Travesty in Four Chapterby Winter SilvermaneChaptersAwakeningFriends?Void Zone - Red Light DistrictInitiationAwakening ~ Awakening ~ "... For me to leave Equestria behind was difficult. Whisper just laughed at me. I don't think she ever felt homesickness. Maybe we could visit her clan one day. Although I think she would probably burn down the whole village. Her personality tends to be difficult to cope with. She is very aggressive most of the time, but I saw her other side too. She is very passionate, and always putting others well being before hers. Just by walking next to her I feel I'm a real adventurer. On the other hoof Lady (It looks like somepony erased the name later.) reassured me, that the adventures will occupy my mind, so I won't even have time to feel homesick. She paid for this whole expedition, although even as a baroness I think it cost a small fortune to her. I suspect she has ulterior motives, but I don't have anything, that could prove my suspicion. She is just too nice. Her predator like grin, shining forest green coat, charming violet eyes, and when she brushes her dense dark red mane. I feel like she wants to seduce me. I bet she is just playing the game with me. Maybe I just imagine things. I don't know why I'm writing this nonsense into my journal, but I feel like one day, when I look back, it will all make sense... " Rosemary - The Grand Expedition: A journey around the world " AAAAAAAAAAAH..." Rosemary screamed in pain. The nurse hold her hoof. " Take Deep breath. Just as we practiced before. " The nurse inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. The mare did it with her at the same time. A brown stallion with a stethoscope cutie mark spoke. " Alright.. be ready! When I say push, push as hard as you can. Can you do that?" They were doing this for hours. It was a complicated birth. When giving birth to a unicorn foal there is a small chance, that the foal's horn will endanger the mother. Even if the horn is very small, coming at the right angle it could tear into her flesh and cause heavy bleeding. Although for this problem to occur the chances are very slim. Only one in a million. This was the situation they were in right now. " I... I.. will.. try.. " The mare could barely speak. She was exhausted already. The nurse tried to calm her down. " Everything will be fine. You are almost through it. " Either they wait for a little more, or do it now. The doctor decided it was the best if they do it now, when she still had a little strength. " Push! " The mare screamed in agony. She pushed as hard as she can. Her screams echoed through the hospital. Waking up the living and the dead alike. After many hours, it was finally done. She was so exhausted, that she couldn't keep her eyes open. " Congratulations! You have a healthy filly. " The doctor wrapped the filly into a towel, then put her besides her mother. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing her foal a warm smile appeared on her face. " Travesty... her name is Travesty. " She tried to caress her foal, but she groaned when she felt a sudden pain. The nurse was horrified what she saw. Lots of blood were oozing out of her. " She is bleeding heavily. " The stallion gave her an injection, that hopefully will relieve the bleeding. " Don't give up now! You have a little filly to take care of. " They were cleaning her lower region, to find out where was her injury, to stop the bleeding. The hospital wasn't prepared for cases like this. They were fighting a loosing battle. She tried to listen to the doctor, but her head felt heavy. She just wanted to close her eyes, and rest a little. Her eyes started to close slowly. A tear formed in her eye, when she heard her foal crying. Soon the world gone dark around her. - Several years later - The moon almost finished its course. Its light was enough to reveal a house not far from the Everfree Forest. It was an ordinary two-story house. Made out of wood and hay. Behind the building there was a small garden with a fruit tree. It was a very large, and thick tree. Probably the biggest in Ponyville. A stone wall separated the house, and its little garden from the horrors that lurk at night. Although it didn't give protection against the horrors that reside inside. In front of the house there was a mailbox. Rust ate it up completely. It looks like the owner didn't care about the mailbox's condition. The door was reinforced with metal bars, and locks. Probably to keep outside those who are not welcome here. The ground floor of the house is nothing too much interesting. A kitchen, with a dripping sink and unwashed dishes. A living room that looked like a mini library. It had a fireplace that never been used before. The study room had its fair share of books. Although it only had literature, nothing else. The whole room was covered in dust. The owner of the house didn't want to disturb anything in this room. As if it was a sacred place, where nopony can enter. On the upper floor there was a similar room. A bedroom that has never seen sunshine again after its owner left the living world. Next to it was another room. This room had view to the front of the house. The moon light lit up the whole room. It was unusual. Everything in the room were in order. The paper, the inkwell, even the quills were in on completely order. Text books on the shelves, readily to be used. The room resident were a little filly. A filly was in the bed. She was shaking. Turning around in the bed, trying to find a comfortable position. Her heavy breathing and sweating were caused by a vivid dream. With a scream she got up. She put her hooves on her eyes. She tried to hold her tears back. Her effort was in vain. Tears soaked her blanket. " Why do I have to dream about her death? Why is this torment never ends? " She was asking herself, yet no answer came to her question. After a while she calmed down a little. She looked at her clock. It showed 5:41. With a heavy sigh she got out of her bed. She was weak. She felt as if her legs weren't ably to move her body. She crawled to the bathroom slowly. Above the sink there was a mirror with cracks in it. A small breeze could shatter the mirror anytime. She looked at herself in the cracked mirror. Her eyes were slightly red because of how much she cried. It wasn't unusual in this situation. But how she looks with her eyes. It was cold and lifeless. Her indigo and dark red mane was a mess. She didn't brush it as usual. She just left it like that. Cold water came from the faucet, and filled up halfway the sink. She dipped her hooves in it, then splashed the water on her face. She washed the tears from her face. It also helped her to calm down even more. As she washed herself the sun rose slowly. Its first rays lit up the dark room. It warmed her up. She hated the feeling. Now that she calmed down. She could walk without a problem. She walked down on the stairs slowly. In the house there was only silence. The silence, that could drive anypony insane after a while. She liked the silence. It comforted her. She opened the back door and walked outside. She went to the tree in her garden. She looked at it. The trunk was damaged probably because somepony used it as a target dummy. The pain will easy my agony. She started hitting the tree. After doing it a few times she knew it wasn't enough for her. She smashed into tree. Somepony might say insanity already claimed her for doing such reckless thing. She was serenity incarnate. For her this act was more like asceticism. She attacked the tree without self-preservation. She wanted to feel the pain. She punished herself with it. The schoolhouse was full of life. Foals were laughing, playing, and talking about the events of yesterday. They were waiting for their teacher Cherilee. Every foal froze in their track when they saw a filly in the distance. Even though the sun warmed them up. They shivered. Diamond Tiara was disgusted by the filly. She turned to her friend Silver Spoon. " Look at that disgusting pony, Silver Spoon. How can she come to school like this? Does she not ashamed by herself? She looks like a filthy savage. " Her rant was disrupted by Cherilee. " Come on my little ponies. Class is starting. " The foals happily ran into the schoolhouse, except one. She walked slowly, as if she had all the time in the world. Cherilee waited for her. She felt a knot forming in her stomach. The filly looked dreadful. Bruises, and dirt stains covered her once beautiful amethyst coat. Her mane was a tangled mess. She even saw a few leaves in it. " Travesty, what happened to you? " It was not the first time Cherilee saw her like this. It happens almost every week. No matter how hard she tried, the filly never told her, what happened to her. " Nothing. " She gave her this answer always. Although she didn't care if Cherilee finds out. She just couldn't tell her the pain that was in her heart. The teacher put her hoof on her shoulder gently. " You can tell me everything. Maybe I could help you. " Travesty was thinking about it. She wanted to tell her everything. Yet, her inner demons didn't let that happen. Travesty was the cause of her own demise. She liked it that way. " Please, refrain from touching me. " Cherilee's smile faded. She knew this sentence means she retracted into her shell. She sighed then pulled her hoof back. " Take your seat then. Maybe next time you will be willing to talk. " Travesty walked into the class, and took her seat at the back of the room. Cherilee was sad about her, but she could do nothing to break her shell. At least not now. The class was boring and long. They were learning math. It was a torture for the other foals. She liked it. Her intelligence helped her learning everything at incredible speed. She liked studying. At least it occupied her mind instead of the horrors she saw time to time. Technically she wasn't listening. She was just looking out the window. The bell rang, and the foals started to pack their things, but Cherilee wasn't going to let them go that easily. " Don't forget the talent show! It is your best chance to show who you are. " The class cheered. The foals were already chatting about what will they do in the talent show. Two colt were arguing about a magic show. A filly in a tiara was ranting about a dress, she would wear to dazzle the audience. Everypony left the class except Cherilee and Travesty. She was the last one who left the class. The mare turned to her. " Travesty, may I have a word with you? " The filly stopped. She turned very slowly to her, then walk in front of her desk. Why can't she leave me alone? " Yes, Miss Cherilee? " Her voice was as cold, and lifeless as her eyes. Ponyville number one teacher had to use all of her willpower to not hug the filly. She knew that Travesty didn't like it when somepony touched her. " I was wondering, will you participate in the talent show? " She smiled at her in hope that she will participate. " ... " Travesty didn't answered. Not because, she didn't want to. She didn't have an answer for her. It made Cherilee uneasy when she didn't say anything. " Is this a maybe? " Cherilee said hopefully. " ... " Travesty turned around then started walking towards the door. Cherilee saw this as an escape attempt. She intercepted her quickly and was in her way. Travesty stopped before her. " Is there a problem? If you don't want to participate, just say so. " The teacher tried to not sound disappointed. " Why should I be in this thing? I will turn it into a disaster probably. " The mare couldn't contain herself, and brushed the filly's mane. " It is your chance to show everypony that you are not a bad omen. Tell them your hopes and dreams in a way you like it. " She gently caressed her. It made Travesty uneasy. She felt as if her warm hoof wanted to melt her heart. It wasn't going to happen. " Please, refrain from touching me. " The mare stopped caressing her. " I will work on a project, but I won't promise that I will perform it in front of an audience. " Cherilee clapped her hooves happily. She smiled at her. " This is a great news. I will look forward into seeing your performance. " Travesty just left, without saying good bye. She was thinking deeply. Now she had to do something. She hated doing something. She hated when things change. She hated walking through Ponyville. Ponies were cold to her, because she was a bed omen in their eyes. Whatever she do, or participate in, it will always turn into a disaster. Her very first Summer Sun Celebration turned into almost into an eternal night. She didn't attend it for years, but Cherilee convinced her, that this will be the only chance she will ever see Princess Celestia. There are ponies in Ponyville who blame her about the event that occurred. They accused her, that she summoned Nightmare Moon with her presence. There was another case, when she helped two colt finding an ursa minor. The ponies were not pleased that she led a monster into the village. Rumors says she was behind all the disaster that occurred in the village. Whether it was intentional, or she was at the right time, at the right place. Nopony dared to ask her opinion on this