Necro Domina

Chapters

Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04

Chapter 01

Chapter 01

It’s been sometime since I’ve thought about my past. I always find myself contemplating what I’m going to do next, how I’m going to continue on, and what’s in store for my future, but I could never bring myself to recall the memories I’ve been repressing for many months now. But here I was, surrounded by corpses as I steadily bled from a wound in my side, finding my mental defenses shattering to allow the unwanted visions of my earlier days flooding back into my conscious thoughts. I tried to fight them away, but I was too tired and so, after pointless effort, I resigned myself to remembering everything I thought I had destroyed.

I don’t recall much before my fifth birthday aside from the random bits of warm smiles and joy in the sun that were permanently imprinted in my mind. After that, things became clearer. I vividly remembered the picnics my parents would take me on and all of the love they would shower me with. My parents loved me so much. I winced, the emotions of my past filling me with sorrow due to my current life. I could feel tears streaming down my face, but not from the pain. The pain was nothing new to me and so that left only one possible cause. Regret.

I drew in a breath, the intake stuttered by shaking sobs as I tried to suppress the images, but they would not relent. My mind betrayed me and I was once more assaulted by memories unwanted. I guess I should begin at the beginning. My name is Dazzle Drive, daughter of Sparky Drive and Torrent Drive, and I’m the first equine Necromancer.

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Second of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Twelve Forty-One Post Meridian
|

I beamed excitedly, my eyes wide with wonder. “Really, Mommy? Will I really get to come with you to work tomorrow?” I was bouncing on my hooves, my sky blue mane dancing in its twin braids.

“Only if you’re good, Dee Dee. Mommy and Daddy have to talk to somepony tonight and so you’ll be staying with Miss Blossom.”

I nodded furiously, all too eager to go and play with Orange Blossom, my foalsitter. She lives only a few blocks away in the common quarter of Canterlot, my hometown, and is my best friend from when I was much younger than even now. I’ve lived my whole life here with my parents and often stayed with Blossom when they had to work the same shifts or whenever they decided they wanted to go out somewhere.

My mother nuzzled my neck softly, making me sigh happily. “Now, my little Dandelion, Blossom should be here shortly.” That is another one of the nicknames that my mother, and later Blossom, loved to call me, my golden yellow coat the source of this one. “You’re six years old now, so I think you can go outside on your own. Why don’t you go wait for her while Daddy and I talk?”

I agreed excitedly and scurried off to play in our yard. Our house isn’t too large, being only two stories, but we have plenty of room to play outside. Tonight is the first time I’m able to come outside without my parents or Blossom watching me! “I can’t believe they’re letting me play outside! Too bad the sun isn’t around anymore. None of my friends ever come play anymore....”

I sighed softly and looked around before deciding I would just run around behind our house, pretending to be a brave knight. I turned to trail along our gate when a soft green flash caught my attention from just around the corner. My curiosity overwhelmed my instinctual nervousness and drove me to find out what is causing the light. I lit my small- I mean stout, because I’m a big pony, yellow horn for its dim, blue light and peeked around the corner, eyes wide to search over every detail.

“That’s boring....” My lip curled in a pout, disappointment growing, until I noticed the faint glow pulsing in my mother’s rose bush. I walked over to the roses, my purple eyes growing wider as I drew nearer. I’m not a particularly courageous filly, but my curiosity could definitely make up for the lack. I buried my worries in order to figure out what it was that was hiding. I strained my eyes against the darkness, the glow being the only light due to my house’s shadow blotting out the moon’s light, and crept onward.

A low hum caught my attention and I stopped to look around me for any sign of something else being nearby, but all that was there was the faint glowing of whatever was in the bush. I took a deep breath and sprinted right up next the rose bushes, taking extra care not to run muzzle first into the thorny flowers. I wasn’t scared-. No, definitely not! I’m a big pony! I was just... excited! Yeah, excited. I mean, there was a strange glowing thing in the roses that wasn’t there before, so it would make sense to be excited and not afraid.

I blinked, finally noticing that the hum I heard was much clearer now and sounded more like a quiet tuba. And it was also coming from the bushes. “Is it the light that’s humming? That’s weird. Lights don’t hum.” I sparked my horn into action to open the bushes enough so I could see inside, but I put too much magic into the act and tore the flowers apart quite gracelessly. “Oops.... Mommy is definitely not gonna be happy.”

I sighed, silently praying to the missing Celestia that Mommy wouldn’t find out before peering carefully inside the hole I had created. The glow had gotten much dimmer, but I could still see something towards the very back of the row of flowers. I, even more carefully this time, set my horn into action and wrapped the object in a blue aura, but dropped it as a small jolt of electricity shot through my horn and down my body to the tip of my tail. I loosed a startled ‘eep’ and rubbed my tingling horn with my forehooves. “Meanie thing! Why did you zap me?”

There wasn’t an answer. It’s not like I expected one or anything. No, not at all. I moved forward again in an attempt to retrieve the dimly lit item and, this time, grasped the object in the crook of my right forehoof. It was smooth and hard with some strange bumps on the front. I held it in front of my face, staring at it in the dim blue light as the green glow faded, and frowned. “A rock!? It’s just a rock!?”

I huffed before stowing the rather large slab of stone in one of the saddlebags I always wore before turning back towards the front yard. “Maybe Mommy will know what kind of rock it is. Even if it is just a dumb rock, it was glowing.” I trotted off, my merry mood back in place now that my adventurous curiosity had returned, and stopped outside our front door. I could hear my parents’ muffled talking and could even hear some of the words.

“Are you sure... Nightmare’s army?” My Mom’s voice was soft, but easily recognizable over my Dad’s deeper words. “Why don’t you join the Royal....”

Royal? Nightmare’s army? What are they talking about? Are they going to meet the new Queen? Oh, wow! My Mommy and Daddy are gonna be famous! I strained my hearing even more, pressing against the door to gather as much sound as possible.

“I don’t know, Sparky. You heard what happens if you ignore Nightmare’s draft. The Dew family went missing not too long ago. I don’t want that to happen to you and Dazzle.” My dad sounded strange. Like he would if he was scared or something, but that didn’t make sense. Daddies don’t get scared.

“Well, you can’t just leave us. We’re the top two engineers for the airships and, if this is going to turn out as I imagine, then She’ll probably want to requisition our services to build her own personal airships.”

“You talk as if I’m not going to come back if I accept. Don’t worry, dear. I can take care of myself.”

I reached up to our door handle and prepared to rush in and figure out what they were talking about, until a soft cough and the clearing of a throat behind me stole my attention. “Now, Dee Dee, you really shouldn’t be eavesdropping on your parents. If they’re trying to talk in private then you need to just wait till they’re done.”

I spun on my hooves and folded my ears back at the sight of the stern filly before me. Orange Blossom was almost nine, just about to reach adulthood, and was certainly tall for her age. Despite her name, she didn’t actually look like an orange so much as she did the actual flower. She had a white coat with a bright yellow mane, brighter in contrast to my darker, more golden fur. Did I mention she was pretty? Oh, she was very pretty. The perfect pony and my favorite pony ever other than my parents.

I flushed and looked at my hooves, unable to hide my shame. “I’m sorry Blossom. I didn’t mean to. Please don’t be mad at me.” I just couldn’t bear to have the filly of my-.... I mean, my best friend hate me. Instead of scolding me further, however, she just giggled and hugged me. I sighed in content.

“Oh, Dee Dee. Why would I be angry? You’re just too cute to be angry at!” She pulled away and my body tried to stay in contact for just a moment longer, but she had already moved past me to the door. I jumped up next to her and waited as she raised a hoof to knock. “Mister and Missus Drive, I’m here for Dazzle!”

I watched her as she moved, admiring the open heart-filled book that adorned her flank. I’ve always wondered why she had that cutie mark instead of an orange related cutie mark like the rest of her family, but I could never work up the courage to ask her and thus inform her of my staring at her flank. My father soon opened the door and grinned happily as he motioned us inside. “Hello Mister Drive. I hope you’ve been having a good day so far? Or perhaps night now.”

“Oh, yes. Thanks for asking Blossom. Other than the stress of work and other things, it’s been pretty decent.” He led us into the kitchen and, the moment I saw my mother, I rushed up to her and gave her a hug. “Thank you for agreeing to watch Dazzle for us. It’s so nice to have somepony we can trust to take care of her when we have to go out.”

“Hey, Mommy! Look at what I found out back!” I quickly dug through my bag and pulled out the rock, holding it in my teeth. She took it in her hooves and looked at it carefully. “It was glowing when I found it, but now it isn’t. I think it was making a sound, too, but I couldn’t tell. Then it zapped me when I used magic on it! It still looks funny though and has weird squiggles on the side so I thought you’d know what it was!”

“Hmm. Let me see.” She turned it over and looked at the strange lines on the front occasionally raising her eyebrows like she had found something interesting. After a few seconds of me bouncing impatiently before her, she handed it back. “It’s a rock!”

I laughed and put it in my saddle bag once more. “Duh, Mommy. I knew that! I want to know what kind of rock.” I watched her expectantly, but she just shrugged.

“I’m not sure, Dee Dee. It looks like a regular rock to me. Don’t you think you should just go put it in the garden with all the other rocks?”

“But it has squiggly lines! See?” I levitated the rock out once more and practically shoved it in my mother’s face. She just frowned and shook her head.

“I don’t see anything, sweetie.” She held it out for everypony else to see. “Honey, do you see anything?”

“It’s just a regular rock, Dazzle.” I stuck out my lip in a pout, frustrated that they wouldn’t tell me the truth. I can see the funny-looking lines, so why won’t they just say they’re there? “Why don’t you keep your rock, okay?” He ruffled my mane causing me to squeak out a bout of laughter. “Now, go on. You don’t wanna keep Blossom waiting, do you?”

My eyes went wide as I looked over to the older filly whose brows were furrowed in mock impatience. I nearly panicked. Mocking or not, I didn’t want to make her wait! I swiftly kissed my parents on the cheeks and stood next to Blossom, leaning against her just slightly. She nuzzled my neck before turning to leave and I followed right behind her “Bye, Mommy! Bye, Daddy! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“I’ll be sure to get her back before noon, Mister and Missus Drive.” I watched behind me as we left, making sure to keep my parents in view as they waved at us before shutting the front door. Blossom looked down at me, her soft pink eyes glowing in the moonlight. “So, Dee Dee, what do you want to do today?”

“I dunno. Whatever you want to, I guess. I didn’t even know I was going to your place until this morning. Do you know what the new Queen is like?”

“I’m not sure, Dazzle. I haven’t met her and I certainly won’t judge based on all the rumors.” She looked at me, curiosity evident on her face. “Why do you wanna know? Did you hear something about her?”

“Oh, no! I heard Mommy and Daddy talking about a royal army and Nightmare’s army or something like that. Are they going to be seeing the Queen?” My features were alight with excitement at the thought of my parents meeting the Queen. “That’d be so cool!”

Blossom frowned slightly, but quickly replaced it with another grin. “They just might, Dee Dee.” I squealed and bounced in joy making Blossom giggle. “Now, let’s hurry to my house. We can read one of your favorite action stories or maybe even build a book fort!”

I couldn’t even attempt to contain my joy as we both raced off down the road, our giggles filling the air as we ran. The two storey houses soon gave way to smaller, single-storey homes.We arrived faster than normal due to our quicker pace, but even without it we could have gotten here speedily. She only lived a few blocks down the road from us, after all. We burst through the front door of her quaint, blue house after unlocking it and slammed the door behind us before racing towards her living room. Her house was small, smaller than mine, but still quite cozy and had plenty of room since she was the only one living here.

We stopped in front of her bookshelf, a cheap oak piece painted off-white, and glanced at each other. We both knew what to do. In a flurry of hooves, magic, and books, we quickly set to work creating a large wall around ourselves, giggling madly during the process. It took several moments and quite a lot of help from the taller pegasus, but we were soon encased inside of a castle of knowledge, all of her books used except the one that was filled with all of the short adventure stories I loved.

“Okay! How about we get some reading in? I’m sure you’d love to hear about Daring Do’s next adventure!” She laid herself on the floor and turned the book’s pages to the first chapter before raising her wing and motioning me underneath. I grinned and snuggled up close to her, focusing on the words, as she draped the white wing across my back. “Tonight, we’re going to be reading Daring Do and The Pyre of Peril.” She cleared her throat and posed dramatically as she began to narrate. “Daring Do fluttered down into the octagonal opening on the roof of the Maresopotamian ruins....”

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Second of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Nine Oh-Three Post Meridian
|

My eyes drooped heavily as I felt the need to sleep wash over me, but I was determined to listen to the rest of the story. Blossom was just so amazing at telling stories that I wasn’t surprised her cutie mark was for such a task. I opened my mouth to yawn and tried to stuff my hoof in there to stifle it, but she caught the action out of the corner of her eye. Drat.

“It looks like somepony needs to sleep. Come on, let’s get you to bed. We’ve been reading for quite a few hours now.”

“But I don’t want to. I wanna listen to you read some more. I like listening to you read.” I really do. Really, really do. “And besides, I’m not tired.”

She smiled warmly and brushed my mane out of my face with her wing. “I know you love it when I read to you. You helped me get my cutie mark after all.” I remember that day very well. Almost two years ago I had been upset about some bullies at school and so she read to me to cheer me up. During the little reading session, her mark appeared. It made us so happy. “But you still have to go to sleep. I don’t want your parents getting upset because their little filly is too tired to stay awake tomorrow.”

I tried to pout and resist. I even put on my best ‘crocodile tears’ display, but she had been my babysitter and friend for too long. It didn’t even faze her. “Awww.... Fine. I’ll go to sleep, but.... Could you sleep with me?”

“Sure. I don’t see why not seeing as you’re my favorite little filly ever!” She nudged me towards her bathroom with her head. “Brush your teeth and hop in bed. I’ll be right there when I finish myself.”

I nodded enthusiastically and made short work of the brushing before dashing into her bedroom. I was quite excited. I mean, she always agrees to sleep with me whenever I come over, but it still makes me happy. I sat on the edge of her bed, waiting patiently, looking about the small room as I always do. Nothing has changed. Same blankets, same Wonderbolts poster, same picture of her family on the nightstand. That was good. I like when things don’t change, because I love everything just the way they are right now. I heard Blossom’s hoofsteps coming closer and, without disturbing the blankets too much, slid under their warm embrace.

Blossom soon stood beside the bed, gazing warmly at me before climbing in beside me. Once again, I snuggled up next to her and loosed a content sigh. “Good night, Blossom.” I could feel sleep beginning to take hold, but continued to fight it as best as I could.

“Night, Dee Dee. Sleep well.” After a soft kiss on my forehead, I was soon pulled under by the claws of drowsiness and, after one final murmur of bliss, fell into the world of dreams alongside my best friend.

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Third of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Eight Twenty-Eight Ante Meridian
|

Wake up, pony child.

My eyes shot open, scanning the room from just under the edge of the blankets. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, straining to be free from its hiding place. “Who.... Who’s there?” I couldn’t see anypony around us even after leaning up enough to check the areas I couldn’t see while lying down. “I.... I’ll call the guards. D-don’t think I can’t scream.”

Come to me, pony child. You are destined to wield my power.

“Who are you? I.... I’m not going to listen to a stranger!” I hid under the blankets and curled up closer to Blossom in an attempt to hide as best I could.

I will not hurt you, pony child. Come to me and accept my gift.

I shook my head violently in protest, but eventually my foalish curiosity got the better of me once again. I slowly poked my head from my hiding place under the unbeatable blanket shield and squinted towards the door leading to the kitchen. I could see a faint green glow, a familiar green glow, coming from the living room area. “That’s where I left my bags... and that rock!”

Being as careful as I was able, I slid out from under the blankets and onto the floor, muffling my hooves by climbing down as slowly as possible. I crept towards the kitchen and glanced at the clock on the wall. Eight-thirty? Well, at least I didn’t miss out on too much sleep. I looked back at Blossom, ready to just jump back in bed and snuggle up under the warmth and safety of the blankets, but found the urge to figure out where the voice was coming from to be too powerful. Stalking out into the living room, I checked the place where I had set my saddlebags and, sure enough, there was the rock, sitting on the floor and glowing like the first time I had seen it.

I stuck my hoof out to touch it, but, the moment before I would make contact, the glow died and I was left with nothing but the dull grey stone with the funny lines. “Well, that was rude! Waking a pony up and then just leaving when I do what you say!” Did I just yell at a rock? Yes, I did. I sighed in frustration and grasped the rock in my teeth, stuffing the item back in the saddlebags once more.

A soft shuffling sounded behind me and I spun around, quivering in fear at the thought of a stranger coming to foalnap me. My worries fell away, however, when I saw Blossom standing in the entrance to the kitchen, her mane messed up from sleeping on it funny. “Good morning, Dee Dee. Why are you up so early?”

“A funny voice woke me up and when I went to look for what was talking I saw that my rock was glowing!” I glared at the bag behind me.

“I didn’t see any light when I came out here. Unless you count the moon, of course. Are you sure you weren’t imagining it?” She smiled affectionately at me and I found it difficult to come up with anything to prove it was. A fact made obvious by my uselessly flapping mouth. She chuckled and gave me a hug. “Don’t worry about it, Dee Dee. You were probably just sleepy and thought the moon’s light was your rock glowing. Now come with me to the kitchen. I want you to help me make some pancakes.”

I, being a pony that loves pancakes, answered the only way that would make sense. I squealed in delight and dashed back into the kitchen, bouncing on my hooves as I waited for her to join me. “YES! I’D LOVE SOME PANCAKES!”

Blossom laughed and was soon standing by my side, pulling out various bowls, a pan, and a whisk to start preparing the food. “Okay. Let’s get started then. Could you get me the milk and eggs from the cooler while I get the mix and heat the stove?” I nodded and levitated the items from the white cooler that she asked for onto the small counter beside the stove and once more set myself to bounce as I waited. I could practically feel myself buzzing from the excitement growing in my mind. “Sure are eager, aren’t you? I guess I could let you mix it.”

“Oh, can I!? I won’t let you down! I’ll mix it better than anypony has ever mixed pancakes ever!” Another giggle and she began measuring out the flour into a large bowl. I watched as she poured precise portions of milk into the mix followed by an egg and.... “Why are you adding salt? Salt doesn’t taste good in pancakes!”

“It’s how my mother used to make them. She never explained it to me, but I guess it’s a way to balance the taste. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to tell it’s in there.” I nodded, still confused, but willing to go along with it since none of the other times she’s made pancakes were bad. Following the salt, she added some baking powder and a small amount of vanilla. “There we go! Now we just need it mixed and it’ll be ready for cooking.” She grabbed the handle of the whisk in her mouth and passed it to me. “I’ll hold the bowl for you while you do the honors.”

If I was any more excited, I’d probably explode... twice. I grasped the metal utensil with my magic and waited as she picked the bowl up in her front hooves and sat on her haunches in front of me. “Now, Dee Dee, you have to stir it quickly until it’s smooth, but make sure to leave a few lumps in there. We don’t want it over mixed. You can start whenever-”

I set to work, ignoring her warnings, and stirred the mix as quickly and with as much force as I could muster in my horn. The mix splattered over the bowl and onto the both of us, but I continued to spin the whisk, giggling as the drops of batter splashed onto us. Despite the mess, Blossom laughed right along with me as both of our faces soon became pre-pancake masks. I stopped and admired my skills. We had lost almost a quarter of the original mix, but what was left was definitely perfect for pancakes. Aside from the many lumps still in the batter.

Blossom set the bowl down and pulled me into a sticky hug. “Oh, Dee Dee. You made a mess!” She giggled and licked a small amount of batter off my nose. “At least it’s good for baking! You had to have mixed pancakes before.”

