

I gently pushed open the door, the bell above the door gently ringing as I swiped my glasses off with a wing. "Heya, Miss Lesson! Long time no s-" I stopped in my tracks as, instead of the elderly mare that had been running the library for all these years, I saw a familiar purple mare sitting in her seat. "Twilight?"

Twilight looked up from the book she was reading, the soft blue light of a dated computer screen illuminating her features, and gave me a surprised smile. "Oh wow, is that you, Evening? Last time I saw you, you were still a freshmare! How've you been?"

I shrugged, laying my saddlebags by the door and sauntering over to the "T" section, perusing the shelves as I talked. "Oh, you know. Ain't nothin' change but the weather." I had to keep a smarmy grin from crossing my face as I felt her glaring at the back of my head. "How the hay did you end up going from upscale Canterlot to this place? Doesn't seem like a 'Twilight' place to live."

My ear flicked as I heard the chair she was in groan as she hopped out of it and walked towards me. "Funny story, actually. I made a few friends here a while back, and decided that I didn't want to leave them... so here I am!" She gave me a sheepish smile as I snapped my neck over to look disbelievingly at her. 

"Hold up. Twilight Sparkle? Friends?" I narrowed my eyes at her, giving her a cheeky smile. "Who are you and what have you done with the anti-social foal prodigy who was acing college courses at the age of sixteen? The Twilight I remember never had friends!" 

She rolled her eyes at me, though the smile remained on her face. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. Let's just say I learned the Magic of Friendship a while back and leave it at that, okay?"

I shook my head, giving her an exaggerated gag as I continued searching for the book I was here for. "That's corny as Tartarus, you know that, right?"

She shrugged, blowing one of her bangs out of her face. "Yes, I do. Now, can I help you find something or are you going to just sit there and tease me?" 

I giggled at her, bopping her lightly on her muzzle, and laughing as she scrunched her face. "Yeah, actually. I'm doing an article on the Castle of the Two Sisters, and the whole 'ancient demon goddess that returned to end the world' thing. Trying to find that one book Gentle Lesson used to read to us all the time, the one about the legend. Can't find it anywhere online, so I decided I may as well pop by and see if it was here, and if not, find a pony who can tell me a bit about the big spooky castle. Think you can help a girl out on either of those fronts?"

She gave me a nervous chuckle, floating a book over from a few shelves down, from the "E" section. I gave her a quirked eyebrow, and she gave me probably one of the least reassuring grins I'd ever seen. "Yup! I sure can! Anything you need to know in particular?" 

Pointedly neglecting to ask about her behavior, I took the book from her telekinetic grasp. "Err, yeah. Just some local history and stuff about it. Remember that journalism job I was after during my freshmare years?" She nodded at me, leading me over to a small sitting area near the back of the library. "Yeah, I actually got a job offer from them a couple months after I graduated, and that's what I've been doing. I run my own section there, The Evening Scoop, and I report on some of the hush-hush stuff powerful ponies like to remain buried, ya feel me?"

I couldn't tell how long exactly we were sat there, talking to each other and catching up. It was... strange, I suppose, seeing how much she had changed and matured as a pony in the years since I'd last seen her. Gone was the borderline sociopathic, anti-social mess of a mare. In her place was... a normal adult. A pony you would laugh with, tell jokes with, that sort of thing. Spike had also grown, and it was good that he was at least doing well.

It was nice. 

After what must've been hours, our conversation was cut short by Twilight's stomach growling like an angry Timberwolf. She blushed, covering her muzzle with a hoof. "Excuse me, I didn't actually eat lunch today!" I waved it off, clasping the book shut with an audible THUMP!

A look crossed her face, as if she'd just seen a ghost out the window, and she got out of the chair she had dragged over for our chat. "Say, we haven't actually seen each other in forever. Want to get some food? There's a really good bakery run by my friend Pinkie Pie a few blocks over that we could get a bite to eat at!" I couldn't put my hoof on it, but she was just so giddily excited when she said that, that I couldn't help but oblige her. 

I looked back out of the window she was staring at, seeing nothing but a few locks of pink hair on the window sill. I turned back to her, giving her a suspicious look. "Uh, sure? I'm surprised they're open this late, actually. When'd they open?" I dug my sunglasses out of my coat and slipped them onto my face, following her out of the door and onto the cold streets. 

We'd been talking for so long that the sun had finally set, much to my surprise. "Oh, they've been here a while from what I've been told. It's a mom-and-pop kind of place, but they're better than any Canterlot bakery that I can remember."

"Huh. And they must pull some crazy hours to make it all work." I shivered a bit from the cold, clutching my wings close to my body and quickening my pace. 

Twilight, bless her heart, just kept trotting along as if the cold didn't bother her at all. "Not at all, actually! My friend Pinkie runs the bakery most of the day, the owners just make the first batch of pastries in the morning. I swear, she probably drinks the world's best coffee or something, because I have never seen that mare sleep!" At this point, the building I assumed to be the bakery she was talking about came into view.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." It was a giant gingerbread house, decorated with fake candies and sweets. "This has to be a dream. Somepony did not actually build a giant Gingerbread house."

She giggled at my reaction. "Trust me, it gets better inside!"

I simply shook my head at the sheer childish nature of the bakery, opening the door to walk inside, only to find it was completely dark. Fishing my sunglasses off my face, I blearily blinked my eyes to adjust them to the light, or rather, the lack thereof...

"SURPRIIIIIIIIIISE!"

Instantly, I was blinded by what must have been every light in the damned building flicking on at once, covering my eyes as I hissed in pain. My eardrums screamed as the loud, shrill screams of dozens of ponies assaulted them. "What the hay?!"

I heard a foalish giggle, and squinting my eyes open, I saw a pink blob promptly slap a party hat onto my head. "Hehe! It's your 'Welcome-To-Ponyville' party, silly! Were you surprised?! I tried suuuuuuper hard to surprise you! So were y-HMPH!" I shoved a hoof into her mouth to shut her up, but she just. Kept. Talking.

"Just... Shut up a second, okay? Give me a bucking second to adjust before you start yapping my ear off." I practically jammed my glasses back onto my face, opening my eyes and letting out a sigh of relief as I was able to see without feeling like I was staring directly at the sun. 

True to what she'd said, what must have been everypony in town was scrunched into this one room. Don't ask me how that worked, considering the small size of the building. Banners were hung everywhere, and there was punch and cupcakes and cake; the works... "Sweet Celestia, did you seriously set all this up just for a stranger?" I asked, taking my hoof out of her mouth and just giving the room an awe-struck look. 

She nodded, her poofy pink hair bouncing as she did so. "Yepperooni! Every new pony gets a welcome party, and that's a Pinkie guarantee!" 

Huffing and trying to shake away the ringing in my ears, I let out a deep breath and blinked a few times, nodding. "Alright. You're... Pinkie Pie, right? Twilight mentioned you on the way here."

She bounced up and down, hopping towards a large cake set in the center of the room. "Of course she did, silly! I was watching you guys for hours trying to figure out what kind of cake you'd like!"

Strangely, nopony reacted to her blatantly admitting to stalking us. 

I looked back towards Twilight, allowing her to see my terrified expression as my ears splayed back. "Twilight. Is this normal for her?" I hissed softly at her, looking back towards the fuzzy pink stalker. 

She laughed, nodding her head. "Pinkie Pie is... odd, but really, she's harmless!" I gave her a deadpan look, which made her smile a bit wider. "Really! She is!"

"Uh huh. I'll take your word for it, I guess." Surveying the party guests, I hesitantly made my way towards the cake and got myself a piece, leaving Twilight to her own devices. Slinking off to a secluded table in the corner of the room, I resolved to stay for a short while. 

I still had a job to do, after all. 

So I sat and pony-watched, slowly munching on my piece of cake. Funnily enough, it was mango flavored, which happened to be one of my favorites. 

It wasn't too terribly long before a few ponies decided to make their way over to my side of the room, likely eager to meet the guest of honor, as it were. A rainbow haired, blue furred pegasus, and a marshmallow white unicorn with a curly purple mane. 

"So. What's your deal with Twi'?" The pegasus asked as she slid herself into a chair, glaring at me. The way she held herself was... odd, especially for a pegasus in a small town. She acted almost like I should know who she was, like some sort of sports jock with rich parents.

Unfortunately, it probably didn't have the effect she intended, because I was too busy trying not to snicker at her. 

"Rainbow, Darling! The poor girl just got here, give her a moment before you start bombarding her with questions!" The unicorn sat down in front me, smiling at me warmly. "Do forgive her, deary, Rainbow Dash isn't comfortable around ponies she doesn't know." Rainbow Dash, as she was apparently called, grunted, crossing her hooves. "Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Rarity, dear." 

"Evening Shade, nice to meet you too, I suppose." I returned her smile with one of my own before looking at Rainbow, who was still glaring at me like I'd kicked her puppy. "Listen, all I've done is sit down. if you've got questions, I'll answer them, but you're gonna need to cut the tough girl act. 'Kay?"

She huffed, but her gaze softened a bit. "Fine. How do you know 'Twi?"

I shoveled a piece of cake into my mouth, shrugging. "Know her from college. Didn't talk to her much, considering she wasn't quite into the whole 'friendship' thing back then."

Her eyes narrowed at me, and Rarity looked like she would rather be anywhere else at the moment. "Uh-huh. And why are you in Ponyville? Thestrals don't usually leave Hollow Shades, especially in winter."

I rolled my eyes at her, straightening out my coat. If she was gonna harp on me about that, I may as well give her some snark. "See, I've got this lovely thing called a job, and that job requires me to travel." I leaned into the table, resting my head on my hooves. 

She mimicked me, leaning in and snarling at me. We were both about to open our mouths when I felt something moving around in my scarf. We all looked at the small bulge protruding from it, which slowly snaked its way around until it sat in front of my face. "Any idea what that is?"

"Uh... nope."

"No, deary."

I relaxed a bit, leaning back in my chair and moving to take the garment off. "Well the-" Popping out of my scarf like some sort of alien, Pinkie Pie poked her head out and smiled at me. 

"Hiya silly! You having fun yet?!"

I admit I reacted... disproportionately.

"OHSHITBUCKGETITOFFOFMEGETITOFFME!" I shouted, throwing my scarf to the other side of the room, Pinke letting out a small ”oof” as she hit the floor, crawling out of the piece of fabric as if that was, you know, a perfectly normal and reasonable thing to do. 

I jumped out of my chair and put as much distance between the Pink Demon and myself as possible, inching my way towards the exit. "Listen, I appreciate that you set this up and all, I really do, but I'm not a social pony. This is way too much for me to deal with." She almost... deflated, if that makes sense, at that. Rainbow was again glaring holes through my skull, and most everypony else was looking at me with a mixture of shock and confusion. 

I sighed, walking towards the door, craning my head back so Twilight could hear me. "It was nice catching up with you, Twi'. Wish I could stay longer, but I've gotta be back to Canterlot by the morning."

I didn't even hear what she said in response as I let the door swing closed, making my way into the cold night and towards the colossal forest that bordered Ponyville.

"Once more unto the Everfree, I suppose."





Later, deep inside the Everfree, near the Castle of the Two Sisters...





I shivered as I trotted across the rickety bridge, wrapping my scarf around my face with a wing. Winter was always my least favorite season, and that went for most other thestrals I knew. It was just... Something about the biting cold that upset something inside of me. Not to mention I was still pissy about earlier. I was so caught up in being cold, in pain, and all-around bitchy that I'd forgotten to actually pay attention to the centuries old, barely usable bridge.

My eyes widened as I felt my hoof suddenly hit empty air. "EEEK!" I shrieked out, nearly jumping out of my skin as a loose board suddenly gave out beneath my hoof. I took a shaky step backwards, eyeing the few remaining boards ahead of me and shaking the snow off of my wings. 

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and jumped, flaring out my wings. Much to my delight, I found that I did not, in fact, fall to my death, and instead landed on a large pile of snow. 

Opening my eyes, I found myself just... awe-struck at the monolithic castle ahead of me, its derelict spires and fortifications strangely devoid of snow. Like some sort of bastion against the elements. 

Pulling myself up, my jaw dropped at just how much of the area was untouched by the elements. Every inch of stone was clear of defects and, from what I could tell... flawless, with no cracks or scrapes marring their appearances. "What the hay?"

Walking along the path that lay ahead of me, my hooves clicked against the cobblestone, echoing in the silence of the Everfree. I wasn't quite sure why, but I felt at peace here, like a veil of solace had been cast upon me, even with the looming threat of the local fauna. 

I arrived at the front door of the castle a few minutes later, which was, for whatever reason, already ajar. "Didn't the press release say something about that group of ponies coming through here? It’s a shame their names were never released." I thought to myself as I walked inside. 

Inside was even more anomalous than the exterior. A fog must have rolled in, because the entirety of the entry ward was dominated by a faint mist. Every piece of furniture would have looked almost brand-new if it weren't for the scorch marks and tears that had left their impressions on them, the throne being the worst-off by far. Even the walls were blackened and cracked, with the suits of full plate armor lining them sharing similar blemishes. I walked over to one and examined it closely, seeing the metal warped and twisted from what I assumed had been its original state. 

I frowned as I dug into my saddlebags and retrieved my notepad, jotting down everything I had seen so far. It was just astonishing to me! So much history in this place, and nopony before me had come to document it? This place was just an archaeological goldmine! 

I heard something fall and clang loudly from further within the castle and I stiffened up immediately, my ear involuntarily flicking at the noise. I hesitantly stuffed my notes back into my bag, looking around before advancing through the dark halls cautiously, measuring every step I took and keeping as quiet as I could, pausing whenever I heard the squeak of a mouse or a roar from some far-off monster lurking in the forest.

It was almost... haunting, to know that this used to be Celestia's seat of power. And it had just been abandoned. Paintings along the halls showed images of ponies long since dead and gone, and their eyes almost seemed to follow me as I traversed the halls, sending a shiver down my spine. 

I halted as I noticed a glint of light from a small cabinet, and I had to keep myself from gasping. An old timepiece lay on the corner of the cabinet, nearly invisible with the thick ash that covered most of it. As soon as I swiped it, I flicked it open in my hooves. An ornate clock greeted me, the sun and moon taking the place of the clockhooves. A remarkably intact power gem sat in the center of it all, a soft blue glow emanating from its center. I quickly put it around my neck, not eager to lose my new toy. I turned around and continued my journey through the castle, following the periodic sound of clanging.

Eventually, my exploration through the castle was rewarded with another noise behind a door to my right. I opened the door, revealing the outside world as well as a broken walkway to what I assumed to be a larger spire, though it was far from recognizable. Readying myself again, I flew across the gap.

Touching down in front of the spire's entrance, I pushed against it lightly with a hoof, jumping back when the door fell off the hinges and hit the ground with a loud smack, the stone below it cracking from the impact. 

Poking my head inside hesitantly, I looked around. It looked to be some sort of... ritual chamber. Windows, some cracked or broken, lined the hall leading up to a large podium, with one gargantuan window behind it. 

I felt my jaw drop as I realized what it was. "Holy buck... this is where Princess Celestia raised the sun!"

I skipped over to the large platform giddily, climbing up the steps and marveling at the view I was presented with. The moon had barely crested above the barren and lifeless trees of the Everfree, the moonlight making the snow sparkle and glimmer. Slinging my saddlebags off of my shoulder, I fished around for a bit before pulling out a small disposable camera. This'll be the best five bits I've spent if I can get these pictures processed.

I snapped a photo of the scene before me, tittering excitedly. And again. A-And then again! I had probably taken over a dozen photos of the area around me by the time the camera ran out of film, clicking for the last time, much to my chagrin.

I moved to quickly stuff my camera back into my bags, but stopped as I noticed something... Off. I saw something made of metal in the corner of the room, almost hiding behind one of the pillars. 

I approached it cautiously, and once I saw what it was I couldn't help but tilt my head. It was a... Shoe? Made of what I could only assume to be painted steel, but even that didn't seem right. It seemed to glitter with an almost otherworldly glow, and what looked like some sort of viscous mist was pouring out of it. It felt... wrong.

Every instinct I had was begging me not to interact with it, to run away from some unseen threat. To leave. To escape from this place and never return. Every hair on my body was raised, and I could feel my heart pulsing in terror. And despite all of this, against my better judgement...

I touched the Celestia-damned shoe.

Immediately, the mist darted towards me and coiled around my hoof, shooting up my leg like a mass of writhing snakes. The sensation was akin to that of ice, like pins and needles being stabbed into me. It felt like a thousand snakes biting at the insides of my throat, overloading my nerves with unimaginable pain. I tried to let out a scream, but that apparently was all this thing needed before it jumped into my mouth, sliding down my throat. I'm not even ashamed to admit that a stray tear slipped out from the pain as I collapsed to the floor.

It finally stopped blocking my ability to breathe after a few moments, allowing me to take a deep breath of sweet, sweet oxygen. "W-wha.... huff... what the buck was that..." I gasped out, more as a statement than a question. I'm not sure if I even wanted to know what the hay that thing was. 

What I did know was that I suddenly felt drained, as if somepony had taken my magic and sucked it out like a straw. 

My hooves clutched at the timepiece as if they had minds of their own, tearing it open and jerking it towards my face. The gem looked... delicious, as weird as that sounded. Almost as if I had been craving something like it for my entire life. As I looked at it, transfixed by the pale blue glow, I noticed it becoming dimmer and dimmer before finally fading to darkness. That strange feeling was somewhat absent now, going from a large void in the pit of my stomach to a light ache. I filed that away in my mind, to be freaked out over when I wasn't in the middle of a dangerous forest.

I shakily picked myself up off of the ground, barely able to stay standing as I limped over to my bag and strapped it on. The pain was mostly gone now, and the only reason I wasn't calling myself crazy was that the damned shoe was still sitting there, almost mocking me for my idiocy. 

I cursed under my breath and swept up my camera, angrily stashing it into my scarf and half-sprinting out of the door, skidding to a halt as I reminded myself that there was, in fact, a large drop to the forest floor. I frowned, mentally kicking myself in the ass. "No way I'll make it back to Canterlot in time. Train will have left by the time I get back to Ponyville,"I thought to myself sadly...

