An Ounce of Hate

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 1

Chapter 2

“No, no, no.” The yellow Unicorn muttered. “Do it again.”

The light blue colt screwed his eyes shut in concentration as his horn flared briefly, only to sputter out. Tears welled up in his eyes as the other young Unicorns around him snickered. “I can’t do it.” He whimpered.

The ponies had assembled in the spacious yard outside the school house. On the east side of the yard, the school loomed. On the northern and western end, the yard was closed in with a low wooden fence. But to the south, the large stone wall that encircled the village stood firm. Atop the wall stood two guards; a Unicorn and an Earth pony, both wore metal armor to protect their chest, flanks, and back, as well as a helmet for their head. The Earth pony had a short sword at his shoulder, within easy reach of his mouth, while the Unicorn was unarmed. His magic was his weapon.

The Unicorn guard laughed. “Come on Sunny, give him a break. Even Stem here can see you’re pushing him too hard.” He jerked his head toward the other guard.

The Earth pony in question nodded. “I might not be knowing too much of your magics,” he murmured in an accented slur. “But I do be knowing of training and forging, and what stress and overwork can be doing. A sword is useless if it do be damaged in the forge and will never serve well. Careful and easy, that is the way to be doing it.”

The yellow Unicorn, called ‘Sunny’ by his peers for his yellow coat, was anything but. “The day an Earth pony thinks to tell me how to teach magic,” he growled, but left his threat hang in the air unfinished. He rounded on the small blue Unicorn quivering before him. “And you!” He spat, causing the colt to jump. “Have you even been practicing?”

The young Unicorn nodded, blinking back tears. “Y-yes,” he mumbled. “But it’s hard.”

Sunny refused to relent. “Of course it’s hard.” He hissed. “The more difficult the magic, the more powerful it is. All new magic is hard.” He had taken a breath, likely to give him the air he’d need for another lecture, when bells rang throughout the town. It came from the northern end of the village, but soon they were joined by more bells. Even the massive bell tower at the heart of the village loaned its booming notes to the cacophony.

The Unicorn Guard shot a look at his Earth pony counterpart and frowned. “Get home, kids!” he ordered to the group of young Unicorns. “Find your parents and stay indoors until you’re given the all clear.” He exchanged another look with Stem and galloped off along the wall. Stem lingered to shoot a smoldering glare at Sunny before following.

Sunny turned to the assembled Unicorns and made a shooing motion with his hoof. “You heard him, get home. Hurry, go.” As his class departed, he shot a look at the small light blue Unicorn. “You too,” he said. And for just an instant, his gaze softened.

The small Unicorn nodded. “Yes dad,” he mumbled, and broke into a clumsy trot, through the school house, and out into the village, where ponies hurried about in a barely contained panic. To the north, smoke was beginning to drift into the sky.

Sunlight slowly illuminated the stony room. On the worn wooden floor, a beam of light crept across the room, before landing on a discarded grey saddlebag, its pouches bulging. The light bounced off the bronze clasp and cast its reflection on the ceiling. The door leading to a balcony had a window in its upper half, where the beam in question streamed in from. Two more high placed windows let light into the room, one of them located directly over the bed that rested against the wall.

Grudgingly, I opened my eyes, only to close them again as I rubbed at them. I glanced down at my body and decided on two things: I needed a bath, and sometime soon I needed to get a blanket. The room was moderately warm, but the days were growing shorter, and soon winter would be upon us. I didn’t favor my health if I had to sleep in an old tower through winter with nothing to keep me warm at night.

I rolled out of bed and clambered to my feet, stretching as I did so. Multitasking, I unwound the bandages on my leg and flanks, while opening my saddlebags to pull out fresh gauze. I set the roll on the chest and looked over my injuries. The cut on my right foreleg stretched from knee to hoof and was still a light pink, with the flesh around it discolored in a bruise. The bone had been smashed, but a spell had sped up the healing process wonderfully. The bone wasn’t exactly fully healed, but I could stand to put my weight on it, for the most part, and a cast would have been more trouble than it was worth. Unfortunately, flesh was harder to knit together than bones, so the cut would remain yet for a time. The three cuts along the left side of my chest and flank started at my shoulder and trailed down a few inches from my hip, and were still red.

I limped to the bathroom before gingerly removing the bandages from my haunches. They came away moist, traces of blood on them, and I scowled. I must have reopened the wound at some point and would have to be more careful. The bathroom, I was happy to note, was clean and orderly. A bathtub sat against the right wall. The pipes and water faucet appeared brand new, like Celestia said they were.

With a chuckle, I turned the faucet and delighted in the sound of running water. My stay in the palace had spoiled me. I recalled a time when I had had to go down to a well if I wanted water for anything. But that seemed like a different world, really. One I would be loath to return to now. After a moment of indecision, I levitated the dark glass from my right eye. I wrapped its silken straps around the glass and set it on the sink’s counter. Lights and lines swam before my newly uncovered eye and I promptly shut it, feeling a wave of nausea creeping up on me.

The tub was soon filled with warm, and thankfully clean, water. I lowered myself into the tub and sighed. The ache in my side faded, as did the soreness in my leg. Nothing was more therapeutic than a nice soak in the tub, I mused. Resting on the rim of the tub was a bottle of what I assumed was soap. It would seem the tower had already been mostly stocked (my lack of blankets for the bed aside) so it was a safe bet, which proved to be right when I opened the cap.

While I was pleased to have found soap, so I wasn’t doing little more than making my dirty coat soggy, the flowery scent was so cloying I felt my stomach turn. I bid farewell to my sense of smell and poured the sweet smelling liquid onto my coat. Magic made bathing much easier as I lathered myself up with the soap. Quite frankly, I couldn’t imagine how the Earth ponies or Pegasi managed to do anything without magic. Maybe it was just different, since it was all they had known. They probably learned to make do with what they had and I was simply incapable of thinking of their methods.

I shrugged to myself. After taking a deep breath, I plunged my head under the water, and held it there for a moment. Before long I broke the surface with a gasp, drawing in sweet air, and shook my wet mane out of my eyes. Once more did I curse its length and contemplate cutting it myself, only to reconsider like I always did. A sharp spell was too much work and sloppy, while scissors were tricky for me. Plus, it has always ended up looking terrible whenever I did it. In retrospect, it made sense. I was good at destruction and magic, other ponies were good at growing crops, playing music, and trimming manes.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at my own thoughts. Strange, it’s like we have marks depicting our own talents. It was a bit healthier than talking to myself, I guess, but not by much. At least I wasn’t having a two sided debate with myself.

By now, the water was growing cool and I was as clean as I was going to get without breaking out some obscure cleaning spell. I climbed out of the tub and turned to pull out the plug, but paused. The water had a faint pink tinge to it, much to my concern. It would appear I had better replace my bandages soon. I hurriedly let the water drain and watched it, while shivering and dripping.

I gathered my energy, focusing it into my horn. Then I let it trickle down my neck, down my legs and torso, and finally my tail. The water ran off, wrung from my hair, leaving a puddle on the stone floor. It made sense that in the room with water, the wooden floors would be replaced with something far less likely to rot when said water got on it. With a thought, I replaced the dark glass back over my right eye and carefully opened it. The shifting lines were gone, as was the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hurried back to the bedroom and levitated the gauze roll near me.

Surrounded in a white aura, a length of gauze unrolled, floating at the ready as I sifted through my saddlebags once again. I needed the jar of salve buried in its depths I had finally realized. I found the black jar eventually, and pulled the lid off. A glob floated out of the container and smeared itself across my right foreleg. Two larger spheres followed it, to be applied to my flank and haunch. The cuts tingled and felt warm, but I focused now on winding the bandages around my flank first, then down to my haunch. Satisfied with my work, I focused my magic to a fine point, pressed it, and sliced the gauze neatly. A second length wound around my leg and was severed as well.

I carefully stretched to ensure I hadn’t wrapped the gauze too tightly. Satisfied with my handiwork, I hobbled down the stairs, mindful not to open the injury on my haunch any further, and to not hurt my right foreleg any more than it already was. As I walked past the chest, I levitated my cloak out, fastening it around my neck, and let its familiar weight settle across my back.

I paused on my way down to make a closer inspection of the second floor of my tower. As I had glimpsed, it was a library of sorts. Most of the shelves were sparsely stocked, but what books there were appeared to be in good condition. Some were visibly old, their covers faded and pages yellowed, while others appeared to have been fairly recently printed.

The topics of the books were varied, ranging from astrology to magic, to geography to chemistry. I even recognized a few titles, but most of the books were foreign to me, as were their authors. There was a thin layer of dust on the shelves and books, I noted with some interest. My room had been dust-free, as if they had been cleaned before my occupation. The library had obviously not received the same attention.

But there was nothing for me here, so I continued on down to the first floor, feeling my stomach rumble emptily. I made a more thorough inspection of the kitchen now than I had last night. Day light streamed in through the small windows set in the walls, too small for a pony to fit through, I couldn’t help but notice. The stove was metal, not a stone one, as I had previously guessed, and was surprisingly hooked up to a gas source. I wouldn’t need magic to work it then, not that that had ever been an issue. I suppose it was easier hooking up a stove to gas, than it was to put wires into a solid stone wall, which could explain why I had no electricity. In the cupboards beneath the counters were pots, pans, bowls, and glasses. In the drawers just above there were knives, measuring spoons, whisks, and a few other objects I was admittedly unfamiliar with. I wasn’t much of a cook.

I was looking for some sort of food storage area when I noticed a door beneath the stairs. I magically eased it open, curious when it swung open without a creek. The hinges had been recently oiled then, but I paid that no mind when I saw the shelves in the small closet. There were cans, boxes, and other packaged foodstuffs. I grinned with delight when I saw a container of canned peaches. I wasted no time in applying a bit of magic to pry the can open and dump the sweet peaches down my gullet. I burped happily, unconsciously raising a hoof to my mouth, and noticed some apples on a lower shelf.

Curious, I levitated one over to me. After careful inspection, I could tell it hadn’t gone bad at least. After a tentative bite, I discovered they were moderately fresh still. I suppose Princess Celestia had told more than just Twilight of my task and had sent someone to prepare my new residence for me, aside from simply putting some furniture in. I absent mindedly ate the apple while wondering who could have been behind the preparations, when I noticed a clock hanging on the wall above the window, which was in turn above the kitchen sink. It happened to chime just as I noticed it. 9 A.M. it read.

It would appear I woke up fairly early, compared to yesterday. But then again, I had gotten to bed earlier than normal as well. I quickly finished up my apple, a quick search lead to the discovery of a waste basket beside the far counter, which I promptly dropped the core in. My hunger sated, I trotted out the door, taking the time to dispel the lock spell, and unlock the actual lock itself, but paused when I realized there was no way I could lock it normally and carry the key with me. I had left my saddlebags upstairs and had no other method of carrying it. I set the key on a small stand located conveniently next to the inside of the door, and closed the door behind me. Another locking spell would suit my needs just fine. With the door magically sealed, I set out.

From the little I already knew of Twilight, she was very productive. It was likely she woke up early to get a start on… well, whatever it was she decided she needed to do. Given the choice, I would ordinarily sleep in until noon and perform my own work late into the night. I was less likely to get bothered by somepony at midnight, so I didn’t have to think up an excuse to ignore them and keep to myself. It was more of a problem in Canterlot, since there were many ponies who took it upon themselves to pester me with something. Some who thought they were doing me a favor by letting me know what the latest Canterlot fashion was, or other scholars who wanted my advice on a topic. I was, after all, the Court Wizard, and well known for my understanding of magic. I still am, I guess, but what is a Court Wizard who isn’t at court?

Still a wizard, I decided with a shrug. You could take the wizard away from the court, but not the court from the wizard. I was here at the request of the court, after all, and still had whatever authority that granted.

By now I walked amongst the buildings of Ponyville now, no longer in the outskirts. Once again I was reminded of the distinct lack of stallions, at odds with Canterlot and even more so than my home village. Another thing that struck me as odd was the lack of guards patrolling the streets. The absence of a stone wall had confused me, but I had assumed Ponyville was unbothered by the inhabitants of the Everfree Forest. But having no ponies capable of fending off an attack? That seemed recklessly foolish. Truly, this village was filled with oblivious, naïve ponies.

With a shake of my head to set my mind back on track, I realized I was at the library. I walked up to the door and hesitated. I debated between entering and announcing myself, or knocking. Simply barging in seemed rude, so I reached out with my left hoof and gave the door a loud knock.

Muffled voices came within for a few seconds, before Twilight finally shouted. “It’s open, come in!”

Slowly, I opened the door and was surprised to see Twilight already had guests, whom Twilight stood between and eyed warily. To her left was an Earth pony with an orange coat, straw colored mane and tail, both with a red ribbon tying it at the end, and a worn hat on her head. She glared at a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow hued mane and tail, who returned her glare with one of her own. The orange Earth pony had three apples on her flank, while the blue Pegasus had, interestingly, a colorful lightning bolt descending from a white cloud.

“What’s going on here?” I ventured meekly. The two mares paused their stare down long enough to glance at me, the Earth pony’s nose crinkled at my appearance, while the Pegasus showed a glimmer of curiosity, before returning to glower at each other. The tension in the room was almost palpable as the two ponies eyed each other dangerously.

The rainbow maned Pegasus wove a hoof in my direction, not bothering to look at me. “Don’t worry about it shrimp, it’s nothing.”

I scowled at her, but my retort was swept aside by Twilight. “Rainbow Dash!” she chided. “Don’t be rude! That’s Dusken, my tutor. Remember I told you about him?” The Pegasus had the decency to blush and look abashed. Seeing her friend suitably cowed, Twilight nodded. “That’s Rainbow Dash,” she reiterated, jerking her head in the now silent Pegasus’s direction. “And this is Applejack.” She pointed a hoof at the orange Earth pony.

The pony in question tipped her hat to me. “Pleased ta meet ya Dusken.” A frown tugged at her lips, but she perked up, giving me an obviously forced smile. “Ah apologize on behalf ah Rainbow Dash here. She’s got no sense ‘o manners.”

This caused Dash to jerk her head up and resume glaring at Applejack. “I’ve got manners!” she squawked indignantly.

“Ya called him a shrimp!” Applejack rounded on Rainbow Dash, eyes narrowed. “That takes a distinct lack ‘o manners ta do!”

“Well, just look at him!” Dash shot back, jabbing a hoof in my direction as she leaned toward the other pony. “He’s tiny!”

“It’s still a rude thing ta say,” Applejack said stubbornly, lowering her head. Their foreheads were almost touching; I half expected one to head butt the other.

Rainbow Dash had opened her mouth to reply when Twilight forced the two apart, coming to stand between them. “Girls!” she shouted. “Enough! Let’s get back on topic here; you two still have things to talk about.”

Applejack jerked her head away and scowled. “Ah’m through talkin to her,” she growled, fixing Rainbow Dash with one last glare before headed for the door. “Ah’m leaving.” She paused and tried to give me a sincere smile. “It’s, uh, nice meetin’ ya Dusken. Ah suppose Ah’ll see ya ‘round sometime.” She sounded uncertain, her pleasantries hollow.

“I suppose you will,” I returned levelly. Another of the Elements of Harmony, only this one was a country bumpkin rather than a possibly insane loud mouth. She lingered, giving me a measuring look, before shaking her head and leaving. She slammed the door behind her with a loud bang.

“Good riddance!” Rainbow Dash shouted after her, then slumped to the ground, scowling with her hooves crossed before her chest. “How was I supposed to know anyway?” she muttered angrily.

So far, the Pegasus had made a very poor first impression of herself, but my curiosity was piqued. “What didn’t you know?” I asked.

Dash wallowed in sullen silence, so Twilight answered for her. “She was practicing her Sonic Rainboom technique over a field Applejack hadn’t cleared already. The shockwave knocked a bunch of apples down that weren’t able to be harvested, since all the insects had gotten to them. Applejack wasn’t too happy about that.”

Sonic… Rainboom? The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I swept the thought aside. “Well, it was an accident, wasn’t it?” I frowned. “Why not just apologize?”

Rainbow Dash looked down at the floor beneath her legs and remained silent. “Because her reaction was to get angry,” Twilight explained on her behalf once more, prodding Dash in the back of the head with a hoof. “Rather than say she was sorry, like she should have, she said it was Applejack’s fault for not clearing the orchard faster, or picking the apples as soon as they fell.”

Oh sweet Celestia. I suppressed a groan when Rainbow Dash spoke up. “I didn’t mean to say something like that!” She protested, looking around at Twilight and I. “I just… I was uncool,” she relented. “That was an accident too.”

“Then say as such,” I said with a shrug. Why some ponies had to make mountains out of mole hills was beyond me.

Dash frowned at me. Even though she sat down, she was still eye level with me, I was vexed to see. “But what if she doesn’t forgive me? What if she stays angry…“ She trailed off weakly, looking down again, trying to compose her words.

I growled, cutting her off. This farce had gone on long enough. A white aura surrounded her and jerked her head up with a yelp, forcing her to look into my eyes. Well, an eye, and a dark piece of glass. Twilight looked equally startled and I noticed her horn glow briefly. “This is a pathetic display,” I snarled. I released my hold on her, causing Twilight to release her own magic she had readied. If she had tried something, I would have been loath to give her the first of her lessons in such a manner. “So much disharmony amongst the supposed Elements of Harmony over some damn apples? If there’s any truth to your so-called friendship, come clean, admit you were being stupid, and put this idiocy behind the two of you.” She bristled at my tone, even going as far as to open her mouth, but I promptly forced it shut with magic. “If you truly are friends, she’ll understand. If you aren’t, go on with your life and hate the pony because she got angry over some rotten apples. There’s more important ways to be spending your time, I’m sure.”

Twilight looked at me in shocked silence, but Rainbow Dash nodded, causing me to release my hold on her jaw. “Yeah…” She mumbled. “Yeah,” she said more firmly. “You’re right. She has to understand.” She climbed to her hooves and grinned. “It was just a bunch of dumb apples, but I don’t hate her, and I don’t think she hates me. Thanks Dusken.” She tilted her head away from me, but looked at me sideways. “Y’know, you’re really not a shrimp. I mean, you’re not that tiny.”

“Rainbow,” Twilight chided softly, but I chuckled at her words.

“I think I see how this all started,” I said, amused. Rainbow Dash frowned, not following, but I just shook my head and chuckled. “Apology accepted.”

Rainbow Dash looked flustered and like she was about to argue, but stayed silent and nodded. She then pointed a hoof at my right eye. “How did that happen?” she asked, changing the subject. She was almost a head taller than me, but stretched her neck down to look at my side. “And that?” she indicated my bandages.

“An accident,” Twilight answered tersely for me now, for which I was grateful. I had half expected her to echo the question, but was pleasantly surprised by her change in attitude.

Picking up the tone in her friend’s voice, Rainbow Dash moved on. “So you’re here to tutor Twilight for Princess Celestia? For a teacher, you don’t look very…” She took careful consideration, now wary of offending me, I was surprised to realize. “Experienced,” she settled on.

“Oh, he’s a year or two younger than me.” Twilight broke in. Rainbow Dash and I shared a gasp, but while her eyes widened, mine narrowed.

“How could you know that?” I demanded. My younger years had been a blur, and I could honestly say I wasn’t even sure how old I was myself. How could a stranger I know nothing about, know more about me than, well, me?

As if she realized what she said, Twilight looked taken aback. “Oh, Princess Celestia sent me a letter about you,” she explained. Sympathy filled her eyes and I frowned. “Just last night she sent another letter, explaining a bit about your past after we parted ways.”

My anger flared at that. “She had no right to do that.” I was surprised to find myself yelling, but didn’t care. I felt my face grow hot as I scowled at her. Rainbow Dash looked at me with her jaw hanging open, but I didn’t care about that either.

“She said you might not like that.” Twilight replied calmly. “She didn’t tell me very much because of that, but she had told me a bit. She figures you’re a little bit younger than me. She also said you were skilled at magic, ashamed of your grasp of dark magical lore, shy, secretive, easily embarrassed, and,” she paused, looking at me with an unreadable expression. “And, in need of a friend,” she finished.

“Horse apples,” I spat. “Nonsense, idiotic dribble.” I wanted nothing more than to reach out and throttle the small smile that now appeared off the Unicorn’s face, but restrained myself. “You’re going to be learning about dark magic, so first lesson: friendship causes no end of trouble and will likely result in painful failure. Drop the idea that every pony in the world is friendly and willing to make nice with you. You’re in for a rude wakeup call.”

“But the magic of friendship is powerful,” Twilight insisted. “It’s seen me through many difficult trials.”

“And it will get you killed in more difficult ones,” I shot back. “If you need to rely on anypony other than yourself, you’re destined for failure, and your magic of friendship relies entirely on ponies you have no way of knowing whether or not they will betray you.” She looked crestfallen, but I pressed on. Her hurt look put a damper on my temper, but I wasn’t ready to give it up just yet. “The sooner you figure out you’re the only pony you can count on, the faster we can get on with your lessons.”

She raised her chin defiantly, staring down at me. “Sometimes you do need to rely on yourself, but only doing that is unhealthy. Celestia mentioned that you have a lot to learn and I think I know what she means by that now. You might know about magic, but you know nothing about dealing with other ponies.”

I only snorted, unwilling to continue this argument. So now it would appear she had taken it into her head to teach me about, what, the power of friendship? It was so painfully cliché I almost gagged. It was a quaint notion, but one that was as stupid as it was pointless. This mare obviously refused to see my point, so I gave up trying to force it on her. She would arrive at the conclusion eventually; I just needed to lead her there.

“Whatever,” I spat. “Agree to disagree, end of discussion.”

She opened her mouth, obviously wanting to continue our argument, but sighed. “Fine,” she grumbled unhappily. We lapsed into silence, during which I awkwardly shifted my hooves. I was glad she dropped the subject, but now I needed an escape.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, obviously just as uncomfortable in the silence as I was. “So,” she said awkwardly, shifting from hoof to hoof. “You’re a little on the small side, but you’ve got magic going for you. That’s pretty cool.”

It may not have gotten me out of here, but it was a different topic. “Yes,” I said, face still red beneath my grey coat. “I suppose that is, ah, cool. But really it’s just something I kind of, y’know, do. Like how you can fly. I think flying is pretty cool too.” Twilight sighed once more, but I ignored her. She seemed content to go with the change of topic now.

At that, Rainbow Dash puffed up and grinned. “I am pretty awesome,” she declared. “It’s nice of you to notice. But you should really see me fly.”

“I’m sure it would be quite a sight,” I agreed, amused by her cocky attitude.

Her grin widened and Twilight giggled. “Careful now Rainbow, or your head won’t be able to fit out the doorway.”

“My head…?” Dash wondered, rubbing at her mane. “What are you talking about Twi?”

“It’s a metaphor.” I chuckled. “A figure of speech.”

“Oh,” was Dash’s response. “You eggheads…” she muttered but trailed off, giving me a wistful look. “Y’know, as far as eggheads go, you’re alright.” She reached a hoof out and mussed up my mane. She was amused by the dark look I gave her. She grinned as I attempted to set my poor mane to right. I couldn’t help but muse how my own mane was different from hers: stark white against all the colors of the rainbow.

Personality wise, we were different too. She was obnoxious, cocky, and loud. And I was… well, let’s face it, Celestia had described me with uncomfortable accuracy: shy, secretive, and easily embarrassed. Yet despite all that, I was getting along with her better than the children of my own village growing up; she was almost a stranger to me. Twilight on the other hoof, I couldn’t make up my mind about. She had annoyed and angered me by sharing information about me I wasn’t comfortable with telling anyone else about, and by foolishly clinging to her beliefs. The fact she asked so many questions didn’t help her case either.

But then, she wasn’t completely to blame. Celestia had sent the letter, but likewise, I couldn’t find fault with her either. They both were only doing what they thought was right. Celestia and Luna had made me retell my entire pathetic life story, but to be fair, they were immortal Alicorn royalty who controlled the rising and setting of the sun and moon themselves. If it weren’t for Celestia’s meddling, Twilight would have known nothing about me that I didn’t choose to tell her myself. And honestly, when I was still learning about magic, I had asked plenty of questions myself. The only difference was, I had become jaded and just stopped asking, resolving to figure the answers out myself. She was still curious, reminding me of a small filly, which was ironic, considering she was evidently older than me.

But for good or for ill, what was done was done. “I heard Pinkie mention you,” Rainbow Dash continued. “Well, I didn’t know it was you, but she was throwing a welcome party for Twilight’s teacher today. She’ll be pissed if you don’t show up.”

“Party?” I gulped. The bouncing pink pony had been irritating while friendly. I’d hate to see what kind of hell she’d be upset. And really, she wasn’t so bad. I could stand to see her again, if she could just keep quiet. “Alright,” I was still unsure of social events- scared, really. I didn’t like being around so many strange new ponies. That’s why every invitation to a social gathering I received back in Canterlot went unanswered.

“I had completely forgotten about that!” Twilight exclaimed. “She asked me to bring you,” she pointed a hoof at me, “to Sugarcube Corner around noon. She didn’t want anypony to tell you about it. It was meant to be a surprise.” She shot a cool glance at Rainbow Dash who shrugged, her face innocent.

“Noon?” I mused aloud. “That’s about an hour of time to burn.” My thoughts churned. I didn’t want to spend another hour with Twilight, lest we start arguing again. Something finally came to mind. “There’s a book I want you to read, Twilight.” She cocked an eyebrow at me. “I’ll run back to the tower and get it. It’s important to your lessons.”

“And what are we supposed to do?” Rainbow complained. She had hopped into the air, her wings keeping her afloat, and crossed her hooves.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “Go tell Pinkie Pie you convinced me to go to her party under the pretense of grabbing lunch, but I needed to run home first.” That should be enough for her.

Rainbow Dash made to complain more, but Twilight spoke over her. “That’s fine. Just make sure you’re on time.” I knew she’d be eager to get a new book to read. Her desire to read and learn outweighed her desire to argue with me some more, it would seem.

“I will,” I assured with a backwards glance. Then I was out the door and trotting back to the tower. For want of something to do, I turned my gaze skyward. A few clouds lingered in the sky, but a dark cloud bank lurked on the horizon. I knew in Canterlot the Pegasi were able to keep the weather more or less under control, so I assumed they did the same here in Ponyville. I didn’t know any schedule they might have had, but from the looks of it, there would be rain later.

The tower lay before me now, but as I was walking up the dirt pathway to the door, a slight movement caught my eye. Up on the balcony, I could have sworn I saw something shift in the distant door’s window. With a frown, I hurried to the ground level door and inspected the locking spell I had placed on it. It hadn’t been tampered with, so far as I could tell, and remained firmly in place. I quickly dispelled the enchantment and slowly eased the door open.

My horn glowed as I readied my magic for whatever could await me. The first floor was just as I had left it this morning. I crept up the stairs with trepidation, stealing glances behind me every few seconds, as well as to the sides. The second story library seemed to be untouched as well. I couldn’t tell if anything was amiss, since I hadn’t spent too long in this room, but I couldn’t imagine anything could have happened to the books.

Satisfied there was nothing to be found here, I finally made my way up to the third and final floor. Immediately I could tell something was off. The balcony door was partway open. I knew that was closed when I left, but had it been locked? Did it even have a lock? I looked about the room before making my way over to inspect the door. My investigation revealed that it did not, indeed, possess a lock. But I didn’t believe the door could have just drifted open on its own, since the latch would have held it shut against even a powerful gust of wind.

I eased the door shut and cast my gaze about the room once more, but did a double take of my bed. A dark brown blanket laid across it now. My saddlebags, previously resting on the chest, its bags filled, still lay on the chest lid, but were neatly folded. I cautiously levitated the chest open, but nothing sprang from its depths. Instead, I found my three books stacked neatly on top of each other, my scrolls forming a neat pyramid next to them, and the bag of bits slumped in the corner of the chest. I had kept a spare lens in my bag, and noted its absence. But as I looked up, something glinted from the small table by my bedside: my second lens, its straps folded beneath it.

Whatever had been in the tower was gone, it would seem. I was alone, so I released the magic I had gathered. I wouldn’t need to ignite or slice anything now. Not unless there were particularly menacing roaches around, but those warranted a different kind of concern. And they certainly wouldn’t have been responsible for moving my things and opening the balcony door.

I looked back at the blanket, frowning suspiciously, when something else caught my eye. I leaned in close, noting the blanket had a faint earthy scent coupled with flowers, and saw a pink strand of hair. My eyes narrowed and I levitated the hair up, inspecting it up close. After studying it for a moment, I nodded, my suspicions confirmed.

“Pinkie.” I remembered she had been inspecting my balcony last night with some interest. But why would she scale my tower to break into my room, just to leave a blanket behind and tidy up? She really was crazy, I knew it. After ensuring the balcony door was closed, I cast another locking spell on it for good measure. I had to remember to keep that locked now, or else she might sneak into my room at night and scoop out my eyeballs. Or whatever it is mentally disturbed ponies do. I didn’t care to find out honestly.

Celestia have mercy, I needed to face her again I realized. At the party she was throwing for me, no less. With witnesses, at least, but she could have enlisted the help of her friends. Could they all be crazy? I stared intently out the balcony door’s window, where the Everfree Forest loomed off in the distance. The group of friends had already been in that forest on several occasions, could they have been driven mad by the magic that lurked within? They were the Elements of Harmony, surely that meant something. But then again, all the stories always had the evil, deranged ponies laughing manically, and Pinkie Pie was the Element of Laughter. Maybe that meant something too?

I ruled out her friends having been corrupted then. Rainbow Dash had been rude, but hardly evil, and Applejack had been distrusting, but I had the same reaction to most ponies I met as well. Twilight had been a trial on my nerves, but was far from menacing, and was the student of Princess Celestia besides. Celestia would have surely been able to tell something was off with her student. Unless Celestia was corrupted by something too, in which case the problem was far more serious than I initially…

What was I doing? I pulled myself away from the window and sat down. Not only was I jumping to radical conclusions, they were purely idiotic ones. Pinkie Pie hadn’t appeared sinister, but she certainly seemed mischievous. I suppose she could have done something to my room that I couldn’t see, a prank of some sort, but I needed to get to the bottom of it, otherwise it would keep me up all night. I gave the blanket a lingering look and started towards the stairs before I planted a hoof in my face. The whole reason I had come here was for the book to give Twilight.

The book sat at the bottom of the stack, which I levitated back into the chest. The book in question was the thickest of the three and without a doubt the oldest. I had woven preservation spells into the tome when I noticed the ink had started to fade in some places, as well as the binding coming loose. I doubted there was a pony alive from when this book had been written, and letting it simply fall apart would have been a crime.