I shook my head, splattering more batter on the floor and counter. “Nope! I just remember the last time you made me pancakes. I wanted to show you I could do it too! Erm.... Sorry about the mess though. I guess I could have done that a little slower.”

“It’s perfectly fine, Dazzle. Nothing a little water and a rag can’t clean up. Let’s get these cooked so we don’t waste the batter, then we can clean up and take a bath.” She rubbed my head and turned back to the stove, carefully measuring out the batter and pouring it out onto the skillet. I stood on my hind legs and propped myself up on the counter to watch the pancakes cook, waiting patiently, or as patiently as I can be, for them to be ready. “Now, when you cook the pancakes, you have to wait until the batter stops bubbling on the top. That will tell you when it’s time to flip it over.” After explaining, she grasped a spatula’s handle in her mouth and, with one fluid motion, flipped the three disks onto their backs. The tops were a golden brown, just the way they always were when she made them. “This is the tricky part. It’s all about timing and temperature here and can take many attempts to get it just right.”

After waiting less than a minute, she scooped the pancakes up and set them on a plate she had pulled from a cupboard before we started. They were, as usual, perfect in shape and color. “Wow! You’re amazing! I wish I could cook as good as you.” I was beginning to drool as their smell met my nose.

“As well as I, but I’m not that good. My mother was the best.” She measured out two more pancakes, finishing off the remaining mix, and cooked the pair to perfection. “Let’s eat and get this place cleaned up! We gotta get you home before your parents start to worry that I’m stealing you for myself.”

We giggled softly, both of us knowing that they wouldn’t mind if I stayed longer than planned, and brought our breakfast to the table in the living room. After coating the tops in peanut butter, something she had shown me back when she first started foalsitting me, and smothering them in syrup, we dug in, munching happily on the delicious cakes. They didn’t last long against our attacks and soon there was nothing left but pools of syrup and crumbs. “I’ll clean the dishes for you since I made that mess in the kitchen.” Before she could say anything, I levitated the plate and forks above my head and walked to the sink, leaning over the counter so I could see what I was doing.

“I’ll go get a bath started then. Don’t take too long.” I watched her move into the bathroom attached to the living room and heard the water begin to fill the tub. I didn’t waste any time as I washed the dishes and silverware and set them in a small rack to dry before taking a rag from the cupboard to clean all of the splattered pancake mix from the walls and floor. “It’s ready, Dee Dee!” Blossom called over the pouring faucet.

“One more second! I’m almost done!” I scrubbed furiously, my tongue sticking out in concentration, as the spots vanished underneath my rag. Nothing can stand against Dazzle’s wrath! Haha! Another call from Blossom made me toss my cleaning cloth onto the counter and rush off to join her. The bathroom was filled with steam from the tub making it difficult to see and I soon found myself being lifted into the air by a pair of hooves. “Eep! Don’t do that!” Blossom giggled softly and set me down into the water, the warmth quickly filling my body. “I can climb in myself, you know. I’m a big pony!”

“I know, but I like it better this way. Soon enough I won’t be able to pick you up like that, so I have to get it all out of my system now.” She climbed into the tub behind me and pulled me into her stomach. “Now let me wash your mane and back.” I nodded softly, a small blush forming on my face. That’s weird. Maybe it’s the heat. She set to work, squeezing out a large glob of shampoo into my mane and working it into a lather. “How have you been since I last saw you. I know it’s only been a week, but I’m sure you’ve got plenty of stories to tell.”

“Not really. School’s been out so I haven’t really talked to anypony recently other than Mommy and Daddy. That’s okay, though. I prefer being with you three anyways!” It was very true. I loved spending time with Blossom and my parents.

“Don’t you have any friends from school that come over?”

“Not really. I do have a few friends, but none of them are as fun as you.” I leaned back further, relaxing as she rubbed my head with her hooves. “Besides, I still have plenty to do at home! I play with my toys, read stories, and draw pictures. Oh! I have a picture that I drew for you! I’ll show it to you when we get home!”

“I can’t wait to see it. Anything you drew has to be the best drawing ever.” She pressed against my back with her hooves. “Lean forwards so I can wash out the soap.” I did as I was told and closed my eyes. I could hear her filling her bath bucket with water from the tub and braced myself for the rush of water. As predicted, the water poured over my head and washed the suds to settle on the surface of the tub. “Now for the rest of you.”

As she lathered up my back and sides, I couldn’t help but to sigh happily. She washed the dirt and pancake off of me and then set to washing herself, taking less time on her back than she did mine. “Want me to wash your back too? It’s hard without magic. Mommy’s asks me to wash her back sometimes, too.”

Blossom smiled and turned around to lean against the rim of the tub. I poured a small bit of shampoo onto her back and started working my hooves. “Just be careful of my wi-.” I brushed over her feathers and was rewarded with a face full of her stiff wings as they shot out. She gasped and spun around, knocking me into the water. “Oh, I’m sorry Dee Dee! I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Wh-what happened! Why’d you smack me with your wings like that? Did I hurt them?” I spoke quickly, afraid I had done something bad to them, and started to tear up.

Blossom just smiled and hugged me again. “No, no Dazzle. My wings are just very... sensitive. If anything it felt kinda nice. Come on, I think we’re both clean enough. Let’s get you home okay?” I nodded and clambered out of the white basin and waited, dripping water onto the floor, for Blossom to pull the tub’s stopper and drain it. She grabbed a towel from a rack on the wall after climbing out herself and dried me off before doing the same to herself. “Okay! Grab your bags and let’s head out!”

“Aye, aye, Captain Orange!” I rushed from the bathroom, my damp mane occasionally splashing water as it bounced, and set my bags on my back. Blossom followed a few minutes later, her mane now slicked back behind her ears in its usual style. She grabbed her own bag, checking it for her keys, before leading the way out her door. The lock was set and we set our course for my house, our hooves clopping softly on the cobbled road.

There is not much time. Accept me if you wish to save them.

I stopped and looked around. Well, that’s weird. Whose voice was that? “Did you hear that, Blossom?”

“Huh? I didn’t hear anything. Are you okay?”

I yawned slightly, but shook my head. “Maybe I’m still a little sleepy. I thought I heard that voice from before.” I grinned up at her and the fear on her face melted away.

“If you say so. If you’re not feeling all right, though, be sure to tell me. I’ll carry you on my back the rest of the way.” I nodded and closed the gap that she had made. We walked for a few more minutes under the light of the midday moon without any incident.

They are coming to take them. Accept me now and all will be well.

Okay, now I’m scared. “Ummm.... Blossom.... Could.... Could I actually get that ride now? I still hear the voice.” I could see the worry in her eyes and leaned up against her as she scanned the area.

“Sure. Just, tell me if you hear anything else, okay?” She squatted down low enough for me to climb on top of her and waited long enough for me to settle down between her wings before lifting herself from the ground. “Let’s hurry up and get you home.”

I nodded and she set off at a trot, bouncing me slightly with each step. I didn’t mind though. Being this close kept the voice from coming back. For a while, at least. I watched around us as we moved, waving at all of the random ponies around us as they travelled down the larger streets. We were passing by the final road before my street when I heard the voice once more.

It is too late, but you can still welcome my gift.

“Ummm.... Blossom? Could we get back faster?” I glanced back at my bag and saw green light coming from the crack of my saddlebag’s flap. “The voice won’t go away and I’m kinda scared now.” She bit her lip and nodded before cantering down the street and around the corner. She slowed to a halt at our front door and knocked gently.

“Mister and Missus Drive! I’ve brought Dazzle back!” A soft thud could be heard from inside followed by the soft voices of a pair of stallions. Blossom cocked her head and knocked again. “Mister Drive? Is everything okay? I have Dazzle with me!”

I hopped off her back and pushed open the door, too eager to see my parents to wait for them to answer. “Mommy! Daddy! I made pancakes to-....” I stopped, staring in shock at the sight of two Royal Guards standing over my parents. “Mommy? Daddy? Are you okay? Why are you laying there?” Behind me, I could hear Blossom gasp and sob, but I was too focused on my parents to care. “What’s wrong? Why won’t you answer me?”

The guards looked at each other before pulling their weapons out with their magic. “We’re sorry, but you’re going to have to be silenced. Any supporters of Nightmare Moon must be dealt with along with any witnesses.”

They killed your parents.

Time seemed to slow around me as my rock floated out from my bag and in front of my face. I once more heard Blossom gasp in shock, but, once again, I had other things on my mind. “K-killed them? They’ll come back right? They always come back in the stories!”

They are gone.

My eyes started to burn as tears welled up in my eyes. “G-gone? Forever? But.... But Mommy said I could go to work with her tomorrow! She can’t be gone if she’s going to do that!”

She is no longer alive and cannot do what she promised.

I sniffed, closing my eyes as I felt the tears streak across my face. “That’s not true! She has to do it! She promised! She... promised!” I knew it was true. I could feel it. But I didn’t want it to be. How could Mommy and Daddy die? Parents aren’t supposed to die!

I can help you bring them back. All you have to do is accept my power.

What? “Really? Please! Whatever you want! Just help me bring Mommy and Daddy back!”

Very well. Open your eyes and let Mi’rith, my soul, into your own.

I did as I was told and was once again aware of my surroundings if only for a moment. I heard the clanking of the guards’ metal armor as they ran towards me. I heard the screams of Blossom above her sobs telling me to run away and come with her. I heard my own wailing cries as I mourned my parents. But, most of all, I saw the small rock I had been carrying morph into a large slab of stone, the random scribbling shifting into the common language.

I am Morla, ancient basilisk hidden away from the eyes of the world. I am Morla, last of the powerful and keeper of our lore. I am Morla, frail and failing so to you, I turn. I am Morla, and Mi’rith, my soul, I give so you may learn. Take the power of death and bone, give to me your magic and skills your own. Of Necromancy you’re told, the basilisks’ legacy you hold. Unicorn magic is gone, forever and on.

The tablet swirled with visible green energy, spinning like a tornado in front of my eyes. The guards stopped short of it, watching as the tendrils of power began snaking towards me. I panicked, trying to escape, but I was held by an invisible force, my eyes locked on the glowing slab. The green fingers of magic snaked up my legs, tingling my skin as they climbed towards my head. I heard Blossom scream my name again, but I couldn’t turn to face her. The tendrils reached my forehead and wrapped around my horn. I felt a strange warmth fill my body and I began to feel comfortable. Like nothing wrong could ever happen and that everything that had gone wrong would soon be fixed.

And then, there was pain. My mouth opened in an agonized scream as I felt the magic slide into my horn and begin to tear it from my skull. I could feel the link to the horn being cut, but the pain remained. I thought I heard another wailing sob from Blossom, but my own drowned any other possible noise out. I watched as the horn was ripped from my head and saw blood drip from the severed bone. I wanted to close my eyes, forget everything that was happening and go to sleep to wake up and find it all to be just a really bad dream, but the tablet kept my eyes open. I could feel something growing where my horn had once been, felt the blood of the wound pouring down my face. The magic from the tablet stopped pouring from it and I felt something move on my forehead. The pain lanced through my skull as the last of the light slid between my eyes and, just as the last traces disappeared, so did the agony.

I was left sobbing on the ground, the pain nothing but a phantom now, but still traumatized by what had happened. I looked up and saw the guards beginning to walk slowly towards me. I felt that thing in my head move again and a picture of my parents’ bodies appeared in my mind. I looked over to them and saw the same green light begin to cover their bodies. The spot on my head pulsed slightly and I shuddered as I felt myself growing weaker. Oh, I feel horrible. Please, just let it all be a dream. I want my Mommy and Daddy. I want Blossom to hug and and smile and hold me.

The guards in front of me screamed in unison and I looked up to see my parents tearing into them with their hooves and teeth. I watched in horror as the pair of unicorns swung their swords at them, each hit sinking into their bodies and drawing black blood from them, but neither of them seemed to care. “Mommy! Daddy! Stop! They’re going to kill you again!”

My parents stopped their attack and dropped the now dead guards onto the floor. I smiled, just a bit. Maybe they aren’t dead. I carefully walked up to them and nuzzled my face against their necks, being extra careful not to touch the cuts. I didn’t want to hurt them, after all. They were icy cold and neither of them moved to respond. “M-mommy? Daddy? Are.... Are you okay?” I looked back towards Blossom who was only staring at me, a look of terror stuck on her face. I felt the thing in my forehead moved again, something that made Blossom close her eyes and hide her head, and heard a soft thump behind me. That couldn’t....

I spun around and saw my parents laying on the ground once more, their eyes open and dull. I poked them both with a forehoof. “Mommy? Daddy? You’re okay right? You.... You were okay a few seconds ago.... Wh-why won’t you answer me?!”

A soft clop from behind me made me jump. “They’re dead, Dazzle.” Blossom’s voice was strained and hoarse. I could still hear her crying even as I sobbed loudly.

I spun around and felt my forehead squirm again. Blossom flinched and cowered away from me. I started crying even harder. “Wh-what’s wrong? Do.... Are you going to leave me too? I’m sorry! I don’t know what I did, but please, don’t leave me like Mommy and Daddy!”

I fell to the floor, bawling loudly and was soon wrapped by a pair of warm fore legs. Blossom softly whispered in my ear, kissing the back of my head and stroking my mane. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to do that. It’s just.... You just brought your parents back from the dead with magic from that.... eye on your head. Don’t worry.... I’ll never leave you. We.... We’re all we have. Just each other now....”

~{N}~{D}~

Author’s notes: A new story by me in the same universe as After That Fateful Night. Debating on whether I should finish this alongside ATFN by doing alternating chapters of each or if I should finish ATFN first and get back to this. Either way, I’m working on ATFN’s next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy this and, yes, this story will be in first-pony following Dazzle’s perspective. A little clue on the aging system of my world. A pony’s life is roughly 40 years and an average human’s is about 80. So, if you take a pony’s age and multiply it by two, you get the human equivalent. Blossom is 8, almost 9 so she’d be about 17 right now (9 being the age ponies are generally considered ‘full-grown adults’ for me.) Dazzle is 6, so 12 in human years. Help out at all? Good. Cause it’s important. Yup, yup. Anyhooves, Peppy out!

Editor’s Note #1: Dr.Jekyll here and because I’m not above such things... I am forever first... But whatevs... fantastic start, Peppy. I know this is gonna be great (with all my spoilery knowledge of just where this is going [That’s what’s known as editor privileges, people. {I’m so tempted to just start dropping fake spoilers right now. (Snape kills Nightmare Moon... Blossom is a ghost the whole time... [Wat? {You want me to stop with all the brackets in brackets in brackets in brackets in brackets in... (...Well hello there. My name is Mr.Hyde. Sorry about my... companions... inane prattling. I’ll be sure to shut him up soon... [...Gah, my head. You know what? I’m not feeling to good right now. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope to see you guys next chapter.] ) } ] ) } ] )

Chapter 02

Chapter 02

Septara Third of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
One Nineteen Post Meridian
|

The ceiling light in Blossom’s living room sparked into life as she flipped the switch while I settled down inside the book fort that remained from the previous night. My eyes burned and my chest hurt, but I wasn’t crying anymore. I couldn’t. I’d been crying for several hours before Blossom decided we should come back here, where I’d be less likely to think about what had happened. But how could I not think about it? The whole line of memory kept repeating itself in my head over, and over, and over. I hiccuped and buried my face in my hooves. Why can’t I just die too? It’d be so much better than this.

Because you made the pact. You chose life and my power, so now you must live as host for my soul and I.

“WHY!?” I shouted making Blossom jump from where she was in the kitchen.

“Dee Dee? What’s wr... Who are you talking to?” She rushed over to me as quickly as she could, squeezing into the book fort to lay next to me. “Is it that voice again?” I nodded weakly, trying to block out the intruder in my mind while moving as close to her as I could. “Do you know what it is?” Another silent ‘yes’ and she looked warily at my forehead. “Does it have anything to do with your... eye and cutie mark?”

I choked out a tearless sob and nodded again before turning to look at my flank for the twenty-ninth time since Blossom had told me about it. It was a neon green, four-pointed star surrounded by four small green dots. In the center of the star sat another black mimic, its points touching the green star’s apexes. Blossom had told me it looked exactly like the iris in the vertical eye that had replaced my horn. “She... She keeps telling me... that I need to honor our deal. Blossom... Please kill me... Plea-.”

Blossom grabbed my head forcefully and pulled it right in front of her face, staring into my eyes. “Don’t! Don’t say that!” Her eyes watered as she held me firm in her grasp despite my struggles to be free. “I... I couldn’t go on if you left me... Please, I don’t want you to ever say that.” I couldn’t keep staring into her tear-filled eyes. My words had obviously hurt her deeply, but I still couldn’t keep the thoughts from my head.

I nodded as much as I could, my eyes turned towards the carpet, and she pulled me into a tight embrace, sobbing loudly above my head. “I’m so sorry about what happened, Dazzle... I’m so sorry that this happened to you.”

I buried my face in her chest, holding her as tightly as I could. My only hope for survival now that I had lost everything else. My only hope for any kind of happiness in the future. I took a deep breath of her coat, the lingering smell of this morning’s bath still clinging to her, but as I went to exhale, I choked out a hiccup as a result of my welled depression.

“Dee Dee. Maybe we should leave Canterlot. We... We could go somewhere else. I’m sure the guards will come looking for us eventually when they find out what happened. It’ll also help to keep your mind off of things... Maybe even get rid of the voice.” She kissed my forehead softly as I heaved tearless sobs into her chest.

I didn’t want to leave. I’ve always lived here and I’m afraid. Afraid that, if we left, everything that had happened today would be real. I knew that what had happened couldn’t be fixed, but deep down, I wished for it to just go away and for everything to go back to before. “I... If we leave... What will we do?”

“I don’t know, Dazzle, but it’s best if we go someplace else. I’ll sell my house to the Canterlot Realtor and we can take a train to Trottingham... I’ll save up a couple weeks’ pay from my job as well, just in case.” She pulled away from me and smiled softly, reassuringly, and I felt some of my sadness fall away until the scenes flashed through my head once more. I nodded, wiping my face against her and wept dryly. “Shhh... Why don’t you go to sleep, Dee Dee? You need to rest.”

Her words were soft, but they still did little to calm me. “I don’t want to sleep. I don’t wanna be alone,” I clung to her desperately as she smiled and stroked my mane.

“I’ll stay with you all night. Now, come on. Let me get you tucked in.” She lifted me into her hooves and carried me like a foal as she flew us into her room, not once taking her eyes off of me as she laid me down on her bed and pulled the covers up to my neck.

“Could you lay with me, too? Please?” I was surprised at how weak my voice sounded, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t imagine being strong right now. Not anymore...

“Of course. I did promise you I’d stay, didn’t I?” I nodded slowly as she climbed up onto the bed next to me and pulled me to her chest letting me rest my head on her foreleg. “Good night, my little dandelion. I love you.”

I flinched at those words. After today, I thought I’d never want to hear that nickname again. I was scared that it would haunt me or break my heart. But it didn’t. Hearing Blossom call me her dandelion made me so happy for reasons I can’t explain. I buried my face in her chest as she kissed me gently on my forehead making it tingle at the site. I closed my eyes and choked out my response before quickly drifting off to sleep. “I love you too...”

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Fourth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Seven Twenty Ante Meridian
|

My dreams were all filled with detailed images of my parents’ deaths and then seeing them come back to life to kill the guards. Nightmares of the worst kind a filly could have and, after every time the guards were dropped to the ground, they would come after me. I woke every time it happened, just before they reached me with their blood-soaked bodies. Eight times I woke screaming and crying only to be comforted by Blossom until I fell back into dreamland. I woke up again, bawling into Blossom’s chest once more only to see her crying too.