matter. Travesty agreed with their logic. She saw the signs too. She killed her own mother, although unintentionally. Still she blamed herself for it. Everything else were icing on the cake. She hated walking through Ponyville. Ponies fearfully stepped aside from her way. Merchants didn't want to sell her their stock. They gave her cold looks. A few ponies even yelled hurtful things at her. Although they didn't hurt her physically, she was wounded. She got used to it by now. She just ignored them, as they ignored her. Normally she stayed in the shady parts of Ponyville, but in this case she needed to go to the library. She needed research material to make her little project for the talent show. She arrived at the Golden Oak library. She eyed the building. I wonder. Is the building fireproof? If so, how hard is it to set it on fire? She shivered by the thought. How can I think of something that horrible? She walked to the door, then knocked two times. The door was opened by a purple dragon. He looked a little annoyed. " Hello. How can I help you? " She wasn't interested in the dragon's help. " I want to learn about magic. " That got his attention right away. " Don't worry. You came to the right pony. Twilight is really awesome with magic. Come in! Just wait a minute, she is doing a little experiment. " Spike let the filly inside. She looked around. She wasn't impressed by the selection. She had more book probably, then the whole library. Travesty didn't have time to compare the variety, when a lavender unicorn appeared from the basement. She wore a lab coat, and safety goggles. Twilight smiled at the filly. " Hello. I don't think we have met before. My name is Twi-- " Travesty interrupted her. " You are Twilight Sparkle. Protege of Princess Celestia. " Other ponies would be annoyed by the fact if somepony don't remember them, but in her case. She didn't care at all. " Oh? Have we met before? When? " Although Twilight had seen Travesty in Ponyville, but they never really met personally. - A few months ago - Travesty was walking through the Everfree Forest. She explored the forest, not because it amused her, but she was looking for predators. Everypony knew how dangerous is the forest, yet she never encountered with dangerous creatures. As if the predators were afraid of her. She could move through the whole forest easily. She knew the forest well. Most of the time she was collecting herbs. She used them as a source of income. There were supplies she had to buy, even if she didn't liked the idea. As she was just about to leave the forest she saw something in the corner of her eye. Did she find a predator she was looking for? A monster capable of total devastation? She pushed the bush aside and saw a different kind of monster. It was just a colorful ball, with little legs, and four wings. It looked adorable. It was a parasprite. She nudged it with her hoof, and it came alive. It buzzed happily in front of her face. She whistled a tune. The parasprite landed on her muzzle. " I get it. You are happy. Now shoo! " She gently nudged it off her nose. " I was looking for a monster, but you are a different kind of monster. Your creator must have had a sense of humor. A charming outside, with a soul made out of pure chaos. We are similar. " The parasprite nudged her face. " Don't you believe me? My flesh might resemble friendship and harmony, but my soul. Oh, my soul. It is the testament of chaos and destruction. I am a living disaster." It flew straight into her face, then rubbed it as if it was showing some kind of affection to her. " I'm going insane. I'm talking to a parapsrite. Stupid insect. " She looked around if there were more parasprite in the vicinity. She found none. Meanwhile the insect just followed her around. " Tell me my little.... friend. Where did you come from? " It found a mushroom, then ate it with one bite. " South? You came a long way just to die here. I have bad news for you. You won't survive the winter. " One by one it ate the whole patch of mushroom. " You probably don't care that those mushrooms are poisonous. " She whistled again. The parasprite obediently followed her. " To bad I can't keep you. You are far too dangerous, but I don't hate you for it. It is in your nature. " She started walking to the edge of the forest. " We can't fight against our nature. " She looked at the happy parasprite. It was just a mindless beast, yet it felt happiness. " Don't look at me like that! " She grabbed it, then put it under her hoof. " I can end your life right now, if I wish. Do you fear me? Can you see the monster inside me? Why don't you fear me? Why don't you hate me? Why? Why? Why? " Just a little pressure with her hoof, then she could squash the insect. Travesty knew she was a monster. She accepted the fact. Yet, she couldn't act like one. She closed her eye when she was about to cry. Instead with a heavy sigh. She let go the parasprite, which was happily flying around her again. " You might find this funny, but I rarely speak with ponies. " She said, while trying to shoo away the parasprite. " I'm not lying. You know nothing about me. They hate me. I'm nothing but a monster. I bet that is why the predators fear me in the forest. I'm at the top of the food chain. " It landed on her face again, but when she tried to get it off from her. She slapped herself. She just wanted to go home, and forget about this encounter. She frowned at the thought that she was speaking to a parasprite. " This is the longest conservation I have ever had in my whole life. " She calmed down a little. " Thank you, for listening to me, but don't think you are something special. You are just a mindless beast. " The parasprite rubbed against her face. " Stupid something, that created you! Stupid insect! " She couldn't control herself. She couldn't take anymore affection towards her. She whistled again. She commanded it to return to the forest. It happily flew away. She was impressed by the rate of destruction, these little creatures created so fast. Whole Ponyville had been destroyed. She walked next to the mane six. Fluttershy noticed her presence. She said it quietly. " Travesty, are you alright? " She looked at the mare. Fluttershy and Cherilee were the only ponies who did care about her well being. " I'm fine. Where did you find a parasprite? " Although the question wasn't addressed to Fluttershy directly. She was hiding behind her hooves. Clearly she was guilty. " Well.. I.. uhm.. I didn't know it was one. I just found it at the edge of the Everfree Forest. It looked adorable." Travesty guessed that she found the parasprite after she left it in the forest. It seems even when she wasn't acting like a monster, it still turns into a disaster. Maybe I spared the parasprite, because my evil instinct told me that it will cause destruction. Even when I try to be different, it always turns into a disaster. She looked around, and seeing the destruction made her uneasy. At least she could help dealing with them. She started whistling, and the parasprites started following her obidiently. Suddenly Pinkie Pie appeared and did the same tune with her musical instruments. When she saw Princess Celestia she stopped the whistling. She was simply walking away. Fluttershy seeing this followed her. " Travesty. Where are you going? " Travesty stopped in motion, then turned to the mare. " I don't need a reminder from Princess Celestia, that I am a monster. It was my fault, that the parasprites destroyed Ponyville. I found it in the Everfree Forest. " A little sadness was in her normally calm voice. Fluttershy gently hugged her. She brushed her messy mane. " It was just a little accident. Nothing more. You have to stop blaming yourself for things that you didn't do. " For a moment her normally emotionless face showed anger and sadness. Travesty gently pushed Fluttershy aside. Looking into her eyes she said. " You may not see me as a monster, but your animals do. They can not lie. Everypony fears me. Everypony hates me." She galloped away. She wasn't angry, she ran away because she was at the verge of crying. " Strange. Fluttershy never mentioned that you find the parasprite in the forest. Oh well, it doesn't matter now. It was just an accident after all. " Twilight smiled at her. " I want to learn magic. " Twilight's eyes sparkled when she heard that. " Great! I can point you towards book that helped me with my training. What type of magic are you interested in? " She made a big smile, and clapped her hooves happily. " I wish to know my magic level first. " She already regretted coming to here. When she said those words Twilight pulled a crazy contraption next to her. " Don't worry. With this little device I can read your magic level in no time. I just have to fasten this helmet onto your head, and we could start. " Twilight put the helmet on her. " Maybe we should start? " Twilight pushed a few buttons on the contraption. " Just channel your magic, and I will analyze the results. " " I'm ready. " Indigo aura appeared around her horn, when she started channeling her magic. The contraption using her magic started to work. Steam coming out of a tube, while a vial filled with magic started to spin around. At the other side, where Twilight stood paper came out, with graphs, and lots of number on it. Twilight was reading the data, when suddenly the vial that contained the magical energies cracked. Raw magical energy burst from the machine, blowing it up completely. The two of them barely had time to jump away from the explosion. Twilight was coughing. She looked at the debris worryingly. This is the first time that she saw something like this. " W-what happened? " She slowly walked to the machine. Some magical way, the data survived the explosion. She looked through it. " Ooooh. I get it now. " She looked at Travesty who just got the helmet off. Her mane burned a little, and her face was covered in soot. " Why did your machine blow up? " Travesty said with an uninterested tone. She didn't really care about it. " I think this is a good news for you. The explosion was caused by you. " Twilight was in full researcher mod. She was analyzing the data, writing on three different paper at the same time. " I don't think another disaster caused by me is considered as good news. " Her neutral face changed into a frown. " Don't worry. It wasn't a disaster. I was just surprised by the fact, that you are the second most magical unicorn in all of Equestria. " Twilight couldn't believe that the little filly had almost as magical power as she at her disposal without training. Twilight wondered if the filly once could be the most magical unicorn. With proper training she could even surpass Star Swirl. " Second? That's pretty high on the list. Who is the first? " Although she didn't want to show it. She was interested. She never knew she had so much power. " Oh.. well.. " She said it with a blush. " According to the Canterlot Archives I am the first. The list doesn't contain Star Swirl's magical level, but he holds the honorary title for the most magical unicorn. The second was a mare called Sunset Shimmer. You are the second now. I have to send the data to the Archives, so they could change the order. Oh! I could give you a patronage so you could apply to Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. I'm so excited. There is so much thing for you to learn. " Twilight happily jumped around her. Travesty stopped her suddenly. " I have no wish to master the arcane. I just want to learn a few tricks for the talent show. " She said with her cold voice. " But.. you have a wonderful gift. Think how much good you can do. You can even surpass Star Swirl the Bearded. " Twilight wasn't going to give up. She wanted to convince the filly. " Twilight Sparkle. I am a hideous monster. If what you say is true. I'm a danger to all of Equestria. If I turn evil I will become the destroyer of Equestria, not her savior. " Travesty turned around so Twilight could not see the tears in her eyes. " You are not a monster Travesty, but I can understand your fear from your power. " She put a hoof gently in her shoulder. " You can come here anytime you wish. I will teach you a little about magic, but please at least consider my offer. " Twilight smiled warmly at her. " ... " Travesty for once in her life she was speechless. She could feel that a warm feeling embrace her. " I will think about it, but I won't promise anything. " She took a few step towards the door. " I have to go. I will come back tomorrow. " Although most of the time she was walking very slowly, that could drive anypony insane. This time she ran as quickly she could. She was running away from her feelings. Friends? ~ Friends? ~ "... I cannot believe that I'm walking on the path that leads towards the Abyss itself. I'm terrified and excited at the same time. Whisper seems to enjoy the sight seeing. Probably because It's her homeland. Although her temper seems to be out of control. Her usual aggressive behavior turned into something more enjoyable. She is still aggressive, but she was making fun of things. Commenting on everything she saw, or I wrote