Silence reigned in the empty blackness of a bedroom, the world itself seemingly frozen still. Not a single living being dared to make a sound, instinctually deterred from announcing their presense near the house. A flock of sparrows, once a usual guest at the branch of a nearby poplar, were now keeping their distance, choosing to nest on a willow near the cliffside. The distant ticking of an old grandfather clock resounding through the empty halls being the only proof of passage of time in this purgatory.
Something stirred in the crumpled bedsheets, a blot of inky darkness distinguishable from its shadowy surroundings by its complete and total absorption of all visible light. The blot shifted in place, its form slowly shifting to something resembling a pony, bituminous matter that made up its body pouring forth to form four protruding limbs with blunt, flat stumps. The liquid flowed towards the creature's center mass, forming a distinctly equine silhouette, an elongated neck pouring out from within the creature. Two white dots floated from the depths of the creatures face, blinking for a few moments as it adjusted to the sensation of sight.
Apricot colored strands broke from underneath the creature's skin, coating its body in a layer of fur in a matter of moments. Streaks of magenta sprouted from the creature's head, the color spreading down the back of its neck, reaching its shoulders, similarly colored tail manifesting on its croup. The white dots widened significantly, a speck of emerald green growing to form irises that stared blankly into the ceiling. One big, pink star with a blue trail followed by two smaller stars formed on its flank, finalizing the transformation.
The Shepherd took a deep breath, not out of need, but to acclimatize itself to the foreign sensation. Its lungs filled with air, the sickly sweet smell still lingering in the abode. Minutes were spent as the creatures breath quickened and slowed, fluctuating between stretching its lungs to their limit, to letting the stinging sensation overtake them for minutes on end. The creature rose from the bed, its breathing excercise coming to a swift end as it understood the intricacies of breathing, its gaze concentrated on the bedroom's lone exit.
It took a tenative step, shakily putting its right front leg forward, planting it firmly into the wooden floorboards. The material cracked under the pressure as The Shepherd learned to walk, the action coming to it far more naturally than the previous excercise. It looked down at the imprints it was leaving in the house's flooring, its steps considerably softer from the next floorboard onward.
Entering the tiled bathroom, it found itself standing before a mirror, a perfect copy of itself staring back at it. The Shepherd tilted its head to the side, unblinkingly observing its reflection for any sudden movements. Retracting its head into its initial position, The Shepherd's mouth grew into a wide, ear-to-ear grin. It subdued the grin when it stretched beyond the confines of it's face, resulting in a semi-natural looking smile. A set of razor-sharp teeth dulled to a more natural looking row of incisors, as The Shepherd masticulated its jaw.
It opened its mouth as far as it could go, straining its vocal chords to produce a sound from a body for the first time in a millenia.
"I see you tomorrow."
It parroted distant memories of yesterday's conversation with Hitch, getting a feel for utilising airflow to make noises. The Shepherd went over each and every tooth with its tongue, excercising the appendage. Sunny's memories hinted at what it required right now, an image of the alphabet ripped itself violently from the mare's memories, rushed to the forefront of The Shepherd's perception.
Half an hour was spent on this basic rehearsal, the creature rolling each letter in its mouth, getting the feel of every syllable. Its current form certainly had a harder time with proper enunciation, yet what it lacked in language skills, it made up for in its inconspicuous nature.
Taking a deep breath, words meant to be said millenia ago finaly erupted from the creature's maw.
"Never. Again."
Scorching rays of the midday sun shone mercilessly upon a green hill on the edge of Maretime Bay. A ray of light reflected off the glass of the nearby lighthouse, playfully dancing along the coat of a liliac colored unicorn, currently lounging on a folding chair, protected by the shade of a rather sizable umbrella. Three additional ponies preoccupied with much of the same activities accompanied the unicorn, all relaxing in the safety offered by the umbrella.
"This is nice and all, but we're still missing something very important for a group picnic." Pipp noted, scrolling through her phone.
"Sunny said she'd meet us today, so she's going to meet us today." Hitch replied in an annoyed tone, his eyes wandering towards the closed door of Sunny's residence.
"At this rate, I doubt she'd be ready tomorrow." Zipp interjected, a bored expression on her face as she flexed her wings.
"Come on now, show some solidarity." Hitch retorted, finally prying his gaze away from the lighthouse. "Don't all mares take a long time to get ready?"
A surprised gasp from Izzy was the only thing that saved Hitch from a rather physical rebuttal from the pegasus.
"Sunny!" The overly excited unicorn cheered for her friend, waving her hoof at the earth pony. "Come over here, we've been waiting for you!"
All looks were glued to the apricot colored mare calmly trotting towards the group, her mane slightly rustling in the breeze.
"Hi everypony, sorry for the wait!" Sunny apologised as she stepped into the shade, a sheepish smile on her face. "I've been looking into some of Dad's work, and I might've got a little caught up in it all." She finished, rubbing the back of her neck.
"A little?" Hitch said with a raised eyebrow, standing up from his folding chair, walking up towards Sunny with a stern expression on his face. "You've had us worried sick, Sunny!"
"It was really important!" Her heated answer wasn't a surprised to Hitch, his reaction a mix concern and anger.
"Important enough to stay home the entire week? To refuse your concerned friends see if you're alright?!" By the time Hitch's voice grew a few decibels louder, the conversation became uncomfortable to both listen to and look at for everypony, but the ponies talking. "What could be so important?!"
"It was my Dad's last project before he... he..." Sunny shut her eyes, her ears pinning to her head.
"I... I'm sorry, Sunny." Hitch replied, sighing heavily. "I shouldn't have blown up on you like that."
"He wrote that somewhere in the Prismatic Mountains there is an entrance, once that may lead to the location of Old Equestria's most valuable memoirs. The Journal of Friendship. " Sunny said, looking at everypony at tge same time.
"The Journal of Friendship? Sounds awesome!" Izzy began, desperately trying to steer the conversation to a more positive subject.
"Yeah, what's it about?" Zipp continued, catching onto Izzy's plan. She was relieved to see a coy smile make its way to Sunny's face.
"Legends say, it holds the wisdom of six mighty heroes from Equestria's past." Sunny said excitedly. "That within it lie the teachings of Queen Twilight Herself."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and grab that journal!" Izzy exclaimed, rushing to Sunny's side.
"Well, it's going to be a mountain hike, so we'll need some preparations..." Sunny looked thoughtfully into the distance, scratching her chin. "I say we go tomorrow. Is everypony okay with that?"
"Sure, I'm in the mood for some mountaineering." Zipp commented, getting up from her seat.
"That'll make for some great content!" Pipp added, typing something on her phone. "Count me in."
"You already know my answer!" Izzy said with a smile.
Sunny turned her attention to Hitch, who was standing with a conflicted expression on his face. The stallion noticed the lull in conversation, coreectly presuming it was his time to answer.
"I'll go, somepony has to keep your hide safe after-" His words were cut short when the earth pony lunged at him, confining him into a hug.
Freezing winds billowed across the shimmering mountain peaks, their howling reverberating through the crystallized scale-like protrusions, echoing down the nearby ravines. The appropriatly called Prismatic Mountains were in fact a vast mountain range, with its tips considered to be supporting the heavens themselves. Despite their grandious size, the slopes were mercifully angled, allowing for a relatively safe, but tiring ascent.
Four figures wrapped from head to hooves in warm clothing trudged through the snowy, uneven terrain, the crunching of snow accompanying their every step. After three hours of perpetual mountaineering, the group finally came to a standstill, though not entirely out of their own volition. Before them laid open a deep, cold crevice, one that, after a rather quick observation from Sunny, seemed to stretch down infinitely. A narrow, rickety wooden bridge was the only thing that connected the two sides, the entire contraption suffering from the snowdrift.
"Any way around?" Hitch shouted over the harsh, frozen winds, approaching the mare. His features hardened under the winter scarf he was wearing, skiing goggles obscuring his furrowed brows as Sunny shook her head.
"This crevice stretches for miles on end, its better to cross it here." She replied confidently, stepping away from the edge and approaching the rest of the group. "Zipp, Pipp, can you two try to carry us to the other side? Or at least fly over the gap yourselves?"
"No can do, Sunny." Zipp replied, moving her scarf out of the way to speak properly. "Not in this cold." Sunny nodded, turning to Izzy.
"Izzy, can you clear the snow with your magic?"
"Yes ma'am!" Izzy saluted, her horn radiating a lavender aura as the mare began to move the snow out of the way.
Sunny nodded at the unicorn, turning to face the crevice once again, approaching the stallion standing on its edge. Her eyes were glued to the bottomless abyss below, while Hitch was closely observing the mare herself.
"Are you sure it's worth it?" He questioned, the mare remaning dead still as he spoke. "It's a long way down from here..." His gaze traveled towards the half-cleared bridge, the absense of snow revealing a dubiously stable overpass, some of the planks missing from the contraption. "...and the bridge doesn't look too good." He finished, his gaze once again returning to the mare, who was now looking directly at him.
"It's going to be alright." She reassured, her orange-tinted goggles burning a hole through the stallions forehead. "We're getting closer, I can feel it." She finished, turning to face the bridge. Hitch was about to ask what she meant, when a voice broke through the howling winds of the mountain.
"Sunny, it's done!" Izzy hollered, waving a hoof at the mare. "The snow's clear, we're ready to cross!"
"Alright, here's how we're going to do this." Sunny said, approaching the rest of the group, Hitch trailing behind her. "We're going to go one pony at a time, and we go through this carefully." She took a single step towards the rickety bridge. "I'll go first."
Before anypony could protest, she took a bold step forward, her hoof touching the cold wood of the bridge as she shifted her weight on top of it, testing the structure's stability. Finding the bridge reasonably firm, she took another step, stopping once again to look for any movement of the passageway. Step after step, stop after stop, Sunny carefully made her way over to the other side of the ravine, unharmed.
"Alright, the bridge's sturdy enough, but be careful." She shouted over the gap, billowing winds threatening to silence her. "I might've heard some creaking."
Everypony shared a look at Sunny's words, not wanting to be the one who goes next. Before anypony could begin freezing to death, Hitch stepped up, beginning his crossing.
His hooves touched the frozen woodplanks, a thin layer of ice making the surface slippery. Concentrating on not losing his balance, Hitch carefully looked over the path, noticing a pattern of imprints breaking through the ice. Following said patter, his hoof landed inside the imprint, finding hard wood underneath. Minutes passed as he carefully and dilibirately followed this path, his feet finally connecting with solid ground as he crossed the crevice.
He turned sharply to face the bridge, hollering on top of his lungs. "Be careful, the bridge's slippery! Follow the hoofprints, the ice is broken there!" He finished, turning to Sunny and giving her an appraising look, hidden behind his goggles. The mare held under his gaze, his own form reflecting in her orange tinted goggles.
"Something the matter?" Sunny asked tilting her head, her concealed gaze piercing him through the layers of protective equipment.
"Why didn't you say the surface was icy? Somepony could've gotten hurt." He stated, looking back to see the last member of the group, Izzy crossing the bridge safely, coming to rest near Zipp and Pipp.
"Must've slipped my mind." She replied with what Hitch could've sworn was a hint of a smile in her voice. "It doesn't matter, everypony made it." She gestured at the three mares cathing their breath as they waited for the groupэs leader to give them a go-to.
"Because I warned them." Hitch retorted as the two began making their way to the rest of the group. "Things could've gone much differently had I not." He sighed when no reply came from the mare, rubbing his covered face. "Just be careful next time, alright? Or else our little trip might end sooner than expected."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Hours of trudging through the knee-deep snow, hasted by the ice cold winds blowing at their backs, chilling them to the core had finally paid off. Towering above them, a maw-like cave entrance laid wide-open, a number of massive crystal stalactites hanging from the roof. Heavy snow drift impaired entry to the cave, sharpm iridescent stalagmites jutting out from the white blanket of the cave.
"Alright everypony, we've found our entrance." Sunny hollered through the billowing winds, a toothy smile under her scarf.
Shadows danced in the far off recesses of the crystal caves as rays from the single source of light refracted and reflected off the prismatic walls of the caverns, dissipating into the suffocating blackness far away. Rhythmic clops resounded in the ringing silence of the caves, the sound of progress like music to everypony's ears. All around their exact duplicates roamed, contorted and bent out of shape in the wall's improper reflections.
"These caves are promptly named, alright." Zipp cut through the uncomfortable silence of their trip, stepping for a second to tap the crystals of the wall, looking at the imperfections of her own face, crooked in its reflection. "I wonder how these came to be."
"You won't have to wonder for long." Pipp replied, the flash of her phone's camera lighting up the entirety of the caverns for a split second, like a lightning in the night sky. "Once we're home, mom's going to go head over heels for some of these stones." She said excitedly, falling in line with the rest of the group.
"Leave it for the royalty to strip the nature of its resources." Hitch grumbled, looking steadily forward. "At least send some geologist in before you start drilling."
"Yeah, you've got to be careful, Pipp!" Izzy interjected, her lively voice a stark contrast to the dreary stillness of the surrounding enviornment. "This place's got a weird sparkle!" Her comment hanged in the air as the clip-clops of hooves momentarily became the only sound spreading through the caverns.
"What do you mean by "a weird sparkle"? Can a place even have a sparkle?" Pipp asked, craining her head a little to the side.
"Well, it's the first time I've felt a place's sparkle..." Izzy started, finding the right words to explain what she's been feeling. "It's like being surrounded by TV static. Dozens and dozens of little black sparkles." She said, rubbing her chin as the group trotted onwards. "It's everywhere all the time, and it feels funny when one comes too close or brushes past me." A small frown graced her muzzle. "I'm not sure I like it here." She finished, her ears pressed to her head.
"It's alright to feel afraid." Sunny said from the front of the group. "I mean, we're in a gloomy, spooky cave system searching for knowledge long forgotten, who knows what we might find? That's sure to set anypony on edge." Her words meant to placate others, were instead cause for nervous glances.
"Sheesh, Sunny, way to lighten the mood." Pipp retorted, rolling her eyes and nudging herself closer to Zipp.
"She's got a point, you know." Hitch argued in a somewhat resigned tone. "With magic back, we don't know what we will find, so it's better to err on the side of caution." His words echoed down the prismatic hallways of the caverns, melting into the darkness both behind and in front of them.
"You too, Hitch?" Zipp asked in an annoyed tone, draping her wing over Pipp, who was practically pressed into her sister, slightly shivering. "If I hadn't known you better, I would've thought you're trying to scare us."
"Fear is nothing to be ashamed of." Sunny interjected, turning her head to give Pipp a reassuring smile. "It's a natural reaction to the unknown." She turned to lead the way once again. "It's good to be afraid from time to time."
Silence reigned over the group as each member mulled over Sunny's words, unshure of what to think. Each little sound was amplified tenfold as everypony stood on-edge, their ears on a swivel at the slightest of disturbances.
Hitch was more or less stumped at what to hink of Sunny's behaviour. Truth be told, she was always... enthuseastic when it came to spending time with her friends, so he wasn't too concerned when she dragged them all to a mountain hike in the middle of nowhere. He was a tad bit surprised when she decided to go there on such a short notice, and downright worried when she refused to grab a map with her. Being the prudent pony that he was, Hitch took his own, and was dead set on documenting their way to whatever Sunny was looking for.
However, her continued attempts to mess with everypony were getting on his nerves, and once they set camp he intended to have a long talk with her about what not to say in a spooky, unexplored cave system.
Pipp was beginning to regret ever agreeing to be part of this expedition, and having no connection somehow wasn't the worst part. Neither was the bone-chilling winds of the Prismatic Mountans, or the dull ache in her legs. No, these were a minor complications compared to how downright terrified she was right now.