I felt terrible. I couldn’t believe that she was crying too. Why is she crying? “Blossom? Why... Why are you crying?”

“D-Dazzle... Seeing you like this... I just...” She broke down and clutched me tightly. I could feel her tears from where they fell from her face as she nuzzled mine.

I couldn’t bear to see her like this. I nuzzled back as best as I could whispering quickly. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry! I won’t cry anymore, Blossom. I-I’ll stop. Please don’t cry.”

“No! No, Dazzle. You need to cry. It’s okay to cry... You don’t have to pretend it doesn’t hurt, because I know it does. I know it hurts terribly. It hurts so much to lose somepony you love and just bottling it up won’t do anything to help.” She pulled away from me and pressed her nose to mine, smiling with tear-filled eyes. I didn’t know why she was smiling. It didn’t make any sense at all. One moment she was sad like me and then, smiles? She could obviously see my confusion. “I’m here for you, Dee Dee. I’m smiling because I know that I’ll always be there whenever you need me. I love you more than you can believe and I’ll never let you suffer alone.”

My eyes burned so much so I shut them as tightly as I could, forcing the tears to go away. I wanted to believe her. I really did, but Mommy and Daddy. They were supposed to stay with me forever too and now... Now they’re... “I... Do you promise? Will you? Always and forever?”

“Of course, Dee Dee. I would never-.”

“Promise me... Please promise. I don’t want to... I don’t want to be alone... Ever.” I could feel my eyes wavering, trying my best to stay focused on the pink pair right past my muzzle. She blinked away tears and kissed me softly.

“I swear by my love for you, Dazzle, that I’ll never, ever think of leaving you.”

I blushed lightly, and buried my face into her coat once more. “I promise too.” I could hear her heartbeat pounding away in her chest and was soothed back into a light snooze and woke up only when her alarm finally hit nine o’clock. It buzzed loudly to make sure we couldn’t just go back to sleep and I whined angrily. “Dumb clock... Why do you even have that? It’s not like-.”

“OH NO I HAVE TO GO TO WORK!” She jumped straight out bed and rushed into the bathroom to brush her teeth. I could still hear her ‘ohno’ing as the water from her sink ran. “Dazzle? Do you want anything to eat before I go? If not, then I have some Flankenberry cereal under the counter!”

“Do you have to go?” I climbed off the mattress and plopped down onto the floor then rushed out into the living room to see her squeezing into her maid uniform. She slipped the simple black and white outfit on and leaned down to kiss me on the nose.

“Of course I have to go, Dee Dee. I don’t want Miss Red to worry about me and we’ll need the extra money if we want to eat while I look for a job after we leave.” I just stared at her, hoping that she wouldn’t leave even though I knew she was right. Even a kid-, I mean big girl, like me knew that we’d need money, I still didn’t want her to go. “I won’t be too long. I’ll make sure to tell Miss Red that I can’t work as much as I used to. She’ll understand. Oh, and if you need anything at all, just come to her mansion. You know she'd hate to leave you alone if you don’t want to be.” She brushed my bed mane out of my face, smiling brightly, and made her way outside before shutting and locking the front door behind her.

I fell to my haunches and watched the door, wishing she would come bursting back through in a rush of feathers and squeeze me against herself, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Even if I wish with allllllllll of my might, it wouldn’t change anything. I could have gone with her right then, but I didn't want to make her feel bad for leaving me.

You could always make her into one of your drones. You’re powers are not limited to raising the dead.

“What do you mean, ‘drones’? What’s a drone?” I blinked. “Why didn’t you talk until now?”

I merely did not wish to speak, pony child. As for your first inquiry, a drone is but a mindless slave that will bend to your every whim. All it costs... is their soul and personality.

“What!? No! I don’t wanna make Blossom dumb! I like her just the way she is, missy!” I sighed, disheartened. “Even if she isn’t here right now...” After sighing for a final time, I stood up and started to destroy the book fort we had made yesterday so I could put the building blocks of our ‘castle’ back where they were supposed to go. “Maybe she’ll be happier if I put everything away for her. “ I gave one swift kick after another, popping the books out of place until, with one final buck, the remaining wall fell on top of me. “Owwie... I miss my horn. Hey, funny voice lady! Why’d you take my horn? I don’t like having this eye on my forehead. It makes me look weird. And I liked having my magic to pick stuff up.”

You agreed to relinquish your unicorn magic in return for a greater power to protect yourself and return your parents from death. I took your horn and replaced it with the basilisk’s eye. My body may have been dying, but it would have been unfair to give without taking for myself. I took your horn and used its residual magical qualities to imprint myself and my soul into you.

“Uhh... So you took my magic as a trade? Well, that’s not fair! I don’t even know how to use the stuff you gave me! How is that fair at all?!” I pouted, sticking out my lower lip and falling to my haunches. My tail swished angrily, but I wasn’t truly upset. I just wanted to hear what she’d say next.

I... can see where you are coming from, child. I shall teach you of your newly acquired powers as you continue to grow, but for now, I will tell you how to replenish yourself.

“What do you mean? Replenish?” I frowned. “Making stuff up isn’t very nice.”

To recover. Regain. Heal. If you wish to use your Necromantic Magic, then you must learn how to restore it.

“Why not sleep? When I got tired from using my horn, Mommy always told me to take a nap.” I returned to the books and continued to reshelve them. “I mean, isn’t that obvious?”

Our magic is nothing like that of you ponies. Your magic draws on the residual power that fills the planet and taxes your bodies according to the strength of the spell and time spent casting it. A basilisk’s magic is focused entirely upon the user’s soul and physical fortitude. Basilisks have vast and powerful souls which take the role of an entirely different being thus allowing us to cast our magic without taxing our own bodies. A pony’s soul is linked to their physical form and thus, when a pony uses our magic, they’ll be calling on their own life force to cast their spells.

“I dunno what most of that means, but I think I know some of what you said. You mean I won’t get my magic back if I run out?”

Not quite, pony child. When you pour your soul into a spell, it drains it until it no longer has the ability to continue. When that happens, the soul begins to sap your physical reserves of energy to nourish itself back to normal. Should you not have the strength to feed your soul, it will fail and disperse, leaving you as lifeless as the shells you reanimate.

“If I use this magic I’ll die!? That doesn’t sound like a fair trade at all! You better give me back my horn and get outta my head! I want my old magic back!” I was quite upset. Why couldn’t she have said this before I said yes? Dumb meanie Morla.

That is impossible, child. My soul and mind fully merged with your own the moment you accepted my eye. I cannot remove myself from your body without destroying both you and myself in the process.

“What!? That’s...! I hate you! I hate you so much! This is all your fault! You and Nightmare Moon! You two killed my mommy and daddy! You... You ruined my life...”

I did nothing to your parents. It was the guards that took the lives of your parents. I tried to assist you in saving them, but you ignored my warnings. Do not worry, though. You will be able to cast my magic without causing permanent harm to yourself. The eye upon your head serves as a conduit for the Necromancy and is capable of feeding your soul from the souls of others. As long as you keep the eye’s gaze upon another creature, it will sap their soul’s energy and absorb it into your own.

I sniffled and wiped away the tears that had started to carve a line down my fur. “But, won’t that kill them? I don’t wanna kill anypony.”

You have already ended the lives of two guards. I flinched, remembering the pair being devoured and ravaged by my parents. And the eye drains slowly. Fast enough to replenish your spirit from near nothingness in an hour of alternating draining, but slow enough to cause only mild fatigue as the victim’s soul replenishes itself. It can be used as a weapon, however, should you draw for extended periods of time.

“But I don’t even know how to make this stupid thing do what I want! How am I going to fix myself if I can’t get it to open!?” I stopped fixing the shelf and sat looking at the books I wouldn’t be able to shelve.

I shall assist you with your magic until the time comes that you are capable of using it yourself. It would be dangerous to allow you to drain yourself knowing that, should you die, I die as well. Know that your body will instinctively begin casting the magic should you face true danger or if your emotions run astray. It is of high importance to gain control of the basilisk’s eye as soon as possible. Now, find a reflective surface so that I may have you observe the opening of the eye and instruct you on how to begin manipulating it.

“Okay, I guess.” I walked into the bathroom and climbed up onto sink so I could see myself in Blossom’s mirror. I took a moment to finally look at myself since Morla took my horn. I was quite surprised. I expected to see some ugly cut on my forehead, but I couldn’t even see the difference! Well... I could see that my horn was gone, but there wasn’t anything else there. No horn, no cut, no scar. Only smooth fur right under my mane. “Where is the hole? Isn’t there supposed to be a-.”

I screamed and fell off the sink, smashing my head on the floor as I tried to get away from the mirror. “Wh- What’s that! There... There was something behind me!” I frantically searched the room, but couldn’t see anything so I carefully moved out into the living room again on the verge of tears. “M-Morla... What was that? Why aren’t you answering me?” I crept as slowly as I could towards the hoof mirror Blossom kept on her bookshelf, looking around me for what I had seen in the bathroom, and held it in front of my face.

I stared at the vertical eye in the middle of my forehead as it glowed green. “Well... I didn’t see what happened, so how did I learn anything?” I sighed in frustration and pulled the mirror away from my nose only to drop it on the floor, cracking the glass. I was too scared to do anything but shake and cry as I backed away from my broken reflection. I didn’t want to look behind me even as I backed myself towards the shadow in the hoof mirror. “M-morla? Are... Are you there? Please answer me...”

I didn’t know what to do. Morla was ignoring me and Blossom was... “Blossom... Why aren’t you here?” I started bawling again, shivering while I waited for something to answer me; make the scary shadow go away. My thoughts were racing through things I could do while my body was refusing to move any direction other than towards the wall until I remembered something I never should have forgotten. I felt like such a foal, but I remembered that I knew where Miss Red lived.

"She said... Blossom said to go to Miss Red's... if I needed anything..." I shot to my hooves and rushed to the door, unlocking it as quickly as I could with my shaky hooves, and burst out onto Blossom's front lawn. I stopped only to kick the door shut before taking off down the street, sobbing loudly as I escaped from the shadow in Blossom’s house. I saw several ponies on the streets as I galloped past them and all of them stared at me in shock. I didn’t know if it was because I was crying or because of the eye, but I didn’t care. All I had a mind for was making it to the hug I knew Blossom would have waiting for me. All I wanted was for her to make the monster go away and tell me that everything would be okay.

The houses I passed quickly grew in size as I started climbing from the base of the mountain towards the richer part of Lower Canterlot. Fences ran along the stone walkways and bright flower gardens replaced the smaller vegetable patches of the lower quarter. My hooves clopped loudly against the stone during my dash through the upper crust district while my eyes flicked back and forth, seeking out clues as to whether the shadow had followed me. I could see Ruby Red’s mansion just past the next hill and so I pushed myself harder, panting through my choked sobs as tears streamed down my face. I heard many cries of outrage from the rich ponies, but I ignored them, not caring for anything but to feel Blossom squeeze me as tightly as I wanted.

I jumped over the small gate, grazing my thigh on one of the sharp points, and landed on the other side to limp speedily towards the door. I stopped only for a moment to take a deep breath before I started pounding feverishly on the maple frame. “BLOSSOM! BLOSSOM, PLEASE LET ME IN! PLEASE! BEFORE IT GETS ME!!” I fell to my haunches in front of the door wailing loudly and soon heard heavy hooffall from the other side of the door.

The door was pulled open forcefully and Blossom stood on the other side, panting heavily. “Dee Dee! What’s-?!” I tackled her and bawled into her chest as she held me closely and ‘shh’d softly while rubbing my back. “What’s wrong Dazzle? What happened? What’s going to get you?”

I hiccuped loudly and tried to breathe normally, but I was too scared and upset. I only succeeded in blubbering nonsense and staining her outfit with my tears. Another pony walked towards us as I started to calm down enough to talk somewhat clearly. “I... I was talking with... With Morla and... she was gonna teach me how to... How to use my magic, but... there was this scary shadow... with red eyes and Morla wouldn’t talk to me and IWASSOSCARED!!”

“Oh, Dazzle, I’m so sorry. I should have taken you with me to begin with. I knew I would regret leaving you alone, but I didn’t expect something like this to happen...” She looked away from me to the older two-tone red mare. “Miss Red, would you mind if I brought Dazzle to work with me every day till I have to leave? She... She’s been going through some tough times and I don’t want to leave her at home by herself after this.”

“Of course she can come with you, dearie. You know how much I enjoy the Drives’ child.” She moved up next to me and softly patted my head. “Are you going to be... My goodness, Dazzle! Whatever happened to your horn?”

I looked down to Blossom, noticing the flicking of her eyes that shows whenever she’s nervous and felt fear welling up inside me again. What would happen if she finds out I made my parents kill those guards? Would she tell somepony? I don’t want to be taken away! As my emotions spun, I felt that familiar writhing on my forehead and quickly buried my face into Blossom’s blouse, wincing as I felt the fabric dig into the third eye.

I was too slow, however, as Ruby gasped softly and backed away. “My sweet Celestia, child... What...? What was that? Was that an... eye?”

I thought you said you were going to work the eye for me! Dumb Morla!

I tried moving my mouth, but no sound would come out. I was too frightened to do anything but cry as usual. Maybe I’m not such a big pony... “Miss Red... Could you please not tell anypony about this? If Dazzle agrees, I’ll tell you what happened, but you absolutely cannot talk to anypony about her... condition. We’re not entirely sure ourselves, but we know that if the guards were to find out, they’ll come looking for her just like-.” I squeezed her next tightly and shook my head, telling her that I didn’t want to talk about it. Why would I want to keep talking about what I saw when I went to sleep? “Well, I’ll tell you what it is, but we know the guards will look for her if they knew.”

I wiped my face off with a hoof, smiling weakly at Blossom, and watched Ruby closely. I know Morla would do something if she tried anything to hurt me, but I didn’t know what and I didn’t want to know, so I just prayed to Celestia that she would keep it a secret. Several seconds later, she lost her frown and smiled softly once more. “Of course I’ll keep it a secret, Blossom. You know how much I enjoy Dazzle coming over and if the guards want to take such a sweet young filly away, well, they’d have to get through me first!”

I held onto Blossom and grinned shyly. Rose always seemed to be able to embarrass me, but I loved how nice she was. I don’t even know why I thought she would do anything other than agree. “Can... Can I stay here... and come with Blossom when she works? Every day? Are you sure? Cause... I don’t wanna stay there alone anymore...”

“Of course you can, Dazzle. I’m a mare of my word and I’ll hold to what I’ve said. Now, why don’t you come and help Blossom set up the table? The chefs were just getting ready to serve lunch when you knocked. We’ll talk about what happened while we dine if that’s alright with you?”

Ruby walked into the dining room while Blossom took my hoof and led me to the kitchen. I was always amazed at how good the kitchen smelled whenever the chefs were preparing food. It was like heaven in my nose and I wondered why Blossom never cooked anything like this. She could definitely do it if she tried. Her cooking was always awesome even if she only made pancakes and hay burgers. I wonder if she knew how to make anything else or if they were just her favorite foods.

Blossom started stacking plates and fancy silverware onto a wheeled cart covered with a cream cloth. I had to stand on my back hooves to see exactly what she was putting up there since its top was just tall enough to escape my sight. "Hey, Blossom..."

"Yes, Dazzle?" She looked down at me as I fell back onto all four hooves and stared at the ground. “Is something wrong? If you need to, I can ask Miss Red if I can have the rest of the day off so we can go back home.”

“No! I mean... No... I don’t wanna go back there right now. It might still be there...” I looked up at her and stared into her bright pink eyes. There was a question bugging me at the back of my head that had been screaming at me to be asked since last night, but I was too afraid of the answer. I’m still afraid, but I need to know. I just hope that Blossom won’t get angry. “I just... Aren’t you scared of me? I...” I was on the verge of crying again; something that was happening way too much in the past few hours, but I couldn’t stop now. “I did something so bad! I have some scary thing trying to get me... I even have a second thing inside my head! I can make dead ponies come back to life! Why... Why aren’t you running away? Everypony else I know would run...”

I watched her reaction closely with a slight rise from my head and was equally stunned and relieved that she smiled through her light tears as she nuzzled against me. “Oh, Dazzle... I’m absolutely terrified, but not of you. Never of you... I’m scared that you’ll change, that you’ll stop being my adorable, loving dandelion and give in to your emotions. I know that what happened is horribly traumatizing and I know you’re bottling up your anxiety and depression so you don’t worry me, but it only makes it worse... I hate having to see you put up a front for me. I just want you to be happy. It’ll be hard after what’s happened, but I’ll do whatever it takes to bring your beautiful smile back.”

I knew she would say that she’d stay with me and that she wouldn’t be afraid of me, but to hear her actually say it? Like that? My heart was definitely not trying to explode out of my chest. And we were definitely not being watched by everypony in the kitchen. I didn’t care though. I could only see Blossom through the stinging liquid burning my eyes and she was all I cared to see right now. “Bl-Blossom... I... I love you so much... I...”

She held me close and we both cried against each other unaware of what was happening around us until one of the chefs, an old earth pony, tapped her on the back. “Umm, Miss Orange? You’re uhh... making it difficult to work. I know this is kind of... important, but...”

We blushed deep red and quickly stood, wiping our faces with our hooves. You’d have thought we practiced this with how quickly and perfectly in unison we fixed our faces. “I’m sorry, Silver Platter! I, uhh... I’ll make sure we’re out of the way in just a moment! Just... Please don’t tell anypony what you heard. This has to stay a secret, okay?”

The elderly stallion just chuckled and patted us on the head. “It’s fine, Miss Orange. You just had us worried is all. Do you know how difficult it is to keep on task with a pair of fillies crying in the same room?” He shook his head and chuckled again. “I hope you girls don’t have any more trouble. You’re sweet fillies and it’s a shame that you’re suffering like this.”

“Yes, Mister Platter!” I nodded and hopped to my hooves, eager to leave before I could darken anymore. “Let’s go, Blossom! Miss Ruby is waiting!” I nudged her towards the cart and stood behind her and out of sight of the rest of the ponies. “Hurry. Please!” She giggled and placed her front hooves and the cart to begin pushing it out the door.

“Dazzle... Come on. Let’s go set the table.” I followed her through the hallways and past the several doors that lined them. This isn’t the biggest house in the upper district, but it is still pretty large compared to mine. It is a mansion, after all.

I clung closely to Blossom while we walked without making any noise and started thinking about what we were going to be doing in the next few weeks. Obviously, we’re going to be leaving Canterlot and going to Trottingham. Why Trottingham? Does she know anypony there? I don’t remember her talking about anything there before. Does she have family there? I blinked and spun my head to stare at Blossom as she pushed the silent cart and bobbed her head. I don’t think she’s ever talked about any of her family other than her mom.

I raised my hoof to poke her side and get her attention, but she turned to a door on our left and knocked lightly then paused. After a few seconds, Ruby opened the door and smiled widely. “Ah, there you are! I was starting to think you two got lost!” She stepped out of the way and Blossom pushed the cart in past her shaking her head.

“I’ve been working here for four years, Miss Ruby. I hardly think I’d get lost anymore.”

“Oh, but dearie, I’ve lived here far longer than you’ve worked and I still can’t seem to find my way to the bathroom at night. It’s quite amazing what you can forget when your mind isn’t focused!” She grinned devilishly and I couldn’t help but to laugh right along with Blossom. “Ah, much better! I can’t have such lovely fillies being depressed in my home now, can I? Come, come. I’ll help you set out the dining ware and we’ll begin dining as soon as the chefs have finished.”

“But, Miss Red! It’s my job to place the dishes and silverware. You should just relax while I get everything ready.” She tried to stand in between Ruby and the trolley, but the older mare gently brushed her out of the way.