Bending Reality To Your Will graced the cover in curling letters. A title that claimed big things, but for all its bluster, the content of the book was simply incredible. It covered different methods of casting magic, something most unicorns gave no thought to, myself included before I had read this piece of literature. A particularly skilled Unicorn could alter spells subtly, potentially increasing their potency exponentially, or extending the duration of an ordinarily brief temporary spell. Essentially, it taught the discerning Unicorn how to do more with less. And with dark magic, the less you had to use, the better.

I slung my saddlebags across my back, first sliding the strap connecting them under my cloak, and stuffed my book in one. After some consideration, I picked out a few bits, dropping them into my bag as well- just in case, plus two scrolls bound with a ruby and emerald band, respectively. The book dealt with the manipulation of spells, but had few actual spells in it. The two scrolls possessed two spells I had whipped up myself. They weren’t anything dangerous and still tread on the “normal” side of magic. One was actually outdated, containing problems I had sorted out eventually, but I had kept the scroll out of habit of hording. But all in all, I was proud of them, and wanted to get them into circulation. Ponies still talked about Starswirl the Bearded to this day, and the idea of ponies discussing the spells of Dusken Spellwroth made me grin. Just so long as they remembered the right things and didn’t focus too much on my frailty, awkwardness, and association with dark magic.

Shaking the frivolous thoughts from my head, I glanced about the room for another final time, and walked down the stairs. At the library I contemplated stocking the shelves with books of my own, but put that thought aside as well. I might not even be staying here that long. And whatever I did collect would pale before the books that lined Twilight’s house, which in turn didn’t hold a candle to the library back in Canterlot.

I continued down the stairs and out the door, pausing to magically lock it once again, and was on my way down to… oh. I stopped in my tracks, a frown across my face. I heard Twilight say it was at Sugarcube Corner, but… well, I had no idea where that was. I looked up and saw the cloud bank had moved quite rapidly and now the sky was grey. I was still on the outskirts, so there were no ponies around, but given how fast the sky was growing dark, the streets would likely be empty. I really wouldn’t want to be caught out in the rain either. I could have used magic to dry myself off, but couldn’t do much to keep from getting wet in the first place; stopping drops of water was hard for me without expending more energy than strictly necessary.

The dirt path wound slightly, while small patches of trees sprang up at random intervals. I was studying the sky, guessing how long it would take for the first raindrops to fall, and turned a corner, not seeing the shape hurtling towards me.

“Look out!” A voice cried out, before something slammed into me. Whatever it was wrapped its limbs around me and pulled me into a roll. My front legs were pinned to my side, but something was pressed against my face, keeping my head from bouncing off the ground. My hind legs however, weren’t held, so I was free to flail them however I pleased. And as it just so happened, with the next roll, my right hind leg slammed into the ground, crumpling beneath me with a flash of pain. Another roll and the hoof, I now realized, that protected my face bounced against my jaw, causing stars to dance before my eyes.

This is it, I realized as I bounced a final time. Pinkie Pie’s come to do me in. I gathered my magical energy, focusing it in my horn. If some Earth pony wants to try something, she’ll learn what it means to cross a Unicorn. My attacker and I slowly slid to a stop, and I felt their grip on me vanish. I groaned, laying on my side, and craned my neck to look up at the devious pony, horn glowing bright. But to my surprise, a familiar cyan Pegasus greeted my view instead.

“Oh man,” Rainbow Dash mumbled. “I’m sorry.” I shook my head to try and focus my eyes, and I grumbled unintelligibly as I tried to force my shaking legs to bring me upright. “Here, let me,” she blurted, and I felt her forelegs wrap around my chest again, squeezing painfully against my injured side. I grunted by way of response. “Sorry,” she muttered again. She must have taken to the air as I left the ground, only to be lowered back down, my hooves now beneath me.

I sucked in a breath through clenched teeth as I put my weight on my right hind leg. My knee and thigh were hurt, and if they weren’t already, they would definitely develop a bruise. I worked my jaw, sore from Rainbow’s hoof jarring it. Since it was apparent I wasn’t in danger, I let the magic flow out of me.

“Are you okay? Sorry,” she apologized again. Now she circled around in front of me, eyes filled with concern. “I was at the party and we noticed you were late, so Pinkie was getting antsy. We were supposed to have a storm today, and you didn’t know, so I said I’d go find you, and Twilight said you probably didn’t know where Sugarcube Corner even was, so I should lead you there, and so I flew down here as fast as I could, and,” she paused as I waved a hoof at her, urging her to calm down. I was still disorientated after the crash and fought to keep from swaying, and her babbling was doing nothing good for my headache. “I had to fly low because the trees blocked the path from above. I didn’t spot you in town, so I figured you were either at home or on the way. And then, well…” she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. “I found you.”

Probing with magic, I determined the injury on my haunch was still wrapped up, and hadn’t reopened. That much was a relief, but my knee was now the problem. As I gingerly eased my weight onto the leg, I shook my head. “I’ll live,” I said in a hoarse voice. “You’ll have to try harder than that if you’re going to kill me.” I smiled, perhaps a little bitterly, to take any sting out of my words, but Rainbow Dash still looked worried.

“Are you sure?” She peered at my leg with a frown. “It looks like you’re hurt. If you can’t walk, I could probably just fly you over. I mean, you’re so light—“

I cut her off with a violent shake of my head, which I immediately regretted when my skull throbbed with pain. I had gotten a little rattled in the crash it would seem. “Don’t touch me.” She gave me a hurt look, which wasn’t my intention, despite the circumstances, so I reworded my refusal. “No, no flying,” I corrected. I was wary to be airborne with this reckless Pegasus. Despite the force she hit me with, she appeared unharmed. She was made of sterner stuff than I, in that case, and I didn’t think I could survive another impact, especially if I met the ground first. “I’ll make it. Just tell me how to get to there, and I’ll be fine. You can go on ahead and tell them you found me. You can, uh, leave out crashing into me if you want.”

Rainbow gave me a guilty look and fidgeted in the air. “No, it’s okay. I’ll show you the way, I don’t mind.”

I considered her for a moment and sighed. She may have come off as a little brash and more than a little rude, but she made me reevaluate my opinion of her. She was still brash and rude, but she wasn’t that bad. It only served to confirm my belief she wasn’t a menace, just thoughtless.

“Alright.” I gave her a grin which she returned. “Then let’s get going.” I glanced back at my cloak and pulled it aside to ensure my saddlebags were undamaged. They were, for the most part, but then again, I wasn’t carrying anything too easy to damage in them. The book was protected with magic, the scrolls could suffer some wrinkling, and the coins would need to be hit much harder than anything I could take to be damaged. I tugged the cloak straight, as well as setting my mane and tail to right, and started to limp down the path, Rainbow hovering at my side. I quietly thanked Celestia my right foreleg had healed enough to use; otherwise this would have been a very slow and painful going.

As soon as one leg heals, another gets injured. I mused silently. I supposed it was safe to assume once my side healed, I’d go out and get the other side cut up, but reconsidered. So long as I kept away from the reckless ponies of this town, I should be fine.

But then I realized something; even though these ponies had already caused me physical injury and grated my nerves to no end, as a whole they were fairly tolerable. Twilight was too nosy for her own good and far too naïve, Rainbow Dash was rapidly proving dangerous to be around, though not willfully, and Pinkie Pie was… kind. She talked too much though, but was otherwise harmless, so long as I ignored her constant assault on my ears. I had a distinct feeling Applejack didn’t much care for me, but I could care less what a strange pony thought about me.

“I don’t suppose you can walk any faster?” Rainbow ventured. I gave her a flat stare in reply, and she got grinned sheepishly. “Right. Well, it’s going to be raining soon. You should probably be inside when it starts.” Now I nodded and, jaw clenched, willed my battered leg to move a little faster. Pinkie’s party awaited, and at it, answers to what the crazy pony was doing in my house.

Chapter 3

When Rainbow Dash said it was going to rain, I hadn’t expected too much; maybe a light rain or drizzle, or at the most a steady shower, nothing to concern myself over. But the downpour that soaked the two of us was an unpleasant surprise. A cold wind had picked up, driving me to shiver miserably in my cloak, the hood now pulled up onto my head. Not that that helped too much; now I had a soggy piece of cloth on my head that did little more than keep raindrops out of my eyes.

As I limped on, eyes focused on the cobblestones of Ponyville’s street, Rainbow Dash reveled in the rain. Being a Pegasus, I supposed she was used to rain, or even enjoyed it. I suspected her occasional giggles were not caused from simple delight at rain, but at the sodden ball of misery I had become. When the rain had first started, I had tried to conjure a shield for her and I, but just tired myself out. I couldn’t even maintain a shield for myself, not for such a long period of time.

So rather than attempt to keep a meager shield up until I passed out, I settled for walking along in the freezing rain. It beat laying on the ground unconscious in the freezing rain. I sighed in frustration as I slicked my mane back out of my eyes for the umpteenth time. My tail, soaked as it was and heavy with water, dragged along the ground behind me, the previously pristine white hairs now dirtied with mud and whatever else it dragged through.

“Hey Dusken.” I tore my gaze from the ground and looked at Rainbow Dash. Amusement danced in her eyes and a grin tugged at her lips. She was just as thoroughly soaked as I was, but paid the rain no mind. Somehow, her wings were still able to keep her airborne. It must have been a Pegasus thing. “Sugarcube Corner is just ahead.” She pointed out the building in question; a garish building made up to look like various sweets. The roof resembled gingerbread, and a turret rising from the center made up to look like two cupcakes stacked on top of one another. I pondered the name and décor both, and came to a conclusion: not only was Pinkie Pie a lunatic, she was obsessed with desserts.

My response was lost in a coughing fit, followed by a sneeze. I sniffed, wiping a hoof across my nose, and nodded. “Finally,” I mumbled. It would be nice to be indoors. I hoped it would be warm inside. Really anything would be better than being out in this accursed rain. “I need to dry off.”

Rainbow chuckled, looking me up and down. “I can tell.” She put a hoof to her mouth and tried to muffle her laughter, but failed. Her laughs eventually trailed off, but she kept her goofy grin. “I’m sure Pinkie will lend you a towel or two. You look half drowned.”

“I’m well aware.” I said stiffly. “So what—“ I sneezed with such force I stumbled. “Ugh… so what will be at this party?”

“Oh man, you’ve never been to a Pinkie Pie party, that’s right. It’s gonna be so awesome.” She reached down and tousled my mane. I grunted in annoyance as the wet hair fell back into my eyes. “I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise,” she teased.

Sneezing, I once more pushed my mane back. “Then let’s get this over with.” I muttered. With the promise of warmth and dryness ahead, I pressed on, ignoring the pain in my hind right leg. But as I approached the shop’s door, Rainbow Dash barged ahead of me, pushing the door open with some flair.

“We’re here!” she called out.

I could immediately recognize Twilight standing in front of me, as well as Applejack, though our meeting had been brief. The other ponies that crowded the shop front were all strangers to me. A wave of greetings washed over me and I sneezed.

“I was worried you’d get caught in the rain.” Twilight said as she trotted up to me, but paused, her eyes narrowed when she noticed me favoring my hurt leg. “Rainbow, what happened—“

“Surprise!” I jumped as a pink pony sprang out of the crowd. I glimpsed Pinkie for only a moment before she dropped a towel over my head. I felt hooves scrub the towel at my mane and my attempts to desperately pull away were in vain. After a moment of enduring this new assault, I was pulled into the room by my neck.

Another towel was bundled around me, by magic I assumed, and suddenly I was pushed onto something soft. Then the towel around my head was gone, as were the hooves abusing it, and I saw I had been dropped onto a couch. I shifted, tugged at the towel, when suddenly my cloak glowed blue, unfastened itself, and drifted away. My shock must have been evident as a white Unicorn walked over to me.

“Oh, I’m sorry dear,” she said slowly, eying me with some reproach. Her horn glowed the same blue as my cloak, now dangling next to her. “But if you stayed huddled in this wet thing, you were liable to get sick. I’m Rarity, and Twilight has told me all about you.” Her expression changed as she spoke, suddenly becoming friendly, but it felt false to me. “We had expected you much sooner, and much less soaked. What ever happened to make you so late?” She cocked an eyebrow at me.

The Unicorn had an air of dignity about her; not quite on par with the ponies in Canterlot, but one that put her at odds with the simpler folk of Ponyville. Her coat appeared well cared for, as was her mane and tail. Three gems made up her Cutie Mark. Maybe she was rich, or made jewelry for a living? I had no idea, but settled on the fact she appeared to be well off, given her mannerisms. And unless I was mistaken, Rarity was another one of the Elements of Harmony, but of what, I couldn’t recall. Was being posh and rich an element?

Rainbow Dash must have been nearby, because she suddenly stood next to the couch. “I might have kind of, uh, bumped into him on the way here.” Her colorful mane was wrapped with a towel and another hung from her neck. “Like, kind of hard.”

“That sounds, ah, unfortunate.” The white Unicorn’s pleasant façade slipped for a moment and I saw her frown at me suspiciously. Could she think I did something to Rainbow Dash? But as I frowned, her smile returned, more convincing than it was last time. “How did that happen?”

“I wasn’t looking where I was going,” I muttered. “I turned a corner and she flew into me.” Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement and I shrugged. “But I was late before that. Something was off with my room when I got back.”

“Your room?” Rarity queried. “What was it?”

“I think somepony had been in it.” I unclipped my saddlebags and levitated them before me. I peeked inside and was relieved to see the contents had stayed dry. I lowered the wet bags to the floor and continued. “I had left my bags packed and on top of a chest, but when I came back, the bags were empty, and most of my things were inside the chest. There was also a blanket I don’t own on my bed. On it, I found a pink hair, and the door to my balcony was open. I think Pinkie Pie snuck into my room to do… I don’t know what.”

Twilight walked over now, having over heard, and frowned. “But why would Pinkie do that?”

“Why would I do what?” The pony in question popped up behind the couch I laid on. She balanced a tray of cupcakes on her back and slid it onto a table next to the couch.

I folded my left foreleg beneath me to prop myself up and pointed my other hoof at her. “You broke into my house earlier today!” My towel slipped, so I paused to tug it back up, my coat still damp. “Why?”

She frowned at me, confusion plain on her face. “I didn’t break into your house, silly. I was here, planning your party!”

“Then why was there pink hair in my room?” I shot back.

“Oh, um… I think I can explain that.” A meek voice came from behind me. I craned my neck to watch a yellow Pegasus trot up. Her long mane and tail were both pink, I didn’t fail to note. Just like the hair I had found on the blanket. Her Cutie Mark consisted of three pink butterflies. I wondered what it was with groups of three: Rarity had three gems, that Applejack pony I met earlier had three apples, and this Pegasus had three things as well. “I, um, m-must have left it there when I dropped your blanket off.”

My jaw worked silently, as I tried to figure out how to address this new pony, when Twilight spoke up. “Fluttershy, what were you doing in Dusken’s house?”

Fluttershy blushed and looked down. “The Mayor a-asked me to make sure his house was ready to be lived in. S-she said because I lived close to him, I-I could easily keep it clean. When you told me he was h-here, I realized I didn’t give him a blanket. It’s getting c-colder out now, so, um…” She fell into embarrassed silence, kicking a hoof at the ground.

“Oh.” I felt like a fool. “But why did you put my things away?”

At my question she jerked her head up. “I thought you hadn’t had time to put everything away, so I t-thought you might be happy t-to see your room clean.” She inched closer and lowered her head, bringing it level with mine. “I’m s-sorry I worried you.”

“No, it’s… it’s fine.” I sighed, resting my head on the couch cushions. I shifted my head to look at the pink pony at my side. “Sorry Pinkie, I just thought you were up to something.”

The party pony beamed at me. “No problem!” She suddenly got shifty eyed and peered about the room. The other ponies chatted with each other noisily, while her friends stood around the couch, watching. “I had actually thought about sneaking in to throw you your party at your place, but decided it would be too hard to get everypony in through the balcony.”

The thought of the pink pony plotting to break in didn’t put me at ease, but I shook it off. “Well, thank you for not doing that.” After a moment’s consideration, I continued. “And thank you for the party. It’s very, uh, nice.”

She beamed again by way of reply, and wandered off into the crowd of ponies. I looked around at the ponies gathered near me. They all appeared to be friends of Twilight, and I spotted Applejack standing to the side silently. Her and Rainbow Dash were eying each other coolly. Applejack turned to spare me a look and, with a frown, wandered away.

“Is there a bathroom somewhere?” I asked, turning to Twilight. “I’d like to try and dry my bandages. They’d do me no good soaked. My cloak too,” I said, with a glance at Rarity.

“You could dry this?” The white Unicorn asked, eying my wet cloak. It had created a small puddle on the floor over which it hung suspended. She tsked and levitated it closer to me. “You simply must show me that spell. If I spill anything on a dress I’m making, it would make my life so much easier.” Dresses. She made dresses then. I failed to see the connection with gemstones, but shrugged it off.

Fluttershy moved closer. “Bandages?” she timidly asked.

“It’s nothing,” I muttered, as Twilight gestured to the stairs.

“Second door on your left.”

I nodded as I enveloped my cloak with my own aura. “Thanks. There’s a book and two scrolls in my bags for you.” I pushed myself up and put a foreleg around Rainbow Dash’s neck. She tried to protest, but I jerked her forward. “Remember what I told you,” I muttered as I pulled her in the direction Applejack had gone in. “Just say what you need to say and get on with it. Just go find Applejack and apologize.” I released her and turned toward the stairs. She lingered for a moment before disappearing into the crowd of ponies in search of the orange Earth pony.

I limped up the stairs, and sure enough, the second door on the left lead to a bathroom. I entered, closing the door behind me, and took stock of the surprisingly large room. I flipped the lights on and hummed to myself. It was much bigger, and brighter, than my own. The bathtub, for some odd reason, sat in the middle of the room. A sink and mirror stood against the right wall and a toilet in the right back corner.

Levitating the cloak over the tub, I focused energy into it, and watched as water rained down. I increased the amount of power pouring into it until it seemed to be completely dry. Satisfied, I draped it over the rim of the tub and walked over to the mirror. My mane was a wild tangle, something I quickly solved with a little magic. Now I looked back at my tail, still filthy from its drag through the mud, and got to work.

It was a similar spell to the one I used to dry my cloak, but shifted the dirt and mud toward the tub rather than let it fall on the floor. I turned on the showerhead for a moment, letting it carry the filth down the drain and quickly shut it off.

Now I started to unwind the bandage around my right foreleg. The cut was mostly healed, and I decided I could do without the bandages. The wound wouldn’t reopen; it would take another injury to really do anything to it. I set the soggy bandages in a waste basket I noticed by the sink and turned my attention in turn to the gauze wrapped around my chest.

There was much more to dry, but after inspecting the three lines running down my left flank, I decided I didn’t really need them either. I could just wear my cloak again to hide them, for the most part anyway. It took longer to remove the bandages compared to the ones on my foreleg, but soon they joined the others in the basket. Now all that was left were the bandages wrapped around the back part of my flank and haunches. I hesitated, contemplating how to go about drying them. I had no choice; I would have to remove them first.

As I magically unwound them, I looked at myself in the mirror. My gaze lingered at the black glass over my right eye. Slowly, I removed it. I shuddered at my reflection and jerked my head away. I shut my left eye, and looked back at my right haunch. Here, the lines of magic my eye revealed pulsed; deep black, woven with thin white strands of my own magic.

The lines curved and twisted, bending in on themselves and intertwining. They obscured my coat with their dark gleam. It was as if they were aware of my looking at them, pulsing faster and growing larger. No, I was sure that they knew I was looking at them, and they were just taunting me now. Someday I’d find the right spell to break that, and when I did—

The door opened behind me and a pony peeked into the room. “Dusken, I just wanted to…” Fluttershy gasped and fully entered the bathroom. “Your eye! What happened to, oh my, what happened to your Cutie—“

I rounded on her, a grey aura enveloping her and the door, slamming it shut. Her, I slammed into the door once it closed. She squeaked as her head bounced off the wood, tucking her legs up to her chest as I lifted her off the ground. I quickly enveloped my black glass patch and cloak, while simultaneously drying the bandages previously wrapped around my haunches. Steam rose from them with a hiss as I used heat to drive the water out, not bothering to slowly and carefully squeeze it out; parts of the bandages were now singed. My cloak obscured my body as the bandages wrapped back around my haunches, and the black glass plate returned to my right eye, its straps securing it to my head.

“Whatever you think you saw, you didn’t,” I growled at the mewling Pegasus. “And if you tell anypony, I’ll—“ I choked on my threat as tears glistened in her terror filled eyes. I backed away, eyes widening in horror as I realized she glowed with a grey light. I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. As the fury left me, so too did the color bleed from my aura, returning to an empty white.

I let her slide to the floor, where she sat with her hooves over her eyes, cowering. “I’m sorry,” I whispered hoarsely. She peeked around her hooves at me, still trembling. “I’m… I’m so, so sorry. I won’t hurt you.” I forced my eyes shut, tears of frustration leaking out. “I’m sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.” I weakly stomped my right foreleg down, ignoring the dull ache in the leg. “I didn’t mean… I’m sorry.”

I withdrew my magic and sighed. My anger flared and I pounded a hoof into the side of my head. “Get out. Just… please don’t talk about anything you saw. I’ll be leaving soon.” I put my head down and waited for her to leave. I started thinking of what I could say to Princess Celestia. This assignment was just too much for me, and I needed to return to the palace. Maybe I could send a letter to Silverwing and he could send another chariot to bring me back. Within two days- not even a full day, the second, I had already snapped at a pony.

I sat down, my thoughts whirling, when I felt something brush the side of my face. I flinched back and saw Fluttershy standing before me, her hoof raised. Though her eyes still shone with tears, she smiled. “It’s okay,” she said quietly, putting her hoof on my shoulder. “I… I don’t know what happened to you, but you need help. I th-think you can get that help here. Please don’t go.” She moved closer and pulled me into a hug. I stood tense and shivering. “I forgive you.”

“Why?” I tried to pull back, but she held on. “You should hate me. I deserve to be hated. I just hurt you. Why are you forgiving me?”

“Because,” she mumbled into my mane. “Whatever you did, Rainbow Dash and Applejack aren’t fighting anymore. I think you’re a good pony, with p-problems you need help with. Twilight was right: you need a friend.”

The tension left my body and I slumped forward into her embrace. Her mane smelled of earth and flowers, just like the blanket she left me. How strange. My face is wet. I realized I was crying. My fury burned in my throat, but it was directed at myself instead of her now. I found acceptance and forgiveness in a mare I had just been ready to kill a couple of seconds ago. I had let rage taint my magic and nearly twist it into something dangerously lethal. A whimper escaped and she squeezed me tighter.

You’re pathetic. My thoughts raged, swirling with emotions I had grown all too familiar with. I clenched my jaw in anger. You’re weak, a fool. I fell back on my oldest habit: hating myself. In a strange way, it was comforting, as I had done nothing but hate myself for so long. It had seemed even longer ago since I had, but it came back easily now. **You’re* the Court Wizard? Those poor Alicorns didn’t know what they were doing. They should have just put you to death. You’re a weak, stunted, hateful little Unicorn with no right to life.*

I don’t know how long I sat there crying into her mane piteously. I silently raged at myself for the entire time, wishing I could just fade away. I lost track of how long I sat there, but eventually I ran out of tears. For my entire display, Fluttershy had been silent, stroking my mane or rubbing my back, and for that I was grateful. If she had tried to say anything, that would have only made things worse. This time when I tried to pull away, she let me.

Sniffling, I dried my eyes. Giving me a gentle smile, she spoke softly. “Do you feel better?”

I remained silent, eyes downcast. Nodding, I didn’t trust myself to speak. I didn’t think I could keep the scorn for myself out of my voice. The last thing I wanted to do was spurn the mare that had not only forgiven me after I harmed her, but offered me comfort. “Mhm.”

She dipped her head down, trying to catch my gaze, but I refused to meet it. “You’re n-not... not right, are you? Something happened to you.” She spoke so quietly, even in the silence of the bathroom I had to strain to hear her. “If you ever need somepony to talk to…” She must have seen the flicker of doubt that crossed my face, for she paused. “You can talk to me. Whatever you tell me, will stay between just us.”

I gave her a weary smile. “Thank you,” I said finally. My eyes drifted shut and I sighed, mentally kicking myself once more. I tugged at my cloak, ensuring it at least partially hid the cuts along my flank, and rose to my hooves. “They’ll wonder what happened if we don’t get back to the party soon.” With a nod at the door, I began to limp for it. Fluttershy followed in silence, and without another word, we descended down the staircase, returning to the party thrown for me.

I pushed the emotions I had let slip aside. I was whole once more; I was secured against myself. I wouldn’t lose control like that again; both my anger and my magic would remain in check. I gave myself one last mental kick, resisting the urge to slap myself, and forced my face blank.

Twilight sat on the couch I had previously occupied, my book levitating before her. She must have seen us out of the corner of her eye, as she lowered the book. She looked at me and frowned. “Where are the rest of your bandages?”

“They were soaked,” I said with a shrug. “And I didn’t need them; they were more trouble than they were worth.” I glanced around and realized Twilight was alone. Pinkie Pie was having an animated discussion with Rarity over at a buffet table of some kind, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack were apart from the crowd of ponies, talking in low voice.

“I don’t think that’s the best idea.” Twilight said stubbornly, causing me to roll my eyes. It’s not like she was going to force me to put new bandages on. Well, she could try anyway, but I still wouldn’t. Now I just felt like standing by my decision. But thankfully she dropped it, something I realized I had caused her to do several times already, and moved on. “This book is fascinating,” she declared, looking back into the pages. “Not only the subject matter, but the magic keeping it together.”

I nodded, suppressing a smile. “It covers a topic rarely discussed in other books, because it was never widely studied. Most ponies dismissed it as something frivolous; expending more energy for a little more results, but they were doing it wrong. A little bit of concentration and effort can go a long way with those techniques.” I bobbed my head once more, allowing myself a small smile. “That’s how I put the preservation spell on that book. Other similar spells envelope the object, while that one weaves through each individual page, from cover to cover.”

She cocked an eyebrow at me and smiled. Something in it told me she already secretly knew. “I was wondering how you managed to pull that off.” At my look of confusion, she laughed. “I recognized your magical aura on it. It’s very impressive; I hope you’ll teach it to me sometime.” She didn’t wait for an answer, but pressed on. “But what’s in these scrolls?” She nudged the two scrolls she laid next to her on the couch with a hoof. The bands were still in place, so I assumed she hadn’t read them yet.

“Two spells, of my own design.” I let a bit of pride creep into my voice. “The scroll with the ruby band is the drying spell I used for my cloak and bandages.” I noticed Fluttershy glance at my cloak and the bandages in question, frowning slightly. At her look, I coughed. “The spell can use force or heat to remove water from any material. Obviously, you need to change your approach based on what it is. Boiling your coat dry is obviously a bad idea.”

She nodded. “And the emerald scroll?”

“That one is a pet project of mine.” I looked at the scroll in question and sighed. “It creates a barrier that redirects force directed at it, away. It applies no impact to the object hitting it, but will either halt its motion and reflect it, or curve it away from the center of the barrier. I’ve just, uh, had some problems with it lately, and can’t quite work them out.”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight followed my gaze to the same scroll. She levitated it up and removed the band. She studied my writings inside and frowned. “I don’t recognize half of this.”

“It’s explained in the book,” I gestured at it. “I want to be able to shift its reactions, like a cord to pull to alter it, but it hasn’t panned out. I can make it nudge incoming objects aside, but have no control over where they go. For instance: I experimented with apples being tossed at me. I wanted them to hit the barrier, lose their momentum, and drop to the ground.” I unconsciously rubbed at my eyeglass. “When it hit the barrier, it accelerated and slammed into my ribs. Rather than losing momentum, it gained it. When I inversed it, it slowed to a stop, but shot back in the opposite direction with almost five times the force. It splattered against the guard I had helping me.” I chuckled at the memory. Silverwing had offered his assistance in my research, and left the study covered in bits of apple, plus a black eye when an apple hit him in the face. We had laughed about it later, after my frustration over my failure subsided.

A light gleamed in the lavender Unicorn’s eyes. “Then I’ll try to get it working. Just give me a few days to read this book and we can work on it together.”

That scroll had a critical error to it; the error being the spell would accelerate an object one way or the other. It would either slam the object into the target it was intended to shield, or the object would speed away as if fired from a cannon. So far, I had only managed to prevent the object from so violently repulsing, instead being tossed aside. But when I wanted the object to be gently set on the ground, it would still accelerate toward the center of the shield, which as often as not, was me.

Her eagerness was nothing short of adorable, I decided with a grin. I was like that when I was younger… which was odd, seeing as how I was younger than her. Not only had I asked questions, I had jumped at the chance to try out new magic. That eagerness had led to some painful blunders. But that wasn’t really a fair comparison; she hadn’t gone through half the torments I had faced, so she still possessed that desire to explore new spells. The urge to cast a memory wipe spell on myself was one I struggled with daily.

“Then that will be your first assignment,” I said with a smile. “We’ll see if between the two of us we can’t get it to stop being a danger to the user and everypony around them. I had wanted to use this spell out in the rain earlier, but my only choices were to fire off hyper accelerated drops of water in random directions, or make them pelt me like pebbles.”

Twilight giggled and I suddenly felt a hoof thrown across my neck. “Hey Dusken!” Rainbow Dash said cheerily.

“Dash,” I said warily. “What’s going on?”

She grinned and ruffled my mane. Why did she keep doing that? Was that becoming a thing with her? It better not become a thing. “I just wanted to say thanks for the, uh, pep talk.”

While I fixed my mane with a frown, Applejack walked over. “Ah wanted ta thank ya too, Dusken,” She said uncertainly, smiling tremulously. “Rainbow Dash told me what ya said ta her, and yer right. It was silly ‘o us ta let a lil ole thing like that get between two friends.”

I was slow to return her smile. “Well, I’m glad I was able to help then.”

The orange pony shifted her hooves slightly. “Ah gotta say, Ah was surprised when Ah found out you were tha one behind gettin’ Rainbow here ta talk things over.”

“Really?” My voice was dry and I frowned slightly. She acted as if I had given her reason to dislike me. That was all on her. “And I suppose I gave you cause to suspect I might do anything otherwise?”

She looked abashed and scratched her head, getting a chuckle from Rainbow Dash. “Well, when Ah first saw ya… well, ya got all those cuts an’ bandages an’ scars, plus yer eye thingy.” She hesitated, looking around her. I noticed Pinkie Pie and Rarity had joined us at some point, having seen their friends gathering once more. “Ya gave me a bad vibe’s all. Ah may have thought ya were, uh, not the friendliest pony around.”