First things first, going so high up wasn't on her bucket list, not even closely. The most comfortable height she'd ever ascend is on the stage, supported by strings, thank you very much. And while Pipp's on the topic of being comfortable, did Sunny really have to start talking about fear in now?!
The only saving grace to this whole situation was her sister, somepony to lean on. She breathed a sigh of relief as Zipp's wing blanketed her with warmth. Who knows, maybe she'd find a way to spin this whole trip thing in her favour once they get home.
Zipp's eyes darted at the sligthly shivering loaf of fur that was currentl nuzzling into her and she let out a strained sigh, flexing her wing muscles in responce. Pipp was doing her best, but anypony who's not blind could see that the mare was scared.
And that made Zipp angry.
She knew that one day Pipp would have to get out of their not-so-little palace and into the real world, and perhaps this was her wake-up call. Still, this transition could've been a little more... gentlier, so to speak, and by the flowing winds she was going to try her best to make this trip easier for her little sister.
Izzy was dumbfounded, to put it lightly. Why was Sunny so dead set on coming here? The unicorn never heard of any research regarding the Prismatic Mountains, not even among Argyle's notes, and she's one of Sunny's closest friends! Furthermore, why did Sunny's sparkle feel so... off? Like she was seeing it through a mirror in a darkened room. It looked like Sunny's, just a little... dulled, if that makes sense.
Moving onto the subject of sparkles, why does this place feel so crowded? Not physically of course, there was plenty of space in these her caverns, more than enough to fit the entirety of Bridlewood (probably). No, what she had in mind was more... ethereal in nature. Truth be told, the TV static analogy didn't even begin to explain what she was feeling, but it was a good enough start. It was like being in a crowded room, but each time you try to push the person in front of you away, they disappear into thin air, and reappear right behind you when you take a step forward.
She was looking forward to leaving this place behind.
"Heads up everypony!" Sunny exclaimed, breaking everypony out of their thoughts. "I think we're onto something here." She strolled over to Izzy, excitement clear on her face. "Izzy, can you focus the light forward?"
"Like a flashlight?" She asked, recieving a nod from the earth pony mare. "Sure can!" Izzy's horn sparkled once again, the ambient light around her shrinking into a forward facing cone. As the the cone of light extended forward, revealing a set of crumbling crystal stairs leading to a gaping doorway.
"That's it!" Sunny practically squeed in delight, galloping for the entrance, casting a shadow on the nearby iridescent wall as she left the group behind.
"Wait a second!" Hitch hollered, jumping in front of her and barring entrance. "Are you out of your mind, barreling alnoe into the dark like that?" His mountanous stature left the mare attempting to peek behind him, unable to dismiss his question.
"I'm just excited for what's inside, is all." Sunny blurted out under his scrutiniuos gaze, all eyes on her now.
"And what if you got lost out there, or tripped over some debris or whatnot. How would we find you then? We have to stick together, do you understand?" In Hitch's opinion. a mare of Sunny's age was too old for having this talk, but law's a witness it wasn't the first time he had to resort to scolding this mare.
"I understand." The mare said with a sigh after a moment's hesitation. "I won't do that again." She said, the the rest of the group ascending up the stairs to stand right behind her. "You can lead the way, Hitch." A small smile graced her lips at the words.
Hitch's gaze lingered on Sunny's curved lips for a moment, her eager smile in stark contrast to the worried faces of the mares behind her. The warm memories of childhood flooded his mind, leaving him with a single choice.
"Me and Izzy will take the lead, the rest of you are to follow close behind. Don't wander off." He looked over each and every member of the group, turning to face tye darkness ahead when he recieved a nod from everypony.
A cone of light illiminated the hall in front of Hitch, revealing a rather delapidated vision. Debris scattered across the cracked crystal floor went hand in hand with the crator-ridden walls of the hallway, accompanied by the crumbling ceiling missing most of its chunks.
A thick layer of dust permeated the area, each step kicking up a small cloud of particles into the air that shimmered in the light. The sharp clip-clops of hooves on crystal floor was the only ambient sound throughout the ancient structure, the air stagnant and stuffy, not to mention still with no draft to speak of. Another pitch-black opening in the side of the hallway made itself know, a beam of light revealing its presence against a caved-in hallway.
With no other way forward the group headed for the door, Hitch stepping into the dark room first, Izzy right behind him. With the unicorn came illumination, revealing a sturdy bookcase chock full of literature.
"What is this place..." Izzy wondered aloud, her horn glowing as she refocused the spell once more, the area around her lighting up.
A unanimous "Woah" came from everypony as they stood surrounded by rows upon rows of bookshelves, each and every one occupied. Crystal book cases towered over the group, the library stretching up and into the darkness above, no ceiling in sight.
"It's a library?" Pipp asked nopony in particular, falling in Hitch's hoofsteps as he proceeded deeper into the room.
"It's the library." Came Sunny's reply from beside the pegasus, the earth mare's eyes shimmering with excitement. "The biggest collection of pre-separation era books!" She gasped as a crystal pedestal came into view, rushing towards the protruding abberation, her attention glued to something lying on top of it.
"Sunny, I just said not to wander off!" Hitch scolded, rushing to Sunny's side, the rest of the group coming along with him. "What got you so excited anyway?" He traced her gaze to the the curious item on top of the pedestal.
A purple book laid close before their eyes, its colors faded from the passage of time, cuts and scrapes running across the tome's surface. A liliac horseshoe was etched into the cover, with a six-pointed violet star in its center, five gems of various colors spread through the confines of the horseshoe. A single bright red bookmark was sticking out from the pages, begging to be opened.
"Is this what I think it is?" Izzy asked, turning to her friend wide-eyed.
"The Journal Of Friendship." Sunny replied, her breath hitching as she leanied towards the pedestal and reverently held the book in her hooves. She eyed the bookmark hungirly, eager to read what's inside despite the long trek up the mountain.
"I think this is a good place to set up camp." Hitch interjected, concentrating everypony's attention on himself. "No offense, Sunny, but getting rest takes priority over reading a book, even if it's ancient or something." He said, lowering his saddlebags onto the ground, flexing his back muscles.
"Right..." Sunny mirrored his action, but not before carefully tucking the book into a trusty pouch she always kept on her person. "This deserves to be read with full attention, no half-measures." She nodded to herself, seemingly not noticing the questionable looks she was getting from the rest of the group. "Let's get comfortable."
Five ponies sat comfortably on their laid out sleeping bags, forming a semicircle around a crackling fireplace. The idea of setting up a fire in an enclosed space was first met with skepticism, but after a thorough exploration of the exhaust tunnel and a discovery of its exit, it was deemed safe enough to start a fire.
A velvet journal ravaged by time laid in the lap of one of the ponies, an impatient expression on her face as she eyed it hungirly. She waited for the clattering of utensils and the sound of conversation to dissipate around her, speaking up when she sensed the lull in the ambient noise.
"Is everypony ready? Can I read it now?" Sunny asked, her gaze shifting from each individual in the semicircle.
"Don't think I've ever seen you so eager to read." Hitch replied, pitting his empty plate aside, eyeing up Sunny's full plate. "You haven't eaten anything."
"Yeah Sunny, what's the matter? Aren't you hungry?" Izzy asked, worry clear in her features as she observed her friend.
"Come to think of it, how long has it been since you've last eaten?" Zipp questioned, a stern look appearing on her face when no reply came. "You really should eat something, its not healthy to do what you're doing."
"Yeah, this is no time to be dieting, Sunny!" Pipp added, scooting a tad closer to the mare. "How about this: you eat now, and when we get home, I'll draft you a personal diet plan, alright?" She whispered conspiratorily into her ear.
"Guys, I'm not diliberately starving myself or something, I'm just really eager to read this journal!" Sunny said with a sigh, pushing the eager pegasus away, but giving her a curt nod. "I swear I'll eat after we read the journal!"
"Then lay it on us, Sunny." Hitch responded, getting comfortable on his sleeping bag. "But do know that I'll make sure you eat your dinner afterwards."
Sunny huffed in annoyance, opening the tattered tome alongside the crimson bookmark.
To whomever is reading this, Equestria as we've all known it is gone. It is not a matter of opinions, but a fact we must face if we wish to survive. Do not listen to radio broadcasts. Dispose of any and all apparatus able to recieve radiowaves. Any transmission from alleged survivors should be disregarded. There are no save havens that utilise radios.
There is nopony left to broadcast.
Do not trust strangers, no matter how friendly they appear. If they offer to join your group, try to escape them before nightfall. If you see someone with biologically impossible characteristics, try to escape them before nightfall. If you see somepony who looks identical to you, escape them before nightfall at all costs.
If you are a member of a group, make sure you can trust each and every member. Do not stray away from the group. Do not accept any new members into the group.
If you are traveling alone, remain alone. Do not engage with any strangers, no matter their numbers.
Unicorns are advised against utilising complicated magics, as doing so may bring unwarranted attention. Pegasi are to reduce airtime to a minimum. Any agrarian efforts on behalf of the Earth ponies are to be done without the use of their magics.
Spread this message in any way you can, prefferably word-to-word to reduce the risk of improper interpritation.
This is the end of the message.
May Harmony be with you.
Alright, the important part's done with, I guess it's time for some heart-to-heart, if you could even call it that. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, The Last Ruler of Equestria, and once the Element of Magic. You probably knew that already, considering whose journal you're reading, but if you didn't, this is all the introductions you're going to get.
I don't have much time.
It all started with a harrowing news reaching me from all the way from Manehattan. A stallion was found dead in his apartment, his neighbours reporting a foul smell coming from his flat for days on end before the local police came to investigate.
Now, the knews of a murder would've been shocking enough, perhaps worthy of sending one of the royal investigators from Canterlot, but there was one detail that changed everything.
The stallion was found hanging from a noose made of bedsheets, with little to no signs of forced entry or struggle.
I must confess that my first reaction to the news was outrage, but not for the reasons you'd think. I was not outraged at the loss of a life, or the fact that such loss was self-inflicted. As shameful as the thought was, I was worried first and foremost about my reputation. Not with the ponies, of course, their love for me was as unending as one for Celestia and Luna. No, my first thought was about what would my old mentor think.
Still, after a brief moment of consideration I made a descision to oversee the investigation myself, heading for the Big Apple that evening. I was well aware of the consequences my arrival would herald. News would spread across the world, drawing journalists like moths to the flame.
If I only knew what it would really entail.
The stallion proved to be unremarkable in most aspects, however harsh it may sound. Average upbringing, a little above average grades in school, came to be an archeologist in his adult life. A tightly knit group of friends that tends to hang out every once in a while reported the stallion had become quite a shut-in after the latest expedition to an unxplored cave system, fabled to lead to Tartarus itself.
A friend expressed concern when he refused to partake in a celebratory night of bar hopping, but was placated by the stallion's assurances, his refusal stemming from a heavy workload. I immideatly contacted his employers to verify this information, the firm denying accusations of overworking their personell.
The neighbours reported strange noises coming from his residence, sounding a lot like muffled crying. They also noted that the stallion hasn't left his house in more than a week, despite previously making almost daily trips to the local convenience store.
Coroner's report revealed that the subject has been intoxicated for the better part of the week, the multitude of empty cider bottles littering his room confirming his alcohol abuse, which was uncharacteristic for the subject. Another strange detail was the amount of filth that accumilated in the room, suggesting that the subject wasn't able to leave it for the entirety of the week. That detail put into question the entire possibility of the case being a suicide, since the phone was located in the kitchen, nevermind the fact that the subject was dead for about a day when his concerned friend called in. By that time, the first series of a changeling killer has began to circulate among the crowds, the first seeds of distrust were sown.
The news of a confusing suicide case crossed the world in a flap of a wing, causing even the rather closed-in Dragon Empire to send in a couple of journalists to track the case, which by that time has hit a dead end. It's safe to say that the entire international community was closely watching the development of this one of a kind case, Equestria's first suicide in centuries.
Things didn't improve when that same stallion was spotted working in a convenience store in Trottingham. A concerned citizen that had a keen eye for identifying ponies reported this incident, but by the time police arrived, the impostor was gone.
This was a beginning of a full on changeling hysteria that eventually swept not across the nation, but all of Equus. Soon enough, reports of similar suicide cases came flooding in, alongside with reports of sightings of supposedly deceased ponies.
Mandatory curfews were put in place to prevent further loss of life, with radio-based programms rising in popularity to combat loneliness. Too bad these measures ended up being useless, the cases piling up with every passing day.
Talks of international intervention began to emerge in the Council of Nations, when another incident shook the foundations of the international community.
One of the journalists sent by the Dragon Empire was found dead in her apartment, her body having doubled in size due to the late stage crystallization process taking place after a dragon's death. Dragon Lord Ember was furious, foaming at the mouth and threatening to declare an all-out war on the changelings if they do not present evidence of their innocence, or come clean.
Once it reached the Council of Nations, thus gaining thorough international coverage, it spread like a wildfire, similar cases popping up like mushrooms after a rain in each and every country worldwide. Preventative measures were enacted worldwide, including an embargo on the Changeling Kingdom, despite the latter also reporting an increased rate of suicides.
Prevention hotlines were organised, the operators reporting an overwhelming amount of phone calls coming in, requiring additional ponypower from emergency services. Even then, the measure proved inefficent when calls of dubious nature began coming in, the operators who recieved them soon missing from work, found in their homes, the same fate having befallen them.
Distrust ran rampant all around the world, even the three tribes beginning to drift apart.
A decade has passed since the first incident, and it's been three years since we've had any contact with other nations. While I try to stay hopeful, the situation looks more grim with each passing day. Years of hard work and research, and for what? No concrete way to battle these creatures, no place of origin. All I know is that they're dependant on magic.
I've instructed to write the message up above in every book in the Royal Library, and across every library in Equestria, if there's enough personell still willing alive to do so, of course.
I've moved in to my old castle in Ponyville, and intend to stay here until the bitter end. It pains me to see the place I love turned into a ghost town, and the ponies roaming it do not make it easier, their faces spitting image of the picture in their obituary.
I've begged Spike to run away and hide, but he insisted on protecting this castle, protecting me to his last breath. Judging by the violent shaking and deafening roars outside, he now considers the castle his hoard.
But that's not the only reason I'm writing all of this. Last night when I returned to my bedchambers, locking the door out of instinct and practically passing out on the bed, I've heard something.
A gentle knocking from beyond the door, followed by a gentle voice asking permission to enter.
It was Fluttershy's voice. I almost opened the door out of instinct.
I-
I haven't seen her in a long time.
I haven't seen any of them in a long time.
Each night they come, wearing my friends' voices in an attempt to lure me out. They promise me it'll be alright, they ask me to have a picnic with them.
I've been itching for a good picnic, to be honest.
I miss them so, so much.
But they're not always so nice. Sometimes they tell me mean, horrible things like-
Deafening silence reigned over the group as they sat huddled around a fireplace, too stunned to say anything. Hitch was the first to break out of the catatonic stupor caused by the tale, reaching towards the worn tome and snatching it out of Sunny's hooves. "It can't be..." He muttered, flicking through the yellowed old pages, his eyes scanning over the inky writing Sunny just read. He frowned, closing the book and putting it in one of his saddlebags. "I... I'll look it over once we get back to Maretime Bay..." He said, chewing on the inside of his lip.
"So we're supposed to just... forget it?" Zipp asked, not exactly happy with the prospect of falling asleep now.
"And you've got a better idea?" Hitch retorted with a snarl. "We can't head out right now, not during the night anyway. And we'll need all the energy we can get for tomorrow's trip home." He argued, getting comfortable on his pillow. "And unless you've got enough coffee to last you trough the night, I'd suggest you begin getting ready for bed."