“Nonsense, dearie. You and Dazzle have too much on your minds right now and it’d be improper for a lady to allow such young ponies as you to work so diligently under such conditions!” She stacked three plates on her back and trotted carefully over to the table without making them tip over much. “Come on, Blossom. Staring like that is most unbecoming of such a beautiful young mare such as yourself.”

I giggled softly and propped myself up onto the cart again as Blossom started grabbing bundles of silverware. I watched her glide over the table and drop each bundle exactly where they were supposed to, go making me grow eager to help. I stared at the remaining dishes, a pair of plates, and concentrated on my horn as much as I-. My forehead twitched and the eye shot open again. I hadn’t realized it’d closed until just then and I wouldn’t have been very worried about it since Ruby had already seen it, but it started to glow its bright green color.

The lights flickered as the light sprayed from my head like a fountain and started to spin. I began to panic and tried to shake my head to make the magic stop, but my body was mostly paralyzed. I could still move my eyes to see the horror on Ruby’s face along with the obvious worry on Blossom’s. I didn’t know what was happening and I certainly didn’t want it to. “No. No. No! No!! Nononononononono!!!”

The lights flashed faster and several cracking noises sounded from the hallway followed by screams. Oh Celestia! Why was this happening?! Why now? The light grew brighter until a small beam shot from the center and bounced off the ceiling to disappear through the floor. Another came after and one more followed that until the same cracking I heard outside the door came from the spot they had hit. The floor bulged upwards like something was trying to climb out of it and I forced my eyes shut as hard as I could. I didn’t want to see what was happening. I heard Ruby muttering words I couldn’t understand nearby and shook, thinking that she’ll never let me come back here again.

She’ll report me to the guards. They’ll kill Blossom and me just like they did my parents. I couldn’t take the strain on my eyes anymore. Forcing them closed was making them burn and so I let them open. I could feel the burning glow seeping from my head even if I couldn’t see it with my third eye and I stopped trying to fight it. I couldn’t let her tell anyone about me or what happened.

The floor broke apart sending splinters everywhere and out climbed a yellowed skeleton of a pony, its bones held together by my magic. I looked at Ruby, my purple eyes glowing as well, and the dead pony crawled towards her on destroyed legs. I expected it to end soon. Ruby would disappear like those two guards- all of the guards that served Nightmare Moon and I would be able to live with Blossom forever. It did end very soon, but not how I had planned.

Blossom jumped out in front of the shambling horror and bucked it in the head, sending its skull to crash into the wall on the other side of the room. She then turned to me and tackled me to the ground, crying on my face. “Dazzle! DAZZLE! Stop this! Stop! I don’t know what’s wrong, but you have to stop! This isn’t you! It’s... It’s not who you are!”

My eye continued to glow and my thoughts were becoming darker and harder to break free of. It felt like something was blocking my movements inside my head and trying to trap me there while it did what it wanted to. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the skeleton coming back together to turn towards Blossom, the green light behind its eyes glaring hatefully.

No... I couldn’t tell Blossom to get away. I couldn’t make the dead pony go away. I couldn’t get the fuzziness in my head to fade away. Everything was not going how I wanted it to. I never wanted the skeleton to attack anypony. I never wanted my parents to die. All I wanted was Blossom to love me and to live happily forever and ever like those princess and knight stories Blossom would read to me. It wouldn’t happen now, though. It was going to all end here as soon as the horror killed Blossom. I wouldn’t be able to continue after she died and-

Everything stopped. My eyes were as wide as they could open as everything around me came to a sudden stop. Blossom was standing above me, just like before, but now she was kissing me. Not on my forehead or my cheek like usual, but on the lips. I didn’t know what was going on anymore and my brain just gave up trying to find out. All I could think about was how warm her lips were and how happy I was. She was always reading stories with kissing scenes in them as a signal of the two ponies’ love. But now... Now I was being kissed like that. It was everything I could have asked for. I slowly let my eyes close and started relaxing, finally, letting my whole body devote itself to Blossom’s soft mouth. I’d seen several plays with my parents and knew that I was supposed to be doing something else, what, I couldn’t remember, but as soon as my brain had room to think about it, I felt my third eye seal and heard the skeleton pony fall to pieces right next to us.

Blossom pulled away and I tried to follow her so she couldn’t stop, but she was quickly out of reach, staring at me with her tear-streaked face. “Dazzle... I... I almost lost you there..., didn’t I?” The entirely too large burst of joy I had felt seconds ago vanished as I turned my face away in shame before twitching my head in the smallest ‘yes’ I could. I felt so horrible for almost letting that happen. She put a hoof to my face making me twitch slightly at the touch and turned my head so she could look me in the eyes. “I told you, Dazzle... I’ll do anything for you just to keep you as my wonderful Dazzle Drive. I love you more than anything. What happened?”

I bit my lip and tried to look at the floor again, but her hoof kept me staring into her... beautiful pink eyes. “I don’t... I don’t know. I tried to use my magic to lift the plates..., but I forgot that my horn... After that, everything became fuzzy. I can’t even remember what I was thinking anymore...”

“Well, that was certainly terrifying, Dazzle, if anything.” I looked over to Ruby as she walked closer, shaking very obviously. My head dropped in shame again. “Do not worry, dear. As long as you are telling the truth and you did not mean to do that, then I’ll forgive you. I must say that this explains quite a bit, however. That is quite obviously taboo magic, so I can see why you’d be avoiding the guards. Celestia forbids casting any magic on the dead aside from preservation and investigative spells. I don’t know what our new Queen’s opinion is on the matter, but it is most assuredly important to keep hushed up.” Her kind smile came back as she looked at the two of us now leaning against each other. “Come, let us eat. I think I’ll let the two of you go back home after lunch. I’ll certainly require a rest after such an event and I cannot even imagine the strain casting that spell could have placed on you.”

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Fourth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
One Thirty-One Post Meridian
|

I lay on Blossom’s couch, my head on her shoulder, as I forced myself to keep my eyes open. I could feel the drain that the spell had caused and could barely even move. Blossom had to carry me all the way back here after I passed out at the table. I couldn’t help but to giggle at that thought though. She had told me my face was covered with the mashed potatoes the chefs had made. “Blossom... Why are we going to Trottingham? Is there somepony you know?”

“I...” I could see the pain in her eyes as she looked at me and stroked my bobcut mane. “I don’t really have a reason, I guess. My family used to live there before we came to Canterlot, but... Other than that, it just seems like the best place to stay away from the guards. It’s a very large city compared to Winterhold and Canterlot and the weather there is very nice year round.”

I could tell she wasn’t telling me everything. I’ve known her for years and saw her almost every day, but I didn’t want to make her sad. “It’s okay... You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’ll go with you wherever you want to.”

“What do you want to do, Dazzle? I never thought to ask you if you wanted to go anywhere or anything. It seems so unfair to expect you to go with whatever I say.” She grinned and kissed me softly. “So, what do you want to do?”

I couldn’t say anything back. Her sudden kiss had blocked any idea I had before then and I soon felt myself falling back into the darkness of sleep. I didn’t want to give in, but her warm body and gentle touch were lulling me into the coming rest. After what seemed like hours, I was finally able to talk again as I closed my eyes and snuggled up close to her. “I just... want you... forever...” The last thing I knew before I was taken by slumber was the sweet taste of cranberry juice as she kissed me one more time.

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Seventeenth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Twelve Eleven Post Meridian
|

The next few weeks passed by rather quickly for the two of us and I loved almost every second of every day. I was able to spend more time with Blossom than I ever had before and, after a few days, I had been able to push away all thoughts of our problems. Every day I went with her to work at Ruby’s mansion and, every day, we would spend our time cleaning and helping her with whatever needed to be done. I was most excited when Ruby gave me my own little maid outfit so Blossom and I could match.

Morla didn’t talk to me at all except for the first day after I called that skeleton pony. She had told me that I needed to ‘refresh’ myself and, since I was feeling extremely tired even after my fifteen hour nap, I let her help me drain the ponies that passed the window to our home. It felt weird watching the ponies all lose the smallest bit of energy and slow their pace while I started feeling better. I didn’t like it at all. It felt so wrong to suck a pony’s soul even in the tiny amounts I got from each one.

The day finally drew near and, as Blossom and I were getting ready to leave for the train, somepony knocked on the door making us both jump. “That’s strange. Miss Red wasn’t supposed to be here for another couple hours. Keep packing whatever you need, Dee Dee. I’ll go see who it is.” I nodded and hummed quietly to myself as she moved out of the bedroom and out of sight.

We don’t really have too much that we would want to bring with us aside from the essentials. We were both going to keep the maid outfits that Ruby had given us and a few of the dresses that my parents had given me were coming too. Maybe she’d want to take her- My ear perked up as I heard Blossom start talking to somepony. My curiosity got the better of me, as usual, and I soon found myself peering around the corner of the kitchen area and towards the open front door.

Blossom was standing just inside the opening talking to a large gray stallion with a dark blue uniform and shiny gold badge. “Uh, yes. She’s here, but we’re getting ready to leave soon. We really don’t have much time before my friend comes to pick us up.”

“Oh, it’s not a problem ma’am. I just want to talk to her and her guardian for a moment. Could you tell me where they are?” I could tell from the way he talked that he wasn’t originally from Canterlot. We all talked pretty slowly, a sign that we live around the nobles, while he was speaking almost too fast for me to keep up!

“Oh, I’m her guardian. Her parents would often have me foalsit her and instructed me to take care of her should some issue arise.”

“You’re kinda young to be taking care of a filly aren’t you? Why isn’t there another adult here, Miss Orange? Where are your parents?”

“I left home a few years ago and have been living here ever since. I’m more than qualified to take care of Dazzle myself.” She looked back towards where I was listening and I quickly pulled my head out of view, but not fast enough.

“Ah, there she is!” He made to move towards me just as I poked my head around the corner once again, but Blossom stepped in his way. “May I come in and ask a few questions? It’ll be quick and then I’ll be out of your way as long as a there isn’t a problem.”

I wasn’t sure I liked this pony, but I remembered what mom told me a few months ago after we watched somepony getting cuffed and carried off in a police carriage. Now, Dazzle. I want you to always do what an officer of the law tells you to do unless it makes you uncomfortable in any way. They are good ponies and do good things for us by keeping the bad guys locked away and you can get in big trouble if you don’t do as instructed. Okay?

I nodded to Blossom and she stepped out of the way to let him pass. “Okay, since Dazzle said she was fine with it, but we only have a few minutes to spare. Please make this quick?”

“Not a problem little lady. Now, miss Drive, miss Orange, let’s sit in the living room while we talk. It’ll be much more comfortable that way.” I followed Blossom as she led the stallion and I into the recently cleaned living room and sat on the couch next to her while he remained standing with a notepad and pen levitating beside his face. “I assume you know why I’m here, miss Orange? I’ll explain anyways. Two-and-a-half weeks ago, we received a report about the deaths of four ponies. Two were Royal Guards and the other two were the parents of Dazzle Drive. When we arrived on the scene, Dazzle was nowhere to be found and it was obvious that there had been a struggle between the four.

“While these times have been very off lately, murdering a pony, let alone a pair of Royal Guards, is a serious crime. From what we gathered at the scene, there weren’t any witnesses to the act itself and, quite surprisingly, any mention of anyone that could shed light onto what happened. The bodies were discovered by a coworker who was checking on them after they had been missing from work five days in a row.”

I was on the verge of tears once more, and I turned to hide my face in Blossom’s shoulder. I heard her gasp loudly and the first thing that I could think of was: Why? “They’re... Oh... no...” I couldn’t understand why she was so surprised that they were dead. We were both there when it happened! Why would she-? “Why didn’t you tell us!? We’ve been... We’ve been wondering what happened for two weeks!! They didn’t come pick her up when they were supposed to and we just thought that they wanted some extra time... It wasn’t... It wasn’t the first time they let her stay here longer than planned, but they didn’t even leave a note for us! But now they're... How could you..."

Blossom let tears fall down her face as she clutched me to her chest. I had finally figured out what she was trying to do, so I let myself go and began to bawl into her fur. It wasn't a complete lie on my part as I blubbered incoherently through her coat, but I was sure that I wasn't nearly as depressed as when I actually saw their deaths happen.

The investigator cleared his throat in what I could only guess was nervous habit. "I uhh... It wasn't our intention to... We didn't mean... Buck..."

I could hear Blossom's teeth grinding as her chest tightened and, even if I couldn't see her face, I knew she was glaring in semi-false anger. "You... You thought we might have done it..., didn't you? How... How could you even think that a pair of fillies, let alone their own daughter, would ever do something as... vile as that!?"

"Look, when a family member doesn't report the deaths of their own, we can only-."

"SHUT UP!! They were like family to me and are Dee Dee's parents!" I've never seen Blossom as truly upset as she is right now. She'd never gone past frustration during the entire time I've known her and, now, she was screaming at a pony. I knew that I never wanted to be the target of her fury. "Get out!!"

"Ma'am. We can be rational about this; I don't want any trouble."

"THEN WHY DID YOU COME TO ACCUSE US OF MURDERING THE DRIVES AND THOSE GUARDS!?" I flinched at her outburst and she rubbed behind my ears and softly apologized.

"I did not accuse you two of anything. I merely stated the facts and circumstance of the crime and evidence gathered. At no time did I-."

"You implied it with your last statement, officer. I may not be an adult in your eyes, but I am far more intelligent than you seem to believe. If you don't have anything else to say in an attempt to make Dazzle's life worse, then I want, no, demand that you leave us to mourn."

I watched through bleary eyes as the gray officer stood, his features blank, and walked to the door. He stopped there with his magical grasp on it holding it open. "I'm sorry for your loss. I won't be able to return their bodies, but I'll have their death certificates given to you as soon as they're made." Without another word, the officer left and shut the door behind him.

Blossom took a deep breath and wiped her face with a fore leg. "I'm sorry I lost my temper Dazzle. I didn't mean to scare you by screaming at him. He just... How could they ever think that we'd..."

"I dunno. When is Miss Red supposed to get here?" I leaned against her resting my head on her neck.

She looked towards the clock on the coffee table against the far wall, its face lit by the silvery midday moonlight, and sighed. "She still won't be here for another hour and twenty minutes or so. I wish she could have come sooner. It's getting harder and harder to stay here. It won't be long until they come back to ask more questions. I'm glad we're leaving today."

“Are you... Are you okay, Blossom? You’re talking really fast."

She took a deep breath, puffing out her chest, and loosed a long, shaking sigh. "I'm fine. Just a little nervous and, admittedly, scared. I haven't left Canterlot in years and I haven't been to Trottingham in longer. I'm worried that I won't be able to find a job or that we'll have trouble finding a new home. There's just so many things that can go wrong and I don't want you in any kind of situation like that."

I almost laughed. Here I was, scared out of my mind about leaving my only home and going to some scary new city. I had been leaning on Blossom this whole time as my only support to keep me from shaking in fear every second and, as it turned out, she was just as scared as I was. I leaned forward slightly and kissed her cheek like she would do for me whenever I was upset or shaken by something. “Don’t worry, Blossom. I don’t think it’ll be that bad at all. We’ll get there, find a place to live, and you’ll find a job without any problems!” I looked down at my hooves and wiggled anxiously. “I’m... actually kinda glad that you’re scared too. I know you want to be tough for me, but it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one.”

“Thanks, Dee Dee.” She ruffled my mane and squeezed me into a tight embrace. “What should we do for the next hour or so, Dazzle? We’re pretty much packed so is there anything you have in mind?”

“Could we finish that Daring Do story? I can’t wait to know what happens next!”

As I bounced excitedly on the couch cushion, Blossom stood and fluttered over to the bookcase and picked out the thick binding that was the second compilation volume of the Daring Do series. “I don’t see why not. We’re going to have to remember to pack this before we leave with Miss Red; we’re not even halfway through it yet!” She smiled brightly once more now that her fears were pushed away and lay down on the couch with the book in her forehooves. I eyed the position carefully, but couldn’t see where I was supposed to sit so I could read as well. As if sensing my worry, Blossom spread her wings and guided me onto her back so that I lay on top of her with my neck against hers. “There! Are you all situated? Good! Let’s get started then!

“Daring Do was trapped under the rubble that had fallen from the ancient building’s roof and was desperately struggling to get free...”

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Seventeenth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
One Forty Ante Meridian
|

We were still reading when a light rapping came from the wooden door. I immediately hopped off of Blossom’s back and rushed over to it, pressing my ear against the frame. “Miss Red? Is that you?”

“It is. Could you be a dearie and open up for me? I’ll have my butler help you two pack your stuff up into the carriage while we talk to the realtor I brought with me.” I nodded rapidly, an act that was quite pointless since she couldn’t see me through the door, and carefully hoofed it open before gripping the mare in a tight hug. “I’m quite glad to see you too, Dazzle! It’s certainly going to be much less fun around here without the two of you to entertain me.”

“Thanks for agreeing to buy the house, Miss Red. I was worried we wouldn’t be able to find a buyer. I don’t know how we could afford to move without selling this first.” Blossom trotted up to Ruby and quickly hugged her.

“You know I would have given you the bits if you needed them, dearie. I’ve known you for a little over four years and you’re most definitely diligent in your work. We both know I won’t spend every bit I have on myself.”

“I couldn’t do that! You already helped me get the house in the first place! If it wasn’t for you giving me a job back then, I’d be living on the streets!"

Ruby chuckled and put a hoof to Blossom's muzzle to stop her from continuing. "You wouldn't have any say in the matter. All it'd take was a quick trip to the bank to make a transfer and you would be none the wiser until you went to withdraw." She stepped past the two of us and into the living room where she sat on a chair. An elderly stallion stepped into the house and bowed before looking to Ruby. “Ah, perfect! Bow Tie, could you tell mister House that we’re ready to discuss the terms of sale for the building?”

“Right away, madam.”

The butler pony left the room from where he came and returned with another stallion, this one much younger and was wearing a bright yellow suit coat. I watched him trot in, carrying his large, brown suitcase, and set it on the floor beside the coffee table. “Hello, Miss Orange, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Now, let's get this started since I'm sure you don't want to spend all day going over the tiresome fields of paperwork that we'd usually have to plow through to even get started on this.

"Okay, Miss Orange, let's start with your date of birth." He opened his suitcase by the metal clasps on the top and levitated a stack of papers onto the table next to it. After looking through them, House pulled out a single sheet and laid it out beside the original stack. "You were born on Auguary twenty-fifth of the nine-hundred and ninety-second Celestial year, is that right?"

Blossom nodded and leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Hey, Dee Dee. Why don't you go read a book while we finish this up? It's not a very entertaining process to have to sit through."

I hopped off the couch where we had been sitting and walked quickly over to the bookshelf to pick out something to read while I waited. I don’t usually like to read by myself because I love it when Blossom reads to me, but she was right: I don’t like boring meetings, and I always got distracted whenever my parents had customers meet with them while I was there. It took me quite a while to find something that I’d enjoy and, by the time I got back to sitting with them and started reading, they were talking about the price.

“You leased the house to own for fifty-thousand two-hundred bits, so I’d say that, with housing prices nowadays, selling it for-.”

“I’ll pay her one-hundred fifty-seven thousand bits for it.” Ruby smiled widely at Blossom while I giggled at both House’s and Blossom’s gaping mouths. “You’re going to need it, dearie. The cost of living in Canterlot is pretty high, but with the high population in Trottingham it’ll be even harder to find inexpensive housing and still be able to eat until you can find some form of employment..”

“But, Miss Red! That’s just-.”

“No, no, dearie, please call me Ruby. It’s not easy living in large cities like Trottingham and jobs are very difficult to find. I don’t want you having to worry about money.” She looked to House and motioned for him to write it down. I watched as he furiously scrawled the amount of bits to be transferred.