I snorted at her, my tail flicking behind me. “Because I am absolutely a font of kindness. No, the only reason why I interfered is because of my own curiosity got the better of me.” I felt the mares stare at me and I flushed. “Er, the Elements of Harmony, arguing and bickering with one another, is a strange sight to see. I suspected something more major than a couple of ruined apples.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes at me, taking a step toward me. “Maybe Ah was right about you then,” she muttered darkly, head lowered.

“Maybe you were,” I said muttered back. “And my initial suspicions of you were spot on I can see.”

“Suspicions?!” She reared up and gazed at me in confusion. “What in the hay sort ‘o suspicions could you have about me?”

Her confusion was faintly amusing, but if I had to be honest, it was confusing to me as well. “That you make for an odd Element of Harmony.” I shrugged and frowned at her. “You’re a petty mare who fights with her friends over the smallest, most mundane—“

“Oh my,” Rarity suddenly declared, cutting me off. She coughed politely while Applejack stared at me dumbfounded, as did Rainbow Dash. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but whatever did happen to you dear?” She sought to change the subject for the sake of her friend, then. Well, let her, I was fine with that. “I didn’t want to put you on the spot but, well, seeing as how Applejack here already has, I’m simply curious.”

My face reddened and Rainbow Dash, after glancing from me to Applejack several times, squeezed my neck with her foreleg. “Yeah, what’s up? If somepony was messing with you, just tell me who it was and I’ll show em a thing or two!” Applejack continued to give me a surprised look, but her mouth remained shut.

“Oh, that’s alright,” Fluttershy mumbled sweetly, shuffling to stand between me and Applejack. “If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.” Twilight nodded in agreement. The timid Pegasus must have guessed it was far worse than an accident, but she was keeping my secret, it seemed. Perhaps she suspected that since I had reacted so violently to her seeing my other injuries, I would have been just as secretive about the others’ source.

All this sudden attention made me uncomfortable and I squirmed under Rainbow’s foreleg. The other ponies at the party continued on with their festivities, oblivious to the discussion taking part in their midst. “Well,” I cleared my throat, looking around with quick, darting glances. “There’s no harm in telling you all, I suppose. It’s not the nicest of tales though.”

“Alright!” Pinkie chimed in. “Story time!” She pulled me away from Rainbow Dash and dumped me on the couch next to Twilight. I resented being treated like a talking piece of luggage, but shrugged it off.

“It was maybe two weeks ago,” I began. “I had begged Celestia a chance to investigate the Everfree Forest on my own time. She had been hesitant, but Luna convinced her to let me go. I was hunting something… somepony, but I came across something else instead…”

I never understood why it was called the Everfree Forest. By its name, you would expect evergreen trees or something, but no. I could understand why the villages here called it “Everfree,” but not other ponies. The Everfree Forest was a refuge in truth, though a dangerous one. Ponies who acted outside of the laws put in place by the royal sisters often hid out here. There were always criminals, however few, and they needed somewhere to hide.

Like attracted like, however, and bands of outcasts came together. As often as not, they would form a community, one that accepted them for whatever they once were or had become. My own village had been founded by practitioners of dark magic. Fearing persecution, they fled into the forest hundreds of years ago. Back then, performing dark magic could get a pony ripped apart by an angry mob fueled by fear and ignorance. As time went on, the village attracted other practitioners of the forbidden arts, as well as social outcasts and misfits. A few murderers made their home there as well, and bent their ability to kill towards the defense of the village.

The Everfree Forest, a refuge to misunderstood ponies, was home to wicked creatures as well. Long before I was born, a stone wall had been built around the village, and cut down the casualties incurred from attacks and raids massively. Our foes were made up of not only the native creatures to this forest, many of which were frequently twisted by magic, but those very same ponies that warped the forest with their wild magic. For though my village practiced the spells called “dark magic” by the ignorant and afraid, we were careful not to let it grow out of our control. It was a means to an end; a tool to be used and a weapon to be wielded, and as such, it required skilled application to prevent disasters.

Not everypony shared our views. Ponies who became twisted by that magic hunted us. For them, the magic wasn’t a means to an end, it was the goal in and of itself; to gain more power their only further desire. They were cruel, little more than monsters, and were a danger to every living thing both within and without the forest.

A few weeks ago, Celestia had received reports of strange sightings along the forest’s edge. And not two days ago, some travelers vanished. Their companions spoke of shadowy Unicorns with strange magic and my decision was clear. I had to hunt these Unicorns, who hardly deserved to be called ponies, and destroy them. If possible, I’d rescue the travelers as well, but I wasn’t prepared to hold out on hope.

I had sent a letter to Silverwing, pardoning my absence at the palace for the next few days, as he was due to return on the morrow. Where ever he was, he must have found a Unicorn capable of teleporting letters as well, for he had replied within the hour. The letter read:

Dusken,

Don’t do anything reckless. Just wait for me and I’ll be back soon. We can go hunt these Unicorns together. I’ll bring some of the Vanguard along as well. These Unicorns sound too dangerous to face alone. Just stay put and wait.

Signed,

Captain Silverwing, of the Pegasus Aerial Vanguard.

But to wait would mean the already cold trail would grow colder. My quarry had two and a half day’s travel on me. My only hope was to catch a whiff of their magic and follow it to the source. I had worked on a spell to render their magic useless, and so long as I didn’t run into their leader, I could overpower a good number of them. I put my estimate at five; more than enough, since the reports had stated there were only three of the attacking Unicorns.

A sudden rustle pulled me from my thoughts. The trees of the Everfree Forest grew tall, as though their branches sought the sun. This left the winding paths beneath their boughs, created by who knows what, in permanent shadows. Shrubs and bushes grew wild along these trails. At some points, the lowest branches of the trees mingled with the tallest of the shrubbery, creating a solid wall of leaves and branches. It was from one of these walls that the rustling came.

I summoned my magic, legs spread apart in a solid stance, and lowered my head toward the greenery. “Whoever’s there, come out. Slowly now, I won’t hesitate to harm you.”

I expected a pony. At best, one of the ponies of the hidden villages, perhaps out scavenging, and just happening to stumble upon me. At worst, one of my targets had gotten the drop on me. I had left my eyeglass in the depths of my saddlebag. I had been looking out for any signs of magic, and still saw none. I readied my disarming spell when a sudden roar rattled my senses.

A black manticore burst through the leaves, snarling. Blood dripped from its muzzle, denoting a fresh kill. I banished all thoughts of my previous spell as the beast lunged at me. I used a different spell instead; my failed barrier had provided some insights into propelling an object or pony with some speed. I utilized this now, focusing a burst of force beneath me, springing to my right. The Manticore pounced where I had stood seconds ago, already turning its great shaggy head to follow.

I had encountered Manticores before, but none were quite this tall, nor so aggressive. Its front paws alone were almost the size of my torso, and its tail thrashed angrily. All Manticores possessed a scorpion-like tail, but this one had unusual sharp spines gleaming along its length, in addition to the longest at its tip. Black horns curled from its head, twisting slightly. My eye confirmed my suspicions: dark magic had warped the creature. Manticores might have been dangerous, but only when provoked. This one seemed to have been driven mad.

My thoughts were interrupted once more as it swept a paw at me, coming in from the left. So I ducked down and rolled to the left. I felt a sudden tug at my cloak and in a heartbeat, loosened it. It was ripped away, caught on one of the Manticore’s paws. It shook it off with an angry snort, and I watched it flutter to the ground. I quickly undid the clasps of my saddlebags and dropped them to the ground. Their weight could get me killed now.

I was breathing hard, unused to this much physical activity. My body was weak and small, totally unsuited for a fight without magic. I struggled not to start coughing, or I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop. I just had to put my weakness out of my mind and focus on the more important task of staying alive. But come to think of it, breathing was already becoming a challenge.

I decided I would get nowhere staying on the defensive, so I launched my own assault. A white streak stabbed down at the Manticore: a piercing spell. I noted with some small satisfaction it pierced the Manticore’s hide, drawing dark, brackish blood, but not very much.

The beast showed its annoyance with a roar and swiped at me again, from the right, aiming for my head. I jerked back, but my hind legs got tangled in my discarded saddlebag’s strap. The paw missed by a hair’s breadth, disturbing my mane with its passing. I rolled to the side, kicking my legs free, and stood just in time to see another swipe come my way, coming in from my left. I had no time to prepare a suitable defense, so I threw up a hastily made barrier. It shattered, of course, and the paw batted me aside, scraping along my flank.

I was flung into a nearby tree and felt the breath driven from my lungs at the impact. I slumped to the ground and shakily climbed to my hooves. The Manticore lunged forward, jaw open, and for a second, my vision was filled with gnashing teeth, rancid breath blowing hotly in my face. But I was ready this time. I focused another blast of force beneath me and to the right this time. The force blasted a hole in the tree trunk, but it threw me to safety. The Manticore’s jaw locked around the tree and its fangs sunk deep into the wood. That was too close.

I fell into a clumsy pile on the ground but regained my footing fast enough. A stab of pain shot through my side and I felt blood flow freely. I directed a flow of magic to the injury and felt a growing numbness spread through my side. The pain was distracting and if I paused to stop the bleeding, it may weaken me faster than the blood loss could. This was getting too much for me; I needed to end it now, and end it quickly. Any longer and I’d be too exhausted to continue. I readied another piercing spell, but held it in. I let its power grow and swell: I needed to make this next attack count for something more than a pinprick.

By now the Manticore had ripped its fangs free of the tree, taking a large chunk of wood with it. I swallowed my fear as I noticed the gouge was larger than my torso. Now more than ever it was obvious a single bite was instant death. The creature crushed the wood to splinters and spat it out in a gob of blood. It seemed the wood had cut its mouth. That gave me an idea. A foolishly reckless one, but I was running out of options. And time, I thought, as my flank continued to bleed. I needed to tend to that soon, or I was like to pass out, since I already felt light headed. But soon would only arrive after the Manticore was dead.

The Manticore seemed to have grown cautious, catching on to my method of dodging. It slowly circled around to my right. I staggered to the left, turning to face it. I continued to build up my energy, grateful for the time it was unintentionally giving me. We continued to eye each other when I suddenly stumbled, my left hind leg slipping in the mud my own blood was creating. The Manticore seized the opportunity to lunge forward, its right paw slashing down.

I didn’t get the chance to blow myself to the side, surprised by my fall and focused on building my energy as well. I tried to scurry back, but my right foreleg slid in the muck as well. I barked a curse and then blinding agony shot up my leg.

The Manticore’s paw crushed my right leg and I screamed. A single claw dug into the flesh, but the force and weight behind it caused the bone to give. It didn’t just give, it shattered. It felt like it broke into four pieces, all of them white hot agony. It was now or never I realized. My next action would decide whether I live or died; if I killed the beast or became its next meal.

As if gloating, the Manticore opened its jaws wide and roared, my leg still pinned beneath its paw. It leaned in to bite down and I struck. My horn flared brightly, stinging my own eyes, and a lance of white light shot from it, into the roof of the beast’s mouth.

The Manticore’s roar turned into a pain filled bellow, rising in pitch and volume. But my attack failed to piece the creature’s skull I realized bleakly. I ground my teeth and summoned every ounce of my strength, but that wouldn’t be enough. Instead, I drew on my hate. My anger, pain, and fear lent my magic strength. The lance grew darker, rapidly darkening to black, and grew in intensity and strength. It finally punched through the thick bone of the Manticore’s skull.

It continued to roar in pain and fury, so I continued to pour on my magic. I flooded its skull with burning energy, while the Manticore continued to soak me with bloody spittle flying from its open maw. I ground my teeth so hard I thought they’d crack and gave one final push of energy. Pressure and heat rapidly built up within the raging beast’s skull. There was a second’s warning before it happened. Its head seemed to expand, its eyes bulge obscenely as the unnatural pressure inside its skull reached its peak. And with a sickening pop, its head exploded.

Bone and bits of charred brain showered me, and I was blinded by a wash of blood. By luck or fate, the Manticore jerked backwards with such force it toppled over, rather than crush me beneath its dead bulk. It landed with a thunderous crash, kicking up dirt and dust into the air. I bounced at its impact, jarring my ruined leg and setting off another flash of agony in my head.

I almost passed out then and there, but clung to consciousness like a drowning pony clung to drift wood. I mustered what little energy I had left and focused on my wounds. For my flank, I used a searing spell, burning the injury shut. I screamed in pain once again, the agony overcoming the light numbing spell I had put in place, and panted for breath. The next part would be harder. Now I shifted my focus to my mangled leg lying before me. The shin bone was broken into several pieces now, but my knee was thankfully unbroken. The cut was now sealed shut like the last, but I had started to go numb. I was able to bite down my scream as I realized I was running out of time.

“Dusken!” A voice cried out, distant and distorted.

I shook my head to clear away the fantasies. I was probably going into shock I realized. My body might be able to survive once I slipped into sleep, the smell of the Manticore driving off other beasts, and my hasty patchwork enough to keep me from bleeding to death. I channeled magic into my leg and let out another scream. The bones ground against each other, slowly reassembling into their original shape. I worked a restoration spell, my vision darkening, and felt the bones knit. It was a tenuous bond at best, but it would serve. I wouldn’t need to worry about shifting them in my sleep and worsening the damage at least.

“Dusken!” The voice was closer now. Suddenly a pony slammed to the ground before me, white hooves inches from my face. “Celestia be good, Dusken, are you alright? Are you alive?!”

I craned my neck, struggling to keep it up. Silverwing stood over me, his helmet gone, blue mane in wild disarray. His eyes were wide and wild, his breathing quick. I noticed sweat shining on his coat, his wings spread and trembling. Behind him, I could see two more Pegasi landing, wearing their shining golden armor.

“Silverwing,” I croaked weakly, my strength fading. “How… how did you find me?”

He shook his head. “Save your strength, stop talking.” Though he appeared relieved I had answered him, he was still concerned. He looked at my exposed right eye for a moment but made no comment. “Just stay there, don’t move,” he ordered, turning to look back at the two Pegasi soldiers. “Bring some gauze, now!” he barked. “We need to get him out of here right away!”

I let my head fall to the ground and breathed out. I felt one of the guards touch my flank, something soft wrapping around it.

“My… cloak,” I murmured.”Bags.”

Silverwing nodded. “I’ll get them,” he assured. “Just don’t move, don’t talk.”

His hooves left my vision and trotted off. I heard the two soldiers talk quietly, quickly, as they saw to my wounds, but I couldn’t keep track of anything they said. My senses failed me and I drifted through darkness, finally slipping out of the waking world.

“I woke up in the Canterlot hospital three days later, my wounds bandaged and riddled with infection,” I concluded. “Captain Silverwing had sent out his squads to comb as much of the forest as possible. It was only luck that he was near enough to hear the fight. If he hadn’t, I likely would have died. That,” I indicated my injuries, “is where these came from.”

The six mares gathered around me were silent, their expressions varied. Fluttershy looked at me with unconcealed horror, while Twilight’s face was blank as she seemed to mull over what I had said. Rainbow Dash’s eyes were wide and her mouth partially open, while Applejack’s jaw was hanging open, her eyes like saucers. Pinkie Pie looked saddened, while Rarity’s face was slack with shock.

Ponies had slowly started to trickle out of the shop as I told my story. At some point during the story, the shop had emptied, a few ponies paused to thank Pinkie Pie on their way out for the party invitation, or to wish me a last welcome. Outside, the storm intensified, occasional rumbles of thunder shaking the lights and causing them to flicker. I nervously shifted, awaiting a response.

Finally, Twilight broke the silence. “That was, um…” She paused, searching for words. “Wow,” she decided.

“Wow,” Pinkie Pie echoed quietly.

Fluttershy placed a hoof on my upper flank and smiled sadly. Rarity’s brow furrowed with confusion. “You grew up in the Everfree Forest?” the white Unicorn asked. “I had no idea ponies lived there.”

Applejack cleared her throat. “Ah, uh… Ah never woulda tacked you up fer bein so… dangerous.” She stared at me uncertainly, frowning. “Uh, ‘scuse me.” She trotted away, vanishing beyond my sight, limited as it was by the encircling ponies and couch.

“A Manticore, huh?” Rainbow Dash ventured. “I think that might have been a little much even for me. I was wrong about you, even though you’re still small, if somepony messed with you, you wouldn’t need my help.”

“You said you had experience with dark magic,” Twilight said. “You also said your magic changed during the fight, turning black and gaining strength. Is that what dark magic is?”

“Yes and no,” I said slowly. “Dark magic is initially influenced by emotions; chief amongst them are fear, anger, sorrow, regret, and hate. They all have raw elemental power attached to them, and if you infuse that into normal magic, that is technically dark magic, though only a hint of it. Real dark magic is…” I made a vague gesture with my hoof. “Grander. It does things on a larger level, and more efficiently than regular magic. If it’s all you use, it taints you. And if you don’t let it corrupt you, it hurts you eventually. Like it grows tired of you resisting it, so it simply decides to break you. I rarely use true dark magic for fear of the backlash, but using it supplementary to regular magic is a great deal safer.”

Twilight nodded quickly, looking thoughtful. Rarity touched my cloak suddenly. “Why were you so concerned over your cloak?” She looked thoughtful as well.

The nature of the question took me by surprise. “Uh, well,” I stammered. “It was my mother’s.” I shifted on the couch uncomfortably. “It’s all I have left of her, since she died before I ever really knew her. There were, um, birth complications.”

“Oh my,” Rarity said softly, still inspecting the piece of clothing. “Well, if you ever need me to, I’ll gladly patch it up for you.” I nodded in gratitude, but she continued. “And why were you worried about your bags as well?”

That question I was more comfortable with answering, if only a little. “I thought I had found some pieces of evidence for the Unicorns I was hunting. They all turned out to be worthless, and told me nothing. In the end, my little trip only got me injured and wasted my time.”

She nodded, a hoof to her chin. “And what about your eye? Why do you wear that glass?”

I gave her a level stare and frowned. “Pass.”

She sighed and shrugged, sitting down on the couch. “Fair enough.” She had stopped frowning at me now, but instead gave me curious looks.

Any further questioning was interrupted by my stomach rumbling. I hadn’t even noticed, but I had skipped lunch after all. I couldn’t see any clock on the wall, so I assumed it was now some time past noon. Before I could ask, a muffin was shoved into my hooves. “Eat,” Pinkie Pie ordered cheerily. “You didn’t even try any of the cupcakes I made for your party.” She looked saddened by that, but perked back up. “You’ll just have to try them some other time then.”

While I ate my muffin, blueberry, I noted, Fluttershy finally spoke. “How did you crack your horn and s-scar your nose though?” she asked meekly.

I forgot about my horn sometimes, as well as my nose. “While I was training in dark magic, I had many accidents. They were the results of some of those accidents.” I chuckled faintly. “I was so relieved that my horn didn’t break off, and I was even more relieved that it didn’t impact my magic at all.” I raised a hoof to my nose and rubbed. “The scar is from an orb I overloaded. A Sight Far Seeing spell, but I had put too much power into it. The glass sphere exploded and a piece of glass sliced my muzzle up. The flat side of the glass hit my forehead, so it just bounced off, not cutting up the rest of my face.

She nodded silently, not pressing the question of my horn. Pinkie Pie suddenly gave an exaggerated yawn. “It’s getting late,” Twilight noted aloud.

“Late?” I muttered. “It can’t be that late.”

The lavender Unicorn nodded. “You got here almost three hours late, vanished upstairs for another hour, and then you told that story…” She gave Pinkie a glance. “Then again, she did put most of this together by herself, so she’s probably just tired.”

Pinkie Pie bounced in place. “Oh, I’m not that tired,” she insisted, pausing to yawn again.

Streamers hung from the ceiling, balloons littered the floor, and baked goods sat out on tables, some wrappers lying around as well. I was surprised by how much work she had put into preparing my party. I felt a little bad for not really enjoying it. Twilight’s words surprised me though; I hadn’t thought I had taken that long to get here, nor had I spent so much time upstairs. Time flies when you’re being miserable I guess.

“I’ll help you clean up.” I offered, getting up off of the couch.

Pinkie Pie beamed while Rarity smiled. “We could all probably help clean up,” the white Unicorn declared.

Pinkie produced bags from somewhere and we got to work, stuffing streamers and deflated balloons into them. Inflated balloons needed to be popped first. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy tossed down streamers and the occasional balloon lodged up amongst the rafters down to the Pinkie Pie and Applejack, who as it turned out, had wandered away and begun cleaning up on her own. Rarity, Twilight, and I focused on clearing up the tables, levitating the stacks of wrappers, decorations, and uneaten food into larger bags, as well as anything on the floor the Earth ponies missed.

While I shoved a stack of wrappers and cupcake bits into a bag, I looked at Twilight. “Does Pinkie run this store?”

The lavender Unicorn shook her head, clearing off another table. “She lives here with Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and helps them around the shop with baking or selling. I think she said they were in Canterlot for a couple days visiting some family.”

That made sense. Pinkie Pie didn’t exactly seem like she was capable of running a shop by herself, but as an assistant, I could believe that. I turned back to the task at hand and swept another table clear. We worked for about an hour, clearing through the preposterous amounts of party décor and confections, all laid out by a single pony. Between sweeping garbage off of tables and struggling to comprehend how Pinkie had been able to set everything up by herself, I watched the mares around me- two in particular.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash frequently chatted, whatever the topic was I couldn’t say, and laughed. They appeared to be getting along much better than they had earlier. I found the whole situation strange. I watched them share another chuckle, and it dawned on me; they must have been a couple. Their argument must have had more depth to it, being a lovers’ quarrel, since I refused to believe the two mares were just so ornery as to blow such a relatively small thing out of proportion.

But then again, from what I could tell, Rainbow Dash was always trying to get into an argument, usually when she had to do something she didn’t want to do, or when she was uncomfortable. What if her feelings for Applejack were unreturned and she chose to argue rather than confess her feelings for the orange pony?

Well, that was her problem I decided. I helped settle an argument between the two, I wasn’t about to dabble in romance. I didn’t even know the first thing to romance, really. I steeled my resolve to not care. While I was mulling over the implications of their relationship, I half heard Twilight mutter something behind me.

“Huh?” I turned to the Unicorn. “Sorry, did you say something?”

She gave me a small frown and shook her head. “I said it was getting late, see?” She pointed at a clock on the wall. 7:18 P.M. That surprised me as well. “Time flies when you’re having fun.” She said, picking up on my reaction.

Funny, I thought. I was thinking more the opposite. “I guess so.” I said instead. The distant rumble of thunder filled the pause. “How long can this storm keep up?”

Hearing my question, Rarity trotted over. “It is rather ridiculous, isn’t it? Well, don’t worry dear, I’m sure the Pegasi will get it under control.” She gave Rainbow Dash a thoughtful glance. “Eventually.”

“Should she be out there, then?” I asked, following her look. Rainbow Dash now spoke to Pinkie Pie, the two of them laughing. “Helping with the storm, I mean.”

Now Twilight spoke. “Not at night. She mostly only works in the morning and around noon. I think the Pegasi will just let this storm run its course. It shouldn’t be going on much longer.”

Another rumble followed her words, as a flash of lightning lit up the sky outside the windows. I sighed and shook my head. “I should be getting back home.” I looked outside mournfully. I didn’t look forward to limping home in the rain again. “There’s work I need to do, and it wouldn’t hurt if I sent out a letter or two.”

Rarity looked aghast, stealing a glance out the window, but Twilight nodded. She understood the urge to get work done. “If you wait a while, it might let up a bit,” she offered, but I shook my head.

“Or it could just get worse. I don’t really want to risk walking home in total darkness, with it raining even harder than it is now.”

“It’s just dreadful outside,” Rarity said extravagantly. I was expecting an argument, but she shrugged and tossed her mane. “But if you want to go, we won’t stop you.”

“Thanks, then.” I levitated my saddlebag from its spot next to the couch. It was empty save for about 7 bits bouncing around at the bottom. “Hang on to the book as long as you need it, Twilight. You can keep the scrolls.”

As Twilight thanked me and made assurances the book would be in hood hooves, Pinkie Pie bounced up to me. “You’re leaving?” She gave me a searching look with large, sad eyes.

“I’m afraid so, Pinkie.” I chuckled. “Thank you for the party. It was… nice.”

I turned away from the party pony as she began babbling excitedly about another party. I was only half listening, nodding to whatever it is she said. I waved goodbye to Fluttershy, Applejack and, Rainbow Dash, and was headed for the door when something nudged my shoulder. Rainbow Dash had flitted over to me and now hovered at my side.

“You’re leaving now?” She shot a glance out the window and frowned. “You’ll get soaked and you can barely walk.”

“That’s a bit of an overstatement,” I said with a snort. “I can walk fine, I just need to walk a bit slower. I’ll be fine.”

As I knew she would, she protested. “Just let me fly you, if you’re going to be so stubborn. It’ll be a cinch!”

“Pretty sure I already said no,” I said with a frown. “I don’t really like flying.”

Strangely, she looked back at Applejack, then back at me. “Then let me walk you home.”

Taken aback, I paused. “No, no that’s alright,” I said with a faint smile. “No need to get soaked too. You just stay here with, um, Applejack, and I’ll be on my way.”

Anger flashing in her eyes, she squinted at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shook my head and backed up. I didn’t want to get dragged into anything, eager to leave. “Nothing,” I said quickly, easing the door open. “I’ll see you around, Dash.”

“Wait,” she protested, but I let the door swing shut, cutting her off.

Outside, rain came down in a torrent, the wind whipping it sideways. I immediately regretted stepping out into the storm, but I already made my decision. Besides, I’d look like an idiot if I stumbled back inside. Tugging my hood up, I turned my head down, and started walking.

The streets were empty, as would be expected, and were dark. Occasionally, light streamed out the window of a building and cast a pool of light on the ground. Every now and then I glimpsed movement within, as ponies went about their business behind closed doors. My cloak was already soaked, as was my coat, so I picked up my pace, ignoring my sore right hind leg. To my annoyance, I started to shake. The rain was freezing and the blustery wind did nothing to help.

Teeth chattering, I looked up at the dark sky. I could see neither stars nor the moon. Lightning lit up the sky for a second and burned its image into my eyes. I looked back to the ground, eyes shut to try and get my night vision back, but I could see the streak of light behind my eyelids still. Feeling foolish stumbling through the storm with my eyes closed, I looked up, thankfully able to see once more- which was precious little in the gloom and rain.

I stumbled through the streets nearly blind. But I had memorized the path when I walked it earlier. It took me some time, as well as pausing at a few streets trying to remember the correct path, but I made my way back to the dirt path of my house. Of course, in this rain, it was a mire of mud, more a bog than a proper walkway. My hooves made loud squelching noises as I walked, nearly wading through the thick soup of earth. I was turning a bend; the one Rainbow Dash hit me at, I thought, when I paused. I felt a tingling sensation in my skull, one I hadn’t felt for a long time. Dark magic was being worked nearby.

I glanced about, when something caught my eye. Beyond the path, something shone weakly in the distance. It was a dark yellow light, glittering through the rain and darkness. Curious, I trod off the dirt path. Aside from the few patches of trees, a field surrounded my house. That field was unpleasant to walk through as well, but the grass prevented the dirt from becoming a thick slurry of mud like my path had become. Stumbling over the uneven terrain, I frowned. What was causing this light? Only then did I realize it danced at the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Trepidation and fear shot through me, and my chest felt tight. But I kept walking. I had to see this through. The distance between the light and I dwindled, and I drew on my magic. It was a comforting action. One that may mean the difference between life and death, the thought sprung up, but I hurriedly buried it. I was frightened enough, I didn’t need to psych myself out too.

“Dusken.” I stopped, shaking not only because of the cold now. The voice was like a death rattle, pried from the throat of something long dead. “It’s been a long time.”

I swallowed, but steeled myself. “Who are you?”

The yellow light went out. In its place, two burning blue orbs floated, roughly at eye level of a normal sized pony. They were set in the skull of something withered, its coat black, flesh peeling and cracked. Above the blue orbs a black horn, twisted and crooked, jutted. A tattered mane whipped in the howling wind, frayed and dark grey, almost as black as the creature’s coat. Memories I thought I had buried sprang to life and shakes wracked my body.

“You’re back,” the voice hissed. It wasn’t a question, so far as I could tell. It was deadpan, lacking inflection. “You should leave. Now.”

I continued to quake, my knees threatening to give out, yet I shook my head. “I c-can’t.” My voice quavered, I struggled to keep it steady. “P-Princess Celestia t-told me to teacher her s-s-student. I’m n-not leaving until it’s d-done.”

Amusement twinkled in the abomination’s unnatural gaze. “Foolish as ever, my child,” it whispered.

I whipped my head back and forth once more. “You’re no m-mother to me, Viker.”

The pony grinned at her name, revealing long fangs, some chipped and broken, but all sharp. “If the other Shades learn of your presence, you know what they will do to you.” Her grin widened, showing off more of her wicked teeth. “They’ll tear you apart.” She bit down on the last word, accentuating her words with an audible click.

I shook my head again, though I was shaking so badly I couldn’t tell if it was on purpose anymore. “I’ll find them,” I chattered. “I’ll k-kill them.”

From behind me, I heard a voice call out. “Dusken!”

I quickly shot a glance back, but could see nothing beyond the driving rain. A dry chuckle drew my eyes back to Viker. She continued to grin, her eyes still danced with amusement. “It seems you have a friend looking for you.” She began to slip back into the inky blackness of the woods. “I suggest you leave, before anything else starts looking for you.” A hissing rattle- a laugh, I realized, drifted from the darkness.

“W-wait!” I cried, causing the Shade to halt. Her eyes were the only thing visible about her. “W-what about the E-Element of Chaos?”

The eyes narrowed and she hissed. “It is none of your concern,” she rasped, irritated. “Just leave.”

Her eyes of blue fire were the only thing visible for several moments, but eventually they too vanished- suddenly, as she must have turned around. My mind was filled with images of her hiding her eyes, turning back to come after me, despite her warnings to leave. I had betrayed her, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she would have forgotten it.

“Dusken!” Suddenly, Rainbow Dash was there, a wing draped across my back. “Sweet Celestia, what was that? I wanted to make sure you got home okay, but I saw this yellow light, and when I followed it, there was that… there were those eyes.” She put a hoof on my shoulder and gave me a shake. “Dusken?”

My teeth chattered so badly I could barely speak. “Home,” I struggled to say. “T-tower.” I started to turn, but felt hooves wrap around my torso. Suddenly I was in the air, dangling, shaking, in Rainbow Dash’s grip.

Fear must have lent the already agile Pegasus greater speed, as we hovered before my tower in an instant. She tried to shoulder the door open, but bounced off. “It won’t open!” she cried in frustration. I haltingly leveled my horn at the door, and willed it unlocked. She must have seen the weak glow of my horn or the barrier, for she barged inside immediately.