"I hate it when you're right." Zipp replied with a sigh, turning to open up her sleeping bag.
"Zipp?" Pipp whispered to her sister, proceeding when she go a grunt of aknowledgement as an answer. "I, uhm, need to pee." She winced a little when an exasperated sigh came from her sister as the latter stood up, nodding towards the open doorway.
"Come on now, let's make this quick."
One of the first concerns everypony expressed once they set up camp was, unsurprisingly, a working toilet. Of course, looking for one in a structure as ancient as this one was a foal's errand, so it was a quite shocking turn of events when one was indeed found, in a remarkably good condition.
"Alright, I'll wait for you just outside." Zipp said, leaning on the cold crystal wall just outside the toilet room, a small poctogram of a mare hanging just above the door. "Just keep it quick, alright? I'm dying to get some good sleep." She finished, her expression hard to make out in the darkness that surrounded them.
Pipp nodded, pushing the crystal door with her hoof, her phone's flashlight illuminatig the dusty floor of a bathroom. She took a tnetative step in, flinching when the door shut behind her with a bang, the otherwise unremarkable sound of crystal amplified tenfold in the quiet of the castle.
To her left was a long, dust-covered mirror, three bathroom stalls standing in its reflection, all but one of them seemingly locked. Pipp's assumption was proved correct as she approached the first stall, pulling the door and meeting resistance, same thing occuring with the second stall. The pegasus proceeded to the third and final stall, its ajar door inviting the mare in.
She stepped into the stall, closing the door behind her and casting a squeamish look at the toilet seat. A thick layer of dust was present, par for the course, it seemed, but other than that the white throne was remarkably clean. With a defeated sigh and a pitiful look on her face, the mare sat down on the toilet, finally able to relieve herself.
A shameful feeling formed a pit in her stomach as she realised what she just did. Asking her sister to walk her to the toilet? They're both not fillies anymore, such behaviour was most uncalled for, imagine what would happen if her fans find out! Yet even keeping all of that in mind, the mere thought of going through the pitch-black halls of the castle alone made her shiver involuntarily.
It was all Sunny's fault, she concluded. That mare and her penchant to finding long-lost relics of Equestrian history usually led to positive results, but not this time. She just had to find a spooky story right before bedtime, hadn't she?
Pipp sighed, shaking her head. It wasn't really her fault, she couldn't have know what was written in that damned journal, after all. Perhaps she was being too harsh on Sunny, no doubt due to all the stress she's been under lately.
A distinctly familiar pattern of clip-clops on hard crystal reverberated through the bathroom, breaking the pegasus out of her thoughts and causing her to shudder. Her momentary panic abated when she heard a stall open, the mare sighing a breath of relief.
"Zipp? Is that you?" Pipp asked aloud, reaching for her stall's latch. "This trip's getting on your nerves too?" She asked with a small chuckle, awaiting a responce. "It's alright, I don't need help if you're here for that!" An uncomfortable silence descended upon the bathroom, both parties remaining speechless.
Her hoof was mere inches away from the latch, when she heard the stall's door shut violently, the clip-clops slowly coming her way. She was about to ask Zipp wether or not she was playing a prank on her, when a sound came from beyond the bathroom.
"Pipp, are you alright? That was kind of loud." Came the muffled voice of her sister, barely audible behind the thick crystal doors.
Pipp's hoof twitched, her breath caught in her chest as she sat motionless, trying to process what just happened. Is this some kind of joke? Zipp must've left her phone outside the door, and set an alarm with her voice to scare Pipp. It was somewhat out of character, but maybe it was payback for making her escort Pipp to the toilet? Pipp steadied her breath as seconds passed in silence, opening her mouth to speak.
"I alright. I don't need help." Her voice boomed in the stall next to her, cutting through the silence like a thunder in the night. Words died in her throat as she scrambled to process the situation, the door of the stall next to her slowly opening and closing.
"Okay then." Zipp's distant voice replied, worry slowly being replaced with annoyance. "Just hurry up, alright? This palce is giving me the shivers." She finished, silence once again reigning in the room.
Slow, methodical clip-clops reverberated through the bathroom, resounding in her skull as they grew closer to her stall. Her breaths came fast and shallow as her mind tried to process what was happening, any hope of this being a prank dashed from her mind. Her entire body was consumed by shivers she struggled and failed to control, her eyes looking down at the crystal floor.
Her vision blurred, tears welling up in her eyes as the sound ceased, four distinct, shadowy lmbs stopping just outside her stall. Despite the darkness of the bathroom, the appendages manged to stand out, seemingly absorbing any and all light left around them, the textbook definition of pitch-black.
Pipp squeezed her eyes shut, tears running down her face, staining her once-immaculate fur and ruining her makeup. She held her breath in hopes of whatever was behind the door giving up and leaving her, even for just long enough for Zipp to come to her rescue.
Her own heartbeat turned into a deafening roar in her ears as she heard the lock on her stall pop open, the door opening with a resounding creak. Her entire body was ice cold, a painful sensation welling up in her guts as the sound of hoof hitting crystal resonated from right in front of her.
Her heart skipped a beat as she felt hot air tickle the tip of her nose, the sound of breathing loud in her ears.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, fear overriding any though in her mind. She distinctly heard the sound of a door slamming open and her sister's concerned pleas as she blacked out.
Izzy laid on her sight, her eyes practically glued to the back of a particular mare tucked into her sleeping bag, a cavalcade of thoughts running through her mind. Was what Sunny read really true? Were they in any danger? Why are Zipp and Pipp taking so long to pee? Was it really stalking if there's nopony to notice you're stalking?
"Can't sleep either?" Hitch's voice came from beside her, the Izzy turning to look at the stallion. She could see the beginnings of what soon would become quite prominent bags forming under his eyes, a curious set up involving three books, a phone with its flashlight on and a hoof-made map of the Prismatic Mountains in front of him.
"Uh-huh." She nodded, her watch drifting to Sunny once more.
"Well, since you're awake, mind lending me a hoof?" Hitch asked, pointing and the map, grabbing the unicorn's attenion. "Or, in this situation, a horn." He continued once Izzy wiggled closer to him in her sleeping bag. "Give a light, please? My phone's running low on battery, and I still have a fair bit of work to do."
"Sure thing!" Izzy replied, funneling power into her horn, illuminating the map in front of her.
"Much obliged." Hitch replied with a smile, focusing on his work. "With your help I might be able to finish mapping out directions before tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is stay her longer than needed." He answered her silent question, satisfying her curiosity.
She looked down on the opened books laid out in a semicircle around the hoof-made map, each one displaying a map of sorts. Curiously, the maps depicted a flat terrain around the castle, with a small town whose name was unintelligable on the yellowed paper. She supposed the inaccuracies were a given, considering the map's age.
Minutes passed with the only sound audible in the spacious library being their breathing, combined with pen scribbling on paper. A question came to the forefront of Izzy's mind as she cast a glance at Sunny's sleeping form, one she was both eager and afraid to ask.
"Do you think any of it was... real?" She said, Hitch's ear flickering in responce.
"I... don't know what to think." Hitch said woth a sigh, laying his pen on the floor. "On one hoof, what Sunny read sounds impossible, deranged even!" His confident tone wavered, worry crossing his features. "On the other hoof, however..." He trailed off, rubbing his eyes before turning to look Izzy dead in the eyes. "I've looked through, what, ten, twenty books tonight? And do you know what I found in each and every one?" He reached for one of the opened books, flipping it to the first page. "This."
Izzy squinted, looking closer at the writing.
To whomever is reading this, Equestria as we've all known it is gone. It is not a matter...
Izzy's expression turned to one of concern as she looked back at Hitch, his face mimicking hers.
"Now you see why I'm in such a hurry to get back home."
"Having troubles sleeping?"
Both Hitch and Izzy practically jumped out of their hides at the sound of Sunny's voice, turning to look at the mare with both shocked and fearful expressions. Sunny was standing a few steps away from Hitch's setup, her form halway hidden by the shadows. A small smile etched its way onto her face as her friends calmed down, their breathing somewhat steady.
"Sunny, what did I tell you about sneaking up on ponies!" Hitch all but yelled, holding onto his chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!" Her responce was a sheepish smile, followed by a step towards the duo.
"Sorry about that, I just saw you two awake and didn't want to be left out." She said, sitting down in between them, stifling a yawn.
"You're really good at being sneaky, you know!" Izzy tried to lighten the mood, her lips curving into a small smile. "I didn't even hear you approach!"
"Why, thank you very much-" Sunny began, her line cut short by the sound of two ponies barreling into the room.
Zipp practically flew into the room, her sister trailing just behind her with a terrified expression on her face.
"Sunny, Hitch, Izzy, there's no time to explain!" She hollered, pushing one of the bookcases towards the empty doorframe. "We have to barricade the door, now!"
"On it!" Sunny yelled in reply, dashing to assist her pegasus friend. Hitch and Izzy remained still, processing the puzzling sequence of events that unfurled before them when Zipp yelled.
"What are you doing? Come help us!"
The two ponies shook their heads, running to help their friends.
Half an hour of frantic redecoration later, the group was once again huddled around a fire, Pipp's face buried into the side of her sister's neck, snoring softly.
"So you're saying Pipp saw... Something in the bathroom?" Hitch began, rubbing the side of his head, trying to understand what Zipp just told them.
"That's the most I got out of her." Zipp all but whispered with a nod. "She was downright terrified when I found her." She said, worry clear on her face as she looked down on her sleeping sister.
"But you didn't find what scared her, right?" Izzy continued the line of questioning, no less stumped than everypony else.
"Yeah, that's the weird part," Zipp said with a nod, confusion mixing into her expression as she remembered the events still fresh in her mind. "I just asked her if she was alright, and she said she was, but half a minute later she's screaming bloody murder." She sighed, shaking her head. "I just don't get it."
"Maybe she was just imagining things?" Sunny offered, getting a plethora of questioning looks in return. "What? The journal entry was pretty spooky, and the dark castle leaves a lot to the imagination." She said with a shrug, drawing a long sigh. "Listen everypony, we're going to be out of here by tomorrow's morning, and by that time, does it really matter if Pipp's imagining things or not? How about we get as muc hhours of sleep out of tonight as possible, and run for the hills in the morning."
The mare's proposal sounded logical to the four tired ponies, and after begrudginingly accepting their situation, everypony setteled into their seeping bags, four ponies drifting into neasy slumber.
"And that's why I'll be taking the rest of the week off!" Pipp chirped with a small smile, her eyes focused phone's display, watching her own image being broadcasted to thousands of ponies. "But don't you worry Pippsqueaks, after my week-long spa de-stress vacation, I'll be back with more quality content for all of you!" Her smile grew ever wider as she prepared to finish her nightly stream.
Her eyes scanned over the blurry chat, messages moving faster than she could read them, leaving her with disjointed snippets of sentenses that were nigh impossible to stitch together. Still, the words that did reach her through the lightning-fast typing of thousands of hooves, once again managed to soothe her.
"Thanks for all of your kind words, Pippsqueaks, but I'm afraid it's tiome for me to go. Stay dazzling!" She said, fixing her mane and giving her viewers a coy smile before ending her stream. Pipp let out a ragged breath of relief, her expression changing faster than the chat. The pegasus flopped unceremoniously on the bed, letting her phone land on the pillow beside her, its display illuminating the ceiling of her room.
She closed her eyes, the ever-present exhaustion that's been with her for the past week making itself known once again. It never really went away, only subduing somewhat when she engaged with her followers, which she enjoyed doing, thankfully. Still, even the most steadfast of ponies could only go so long on nightly streams and sub-par sleep during daytime, all the while having to pretty herself up in the evenings.
Pipp sighed as the chilly air caressed her face, looking longingly at the half-opened window of her room. The stars were really beautiful that night, nary a light obscured by a cloud, a bright, full moon the crowning jewel on the black canvas. Nights like these tempted her to take Zipp's advice and stick to her flight workout routine, instead of her random, impulse-driven visits to the training grounds.
Maybe tomorrow was the day? She squinted at her phone's clock and sighed. Maybe today was the day? She new Zipp would never turn her down, especially when she was asking for help, and yet, for some unfathomable reason, she was scared. Scared that she wasn't going to make it, that she's never going to learn how to fly, that she's going to disappoint everypony.
The training strings hanging from her ceiling mocked her silently.
She rubbed her forehead, her chest rising wearily. This wasn't going the way she wanted it to, that was sure. Perhaps a shower could help? The thought of warm watter running down her mane raised her spirits, prompting the mare to crawl off her bed, heading into the bathroom for some much needed relaxation.
Her clip-clops reverberated off the tile floor of her private bathroom, the sound of water hitting the bathtub replacing it once Pipp pulled the curtain aside. The hot watter felt nice against her mane, trickling down her neck and body, and pooling around her hooves before disappearing down the drain. She grabbed a bottle of flower scented shampoo and pour a hoofful ont her mane, her eyes closed as she did so on an autopilot.
She massaged the liquid into her scalp, feeling it bubble in her hooves, the smell of a flower meadow filling her nostrils as she took a deep breath. Her smile fell as her hooves hit the bottom of the bathtub, the steaming hot water relaxing her body, not mind. Pipp squeezed her eyes as hard as she could, sitting down and rubbing the shampoo into her mane, desperately trying to get rid of the dirty feeling that's been plaguing her for the past week.
She'd given up on trying to wash it off four days ago, when even a twelve-hour bathtub session proved useless in alleviating her problem. She thought about asking ponies around her for help, of course, but each time she was about to appoach somepony for assistance, and thought about turning her thoughts into sentences, her worries seemed so silly and unimportant, nevermind foalish, she wavered in her approach in sheer embarrasment.
What could she, a mare born into royalty, a mare who had everything given to her on a silver platter, know about adversity? What would a maid or a guard think about her when she'd come to cry into their shoulder about her insignificant little troubles? She could always got to mom or Zipp, of course... But is that any better? Queen Haven's been awfully busy, what with all the extra ponypower she had to divert towards the expedition and the archiving effort, she'd certainly best her time elsewhere than on comforting an adult, And ZIpp... She's already troubled her enough, she's got more imporant stuff than foalsitting a grown-up mare.
She sighed, washing off the shampoo, her efforts to clean up once again ending up useless. Still, the sound and feel of water all around her was soothing enough to lull her into a temporary trance. The blissful condition did not last, however, as the comforting position let her mind wander, something she hoped to avoid ever since her trip to the castle.
Her spine tingled as her thoughts went somewhere she didn't want them to, but as is common knowledge, some trains of thought are impossible to stop. Her minds eye painted eerie pictures of an empy dark castle, once full of life and joy, now epty and abandoned, hollow of life and purpose. Its immense library no doubt full of knowledge, but what good did that knowledge do to its previous inhabitants? Not much, judging by the journal Sunny read.
Her peronal experience wasn't much better, thruth be told. Her memories were blurry after their gathering in the library, but she distictly remembers feeling... scared. The last clear memory in her mind was asking Zipp to escort her to the bathroom, but after that? Every attempt at fetching a concrete memory out of her mind felt like trying to grab a polished marble out of a sea of silly putty. She still had some recollection of the events, mainly consisting of feeling of utter dread and helplessness, but she couldn't put her hoof on what exactly caused these feelings. Her sister was less than helping in resolving the mystery, saying that Pipp "screamed bloody murder" before fainting.
A shiver went down her spine, as she felt the back of her head tingle and grow heavy, an uncomfortable feeling of being watched making itself known. Her breath hitched as she regained herself after a momentary slip of composure, her thoughts returning to the problem at hoof, mainly to the fact that she's been standing in her bathtub for what felt like half an hour, and her legs were getting sore.