My book was completely forgotten when I heard soft sobbing from right beside me. I turned to see Blossom struggling to hold back tears, her white fur darkening to a light gray as the liquid dampened it. “Blossom? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She shook her head and smiled. “I’m fine, Dee Dee. I’m just glad to have such an amazing friend.”

Ruby nodded and stood to head to her carriage. “Mister House, thank you for coming and assisting us with this and for making such an expedited process. I’ll come to sign the deed for the building in the morning, but until then, farewell.” Her gaze turned to us and her grin warmed. “Blossom, Dazzle, have you packed everything that you’re going to take with you?”

“Yes! We were done waaaaaay before you got here!” I beamed excitedly and jumped from where I was sitting to nuzzle up against Ruby. “Thank you, Miss Ruby! I’ll miss you when we leave. You’ll send me candy, right?”

She laughed and patted my head with a hoof. “Sure, Dazzle. You’re going to behave for Blossom, right?” I shook my head ‘yes’ as quickly as I could and rushed back over to Blossom to get her to stand up as well. “You ready to go, dearie?”

“Mhmm. I’m kind of sad that I’m going to be leaving after having lived here for so long, but I’ll do whatever I need to in order to help Dazzle now that her parents are gone.”

“As I’d expect you to, dearie. You two are perfect for each other and are most certainly the best of friends. Now, let’s go and get you two on your train and on your way. It should be arriving in a little over an hour.”

The three of us walked out to the carriage that Ruby had arrived in and were helped inside by Bow Tie who had already packed our small bag into the overcarriage. As soon as we were settled, the stallions that were hitched to the carriage set off, making it lurch slightly. I sat closest to one of the windows in the plush carriage and watched the street, ponies, and houses pass by.

Blossom looked to me and grinned, “The trip to the station should take about forty minutes. How about we play a game of ‘I Spy’?” She knew exactly how much I loved ‘I Spy’.

~{N}~{D}~

Author’s Notes: Whew. Sorry this one took so long guys. Seriously. That took way too long and I am sorry. First off, I apologize for the inconsistency of the narrative. I was debating on whether or not I’d use the childlike mentality of the present/past Dazzle or the more intelligent words of the future Dazzle that you heard from at the start of chapter one and decided to use curtain number two about 3/4s of the way through. Second, I and my editors are going to go through this and the last chapter and fix the inconsistencies of wording and such really soon (especially since it’s still considerably shorter than ATFN). And, finally, we’re also going to pause everything as we go back and edit AFTN to be more consistent as far as the detail/various stuff goes (and almost completely redo chapter four. Celetia’s raging hornboner that chapter was a bad idea). With that done, everypony welcome Prince of Hyrule, a.k.a. Squidbilly, as my third editor! *round of applause and much whooping* yay. For now, peace out and Peppy out!

P.S. Awwww yeah! This chapter is about 20% longer than any previous chapters! Woot!

Editor’s Notes #3: Hello, Prince of Hyrule speaking. I am what most call a “Grammar Nazi”, and I hope to make sure that no further mistakes are made and that one particular person *cough*iloverportalz0r*cough* stops making corrections for me. That aside, I do ask that you all bring to light any mistakes that are made so that I can correct them later on.

Not much else to say other than to give thanks to Peppy, Jekyll, and Kasa for allowing me to join Peppy’s team of editors. Really, thank you.

P.S. Oh, right. You should all read Rebelfire’s new story, Broken, which I edited. Really, you should. Come on, do it. Really, why aren’t you reading right now, you really should.

Editor’s Note #1: Welcome to the team Prince (I calls ‘im Squill). Lotsa d’aww and heart attacks to be had in this one. Extra long to make up for the wait. As Peppy said, the team and I are gonna go back through the older chapters of ATFN and fix the narrative of the first chapter of ND along with the better part of this one. Also, for those of you who know of my fixin’ up of the comment side stories posted in ATFN’s comments will be happy to know that Squill is helpin’ out. Woooo. Hope all of you enjoyed it. Now... back to Skyrim for me.

Editor’s Note #2: To be added when revisions are finished.

Chapter 03

Chapter 03

Septara Seventeenth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Two Twenty-Seven Post Meridian
|

The carriage we were travelling in slowed to a halt as we arrived at the departure terminal for the Trans-Equestrian Railway. The stallions pulling our current mode of transport unhitched themselves and unloaded the suitcase from the cargo door on the rear of the coach so it could be loaded aboard the stationed locomotive. I jumped out of the coach and stared at the massive metal construction partially hidden behind the ticket booths and milling ponies. "Oh my gosh! Blossom! Blossom! Look! It's soooo big! I bet it could fit, like, a kajillion ponies!"

As I bounced and squealed in glee, Blossom and Ruby climbed out of the carriage with the assistance of Bow Tie and stepped in beside me, smiling. "I don't know about a whole kajillion, Dee Dee, but it can certainly fit everypony here twice over and still have room." Blossom nuzzled my face and I leaned into it contentedly. "Let's go get our tickets so we can find a booth for ourselves. We can't let all these stingy ponies have all the best ones for themselves now, can we?"

"I wish you girls good luck." Ruby beamed widely as she listened to our foalish banter, and I couldn't help but to notice the motherly worry in her eyes. Even at my age it was noticeable, for I had seen my own mother don the same expression multiple times whenever I would decide to try something even remotely dangerous. "I know you two can take care of yourselves and each other, but Trottingham is a very large city. Don't get into any trouble and don't go off anywhere with strangers, alright?"

I nodded furiously, still excited about my first train ride, while Blossom tilted her head in a curt form of agreement. "Don't worry, Miss--erm, Ruby.... We'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to Dazzle and I'll be sure to watch out for myself as well."

The older mare pursed her lips and nodded before rushing up to us and squeezing us in a tight hug while peppering our foreheads with kisses. "I'll miss you two and I'll always worry about you. Make sure to write when you find an apartment." Her voice was thick with emotion as she continued the embrace.

I felt a drop of warm liquid on my nose and, just as I was about to inquire as to its origins, Ruby spun around whilst wiping her face with a hoof. "Miss Ruby, are you okay? "

She turned back towards us, all smiles and sunshine, and nodded. "Of course, Dee Dee. You two go on ahead. I'll wave goodbye from here." She ushered us towards the ticket booth and watched from a few meters away as we stepped up to the window.

"One child and one adult ticket for a leisure class cabin on the train headed to Trottingham, please." Blossom smiled up at the young stallion working the booth who looked at me and frowned.

"Do you want a public cabin ticket or would you prefer a personal cabin?" The stallion's frown deepened at the sight of my best friend's puzzled expression.

"Umm.... What exactly is the difference?" The stallion groaned and rubbed a beige hoof on the bridge of his muzzle. "Oh! Aside from the obvious, of course. I meant the difference in price and how comfortable they are...."

“The public cabins are open for up to four ponies and run at a rate of fifteen bits per passenger, ten for children. The private cabins are the same size as the public cabins, but can be reserved for a single pony or couple on their own. The average pricing for a leisure class private cabin is forty bits per pony, same for children.” He looked at us disdainfully and scoffed. “Considering both of you are children, I doubt you’d have the bits to even-”

“We’ll take the private cabin then!” She fished a sack of coins from her saddlebags and set them on the counter as the ticket stallion just stared on in awe, his jaw hanging open at the sight. “It’d be safer for the both of us.”

The beige stallion recovered quickly and separated out eighty bits from the bag before handing the much less heavy sack back to Blossom. “The train leaves in about ten minutes. You can ask one of the hosts to help you find an open cabin. Next!”

Blossom sighed in annoyance and shook her head, upset by the unceremonious shoving, but obviously intent on not letting it bother her. She put a hoof around my withers and urged me towards the train as if she did not notice my eagerness to examine the mechanical beauty. “Come on, Dee Dee. These ponies seem like they’re in a hurry, so let’s get on board so we’re not in their way.” She punctuated the last words with a slight glare in the line’s direction, a look that went completely unheeded.

We stepped up to the turnstiles, our tickets held between our lips, and waited for our turns to pass. Blossom went first, pushing past the metal beams as they spun to tally her passing. I followed after her, but was too short to push the bars normally, so I stood on my hind legs and pressed against them with my forehooves. They spun, catching the rest of my body and sending me tumbling to the ground, much to the amusement of a certain pegasus.

I couldn’t resist giggling myself, and quickly caught up with Blossom. “It wasn’t that funny, you know....” I tried to pout; I curled my lip and widened my eyes, but her grin was infectious.

“Oh Dazzle, you know just how silly it was. You could have asked me to help, you know.”

I nodded and ran off in front of her. “I wanted to do it myself! I am a big pony now!” We stopped just before the train and stood under the metal precipitation covers. “Wooooooow~! Trains are so much cooler when they’re not toys....” The train spanned over a series of thirty-five cars, each consisting of two cabins that we could see through the windows, plus the engine and caboose. The entire locomotive was colored white and had a gold trim that gleamed in the moonlight from meticulous care and cleaning.

Truly a marvel of pony ingenuity. It is amazing what the non-magical ponies can create in order to make transportation easier without wings or magic.

I jumped at the sound of Morla’s voice in my head and fought to regulate my breathing. “Ah! Don’t scare me like that Morla! Jeez, don’t talk to me forever and then just suddenly scare the poop out of me!” I clamped a hoof over my mouth and looked around sheepishly; hoping that nobody had heard me and, to my relief, everybody else seemed not to have noticed. See what you did, you big meanie? You could have made me make somepony think I was talking to myself!

“Dazzle, is everything all right?” I nodded and pulled her to one of the doors so that we could talk out of earshot of other ponies. She took the lead soon after, and, with the assistance of one of the train’s hosts, we were soon in our own compartment fit for four. We set our bags and suitcase under the beds provided and quickly made ourselves comfortable. “Not really fancy, but it’s still quite nice. I kind of feel bad for anypony that can’t afford their own cabin; it must be difficult to fit any more than two adult ponies in here without getting into somepony’s personal space.”

I looked around, noting the four small beds -two on each wall- and the small ceiling light in the roof. The only other decoration in the otherwise golden room was a pair of dark blue curtains pulled open to show the passenger loading platform. “It looks a lot cooler out there.” My disappointment must have been showing clearly as Blossom swept me up in an embrace and hovered a foot off the ground. I squealed and crushed myself against her. “Blossoooooom~! Your wings are making my mane tickle my nose!”

She set us back down and kissed the top of my muzzle. “Well, serves you right for being all mopey, doesn’t it? This is the happy train, little missy! We won’t be having any frowns on the happy train!” I giggled happily and nuzzled my face against her neck. “That’s much better. Now, we’ll be leaving in a few minutes, so let’s make sure to wave bye-bye to Ruby.”

The two of us stood on our hind legs and pressed our faces to the freshly cleaned windows, smearing our faces up against the once streak-free glass and giggling at the face prints we left. Our eyes scanned the crowd as we looked for the familiar form of a two-toned red pony, and, just as the trains whistle announced our imminent departure, we caught sight of the mare animatedly waving at us with tears streaming down her face. My heart twinged at the sight of the upset mare, and I could practically feel Blossom's mood turn dour, but the two of us waved back just as enthusiastically as she was.

The train lurched as the engine kicked it into motion and, after a few powerful rotations of its wheels, the locomotive began the journey to our new home as we left our old one behind us.

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Seventeenth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Five Oh-Three Post Meridian
|

The white train sped through the 'night', its cars rattling rhythmically with the vibrations of the wheels as we laid alone in our private cabin. We had been almost completely silent for the first couple hours of the trip, a feat that I was amazed that I could perform, as we rested for the coming ordeal of life in a big city. Dazzle lay at my side, a soft wing draped over my body as I buried my muzzle in her chest. She raised her head and looked down at me as she brushed my unkempt mane from my face.

"What was Morla talking about back there? Was it anything you want to talk about?"

I turned my gaze from the fur on her chest to her bright pink eyes and shook my head. "She was just excited about the trains, like me. It was just so random that it made me jump!" I emphasized my words by flinging my hooves up and comically tumbling off the bed in a pile of sheets and fur. I giggled and stood up to disentangle myself from the linen prison.

I was not excited about the train, but was merely admiring the skill and craftsponyship needed to create such incredible machines. They truly are a marvel of modern times.

"It sounds like Morla is a fan of trains then?" Blossom beamed and assisted me back onto the bed next to her.

"She just told me she wasn't, but was saying a bunch of big words to say she thought they were neat." I closed my eyes and clung tightly to Blossom as my mind wandered before settling on the memory from a mere week ago. Morla.... I know that I got scared last time..., but could you help me again? I almost did something really bad and you didn't help me like you said you would!

You pushed me from your consciousness when you ran, child. I could do nothing to assist you while you were resisting my presence. Magic and bonding are highly dependant on emotions, and can be extremely dangerous when they run rampant together. You have seen what happens first-hand.

But.... I looked up to Blossom to find her laying with her eyes closed as she hummed softly. But I saw something... in the mirror. It was so scary....

That is my soul, young one. When the eye opens, you are channeling the necromancy from Mi'rith through it and, as such, his 'form' is projected into reflected surfaces. It is a side-effect that cannot be avoided and can be both a boon and a curse, as it can intimidate your foes or draw them to you. I should note that powerful magical creatures are also capable of perceiving the shadow's silhouette if they concentrate hard enough.

So.... So that wasn't a monster? I sighed in relief, an action that caused Blossom to squirm from the sudden tickle of breath on her coat. She opened an inquisitive eye and I just smiled up at her.

That would not be entirely accurate, should you take your kind's lore into account. Ponies, since the time the Twin Sisters created them, have feared us for our power, and rightly so. We basilisks are fearsome creatures that survive on the life force of other creatures, and, during the time before discord and the wyndigoes, we ravaged villages and devoured the souls of ponies to sustain our near immortal lives.

My eyes opened wide as I processed what she was saying. But.... Couldn't you live some other way?

Oh, we certainly could, but that would mean damning ourselves to Tartarus should we ever die fully. Lichdom is not something we wished to do, and, while it was a relatively simple process if you had the power, not many of us wished to subject ourselves to such a fate.

That's.... That's so scary. I don't want to go to Tartarus. I won't, will I!? "Will I!?" I unintentionally shouted into the cabin, startling Blossom from her reverie. I clamped my hooves over my muzzle and looked towards the door expecting to see somebody walking to check on the disturbance, but no one came.

"Dazzle, what did Morla say?" I sometimes wished it wasn't so apparent that I was speaking with the symbiotic basilisk, but I couldn't keep myself from reacting so irrationally; Tartarus was not a place meant for mortals.

Do not fear, pony child. Your soul is still intact, as is its 'purity'. You need not fret over a thing such as damnation; you are not yet capable of casting damning spells.

"It's.... I'm okay. She just said that I'm okay." I didn't want to worry her over something that I didn't even completely understand. I smiled as widely as I could, hoping that it would ease her worry, but I could still see it lingering in her eyes.

"Dazzle, you can tell me what it is. It obviously upset you and I want to know what it is." She furrowed her brow slightly, her soothing look gaining a stern edge to it that crumbled away my resistance.

"She said that, some day, I might lose my soul and go to Tartarus when I die.... I don't want to go there.... The school books all say that it was made for evil things. I'm not evil, am I?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, then shrank to slits as she glared not at me, but through me. "Why would you tell a filly something like that!? You don't have any right to scare her with your lies!"

I opened my mouth to try and comfort Blossom and tell her that I was okay, but, after my muzzle was opened, I lost control of myself. The flesh on my forehead opened and I felt the eye twist to glare right at my dearest friend as my own did the same. My face contorted into a dark glare as 'I' spoke. "Puny child. You do not possess the strength nor authority to think to lecture me. You would do well to hold your tongue when speaking to a being that far outclasses one as pitiful as yourself.” My voice poured into the air, my usual squeaky tone laced with a deep, hollow, yet somehow feminine, echo.

I heard Blossom whimper as she stared into my necromantic eye, seemingly incapable of moving. I fought against Morla's hold over me, but I couldn't even twitch a muscle on my own. Stop... it....

"Dazzle.... Please make her stop. It hurts...." Her eyes pleaded with me to end whatever was going on and, however much I wanted to, my actions were out of my control.

"I have lived for several millennia, seen the rise and fall of many outlandish kingdoms, and devoured the souls of countless beings. You do not know of what you speak to."

"Why are you doing this? It’s-." She coughed and took a deep breath. "That isn't your body. Give it back to Dazzle."

"While that may be true, you are not in any place to command me." Stop it..., Morla.... "As for why? To teach a mortal its place. I would end your life here were it not for the pony child's attachment to you. She would surely kill herself if you were to die."

"Why Dazzle? Why choose her instead of another pony?" She coughed again and stared at her hoof in horror, but I could not see why.

"Her innocence. She is young, even for pony standards." Stop. Please let her go.... "It is much easier to bind to a pure soul than it is to bind with one tainted by life."

"Get out of her. She doesn't belong to you." She coughed again and red speckled her white hoof as a line of blood trickled from her nose. "She is my beloved dandelion and you do not belong here!"

Morla laughed and shook my head. "I cannot leave, and I most certainly belong inside this child. She accepted me of her own accord to bring back her parents." Stop it.

"But you didn't bring them back! They're still dead!"

I felt my heart tug as memories of my family were pulled to the front of my mind from where I had hidden them away. "Ah, but did I not do as I promised? I returned them to life, even if they were not as the young one expected. She released them back into eternal-"

"Stop it, right now!!" I shouted and forced Morla back into my mind as I regained control of my body. I clenched my eyes shut, hoping my unseeing organ would follow suit, and, much to my relief, the eye closed as well. I heaved a sigh of relief and opened my eyes once more to find Blossom grinning weakly at me with two small rivulets of blood streaking down her muzzle. Tears welled in my eyes as I blubbered out streams of apologies and licked the liquid from her face.

I cringed at the metallic taste, but it was the only thing I could think to do until she brought her lips to mine as I pulled back to apologize again. My worries were mysteriously lifted away as I shared my third kiss with my beloved Blossom. "It wasn't your fault, Dazzle. I'm just glad you're back. Morla isn't anywhere near as cute as you even with your body."

The gentle bouncing and rhythmic rattling of the train soon overwhelmed my senses. I loosed a wide yawn and curled into Blossom's embrace. I felt myself drifting off into dreamland as Blossom began singing. "Hush now, quiet now. Lay your sleepy head...."

The last sound I heard before consciousness left me was the faint reverberations of Morla's voice in my mind. Impressive, pony child.... Impressive.

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Seventeenth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Nine Thirteen Post Meridian
|

My eyes fluttered open as I felt the train begin to slow. I raised my head to look out the window and gasped. All around us were giant buildings made of concrete with the majority of them painted a uniform grey. The train pulled into a giant, enclosed terminal filled with more ponies than I had ever seen gathered together in my life. They milled about hurriedly, none of them stopping to chat or even nod to each other. Many of them wore business attire, and either carried a briefcase in their mouth, or floated it beside them as they rushed to their destination.

The train crawled to a halt with our car stopping in the approximate center of the platform. A voice blared over an intercom from the platform's speakers telling us to be careful while leaving the train and be mindful of the other ponies around us. I rushed over to Blossom, excited at the opportunity to explore the city. "Blossom! Blossom, wake up! We're here!" I shook her, watching her face for any sign of rousing, but her breathing remained even and her features calm. "Aww, why won't you wake up? We have to go see the city! Come on, Blossom! Get-"

I loosed a startled 'eep' as a mischievous grin spread across her muzzle as she wrapped her forehooves around my neck to pull me closer to her. I squealed, and she giggled as she peppered my face with feather-light kisses until I managed to pull away. "Did you sleep well, Dee Dee?"