And then I felt something suddenly whisper in the back of my head, tickling the edges of my consciousness like a feather.

"L̸̝̓e͎̼̺͚ͨ̓ͯ̇͗̀t̺̞̩͐͋ͭ͗ ̯̲̭̙̇͒̂̿̏͝m̶̫̥̳̙̳͈̊͒ͩ͆ḙ̪̬̯̫͎̦̈́̏͟ ͙͓͚̦̆͆ͯͯͥ̓͆ͅh̙̟̖͎̖ͧ̐̚e͎̟̝̦ͭ̿́l̨͔͍̗̠̀ͧ͒ͩͣ̑͆p̉ͮͦ́̀͘ ̟̥̗͚͇̯y̵̩͎͕̣̥̑ͥ̎ͮ̽ͫȫ̝̱̺ͤ̓̓̅ͅu̻ͣ̽̂͌̋̏.̛̼̮̩͈̪̣̪̉͆ͬ̈̈.̧̲ͯ̍.̮̲̙͈͎̞̮̔͋͒."

I felt a sudden swell of courage and adrenaline from some unknown well deep within me, and I felt my body hurl itself off of the broken stone, beating my wings harder than I think I had ever done before. It felt... strangely liberating! I don't think I'd ever flown so fast in my life! I tore across the sky like a shooting star, the wind whipping my mane out of the ponytail I had had it in. The trees and clouds became a blurred mess ahead of me, and if I didn't know better I'd think that I’d taken a trip to the Wonderbolt Academy, with how my body was performing. Time didn't matter anymore with how fast I was going, and it could have been seconds or minutes or hours and I wouldn't have known. 

I almost didn't notice it, but I had turned towards Canterlot, and where it had formerly been a white speck in the corner of my eye, the serene white city was rapidly getting closer. Way too close. And I couldn't slow down!

I flared out my wings as I prepared to give the marvelously polished marble wall a kiss, bracing for impact and shouting at the top of my lungs, "Buck meeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Suddenly, I felt myself lurch. I waited a few seconds before cautiously opening an eye. I was centimeters from colliding with the stone, able to pick out each and every individual crack with how close I was. 

My wings were beating just hard enough to keep me in the air, and I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. The next thing I knew, I dropped out of the sky as my wings stopped flapping, and I would have fallen down the mountainside if I hadn't recovered.

Control of my body successfully restored, I flew up the height of the wall, quickly ascending to the city streets below. There were no guards posted, which was strange to say the least. But with how late it was, I doubted many ponies were out. I didn't know what the hay had happened to me, or if it would get me in trouble with the law. 

Slinking among the shadows, I ran every possibility I could think of through my head. "Ghost? Creepy Everfree buckery? Can't be aliens, that was a pony hoofguard... What the feathering buck happened back there?" I panicked internally, scenarios flashing through my head faster than a film reel as I struggled to rationalize what the hay just happened.

It took a while, but I eventually made it back to my cozy little apartment, slamming the door shut behind me. I rushed towards the bathroom, turning the sink on and splashing my face with cold water. I took a long hard look at myself in the mirror, blanching at my appearance. My mane was a mess, my previously midnight-blue coat looked about ten shades whiter than before, my eyes were bloodshot and baggy, and I swear I could see sparkles in them. 

If I didn't know better, I'd have said I was dead.

"I̧̬̯n̴̯͓̪̜̜͇t̤͇̳͘e̳͝ṛ̬̭̤̺͚͍e̴͈͕͖͓̗s̢͓t̨̳̭̗i̛͍̫̞̼̩n̘̥̤̦̙ģ̠͚.̛̜̳̝͔.̳̗.̞̦̭͉͎ͅ"

I jumped back and whipped my head back and forth, not seeing whoever the hay was speaking to me. "It's okay, Evening. You're just... you're just hallucinating. It's gotta be a trip gone wrong, some sort of... hallucinogenic fungus. There's a rational explanation for all of this..." I said, pulling myself back up to the mirror. "There just has to be."

I yanked the medicine cabinet open, slamming my hoof inside and grabbing the bottle of mostly empty pain-killers. I unscrewed the cap and tossed the bottle back as if I was drinking a shot of whiskey, nearly choking on the pills as I swallowed them dry. 

I coughed for a hot minute before getting my breathing back under control. Suddenly, each and every one of my senses was distorted. I could smell some indistinct floral scent, and I was seeing strange, ethereal mists in the corner of my vision. My balance was off, and I just felt so Celestia-damned hungry. 

I stumbled my way out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, nearly tripping and falling flat on my face several times. Gripping the countertop to stabilize myself, I slid my way over to the refrigerator and grabbed a bag of mangoes with my teeth, quickly bringing them over to the table.

I tore into the bag like a rabid animal, devouring a dozen of the orange fruits with ease. I felt my stomach expanding and contracting with each fruit consumed, and what should have put me into a mango coma instead just left me feeling like I'd spent too long at the buffet. 

I swayed and stumbled over to my couch and curled up on it, a sudden wave of exhaustion washing over me. I felt like I was ready to cry. I had no idea what the hay was happening with my body, what in Tartarus happened at the castle, and whatever that... thing that had attacked me was.

I slowly but surely dozed off to sleep, resolving to try and figure all of this out tomorrow. After all, a full night of sleep never hurt anypony.





Right?
> Chapter 2: Letting My Hair Down
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I opened my eyes to a strange and foreign sight. I was floating in a vast void, the space around me a kaleidoscope of the softest shades of color I had ever laid eyes upon, each individual borealis ranging from deep blues to verdant greens and stretching across the horizon like vast tapestries. Stars surrounded me, each one a veritable sun in its own right, burning bright and proud in this endless abyss. I brought my hooves to my face, only... They weren't there. In their place were twisting tendrils of oily blackness, bound and contorted tightly to resemble legs. 

I opened my mouth to scream, and the stars around me rushed to fill my maw, moving so quickly I couldn't keep track of them. The feeling was akin to gulping down cold water on a hot summer day, leaving me feeling fresh and rejuvenated. The sky was darker now, the beautiful rainbows replaced with the light of a city skyline, the inky blackness leaving only towering skyscrapers and light pollution that shrouded the beauty of the night. I didn't know why, but it made me feel angry. That ponies could shun such natural magnificence with our greed and hubris, with our lust for more. 

Except... these weren't my thoughts. I hadn't given a rat's ass about these things before, so what was different?

Suddenly, the world shook around me, the sky fracturing like panes of glass, and it was made very clear to me that this wasn't any normal dream. There, now dominating the skyline, was a massive silhouette of an alicorn, its wings flared out to caress and enshroud the entire world in their cool embrace, soft and endearing, yet forgiving like oblivion. 

And then it opened its eyes to look at me, but there were no pupils or irises, just gargantuan pools of blazing white. A thousand booming voices echoed around me, surrounding me on all sides, their origin impossible to pinpoint. The message was conveyed clearly, more like... Concepts than actual words.

"G̯̭̭̗̰͎̘̓̔ͨ͗̽ͯͩ͘e͙̙̺̜̠̓̈ͪṅ̙͝ẹ̞̫͚̪ͭͦŕ͖̺̱̠͖̅͑͡ͅo͓ͭ̽͊͆̂ͥ̋s͏̣͉͖ỉ̸͓̀̄t̯͆ͧ͡y͈̋̀ͮ͞.̮͚̓ͥ̈́ͬͮ͊̚ ̪͚̻̺

P̴̬̫̮̤͎͙̱ͨͫ́ͭͮ̈ͯ͡a̼ͨ̇ͮ̋̾ͤ̍ţ̲͇̰̈́ͣͤ̄ͪ́ͨ̍i̴̤̱̝̳̦̬͆͐ͦ̍͊e̛͖͓͍͙̫͒͒͂̈ͅn͆ͩͦͪ̔͒͌̐̌҉̞̰̗̣̯c̸͉̮̙̙͔̃͒ͨe̶̶̻̪̒͂.̧͇̹̻̥̤͈ͨ̋̈́ͩ̈ͨ̇ͣ̚͠



R̢̡̪̙͖̺̫̝̤͍̳̥̱̮̥̹ͭ̽̃̏̋̈̈̾͆ͦ͐͘ͅe̺̲̹̻ͬ̅͆͌̂͋̋ͬ́̚̕͢w̡̠͓̮̻̯͉̮̺̝̬̺͖̺͊̂ͨͮ͢͝͝ͅa̵̢̞̘̥͍̭͐͗ͥ̎͊̓̿̈́̈́̀͂̒ͥ͋͑̾͆̾̍͘͞r͌ͦ͆ͩ̍̏҉͓̖̖̭͕͙̼͈̬͈̫̫̟̣͘d̷̝̟͎̗̰̖̱͇͖̹͎̘̖̉̊̋ͩ̍ͧ͋ͨͩ̀ͅ.̹͎͇̣̭̲͙ͫ̂ͭ̐ͬ͗̊͊ͣͬͮ̋̾ͪ̑͒̽̕"




And then I woke up.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I shot awake with a gasp, sucking in a breath of air as I sat up rapidly, nearly falling off my couch. Rapidly glancing around at my apartment, I grimaced. the place was wrecked. The fridge was open, a majority of its contents, or at least what was left of them, sprawled across my table. Skins of mangoes and oranges were left discarded on the tabletop, and my jug of apple cider lay empty on the floor. Some of my chairs had been knocked over, as if somepony had been barging around in a hurry. 

Tentatively hopping off of the couch, I sighed, lugging myself over to the cabinet where I kept my cleaning supplies and resigning myself to the sad, sad inevitability of having to clean up this mess.

As I wiped down the counters and replaced the chairs, I slowly realized that there was a feeling of... Not quite hunger, but almost a void in my soul, gnawing at the fringes of my consciousness. It felt... strange, like somepony was watching me, but every time I took active notice of it, the sensation would suddenly disappear, spooking me that much more. 

It took me a good hour or so, but I finally managed to restore my apartment to its usual prim and proper state. By the end of it, I had worked up a good sweat, and by extension, an appetite. 

I swiped my scarf and phone off the couch as I trotted out the door to the balcony. Normal apartments usually didn't have them, but Pegasus condos usually had them installed for a slightly higher monthly rent. I vaulted over the railing and glided down to the streets below, touching down near an alleyway. I honestly didn’t like flying. Ironic coming from a thestral, I know. There had been an incident a few years back when a rogue storm from Ponyville had knocked me out of the sky, and I suppose I just hadn’t been able to enjoy flying since then. There's just a certain feeling that comes with losing control so high above the ground. Sheer helplessness grips every fiber of your body as you hurtle towards the ground, faster and faster until you either stabilize yourself or hit the ground. Unfortunately for me... I had done the latter. My wings, despite all the physical therapy, still ached every day, doubly so in the cold.

I shook myself out of that thought, trotting through the bustling streets of Lower Canterlot. The incessant chatter of a thousand voices reached my large, tufted ears just as easily as the sound of the snow crunching beneath my hooves. It wasn't quite as prominent during the winter months, but magic burned the air around everypony. The resulting smell was akin to that of ozone, and lots of it. I usually didn't notice it enough to bother me, but for once in my life it smelt... Good. Like the sort of smell you'd want in an air freshener. 

Making my way through the winding streets and cobbled pathways, I found myself at what I almost considered to be my home away from home, Cuppa's Coffee. Pushing the door open, I was greeted with an immediate blast of hot air, the delectable aroma of various herbal teas and vintage coffees, and the familiar chime of a bell that softly rang throughout the establishment. 

Trotting up to my usual table, a small booth off in the corner, I sat down and made myself comfortable, retrieving my phone from a small pocket in my scarf. Idly scrolling through my messages, I frowned; my manager had messaged me.

World Wide: Hello Evening! Just messaging you to inquire about the next issue of the Evening Scoop that you said you'd have ready by the end of the month. How's that coming along?

I huffed, leaning against the wall as I typed up a response. It was not that I didn't like him, it was just that at times he could be a bit of a hardass. One would think after working with the stallion for seven years now, he'd learn to stop his nagging. This was the fourth time in two weeks that he'd asked me about the damned article.

Evening Shade: It's coming along just fine, thank you for asking. I just got back from my trip to the Everfree, so I should have a draft for you by Thursday. Is there anything else you needed to ask about?

I set my phone down on the table, massaging my temples. I already had a gut feeling that I'd need to go to the clinic to get checked out after the incident, but I really didn't want to put up with the hassle if it turned out to be something terrible or life threatening. Ignorance is bliss, after all. 

I felt a tapping on my shoulder, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the familiar black-and-white stripes and apron that I had come to adore. "Eyy, Sistah. Here is your usual, as always. What seems to be da problem today?" Cuppa asked me, the barest hint of concern hidden behind the grin he always had plastered on his face. He had immigrated here almost a decade ago, changing his name and setting up his quaint little shop in a quiet section of Lower Canterlot. I didn't pry too much, but even I could tell where he came from. He's a good friend though, no denying that. Our friendship alone could attest to that, never mind the bond he shared with the rest of his regulars. 

I graciously accepted the small mug of hot chocolate from him, giving him a soft smile. "Just work issues, I suppose," I said, before a thought came to mind. "Say, would you have any idea about strange mists or creatures in the Everfree?"

Cuppa shook his head, his dreadlocks swaying with the motion. "No, I do not know of any such things. I have never been to da Evah Free, or anything like it for dat matter. Closest thing I'd have seen would be da fogs of my homeland. Why?"

I sighed, sipping at my cup. I noticed my phone vibrating out of the corner of my eye as I spoke. "Just something I'd seen during my trip, it's probably nothing. Thanks anyway, though!"

He nodded tersely, the previously bubbly expression on his face had been replaced with a grim frown. "Be careful, Sistah. You never know what things may lurk in da dark," he said, getting a far-off, glassy look in his eyes, almost like some sort of... Feral animal. "Trust me, that is something I know more than most." He blinked a few times, seemingly shaking himself out of whatever state he was in, reverting back to his usual, happy-go-lucky self. It was almost frightening, in a way, to see how quickly he swapped between the two. "Anyway, I have to finish up the rest of da coffee, we're running short. Catch you on the flip side, ya?"

I felt my ears splay back a bit as I replied, setting a hoof on my phone. "Err, yeah. You too, Cuppa." The zebra turned and walked away, humming a tune. 

I flipped my phone over, tilting my head as I read the message. 

World Wide: Yes there is, actually. I know you typically don't like "investigative" journalism, but the company really thinks that this story has the potential to make the headlines!

I bit the inside of my cheek, struggling not to say some very... Not nice things as my eye twitched wildly. I knew exactly what he was referring to. A shadow job. Stalk somepony, get whatever dirt you could on them, the works. Thankfully, at least a few of the ponies I had done that kind of story on had done something criminal, and I suppose that let me sleep easier at night, but it still made me feel like some sort of... Glorified paparazzi fluke, nipping at some poor celebrity's hooves for table scraps. I snorted, angrily sipping my hot coco. 

Evening Shade: Fine. Who am I playing secret admirer to this time?

World Wide: Crystal Heart, CEO of Genesis Technology & Pharmaceuticals. Recently, they've been upping the ante in regards to a new drug they've produced called Amoraphyll, and have been requesting increased numbers of pony volunteers for clinical trials. Somepony up high thinks that something is shady about the whole ordeal, but doesn't quite know what. We'd like you to dig up what you can on her, and if possible get an interview with her. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I blinked my eyes in surprise at that. GenTech, as they were usually known, had been in business for a while now. Hay, I'd even used some of their medicine during my recovery. They were the last group I'd suspect of doing well... Anything! For Celestia's sake, Amoraphyll was an anti-depressant as far as I knew!

And wasn’t my coltfriend working for them?

Evening Shade: Tall order, but should be doable. She's the last pony I'd suspect of being involved in anything suspect though, she's a known philanthropist after all.

World Wide: Generous aristocrat or not, something doesn't feel right about the situation... To any of us. Text me back when you've got an update for me.

I pondered on that for a long while, nursing my mug as I thought about my next move. None of it made sense on the surface, at all. Crystal had been heavily involved in most of the residential clean-ups of Canterlot, and had even squashed poverty in the city altogether with her corporate-funded welfare programs. What could she of all ponies have to hide? It just baffled my mind.

I put that thought on the back burner as I chewed the last of the marshmallows in my cup, and left a few bits on the table to cover the costs. I figured I'd get started on my latest assignment tomorrow. First, I had an appointment to make, one that I absolutely 
 miss.

"See ya, Cuppa!" I shouted out as I rushed out the door, barely taking heed of whatever response he might have given as I galloped through the streets, my scarf trailing behind me in the wind.

Wandering through the twists and turns that made up the Canterlot streets was made difficult by the chilling cold and biting winds of winter, but I pushed through it, despite how much pain my wings were in. But after the better part of an hour, I had arrived at my destination.

I shook the snow off of myself as best I could as I trotted up to a — compared to the estate around it — luxurious and cozy house. The porch was swept so that not a speck of snow graced the surface of the polished marble, the mailbox wasn't overflowing, and the doormat was perfectly straight. It was what I could best describe as picturesque, something straight out of one of those magazines you'd read in the doctor's office. 

Pressing the doorbell with a hoof, I waited for a moment as I heard the doorbell's jingle play throughout the house. I felt my ear flick involuntarily as I heard the hurried clopping of hooves towards the door. I felt my heart flutter a little bit as the door swung wide open to reveal...

"Daaaawn!!!" I shouted as I practically jumped on the poor stallion, doing my best to hug the life out of him.

"Oof— Calm down, Evey! It's only been a week!" the unicorn shouted, gently hugging me back. Dawn Star and I had been dating for about a year, and his career wasn't the only thing that made him attractive. Despite being an extremely skilled and talented chemist, he still had an incredibly toned physique and took care to groom himself well, hay, I can't even recall a time where he's had the infamous "Five'o'Clock shadow". He was a generally caring and patient pony, and well...