She tried to set me on the ground, but my legs gave out, spilling me to the floor in a trembling pile. “L-lock it,” I mumbled, pointing at the door. “On the table.” Rainbow understood, and kicked the door shut. She grabbed the key between her teeth and jammed it into the lock, giving it such a savage twist I feared it might break off. But it held and the door locked with a click. A stronger shiver made its way through my body as I remembered Viker’s teeth. Though my body was weak and quaking, my mind was still strong, so I mustered the strength to put another locking spell on the door. I desperately poured my strength into it. If something wanted to get in, it would have just as much luck battering through the walls as the door. At the very least, the lock would delay a Shade; I held no illusions that they couldn’t work out how to dispel my magic.

Rainbow scooped me up once again and winged up the stairs, pausing to glance about the dark library, before continuing on up. At my room, she dumped me into the bed, yanking my sodden cloak from my neck, and bundled me into the blanket Fluttershy had left earlier. I didn’t care that I was soaked and muddy, that I would need to clean the bed later was the last thing on my mind.

The Pegasus looked around my room quickly, pausing to look in the chest for a moment before letting the lid fall with a thud. She checked a dresser that stood against a wall but didn’t find whatever she was looking for. “I’ll be right back,” Rainbow Dash said before darting back down the stairs. I heard her looking around in the library, for a moment, before the sounds of her search grew fainter as she moved down to the first floor.

I turned my attention to the door of my balcony and shuddered. I reinforced the locking spell on it, strengthening the door and glass both to the same hardness as stone, perhaps harder. I gazed out the window into the darkness and felt a surge of fear. All I could picture was Viker’s eyes of blue fire looking in at me from the forest. I levitated my cloak off the floor and, using two hooks for a curtain rod I didn’t have, hung it over the window.

A light made its way up the stairs, causing me to jump. It revealed itself to be a lit candle in a brass holder, held carefully in Rainbow Dash’s mouth. I had no idea there were even candles in the house, but she had found one, matches as well I assumed. She set it down on the nightstand beside the bed and looked at me with indecision. With a nod to herself, she rolled me onto my opposite side so I now faced her, before wriggling down into the blankets and wrapping her forelegs around me. Through the haze in my mind, I realized she was keeping me warm with her own body heat.

“Dash,” I croaked weakly.

She looked down at me, pink eyes betraying the fear her voice gave no sign of. “What?”

I rested my head against her damp chest, finding strange comfort in her presence. “Please don’t leave.”

She nodded, giving me a squeeze. “I won’t,” she assured. “I’ll keep you safe.”

I tried to feel comforted by her words, but couldn’t. I knew deep down, if Viker wanted to get to me, no amount of spells, or locked doors, or hanging cloaks would keep her out. I nodded against the Pegasus’s chest, still shivering, and closed my eyes. This was the closest I had ever gotten to a pony in… I couldn’t remember how long. I couldn’t even recall physical contact with any living creature that had lasted this long.

I don’t know what disturbed me more: the risk of an ancient abomination that defied death brutally killing me in my sleep, my current situation in which a foreign mare was holding me, or the fact I wasn’t driving her away. Deep down I knew I should; I couldn’t afford any weakness now, not with the Shades so close. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to.

“Dusken?” Rainbow Dash whispered down to me.

I tilted my head up, my right eye flickering open behind its lens as my left was pressed against her coat. “Hmm?”

Her gaze lingered on my lens before shifting to the window obscured by my cloak. “What was that?”

A shiver ran through me, though by now I was quite warm. I let my head slide back down, still resting on her chest. I could hear, even feel, her heart thudding. It was fast, frantic. “Nothing,” I mumbled, exhaling into her fur. “It’s gone now.”

I tried to convince her it was safe, to ease her fear. Or maybe I was trying to fool myself. Either way, I felt her nod, her chin coming to rest above my horn. She mumbled something contended and soon fell silent. Her heart slowed; her breathing shortly becoming deep and regular. I was awed by her ability to fall asleep so quickly. Perhaps I truly had soothed her.

But I couldn’t believe the empty words I had spoken. Fear crushed my chest, constricted my throat. There was a knot in my stomach that would not come undone. Outside thunder crashed, and I wrapped my forelegs around her torso, screwing my eyes shut. Rain pattered on the roof above, a constant, unending rhythm.

As we lay there, clinging to each other, her lightly snoring into my mane, me trembling, a realization dawned on me. The ponies of this village were naïve and innocent. I opened my eyes to peer at Rainbow. I couldn’t let the Shades bring their horror here. Princess Celestia had given me an assignment, but now it seemed so much more important for reasons other than a means to revenge. I couldn’t let these ponies be hurt. Not Twilight and her endless questions, not Rarity and her odd stares, not Pinkie Pie and her endless babble, not Fluttershy, despite the secrets she knew, not even Applejack, though she was standoffish and likely desired nothing more than my departure. And certainly not the mare who lied next to me, who had unknowingly risked life and limb to see if I had safely made it home through the storm.

My mind churned as I thought up my new plan. Simple revenge was no longer good enough. I needed to ensure the Shade’s utter destruction, or at the very least, purge them from the Everfree Forest and their close proximity to Ponyville. I had to remove the Element of Chaos from their possession, and safely deliver it to Princess Celestia. But soon my thoughts grew sluggish and my eyelids heavy.

As I, too, drifted to sleep, my last thoughts were of blue fires, and how to quench them permanently.

Chapter 4

The blue Unicorn colt dashed through the paved streets of his village, older ponies running about in a panic. He narrowly avoided being trampled by a large armored stallion- an Earth pony, who spared him a shouted apology over his shoulder before sprinting away.

The young Unicorn wove around and between the legs of his elders, beneath their notice. He wasn’t theirs, so why should they care, when so many had children of their own about? The ringing of bells filled the air, their deep resounding booms deafening. Doors to stone and wood houses slammed shut up and down the crowded streets, as ponies hid within to wait out the passing chaos.

The colt took a right turn, weaving around bigger ponies, then a left. The crowds thinned, as the ponies living nearby were already in their houses. That must have been the explanation. Off to his right, a growing cloud of smoke filled the sky. He paused to watch the cloud. Light flickered beneath it, coloring the underside with red and orange, though occasionally a burst of blue, yellow, and purple flared. The colt hesitated, torn between watching more and hurrying home, but his father’s voice rang in his head.

He turned, trotting down the street. He stopped before a squat, one story house. Its neighbors were two stories, the first floor made of stone, while the second was wood. His house was made all of wood, though a stone chimney poked up from the right corner furthest from the street. He nudged the door open, stepping into the cool darkness of the house, and pushed it shut. With clumsy steps, he moved to the center of the sparsely decorated living room, sitting down with a thud.

He listened to the commotion outside: shouts and screams, as well as stranger sounds he couldn’t identify. The windows were covered with shutters, but occasional bursts of light filtered through the cracks. The young Unicorn eventually lowered his head down, resting it on his forelegs. Time wore on, and the sounds outside would rise in crescendo, only to simmer down to a dull roar. He yawned, his young body tired from the excitement, his health already poor and constitution nonexistent. His eyelids were drooping when the door slammed open. He jumped up, wide awake, and screamed.

“Why didn’t you lock the door?” Sunny demanded, breathing heavily. The colt had never seen his father in such a state: he wore steel armor with a matching helmet, his yellow mane beneath disheveled and tangled, and faint traces of soot marred his armor. The yellow Unicorn stumbled inside, something red dripping from his side.

“I forgot,” the colt whispered, tears welling up in his eyes.

Sunny looked ready to say more, but the guard Unicorn from earlier pushed his way inside. “We’ve got no time to stand around,” he barked, giving Sunny a meaningful look. His voice softened as he looked at the small colt. “We need to get going. The fire’s spreading rapidly.”

“Fire?” the small Unicorn squeaked, but his father growled suddenly.

“Come on.” Sunny scowled at him, stumbling back outside. The Unicorn guard jerked his head toward the door and the colt obediently followed.

The two older Unicorns walked ahead of him. They spoke in low voices, but the colt could still hear them. “When did that happen? It isn’t serious, is it?” the guard muttered, indicating Sunny’s side.

“Shove off, Flare,” Sunny said with a scowl. “It’s a nick, nothing more. What happened to Stem?”

Flare shook his head sadly. “He cut down two before they ripped into him. He distracted them long enough for the others to escape.”

Sunny angrily shook his head. “Fool.” Though his response was one of anger, his voice was full of sorrow. “Where are we headed?”

“The evacuation is to the south. Suth’s Meadow was the agreed fall back point. Their walls are thicker than ours, and have already gotten our reports. They said they’ll send a few squads to help evacuate, but also said not to expect anything against so many.”

Smoke was blowing through the street now, and the colt noticed some buildings burned. Flare took note of his observations and gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, we’re going somewhere nice.”

Sunny tossed his head in annoyance. He started to say something when suddenly he jerked his head to the side. “Flare,” he urged, his voice tense.

The other Unicorn quickly followed his gaze and tensed up. He lowered his head slightly, and set his hooves apart, looking ready to charge. Out of the smoke three ponies shambled, their steps slow and clumsy.

“Who are they?” the colt blurted. The three ponies’ movement was stiff, something strangely unnatural about them. As the smoke cleared, he could pick out some details. Two were Earth ponies, their coats dirty and manes tangled, matted with something. The third was a Pegasus, he could tell, but when it spread its wings… he gasped in horror. They were shredded and broken in several places.

Sunny spared him a look, but directed his words to Flare. “They sent some of their servants ahead of them then.”

Flare nodded, stepping forward. “Go, I’ll hold them off.”

“No.” Sunny glared at the other Unicorn and stumbled ahead of him. “I’ll keep them occupied.”

“What?” Flare scowled at him now. “He’s your son! Don’t you see I’m trying to—“

“It’s a bite!” Sunny roared, rounding on the other Unicorn. “If I don’t bleed out, the infection will get me. I’m already gone.” Tears glittered in his eyes as he stepped toward Flare. “Just get him out of here, keep him safe.”

Flare fell silent, looking Sunny up and down. Finally, he sighed. “Just promise me one thing.” His voice was thick, choked with unshed tears. “When you see my sister, tell her I love her. And that her son will be fine.”

Sunny nodded stiffly. His horn glowed brightly as he slowly walked toward the trio of ponies. He gave Flare a backwards glance. “You were a good friend. Better than I deserved. Thank you.” He paused in his approach, giving the colt a long look. “I may have been hard on you, but…” Tears flowed freely from his eyes. “I love you. I always have. And I’m proud of you. Please remember that. I never hated you, never think that.”

The colt’s face scrunched up in confusion. “I know, dad,” he said uncertainly. “I love you too. I’ll see you later.”

Sunny gave him a sad smile and shook his head. “Not this time,” he mumbled, before turning away.

“Let’s go,” Flare said abruptly, hurrying behind the colt and giving him a push. “Hurry.” The colt gave him an uncertain look as he began walking. “No, go. Run!” The older Unicorn urged, sending him running.

The colt scrambled away as quickly as his short legs could carry him, off into the thickening smoke, the older Unicorn following closely. Both their blue coats were streaked with sweat and soot, as ash choked the air.

I awoke with a start, trembling violently. My mouth was dry and my body was wet and clammy. Something was wrapped around me and I twisted, trying to pull free of whatever I was tangled in.

“Wha- Dusken!” A voice cried. “It’s me!” I stopped my squirming and looked up. Rainbow Dash’s face was a few inches from mine, her brows furrowed. “Relax,” she said.

I realized it was her forelegs that had restrained me, though the blanket I was in was now twisted around my hind legs. “Sorry,” I rasped, throat dry. “I just, uh…”

Rainbow Dash was blinking tiredly when she suddenly glared down at me. “Ugh, what? You’re soaking wet! Is that sweat? Gross!” She started to push me away, but stopped. She pressed a hoof to my forehead and her scowl turned to a gasp. “You’re burning up.” My response was cut off as she wriggled away, jumping out of the bed. The bed we had shared, I realized with a blush.

She flitted over to the balcony door, pulling the makeshift curtain- made up of my now dry cloak, down. Sunlight streamed in, though I could already tell it was day from the other windows of the room. But she looked at the forest, as well as up at the clear sky. It must have been late in the morning, nearing noon, judging by the light.

“Can you unlock the downstairs door from here?” she asked, still peering around outside.

“Yes.” My throat hurt so much, talking was a trial. “I can reach it.”

“Good.” She looked around outside for a few more seconds before turning to me. “I’m getting help. You’re sick, and I have no idea what to do.” I opened my mouth to speak, but she waved me quiet. “Don’t worry; I’ll be right back with some help. I’m locking the door behind me, so I’m taking the key with. Don’t lock me out with magic.” She gave me a firm look and darted down the stairs.

I reached out with my magic, through the floor, through the library, and down to the first story door. It was like untying a tight knot; after I pulled the first stubborn strand of magic loose, the rest followed easily. I grumbled wordlessly to myself and shifted in bed, head pounding.

“Be right back!” Rainbow’s voice drifted up the stairs. I heard the faint click of the front door’s lock, and then the door opened and slammed shut in rapid succession. After a moment, I heard the lock click once more, and silence reigned.

Even though I was sweating profusely under the blankets, I still shivered. It must have been the fever, which Rainbow said I had. And judging from the way my head throbbed, my body shivered, and throat hurt, she was right. I curled up under the blanket but couldn’t find sleep. I was parched; my tongue felt like it was made of sandpaper. I needed water now.

Shrugging the blanket off, I took a tentative step off the bed. My head spun, my vision blurred, and my leg shook, but I could stand. My hooves were caked with dried mud, as were portions of the bed and blanket. I was surprised when I found mud on my side and chest. I didn’t recall falling in mud last night. Rainbow Dash had helped get me back to my home, I remembered. If it weren’t for her, I might still be out there.

Suddenly it dawned on me, and with that realization, another blush. Rainbow’s hooves must have smeared mud on me. I recalled she had stood next to me in the field, so she likely got mud on her as well. But I paid no more heed to the mud. I was in no condition to try and take a bath. I was just as like to drown myself as I was to actually wash properly. And even if I did, I was still in no condition to work a drying spell, so I’d stand there; soaking wet, and only end up making myself sicker. I was sure there were towels around here somewhere, but I wasn’t about to start searching for them. Come to think of it, I didn’t even know where Fluttershy had put my bandages and salve.

I forced the thoughts of bathing out of my head as well. My mind was wandering. Slowly, I made my way into the bathroom. I turned on the faucet and, the sink thankfully being big enough, put my head under the water stream. I gratefully swallowed the water, cool from sitting in the pipes, and soaked my mane and face. It was pure bliss against my hot skin. I contemplated just standing there, head under the flowing water, but my body still ached and shivered, and there was something I needed to do.

With some regret, I pulled my head away from the lovely water, turning the faucet off as I did, and shook my head. It drove a spike of pain into my skull, but dried me a little, as well as got my mane out of my eyes. In my endless cycle, I wondered about getting it cut, but put it off for another day, to in turn put it off for yet another day.

As water trickled down my face and onto the floor, I shuffled across my room, pausing at the top of the stairs. I hesitantly put a shaking hoof on the next step down, and my other hoof on the step beneath that. My right hind leg flared with pain, the muscles bruised and stiff, but I succeeded in not tumbling down the stairs and breaking my neck. My destination was only the next floor down, so there weren’t too many stairs. I looked about the library, temporarily losing track of what I had been planning on doing, before I remembered. I need to write a letter, I thought firmly. Despite having taken residence in the tower, my short stay in Ponyville had left me little time to get familiar with my new home.

Shifting my gaze along book shelves, I frowned. Maybe I had been wrong. I thought I had glimpsed something yesterday, but… no, I had been right. Beneath the stairs leading to my room sat a desk with two drawers on its right side. I made my way over and slid the top drawer open. It contained quills and ink pots; a promising start, but I still needed paper. I levitated a quill and bottle out, setting them on the desk with loving care. My hopes were rewarded when I found the parchment in the lower drawer. Ribbons lay next to the neatly stacked papers, so I took both, a sheet of paper and a blue ribbon out, and lay them on the desk as well.

I gingerly pulled the ink pot’s stopper out with magic and, after ensuring my writing utensil was sharp, dipped a quill in the black ink within. I levitated the quill over the parchment and paused, gathering my thoughts. After some consideration, I began scratching out my letter in a lazy, looping scrawl.

Princesses Celestia and Luna,

Forgive my lack of a report yesterday or the day before. I’ve been busy, admittedly, with mostly unimportant matters. It’s only my third day here, yet I’ve come down with an illness of sorts. It leaves me weak and barely able to perform magic. I’ll likely be staying in my tower for a time, but a Pegasus named Rainbow Dash, a friend of your student Twilight Sparkle, has left to fetch some sort of aid. I’m assuming she’s getting a doctor, as I’m writing moments after she left. So far, I’ve given Twilight a book to read to aid her in her magical studies, and two spells to practice, of my own design. Neither are any more dangerous than a new spell using normal magic would be, as I’ve decided to put off lessons in dark magic for a time. She might get a few bumps if she messes around with the shield spell I gave her, but I think she’ll be able to figure it out faster than I could. I recall she has an assistant, Spike, a baby dragon from her entrance exam. She’ll probably pelt him with a few apples before figuring out the flaw I left in the spell. Or at least I hope she does, or Spike may have a few more lumps than he’s used to.

Anecdotes aside, I have news of grave importance. I spoke with Viker last night. It was in the middle of a storm, which may be the cause of my current illness, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she was actually the cause of this. She was always a far more capable, and much more subtle, spell caster than I. She told me the Shades don’t know of my presence in Ponyville- yet, and I cannot stress that word enough. She made it clear they had not forgotten me and would likely hunt me down at the first opportunity they got. To be honest, the storm could have been caused by some spell of theirs as well, since it seemed to take the ponies of this village by surprise, but I may be jumping at shadows.

Right, anyway, she knows I’m in Ponyville now. Or she confirmed it at least. I think she somehow knew already. Through magic or palace spies, I can’t be sure. Was my departure well known? She advised me to leave immediately, which in retrospect makes me doubt she’s the cause of my current state. I think she’s keeping my location hidden from the other Shades, for reasons all her own. I never could understand her motives for anything, but it’s a safe bet they’re all sinister. But I’ve also known her to be moody and petty at times, so as long as she knows my location, and the Shades are eager to find me, my life is in danger, all on her whim.

But I am not worried for my own life, rather that of your student. Should they discover I have any ties to her, she may come to serious harm. I’m aware that you knew there were dangers inherently involved with teaching her dark magic, as well as dealing with an Element of Chaos, but this is beyond the scope of danger I anticipated. I had hoped to maintain the advantage of surprise on the Shades, but with that gone, everything changes. My very presence puts her life in danger, as well as her friends, potentially even all of Ponyville. I don’t know how desperate they are to find me, but they were eager last time. If you wish, I will return to Canterlot immediately. Viker seemed content to warn me, so she’d probably drop the issue if I was gone, and leave the ponies I associated with alone. But to be honest, I’d rather remain here. So long as Viker doesn’t tell her followers of me, I’m far more dangerous to them than they are to me or the others. I want to see this through, once and for all, but I’m willing to leave if you order me to. I’ll await your response eagerly.

With regards,

Your loyal Court Wizard,

Dusken Spellwroth

P.S. Give Captain Silverwing my regards as well, but tell him nothing of my situation. He means well, but can be overbearing, and I fear his interference may further derail the situation.

I read over my letter, nodding to myself, and gently blew on it. I had to dry the ink before rolling it up, and I didn’t trust using my magic to dry it. My head pounded and mind wandered, so I may very well need every last drop of energy to send the letter. The tower didn’t have a mailbox, I don’t think, and I was neither willing to check for one, nor willing to wait for delivery. This letter was important. Depending on the answer, it could result in my staying or immediate departure, as well as the endangerment of Ponyville or its temporary safety. And perhaps its long term survival as well.

The ink suitably dry, I rolled the letter and tied a ribbon around it, keeping it neatly rolled. Then I levitated it before me and took a deep breath. Licking my lips, I concentrated, picturing Princess Celestia. Her image locked in my mind’s eye, I channeled energy into the letter, willing it to a different location. There was a bright flash, causing me to shut my eyes, and when I opened them, the letter was gone. And with its departure, blinding pain shot through my head. I gasped, leaning against the desk to remain upright, and tried to keep steady. Now I could tell I really was in no condition to work magic. I hoped it was successfully sent and I hadn’t just accidentally incinerated it in my current, magically inept state. I couldn’t smell burnt paper, so the odds were good it was teleported and not destroyed.

My letter sent, I made my slow way back up the stairs. Halfway up a wave of nausea struck, forcing me to cling to the wall as the room swam before my eyes. By the time I made it up, I was short of breath, my legs tired, but I was satisfied. The Princesses knew what was going on now and I didn’t need to make any major decisions. I shuffled across my room, returning to my mud spattered bed, and gratefully sank into it. I felt disconnected, as if I floated outside of my own body. It felt like it was a different stallion that shivered and pulled a dirty blanket around himself. My fever must be the cause of this sensation, I decided.

My right eye itched, so I slid the glass up, rubbing my eye with a hoof. Having nothing covering my eye felt strange, without it constantly chafing the skin around my socket, and I wondered if someday I would ever be rid of the cursed thing. Sometime soon, I’d need to get some sort of covering for it. My other lens had silk wrapped around the edges, I recalled. It sat on the nightstand, next to the now burnt out candle Rainbow Dash had found last night. I levitated it over, letting it drop to the bed when my head began to pound, and slid the other glass’s straps off over my head.

I stretched a hoof out for the second glass, pushing the other glass off to the side, and sighed. My eyelids felt heavy and my body tired. Exhaling into the mattress, I let my foreleg drop, a few inches short of the other glass. With a yawn, I closed my eyes. I just needed to rest them for a moment. I felt detached again and drifted off to sleep.

“Listen to me,” Flare rasped. He hooked a hoof around the small blue colt’s neck and pulled him closer. “Listen.” His voice was harsh and ragged as he shook the younger Unicorn. Each time he took a breath, blood bubbled out of the hole in his side. “Make for the south gate when I stand up.”

The pair huddled behind an overturned cart. Around them, the village burned. Choking smoke filled the air, but beneath the muffling cloud and ever present crackling of fire, shrieks rang out. Not all of them sounded like they came from ponies. Flare lay on the street, a slowly growing puddle of blood forming beneath him. The colt looked at him with fear filled eyes and nodded. Flare gave the colt a pained smile and ground his teeth.

“Good.” He climbed to his hooves, horn glowing a bright green. “Now go, run! The south gate!” He rose to his full height, looking over the cart. As soon as he stood, he fired a beam of light into the swirling smoke. Something shrieked in the choking screen.

The colt bolted, his small hooves pounding the ground, carrying him as quickly as they could. The smoke caused his eyes to water and made his throat feel raw, but he pushed himself. Flare gave a sudden, wordless cry behind him. As the colt turned his head to look, he tripped, face slamming into the cobblestone. Tears ran down his cheeks now and his nose hurt badly, something warm now trickling out of his nostrils. Flare was screaming now and the colt buried his head under his hooves. His horn glowed weakly as he tried to gather his strength for whatever followed him.

Suddenly, all was quiet. Flare was silent. Ahead, a pony trotted through the smoke. His eyes widened in fear as the figure got closer. Its coat was black, the flesh split and cracked beneath. An obsidian black horn, bent and crooked, gleamed wickedly in the flickering light. Its eyes were two spheres of fire.

It stopped short of the cowering Unicorn, who wet himself, now shaking uncontrollably. What stood before him was nightmare made flesh; stories told to frighten him- a Shade.

The Shade grinned, revealing jagged fangs. “Aren’t you a small morsel?” It crooned in an unnaturally deep voice. “Don’t worry little one, your suffering is nearly at an end.” It chuckled, advancing slowly. Drool trickled out of its horrible maw.

The colt screwed his eyes shut and his horn flared briefly. Now his lessons came back to him. A thin bar of white light shot from his horn, slamming into the Shade’s chest. Its coat ignited around the area struck as the sounds of sizzling flesh filled the air. The Shade stumbled back, howling in pain. That sound turned to one of outrage at the fact such a puny Unicorn sought to hurt it.

The creature narrowed its burning gaze, mouth twisted in a savage snarl, made all the more terrifying with its chipped fangs. “I will rip you in two!” he roared. “I was content with giving you a swift death, but now?! Now, you—“

“Malken, enough.” A dry voice came from behind the colt. He jerked his head back to look at the new pony, filled with hopes of being saved. They were promptly dashed when the speaker revealed itself to be another Shade. It appeared smaller than the other Shade, slight, but whereas the other Shade had red eyes, this one had blue. It appeared feminine, compared to the other monstrosity.

“This runt sought to harm me!” The other Shade, Malken, bellowed. “Do not deny me my vengeance!”

The blue-eyed Shade chuckled, showing her own fangs. “Leave him. We need replacements anyway. His protector killed Ulok, so right there, we’re short one. We may lose more before this is through.”

The colt looked up, eyes streaming. “Flare?!” He gasped.

The female Shade grinned evilly, leaning down toward him. “Dead,” she hissed. “Just like every other pony you knew.”

As the colt whimpered, Malken snorted. “You think he could replace Ulok?”

“Probably.” The other Shade gave a shrug. She continued to gaze at the small Unicorn. “Tell me, do you want to live?” The terrified colt nodded, lips trembling. “Then there’s your answer.” She declared to Malken. The larger Shade shook his head, but made no more protests. She looked back to the Unicorn at her feet and frowned. “What is your name?”

The colt whimpered. “I… m-my name is…” He stammered, throat constricted with fear.

Malken snorted again, but the blue-eyed Shade chuckled. “Then let’s put it this way. I’m Viker Spellwroth, and you are now Dusken. It is because of me, you are spared. As such, you owe me your life. I own you.” Viker grinned cruelly. “Now get up. We have to go.”

“No!” I croaked, kicking as I awoke. I was still in the tower, in my room. “Flare…” I murmured quietly. I hadn’t had that dream in a long time. I looked about my empty room and frowned. My right eye was covered by a glass lens; the second lens, judging by its silk covered edges. I didn’t recall putting it on.

Sunlight still streamed in from the windows, but it was a dying light now. It was later in the afternoon, if I had to guess. I rubbed at the lens over my eye and frowned worriedly. Had Dash already come back, with whatever help she saw fit to bring? I expected I would have been woken up if that was so. But just then, a terrible thought crossed my mind. What if Viker had waited outside? What if she ambushed Rainbow Dash when she left? I distinctly recalled Viker enjoyed messing with and tormenting me, so what if then she had come into the tower while I slept, and did something? What if she put the lens over my eye, just because she knew I would worry about it? It seemed foolish, but I had already established she was a bizarre Shade given to strange acts.

But my thoughts returned to Rainbow Dash. I fervently hoped she was okay. I struggled to my hooves, my head pounding worse than before, and was just about to ease myself out of bed when a voice came from the stairs.

“Oh, um, could you please not do that?” I recognized the timid voice and a quick glance confirmed it. Fluttershy hovered at the top of the stairs, watching me with concern. With her right foreleg, she carried a bundle to her chest, while in her left, she gripped a glass of water with her ankle. “No no, just, um, lay down please. Don’t move around so much.” She quickly flapped over, dumping the bundle at the foot of my bed and set the glass down on the nightstand.

I hesitated, but eventually obliged. If she was here, Dash must have made it into town safely and told her friends. Or so I assumed, since it appeared Fluttershy was here to see me through my cold, and not a trained doctor. Dash would have had to have unlocked the door besides, and the locking spell was still in place on the balcony door. Once I was settled back into bed, the yellow Pegasus slid the blanket over me- I’m sick, not helpless, I thought, annoyed, but kept silent. I rubbed at my lens instead. “How did this get on?”

She blushed as she explained. “Rainbow happened to run into me on her way to town and told me you were sick. My cottage is only a short way from here, so after I got some things, I came back here before anypony else. I saw you asleep without it and, um, didn’t think you’d want anypony to s-see your eye, so I put it on you while you slept.”

The thought of being touched in my sleep, even by a pony that meant me no ill will, made me frown. I was sleeping heavier, it seemed. Now the thought of Viker slipping in as I slept seemed all the more real and terrifying. Hiding my discomfort, I nodded. “Well, ah, thank you then. I’d like as few ponies as possible to see my, er, eye.”

She frowned, looking down at my legs beneath the blanket. “I wanted to change your bandages too, but, um… I didn’t think you’d like that.”

“You’re right,” I said dryly. “I wouldn’t have. I’d appreciate my gauze roll and salve, plus some time to myself, if you’d be so kind. I really should have changed them earlier, but I have no idea where you put them.”

Fluttershy winced, giving me an apologetic smile. “Oh, sorry. I put them in your bathroom’s medicine cabinet.”

“Medicine cabinet?” I cast a look to the bathroom door. “I didn’t even know it had a medicine cabinet.”

She chuckled quietly, fluttering to the bathroom and shortly emerging with my wraps and jar, which she dumped on the bed next to me. She frowned at me again though, and I suppressed a sigh. “Twilight said a Unicorn in your condition shouldn’t be using too much magic. When she was here, she told me to make sure you didn’t try to work any spells, because they could go wrong.”

Twilight had been here? How many more ponies were going to wander around my house without my knowledge before a Shade decided to show up and kill me in my sleep? Pushing that thought aside, I returned Fluttershy’s frown with one of my own. “Forget what Twilight said. It’s hardly even a spell,” I muttered angrily. My sent letter sprang to mind, but I wasn’t about to mention that. “I’m just wrapping some bandages around a few injuries and smearing stuff on them. The day I’m unable to do even that is the day I’ve died.”

Thankfully, she didn’t push the point. “Alright,” she murmured reluctantly. “I guess you’d know better than I would.” She looked at me unhappily, but sighed and forced a smile. “I’ll be back up in ten minutes with some food. You must be starving.”

She lingered at the top of the stairs, setting down lightly, still watching me. “That would be nice.” I didn’t feel too hungry, but I’d humor her.

I really didn’t like being waited on, yet at the same time; I didn’t want to make her upset. Even though she was almost sickeningly sweet, she was being kind, something I wasn’t used to, and would hate to repay by making her feel bad. Ugh. I was going to vomit if I kept up these gushy sentiments. Where were they coming from anyway? It must have been because of the fever. The fever was surely to blame for many things.

She looked content, smiling, and trotted down the stairs. Now alone, I rose from my bed, and levitated the bandages and jar of salve closer to me. But as soon as my horn lit up, pain drilled into my skull. Before, it had been a dull ache behind my eyes, a minor discomfort easily ignored. Now it intensified to the point where I was sure my skull would split open. Biting back a shouted selection of curses- I didn’t want to bring Fluttershy back up here, I got to work as quickly as I could. I frantically unwound my old bandages and deposited them on the floor. They gave off a faint musty smell, probably from getting soaked the other night, and I was glad to be rid of them.