down. When she was teaching me how to defend myself. She kicked my flank so fast, that she made a funny comment, that I made an academy record about being the fastest one to be defeated in the history. There most be something wrong with me. When she and Lady Everblaze fought, for me it looked like they were sisters. We are so different from each other, yet I feel we attract each other in a different way. The more days we spend together, the more I think of them as my sisters. Is it a weird thing to consider them as family?... " Rosemary - The Grand Expedition: A journey around the world The once proud city of Canterlot had been under a state of emergency. A monster living as a pony infiltrated the city. Even the moon hid itself under a blanket made out of clouds. " Ahahahahaha! " A wicked laugh echoed through Canterlot. The guards were on full alert. An amethyst unicorn filly ran towards a guard. She was crying. " Please, mister help me! Something horrible is in the alley way. The monster took my mother. " Her voice was innocent, and filled with fear. The guard followed her to the dark alley way. " Don't worry. Where is this horrible monster you speak of? " He looked around, but found nothing, that could prove the filly's claim. " Right behind you. " Travesty said with a wicked smile. The guard only had enough time to look behind himself. What he saw is horrified him completely. The once innocent looking filly, were laughing maniacally. Blood lust in her eyes. Her horn flared, with indigo color. She was draining his life force. He wanted to run, but his legs didn't move. He tried to resist, but in the end. The stallion collapsed. He a lifeless husk. With a smirk Travesty kicked the dead body. Her ears perked up, when she heard voices nearby. When the first guard showed up, she quickly sent a magic beam against him. The guard was slammed into the wall, by such force, that it broke his spine. " It's the demon! Sound the alarm! " The guards gathered around her. She licked her lips. " Mmmmmm. So much juicy life force. It will be my pleasure to kill you all, but first let us play a game. " Her dark laughter echoed through the alley. " You won't get away from us, Travesty. " A pony with dark grey mane stepped forward. " Give up now, while you still can. End this madness. " " Look who we got here. " Travesty gave him a seductive smile. " Commander Hammerhead, you came here because of me? I'm flattered. " She blew him a kiss. " Enough! Don't play games with me. " He stomped with his hooves. He was ready to charge at her. " Give up! Now! " " Ahahahahahahaha! Only if you can catch me. " When the guards jumped at her, she summoned her magical power to teleport herself above the city. While falling to her demise, she transformed into a winged demon. Like a monstrosity from Tartarus itself appeared. Hammerhead just smirked. It looks like he prepared for something like this. " Midnight! Taker her down from the sky! " He shouted. Pegasi guards quickly took off. Travesty was surrounded. Spears aimed at her. They flew in a formation that she couldn't brake without hurting herself. " Well..well..well.. It looks like I walked straight into a trap. Or in this case I flew straight into it. " While stalling the inevitable she scanned for an escape route. " I will blow you out of the sky, Travesty. Hammerhead might tried to reason with you, but I see who you are. You are a monster. I will see to it, that you will die as one. " Midnight gritted his teeth. He tried to hold the formation. If he charge forward foolishly, she could escape. " Oh? Is that so? Tell me, captain. How is your wife, and filly? Have you dug their grave, yet? " Travesty knew this will tick him off. " You bitch! I will avenge them! " Midnight charged forward breaking the formation. With a dramatic pirouette she flew aside. The stallion's attack missed her completely. " Thank you captain. You are very kind of letting me go. " She used this opportunity, to break through the formation. Two guard died as she flew past them. Travesty incinerated them with magic. She was free at last, even though the guards chased after her. " I will burn down Canterlot, because you let me do it! " She yelled while setting the city ablaze. Mares, stallions, even foals couldn't escape from her blazing fury. " Dammit, Midnight! Lead her to the castle! " The rest of the guard were fighting against the flames. The stallions tried to save as many civilian as they could. Hammerhead galloped to the castle. Twilight Sparkle was there. " Commander! How bad is the situation? " She saw the flames. Even though it was night, the flames light up the whole city. " The casualties will be too high. The whole city will burn down if we don't stop her now. I hope your plan will work. " Hammerhead was angry, because he couldn't do anything. " I-I.. never imagined that she will be completely out of her mind. If I knew I would have never taught her magic. " Her tears flowed freely. " Hold together! Canterlot, and Equestria depends on it. " The white stallion scanned the sky. He was looking for something. " Ahahahaahaha! Do you want to join your beloved wife and filly in death? " Travesty taunted him. The filly loved torturing ponies. Midnight tried to collide with her, but she was much more agile than he thought. Some might argue, that it wasn't a good idea, to involve Midnight in the plan to capture Travesty, because she could easily get under his skin. They were counting on it. Travesty could never say no to play a game. While Midnight served as a distraction, he intentionally led her near the castle. Hammerhead waited for the right moment, then pulled a lever. A catapult launched a ball into the air. It blew up in mid air with a white flash. Disorientating, and blinding everypony who looked at it. " Aaarrrrgghhh..! What did you do to me? " Travesty couldn't see anything. She was flying in circles. Midnight Impact waited for this opportunity. Living up to his namesakes he collided with her in mid air. Both of them fell from the sky. Although Travesty hit the ground hard. She already tried to stand up. She looked up just to see a net was thrown over her. The filly charged up her horn to blast away the net, but as soon her magic touched the net, it started to tighten around her. The more magic she used, the tighter it got. Her eyes widened. " Shadowsilk! " Travesty gritted her teeth while saying that. " The game is over for you, Travesty. " Hammerhead said, while helping Midnight up. " The game is only over when I lay dead. " She spit towards his direction. " Travesty... " Her eyes widened again. She knew this voice. It was Twilight. The mare walked next to her. " I'm sorry. It was my fault... " " Don't you dare to pity me. I warned you. You didn't listened to me. Now you pay for this lesson in sweet-sweet blood. " Travesty spit in her face. Twilight wasn't bothered by it. She was just sad. Her heart completely broken. " I'm sorry. I... have to... " Twilight winced it was just so hard for her to say something like that to her own apprentice. " Just get over it! " The filly yelled at her, while struggling against the net. " For your crimes against Equestria. I have to banish you.. to Tartarus. " Twilight looked into her eyes. " You... you.. " Travesty was about to explode. " You can't do that! I would rather die, than to be banished! " " Travesty, please... forgive me for this. " Twilight charged her horn up. " Nooooo! " Travesty wasn't going to just give up. She summoned all her magic that she could. The shadowsilk net reacted accordingly. It tightened around her. It cut into her flesh. She started suffocating as the rope tightened around her throat. She smiled when the world gone dark around her. The last thing she saw was Twilight. The lavender unicorn was crying and pleading to her to stop. She hugged the filly, when she slowly left the living world. " Noooooooo! " Travesty got up. She was hyperventilating. " No! No! No! No! " The filly was shaking, and sweating heavily. She started screaming until she had no voice anymore. She ran to the bathroom, then grabbed a bucket. " Uggghrrr.." She emptied the content of her stomach into the bucket. Travesty was panting heavily. She looked at herself in her mirror. The filly was so occupied with herself, the she didn't saw, that the cracks in the mirror started to spread and grow. " Nightmares two consecutive day. It didn't happen before. What is happening to me? " She was demanding answer from her own reflection. " Stupid reflection. Why don't you have answers for me? Useless junk. " She walked out the bathroom. She wanted to lay down and sleep a little more, but she had to go to school. " This is going to be a long day. " She sighed, then packed her school supplies. " What should we do for the talent show? " Sweetie Belle asked from her fellow crusaders as they walked out of the schoolhouse. " We should do something totally awesome. Like a stunt show. I will jump through flaming circles. Then Rainbow Dash will say I'm totally awesome. It will be the best day ever. " Scootaloo was daydreaming. " Hmmm. I'm not sure about the flaming circles. It sounds dangerous. Applejack would never allow me to do it. " Apple Bloom objected. " It doesn't matter what you do. You will fail spectacularly. " Diamond Tiara appeared suddenly next to them. " You can show whole Ponyville that you aren't special. Blank Flanks! " The cutie mark crusaders were about to remark something, when a cold voice interrupted them. " Leave them alone. " Travesty walked slowly next to them. Everypony except the crusaders backed away slowly. The other foals gave fearful looks to her. " Oh? It's you. Another blank flank. I think your cutie mark must be tied to disasters. Don't you agree...Tragedy? " Diamond Tiara never saw what was coming. Travesty hit her hard, then pinned her to the ground. The unicorn filly whispered into her ears. " I've got my name from my mother. Never ever dare to call me in a different name. If I see you trying to bully somepony. I will skin you alive. You got this, mudpony? " Diamond Tiara just winced. She was horrified by her. Travesty slapped her again. " You got it? " " Y-y.. yes.. please, let me go. " She was about to cry, when Travesty let her go. The filly ran away with her friend Silver Spoon. The crusaders were dumbstruck. " What did you do to her? " Apple Bloom demanded answer. " I just remind her who is the alpha in the pack. " Travesty was back to her old unenthusiastic self. " Alpha in the pack? What does it mean? " Scootaloo scratched her head. " She means she is the leader. " Sweetie Belle lectured her fellow crusader. " Oooooh. I get it now. Does this mean you are the lead bully now? " The crusaders stood right next Travesty. The amethyst filly looked at them. " I am not a bully. I just had to step up against her. She was annoying me. " The crusaders cheered when she said that. " Finally somepony, who think like us. Crusaders! " Scootaloo grabbed her friends. They spoke privately, while glancing back at Travesty a few times. " I don't know if it's a good a idea, to ask her to be a crusader. She isn't the type who will go around doing stuff like what we do. " Apple Bloom objected. Mostly because she knew that the farm was almost burned down by accident. Applejack told her that a certain amethyst filly was involved. Although she didn't know how. " She is the smartest filly in town. She even surpassed Sweetie Belle. Maybe she has different ideas about crusading. Ideas, that not involves tree sap. " Scootaloo counter-remarked. They looked at Sweetie Belle. Her vote should decide the debacle. " Maybe we should know her better first. Like go out with her, and then we could decide if she is a crusader material or not. " All of them nod in agreement. " Say, Travesty. Do you have something important to do? " They all give her a big smile. " No. I have a lots of time, but later I have to go to the library. " Travesty knew something was odd, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. " Maybe you could come with us to Sugarcube Corner? We could eat something together. " Scootaloo was the one to speak. " I'm not allowed to enter Sugarcube Corner. " She said in her monotone voice. " W-what? " They all jumped at her. " Why? " " I'm a bad omen. A living disaster. If I were to buy something from them, I will curse them, or something like that. No merchant, or shop in Ponyville allows me to buy from them. " " That's so sad. It makes sense now, that's why we never saw you in Ponyville. Where do you buy school supplies, or food? " Sweetie Belle was touched by her hardship. " I get everything from the black market. " The crusaders looked at each other. They never knew that she was struggling so hard in life. " Come with us. They will let you in, if you are with us. " They grabbed her. " No. " Travesty said quietly, while putting her hoof down, so they couldn't just drag her there. " Awwwwwww... pretty please? " They all used their puppy eyes on Travesty. " Uuuugh... Fine. " The amethyst unicorn put her hooves on her ears, when the crusaders all yelled in unison. " YAAAAAAAY! " " I cannot believe you pulled me