Simply put, this stallion completed me in every conceivable way. He was the yin to my yang, the other side of my coin. He was the sun to my moon. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. 

"Oh come on, Dawny! You know I'm never gonna miss a chance to come over!" I said, hastily pulling him inside and out of the cold. The smell of food immediately wafted into my nose, causing me to salivate. "Do I smell stir fry?" I asked, eyeing the stains on his apron and coat, the soy sauce staining his white fur.

He chuckled, rubbing at the back of his head, his blonde mane gleaming under the bright lights of his house. "I mean, I just got off work around a half hour ago and was feeling lazy... So yeah, you smell stir fry!"

I giggled, booping his nose as I walked towards the kitchen. "Hey now, I'm not complaining. Remember our third date?"

He groaned, trotting alongside me. "Oh come on, I was new to flambeing at the time!"

I took a seat on a stool next to the countertop, watching the steam emanating from the wok on the stove. "Yup, still burnt your eyebrows off, though!"

He mumbled under his breath, and though he tried to hide it, I could still see him grin. He levitated the wok over, sliding two decently sized portions of food onto the plates set in front of me, before swiping the second plate for himself. "Bon appetit! At least, that's how I think they say it. Never understood Prench."

I shrugged, stabbing a fork into the mixture of vegetables and seafood. "Neither have I. I heard that they apparently have eleven different words for 'surrender.'"

He snorted, pointing his fork my way and taking a seat next to me. "See, that's crazy." He chewed for a moment. "Say, how was Ponyville?"

I blanched at that. "Never again."

He let out a 'Hah!'. "That bad?"

I nodded, shivering from the memory alone. "There was this weird pink mare that forced a welcome party on me, and she kept appearing out of random places," I said, poking at my food pensively. "She popped out of my scarf once. I don’t know how, but she did."

He looked at me as if I had gone mad. "She... What? You're joking right?"

I shook my head. "I've got better jokes than that. It was... Quite terrifying, actually."

He slumped in his chair, prodding his food. "Guess I owe Petri five bits then."

I nearly spat out my food, looking at him in shock. "You made a bet on me?!"

He laughed, waving a hoof dismissively. "No no, nothing like that. We made a bet a month or so back on whether or not Ponyville was as crazy as the rumors make it out to be."

I harrumphed at that, crossing my hooves. "It wasn't fun at all... The Everfree was the best part about it, actually."

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at me. "Oh? Didn't think I'd hear you of all ponies say that." I nodded vigorously, launching into an explanation of everything I'd seen, though I found myself unable to bring up the topic of the strange mist.

We talked like that long into the night, just chatting about anything that came to mind. It was nice, and we had turned it into a ritual of sorts ever since we had started taking our relationship seriously. 

It was near the end of the night, while we were snuggled together in bed, when I was forced to ask him a question.

"Hey babe?"

He blearily looked over to me, tearing his gaze off the cheesy horror flick we'd put on for the night. "Mmh, yeah? What's up?"

I chewed my lip for a second, before tentatively popping the question. I hoped I was wrong. "You uhh... You know that firm you're working for?" He nodded. "Which company were you recently contracted by?"

He pulled himself to a sitting position, racking his brain for an answer. "I think it was GenTech, why?" 

I hit the button to pause the movie, sitting up with him. "The network is having me do an article on Crystal Heart and the whole... Amoraphyll thing."

His eyes widened in response. "No shit? They think you'll find any dirt on her?"

I shrugged, feeling my ears splay back. "Apparently. And if I haven't heard rumors of it, it's either nothing or well..." I looked him in the eyes, worry and concern visible across my entire face. "It's something that they don't want anypony leaking. And that terrifies me."

He hugged me, planting a quick kiss on my forehead. "C'mon hun, don't worry too much. You've tackled a lot worse before. Get some rest, okay?"

I sighed, lying back down. "Okay, okay. You too, Dawn."

He nuzzled the back of my neck, whispering into my ear. "Goodnight, Evey."

Only... Rest didn't find me that night. 

I slipped out of bed a few hours later, slinking over to the dining room where he usually left his laptop, finding it right where I expected it to be. 

"Sorry, honey. I don't think this is something I can take chances on." 

I fished a flash drive out of my mane and plugged it in.

I really hoped this would have what I needed. 

I hoped it was worth it.

"Please forgive me."
> Chapter 3: Down The Rabbit Hole
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I bid my farewells to Dawn that morning, making my way back home with my cargo in tow. It was much warmer out today, what with Winter Wrap Up having just concluded, banishing the cold, arthritis inducing atmosphere and ushering in a warming blanket of springtime weather. It was, all things told, a welcome change from the frigidity of the past few months. 

Opening the door to my apartment, I walked inside, immediately trotting towards my bedroom. It wasn't fancy or "extra" by any stretch of the imagination, the walls being the same stark white color as the rest of the building. It hurt my eyes during the daytime, but I was able to remedy that particular issue with some standard black-out curtains. Otherwise, my bed was a simple combination of a few pillows, a large comforter, and a blanket stitched with various constellations that had been made by Aunt Nimbus for my birthday a few years back. All things said? Probably the most useful gift she had ever given me... I still remember the hay-bacon soap. That was bucking weird.

Hopping into my chair, I slid over to my desk, the wooden piece of furniture situated in the far corner of the room, where the least amount of light touched. My laptop was neatly placed in the center, surrounded by the usual peripherals. Mouse, headphones, RGB lighting... the essentials. VENOM may have overpriced their gaming laptops, but by Celestia was it refreshing not having to wait for every single bucking page to buffer. Call it overkill, but it worked phenomenally when it came to working at home, so I considered it worth the investment. 

Booting it up, I quickly inserted the flash drive, instantly opening its storage as it finished connecting to the computer. There were a grand total of five files. Four were delivery logs of various chemicals and compounds that had been shipped from Dawn's firm to GenTech warehouses and factories, and the last was a single file mysteriously marked "INSTRUCTIONS: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY". 

Deciding to leave the outlier for last, I began with the first delivery log. My attention was snagged by the quantity of chemicals being transferred, most of them being in the ten to twenty ton region. That wasn't the only oddity I noticed, however. Cross referencing each compound with a quick internet search revealed all of them to be either anesthetics, mood inhibitors, aphrodisiacs, painkillers, and strangely enough... incredibly strong amnestics. Which made no sense, even in the wildest scenario I could think of off the top of my head. Amnestics had always been used, since their inception, to treat trauma victims and those afflicted with Night-Terror Syndrome. Not the usual GenTech clientele, which consisted of lower income citizens from both Canterlot and the cities surrounding it. There hadn't been a documented case of NTS in over two decades... which begged the question: 

What the hay was GenTech doing with enough amnestics to mind wipe the entirety of Canterlot?

Further investigation yielded similar results. Unfathomable quantities of the aforementioned chemicals being shipped to one central facility, with instructions for deliveries to outlying compounds and clinics. What was strange, however, was that each log had been signed off on by Crystal Heart herself, with clearly hoofwritten notes on where specific chemicals were needed the most. The mare may have been a visionary and one of the smartest and most intelligent mares since Clover the Clever, but I doubted even she would take such a hooves-on approach. 

As I reached the last file of the bunch, I hesitated. The preview of the file was pixelated and blacked out in random locations, which was an obvious censor if I had ever seen one. And so I double clicked to open the file, like the dumbass I was.

Immediately after it loaded, I saw an image of... something, and all I could feel was pain as I collapsed to the floor, my heart pumping insanely quickly, threatening to send me into cardiac arrest.




"N̶̢̲̞̙̤̤̳̫̪͍̗̖͇̩̩͎̂̈́̿͒̀̒͗̔̄̕͘Ȍ̶̡̨̨͖̱̺̭͇̼̙̠͖̼̪̻̳͕͔͇̤͈́͂̈̂͑́̎!̸̢̢̻͓͔̬̥͎̣͇̖̰͔͎̝̎̀͌̋̌̄͛̅̒̎̋̆̚̕͜͝͝!̴̛̹̭̫̮͍͇̞̲̺̱̥̣̩͔͂́̂́̈̔̆̿̑̀̌̑͌̄̚̕͘͜͝͠!̷̛̺̱͚͓̊̃̿̾̒͑̓͑͊̎̌̀͛̓̾̍͝͝͝"






I had heard some sort of... shout, but I attributed it to my hazy frame of mind. With the sensation of goosebumps rolling across my entire body, the pain was now completely absent, and my heartbeat had slowed back to normal, leaving me to wonder what the hay had just happened. Blinking my bleary, tear-filled eyes, I wiped away the tears. I just wanted to get this over with already. "What the hay is happening?" I asked myself, wincing as a migraine pounded at the back of my head.

Pulling myself back up to my chair, I noticed that the image was now a blurry green spot in the center of my vision; but the file was now legible, easily and clearly readable as it should have been from the start. 

A large column of text filled my screen, causing me to forget about the voice I had just heard and lean in for a closer look at this file.

























I felt a shiver go down my spine as I read through the file. Memetic kill whatevers? The secrecy around a supposed anti-depressant? Emotional contamination? It was all so... bizarre. Like something straight out of a sci-fi novel. And Dawn hadn't dropped dead yet, so I knew he was at the very least high enough up the food chain to have this sorta stuff just laying about. 

I stiffened up as I was confronted with a very serious question. Why did he even have all of this in the first place? How deep into this was he?!

My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I scrolled back up to where the image was, but in its place were just... blocks of different shades of green. "What the hay is going on here? Where did it go?!" I thought to myself, doing everything I could to try and enlarge the image, looking for whatever I had just seen. But that only revealed more and more cubes of green. Whatever that thing had been, it was just... gone. 

I slumped back in my chair, my ears splaying back as tears threatened to leak out of my eyes. Everything had been going fine and bucking dandy up until a few days ago. No Everfree buckery, no strange conspiracies. Just me, my journalism, and my coltfriend. Now?

Now I didn't know what to think. But all of the helplessness and despair was forced back as a thought crossed my mind.

It was entirely possible that I was the only one who had witnessed... that, and lived to talk about it.. 

I was, in all likelihood, the only pony with any proof that something was amiss. 

That should have scared me, like, chilled me to my bones, "cause me to shake under the covers at night" kind of scared me, but it instead gave me a grim sense of determination. If I didn't act, who the hay would? It's not like any specifics were known by anypony, Hay, even the head honchos of the Network were only "suspicious" that something was happening, and had asked for me, of all ponies, to look into this. From an outside point of view that might not seem like much, but to me it meant business.

I tabbed over to my email, quickly retrieving my cookie-cutter template I used for interview requests. I swiftly replaced all of the blank spaces with the appropriate names and terms, pausing as the cursor hovered over the big blue "SEND" button. Once I did this, there would be no going back. I was still able to get out of this. I could tell the Network to buck themselves, I could go back to my normal life. I could just... forget any of this ever happened. And I'm not going to lie, that option seemed very enticing. 

But that wasn't me. That was spelled out clearly enough by my cutie mark, a newspaper held under a magnifying glass. It was in my nature to chase a headline, to crack the case, to get to the bottom of everything.

So, before I could change my mind, I slammed my hoof on the mouse, sending the Faust-damned email. 

It was time to get to work. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I grimaced as I trotted up to the Canterlot Mortuary. It was a large, slate grey cathedral, a relic from an era long since gone. Originally, it had been a structure designed to house the honored dead of Unicornia, but now it served to lay all of Canterlot's dead to rest. And, by extension, their death certificates. 

I shifted my shoulders to adjust my saddlebags as I passed through the automated doors, heading straight for the clerk. "Excuse me, Miss."

She looked up from the book she was reading, slightly alarmed by my sudden appearance. She was a thin, wiry sort of pony, her graying mane tied up nicely into a bun. "Oh, yes? What can I do for you?"

I lifted up my press pass in clear view so she could see it. I didn't particularly like using it. It felt like a cop-out, a cheat sheet to getting information you needed. But sometimes it was unavoidable. "Name's Evening Shade. I'm with the Global Reality Network, and I need access to the records inside this building for a segment we're doing."

She looked between the plastic badge and her computer,  adjusting her glasses and pursing her lips. She was in quite the bind. "... What kind of 'segment?'" 

I responded without missing a beat, trying to end the interaction as quickly as possible. "We're doing a story on the health risks associated with the typical diet of the common citizen, namely heart related illnesses." The lie came to my lips easily enough. I, regrettably, had to lie a lot in my line of work. Ponies didn't like it when you asked too many questions, or when you looked too deeply into their past. 

She furrowed her brow, and I could practically see the gears turning in her head. She could either let me in under dubious pretenses, or reject me and potentially get chewed out by her manager. It was easy to see which choice she'd make. "Very well, you may have two hours, but I want you out by that time, understood?"

I nodded politely, retrieving my pass and walking towards the records room. "Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way." 

And just like that, I was in. Shelves of cabinets reaching up to the ceiling made neat little rows, twenty-six of them, in fact. In addition to each one having every row of cabinets marked by a letter of the alphabet, signifying the first letter of a pony's name, they were also grouped by cause of death. Unsurprisingly, old age had a whopping four rows dedicated to it. 

I didn't enjoy this kind of thing, not one bit. The first time I had had to come here had been during an investigation regarding unsolved murder cases in the city. It had disgusted me then, how could it not? It felt like I was... Disturbing the dead, as weird as that may sound. You get to know them intimately, almost as if they were a close friend or colleague. You discover their hopes, their dreams, and things they had never shown anypony else. But over time, especially after my brief stint with a P.I firm, I'd come to realize something.

The dead are just that. Dead.

I shook the grim thought out of my head as I perused the shelves, stopping once I had found the section clearly labeled "Heart Attacks, Cardiac Arrests, and other afflictions of the heart." I didn't quite know that I was right about this particular hunch, but I had a feeling. 

Pulling the first of many cabinets open, I began my search. If I was right, then there were at least a few of these ponies affiliated with GenTech in some shape or form, and their cause of death would be something related to Cardiac Arrest.

It took me a solid hour to find suitable... "candidates", as it were, for a deeper investigation. A dead pony's family likely wouldn't respond particularly well to some random mare breaking into their home on the basis of investigative journalism. So how do you solve that issue?

Make sure that pony doesn't have a family to catch you in the act. 

Trespassing was fine in my book, nopony gets hurt or startled, and I get to take my pictures and leave. Home invasion, however...

That was, legally, another beast entirely, and, for that matter, one I didn't feel like poking.

And so, I settled on taking a deeper look at a few ponies. All of them had passed fairly recently, and there hopefully would not have been any items removed from their homes. Keyword there being "hopefully."

As I made my way out of the archives, I flashed the clerk a smile. "Have a good day, Ma'am!"

She only frowned at me on the way out, muttering something about "Bucking millennials these days..." It didn't bother me much as I strutted out the door, finding myself a bench to sit down on. I had some impromptu background checks to run.

The first pony I took a look-see at was Bright Mind. Twenty-seven year old earth pony stallion, bit on the chubby side, junior researcher for GenTech, and all-around recluse from what I could see off of his social media. Died on a train after a sudden and unexpected heart attack, and nopony nearby knew CPR. Further snooping revealed he had a degree in chemical engineering, and that prior to his death he had, in his words, "Made a great discovery that was sure to get him promoted!"

Next on the list was one Gentle Suture. Forty-nine year old mare, went to med school for fifteen years. I had to admit, she was cute, especially for her age. Make-up is one hell of a drug, after all. She had been a manager of her own department in a firm contracted by GenTech, and had been discovered dead inside of her home. Took her neighbors a week to find the corpse, poor things. Her "official" social media was pretty clean, but I was sure I'd find a private or anonymous account with a deeper look. 

Finally we had the anomaly of the group; Occam Razor. Strange name, I'll give him that. Head of the Department of Experimental Medicine inside of a GenTech-backed hospital, he had apparently been working with a patient, a pony named Snap Shot, who had been slipped amnestics. and He had been trying to help her recover her memory when his heart stopped beating while he had been alone in his office. Strangely enough, he had been the least likely to have had a heart attack of the three. Had a good diet, exercised daily, maintained his hygiene... certainly something to look in to. 

By now the sun had begun to dip below the horizon's edge, which I took as my cue to pack it up and head on home. Almost dying aside? It had been a pretty productive day for me. I'd gotten a few leads, and I had some ideas on where to go from here. 

As I trekked back to my apartment, I realized that I uhh... wasn't actually hungry whatsoever, despite spending the past few hours being generally active without anything to even nibble on. I chalked it up as an oddity and left it at that. I wasn't going to think too terribly deeply on it, not while I had a much bigger issue on my hooves. 

The arrival home was as boring and mundane as I hoped it would be. Clicking the lock to my door shut, I let out a sigh of relief, basking in the serenity of my small apartment. I began to trot over to my computer in order to send an email... at least, that was, until my phone rang. It was Dawn. 

"Hey there, Evey! You able to talk for a bit?" He asked. He sounded incredibly giddy, like a colt who was proud of his drawing. 

I held the phone to my ear with a wing as I walked over to my fridge, retrieving the remaining container of Chineighse takeout within. "Uh, Yeah! What's up?" I said, dumping the contents of the disposable box onto a paper plate. 

"So, here's the deal. I've got two reservations to Cloud Nine, and I just so happen to need somepony to come along. You good for... tomorrow at four?" Cloud Nine was one of the best restaurants in Canterlot, and it had the most delicious seafood I had ever tasted.

My jaw dropped as I microwaved my dinner, and I rested my elbows on the counter as I replied, playing with my mane. "Shut up!!! Where in the hay did you get those?" 

He chuckled into the phone. "Well I've got this nice big salary and nothing to spend it on, so I figured since our anniversary is comin' up I'd treat you to somewhere nice."

I giggled, butterflies flitting about in my stomach. "Of course I'll go! As if you even needed to ask, you big goof!" 

I could almost hear him smile as he responded, his tone abundant with joy. "Then it's a date! Oh, and I'd suggest you wear something nice. Wouldn't want a repeat of last time, now would we?"