Next, smears of salve covered my haunches, as well as the cuts along my left side. I wasn’t entirely sure I should have even left them exposed in the first place, but what was done, was done. I began to sweat from the effort of winding fresh gauze around my injuries as my head felt like it was ready to burst like a rotten melon. It wasn’t pretty; the wraps weren’t neatly placed and lined up precisely, and some of the ties were little more than sloppy knots, but they would have to do. I eagerly dropped the objects, ceasing the use of magic. The pain subsided rapidly and soon returned to the same dull ache as before: small, discomforting, and easy to ignore.

I climbed back into my bed, something I was getting tired of doing so many times a day, and flopped onto my stomach. I was content to lie there for a time, finally being driven to tug the brown blanket over me with my teeth as I felt a growing chill. I gazed out the balcony door’s window, watching clouds, white and fluffy rather than grey and laden with rain, drift by. I sighed, quietly enduring the pain in my head and the soreness in my limbs. As I had suspected, the crash with Rainbow Dash had resulted in a bruise on my knee, and it hurt whenever I bent it. I just wanted to sleep for… days, weeks, maybe months.

I was tired of being scared, of being uncertain, of being around so many new and strange ponies, and I was tired of always feeling something hurt. But someday, I would have my day. The day I killed Viker and her Shades, everything would stop. I could finally be at peace. And these unfamiliar emotions I had been feeling lately would be gone.

A certain timid Pegasus tore me away from my thoughts with her arrival. She flew again, carrying a tray in her hooves. On the tray was a bowl of something steaming, with another glass of water next to it. As she set the tray down on the bed, the bowl turned out to be filled with soup, not that I had really expected anything else. I would have preferred a nice apple, or some peaches, but soup was good too.

Fluttershy smiled at me, but when she looked at my nightstand, it turned to a small frown. “Oh, um, you really should be drinking lots of water.” She landed next to the bed to my left, looking at me worriedly.

I grunted, looking at her out of the corner of my eye. “I will.” I inspected the soup she had set before me. It looked like tomato soup, but I couldn’t identify the chunks floating in it. Fluttershy murmured something about drinking water, but I ignored her. Carrots, I decided. There were chunks of carrots floating in the broth. Carrots and tomatoes were all very well, but I still would have preferred an apple. It seemed Fluttershy was hell bent on being as overbearing as possible, and was going to force water and soup on me.

While I continued my consideration of the soup, the blanket I had draped over myself was suddenly yanked up. As I felt hooves fumbled at my bandages, I gave an indignant squawk. “H-hey! What are you doing?” I squirmed, glaring back at the Pegasus. My face flushed with heat- a combination of outrage and embarrassment. “Stop that!”

Her cheeks were red, but she ignored me now, shifting my bandages around. Her face was set with determination and her voice sounded less uncertain. “These are so poorly set compared to your other ones. Are you not feeling well enough to tie them right?” Rather than answer, I continued to worm sideways, careful not to tip the tray over and desperate to get away from her hooves. “Stop it,” she scolded. “Stay still!” But I ignored her, continuing to twist and turn.

My efforts to scoot away from her were halted when she suddenly gave me a piercing glare. I’ve looked into eyes made of fire, filled with malice and hate, but something about her look gave me pause. It suddenly seemed a very good idea to do what she said. My desire to escape suitably crushed, her gaze softened somewhat, yet remained firm. She resumed poking at my side, tightening, loosening, untying and retying strips of gauze. Each time her hooves brushed me I tensed up, torn between inching away and risking her stare, or staying put and suffering being touched. But every time, I chose to remain still.

“It’s my head,” I admitted reluctantly. Performing the sending spell in my current state had been too much, I was loath to admit. Any more magic until I recovered from that effort would trigger more migraines or worse if I ignored them. I think I had read a story about a Unicorn’s head exploding when he pushed past his body’s limits. “I can’t work anymore magic today. When I try, it feels like my skull will split open.”

Fluttershy had moved on to the bandages on my haunches, satisfied with those around my side, and increasing my anxiety. She seemed to be careful to keep what lay beneath covered, for which I was grateful, but now she paused, two lengths of gauze in either hoof. “Anymore?” She looked up from her work to frown at me. “You did more than just levitate things, didn’t you?” Her voice was more than a little frustrated.

“No, no.” I quickly gave a small shake of my head. “Well, a little,” I relented. Her face darkened, but before she could speak I pressed on. “Before you got here, I had sent a letter to Princess Celestia. The spell to send it must have been too much for me, but I needed to get it to her as soon as possible. I honestly thought I could do more than that.” I sighed and shrugged my shoulders, causing the tray’s contents to rock alarmingly, but thankfully didn’t spill.

“A letter?” I was distressed to see she remained frozen, my bandages seemingly forgotten. “Was it about whatever Rainbow had seen you talking to the other night?”

I must admit, I had been surprised Rainbow Dash had been able to see the light in the first place. Her eyes must have been more akin to those of an eagle than a pony if she had seen me talking to Viker at night, in the midst of a storm. It made sense now, why she had been afraid last night. I was foolish to think she had been worried over an unexplained light. Maybe Pegasi had naturally sharper eyesight to aid in their flight? Pegasi were not a subject I often touched on, but that theory sounded solid.

“Yes, as well as my current illness.” I was unwilling to reveal what happened last night to her. If Celestia ordered me away, all I would be doing is scaring her with stories of a group of not-quite-dead and not-quite-alive Unicorns living in the woods next to her home. If I was permitted to stay… well, I’d have to tell them eventually, but I’d cross that bridge when I got to it.

Fluttershy seemed to have picked up on my hesitation and returned to tugging at my bandages. “Okay,” she said simply. She gently shifted the wraps, undoing several of my hastily made knots and retying them more securely, or so I assumed. I idly inspected the soup once more. I normally ate with the assistance of magic, but I could manage without. A piece of my mane slid out of place, dipping into the soup. I mumbled a curse and batted the offending hair back into place, headless of the tomato broth on it.

The yellow Pegasus made an odd noise and paused, causing me to glance back at her. She looked at me nervously before turning her attention back to my haunch. I sighed, knowing what she was so worried about. I guess I couldn’t blame her with how I had reacted at the party. In my rage I had threatened to kill her. The memory of it filled me with shame.

“Don’t worry about it,” I muttered. “If I’m too useless to even bandage myself, I’ll need your help, so it can’t be avoided. You’ve already seen my injuries, so I don’t really mind.”

She nodded quietly, moving faster now. She winced a couple times while putting the bandages in order and bit her lip throughout it, when she wasn’t making more sympathetic noises. I studiously ignored her, hoping she would finish soon and just leave. While she was certainly the kindest pony to inspect my wounds thus far, I still hated that there was anypony, nice or not, doing so. So I swallowed my unease and laid there, ignoring the Pegasus making various sounds while ensuring my bandages wouldn’t come loose.

“There,” she announced at length. “Much better.”

“Thank you.” I looked back at Fluttershy and gave her a smile. I was surprised that it came easily and felt sincere. “Thank you for, well… everything.”

She returned my smile. “Oh, I’m just glad I could help.” The yellow Pegasus slid the blanket back in place, covering my side once more. “You should eat and get some more rest. Twilight wanted to speak to you about something important, but I don’t think you should have any visitors right now.”

“Twilight wanted to see me?” I frowned, wondering what she could want. Could she have already read the book I gave her? She was just as quick at reading books as she was learning new spells, then. “Did she say what about?”

Fluttershy shook her head, pausing to blow her pink mane out of her face. “She just said it was important. But if you’re too sick to work magic, you’re too sick to talk to her. I’ll tell her to come back tomorrow.”

I jerked my head up, fully looking at her now. “She’s here?”

The Pegasus nodded. “She helped me cut up the carrots. She had brought her saddlebags with her and asked if she could leave a scroll on your desk in the library when I told her you were asleep.” She gave the bowl of soup a considering look. “Oh, do you need help with that?”

“I can eat just fine, thank you,” I grumbled at her. “Just send her up. I can eat and sleep later.”

Fluttershy frowned and crossed her forelegs across her chest, her wings now keeping her aloft. “No,” she said firmly. I hadn’t really expected for her to suddenly be so stubborn and was a little taken aback. “Rainbow Dash asked me to help you get better and to do that, you need to eat that soup, drink water, and get some sleep.”

Rainbow Dash…? Of course- she had after all gone out for help. “Look, just bring her up and I’ll eat as soon as she leaves.”

She shook her head, ignoring my pleading. “If you can levitate that bowl above your head, I’ll let you talk to her.”

I considered the bowl for a moment, contemplating giving it a try. But my head hurt just thinking about it and I wasn’t eager to experience that pain again. “Fine,” I snarled. She gave an infuriating self-satisfied nod and I scowled at her. “Tomorrow then,” I sighed unhappily, but it was obvious she wasn’t going to be persuaded.

“Tomorrow,” Fluttershy agreed, landing on her hooves and making for the stairs.

“And Fluttershy.” She turned around. “I don’t appreciate being ordered around, or having ponies go against my wishes.”

“Oh, of course not.” She smiled sweetly and started down the stairs. “I’ll be back up later. Make sure you drink your water too.”

Grumbling, I glared at the bowl and glass on the tray before me. After a pause, I sighed in resignation and picked the bowl up with two hooves. Slowly pouring the contents down my throat, I paused every now and then to chew the carrots floating in it. It wasn’t bad, I had to admit, but losing an argument with such an ordinarily timid Pegasus left a bitter taste in my mouth. It was just the fever, I told myself. And besides, I needed to get well soon. I was so close to my goal, I couldn’t afford any weakness now, not when I still had so much work to do.

After the soup, I guzzled the glass of water quickly and scooted back away from the tray. I was sprawled out on the mattress, my back hooves on my pillows and head pointed toward the foot of the bed. I rested my chin down on my crossed forelegs and felt my eyelids grow heavy. Down stairs, I heard the front door open and close. Outside, the sun was setting, giving off a weak, orange light. Eventually, I drifted to sleep for the second time today. I drifted in and out of consciousness, only half awake each time.

I don’t recall if I dreamed that night. Maybe that was a good thing, given the string of nightmares I’d been having in the last few days. But in one instant when I woke up, in what I desperately hoped was a dream, a light gleamed at the edge of the forest. It was a weak, yellow glow. I had lain awake, looking at it for a time, and it eventually faded. I could have sworn once it vanished, two blue lights shone weakly, tiny pinpricks of glittering malice, and eventually those too vanished. When I went to sleep once more, I was filled with unease, and slept through to the morning.

Chapter 5

A dull ache behind my eyes was the first thing I was aware of, but it wasn’t what woke me up. My room was only just beginning to be fully illuminated as the sun rose. Colorful balloons reading ‘Get Well Soon’ floated by my bed or up amongst the rafters, many of which were draped with streamers. I couldn’t recall much from the other day, my memories were hazy as I drifted in a fevered haze, but I knew those hadn’t been there yesterday. I distinctly recalled an overbearing yellow Pegasus taking care of me, however.

It was the voice of that same Pegasus that that woke me, as she and another pony spoke downstairs. “Oh, um, you really shouldn’t,” I heard Fluttershy say. “Pinkie was already up there, and she said he was still asleep.” That explained the balloons and streamers, then.

Shaking my head, I propped myself up on my elbows, still lying on the bed backwards. I spared a frown at the party favors lying about my room- the unwanted handiwork of that crazed pink pony, and turned my attention to the stairs. The sound of hooves sounded from the wooden steps, and before long, the tip of a hat appeared. It was quickly followed by a straw colored mane on an orange pony’s head.

“Well, he’s up now,” Applejack said with a smirk. She trotted into the room, fixing me with a frown. “Ah told ya he wouldn’t sleep all day.” She stopped at the center of the room, looking around at the decorations Pinkie Pie had left. “What in tha hay…?”

“I told you she had been in here.” Fluttershy shuffled up the stairs, coming to stand next to her friend. “Good morning Dusken,” she said brightly. “Feeling better?”

“More or less.” I returned the Earth pony’s frown with one of my own. “What is she doing here?”

Applejack didn’t even give the timid Pegasus a chance to speak. “Ah’m here ‘cause Ah want no bad blood between us. We got off on the wrong hoof, an’ if yer gonna be teachin Twilight yer fancy magics, we’ll be seein each other.” She jabbed a hoof at me suddenly. “Ah reckon we should settle any issues right here an’ now.”

“There’s nothing to settle.” I pushed myself up and out of bed. When my legs wobbled, Fluttershy darted forward, but stopped short when I glared at her. “I have things to do. I need to clean myself, prepare a few scrolls, and figure out some sort of plan for the ‘fancy magics’ I’ll be teaching Twilight.” I snorted and flicked my tangled tail. “Whatever pony built this tower, saw fit to not put in a door to the bathroom. So, if you’d be so kind as to get out, I would be grateful.”

“Um, are you feeling up to that?” I had already begun to head for the bathroom when Fluttershy took a tentative step after me. “I mean, don’t Unicorns normally use magic for that? Are you able to- oh.”

I had noticed my cloak lying neatly folded on top of the chest and levitated it over to me. “Oh yes,” I said with a smirk. “I am quite able to work magic now. While I’m thankful for your help, I will no longer need it.” I inspected the bathroom doorway with a frown. “You may head home.” I paused, looking back at Fluttershy. “Why are you here so early anyway? Why are any of you here so early?”

The Pegasus nervously shuffled her hooves, smiling bashfully. “I, um, stayed downstairs on the couch.” At my blank stare, she winced. “I th-thought you might need help, so I didn’t want to leave you alone. Not after what R-Rainbow Dash told me.”

I sighed and simply shook my head. “Whatever. It’s not worth the effort of getting into.” It would seem I wouldn’t be lacking for want of company around here, even if I wanted to. I cocked an eyebrow at Applejack. “And you?”

“Ah have apples ta buck,” she said defensively. “So Ah got up before Ah needed ta work and thought Ah’d straighten things out between us.” She snorted, glowering at me. “Which yer bein’ awful stubborn about.”

“Because there’s nothing to talk about!” I looked away from the two ponies and frowned in thought.

An idea came to mind as I inspected the bathroom doorway. As it turned out, there had been a door once, but the hinges in the wall were almost completely rusted away. I levitated my cloak to the doorway, covering about a third of it, and cast a minor enchantment on it. The cloak now clung to the wall by its top half, leaving the lower part hanging free. If I couldn’t have a door, I could use a curtain. I made a mental note to pick up a curtain and a rod some time, since it would be too much effort to enchant my cloak, then disenchant it to wear it.

“Therefore,” I turned my attention back to Applejack. “This is all a waste of time. Just go home, buck some apples, or whatever it is you Earth ponies do, and leave me alone.” I ducked under my makeshift curtain and started unwinding the bandages around my flank. Outside, Applejack sputtered. “You can pack up whatever you brought and leave now, Fluttershy. Thanks again for your help.”

“Oh, um… actually…” I paused and repressed a sigh. I couldn’t see the Pegasus, but I was sure she was shuffling quietly again.

“What?”

“Um, Rainbow Dash said that whatever you met by the forest had lights… right?”

I resumed unwinding the bandages wrapped around my torso and frowned. “Yes, why?”

“Well, I had seen lights in the woods by my house the other night, and, um…” I could hear her take a breath. “I’m worried whatever you were talking to might still be here.” I stuck my head under my cloak, looking at the Pegasus. “I was hoping you c-could take a look around,” she said meekly. “I mean, if that’s alright.”

I considered her for a moment. It was likely some random pony had been tramping through the forest with a light of some sort. But I couldn’t be sure. It was entirely possible a Shade besides Viker was in the area, in which case it needed to be destroyed immediately. And if it was careless or reckless enough to be seen by Fluttershy, it could be dangerous if it realized it had been seen. Particularly by a pony as meek as her; if the Shade decided it needed to cover its tracks, she would be helpless.

I wasn’t going to risk one of the Elements of Harmony with my own carelessness. “Of course,” I said with a nod. “Give me about an hour and we’ll get going.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy looked relieved and started down the stairs. “T-take your time then.”

“Ah’ll come too,” Applejack said suddenly. Fluttershy nodded happily and trotted downstairs.

Shaking my head, I sighed, before glancing at the orange Earth pony, still standing in my room. “Why will you be coming along? There’s no point in you coming with.”

“Because Fluttershy’s mah friend,” she said stubbornly. “And if somethin’s given her a spook, Ah wanna help. Especially if it’s whatever ya’ll had seen the other night. Whatever it was, scared ya too, or so Rainbow said.”

I snorted in disdain. “Even if it is the same thing from last night, there’s nothing an Earth pony could—“

“An Earth pony?!” Applejack growled. “Is that yer issue with me? That Ah’m an ‘Earth pony?’ What are ya, some kinda,” she paused, searching for the words. “Pony racist?”

“Hardly.” I gave her one last glare before ducking back into the bathroom. “I don’t see how an Earth pony could be of any use in matters of magic, which is what I need to worry about. You just need to worry about… apples, I guess.”

“Oh no,” she said angrily. She pushed the curtain aside and fixed me with a glare. “Ah think yer some hoity-toity Unicorn who looks down on us Earth ponies. Ah could tell ya didn’t exactly care for Pinkie neither. Is it ‘cause she’s an Earth pony too?”

The bandages once wrapped around my torso were now heaped in a pile on the floor while I turned my attention to the irritating mare. “She just talks so much.” I considered Applejack for a moment before levitating her out. She gave an angry yelp when I dropped her outside of the curtain. “But if you want me to be honest, I can’t figure out why any Earth ponies or Pegasi hold the Elements of Harmony. Their true potential must surely be capable of being unlocked by a Unicorn. Or really any creature who can channel magic.”

I had gotten the tub running when Applejack thrust her head back into the bathroom. “What the hay do the Elements o’ Harmony have ta do with any a’ that? Yer just here ta teach Twilight this ‘dark magic’ stuff, so what does…” she paused, frowning. I considered forcing her out again, perhaps putting a barrier in place to keep her out, when she spoke once more. “Ya said ya had been huntin’ for somethin’ in the Everfree Forest. Ah’m guessin’ it’s related to those lights Rainbow and Fluttershy saw?” She didn’t give me the chance to answer, but continued on with her speculations. Speculations that were getting dangerously close to the truth. “Dark magic was somethin’ Nightmare Moon used, an’ the Elements o’ Harmony were needed to stop her.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “What are ya really here for?”

I gulped, uncomfortable with how this mare was looking at me now. Sunny had always insisted Earth ponies were violent, simple minded brutes, and this particular pony looked like she could do some damage. But she was an Element of Harmony. That had to count for something, as far as not being an aggressive thug went. But when a pony felt threatened, they could do stupid things.

“To teach,” I said simply. “I may very well end up needing the Elements of Harmony, but before that time, I need to teach… possibly all of you something.”

“An’ what would that be?” the mare asked, taking several steps toward me.

“Something Princess Celestia saw fit not to tell you about.” I enveloped her with magic once again and started to force her out. Her hoofs found some purchase on the stone floor, but it wasn’t enough. “It’s up to her to decide when or if to tell you. I’m keeping my mouth shut on the matter.”

I glanced back at the tub and hastily shut off the water. Any longer and it would have started to overflow. I let some water drain, my attention divided on measuring the water and dragging the Earth pony out of the bathroom, when she spoke again.

“Ah’m the Element o’ Truth, y’know,” she said indignantly, still fighting to stay in the room. “Ya best not be lying to me!”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I muttered dryly. “Now, if you don’t mind,” I gave her a final push through the doorway. “I’d like to take a bath. Alone.” This time, I put a barrier of sorts in place. I enchanted the cloak to take on the same hardness of a rock, and bound its sides to the doorway as well. There was still a small gap at the floor, and a much larger gap at the top of the doorway, but it proved effective when Applejack gave a grunt of surprise from the other side. I saw her hooves slide as she pushed against the curtain, but to no avail. Satisfied I would remain alone, I removed the last of my bandages, the tub now suitably full of water- but not too full.

As I climbed into the tub, the mare gave a frustrated sigh. “Fine! But this ain’t over, oh no. Not by a long shot.” I frowned, shaking my head, but said nothing.

The rest of my bath went without incident. I cleaned my coat, tail, and, after placing my lens on the sink, washed my mane. I lingered somewhat, but reminded myself I needed to investigate around Fluttershy’s house. I worked my drying spell after climbing out, and set about reapplying my bandages, found in the medicine cabinet that was indeed behind the mirror. Soon, I was ready; bandages and salve applied, glass lens in place, hair dry, and tub now draining. I removed the magic on my cloak and left the room.

I draped the familiar piece of clothing across my back, tying it in the front, and surveyed my room. No sign of either pony, but I could hear their faint voices downstairs. I also noticed my bed’s blanket and covers were gone, but chalked that up to Fluttershy. I levitated the chest’s lid open and tossed two scrolls on the bed. Both scrolls were bound with a black silken thread, and the corners of the paper were dyed red. I’d need to give those to Twilight sometime.

They contained two simple spells that were seldom practiced: the piercing spell I used to fight, and a spell designed to break other spells. The latter was crude; it focused on shielding another Unicorn’s horn and containing their magic, as well as severing their connection to any spells they were in the process of using. The former was, quite simply, busy work for Twilight. I had no doubt she’d figure them both out fast enough, though the magic blocking spell may take a little longer, but I still hadn’t decided how exactly to go about teaching her dark magic, so I sought ways to keep her entertained while I figured out my plans. I could simply tell her the theory, but that would hold small meaning without experience. I’d need to decide which spells were suitable to learn that would cause as little harm as possible if she messed them up, but taught her more than how to simply channel in a slightly different manner.

I would worry about that later, I decided. I wanted to get Fluttershy home and reassure her there was nothing to be worried about. I wanted to reassure myself as well, that there truly was nothing to worry about. The library was empty, I hadn’t really expected them to be there anyway, so I didn’t bother stopping. When I reached the ground floor, I found both mares talking quietly to each other. They cut off when they saw me, Fluttershy giving me a smile, while Applejack simply looked away.

The Pegasus wore a pair of saddlebags, both filled with whatever she had brought with her. “Are we all ready to go then?” she asked.

Applejack nodded stiffly, and I shrugged. “I guess so. Let’s get going then.” As it happened, the front door was unlocked, so I pushed it open with magic. “After you,” I said with a bob of my head.

The two mares trotted out while I locked the door behind us, sealing it with another locking spell. Applejack snorted when I did. “Paranoid?” she asked.

I was contented to glare at her by way of response, and trotted past her. “Where to, Fluttershy?”

The Pegasus, who had been staring at the distant woods, perked up. “Oh, um, this way.” She trotted down the dirt path, leaving us no choice but to follow. But when we reached the first buildings of Ponyville, she turned aside, skirting around them.

We walked along in silence, but I was growing uncomfortable with the angry looks Applejack was giving me. “So,” I ventured. “Tell me more about these lights you saw.” I asked partly to break the silence, but mostly because I was curious. I was hopeful she might reveal something that gave me reason to cross off a Shade from the list of possibilities.

But my hopes took a blow when she answered. “Well, they w-were bright, but small. They were red, and there were two, but c-close together.” She looked around nervously, fear plain on her face. “They reminded me of eyes. L-Like how Rainbow described them.”

Dammit, I squashed the fear I felt building in my gut. Red eyes are common enough amongst the Shades, so maybe it’s a different one. I was relieved she hadn’t said blue; the only Shade I had ever known to possess blue eyes had been Viker, and it would have been suicide to stand against her alone. I had a feeling Fluttershy would be useless in any sort of fight, and Applejack wouldn’t be able to do anything against the magic a Shade could wield. I knew that for a fact; Viker had taught me, after all, and made sure to never give me any sort of edge on her. If my own magic couldn’t stop her, a magicless Earth pony would stand no chance.

I wet my lips and nodded. “Then it’s possible that this could be…” I cleared my throat, searching for the right words. “This could be very dangerous. It may be one of the ponies I was hunting after all.” I paused when Applejack made a small noise, as though I just confirmed something she thought. Annoyed, I continued. “There will be a fight if we find it.”

“A f-fight?” Fluttershy froze in place, quaking. “Oh, should we get some help then? I d-don’t want to leave the animals alone with s-something so scary wandering around.”

“Don’t bother,” I said with a shrug. “Unless there’s a Unicorn around who actually knows how to fight, anypony you get will just be in my way.”

“Now hold on there partner,” Applejack spoke up. “Yer makin it sound like yer after some sorta monster. And what’s more, yer still sick. Ah’m gonna have to agree with Fluttershy here and say we get help.”

“Monster?” I gave the Earth pony a frown. “Yes and no. It’s still a pony, but, uh…” I flicked my tail in annoyance. “I’m fine,” I lied, changing the subject. My head still felt light and my body tired, but my mind was sharp, and working magic caused me no pain. That was all I needed. “If I had been able to, and I knew about it, I would have been looking yesterday. What you saw the other night,” I prodded Fluttershy with a hoof, urging her to resume walking. She obliged and continued to lead us down the road, now headed away from Ponyville proper. A sparse few houses lined the road, which wound its way to the forest ahead. “That could be dangerous, and it shouldn’t be hanging around Ponyville. That pony needs to be removed.”

“Ah don’t believe what Ah’m hearing!” the farm pony cried. “What yer talkin about is plain ole murder! Yer plannin on killin this pony, aren’t ya?”

“K-kill?!” Fluttershy squeaked. “Oh no, no, no, there has to be some other way, right?”

The Pegasus threatened to stop again, but I gave her another nudge. “Put bluntly: no. It wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to any other pony it met, I assure you. It’s for the best.”

Applejack jumped in front of me, spinning to glare at me. I was forced to stop or run into her. “Ah don’t think ya have any right to do none o’ that!”

“To do what?” I swallowed when the mare leaned in closer, angrily eying me, but I didn’t balk. “Princess Celestia sent me here to do more than just teach Twilight magic. Hunting down this group of Unicorns is my other task- one you can impede if you want, but you’ll be defying a royal order in that case.” As uncertainty crept into her gaze, I knew I had won. “I’m the Court Wizard, so what I do, I do with the authority of the court behind me. If you’re so intent on bothering me, so be it. But it would be best if you two just waited here.” I turned to Fluttershy. “I just need to follow the road, right? Your cottage is down the way in the woods?” She nodded. “Good. Wait here then.”

Applejack leaned over to the Pegasus and whispered something. They exchanged a few words and separated; Fluttershy went back toward Ponyville, while Applejack trotted after me. “Ah’m comin too,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument. “Ah’m hopin yer wrong about all this, and it was just some innocent pony who happened ta wander near her house.”

“I hope so too.” She looked confused by my answer, earning a grin from me. “I’m not a monster yet. I don’t go out of my way to end lives, but this is different.”

She frowned at me, her brows furrowed. “Ah don’t know whether ta buck ya in the jaw, or feel sorry for ya. Ah think ya need some serious help”

“I, what?” I couldn’t hide my surprise and my cheeks felt hot. These accursed mares kept acting so strangely. I picked up my pace; the dirt road was now cutting through the woods, leaving behind the other homes. “Just be quiet,” I snapped. “I don’t need anypony to pity me or help me.”

“That’s not what ya told Rainbow when she spent the night,” the farm pony snickered.

“Sh-shut up!” I blurted, face going red beneath my fur. She chuckled at my expense. “I said be quie-“ I came to a sudden stop, startling the pony following me.

“What tha hay are ya—“

“Be quiet,” I whispered. There was a tingling in my skull, similar to the sensation I felt when I met Viker. Applejack gave the surrounding trees an uneasy look. “We’re not alone.”

“What do ya mean— Dusken!“ The mare shouted seconds before impact.

A weight bowled me over, and something jagged scraped against my shoulder, drawing blood. The force of the hit took the breath from me, and carried me and my attacker off the road, tumbling through a bush and into a ditch. I frantically fended off a snapping maw filled with jagged fangs. They clicked together inches from my nose twice before we came to a stop. A large Shade held me pinned, his teeth bared, and eyes burning red. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was relieved at their color: they were almost orange in hue. What’s more, the Shade’s shoulders were heavily muscled, a trait his mentor didn’t share. His mane was still faintly tinted green, a sign he was new to Shade-hood.

The Shade growled at me for a moment before suddenly jerking up, his pointed hooves inches from my head. “Dusken?” he croaked uncertainly.

“Splint,” I snarled, and, with a burst of magic, threw him off. The dark Unicorn slammed into the ground a few feet away with all the force as would be expected from his bulk, he but was quickly back on his hooves.

“Splint is dead,” he rasped, his burning eyes narrowed in confusion. “I’m Thel now. What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Canterlot.”

“I moved,” I spat. I was slower to regain my footing, but eventually stood. I could hear Applejack smash through the foliage behind me. Just beyond the ditch was a small clearing, which Splint stood in the center of.

I sized up the pony Splint had become. He had actually been from my village; a small green Unicorn with a bandage Cutie Mark. His skill had been treating injuries, but his flank was blank now, like all Shades’. He was enormous now. He had twice my width, and stood a head and a half taller than me, not to mention he was many times heavier. His horn was only beginning to grow crooked, and was still green at the tip, but that was obscured by some of my blood. I had received extensive training from Viker, while Malken had taken an immediate liking to Splint, and took him under his tutorage.

“That’s right,” he croaked in his ruined voice. “You still have unfinished business with us. We still have unfinished business with you. Malken wants you found- badly.” The stocky Shade grinned wickedly. “He wants you alive, but doesn’t mind if you aren’t whole.”

“What the—“ Applejack was now at my side, eyes filled with terror. “What in the name o’ Celestia is that?!”

Splint laughed; a deep booming sound that echoed throughout the woods. “So you have a marefriend now? Adorable.” He leered at the orange Earth pony and snickered. “Didn’t he tell you about his family?”

“She doesn’t matter,” I barked, trotting over to stand in front of Applejack. “Ignore her, she’s nothing. I’m the one you have to deal with now.” I shot a glare over my shoulder at the mare. “Go, now.”

“Ah ain’t leavin you alone with that thing!” she cried.

“Just go!” I urged, when Splint laughed again.

“Lovers’ quarrel?” he croaked, delighted. “No, no, please, stay. I haven’t had a bite to eat for days. But don’t worry; I’ll save you for last.” The mare paled beneath her orange coat, inciting another laugh from the Shade.

“Shut up!” I lashed out, a strand of white magic cracking like a whip as it headed for Splint’s head.

But the Shade moved, shifting his body and causing the magic to score a bloody cut across his right shoulder rather than remove his head. The wound wept sludge-like blood, so dark its red color was almost lost to black. I could remember Splint had never been proficient with barriers, but that didn’t matter anymore. His physique enabled him to endure injuries I couldn’t.