She carefully pulled the curtain aside, breathing a sigh of relief once she was assured the coast was clear. Turning the faucet and throwing a towel onto her mane, drying it to the best of her abilities. A familiar sound of notification lured her into the bedroom, her attention centered ont the brightly lit screen of her phone. Pipp squinted at the bright light, distinguishing a few lines of text repeating over and over, filling the entire chatbox.
copEK@:see you
Pipp quirked an eyebrow, her eyes darting to her own visage, reflected on the screen through her phone's camera. "Oh! Did I forget to turn the stream off?" She wondered aloud, looking quizzaly at the chat, the stream's single viewer typing away.
copEK@:oh copEK@:ur back copEK@:finally copEK@:i've been trying to tell you for like half an hour
"Really? I could've sworn I turned it off before-" Pipp caught herself before she let slip something a tad too personal, coughing into her hoof. "Nevermind, thanks for pointing it out!" She said, offering her concerned viewer a small smile before clicking on the 'end stream' pop-up. She furrowed her brow as she tapped the screen continuously, to no avail.
copEK@:uh copEK@:u alright?
Pipp looked at herself as she read the comment, noticing her tongue sticking out a little from exertion. A faint blush creeped onto her cheeks as she regained her composure, clearing her throat. "It's nothing, copE, I'm just having troubles with ending the stream, is all."
copEK@:really?
"Yeah, the button doesn't work, looks like." She said with a huff, an irritated expression on her face.
copEK@:yeah, the platform's been a little wonky this past week copEK@:hey copEK@:i think i can help you end it copEK@:if you want me to, i mean
"That'd be much appreciated." Pipp said with a tired smile, the headache she's been experienceing beginning to rear its ugly head again.
copEK@:ok copEK@:have you tried turning ur phone off?
"Oh." Pipp mouthed, struggling not to facehoof at her own stupidity. Even a foal could guess that, and yet here she is, embarrasing herself in front of everypony! Well, one pony, so at least it wasn't a city-wide shame, for what it was worth.
Pipp held the button on the side of her phone, expecting to see a familiar 'turn off?' pop-up, but after a few minutes of strenuous application of pressure, nothing happened. The mare clicked the button a number of times in quick succession, recieving no responce from the device.
"That's weird..." She murmured, looking at her phone in concern. "It didn't even go into sleep mode..."
copEK@:lol copEK@:can't even turn off the phone right copEK@:some royalty you are
Pipp huffed indignantly, frowning before opening her mouth to speak.
"Hey, who do you think-" Her tirade turned out to be dead on arrival, as a loud thwack agaist her window shcked her enough to yelp, jumping a little and falling onto the bed. Her heart raced a mile a minute as she looked at the window wide-eyed, a shadowy limb tapping on the glassy surface. Hooves shaking, the mare turned on her phone's flashlight, turning it to illuminate the darkness outside.
A sigh of relief escaped her weary lips as an old dry branch came into view, a few small leaves sprouting from its tip.
Pipp turned to look at the chat, a noise notification grabbing her attention.
copEK@:are you alright? copEK@:you look like you've seen a ghost.
"I was just-" She sighed, shaking her head. "It's nothing. Now, if you don't know how to help, I'm just going to put the phone camera-down under my pillow, and go to sleep." She huffed, slowly lowering her phone onto the bed, yet a fast-paced series of notifications urged her to reconsider.
copEK@:wait copEK@:no copEK@:don't do it copEK@:i can help you end it copEK@:have you tried searching for answers on the net?
"I-" She began, trailing off as she thought hard about it. Why didn't she do it earlier?
She opened another tab in her browser, tapping something along the lines of 'can't end stream help' into the search engine. Tapping search resulted in confusion, as a small circle went round and round, seconds stretching into minutes before it returned a 'no connection' error.
"What the..." Pipp mumbled, trying again and getting similar results.
Before Pipp could open her mouth to answer, another message came through.
copEK@:Fine, I'll send you a link. copEK@:[HYPERLINK BLOCKED] copEK@:Right, can't do that here. copEK@:But I can do this copEK@: i copEK@: m copEK@: g copEK@: u copEK@: r copEK@: . copEK@: c copEK@: o copEK@: m copEK@: / copEK@: x copEK@: s copEK@: J copEK@: u copEK@: o copEK@: k copEK@: b copEK@: Try this one. Its your only way out.
Pipp's attempts to follow her viewer's advice were met with little to no success, the same 'no connection' error rearing its ugly head once again.
"Wait..." No connection?
copEK@:No connection, huh? copEK@:Alright, let's try this the old way. copEK@:This might take some time. copEK@:But this'll work, I guarantee it.
A series of fast-paced knocks came from the door.
knock knock knock knock knock
Pipp gasped at the sudden noise invading the utter silence of the room, her eyes glued to the wooden barrier between her and the rest of the world.
"Pipp, are you alright?" The sound of Zipp's voice cut through the suffocating stillnes of the bedroom, a ray of hope in Pipp's dimly lit existence. The pegasus rushed to the closed door, a wide smile on her face.
"Zipp, it's you!" She all but yelled, her hooves reaching for the doorknob. "Come in, you won't believe what's been going on!"
"Okay then, opEnthe door."
Pipp's hoof froze mere inches away from the doorknob, a sinking feeling in her stomach as she backpedalled away from the door. Something was wrong with her sister's voice, like somepony cut up the words she was saying and then spliced the individual letters to make new ones. A shudder rocked Pipp's body as she heard the voice once more.
"Pipp, opEnthe door. I need toget in.
"W-what?" Pipp mumbled, her rump hitting the floor as she sat there, dumbfounded. "W-what is going on?" She looked at her phone, her lone viewer still typing.
"Pipp." The voice had the same quality as before, the word sounding like it was ripped out from another sentence. "Pi-i-i-i-pp."
Pipp's phone buzzed as a new message appeared in her chat, the mare turning sharply to look for any help her sole viewer could provide, the knocking remaining a persistent background noise.
copEK@:
Pipp could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face as she looked at the picture. "W-why would you send me this? How can you send me this?"
copEK@::)
Pipp felt her blood run cold when a sickeningly jolly laugh came from behind the door, mocking in its stark contrast to Pipp's situation.
"Who are you?!" She exclaimed, her gaze shifting from the door to her phone, her eyes fixated on the latter as her sole viewer began typing.
Pipp yelped in fear as she heard a whisper from behind her door, yet she heard every word as clearly as if the speaker was next to her ear, mirroring the text on her phone. Her gaze affixed to the door, her entire body shaking, Pipp listed to every word coming from the other side.
"I-I don't understand..." She mumbled to herself, tears welling up in her eyes as anxiety weighed on her like a mountain.
Pipp obeyed, her eyes red and puffy as she turned to the source of the noise she heard earlier, seconds stretching into centuries. Shrouded in darkness, only the barest silhouette of a knot was visible, but for Pipp that was enough.
"48, 49, 50!" Zipp groaned, finishing her last set of wing push-ups for the night, slowly standing up and trotting towards the nearest bench. Sweat poured down her face and body, a dull but pleasant ache in her wings proving once again that her midnight workout was worth it. She took deep breaths, steadying her heartbeat as she listened to the pitter-patter of water outside, tiny droplets hitting the window, remaining motionless for precious moments before succumbing to the inevitable embrace of gravity, sliding in zig-zagging motions as they raced each other to the ground below and vanished out of view.
Zipp wiped her face with a towel she left on the bench earlier, draping it over her neck before making her way towards the locker room, her hoofsteps synchronising with the rainfall outside. Despite the rather depressing weather conditions outside, her mood was elevated after a thorough workout session, not a single thing weighing on her mind.
Zipp snorted, not believing her own lies even for a second. Her gaze traveled to the locker next to her own, her sister's name printed in big, bold letters on its front. It would've bee so much fun to have Pipp here with her, but she still insisted on leaving her alone, as she was supposedly 'following her own workout regime'. Yeah, streaming each night surely does wonders to her sleep schedule, nevermind her training.
She's been asking Pipp to go workout with her the whole week, but her little sister would always find an excuse to skip the gym, said excuses growing more and more outlandish as the week progressed. Zipp wasn't blind or deaf, of course, she knew Pipp was insecure about her flying skills, or a lack therof, but she for the life of her couldn't understand why Pipp would avoid her.
If she was afraid of other ponies judging her, she could order the gym to be cleared. If she was't sure where to start, Zipp would gladly help her, and if said help wouldn't be enough, hire somepony more experienced. There was solution for any problem Pipp might have, so why wouldn't she ask her big sister for help? Wasn't that a million bit question.
Ever since their mountain hike, Pipp's grown more distant, and not only towards her sister. Haven hasn't noticed this as much, government business taking priority at these trying times of breaking ages-long stigmas, and neither did her viewers, little Pipp masterfully wearing her mask of happiness every time she streamed.
But Zipp noticed.
Noticed how Pipp's breath always bearing a smell of caffeene during their sparse conversations, her eyes slightly bloodshot form the lack of sleep. Noticed how she stopped using conditioner or filing her hooves every few days. Noticed how on edge she seemed as days drew to a close, the unyielding advance of night time flipping an unseen switch in her head. Something was bothering Pipp, something she couldn't talk to neither Zipp nor Heaven, the two ponies closest to her.
Truth be told, Zipp too was uneasy ever since that ill-fated trip, but she could never point her hoof at what made her feel queasy every time she shut her room's lights off before going to sleep, or walked a pitch-black corridor in the middle of the night in a quest for a cup of water. Still, being the level-headed adult she was, Zipp dismissed any feelings of unease as childish fears rearing their heads after hearing Sunny's 'bedtime story', and istead turned her thoughts into a more productive direction.
Or at least she tried to.
Each time she wracked her head around why Pipp was acting the way she was, or finding a way to help her, her mind hit an impenetrable wall that seemed to be the root of the problem. Just what did Pipp see during her alone time in the ancient bathroom of that castle? If she's seen something, that is. The general atmosphere of that place was enough to creep even Zipp out, and that's saying something.
Maybe she wasn't persistent enough, maybe she needs to disregard Pipp's opinion just this once, and actually do something, instead of letting the situation resolve itself, or waiting for Pipp to ask for help herself. Zipp's eyes manuevered to her phone lying next to her on the bench, its screen lighting up as her hoof came into contact with it.
3:33 AM
Yeah, maybe no right now. Zipp sighed, returning the device to its previous placement. Pipp's probably sleeping right now, her streams ending at least an hour agoi in the latest, and she'd rather not try talking some sense into a sleepy and grumpy Pipp. She should probably take a shower, it'd be silly not to post-workout, after all. Zipp stood up from her sitting position, stretching her wings a little as she took a step towards the showers.
Ding-Ding-Ding
Zipp whipped around at the sound of her phone going off, beckoning her closer. Approaching the mobile device, she felt her heart skip a beat. She scrambled to grab the ringing phone, accepting the call and bringing the device to her ear.
"Hey Zipp, how are you doing? I didn't call too late, did I?" Pipp's voice came through the speaker, mixed emotions stirring inside Zipp's mind.
"No, it's okay. Are you alright, though? You don't usually call me" Zipp was tempted to say at all, but bit her tongue and decided on a less passive-aggressive option. "that late."
"I'm fine, just hanging in my room, I guess." Pipp replied with a small giggle. "I guess I wanted to talk to somepony about everything that's happened." She said with a small sigh, sparking hope in her sister's heart.
"Me too, honestly." Zipp agreed, trotting out of the gym and into the castle's wide halls. "Does tomorrow morning sound good? I wouldn't mind talking right now, but it's a little-"
"Sure! Come over to my room as soon as possible!" Pipp's excited voice interrupted Zipp, thesheer intencity of it taking the pegasus aback.
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to rob you of your beauty sleep." Zipp replied half-jokingly, heading in the general direction of her sister's room.
"Yeah, I'm dying for a good talk, and talking to you is like a breath of fresh air." Pipp's answer came in a gleeful tone, providing an interesting contrast to Zipp's journey through the dimly-lit corridors of the castle. The mare frowned as she walked past a wall-mounted lamp, the lightbulb flickering as she did. She should ask somepony to fix it.
"Thanks, I'll be there in a second." Zipp said, ready to wrap the conversation up, when her sister's voice continued the conversation.
"Wait!' Pipp protested, the unexpected volume in her voice making Zipp flinch. "Can you keep me company for the time being?" Her voice came shyly as she sighed, nervousness clear in her voice. "It's dark in here, and I'm getting kind of... scared."
Zipp arched an eyebrow at her sister's words, her surprised expression left unappreciated in the sparsely lit corridors of the royal castle. "Never knew you were afraid of the dark, Pipp."
"I wasn't until around a week ago." The mare replied flatly, her sharp change of tone taking Zipp unawares. "Sunny's penchant for storytelling really wasn't the highlight of our trip, wouldn't you agree?" She said with a chuckle, further confusing her sister.
"I'm guessing you're talking about whatever happened in the bathroom?" The second these words left Zipp's mouth, a nearby lightbulb exploded with a near-deafening sound, Zipp barely avoiding being showered with glass shards.
"You can say so. What was that sound, by the way?" Pipp asked in a curious tone bearing hints of excitement behind the question. "You look startled."
"I-I'm fine." Zipp replied with a sigh, desperately trying to calm her racing heart. "Somepony's got to check the wiring here, is all." She carefully walked around the scattered remains of a lightbulb, careful not to ruin her hoof polish by stepping on one.
"Yeah, I think there's a power outage in my section of the castle, the whole place's shrouded in darkness." She grew silent for a second, thinking over something. "Kinda spooky now that I think about it."
Zipp's advance halted as she reached the last working lamp, the dim and flickering illumination it provided being miles better than the pitch-black darkness of the hall in front of her. A seed of doubt sprouted in her mind as she peered into the darkness, her eyes slowly adjusting to the lack of light in front of her. Maybe it wasn't the brightest of ideas to go wandering the castle in the dead of night.
Zipp's recent distaste for the dark returned with a vengeance, as she swore she could see shadows dancing in the dark, taking shape for moments at a time, before dissapating into the bituminous mass around them. She blinked rapidly, the visions dissolving as she did, her usual confidence coming back to her as she returned to her senses.
"That's one way to put it." She replied to her sister after a prolongued pause, taking a tentative step into the darkness, which was somewhat abated by her liberal use of her phone's flashlight. "I don't think I'll ever look at a public bathroom the same way ever again." Her reply caused a series of giggles to erupt on the other side of the phone, a small smile gracing ZIpp's lips.
"Neither will I." Pipp replied, her somber tone puzzling Zipp once more.
"What do you mean?"
"Have I ever told you what happened there, in the bathroom?" Pipp's sincere question troubled Zipp, the latter picking up her pace.
"You told me you didn't remember anything specific, just that something scared you enough to make you faint."
"I suppose that's true, but you could say that I scared myself, what with all the eerie atmosphere." Her voice was clear, but Zipp could've sworn she heard something akin to a whisper in the static. "Shame you weren't there to check up on me, though."
"Is there somepony with you, Pipp? And what do you mean I wasn't there, I literally carried you back to out camp!" Zipp's retort came out as an accusation, despite her best wishes.
"I'm always here for you Pipp, and I'm sorry I wasn't faster back at the castle!" She all but yelled at the phone, flying through the last hall to her sister's room.
Zipp choose not to reply, instead ramming into the unexpectedly unlocked door of her sister's room, barging in and barely stopping herself from falling face-first onto the floor. She blinked in an attempt to adjust to the pitch-black room she found herself in, a sinking feeling appearing in her gut as she found the room awfully quiet.
"P-pipp? Where are you?" Zipp tried the impenetranable darkness around her, her eyes desperately searching for any signs of her sister. The voice came form everywhere at once, barely a whisper, yet perfectly audible.