He dropped the call as I opened my mouth to chew him out. He was referring to our six month anniversary, where he had picked me up for a "surprise date." I was... I suppose "underdressed" is a bit of an understatement. I had been wearing some sweatpants and one of his hoodies when he arrived, and the stubborn colt refused to spoil his own surprise, so he took me to some high end Prench restaurant in the higher class area of Canterlot while I was dressed up like, what the other diners referred me to as, "an absolute peasant." Now that had been hilarious. 

I grumbled to myself, fishing the leftover fried rice out of the microwave. "Bucker didn't even give me the chance to be mad at him..." I swiped a can of soda out of the fridge with my tail as I hauled my food over to my desk, wanting to wrap up a few things before bed. 

I'd save looking into Gentle Suture for tomorrow. I had another, far more compelling lead on my hooves.

And this one was alive.

"Dear Snap Shot..."
> Chapter 4: Foggy Memories & Digging Deeper
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I shifted in my seat, thumping my leg impatiently. Surprisingly, she had been awake when I had emailed her the previous night, and we had quickly agreed to meet at a cafe a few blocks away. I would have brought her to Cuppa's, but I didn't feel like involving him in my work life. So I brought her to my next favorite place in the vicinity, Luna's Nook.

It was situated in a back alley near the guardhouse of the area, and was most often frequented by the Nightguard and those among the Dayguard who got saddled with the night-shift. It was incredibly quiet and tranquil, courtesy of the many layers of sound-dampening enchantments woven into the structure itself, as well as the calming smell of incense that was constantly burned within the ornate censers that sat up near the bar. And while most bars like it were rowdy, rambunctious joints, the Nook and those who visited would abide by the unspoken agreement of calmness and civility that had been established by the regulars. It was the kind of place you could eat a nice, quiet breakfast, catch up on some work, and enjoy a nice cup of alcohol or coffee in relative peace. 

And thus, I brought most of my interviewees here. It was a neutral, relaxing environment that would help put their minds at ease. And it had certainly helped a few of the ponies I had interviewed. Most ponies don't do well when faced with that sort of pressure, knowing that their every word would be documented and recorded, and that each and every slip of the tongue would be latched on to, and in some cases could potentially even ruin another pony's life. Thankfully, ponies tend to react much better to you once you've talked to them a bit over coffee; essentially, after you let them know you weren't out to get them. That you were a living, breathing pony who cared about them and the meaning behind their words, and not just the words themselves. All of that, combined with the soft tones of binaural music humming throughout the small establishment, made for a very relaxed pony. 

And so I found myself waiting for her arrival. The clock on the wall said it was five fifty-five, and she was due to meet me at six. 

Strangely enough, I hadn’t found anything substantial about her online. No pictures, no social media accounts, nothing. I'd only gotten her email address due to an old article she had written popping up on the fifth page of my search, so I didn't actually have a clue as to what she even looked like. 

I nursed my coffee and browsed the internet on my phone, the clock steadily ticking by. It must have been ten minutes later when a pegasus sat down in front of me. Her frame was much like that of a coat-hanger, and rosey-red fur stretched over her limbs, clinging to the bone. Her face was in a similar state. She had dark bags under her eyes, which were hidden behind faded red bangs, and her cheeks were sunken in. If I hadn't seen her move beforehoof, I'd have assumed somepony had just sat a corpse down in front of me. "H-Hello? Are you th-the reporter who asked to see me?"

I nodded. "Mhm. My name is Evening Shade, and I'm with the Global Reality Network. Thank you so much for coming out here today!"

She blushed, her cheeks turning a scarlet red. "It's... It's no problem at all." Poor mare looked like she was about to fall apart then and there; she was shaking, her eyes were scanning the room around her constantly, and she looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks. I could already tell I'd be here for a while. 

"Well, before we get started, would you like anything to eat or drink? They offer very good food here." I slid the spare menu over to her, reaching a hoof towards my bit purse.

Her eyes widened as she held a hoof out to protest. "Nononono, you don't have to do that!"

I shrugged, setting the purse on the table anyway. "It's completely fine, this place has one of the cheaper menus in the area, and I brought you out here before the sun even came up just to ask you some questions. Consider it my way of apologizing, okay?"

She opened her mouth, and then shut it after a moment, sighing deeply. "Okay... in that case I'll just get a Chamomile tea and the breakfast skillet."

I smiled softly, before waving the waitress over and placing our order. I myself had opted to get an omelette, as well as a refill for my coffee. "So. Tell me a little bit about yourself."

She blinked, clearly struggling to form words. "I err... W-What would you like to know?" 

"Tell me about your fillyhood."

And so we chatted, playing an impromptu game of twenty questions. We talked, we gossiped, we laughed. It was certainly interesting to see the shift in her behavior as the hour passed by, changing from this shivering, frightened mare, to a happy, smiling, jovial example of a pony. 

But I had other things to get to, so our small talk inevitably had to end. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I just realized that we're running a bit short on time. Are you okay if I go ahead and ask you some questions?" I stealthily switched on my recorder, while setting a notepad and pencil on the table for her to see. 

As soon as the words left my lips, all joviality and excitement left her, almost as if she had seen her worst nightmare. "O-oh. Okay... Go ahead then, I guess?"

I licked my lips, sipping down the last of the coffee in my cup as I opened my notepad, flipping to the page where I had everything I had wanted to ask her written down. "Alrighty then, let's start off with this. How much of your memory are you missing?"

She chewed the inside of her cheek, her face scrunched in concentration. "It's hard to say exactly, but I'd say a month’s worth of my life is just... missing. Like I told Dr. Razor, the last thing I remember is celebrating Hearth's Warming with my family."

I let out a 'hmm', scribbling in my notepad. I wasn't actually transcribing everything she said, that'd come later. For now, it was better to present the illusion of it. "I see. Your sudden reappearance was something of a news sensation there for a while. Can you tell me where you regained consciousness at?"

She nodded fervently. "Yeah, that memory is the clearest. I woke up near the old warehouse on Chic Boulevard, you know, the one right by '37?"

Now that was intriguing. I quickly jotted that down. "Uh-huh, and what was Dr. Razor doing for you medically in regards to your amnesia?"

Her ears splayed back a bit as she answered my question, sadness clear in her eyes. "W-Well, he was giving me all sorts of experimental treatments. Right before he... died, he said he had found a solution, and that it'd take a few days to prepare."

I flicked my tail. "Did he say what exactly that solution was?"

She shook her head, frowning. "He said something about some weird magic mumbo jumbo before he ran off into his office... never saw him again after the ambulance ponies came and got him."

"And did the EMTs tell you anything about how he died?"

She blinked in surprise. "Now that I think about it, not really. All they told me was that he had died of natural causes... And looking back, they were surprisingly nonchalant about the whole thing."

I raised an eyebrow at that, before continuing on. I looked at the second-to-last question on the list. "Prior to the incident, who were you employed by?"

She brightened up a little bit. "I uh, still work there actually. It's the Canterlot Times. I help write the weekly newspapers mostly, doing the photography and such." That was a tad bit helpful. Meant I could contact her superiors to see if she was in the same boat as I was. 

I wrote that down as well, before pulling up my phone and heading over to my email. Let's see if I could jog her memory a bit. "Okay, final question. Does this image look familiar to you?" 

Her eyes widened and she shot back in her chair as she gazed upon the blocks of green from the GenTech email. "Y-y-yes... I don't know why, but that bucking terrifies me. What the hay is it?!"

I put my phone back in my saddlebags, shrugging. "I was hoping you'd tell me. That will be all, Miss. Thank you for coming out and talking to me." I got up to leave, only for her to pull at my saddlebags.

"Wait... stay safe out there okay? I don't know why, but I feel concerned for you."

I smiled down at her, taking her hoof and shaking it. "Thank you for your concerns, but I'll be fine. If I need to talk to you again, I'll be sure to get in touch, okay?"

She didn't look like she particularly believed the words that came out of my mouth.

I'm not sure I believed them myself, honestly.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I opted to visit Bright's home first, as he had been the first of the three to pass away. It was a quaint little one-story home near the outskirts of the Upper Class district. It had a small chain-link fence surrounding it, as if that'd keep anypony out. Well... anypony determined, that was. 

The sun was just barely peeking over the distant horizon, and nopony was out and about quite yet. That wouldn't last long however, so I had to work quick. 

I flew up to the front door, examining the surrounding area. I really didn't want to have to actually pick the damned lock. It'd take too much time, time that I didn't have.

There were a few fake rocks and potted plants around the doormat, and I picked each one up, hoping to find a spare key. There wasn't one.

I looked under the doormat, only to be met with dust and a whole heaping hooffull of nothing.

I growled under my breath, kicking a hoof against the door in frustration.

And like magic, it opened. 

I could have sworn I'd heard somepony giggle.

"Oh you've gotta be bucking kidding me," I growled under my breath as I trotted inside, locking the door behind me. The foyer was relatively clean, for having not been tended to in a few weeks. It was also surprisingly drab, the walls were completely blank, devoid of any pictures or well... Anything that would cover the baby-blue paint. My hooves clopped against the hardwood floor as I walked into the living room. The TV was still on, playing some random reality show that could best be described as "atrocious", and the screen bathed the room in a bluish light. The couch itself was fine, but the large table in front of it was littered with soda cans and pizza boxes. 

"So much for doctors being tidy." I snorted, before continuing on through the house. The laundry room, kitchen, etc. didn't have anything interesting that I'd get my wings ruffled for. They were all messy like the living room was. The kitchen sink was overflowing with dishes, the bin of dirty laundry hadn't been washed... and I could tell it had been like that before the colt had died. Still, I made sure to leave no stone unturned as I searched his house. 

It was when I had made my way to the bedroom that I found something peculiar. 

The door was locked. 

Ponies who lived alone had no reason to lock their bedroom doors.

I huffed, digging out two bobby pins. I wasn't all that good at picking locks, I'd admit that much. Still, even I was able to pick most household locks in under a minute due to their shoddy quality. 

I slipped one of the pins inside, using the other to act as a tension bar. I fiddled with it... and fiddled with it... and after about five minutes I was righteously pissed off. Who the hay puts an expensive lock on their bedroom bucking door, and doesn't even bother to lock their own front door?! 

It took me another five minutes before I gave up on the clean and quiet route. "Okay, Mr. Door. You wanna play? We can bucking play!"

Don't you bucking judge me! The door had thoroughly ruffled my feathers and it deserved to feel bad about itself!

I checked the windows, making sure that the neighbors weren't outside and active. I wasn't able to see anypony, so I trotted back to the bedroom, turned away from it, raised myself up on my hind hooves and buckedit open with a mighty CRACK! 

It really wasn't all that the movies made it out to be. The door didn't fly off the hinges or anything super crazy like that, it just sorta swung inward as the lock broke under the force. 

Kind of anticlimactic when you think about it. The noise wasn't even all that loud.

I poked my head in. Inside was significantly tidier than the rest of the building, with the bed clearly having been made before Bright shuffled off the mortal coil. His desk was also in a similarly clean slate, with the large PC tower having all the cables bundled up nicely and hidden behind the desk. The monitor was still on, and the wallpaper looked like some photo of his graduation ceremony. "Why the hay is this still logged in?" I asked aloud, sitting down in the large and luxurious faux-leather office chair. 

The files were organized incredibly well, and there were indeed a good few, but the main one that stood out to me was the folder simply titled "Work."

I decided to take the plunge and open it, and what I found inside shocked me. Every email he'd been sent, every project he could take home to continue working on, you name it. It was in this folder. 

I quickly fished around for a flash drive in my bags. I kept at least ten on me at all times, and while it may have been an expensive habit, it was one that had proven itself worth it time and time again. Never underestimate the ability to take the data you find home with you without needing to memorize it all or make physical copies of it. 

I clicked the "Copy" button and waited as the progress bar slowly but surely ticked by. There was a good amount of data that needed to be transferred, so it'd probably take a good five or so minutes. 

I elected to rummage through his desk in that time. "Maybe the dolt has something good in here..." I mused to myself. Passwords and such were always nice to find, as were keys and other such tools that allowed one to access their personal emails and other such things of that sort. 

The first few drawers were worthless; More of what I already had copying from his computer. But as I reached the bottom drawer I felt a grin stretch its way across my face. "Jackpot." Inside, there lay a thick, pinkish liquid contained within a large beaker. Just looking at it I could see the sheer amount of magic forced into the strange concoction, the ozone smell that scorched the air was almost overpowering, causing me to gag as I picked it up. Maybe this was what had been about to net him that promotion?

 There was a thin white strip wrapped around the tube, and as I turned it over in my wings I read the label aloud. "Amnestic Compound 'Faerie's Kiss', Variant #F-09... what in the hay is this stuff?" 

I resolved to stash it in my bags after scrubbing his name off of the test tube. I figured that I'd toss it to Dawn and see what he could do with it. He was always the smarter one of the two of us, and he was a lot more knowledgeable about this sort of thing than most ponies in his profession.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as the computer sounded off with a loud ding!, signalling that the transfer was complete. I snagged the flash drive and booked it, walking out of the backdoor and flying away as stealthily as I could. 


I sighed, banking back towards the inner city. "Next stop, Gentle Suture's."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I coughed up a bit of soot as my flank hit the bottom of the chimney. Suture, unlike Bright, was actually smart and had decided to lock her doors, and she didn't have a spare key outside to boot... soooo I was forced to use the next best option that had been available to me at the time.

"Agh! Ho Ho Ho, it's Santa Hooves, motherbuckers!" I tried to shake all of the soot and grime off of me to no avail, and all that did was make me look even more like a homeless mare. 

Rubbing my eyes, I opened them and found myself staring at a living room that could have come out of any family drama. Saying it was well furnished would be an understatement. There were three couches centered around a large, central table. Paintings lined the walls, as well as some of those cheap inspirational posters that you'd get at the corner store. If I hadn't dug into her beforehoof, I'd have assumed she was a family mare, because sweet Celestia this was excessive.

Shaking my head at the ostentatious nature of the room, I decided to cut to the chase and find her office. The rest of the house was as luxurious as the living room was, even the mahogany doors bore golden doorknobs. I knew she was up there in terms of the salary she got, but there was no way she could have afforded this at all, not unless she had won the lottery. 

I trotted down the hallway, checking each door as I went along. Nothing of importance in any of the four I had checked, just the usual essentials. What piqued my interest, however, was the door at the end of the hallway. The doorframe itself was wonderfully ornate, and a metal nameplate was attached to the door. Bingo.

I flung the door open, not bothering to kick it shut behind me. I didn't figure I'd be here too terribly long. 

Inside was a large four poster bed, the mattress itself shrouded behind a light pink veil. There was a dark iron chest sitting next to the nightstand... I already had a feeling as to what it contained. There was also a set of double doors off to my right, which I assumed to be her private study.

I looked around the room a bit more. There were rolls of bits hidden inside the top drawer of the dresser, as well as slips of paper containing phone numbers and contact information. A few of the names were recognizable as some of the wealthier stallions in Canterlot. "Welp... now I know how she pays for all this stuff."

I backed away from the dresser, not even remotely close to even wanting to know what was inside the remaining drawers. Searching the rest of the room revealed nothing I hadn't already known; namely, that Miss Suture was a... Working mare in her free time. I only had one place left to check, and that was the large set of double doors off behind me. 

I gently pushed one of the doors open, wincing as they let out a sharp CREEEEEAK in protest. Inside, it had the same fantastical, picturesque quality as the rest of her home. A large and clearly hoofcrafted desk sat in the center of the room, with a well-cushioned high chair parked behind the desk itself, rising above the rather small laptop that laid in front of it. The walls were lined with bookshelves and framed rewards and accolades she had accrued over her career, and a gorgeous golden chandelier hung on the ceiling. 

I trailed a hoof along the desk as I circled around it. "Polished to perfection," I thought to myself, relishing the feeling of my hoof sliding across the wood as if it were slick stone. 

As I came around to face the laptop, I cringed at my reflection in the screen. My little trip down the chimney hadn't done my looks any favors. My mane was now scruffy and ragged, and I had blotches of soot all across my fur. Needless to say, I looked bucking awful. 

I powered on the laptop, which was much smaller than I was used to. I felt myself getting impatient as it struggled to even boot to the OS, tapping my hoof and swishing my tail. Once it had finally loaded five minutes later, I felt about ready to break it in half due to just how bucking slow it was! "What the hay did you even put on this thing, old mare?!" 

I had my question answered by the immediate appearance of a pop-up ad. "Of bucking course." It was filled to the brim with all sorts of bloatware and adware. I sighed, and began to struggle my way over to her email. I wasn't gonna risk downloading any of the files off of this thing; I wasn't gonna subject any of my devices to that sort of filth. 

It probably took me another ten minutes to navigate over to her email account, and I began rummaging through as fast as equinely possible. "Spam, spam, spam, booty call, more spam... 'Personal Concerns?'" I clicked on that email, which was addressed to Crystal Heart herself.

Within it was an absurdly long email chain, going back several months. Suture was excessively blunt, for being a Canterlot unicorn. Reading it from the top showed she had been worried from the get-go, constantly questioning Crystal Heart on things ranging from policy to individual tests and experiments that took place. The two had even gotten nasty with each other at times, with palpable snark and malice. The last email in the chain had been sent by Crystal, which had simply remarked that she was tired of the constant back-and-forth. No signature, no greeting... just a cold and generic statement. 

As if she didn't expect the pony reading it to care for long.

However, digging through her deleted emails didn't reveal the blocks of green that I had expected to find. Just past flings and work emails. So if she had been targeted, she wasn't targeted with the same email bullshit that had nearly gotten me. 

Suddenly, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on edge as I heard guard sirens wailing off in the distance. "Nope! Buck that noise!" I sprinted out of the room, tearing through the house and hastily unlocking the back door and getting the hay out of dodge! I didn't even care if the neighbors saw me at that point, I wasn't getting tossed in jail on the off chance that they had been called on me specifically. The last time I'd had an encounter with the guards, it had nearly ended with my sorry flank being tossed in a cell after some uhh... let's just say "happy accidents." I wasn't having any of that buckery right now!