“That wasn’t very brotherly,” he growled, losing his jovial tone. “I won’t eat you, but I’m going to enjoy breaking you.” He stomped and leveled his horn at me, a black glow enveloping it. After a second, a streak of dark colored light that hurt to look at shot out.

“Move!” I dove to the side as the bar of energy passed through the air where I had stood. I was relieved Applejack had been able to react in time as well, as she crashed to the ground alongside me. As I rose, I felt a twinge in my left shoulder. A quick glance revealed that Splint’s horn had gouged me deeper than I thought, as blood was beginning to trickle down to my knee.

But that was easily stopped with a searing spell. The pain was intense, but I would no longer have to worry about that wound. It was sealed, and the heat would have cleansed any germs in it. Applejack was already on her hooves, propping her hat up out of her eyes, and had the look to do something stupid.

“Don’t,” I warned. “You need to get out of here. If you stay, you’ll get both of us killed.” I looked down at my cloak and brushed some dirt and leaves from it.

“Don’t worry about me.” She glared at the Shade, who patiently waited at a distance, chuckling to himself. “Ah see what ya mean though. This thing is dangerous.”

I was distracted, turning to reply, when I felt a tug at my front left leg. A black aura surrounded it, and pressure was building. Slint intended to break my leg; to cripple me and drag me off to the other Shades. And kill Applejack while he was at it. But I lashed out once more, in a different way. I broke the magic lines leading from his horn to my leg, freeing my leg.

The Shade snorted in annoyance, but I wasn’t done. I struck at his burning eyes, causing him to thrash his head back and forth. But it wasn’t physical damage I sought to cause; I sought to break the enchantment in his left eye. The flames sparked and he roared, as his eye was doubtlessly pure agony now. With luck, he was temporarily blinded as well.

“Runt!” he bellowed. “I forgot about your tricks!” He glared at me with one eye, his left squeezed shut. “Let me try that with your eye.”

Another bar of light, but headed for my eye lens. I jerked to the side, but was too slow. The bar hit the side of the lens, burning the right side of my head and destroying part of the silk strap. The lens, now shot through with cracks, fell to the dirt. I reeled back, a hoof over my eye.

“Dusken!” Applejack put a hoof on my shoulder. “Are ya alright?”

I shrugged her hoof off. “Just go already!” I cried angrily. “For Celestia’s sake, leave!”

“You’re fighting handicapped,” Splint sneered. “It’s about time you used that eye of yours; your one, to my two.” He had opened his left eye now, and I was distressed to see it looked fine now. “You should probably give up though, or I’ll have to really hurt you.”

I ground my teeth, my temper flaring. “You know, Splint,” I growled, uncovering my eye. Lines swirled and lights that had previously been hidden danced before my new vision. I could see each intricate detail of the spells my opponent was readying, as well as the nimbus of energy surrounding his horn. “I always hated you.”

“Thel,” the Shade rumbled. “It’s Thel now. Get it right.”

I glared at Applejack, causing her to wince and gasp. She couldn’t stop staring at my right eye now. “If you want to help, fine.” I lowered my voice, pitching it low enough so Splint hopefully couldn’t hear. “Slip into the woods, out of sight. I’ll disable him, and when I give the signal, you need to get out here and break his horn.”

“Break his horn?” the mare repeated dumbly. In her wide eyes, I could see my own reflected: two mismatched eyes. My right eye was a brilliant blue, constantly shifting and dancing like a fire. Like Viker’s eyes.

“Yes,” I hissed. “It’s the only way to end this quickly.” I looked up, scowling at Splint. “Now go!”

The orange Earth pony scrambled away, ducking into the underbrush. The Shade snorted in disdain. “You’re going to make me hunt her down?” He shook his head angrily. “You’re not making this any easier.”

“Good. I didn’t want to.” I lowered my horn and lashed out once more, but divided my attention. The beam, now fading to grey I noted, struck at his right foreleg, left flank, his throat, and his left eye again. I could see his magic now; dark lines that twisted in the air, and saw them shield his eye and throat, blocking my attack. But the other spears of light hit home. One pierced his right front leg’s shin, passing through the meat and bone cleanly. The other stabbed into the left side of his chest, but the magic within his body caused it to fizzle before it could go through to the other side.

If he was overly bothered by his new injuries, Splint gave no sign. The unnatural constitution he possessed as a Shade would have let him shrug off far more serious wounds, but these hardly seemed to register. The last thing I expected him to do was laugh. Blood trickled from his side, and I could plainly see through the hole in his damaged leg, but he paid them no heed.

“How many years has it been since you lived amongst us?” The Shade’s horn flared as he launched his own attack. I didn’t bother dodging it this time; the barrier I threw in front of it weathered the assault. “Two? Three?” Another bar of dark light also blocked. “Long enough to forget the most important rule,” he glared at a bush to his left. “Rely only on yourself.”

He fired twice; one beam made its way towards me, while another streaked toward the bush. I saw Applejack try to scramble out of the way, leaving her hiding spot, but she was moving too slowly; she wouldn’t make it. I acted without thinking.

My own barrier dropped, just as I shifted my body, taking Splint’s shot to my right shoulder. It was painful- excruciating, but I thought I would live, as it only appeared to burn. I was more concerned about my cloak, its edge having been singed badly, than I was over my own body. I erected a new barrier, protecting Applejack, and poured my strength into it. As I had suspected, the attack headed her way had more power behind it. But when it hit my barrier, a wall of light darkening to black, sparks flew. I strained to keep the shield up as it bent inward from the force of impact.

Splint kept his focus solely on the Earth pony, hammering away at my barrier. My head began to pound from the effort of keeping it up. I really did need to end this quickly. And the opportunity to do so had presented itself.

Once more, I divided my focus, launching a new attack on the Shade while maintaining the barrier protecting Applejack, who now cowered behind it. This time, I didn’t intend to physically damage Splint. I had something more difficult in mind. I struck his horn, startling him into ceasing his assault, but I didn’t stop there. I enveloped it with my own magic, now a solid black. More tendrils sped from my horn and warped around his body. I forced his head back, further and further until he reared back, and pushed him over. I held him there, pinned on his back, while I contained the magic he desperately sought to unleash. His horn was the key; so long as I kept that sealed, he could do nothing.

“Applejack!” The mare looked up, straightening her hat. “Now.”

Without any hesitation, she bolted forward, her face determined. I had dropped the barrier when I stopped Splint, so her way was clear. She hopped over the ruts and branches that littered the ground and halted at the fallen Shade. She reared back, her front hooves over his head.

“Wait,” the Shade cried, but too late. Applejack’s hooves slammed down, and his horn snapped. There was a flash as the energy within was suddenly released, and the mare staggered backwards, tripping over a divot in the ground. Over the whoosh of energy violently rushing from the Shade’s stump of a horn, was his shriek. He vented his pain and fury to the sky for a long time. His cry was so sharp I thought my eardrums would burst. Eventually, he found his ability to speak.

“I’ll kill you!” He thrashed wildly against his invisible bonds. He tried to crane his neck toward Applejack and snapped his fang-filled maw at her, but I held his head mostly still. She was up by that time, and shied away from him. “Dusken!” he roared. “You pathetic whelp! I’ll kill you too! Malken can rot; I want to kill you myself, you damn worm!” He continued to writhe on the ground, blood now pooling beneath him. His leg finally bled, perhaps having been held back by magic, as did his side and horn stump.

“Listen Splint—“ I began, but was cut off.

“It’s THEL you empty headed, sniveling runt! Say it with me: THEL!” His display was beginning to grow tiresome.

“I’ll call you whatever I want,” I snapped, and forced his mouth shut. He continued to thrash, but his words were reduced to angry moans and growls. “And this runt is responsible for every ounce of pain you’re feeling right now! If you were a real Shade, you’d be made of sterner stuff, and I would have been forced to kill you immediately.” He grew silent, burning red eyes boring into me. “For now, you are more valuable to me alive.”

“Dusken,” Applejack spoke in a hushed tone. She trotted to my side, inspecting my burnt shoulder. “What are ya doin? Just… just put an end ta all o’ this.” She shifted her attention to the burn across my right temple. Her gaze lingered uneasily at my eye, but she seemed to force herself to look away. “We can get those looked at, and getcha a new lens thingy, but let’s just go.”

She prodded me with her nose, but I refused to budge. “Not yet. When I’m finished, we’ll go,” I promised. I gave the fallen Shade a considering glance and, after a moment’s thought, stepped up onto his chest. He grunted, lips curling back into a snarl. I tightened the magical bindings around his throat, and only stopped once he began to gag. “Now Splint,” I snarled, and he remained docile. “I’m going to ask you a few questions. You will answer them as truthfully and to the best of your ability as possible. Am I clear?”

I slowly released my hold of his mouth. “Yes,” he gasped. His gaze was full of loathing.

“Good.” I gave him an empty smile, standing atop his chest. “You acted surprised when you saw me. Do the other Shades truly not know I am here?”

“No.”

Then it was as I hoped; Viker kept my presence here secret. I didn’t know how long that would last though. “A couple of weeks ago, some ponies were abducted by Shades. What happened to them?”

Now he sneered. “Dead.” With the pressure I was applying to his throat, speaking was difficult for him. “Couldn’t make them Shades. Killed them. Too weak, too soft.”

I sighed in annoyance. I hadn’t held much hope for their survival, but it raised a new concern. “Why are you trying to create new Shades?”

“We dwindle,” he croaked. “None turn to us. Villages empty. Banding together. Hiding. Fortifying.”

“Where?”

He wrinkled his nose, brow furrowing. “Suth’s Meadow. Thick walls, powerful casters. Executing any who,” he paused, his burning eyes glancing around the small clearing. “Dabble too much.”

Applejack kept her distance from the Shade, but she began fidgeting. “Dusken… this, this ain’t right. We gotta go.”

“We will,” I glanced at her. “As soon—“ I cut off when Splint rocked beneath me.

I had been distracted, for only a second, and he struck. His head lunged forward, further than his restraints should have allowed him to, and he sank his teeth into my chest. Those bindings were likely all that kept him from reaching my throat. He growled something into my coat and began to pull.

When his magic had burned the side of my head, that had hurt, but I had been able to ignore that. When he burned my shoulder, it had been a more intense pain, but I could shrug that off too. His bite topped those both. I screamed, and tightened the magic I had wound around his throat. I tried to pry his jaws open, but it was all I could do to keep him pinned still.

To her credit, Applejack acted quickly. She took three quick steps forward, and hopped. In mid air, she spun, facing away from us, and when she landed, she landed on her front hooves, her rear hooves poised in the air. It all took less than two seconds. And then she kicked.

Her hooves slammed into Splint’s head with explosive force. Immediately upon impact, his skull crumpled, finally killing him. But his head jerked to the side, and as his fangs left my chest, I felt something tear. His body spasmed once before growing limp and I toppled off of it. The landing jarred me, causing me to bite my tongue. As I lay on my side I tasted blood, just as I saw the red fluid spill onto the ground before me, now suddenly much closer than it had atop the Shade.

“Oh sweet Celestia,” Applejack whispered. “Ah… Ah killed him.” She stood there, staring at the dead Shade, when my groan snapped her out of it. “Dusken!” She leapt over the body and me both, and ducked down, her eyes level with mine. “Oh no, oh no oh no.” She prodded my shoulder, barely keeping a lid on her panic. “What do Ah do?”

I screwed my eyes shut in pain, applying pressure to the bite with magic. I had already begun to sear parts of it shut, but the damage was beyond my crude ministrations. If I tried, I might only make it worse as I burned muscle and sinew. “Fluttershy’s house,” I muttered. “Bandages, needle, thread, anything. Please.” She nodded and started to go, but I lifted a hoof, causing her to pause. “If I don’t make it—“

She shook her head, eyes beginning to glisten. “Don’t talk like that. Ah ain’t gonna let you—“

“Shut up.” I hissed in annoyance and collected my thoughts. My chest felt like it was on fire. “If I don’t make it, there’s a book at the tower. In the chest. It- it has a plain brown cover, with a lock. It’s my journal; I sealed it with magic, and the real lock is broken. Twilight should be able to get it open.” I paused, curling my forelegs to my chest. “No matter what happens, she needs to read it. It’s important. It should explain everything. I should have told her earlier. Should have told all of you.” I let my head drop to the dirt. “Burn the body. Keep the horn. Go,” I mumbled.

She turned and bolted, crashing through the undergrowth. I faintly heard her hooves pounding down the dirt path, but those faded eventually. My body tingled as I realized I was losing conciseness. I fought to stay awake; Applejack was a simple farm pony, and while I may not exactly be a physician, I would be able to tend to my wound far better than she could. But despite my best efforts, I was losing the fight to cling to the waking world.

Maybe I was fighting to stay alive as well. I didn’t know how bad the injury was after my work to staunch some of the blood flow. Maybe it had been enough, and would stop on its own. Maybe Applejack would be able to do something; maybe working on a farm, she had dealt with injuries, while probably not bites, and could do something after all. Or maybe, after working so hard, I was going to die.

Unbidden, tears came to my eyes. Or, eye, since my right eye had been damaged long ago, and the tear duct stopped working. That injury had cost me my old eye, requiring me to get this one. I didn’t want to die. I was afraid of what would be waiting for me. I still had so much work to do as well. I needed to stop whatever the Shades were up to, I needed to help Twilight and her friends through whatever trials waited for them. I needed to apologize to Twilight for being so rude, make amends with Applejack and thank her for her help, show Rarity how to dry cloth, assure Fluttershy it was safe now, and let Pinkie Pie know I appreciated the effort she went through on my behalf. I needed to thank Rainbow Dash for staying with me. I let my eyes drift shut.

If I lived, a part of me hoped to see her again. There was something endearing about the Pegasus; something that made me feel comfortable, safe, and happy when she was around. Even though those times had mostly filled with me being soaking wet and cold, I hadn’t been bitter about it. I had been taught to keep myself closed off from any pony I met, but… if it weren’t for Applejack, Splint would have ripped me apart. Rainbow Dash got me back to my house when I was shaking too badly to walk, and Fluttershy, as much as I had resented it at the time, had helped me get well. Maybe there was a flaw in my teachings.

Was there a flaw in me as well? Yes, I decided as I slowly went numb, my head buzzing faintly. And it was a very fatal flaw I needed to rid myself of very soon.

A small blue Unicorn foal lay curled up on a couch, a green cloak draped across him. The room he was in was large, its furnishings minimal and stark. Over the couch, a single portrait hung crooked; it depicted two Unicorns, one yellow, and one green. The yellow stallion’s wrinkled eyes gazed lovingly into the cracked eyes of the green mare. Aside from that one picture, the wooden walls were bare and dark. A single candle, resting on the table in front of the couch, illuminated the room.

Outside, the moon shone, its light filtering in through the shuttered windows. The village was quite, its citizens asleep, and the night belonged to crickets, and owls, and other creatures the foal couldn’t name. These soft noises made the foal squirm and shudder. He buried his nose beneath his front hooves, trying to tug the cloak closer, and whimpered, staring at walls lost in shadow. To his right, the kitchen sat completely shrouded in darkness, the long table looking like some creature squatting in the dark.

To his left, a smaller table, that to his imaginative mind looked especially impish and wicked. Beyond that, more shadows lay across the wooden floors, before the boards met wall. At approximately the center, a heavy wooden door stood, three different locks studding its surface in addition to the one in the handle. At the moment, the three were unlocked.

The foal was staring at the door when it gave a sudden click, causing him to jump. A yellow Unicorn- the same Unicorn from the picture above the couch, staggered into the house. A pungent scent clung to him; the foal was too young to recognize the smell of alcohol. The older Unicorn stared bleared eyed at the foal, his vision adjusting to the weak light.

“You’re up,” he grumbled. “Why?”

The foal trembled as he rose, tears forming in his eyes. “Monsters, daddy!” his small voice squeaked pitifully. “A d-dark pony is hiding under my bed again.”

Sunny glared at foal, snorting in irritation. “No, no there isn’t.” He took a few unsteady steps forward. “Just like last time, there won’t be anything under there.” The candle on the table became enveloped by a yellow glow, and floated at Sunny’s side, where it wobbled slightly.

The foal hopped off the couch, gripping the cloak with his teeth, and followed Sunny. The door to his room faced the kitchen, and was partly open. A single window at the far wall was tightly shuttered, the bed resting beneath it. The wall opposite the entrance was one shared with Sunny’s own room on the opposite side, and like all of the walls, was cluttered with the mindless drawings the foal had scribbled out. Some depicted colorful ponies, mostly Unicorns, frolicking in fields with a smiling sun overhead. Others were passable attempts at sketches: trees with shaky lines, ponies with disproportioned bodies, or various buildings found around the village.

Sunny’s horn flared brightly as he demonstrated that nothing was beneath the foal’s bed. He wasn’t content to simply force him to peek under; he levitated the entire bed, frame and all, into the air, almost to the ceiling.

“See? Nothing.” He set the bed down quickly, causing it to bang loudly against the wooden floor, and rounded on the foal. “Now get back to sleep.”

The foal meekly scurried over to the bed, struggling to pull his small form up into it. Once he stood on the mattress, he began tugging the cloak up as well. A corner still clenched in his teeth, he used his hooves to drag it onto the bed. Sunny watched all of this passively.

“Why do you do that?”

The foal paused in his labors to look up. “Do what?”

The yellow Unicorn flicked his tail irritably. “Drag that around with you everywhere. You can’t keep doing that forever.”

“It was mommy’s right?” The foal stared at his father with wide eyes. “I-I like it.”

Now Sunny scowled. “She died giving birth to you. How would you know?”

The foal spun, winding the cloak around him. He ducked down into it, ignoring the blanket that covered his bed. He wriggled deeper into its cover until only his face peeked out. “I’m sorry,” he whimpered.

Sunny sighed. He studied his son closely, eyes narrowed. “Go to sleep,” he said at length, and left, taking the light with him. He pulled the door shut behind him, leaving the room in total darkness.

The foal lay awake, resting his head on a part of the cloak. Light still filtered in through the crack beneath his door. And quietly, so faint he could barely hear it, he could hear Sunny sob. The yellow Unicorn sat at the kitchen table, hooves over his head, candle a few inches from the side of his head. Tears streamed down his face, forming small pools beneath his chin. The younger Unicorn wouldn’t know his reasons until much later, when his father was long dead, and the child the foal had once been was as well.

He mourned his wife, wishing he could have done something to save her. He had held her as she bled to death, promising her it would all be okay. But in the end, his magic could do nothing; she had been the village’s healer, and his skills were the complete opposite. Neither he nor any of the other Unicorns could stop the internal bleeding.

He wept for himself, hating the wretched pony he had become. He spurned his friends, turning to drinking to forget his grief. Only his brother-in-law, Flare, could stand being around him. If not for the foal’s uncle, Sunny may have drunk himself to death several times already. His own selfishness, to be willing to leave his son alone in the world, sickened him.

And most of all, he cried for the very same son that took his wife’s life away. The son who was born prematurely, small and weak, having already fallen ill several times in his short life. The doctors estimated he wouldn’t live to see adulthood. That scared Sunny more than he would admit. But the root of his fear was the firm belief he was an inept father. A terrible father, really. He often wondered if he would be doing his son a favor if he left him with his uncle.

“You worthless bastard,” Sunny muttered to himself, the foal barely picking out his words. He raised a hoof and pounded the side of his head. His thoughts were still clouded from booze, and the pain hardly registered, causing him to strike himself again. Slowly, he lifted his head, staring at the door to his son’s room.

With uncertain steps, he eased the door open. The foal, seeing the light, squeezed his eyes shut, pretending to sleep. Sunny walked to his son’s bedside, silent. He studied the sleeping Unicorn for a moment, and that moment stretched on to a minute, and then several.

Finally, he leaned down, planting a kiss on his son’s head. “Good night, Pipsqueak,” he whispered, smiling faintly at Flare’s nickname for his child. “I love you.”

He left the room for the second time that night, extinguishing the light as he did so. He found his way to his own bedroom and, like the foal, lay awake, staring into the darkness for a long time before finally finding sleep.

Pain. That was the first thing I was aware of. I don’t know why it surprised me; of course there would be pain. Every waking moment, something somewhere hurt. But it wasn’t the sensation that concerned me, it was the simple fact I was still alive.

Something soft, a green blanket, covered me as I laid on my back on what felt like a mattress. My chest was heavily wrapped with what I could only imagine were bandages. Most of my torso was wrapped now, and I felt their tightness around my sides and shoulders. It felt like more bandages were wrapped around my head, covering my right eye. Something blocked my left eye as well, but when I reached a tentative hoof up, it turned out to be my mane, pressed down from the wraps on my head.

I took note of my surroundings; I was out of the woods that was for certain, but was instead in what appeared to be a bedroom. To my left was an open window, a small nightstand next to the bed. A gentle, cool night breeze rolled in, bringing with it a promise of winter. I now noticed the bed had a headboard, and on it were carved hearts. I tried to look out the window, but from this angle, I could only catch a glimpse of foliage of some kind. I craned my neck to get a better look at the room I was in, when something caught my eye.

A familiar yellow Pegasus with a pink mane stood in the doorway, her eyes wide. “Oh!” she uttered, before spinning around and vanishing from my sight.

I was sure she’d be returning soon. I looked around the room, taking note of the various knickknacks and decorations, and decided I was in the very same Pegasus’s cottage. It wasn’t so much the décor, as my last remembered location. I distinctly recalled being near Fluttershy’s house when I had been attacked, but I hadn’t expected to wake up in it. Quite frankly, I hadn’t expected to wake up at all; at the very least, I was sure I would have been woken up once Applejack returned. It would appear I’ve been asleep for a while, since it had been morning when I blacked out.

Looking around the room once more, I tried to find a clock, when another pony trotted into the room. This time it was Twilight, but she seemed hesitant. “Dusken.” Apprehension filled her voice. “You’re… a-awake.”

I noticed her slip. I had a feeling ‘alive’ was what she had originally intended to say. “I am.” I tried to gauge her feelings, but her expression was blank. There appeared to be a streak of soot on her left cheek, and her mane was tangled. “Thank you for, ah…” I coughed, embarrassed. “I had bit off more than I could chew.” That was a terrible choice of words. “I was careless, and nearly paid the price. Where’s Applejack? What happened to the Shade?”

“We burned it, like you asked. In the woods; we didn’t touch it, but we held onto the horn. Applejack’s downstairs, but is about to leave.” The lavender Unicorn shot a glance over her shoulder at the door and frowned. “She told us what happened. She’s pretty shaken up.” She looked back at me, shaking her head slightly. “She said when she came back, she found you in a pool of blood, and your chest was ripped up.” I felt my cheeks heat up when she levitated the blanket down and inspected my torso. “Fluttershy’s better at this sort of thing, but she wouldn’t say anything. I’ve read plenty of medical books and you, uh, you should have bled to death before we even got to you.” She gingerly placed a hoof on my chest and looked lost in thought.

I winced at her touch and gave another quiet cough. I started to bat her hoof away, but changed my mind. She continued to frown at my bandages. “I had stopped some of the bleeding, I think.” I shrugged, or tried to, as the bandages around my shoulders made the motion stiff. “It wasn’t anything fancy, but it’s all I’m capable of really—“

“You mean the other burns?” She gave me a startled look, pressing her hoof down and causing me to squirm. “Is that what you normally do?! I mean, I remember in your story you said you did that, but…” she looked back at the bandages, but her eyes roamed beyond just my chest wound. “I noticed a lot of old scars under your coat, and so many were burns, but… I didn’t know those were self inflicted!”

Once more I attempted a shrug. “It’s better than bleeding, and I, uh, can’t do any better. I’ll admit not all of them are my handiwork, but, uh,” I wriggled, eying the smudge on her face. “What happened to you?” I asked, changing the subject.

“What?” She took her hoof off my chest and put it to her cheek. “Oh! Well, Applejack told me your wishes regarding that book of yours.” I nodded, remembering what I told the Earth pony. “Getting into your tower took a while- I had thought your locking spell was a tad unnecessary, but… now, I don’t blame you. I found your journal, but I hadn’t expected you to take, ah, such precautions to secure it. The first trap took me by surprise.”

“Right,” I mumbled. “Kinda forgot about those. Was anything lost?”

She shook her head. “No. A corner of a page caught fire, but I put it out before it could spread. I haven’t read much, but it’s all so hard to believe. I don’t think I would believe if it weren’t for what just happened, and the letter Princess Celestia sent me.”

“Letter?” I tried to sit up. “What letter?”

She put a hoof on my shoulder and pushed me back down. “Fluttershy says you need to lie down. She doesn’t want to risk you pulling out your stitches.”

“I have stitches?”

“Oh, Rarity did that,” she said nonchalantly. I looked down uneasily at my chest, causing her to chuckle. “She said it was just like mending fabric. But, well, that Shade’s teeth shredded muscle on the way out, probably when Applejack knocked him away, so it wasn’t exactly a simple fix. There’s a lot of thread keeping your injury shut, but Fluttershy said not to risk anything.”

I sighed in annoyance. That Pegasus was smothering me without even being in the same room. “You mentioned a letter…?” I reminded her.

“Oh right, the letter.” She removed her hoof from my shoulder and took a step back. “Celestia actually sent me three letters. The first two letters I got yesterday. The first told me she tried to send a letter to you, but something went wrong on your end and it couldn’t be sent. She thinks it was because you were sick, so the second letter was addressed to you. I wanted to deliver it to you, but Fluttershy sent me away, so I had to leave it in on your desk. I’m assuming you didn’t read it, since it was unopened, so I brought that with. The third letter,” she paused, making a face. “I had sent Celestia another letter after you were attacked, telling her about what happened. She responded almost immediately. She stressed that we shouldn’t use magic to heal anything. I don’t suppose you’ll tell me why?”

Tugging the blanket back over my chest, I shook my head. “It wouldn’t have gone well, let’s just say. I’d kind of like to put off talking about that for a while.”

She shrugged. “Fair enough. But Celestia also told me much more about your past. Namely, your abduction by the Shades, and what you told her about them. It was… eye opening and quite frankly, a little disturbing.” She angrily shook her head, but her anger wasn’t directed toward me. “Your journal was worse. Those ponies, the Shades, how could they be so cruel?”

I was surprised when she waited for an answer to what I took to be a rhetorical question. “How far have you gotten in my journal?”

“Uh, I think I’ve read fifty pages so far.” She frowned again and rolled her shoulders. “It’s slow going, since I need to disenchant each page or it threatens to burst into flames. In the last entry I read, you mentioned a ‘sight-far-seeing’ spell and an orb you were beginning to use to see into the distance. You also wrote Viker had, uh, commented on your coloration.”

I sighed, remembering the event after that entry. “Then let me ruin it for you: I fed too much energy into the orb, and it exploded. Two shards of glass hit my nose, and a third blinded my right eye. That led to my, uh… did Celestia cover that in her letter? My writing gets hard to read for a while after that.”

“Your Shade’s eye,” she said quietly. “Viker performed the ritual instead of you; your eye reflects her own power instead of yours, so it’s blue. It was in the letter, but I still want to read the journal entry on it. Celestia thinks you held some things back from her and Luna, and believes your writings will hold more than what you told them.”

“I did,” I said dryly. “The existence of my journal was one, for a while at least, until Luna asked about the magical book I had in my room, but there’s more. And a ‘Shade’s eye’ isn’t entirely accurate. It’s an enchantment utilizing dark magic most commonly used by Shades.” I sniffed, grinning wryly at the Unicorn. “If you want to learn more, you’ll have to read about it. Working your way around my spells will be a project for you. I’ll give you some pointers on breaking magic, but everything else is up to you.”

“Alright.” she nodded eagerly. “I’ll get your letter. Is there anything else you need?”

My stomach rumbled as I thought. “Uh, an apple would be nice,” I said, embarrassed. “I haven’t had anything to eat all day. And if you get the chance, I’d appreciate it if you’d get my second lens from home.” I rubbed at the bandages covering my eye. I assumed Fluttershy did that for the sake of preserving my secrecy, for which I was grateful. But, seeing as how three of the mares already knew about it, it was a safe bet their other friends did as well. “These wraps are throwing off my depth perception, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving it uncovered.” I hesitated, thinking. “I don’t think anypony else would feel comfortable if I did either.”

Twilight shrugged uneasily. “Probably not,” she admitted. “Fluttershy and Applejack were both very, um, adamant about keeping your eye covered with something. And from what Applejack said, it’s not a pretty sight, so that would probably be for the best. But I’m curious as to how Fluttershy knew about it?”

“Oh, uh, at the party, she saw it.” I gave her a quick overview of what happened, leaving out my threatening of the Pegasus of course. I attempted to leave out anything regarding my haunches, but Twilight evidently already knew.

“You have no Cutie Mark,” she stated. I was at a loss for words, so I simply nodded. Of course they knew, Celestia had told her a great deal already, why not that too? “I don’t see why you don’t though. Was it the Shades as well?”

My stomach growled emptily as I frowned. “Yes. The removal process was messy, and… it doesn’t heal properly. It was part of a much larger spell the Shades were performing. Any attempts to undo it have a… let’s say unpleasant reaction for myself and the healer. That’s actually part of the reason healing magic won’t work well with me.” I was unwilling to talk about it, for all my bluster about wanting to be open with them. “You’ll find it’s all in the journal.”

“Fine,” she sighed in exasperation. “I’ll get you some food. Tomorrow I’ll get your lens, if that’s alright?”

“Tomorrow?” I glanced around the room. “Right, I’m staying here then,” I grumbled. “Since I got here, I’ve gotten sick and almost gotten killed. I’m sure I’ll manage to succeed if you lot leave me alone long enough.”

She giggled, picking up on my grim humor, and thankfully not taking what I said at face value. That had led to plenty of problems in the Canterlot hospital. “We just want to make sure you stay safe. Like I said, it’s a miracle you’re even alive, and in addition to that injury, you still have a lingering illness. Fluttershy probably would have told you to take it easy anyway, but now that you’re back in her care, you’ll have to.” She gave me a smile as she left the room. “Be right back!”

I had just begun to look under the blanket, intent on taking a look at what was done to my chest, when voices outside the door brought my head up. Fluttershy was back, and to my surprise, Rainbow Dash hovered behind her. “Oh, uh, hello ladies,” I smiled. “Sorry for being such a burden.”

“No, it’s fine,” Fluttershy said sweetly. “I’m just happy you’re okay.”

“I’ve been in your care for half of the time I’ve been here,” I grumbled. “I’m thankful that you’re willing to put up with me, but still.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up.” Rainbow Dash flitted to the side of the bed, nudging my left shoulder with a hoof. I winced when she hit the spot Splint’s horn stabbed, and she flinched as well. “Sorry.” I jumped when she suddenly pulled me into a quick hug, but she broke it just as fast. “Applejack told me how you protected her. I… I almost lost two friends today.”