Zipp heard a soft click, the room instantly illuminated by the blinding white, revealing a picture everybody dreads to see. It took the mare a few seconds to comprehend what she was seeing, her mind reeling from the thought of what was in front of her being reality.
Hanging from a wire, a good few meters of the floor, was the body of her beloved sister.
Zipp's stupor was broken as she rushed to her sister's body, lifting it up and desperately trying to untagle the knot. Zipp gently lowered it to the floor, horror striken as she noticed the glazed over eyes of her little sister, her face a sickening shade of blue.
"P-pipp! Wake up!" The pegasus pleaded, compressing her sister's chest before attempting to blow air into her lungs. Tears stained her cheeks as she tried to breath life into the still mare time after time, her pleas more and more desperate with each passing minute.
"P-please, I beg you! Wake up!" Zipp's shoulders sagged as she embraced Pipp's side, weeping into her. She squeezed her eyes shut as she clung to the body, a chilling sensation spreading at the point of contact. It all felt so unreal to Zipp, so impossibly horrible that she'd have thought it a dream, but the still cold in her grasp proved her otherwise. What was she going to do? What's she going to tell Haven? How will she sleep at night, knowing that it's all her fault?
"You don't have to." The voice made Zipp's breath hitch, the mare uttering a cry of anguish as the owner continued. "Don't have ro bear it." It continued, closer this time. "There is a way out for you." Zipp's response was a choking sound, her eyes red from weeping as she opened them, a hoof touching her shoulder. "Turn around, and come with me."
Zipp's body turned to the source of the voice, the mare soon devolving into hysterics as she saw the owner of the voice. There, shrouded in a veil of darkness, stood Pipp, a small, waiting smile on her lips. Her eyes sparkled with life, bad had an odd quality about them, something unnatural that ZIpp couldn't put a hoof on, in her condition anyways.
"P-pipp? H-how?" Zipp managed to croak through her hoarse throat, both relieved and horrified.
"Does it matter?" Pipp asked, recieving a choked cry in responce. "Come fly with me, and I'll explain everything to you." She said with a smile, leading Zipp away form the thing lying on a floor, and towards the nearest open window.
Cold wind billowed into Zipp's face, wet droplets mixing with her tears as she stood on the precipice with her sister. Pipp nodded towards the window with a smile, a sting of pain surging through Zipp's heart. She unfurled her wings, letting the wind caress them, a familiar sense of freedom beginning to well up in her sould, only to be crushed by the recent memories. She looked at her sister once more, finding a disapproving frown on her face.
"No-no-no, Zipp!" She scolded, guilt pressing down on Zipp like a mountain range as she remebered her sister's struggles with flight. "You don't need wings to fly! Not the way we're going to anyway." Her frown turned upside down as Zipp nodded shakily, the younger sister putting one hoof over the precipice. "Let's do this, Zipp." Her smile widened. "Together."
Zipp tried to mimick the expression, but her muscles protested as she tried to. She did her best anyway.
"Together."
They both stepped into the night, cold wind rushing past them as they plummeted.
The pitter-patter of droplets against glass, pereodically interrupted by stikes of thunder was a rather uncomfortable ambiance for the lively unicorn currently lounging on a sofa, her eyes glued to the tv screen, waiting for the premiere of a show. A gentle glow illuminated the dim room, a hooffull of popcorn floating towards a relaxed mare, disappearing down her gullet.
Izzy's eyes traveled lazily towards the digital clock standing on a nearby table, a bold 3:30 staring back at her. She wasn't nervous for the time, the show she was trying to catch won't be on for a good few minutes, and its not like it was easy to miss. It was just for her, after all.
Truth be told, Izzy was nervous, for a better part of the week, actually, the memories of her little 'friendship hike' left to marinade in her mind at an accelerated rate thanks to the self-imposed isolation. Everypony needed some alone time, after all.
Izzy's ear twitched as she felt the familiar un-sprakle brush past her magic, creeping into the immediated area. It was a harsh word to call something, but it was the best she could come up with. Usually, a sparkle is the summarised essense of somepony, their expiriences, thoughts, hopes and dreams, something that makes them who they are, concentrated and visible to any unicorn. This one was different, unlike any sparkle Izzy's ever seen.
This 'un-sparkle' felt like the absense of a sparkle, like something one would see when looking into a void, with similar result following prolonged exposure. Simply speaking, after a day's worth of trying to interact with said 'un-sparkle', Izzy managed to get a reaction, albeit not the one she was expecting.
The un-sparkle changed.
Subtly so, of course, so much so that if somepony not borderline obsessed with the thing were to examine it, they'd find it no different from its previous interation. With each passing day it changed more and more, half the week passing by before Izzy realised something.
It was beginning to look more and more like her sparkle.
The discovery was certainly jarring, unnerving even, and were it to be made in some thrice-forgotten castle in a middle of a mountain peak, Izzy would've been terrified. But out of the comfort of her own house, in a middle of a forest chock-full of ponies, Izzy felt more or less at ease, the feeling solidified even further once she went over some of the books she nicked out of that dusty old library.
She'll return them later.
Maybe.
One particularly interesting tome of "Inhabitants of Equestria" by a pony know only as R.F. , spoke of a species of beings that might've been responcible for what she was dealing with right now. Her inquiry into the life of the so-called 'changelings' was interesting, if somewhat irritating due to the less-than complete information regarding the species, due to the book's poor condition.
The discription she'd managed to read was somewhat different from what she had here, combined with the memory of Sunny's campfire story, one might think that Izzy was dealing with something completely unrelated. Yet Izzy pondered that enough time has passed for things to change, and with the disappearance and subsequent long-awaited return of magic, even changelings could change.
That didn't sound right, for some reason.
That night, after an evening full of less than successful attempts at falling asleep earlier than usual, uncosciousness finally calimed her, the unicorn ready to spend the next six to eight hours in either blissfull ignorance, or adventure-filled lucid dreams. Yet something unexpected happened.
Izzy woke up in a great expanse of green grass, stretching infinitely into every direction. Rich-blue sky hanged overhead, cotton-white clouds drifting slowly through the skyscape, a pleasantly warm sun gracing her with its presense. It was a serene place for sure, yet Izzy was quick to make a few changes, she simply preferred nighttime, is all.
The first odd thing happened when Izzy flared her horn, intent on changing day into night, but found that she simply couldn't. The unicorn tried and tried, each further attempt ending much like the last, failure meeting all of them. Izzy was beginning to doubt wether or not she was lucid enough to control the dream, when another oddity happened.
Before her eyes a mountainous cloud parted, blinding like pour from the tear, a snow-white figure descending towards the field. It was hard to see at first, Izzy's eyes hurting from the sheer brightness eminating from the figure, but soon enough it lowered itself to the mare, allowing her to witness itself.
And what a sight he was.
His fur was the purest white, the color putting the most expensive of marbles to shame, his wings stretched out to their fullest, pristine snow-white feathers with a subtle golden rim giving even the royal pegasus family a run for their money. His mane came down to his shoulders, his golden locks wouldn't look out of place on a front cover of a beauty magazine. His horn looked like it wasn't filed even once, but not out of neglect, but rather out of a lack for a need to file it, a faint golden gloriole eminating around it. His front legs were outstretched in a welcoming manner, his hooves looking like they never touched the ground. A graceful smile was plastered on his face, his eyes closed for the time being.
Izzy was left speechless as he landed onto the field, the blades of grass bowing to his presense. She felt a shiver go down her spine, a deep-seated reverence firing up inside her core as he opened his eyes, his smile growing just a tad wider as he looked her over. Her mouth was dry as she wracked her brain around the multitude of question she wanted to ask him, yet all of her thoughts were put on hold when his voice rang out through the field, powerful yet calm.
"Be not afraid. I am the Angel Morning Star."
Izzy's tongue refused to obey her, her mind blank as she witnessed the magnificent stallion in front of her. Morning Star noticed her vacant expression, his smile growing a tad condescending.
"I see you are seeking knowledge?"
All Izzy could do was nod, the Angel noticing this before continuing.
"And you are not intimidated by this?" His horn glowed subtly, the familiar aura of the un-sparkle now circling his hoof.
Izzy gulped, shaking her head. His serene face was graced by a most curious expression, annoyance, for but a moment, before regaining its form.
"Very well." His horn flickered, the un-sparkle dying out in a blink of an eye. "Listen closely, my child, for I am bearing great news. At the end of the week, in the dead of night, you will recieve a revelation. You will feel it coming. My messanger will make itself known. Like those that came before you, you will recieve my gift of knowledge. " A small frown marred his impeccable visage, his voice carrying a subtle edge. "Heed my message. Do not disappoint me."
The Angel uttered these words, putting his hooves together and closing his eyes as his brilliant wings swaying gently, propelling him skyward. His immaculate form disappeared behind the clouds, the heavens themselves sealing his exit. Izzy was left alone for the remainder of the dream, although she never managed to mold it to her whims, no matter how hard she tried.
Ever since the coming of the Angel, Izzy waited, each day passing painfully slowly in anticipation of the revelation. She inhaled sharply as she felt the familiar un-sparkle drifting closer, its color resembling her own more and more. Her eyes followed as it drifted past her clock, 3:33 glitching for a moment as it did, finally stopping as it reached her television.
The screen flickered as the un-sparkle entered it, static covering every inch of it. Izzy stared at the television with bated breath, waiting for the fated revelation to finally arrive. The unicorn squinted as something began to form in the static, the mosaic white noise consolidating to form a pitch-black silhouette of a head. Two white dots floated across the ink-like surface, positioning themselves roughly where one's eyes should've been.
"Hello?" Izzy tried the creature, giving it a small smile.
The static ebbed and flowed through the bituminous surface of the face, forming a thin white line that stretched upwards, mimicking the mare's expression.
"Hello?"
Izzy gasped as her voice came through the television, the creature's smile widening further at her reaction. The mare steadied her breath, her eyes glued to the creature, who was seemingly observing her in return. Her heart raced as she waited for the figure to speak, finally choosing to take the lead when it remained silent.
"Are you here because of the Angel?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "To deliver a message?"
The static around the figure fizzled, its smile flattening into a thin straight line.
"here because of the A̸-̵a̸-̷a̷-̷a̸n̶g̷e̶l̵. To deliver a message."
An involuntary shiver ran down Izzy's spine as she heard her own voice stumble and crack halfway through the sentence, unease bubbling at the core of her being as she noticed the flat line on her tv curve into a smile.
"Can you stop doing that? Talking in my voice, I mean." Izzy rubbed the back of her neck, a bead of sweat rolling down her brow. "It's creeping me out."
The figure's smile stretched wider than ever before, the sound of static filling the air.
"my voice creeping you out?" The corner of the screen cracked with a loud noise, making the mare jump a little.
"Y-yeah..." Izzy croaked, shifting in her seat.
The sound ceased as quickly as it began, the monochrome face returning to a neutral expression.
A sprawling field of cotton-white clouds stretched before the mare's vision, gracefully lit up by a golden light stemming from up above. Countless figures hovered above the clouds, their immaculate white wings and stunningly perfect horns complimenting their spotless coats, their beauty bringing a tear to Izzy's eye.
The heavenly scenery changed, a single familiar figure drifting to the forefront.
"The Most High loved all of his creations, yet Morning Star was his proudest one."
The figure graced Izzy with a bright smile that made her heart skip a beat, before turning to the side to witness a massive group of angels stretching past the horizon bathed in light, all looking up towards the source of this light. Two figures stepped out of the light, one bright like the sun, the other dark as the night sky. The angels cheered as the two figures moved, great celebrations erupting throughout the heavens as the great news spread.
Yet one figure differed from the others, a jealous expression marring its beautiful features.
The scenery changed into a beautiful garden with two figures, a mare and a stallion, standing before an apple tree, a serpent wrapped around its trunk.
The image shifted to a unicorn sitting on a throne, his horn engulfed in a red aura, a tringle-shaped amulet adorning his neck. Sun shone brightly through the window behind him, a thin line of red holding it in place.
A duo stepped into the throne room, one bright as day, the other dark as the night sky. The two majestic figures lit their horns in unison, overpowering his influence, his face contorting into a grimace of agony as his coat witherd and turned black, holes appearing on his body.
Images of desolate cities, of monsters that looked like ponies, but just weren't roaming the earth flashed before Izzy's eyes, mythical creatures of all sorts, from dragons to griffons falling to their influence, their struggle meaningless in the end.
A picture Izzy remembered all to well appeared on the screen, she and her friends wearing bright smiles after the end of their exciting adventure to reunite the tribes and return magic to Equestria. Her heart ached when each face was obscured by a black box, leaving only her own smile uncensored.
The screen was overtaken by static, the black silhouette forming once more, tow hite dots staring her down with unrivaled intensity, the thin line that constituted its mouth twisted into a smile.
Izzy's ears were pinned to her skull as she closed her eyes, her mouth moving on its own as she bowed.
"W-what am I to do?"
She dared not to open her eyes as she heard the screen crack, the sounds of hooves hitting wood filling the room. She flinched when a hoof held her chin, both searing hot pain and ice cold numbness spreading at the point of contact as it guided her head upwards.
"I am coming to save you." Came the voice from her dream, commanding and forceful, a sadistic satisfaction bubbling to the voice's surface. Cold sweat poured down her face as she heard the angel's mouth stretch into a sinister smile.
Izzy forced her eyes open, fighting the bout of paralysis that had overtaken her, and looked at the Angel holding the mare, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest.
His jet black mane hung limply down the sides of his face, reaching the Angel's shoulders. His once immaculate horn had blackened, a crack going down the middle, with small bits and pieces missing on the sides, seemingly chipped. His white feathery wings were marred with what looked like soot, the feathers scorched at the tips.
Shadows danced across his once beatiful face, now twisted into a mask of gleedul malice. His eyes stretced far beyond what was concidered normal, solid black watching he under the arks of white. His smile was stretched into a mocking grin, blood red gums contrastic with prestine, white teeth.
Izzy's eyes turned to pinpricks as an intense ringing permeated her hearing, her breathing quick and ragged as she mouthed... something. A prayer? A plea for help? For mercy? Izzy wasn't sure, the mare's words not reaching her own ears.
Soft snoring reverberated through the office of Maretime Bay's one and only Sheriff, the stallion laying gently on the table, a pile of paperwork serving as his pillow. Despite being out of town for three days or so, the stallion was practically bombarded by countless pages of unprocessed complaints from the townsponies, his "trusty" second in command being very vocal about the lack of harmony between Maretime Bay's denizens. Turns thousands years of isolation and fearmongering lead to less-then open mindsets.
Somehow, Hitch wasn't surprised.
Still, after a half-hour long lecture about the importance of sharing things, workload included, the stallion managed to split the duty of appeasing the gods of bureaucracy between himself and a certain red-mained stallion, freshy reintroduced to the force, a hefty trial period and a very real prospect of jail time keeping him in check and more or less cooperative.
Emphasis on less.
The sudden sound of ceramics hitting wood brought Hitch out of his deserved break, the smell of black coffee further clearing his mind of any remaining cobwebs. The Sheriff blinked away the bleariness out of his eyes, grasping the mug and taking a tentative sip. Hitch managed to keep his composure as the bitter brew disappeared down his gullet, turning to look at his saviour.
A pensive red stallion greeted him, his leg tapping impatiently on the wooden floor, his eyes darting to the wall-mounted clock. Hitch followed his friend's gaze, sighing inwardly as he did.
"Almost midnight. Ugh, can't believe I've fallen asleep." Hitch shook his head, turning to look at the other stallion. "Thanks Sprout, this'll come in handy." He said with a smile, raising an eyebrow as he noticed a closed umbrella in one of Sprout's hooves. "You going somewhere?"
