> Crybaby Sombra
>  by TheLatteDog
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue - Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A yellow earth pony colt in a blue hoodie knocked on the Manehatten apartment door with a metal hoof. Pulling back his hoof from the door, he brushed his cyan mane out of his eyes before resting it on the ground.  After a few moments, the door swung open, revealing a pinto earth pony mare with a white and dark brown mane and tail. Her bright green eyes displayed great worry and fear to the colt in front of her. Something was inspiring great anxiety in the mare. When her gaze met the colt in front of her, the distressed stare turned to one of confusion.

“Uh…” the mare uttered. “Do I know you?”

“Not you, particularly,” the colt responded. While he had a thick Trottingham accent, it established him as someone not of high birth. He might even be from somewhere else on the Grittish Isles instead. “Would you happen to be Spore Sprout?”

The mare nodded with uncertainty.

“Then I am skip of your gaffer, Archimedes. I wanted to come because I heard summat, uh, interestin’, ‘as developed.”

“Who is zat at ze door?” a Germane voice sounded from the inside of the house.

“Some stallion that claims to know you,” the mare shouted over her shoulder.

A brief pause punctuated the air, leaving only the faint sound of a colt crying to fill the empty space.

“Uh, vat might zis stallion look like?” the Germane voice asked with hesitation.

The mare scanned the colt in question. She then called back: “Yellow coat, cyan mane and tail, has a cutie mark of gears with starbursts around them, a metal foreleg…”

An audible sigh escaped the apartment.

“Let him in. He is a friend of mine,” the Germane voice said. “I’ll be out zere in a bit. Can you comfort Night Shade vile I talk to him?”

“Okay then,” the mare said hesitantly. She opened the door wider and stepped aside, beckoning the colt inside. Said colt wasted no time accepting the invitation.

The apartment wasn’t large; it seemed big enough for three ponies to live in with no problems. The living room connected to the kitchen with no wall between them. The hallway on the other side of the room likely led to the bathrooms and two bedrooms.  

“Just sit anywhere,” the exhausted pinto mare said. “Would you like anything to drink? Tea, coffee, water…?”

“I think I am fine right now,” the yellow colt replied. He took a seat on the couch on the far end of the room.

The mare disappeared into the hallway. A few moments passed and a white stallion with a black mane and tail revealed himself. He pushed up his glasses and blinked his red eyes a few times before he focused them on the colt in from of him. In spite of the weariness setting in on his face, he attempted to give the yellow colt a smile.

“Hallo Shortie,” the white stallion managed, collapsing on the couch next to his guest.

“Alright Doc,” Shortie returned. “I take it now is an interestin’ time?”

“You can say zat again,” the doctor sighed. “I take it you read the message completely zen?” 

“Ar, this is an unusual precedent,” Shortie stated. “I don’t know of anyone that ‘as ever gotten a cutie mark in ‘dark magic’ before. What happened even?”

“I have no idea!” the white stallion worried. “Zis is not good! My son might have irreversibly damaged himself with zat dark magic grimoire and I might lose my job as a Royal Guard medical researcher! Or even if I keep it, I might lose access to zat section of ze archives again. Just ven I was making progress!”

The doctor buried his face in his hoofs, groaning out of frustration. 

“Come on, Archimedes, it can’t be that bad, right? ‘Ow did ‘e even access the book?”

“It vas in a locked cupboard! I must’ve left ze key out somevere, but I don’t know vy he even wanted to seek it out!”

“Well, maybe this really was his destiny, an’ ‘e felt a pull towards the book?”

“Ugh!”

Archimedes rubbed his face, anxious about his own destiny at this moment.

“Have you contacted the princess? Or a higher up of yours?” Shortie queried.

“Yes, ze Royal Guard should be here any minute now. I don’t know vat zey are going to do, but I know I cannot keep zis secret,” the doctor answered.

“Hm,” Shortie grunted. 

At that moment, the pair were alerted to a knock on the door. 

“I’ll get it,” Archimedes said.

He pushed himself up from the couch and trotted to the door. What was on the other side made him drop his jaw.

“P-Princess!” the doctor stammered before prostrating himself before her. Princess Twilight Sparkle stood in the doorway between two Royal Guards. She frowned and shook her head and signaled him to get up.

“Rise, Doctor Archimedes,” Twilight answered calmly. “I would rather you not kneel before me now. Regardless, I am highly curious to see the colt. I sure hope he’s okay.”

Archimedes picked himself up with haste.

“Right, yes, zis vay, your Highness,” he faltered, leading the princess and her guards into his flat, to the colt’s room.

Opening the door to the colt’s room revealed the same pinto mare coddling a small unicorn colt. He had a similar pinto coat as the mare holding him, but with bluish-grey splotches instead of brown. The jet black mane, however, definiely came from the doctor at the door. He wailed into his mother's forelegs as thick black tears streamed down his face.

“Please, your foal needs your attention right now more than I do,” she said. “You must be Spore Sprout, if I am not mistaken.”

“Y-yes, I am Spore Sprout, your highness,” the mare answered. She brushed a hoof through the sniffling colt’s mane. “And yes, this is my little Night Shade.”

The princess gestured to her guards to wait outside before stepping into the room. Once near enough to the colt, she kneeled down to his level and put on a warm smile.

The princess gestured to her guards to wait outside before stepping into the room. Once near enough to the colt, she kneeled down to his level and put on a warm smile.

“Hi there, little guy,” Twilight said, mustering up as much warmth as she could. “What’s wrong? I heard you got your cutie mark. That’s really exciting! Mind if I see it?”

On the colt’s flank sat a black belladonna with the signature purple and green smoke of dark magic rising up from it. The princess focused on it and flashed her horn a few times before relaxing her gaze. 

“From what I can determine, it’s definitely a real cutie mark,” Twilight stated. “I don’t detect any traces of cutie mark manipulation or even dark magic anywhere beyond his head. His special talent is clearly dark magic related.” 

“Are you gonna take me away?” the colt asked, his eyes wide open. His blackened eye whites, red irises, and skirted pupils themselves to Twilight. Streaks of some dark liquid ran down his face like tears. “Or banish me to the moon‽ Or turn me to stone‽ Or—”

Twilight put up a hoof and cut the colt off before he worked himself up again.

“Hey, hey, hey, of course not,” Twilight chuckled. “Where would you get those ideas?”

“I dunno,” Night Shade replied, looking down. “I’m scared, princess. I didn’t know this would happen. I never wanted to—!”

Twilight shushed the little colt, trying to help him maintain a somewhat level head. She wanted answers and knew she wasn't going to get them from a foal bawling his eyes out..

“It’s okay, what’s done is done,” the princess reassured. “Can you tell me how you ended up with your cutie mark?”

The colt nodded and began to speak: “I really wanted to do magic, but nothing about it made sense! After trying to cast spells again and again and again, nothing worked! I started to think maybe I’m a magic-less unicorn!”

Twilight nodded her head, listening to the colt with a practiced patience.

The colt continued: “But then daddy came home with this weird book. And I couldn’t stop thinking about it! I asked daddy about it, and he told me it was a book about a special kind of magic. Magic most colts weren’t supposed to be playing with, much less ‘little colts like me.’ But I thought that I’m a big colt and I wanted to do magic so badly! So, I found the keys to daddy’s locked closet and got the book. I didn’t mean to do anything! I just wanted to finally do magic!”

Twilight closed her eyes to let the words of the colt sink in. After opening them once more, she asked her next question with caution: “And the book you stole made sense to you?”

The colt nodded, almost lighting up a little. “It felt like everything made sense! Like it didn’t just jumble my head like the other books I had!”

“And what did you do?”

The colt removed himself from his mother’s embrace before reaching under his bed. He retrieved a small box and opened the top. On top of the toys covering the bottom sat a black rose, fuming just like his cutie mark.

“What were you trying to do?” the princess followed up with.

“The book said to ‘infuse my power within it to bend it to my will.’ I didn’t know what that meant. But I could understand the magic itself and the book said it was a beginner spell. It said to practice by making the flower blossom from a bud.”

Twilight took up the fuming rose with her magic and examined it. Looking at it with her own magic sense, she could tell it was definitely the colt’s magic.

“I see. Well, I hope you have learned your lesson about playing with things you don’t understand.” Using a simple counter-spell, she exorcized the dark magic from it. All that remained was a still-black but no longer smoking rose. “I understand being eager to do your first bit of magic. Trust me, I have been in your position. But you could have really gotten hurt doing what you just did. There’s a reason these are restricted to certain ponies.”

The colt’s eyes turned to the ground, breaking eye contact from Twilight. 

“I’m sorry, princess,” the colt apologized.

“As I said, what’s done is done,” the princess reassured. “And it seems that you would have likely discovered this at some point regardless. It’s good that you found your special talent now. It’s better to find this out before it becomes a problem. I prefer meeting you as a friend rather than a villain.”

Night Shade hugged his mother tighter. He didn't even understand why anyone did evil things. Being evil always sounded like a not-fun time. And yet, he felt closer to the evildoers his parents told him about than he ever thought he would be. All because of the magic that stained his face right now.

Twilight’s expression fell before continuing: “Still, there is the situation of what we will have to do now. With both you and your dad.”

Picking up on that last detail, the colt’s eyes widened as he pleaded: “Please don’t hurt daddy! It was my fault for playing around with the book!”

“Relax, my little pony. Nothing bad will happen to your dad. I promise. But we do still have to deal with these,” Twilight gestured to the colt’s eyes.

The colt retreated into his mother’s embrace once more. “I don’t want to go! Please don’t take me away! It was an accident, I swear!”

“I just said we weren’t going to take you away before, didn’t I?” the princess gave a cheeky half-smile. “At least, not without your parents right along with you.”

The colt looked up with curiosity and dread at what the princess had planned.

“I would like you to come along with me to Canterlot. I don’t think I have seen anything like this before,” Twilight pondered. “But obviously your parents would have to come with you. Can’t just bring you to the castle all by yourself now, can we?”

The colt wiped away some of the black tears that stained his face like ink, and continued to listen.

“According to my research, what you have right now is called the Eyes of the Abyss. It’s something many dark magic practitioners cast on themselves to bleed away dark magic that might affect their minds.”

“Is that why his tears are black?” Spore Sprout asked out loud.

Twilight nodded. “The book didn’t tell you about any precautionary spells before you cast this one, right?”

The colt shook his head.

“That’s pretty unusual. It is typically a spell that has to be actively cast before doing anything else. Are you sure you didn’t cast that spell on yourself?”

The colt nodded in response.

“Hm, that is strange. Do you recall anything about what happened before your eyes changed?”

The colt sniffled. “I heard something in my head, but I couldn’t understand what it was. It sounded like words, but garbled up. Even when it was loudest I couldn’t make anything out. It hurt my head a lot. It made me cry. Then, it just stopped, and my tears were black. That’s when I called mommy and daddy.”

“Hm,” the princess hummed, unsure of what to make of this. “I definitely want to see what my advisors who specialize in this field of magic say. I am a bit out of practice and understudied with this kind of magic myself.”

Her look softened before speaking once more: “I imagine that must have been very scary.”

The colt nodded once more. “I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t know…”

Fresh tears, clear ones now, fell down his face. His mother’s embrace tightened around him, comforting him through his recollection.

Twilight nodded her head before standing up once more. She then declared to the room: “I really hope you all take my invitation. I would love to see more of what knowledge little Night Shade can offer us.”

“Of course princess! We will be zere as soon as possible,” Archimedes chimed in.

“Great! I’ll have accommodations ready for you three in the castle! I hope to see you there soon!”

She turned to take her leave, before jolting up and turning to the Doctor. 