“It’s nothing,” I said, eying the cyan Pegasus uncertainly. Did something else happen? Who else aside from Applejack had been in danger? Surely she didn’t mean me… did she? “She ended up saving me. I would be in much worse shape if she hadn’t acted.”

But Rainbow shook her head angrily. “It’s not nothing Dusken. She said you got hurt when you moved your shield thing to her. This is a pony’s life we’re talking about- your life too! You sound like you don’t even care. Like getting hurt or dying is no big deal to you!” She was talking loudly, almost shouting, and I found myself at a loss for words. Her fury died when I looked away. “You… don’t, do you?”

“O-oh my.” Fluttershy spoke up when I remained silent. “I wanted to check your chest, to see if the s-stitches are holding, or if infection set in.” She gently nudged the now quiet rainbow maned Pegasus aside and pulled the blanket down. I didn’t protest when she began untying the bandages around my upper torso.

“You don’t, do you?” Rainbow repeated.

I looked over Fluttershy and sighed. “I was only worried about Applejack. Honestly, I could care less what happened to me now.”

“Why?”

“Well,” I shifted as Fluttershy continued to paw at my wraps. “Maybe I’ve just been desensitized to it? I lived amongst the Shades for several years, and every day I was hurt and threatened for some reason or another. It loses its meaning after a time. And besides,” I shrugged, drawing a tsk from Fluttershy. “Er, sorry. Besides, I’m alive now, a little worse for wear, but still breathing. There’s no point in worrying over it now.”

“He’s right,” Fluttershy muttered softly, removing the last of the bandages. “L-let’s just be happy he’s okay.” She inspected my injury with a critical eye. There had been a ragged hole in my chest, I knew, but I didn’t expect it to resemble shredded meat. A patchwork of thread held everything together, but the wound was still red and raw. It didn’t appear to be mortifying, so I was in the clear yet.

“I guess,” Rainbow Dash said unhappily. She lifted off the floor and looked over Fluttershy, peeking at my chest as well. “I was talking about you too, y’know,” she said suddenly. “You’re a friend, and I hate to see my friends get hurt.”

“I am?” I looked up in surprise, Fluttershy now tenderly poking at my stitches. “I m-mean, well, why?”

“You’re an alright guy, I guess.” She shrugged. “I mean, you’ve shown you’re not a bad pony by saving Applejack, plus you helped me and her through a tough spot, so… why not?”

I couldn’t help but smile at her simple honesty. It was odd thinking that I had a friend now, but it gave me a warm feeling inside. “Um,” Fluttershy looked up, having begun to retie my bandages. “I think of you as a friend t-too, Dusken.” Her face turned red beneath her yellow fur. “I’m sure Twilight and Pinkie Pie do too.”

I hid my embarrassment with a chuckle, though I was sure I was blushing as well. “And Rarity and Applejack?”

“Aw, I’m sure Applejack’s alright with you now.” Rainbow shrugged. “I don’t know what Rarity’s deal is though. I think she’s just afraid of you really.”

“Afraid of me?” I looked down. A good portion of my body was wrapped in bandages now, and beneath Fluttershy’s hooves I could see my ribs. But then again, I knew the effect my scars and mannerisms had on ponies. I doubted my first impression- a soaked, hooded, scarred pony late to the party thrown for him, was a very good one. I probably appeared to be a pony she wanted nothing to do with, and I don’t think I could blame her.

I suddenly frowned. “What happened to my cloak?”

“Oh, it was damaged,” Fluttershy answered. “And, um, soaked in b-blood. Rarity said she would take care of it when she left with Pinkie Pie.”

“She took my cloak?” I quenched the anger I felt building. I’m sure she meant no harm, but she couldn’t possibly understand the sentimental value in it. I don’t know what I would do if she ruined it. Instead, I nervously glanced at the two mares. “Did she say what exactly she was going to do?”

“Dunno,” Rainbow said with a shrug. I started to chew my lower lip when she wove her hooves at me. “Hey, don’t worry! I’m sure it’ll be cool.”

My response was cut off when Fluttershy jerked my bandages, tightening and finally tying them. “It looks fine,” she announced at length. “But there isn’t much for the stitches to keep together, so you can’t do anything strenuous, or they’ll rip out.”

I sighed and laid my head back on the pillow. “Yes ma’am, doctor Fluttershy.” It’s not like I made a habit of doing anything strenuous. “And how long will you be holding me here?”

“As long as you need watching,” the yellow Pegasus said with a shrug. “It will take a while for that to heal, so—“ I groaned, rolling my eyes, and she frowned slightly. “Well, I g-guess once I’m sure that your injury isn’t, um, such a serious risk, you could go home. J-just promise you won’t do anything that might reopen it.”

“Of course.” She seemed satisfied with my answer, which hopefully meant I could go home soon. “Where’s Twilight? She said that, oh.” As I spoke, the lavender Unicorn trotted in, levitating an apple to me, which I immediately began getting to work on. “Thanksh,” I mumbled around the apple.

She smiled and nodded. “I’m going to head home. I’ve got some reading to do.” Another object floated over, and set down on the nightstand. It turned out to be a roll of paper. “That’s Celestia’s letter to you. I didn’t read it, so whatever’s in there, is between you and her.”

I swallowed my mouthful of apple and nodded, keeping the half eaten apple levitating over the covers. “Thank you. Oh, and when you stop by the tower, you should grab some things from the chest. There’s another book and some scrolls, and seeing as how I won’t be headed home anytime soon, you might as well take them. They’ll help you.” She nodded and I held a up a hoof. “Don’t go practicing anything you find in them though. Most of those contain spells you aren’t ready for, and I won’t have you trying anything unsupervised.”

“I won’t, don’t worry,” she assured. “Good night.” The Unicorn trotted back out of the room, and Fluttershy made to follow.

“I’m getting tired too,” the yellow Pegasus mumbled. “I’ll be downstairs. Is there anything else you need, Dusken?” I shook my head and she smiled. “Well, goodnight then.” She left the room.

I glanced at Rainbow Dash and raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you tired too?”

She glanced out the window and shrugged. “Nah. Not really. Are you?”

“I’ve been asleep most of the day.” I snorted. “The last thing on my mind is rest.” I resumed eating the apple, the emptiness in my stomach slowly fading.

“Well hey, I don’t have anything to do,” Rainbow grinned. “I could just hang out here for a while and we could, I dunno, talk. Fluttershy won’t mind.”

I gave her a considering look, happy that she would stick around. “I’d like that.” Rainbow’s grin widened.

Time slipped away, I had no real way of keeping track, but I’m sure we talked for a long time. Eventually I finished my apple and, finding no waste basket, simply launched the core out the window. She regaled me with her own accounts of events I had heard from Celestia or other sources. I finally learned what a Sonic Rainboom was, but the thought that a Pegasus could exhibit such power boggled my mind. She spoke glowingly of her friends and Ponyville, though she admitted Twilight was sometimes too wrapped up in her books, and Fluttershy was still sort of a pushover, despite some seminar she attended. I also finally found out which of the ponies were what Element of Harmony. Rainbow’s made sense, given both the present situation, and my previous encounters with her. Rarity surprised me, as she had seemed aloof last time I met her, but it also explained why she took my cloak with her.

It wasn’t a one sided discussion though; I told her fragments of my childhood, but mostly focused on the time I spent in Canterlot. I had lived there for almost two years, and had seen a variety of interesting things. She laughed when I told her of the times the royal sisters had forced me to attend some party or another, and seemed sympathetic in my endeavors to avoid the work being the Court Wizard entailed in favor of my own interests. But what seemed to interest her most were my limited interactions with the Wonderbolts, where I had dealt with them twice.

At a social gathering Celstia told me to go, they had had a small Wonderbolts’ show. Something went wrong, and Fleetfoot crashed, breaking a wing. I had been the only Unicorn with knowledge on mending bones, so I performed a quick, albeit painful fix, and set her wing to right. Every now and then, I received a card from her for various holidays, which I occasionally replied to.

The second had been through my own work; the Wonderbolts often enchanted their goggles to prevent them from breaking or getting dirty midflight. The group’s captain, Spitfire, and lost hers, and required similar enchantments on the new pair she got. Once again, I had simply been the only Unicorn available for such a task, and did as she asked. When I had mentioned to Rainbow that the goggles were more likely to survive an accident than their wearer now, she glared at me.

I had been in the middle of backpedaling, assuring her that the Wonderbolts’ captain wasn’t likely to crash, when she started staring intently out the window. “Dash?” I propped myself up, ignoring the warnings Twilight and Fluttershy had given me. “What’s wrong?”

She kept her eyes locked on something in the distance. “There’s a light.” She turned her head and stared at me. Her eyes were wide with fear. “It’s the same light from the night of the storm,” she mumbled, looking back outside.

A cold ball of dread formed in the pit of my stomach. Viker was back. I ground my teeth and rolled out of bed. The cyan Pegasus gave me a startled look and started to try and push me back, but I shrugged her hoof off. “Could you get me down there?”

“What?!” She hopped back, rapidly looking from me and the window. “You want to go out there?”

“I need you to get me out through the window.” I joined her at the window, and sure enough, a yellow light glowed at the edge of the woods. “I’m don’t want to wake up Fluttershy, and I don’t favor my chances of trying to climb up and down two stories.” I leaned out the window, weakly generating a white light of my own. The yellow light faded, replaced by two pinpricks of blue light. I glanced back at Rainbow Dash. “Please?”

She chewed her lip uneasily, but nodded. “Alright,” she said slowly. She wrapped her forelimbs around my torso and gently lifted me up and out the window. We were in the open air now, and she dropped her head. “It’s a Shade, isn’t it?”

I nodded, the back of my head brushing her chest. “Viker,” I muttered. “I think she just wants to talk again.” Rainbow dipped lower to the ground, and I could see my old mentor now.

Viker leaned her side against a tree, her eyes burning brightly. Her lips were tugged back in a grin, revealing her horrible teeth, and she idly pawed a black hoof at the dirt. She gave a dry chuckle when we landed. “Dusken,” she rasped. “I’m glad to see you well. I wasn’t expecting you to bring… company.”

I took a shaky step forward as Rainbow stood at my side. “What do you want now, Viker?” I ignored the empty pleasantries she offered. “I assume you know about Splint?”

She chuckled again and pushed off of the tree. Her horn glowed black and Rainbow Dash jumped back, whipping her head back and forth. “What happened?!” the Pegasus cried. “I-I can’t see!”

I glared at Viker. “What did you do?”

“I’m just ensuring our chat will be private,” the Shade said dismissively. “She’s blind and deaf for now. It’s temporary, I assure you.”

“At least let me tell her,” I growled. Viker shrugged and jerked her head toward the cyan Pegasus. “Rainbow?” I touched her shoulder with a hoof.

“Dusken!” She leaned toward me, eyes frantically darting around, unseeing. “What’s going on?”

“She doesn’t want you to see or hear anything.” I pulled the blind Pegasus close, draping a front leg across her neck. “Nothing will happen, don’t worry. I’ll- I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

“That’s enough of that,” Viker scoffed, and her horn glowed once more. Rainbow’s ears flattened against her head, but she remained calm, leaning against me as her eyes stared blankly at the ground. “I’m glad you survived your little encounter with Thel. You were on death’s door when I found you.”

“When you…” My thoughts began to churn as things began to add up now. “I didn’t seal my injury. You did…?”

The Shade snickered and nodded. “Like you kept Thel alive, I have a use for you. Healing a pony who’s infused with dark magic, with dark magic won’t cause any negative side effects.” She sighed in irritation, grimacing at the dirt. “Things are moving faster than I anticipated. You know of the existence of the Elements of Chaos at least, so that saves some explaining. We have two in our possession, but we can’t find a pony to bond with the second.”

“They bond?”

She frowned now. “Then you don’t know much. Yes, they bond. The Elements of Harmony manifest when they find the appropriate pony. The Elements of Chaos are always physically present, but exert no influence until they find a living counterpart. The Element of Anger, for example, was powerless until it found a pony so consumed with rage he was essentially anger in a living and breathing form.”

I shared her frown. “I thought Celstia said once Discord was defeated, they vanished.”

“Vanished is a poor word for it,” she explained. “They dropped out of view, and no longer contained any energy. As Discord’s prison weakened, it was like a drop of water in a still pond. The ripples disturbed the Elements, and when he finally broke free, they came fully awake. And there are some ponies who want to use those newly awakened forces to banish Celestia and Luna, and crown themselves as rulers instead.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” I eyed the Shade suspiciously, drawing another grin from her.

“Because that would upset a great many things. The Shades are not acting alone; we’ve been contacted by the Element of Dark Magic, and he’s pushing for the reunification of the Elements of Chaos.” She shook her head. “That cannot be allowed to happen. I cannot openly move against him, or I’ll simply be replaced. He’s already suspicious of me, and wouldn’t hesitate to find a new Element holder.”

“Wait,” I was trying to take in everything she was saying. “You’re an Element of Chaos?”

“Yes,” she snorted. “It’s the entire reason I became a Shade. Moving on,” she narrowed her eyes at me. “We’ve been unable to successfully bond an Element to anyone, so we’re passing it on to Anger, and letting him try and find a match. I’m worried he’ll succeed at finding an appropriate puppet to dance to his tune. At best, he’ll fail, and it will pass on to the Element of Lies, but I know she’ll be able to find a match.”

“You still haven’t told me why you’re telling me this. What do I have to do with all this?”

“Dusken…” she pressed a hoof to her temple. “I cannot act, so you must. I need you to enable me to take arms against the Element of Dark Magic and his allies, and to do that, I need to be free of his lackeys.”

I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say, but I asked anyway. “And how will I do that?”

“Simple,” she said. “Kill the Shades. Or at least, the Shades who stand against me. I’ve lead this group for a long time, but Malken is questioning my motives, and there’s risk of a fissure. Thel, or Splint as you knew him, was his close second. With him gone, that will hopefully cause infighting to take his old spot, but it won’t last.” She trotted forward, unnervingly close now. She smelled of soot and ashes. “What I need you to do is train your little Elements of Harmony, and make your move. Malken must be killed, as well as most of the Shades he’s won to his side. I still have some loyal to my cause, but if I move, it’s not a sure bet we’ll win. And even then, having to kill his followers would result in too many losses of my own. Banishing them would be easiest, and that’s where you will come in.”

“So I’ll be banishing and killing Shades?” I angrily shook my head. “Why not just kill all of the Shades?”

“Because,” Viker rasped in exasperation. “Knowing you, whatever you cook up will result in your death. You saved Thel’s horn, I saw, so that’s good. You’ll need it. Here.” A scroll she had hidden somewhere levitated toward me. It seemed to be made of leather, and appeared to be bound with a strip of skin. I enveloped my own aura around it, unwilling to touch the loathsome thing. “That contains a very powerful spell that can’t be worked with dark magic: it will create a large portal to Tartarus. In the end, it doesn’t matter what Shades you trap, just so long as you get most of the ones sided against me. You could probably just nab Malken with it too, and not bother with killing him. Cerberus will take care of the rest.”

I stared at the floating scroll, unconsciously giving Rainbow Dash a squeeze. “And what about you?”

Viker grinned. “You can banish me if that’s what you really want, since I can’t stop you. You won’t be able to kill me though, I assure you. In the end, so long as my Element doesn’t fall into the hooves of one of the Element of Dark Magic’s spies, I don’t really care.” She snorted as she turned around. “I’ll leave that up to you. In the meantime, try not to get yourself killed.”

I silently watched her depart, her black coat making her slip away into the shadows. I gave the scroll another considering glance when Rainbow stirred. “What is that?” she asked, now looking at the roll of leather.

I was relieved Viker had been telling the truth; it would appear Rainbow Dash could see again. Hopefully she could hear too. “A spell,” I said uncertainly.

“A spell?” It would appear her hearing was back as well. “From that Shade?”

I nodded, releasing her. “I… I have a lot to think about. Could you get me back to my room? I think I could use some sleep.”

The Pegasus wrapped her forelegs around my chest, careful of my bandages. “Yeah. I think I’m gonna head home too...” She looked down at me as she lifted off. “Should I, uh, keep this secret?”

I rubbed my temples with my hooves, the scroll levitating alongside me as we flew. “It would just raise questions. If you could just not mention it, I’d appreciate it. I’ll tell you all what happened later; like I said, I have some thinking to do.”

She nodded, looking up at the night sky. It must have been midnight by now, and despite sleeping all day, I was getting tired. “I’m scared, Dusken,” she whispered. “What’s happening?”

I sighed, looking down at the ground passing beneath us. “I don’t really know, Dash. But I’m scared too.”

Chapter 1

An Ounce of Hate

Chapter 1

The sun stood high in the sky, shining down on a small village. Nestled in the heart of a thick forest, a stone wall encircled the homes and places of business. But those structures were empty, now being consumed by a raging conflagration. The village’s bells chimed desperately as its citizens fled the fires, stumbling through a thick pall of smoke that blocked out the sky. Carts and bodies cluttered the cobbled streets, all abandoned to be consumed by the flames.

A young colt, his coat a light blue and matted with sweat, cowered. His mane and tail were both a steel grey, now partially singed by the raging fires consuming his home. He kept his head between his hooves, peeking out at the scene of chaos around him, silently praying for help. His bright green eyes watered from the smoke clogging the air and from the terror that gripped his heart. He was unusually small for his age, often sickly, and between sobbing gasps, coughs wracked his fragile form. His flank, as was expected of his young age, was blank. Above his tear streaked face, a small horn on his forehead sparked and glowed weakly as he tried to call up some spell, any spell, to make the horror stop. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing would come of his desperate attempts at magic. He bleakly reflected that that has always been the case- with every obstacle over the course of his short life. He was never strong enough to help himself, let alone his entire village, and no one would save him this time. This latest failure looked to be his last, and ensure the end of his brief life.

Through the dense smoke, a pony appeared, slowly making its way toward the young Unicorn. But despite its shape, it was no pony the colt realized. Eyes made of fire darker and burning more fiercely than that of his home gazed upon him. The burning red spheres regarded him coldly, contempt and amusement dancing in the unnatural eyes.

The creature was a mockery of the pony form. Its flesh was blistered and cracked beneath its pitch black coat. A wound gaped in its side, made by one of the village ponies perhaps, and wept brackish liquid. Its mane and tail were dark grey, almost to black, and appeared frayed and ruined. From its forehead sprouted a twisted black horn, wicked sharp at its point. As it drew closer, the colt whimpered weakly as he felt a growing wetness beneath his feet. He had lost control of his bladder he realized, through a haze of fear.

The ghastly pony came to a halt five feet from the cowering colt, and grinned. Teeth, fangs really, gleamed in the fire’s light. Jagged, some broken, shattered, and chipped, but all sharp, its teeth were the stuff of nightmares. The creature leaned forward, already towering over the small Unicorn, and opened its mouth.

“It’s time to wake up.”

“Hello? Sir, it’s time to wake up,” a deep voice briskly ordered.

I awoke with a start, sweat drenching my body. I raised a hoof to my face and wiped at my wet brow. I carefully looked down at my trembling hoof, and sighed. I had another nightmare. Just another memory, from what seemed like a lifetime ago.

I frowned at my soaked coat. It was a dull grey, darkened somewhat by my sweat. I looked up at the speaker at my door and carefully blew a piece of pristine white mane out of my eyes. A royal guard stood at attention, his golden armor gleaming in the stray beams of sunlight filtering through my blinds.

I was in Canterlot, I reminded myself, trying to slow my frantic heart and still my shakes. I had been given a room in the palace, larger than I was used to, with a magnificent view of the palace. If I chose to open the blinds, of course, something I seldom did. The four poster bed I lay in was also larger than I was used to. Granted, any bed was unusual, but since journeying to the palace, I was finding myself sleeping in one far more frequently.

I turned my attention to the royal guard waiting patiently at my door. At my gaze, he nodded. “Princess Celestia wishes to have a word with you.” He spoke in a sure tone.

I cleared my throat and attempted a faltering smile. “I could use a moment to make myself presentable. I’ll be with her in the throne room in five minutes.”

The guard shook his head. “She will be along shortly. I was sent ahead to ensure you were up.”

My eyes widened as I looked about my room. My saddlebag was spilled on the floor where I left it last night, and some scrolls laid on the floor where they had been thrown. Even though I own very few items, I’m ashamed to say they were in disarray. “She’ll be here?” I looked to the guard, but he had already departed, closing the door behind him.

Carefully, I climbed out of bed, and just as carefully stretched. The bandages wound about my chest and flank constricted me somewhat, and my right front leg, while partially healed, was still only partial, and given to be sore. There were bandages wound about that too, though the cuts had long since scabbed over. The royal physician insisted I keep them bandaged and covered in salve, lest the infection set back in. I unconsciously rubbed at the black glass strapped over my right eye and limped to the bathroom.

Using magic, I slid the curtain hanging across the bathroom’s window open. The curtains glowed with a soft white light before I released them. I winced at the sudden brightness of daylight, and winced again at my reflection in the mirror. My snowy white mane was an unruly mess, and I once again cursed its length, making a mental note to get it cut sometime soon. I carefully adjusted what could only be called a glass eye patch to center it precisely over my right eye. I stopped wondering why I could see through the dark glass as clearly as a window quite some time ago. It was to the benefit of onlookers, and though I loathed it, two eyes were better than one. I had not reached the point of trying to gouge it out yet.

Various lines and old scars lightly marred my face, many only visible if I cared to look closely enough. None were too close to my sunken eyes, perhaps the nearest and most visible being on my nose. They were just two faint lines, running down almost to my forehead. My face was thin, cheeks gaunt, just as my body would remain small and weak. Beneath my bandages, I could count my ribs. Nothing was like to change that, and I couldn’t stomach the rich food given to me at every meal. Some clean water, and some fresh fruit or veggies was rich enough for me.

Finally, my eyes couldn’t help but wander to my horn. The crack still ran down its grey length, of course, but that would never change. It thankfully didn’t impede any of my magic, as I had been anxious to learn long ago. If it had… quite frankly, I don’t know what I would have done. I was nothing without my magic after all. Perhaps worse than a Pegasus without wings, or… well, Earth ponies without their strength and stamina? They could never know the joys of magic or flight, so they were different.

Turning the sink’s faucet with a hoof, I quickly splashed water on my face, while I levitated a brush through the tangled mess of hair that was my mane. After drying off with a towel, conveniently hung on a loop next to the sink, I inspected myself in the mirror once more. With a satisfied nod, I limped back into my room. I had already begun to levitate the scrolls scattered about the floor to my desk, when I caught sight of a magnificent figure standing in my doorway.

Startled, I dropped the scrolls, and ducked into a bow. “P-Princess Celestia!” I stammered out. “To what honor do I owe this visit?”

While Princess Celestia stood taller than most ponies, she easily towered over me, the golden crown on her brow only adding to her impressive height. The golden caps she wore on her hooves may have added an inch or two extra, but I suspected like the crown, they were for looks, not for her stature. Backing that theory, she wore a golden necklace, a gem set in its center. I was always fascinated by the Alicorn’s physiology, possessing both horns and wings, and possessing the natural magic of both Pegasi and Unicorns. Plus, though I’d take this to my grave, I thought her constantly shifting, multi hued mane rather pretty, and admired the golden sun Cutie Mark on her flank.

She gave off an air of command and power, and though she appeared friendly and gentle, there was a steel core to her being. She possessed a firmness that brooked no argument or questioning. Even though she had shown me nothing but kindness, I couldn’t help but be intimidated by her. Honestly, I avoided her whenever I could, which wasn’t something I could easily do. But though I feared her, she was alright by me. I thought some decisions she made were weak or foolish, but she was the immortal ruler, and not I. As such, she was entitled to make whatever choices she wanted.

The Princess chuckled, and smiled gently. “Am I not allowed to speak with my Court Wizard from time to time?”

My position as Court Wizard held no true power. In different kingdoms, Court Wizards performed difficult magic for their ruler, who may or may not be a Unicorn themselves. Seeing as how Celestia and Luna were both capable of outstanding magical feats I couldn’t hope to imitate, I speculated they mostly kept me around to deal with their underlings. While I had no formal education in magic, I was a capable magic user, and more importantly, I was more than capable of breaking it. I had an intimate knowledge of undoing spells; force shields crumbled, magical fires were immediately snuffed out, transformation spells reversed, and more, all with a careful application of my own abilities. When a student let their magic get out of control, I cleaned up their magical mess before it got out of hand. Their Court Wizard was little more than a magical janitor.

Though in retrospect, that may have been an unfair description of my job. I was called upon once or twice for my own insight into magic when the Princesses requested it. Sometimes I was asked to oversee the entrance exam for a new Unicorn student, other times to give my opinion on a spell a pony had created and wanted to be put into print. Most of the time, the mess they presented was hardly fit for use by a so-called professional, let alone Unicorns throughout Equestria.

I raised my head and flushed faintly. “Of course! I just, er, thought that, uh…” I inwardly cursed my clumsy tongue and violently shook my head. “I would have expected to have been called before you, not have you come before I.”

Celestia shook her head as well. “I simply had some news for you. I am afraid I must deny your request to investigate the Everfree Forest.”

“Oh.” I mumbled, deflating. I hadn’t really expected her to consent anyway. My last trip had almost cost me my life, after all, and Celestia obviously felt it prudent in keeping me alive. She still needed to me deny foolish hopefuls and sneer at poorly constructed spells.

“Instead,” she pressed on, “Luna and I have agreed to send you on royal business to Ponyville. And if you should find time between your assignment to investigate the Everfree Forest, that’s up to you.”

I paused, face scrunched up in confusion. I’m sure I must have looked a fool, judging by Celestia’s chuckle, and my flush deepened. “Of course!” I blurted. “Whatever you want me to do, of course I’ll do it.”

Princess Celestia nodded, her smile still in place. “I assume you know of my student, Twilight Sparkle?”

I frowned, thinking back to previous conversations I’ve had with ponies around the palace. “Yes.” I said slowly. “She’s one of the Elements of Harmony. The Element of Magic, I believe.”

“That’s right. And as of late, I’ve been receiving some very troubling reports regarding the Everfree Forest, some of which match up with your tales. So, I’m sending you to assist in her magical education; teaching her spells that may aid her should she come into any trouble. I had given her the assignment of learning about the magic of friendship, but this threat may not be so easily solved with friendship.” She eyed me critically. “I believe she could teach you just as much as you could teach her.”

Frowning, I shook my head slightly. “Teach me…?” I decided to ignore that remark of hers. I had more important matters to worry about. “What kind of reports? And what could be a threat to one of the Elements of Harmony?”

She looked at me with concern, though not for myself. “There were more ponynappings by strange Unicorns, more unexplained deaths with odd markings found on the bodies, and stranger things besides. As far as threats, you recall the Elements of Chaos, yes?”

The name rang a bell, but I couldn’t recall anything concrete. “Those were from back before you took to rule, right? When Discord ruled Equestria, he used those.” I’m sure I had read about them somewhere, but nothing was coming to mind.

“Not exactly,” she corrected. “He felt he would sow more chaos by not using the Elements of Chaos, letting them be used freely by whoever found them. Or let them use anypony that stumbled across them.”

I snorted loudly. “Then not only was he mad, he was a fool. The Elements of Chaos are the antithesis of the Elements of Harmony. If he had possessed them, you and Princess Luna would have been unable to stop him.” I realized too late what I said, and cleared my throat. I didn’t want to risk offending an all powerful Alicorn goddess, so I back pedaled. “Chaos disrupts harmony, you would have been trying to smother a fire with paper. There’s no denying its power. I mean, I’m glad that you succeeded and sealed him away, but—“

She chuckled and cut me off. “I think I understand what you’re getting at. You’re right, my sister and I would have been defeated had he held the Elements of Chaos. But he didn’t, as simple as that.” I nodded and kept silent. “An Element of Chaos may be present within the Everfree Forest. And your old, shall we say associates, may hold it. I don’t think I need to tell you how dangerous that is. The Elements of Harmony can best a single Element of Chaos, but not without proper guidance, which you will be providing to the Element of Magic.”

“Guidance?” I frowned, now following her line of reasoning. If I wanted revenge, I’d have to prepare the tools to obtain it. As it happened, Twilight would be the means to that end. “Very well. When do you want me to leave?”

“Today, if possible. I have a chariot awaiting you.”

I paused and glanced about the room. I had very little to my name. Aside from the scrolls, a few books, and my saddlebags, the only other thing I owned that I couldn’t stand to part with was my cloak. I nodded and returned my gaze to the princess. “I can leave immediately,” I said before walking across the room. I was stuffing scrolls into my bags when I heard her speak once more.

“I don’t believe I need to remind you to keep her lessons… safe, do I? Nothing that will immediately put her life or the lives of others at risk?”

I couldn’t help but sneer. “She won’t look like me by the end of this, don’t worry.” I tapped the glass over my right eye, grinning. “This bit of knowledge won’t be a part of her lessons either. I don’t plan on teaching that to anypony and you couldn’t make me. But if you want her to be safe… well, I can do it safe, or I can do it right. You’re not giving me a whole lot to work with.”

The uncomfortable look the Alicorn gave me was oddly satisfying. Sometimes I craved to see such a powerful figure unsure every now and then. “Just keep her from getting hurt.”

After giving her a shake of my head, I shuffled over to my dresser in the room’s corner and pulled my cloak out, draping it across my back. I levitated the hood up over my head, my horn poking out. The whole thing was dark green, frayed around the edges, and neatly patched where holes were worn through, but it was dear to me. Parts of the cloak looked rough in some places, the patchwork crudely done. I eventually learned how to properly sew, so the later patchwork was much nicer. “Fine, I won’t show her anything dangerous, Princess. I will restrict her study of the, ahem, dangerous side of magic to pure theory. I will guarantee nothing though.”

The Princess nodded, satisfied with all I was willing to offer, and locked her eyes on mine. “And Dusken Spellwroth?”

I gulped, uncomfortable with her use of my name and the tone in which she said it. “Y-yes Princess?”

She gave me a small smile, her voice immediately softening. “Stay safe.” But though her words were soft, her gaze remained firm.

“Of course, Princess.” I gave a quick nod before stuffing a book into my saddlebag. A tall order, since I would be getting involved with the forces responsible for creation and destruction, as well as my old foes. “I also have no intention of going into the forest.” The unspoken ‘yet’ hung in the air. And when I do, I’ll be better prepared than last time.

Princess Celestia seemed to have heard it, as she sighed once more, but otherwise remained silent. I was content with that, comfortable not talking to her. I went about my business of gathering my precious few possessions, and stuffing them into the steadily expanding packs at my side. After a moment of indecision, I grabbed the roll of bandages and jar of salve off of my desk, and added them to my bag. I had been quite adamant about performing my own upkeep of my bandages, finally convincing the doctor to just give me what I needed. I just couldn’t stand ponies touching me, especially any of my injuries. To not just get them magically cured had been another argument, but there were some things I refused to back down on.