Sprout snorted, rolling his eyes. "Well, duh. My shift ended half an hour ago." With that said, the stallion turned and headed for the exit, earning a head shake in responce.
"Of course, Goodness forbid you work overtime." Hitch grumbled, turning to the mountain of paperwork.
Sprout froze just shy of the door, turning sharply to look at the Sheriff. "No paid overtime means I'm getting out of here as soon as possible. Time is money, you know." The red stallion said curtly, before heading out of the relatively warm office and into the halls of the police station, his hoofsteps becoming fainter with each passing moment.
Hitch shook his head, lethargically reaching for the next paper to fill.
"Everypony deserves a chance to turn over a new leaf, I suppose..." He grumbled, his eyes scanning over the latest in a long line of petitions to employ Canterlogic's pegasus and unicorn retention devices, purchaced via the department's budget, of course. Hitch groaned inwardly, declining the petition for what felt like the tenth time this month.
"Mrs. Cloverleaf is lucky Maretime Bay turns a blind eye to nepotism." He resisted the temptation of crumpling the paper and throwing it into the garbage bin, instead outting the petition into the finished pile. "One more incident like this, and I'm giving Sprout another strike. No way the mailmares still deliver these."
Taking an invigorating if bitter sip of his coffee, his hoof reaching for the next paper in the positively enormous pile, its size doing little to inspire confidence in the stallion. He glanced at the paper, raising an eyebrow as a single message revealed itself, black ink staining the prestine white surface of the leaf.
It's cold outside, could you let me in?
KNOCK KNOCK
Hitch flinched instinctively at the loud sound, cursing under his breath as he turned towards the door to his office, the sound coming from somewhere beyond it. Hitch sat still for a few moments, wondering if what he heard was real. The stallion wasn't hard of hearing, of course, but it was quite late, couple that with his sleep-deprived state of mind...
KNOCK KNOCK
"I definently heard that." Hitch councluded, getting up from his table and moving towards the door of his office. Just as he opened the passage and walked through, the noise repeated, loud enough to be heard, yet distant enough to be followed and investigated.
KNOCK KNOCK
"It's coming from the first floor..." Hitch murmured under his breath, moving past a hall window, water pouring down its surface. The stallion's face scrunched up in worry as he heard the storm raging outside, mercilessly barraging the glass barrier. "Whoever's out there is getting soaked to the bone." His pace quickened at the words, the stallion practically jumping down the stairs and towards the MBPD's double doors.
The stallion stopped just shy of the entrance, pushing the doors open, ice cold picpricks hitting his face as the elements rushed in. "Is anypony there?" Hitch yelled into the storm, looking around the dimly lit streets, a thick wall of rain rendering the sparce lightposts nigh useless. "You can come in, no need to stand in the rain." Moments passed as he endured the weather, squinting past the water running down his face, searching for anypony in the dark.
"Screw this." Hitch murmured to himself, closing the door and wiping the wet off his face. "If anypony wants to come in, they're free to do so. I'm not waiting here all night." He hurried back to his desk, the monumental amount of paperwork refusing to complete itself in his absense. Hitch cast a dirty look at the note as he sank into his chair, crumpling it and throwing into the nearest bin. "I swear, if Sprout is behind this..."
The table shook a little as his phone buzzed, the screen lighting up with a familiar face as Hitch reached for it and accepted the call.
"Hello? Sunny, is that you?" His voice was friendly, a note of surprise carrying over the phone.
"The one and only!" Came the mare's cheery reply, its energy prompting the stallion to raise an eyebrow.
"Not to sound like a flankhole, but why are you up right now?" He questioned, putting the call on loud and looking through another paper.
"I'm a grown mare now Hitch, I can stay up as late as I want!" She mock-pouted, prompting the stallion to roll his eyes. "Why aren't you in bed right now?"
"And who told you that?" He teased, leaving his signature on another document. "What if I was just getting ready to sleep, and was rudely interrupted by your call?" A thoughtful hmm was the mare's responce for a prescious few moments, before she continued.
"You're a tad too talkative for a pony who was just woken up." She retorted, earning a smile from the stallion.
"Well, you got me there Sunny. You called just to chat, or..." To Hitch's surprise, the mare went silent for a few seconds, before clearing her throat and continuing.
"I, uhm, actually wanted to ask if you could come over to my place tomorrow? I've been thinking about something ever since our trip to the castle, and I want to talk about it with somepony." Her voice was oddly uncertain, the tone leaving Hitch unable to say no even if he wanted to.
"I'm on shift until eight tomorrow, but I can come over after if it's fine with you." He proposed, sipping his coffee.
"That's great! I don't mind you staying the night!" She said excitedly, her mood infectious enough to carry over the phone.
"If I didn't know you better, I would've though that's the only reason you want me over." He teased, sending the mare into a fit of embarrased giggles.
"I assume you're busy right now, so I won't bother you any further." Sunny said after a few seconds, her giggles finally dying down. "I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Yeah..." Hitch replied, ending the call and looking towards the pile of unfinished paperwork with a sigh. "If I manage to survive this, somehow..."
By the time Hitch left MBPD the sun has already set on the coastal town, shrouding the streets in darkness. Streetlamps standing on every corner did their best to disspell the encroaching shroud, lighting the path for any residents still wandering the town.
A chill autumn wind tickled the back of Hitches neck, prompting him to shiver as he looked up to the skies, lead clouds looming over the earth pony town. "Great," the Sheriff said under his breath, quickening his pace towards his intended target. "looks like the weather isn't going to improve any time soon." He rounded the corner of another building, setting his eyes on a familiar steep road leading uphill.
A tired smile graced his features.
"At least I have a place to stay."
A cold sea breeze billowed past the open window of the lighthouse, blowing past the faded curtains and dusty bookshelves as it roamed the building.
Not a single noise dared to break the unanimous silence of the house, the complete stillness remaining a constant.
The wind moved past the master bedroom, the single bed there looking just as it was a week ago. After all, the one who inhabited the lighthouse saw no point in making the bed.
Traveling down the staircase, passing a portrait of a once powerful purple mare, it drifted towards the living room, a single lightbulb illuminating the room.
There, in front of the only entrance into the lighthouse, stood a vaguely-quadrupedal shape, solid black in its hue.
Even that description hardly did the form justice, its coloration seemingly bending the light around it inwards, consuming it.
It stood there ever since it's return, having no reason to do otherwise. The Sheperd had completed its goal, Sunny's friends have been exposed to its kind, the rest being just a matter of time.
Thus was the reason for its confusion, if a creature like it could even be confused, the only thing keeping the Shepherd tethered to the lighthouse.
Why did He want the stallion here? Did He not believe his children capable? Was He having second thoughts? Was their previous plan not good enough?
The Shepherd did not doubt Him, of course, holding no capacity to do so in the first place. It merely failed to spot the necessity of complicating this any further.
Perhaps that's why they failed, so long ago. Perhaps that's why He has chosen to oversee this personally. Perhaps this time, He will succeed.
In the end it mattered not, however. The Shepherd remained forever loyal. His will remained absolute. The Sisters remained forever chained.
All was as it should be.
Three firm knocks came from behind the door, followed by the familiar voice of one of Sunny's friends.
"Sunny, It's me, Hitch! Open the door, I think it's going to rain soon!"
The dark mass around its maw bubbled and parted, revealing equally light-consuming insides.
"I'm coming!" Sunny's voice came from down the hall, as the quadrupedal shap shifted, fur sprouting from the insides of its maw, spreading accross the form in a mold-like fashion. Strands of hair broke through the surface of its scalp, bleeding down its neck and shoulders, slowly gaining its appropriate color. Two white dots squeezed into thin lines, the slits oozing the bituminous substance that made up The Shepeherds body as it coagulated into a white background. Its freshly made bones popped as it squeezed itself to the right size, reaching a fur-colored appendage towards the door.
"There you go, sorry, didn't mean to keep you waiting!" Sunny's smile radiated positivity as she opened the door, greeting Hitch with unrestrained glee.
"It really wasn't -" The stallions reply was cut short as he was yanked ino the building, dragged towards the living room's couch. Hitch impacted the sofa with a soft thud, barely having the time to assess the situation when the mare turned lightning bolt whizzed past him towards the kitchen, flicking a lightswitch on her way out.
"Brb, I'll get the tea!" Sunny said as she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the stallion alone with his thoughts.
If nothing else, Sunny definently looked excited to see him, and that had to count for something, right? Hitch shook his head, hes eyes drifting over the cozy living room.
"She's been awfully busy..." Hitch murmured under his breath, a thin layer of dust covering the coffee table having caught his attention. The thought of work once again popped up in his mind, the Sheriff shifting nervously in his seat at the idea of leaving Sprout in charge... Again.
"I just hope he'd learned his lesson." Hitch said to himself, still not one hundred percent sure with his choice. Sure, Sprout's been taken down a notch, and Hitch wasn't going to be away for long...
"Who'd learned their lesson?"
It took a lot of effort on Hitch's part to not strike at the source of the noise, his eyes focusing on the puzzled for of Sunny next to him, a teaset staying firmly on the coffee table.
"Bwah!" Hitch couldn't help but yelped at the sudden appearance of his friend, holding a hoof over his chest. "Goodness grascious Sunny, quit sneaking up on me like that!" He pouted, taking a deep, calming breath. "At this rate, I'll have a heart attack before thirty..."
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you like that." The mare apologised, offering him a sheepish smile and a steaming cup of boiled dry leaves. "Care for some tea?"
"I wouldn't mind." Hitch replied, grabbing the cup and taking a tentative sip, a wave of warmth washing over him. The stallion closed his eyes and allowed himself to bask in the warmth that seeped into his very bones, enjoying the moment.
Finally the moment passed, the stallion taking a deep breath before opening his eyes and asking. "You wanted to talk about something?"
"Yes, yes I have." Sunny closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to gather her thoughts. The mare took a deep breath, her eyes brimming with conviction as she concentrated her gaze of the stallion.
"I've been researching Equestrian mythos ever since we returned, the journal's contents leaving me quite worried about ponykinds future. If that journal was true, could it be that some of these horrible creatures survived? Ponies endured, after all, even if we were separated once more. During my searches I've looked through a number of ancient tomes, and have indeed found many a monster that long ago had inhibited our lands. Not all of these monster manuals were written exclusively by ponies, of course. Some belong to griffon authors, yaks, minotaurs, one was even written by a dragon! All of these authors, save for equibe ones, had one thing in common. Do you know what that thing is?" Sunny paused for a moment, resuming once the stallion shook his head.
"Prayers, words of faith directed towards a higher being, be it Four Winds, or the First Flame, asking for directions, salvation, protection. It was a staple among all races, a belief in some sort of higher power. All, except ponies." Sunny paused, taking a deep breath.
"This curious oddity demanded further investigation, leading to a jarring discovery. Apparently, the old pony rulers were not just unicorns, earth ponies or pegasi, but living, breathing creatures - alicorns. Some considered them nigh omnipotent, all-powerful, ever-present. Some considered them living gods." The mare grew silent for a moment, a sullen expression geacing her features.
"The obvious question then, is why? Why these seemingly all-powerful creatures, these gods have allowed this to happen? It took a few sleepless nights, but I might have found the reason behind their failure." A chill ran down Hitch's spine as he notoced the morose look on Sunny's face.
"What if they were no gods?" Sunny continued, noticing the questioning look on the stallion's face. "What if they were but false idols, usurpers of the rightful throne that had lead ponykind astray?" Hitch shifted uncomfortably at the zeal in her voice. "What else could explain their utter failure to protect their subjects? What if they were meant to fail?"
An uncomfortable silence settled onto the room as Hitch mulled over what to say, while Sunny was seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
"This... is a lot to take in." Hitch began, chewing the inside of his cheek. "Even if what you're saying is true, what can we do about it? Shouldwe do something about it? What done is done, their time has passed." He went silent for a second, placing a leg on her shoulder. "Not to downplay your worries, but is this really a big deal?"
"What if they come back?!" Sunny retorted heatedly, worry written accross her face. "What are we going to do then?" She sighed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm scared, Hitch."
Tye stallion wrapped his legs around her protectively, the mare burying her muzzle into his chest as she began to weep. Hitch couldn't help but shiver as he realised just how cold Sunny was. He carefully reached for the nearby blanket, covering the both of them with it.
Soon enough the mare was snoring peacefully into his chest, and before he knew it, Hitch joined her peaceful slumber.
A chill breeze ruffled his hair, the smell of fresh air entering his nostrils as Hitch opened his eyes. Directly ahead of him laid a vast, dark blue sky, peppered with countless white dots, some small, some big, all of them distant. The centerpiece of this mosaic hung proudly in the night sky, illuminating everything around the stallion in pale white light.
Short blades of grass tickled the back of his neck, forcing the stallion to shoot upright. A ceaseless green meadow spread before him, rolling hills adorned with beautiful white flowers.
Hitch got up, dusting himself off, wondering where to go and what to do, when something caught his attention.
Just over the horizon, peeking from one of the flower-rich hills, a bright orange glow seemed to eminate, growing in intensity with each passing moment. Hitch was forced to squint as the source of this glow made itself apparent, a sight the Sheriff had never seen before.
It wasn't the sun, yet its radiance rivaled the fabled celestial body. It shone with such an array of hauntingly beatiful colors, that made even the most breathtaking aurora borealis look like an amateur light show in comparison.
It overshadowed all the lights in the sky, making it akin to a solid block of obsidian.
Hitch stood in trepidation as the light grew closer, dimming itself so that the stallion could look at its source. The alicorn presented himself as a being of purity, solid white with nary a hint of a darker pallet, spurts of golden blending in perfectly with its marble fur.
He was perfection personified, yet the longer Hitch looked at the alicorn, the more he questioned its appearance. He was white as marble. Exactly like marble. His immaculate wings didn't move as the alicorn came closer. His fur had a solid texture to it, and Hitch could've sworn it actually gleamed.
The Alicorn's eyes opened, a neutral expression on his face. "Do not be afraid, my dear Sheriff." Hitch felt a shiver run down his spine as a pair of blue eyes gave him a once-over. "My name is Morning Star, and I have come bearing great news."
Hitch was about to ask what exactly this Morning Star meant, the Alicorn spoke once again. "Your friend is destined to be ponykind's savior, preaching the good word of your creator," A smile graced its stony lips. "me."
"Why?" Hitch asked as soon as he could, the figure raising an eyebrow at the question. "Why should she do that?" He squinted at Morning Star. "What's there to 'save' us from?"
"Have you not read the ancient texts?" The Alicorn said with a patient smile that didn't bode well with Hitch. " Have you not heard the fall of Equestria?" He tilted his head to the side, looking intently at the stallion, with what Hitch could've sworn was a self-assured expression.
"If you're our creator, then why didn't you help us back then?" Hitch accused the figure, standing his ground and taking satisfaction when Morning Star's expression morphed into one of incredulity for the briefest of moments.
"Tis' not so simple, my little Sheriff." The Alicorn said with an almost mournful expression on his face. "Ponykind has lost its way, decieved by two impostors, betrayers of their kin." His tone was cold enough to make Hitch shiver. "Their actions and inactions had caused ponykind's downfall." His tone once again became paternal, his eyes staring right through Hitch's soul. "Now its up to you to pick up the pieces."
Much to Hitch's surprise, the world around him shook, a wave of nausea hitting the stallion.
"Tis' a shame you're waking up already." Morning Star said in an accusatory tone. "Fret not, your friend had recieved her message." A smile graced his features. "We will meet again."
These were the last words Hitch heard before the world turned into a blur of sounds, smells and colors.
"That's a weird ass dream, dude." Sprout commented from his desk, writing lazily on a piece of paper, paying much more attention to the story than his duties.