into one of your crazy antics. It almost turned into a disaster. " Travesty scowled at them. " I don't want to see tree sap ever again. " She murmured the last sentence under her breath. " Almost. " Sweetie Belle said, then giggled. " Let's go and eat something! " They all went inside Sugarcube Corner. " Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! " Said the hyperactive pink party pony. When she saw Travesty, she quickly dashed to her side, putting a party hat on her, then gave her a powerful hug. " Travesty, how can I help you? It's good to see you finally coming here. " The amethyst filly was about to explode. " Let. Me. Go. " She gritted her teeth. " Don't be such a party pooper. We are about to have fun! " " Pinkie Pie! What did I tell you about fun? Do you remember? " Pinkie Pie started drooling, and her eyes spinning around in a hypnotic way. - Flashback in Pinkie Pie mind - " Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! " The hyperactive pony was bouncing in front of the filly. Travesty looked at the mare. Her overly enthusiastic behavior annoyed her. " I threw this surprise party just for you! " She threw confetti over her. " Surprise! Are you surprised? " I'm surprised. How did you get into my house? " She checked the locks, but everything was in complete order. " Naturally through the chimney. How else? " Pinkie Pie stated this as if it was the most natural thing in the world. " I see. It was foolish of me to not think of something that obvious. " Her sarcasm didn't work on the mare. " Don't be too hard on yourself. This is the time for fun, and happiness. " She put a party hat on Travesty. " Happy birthday! " When those words left Pinkie Pie's mouth something in Travesty awakened. The filly growled. " Birthday? How dare you speak about fun and happiness on this day! Do you even know what happened? " She started pushing the mare out of her house. " Well.. duh. This is the day when you were born. " Pinkie Pie just smiled at her. " I know that you don't have friends to celebrate with, but I will be your bestest friend. " " This day is a memorial for my mother, who died by my hooves. " She pushed the mare outside. " If you dare to speak about fun in front of me one more time. " Travesty put the party hat down in front of her, then stomped over it several times. " You will get the same treatment. Now get lost before I do something I won't regret. " She levitated the cake that Pinkie Pie made for her. She just threw it into the nearest bush, then slammed the door close. " But... " Pinkie Pie couldn't even finish the sentence when a magic shield appeared around the house. " Awwwww... " Pinkie Pie was sad that she couldn't cheer up the filly, but she was scheming plans to make her happy. Travesty tried to get out of her hug, but the mare didn't even bulge despite, she was under some kind of hypnosis, and didn't respond to anything at all. Why is this have to happen to me all the time? Finally Pinkie Pie returned from the land of flashbacks. " Sooooo... What kind of party do you want? I could invite whole Ponyville. You just need to ask. " Pinkie Pie giggled. " LEAVE ME ALONE! " Travesty shouted. A chill ran through her spine, when she heard a dark whisper in her mind. "Kill them! They wish to harm you! Defend yourself!" Travesty panicked and lost control of herself. Suddenly she disappeared with a bright indigo flash. The filly appeared next to the cutie mark crusaders. Her mane was burned, and snoot covered her amethyst coat. She was coughing. " I didn't know that you could teleport. " Sweetie Belle was amazed. Travesty was still dazed from the random teleportation. She could only hear a dark laughter. " It seems, that we are finally broken beyond repair. Do not fret. Soon the storm will wash away your tears, and fears. Everything will change soon. Very soon... " " I.. just need a little time alone. See you tomorrow. " She run off not waiting for them to answer. The cutie mark crusaders were shocked, and couldn't even say anything. Pinkie Pie was wearing a tin foil hat. " Travesty just vanished! What if she was captured by reptilian aliens? Do you hear this Gummy? Maybe she found your cousin. " Everypony sweat dropped from this. After finally getting rid of the crusaders she was on her way towards the edge of Ponyville. As she got closer and closer, she was getting more nervous with each step. Her nightmare still haunted her. Maybe I shouldn't push my luck. What if it's not a nightmare, but a vision? A warning from the future? I am such a mess. Travesty found out she was sweating heavily. Images flooded her mind. Her nightmare still haunted her. She ran into one of the alley way, and hugged herself, as she was shaking. " Calm down, you stupid filly! Everything will be fine. Why is this have to happen to me? Why can't I have peace? " She was talking to herself. When no answer came she bit her hoof as hard as she can. Soon the pain took over her senses, and the shaking stopped. " The Madam will not be pleased if I arrive late. I have to hurry. " Travesty frowned at the thought of hurry. She hated when she had to do things fast. She started running towards the Void Zone. Author's Note Sorry for the long wait. I was working in a country wide research. It ate up all my time. I will try to make up the loss of time, but I cannot promise anything. Void Zone - Red Light District ~ Void Zone - Red Light District ~ "... I finally met Whisper's family. They were shockingly.... nice and normal. Her youngest sister didn't even remembered her. It was so sad I almost cried. It was completely different how she described her tribe to me. She told me they were savages, who only wanted to pillage, and kill. They were the most peaceful ponies I encountered in the Badlands so far. It is so romantic, how they wander around in the endless wilderness. I wish I could go with them, but The Grand Expedition must go on. I found a few very interesting cultural difference. It was so fascinating to talk about how they viewed their cutie marks. When a pony gets his or her cutie mark the elder -who is the spiritual leader of the tribe- will tell them a prophecy about their role in the tribe. At this point Whisper destroyed the table in anger, and left the hut. I wonder why she holds so much resentment for them. Maybe the prophecy about her was something, that pushed her towards The Phoenix Covenant. Why do I have a feeling, that this story won't have a happy ending?..." Rosemary - The Grand Expedition: A journey around the world Ponies around the world tend to forget, that there are regions in Equestria where the magic of friendship will only earn you a knife in the back. Next to Ponyville there is a city called the Void Zone. This is the home place of the underworld, and every shady deal that exists. It was the result of a background deal between Princess Celestia and the underworld. They would only operate inside the Void Zone, then they will be left alone. Most of the time. So thus in this city everything can happen, and will happen. High walls around the city guarantees, that no prying eyes will disturb the delicate balance. They only way to enter or exit the city is through the checkpoint at the main gate. The Void Zone was distributed into three districts, and an outpost, that was placed outside of the walls, because when the garrison was inside, let's just say the guards had nightly 'accidents'. The distribution main purpose is to make a relative peaceful relationship between the different factions of the underworld. The Merchant District is led by a pony named Mr. Nine. Nopony knows who is he, or how he looks like (except a selected few), or even what is his real name. He got his alias because he have agents in nine different region of the world. He always makes deals through his agents. He is the most successful smuggler currently. The Society of Freedom consists many group that deviate from the 'normal' way. Whether to be a scientist with unethical experiments, or a simple follower of the Dark Arts. You will find a safe haven in this district. Currently the Society of Freedom is represented by the biggest group called Alliance of Darkness. They are the followers of the Dark Arts, that was created by Magnus Shadowkeeper who was the rival of Star Swirl The Bearded. The famous Red Light District is under the caring touch of Madame Coral Rift. Her aquamarine coat, with warm orange eyes sure makes her look exotic. She always wears her magenta mane in a noble like fashion. There is a saying in the Red Light District. Never double-cross the Madame, or she will ruin your life forever. This district acts as a neutral ground, so outsiders could interact with the Black Market. The outpost is the home of the civil service, and the guard garrison. The garrison leader is Sergeant Pepper Spray. A very young and hotheaded guard pony, who was stuck into this position. His attachment to mares, alcoholic beverages, and gambling made him the perfect candidate. A very brave young filly walked on the streets of the Void Zone. She was in a hurry, when she bumped into someone. " Ah, young lady. May I request your help? It seems my cat has been lost again. " The filly just rolled her eyes. The pony she ran into looked like a very cliche like evil genius scientist. Lab coat? Check! Wild tangled mane? Check! A box as a cutie mark? Che.. wait a minute? A box? " Dr. Schrödinger, I haven't seen your cat today. Have you tried asking the Madame, or your wife? " She was annoyed by the fact, that no matter how many times she came into the city, somehow the good old doctor always bothers her with something. " Ah, yes. Annemarie. She is howling at the Blood Moon at the moment, so I would rather not confront her with this matter. I'm afraid at the moment I'm not allowed in that fine establishment, where you work. It is a shame; I don't know what its cause was. " He suddenly had a dreamy face. Probably because he was dreaming about what he would do to the girls, that work there. " Doctor. You electrocuted a girl during your *ahem* quality time with her. It is a miracle it didn't cause any serious injury. " Travesty was getting very irritated. " You just can't apprehend the scientific value of this act! Hmph! " The doctor just turned around, as if he was the one, whose honor have been damaged. It looked very childish. " Whatever you say. " She just rolled her eyes at his antics. " Have a good evening Dr. Schrödinger!" " Good evening to you Travesty!" As she left the doctor was looking at her. " What a fine young lady. If only I were 20 years younger. Oh, to be young again. Hmm, maybe I should just invent a youth serum." His musing was interrupted by a very loud shrieking sound. " Schrödinger! " He gulped at the sound of his enraged wife, who ran towards him emitting a dark aura that promised a very painful beating. " Dear Celestia! Save your faithful follower! " The sound of a painful cries filled the night. Another typical evening in the Void Zone. Travesty entered into a large building made out of brick. As soon as she entered her nostrils were filled with the smell of booze, sex, and cheap perfume. She resisted the urge to gag for the thousandth time. She quickly walked to the receptionist to check in, when the Madame arrived. " My dear Travesty. How are you feeling today? " The mare was gently swaying her hips as she walked. She wore a purple dress, that hugged her curves very tightly. Leaving almost nothing to imagination. Every male in the vicinity started drooling by looking at the mare. If there was a mare who was in every stallions fantasy, that would be her. Only the richest could afford her entertaining personality. " I.. can we talk? Alone? " Travesty never really trusted anypony else, then herself, but somehow -apart from Fluttershy - Madame Coral Rift could ease her pain, that is festering her soul. " Come my little pony. Let us talk, where our voice is muffled by the sound of flesh on flesh. " They walked into a dimly lit corridor. It was the backstage area, where all the girls prepared themselves. Moans came from the rooms on the left side. While the mare just smiled at this. Travesty shuddered. " So tell me.. what is it, that is bothering you? " Coral Rift was genuinely interested. Travesty wasn't the one who came seeking her advice. " It seems I have magical powers at my disposal. So much, that I'm officially the second most magical unicorn. " The Madame eyes widened by this fact. Gears working in her brain at a hundred percent. She quickly pulled Travesty closer. " Are you sure? Is it confirmed? " She whispered to her, while gently brushing her mane. " Yes. Twilight Sparkle confirmed herself. " She quickly found herself in the embrace of the mare. She was hugging the hell out of her. " Oh so wonderful. Imagine what could you... " Her speech was interrupted by a yelp of pain. The Madame scrunched her nose, as she was remembering which client was the cause of it. She quickly turned to one of the fillies who occupied the staging area. " Little One tell mister Filthy Rich, that he is not allowed to harm any of the girls. This is the final warming. If he seeks the pleasures