So, I ran back to my apartment with my tail between my legs. I'd gotten something substantial at the very least, which I counted as a victory. I would have to make sure to visit Occam later. However, as I slammed the door to my apartment shut, a thought smacked me across the face like an anvil.

"Now how the hay am I gonna clean up in time for my date?!"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I gazed at the reflection in the mirror distastefully. I'd gotten home around two, and by Celestia was all that dirt and grime an absolute pain to get out of my coat! That in and of itself probably took me a half-hour, and by the time I'd gotten to actually making myself look presentable it was nearly four in the afternoon. 

... Of course, that was the perfect time to discover that I had run out of makeup, and I was left to try and scrounge enough up so that I wouldn't look like what you'd expect to see if the cat dragged something in.

I was only slightly panicking. 

I had probably only just managed to finish doing my lashes when I heard a few loud knocks at the bathroom door. "Knock knock, Evey! It's about time to go!" Dawn's voice yelled out impatiently. I snorted. "Colts."

"'Kay, give me a sec babe! I'll be right out!" I rushed to finish the rest of what I could. I still looked like I shouldn't be caught dead in somewhere as upscale and affluent as the Cloud Nine, but I had to deal with the cards I was dealt. 

I heard a deep sigh come from outside. "Okay, Evey, its ti-WOAH!" He let out a totally dignified, and not at all girly scream as I tore out of the bathroom, dragging him behind me as I leaped down the stairs.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon Dawny! We gotta go! Eeeeeee!" I screeched out giddily, bounding outside and practically tossing him into the carriage he had hired. The cart rocked a bit from the impact, but it was fine. The stallion drawing the carriage just chuckled, shaking his head. 

Dawn rubbed the back of his head, shooting a sideways glance my way. "Jeez, Evey... could you have thrown me any harder?" he asked, turning away from me and then whipping his head around to face me once more. "And since when have you been able to swing me around like a ragdoll?" 

I shrugged, making myself comfy in the carriage's cushioned seats. Seems that he hadn't spared any expenses this time around. "I dunno. Maybe you've just gotten lighter?"

He scoffed at that, crossing his hooves. He was wearing a simple and inelegant dress jacket and bowtie, which contrasted heavily against my black sweater and navy blue scarf. "Hah, funny joke. As if I could ever lose weight with how much you insist on feeding me."

I bopped his nose, giggling as he crossed his eyes. "Oh please, don't you give me that. When we first started dating you weighed less than me!" 

The stagecoach had dragged the cart a fair distance by now, plodding along at a steady rhythm and humming a tune. "Yeah well uh... I can't really refute that argument now can I?"

I chuckled, snuggling against him. "Nope!"

It took us a short while to finally arrive, time which Dawn and I spent silently cuddling in our seats. It was... nice, I suppose, is the word I'm looking for. Just sitting there, my head against his chest, listening to the soft sound of his breathing and the constant thumping of his heart. He sat there, a hoof wrapped around me, his head resting against my own. It wasn't often that we got to simply enjoy our time together. Work and other life events often cut what little time we spent visiting each other short, so I cherished moments like these. Moments of peace. Moments of quiet.

Moments where we could simply relax. 

"'Ey folks, your stops right here." The stagecoach said, gesturing with his head to the large, white building to our left. The Cloud Nine was structured after the old Pegasopilan cathedrals, and the entire building attempted to match that aesthetic as closely as they possibly could. Every square inch of the building was made of cloudstone, and each and every one of their dishes was crafted to cater to and spoil any pegasus to bits. Juicy, tender seafoods, Cloud Cake, Skyweed salads... The works. I don't think I'd ever heard of any winged creature leaving this place unsatisfied. 

Dawn and I thanked the stallion as he trotted towards the large stone doors to the restaurant. The hostess, a small but stocky pegasus, smiled warmly at us. "Oh, hello Mister and Missus! What's the name of your reservation under?" 

Dawn chuckled, levitating the two golden tickets to her. "No reservation, but I won that raffle you guys ran a while back, and figured I'd give my marefriend a treat. These are still valid, right?"

She nodded vigorously, taking the tickets and stuffing them into her apron. "Of course! Enjoy your time here at the Cloud Nine!"

I shot her a quick "Thanks!" as we went inside. The interior was marvelous, the chandeliers all hung on individual clouds, and the atmosphere was filled with calm but still upbeat music and the sound of a hundred ponies engaging in deep, fervent conversation... probably about the stock market or something, but still. Rich ponies will talk about whatever the hay it is rich ponies will talk about.

We were led to our table shortly afterwards, Dawn and I sinking into the booth. "Any idea what you're ordering, Evey?" He asked, scanning the menu he had been given. It wasn't too terribly big, only two pages of items, but I suppose that was part of the charm of this place. It didn't need to impress you with flashy specials or extravagant menus. All the staff had to do was serve you your food and that was usually enough to get a pony craving for more. 

I shrugged, eyeing the seafood section ravenously. "Hmm... I think I'm gonna go for the shrimp gumbo, how about you?" 

He narrowed his eyes at a specific part of the menu, and his face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree. "Oh hay yeah, they've got cod here!" It had taken a while, but I'd eventually gotten him to try seafood and he'd been hooked ever since! 

I heard an exaggerated gasp off to our right, and a mare with white fur and a curly purple mane trotted up to us. I'd met her back in Ponyville... I think her name was Rarity. "Oh darling! I certainly didn't expect to find you here!"

I don't know why, but I felt sick to my stomach as soon as she got close. As if her very essence was just repulsive to me on some deep, primal level. "Oh err, yeah. I'm here with my coltfriend."

Dawn gave me a look, retreating a bit behind his menu. "You know her?"

Before I could even open my mouth, the mare was already answering for me, which pissed me off to no end. I could speak for myself, damnit! "Not quite, Pinkie Pie had held a party for her, and I'm afraid she ran your marefriend off before we could even properly meet her!"

I bit the inside of my cheek, my tail flicking behind me. Pinkie Pie. The name sounded familiar. "Yeah uh, she’s the obnoxiously pink one, right? I had work to get to and quite frankly, she was violating my personal space constantly."

She held a hoof up to placate me. "Oh no no, you're fine dear! I should be the one apologizing to you! Pinkie Pie has always been a bit too...  "extravagant" for most ponies to deal with." The words rushed out of her mouth, and then she gasped as if she had forgotten something. "Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Rarity, owner of the Carousel Boutique and Element of Generosity!"

That feeling from before intensified, and warning bells rang out in my head as she finished her sentence. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. The message my body was telling me was clear.

Danger.

"It's err... Nice to be properly introduced, Miss Rarity, but I'll be right back. I've got to make a call." I said hurriedly, before walking quickly towards the bathrooms. 

Once I'd safely secured myself in the restrooms, the knot in my stomach released, as if it had never even been there. "What the buck..." I huffed out, supporting myself on the sink. A cursory glance in the mirror showed nothing out of the ordinary.

"Must have just been a stomach bug... Yeah that's a nice, reasonable explanation. I'm fine, it's allllll fine..." I sat there for a few minutes until somepony else came in, and I took that as my cue to head back to my table. 

As I trotted back, Rarity was nowhere to be seen and Dawn was looking at me weirdly. "You okay, Evey? That was weird, even for you."

I laid my head in my hooves as I sat down. "I think I may have caught something in the Everfree." 

He laid a hoof on my shoulders, giving me a reassuring, but still concerned, smile. "We can head to a minute clinic later, okay? You'll be fine."

I nodded, shivering as goosebumps rolled along my spine. "I 'spose you're right. Let's just enjoy dinner for now."

And enjoy our dinner we did, and we must have finally left around nine. It was probably the best anniversary we'd had to date, if I'm being entirely honest with myself. 

By the time he had dropped me off at home, it must have been one in the morning. We had stopped by his place for some fun after we'd left, and I was awake as I could be. 

I grabbed myself a soda and plopped down into my computer chair, habitually checking my email. 

"Huh. That's weird." I'd received an email a few hours ago from... oh. Oh.

"Oh buck, she actually responded."












> Chapter 5: Mare In The High Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I adjusted my tie nervously, the white dress shirt I had elected to wear rubbing against my blazer as I did so. I was, suffice to say, just a teensy bit anxious about today's meeting. I had barely been able to get a camera crew to accompany me given the... "less than ideal" time frame, but after some begging and pleading World Wide had gotten two ponies to agree to come with me, an earth pony stallion and a pegasus mare. I could nearly guarantee they had been promised some damn good pay for it, judging by the looks on their faces. The kind of look that screams "I'm only here for the money." You know the one. Not that I could blame ‘em, the request had been quite sudden, and had come in incredibly late. I was surprised I’d even gotten a camera crew in the first place, to be perfectly honest.

The taxi carriage was bumped and jostled around as we took off. The GenTech headquarters was actually built onto the other side of Canterlot Mountain entirely, right on top of the entrance to the old crystal mines. I would have flown there myself, but I doubted I could have hauled the ground-bound member of the camera crew with my bum wings, and the pegasus didn't look too particularly strong.

The flight was, for all intents and purposes, boring and uninteresting. I mostly spent my time getting the questions I wanted to ask Crystal Heart all sorted out, and any remaining time was spent bucking around on my phone, as my two companions were doing. 

Looking out the window near the final leg of our journey, I was able to see the gigantic, slate gray structure that clung to the side of the Canterhorn. A huge portion of the building was blocky and angular, each level optimized for maximum spatial efficiency, almost like a hornet's nest or a cargo freighter. The topmost level, however, was absolutely gorgeous. It was massive, and pretty much screamed "I'm obnoxiously rich, and buck you I get to have nice things!" It had been designed to mimic a lotus blossom, with each outstretched petal of concrete and metal playing host to a different pool or garden, and in the center there lay a large dome, which was likely her personal suite.

She sure had good taste, I'd give her that... even if it was over the top and fancy as all get out.

I swiftly tucked my notebook under a wing and switched on my recorder. I had the distinct feeling that if push came to shove, the footage from the main cameras would mysteriously "disappear." 

Suddenly, the carriage lurched to a stop, and everypony inside the cart was forced to hold on to their seats. "Oof! What the hay?! Don't they teach you how to land?!" the pegasus yelled at the poor carriage driver, causing me to frown.

"Seems somepony hasn't had her morning coffee..." I thought to myself snidely, giving her a glance out of the corner of my eye. I'd report her performance later. For now, we had a job to do, and I wasn't in the mood to deal with her attitude.

I stepped out onto the carriage pad below, shielding my eyes from the blinding light of the harsh morning sun. Thestrals, as anypony with half a brain could have guessed, didn't deal particularly well with bright lights. As my eyes finally adjusted, I found myself only now able to truly appreciate the structure in its entirety. I could see ponies flitting about to and fro behind glass as clear as crystal, and the windows stretched along the entire building, leaving nothing to the imagination. The loud, grating noise of machinery assaulted my eardrums, no doubt coming from deeper within the facility. 

The place was a veritable hive of activity, almost as if I was looking at the entirety of Manehattan stuffed into a single building. 

As my camera crew exited the carriage, a trio of ponies clad in suits and ties emerged from the entryway to the building proper. They all had some sort of enchantment on them that caused them to look the same, like the Royal Guard had. The one closest to me, whom I assumed to be the leader of the bunch, spoke up. "Miss Evening Shade, I presume?"

I nodded, holding a hoof out for him to shake, and he did so with gusto. "That's me. Thank you for inviting us on such short notice! These things usually take a while to get going." 

He shrugged, releasing my hoof. He had big, black sunglasses on, so I couldn't quite see it, but I was fairly sure he rolled his eyes. "We aren't bureaucrats. It doesn't take us ages to cut the red tape and get things done. If you would follow me, I will show you to Miss Heart." He, as well as his fellows, turned on their hooves and began trotting further into the building. I followed after them, taking in the sights as we walked through the halls. The interior was truly breathtaking, each and every tile on the floor was sparkling and spotless, and there were even more elevator tubes snaking their way throughout the building. 

Eventually, we arrived at what I could best describe as an exhibit room. There were dozens upon dozens of models, interactive terminals, and display cases featuring various feats of technological and magical innovation. Near an exhibit off in the far corner, sat a unicorn who I could only assume to be Crystal Heart, who was showing off an early prototype engine to a class of schoolfillies. Her coat was a luscious, milky white, and her teal mane was so glossy I could practically see my reflection in it. Her cutie mark was a simple green heart wreathed in black laurels. She wasn't dressed whatsoever, but that's about what I expected.

She had nopony that she needed to impress. Simply inviting us was enough of a courtesy. 

She looked up towards us, and smiled sheepishly towards the group of young ponies. "Oh dear, it seems I've lost track of time! I'll return later, little ones! Doctor Xeno is in charge for now though, okay?" The aforementioned pony, a black coated unicorn with a white mane, nodded at her. The group of little fillies let out a collective "Aww!" before turning and bombarding the stocky unicorn with questions. He looked at Crystal pleadingly, but all she did was chuckle at him as she trotted towards us. "Good morning! How was your flight over?"

I shrugged, taking in her appearance. her eyes, which were the same color as her mane, studied me, taking in all of the information she could, clearly sizing me up. "Not too bad, all things considered. I have to say, I love what you've done with the place!"

She giggled, leading me towards a large staircase that led up to a catwalk. "Thank you! It took us a good few years, but this building has been a labor of love that I think we're all proud of!"

Quickly glancing behind me, I saw that the cameras were already rolling. "I'm certainly inclined to agree with you there. It is rather impressive, what you've managed to do in such a short time." We were on the catwalk now, and I was able to observe all sorts of widgets and gizmos down below. Prototype generators, early drone models... You name it. 

She grinned at that, clearly enjoying having her ego stroked. I'd never pegged her for one of those ponies. "I suppose it is. Not to try and rush you out of here or anything, but would you like to begin the interview now? I have an appointment in an hour that I absolutely cannot miss."

I felt a bit surprised at how blunt she was, but I brushed it off as her simply being a busybody. The most successful ponies were often workaholics, after all. "Alrighty then, should I just go ahead and take it from the top?" 

"Mhm." 

"Gotcha. So, forty-two, born in Manehattan?"

She nodded. "Indeed."

"Okay, and at nineteen you founded GenTech. Why don't you tell me a little bit about your rise to prominence?"

She almost immediately swelled up with pride. Hook, line and sinker. "Well, as I'm sure you know, I pioneered the Helping Hooves initiative, which brought unemployment in Canterlot down to the lowest it had been in decades. I think our claim to fame had to have been the development of the Crystal-Hex hybrid engine, however, and you'll see that model on nearly all modern trains owned by GenTech and its subsidiaries, as well as some of its competitors. It is ninety percent more efficient than any other engine on the market at the moment."

I tilted my head at her, my ears flopping to one side of my head. "What exactly is the Crystal-Hex engine?"

She beamed at me, her expression both joyful... And yet, there was a flash of mournfulness in her eyes. "Its inception was the result of a collaboration between myself and the late Vexing Hex. It runs off of a fusion of normal magic and dark magic, using the unstable reaction between the two to power the engine itself. It's probably one of our greatest technological achievements thus far, and marked the beginning of our R&D division."

"I see. And from there you expanded into the pharmaceutical industry, is that correct?"

She stopped for a moment, grabbing a small tube in her magic and bringing it over so that I could examine it. It was a black tube, about as thick as a piece of small PVC pipe. "You'd be correct. We started off with the Vespis Auto Injector. At the time, it was a state-of-the-art delivery system for any potion or medicine you could think of, able to deliver the full effects of the substance in under a minute. Nowadays, we do provide far more effective models, such as the Lifeline and Med-Evac. From there, we've gone on to develop numerous medications and treatments for everything, ranging from the common cold to our most recent accomplishment, dementia." She thought to herself for a moment, and then placed the injector into my hooves. "Here, keep it. Consider it a gift."

I gave her an awkward grin as I stuffed the tubular device into my blazer. "See, to somepony like me that's crazy. You hear all these stories in your youth about Princess Celestia performing miracles and healing the sick, but you never see that anymore in this day and age... and then you come along and sort of just prove that it can still be done, by a normal pony no less! What's the secret, exactly?"

She clicked her tongue a few times, trying to find her words. "Well, I can't exactly just give that up, as our competitors are sure to read about this interview once it hits the web, but what I can say that it simply requires a far more... 'personal' touch." The way she said that just sent shivers down my spine, like I'd been stung.

"Uh-huh. So, another thing I'd wanted to ask you has to do with your company. What is GenTech's mission? Like, what's your goal?"

She hummed for a second, looking me up and down. "Well, that's a difficult question to answer, as our interests and the manner in which we pursue those interests are incredibly diverse in nature. But at our core? I'd say our goal is to help ponies. Everything we do, eventually, makes its way into the hooves of the common pony and helps to make their lives easier. We lead the way in prosthetics and medicine, and explore the cutting edge in technology every day. No other entity in the history of Equestria, other than the Crown itself, has done as much good as we have."

As she finished her sentence, we arrived at a pair of sliding doors, which opened to reveal a sitting room fit for nobility. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she thought herself a queen. "And to that end, we're now seeing Amoraphyll."

She frowned at that, though she tried to hide it. "Indeed. We've tried so very hard to perfect the formula over the last few years, and now we're finally close enough to taste it. Just imagine, the ability to end unhappiness with a single pill! We'd see an unprecedented rise in productivity, a sharp decrease in suicide rates, and perhaps we would finally be able to fix the skewed gender ratio. Can you imagine that?"

I had to admit, it did sound appealing. "I certainly can. Though I'd imagine that with that kind of effect, the side-effects from messing with those hormones could be catastrophic."

She sighed, grabbing a teacup and placing a tea bag into it. "Hence our issue. Rats and pigs can only go so far when you're dealing with pony emotions."

I figured there was no better time to address the elephant in the room. "And thus, the allegations. That your trial patients go mad. That they are so incredibly happy that they become slaves. That some go missing entirely."