“Oh! Before I forget, mind if I talk to you for a bit in the hallway, Archimedes?” the princess requested.

“Oh, uh, not at all!” the doctor stammered, trying to hide his anxiety. He followed Twilight and her guards out of the room into the kitchen-living room hybrid.

Once they were out of earshot of the little colt, the princess turned to Archimedes. She no longer wore the practiced calming air of her predecessor. The expression of a highly displeased alicorn took its place now.

“You understand I can’t just let you off for this gross recklessness, right?” she flatly stated. 

“Yes, princess,” the doctor responded with as much of a neutral bearing as he could muster.

“I understand that you clearly took steps to ensure your foal didn’t have access to a highly restricted text. However, the fact that he still did is on you. I hope you are ready to take responsibility for this incident.”

“Yes, princess. I understand, princess.”

The princess sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her hoof.

“Had this outcome been any different, this conversation would've been very different. But, since we may have just averted the next ‘big bad’ popping out of the woodworks, I won’t be punishing you too severely.”

“Sank you, princess.”

“Don’t thank me just yet."

The princess sighed once more. 
 
"Maybe letting ponies take restricted texts off castle grounds for study was a bad idea on my end. As such, I will be ending that privilege for all ponies, even ones with high-level access like yourself. So, to be clear, I'm not going to take away your access. However, you nor anyone else will be able to check things out of the restricted archives like it's a library. Understand?”

“Yes, princess. I understand, princess. Sank you princess.”

“That won’t be it for your punishment, but that will come later. For now, you can keep the book on you. I expect you to bring it, along with any other restricted texts, when you arrive tomorrow. And I expect you to deposit them back into the castle archives as soon as you arrive.”

“Of course princess.”

Twilight looked past the stallion, turning her attention to the yellow colt standing in the hallway.

“Oh!” she blurted out. “I didn’t notice you when I came in. Were you here the whole time?”

Shortie cleared his throat before he spoke: “I was, but I figured you probably were here doin’ important stuff that I shouldn’t interrupt.”

“Still, it’s rude of me to not acknowledge someone I should have seen in the house. Are you a relative of Night Shade?”

“Not at all, but I thought I would pay a visit to a skip after I heard the news.”

“Supporting your friends through confusing times is always a good thing.”

The princess squinted her eyes at him before they widened in realization.

“Hey, I remember you!” she declared. “You’re Short Circuit. You’re the first earth pony to be admitted to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Foals after the expansion!”

“You would be correct,” Short Circuit confirmed with a soft smile. “Tar for that expansion by the way. I don’t think I could be anywhere else.”

“I am very glad to hear that. I know it was a bit of a rocky start, but it makes me really happy that it has worked out as well as it did. You must be graduating this year, right?”

“Anunst year, actually.”

“Oh, well, I’ll probably be giving the speech to the graduating class regardless then anyways. Have any idea what you’re going to be doing afterwards?”

“Probably what I already do now. Makin’ connections with interestin’ creatures and creatin’ machines.”

“Not going into an apprenticeship?”

“For what? I am pretty much the only pony I know that does the things I do, or at leas’ knows as much as I do with the subject I am interested in.”

“Hm. Well, I guess it’s your call to make. Regardless, I am already proud of you, my little pony. It must have been difficult being one of the first earth ponies in an all unicorn school.”

A guard cleared his throat at the young ruler of Equestria. 

“Oh, right, I should get going then. I shall see you on stage next year then! And you…”

She pointed at the doctor, still standing in the room, “…in my castle before noon tomorrow. Until then!”

With that, the princess and her guards made their exit, leaving behind the doctor in his apartment. The second the door closed, he heaved a big sigh of relief. He then turned back to his foal’s room, only to brush by Shortie along the way.

He pulled Archimedes aside and whispered to him: “Y’ave a cute foal. I think they’ll do crackin' things in the future.”

“You sink so? Even despite this—”

“Ar, ‘specially because of this. Regardless, I have something I want to give them.”

“Wait, you can’t mean—“

Shortie didn’t wait for the doctor to finish his sentence before he walked into Night Shade’s bedroom. He stopped in front of the still sniffling colt and bent down to meet his gaze.

“‘Ello there, little bloke,” Shortie said to him with a warm smile. “My name is Short Circuit, but most call me Shortie. I happen to be a skip of your father. I just want you to know that I think you’re going to do wicked things in the future. In a good way, I mean.”

Shortie took something out of his pocket that looked like a tiny remote with one button on it.

“For now, just know that, even if there is nah ’un else, I am always there. There are a lot of ponies like you. Well, not particularly like you, but different from what is expected of them. ‘Specially in regards to magic. So, if there is an emergency, and I mean a serious emergency, just click that button and toss it to the ground. I will be there to help almost immediately.”

He put the remote in the bewildered colt’s hoof and backed away. 

“Remember, only serious emergencies! Understan’?” 

The younger colt nodded, looking up to the bigger colt. He wasn't even a stallion yet, but he was his dad’s friend? Intrigue and confusion filled the little colt's mind as he looked at the remote now in his hoof.

Shortie chuckled at Night Shade’s clear lack of understanding. “If you want to know more about me, you can ask your dad or ask him to contact me. I always respond, even if not always on time. But don’t use that remote if it is not an emergency.”

And with that, Shortie left the family to pack their things and head into Canterlot. Their future remained uncertain, yet more hopeful than they thought before
> 1 - The Weight of Comfort, This Rain is Comfort, This Rain is You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A teenage grey-splotched colt stood his ground against the rain beating down on the hood of his black cloak. A bit of his long black mane peaked out from his hood. The foliage surrounding him greedily tried to drink up the water that fell, but it was just too much. This made the ground he stood on muddy and mushy. A jet-black stallion wearing a similar cloak stood above him, wearing the stern face of a drill sergeant.

“Ready,” the stallion commanded. “Begin!”

Green and purple smoke burst out of his curved horn. The same purple smoke poured from his eyes, which shone with a similar sickening green light. A black beam burst from his horn and struck the ground. In its place a thick, black, and thorny vine sprung out of the ground, spiraling upwards. The colt’s horn lit up again, bathing him in darkness until it covered his entire body, before vanishing into the same purple fumes his magic emanated. The vapors traveled upwards, following the spiral of the vines, until it reached the top, where a small platform of the unnatural vines formed. The smoke birthed the colt’s body onto the platform. The darkness hugging him shed itself completely, before quickly making a comeback and dissolving him. He melted into the small shadows that outlined the vines like water down a shower drain. 

A mass congealed within the shade of a tree on the ground until it resembled a pony. The darkness then peeled off of the mass, revealing the same colt underneath it, whole and unharmed. 

A beam of magic drew towards the colt’s fuming horn as if by a string. As more magic was drawn out, the vines began to shrivel up into nothing. The mass of black magic flew around him like the “dragon” trick in one of Trixie’s shows. The “dragon” then poured itself into the colt’s horn, from whence this magic came. Once it was gone, the colt’s horn ceased activity and his eyes returned to their normal state. Well, as normal as black scleras with red irises and slitted pupils can be.

“Very good,” the stallion next to him stated. “You appear to have mastered shadow teleportation and smoke transportation, as well as being able to control your magic and reabsorb it at will. As always, your phytomancy is exceptional.”

“Thank you, professor,” the colt spoke.

“Alright, that was the demonstration you choreographed. Now for tests on the magics you didn’t show,” the professor said.

The colt simply nodded and turned to face the professor.

“First, I want to see illusions. Not only your ability to cast them on yourself, but also to cast them on others. I am going to ask you to do a series of illusions that you will perform for me. Take any liberties on details I don’t specify, but meeting the specifications is your primary goal. Ready?”

The colt nodded once more and put on a determined face.

“Show me a green mare with a black mane and tail with blue highlights with a cutie mark of a telescope.” 

The colt lit up his horn with the same green and purple smoke, before letting the darkness once more cover him. It soon changed his shape, molding his body into the silhouette of a mare. Eventually, a black and blue mane and tail grew out of the oily blackness. Green fur began to push its way to the surface until only an earth pony mare that matched the specifications stood where the colt once stood.

“Showing off, I see,” the professor said coyly. “You could have made it easy for yourself by going with a unicorn, but you do still match what I specified.”

The green mare smirked a bit before the instructor blurted out the next transformation. They went through a few forms: a large red earth pony with an apple cutie mark, a small blue griffon, and, ironically, a cyan changeling queen. After a few more randomly mixed and matched traits and species, the professor finally saw enough. 

“Good, good,” the professor commented. “You seem to be adept at casting the ‘shapeshift’ spell on yourself. You’ll show how you do for others when we are in the cadaver lab tomorrow. Now, for some illusions of the mind. I trust you are not going to be a smart ass and try to pull some kind of twisted prank. I will fail you for that.”

“Professor,” the colt said with mock indignance. “I am shocked you would accuse me of something so heinous!”

The jet-black stallion rolled his eyes.  “That wasn’t an accusation, that was a warning. Now, you’re going to cast this spell on me, and you’re going to follow my exact specifications. Am I clear?”

The colt put back on his “game face” and answered: “Yes professor. I wouldn’t mess this exam up in any way, even for a joke.” 

“Very well,” the professor remarked. He closed his eyes and said the first setting. “Show me a sunny meadow with green grass and daisies.”

The colt’s horn and eyes lit up once more with the same dark magic. A black beam shot out and struck his professor.

The professor opened his eyes. To the colt, the only chance that happened was his eyes had turned green with red irises. The professor, on the other hand, felt a breeze blow through the daisies in the grassy meadow he now stood in. The sun’s light warmed him. There was not a cloud in the sky.

“Very convincing. It truly does feel like I am in a warm meadow rather than in the miserable rain,” the professor noted. “Let’s try a few more.”

They went through a few more locations, like the Frozen North, Manehatten, and even Seaquestria. Once the professor felt he saw enough, he called it off.

“Very good,” the professor announced. “You have made great progress in your studies. Tomorrow you will take the final tests of your abilities, and then I will have no more to teach you.”

“Thanks, professor,” the colt uttered. “It has been an honor learning from you these past six years.”

“The honor has been mine,” the professor said. His stern expression melted away into a warm smile. “I’m very proud of you, my pupil. It feels like it was just yesterday when you were plopped onto my lap.”

The colt smiled wide as black tears trailed down the colt’s face. 

“Oh Night Shade, please try to hold your tears back,” the professor scoffed, rolling his eyes. In spite of that, he kept the warm smile on his face. “At least save it for when you’re behind closed doors.”

The colt sniffled before speaking: “I’m sorry, professor. I can’t help it.” Night Shade rubbed his muzzle on his cloak’s sleeve before continuing. “I just get really emotional when you say things like that.”

Rolling his eyes once more, the professor walked up to the colt and wrapped his arms around him. A gesture that the colt reciprocated. 

“Maybe it’s better that way,” the professor commented. “Letting your emotions boil over in this manner. Better than the alternatives at the very least.”

The colt pulled away from the jet-black stallion. Wiping his face, he left behind the two black streaks that now stained his face permanently. A little something he built up over his years studying this field of magic.

“I guess so,” the colt added. “Nopony would think a crybaby Sombra would be effective in acting out their evil plans.”

“Maybe not, but remember, my pupil: appearances can deceive, and failing to see through that deception can cost one their life.” 

“Oh yeah, that Cozy Glow filly was particularly nasty, I have heard,” Night Shade recollected. “Weird to think such a small filly can cause that much trouble.”

“Aye, pupil. Now, let’s go back inside,” the professor said, remembering that it was still pouring rain. “You are dismissed for today. Be in the cadaver lab by nine hundred sharp.”

The two turned back to the schoolhouse. The second they stepped through the doors, they went their separate ways.