of pain, he must pay for it, as everypony else. " In a rare emotional slip the Madame stomped with her hooves, and every girl knew she was mad. A young filly just bowed at the order, then went into the room. After a few minutes the stallion emerged from the room. " Madame it was a misunderstanding. I just.. " The mare stomped again. " Silence you whelp! Is this the way you address your mistress? " The stallion bowed in fear, then started kissing her hooves. " I humbly apologies for my outburst M'lady. " The Madame snorted. " We will speak about this in my office. I think I have to practice my whipping skills. " Filthy Rich was quite furious, but an icy glare quickly shut him up. He hanged his head down, and head to her office. " I'm so sorry Travesty, that our little chat has been disturbed, but as a Madame I have matters to attend to. Do not worry, we will speak about this soon. " She gave her a small kiss on her forehead. " Little One go to Bunny Hop and take my leather whip back from her, and bring it to my office. " Travesty walked into her own room. It wasn't really a 'room' it was more a like a laboratory and a medical room combined. At the backside of the room there were boxes filled with various alchemical supplies. She sat down at her table, and looked at the requests that came from the various mares, who worked here. Who in Tartarus would ever need a body oil, that tastes like whipped cream? Whipped cream? Of all the things? Ugh.. whatever. Denied. She just shook her head in disbelief. The night was long, and Travesty felt like she was already at the gates of the Dreamscape, when a light knock on the door awakened her. Travesty carefully studied the mare at the door. She had a taffy pink coat, with a really long cyan colored mane. She had a very unique yellow eyes. Her iris had a darker yellow ring, while the inside was just simple yellow. " Oh.. you look busy. I-I.. should come back later. " The mare quickly tried to retreat. " Wait! " Travesty hated the shy ones. How could she be shy, if she does this for a living? " How can I help you? " Travesty though already knew why she was here. She was the one who 'entertained' Filthy Rich, but the rules dictates, that what happens in the rooms, stays in the rooms. " I.. well.. maybe it was a bad idea. " It looks like the mare was ashamed of what occurred. " Come on now. Don't be shy. There is nothing you need to be afraid of. I'm here to help you. " She was repeating the same lines over and over again for everypony. She didn't like this side of her job. Why can't they get over it themselves? Why do I have to be the one, who comforts them? The shy mare slowly entered the room. Looking around as if she was expecting something to hurt her. She quickly latched onto Travesty to hug her with all her might. " I was never this afraid before in my life. He.. hit me so many times. It hurts. Help me.. please? " She had big puppy eyes, while saying this. Something in Travesty awakened by this. Help her. " Everything will be fine. " She gave her a reassuring smile. " Where did he hurt you? " " There. " It was enough for her to become shy again. She snuggled into Travesty's mane. Hiding her face in it. " I see. " She gently patted her on the back. " I'm going to ask you to be strong? Okay? Can you do this for me? " Her only answer was a weak nod. " I want you to go to the table, and put your front hooves up on the table. It's easy. You can do it. " The filly didn't know where this sudden.. empathy came. This time she didn't feel like, that this task was forced upon her, and had to act like she care. She genuinely wanted to help her. " Okay... " Travesty could have sworn, that the mare in front of her was Fluttershy's twin sister. After she did what the filly ordered, Travesty searched the medicine cabins for the right ointment for this kind of injury. She went behind her with a green cream in her hoof. " I know this will be awkward, but I have to ask you to lift your tail up. " As she had guessed her answer was a quiet *meep*. She must a relative of Fluttershy. I have no doubt about it. She looked at the mare thoughtfully. Nah. Fluttershy would die of embarrassment before doing this kind of work. She would get a heart attack just by thinking of it. " Look. Do you trust me? " Travesty said with a sigh. " Maybe? " A deadpan look from the amethyst filly was enough for her to cover herself with her mane. " Y-yes? " " I want to help you. You can understand that, right? " A slight nod was enough for her to continue. " Then you will understand why I have to do this.... LIFT YOUR TAIL UP RIGHT NOW! " The mare obediently did what was asked from her. Travesty's eyebrow quickly rose. She was surprised, that this worked. Is she.... submissive? But she is so fragile and shy. A gentle slap would destroy her completely. Without further delay she applied the cream to her backside. " See? I already finished. " " Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! " Travesty found herself in a very powerful hug. The mare was literally choking her to death with a hug. " If you ever need help, just call me. I will help you! I promise! " " Alright, alright! Just don't kill me with your hug. " She had the decency to blush at this, then quickly let Travesty go. After a few awkward emotional moments - awkward to Travesty - she bid her farewell, then left our poor abused filly alone. ' Traaaavestyyyy~? " Coral Rift said in a sing-song voice. " Are you in? " Without waiting for an answer, the Madame entered her room. Her dress was gone, and now she was wearing a latex suit. Travesty eyed her warily. She rubbed her eyes a few times as she was thinking, that she must be hallucinating. " You had a client? " It was not an everyday occurring to see her during work. " Ah..yes. It was a long time ago since I had one. I had to use my charms, but oh my girl I have to tell you, it was worth the wait. This old lady still knows a few tricks. " She laughed lightly. " You are not that old. " Travesty said as a matter of fact. " If I did not know you better, I might think you might try to flirt with me. " Before the unicorn filly could protest, she gently booped her nose. " Do not worry, you are family. I would never do such a thing to you. Of course if you pay for it, then it is another matter. " " Can I ask you something? " If the Madame was surprised by this she didn't show. Travesty wasn't a pony who just goes around and asks things. She may have inherited her mother's curiosity, but she does everything alone. It looks like the previous encounter with the shy mare was still echoing in her mind. It opened up old wounds inside her soul. " Of course my dear. Ask away. " Even though her voice was carefree and playful, her eyes were focused on the filly. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she will find out. One way or another. " Why do you allow this filthy animal to be even here? How many girls have to be broken to satisfy his hunger? Have you seen what he did to her? " Her normally calm self was gone. Her aura changed completely. It radiated power. " Money. It is that simple. He pays as much as three costumer. " The Madame simply shook her head, then with a heavy sigh she said. " I.. no.. we cannot afford to chase away our clients. " " This isn't fair. Why do we have to suffer? Why did we deserve this? " " I have asked myself this question so many times, that I don't even know where to start. When I first joined I was like you. Always angry, but I had to 'entertain' my clients. No matter what they wanted. We were abused constantly, and the Madame didn't do anything at all. She was just sitting on the money, while we barely could eat. I did the only thing I could... " She looked away as she remembered her past. " I took a knife and stabbed into her throat. I took out all of my anger on her. It did not satisfy my hunger for revenge. I wanted to kill everypony who wronged me, but then the girls came. Without a Madame they would have surely died, or worse. So I took the title, then made the rules, that is why we are relatively safe from harm. As you can see stallions, and mares alike tend to be overly excited, and hurt my girls one way or another. Your case is special, because you don't entertain the clients. You are here to help the girls, while making deals on the black market. You have to understand that in this line of work nothing is sacred. " " That's it? Just bow to the whim of these.. animals. " She spat out the word. " I would rather die. " Travesty didn't know where this sudden fire came. It was intoxicating. She could feel power course through her body. " Travesty, maybe you should go home. You look very tired. " The Madame now knew there was something wrong with her. Travesty was shaking. The power inside her was ever growing. Her anger fueled it. " Yeah... " She nodded weakly. Who do you think she is to tell me what to do? Nopony tells me what to do! Nopony! Why can't this bitch leave me alone? No...no..nononono! What am I talking? This feeling overwhelms me! I have to calm down! She did the only thing that could calm her down. She walked next to her table, then banged her head against it really hard. As the pain washed over her body the strange sensation was gone. " Travesty! What are you doing? " She knew that the filly had suicidal tendencies, but seeing it with her own eyes was a different experience. " I should go home. I had a long day, and I'm really tired. " She put a fake smile on her face. " Very well. If you ever need to talk to somepony. You know my office is always open. " The mare grabbed the filly, then gave her a motherly hug before leaving. She glanced back at her for a moment, then she left. " *Yawn* I'm sooo exhausted. " She put the remaining alchemical equipment back where it belongs. " Boo! " She was so frightened by the sudden noise, that she hid under the table. " You are the voice before! Show yourself! " She tried to gather all of her courage, to battle against this unknown enemy. " Ahahahaha! That was fun! We should talk more. I like your funny reactions. But enough chit-chat I have something important to ask. " The female voice gave a long pause just for the dramatic effect. " Tell me, why are you weak? You have everything to be great, yet your self pity holds you back. Pathetic. " She could almost feel as if this unknown pony spit on her. " Oh yeah? What do you know? You are just a voice inside my head. " She mentally patted herself on the back on the behalf of this 'great comeback'. " I know you more than yourself. " The voice said cryptically. " Leave me alone! I don't want to hear your voice again. Please.. just leave me be. " She was trying hard to hold hear tears back. Somehow this sinister voice always made her crying. " Do not worry. I do not seek to torment you. I only want to help you. We will speak again. Soon. " The voice left, and now Travesty felt truly alone. Curling into a ball on the floor. She started crying. After emotionally collecting herself. She packed her things, then left the safety of the brothel. She walked in the shadows as always. Knowing this place is unforgiving for young ponies like herself at night. Suddenly she heard crying and screaming. No.. this is not my problem. Just go home Travesty, don't you dare investigating. She was about to move on, when her curiosity got the better of her. Oh for the love of... I hate myself. She went to investigate it. When she looked around the corner she saw, when Filthy Rich hit the mare who were with him a few hours earlier. " You stupid bitch! Why did you have to yell? Do you know how much you cost me? This time your pathetic Madame won't disturb us. " Travesty froze. She wanted to look away. To not care, but the mare resembled Fluttershy so much, that she couldn't leave her alone. Filthy Rich hit repetitively the mare on the ground, then started to walk around her. The amethyst filly was horrified of what will happen if no one will help the abused mare. " You can help her. You have to help her! " This time the voice didn't annoy her. " How? I'm just a little filly, there is no way I can overpower him. " She felt so powerless and weak. " You are wrong. You are far stronger than anypony could imagine. Give into your hearts desire. Show them how weak and pathetic they are. Let me take control. " Travesty didn't hesitate. She let the flow overtake her. Magic coursing through her veins. She was a predator, who found her prey. Filthy Rich couldn't even look up when the hit came. A powerful beam blasted him away from the sobbing mare. Travesty jumped on him with a bottle in her grasp, then hit his head with it. Shattering the bottle in the process. The urge to kill. The urge to destroy overcame her. She grabbed the biggest chunk of the shattered bottle, and without hesitation she stabbed him in the eye. He was screaming in pain, but no help came to save him. Travesty stabbed him again, and again and again. She didn't aim, she just stabbed him in the throat, stomach, side, everywhere she could hit him. Even a big roll of cheese would be jealous of how many holes did he have, when the filly finally finished. There was blood