I nodded quickly as my face burned red. "Yeah! How about you? Does.... Does it hurt still?" She shook her head and climbed off the mattress to help me fish our luggage out from under the bed opposite us. "What are we going to do first? I'm so excited! I've never seen so many buildings! They're all so tall! How are we gonna keep from getting lost?" My questions spewed from my mouth at a mile a minute as my inquisitive, foalish nature took over.

Blossom simply smiled and laughed. "I haven't been here since...." Her eyes stared into the distance for a moment and her smile faded until she blinked and looked back down at me. "Well, it's been a while, but there should be a welcome center near here. We can get directions to a hotel and stay there until I can find an apartment."

She set our saddlebags across our backs and picked our suitcase up in her mouth and set out, heading towards our car's exit. I bit onto her tail so I wouldn't become separated from her, and let her lead me through the crowd. The ponies around us shuffled by quickly, bumping and pushing to get to their destinations heedless of others around them. By the time we reached the welcome center, both of us were nursing small aches on our legs and sides.

I released my pegasus friend's tail and stood by her side at the low-top counter as a dispassionate fuchsia mare chewed on some taffy while filing her hoof. "Umm, excuse me. We're looking for a hotel to stay in."

The mare rolled her eyes and smacked her lips together loudly before acknowledging Blossom's inquiry. "What kind, hun? We've got more hotels in this city than you could spit at."

I found it difficult to follow what she was saying due to her heavy Northern Equestrian accent and the speed with which she spoke, but Blossom didn't falter for a moment. "We want someplace nice, but not entirely expensive since we may be there for a week or two. Preferably something close to a middle school."

"Ah, for the squirt. Well, we have a few hotels near the Trottingham Academy for Gifted Fillies, an all-filly advanced placement school. Then there's a pair near the Coltyard Middle School. Nice hotels, but bad area. Wouldn't recommend it. Finally, we got one around the block from Sunny Side Secondary School. The Coltson Twins' Inn, I think." She swallowed the taffy she had been chomping on during her explanation and pulled out another piece from a small bag beside her forehooves on the counter.

"The Coltson Twins' Inn sounds nice. Are there any apartment complexes near there? You see, we're moving and-"

The mare held up a finely filed hoof and shook her head. "Look, hun. I don't care. I'm just doing my job so I can get paid. You can go out the front door there and hail a cab to take you there. Any other questions?"

"Why do you talk so funny? It's so weird!" I smiled and tilted my head as I awaited her answer.

The mare snarled at me and stomped on the counter, startling Blossom and I. "Look, kid. You'll talk funny too if I kicked you in the mouth."

The menacing glare she gave me made my head spin with fear. I could feel Mi'rith stirring like the time at Ruby's mansion and began to tremble. I didn't know why she was so angry at me. I had just asked an innocent question. Luckily, Blossom was there to help me; she laid a hoof over my withers and smiled, alleviating my worries. "I'm sorry for that, ma'am. She didn't think it would offend you, or else she wouldn't have asked, right?"

I nodded and looked at my hooves, glad that Blossom had intervened. I didn't know what would have happened if I had let my emotions -and in turn, Mi'rith- take over again. The attendant, for her worth, snorted and rolled her eyes. "That brat needs to learn some manners. If that's all, then you need to get going; you're distracting me from my filing." She picked the file back up in her teeth and returned to her 'work'.

Once more Blossom led me around as I held onto her tail. "I'm sorry about that, Dazzle. The ponies in this city can be quite rude sometimes, but not all of them are bad." I nodded, lightly tugging on her tail with each motion, and trotted out the building's front doors and into the streets outside of the rail station. The sight before me nearly caused me to lose my grip on my chaperon. The buildings seemed much taller here, standing under them without the distorted view from inside the train. Lights filled the night from the windows and street lamps suspended upon tall, metal poles. Magic-powered vehicles raced down the paved roads as crowds of pedestrians awaited their turn to cross the streets. Several uniform blue vehicles lined the road in front of us with several leaving at a time as their fare instructed them to their destinations, allowing others to arrive and take their place. The bustle of the big city was astonishing to me, and I found myself yearning to explore.

Blossom trudged through the crowd, muttering apologies every time she bumped into somebody and being largely ignored until we came upon the row of parked vehicles. I marvelled at their design: compact and sleek with an open top, similar to a carriage, but without the harness. As we neared, a stallion wearing a blue cap waved us over towards him. “Lookin’ for a ride, sweetie? I’ll give ya a special discount, just for you.” He grinned widely as his eyes scanned over us, lingering on Blossom until he climbed onto the coachcolt’s seat.

I looked warily towards Blossom, who didn’t seem to notice his gaze, and reluctantly followed her as she climbed into the passenger seats behind him. “So, how much would it be to get to the Coltson Twins’ Inn from here?”

The driver turned to her and gave her a disturbing smile. “For you, babes? Twenty bits for the ride.”

Blossom fished her bag of bits from her saddlebag and dumped out the amount stated, leaving it much less full compared to when they left Canterlot. “Thanks a lot, sir. I didn’t think we’d get there without having to spend a hoof and a leg. That’s quite kind of you.” She smiled warmly at him and he returned it with that disgusting smile from before, making my stomach clench. He doesn’t look that nice to me....

“Not a problem, sweetie. Let’s go before somepony else decides to try and hitch a ride.” His horn flared to life, and the small engine of the vehicle hummed as it started. In a matter of moments, we had joined the racing traffic of other magical mobiles and the occasional daring pedestrian. We wove through the multi-lane roads, passing building after building as each second led us further into the city. Soon, the uniform grey of office buildings gave way to multi-colored residences and bright towers bearing large signs to advertise their establishment. As we turned down a darker road, the coachcolt slowed the car to a halt and turned to look back at us, that ominous smile plastered upon his face. “So, I think that, for that amazing discount I’m givin’ ya, we could work out a little tip, eh?”

Blossom’s eyes widened as he stroked a hoof down her neck and across her body, drawing closer to her thighs. She smacked his leg away and scooted as far back into the seat as she could. “N-no! Just take us to the hotel, I’ll pay the difference in prices without the discount.”

The stallion’s gaze sharpened, but that smile never faded. It seemed to be growing larger and more malicious. “Oh, I don’t think you understand me here.” His horn lit once more and his light red aura surrounded Blossom. She struggled against it, but he was too powerful for her non-magical attempts at freedom. “I’m not giving you a choice. I’ll get my ‘payment’ from you if you’re cooperative or not.”

“Stop! P-please stop! I said no, and there’s a child here!”

I watched, terrified, as he ignored her pleas and climbed over the small barricade between us and the coachcolt’s seat. He touched a hoof to her hind legs and reached back between his own thighs, stroking himself out of view from my position. My mind twinged and I felt a blackness begin to cloud my senses as the world slowed around me.

Are you going to allow him to do this? Do you not care for the pegasus?

I glared at him, rage burning in my chest as he inched closer to Blossom’s backside as she struggled and screamed to get away. I willed the eye on my forehead to open and grinned malevolently as I stomped a hoof on the floorboard. “You will not touch her any further, mortal!” The unicorn looked at me and pushed me onto the floor before returning his attention to Blossom, failing to notice my glare or glowing eye. I snorted, the breath coming out icy-cold as it misted in the air before me, and stomped again, making the metal dent under my hoof. “You were warned, pig.”

The glow in my eye intensified until it began to snake off in tendrils through the air to mingle with the frost from my freezing breath. The magic wrapped itself around his leg, its green ‘fingers’ worming their way into his skin making the limb twitch. He stopped groping Blossom and looked down at the source of his discomfort and reeled back in horror. “Wh-what the buck! What the buck is going on!?” The fur on his leg lost its healthy red color, beginning to fade into a sickly brown until it fell out completely. As the patches of fur clumped off, the skin beneath it grew red and raw. Blood seeped out of fresh lacerations while the stallion screamed in agony, scraping at the growing wounds. His eyes turned to me and his pupils shrunk as realization set in. “Stop! Oh, please stop! D-don’t do this, man! I didn’t-”

“Did you stop when Blossom told you to? Did her pleas deter you from trying to rape her? Did my command halt your actions? Why should I spare you when you were not going to spare her your filthy intentions?”

He screamed again while the seeping wounds began to decay and grow in size, taking up the length of his leg from the hoof to the elbow. His leg twitched furiously as the pain and necrosis climbed higher and higher, working its way to his shoulder, but halted as Blossom touched my face. I looked at her tear-stained visage and felt my heart ache. He needs to pay for what he did. I focused the magic again, the action becoming more and more simple to perform, until her hoof stroked across my muzzle once more.

“Dazzle, stop. Don’t kill him. He may be a vile creature, not deserving mercy, but doing this will not make it better.” I blinked and the magic ended, the tendrils snaking their way back into the pupil of my magical focus. Immediately, the world began to spin as I felt exhaustion tug at my consciousness and a growing ache fill my body. I looked up at Blossom who turned to the stallion, examining his leg. She scowled at him as he whimpered and begged to be spared. “You should be grateful that I didn’t let her finish you. You are a sick cretin and do not deserve such mercy, but I will not allow her to dirty her hooves over this.” In a flash, my beloved pegasus spun on her hooves and bucked the stallion, making contact with his malformed, dying leg and chest to send him flying into the street, screaming in pain.

She lifted me onto her back with what little help I could provide and fluttered onto the road beside him, suitcase in mouth. She set the luggage on the ground and glared at him. “Where’s the hotel?” He whimpered and clutched his dead, withering leg to his chest.

A swift kick from Blossom and he quickly raised a hoof, pointing down the road. “Right over there! Around the corner and down two blocks. Bucking crazy bitch.... Buck, this hurts so much....”

Blossom picked the suitcase back up and flew off in the direction he pointed towards, moving as quickly as she could while making sure I didn’t shift too much and fall off. I watched Blossom as we flew, surprised that she wasn't crying, or even reacting at all, anymore. Wow, Blossom's so strong. I wish I was that strong.

Perhaps she is not as strong-willed as you believe. An event such as that is not something most beings can shrug off as if nothing.

Oh, Morla.... I.... Thank you for helping.... I thought you hated her.

I do not hate, pony child. I was merely teaching her a lesson that will serve her well in the future. That aside, I did nothing. I merely prompted you to act and you did the rest.

I.... I did that? I shuddered and clutched Blossom's neck tighter, finding comfort as she leaned her head back against mine. We landed shortly after in front of a tall, white building trimmed in lime green. It rose ten stories above and its surface was broken systematically by large windows displaying each room inside to anypony that flew high enough to see at the right angle. "Blossom, are you-"

"Come on Dazzle, let's go find a room; I'm exhausted." I eyed her curiously. She just walked onward as I clung to her neck, too drained to do any more. It bugged me that riding on her back like this was necessary, even if it felt so amazing to be- No. She is upset. She doesn't like to interrupt me. By the time we reached the front desk, Blossom was trembling and breathing much faster than normal. "Hello, I'd l-like a room f-for two."

The mare at the counter looked up from her paperwork and donned an almost maniacal smile. "Hello, there! Welcome to the Coltson Twins' Inn! I'm Comfort Coltson! You said a room for two, right? Will that be one bed or two and would you like somepony to bring you breakfast in the morning?"

Blossom blinked once, obviously surprised by the mare's enthusiasm. "Oh, umm.... One bed is fine and... sure.... Having breakfast when we wake would be nice."

Comfort's grin doubled in size as she leaned over the counter and winked at me. "What a lucky filly you are. Got this lovely mare all to yourself in our big, comfy bed. I'm kind of jealous." Blossom and I both blushed, and my thoughts turned to the times she had kissed me recently. "Don't you worry your pretty little heads. I won't tell anypony. Now, on to business. It'll be sixty-five bits a night unless you plan to stay a full week in which case we drop it by ten bits a night for a total of four hundred bits. If you don't mind the price which, I might add, is the best deal you can get for a hotel of our caliber, we'll need your name and photo of your cutie mark so we can charge your Equestrian Bank account."

"We'll probably be here for a while, so the week-long stay will work. My name's Orange Blossom, and do I have to go anywhere to-?"

"Nope! Just turn your flank towards me aaaaaand-" Blossom did as she was told and the cream colored mare levitated a camera from under the counter and snapped a shot of her flank. "Ohoho, this one's going in the scrap book." She winked at Blossom making her blush intensify as she quickly turned back to face the flirty clerk. "Let's juuuust-" Her horn lit up again. and, after several moments of awkward silence, the blue aura around her horn popped. "There! The funds have been transferred and will reflect on your account in a few hours. You'll have room number thirty-six here on the first floor," she leaned in closer, her blue mane bouncing in its bun as she shifted over the counter and lowered her voice to a whisper, "which is the closest to my sister's and my office, if you two need any assistance."

Blossom began shaking under me again, much more noticeably this time, and her breath came out in stuttering gasps. Comfort looked at her worriedly as her smile disappeared. "A-are you okay? I didn't mean to upset you. You just seemed upset, and I wanted to cheer-"

"We'll just take the key!" Blossom's outburst startled the both of us, and Comfort quickly retrieved a key marked '36'. Blossom took the key and tucked it under a wing before picking up the suitcase in her teeth again.

"Th-the room's down the hall to your right and on your left." Blossom jerked her head once in affirmation and took off at a trot down the hall. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask my sister, Fluff, or me. I'm really sorry!"

I cast a glance back at the concerned mare before returning my attention to the increasingly trembling pegasus I was riding. Each step she took, her shaking grew more pronounced until, when we reached the door to our lodgings, she struggled to unlock the door without dropping the key. Finally, after five attempts at inserting the key into the lock, she opened the door and kicked the suitcase inside.

I hopped off her back and jumped in front of her to see her face twisted as if in pain and, as soon as the door slammed behind her, she snatched me up and held me in a crushing embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she cried heavily into my mane. "I-I'm s-so sorry, D-Dazzle! I t-tried to be st-strong, but it hurts t-too much! I feel so d-dirty and I can't g-get his smile out of m-my h-head!"

My chest clenched and my heart ached to see her like this. I couldn't help but to feel at fault for her current depression. I should have been faster.... I could have stopped him before he touched her.... "I.... I feel like I should have let you finish him. He's such a vile pony, no.... He d-doesn't deserve to be c-called a p-pony. That filth should have died, but.... I couldn't let you d-do something l-like that. You shouldn't k-kill anything just f-for-"

"No! I'll go back out there and finish it if you want me to! Do you want me to kill him? He touched you! He hit me! I would have done it one hundred times if you didn't stop me!" My mental dams broke and I soon found myself sputtering out incoherent sentences. Blossom simply clutched me tighter and sobbed into my unruly mane, soaking it with her tears.

"Oh, D-Dazzle.... My beautiful, sweet Dazzle Drive.... I love you so much. I n-never wanted you to think l-like that, but.... S-so much has gone wr-wrong." She pulled away from me and kissed my lips again, this time lingering for a moment before pulling away. "I don't w-want you t-to kill him.... No m-matter what he did... you shouldn't do that. The police w-will find him and take him away, but I want you to stay h-here with me. L-let's bathe and go to sleep.... I want to try and clean this," she shuddered and closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply to calm herself, "filth off of me...."

I nodded and leaned up to kiss her back. She flinched at the movement and I moved to stop, but she brought her lips to mine and sighed happily at the contact. My mind raced with thoughts of what all of these recent kisses meant, but tonight was not the time to ask about it. Too much had happened in one day and so, I resigned myself to waiting. I'll ask tomorrow.... I hope she wants to be my fillyfriend as much as I wanna be hers.

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Eighteenth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Eight Oh-Four Ante Meridian
|

A soft knocking sounded through the once silent room, emanating from the direction of the door. I groaned and snuggled closer to Blossom, burying my head under her barrel in an attempt to block out the noisome rapping. Moments of blessed silence passed until a second series of knocks resounded through the dimly illuminated hotel room and were followed by a voice as sweet as honey.

"Room service, Miss Blossom! We have breakfast for you as per request!" I felt Blossom shift beside me as she rolled off of my head, groaning in post-slumber grogginess.

With all hope of returning to dreamland shattered, I stumbled off the bed, dragging a layer of sheets with me, and crawled to the door, exhausted beyond all reasoning. As soon as I reached the wooden portal, I clicked the lock open and stepped back. "It's open, miss."

The handle was enveloped in a light, cream aura and turned, followed by the opening of the door. Light streamed into the room from the hallway's hanging lanterns, blinding me momentarily. I covered my face with my hooves, letting the light filter through as I needed, until the initial blindness subsided to allow me to see the hostess from last night standing before me. Her mane, however, hung straight and was tucked behind her ears and her face showed intense shock.

"Oh, hello Miss Comfort. What's wrong? Did you see something str-"

"Your head! What's that on your head!?" The aura around the platter faltered, causing the tray and the steaming food to clatter to the floor as she took a step back. I looked at her, confused as to what she was talking about, until I felt strength beginning to trickle into my limbs.

Oh no.... "W-wait! Uhmm...." I looked about nervously, scared that she might scream or run off to alert somepony of my abnormality when Blossom stepped up next to me with a stern glare on her face.

"You won't tell anypony what you saw here or I'll have your sister for harassment." The unicorn flinched at her words, but nodded hastily, obviously worried about- Wait, sister? Isn’t that Comfort? Blossom looked down at me and sighed, her glare easing back into her comforting smile. "I'm glad that you agreed.... I'd hate to do something like that to her. She was quite nice."

The cream unicorn nodded jerkily and looked down at the mess she had made in horror. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll have this cleaned up in a moment and.... I'll b-bring you more food." With as much of the food she could gather put back onto the platter, the mare bowed, shaking violently during the entire process.

I looked at Blossom who was looking back down at me with a sad expression. "Miss Fluff." She tensed at hearing her name and looked back to us. "Don't worry. I won't do anything to your sister as long as you don't talk about Dee's... eye. I was being quite sincere. Your sister is quite the flatterer, even if it couldn't have come at the worst time." Blossom grimaced and swallowed strongly, as if she were holding back bile.

The unicorn, whose sister I assumed was Comfort's sister, Fluff, from what I could piece together, smiled weakly as relief passed over her feature. "Thank you, Miss Blossom. She means too much to me for her to be ruined or jailed for something like this.... I'll be back in about fifteen minutes with more breakfast. I promise I w-won’t tell anypony. J-just let me go get you something t-to eat.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll just eat at a restaurant somewhere while we look for a place to move to." Fluff looked as if she was going to speak, but Blossom was already closing the door on her and tugging me back inside. She sighed again and stroked my mane softly. "I'm glad that didn't escalate. We should try and figure out ways to prevent that from happening again. Are you able to tell when it's open, Dee Dee?"

I shook my head and frowned up at her. "Not unless it moves. It feels really strange when it moves or makes me cast spells. Oh! I can also tell when it opens and closes! It's kinda like having a slug crawl across my face." I stuck out my tongue in mock-disgust and smiled brightly.

"I see.... Well, I'm just worried that if somepony else were to find out, you'd be taken away from me for some horrible experiments." She stopped patting my head and looked into my eyes. "I love you too much for something to happen to you because either of us were careless."

My heart fluttered in my chest as my thoughts went back to the previous night's. I needed to know the answer. "Uhh.... Uhmm, Blossom?"

She tiled her head at my sudden flash of anxiety. "Yes? What's wrong?"

"W-well.... I've been wondering... for a while now.... When you s-say you l-love me...." My eyes watered as I forced all thoughts of negative outcomes from my mind. No! She'll say that she wants to be my fillyfriend! I just know it! I took a deep breath and blinked away the moisture. "Do you m-mean love love? Like, as my fillyfriend, love?"