Night Shade found himself surrounded with greenery the second he entered his room. It truly was amazing just how many plants he could keep alive while still being able to have room for himself in the single pony dorm. Different shrubs, flowers, herbs, and even some vegetables and fruits thrived in pots that were placed against the walls. He was particularly fond of plants in the family that were his namesake, but he had others outside of that family. 

The colt took off his dripping cloak and hung it on the door’s coat hook behind him. He ran his hoof through his long, black mane, letting it drop limply to the left side of his head, brushing against the floor. He took a few steps towards his bed before throwing himself onto it face first.

“Ugh,” Night Shade groaned. “No, I can’t just sit here. I got to study and practice.”

Six years. It had been six years since he first stepped onto the school grounds. Six years of constant study and hard work. Six years since he was first dropped off by his parents…







“Why am I going to school here?” the little grey pinto colt asked as he stepped off the carriage. He looked up to his father with uncertainty in his black and red eyes.

“Because here is ze only place vere you will be able to develop your talent,” Archimedes answered. “No vere else vill you be able to study ze magic of your destiny.”

“But what if I am not good enough?”

“Don’t vorry, you vill be. Now, I have to go back to ze castle. I von’t be home until after you have gone to bed tonight. So, do your best son. And remember zat I vill alvays love you, mine Fohlen.”

“Okay dad, I love you too.”

Night Shade hugged his dad, who in turn wrapped a hoof around the colt’s withers. He pulled away and turned back to the carriage and stepped inside. Archimedes waved his hoof as the cart pulled away, leaving the colt nothing left to do but trot into the auditorium for orientation with nothing but his saddle bags.


***


“Welcome, all of you, to the School for Gifted Foals!” Princess Twilight announced. There had to be over a thousand other foals in this room. Mostly unicorn foals filled the auditorium, with the occasional pegasus and earth pony here and there. There were even some thestrals!

“Each of you were chosen because you were deemed to have potential well beyond the average pony,” Twilight continued. “I know that there is something special inside each and everyone of you, and it is my honor to assist in bringing it out in every single one of you.

“I should note that there very likely will be significant changes coming while you attend here. You might soon be studying side by side with all kinds of creatures, which is really exciting. Of course, the facilities to accommodate them are still being built, but look at me going off on a tangent.

“Anyways, to the ponies starting their first year, I wish you all a great one. And to the ponies coming back, I welcome you back. Have an excellent school year and may you learn a lot!”

The stomping hooves of applause echoed throughout the hall. While the applause was light (it was “back to school” after all), the sheer number of students stomping made being in the room overwhelming. 

“Oh!” Twilight quickly added. “All of you should have gotten your class schedules by now. Some of you, however, have a purple star on it. If you do, that means that I would like to meet with you for your personal accommodations. You probably already know what we are going to talk about, so you know that you are not in trouble. Thank you for your time, I will now hand it over to the Headmaster for your orientation proper.”

The princess stepped off the stage, as another unicorn took her place. Night Shade looked down at his schedule and, sure enough, a purple star found itself on the paper. 


***


The black-and-red eyed colt sat in a small room with five other ponies. He looked at the purple star on his schedule in silence. His heart beat in his throat at the prospect of meeting the princess again. He didn’t know what to expect now. 

“Yo,” a voice called out to him.

“Huh?” Night Shade looked up from his schedule. A thestral foal with a gray coat and a messy pink mane and tail stood in front of him.

“Uh, hi,” Night Shade squeaked out. 

“Dude! Your eyes are like mine!” they declared. “Well, not the same colors, but similar shapes! And you’re not even a bat pony!”

Sure enough, their yellow eyes had the signature slit pupils that all thestrals had. A trait that Night Shade now shared with them, as well as dragons and those cats in Abyssinia.

To prove their point, they pulled out their eyes from their sockets.

“See!” the thestral exclaimed.

“Woah!” the colt yelped, not expecting the foal in front of him to just pull out their eyes like that. “How are you doing that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I just can.”

They put their eyes back in their sockets and adjusted them so they weren’t crooked.

“Apparently I have access to this thing called ‘chaos magic?’ I don’t know what they mean by it, but apparently I am gonna learn all about it!”

The thestral foal moved in closer to the colt’s face.

“So what can you do? Apparently we’re all weirdos here, so what makes you weird?”

“Uh, I don’t want to say,” the colt responded, trying to hide behind his own mane.

“Aw, come on! Lemme see! Please please please?”

The colt didn’t know what to do. He knew the taboos of his magic, and had no intentions of “showing off.” He thought back to the day he got his cutie mark. It was only a week ago. What if he did something he couldn’t control?

“Please? I promise I won’t run away or judge you or anything! I really really really want to see!”

Clearly they weren’t going to go away until they saw something.

“O…kay,” the colt finally agreed. “But please don’t be afraid.”

“Yeah, yeah, now show me!”

The colt turned to the potted plant in the room. He got up from his chair and plucked a single leaf off it and rested it on the ground. He then thought back to the spell he learned in that book. His horn then began to fume, the tell-tale purple and green smoke pouring out of it. A black beam struck the leaf, turning it black and leaving it fuming with the same smoke.

“Woah,” the thestral spoke in awe. “That magic…it’s like King Sombra’s. That’s…”

Night Shade felt tears welling up in his eyes. He really was like King Sombra. He really was a monster…

“...so cool!” the thestral finally squealed. “I’ve never seen another pony do magic like that. You’re gonna be learning that kind of magic? Lucky! Wait, are you crying?”

The unicorn sniffled in confusion. This foal just saw something that made them compare him to one of the worst villains Equestria has seen, and she thought it was cool?

“What?” the colt questioned through his tears. “W-why aren’t you scared? You think I’m cool?”

“Why would I be scared?”

“Because I do the same magic as somepony scary like King Sombra.”

“And I do the same magic as Discord. So what?”

“But he isn’t a bad guy anymore…”

“Most ponies still don’t like him. Sure, he’s not a ‘bad guy,’ but a lot of ponies still consider him a big meanie.”

The thestral foal paused for a moment, before continuing the conversation. 

“So, can you do anything else with it?”

“Yeah,” Night Shade muttered, wiping his face on his arm. “I think so.”

His horn smoked purple and his eyes glowed green once more. The leaf began to grow roots out of the stem. Then more leaves began budding. The plant kept growing until it was at least two hooves tall. 

“Coooooooool,” the foal awed.

“Thanks,” Night Shade accepted with sheepishness. He snuffed out his horn and let the magic bleed away from him.

“My name is Chora, by the way!” the pastel purple maned thestral announced. “What’s yours?”

“Night Shade, you may come in now,” a voice called out from the now open office door.

“That’s me,” the colt in question quietly confirmed. “I should go.”

“Okay, ‘Night Shade,’ I’ll see you later!” Chora parted. “We should hang out during recess!”

“…okay, sure,” he said, letting a small smile grace his face. He trotted over to the door, readying himself to face the princess once more.


***


“Hello again,” Princess Twilight Sparkle greeted. She sat behind a large, paper-littered desk in the small room. The room had one window behind the princess, but with the shutters closed to prevent any prying eyes from eavesdropping. Next to her stood a jet black stallion with a short auburn mane and tail and a tattered book cutie mark. His piercing amber eyes made the colt shrink under his gaze. 

“It’s nice to see you once more,” Twilight continued. “Just take a seat right here.”

The colt froze in place, shifting under the weight of the presence of the ponies in front of him. Most the scary one that stood by the princess. Noticing what (or rather who) the colt stared at, the princess realized an introduction was in order.

“Oh! I should probably introduce you with this stallion right here,” she remembered. “This is Sir Black Mass of The Lunar Order of the Dark Arts.”

“The what?” Night Shade managed.

Princess Twilight gestured to the chair across from her, inviting the colt once again to sit down. Night Shade finally obeyed and climbed into the chair, facing the princess and mystery pony all by himself.

“So, you probably understand why you are studying here now, right?” she asked the colt.

The colt nodded his head before answering the question.

“It’s because I will not be able to learn about my special talent in any other place.”

“That is true, but it’s also to ensure that I can keep an eye on you while you do so,” Twilight explained. “You probably are familiar with your kind of magic thanks to bad ponies like King Sombra, right?”

The colt nodded once more.

“Well, obviously we don’t want something like that happening ever again. You are destined to wield a powerful magic, Night Shade. But it also is a highly corruptive one. It is likely because of this that your body adapted to manifest the ‘Eyes of the Abyss’ without you needing to cast it.”

Night Shade squirmed in his chair. He didn’t like being reminded of that fact about him. But the only thing he could do was listen to the princess’s words and accept them.

“This is the reason why this kind of magic is highly restricted to the general public. However, it probably might interest you to know that becoming a bad pony is not the only path for those who choose to pick up the ‘dark arts.’”

The colt’s eyes brightened up a little. He then sat up in his chair and leaned in closer to the desk.

“Really?” the colt asked with tepid enthusiasm.

The princess giggled at the little foal’s sudden interest. “Of course. In fact, our guest right here is a representative of one of the other paths you can take.”

Twilight gave a nod to the stallion in question, who, on cue, stepped forward.

“As the princess just mentioned,” the stallion spoke up. “I am Sir Black Mass, a member of The Lunar Order of the Dark Arts. We are a governmental research group dedicated to preserving this form of magic, as no form of magic should be forgotten. We are the only ponies entrusted with this task of preserving and even furthering research within this branch of magic.”

Night Shade hung onto every word the stallion said. 

A place for good ponies to practice dark magic? he thought. I don’t have to be a villain that will have to be beaten?

“That’s right, Sir Mass,” the princess agreed. “The L. O. D. A. is one of the few places where anypony, or potentially anycreature, within Equestria can legally and ethically pursue their passion for the darker aspects of magic. There are not a lot of members, however, due to both a lack of publicity and strict standards for entering.”

Twilight cleared her throat before carrying on. 

“I should mention that this would normally be a postgraduate field of study, meaning you would have to complete the general track in this school before even considering applying to study with the Lunar Order.”

Night Shade seemed to deflate a little at that. Would it be eight years before he could even study the one branch of magic he could actually do?

“However,” the princess continued. “Considering that your talent for magic is dark magic, I deemed it best that you begin studying it now.”

“Really‽” the colt perked up.

“Absolutely! We will also be fast-tracking you into the Lunar Order as well, meaning that by the time you complete your studies in dark magic, you will become an official member! Now, you technically do have a choice in whether you wish to join or not, but I should note that you legally have to join if you want to actually use the magic you will be learning outside of this school. Understand?”

Night Shade nodded his head vigorously, drinking up every word the princess said. He still didn’t quite understand this “order” he would have to join when he was finished, but that didn’t matter. He was going to learn magic! And it was going to be within the field of magic he could actually do! And when he was done learning, he could still be a good pony!

“Excellent! Now, for the main reason you’re here in the first place!” Twilight started up again. She pulled out a binder from underneath her desk and paged through it before finding the right spot. She looked up from the page to address the colt once more. “Your schedules have a spot where, were you in the typical unicorn magic tract, you would take a generalized magic class. However, since the magic you cast is, well, very specific and also very much restricted, you clearly aren’t going to be learning the same things as the other students.”

Twilight mulled over her words, before clarifying: “Actually, that isn’t quite true, a lot of the theory will be similar, but have vast differences in how you apply it. And since at least fifty percent of the grade is the application, this clearly will not work for someone like you. There is also…”

The colt looked up to the princess in confusion, not quite understanding where she was going with all that.

“Ah, I’m going off on a tangent. You’ll understand once your classes begin. Which brings me to the reason Sir Mass is actually here! Sir Black Mass will be your magic instructor, teaching you all about the ‘dark arts.’”