everywhere. Travesty was breathing heavily. She didn't know what happened to her. She felt the hot blood on her coat. She knew she just murdered a pony, yet she didn't feel guilty. Quite the opposite. She felt renewed. She felt alive. She felt it was the right thing to do. As the power slowly left her. As the flow retreated back to it's course. She just vomited into one of the garbage can. " Thank you! Thank you! He was about to... he would have... " The frightened mare just hugged the filly. For her it didn't matter, that she was covered in blood. " I.. just killed him. I didn't want to kill him, just to scare him away. I'm a murderer. What will happen now? I... I... " This day was so emotionally devastating for her, that she just simply fainted. " Travesty! " InitiationAuthor's Note Happy Hearth's Warming Eve! Initiation ~ Initiation ~ "... I do not know how to write down what happened today. I don't even know what to feel in this situation anymore. They don't understand my feelings. They say it's a natural thing that happened. There is nothing wrong with it. How could it be normal to take somepony's life? (...) We were attacked by savage ponies. I have to admit before this journey I would have ran away, but Whisper prepared me for this case. I had to fight. There were like 20 lightly armed pony. For Whisper it counted as breakfast. I wonder how many pony did she kill before. They gave me a crossbow as they couldn't count on me to fight hoof-to-hoof. I just waited patiently on the sideline when I saw a pegasus filly running towards Lady Everblaze. I only wanted to give her a warning shot. I accidentally shot her in the neck. I dropped the weapon, and ran to her as fast I could. I put my hoof on her neck to stop the blood, that was seeping out. Her eyes were lifeless. I held her dead body close to me, while I cried so loud, that even the gods themselves heard. I don't know how long the moment last, but I remember Whisper pulling me up. I spot blood on her armor. It wasn't her blood. She told me that I passed my initiation. For me it wasn't a virtue, but a sin. I committed a sin against ponykind. When I took her life I lost my innocence. I became a monster... " Rosemary - The Grand Expedition: A journey around the world " Ugh... " Travesty finally started to wake up. Her senses were completely dull. Her body felt like if it was on fire. " Hyuelal yigaoekak kgewkakf! " She heard an unknown male voice, but she couldn't understand a word what he said. She laid there for a few minutes, before gathering all of her strength to get up. After what if felt like an eternity she opened her eyes, while pulling herself up. She found herself in an underground place. The stone floor beneath her hooves were glowing. She found it quite strange. Crude stone walls covered her view. Only two small gap were on each side. She crawled to one of the gap to look around, when a three headed dog barked at her angrily. With new found strength she jumped back. " Cerberus? It seems even in death I found myself in Tartarus. That's my luck. " She paced around so the numbness in her body could fade. " You are wrong. You are not dead. " The voice was coming from a prison similar to hers. She walked to the other gap. She looked at the direction of the voice. " Who are you, and how do you know, that I'm not dead? " She looked at him suspiciously. If he was in Tartarus clearly she couldn't trust him. " I am Tirek. " The very old, and weak looking Tirek came forward from the cover of the wall. " You were banished here with a spell. " He was coughing badly after saying this. He pretended to be very sick. " Could you come closer a little? I am very old and could barely see you. " She was thinking about it, but she thought that he was clearly old, and couldn't do anything to harm her. She walked out of the cover of the stone wall. " Fool. " He opened his mouth, and started consuming her magic. Nausea hit her as he was starting to drain her very slowly. " W-what are you doing to me? " Travesty tried to move back, but the connection was strong enough to hold her in place. " I shall consume your magic. You are very powerful. " Naturally one pony would give him a measly amount of magic, but Travesty was different. He already started to regain his original form, and there was a lot more magic he could still consume. " Fuck off asshole! This is my magic! " She gritted her teeth as she tried to pull her magic back, but she could only slow down the process. " Yeeeeees! With your power I could break out of this prison, and rule Equestria! " Tirek was already boasting about his inevitable victory. " I'm not going to give up! NEVER! " She completely lost control over herself. She let out her anger, and in doing so, she did the unthinkable. She tapped into her own life force, and used its power to create a magical explosion. Indigo colored magic burst out of her body, and it destroyed everything in its wake. Her prison crumbled to dust, and the whole place started shake. Her magic was so intense it felt like it could tear apart even the very fabric of reality. Tirek did the most sensible thing he could do. He cut the connection and tried to find cover from the magic. Cerberus wasn't that lucky. He got the full blast head on, and just simply run away in fear. He left Tartarus unguarded. Travesty was floating above the ground. Indigo magic wildly lashing out from her body. Her once bright, and colorful mane started to fade away. Half of it turned grey. On her beautiful young face a few wrinkle appeared. It wasn't enough for it to make her look very old, but she did matured quite a bit despite being still very young. She walked into her neighbor's prison very slowly. She blasted the rock into bits where Tirek was hiding. Her eyes were still glowing with power, and magic trashing around her wildly. " Who are you? What are you? " Tirek was shaking in fear, because of her suffocating evil aura. Never in his life before met somepony as powerful as she. Even his magic stealing ability didn't work on her. " I am Travesty. " She let out an evil laugh. " I am invincible! Nopony could challenge my power! I am the Queen of Tartarus! Ahahahahahahaha! " She laughed, and laughed. Her evil voice penetrated even the deepest parts of Tartarus. Waking up ancient monsters who were imprisoned here. All they could do is to bow before her, or die trying to fight her. All of them accepted her as their queen. All except one. " What a bold statement. " A very deep voice came from the depths. Travesty just lashed out with her magic. Breaking apart the other prison with it. " Silence, monster! I am your Queen now! Kneel before me, or die! " She shouted in the direction of the voice. She didn't care about Tirek anymore, who was slowly creeping away from her. He vowed himself, that if he ever gets out alive he will change, and reunite with his brother. " Is that so? " He chuckled. " Then come my Queen. Come, and find me, and I shall give you your coronation present. " The voice taunted her. Travesty slowly descended in to the deepest parts of Tartarus. Monsters were looking at her fearfully from their hiding spots. Eyes following her every movement. She was on top of a hill. Looking down she saw a pony slowly pushing a boulder closer and closer to the top, but as he was about to reach the top with it, the boulder just moved to the side, then rolled back to the base of the hill. " Damn it! I almost had it this time. " She looked at the pony below her. He was a light brown stallion with black eyes. His jet black mane was interwoven with pearls. He also wore a rusty golden crown. " Amusing. " She laughed lightly. " Is this your punishment? " " How dare you laugh at me! I'm a king. " He pointed at her with his hoof. " Ha! You? A king? " In the next moment she was next to him. Looking into his eyes. She snarled at him. " Oh, yes. I know who you are. King Sisyphus. You are not the only royalty here. I am Travesty The Shattered. Queen of Tartarus. Kneel before your Queen. " She commanded. " You are betting on a loosing horse, if you think that I will ever bow before you. Even death itself couldn't make me bow. " He looked into her eyes defiantly. She used her sweet and seductive voice. " I know. Cheating death twice is quite an achievement. You are a very clever, and crafty pony. I want you to join me in my quest. " " What is the catch? What do you need from me? " He was thinking about the possibilities on how to outwit her. " Lead my army, and you shall be rewarded. Defy me and perish forever. " She circled around him. " What is your answer? " " Of course I will lead your army. Just break the curse that holds me to this place, and we can go. " He was giving her a very trustworthy smile. She smiled back. He thought he had her in his hooves, but something happened he wasn't prepared for. Her magic reached out, and grabbed his throat. He was grasping for air. She leaned closer and whispered into his ear. " Never forget this. Never try to double-cross me, or your punishment will be much more severe, than just rolling a boulder. Is that clear? " Her icy glare bore into his soul. " Y-yes my Queen. " He knew that he just couldn't outwit her. He had to play her game... for now. " Your task is to make a presentable army out of these mindless monsters. " With her magic she created an ordinary leather whip. " You won't have any trouble if you use this. " She gave it to him. He looked at the whip in his hooves, then looked back at Travesty. " Good. You are smart enough not to attack me with it. This was your first test, and you passed with flying colors. " She was about to leave, when he shouted after her. " Wait! What about my punishment? " His fate was in her hooves. Now he realized on what angle she was playing. He will be in her debt. " Use the whip on the boulder. " He looked at her as if he was questioning her sanity, but nevertheless did what was asked from him. Surprisingly as the whip hit the boulder, it exploded into pieces. He was in awe how much power she put into his hooves. " Now you see how much I trust you. You can easily bring the pieces to the top. The rest depends on you. " " I shall serve you faithfully my Queen. You will have your army. I will make it so personally. " He realized, that if he couldn't outwit her, then the next best thing is to be on her good side. " May I ask what do you plan to do with an army? " He was curious about what did she plan to do. " I will conquer Equestria. " She stomped with her hoof. " They cast me aside. Now I shall return, and make them pay. I will be their Que--.. AAARGH! " She clutched her head. Pain overwhelmed her senses completely. " My Queen! " He ran to her, but her magic was trashing wildly around her. He was afraid, that she might kill him accidentally, so he backed away. She writhed on the floor in pain. Her magic didn't respond to her callings. It formed a cocoon around her body. Soon darkness enveloped her completely. Travesty felt like she was about to die. A throbbing headache made it impossible for her to even know what was happening around her. After a few minutes the pain started to lessen. She opened her eyes, and with the help of her front hooves she pushed herself up. As she looked around she found herself in a glass dome. The inside of the dome was a total wasteland. Sand, rocks, bones, and dead trees were the residents of this place. On one of the trees, there was a rope, that they traditionally use for hanging ponies up. It was just there. Waiting for a pony whose life it could take. Travesty then focused her attention to the outside of the dome. Behind the glass she saw floating islands. A storm, that covered the land in fire, and a lake made out of some kind of gelatin. It was an ever shifting, and changing place. In front of her eyes the grass changed color. It was now blue. " Where in the name of Celestia I am? " She wanted to put her hoof on the glass, but as she touched it. Her hoof went straight trough it. She pulled back quickly. Travesty gathered her courage to go outside. She was about to do so, when a voice startled her. " I wouldn't recommend you to go out there. " She turned around, and saw a mare standing on a rock. " You wouldn't survive in the Dreamscape. " " What? How? You are.. me? " She looked at her more thoroughly. She just looks like me, but she is much more older. Half of her mane is....grey. No.. No! She was horrified. She is from my vision. How is this possible? " I forget how stupid my old self was. Ugh.. I need all of my willpower not to kill you. " She gave Travesty an icy glare. " I maybe stupid, but you are a real bitch. " She sent an equally hard glare at her. " Guilty as charged. " She laughed lightly. " I can't help it. You will understand it once you grow up. " She quickly pounced upon the unsuspecting filly. She gave her a very passionate kiss. Poor Travesty desperately tried to push the mare away. The more she fought back, the more passionate the mare became. After what it felt like an eternity Travesty gave up fighting against her. Seeing that she wasn't fighting anymore, the mare simply stopped what she was doing, and let the