"You can say that again." Hitch snorted, before adding a soft 'don't'. He signed away a waver with a sigh, adding it to the pile of seemingly infinite papers. "When I woke up that mornong, Sunny left a note, s'plainin' something urgent came up in Zephyr Heights, so she had to leave asap." A pregnant silence fell over the office as Sprout mustered up the courage to ask.
"Did she see the...?"
"Yeah," Hitch said with a sigh, putting his work aside for a moment. "she did see The Alicorn, and that she'd be more than happy to do as he says. She also said she'd be delighted if I could help her out."
"So... Are you going to?"
Hitch faceplanted into the table with a groan.
"I don't know. On one hoof, Sunny's my friend, and I'll do anything for her. On the other hoof, this Morning Star fellow doesn't sit right with me." He sighed, looking at the slowly setting sun outside. "I need my beauty sleep."
"Do as I do, don't work overtime." Sprout replied, returning to is documents.
Hitch sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I suppose there's a first time for everything."
The door shut behind Hitch with a loud thud, the thoroughly soaked stallion wincing from the unintended force.
Brows furrowed, the Sheriff threw off his waterproof boots, making his way towards the bathroom. Hitch discarded his wet clothing on the nearest drying rack, wiping himself the best he could with a dry towel, and shambling thoughtlessly towards the kitchen, desperate to get something in his stomach.
Yellow light illuminated the clear table of the kitchen, Hitch fishing out a plastic container half-filled with yesterday's leftovers.
"Or was it yesterday's yesterday?" Hitch wondered aloud, putting it nto the microwave and setting the timer for two minutes. Hitch slumped in his chair, his head resting on the wooden table as the stallion mulled over the happenings in the dream. Despite the figure's apparent benevolence, its evasiveness in answering questions and general eerie nature not doing the alicorn any favours. "I bet the town's library has something on ancient Equestrian history... And if not, I can always ask Sunny."
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Hitch blinked along with the beeps, approaching the microwave and fishing out the now hot container of who-knows how old vegetable stew. Opening the container and taking a tentative sniff, the Sheriff decided the stew was edible enough to eat, his aching stomach finally getting its fill. The warm feeling granted by the meal was a small miracle that helped combat the chilly conditions outside, and a very needed companion in the warm confines of one's bed.
Hitch wriggled on his bedsheets, covering himself with a blanket and dozing off thee second his head sank into the pillow.
A familiar tickling sensation at the back of his neck made itself apparant, the stallion shooting upright the second he felt it. His eyes shot open, his gaze glued by the familiar rolling hills and green meadows filled with flowers. A pale moon showered the landscape with its light, providing little lumination.
"Still better than nothing." Hitch said, shaking his head and looking around. To his surprise, the familiarity of the dream was shattered by a thick forest stretching beyond the horizon to his right, a dirt trail worming its way towards the trees. "Yeah, not going there."
Much to the stallions dismay minutes passed as he waited for the alicorn to arrive, eventually stretching into what felt like hours. Not content with sitting on his rump, the stallion began wandering in the direction directly opposite of the forest, searching for anything to busy himself with. Boredom soon turned into annoyance as he noticed that the scenery didn't change, no matter how long he trotted, the dark forest not moving away for an inch.
"Just my luck..." Hitch murmured, beginning to accept he just had to wait, when suddenly...
"Hm?" The stallion's ears swiveled in the direction of a distant sound, Hitch turning around to check were it was comimg from.
"Of course." The Sheriff sighed in defeated acceptance as the source of the sound was revealed to be the thick forest. With no viable choice left, Hitch began making his way along the dirt path, one that continued into the forest itself.
Sooner than he would've liked, Hitch found himself amidst the looming trees, their bark almost pitch-black under tge thick foliage. The earth pony squinted in an attempt to see the path in front of him, but was forced to orient by touch and sound.
Each step was accomoanied by humming, growing louder by the minute, until he was finally able to disceen the words.
"I close my eyes and believe that you are near
Wrong I have done, please make it clear...
The voice definently belonged to a mare, Hitch concluded, carrying with it a sort of grace the stallion have rarely heard before. It also sounded old, weary even, yet not in a traditional way, it felt like each word bore the weight of a thousand lifetimes.
"Heaven will fall as He holds Them in his grasp
Blood on our hooves, we stand alone"
A glimmer of pale light popped up amidst the darkness, drawing the stallion like a moth to a flame. Hitch finally emerged from the dark forest, the humming sounding stronger than ever.
Moss covered the crumbled remains of a castle, its grounds reduced to the sorry state of distepair and taken over by the encroaching nature. In the middle of what once must've been the throne room, surrounded by the half-destroyed stone walls, laid a figure.
Her coat was a navy blue in hue, the furt dirtied at frazzled from the lack of grooming. Her wings looked disheveled, feathers sticking out at odd angles, some of the missing entirely. Her horn had a large crack going from the its base right towards the tip, a myriad of scratch marks marring its appearance. Her eyes were closed, a mournful expression on her face as her head hung low.
Hitch gasped involuntarily as pale moonling flickered and reflected off of something on the mare, his surprise turning to shock as he recognized what it was.
Chains were clinging tightly to her body, her legs and wings bound to the floor by thick, black restraints that looked painfully tight.
Hitch wasn't faint of heart, yet he couldn't help but flinch as the mare opened her eyes, two sapphire blue orbs looking at him appraisingly. The stallion relaxed slightly when the alicorn's features softened, her lips curving into a weary smile.
"It's been a long while since I had a welcome visitor." She frowned for a moment before sighing. "Let us not marr this momentous occasion with negative thoughts though. I believe inttoductions are in order." She cleared her throat, flinching a little as she tried and failed to move in an attempt to appear regal. "I am Princess Luna. Warden of dreams and co-ruler of Equistria..." She trailed off for a moment, a distant look in her eyes. "ex-co-ruler."
Hitch stood speechless for a moment, processing what he'd heard. Was it true? Was this 'Luna' really one of ancient Equestrian rulers? Why was she chained?
"I'd love to bow, but my current predicament makes that quite painfull, nevermind excessive." His musings were interrupted by her words, Luna's eyes pointing at her confines.
Hitch shook his head, clearing his throat before formulating his reply. "Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer, MBPD." Noticing Luna's confused expression, he added. "Maretime Bay Police Department. It's nice to meet you, ma'am." A chuckle graced his ears as he watched the mare smile at him, amusement clear in her eyes.
"Luna is fine, Hitch. Ma'am makes me feel old..."
Sensing the momentary lull in conversation, Hitch used the opportunity to ask the question at the forefront of his mind.
"Why are you chained, Luna?" He asked, eyeing up the restraints. "If you don't mind me asking, that is." He added hastily, noting the uncomfortable look on Luna's face.
"Very well." She said with a curt nod, clearing her throat.
"Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies." She reminisced, a nostalgic smile gracing her features.
"The eldest sister raised a student, a prodigy in all kinds of magic, the most important being the magic of friendship. She and her friends endured many a trial, overcome many a tribulations, culminating in her ascension. And so the freshly crowned Princess of Friendship went on to mold Equestria into what it was always meant to be, a place for all peoples of the world, allowing the royal sisters to retire." Her smile fell, a mournful expression taking its place.
"But something went wrong. We- I grew too complacent. I didn't foresee His return." She closed her eyes, head lowered in defeat. "Tartarus was let loose, my sister and I were imprisoned, and ponykind was thought to be gone forever." She cast a hopeful look at Hitch. "Until now." Hitch raised an eyebrow, taking a step back at the mare's intense tone. "your presense here confirms that not all is lost, that we can yet save ponykind!"
"Whoah, slow down there, buddy." Hitch replied, waving her down. "Why in the world would I trust you?" He sighed at the mare's confused expression. "A dark mare chained to an old castle deep in the forest doesn't really look tustworthy." He continued past the durty look Luna was giving him. "And that's before she starts raving about saving ponykind." He snorted, looking sideways. "Been there done that."
"If you need more proof, you can contact my sister!" She exclaimed, continuing as the stallion crained his head. "You heard the tune I was humming, heard the words? Sing them in your sleep, and Tia will answer." Luna paused, mulling over what Hitch said. "Been there, done that?" She asked, looking at him quizzaly.
"A white alicorn appered to me in a dream yesterday, went on and how he was ponykind's saviour or something." Hitch frowned and rubbed his chin. "What was his name again..."
"A white alicorn... And you said he was a stallion?" Luna's confused expression turned into one of distress at Hitch's answer.
"Yeah, I now I remember the name..."
"No!" Luna exclaimed, tugging at her chains. "Do not speak of the-"
"... Morning Star." Hitch finished, looking in confusion at the haggared princess, not knowing the reason behind her plight.
"For he shall appear..." Luna trailed off, her gaze drawn towards the night sky.
Hitch followed her example, not sure what she was looking at-
An explosion of golden light cascaded over the night sky with its unrivaled intensity, erasing any and all stars from it. Hitch couldn't help but squint as a four pointed star descended from the heavens, a familiar snow white stallion emerging from the celestial body.
His face was a mask of concern as he approached the duo, his eyes avoiding the chained mare.
"Do not be fooled by her lies, my little Sheriff." He spoke floating beside Hitch, his voice turning paternal. "For she is one of the decievers who caused this great foulness."
"You're one to talk!" Luna bit back, her face contorted with anger. "You went against Father's will, tried to destroy all of ponykind, traitor!"
The white alicorn shook his head, tsking as he approached the bound mare. "I see your punishment has done little, your lesson is yet to be learned." Luna was about to retort when he spoke again, his tone firm and authoritative.
"Were it not your petty grudges and jealousies that led you to attempt sororicide? Was it not your misguided ambitions that put ponykind, and indeed all life on the verge of a miserable, cold death?" He asked with a tilt of his head.
"Unlike you, I've served my time." She retorted, a mix of regret and fury on her face. "Repented my transgressions, and was allowed to return home." Despite her intentions, the reply sounded less than confident.
"Oh? Is that so?" He asked in a mock-curious tone. "Do you truly think that a mere millenia of thoughtless slumber redeems the end of all life?" He leaned into her, the mare shrinking a little under the weight of his words. "That your return had been unbiased? That you truly deserved a second chance?" He tilted his head, his eyes boring into hers.
"I wanted a second chance."
"My point stands." The white alicorn said curtly, the chains lighting up a golden color in tandem with his horn, pinning Luna to the ground, the chain around her neck nightening to the point of obstructing airflow. "Sometimes, what we want and what we deserve are polar opposites.
Morning Star turned sharply towards Hitch, the stallion flinching under his heavy gaze, golden eyes staring him down with spite the stallion had never seen before in his life.
"Her voice means to decieve you, my little Sheriff." He stated, floating towards the stallion, forcing him to backpedal. "My voice just wants to lead you." His mouth stretched into a smile.
"Do not be swayed by false prophets, my little Sheriff. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
World around Hitch spun into an array of different colors, peculear shapes moving through the kaleidoscope of spectrum. A nauseous feeling appeared in the back of his throat as the swirling colors consolidated into a form of Luna, the dark blue mare looking bigger than he remembered. A movement in the corner of his eye caught Hitches attention, prompting him to look at the source of the disturbance.
The mare's shadow lengthened, its edges becoming sharper as it crept up to the mare, bleeding into her coat as it turned a few shades darker. Shadows crawled up the mare's body, weaving into a solid black armor, her mane scattering into the night sky, galaxies whirling around void-like vortexes. Her features hardened, her eyes turning cat-like as she flashed him a predatory grin.
"Do ponies pray for the advance of night? Do they toll the land or gather fruits on the dark?" A disembodied voice asked as the scene shifted.
Barren lands stretched as far as the eye could see, not a blade of grass in sight. Every inch of soil was cold to the touch, covered in a thin layer of ice. A single figure was kneeling beside a shriveled up tree, dark sap seeping down its crooked branches, not a single leaf gracing the sickly plant. Five branches differed from the rest, gaping hexagonal holes oozing dark puss that dripped down the tree trunk and into a six-angled star in its center, right above two images of sun and moon, both scratched up and faded due to time.
"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit."
Suddenly roaring fires erupted from everywhere around the tree, the sickly sap serving as kindling for the green flames as they licked the tree trunk, somehow coloring it a shade darker. As the fires consumed the tree, the figure began to thrash, lunging towards the tree and lighting her horn, yet unable to move an inch. The voice returned as inky clouds billowing from the pyre swallowed the sky.
"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
As the last of the wood crumbled and turned to ashes, the mare could be seen sobbing silently, her breaths short and erratic as she buried her muzzle in her hooves.
"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
At these words, the invisible restraints snapped silently, freeing the mare, her ears twitching at the sudden freedom. Silently, she turned towards Hitch, burrowing him with her hate-filled eyes. The mare pounced, making the stallion brace for impact, yet just before her hooves hit Hitch, the figure dissipated, revealing a white alicorn in her place.
"I am your true saviour, for I will lead you not into temptation, but deliver you from evil." The white Alicorn chanted, each beat of his wings clearing the bituminous skies. "Hallowed be my name, for I will make it so." His eyes opened, the gold of his eyes a little duller than before.
Hitch awoke to a distant sound of beeping, the constant noise slowly dragging him out of sweet unconsciousness. His hopes of remaining in the comfortable confines of his bed were dashed when he checked the phone.
"Half past six already..." He grumbled, getting out of bed and stifling a yawn. Hitch rubbed his eyes, exiting his bedroom and shambling down the corridor, towards his bathroom.
The monotonous movement of his toothbrush gave the stallion ample time to clear the remaining cobwebs in his mind, his senses sharper than minutes before.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Hitch's eyes became wide as dinnerplates as he recognised the noise.
"The microwave!"
He yelled, hastily spitting toothpaste out of his mouth into the sink, leaving the toothbrush somewhere near and rushing down the stairs with unmatched speed.
The stallion squinted as he barged into his kitchen, trying to spot the offending piece of kitchen electronics, his eyes ill-adjusted to the sudden shift in illumination. Shadows shifted in the darkness of the kitchen, sunlight yet to dissapate the bituminous blackness. Hitch spotted the box-shaped device on his kitchen counter, finding it strangely silent.
"What on earth was that noise?" Hitch mumbled, checking the microwave, discowering the device was powered off. A shiver went down his spine as he felt a chill breeze tickle the back of his neck, the stallion whirling around to find only the dark void of the kitchen looking back at him.
"Must've been a draft or something..." He assured himself, backpedaling towards the stairs, keeping his eyes locked on the pitch-black room. Hitch found it unusually hard to break eye contact with the darkness of the kitchen. Shaking his head, the earth pony soldiered on, turning around and trotting up the stairs at a slightly faster rate than usual.
As he closed the bathroom door and returned to brushing his teeth, his mind preoccupied with todays duties and chores, he failed to notice the shadows lenghtening just behind the door.
"Holy hagfish you look like shit." Were probably not the words Hitch expected to hear upon entering his work office, the rather on-point comment from his colleague prompting the stallion to sigh.
"That bad, huh?" Hitch replied, plopping into his chair, cup of coffee in hoof. A sip of hot liquid sent a shiver down his spine as he felt a warm sensation settle in his stomach, the world around him just a litle sharper with each passing moment.
"Like death warmed over." Sprout answered with a snort, kicking back in his chair and peeking at the wall mounted clock. "Tough night?" Sprout teased, flinching once Hitch's hard gaze fell upon him. The peach stallion looked thoroughly exhausted, the bags under his eyes heavy enough to kill on impact. His coat looked a little duller, the colors seemingly faded, the same odd discoloration affecting his mane.
"Just saying you should fix your sleeping schedule. Not going to last much longer at this pace." Sprout said defensively, pacifying his friend's acidic glare.