It wasn’t so much as being stubborn, it was fear. I didn’t trust anypony to work magic on me any more than I would trust a starving dragon with a gemstone. Aside from having to put myself at some pony’s mercy, I had magic inside of me. While that may be a given- all ponies possessed some form of internal magic, I had spells constantly at work. Some were to dull the pain of my injuries, others were to repulse outside influences: namely magic. Those were spawned of paranoia, but mostly because I didn’t know how spells that had been forced on me would react to probing.

With a final sweep of the room, I gave a self satisfied nod. “That’s everything,” I declared. Celestia nodded as she swept out of the room, motioning for me to follow. With a backwards glance, I walked out into the palace’s hallway and barely avoided running into a guard.

As I was mumbling apologies, I noticed who blocked my path. “Captain Silverwing!” I exclaimed.

The Pegasus guard in question nodded and smiled. “Spellwroth,” he acknowledged. After a pause and a thoughtful look, his gaze softened. “Dusken,” he corrected. “I heard you’ll be leaving us for a time.”

Like so many of the other royal guards in Celestia’s service, his coat was a snowy white, as was his mane. I was positive magic was at work, to make the Princess’s guards match her coloration. I never knew how though; I speculated it might have been an enchantment on their armor, so that once they removed it, they returned to their original color, but I couldn’t be sure. Either Celestia saw to the enchanting herself, or else she had another Unicorn do it for her, but I wasn’t involved in the process. My previous requests to study her guards had been denied, while asking the guards themselves only resulted in uncomfortable silence and stares. Captain Silverwing was no exception, as I had requested permission to study his armor several times. It got to the point where I was sure Celestia ordered her guards to keep me in the dark of their magical properties. Luna’s guards managed to be even less forthcoming, her Pegasi in particular. Perhaps they were worried I’d disguise myself if I discovered their magic, and wander off?

An unfair precaution. When I first got here, I’ll admit I had tried to leave; seeing my board in the palace as a new prison with a new warden. But that had been almost two years ago, and I hadn’t tried to sneak out for quite some time. Or at least, not with the intent to permanently leave. Maybe to take a trip to the Everfree Forest, but I guess the sisters didn’t like that idea very much.

“I am.” After an awkward pause, I continued. “I don’t know for how long though.” He stepped aside and walked at my side as I followed Celestia. Four other guards walked along with us, forming a box with the Princess at its center.

Captain Silverwing was not really a guard, but more a soldier. His assignments often left him far from the palace, but he would often spend much of his free time here talking to me. He had been called upon once or twice when my own guards weren’t enough. When I first arrived in the palace, I was in a terrible state of mind, I recognize now. Perhaps I still was, but I no longer sought a permanent end to my pathetic hang-ups. When depression set in, I threw myself into my studies, projects, and assignments, which Celestia was happy to provide me with. That’s not to say the urge went away completely, but I was less likely to try and do something stupid and dangerous, not to mention self destructive.

“You will be missed.” Silverwing broke in on my thoughts. I must have failed to hide my surprise as the guard smiled. “Canterlot will be for the worse without your wit. I know I’ll miss the conversations we shared between my shifts.”

I felt my face heat up at this unexpected display of affection: coming from the usually so stoic and quiet guard who I admittedly on occasion talked to. “I will miss you as well,” I felt myself saying. “You are… pleasant to talk to.”

He nodded at that and continued on in a brisk tone. “You’ve got the best flyers of the Pegasus Guard pulling your chariot, I saw to that. I know your destination is Ponyville and the flyers know that as well. They’ll see you there swiftly and safely.”

The emphasis was obvious, and I sighed. “I have no intention of throwing myself out of the chariot,” I mumbled. “Again.”

Silverwing stared at me for a moment. I could tell Celestia was listening how she tilted her head oh so slightly. Finally Silverwing broke the silence. “Good,” he said with a nod. I noticed Celestia bobbed her head as well. “I will trust your word on that.” He looked forward and I noticed we were running out of hallway. Just ahead the corridor branched into three more hallways, the center leading outside. I assumed that was my destination.

“Also,” Silverwing said hesitantly. “If you ever run into some kind of trouble… or need something, you have friends amongst the Pegasus Aerial Vanguard.” I gave him an uncertain smile and a nod, which he returned. “This is where we part ways. I have rookies who need to have their patrol patterns hammered through their thick heads.” He trotted down the left hallway and glanced back over his shoulder. “Take care Dusken.”

I raised a hoof to him. “You too Silverwing.”

Now my gaze turned to the magnificent gilded door ahead. They slowly shifted open, revealing a massive balcony. Six more royal guards stood at attention, forming a wide cordon, and at the end of the line of guards, the promised chariot awaited. And much to my surprise, Luna stood there was well.

The dark Alicorn was impossible to mistake. She had the same towering height of her sister and the same impossibly shifting hair. But whereas Celestia’s mane had several colors, Luna’s resembled a clear night sky, complete with stars, and her coat was a dark blue almost to black. And just as Celestia’s Cutie Mark was a shining sun, Luna’s was a partial moon. She wore a crown as well as caps on her hooves, but the caps were silver as opposed to gold. Her crown was much smaller and black in color. The necklace around her neck was black too, but where as Celestia had a gem set in it, Luna’s Cutie Mark adorned it.

It was still hard to believe the sisters raised and lowered the sun and moon, respectively. I struggled to wrap my mind around the sheer amount of power they must have commanded to move celestial bodies, but failed each time. I’ve watched them perform their duties several times, but was unable to figure out the type of magic they used. All I could tell was there was plenty of it and watching it for too long gave me a headache.

“Luna,” Celestia said pleasantly. “Here to see Dusken off then?”

Luna gave a quick nod. “We,” she cut off, clearing her throat. “I mean, I wanted to thank you for your lessons, Dusken Spellwroth.”

A smile spread across my face. “I was happy to provide assistance, Princess Luna. Dark magic can be frightening, even its mere memory can leave a shadow on a pony. I could not in good conscience leave you to your nightmares.”

Of the two sisters, I preferred Luna’s company to her alabaster counterpart. Luna at least had a faint idea of the magic I was forced to use and could follow most of what I said about it. She even hid her sympathy, for which I was grateful. I didn’t need a pony, Alicorn or not, looking down on me, especially one I had taken on as a student. Previously, she hadn’t understood the basic principle of dark magic, even though she had lost herself to it. Having someone so naïve look down on me would have been… infuriating? Soul crushing? Whatever it would have been, it would have only served to worsen my mood.

My insecurities aside, I liked her better than Celestia too. She lacked a certain air; she didn’t radiate the same aura of intimidation. She didn’t pose as the all knowing, wise ruler who was merely humoring her underlings with her presence. She openly displayed confusion and uncertainty, and asked for answers or help, not expected them like her sister did. The kindness she displayed felt more sincere as well, while Celestia’s came off as phony or forced at times.

Luna dipped her head and smiled. “But still, you have my thanks and my gratitude. I rest easy knowing Nightmare Moon will stay in the past and that foul magic will not get a hold of me again.” She glanced at her sister and grinned. “Your student will be in good hooves, I can assure you of that.”

The pale Alicorn glanced down at me. “Speaking of Twilight Sparkle, I had sent her a letter some time ago informing her of your impending arrival.” I nodded. I had assumed she wouldn’t just let me surprise Twilight with the fact I was her new tutor, but I had learned Celestia enjoyed making her subjects squirm from time to time.

“She will meet you upon your arrival.” The alabaster Princess continued. “She expressed interest in learning all that you could teach. She will also be helping you settle into town, as well as showing you your home there.”

“Home?” I frowned. Lodging hadn’t really come to mind. To be honest, I hadn’t even given a thought to it.

“Yes, a home,” she confirmed. “There is an old tower in Ponyville that has recently been renovated for your use. It has all the comforts a home should have: a kitchen, a study, a modest library, and a bedroom. Indoor plumbing was just recently installed, but that shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Sounds nice,” I offered. The thought of having a place all to myself made me nervous to be honest. I had always lived with somepony else, or always had somepony immediately at hoof. An old tower would likely be located far away from anypony else. “Where is the tower located?”

“It’s on the outskirts of town,” Celestia said, confirming my concerns. But as if she already knew of them, she smiled. “It’s really not that far from anypony else. It had been built on the outskirts when Ponyville was first founded, but the town grew, and the tower stayed in place.”

“Alright.” I felt relieved. I was always more comfortable when there was somepony else around, yet at the same time, I preferred it when they were quiet. I suppose I liked having a pony near at hoof should something occur. Perhaps, deep down, some part of me feared that if I was left alone in the dark, some terrible monster would snatch me. It was nonsense really, but a type of nonsense I had had drilled into me in my earliest days. It was just another one of my weaknesses I hated.

“And I trust you to make the right decision,” Celestia mused. “If you feel Twilight could safely learn some spells of a darker sort, then go ahead and teach her. If half of what you’ve told me is true of the Everfree Forest, a deeper understanding of dark magic could serve her well.”

“Alright,” I mumbled. I kept my doubts to myself, but who was I to deny the Princess lessons that could save her prized pupil’s life some day? Where the Elements of Chaos were involved, danger was sure to be abound, which was only magnified by an outside source of dark magic.

I started as I felt a sudden weight drop into my saddlebag, skewing it to the right slightly. I glanced back to see a bag disappear into its papery depths, and then click shut with a golden aura. “Some bits,” Celestia explained while I examined the bulging saddlebag. “If you need to buy anything, that should suffice.” She shot me a grin. “You are, after all, employed to the palace. It’s only to be expected you are paid to cover living expenses.”

I bowed my head gratefully. “Thank you, Princess.”

My head was still lowered when a silver tipped hoof suddenly appeared in front of my nose. I jumped when it suddenly reached up and flicked my hood down. When I raised my head, both sisters were chuckling at my red face.

“You’ll make more friends,” Luna said gently. “If you would stop keeping your face covered so much.”

My ears flattened and I wordlessly nodded, cheeks still burning. Celestia nodded toward the chariot. “I think we’ve kept you long enough,” she said amiably. “Are you ready to go?”

I swallowed and nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.” I tentatively stepped into the chariot, standing well clear of the edge.

“Stay safe then, Dusken.” Luna gave me a faint smile.

“Silverwing is right, you know,” Celestia suddenly broke in. “You have friends here. And if you ever need anything, just send a letter to my sister or I, and we’ll do what we can to help.” Luna quickly nodded her agreement.

It was a touching sentiment, one I was lucky to have. One I really didn’t deserve to have. I gave them a faint smile. “Thank you,” I muttered weakly. I nodded to the two Pegasus guards pulling the chariot, who watched me over their shoulders. They returned my nod and broke into a trot, then a run. Within moments, we were airborne, while I clung to the bar across the chariot.

As I glanced back at the landing now beneath and behind us, I waved a hoof goodbye to the sisters. I shook my mane out of my eyes and could only faintly see the royal sisters in the distance. The dark figure raised a hoof as well, before turning away to follow her lighter sister.

I faced forward, wrapping my foreleg back around the bar, and shivered in the wind. My hood would do me no good, since the wind would just blow it off anyway. Or that’s what I told myself. Luna’s words echoed in my head and I grinned to myself.

As exhilarating as flight might be, I felt my stomach drop as I looked down. The trees were tiny, the road out of Canterlot looked like a line drawn in the dirt, and the few figures I could pick out that walked the road were smaller than ants. I could understand why a Pegasus might prefer flight to walking, but I’d feel more comfortable with solid ground beneath my hooves.

The guards flew mostly in silence, occasionally speaking to each other as they adjusted to updrafts and air currents. But their words were taken by the wind before I could hear them. From the way they would steal glances at me when they thought I wasn’t looking, I suspected they were talking about me. I ignored them though, and decided I would be content with simply watching the world rush past me- horizontally, not vertically, with luck. Or perhaps we would, with an absence of it.

I rested my snout on my forelegs and closed my eyes. The wind was cold, but having a moment to myself up amongst the clouds was relaxing. I wondered how I would go about teaching Celestia’s prized pupil. It simply wasn’t possible to teach dark magic in total safety, it had an inherent risk to the user and even those around them. Risks would need to be taken and injuries sustained in order to have a firm grasp on the spells. Anything less would someday result in a disaster, claiming the caster’s life. Or the lives of many, depending on what spell the caster was trying to perform.

But Celestia put her full trust in this Twilight Sparkle, who not only had Equestria’s most powerful magic user as a mentor, but was also the Element of Magic. From what I’d heard, she was a bright student who knew more about magic than many professors I had had the displeasure of meeting in Canterlot. Maybe if I set the theory down set in her mind, she could work dark magic as safely as possible, or perhaps have a grasp on countering it. I could at least help her avoid some of the more major pitfalls that came with dark magic and some of the smaller ones I’d stumbled into myself.

Slowly I peeked out from under my eye lids and watched clouds drift by. In truth, the danger was immense. And if she was half as powerful as I’d heard, and if she decided to practice off by herself, something terrible was bound to happen. But there were several ‘if’s’ tacked onto that fear, so I let the uncertainty comfort me. Nothing was set in stone, so I didn’t have anything to worry about, I told myself. But that did little to sooth the unease I felt in the pit of my stomach.

When I was first learning this forbidden magic, I had nearly killed myself with the unruly power. But I swore Twilight would find a better, more caring teacher in me, one who wouldn’t sneer at her questions and tell her to figure them out herself. Even though admittedly I had found smug victory when I was able to walk to my lessons under my own power after an experiment, there had been too many accidents. And frankly, Celestia would probably string me up by my own entrails if I got her student killed.

My teacher had steadfastly clung to the mantra ‘what didn’t kill you, made your stronger,’ but that wasn’t always true. I had seen the result of failed attempts in my fellow students that had stacked up. What didn’t kill you could very well make you weaker as a pony suffered injury after injury. Before long, those could become permanent handicaps, leading to the death that they had managed to avoid for so long. I had finally figured out why I was hurting myself before it got too bad in the end, but I had suffered for it. Celestia was also expecting to see her precious student in good health by the end of my tutoring, so the trial and error method was right out.

Just as I was beginning to notice the absence of clouds at my eye level, one of the Pegasi turned his head to look back at me. “We’re here.”

At first glance, Ponyville appeared quaint. A cozy little village, filled with brightly colored ponies going about their daily lives. It was almost possible to forget it was tucked up against a forest filled with unimaginable horrors. The chariot was now several feet from the ground, and continuing to descend. The landing was jarring and I bounced off the bottom of the chariot. Luckily I had raised my head off of my forelegs or I was likely to have bitten my tongue off.

When the chariot finally rolled to a stop, it was on the central road leading to Ponyville, on the very outskirts of the small town. I noticed there was a nip in the air. While not as cold as the air further above the ground, it was noticeable, and I was glad for my cloak. I was stretching my legs when I noticed the guards conversing with each other, their brows creased. At my look, the same Pegasus guard who announced our arrival glanced at me.

“Miss Sparkle was supposed to be here to greet you.”

The other Pegasus shrugged his gold plated shoulders. “Maybe she got tied up with something?”

At that the other guard frowned, but I shrugged as well. “It would make sense,” I said. “She has her studies, so I wouldn’t expect her to stand outside of town for a day waiting for me.” At that the other guard’s frown retreated. “You two can go. I can find my own way.”

Now the guard’s frown returned with uncertainty. “We were ordered to see you safely to Ponyville—“

“Which you did,” I cut in. “I’m looking for a local celebrity in a small town. I’m sure I could ask anypony on the street, and they’d point me in the right direction. You have no need to worry about me.”

The guards exchanged a glance. “Alright, I… that could work.” The other guard relented, earning a nod from his companion. “You’re right. We’ll be off then.”

I moved to the side of the road and watched the two Pegasi turn the chariot around. With one last backwards glance, they broke into a trot, then a run, and before long they were dwindling specks in the sky.

With a sigh, I made my way down the road. A sudden cool breeze sent a shiver down my spine, so I tugged my hood up. I’m sure Luna would understand if I was hesitant to risk freezing to show my face to the world.

For now I was content with wandering the town. I passed several ponies and earned a few stares, but I ignored them. I recalled Twilight lived in the town’s library, so I could probably find it on my own. While I wandered, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of ponies trotting about their business. Amidst their constant chatter, one thing stood out: there were fewer stallions than mares. That made me more uncomfortable than I’d care to admit. The village I was born in had been heavily skewed toward my own gender. Roughly seven out of every ten ponies had been a stallion, while mares were almost rare.

What’s more, I had had little interaction with the mares of my village. My days were filled with obeying my father’s orders and going to school, where there had been two or three female students amongst twenty males. My most common interactions would have been meeting with the village’s guards, who were entirely male. After having discussed these facts with Celestia and Luna, I realize now that I had apparently grown up in a very backwards village. It had maintained the belief that mares were delicate and unfit for manual labor, which a village that lacked in electricity or running water had plenty of. I also seem to recall once every few months a group of mares would depart the village, but I was just a child back then. I couldn’t remember why they left or where they were going.

I was admiring a shop front when for the second time today, I almost ran into a pony blocking my path. A pink Earth pony with an unruly mane equally as pink as her coat stood beaming before me.

“Hi!” She chirped in a high pitched voice. “I’m Pinkie Pie! Are you new in town?” I silently nodded at the chipper pony and she gasped. “I thought so! I know everypony around here, but I didn’t recognize you. What’s your name?”

I struggled to keep from frowning. “Dusken,” I muttered. “Now if you don’t mind—“

“Dusken!” She was loud and seemed to delight in being so. I already found her voice irritating. “What a neat name! Dusken what?”

Now now, she’s just being friendly, I reminded myself. But it didn’t stop me from grinding my teeth. “Dusken Spellwroth,” I grated.

At that, the pink pony frowned and sat down on her haunches. “Dusken Spellwroth?” She placed a hoof to her chin and got a look of extreme concentration. “I’ve heard your name before.”

Finally, it dawned on me. “Pinkie Pie!” I exclaimed.

She grinned at me once more. “That’s me!” she shouted back.

“The Element of Laughter, right?”

I didn’t think it was possible, but her grin grew wider. “Me again!”

“Then you know Twilight Sparkle, right?”

She bounced back to her feet and nodded. “Yup! She’s my best friend! She reads a lot, and doesn’t always have time to talk, but she still comes to a bunch of my parties. Speaking of which, I need to throw you a welcome party too, just like when she arrived! Oooh, what’s that?” The energetic pony reached for the dark glass over my right eye.

I winced away from her and batted her hoof away with my own. If it bothered her, she didn’t show it as she bounced around to my side. “Neat cape!” she declared. “I have one just like that, only it’s pink, and I don’t know where it is,” She excitedly babbled.

Sweet Celestia, now I remember what I’d read about Pinkie Pie. She was notoriously hyper active, bouncing physically and mentally from topic to topic. The urges to escape this crazed pony, or at least shut her up, were rising, but I squelched them. She probably knew where Twilight was, and it was already growing past noon. The sun would be setting soon, and if I didn’t find Twilight, I couldn’t find my tower Celestia mentioned.

“Pinkie Pie!” I cried, drawing her attention, which had now moved on to my saddlebags. “I was sent by Princess Celestia to assist Twilight in studying a very specialized type of magic. Could you take me to her?”

“Ooh!” Pinkie Pie suddenly squealed. “That’s where I recognized your name from! Twilight told us about you. Princess Celestia told Twilight about you, and she told us, and she wanted to look for you, but she also really wanted to get back to the library, so she asked us to keep an eye out for somepony like you, and,” she paused to take a breath. “I found you! Sure I’ll take you to Twilight, let’s go!”

She spun around and bounced off. I hurried to keep up with her, mindful of my injured hoof still. “You mentioned ‘us’?” If Pinkie Pie referred to herself as multiple people, it would go a good distance to explain her behavior. But she giggled and quickly proved my hypothesis wrong.

“Me, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy! We were all there when Spike got the letter, so she filled us in.” She continued to bounce along, turning around and bouncing backward when she spoke. “We were having a picnic when the letter got here! Although Dashie and Applejack were arguing about something, and Twilight was reading a book, we were still having a nice picnic. She looked really scared when she read that letter too!” She stopped bouncing and looked at me with worry in her eyes. “She’s not in trouble, is she?”

“Not at all,” I said with a shake of my head. At that she resumed her merry bouncing and I followed after her again. The three balloons that were her Cutie Mark made sense now. She was light hearted and air headed. “Like I said, I’m just here to teach her a few things.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” She giggled and spun around once more. We had only walked a short distance when the party pony suddenly stopped once more. “Here we are,” she declared, pointing a hoof at what appeared to be a very large tree with a door in it.

“Thank you Pinke Pie,” I secretly hoped I would get to part ways with this pony soon. I slid my hood down as I sized up the entrance. It was only polite to have my head uncovered when I met new ponies. “I would have had to—“ I stopped in horror as she began pounding on the door.

“Twilight!” she shouted. “Your study buddy is here! Open up!”

I heard loud shuffling behind the door, a few thuds, and the door swung open. A lavender Unicorn stood in the doorway, glaring at Pinkie. But she quickly turned her attention to me and smiled. “Oh, you must be, oh, um…” She trailed off as I felt her eyes roam across me. They took in the scars on my face, lingered on my cracked horn, stared at the dark glass over my eye, slid down to my bandaged right foreleg, and then moved over to the bandages visible beneath my cloak. “Who are you?” She narrowed her eyes at me, frowning.

Pinkie Pie was peeking under my cloak, wordlessly examining my bandages as well. I drove her back with an irritated flick of my tail.”Miss Twilight Sparkle,” I said by way of greeting. “My name is Dusken Spellwroth. Princess Celestia has ordered me to teach you magic.”

“Magic?” She gave me a skeptical look, her frown deepening. “I got her letter, but… is the Princess not satisfied with my progress? She said I could just write her when I learned something, but am I not learning fast enough? Oh no, is she disappointed in me?” It turned out to be a rhetorical question as she continued to talk. “I’m still studying, I’m not slacking off! You don’t even need to be here. Really, I just—“

“Be quiet,” I snapped, growing annoyed with the Unicorn already. She gave me a shocked look, her mouth agape, but fell silent. “I’m a Court Wizard in service to the royal palace because I have certain talents that are hard to come by. I am to teach you those talents that will aid you in any future problems.” It would appear Celestia had not told her everything, such as the reports on the Everfree Forest. I wasn’t about to tell Twilight if her mentor saw fit to keep her in the dark. “If you could simply read about what I’m going to teach you, I obviously wouldn’t be here.”

Her demeanor became particularly unfriendly as she frowned at me, but I could see some interest in her eyes. “What could you teach me that Celestia herself couldn’t?”

“How to break things,” I said with a shrug. After a moment, I snickered. “Breaking things is pretty much in my job description and I would assume Celestia’s out of practice in that aspect.” At her blank stare, I sighed and elaborated. “How long has it been since she fought Discord? Since then, how often has she had to undo spells that were not her own? Or fight some somepony?”

“Fight?” Twilight looked startled at the mere suggestion of violence. “Why would Princess Celestia want me to learn about fighting?”

“Ask her yourself,” I shot back. There was no way to dance around the question without revealing what Celestia kept back. Besides, I had grown tired of this Unicorn already and was ready to leave. Unfortunately, I had nowhere to leave to, so I still had to suffer the pesky mare a little longer. “I was told you would know where my quarters are located,” I changed the subject before she could question me further. “I’d like very much to start settling into them, since it would appear I’ll be staying here for the duration of your lessons.”

She hesitated, silently looking at me with her frown still in place, before she finally sighed. She leaned her head back in the doorway. “Spike! I’ll be right back.” She trotted out, brushing past me, and pulled the door shut with a purple glow. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Ooh, you have a house here?” I had taken Pinkie Pie’s silence for granted and immediately found myself wishing for its return.

But my retort was cut short as Twilight answered for me. “He’s staying in the old watch tower at the edge of town. No pony has lived there for years, but Fluttershy mentioned seeing ponies cleaning it out, so it must be ready to be lived in.”

The pink Earth pony at my side started babbling excitedly, something about a party for me- perish the thought, but I frowned. I recognized that name not only from Pinkie Pie, but from Celestia’s stories of her student. This ‘Fluttershy’ was one of the Elements of Harmony, of which I couldn’t recall precisely, and another friend of Twilight Sparkle. It suddenly dawned on me I would inevitably be forced to meet her as well as the other Elements. From what I had heard, they were a close group of friends, and Twilight was something of a ring leader to them.

I had honestly paid little attention to Celestia’s retellings, preferring to hear about how the Elements of Harmony had turned Discord to stone, or a few of the spells Twilight had used; her teleporting in particular had interested me. I hadn’t much cared to pay attention to the ponies the Princess so enthusiastically talked about however. But if I was doomed to meet these ponies, I hoped they were nothing like Pinkie Pie. If I had to put up with four more ponies babbling about nonsense, I may just snap.

It was a surprisingly short walk, for all of Celestia’s talk of being on the outskirts of the town. The walk was made painfully longer with that accursed pink pony’s nonstop chatter, mostly filled with her plans of some diabolical party she intended to throw for me. And wherever the topic caused her to wander, but she eventually returned to the original subject. Twilight occasionally gave me a smirk. I think she let her friend talk away as revenge for being short with her.

But thankfully, it would appear my time with them was at an end- for today, at any rate, for before me stood my new home: a tall, narrow stone tower. Its stone work was old, but appeared solid, and a sturdy looking wooden door filled the large doorway. An iron key sat in the door, appearing newer than the lock it was in.

“Thank you, Miss Sparkle,” I said with a bow of my head. I’ll admit I may have been rude earlier, so I tried to make up for my first impression. “And you as well, Miss Pie.”

It was almost comical when they both spoke at the same time. After sharing a look, Twilight resumed. “Just Twilight is fine.” She still eyed me uncertainly, likely confused by my change in behavior.

“You can call me Pinkie!” the party pony merrily declared.

“Then thank you, Twilight and Pinkie,” I corrected, a smile creeping onto my face. They were much less stuffy than Canterlot ponies, I noted. Even as the so-called Court Wizard, a position that by all rights should have been above the ponies at court, I was always chided to call them ‘sir,’ or ‘madam,’ or most irritatingly of all, ‘lord’ and ‘lady.’

I magically turned the key in its lock and got my first look inside the tower. It was certainly homey looking. Unlit lamps lined the circular walls and off in the back I could pick out the shadow of a stove wedged between several counters. Two couches and a table sat in the middle of the round room, both appearing to be new in the dying light.

That was quickly remedied with a bit of magic. The lamps became infused with a magical light, flooding the room with a soft white light. I nodded in satisfaction. There were no switches on the wall and the lamps were little more than glass boxes with glass spheres within them, which readily held magic. It would appear whoever had prepared the tower was aware a Unicorn would be staying there, so counted on their magic to make up for whatever was lacking.

I turned back to the two mares behind me. Twilight looked to have been studying me behind my back, while Pinkie gazed up at the wooden balcony on the top floor “Twilight, I suggest you get some rest. I’ll admit I wasn’t entirely honest earlier. The magic Celestia asked me to teach you will be,” I paused, searching for the word. “Very trying.”

At that, Twilight frowned. “All magic is trying at first. What kind of magic will you be teaching me?”

“It’s, ah…” I brought a hoof to my chin and absentmindedly slid it up to the dark glass over my eye. I rubbed at it before I realized what I was doing and brought my hoof down. “Magic most frequently encountered in the Everfree Forest.”

Twilight gasped, drawing a startled look from Pinke. “Dark magic?” she whispered. At that, Pinkie gasped as well, though I wondered if she was concerned due to the nature of the magic, or if because her friend was so upset about it.

“Yes,” I said simply. Twilight looked like she’d be sick, but Pinkie was now humming to herself, resuming her inspection of the balcony.

“I thought that was expressly forbidden,” the lavender Unicorn said softly. “It’s evil.”

Annoyed, I shook my head. “Evil is a poor term for it.” I’ve had to explain this to countless ponies in the past and it grew wearying eventually. “But it can lead to good ponies doing bad things. Hate twists ponies.”

“Hate?” Twilight asked, which prompted Pinkie to pay attention once again, uncharacteristically, and blessedly, quiet.

“These spells draw on powerful emotions, most of them negative. Hate is the easiest to muster, but the most dangerous.”

Now Twilight gave me a stare that made me feel distinctly uncomfortable. “Why is it the most dangerous?” Pinkie leaned forward, listening intently.

“Because,” I relented. I hated broaching this topic. My old teacher never would have suffered so many of this Unicorn’s questions, but my methods were different. I would have to endure her uncomfortable questions and answer them as best I could, or as best as I chose to, at any rate. “It is easiest to hate yourself and draw on that hate for fuel. You know yourself more intimately than anypony else, so you can pick out every shortcoming, every failing, every flaw, and hate them. It can fester and lead you to do terrible things.” I sighed and watched Twilight keep her face carefully neutral. “It will be harder, because I’m ensuring you won’t endure the normal pain that goes along with the lessons, nor the unsavory side effects. Celestia wants you unharmed and more importantly, to not wind up like me, so the boon of hate is not an option for you.”

She gave me a confused and saddened look. “What do you—“

I gave a stiff shake of my head. “I’m really quite tired. I plan on getting as much sleep as possible, so this will be where we part. I’ll be over sometime tomorrow and we can get started.”

She looked at me warily, once more appearing on the edge of asking more pesky questions, but simply nodded. The two mares bid their farewells and started back down the dirt path leading up to my new abode. I closed the door and turned the key, hearing the satisfying click of a lock sliding into place. Perhaps I was paranoid, but I placed a spell on the door, barring it with an invisible force. I limped up the stairs, and noted the second floor was meant to be a library. Some bookshelves were stocked, but others stood empty. A few cushioned benches sat around a wide, squat table against the far wall. I continued on up to the third floor, finally finding a bed. The tower had obviously been prepared not too long before my arrival, much to my surprise, judging by the lack of dust, and the clean covers on the bed. A door leading to the balcony stood opposite of my bed, and to the left of it, a small walled in area which turned out to be the bathroom.

A chest sat at the foot of the bed, and I deposited my cloak into it. I let my saddlebag slide to the floor, then thought twice about it and simply set it on the chest. I rolled my shoulders and idly wondered about changing my bandages, but decided to just do it in the morning.

I now felt the weariness I had claimed and climbed into the wide bed. The mattress proved to be surprisingly comfortable, something I would have expected to find back at the palace, and not in a dingy tower. I looked out the balcony door’s window, the first few stars beginning to twinkle in the darkening sky.

It was quite some time before I finally found sleep. And in sleep, my nightmares found me once again.