The stallion in question nodded his head in acknowledgement. 

“I’ve never had a student as young as you before, so I hope there will not be any issues between us,” he said. His voice carried a low rumble with every word he spoke.

Night Shade attempted to hide behind his mane once more. The unicorn stallion’s large frame intimidated the poor colt.

“He will be teaching you one-on-one in during the periods where you would usually be with other ponies of your class learning general basic magic,” Twilight added. “Instead of heading to the classroom listed, you will head to the library where he will meet you and take you to wherever he deems appropriate.”

“I look forward to our first lesson today,” Sir Mass growled, maintaining the stern expression he held.

“I hope that’s all clear for you,” Twilight picked up. “You will still be taking every other class with every other pony in your year. This includes math, science, history, and equestrian literature, as well as basic potions due to it not requiring an input source of magic and, one of the newer subjects, friendship. Now, alchemy is a different story, however, and you will have to learn that from someone with The Order, but that isn’t until a few years from now. Are you understanding all this?”

The colt nodded with uncertainty. The extra details the princess added made it hard to keep track of what was important for him to know at that point.

“Ugh, I’m over explaining things again,” Twilight said, rubbing her forehead with her hoof. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a habit. Let me state it again a bit more simply: whenever your schedule says ‘Basic General Magic,’ you will instead head to the school library and meet with Sir Mass. He will then take you to wherever he deems to be appropriate for your lesson to take place, which will likely be a building off campus. Understand?”

Night Shade nodded his head vigorously. “Whenever there is magic class, go to the library and wait for Mr. Mass,” he stated.

“Excellent!” the princess rejoiced, clapping her forehooves together. “Now, I believe you still have the rest of orientation, which includes the building tour, and then your first classes. I hope you have a great first day! You may go about the rest of your day.”

“Thank you, princess,” the colt said. He jumped up from the chair and trotted to the exit to find the auditorium once more.







A knock on Night Shade’s dorm door signaled him to finally get off his bed. He trotted over to the door, revealing a gray thestral with a messy pink mane and tail. 

“Yo,” they greeted. “What’s up, my guy?”

“Hi Chora,” he responded. “Just about to study for my last practical tomorrow.”

“Oh shit! So you’re basically graduating your program?”

“If I pass, yes.”

“Of course you’ll pass, Hollows!”

He rolled his eyes at Chora’s nickname for him. They, in turn, just snickered at his mild annoyance.

“You could just call me my name, you know.”

“But what’s the fun in that?”

The teen thestral stuck their tongue out at them while pulling one eyelid down with a talon. That eye fell out of its socket like a big marble. It rolled into a random hole in the ground, which resulted in the thestral materializing around that eye and rising out of the ground. 

The unicorn colt could only roll his eyes once more.

“So,” the thestral began. They rested the elbows of their forelegs down on an invisible table and let their head rest on their claws. Their hindlegs then floated upwards like a balloon, only anchored down by the front half of their body. “What you gonna do when you’re finally done here?”

Night Shade raised his hoof to his chin. 

“Hm, I think I want to go to the School of Friendship for my last two years,” he answered, scratching his chin. “Apparently the Lunar Order will pay the tuition for any further studies I wish to pursue.”

“Huh,” Chora said, turning themself so that they floated on their back. “Want to learn more about friendship, huh? You don’t seem like the kind of pony to have that much trouble with it. I mean, you got me after all, and I am awesome enough to make up for, like, ten ponies.”

To accentuate their point, they did a little flair with their hoof. Ten copies of them appeared out of thin air, some inside the colt’s room, surrounding him on all sides.

“Well,” the colt started to reply. “It’s more that I want to know what the magic of friendship truly is. I know we have been taking classes in it here, but maybe there is more to learn. And, maybe that knowledge could save me from becoming a monster—“

Ten hooves slapped his face all at once. The clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only one Chora to stand in front of the colt. They grabbed him by his withers and, with their hind legs planted on the ground, pulled him closer to their face.

“Stop saying shit like this,” they said without a hint of the earlier playfulness in their voice. “You’ve been saying this shit ever since I met you. You’re not gonna just turn into the next Sombra! I wouldn’t let you.”

The colt’s eyes began to well up. He turned his head away so he didn’t have to look them in the eyes.

“How could you know?” Night Shade muttered. “How could you know that?”

Another set of grey legs forced his face back towards Chora’s eyes. 

“I don’t need to have Hour Glass’ weird future night terrors to know. I know you. It’s not in your heart.”

“Not yet…”

“Not ever! Not if I have anything to say about it!”

Black drops rolled down Night Shade’s face. The forehooves that held his face pulled him into Chora’s shoulder, while the claws on his withers pulled his body closer. They stayed there for a couple of minutes before Night Shade pulled himself away.

“Why are you here anyway?” he mumbled, wiping his face on his foreleg.

“Eager to get rid of me so soon?” Chora asked with a cheeky grin. “Can’t I just wish you luck on your final final?”

“You can, but that’s never why you come to my room,” he said, a small smile beginning to form on his face again.

“Well, now that you mention it…” Chora recalled, putting a pair of talons to their chin. “I have two things I wanted to see you about.”

They took off their hind legs, leaving their upper body to simply float in place. They rummaged through the cavernous space in their hindquarters before pulling out two letters.

“It appears your folks have written to you once more,” Chora said, putting back on their lower half like a Kre-O piece.

Night Shade took the letters in his magic, ripping them out of their envelopes. His eyes scanned the contents of both letters before his face fell.

“They’re not coming to my graduation ceremony…”

“Oh, dude…”

Chora immediately grabbed him again. Night Shade accepted the embrace and reciprocated it. He gently wept into their shoulder, leaving behind a bunch of black streaks on their grey coat. 

“I don’t know what to say, mate…”

“They don’t want anything to do with me,” the colt moaned. “They’re afraid of me.”

Chora had heard this before. At first, it sounded like he was being paranoid. That his fear of himself maybe let him imagine that his own parents were trying to get rid of him. However, as the years went by, it started to seem less like paranoia and more like a very real possibility.

They combed through his mane with their claws. They held him tightly, before he eventually separated from them once more.

“I’m sorry,” Night Shade almost whispered. “It seems like I am always crying when we meet.”

“Hey, I don’t care about that. I wouldn’t have stuck by you if I did, heh…”

The colt tried to suck up some of the snot dripping from his nose; Chora pulled out a tissue box for him. He blew his nose and wiped away the rest of his tears.

“Yeah, but sometimes I think I give you way too much emotional labor…”

“Yeah, you can be a lot, but…”

Chora cloned themself by twenty this time.

“I can be just as much,” all the clones said in unison.

Night Shade chuckled. He then remembered: “So, what was the second thing?” 

“Oh,” they said, making the clones go away once more. “I was gonna bum some hay off you, but I don’t think I need it now. I have decided.”

“Decided what?”

“How to celebrate you finally completing your specialty!”

They floated up into the air again. “Meet me at the campground. Same spot as usual. Bring some buds, some shrooms, and a pipe. I got a surprise waiting for you.”

Chora winked at Night Shade. He returned a giggle.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll be there after my exam.”

“Nice! See you then!” 

Chora began to float away. Just as they turned the corner, they poofed back into existence right in front of Night Shade. They leaned in close to them, a seductive look in their eyes, and said:

“Unless, of course, you want some company tonight to give you some ‘good luck’…”

Night Shade chortled and said: “Alright, you horny chaos goblin, I actually need to study.”

“I can wait on your bed.”

“I’m gonna be working with the jar foal again.”

The chaos goblin cringed. 

“Okay, maybe not tonight. That thing creeps me out. It’s a shame. I thought you would do whatever to give you that ‘edge.’ Hmmmm, maybe I can be your wake-up call. Wouldn’t you love to wake up to my head in between your hind legs in the morning?”

Night Shade rolled his eyes.

“See you tomorrow on the campgrounds,” he said.

“Alright dude, your loss. See ya there, Hollows,” Chora said, shrugging her shoulder before snapping out of existence.

“Al-right, then,” Night Shade said, closing the door. “Now, studying.”

Each dorm room in The Celestial School for the Gifted (formerly Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Foals) came equipped with what Princess Twilight deemed the “basic necessities.” Among those were: a bed, a storage chest that was bigger on the inside, a desk, a dresser, and a bookshelf (the princess was adamant about that last one). Many students used the bookshelf to organize their textbooks, but Night Shade didn’t decorate his in the same way. 

On the top shelf sat two pots (one with a thriving black rose and one with a dead, dried-up plant), a crystal ball, a black mirror, and, the most unsettling one, a stillborn pegasus foal floating in a large jar of formaldehyde. Each served a purpose in his studies of “the dark arts.” The potted plants (both dead and living) let him practice phytomancy (and the subskill of “phytonecromancy”); the crystal ball allowed him to see what the castee when under his illusions; the black mirror gave him a summoning medium; and the stillborn foal in a jar was one of the few ways he could practice necromancy outside the cadaver lab. 

The other three shelves served as his very own encyclopedia. Due to the “restricted” texts being prohibited from leaving the government building grounds, as well as being unable to get access to the section without the supervision of his professor, he had to take really, really extensive notes. So extensive that he barely managed to get permission from the princess to keep them in his own dorm room (with the caveat that he enchants them so that no one could read them but him). 

Night Shade took the black mirror and “jar foal'' off his shelf, along with two notebooks, and placed them on his desk. He then rummaged through his chest, pulling out an electric fan. He opened the window and aimed the fan right at it before turning it on.

“Alright,” the colt said, pulling out a gas mask from his dress. “Let’s do this!”

He fastened the mask to his face before once more cracking the lid of the jar open.

“Oh! Hold on!” he yelped to himself. He then took out a plastic tablecloth from the closet, levitated everything off the table, and laid the sheet over his desk.

“Okay,” he sighed, gently placing the items back down where they were. “Now let’s do this!”







“So I told the griffin, ‘that’s not a cub, that’s an omelette!’” the grey pinto colt declared.

“Booooooo!” the figure in the black mirror said. “You suck!”

“Oh, go fuck yourself; you’re dead,” Night Shade muttered with indignance.

“And you’re gonna kill me again out of boredom!” the apparition in the mirror said back. “Get better material! Your ‘tight five’ sucks!”

“Well, it’s not like comedy is my special talent, anyways.”

“Yeah, stick to dark magic, kid.”

“Alright, enough of you,” the unicorn stated. His horn bubbled with dark magic once more before casting a black ray onto the mirror. Soon enough, the ghostly apparition replaced itself with his own visage.

“Everyone’s a critic,” Night Shade muttered under his breath. He grabbed the items off his desk with his magic (after making sure the lid was tight on the jar) and shoved them back onto the shelf where they were before. He turned off the fan, disintegrated the plastic sheet, and packed everything else back into their proper spots. 

He abruptly stood up, paying close attention to his surroundings. He put his ear to the door. No hoofsteps or chatter heard. He looked out his window; it was lights out now, meaning no one was allowed outside their dorm room aside from the night watch ponies. None of which appeared outside his window at the moment. He then cut the lights and scurried to his chest. 

Inside lay the fan he just used, as well as some cloaks for the seasons. He scanned the inside, locating a crystal in the floor. When he cast a spell on it, it turned black, revealing a hidden compartment. The place where he kept the “special” plant for “relaxing after a hard day.” They had a purple glowing gem above them to give them the “sunlight” they needed. Next to the pot was a container of pre-dried buds from the plant. He snatched those up, grabbed a pipe from his dresser, and ground up a bud in his magic before stuffing the little bits into the pipe. With a small flair, a little black flame floated in midair as if it burned the wick of a candle. He sat on his bed and brought the little flame closer to him before—

“Alright.”