Blossom blinked in surprise and smiled down at me. "It seems we've been reading too many romance novels together. That sounds like something just out of a book." My mood dropped and was reflected on my visage, but Blossom continued smiling as she lifted my chin with a hoof. "Dazzle.... It can mean whatever you want it to. If you want me to just be your friend, then I'll be the best friend you could ever want. If you want me to be like a mother, then I'll try my best as one. If you me to be your special somepony? Well, my heart has always been yours. Ever since the day I discovered my cutie mark.

"I've told you so many times how much I love you, Dazzle. You are my little dandelion, my world. I'll do whatever I can to take care of you and keep this power from hurting or changing you."

My lip quivered as I fought back tears and moved closer to her. I rubbed my cheek against her chest, relishing the feeling of her soft fur, and looked up into her warm, smiling face. She leaned down slowly, as if watching for any reaction, then closed the gap between us and locking her lips with mine. The kiss lasted an eternity as we pressed into each other until, finally, I pulled away to breathe. "I'd l-like you to be my fillyfriend, B-Blossom. I l-love you too...."

We smiled at each other for several long minutes, lost in each others eyes, until the chiming of a clock snapped us out of our reverie. Blossom looked at the source of the noise upon the wall and gasped. "Oh, wow! We should get to searching if I wanna find a job or apartment soon. It could take a while, so let's get searching while everything's still open."

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Eighteenth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
One Thirty-Six Post Meridian
|

The ceiling fan above us hummed noisily as we sat awaiting the apartment complex's manager in a small office. Pictures of a family adorned the wall beside other frames holding certificates of passing as per city inspectors. I stared at the desk in front of us, hoping that something would happen to alleviate the boredom welling inside of me, but nothing did. We sat and waited, as we had been for fifteen minutes now if the clock on the wall was any indication. I sighed, exasperated, and looked up to Blossom pleadingly.

"Blooooossoooooom. Can I go outside and do something? It's soooooooooo boring in here. The boss pony's been making us wait foreeeeeeveeeeer." I donned the best puppy eyes that I could, extending my bottom lip in a pout, and forced face tears to my eyes as she glanced towards me. As the cherry on top, I cast my gaze to the floor as she looked at me as if I was ashamed for wanting to do anything but sit here.

A soft sigh escaped her and she nuzzled my cheek before brushing her lips against it and kissing me. "Alright, Dee Dee. I know it must be torture for your unending energy, so I'll let you play out front. Just don't run off too far, okay?"

"Yay! Thank you, Blossom! I'll be a good girl and stay right out front! I promise!" I 'squee'd in excitement and pecked her cheek swiftly before taking off out the door just as the manager opened it. I raced past the startled earth pony stallion, not bothering with an apology, and rushed out the front door and onto the sidewalk.

Immediately, I spotted a group of fillies and colts jumping rope off to the side of the building and rushed off to play with them. The four ponies, two colts and two fillies, welcomed me with enthusiasm, excited to meet another pony even if for a few minutes. Time passed swiftly as we took turns spinning the rope and jumping it in rotations. The warmth of the moon was rapidly fading as the day's enchantment made way for the night's natural state when I heard a commotion coming from the other side of the alley we were playing beside.

I stopped jumping, letting the rope hit my ankles as the twirlers kept at their role and turned to look down the dark passage. "Do.... Do you all hear that?" I looked at them questioningly and received a unanimous answer of 'no'. "W-well.... I'mma go check it out. Do you wanna come?"

The group looked at each other nervously before shaking their heads. "W-we can't. Our parents told us to come in after night fell and, it's already getting late.... We should probably go back in before we get in trouble...."

I smiled knowingly and waved as they began walking away. "Okay! I hope I can see you all again! Buh-bye!" I turned back to the alley, watching it carefully. I told Blossom that I'd stay out front, but... that sounds really interesting.... Well..., it's not that far away and she can always ask those four where I went! I nodded and took off down the passage, the sounds growing louder and more distinguishable as I went.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie does not require a unit of guards to report to the recruitment center. She is more than capable of handling herself and knows where it is." The voice had a haughty, boisterous tone to it. I stopped at the end of the alley and looked out into the streets to find the source. An azure mare wearing a flashy purple hat and cape adorned with stars was walking along the sidewalk, her icy-blue mane and tail bouncing with each step. She held her nose up high and practically radiated superiority. "Trixie honestly doesn't understand why you foals are even here. There is no doubt that Trixie is the best, most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria."

"We are here to assure you are not attacked on the way to recruitment. There have been several attacks on possible recruits already and we cannot risk losing somepony like you... if you are as great and powerful as you say you are."

My eyes turned to the group of six ponies surrounding the mare and narrowed in loathing. They all wore heavy, silver armor with a variety of weapons strapped to their sides. I felt the eyes burst open on my forehead and growled unnaturally as they moved further ahead. "Honestly, how could you ever doubt Trixie. Why, if somepony were to attack us now, I'd take care of them single-hoofedly."

My eyes narrowed as the head guard scoffed and waved a hoof dismissively, but keeping a watch on the small crowds of ponies around them. "Should they attack, you won't have to worry about a thing. The only pony we'd have to worry about is you if you decide to backstab us." My emotions boiled and I felt rage well up inside of me as images of my parents being cut down flashed repeatedly in my vision. Everything glowed green as I charged forward, my hollow, echoing shriek filling the night.

~{N}~{D}~

Author's Notes: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! How do you like dat cliffhanger? Just delicious, isn't it? I wanted to make this one 10k+ words, but I couldn't resist leaving it off like this. Yeah, yeah. Spam the comments with things like: Peppy you evil bastard! Jump off the cliff face first or Peppy! I hate your face! I shall enjoy every moment of it because I am evil and make fillies bum tumble with each other. Kekekeke. Seriously, though. I'll try and finish the next ch of ATFN so I can get the fourth ch of this out and fix the hanging. Anyhoof, Peppy out!

Editor’s Notes #1: “Peppy... Peppy... My god man, your gonna drive us straight off the cliff. STOP!” Tires screech as Peppy slams the breaks with his massive right foot (idek?). The vehicle stops with such suddenness that some of the passengers are (the idiots not wearing seat belts) flung through the windshield. “Whooo, we almost died ther-*A queasy feeling enters me as I open the door of the automobile... and almost fall due to the fact that the vehicle is being carefully balanced at the edge. “NOBODY MOVE!”

I hear a giggle to my right and look over to see Peppy doubled over, trying to contain his mirth. “It seems I’ve left us all *sunglasses* hangin’.” He chokes out between gasps of breath as his efforts to hold the flood of laughter back completely fail.

“I will not kill him. I will not kill him! I will NOT KILL HIM! I WILL NOT KILL HIM!”

Editor’s Notes #3: Did you say “Lich”? Lich!? LIIICH!!!!

...I like the undead.

Chapter 04

Chapter 04

Septara Eighteenth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Three Forty-One Post Meridian
|

The seven ponies stopped dead in their tracks and spun their heads, looking for the source of my shriek, until they spotted me running at them as my eye burned in my forehead. "What the buck!? Did that filly just- What's happening to her head!?" One of the silver-clad guards stepped back as I drew nearer, glancing at her comrades fearfully.

I stopped several feet away, the green light of my magic beginning to fill the area. "Your time has come, vile filth! Your kind shall be eradicated for your crimes!" My eye widened to its full gaze and a fiery, lime aura burst to life around it. The guard that had spoken screamed in agony, scraping at her armor to tear it off as blood began to drizzle from her eyes, nose, and ears.

"Thunder Hooves! Quick! Somepony get that filly before-" The mare thrashed out at him one final time before her body seized and collapsed, pools of sanguine liquid growing around her. "Buck.... What the buck was that!? Didn't you hear me, you fools!? Get the Celestia-damned filly!"

Trixie stared at me stammering meaningless words until a cloud of roiling brown and green fog began to coalesce around us. She looked down into the miasma and reeled in shock as she saw bits of her fur begin to curl and turn dull. Her horn sparked to life and a shield surrounded her body. The guards sneered at the blue unicorn before one of them, a unicorn stallion, erected a shield of his own around the rest of them.

"This filly has to die! She's unnatural!" One of the pegasi of the ground pointed a shaking hoof at me as he spoke. "Wh-when I say, drop the shield and everypony rush her. She can't take all of us at once!"

"One.... Two.... Thr-"

The shield dropped and I cackled madly as spectral images of long-dead ponies shimmered into existence from the humming miasma. The pegasus had already begun his charge and it was too late for him to halt his momentum. The pegasus swung the sword he had drawn, but the blade passed straight through his target and began to steam in the warm air as ice covered its surface. He screamed in agony as the frozen blade burned his mouth, the near-flash frozen weapon searing his flesh like fire.

The ghost-stallion opened its maw, the jaw unhinging and spreading large enough to engulf a pony's skull, revealing jagged, razor-sharp teeth. He clamped down onto the pegasus' leg, tearing into flesh and quickly freezing him like his sword. His high-pitched scream filled the air and, just before the unicorn fired a beam of magic at the spectre to dispel it, he was silenced as the ice consumed his body.

"Quick! Before she attacks again!" The unicorn charged his horn and struck me in the chest, the beam burning my coat and sending me tumbling across the street and into the crowd of horrified onlookers.

I stood unsteadily, blood trickling down my forehead from a cut above my eye. I winced as it flowed into my vision, but held my magic in place. The miasma gathered around me thickened, and the crowd screamed as they realized that I was trying to sap their life. They ran in a multitude of directions, all of them away from me. "Do not fear me, foals! They are the murderers to be feared, not me!" I growled in frustration as they ignored me and my momentary distraction allowed an earth pony to get close enough to buck me where the magic had struck my chest.

I cried out once more, my unnatural voice echoing in the air. I landed and turned my attention to my assailant, hate burning my vision as much as the pain in my chest. "I will make you suffer as you have caused me to!" I loosed a bestial roar, magic amplifying the cry, and several tendrils of magic shot out of the miasma and around the earth pony's head and neck.

Just like the taxi driver's had, his body began to decay even as he lived. The skin rapidly blackened, almost completely skipping the oozing, raw flesh phase of live decay. He collapsed, spasming on the ground as the necrotic tendrils reached his brain, rapidly killing the cranial organ. I beamed proudly at the dying guard when a sharp whistling noise caught my attention.

I jumped to the side as a short sword swished through the air where I was standing, but it had still managed to slice down my side. The wound burned like a raging inferno as blood flowed from it. I dropped to my haunches, the magic dispersing immediately, and cried. My unholy voice echoed between the buildings as the three remaining guards descended upon me. "Moooooooooooommyyyyy! It huuuuuuuuuuurts!" My tears flowed freely and I couldn't move from my sitting position, the draining wound paralyzing me with pain.

"We have you now, foal!" The unicorn levitated the bloody-tipped sword that had slashed my side and prepared it to strike me, but never brought it down upon my neck.

"Trixie will not allow you to harm that filly!" All eyes turned to the once-terrified, boastful mare, the fear in her eyes replaced by a stern determination. She fired a magenta dart at the stallion, piercing his neck and dropping him to choke in a growing pool of his blood. "Oh, buck. That wasn't supposed to happen."

"You're with this filly!?" The second pegasus turned on her, rage in her voice. "We should have known you were with the enemy! Sunny Days! We need to get out of here and tell the rest of the guards! If we don't, then there'll be nothing to stop them from doing this again."

The two mares sprinted off before anything else could be done, leaving Trixie and I alone on the streets. "Why couldn't Trixie have been attacked by a monster? Why did it have to be a filly!? Now Trixie will be a criminal and it's all your fault."

She yelled at me, but I ignored her, more focused on the agony in my side and the growing cold. "M-mommy.... Make it stop hurting.... Please kiss it and make it better, mommy...."

"Fine! Trixie is not your mother, but Trixie will not let you die after ruining her life for you." Her horn lit back up in its magenta aura and she lowered it to my side, but a heart-stopping scream shattered her concentration.

"GET AWAY FROM DAZZLE, YOU BITCH!" Trixie looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of Blossom's hooves before they smashed into her backside and sending her skidding across the concrete. "Oh, Celestia. Oh, no! Dazzle! Are you alright!? Please, talk to me!"

"B-Blossooom.... It huuuuuuurts...." I teetered, my legs shaking uncontrollably, before collapsing fully, gasping for air and shivering as the warmth of my blood steadily flowed from the gash in my side.

"I'LL KILL YOU! HOW COULD YOU HURT A FILLY LIKE THIS!?" Blossom rushed at the recovering unicorn, but was stopped by a shimmering, magenta bubble.

"How dare you accuse The Great and Powerful Trixie of harming a foal!? Trixie saved this child from death by the blade of the Lunar Army and was trying to heal her when you bucked me!" Her magic grabbed Blossom and shoved her aside as she limped over to me, a soft smile on her face. "Do not worry. The Great and Powerful Trixie will help you."

Her horn glowed brighter as she healed me from within her shield, closing the gash, but leaving a tiny scar as she began to strain with the exertion. She loosed her held breath and admired her handiwork before turning back to Blossom. "Now, if you are quite finished assaulting your daughter's savior, then Trixie would like for you take both of us someplace safe. The guards will be back soon and they know what Trixie and the foal look like."

My vision began receding as consciousness slipped away from me. Blossom and Trixie stood above me, features filled with worry, as they spoke words I couldn’t hear over the throbbing in my skull. A pair of green orbs floated in the alley across from us and I fought to keep my eyes open to see their origin. Finally, after much effort, my body refused my will and plunged me into unconsciousness.

~{N}~{D}~

My eyes opened to absolute darkness, the absence of light stinging my eyes as I strained them to see. I perked my ears, swivelling them around to pick up any trace of anything. Talking, hooffall, breathing.... Anything would be better than this feeling of terror brought on by the inability to constructively use my senses.

I choked out a sob as my fear welled in my stomach and tears began to form in the corners of my eyes. "B-Blossom! Blossom, where are you!? Blossom...." I fell from my sitting position and laid on the hard flooring and had finally begun crying when a faint light in the edge of my vision caught my attention. The familiar green glow drew me to look and my fear abated. "Mor... la?"

A pair of glowing orbs hovered a short distance away from me, their luminescence revealing nothing but themselves. The icy grip of fear took hold once more, replacing the faint sense of hope I had just built. "Y-you're not Morla.... Who a-are you?" The orbs bounced and drew closer to me as if their source was walking, but not a single sound was made. "St-stay back! St-stay away from me!" I scrambled away from the oncoming... thing, but no matter how quickly I moved, I never seemed to be able to get away from it.

A thin, white line spread underneath the orbs, drawing out and curling upwards into a grin to reveal two rows of razor teeth. I screamed, my heart feeling like it was going to burst out from my chest, and took off at a gallop away from the formless monster. I ran as quickly as my legs could carry me, but, just as before, every time I glanced back, I saw it bobbing at the same distance behind me. I pushed myself harder, tears blurring my vision and lungs burning as they struggled for air, but was just about to give up and let myself be taken by whatever was chasing me when I heard a voice.

"What was that, Dazzle? Are you awake?"

"B-Blossom! Help! Please!"

"Trixie thinks she was just talking in her sleep. Still, having her speak like that after mumbling in her normal voice for so long is... disconcerting."

I looked around, searching for the source of the voices, and heaved a shuddering sigh of relief when I didn't see my pursuer. I closed my eyes and the voices faded back into nonexistence as I found myself drifting back into unconsciousness.

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Eighteenth of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
Eleven Thirty-Seven Ante Meridian
|

"Trixie does not understand what your problem is, Orange. Trixie saved your daughter from dying. Trixie will be staying with you since both of us are likely criminals wanted for the assault and murder of a squad of Lunar Guards." I cracked open an eye to find Trixie, the blue unicorn I had saved from the guards, trotting about our hotel room and sifting through the various complimentary gifts in a small basket.

"My name is Blossom and, for the last time, Dee Dee is not my daughter."

"Oh? Then what, pray tell, is she if not your daughter? You kicked Trixie much too aggressively for you to be her foalnapper."

"Blossom...."

Blossom flinched at the sound of my voice and immediately turned her attention to me and stroked my mane. "Oh, Dazzle. I'm so glad you woke up. How are you feeling?"

"I hurt... so much.... All over...."

She winced and nuzzled my cheek. "You were hurt quite badly, but it would've been much worse if Trixie hadn't healed you.... What happened?"

"Trixie has already informed you of the goings-on of the previous day. Trixie does not underst-"

"Could you please stop talking in the third-pony? It's annoying."

Trixie opened her mouth, her brow furrowed as if in indignation, but a quick glare from Blossom halted all forms of protest. "Trixie supp- I suppose that would be acceptable. I still do not see why you cannot trust my telling of the incident."

"I didn't say I don't believe you. I just want to hear what Dazzle has to say." She looked back down at me, her expression stern. "Now, Dazzle.... I'm not going to lie to you. I'm very disappointed that you lied to me and didn't stay where you said you'd be. Not only that, but you also killed three guards and very likely got the both of you in serious trouble. I want you to be honest with me. What happened?"

My ears folded back as the gravity of Blossom's mood weighed on me. Blossom.... She.... She hates me now. I bawled loudly into my forelegs, hiccups shaking my body. "I-I'm s-sorry! P-please d-don-don't hate m-me! I'm s-sorry! I'm sorry! I-I'm sorry!"

Blossom wrapped me up in a hug, wiping the snot and tears from my face with a towel. "Shhh.... I don't hate you, Dazzle. I still love you more than anything, but you hurt my feelings and nearly scared me to death when I couldn't find you: And then, when I found you bleeding everywhere? I thought you were going to die and I was so heartbroken.... I'm so glad you made it..., but that doesn't make me any less angry. Why did you run off and do something like that?"

“I h-heard Trixie t-talking and wanted to see what was s-so loud. I j-just thought that I’d look and co-come back, but they had her captured and laughed at her! I thought.... Just like mommy... and daddy....”

“You killed them... to save Trix- Me? Why would you think I needed to be saved?”

“Her parents were murdered by the guards two weeks ago. I.... I’m not surprised that this happened. Ever since... that incident, she’s been having problems controlling her magic and emotions.... Then there’s Morla....” Blossom blinked, then facehoofed. “Why am I even telling you this? We barely know you and, even though I’m grateful that you saved Dazzle, I still don’t fully trust you. You could just turn us in and try to clear your name.”

“What I don’t understand is how you cannot trust me! I saved your filly and even killed somepony to do it, albeit unintentionally. While I may be fully capable of defending myself, your filly doesn’t seem like she can fully handle... whatever magic that was.” Trixie huffed and popped open a bottle of cheap wine she had found in the gift basket. “What was that, anyways. And who, or what, is Morla?”

“Morla.... is a voice in my head.... I think she called the magic... Neck roh mane che. It sounds really... silly...." I closed my eyes and leaned against Blossom as much as I could. "Blossom.... I feel so... tired.... I think I'mma... take another nap...."

"Okay Dazzle, but when you wake back up, we're going to have to talk about your punishment. Sleep well, my Dande-"

"Do not let the pony child fall asleep!" All three of my eyes cracked back open against my will leaving me with limited vision as I tried to force them closed again.

"Why can't... I sleep? I'm... so tired...."

"Your soul is feeding off of you, child. You used more magic than it could handle, so, should you not allow it to drain from another's, it will kill you. I warned you about the repercussions of Necromancy."

"She's talking strangely again and it doesn't seem to be her this time. Trixie is very much concerned for her well being. What is the matter with you ponies?"

"There's nothing wrong with us! Dee Dee is just possessed by an ancient... thing and can cast-" Blossom stopped and bit her lip. "Okay, maybe this whole situation is somewhat beyond the norm, but that doesn't mean you can insult us whenever you please."

"I will have you know that, before I had come here, I had never had any issues surviving on my own!" She tilted her head up haughtily before realizing that Blossom was glaring at her. She huffed again and poured a glass of the red wine and downed it in one go. "As I was saying, your filly's magic was- Wait, did you say Necromancy?"