She looked up at me sharply, as if I had slapped her across the face. "Those are baseless rumors and you know it." I could have sworn I saw fangs for a split second.

"Touchy, touchy... seems I've struck a nerve." "I never said they weren't baseless. I acknowledged that they exist. I was hoping for you to dismiss those claims and explain what actually happens, so that the truth is on record. We can certainly cut this from the main tape, however." 

Like a coyote cautiously approaching something new, she latched on to that with visible apprehension. "Well, half of our trials are successful, with those who have taken Amoraphyll going on to lead normal, happy lives. The other half however... the other half experience incredible hormonal imbalances, violent or otherwise, and a quarter of them need to be placed in intensive care facilities able to care for them until such a time that we may reverse the effects." I felt as if there was more to her story than she let on. It was just a hunch, but one I'd be able to verify. 

I made a note to investigate her claims further, after the interview, of course. If I could see for myself what Amoraphyll did to a pony, it'd certainly give me a few more pieces of the puzzle. But there was no reason to push that particular button at the moment. "And I assume their families are still allowed to visit them?"

She nodded. "Of course," she said, before a magical bell appeared next to her head and began ringing. "Oh dear, are you okay if we revisit this another time?" 

"Of course. Thank you for having us over for an interview! I should have the article ready in about a month or two, and I'll be sure to notify you once it is posted on our website!" As I sat up and straightened my tie, I flashed her a smile. "I certainly wish you luck regarding the Amoraphyll project. From what I’ve heard and from what you’ve told me, I’m sure it will be immensely successful!” I beamed at her, a bit of fang poking out from my grin. However, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the vial I had forgotten to give to Dawn was poking out of my bags.

And just like that, almost as if I had flipped a light switch, every ounce of civility and affability vanished from her face. Her eyes widened as she looked me straight in the eyes, her face somehow going whiter than it already was... almost as if she saw a ghost. "I uhh... thanks. Mister Wasp, may you please escort these three back to their carriage?"

And so, we were very "nicely" taken back to our cart. If only I'd known what I'd just done...

I should have known better than to piss her off. 

Hindsight's a bitch.
> Chapter 6: Shattered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a few days since my interview with Crystal Heart, and I had been using the time off to perform a few necessary tasks. Restock the groceries, pay the bills, get shitfaced with my friends... y'know, usual working-class pony things. It'd been a while since I was graced with a few days all to myself. It was nice. 

I stretched out like a cat on my couch, the TV in front of me tuned to the Equestrian Daily news channel. Truth be told, I was only half listening. I only had it on to try and drown out the roar of the city outside while I tried to take a nap. 

I was jolted out of my half-asleep state by the sound of my phone buzzing. After reaching over to the end table with a mighty struggle, I glanced at the screen. Dawn had texted me... but he should have been at work.

Dawn Star: Hey Evey, you able to meet up real quick? I've got something I need to talk to you about.

I tilted my head, not quite sure what to make of the message. Usually, he'd save important discussions for our weekly dates, or simply tell me about things upfront.

He never beat around the bush, especially not over text. 

Evening Shade: Uhh, sure. You'll need to give me a bit to make myself look halfway decent, but I can meet you at the Nook in like... a half hour or so. Why? What's up?

Dawn Star: I just need to talk to you, and it's not something I'd feel comfortable texting you. I'll meet you there.

As I finished reading the message I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, and alarm bells were going off in my head. I immediately attempted to calm myself down. It could just be something normal, right? He could have changed jobs, a family member could have fallen ill... there were plenty of reasonable and rational conclusions I could jump to.

That still didn't silence any of the nagging doubts that had planted themselves inside of my head.

I quickly set to cleaning myself up a bit, rushing through the process as swiftly as possible. I may have still looked a bit scraggly by the end of it, but that wasn't my biggest concern at the moment. I leapt off of my balcony and down to the streets below, bounding across the cobblestone roads like a rabbit as I made my way over to the Nook.

The wind was particularly chilly today, forcing me to squint in order to be able to see. A storm was brewing in the sky, the dark gray clouds occasionally letting out an ominous boom, almost as if to remind me that they were there. 

I arrived at the Nook just as the harsh rain began showering the city, and the wind had begun to pick up in speed, howling like an angry and rabid Timberwolf. I couldn't help but feel like a frog had lodged itself in my throat as I opened the door and trotted inside. I felt cold chills roll across my spine, and every inch of my fur stood on end as I spied Dawn sitting in our normal booth, the expression on his face a mixture of sorrow and grim resolve. 

I walked over, taking the seat across from him. My eyes flashed between his phone, which sat on the table, and his face, which looked at me almost... almost with a sense of pity. "So uhh... What's wrong, Dawn? Why are we here right now?"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just... just read it," he said, unlocking his phone and shoving it towards me. 

I picked it up tentatively, almost as if it was about to bite me. The screen burned my eyes as I scanned through each line of text, not quite believing what I was reading. “What?” 

My heart pounded madly in my chest as a cold sweat dripped down my brow, my blood having been chilled like arctic ice. I looked to him more than once, until my eyes hurt from rapid movement. All he did was look at me, trying to gauge my reaction. With him just sitting there silently, I pressed for more.

“What do they mean you’re fired if we don't break up?!”

He took the phone out of my hooves, stuffing it inside a pocket in his jacket. "It's exactly as it says. If I don't stop seeing you, my career is over. That email came in yesterday. That is what we needed to talk about." He looked out the window, his eyes taking in the downpour outside. "Frankly, it puts me in a tight spot financially if I lose this job, and you know how the market is nowadays, especially here in Canterlot."

Just looking at the cold, hard expression he was giving me caused tears to well up in my eyes. I could tell that this was hurting him as much as it was hurting me. "W-What do you plan to do about it? We can get through this, can't we? We could move to somewhere like Filly! W-We could sue, this is clearly illegal! We've got options here!" At this point, I was frantic. Grasping at straws. 

Desperate to keep one of the last good things in my life.

He took a deep breath. “Do you want a coffee or something?”

I felt about ready to cry. “No no no no! You always do this! We’re dealing with the problem, Dawn! We can’t just brush this off like everything else!”

He screwed his eyes shut, subtle shakes racking his body. In the end, I think we both knew how this was gonna go, no matter how much we may have wished otherwise. "Listen, Evey. I'm gonna level with you here. I like you, and we've been dating for a long time now," he said, crossing his hooves. "But I'm not about to risk my career, and for that matter, my entire future, over one mare. And if I'm being honest, I dislike this just as much as you do, and I really hate to see things end like this..." He slid out of the booth, trotting away from me. "But I'm sorry Evey, we're done. It was fun while it lasted, for what that's worth."

I sat there in shock for a few seconds, only jerking myself back to reality as I heard the door slam shut. I chased after him, sliding to a halt in the pouring rain as he walked away. "You can't bucking do this to me, Dawn! Not after everything we've been through!" I shouted at him, tears streaming down my face. "We can work through this! Don't leave me like this!" I held a hoof out towards him, almost as that would stop what was happening. "Please..."

He kept trotting away, his silhouette quickly disappearing into the storm, leaving me to stand alone in the street as I felt the rain stab into my skin like a thousand icy needles.

He didn't even have the dignity to look back at me. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I didn't know how I'd gotten home, everything after what had happened at the Nook was a hazy smudge in my memory. All I remember is walking through my door in a daze before collapsing. I was soaking wet, cold, but more than anything else?

I felt defeated. 

I dragged myself to the fridge, clumsily grabbing the bottle of hard cider I kept for special occasions. Every movement was forced, as if the world itself was dragging me down. I could hardly see through the tears that leaked from my eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Maybe later. But not right now.

I roughly fell onto my couch, allowing most of my body to fall limp into the comforting cushions. They felt warm and inviting... 

"Just like Dawn."

I have no idea how long I sat there for, blankly staring at the TV and occasionally taking a long swig directly from my bottle, the alcohol sending a soothing burn down my throat. It helped me to feel something, even if that something was only pain and discomfort. It wasn't even good cider...

I clumsily grabbed my phone and tried to text Dawn, but he was either ignoring me or had blocked my number already. That hurt me the most. That he didn't even want to try and remain friends, or even acquaintances in some form or another. He just... cut me out of his life like I was nothing. Like a paper bag to be tossed in the wind.

A while later, I heard my phone beep with the loud, grating noise I had chosen as my text tone, and I almost didn't even bother to look at it. Lazily flipping it over, I let out a pained chuckle as I read the message.

World Wide: Hello, Evening. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, but I am sure you will be able to intuit, I am being forced to terminate your employment with the Reality Network. I wish you luck in your future endeavors. Please do not contact this number again.

I couldn't force any more tears out than I already had. I felt a feeling of numbness wash over my entire body as I struggled to process everything that had happened today.

"Good Faust, I'm pathetic," I thought to myself, setting my bottle on the table and burying my head in my hooves, sobbing.

In the span of twenty-four hours, I had thoroughly pissed off the head of a corporate giant who was probably killing ponies who knew too much, lost my coltfriend who I had been dating for a year and considered the love of my life and loved with all my heart, as well as my well-paying job to a network I had been employed by for over a decade. 

I didn't think much more could go wrong at that point, if I was being entirely honest with myself. 

In the back of my mind, I felt my subconscious nag at me, trying to tell me that I'd get through this. That I had just enough money saved up to last me for a while. That I could always get a new job. That everything would be okay if I just calmed down.

But I knew that wasn't the case. I may have been a frugal pony, but Canterlot was still expensive to live in, even subsisting off the bare essentials. It was the sort of city that would bleed you dry the second it could, like a frenzied piranha just caught a whiff of blood in the water. 

I sighed, getting up and walking over to my balcony and resting my head on the safety rails. I didn't know what to do. How could I? I'd just had my entire life thrown into a wood chipper, and then burned to ashes. 

I couldn't sink much lower than that. 

I must have sat there for a solid hour, just watching ponies go about the rest of their day, the streets abuzz with activity, the soft orange of the setting sun slowly but surely replaced with the glitz and glamour of the stars above. 

I wondered how it'd feel to fall again. To just... let go. Let the wind and the air do what they will with me like they had before. 

Maybe it'd feel better than this.

As I placed a hoof on the railing, my heart skipped a beat as I heard as I heard a voice. "What do we have here?"

I jumped back, whipping my head around to try and locate its origin. I didn't see anypony... "W-Who's there?!"

The voice chuckled, before I felt something caress my face. It felt strangely cold, yet inviting... like the water of a lake. "Another lost soul, another pony who's lost it all... another pony who desires to regain what has been stripped away from them. Would you like that? To take back all that you've lost? To make them feel your pain?"

My eyes widened as I fell into a fighting stance. I couldn't lie, that idea sounded appealing. "M-Mayb— shut up! Who the hay are you?!"

It laughed, the sound akin to that of a harp being strummed in an empty auditorium. "Somepony whom you've helped immensely, my dear. Somepony who is forever in your debt..." The voice was now speaking directly into my ear, barely even audible, sending shivers down my spine. "Somepony who only wants to help you. Do you accept my offer, lost soul?" 

I had backed myself into a corner at this point, my front door now directly in front of me in case I needed to bolt. "I'm really thinking about it, but first thing's first, What the hay is your name?! I don't bucking like talking to ponies who I can't even see!"

Almost as if that were an order to be heeded, the voice obliged me. Fading into view, a spectral head gazed back at me, its nose almost touching my own. A spectral mane waved behind it, almost like somepony had ripped out a piece of the night sky and stuck it on the back of their head... a mane I recognized, only from myth and legend. Milky white eyes stared into my own, paralyzing me. "I... am Andromeda. And you, my little pony, have rendered a great service to me. One I am eager to return. Do you accept my offer?"

I would've been shaking in my boots, if I had any. "N-N-Nightma—"

A spectral hoof held itself up to my lips, silencing me. "No, no, no... none of that now. I will ask again. Do you accept my offer?"

My ear flicked at the sound of a vicious pounding at my door, the wood visibly deforming from the impacts of a meaty hoof. It sounded like somepony wanted in, and they wanted in now. I looked back at head and vigorously nodded, my eyes flicking between the apparition and the doorway.

The... thing let out a throaty chuckle and looked towards the noise, before placing a hoof underneath my chin and raising my head up. "Good... then do me a favor, and don't open that door."

And as if it were all a dream, the head and hoof disappeared. I looked towards the door, before deciding to bite the bullet and check through the peephole.

There was nopony out there.

"What the haaaaaay... was that?" I said to myself dumbly, rubbing at my eyes. "You're hallucinating Evey, just seeing things... alcohol does crazy things to your head, right?"

But as I took a step back from the door, my heart skipped a beat. If nopony was out there...

Then why was the door still dented?
> Chapter 7: Waking Nightmare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sat there for a moment, staring at the door. Something was out there. I may not have been able to see anything, but I knew deep down that there was something waiting for me on the other side of that door. Even pressing my ears to the thin walls, I couldn't hear anypony. There were none of the tell-tale shuffles of clothing, none of the restrained breathing from somepony trying to stay hidden... nothing. 

But then I remembered the words from the Nightmare Moon lookalike. Even operating under the assumption that this was all some weird hallucination — and if I was being entirely honest with myself, I trusted the judgement of the weird floating head over my own at this point — I'd bucked up far too much, and far too quickly, to trust myself at that moment.

So I sat there patiently, listening for any signs that somepony was still sitting on the other side of the door.

I waited to see if anything would happen, and after about a minute I was satisfied that my door had not, in fact, been kicked in. Taking a deep breath and slumping against the wall, I allowed myself to relax. "Ooookay, Evening. One step at a time. You'll be fine girl... just gotta get through th—!" 

Of course, that was the perfect time for the door to slam open, shattering any illusions of safety I may have had, and wedging my small body firmly between the door and the wall, causing me to hiss quietly in pain. 

Three gray furred unicorns barged into the room. The biggest pony of the bunch was brandishing a stun baton, the weapon crackling with bright green electricity. His companions, likewise, carried similar weapons. The trio, who were dressed in loose, saggy black clothing, were all either identical triplets, or they were using the same enchantments that the Guard used, and heavy duty enchantments like that meant powerful ponies with some pull had hooked these guys up. I struggled to keep myself from hyperventilating as I tried to think of who these ponies were, or who their benefactors may have been. "Think, Evening, Think! You didn't piss off the Mafia recently, right?! King Pin is still in jail, so these aren't his crew! Who the hay hates you this much?!"

I found my question answered for me when the tallest one called out to his underlings. "Alright. Both of you, fan out and search the premises. We have intel that the compound is still in the building, so let's get to it. With luck, we'll be back at HQ before the sun comes up." The others mumbled an agreement before they split up and went further into my apartment. 

I held back a sigh of relief. Maybe I could get out of this one after all. That hope was swiftly shattered, however, when the big one decided he was going to stay put, taking his sweet bucking time in searching my cabinets, as slowly and deliberately as he possibly could. The way he moved was otherworldly, as if he was a puppet being dragged along against its will. I felt my heart skip a beat whenever he cast a glance my way, hoping that he wouldn’t see me in my dark little corner.

Suddenly, every hair on my body stood on end as he shot up abruptly, as if alerted by something. He began slinking towards my living room, heading straight for my bags... the same bags which had all of my flash drives in it.

The same bags which held the vial I had nicked from Bright. 

I felt a feeling of mounting dread as he inched closer and closer to my saddlebags, turning his back to me. The other two, from what I could hear, had just finished rummaging around in my bedroom, so this would likely be the only chance I had to get the buck out of dodge. I grit my teeth, courage welling up in my chest as I rushed out of my hiding spot and out of the door, leaping for the stairway.

I was free! 

"All I've gotta do now is call the guards and I'll be fi— AAAAGHH!" My victory was short lived, the bravery and bravado I had felt before had now replaced with the mind-searing sensation of tens of thousands of volts being pumped directly into my spine. Lightning spreading out across my body like a spiderweb.

I slumped to the ground, twitching wildly as my assailant pressed the hard metal stick into my neck harder than before. Through the pain, I could faintly make out the crackle of a radio. "Command, this is Vespa-One. Target is secure. Permission to apply Procedure One-Seven-Five, over?"

He collapsed the baton, giving me a momentary reprieve from the impromptu shock therapy. He then levitated me into the air and gave me a visual inspection, my head rolling around lazily as he shifted my body around. His radio crackled and I heard a chittering sound. He nodded. "10-4, will proceed immediately, over." 

He brought out a black tube from his pockets, displaying it tauntingly. "Couldn't have just left Miss Heart's property alone, could you?" It swirled with a pinkish liquid, with faint hints of oily blackness swimming in the mixture like leeches. I didn't know how, but I knew if those things entered my body, it was game over. I struggled against his constricting aura as he brought the injector closer and closer to my neck, trying everything I could to get out of his grip. As the needle finally touched my skin, I resigned myself to my fate.

And that's when all Tartarus broke loose.

I heard a shattering and a crack, opening my eyes to find that his magical grasp over me had been broken, and he was laying on the floor, his neck bent at an unnatural angle. Green fire rolled across his body, burning away the skin and revealing some insectoid monstrosity of a pony, its body filled with holes and covered with black chitin. Two beady blue eyes stared directly into his former companion's eyes, causing them to gape at me. "Oh buck... I'm gonna be sick..." I said, looking towards the dead pony's comrades.

Before I could even comprehend that I had just somehow killed a pony, a bright blue glow surrounded one of the thugs I was looking at and rocketed them towards me, my hoof being yanked up impossibly quick to meet his head. There was a sickening CRUNCH as his muzzle caved into the rest of his face, his unconscious body landing a few hooves away. "What the hay just happened?!" I didn't expect a response. 

"Not what... who."

The remaining pony shot a burst of energy towards me, and I struggled to rationalize what happened next. My body... split apart, my vision going black for a moment as I reappeared in front of the terrified unicorn. Tendrils of magic erupted out of my body and wrapped themselves around his throat, coiling around it like a hungry snake. I saw bulbs of energy being sucked through the tentacles, and each one entering my body filled me with more magic than I'd ever felt before! I reveled in it, basking in the glow of all the energy I had just absorbed, before that glorious feeling was cut short by the tendrils flinging the now empty husk of a pony into the wall, which now looked exactly like his dead friend.