“Eep!” Night Shade yelped, quickly trying to stash away the evidence under his pillow.

“Ent you a bit young to be doin’ that stuff?” the voice said again, coming from the window.

The colt turned towards the voice and saw the outline of a stallion sitting in the window still. He looked to be wearing a hoodie, and his right forehoof appeared to be gleaming like metal in the moonlight.

“Relax, I ent a blobmouth,” the voice reassured. “Besides, I am a skip of yours. Or, at least of yer dad, if you happen to remember.”

Memories of the time he got his cutie mark rushed through the colt’s head. That accent! That weird slang! He did remember this stallion! He was older now, but it must be—

“Short Circuit, or Shortie if you can’t recall,” the silhouette said. “It ‘as been a while since then. Figured I would pop by an’ give you a little visit.”

“How are you here?” Night Shade asked. “It’s lights out. Visitors aren’t allowed after lights out.”

“An’ drugs like cannabis are prohibited on the campus, yet you still were about to ‘light up,’” Shortie retorted with a chuckle. Shortie swore he saw a bead of sweat trickle down Night Shade’s face.

“As I said, I ent gonna report you. However…” Shortie took a quick pause for dramatic effect before continuing: “…you can guarantee me silence if you let me take a tewthree puffs off that pipe. Mind if I come in by the way?”

The teen colt sighed. 

“Not like I have much of a choice in the matter,” he said beckoning the stallion to come in.

“You always ‘ave a choice. Some just ‘ave undesirable consequences.”

Shortie sat on the bed right next to the colt. Night Shade took his pipe out from under his pillow, and lit it without any disturbance. He took a draw, inhaled, and exhaled the smoke from his lungs. He sucked on the pipe a few more times before finally passing it to Shortie.

“So,” Shortie started off, relighting the pipe with a small flame coming out of his metal hoof, dragging on the pipe while doing so. “I didn’t expect for you to be boarding ‘ere.”

“Why so? The ‘madhouse’ is where ponies like me are put by default.”

“Naaa, naaa, not this dorm in particular, though, when I was ‘ere, only one pony was put here, an’ that pony was Screwball.”

Shortie paused for a moment before moving on.

“But that’s off-topic. What I meant was that I am surprised you’re boarding in this school at all. You seem like the kind of colt that would have appreciated living with your parents.”

“Well, yeah,” the colt began, leaning back on his bed. “Things have gotten a little complicated with them.”

After taking one more puff and passing it back, Shortie queried: “‘Ow so?”

The colt took a long draw off his pipe, before going into a coughing fit. 

“Easy there, little bloke,” Shortie said, patting his back.

Once the fit passed, the colt took a smaller draw from the pipe before passing it back. He exhaled the smoke, along with any reservations about telling random creatures you don’t know that well about your personal struggles, before continuing onwards:

“It just feels like they want to push me away,” Night Shade said. “Like they want to keep me at arm’s length. I think…they’re afraid of me.”

“What makes you think that?” Shortie wondered.

“Well,” he began. “I guess it began when I showed my parents what I learn during my first magic class…”





“Mom! Dad! Look!” the little Night Shade yelled. “Look at what I learned today!”

“Oh, sure sweetie,” Spore Sprout replied. “Honey, don’t you want to see what our foal has learned?”

Archimedes suddenly straightened himself in his chair. The princess had been working him hard for the past two week or two. Tonight was one of the few nights he had to enjoy dinner with his family, and yet he found his enjoyment hampered by his lack of sleep.

“Oh, sure, please do,” Archimedes said in a weary tone of voice.

“Awesome!” the colt yelled. He then lit up his horn. The purple and green fumes filled the air. The unicorn foal then focused himself. Soon enough, black magic crackled across a single grape on the table, before being plucked off it’s stem, eventually being deposited into the colt’s waiting mouth.

“Ta da!” he proclaimed, chewing up his prize.

His parents on the other hand did not share the same enthusiasm. Spore Sprout tried to fake a smile, but seeing that kind of magic come out of her foal in person brought back memories. Memories of despair and hopelessness. Memories of when she had doubts about whether the heroes of Equestria could actually pull through.

“That’s…great,” she tried to congratulate, trying her hardest to keep a smile on her face. “I’m so proud of you.”

Archimedes just sat and bobbed his head in agreement, opting to not say anything and let his wife do the talking here.

Unfortunately, their attempts to feign excitement were for naught, as Night Shade picked up on their lack of enthusiasm. He could feel his confidence in his newfound abilities slipping away from him. He came to the conclusion that he probably shouldn’t show them anymore of what he would learn.


***


“Wait, I’m going to be staying here?” Night Shade asked his dad. The colt stood by a bunch of bags. Each one contained some of the colt’s belongings, from toys, to favorite snack, to clothes (or the few the little unicorn needed).

“Ja, zon, unfortunately, your mozer had to go back to Manehattan to attend to her mycology job and I vill not be able to take you home until my probationary period is up,” Archimedes told his son. His voice portrayed an uncertainty that gave the impression that he wasn’t being entirely honest when he spoke. “It vill not be forever, just until your mozer has everysing sorted and ven I can spend more time in ze house.”

“Do I really have to be here?” the colt pleaded. “I’m a big colt! I can be alone during the nights. Please don’t abandon me!”

Black tears began to pool in the colt’s red and black eyes. Archimedes ripped his head away from his son’s face, not wanting to look into the constant reminder of his foal’s destiny and potential capabilities.

“It’s for ze best,” he said distantly. He stepped into the carriage before it pulled away, leaving him at the gates of the school one last time.


***


“So, I am not going home for the summer break?” the little unicorn questioned his professor. They both stood in the room Black Mass had set up for his magic lessons in The Lunar Order headquarters. It had been proofed for any potential accidents to be contained, not unlike one of his adult apprentices.

Black Mass casted away his own pair of “Eyes of the Abyss” and dabbed the dark tears leaking from them with a tissue before answering.

“Unfortunately, it appears your parents aren’t coming to pick you up, and have told the school you will be staying for the summer program,” Black Mass answered. His typical stony face seemed to soften ever so slightly giving the news to him. In the coming months since Night Shade began his studies there, Black Mass ended up becoming a the colt’s de-facto “advisor.” He wondered if this was normal for “unique” cases like the little unicorn. “On the bright side, it means we don’t have to stop learning, and you will be able to move ahead in your studies faster. Though, I likely will not be giving you as much work regardless.”

Night Shade looked to the ground, and shifted his hooves a little where he stood. Black streaks already began to lightly stain his face. A side effect of the inky substance that ran down his face often, especially when practicing this kind of magic as much as he had.

“Will I ever go home, professor?” the unicorn colt whimpered to the ground. His eyes moistened as he pawed at the floor below him.

Black Mass raised a hoof, before hesitating. Did he need to step into this role? Was it even his place to? However, something in his mind changed when the inky tears started to trace the foal’s face once more. He rested a hoof on the colt’s withers and answered him as honestly as possible.

“I don’t know,” he simply said. It was all that he could offer to the poor colt.


***


“Is there no more mail?”

“Nah, dude, that’s all they gave me,” Chora explained.

“Oh,” Night Shade said, dejected.

“You expecting something?”

“Yeah, my parents normally give me a letter at least every week,” he clarified, brushing his lengthening hair out of his face. “This is the first letter I have gotten from them in a month. I thought there might have just been a holdup.”

“Sorry dude, they didn’t give me anything else.”

Chora wrapped a forehoof around his neck and pulled him close. Night Shade in turn gently wept into their coat.

“I miss my mommy and daddy,” he cried. “I haven’t seen them in so long.”

“I know, dude,” Chora offered. “I miss my parents too. But, hey, maybe they've just been especially busy this month to send a letter. Maybe they’ll give you another letter soon. Speaking of which, did you have one you wanted to be sent out by the way?”

Night Shade pulled away from him and nodded. He levitated an already sealed letter, and handed it to the thestral. 

Shoving the letter into their bag, they waved Night Shade goodbye, leaving him behind in his dorm. Just before he could sulk in his bed, Chora once again popped into existence in front of him.

“Yo, you wanna head to the campground later?” they posed to the unicorn.

“Oh, uh, sure,” he replied, taken off guard by their sudden appearance and question.

“Great! See ya there, Shady!”

Then they popped out of existence, leaving Night Shade alone once more. He threw himself onto his bed and buried his face into his pillow. He still intended to sulk, but at least he had a hangout to look forward to.





“They never did send more than once a month after that,” he pointed out. As he recounted those events, something began to bubble up towards the surface. He took back the pipe Shortie finished smoking and spent up whatever was left in the bowl. He held his breath for five seconds, before finally letting the cloud go free.

“T-they…” he stammered. “They’re…afraid…of me.”

Night Shade buried his face in his hooves and began to softly weep. Shortie took the pipe out of his hoof, rested it on the desk, and wrapped an arm around him.

“They think,” the colt uttered between sobs. “They think I’ll become a monster. And they don’t want to be close to the monster I could become.”

Shortie gently tapped Night Shade's withers with one hoof, trying his best to comfort the poor colt. Despite that, he just didn’t quite have the wherewithal to do so, even if he really wanted to. It just wasn't something he had much experience with.

“I imagine that’s tough to deal with,” Shortie said, still patting his back. “I don’t know if that is what your parents feel in their 'earts, but I know that you probably won’t turn into the next King Sombra.”

Night Shade sniffled. “Yeah, crybabies like me don’t make particularly good villains.”

“I wouldn’t say that. Some are villains because they let their emotions get out of control. But you know why I don’t think you will be a threat?”

“How so?”

“Because you care about others. Now, caring can also lead to villainy, but it tends to be more easily steered towards good.”

“What if I lose that?”

“I don’t think you will.”

“How do you know?”

“Call it a hunch, I guess.”

The colt wiped his face with his hoofs. “Okay then.”

“Yer dad told me you were a well sensitive foal.”

Night Shade chuckled a bit, “And I still am, I guess.”

He let out a big sigh and threw himself back onto his bed. 

“I guess I still haven’t grown up just yet.”

“Maybe, but it’s not because you’re a big crybaby.”

The colt’s eyes rolled back onto Shortie.

“Maturity is about responsibility for the most part. At least that’s how I interpret it. Everybody cries sometimes, but it’s what you do about the things that make you blart that matters the most.”

Night Shade took a deep breath, and then let it go. “I guess so, then. So, what should I do about it?”

Shortie shrugged his shoulders, “I dunno. Maybe find a different family? Find some people who will be there for you, even if your folks aren’t. An’ then maybe talk to your folks about this. If you think they aren’t demonstrating that they love you enough, tell them that. Even if they don’t take you seriously, you will always ‘ave a chosen family to fall back on.”

“Okay then.”

They both sat in silence for a bit. The colt observed the little spots on his room’s ceiling while Shortie counted by two in his head. Eventually, Shortie broke the ice once more.

“So, you’re in the “madhouse” dorm,” Shortie initiated. “There’re quite a couple or three more residents ’ere than last I was. As I said, the only pony I knew that was ’ere was Screwball. I think 'ers contracted to tutor somepony in chaos magic.”

“Yeah, their name is Chora. They’re a bat pony.”

“You know them?”

“A little, yeah. They’re a bit much but genuinely enjoyable to be around.”

“Oh? That sounds like you know them a bit more than a little, now…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The colt’s face burned with embarrassment. He turned away in an attempt to hide his blush from the inquisitive stallion.

“Well well, does someone ’ave a partner?” Shortie teased. “Tell me more about them.”

“They aren’t my partner!” Night Shade nearly shouted. “A-at least, not now.”

“I still wanna know more. So, spill.” 

“W-well, I like to hang around them. We like to talk about what we learn in our studies. They show me something cool, I show them something cool. Usually, we tend to go to the Castle of the Two Sisters to do so.”