filly go. "Blurgh..! " The amethyst filly scrunched her face in disgust. I've been violated.. by myself. *sigh* I bet some kind of deity must hate me. Her future self just smiled at this. " Oh, don't be so mean. It wasn't that bad, was it? I always wanted to give my first kiss to somepony I love. " Travesty would have been very angry if what she said wasn't so sad. " This was your first kiss? You never felt love before? My future sure sounds great. " The filly said in a sad tone. " Awwww, you are so adorable. " The mare completely changed. Few moments ago she was a psychotic killer, and in the next moment her voice become softer. Her face went into a more relaxed state with a small smile. The mare gently stroke the filly's face. " Stallions, mares, and all kind of monsters showed no love for me, only for my body. " She let out a sigh. " In time I learned to love myself. I vowed to myself, that I will never cry, and those who try to hurt me shall feel my vengeance. " She put her hoof under her chin, then slowly pushed her head up, so she will look into her eyes. " You are still just a naive little filly. I'm a mare who has seen untold horrors. I did horrible things, but don't judge me because of that. My future was never bright. I had to crawl through hell, and I was all alone through this journey. That made me the pony who I am today. Do I feel regret? No, and I never will. If I do that, I would deny who I am. Do you understand? " " It means... " Her eyes widened in realization. " There is no redemption for you. You can not change who you are. You will fight till the bitter end, not because you want to, but because you have to. This is who you are. A pony consumed by darkness. " If Travesty ever felt the need to die, this was the moment. She didn't want to suffer like her future self. Before she could even think about it, the mare gently embraced her. The filly felt the warmth that radiated from her counterpart. Travesty felt this kind of warmth only once before. When Fluttershy took care of her. Now she knew what this unknown feeling was. It was love. Pure love. " I don't want to live anymore. Now, that I know what lies ahead of me. " She cried, while snuggling into the mare's mane. It somehow comforted her. " Oh you big dummy. " She gently patted her on the back, then slapped her really hard. Her facial expression turned into a very serious one. " Travesty! Listen to me! " She put her hooves on the side of her face, and forced her to look into her eyes. " You have to be strong for what will happen to you. For both of our sake. The future is yours. Don't be afraid of what lies within. You can still change. " As she said her last words, she leaned closer, and gave her a farewell kiss. It wasn't a kiss, that a lover would give. It was a kiss, that a mother would give to her child. Suddenly the warmth was gone. The filly gently wiped her tears, and opened her eyes, but the mare was gone. Travesty was more confused, then before. Is this what awaits me? To be a monster, who stops at nothing? Is there any other way? She said I could still change. How? The Void Zone was built on a very delicate balance. If somepony in any way disturbs it, it will come crushing down on Equestria. That is why being a guard pony here is a very important job. They have to patrol the city constantly while being neutral. Which is very hard as all three faction tries to bribe the guards as hard as they could. Even the best guard ponies will succumb for the temptation. Instead of doing the night patrols they had a very rough night, at a little tavern. Drinking, gambling, and mares of all kind were the main topic on their mind. The night turned into morning, and the morning into afternoon. The guards were still asleep as they had to make up for the lack of sleep they had to endure during their little get together. The barracks were a complete mess. The remains of alchoholic beverages, different kind of snacks, and even a few underwear were here and there. Their blissful sleeping was disturbed by a pony, who kicked the barracks door open. The drunk guards just groaned in annoyance, as they had a massive hangover. The arriving stallion looked around carefully at the situation at hoof. He walked to the closest pony. He kicked him awake. " Where can I find Sergeant Pepper Spray? " It was more like a demand, then a question. " Back there. In his own room. " He didn't even looked up, as he just pointed his hoof in a direction. The stallion walked into room, where the garrison commander was sleeping. He had two mare sleeping with him. " Sergeant Pepper Spray! " He shouted at the pony. Said pony just groaned as he was awakened. " Can't you see ponies are sleeping here? Go fuck yourself somewhere else. " He barked at the unknown pony while still half asleep. He snuggled closer to one of the mares. " *ahem* Ladies, if you forgive me, but I need to speak with the Sergeant privately. " It was a demand, and the mares knew it exactly. They quickly put their dresses on, then stood in front of the newly arrived stallion waiting for their payment. He begrudgingly pulled out a few bits, and put it into their hooves. Still they remained, and were waiting for more. He gritted his teeth while giving more money to them. " It was our pleasure doing business with you. " They left them alone, while counting their money. One of them leaned closer, and whispered into his ear. " If you need stress release, you can find me, and I can give you a little discount. " The stallion's anger was up to the roof, but on the outside he remained calm. " Sergeant Pepper Spray! I demand an explanation. " He stomped with his hoof. There goes the calmness. " Who do you think you are? " The Sergeant angrily got out of the bed, so he could teach a lesson to this annoying guard pony. Realization dawned upon him as he saw the pony in front of him. " Well? Who I am? " The stallion leaned closer threateningly. " C-c-captain Hammerhead. " He stuttered. " Sir, I didn't got a notice, that you will inspect the garrison. If I knew you were coming. " He was afraid that his guard career will be over. " That's Commander Hammerhead now. " Pepper Spray almost fainted. He insulted the Commander. The Commander! He was so screwed. " I'm not here to inspect the garrison. " " Phew.. " He let out his breath that he hold back. He swiped the sweat from his forehead. " I'm here to personally investigate the murder that occurred last night in the Red Light District. " " Murder? What murder? " He quickly shut up. Judging by Hammerhead's glare it wasn't the best thing to say to help his case. " Tell me Sergeant. What is the meaning of this? Drunk guards on duty? If I was an enemy I could have killed all of you without any difficulty. This is unacceptable!" He shouted. Pepper Spray got a massive headache thanks to this. " I-..It was just a little get together. Some stress relief? Surely you can understand. This job is really hard. " He was digging himself deeper and deeper. " I understand. " The Sergeant almost cheered at this. " You are relieved of command. When the case is closed, you and the rest of the guards will return to Canterlot. " He said calmly. " Wait, what? Then what will happen with the garrison? We are needed here. " "I would watch my tone Sergeant in your place. I don't have to explain myself in front of you. Wake up the rest of them, and assemble at the yard. Double Time! " Hammerhead just smirked seeing the Sergeant tried to wake up the drunk guards. After a painful thirty minutes the guards finally assembled in the yard. They were a pathetic bunch in Hammerhead's eyes. Their armors had missing pieces. Some of them even lost their helmet.Their weapon were dull, or completely broken. " You are all a disgrace. Not even fit for guards. " His words completely destroyed their self-esteem. " But.. you can prove yourself, that you are worthy of this title. " They all perked up at this. " Midnight give me a little support here. " As he said that a very big storm cloud appeared above them, and showered them with ice cold water. " Attention! " Even though they shivered, his commanding voice was enough for them to stand in line. " There was a murder in the Red Light District at 1:43. My team arrived at 3:00. We have already taken every evidence, and our doctor investigated the body. " He walked backed and forth in front of them. " Who was the victim Commander? " The Sergeant asked. " That is why I'm here personally, as this matter is very delicate. " He waited for his words to settle in. " The victim was none less, then Filthy Rich an Agent of Mr. Nine. " Now the guards knew they really screwed up. Heads will role, that is for sure. " The resolve of this issue will greatly sway my judgement in the matter of your... life style. " They all pulled themselves together, as he said that. They will do this investigation so perfectly, that the Commander surely won't court martial them. At least they thought that. " Listen up! It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to trust in you, but we need your help. Princess Celestia only allowed a small team to come with me. Our duty is--... " " Small team? " Midnight laughed. " You brought half of the Night Guards with you including me. This isn't a small team. This is a freaking power display. " Despite his little jab. Midnight was very proud, that the Night Guards could finally show themselves to the rest of the world. " As I was saying. " He ignored Midnight completely. " Our duty is to find the murderer, bring him or her back to Canterlot, before this whole situation blows up the fragile peace between the factions. " " What is our task, sir? " One of the mostly sober guard asked. " Midnight. " He turned towards the pegasus. " You and your fellow Night Guards will lock down the city completely. You have the authority to use force if required. The rest of you. " He turned back to the Royal Guards. " You will sweep through the city. Listen carefully. After the autopsy the doctor theorize,that our target is probably a pegasus, or a unicorn. Our only lead is a cyan colored hair on the victim. We don't know if it was on him before the attack, or it got on him during the attack. I will personally investigate this lead as it leads towards the brothel that is run by Madame Coral Rift. " The guards gulped at this. She was very famous for caring about her girls, and she will do anything to stop the guards investigation if it turns out, that one of her girls killed Filthy Rich. This could cause a retaliation from Mr. Nine. They are here to stop the war before happening. " Sergeant Pepper Spray! " He set his gaze upon said pony. " Sir? " He gulped nervously. " You will accompany me, and Midnight, and give us a basic rundown of the situation before the murder. " He gave him a weak nod. " Alright everypony. Do you know your role? " They all nodded. " Then move out! Let's go! " The once busy city full of ponies turned into a real ghost town. The guards swarmed the city. The Night Guards were an imposing sight. It unnerved every member of the underworld. The tension was so thick, that you could see ponies started to arm themselves. They prepared for war. " Commander, I don't want to question your methods, but are you sure, that this is the right thing to do? The folks here aren't that easily intimidated by simple guards. " Pepper Spray bumped into the commander as he stopped in front of him. He looked back at him. " Do you think I am just a simple guard? Learn and watch kid. " He took megaphone out, then jumped upon the roof of one of the merchant stands. " Citizens of the Void Zone. This is Commander Hammerhead speaking. The city is under lock down on my command. Nopony enters or leaves 'till I find out who murdered Filthy Rich. We can do this the easy way. You give us the culprit, and I'm leaving as nothing happened. Or we could do it the hard way. I will tear apart this city If I had to. " After a few minutes the city returned to its normal state. 