"Oh buck. I just killed a pony." I stared at the corpse, processing exactly what I had just done. "Oh buck I just killed a pony!"

I was in full panic mode now, with each and every breath I took being incredibly shallow as I began shaking. 

I had just killed a pony!

As I went to heave the contents of my stomach onto the floor my wings gave a mighty flap, pushing me into the air until I was practically hugging the ceiling. The pony whose face I had just caved in shot under me, having missed his tackle. I felt my body slam onto him, a CRACK! sounding out from what I assumed was my hoof snapping his spinal cord like a twig. He, too, now looked like a gross perversion of what a pony should look like, green ichor spilling out of his wounds like molasses.

The voice from before purred in satisfaction. "Hmph, revolting creatures. Let us siphon the rest of their energy and absorb the corpses before more of these roaches arrive."

"Now why the hay would we do that? Why would we do any of that at all?!" I huffed out in both shock and exhaustion, eyeing the devastation I.... We had just caused. My apartment was a wreck. The floor was cracked and caved in, my door was partially off of its hinges, and I was fairly sure that that hole in the wall had come from the horn of one of the creatures. 

"Sustenance, of course. Their kind aren't too terribly appetizing, but they will suffice."

I heard a stomp and a twang behind me and a tendril shot out of my shoulder, sucking me towards the wall as a previously unseen pony shot a crossbow bolt towards my previous position. The second I laid eyes on him, his crossbow was snapped in half by Andromeda's magic, before the butt end of the stock was rammed into his face repeatedly, knocking him out in a swift and orderly fashion. 

Taking the time to strap on my saddlebags, I ran straight for my balcony, hurling myself off of it and into the night sky. Below me, there were probably a dozen unmarked, black carriages, and a large crowd of ponies gathered outside of the building. I recognised a few as my neighbors. As I sped away, I heard furious flapping behind me, and I yelped as another bolt whizzed past my face, nicking my cheek. "Buckbuckbuckbuck! I'm gonna die!" 

"Nonsense. These are paltry blows at best."

I flew around the corner of a building, my pursuers hot on my tail as I did so. Glancing back, I could see that there were two pegasi wearing flight suits and goggles speeding towards me, their crossbows clutched tightly in their hooves. One of them was readying another bolt. 

I turned my head back, only to be greeted with a large group of pegasi rising to intercept me, a large, electrified net clutched in their hooves. There were buildings surrounding me on all sides, blocking any alternate route I may have been able to take. As I made to dive, my body seized up and resumed its previous course, and my wingbeats only increased in intensity. "What the hay are you doing?!" 

"Saving us, now be quiet!" 

We grew closer to the net with each passing second, and as I prepared to receive the shock of a lifetime, every fiber of my being was suddenly split apart. It felt like I had been stretched out and then thinned with a rolling pin. I couldn't really see, more so I was aware of my surroundings through means I didn't entirely understand at the time. I could sense everywhere around me, and the net grew further and further away. 

Immediately after I had ducked into an alleyway, I was whole again, and promptly lobbed onto the concrete from the momentum, causing me to roll comically before I came to a stop. Scratching my head, I looked up to find a faint mist rising from my body, the same kind that the tendrils and the head were made of. Quickly examining my surroundings, I found that I was in the worst place possible; a dead end. I saw the silhouettes of ponies grouping up at the entrance to the alley. The figures paused to get into formation, and then they started charging directly towards me like a herd of angry buffalo. 

"Run to the darkness!" Andromeda shouted at me, and I immediately carried out her order, turning tail and rushing as quickly as I could towards the shadow-filled dead end. As soon as my face should have hit the brick and mortar of the wall, I felt the sensation of cold water rushing over me, as if I had just been dunked in a pool of icey water. I didn't know how long I had stayed like that, but soon afterwards I emerged behind a building, where the street lights couldn't illuminate the area. 

"Woah... thanks for getting me out of there."  I got back on my hooves, trotting into the streets. 

"Much obliged."

I could see figures flitting about in the distant sky, combing the area around the apartment building. "Not gonna lie, that was pretty cool." 

"I am certainly glad that you think s— WATCH OUT!" 

The warning came far too late, and by the time I had turned my head to face the oncoming noise, the carriage that had been thrown at me had impacted me squarely in the side, throwing me through the air and into a nearby wall. I couldn't feel either of my wings, and I was fairly sure that at least one of my legs were broken... and I may have had a concussion.

Not the best situation to be in.

I unceremoniously fell to the ground, the taste of my own blood pooling in my mouth giving a salty tang to the lovely taste of the concrete I had just eaten. I slowly opened my eyes, not quite able to make out the figure that was approaching me. I was forced to squint my eyes shut as green fire rolled across its form, burning away the facade it had been wearing prior. The abominations had all looked the same to me, but there was something different about this one. A large scar ran across its right eye, the chitin that should have been there seeming softer and more vulnerable than the surrounding exoskeleton.

It walked up to me, staring down at my prone form with visible contempt. "You've been a real pain my flank. You know that, right?"

I chuckled weakly, giving the bug a cocksure smile. "Good. Go agh b-buck yourself and the cavalry you rode in on!"

It raised a gnarled hoof to stomp on my windpipe.

I closed my eyes, ready to accept my fate.

The hoof fell.

And as that hoof came down, my own met it, cracking bone and causing the creature to cry out in pain. Coiling mist surged out of every pore on my body and clung to me like a thick slime, covering me from head to hoof, healing my wounds. I rose off of the ground, now taller than before. I looked up to find a spectral horn upon my head... no, our head, and a thick, billowing mane behind us. 

We looked to the insect that had dared to harm us, cowering and attempting to crawl away. We hoisted it up by its neck, forcing it to stare us directly in the eye. It stank of fear and cowardice. "Such a deep mana well... and so little time. You smell delicious. You will take quite some time to digest." We opened our maw, eager to replenish our energy and take revenge on such an insignificant and pitiful creature for striking us, when we felt an impact to the back of our head. Tossing the creature away, we turned to find another of its kind glaring at us, its horn aglow with magical energy.

"Ripe for the picking."

It gasped as we teleported to it, opening our maw once more and drinking deeply from the well of magic it had so graciously left on display, until it was naught but a shell of what it used to be.

Shells were useless to us.

"Canterlot Royal Guard, put your hooves in the air!" We turned and saw a platoon of guards leveling both spear and horn towards us, and we prepared to strike. "No! Bad! We do not attack the bucking guards!" 

"Why not? They have shown hostility towards us. Should I not cleanse their filth from our sight?" 

"No! They're only trying to protect ponies!" 

"Fine. I shall leave them be... for now."

We flared out our wings, before shooting straight towards the wall, disappearing into the shadows in a puff of mist.

I could not help but feel like the creature we had let live would become an issue later on, however...

"That’s an issue for another time."
> Chapter 8: Whispers In The Wind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We emerged from the abyss in a familiar, yet still incredibly foreign, forest. Chaotic energies permeated the air around us, toying with the weave of magic that lay just beneath the surface of reality, attempting to spread its vile corruption, to no avail. 

I heard Andromeda breathe out a sigh of relief, and the coiling mass of magic that had surrounded me before was retracted into... somewhere, gently depositing me onto the forest floor below as I shrunk. Without the mist I felt... I felt weak. Every ounce of power I had felt during the transformation was suddenly stripped away, leaving cold, hard reality to take its place. I didn't have a horn. I was nopony special. I was a Thestral, not an Alicorn.

But for those brief moments?

I may as well have been Celestia herself. I had felt the power of a thousand stars coursing through my veins, just begging to be unleashed. I wasn't bound to a frail body of flesh and bone, and had become as close to pure magic as somepony could become. The cosmos had been bound to my whim, eager to spring to my command. For those brief, fleeting moments... I had been a god.

The feeling alone had been addicting.

Setting thoughts of power aside, I observed my surroundings. Dark, gnarled trees twisted and twined their branches together to form a vast canopy of nearly pitch-black leaves. The forest was dead silent, and not even the birds dared to chirp in our presence. Beams of pale moonlight shone through the messy shroud of vegetation and down to the thick, unkempt grass, providing barely enough light to see. Flowers of all shapes and colors surrounded us, from bells and roses to lilies and hollies. I could only describe the grove we were in as the perfect retreat; an area of pure, unadulterated peace and quiet. 

"Where the hay are we?"

Forming herself from the mist, Andromeda's head looked around the small clearing we had appeared in. "The only place I knew we'd be safe. We are currently deep within the Everfree, near one of Luna and I's old havens. The only pony who would dare lay a hoof here is sitting on her throne, stuffing her face full of every sweet imaginable."

"Don't like Princess Celestia then, I take it?" I said, brushing some loose dirt off of my fur and checking my saddlebags. The vial still sat securely within, causing me to breathe out a sigh of relief.

Andromeda growled, the sound reminding me of metal being crushed. "She is a contemptible fool without vision, saved from a much needed lesson in humility by circumstance alone. Equestria has rotted in my absence, evidenced clearly by the insects who struck at us, and the sorry state of the Guard who attempted to prevent our escape. I would love nothing more than to show her the error of her ways... painfully."

I mulled her words over in my head, taking the time to examine my previous wounds, which had vanished during our transformation. "Speaking of the bugs, what the buck were those things?! They looked like a colt bucked a block of moldy swiss cheese!"

Her amused chuckle sent shivers rolling down my spine. "Not the most courteous description, but an apt one nonetheless. They are called Changelings, and they are one of the many cancerous growths upon Equestria that Luna and I sought to eliminate. They feed upon a pony's very emotions until they are naught but mindless drones, ready to be subsumed into the greater swarm. I thought we wiped out the last of the queens, but one must have slipped through the cracks."

By this point she had craned her "neck" around to look me in the eye. "Uh-huh... so they can just... what? Transform into ponies?"

She nodded. "Among other things. Their kind are masters of trickery and subterfuge."

I snorted at that, getting up and pacing. "So a species literally built on lying, that sounds great. Just my kind of bucking pony." 

I could swear she smiled at my snark. "Verily. Come now, I know this location well. If we are to seize power and smite those who have wronged you, we must act quickly. I know for a fact that at least one of my followings has survived the ages, and with luck we will not have to look far."

I felt her tug me towards the north side of the clearing, my legs jerking until I walked that way of my own volition. "Wait, you were serious about all that? I thought you were just saying that to pull my leg."

She looked at me as if I had just insulted her dead grandmother. "Why would you think that? My kind are bound by the deals we make, and failure to abide by those contracts results in a... less than pleasant fate."

I gave her a look out of the corner of my eye, studying her face. "Riiiight... So these 'followings' of yours, they're just cults, right?"

"Cult just sounds bad, dear."

"Gotcha... so they're cults. What exactly do they even do?"

She let out a wistful sigh. "They were Luna's idea originally, but I grew to love them as my own all the same. We took in the poor, the hungry, and the sick. Any who felt they weren't wanted in Celestia's 'perfect' society were welcome in our domain. Mostly, 'twas foals that we took under our wing. I can remember each and every one of them with perfect clarity. I know not what has become of them now, however. I shall not speak of them further."

And so we began our trek through the underbrush. The silence of the forest was almost deafening, and even with my superior hearing I couldn't hear anything but the crunch of dead leaves and twigs under my hoof. It was the sort of silence that made every hair on the back of your neck stand on end, as if you expected some monstrous horror to pop out at any moment. 

"Y'know, I really should be freaking out a lot more than I am."

I felt much warmer all of a sudden. "Mostly my doing, I will admit. You are of no use as a host if you are catatonic or mentally broken."

My face went deadpan. "Well that's just lovely. I assume you can do a whole lot more than that?"

"Correct."

We lapsed into somewhat of an awkward silence after that. It was a little spooky to know that she could just fiddle with my emotions like that, and I had the feeling I'd be a little bit more outspoken about this if I wasn't being forcefully calmed down by whatever magic she was using. 

So I just kept walking, doing my best not to think about the life I had just left behind, or the bug ponies that had just tried to kill me, or the weird spirit... wraith... thing that I'd apparently picked up like a flea. I just focused on following the invisible trail that lay ahead of me, dragging my hooves through the undergrowth and paying half-attention to my surroundings. 

It felt good to not think about any of that. 

Snap. Snap. Crack. 

I just kept plodding along, humming to myself, trying to stay focused on walking. Soon enough, Andromeda joined me, her own tune following my own. 

I yawned, breaking my song. "So. This place we're going to. What is it?"

"A small fortress, one used by my most devout worshippers in days long since gone. It is the fortress wherein Luna and I bound ourselves together; an act that is of increasing rarity among my kind. She was... likely the best host I have ever encountered."

I cracked my neck, now intrigued. "Sounds like you miss her."

"I long for her company, even after all the time that has passed."

"Think you'll bother trying to reconnect with her once this is all over?" I saw a broken stone road ahead of us, which lead further into the woods. from what I could tell. 

Andromeda went silent for a moment. "Perhaps. If I do, our reunification shall be engineered so that not even her sister, nor her ragtag group of commoners, could interfere."

She forced me to pick up the pace, and I was now sprinting at full speed down the path. Strangely, I didn't feel any strain from the act. It felt like I was sitting in a train cart. "Reasonable enough, I suppo—watch out for that tree!—suppose. So, what even are you? I've always assumed that Nightmare Moon happened because of Luna's jealousy and what-not, but you're tellin' a different story."

"A story for another time. We have arrived." And indeed we had, for far in the distance, there sat a small castle. Not too terribly extravagant or haughty for being a castle, but still a castle nonetheless.

"Nice lil' rinky dink place you've got there. I assume it's small for a reason?" I walked towards the stone structure with a pep in my step. Two castles in a month was a record, right? 

"One of Luna's many cunning ploys, and one that worked. All of our larger citadels were targeted during the Rebellion, while the smaller ones were able to remain hidden or were deemed irrelevant by the Solar Army. To help mitigate the lack of space on the surface, we personally terraformed many of these locations, carving out vast spaces from the earth. The largest of these underground cities was constructed near the town you know as 'Hollow Shades.'"

That caused me to stop in my tracks. "You mean to tell me... that there's a large city, buried beneath the earth, right next to my hometown?" 

"Indeed. Give me a moment, there are a few security measures we must bypass," she said, wrapping my whole body in the mist and transforming us into the large form of an alicorn as we approached the door. A large crystal sat in its center, lighting up as we grew closer to it. The center of the crystal emitted a bright light that shot towards us, scanning every inch of our body, before it glowed a bright green and disappeared from sight. Satisfied, Andromeda brought one of my hooves up and pushed the door open. 

"The hay was that?" I asked her as we strode into the halls of the abandoned fortress. The interior itself wasn't anything too shocking or grotesque, it was just... empty. Like a bunch of crooks had come in and taken everything that wasn't bolted down. There was no finery, no pictures, nothing. Not even a single piece of furniture. 

"Never mind that, this doesn't bode well. Only those with the proper artefacts should be able to enter these halls. Where has everything gone?"

We split apart into a cloud as she quickly dragged us to what appeared to be a war room. "By the stars! "Sweet Celestia!"

I don't think either of us expected what we saw.

There, on the back wall behind a throne, a guard had each of his hooves nailed to the wall, and many deep cuts marred his body. He had a bit in his mouth, and his eyes were missing. Foreign script was written around him in his blood, and the area around each individual rune was writhing with shadowy tentacles, but I was able to interpret their meaning through Andromeda's thoughts.




C̴̣̒ ̶̠̕O̷̥̾ ̷̫̈M̵͇̐ ̶̠̒E̶̹͂ ̸̙̾H̷̲̍ ̴̜̀Ó̶̭ ̷͛͜Ṁ̴͖ ̵̼͌E̸̼͌ ̸̪̾,̵̪̿ ̸̄ͅC̵̬̎ ̸̠͗Ḧ̵͕ ̵͉̋I̵̖̓ ̵̫͠L̴͙̔ ̵̣͊Ḓ̸͋ ̶͇̄O̵̼͆ ̷͕͌F̸̥̂ ̷͓̽T̶͓͠ ̵̺̽Ȟ̸͙ ̵̖̏E̵̘̐ ̷͙̌N̶̙͌ ̶͚̄Ì̴̠ ̷͓̋G̴͕͆ ̴̘́H̷͛ͅ ̵͍͗T̵͇̽


If spirits could heave, I think Andromeda would have.







"How far have you fallen, my dearest children?"

> Interlude: Gaze Of The Crown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia's ear flicked at the ticking of the large grandfather clock that sat next to her desk. It was early in the morning, and she hadn't even had tea before dozens of guards began clamoring for her attention. 

A typical day, usually.

But today was anything but typical. 

Her eyes scanned the reports in front of her, every treacherous word causing her frown to deepen. She didn't want to believe what she was reading. It had to have been a fabrication. A ruse. Anything but this. She sighed deeply, staring at the grotesque, shriveled up corpse in the photo.

"Why did it have to be Changelings?"

Over the last thousand years, she had been operating under the assumption that their kind was content to abide by the deal she had struck with their queen. That they would not interfere with pony affairs, and would instead reside solely in the badlands from whence they came.

And yet... here they were. 

Multiple carriages totaled, four dead changelings, one left alive but catatonic, and with nothing to show for it. Their silence had been broken. For what reasons, she couldn't possibly fathom. She shifted her eyes over to a new stack of papers, the smiling face of a Thestral greeting her. The victim. 

As far as her guards had been able to confirm, it had been some journalist from the lower areas of Canterlot. She had a reputation, though she wasn't notable in any sense of the word. She was average. Normal. 

Dare she say, boring.

Her criminal history was nothing special for somepony of her particular occupation either, with the only notable charges having been trespassing on private properties of various corporations, and attempting to escape arrest. A search of her home had revealed nothing too terribly interesting either, other than some suspect magical residue that Celestia could only attribute to whatever dark magics the Changelings had used in their attempts to subdue their quarry. Clearly, the best solution was to mobilize the guards and wash her hooves of it, and perhaps calling upon Twilight if she absolutely had to. She shouldn't be this concerned over it.