“That’s a little far from here, no?”

“Yeah, but it’s ideal since it is in ruin and there’s plenty of, uh, material to work with.”

“What you mean by ‘material?’”

“Oh, you know. Vines, rocks, open space…corpses…”

“Wait, there are corpses in the Castle of the Two Sisters?”

The colt’s voice grew soft and timid.

“Mostly just bones at this point. Nothing fresh. The cadaver lab in the med section of the campus is the only place where I would get to use ‘fresh’ bodies.”

Shortie whistled. “Didn’t think they would teach you that ‘dark art.’ Usually, it’s a big no-no across the board in this country.”

“Normally it is, but I have a specific qualification to do it. It’s why there’s a foal in a jar on my bookshelf.”

“Huh, didn’t notice. And that is quite creepy. You make it move?”

“Well, yeah, of course.”

Shortie shivered at the thought of that thing moving. Night Shade couldn’t help but snicker at his discomfort around something he had gotten so used to handling now.

“Couldn’t be me. Back to Chora.”

“Oh, okay. Well, we sometimes would hang out in each other’s rooms. It’s not difficult considering they’re a floor down from me.”

A mischievous glint in Shortie’s eye signaled trouble for the teenager. He shot his next question at the teen with great swiftness, while also keeping it in line with the flow of the the conversation so not to tip him off immediately. He wanted to see how quickly he would gain back his impaired wits:

“Did you 'fool around' with them?” 

“Yeah, quite a bit act— wait, hey!”

Shortie howled out laughing. He couldn’t believe how well that actually worked! At best he expected the latter half of his response, not the actual answer! 

Night Shade on the other hand no longer was white with grey patches. His coat instead swapped out the white parts for a bright red. 

“I was joking…but you gave…an actual answer!” Shortie choked out in between his heaves. 

“It’s not funny,” Night Shade muttered, still in disbelief that he actually admitted to that fact.

“It’s pretty funny,” Shortie replied, finally beginning to calm down. 

“The question we all needed an answer to. Does the newest member of ‘The Lunar Order of the Dark Arts’ fuck? The answer is ar! Heheheh…”

“Oh, knock it off!” Night Shade lashed out. He then muttered: “And I’m not yet in the Lunar Order…”

“It’s alright, kid. From what I have heard about you around this campus, you’re as bostin as in there already. Also, that other chop’s nothin’ to be embarrassed about. I meself was notorious on these campuses…”

“Welp!” the colt declared, shooting up from off his bed. “It was nice of you to visit, but I need sleep before my final tomorrow. So, if you will be so kind…”

The colt gestured to the window, inviting the stallion in his room to leave. 

“Alright, I can take a hint,” Shortie said. He got up, walked to the window, and put one hoof outside before pausing.

“Oh, one last chops…”

“What?” the colt said, getting more annoyed by the second. 

“D’ya still have the remote I gave you?”

And with that question, the annoyance Night Shade felt was forgotten.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, I still do,” the colt replied. He rummaged through a drawer on the bottom of his dresser, pulling out the remote that was thrust into his hoof all those years ago.

“Lemme see,” Shortie said. Night Shade dropped the remote in his hoof. After turning it in his hooves, inspecting every aspect of it, he gave it back to the colt. 

“I’d suggest you keep that on you of tomorrow,” Short Circuit forebode without a hint of humor. “You might need it.”

“Wait, wha…? What do you mean? Is something coming?” Night Shade questioned. What could he possibly mean by that?

“…I don’t know.” 

The stallion then jumped out the window.

“Hey! Wait!” 

The colt rushed to the window, but it was too late. Somehow, he disappeared into thin air. 

Confusion occupied Night Shade’s mind. He then looked at the remote in his hoof. 

What could he mean? he thought to himself. What’s gonna happen tomorrow? Also, how did he get up here in the first place? This room is on the third floor!

After some thinking, he decided that this was a problem for future Night Shade to deal with. He placed the remote in the pocket of the cloak he planned to wear tomorrow for safe keepings and plunked himself face-first into his bed. Present Night Shade needed to rest for an exam tomorrow.
> 2 - Air Supply
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A yawn escaped Night Shade’s mouth. The scent of formaldehyde invaded his nose. The body of a relatively older mare laid before him, as well as a dead potted plant.

Yep, he stood inside the cadaver lab. Technically it was not a part of the school itself, but the Canterlot Medical Institute that stood close by. Here lay the bodies of different creatures (mostly ponies) who donated their remains in order to further the education of up-and-coming medical professionals. Normally, the institution reserved the cadavers for creatures within the “medical” branch of magic. 

Today was an exception. 

Night Shade’s professor stood over his shoulder. The jet-black unicorn stallion held a clipboard in his green magic and scribbled some preliminary notes before finally speaking up.

“Okay,” he said. “What you are going to do is bring that plant back to life, then animate this body, have it walk into that room over there”—he pointed to the dark room off to the side—“and recite the text you see through its eyes on the poster inside. Understand?”

Night Shade nodded and lit up his horn and eyes. 

“Begin.”

Black lightning danced across the pot, before sinking itself into the soil. The pot began to vibrate, humming with the energy that built itself up. Soon, the dried-up foliage began to fill itself with life. The stems grew thick and sappy. The stems grew thick and strong. A vibrant green spread itself throughout the previously dead leaves. Some buds appeared on the stems, before fully blooming like it were spring. 

The professor gave Night Shade a curt nod, showing he had done a satisfactory job with this part of the exam.

The black magic then crackled across the body lying on the table. Suddenly, its eyes fluttered open, glowing with green energy. It proceeded to push itself up from the table as if it was alive once more.

“Impressive, very life-like,” the professor noted.

The dead mare lept off the table and trotted over to the dark closet, even closing the door behind her. Night Shade closed his own glowing green eyes tightly, scrunching his face in concentration.

“Can you see the text?” the professor asked.

“This mare’s eyesight isn’t great,” the colt complained.

“Shouldn’t matter. You should be able to overcome it.”

The purple and green light glowed brighter as he focused more magic into the body in his control. Eventually, his face relaxed as he began to read the message.

“If you can read this, you have passed the test. Just summon an imp to retrieve your certification from underneath this poster. I knew I could count on you. Welcome to the club. Wait, really?”

“You read that correctly. There is a summoning circle inside there already. Cast the summoning spell through the body you have under your control.”

Black droplets already fell from the corners of his eyes, but he remained undeterred. More purple smoke poured from his horn and eyes as he focused more magic into his currently active spells. After a few minutes (and some shuffling inside the closet), a tiny, smokey creature popped out, followed by the dead mare he puppeted. The cadaver returned itself to its spot on the desk and let the glow in its eyes fade. The fuming imp tossed a piece of paper next to the colt before disappearing into thin air.

Night Shade let the magic subside from his horns and eyes, leaving behind the fresh inky tears that traced the black streaks on his face. He opened his eyes for the first time since starting this, and let them rest on the paper the imp retrieved for him.

There it was. Everything he had been working towards. A certificate of full membership to The Lunar Order of the Dark Arts. He couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t know what to say,” the colt said, staring in disbelief at the paper before him. More black streaks trailed his face the longer he looked at it.

“How about a ‘thank you,’” the jet black stallion added.

Night Shade grabbed the stallion and wept into his coat.

“Thank you, professor,” he muttered. “For everything.”

The stallion rolled his eyes and wrapped a hoof around the colt. 

“You did most of the work,” he responded, patting him on his back. “You wouldn’t have gotten here if you didn’t work as hard as you did.”

“Also, you are no longer my pupil. You are now my colleague. So, don’t call me professor anymore. Just call me Sir ‘Black Mass.’” 

Night Shade pulled away from Black Mass, sniffling. 

“Okay, Sir Black Mass,” he said, smiling through his tears. 

“Now, go away!” the stallion exclaimed playfully, giving the colt a shove. “I’ll take care of all this stuff. Go and spend the rest of the day with some friends or whatever. You earned it!”

Night Shade nodded, enveloped his certificate in the dark crackle of his magic, and galloped away, busting out of the lab, then the building, towards his dormitory. 

He did it! He finally did it!







Night Shade sat on the edge of his bed. He looked down, staring at his certificate. He still couldn’t believe it.

The colt heard a knock on the door. He looked up before resting the paper on the desk and opening the door.

“Well, seems like something’s got you cheerful,” Chora teased, their body floating along like usual. “You pass your certification?”

The colt nodded before grabbing them out of the air and squeezing them with all his might. He could barely contain his excitement.

“Woah, dude!” Chora squeaked out before poofing out of his grip. “Damn, I get that you’re excited, but you gotta let me breathe.”

Night Shade rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Sorry, got a little carried away.”

“Yeah, clearly. So, where is it? Lemme see!”

The colt levitated his certificate to show them. It had an ink sketch of the “mare on the moon” with a bunch of occult symbols. His name was printed on top of everything, officially naming him as a member of “The Lunar Order of the Dark Arts.”

“Dude!” Chora blurted out. “That is sick! Those guys really do know how to make a cool certificate. My surprise is gonna go perfectly with this!”

“Well, it is after my exam and I have passed. What is this ‘surprise?’”

“Nuh-uh, dude, I told you that you were getting it while we were on the campgrounds. Oh yeah, you should bring that with you.”

“But it will get dirty…”

“Nah, trust me, it’ll be fine. You do have the stuff, right?”

The colt rolled his eyes and wandered back to his storage chest. A few flashes of magic later, he pulled out a few bags of green cannabis buds and some dried mushrooms.

“Nice,” they said. “Let’s go!”

“Wait, now?”

“Hell yeah, dude! I have a tent set up and everything!”

“But what about…”

Chora rolled up the certificate and pushed it into their ear.

“See, all safe. Now let’s go!”

Chora grabbed his hoof and yanked Night Shade into the air before poofing out of existence. No use in waiting! It was time to celebrate!







“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” a jet black stallion greeted, taking a deep bow to the throne before him. 

“Rise, Sir Black Mass,” the princess responded. The stallion rose to his hooves, looking the princess in the eye. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Sir Mass?”

“My pupil has completed his training and shall be welcomed onto The Lunar Order,” he answered.

“I see,” Twilight pondered. “What is your assessment of his mental state? Will we have to worry about him in the future?”

The stallion shook his head. “Other than absorbing a blackened sense of humor, which I personally think tends to come with the field, he is quite a sensitive and soft colt. I do not think he has the capacity to cause harm. Maybe even to his detriment.”

“Hm,” the princess hummed. “That is a little reassuring. However, we cannot simply write this off as a ‘problem solved.’ There are still way too many variables in play here.” The princess slumped back into her seat. “Not to mention a new thorn in my side revealing itself recently.”

“Would you happen to be talking about the Daybreakers?”

“Yes, the Daybreakers.” 

“They seem like an interesting bunch.”

“An ‘interesting bunch’ who have decided to make it my problem that they’re unhappy with creatures other than them getting some respect for a change.”

The princess heaved a sigh of exhaustion before sitting up on her throne once more.

“I don’t know what to do about them,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “On one hoof, they seem like something that will probably fizzle out on its own. Just not acknowledge it and let them ‘revolt against the modern Equestria’ all by themselves. On the other hoof, they seem to be a growing movement. From what I can gather of their ideology, I can foresee nothing but destruction. This isn’t something one bad guy is pulling the strings for. These are just average ponies!”

She took a deep breath and continued.

“I feel like I should stamp this out now before it gets out of hand. But what do I do about them without just straight up hunting the members of the movement down like a tyrant?”

“Hm,” Black Mass droned. “Maybe you should ask a political advisor that question. I can only give you answers as they relate to ‘the dark arts,’ and this doesn’t seem like a problem that falls under my expertise.”