"I'll have you know that I've had my eight hours of sleep." Hitch retorted, rubbing his eyes. "Alright, maybe closer to six or seven, but that's beside the point." He took another sip of the life-saving ambrosia, savouring the bitter taste. "I'm sure we got better things to do than discuss my sleep schedule-"
RING RING RING
Phone ringing ended that train of thought abruptly, much to Hitch's relief, prompting the stallion to reach for the reciever and pull it up to his ear.
"Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer, MBPD. What's your emergency?"
"Somepony broke into the library!" The voice on the line was frantic with a bit of breathlesness. "The place's a mess! You've got to find the one responcible!" A mare yelled over the line, prompting Hitch to roll his eyes.
"Is there anypony in the library with you?"
"No!" The mare's responce was quick, a little too quick perhaps, taking into account what followed a short moment later. "At least I think so. I didn't have the time to check the entire library!" Hitch's features hardened at the thought of the purpetrator still being at the scene of the crime, his brows furrowed as he instructed.
"State your name and address."
"Mary Crossings, I'm a librarian Maretime Bay Public Library." The mare stated, hearing the urgency in the Sheriff's voice. "497 Neigh Parker's drive."
"Miss Crossings, try to leave the building asap, or find a secure place to hide in if you can't. Stay on the line with my assistant, I'll be there shortly." He said, recieving a quiet 'okay' in reply as he hoofed Sprout the reciever.
"W-what am I gonna do?!" The thoroughly bewildered assistant blurted out, stopping the Sheriff just shy of his offic door.
Hitch turned sharply, his steely gaze burrowing through the red stallion. He quickly crossed the distance between them, jabbing his hoof into the stallion's chest.
"You're going to keep that mare calm, make sure nothing bad happens to her, and instruct her if it does." Just when Sprout was about to protest, Hitch raised his leg, closing Sprout's mouth with a small click. "Miss Crossing's life depends on our withers, Sprout. I need you here to keep an eye on her while I go in there to check the situation." His tone commanded no rebbutal, his gaze pinning the read stallion in place.
"Do you understand?"
"Y-yeah." Was all Sprout managed to croak, before Hitch disappeared from his field of view, dashing out of the office at lightning speed.
Rapid wet clip-clops of hooves against brick approached the building of Maretime Bay's Public Library, morning dew mixing with petricor to form a uniquely alluring smell of a rainy morning.
The streets were mostly empty at this hour, leaving the house of knowledge thankfully unattended, save for one mare supposedly stuck inside.
Hitch barely managed his momentum, stopping mere inches in front of the door, before a flurry of knocks assaulted the wooden surface.
"This is Sheriff Trailbrazer, MBPD. Open the door." He paused for the briefest of moments, waiting for an answer that never came. "Police, open the door!" Was the precursor to his second attempt at gaining entry, ending no better than the last.
With a determined glean in his eyes and a grunt of excertion the door folded inwards, dropping to the wooden floor with a resonate thud, leaving a gaping entrance in its wake.
It wasn't any particular noise that set Hitch on edge, but rather a lack of noise. His forced entrance should have elicited at least some commotion from the depths of the building, the rapid sound of hooves striking wood as they approached, or an unshure 'hello' from the library's inhabitants.
But there was nothing. Not a single far off noise dared to disturb the utter silence of the library, so thick, suffocating and stale it might as well have been sealed centuries ago.
Taking a tentative step forward, Hitch's movement broke the spell that loomed over the building, fetching a Г-shaped device from his saddlebags and mounting it on his fetlock.
With a soft click the barrel-mounted flashlight turned on, illuminating the shadowy surroundings with cold hues.
A disorganised mess of scattered tomes and torn-up papers jutted out of the oak floor, marring the intirety of the foyer. Hitch's brows furrowed as he looked over the disarray, pointing the barrel at a hallway once he deemed the immediate area clear.
"Anypony there?" He yelled into the hall, waiting a few seconds before moving down the hallway, his ears at attention, listening for any possible commotion in the distance.
An uncomfortable feeling made itself present in his gut as no responce came, the following silence broken only by the ringing in his ears.
Hitch reached for a two-way radio, flicking through the channel until he found one that connected The Sheriff with his second in command, a low buzz eminating from the device as he pressed the button on its side.
"Sprout this is Hitch, do you copy?" An uncomfortably lengthy silence accompanied Hitch as he stalked through the halls of the library, finally broken by a frantic voice.
"Yeah, I can hear you just fine." His second in command blurted out, not waiting for a responce. "Hey, since you're on the line, how's the lady doing?"
Worry stirred in Hitch's mind as he noted the strained tone of Sprout's voice.
"I was about to ask the same thing." The following pause spoke far more than words ever could. Hitch sighed, speaking slowly and carefully. "What. Is. Mary's. Status."
"I don't know!" Sprout's reply came louder than Hitch expected with a clear desperate inflection. "One moment she was fine, a little weary if anything, the next thing I know, she's screaming bloody murder and running who-knows where!" His frantic explanation and panicked tone did little to soothe Hitch, the stallion increasing his pace.
"Calm down deputy! What did she tell you? Why'd she run away?" His voice was authoratative, brooking no arguement with its steely inflection, sobering the red stallion in mere moments. "I need your help to get this mare to safety!"
"I-I..." Sprout began, coughing into his hoof. "I think she's been spooked by something."
Hitch's grip around his gun tightened, his face twisting into a frown. There was only one thing that could've scared the mare in this situation.
"So our intruder is still in the building?" He spoke aloud, more to himself that to Sprout. "This complicates things. Send some reinforcements to lock the place down, I'll get the mare to safety."
"Roger that Hitch... Just be careful, alright? I never heard anypony scream like that." Sprout curtly warned, leaving Hitch in uniform silence, broken only by the sound of his hooves hitting the floor.
An opening along the rightside wall grabbed Hitch's attention, the stallion slowing down as he approached it, wearily anticipating an ambush.
Shining his light on the door frame, Hitch cleared his throat and spoke loud and clear, his voice steady and firm.
"Anypony there?"
The second the words left his lips, something scuttered in the general direction of the doorframe, the sound akin to hooves scraping against wood, muffled by both distance and obstacle.
His muscles went taut at the noise, breathing quickening for but a moment, before the Sheriff steadied himself. Sound was good, no matter the source. Hitch would either apprehend the intruder, or secure the mare, a win-win situation.
The stallion eyed the gun strapped to his fetlock. Now it's a matter of figuring out what goes first.
"Identify yourself."
His words echoed off the constricting walls of the library, no doubt reaching whoever, or whatever was just behind the corner.
Whoever. Hitch reminded himself. There isn't a whatever. It was concerning that he needed the reminder.
"Identify yourself."
Hitch's ear twitched as he struggled to discern what he thought was a reply, eminating from the depth of the doorway, barely a whisper by the time it reached his ears.
"This is a police investigation, I need you to identify yourself."
Hitch repeated himself his lines firmer in their delivery this time around. They're either scared, or trying to be inconspicuous. His brows furrowed, concidering the possibilities. Or both.
"This is a police investigation, I need you to identify yourself."
Frustration stirred his mind as he once again failed to catch the faint responce, worry added to the mix of emotions as he realised the voice was stalling. For all I know, this is just a ruse to lure me closer for an ambush. A different thought wormed into Hitch's mind, a shiver running down his spine. Or desperate pleas of a helpless victum...
"Shit." He cursed under his breath, reaching for his radio. A click of a button filled the hallway with white noise for the scant few seconds it took the device to zero-in on the right wavelength, before growing quiet.
"Sprout, this is Hitch." His voice was low, hopefully out of earshot of the supposed intruder. "I've detected some movement, the target's not responding, have to engage without identification. Do you copy?" The Sheriff waited paitently for any kind of responce, ready to deal with the target in whichever way the sitiuation necessitated.
Static blared into his sensetive ears, tearing his concentration to shreds with each hertz of scrambled nonsensical noise, the grating harshness of the sound melded with its unexpected appearance, a wakening a sort of fight-or-flight responce inside of the stallion.
Hitch almost instinctually jerked the malfunctioning device away from his ringing ears, flinging it down the hall and out of view, caring little of its fate, besides the fact that the action caused the radio to go silent.
For a prescious few moments, anyhow, as the noise returned with a vengeance mere seconds later, irritating te stallion to no end. Hitch shook his head, turning his head towards the doorframe, trying to tune out the white noise-
Eminating from that very same doorframe.
Hitch squinted in confusion, trying and failing to process the situation. Could his radio have ricoched somehow? A ray of light shifted to illuminate the pitch black hall, revealing an uncomfortable outline of the portable radio laid broken on the woodplanks, bits and pieces of its insides scattered all over the place.
Hitch's mind raced to find a reasonable explanation, yet the pitiful attempt was snuffed out in an instant as the Sheriff detected some movement coming from the doorframe.
A solid piece of black stood sickenengly proud in contrast to the pathetic ray of light attempting to illuminate it. The appendage reached from beyond the doorframe, out of the confinements of the room to snake its way up the wall in snappy, jittery movements, each one accompanied by a sickening crack.
The stallion's breath hitched in his throat as he staggered backwards from the doorframe, unavoidably causing a commotion.
The rest of the oily black figure followed the lone appendage soon enough, a quadrupedal shape emerging from the doorframe in an almost stop-motion like manner.
It stood at least two heads higher that Hitch, standing on its two back legs that bent one too many times at what couldn't possibly be joints. Starkly contrasting against the pale light caressing its surface, the Sheriff could now see equine features dotting the figure.
Its bituminous oily coat ended in faintly orange hues, the lengthy hairs of its mane fading into a washed-out magenta towards the tips. A solid shadow took over most of the creature's face, if it could even be called a face, the facade so painfully thin and skin-deep. Two bottomless black pits graced by a lining of bleached white stared through the Sheriff, pinning him in place with its unblinking gaze.
Some long-buried primal instict awoke inside Hitch as he stood as still as he could under the creature's watch, all rational thought phased out of his mind in that moment.
Hitch reacted with lightning-fast speed, bolting the moment he registered the choppy movements of the creature. He didn't hear the shattering of glass and the frantic hits of hooves against the floorboards behind him, neither did he feel the hundreds of stings of glass shards sinking into his flesh as he tumbled out of the window, hitting the ground hard, whirling around the moment his hooves found purchace.
His gaze remained glued to the shattered window, eye contact locked with the shadow beyond the ruined window frame. Hitch held its gaze as best as he could, a shaky breath leaving his lips as the creature relented, retreating into the shadows, but not before gracing it with an almost lazy look that promised closure.
Hitch only came to his senses when he felt a cloth draped over his back, some rookie hussing over his superior with a worried expression.
"I don't know what to say, Hitch" Sprout's tired voice reached the Sheriff's ears as the former hoofed the latter a report. "better see for yourself."
The Sheriff's eyes focused on his deputy's outstretched hoof, a neat folder carrying with itself an air of unease residing atop the appendage. It took Hitch just a moment too long to be considered normal to reach for the pile of documents, exhaustion bleeding through his posture as he settled back into his faux-leather chair.
His bloodshot eyes scanned over the freshly printed bold letters, the faint smell of ink bringing a nostalgic smile to his lips for but a moment, before a thin line of taut lips took its rightful place.
CASE #15
Any and all information contained in this folder is for MBPD staff viewing only, and must not be released to the public until further notice.
A queasy feeling shifted in Hitch's stomach as he opened the folder, skipping over the text with a trained eye, picking out the most important parts.
"At first sight the library appeared to be in a state of total disarray, however further investigation uncovered that only books were targeted by the purpetrator. After collecting and inspecting the books for damages, investigators noted that the first page of every book was missing, uneven tears at the base of the page suggesting a haste removal.
With aid provided by library staff, each book was identified belonging to the package recently delivered from a joined-effort mountain expedition.
Said books were found scattered randomly throughout library grounds, despite being initially placed in a dedicated section of the building.
No traces of Mary Crossing were found despite a thorough search of the premesies. Recording of Mary's conversation with deputy Cloverleaf suggest foalnapping. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Despite the extent of damage done by the purpetrator, no trace of them was found. Specialist checked the scene for strands of hair of hoofprints, but found nothing.
Forensic sketches were drawn according to the eyewitness account of Sheriff Trailblazer, but no suspects could be linked to the image.
Due to the Sheriff's questionable mental state upon the arrival of MBPD forces, combined with dubious believability of the sketch, it was dismissed."
Hitch's face scrunched up in fatigue as he closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Things are looking worse than I thought. I hoped my arrival at least distracted the thing long enough for Mary to get away..." He trailed off at the though of whatever happened to the mare, but was caught unawares by the irritated groan from his companion.
"Doubling down on the whole 'spooky shadow figure'? What are you, five?" Sprout's incredulous inflection wasn't lost on the Sheriff, neither was his mocking tone.
"I know what I've seen, Sprout." Hitch said with a scowl, putting the folder on the table, sinking into his chair. "And I'm not going to back down just 'cause ponies refuse to see things for what they are." The Sheriff's reply forced a sigh out of the other stallion, prompting him to stand up from his chair and point a hoof and Hitch.
"And how do you know how things are? Think yourself to be some kind of Neighstradamus, huh?" He snorted, shaking his head and snatching the file away. "First those weird dreams, and now hallucinations? I think you'd better see a doctor before you start spouting doomsday shit."
"You think I'm making this all up!?" Hitch's posture was tense as he stood up and approached the deputy, eyeing up the folder Sprout stashed away in his table. Anger bubbled up inside the stallion as he watched Sprout's expression grow wary in responce to the Sheriff's agitated approach, glints of fear dancing in his eyes. "You think I'm out of my mind?" His voice was decibels higher than usual, causing Sprout to flinch away on reflex.
"And what am I supposed to think, Hitch?" The deputy retorted, his voice starting off unsure, but growing firmer as he went on. "You claim to have been communing with deities in your dreams, look like you haven't slept in a week, and now you're seeing shadow ponies around every corner. This isn't normal, Hitch."
"So what do you want me to do? Go get myself locked up in an asylum?" Hitch squinted, his tone growing venomous. "I bet you'd love to be in charge again!"
"Oh for the love of-" Sprout cut himself off, snorting in exhasperation and trying to find the right words to diffuse the situation. "Hitch, I'm not saying you're crazy or anything, nopony here believes that and you know that." Sprout's voice grew quieter as the words left his lips, his posture slumping just a little as he continied. "You also know that if I tried any...funny business in your absense, ponies wouldn't just let it slide." Hitch felt a soft pressure on his shoulder, a pair of concerned eyes looking at him. "Ponies trust you, Hitch. I trust you."
Hitch held his partner's gaze, scowering for any signs of deception, his mouth feeling dry as a myriad of thoughts stewed in his head.
"So why can't you trust me on this?"
A confusing ache in his chest made itself present as he watched Sprout sigh at the question, returning to his desk.
"You look like Tartarus, Hitch. Go home early and get some sleep, see if you're feeling better tomorrow." The deputy dodged the question, reaching into his desk to pull out the folder. "I'll look over the report, see if can make sense of this nightmare."
Hitch raised his hoof, about to argue when Sprout's voice invaded his senses once more.
"Don't argue with me Hitch, or I'll tell nurse Evelynn on you. Then you will be getting your beauty sleep, even if it'll have to be on a medbay bed."
Hitch chuckled mirthlessly at Sprout's attempt at humor, sighing and turning to walk towards the exit door.
The stallion was on the precipice when a stallion's voice called to him, freezing him in place.
"Oh, and Hitch?" The Sheriff turned to watch the back of his friends looming over the desk. "Have a good night."
Hitch rolled his eyes, huffing and turning for the exit, leaving the deputy with a simple reply.