That didn't stop the questions nagging at the back of her mind, like writhing insects begging for her attention.

How had they failed to capture a simple Thestral? Why were they chasing her? Where was she now? Celestia frowned, turning her attention to the surveillance reports. All of the cameras in the area had been meticulously sabotaged, so she knew there would be no answers to her questions...

At least, any easy answers.

She let out a hollow chuckle, silently levitating a large bottle out from behind the clock, uncorking it and pouring the amber brown liquid into her empty cup. She knew it wouldn't do much in terms of getting her tipsy, but tea wasn't quite doing it for her at the moment, and coffee liqueur seemed like it would do her some good right now.

As she raised the cup to her lips, there was a whoosh in the darkened corner of the room. She didn't even need to turn her head to know what made the noise, though she did so anyway. "How was your rest, Luna?" 

Luna snorted, cracking her neck. "Unpleasant, after I heard the news. I was under the assumption that those bugs had been dealt with," she spat out, her eyes burning with barely restrained fury. 

Celestia pursed her lips; she would need to handle this delicately. "They were... until now, that is. I wasn't lying to you when I said I had handled the Changeling situation."

Luna stomped a hoof, nearly splintering the wooden floor. "So why are they still harassing our ponies?! Who knows how many times this has happened and we were simply not informed of it! You and I both damn well know how their kind operate! Who's to say they haven't wormed their way in to our society as they have done before?!" She said, pointing an accusatory hoof towards her sister. "What say you, Sister? Why is it that in my absence,  these threats have been allowed to flourish?!"

Celestia held up a hoof, silencing her sister. "Because I saw that the situation could be solved without the complete and utter genocide of their species. I had formed a geas with the last of the queens, and I had thought the matter settled. Thus, there was no more need for the Inquisition, and so I had it dissolved."

Luna's jaw dropped at that. "So you mean to tell me... that you formed a geas... with a race of lying, scheming parasites... and didn't expect them to worm their way out of it?" She said, an exasperated expression on her face. "Sister. Please tell me you jest."

Celestia grimaced. When Luna put it that way... "What would you have had me do? Put her to the sword for the simple crime of existing?"

"That depends." Luna snarled, taking a step towards her sister. "Which. One?"

"W-Wha—!"

Luna's face was only a few inches away from Celestia's now. "Which. Queen?!"

Celestia gulped. "C-Chrysalis..."

Luna’s eyes widened slightly. “I had thought her slain during the purge. A pity. You ask what I would have had you do?!” She stepped back, looking at her sister crossly. "I would have had you put her to the sword for the crime of kidnapping over seventy of our ponies, and having hundreds more killed! I would have had you put her to the sword for the ‘simple’ crime of attempting to subjugate numerous villages, as well as the many minor transgressions her offspring committed!"

Luna huffed, deflating a bit as she looked at her sister. "I would have had you carry out the duties expected of you as a Princess of Equestria." She snorted, trotting back to the shaded corner of the room. "I had thought you competent, Sister. It appears that I had misplaced my trust in you, and must clean up your mess, yet again. How many villains will you spare before you realize the harm it causes?" she said seethingly, scorn apparent across every inch of her face. Her body melted into inky blackness as she retreated from the room.

Celestia could only stare at that corner in shock. She didn't want to think about her sister's words, no matter how truthful they could have been.

She had been doing the right thing… 

She had to have been. 
> Chapter 9: Shades Of The Past 1/2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dust exploded into the air around us as millennia old stone cracked and crumbled, collapsing to the ground below. "Hold up! You can't just bring the whole building down and not say anything about it! Are you even listening to me?!" I shouted at Andromeda, who didn't bother to respond. 

The guard's limp corpse hung lifelessly in her grasp, like some sort of sick, twisted mockery of a doll. She'd been completely silent ever since she had seen the... "lovely" display that had been left in her sanctum. I hesitated to call it shock — hay, I didn't even know if she could go into shock. But I could tell she was affected by what she had seen, though I didn't think I could ever truly appreciate how much. 

As we walked outside, she sank back into my body, and a large chunk of earth was torn out of the ground in the telltale misty aura of my passenger. “Oi! What do you think you're doing?!” She then proceeded to fling the mangled corpse of the guard into here newly created hole. 

"Hold on a sec! This isn't even close to a proper—" The large mass of loose earth and rock was dropped into the hole. "—burial..." 

"His soul reaches Elysium all the same," she said plainly, as if talking about the weather.

I huffed, kicking a wayward stone. "It's about respect, damnit! Proper rites and all that jazz! Hay, you can do weird teleport-y stuff! We could have at least dropped the body off at the Canterlot morgue or something!"

She scoffed at me. "And expose us to further assault from any Changeling agents that happen to be nearby? Nay, ‘tis better this way. Eldritch magics have touched that corpse, and it would be unwise to expose anypony else to its corruption." 

"And you can't do anything about that? No horn-wavey, magical shenanigans you can pull to make it safe?"

Her head emerged from my chest and raised an eyebrow at me. "Exorcisms and holy magics weren't Luna's forte, or mine for that matter. That particular specialty belongs to her snake of a sister. Even if there were something I could do, we've not the time to dally with such nonsense! Time is of the essence if we are to find those responsible."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Okay then, Miss Priss. And I assume you know exactly where to look? Equestria's a big bucking place after all, lots of little nooks and crannies for crazy cultist ponies to hide in."

"Tch. I've no desire to listen to your snark. I've an idea of where to look, and for that matter, ‘tis one you would appreciate."

"Oh? And where, pray tell, would that be?"

She chuckled, wrapping herself around my neck like a scarf and looking me in the eyes. "I'm sure you would appreciate letting your parents know that you are alive and well, correct?"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The train rumbled and shook, jostling me in my booth seat, which was comfortably in the far corner of the car. "Remind me again why we're taking the train and not teleporting?" I muttered under my breath, casting a furtive glance to the multitude of empty seats in our cart. The only occupant, other than myself, was a lone server mare, who seemed busy enough wiping down seats. By this point, we'd probably been sitting there for a good few hours, and the sun was already peeking over the horizon.

"For the twentieth time now... I aim to conserve our energy, should we come under ambush, or enter a conflict. Shadow-walking such long distances takes an incredible amount of magic, and I am unsure as to whether or not you are 'down' to replenish our reserves for the time being." She hummed to herself a bit, sending tingles all over my scalp. "Prithee, flag the cart over and ask for some of that custard tart, if you'd be so kind. And do mind our guise, it may break if you make any sudden movements, due to its rushed nature." 

I grimaced at the thin sheet of illusory magic covering my body. My previously midnight blue coat was now a creamy yellow, and I could see my hair had been turned a lovely shade of bucking pink. To top it all off, she'd slapped some butterflies on my flanks and called it a day. "Uh-huh, fine. But I swear to Faust if you ever disguise me again, I'd better not look like some filly's doll by the time you're done with me, or I'll shove my hoof so far up your spectral flank you'll wish you had just turned me brown!" I hissed out as discreetly as I could. 

She giggled at my misfortune. "Of course. I am nothing if not benevolent."

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," I snorted, flagging the mare with the cart over. "Hey uh, could I get somethin' real quick?"

She trotted over, a fake smile plastered onto her face. I couldn't blame her. it was five AM on a train bound for the sleepiest town in Equestria. The poor mare had to be tired. "Of course, dearie! What can I get you?" As she looked at me, she had this... worried look on her face. Almost as if she expected me to lash out and bite her.

Curious.

"Yeah, could I get a few of the custard tarts you've got there?" As I spoke, I gave her a quick once-over, looking at her carefully. Nothing seemed off...

"Look closer!" Andromeda growled out, causing me to blink. 

I had to restrain myself from gasping at what I saw. There was now a Changeling standing in the mare's place, the area around it covered in a green haze that was vaguely in the shape of a pony. 

The bug slid a few tarts off of the tray and onto a small plate, setting it on the small table in front of me. "Of course! That will be five bi—MMPH!!" It was cut off by Andromeda clamping the bug's mouth shut with her magic, silencing any potential cries for help. 

"You want to handle this, or should I?" 

"I shall allow you to engage with it. I am interested to see how you perform." 

"Considering your method of dealing with it would get blood all over the cabin, I think any outcome I can get is better than that." 

"I resent that statement, no matter how true it may be."

I looked at it crossly, glaring holes through its skull. "Okay, here's how this is gonna go. If I allow you to open your mouth, and you scream, you're going to have a very bad day. Are we clear, you swiss cheese abomination?" I growled at it, struggling to keep my voice from shaking. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but if I bucked up then I was fairly sure Andromeda could salvage the situation. This was her gig, right?

The Changeling nodded fearfully, dropping its previous guise. Andromeda released her grasp on its muzzle, causing the bug to gasp. "H-how did you know?"

"None of your business. How many more of you are there?" I grabbed the shirt it was wearing, dragging it so I could get in its face, causing my disguise to break. "And if you try killing me like the last bunch, I will gladly repay the favor in kind." Truth be told, I was talking out of my ass. I wouldn't be doing anything to her...

That was Andromeda's job, after all.

The bug gulped, staring at me with those big, beady blue eyes that made me want to chuck it out of the closest window. "J-j-just me! Nobuggy else, honest! P-p-please don't hurt me!" 

I looked around, making sure that there was nopony in the cart other than myself and the quivering insect. This one wasn't like the bugs that had attacked me. It didn't have the angry look of a predator. It was... fuller. There were no holes in its legs, it was a bit on the chubby side... it almost looked cute, in a way. I almost felt bad for roughing it up.

Almost.

I pulled it into the booth with me, Andromeda swiftly grabbing the custard tarts within her magic to prevent them from falling to the floor as I did so. I held the Changeling against the wall of the train cart, pinning it in place with supernatural strength. "Why are you here?"

It was on the verge of a panic attack now. "I-I-I j-just wanted a life away from the hive! The Q-Queen exiled me! I haven't hurt any ponies... please... please don't kill me..." It just continued to mutter those same words, screwing its eyes closed and curling back into itself. 

"Intriguing. I was not aware that Freeminds were born upon exile."  

"The hay's a freemind? And are you sure we should be letting this thing run around freely?" 

"'Tis exactly as the name implies. A changeling capable of free thought. Unlike the Queens and their relentless hunger for power, any Freemind that Luna and I encountered were law abiding citizens... most of them, anyway. I leave it up to you on whether or not this bug deserves to live."

The train lurched to a stop, and my ear flicked as the conductor's bored and unenthusiastic voice came out from the intercom system. "Last stop for Hollow Shades. I repeat, last stop for Hollow Shades."

I looked back at the bug, my hoof still pressed against its throat. And as I looked at the creature's face...

I knew what needed to be done.
> Chapter 9: Shades of the Past 2/2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sighed, steeling my nerves for what I was about to do. The Changeling's fear was palpable, permeating the air around it. It smelled bitter, yet... intoxicating. Like pure ambrosia. As Andromeda's magic worked its way through the Changeling's consciousness, I could almost... feel the intense cocktail of emotions swimming around in its head...

And that terrified me. 

I could feel the love, the hate, and everything in between. It felt wrong, so, so wrong, to be able to peel away the curtain of a creature's mind and see everything laid bare for me to see, practically gift-wrapped for me to pick apart and analyze. Normal ponies weren't meant to have this kind of power, not in a million years. 

"I'm sorry." I said gruffly, a faint feeling of pity washing over me. the whimpers and cries of the creature whose life I had clutched in my hooves almost made me regret my actions, and for that matter, the one I was about to take.

I relaxed my grip on the Changeling and brought my hoof back. Its eyes were still screwed tightly shut in anticipation of its impending demise. Only...

I never let my hoof fall.

"Apologies for the trouble." I swiftly pulled away from the Changeling and quietly slid out of the booth, Andromeda making sure to grab the tarts off of the table as we walked away. I wrapped my scarf tighter around my neck, as if that would lessen the impact of what I had almost done, or temper the residual bloodlust that was still coursing through every fiber of my being. I knew I could never kill a pony... but Andromeda certainly could. I didn't know if what I was feeling was my own anger and hatred, or simply her playing around in my head.

I mentally huffed, keeping my gaze level and proceeding to exit the train. 

The sobs of the insect were replaced with the chirping of crickets and the cacophony of birdsong that permeated Hollow Shades at every hour of every single day. It felt... comforting, to say the least. I hadn't been home in quite some time, and hearing the ambient background noise of my fillyhood home felt soothing and invigorating, like a day at the spa, or having a warm blanket draped over you in the middle of winter. My earliest memories flooded back into my mind, filling me with the sweet, sweet feeling of nostalgia, as well as the softest touch of melancholy. 

I was home now. And I wouldn't let the sinking feeling of guilt in my gut stop me from enjoying it while I could.

Hollow Shades is what could best be described as a rural, almost medieval village nestled firmly in its namesake. The large, leafy canopy shrouded it from the sun for most hours of the day, and the houses were built into the trees themselves. Overall? It was... cozy, I think would be the best word I could use to sum up my home town. 

"Interesting, indeed. I had not expected you to part ways with it so soon, nor as peacefully as you did." Andromeda noted, dragging the veil of illusory magic over my form once more, giving me the appearance of a unicorn, as well as shoving a custard tart into my mouth.

I snorted, quickly swallowing the treat. "Mmh, killing it would have caused more problems than it solved. Plus, you said these things are supposed to be long gone and extinct, and one popping up here would get Princess Sunbutt and her golden goons so far up our flanks we'd be puking up Sunny D. Better to just let the bug go and hope it doesn't cause us any trouble." I tried to look at it pragmatically, but I think she and I both knew I was just blowing hot air. 

She let out a bout of laughter, and if she had a physical body I had no doubt that she'd be choking on her tart. "That is... certainly a way to put it! But alas, I am proud of you all the same, even if I had originally wished harm upon it. You conducted yourself appropriately, and measured the ramifications and consequences of your actions accordingly. It took quite some time for Luna to think before she acted... ah, that brings back such lovely memories." 

I chuckled to myself, allowing her to feed me another tart. "Sounds like a fun story." I stopped, noticing something... odd as I walked into town.

There was nopony outside. Nopony going about their day, no colts or fillies playing together or flitting about, nothing. In the absence of the usually jovial nature of the town, trash and balled up paper tumbled around in the noiseless breeze, and the only sound that dared to shatter the pensive silence was the grating sound of crickets chirping their telltale song. 

Hollow Shades was never a ghost town. Not like this.

"Uh... where the hay is everypony?" I asked, frozen in place. Posters littered the ground beneath the tree houses, rolling around in the wind. I could still see ponies moving about through their windows, a shivering sensation rolling down my spine as their silhouettes watched me from their windows. 

Andromeda made no comment, but lifted up one of the posters and brought it to my face. I didn't want to believe what I saw, but it gave me a sobering realization of why the townsfolk were acting so oddly.

It was a poster of a missing foal, asking for his safe return. 

Andromeda swiftly retrieved more of the posters, and they all bore similar fruit. Missing foals. Dozens of them, gone missing over the last few weeks. 

Hay, Hollow Shades was a village of a few hundred, there couldn't have been many more foals left. 

Not after this.

"Oh dear... that isn't very good, now is it?" Andromeda asked, concern apparent in her voice. 

I chewed the inside of my cheek, divining any and all detail I could from the posters. "None of the foals were above the age of ten... not a cutie mark to speak of on any of them... aaaaand they were all stolen away in the middle of the night. Lovely combination we have here, isn't it?" The sinking feeling of fear and concern set in, but I compartmentalized those emotions away. In my line of work, you couldn't afford to let things like this bother you. All that mattered was the truth, and nothing but the truth. A few dead ponies didn't change that. You couldn't allow it to.

I let my shoulders slump a bit as I began trotting away, Andromeda swiftly stuffing a few of the posters into my saddlebags. "So. We are off to see your parents?"

I sighed, scanning my surroundings. I remembered Hollow Shades as a happy place, not whatever it had become in my absence. The lovely, happy village of my youth had been replaced by a dreary, gloomy shadow of its former self. 

And that crushed me. 

"Yeah. It's been a hot minute since I've seen 'em. Maybe they'll know somethin' about whatever the buck is going on."  

The short trek to my parent's house was nothing to write home about. Just more trash rolling around in the wind, a silence too thick for its own good, and the all-encompassing feeling of dread that fell over the sleepy, downtrodden town. Y'know... the usual trio of cliches that you'd find in every cheap mystery flick on the market.

I paused as the large, dark and gnarled oak tree of my youth came in to view. It was... sobering, to say the least. I could vaguely see the form of my mother through the kitchen window, hunched over from a combination of arthritis and old age, her frayed and graying mane held loosely in a bun. I imagined that 'Pa was comfortably resting in his chair, prolly' reading some news article from the week before, quietly sipping on his bottle of liquor as Mom cooked some form of casserole or fruit lasagna. 

"Faust, I can smell it from all the way out here..."

I slowly approached the door, my heart racing faster and faster with every step I took, my nerves choosing to fail me when I, arguably, needed them the most. I raised my hoof to the door, the traitorous appendage deciding to shake violently.

Andromeda sighed, mentally rolling her eyes at me. "Oh for... Must I do everything for you?!" She let out an exasperated snort, taking control of my hoof and rapping it upon the door, as well as dropping my disguise. 

There was a brief moment of silence, before I heard my father's heavy hoofsteps clomp against the polished wooden floor and mosey over to the door. My ear flicked attentively as the deadbolt was undone with a heavy CLUNK, and the wrought iron door squeaked with the intensity of hinges that hadn't been oiled in at least a decade.

And there, standing in front of me, was my father. Old age had certainly done a number on his looks, but he was still the same stout wall of a pony I remembered from my youth. The faintest hints of a beard were beginning to form across his face, and I could tell from both the scraggly mess of mane he was sporting, as well as the dark bags under his eyes.

"He's been up for a while, hasn't he?"

I smiled bashfully, avoiding his shocked gaze.

"H-Hey Dad."