“Yeah, that would make things easier. Sorry for dumping my troubles on you. You are not the one who can help me with them. But I believe I know who can. Regardless, thanks for bringing me the good news. I shall give him a visit tomorrow as congratulations!”

“I am certain he would be absolutely astounded by that,” Black Mass chuckled. “And likely cry a little.”

Twilight let out a little giggle herself.

“You’re probably right. Regardless, Sir Black Mass, you are dismissed.”

The black stallion took his leave and left the princess’s presence. Once the door to her throne room was shut, she called out to her number one assistant.

“Spike!”

“I’m coming,” a voice replied. Out walked a purple and green dragon that was slightly taller and more slender than they were years ago, sporting a yellow off-the-shoulder top over a black bra with black leggings. 

“Nice outfit, Spike. What are you dressing up for? Oh! And how shall I address you today?”

“Any which way, today,” Spike responded, checking his nails. “And no occasion, today is just a more fem day. Now, what’s up? You caught me just as I was about to head out.”

“I need you to send a letter for me if you don’t mind. It’s something important.”

“Twilight,” Spike said. “Whatever the problem is, are you sure you need to contact Princess Celestia about it? She has been saying for years that you can’t rely on her for every problem you face as ruler.” 

“Well, technically Spike, this does involve her,” she stated smugly. Twilight’s face fell before she continued onwards. “And besides, I think potentially seditious groups are a good reason to get her input. I have a feeling Celestia might know a thing or two about putting down rebellions without stepping into tyranny.”

“Alright, if you say so,” Spike said with a shrug. She blew some fire into one claw. When the embers cleared, all that was left was some parchment and a quill.

“Thanks, Spike,” she said, levitating the stationary towards her. 

“Okay, now how to word this,” Twilight considered. “Okay, ‘Dear Princess Celestia, It has been a while since we last talked in pony. I feel that I have a matter that is of grave importance to the survival of Equestria, and I require your advice…’”







Dusk threatened to swallow the day, allowing for the night to come out and play. Despite that, the dawn of the summer season allowed for daylight to hang around well past its welcome. The two teenagers on the campground, however, did not hold any ill will towards it. The light of day could not stop their night activities.

The campgrounds lay just a little bit before the castle walls, right where the lake and forest would meet. They were open for anyone to set up camp if they pleased. One of the most well-known demographics that took advantage of this was teenagers. They would set up camp and have some (not always entirely legal) fun with each other, whether that was to play some games, fool around, drink, do drugs, do all of the above, or do none of it.

Due to this, at least one pair of Guards patrolled the area, ensuring the safety of all those who decided to partake in the land. That, however, usually meant ensuring medical treatment was given to everypony who needed it and ensuring no one was murdered. Sometimes they would do a “wellness check” on anyone who stands out (i.e. is exceptionally loud). Sometimes that “wellness check” would result in those teens getting their illicit substances taken away. That was just how it went sometimes. It was always a toss-up to see if you were out with one of the “cool Guards.”

Tonight, only one tent planted itself into the ground. Fortunately for the two teens inside, that meant they didn’t have to be too quiet to not disturb the other campers. They still couldn’t be loud enough to put the Guards on alert, but at least they wouldn’t have to deal with other ponies bitching to them about how they were “trying to sleep.”

In spite of that, it seemed like the two Guards had nothing better to do regardless, so they initiated a “wellness check” on the two teens anyways.

“Good evening,” the Guard said, poking his head inside the flap of the tent.

“Good evening, sir,” Chora and Night Shade responded.

“Is everything okay in here?” the guard asked.

“Yep, everything is cool,” Night Shade answered with a smile.

“You two aren’t up to no good now, are you?”

“Nope, everything we have is age-appropriate.”

Within their tent, they had bags of chips, soda bottles, and even a small radio blasting out some fun tunes (see: jungle/drum & bass).

“Hmmm,” the Guard hummed. He contemplated whether or not to bother searching them further. He already knew they were definitely from The Celestial School for the Gifted, so the “special look” both of them had wasn’t particularly suspicious. Since he didn’t have any suggestion of any serious harm they could cause (and didn’t particularly feel all that “active” tonight), he made up his mind. 

“Alright then, have fun you two!”

The Guard’s head retreated to the outside world, the flap sealing the teens inside once more. After waiting for the hoofsteps to get quieter and quieter, and watching the guards move into a position that would allow them to watch the whole field, the two teenagers resumed their shenanigans.

“Well, that was close,” Night Shade said, letting go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Hey, it wasn’t like they were gonna find our stuff anyways,” Chora reassured, unscrewing one of their forelegs and shaking out the contents, revealing the buds and shrooms they were partaking in prior.

“Well, maybe not,” Night Shade giggled. “Still, you never know with the Guards. Thank Celestia we got a lazy-ass one tonight.”

“Wouldn’t have mattered,” Chora expressed, screwing their foreleg back on. “As I just said, they wouldn’t have found shit anyways.”

“True, true.”

“Oh!” Chora cried out. “I almost forgot something.”

“What could that be?”

“Your surprise!”

Chora then reached into their ear and pulled out the certificate they stored there earlier. 

“So, here’s surprise number one.”

Chora unraveled the certificate and flapped it a few times before it went poof. When the smoke cleared, the certificate now was in a silver frame, decorated with various occult symbols that were awash in a sea of dark magic.

“I figured a certification as cool as this deserved a frame just as cool.”

“Woah!” Night Shade yelled, ripping the framed certificate away from Chora. “That is amazing! Thanks so much!”

He threw his forelegs around their neck and squeezed them tight.

“Thanks so much, you’re the best!”

“Ah, ah, ah. Don’t thank me just yet!”

Chora unscrewed one of their back legs and pulled out an ornate bottle of what appeared to be—

“Whiskey?” Night Shade thought out loud. His eyes opened in realization. “Wait a second, that’s top-shelf stuff! How did you even get your hands on it!”

“I have my ways,” Chora said, a Cheshire Cat-like grin spreading on their face.

“You didn’t steal it, did you?”

“Nah, I can assure you that much, but I can’t tell any more than that.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a secret, and I Pinkie Promised not to.”

“Ah, damn. Oh well…”

Night Shade snatched the bottle away from Chora. 

“Nothing left to do but try it.”

He popped the cork off and was about to drink before a thought came to him.

“Oh, can you poof this into my room back in the dorms? I would rather not have it here.”

“Ah, it would be fine. Not even an explosion or fire could touch the certificate while in that frame. But, if it makes you feel better.”

Chora grabbed back the framed certificate, the thing that certified Night Shade as a member of an org he had been training most of his school days to gain membership, and scrunched their face really hard. After a few moments, they threw the certificate up in the air. They motioned to clap their hooves, and just when their hooves were about to meet the certificate again, it vanished into thin air.

“Done,” they said with a confident smile.

“Excellent.”

The colt took a big gulp of the amber liquid. The next thing he knew, he was hacking up his lungs. Chora, on the other hand, couldn’t help but howl at the consequences of Night Shade’s misplaced gusto. 

“Oh dude, probably should have sipped the shit instead of just gulping it.”

“Ack…you don’t…say.”

It took a few minutes for the burning sensation to subside from his throat, enabling speech for him once more. 

“Ugh, I forgot this shit is murder on your throat,” Night Shade finally uttered.

“Yeah, maybe you should have remembered your experience with the bottom shelf shit,” Chora said smugly. They then took up the pipe and lit it, taking a big draw.

“Come here,” they muttered with lungs full of smoke. Night Shade only just had enough time to turn his head before he found himself with Chora’s lips planted on his, blowing smoke into his mouth.

Once there was no more left for Chora to give, their lips parted. Night Shade almost instinctively inhaled the smoke they had given him, before letting it flow out of him. A small cough came up from his chest as he cleared out the smoke he had taken in.

“Why’d you do that?” Night Shade asked with a loopy tone of voice. 

“Just because,” Chora answered.

Night Shade giggled like a little school filly.

“Hehe, I think the shrooms are starting to kick in with you,” Chora commented, noting their own growing lunacy. 

“Hey, hey Chora,” the chortling colt managed to get out.

“What?” the equally snickering thestral replied.

“Did you know your colors are pretty?” he managed to say in between laughs.

“What?” they tittered. “I’m just gray, heheheh.”

“But it’s a pretty gray,” he shot back, still unable to contain his laughs.

“Well, okay,” they conceded. A devious smirk spread across their face. “How pretty is it?”

An equally devilish grin plastered its way on the colt’s face too.

“Pretty enough for me to wanna do…this!” 

He then pounced on the thestral, ravaging their body like a cat to a mouse. Squeals of delight emanated from the tent. A tent which the two Guards watching over them both decided would be more trouble than it was worth to interrupt.
> 3 - Misfortunes are Cruel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hour Glass tossed and turned in her bed. She desperately reached out to the empty air in front of her with her ivory hooves. Her brass mane flew every which way with each flick of her head. She experienced these fits ever since getting her cutie mark last year, especially on nights before stressful events. Things like test days, project due dates, presentations, etc. It tended to be a lot of school related things, which is understandable when one was a student at the premiere magic school in the world: The Celestial School for the Gifted. With the workload put on her, she swore the teachers tried to drive her insane.

Her hypothesis only gained support by the fact that she currently resided in the “madhouse,” or the dorm where the school placed all the creatures with “weird” and “out-there” magical talents. As the spinning hourglass on her flank indicated, her magical specialty was time. That wasn’t a particularly “weird” magical talent, much less “out-there.” However, it also wasn’t common and did fall into the “restricted” section of the Canterlot archives, meaning that there was no predetermined track for her to go on, meaning that she would have to sleep with the weirdos. 

At least there were no boring creatures here.

Since discovering her cutie mark, her magic turned erratic. Sometimes it manifested in surges and unintentional spell casts, but her current predicament was the most common and predictable way. Every so often, she would be terrorized by a vision of a future that would cause her great pain if she didn’t course correct (“great pain” being relative considering when she usually got them).

However, tomorrow morning was the first day of summer break. This wasn’t supposed to happen now. She should be happy to be going home for the summer. So, what caused this episode?

Hour Glass gasped; her grey eyes shot wide open. She jumped out of her bed and her eyes locked onto the clock on her nightstand. 

“Oh no!” she shouted. “Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no! I don’t have much time left!”

She sucked in a big breath of air. 

“Okay, breathe. Calm down. The dorm is going to blow up in five minutes but calm down!”

She quickly ran to her bookshelf and ripped out one of her notebooks. 

“Okay, okay, let’s see,” she said to herself, trying to calm herself down while violently flipping through the pages. “Ah HA!”

She placed the book down on the ground. The pages showed the notes for a short term time travel spell.

“Okay, ten minutes before now should be enough,” she panicked.

“Please, please work,” she muttered to herself, lighting up her horn before disappearing in a flash. The second she vanished, the fire alarms blared.







Hour Glass reappeared right next to her sleeping form. She glanced at her clock.

“Fifteen minutes…”

She quickly threw on a pouch of sand she always wore on her neck, before bolting out the door.

“WAKE UP!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, running down the halls. “WAKE UP! THE DORM IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE! THE DORM IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE!”

She yelled, screamed, and banged on doors, dashing through the hallways like a mad mare. She did have a destination in mind and, soon enough, she stood in front of the dorm parent’s door. 

The dorm parent was a unicorn mare named Moon Dancer. She graduated from this very school years back and now worked as a staff member. Hour Glass slammed her hoof on the door, desperately trying to get her to wake up. 

“Ms. Moon Dancer!” Hour Glass yelled through the door, accompanying her distressed banging. “Wake up! It’s an emergency!”