"Yes, young one. It is surprising to find one outside of my own kind that has heard of it."

"Trixie- I have read many books and it came up in a-”

"Please, be quiet.... You're making my head hurt more.... I'll stay awake, I promise, but it hurts... when you talk...." I felt her presence in my mind lessen as I regained the ability to move my own body again.

Very well, but you should be careful. I will be maintaining a heightened watch from now on and I shall strive to prevent you from over-casting.

I nodded and looked at Trixie who was downing another glass of wine. As my eye blindly 'watched' her actions, I began to feel the drowsiness drip away. It wasn't as immediate of a fix as I'd have liked, but the massive pressure in my head was slowly receding. "Why are you staring at me like that? It's making my skin crawl." She shivered and shook out her mane before moving to pour a fourth glass of wine.

“W-well, when I use-”

Immediately, I was wrapped up in Blossom’s embrace as she pulled my face against her chest and smiled towards our guest. “I think Dazzle and I will take a bath and get ready for bed. Trixie, why don’t you, uhm....” She looked over to where the unicorn was wobbling and refilling her glass with another tip of the cheap wine and frowned. “Just... do whatever. We’ll have to ask for some extra blankets or something. Come on, Dee Dee.” She smiled down at me and I felt my heart thud in my chest as I nodded and allowed her to whisk me away into the apartment’s single bathroom.

She immediately set about filling the basin with steaming water, preheated by magical furnaces in the hotel's basement, then turned to face me with a concerned expression showing behind her smile. "What's wrong, Blossom? I-I didn't do anything bad, did I? I'm really sorry if I did!"

Her expression softened as she lifted me up again to deposit the both of us in the tub. "No, no. You didn't do anything wrong. I just.... I don't trust Trixie. She's seen your magic and knows at least enough about it to recognize that it's dangerous. I could see it in her eyes when Morla spoke of it." Gently, my fillyfriend kissed the top of my head and grimaced, her tongue hanging out as if she had tasted something vile. "Let's get you washed up. You taste like blood."

I giggled as she ruffled my crusty mane, making small flakes of dried blood fall off into the water. "Sorry. I know I shouldn't-"

"Ah-ah. None of that. It is bath time and bath time is supposed to be fun!" She grinned down at me and her eyes seemed to twinkle with mirth. Before I knew what was happening, her hooves had pulled me tight to her body and began to nudge into my sides with just the right pressure.

I screamed in surprise and writhed to get away from her as my laughter filled the room and drowned out her antagonizing giggles. "Nooo! Don't! I-I'm gonna peeeeeeee!"

My pegasus lover soon released me from her torturous grasp and allowed me to turn around as I puffed my cheeks up in an angry huff. Gently, she stroked my mane and pulled me into a tender kiss that stole my breath away. I melted to putty under the pressure and heat of her lips as I relaxed completely onto her chest. Unfortunately, the embrace ended and left me smiling breathlessly as I held my hooves to my lips. “That’s much better. Just because we’ve been through so much in such a short time, it doesn’t mean that you should be sad all the time. You’re my beautiful little filly and you deserve to live as one.”

“Th-that was... even better than what the books say.... Can- Can we, uhm... kiss again?” I averted my gaze, embarrassed at having asked such a silly question, but kept shooting curious glances up at her smiling face. That kiss had definitely taken me by surprise, but I was certain I’d never forget it. She nodded slowly and I felt my heart race as she pulled me closer again.

A quick, but insistent, cough brought us out of the loving reverie we had lost ourselves in and drew our attention to a cerulean unicorn with a serious expression plastered upon her alcohol flushed face. "Trixie knows that- urp.... You should be more cautious with where you.... Stop looking at Trixie with that eye!"

I flinched back and turned to face away from her. I could see how much my stare disturbed her, especially in her drunken state, but the words of Morla still rang clearly in my mind despite the joyous situation I had taken part in seconds prior.

I felt Blossom’s body tense under mine as she shifted forward, her wings now wrapped tenderly around me. “Hey! How dare you barge in here and yell at her! You’re staying here only because I’m letting you! If you want to scream at fillies, then go scream it up at a guard station!”

“Nopony yells at the Great and Powerful Trixie! Especially not some foal-fiddling kid! If it wasn’t for Trixie, then she wouldn’t even be alive!" I cowered under Blossom's wings, hiding from the drunken mare's accusing hoof.

I felt my shelter flinch and tense at Trixie's remark, but the protective embrace remained. "I know.... I know and I've thanked you. You know fully well, drunk or not, that we can't just trust anypony we meet! Just because you helped her once doesn't mean you won't betray us just to save yourself! I've met ponies like you before and they don't care about anything, but themselves."

I peeked out from behind Blossom's wing, my curiosity piqued by the sudden silence, to find Trixie glaring at Blossom, a glare that looked as if it could melt metal. Blossom held the mare's gaze, never faltering even if I could feel her heart thundering in her chest. She was scared, of what I wasn't entirely sure, Trixie was furious, and I was caught in the middle.

Tear unwillingly welled up in the corners of my eyes and I began to cry. I was terrified that something would happen and that I wouldn’t be able to stop it, or that somepony would come and take me away from Blossom. That thought brought true fear to my heart just as the attempted molester’s actions pull rage from the depths of my being and the only way I knew how to deal with it was through tears.

The two ponies halted their glaring contest and looked to me and the terrified mess I had become. Blossom, as she was the closest to me and already had me in her grasp, clutched me tighter and peppered my forehead with kisses as Trixie huffed and stormed out, but not without casting a furtive glance in our direction. “Trixie does not wish to see foals cry, so Trixie shall drop the subject for now, but do not think it forgotten!”

“I’m sorry Dazzle. I didn’t mean to get angry like that.” She tenderly stroked my mane as she cuddled closer against me in the warm bath water. “I am sorry, but I still don’t think we can trust her. Just, don’t tell her what your magic can do. We kind of have to let her stay with us, at least because it’s our fault she’s in trouble, but she doesn’t have to know everything, okay?”

I nodded slowly, still sniffling, but slowly calming down. “I-I’m sorry, B-Blossom.... I didn’t mean to do anything b-bad.”

I watched as my pegasus companion smiled down at me, a forced, sad smile, and pressed her lips to mine. “We’ll figure it out and everything will be fine. Don’t you worry.”

I nodded, content that I had the one pony with me that truly mattered, but I couldn’t fight off the doubt that something bad would happen again and that I would be the cause. However, I didn't have long to dwell upon the subject as I soon succumbed to the unavoidable draw of exhaustion. I smiled softly as I felt the pull of slumber take over my body and curled up as close to the love of my life as possible. I was still covered in dried blood, but I knew that I could rely on her to wash me and so I soon lost the uphill battle to retain consciousness.

~{N}~{D}~

Septara Twenty-Third of the One-Thousandth Celestial Year
One Twelve Post Meridian
|

My grin was wide as I dashed wildly through the lobby of the hotel, weaving in between legs and around the various ponies that had gathered there to mingle. I was drawing closer to my destination, the front doors to the hotel’s lobby, and slowed to allow myself time to observe the other tenants or, rather, giggle at how silly they looked.

Why are those stallions wearing poofy vests? Woooooow! That hat has, like, a bajillion feathers! Hee hee, her nose is so bi- “Oof!” I stopped and rubbed my nose to look up and find myself face to breast with the day proprietress, Fluff. I smiled widely and gave her the biggest hug I could. “Hi, Fluff!”

She returned my smile, but kept tossing glances back towards the counter where her sister was managing the check-ins. I turned to look at the cream mare behind me and waved excitedly, my happiness not faltering despite the half-hearted wave I got in return. Satisfied, I grinned and bounced around Fluff. “Soooooo, how are you? Aren’t ya supposed to be sleepin’?”

Fluff tensed as I spoke, but I shrugged it off with the fillyish glee that I had been exuding since I woke several hours ago. “Oh, I’m okay. I was going to be heading to sleep to let Comfort take over, but we got the best idea.”

I gasped, my eyes widening as I leaned closer, suddenly eager to know what could possibly be the best idea ever. “Oh, oh! What is it? I wanna know! Pleaaaaase, tell me!”

She smiled, her lips curling into a grin that almost resembled a smirk, before looking around as if to make sure nopony was around to hear her. She motioned for me to come closer and I obliged, too enticed by her words to do otherwise. “Well, we thought we’d bring you two a special lunch since you’re our favorite guests.”

Immediately, my eyes lit up and I began bouncing around her in glee. It’s not everyday that you get something so super special like that, after all. “Ohhhhh! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’mma go tell Blossom right away! I was s’posed to be getting food, but now I don’t have to and it’ll be super-special-awesome!”

I sprinted off, leaving our generous hostess behind, and wove my way back through the crowd of ponies, though without the skill and grace I had minutes ago. I was too excited to worry about bumping into ponies and, now that I was completely disregarding the space of the other guests, I returned to our room in half the time it took to get to the lobby. Squealing in joy, I burst through the door after unintentionally running face-first into it due to forgetting that I had to open the door to get past it, and tackled the first pony that I saw.

“Wh- Get off of Trixie! I am not a trampoline!” The azure mare flailed under my crushing hug, but I relented quickly. I couldn’t stay so riled up or else I would be asleep before the food even got here.

Blossom, having heard the commotion of a pair of ponies tumbling gracelessly to the floor, poked her head out the bathroom door, a slight frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Dee, weren't you supposed to be getting us food?"

"Yup, but Fluff says I don't hafta!" I casually trotted over to her, my grin still plastered upon my face. "She says that she's gonna bring us lunch! 'Cause we're their favorite ponies!"

"Oh. Well, that's okay then." Her disappointment disappeared and was replaced with a soft smile. "That's pretty nice of them, especially after what happened when we first got here."

"What do you mean by that? Tell Tri-, erm, me what happened."

"Well, the morning after we acquired a room here, Miss Fluff discovered Dazzle's... eye. I was able to keep her quiet by blackmailing her with her sister's inappropriate work ethics the night before."

Trixie grinned devilishly, a broad grin drawing across her muzzle. “It’s no wonder they haven’t been by to check on us. You are quite the devious pony, Orange. I’m sure you could work yourself out of any situation. You’re not much different from Trixie after all.”

“I’m nothing like you.” Her smile was gone, replaced by a scowl that creased her forehead. “I only did it for Dazzle. I would do anything to keep her safe. No matter what.” She sighed softly and pulled me into a welcome hug as I wrapped my arms around her leg. I took a moment to think about what she meant, wonder how she could do anything else to make me happy. She’s my filly friend and I’m living with her and she makes sure I don’t get in trouble. What else could she do?

Something is happening. Be on your guard.

“What? What do you mean something’s happening?” Both of my companions cast a confused glance at me, but none of us had any opportunity to voice our questions as a rapid knock sounded at the door. “Oh! That must be Fluff! I’ll get it!”

“Dee! I’ll get the door.” I sat on my haunches pouting when she blocked my movement with a leg and quickly fluttered to the portal as a second round of knocking began. “I’m coming. Just one moment!” She cast a glance towards Trixie and tilted her head, confusing me until the unicorn dashed into the bathroom.

Needless to say, I was confused about why she was hiding, but Blossom knew best and I wasn’t going to question her. Especially after what happened with the guards. As the door opened, I quickly forgot about Trixie and focused on the tray of food being rolled into the room on a cart. I beamed in excitement as the twins trotted in behind it, Comfort’s blue glow dying off to allow the rolling metal to come to a stop.

“H-hello! I hope you w-weren’t waiting long.” Comfort smiled exceedingly wide, constantly casting quick glances towards me, as her sister set about removing the platter’s dome cover to reveal an extensive assortment of baked vegetables and sweets.

“Are you okay, Comfort? You seem tense.” Blossom frowned, eyeing her with the intensity of a hawk. “We’re really grateful that you’ve made such wonderful food for us. There isn’t any need to be nervous.”

“Oh, she’s just tired. Just before we got here we got a call about night security. Apparently, there’s a pair of murderers running loose in the city.” Fluff smiled sweetly and patted me on the head. “Anyways, we thought that you two would like something special today. Dazzle has been such a sweetie and-”

“You’re lying.” My head turned of its own volition towards the bathroom where Trixie was hiding out. Morla! Stop it, that hurts! “There isn’t time, pony child. Unicorn, come out. There are ponies converging on the hotel that are searching for us. Pegasus child, you must help us to escape.” What do you mean? I thought we were having lunch!

“You- You tried to turn us in?” Blossom glared at the twin unicorns, her wings going rigid as her body tensed with obvious anger. “Trixie! We’re leaving! We have to get out, now!”

“Trixie heard what the foal said, Orange. You do not need to tell me what to do, but we- Where do you think you’re going?” Trixie wrapped the unicorns in her magic and lifted them, kicking and squealing, back into the room, a scowl on her face. “Trixie does not appreciate being tricked and Trixie knows just the spell to keep it from happening again any time soon.”

“Don’t hurt them! We’re in enough trouble as it is!” Blossom dashed frantically through the hotel room and stuffing everything that they had unpacked back into their travel bags. “Just...” She looked into Comfort’s eyes, a sad frown dominating her features. “Why?”

“I-I didn’t want to! Fluff said-”

“Shut up! They blackmailed you because that little freak had a secret that could get her in trouble!” She glared at me, a piercing, hate-filled stare that would have made me cower and whimper had Morla and Mi’rith not taken over my bodily control. “You won’t be able to escape! As soon as you’re gone, we’ll just tell them exactly who you are! They already know the mutant by her cutie mark.”

“Hmph! Trixie isn’t scared of your threats! Trixie knows just how to keep you two from talking!” She turned her nose up and looked towards Blossom. “We’re going to need about an hour. I need to fix their memories.”

“We do not have that time, young unicorn. It will be minutes at best before it will be too late.” Can you see the future or something? That’s pretty cool! “It is not as simple as that, child, but for now that will have to suffice. Regardless, we must be leaving before we are overwhelmed.”

“What are we going to do?” Blossom’s gaze flashed back and forth between Trixie and I and the Coltson twins, worry etched clearly across her face. “We can’t let them tell the guards, but we can't hurt them either!"

"You know it would be much simpler to kill them and prevent them from ever talking."

Fluff glared at me, her angry stare masking the fear shown by her trembling lips, but Comfort broke down into frantic sobs. "P-please, don't kill u-us! I-I don't w-wann-na die-heh-hi!”

“No! Stop, Morla! You’re making her cry! Comfy is nice, so you shouldn’t make her cry!” I was merely making a suggestion child, but since you have amazingly dominated my will again, you must inform them that we have naught but a few minutes to make our escape. I scratched my head, trying to sort out what she was saying. Why did she have to talk so weird? “Uhhh.... Morla says we should... go? She was talking real fast and said something about running away and a few minutes.”

“Do not worry, for Trixie has the solution to our problems. She is not a master of illusionary magic without reason, after all. Watch and be amazed!” We all stared at Trixie as her horn glowed brighter causing the magenta aura around the suspended unicorns to darken around their heads until a bright flash illuminated everything for the briefest of seconds.

When the light cleared and I had regained my vision, I saw Blossom staring in horror at the two limp ponies and Trixie standing with a smug smirk, her magic still holding the pair suspended. “See? Trixie has it all under control.”

“Under control! You killed them! Why did you kill them!?”

“Trixie did not kill them, imbecile! She merely stripped them of a week’s worth of memories. When they wake, they’ll have no recollection of what has transpired during the past eight days, so we’ll be able to escape without fear of pursuit.” She frowned slightly and settled the mares down upon the bed. “Trixie does not like using this spell, though. It is sloppy and far from permanent. They’ll know something is amiss when they cannot recall who their guests are or why they woke up in this room, but it’s the best Trixie can do with such limited time.”

Blossom made as if she wanted to respond, but a quick tap on her leg stopped her in her tracks. “Morla says we need to hurry. She’s reeeeeeeeaally worried.”

“Right.... Okay, let’s go. I’ll carry the saddlebags. Trixie, you grab the suitcase and Dee Dee, jump on my back.”

As quickly as we could, the three of us arranged our belongings, the pair of saddlebags draped across Blossom’s back with me laying upon them and our suitcase suspended in the air by Trixie’s magic, and raced out into the hallway. “Morla says go out the back exit. There are bunches of ponies in front that’ll make us slower.”

Following my symbiotic companion’s assistance, the three of us galloped across the carpeted floors, aiming for the metal door marked by a glowing red sign that read exit. In seconds, we came upon the door and, with a burst of magic, Trixie shoved it open and allowed us to break off into the cover of darkness. Despite the fact that nothing was around us currently, neither Blossom nor Trixie stopped to rest and make a plan. We had to move quickly.

“Trixie is certain that there is a vacant apartment complex a few blocks from here. She stayed there for a few nights before agreeing to join the queen’s army.” She led us onto the streets and into the crowds of midday pedestrians which allowed them time to finally slow down and breathe. “Trixie must admit that she has not had this much entertainment in a long time. It may not be entirely fun, but performing for the common pony for paltry bits is much less exciting. Even if Trixie adores the attention they pour upon her.”

I listened contentedly from my fillyfriend’s back as we pushed through the clustered ponies that had gathered for their lunch breaks, looking around in awe at the lights and sheer size of the buildings around us. Even after a week in the city, it was still a phenomenal sight for a filly that had spent her entire life around relatively small houses and shops.

“Trixie, we are going to have to break you of that habit.” Blossom sighed, but allowed a small smile to creep upon her face. “You may grate on my nerves at times, but at least I can believe you are with us for now.You wouldn’t have protected us as you did if you weren’t our friend.”

I gasped and stood upon Blossom’s back using her wings to support me. “We’re friends now, right? I’m so glad, ‘cause I thought you didn’t like us ‘cause I got you in trouble, but if you helped us then we just have to be friends!”

Trixie spluttered and stepped away from us to cast a disbelieving stare our way to try and mask the tinge of pink staining her cheeks. “Tr-Trixie does not need friends! Trixie has done, and can do, perfectly fine without them!” I giggled as our unicorn companion continued to fluster about her words at each jab Blossom made towards her until we came upon another building modeled like most of the others we had seen aside from the large sign on the front that read ‘South Saddle Apartments’. “This is the place. It’s kind of run-down, but we won’t have to pay. Trixie never saw anypony leave or enter during her last visit.”

“It’s kind of....” Blossom stared up at the building, taking note of the busted-out and boarded-up windows dotting the complex’s face, and shivered.

“Spooky. I’m not sure I want to stay here.”

Trixie scoffed and adjusted the hat upon her head. “There is not to be afraid of. Trixie spent several nights under this roof and she hasn’t seen nor heard anything other than the wind. Besides, we have the most powerful magician in all of Equestria and your necromancy to keep us safe.” She pushed past us and trotted through the front door after unlocking the deadbolt with a thought.

I hopped off of Blossom’s back, landing on the concrete with an audible clop, and looked up into her eyes. Both of us swallowed hard, unsure of what we wanted to do, but as Trixie’s form disappeared around a corner up ahead, we rushed after her. “Trixiieeeee! Wait up! It’s scary!”

~{N}~{D}~

Author’s Notes: Woo! Finally! Chapter 4 of Necro Domina is here and everypony will rejoice as this means more ATFN in the near future! This one took so much time to write and I struggled with it for fucking ever. I don’t know what it was, but Jeky-poo said something about falling conflict being a bitch to write, blah, blah, blah. Anyhoof, enjoy and cross your fingers for a quick release of ATFN’s next chapter! See you space cowponies! Peppy out~!

Editor’s Notes: Hmm, I actually had to go serious-mode in order to get Peps to continue writing this chapter. I don’t normally do that but... Peppy wouldn’t stop whining about how hard it was, boo hoo. Meh, I guess I’m being a bit harsh so... See ya guys next time, hope you like it.