Eventually, the dorm parent did answer her calls. Moon Dancer didn’t look much different than her usual self, aside from being a bit more disheveled. She still wore her typical navy blue knitted sweater with her purple and red bangs tied so that they pointed upwards, keeping them out of her eyes. The main difference between how she looked now was mostly that her glasses sat ajar on her face. Judging by this, it was likely she fell asleep at her desk. Again. 

Moon Dancer straightened her glasses and looked down at the filly, heavy bags hanging from both of her purple eyes. 

“What’s the matter, Hour Glass?” she croaked out, asking her dorm child. 

“I saw a vision!”

“And what did it say?”

“The dorm is about to blow up! We have to get everypony out right now!”

“Oh. Wait, what!?” Moon Dancer shouted, her eyes popping right open. “Are you sure that was a vision?”

“Yes, now hurry!” Hour Glass said frantically. “We have to get everyone out of here!”

“Pull the fire alarm,” Moon Dancer ordered her. “And then get away from the building. I’ll go and ensure everyone is accounted for.”

Hour Glass could only give her a nod in response before Moon Dancer rushed past her. 

Hour Glass soon found a fire alarm and yanked it with all her might. She may have broken the handle doing so, but the system still blared, its shrill noise alerting the occupants to get out of the building.

Hour Glass turned to run to the exit, but something inside her made her hesitate. Something didn’t feel right inside of her. If she left the building now, she would be the first one out. She knew about this danger before anyone else did. It didn’t seem fair of her to be the first to act on it only to save herself. 

She had to make sure everycreature was outside first.

She ran farther into the building, slamming on whatever doors she thought might have ponies behind them, and giving a (metaphorical and occasionally literal) swift kick in the rear end to get them outside.

“Come on! Hurry!” she shouted to each creature she passed, trying to get them to hustle. She ran through the hallways, trying to make sure no one was left behind.

Pretty soon, she reached the end of the line, or rather the end of the residents area. Realizing this, she at long last decided to make her own escape. However, a passing glance at a random wall clock was all it took to make her freeze up. Her eyes dilated like a deer in headlights. Her vision clouded over. And, in all her fourteen years of life, she uttered her first swear word.

“...shit…”

She crumpled up into a ball as a massive bolt of magic struck the side of the building.







Night Shade and Chora giggled together as they cuddled in the afterglow of their “session.” While they definitely had “peaked” earlier, the effects of the shrooms still persisted in them. The colors still danced off the small imperfections on the flaps of the tent. 

“Hey, Chora,” the colt started. “I like you.”

The thestral in turn snorted.

“I mean, yeah, I would hope so,” they said. “I don’t think you would hang out with me as much if you didn’t.”

They snuggled closer to him, putting their head on his chest.

“I like you too.”

“Good.”

They both let out a few chuckles. Night Shade’s expression then shifted to one of serious contemplation. 

“Hey Chora,” he spoke up once more. “What are we?”

“What do you mean?” Chora asked. “We’re friends, obviously.”

“I don’t think friends fuck each other like we do.”

“I’m sure some do.”

“Hm.”

Chora tittered once more while Night Shade pressed his lips together. Then, taking a deep breath, he finally worked up the courage to say what was on his mind.

“Chora,” he began. “Are we partners?”

The thestral put a claw up to their chin. Then another claw. Then another. After scratching it a few times with each talon, they finally gave their answer. 

“We could be, heheheh.” 

Night Shade chuckled once more, before finally spitting out the question he actually wanted to ask.

“Do you want us to be?”

“Hm,” the thestral hummed. They put their talons up to their chin again, before finally nodding their head.

“Sure! Let’s do that! Can’t be any different from what we already do, right?”

“Heh, yeah, you’re probably right about that.”

“Are you gonna get jealous if I think another pony is hot and want to ‘see more of them?’”

“Well, what if I get to them first?”

“Hah! As if!”

They both broke down with laughter, heaving against each other.

Meanwhile, three sets of hooves stepped closer to their tents, leaving behind the two incapacitated Guards.








When Hour Glass opened her eyes, she didn’t expect to see what she saw. Everything had just…stopped. Embers froze in the air. The cracking floor below her remained stable. The roof above her head held itself together. It was like the building just paused mid-explosion.

“What happened?” she wondered out loud to herself. “Am I dead?”

A searing pain ripped through her head. Her eyes turned upwards to the bright glow coming from her horn.

“Am I doing this?” she asked no one. She picked herself off the ground and dashed over to the nearest window to her. 

She could see what appeared to be thirteen creatures: six ponies, four dragons, two changelings, and the house parent, Moon Dancer. They all stopped dead in their tracks with the shock at what was happening plastered on their faces. 

There are supposed to be fifteen, Hour Glass thought to herself. Another wave of pain crashed through her head, reminding her that she was currently using magic. She needed to get out of the building, and fast!

Looking behind her, she saw the main staircase. A rush of flames bursted out from them, held in place by the halt of time. She figured that the fire would still feel hot, even in this frozen state. Even more pressing, she saw tiny movements in the flames, indicating time would move as normal soon.

The stairs would have taken too long anyways, she thought, trying to power through the pain in her head. 

She turned back to the window. Looking out of it, she understood what she had to do to have a chance at survival. She looked down and guessed that she stood at least one hundred feet up. She took a deep breath, and climbed onto the window still. 

Okay, legs first, she thought. Protect your head.

She braced one hoof on against her face, trying to be considerate of the chance her head hits the ground as well. Without thinking about it, she pushed herself off of the ledge. As she fell to the ground, legs out like a cat about to land on its feet, only one thought crossed her mind:

This is gonna hurt.

When her legs touched the ground, the only thing she heard was a snap followed by a boom. The explosion whipped her body into the air, completely drowning out her cries of pain.

Then, blackness.







“Alright, you degenerates, your fun time is over!” an alabaster unicorn pony with a teal mane yelled from outside Chora and Night Shade’s tent.  His baby blue eyes lit up in fury. “Come on out before we drag you out ourselves!”

“Who is that?” Night Shade wondered out loud.

“Doesn’t sound like anyone I know,” Chora responded.

“Alright!” the pony shouted. His horn lit up and the tent tore open, leaving the newly official couple on full display to the outside world. “Times up!”

“Hey!” Night Shade cried. He tried to sit up before continuing his charge. “What’s the big—”

“Shut up!”

The unicorn’s hoof crashed into Night Shade’s face, flinging him back down to the ground. Chora just stared in awe, wide eyed and not fully comprehending the situation. 

“You’ll do as you’re told if you want to get out of this with your life. Now, get up!”

Night Shade remained on the ground, his body quivering. His barrel convulsed, and his whines grew in their intensity.

“Why did you do that?” he whimpered, turning back to the stallion. A cut on his face swelled where the alabaster unicorn’s hoof landed. “What did I do?”

“What’s your problem?!” Chora finally called out.

“I’m not talking to you, flying rat! Speak when you are spoken to!” the alabaster pony retorted. 

“Flying rat, huh,” Chora growled, cracking their talons. “Flying rat? I’ll show you a flying—!”

A grey unicorn with a turquoise mane standing behind them slammed a smooth yet dark stone into the back of the thestral’s head, knocking their lights out before they hit the ground. 

“What the hell was that?” the alabaster unicorn complained. “I had some more to say to that flying rat!”

“Maybe you did, but look at her forelegs and cutie mark,” the grey pony pointed out. His green eyes gestured to the griffon talons Chora sported and their cutie mark of an eye in the center of an eight pointed star. “She’s clearly one of those chaos beings. You really think you could take one of those?”

“Doesn’t matter what she is. Still just a filly to me,” he dismissed. “Besides, taking care of the magic of powerful beings is what that stone is for.”

“Don’t be idiotic—”

“Chora…”

Their attention turned back to the grey pinto teen colt. Fresh black tears ran down his face like the waterfall next to Canterlot. He rushed over to the limp body of his partner.

“Chora!” he screamed, checking to make sure she was alive. “Chora! Chora please!”

“Ay!” the alabaster unicorn shouted out. “I ain’t done with you yet!”

He bucked the colt’s barrel, knocking him to the side and forcing him to ball up while he continued to sob.

“What’s the matter with you!” the alabaster unicorn hollered. “What kind of colt are you, crying like that? Stallion up and face us!”

Night Shade could only continue to weep. He stared at the body of his partner in front of him. He felt helpless. His mind still swirled from the drugs. That, combined with the recent impact to his stomach, forced him to vacate the snacks he had eaten from his system. 

“Ugh, what a pathetic being,” the grey unicorn noted. “I have never seen such a sad display. I never would have expected it from a leftie degenerate like yourself.”

“Hey guys, look!” a third unicorn with a pastel blue coat and a silvery main called out. “Check out all the stuff they were doing!”

He held up the drugs and whiskey the pair had with them.

“Oh,” the white unicorn said, holding the colt by his neck with his blue magic up to his eye level. “Having a party all by yourselves, huh? Well, I hope you enjoyed it, because you both are clearly beyond saving!”

Night Shade could only grasp at his throat. It was the only thing he could do, besides letting the tears run down his face. 

I need help, he thought. I need someone, anyone.

Images of the remote rushed through his head. He needed to click the button! It was his only hope!

His horn lit up suddenly, the dark magic fuming out of it. His cloak, which rested with the remains of Chora’s tent, crackled with the dark energy.

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you!” the white unicorn yelled, tightening the grip on his neck.

Night Shade snuffed his horn out, trying to obey the stallion that held his life in his hooves.

“We were gonna kill you already, but for that, an open display of your heresy and degeneracy, I’m gonna personally make you suffer!”

The unicorn choke slammed the “heretical” colt onto the ground. Night Shade gasped as the restraints to his breathing were lifted. He sputtered and coughed, barely allowing him to register the new pain that was just dealt to him.

“You seem to be fond of that flying rat over there,” the alabaster unicorn said. “So, I think we’re gonna kill her first and make you watch.”


“No…” he squeaked out inbetween coughs and wheezes. “Don’t…kill…them…”

Magical restraints of a different color formed around him. The grey unicorn stallion stood over him, holding his entire body down to the ground in his golden magic. He then braced the black stone against the colt’s curved horn.

“How about we rip her head off, like the rat she is?” the white unicorn said. He looked at the pastel blue unicorn. “Grab her bottom half!”

“No!” Night Shade cried. “Don’t do this!”

“Now now, kid, we’re just doing our sacred duty as rat catchers to clean up the filth from our streets.”

The blue stallion took Chora’s lower half in his silver magic while the white one held their head.

“Not everyone can say they’ve killed a chaos spawn, even if she was just a filly,” the white stallion said, smiling with sadistic glee. “On a count of three.”

“No!” Night Shade shrieked with black inky tears pouring out from his eyes. He fought against the magical restraints. His horn began to bubble and fume again, but the stone just seemed to absorb it all like a sponge. “Stop!”

“One,” the alabaster stallion counted. “Two—”

The stallion’s count was cut short by what sounded like a small explosion. Under normal circumstances, that stallion would have questioned, loudly, who was interrupting them doing their “sacred duty” of cleaning filth up off the streets. 

However, the white unicorn stallion in question at that point found himself missing half his face. In response to that, the stallion fell to the ground, dead. 

“What the hell was that?!” the pastel blue unicorn yelled, dropping the rest of the thestral onto the ground. He whipped his head back and forth, before his eyes landed on the remains of the teenagers’ tent. There now stood a small platform with a spinning blue device. Beside it stood a yellow earth pony stallion in a blue hoodie, holding a smoking shotgun aimed in their general direction.

“Owamya,” Shortie greeted with a smile. “Seems like you’re terrorizing some teenagers. That ent wosh, babs.”