'Normal' in a way, that ponies returned to their own districts. Merchants started to barricade their stands. A pony with a lots of golden necklace around his neck approached Hammerhead. " Commander Hammerhead. What an inspiring speech. You sure know how to shake up things in this boring little town. Allow me to introduce myself. " He bowed lightly. " I am Sweet Silver. I'm representing his lordship here. Mr. Nine was very devastated that one of his agent had died in such a brutal manner, and he has high hopes, that you could find the culprit without incidents. He also likes to offer any help, that could make your visit... less stressful. If Madame Coral Rift refuses to cooperate I'm sure his lordship could find a way, to help you out. " He spoke like a snake. To Hammerhead it felt like poison was seeping into his skull through his ears. " Sweet Silver, right? Tell Mr. Nine, that I accepted his generous offer. I only require information. Filthy Rich may have been an exemplary citizen, but he still might had a few enemies. Also I advise him to not interfere with our work, as we are very thorough in our work. " Hammerhead almost puked, that he had to sweet talk with him. Sweet Silver just gave him a curt nod before leaving. Hammerhead barely heard a 'filthy commoner' comment. " Wow.. Commander. You are so awesome. He is the most stuck up arrogant pony I ever known, and you made him bow before you. " Pepper Spray heard the stories about Hammerhead, but he always thought it was just propaganda, and over exaggeration. Seeing him in action made him question his beliefs. " I'm not that awesome. I'm just a regular stallion who does his job. " He smiled lightly. " Let me give you a little advice. In our kind of job you have to have balls of steel. There are a lots of ponies out there who will want to use their influence to deter you from your duty. You have to stand your ground and say ' I don't care. It is my duty, and if you stand in my way. You are an enemy of Equestria.' " " I'm not brave enough. " He stopped walking. " Maybe I should just resign. I'm not fit to be a guard. " He lowered his head. " It's your choice. But I ask you one thing. At the end of the day. When you go home, and think about your life. Who do you want to be? The guy who ran away at the first sign of difficulty? You can do that, but you will be forever a loser. Or... you can change yourself. Stand your ground, and earn respect through hard work. Fight your way through, and emerge as a hero of Equestria. " During his speech Hammerhead never looked back at him. He just walked forward not waiting for him. " I'm sorry Commander. " He pulled of his helmet, and put it on an abandoned merchant stand. He left without another word. " Do you really had to be this harsh? " Midnight asked from his friend as he walked besides him. " Yes. He had to hear it. Being a guard requires more than physical fitness. It requires faith. Faith in Equestria. Faith in the future, that what we do is worth doing. If that is not there, even the smallest breeze could take you down. " " Wow. You sound so wise suddenly. Who are you, and what did you do with Commander Hothead? " He playfully hit Hammerhead's shoulder. " I have my moments. " He said it with a smug smile. " You should have yours, but I think you are a lost cause. " " Oh really? How about a race to the brothel? " Before Hammerhead could even say no. Midnight flew away. " You don't even know where the brothel is. " He laughed lightly, and walked to the opposite direction. At least he knew where to go. " You must have cheated somehow. " Midnight said in an annoyed tone as he landed next to his friend. " It was just a little race. " Still he laughed at the misfortune of the pegasus. " I will speak with the Madame, while you look around. You have to be very cautious. " " Yes, mother. " He rolled his eyes. " Let's go. Just don't tell my wife, that I was in a brothel. " They entered into the building. - before the complete lock down - The sun loomed over the horizon. This glorious orb was bathing the city in orange. Spreading it's warmth to the earth. Making ponies happy, and helping them to grow food. There is no reason for a pony to hate the sun. Travesty hated the sun. As she opened her eyes she stared into its glorious form. She screamed in pain. Although she really did overreact the whole thing. " Oh thank Celestia. You are awake. " The mare she saved was next to her. She smiled shyly at the filly. Travesty looked around the room. It was a very tidy place. A very comfortable bed. A few wardrobe, with various clothes in it. It was probably what she used to wear during her work hours. What really caught her attention was her book collection. She had almost every book, that her mother wrote. She even saw a few first edition. " Why do you have those books? " She pointed at them with her hoof. " Oh, these? " She grabbed one of the books. " I really love your mother's work. The raw emotion. How she wrote down everything. The good, the bad, the worse. Everything. You feel you are part of something greater. I really love her writing style. " The mare clutched the book close to herself. She acted like a giddy schoolgirl. " Could you tell me what happened? After I fainted. I only remember the blood. It was everywhere. " Travesty shivered. She still couldn't understand how could she killed somepony in cold blood. " You saved me! " The mare hugged the filly. " But I killed him! I'm a murderer. What will happen know? I can't just pretend it didn't happen. Why did you help me? You obviously bathed me as I smell like industrial soap." Travesty crunched her nose up in disgust. The mare sat upon the bed, and started to comb the filly's unruly mane. Travesty didn't protest. She felt a harsh pain in her soul. This moment made her remember Fluttershy, who did exactly the same thing to her. " Nopony really showed me any kindness. For them I'm just an object, that they could use, then discard. But you! You came for me. You helped without wanting anything in return. You were kind to me. I would never judge you for what you did. I.. don't know how to say this. " The mare blushed, and hid under her mane. " Do you want to be my friend? " She smiled at the filly hopefully. " I don't know. I don't really have any friends at all. " Travesty thought about the Crusaders. Are they my friends? " Oh.. if not friends, maybe I can be your big sister? We could... go into the park, eat ice cream. I could help you with your homework. Teach you how to cook, sew. We could be like a family. I always wanted a little sister. " She was holding her breath back. She really wanted to be friends with the filly. " I.. I.. " Travesty stuttered very heavily. " I.. w-would love that. " " If you ever need help you can come here. You will be welcomed here. This apartment is not much, but I will share it with you, alright? " She looked at her clock. " Oh no! I will be late for work. I was so worried about you, that I completely forgot about it. " " C-can I stay here for a while? I don't know If I'm able to go home. At least not alone. " Travesty mentally gritted her teeth. Stupid! Why do I act like a stupid, scared , and shy schoolgirl? She is not Fluttershy! But I love her the same way. Argh! What are these confusing feelings? " Of course you can stay. This is your home now too. " The mare put on her dress. " Be safe, and don't let anypony in. Just to be sure. If you want to eat, just look into the fridge, but if you need something from the market, you can find a few bits under the bed in a box. " " Are you really have to go? " She tried not to sound too desperate. " I'm sorry Travesty, but I have to pay my rent somehow. I wish there was any other way, than this. " She gave the filly a hug before leaving the apartment. As the mare left, Travesty put her hooves on the ledge of the window. Watching her leaving the building, she waved after her newest friend. One question echoed in her mind. Why is my life has to be so fucked up? *sigh* Hey, voice? Are you in there? Silence was her answer. Great. There most be something wrong with me. I feel it inside me. This burning sensation. It is so familiar.
Awakening ~ Awakening ~ "... For me to leave Equestria behind was difficult. Whisper just laughed at me. I don't think she ever felt homesickness. Maybe we could visit her clan one day. Although I think she would probably burn down the whole village. Her personality tends to be difficult to cope with. She is very aggressive most of the time, but I saw her other side too. She is very passionate, and always putting others well being before hers. Just by walking next to her I feel I'm a real adventurer. On the other hoof Lady (It looks like somepony erased the name later.) reassured me, that the adventures will occupy my mind, so I won't even have time to feel homesick. She paid for this whole expedition, although even as a baroness I think it cost a small fortune to her. I suspect she has ulterior motives, but I don't have anything, that could prove my suspicion. She is just too nice. Her predator like grin, shining forest green coat, charming violet eyes, and when she brushes her dense dark red mane. I feel like she wants to seduce me. I bet she is just playing the game with me. Maybe I just imagine things. I don't know why I'm writing this nonsense into my journal, but I feel like one day, when I look back, it will all make sense... " Rosemary - The Grand Expedition: A journey around the world " AAAAAAAAAAAH..." Rosemary screamed in pain. The nurse hold her hoof. " Take Deep breath. Just as we practiced before. " The nurse inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. The mare did it with her at the same time. A brown stallion with a stethoscope cutie mark spoke. " Alright.. be ready! When I say push, push as hard as you can. Can you do that?" They were doing this for hours. It was a complicated birth. When giving birth to a unicorn foal there is a small chance, that the foal's horn will endanger the mother. Even if the horn is very small, coming at the right angle it could tear into her flesh and cause heavy bleeding. Although for this problem to occur the chances are very slim. Only one in a million. This was the situation they were in right now. " I... I.. will.. try.. " The mare could barely speak. She was exhausted already. The nurse tried to calm her down. " Everything will be fine. You are almost through it. " Either they wait for a little more, or do it now. The doctor decided it was the best if they do it now, when she still had a little strength. " Push! " The mare screamed in agony. She pushed as hard as she can. Her screams echoed through the hospital. Waking up the living and the dead alike. After many hours, it was finally done. She was so exhausted, that she couldn't keep her eyes open. " Congratulations! You have a healthy filly. " The doctor wrapped the filly into a towel, then put her besides her mother. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing her foal a warm smile appeared on her face. " Travesty... her name is Travesty. " She tried to caress her foal, but she groaned when she felt a sudden pain. The nurse was horrified what she saw. Lots of blood were oozing out of her. " She is bleeding heavily. " The stallion gave her an injection, that hopefully will relieve the bleeding. " Don't give up now! You have a little filly to take care of. " They were cleaning her lower region, to find out where was her injury, to stop the bleeding. The hospital wasn't prepared for cases like this. They were fighting a loosing battle. She tried to listen to the doctor, but her head felt heavy. She just wanted to close her eyes, and rest a little. Her eyes started to close slowly. A tear formed in her eye, when she heard her foal crying. Soon the world gone dark around her. - Several years later - The moon almost finished its course. Its light was enough to reveal a house not far from the Everfree Forest. It was an ordinary two-story house. Made out of wood and hay. Behind the building there was a small garden with a fruit tree. It was a very large, and thick tree. Probably the biggest in Ponyville. A stone wall separated the house, and its little garden from the horrors that lurk at night. Although it didn't give protection against the horrors that reside inside. In front of the house there was a mailbox. Rust ate it up completely. It looks like the owner didn't care about the mailbox's condition. The door was reinforced with metal bars, and locks. Probably to keep outside those who are not welcome here. The ground floor of the house is nothing too much interesting. A kitchen, with a dripping sink and unwashed dishes. A living room that looked like a mini library. It had a fireplace that never been used before. The study room had its fair share of books. Although it only had literature, nothing else. The whole room was covered in dust. The owner of the house didn't want to disturb anything in this room. As if it was a sacred place, where nopony can enter. On the upper floor there was a similar room. A bedroom that has never seen sunshine again after its owner left the living world. Next to it was another room. This room had view to the front of the house. The moon light lit up the whole room. It was unusual. Everything in the room were in order. The paper, the inkwell, even the quills were in on completely order. Text books on the shelves, readily to be used. The room resident were a little filly. A filly was in the bed. She was shaking. Turning around in the bed, trying to find a comfortable position. Her heavy breathing and sweating were caused by a vivid dream. With a scream she got up. She put her hooves on her eyes. She tried to hold her tears back. Her effort was in vain. Tears soaked her blanket. " Why do I have to dream about her death? Why is this torment never ends? " She was asking herself, yet no answer came to her question. After a while she calmed down a little. She looked at her clock. It showed 5:41. With a heavy sigh she got out of her bed. She was weak. She felt as if her legs weren't ably to move her body. She crawled to the bathroom slowly. Above the sink there was a mirror with cracks in it. A small breeze could shatter the mirror anytime. She looked at herself in the cracked mirror. Her eyes were slightly red because of how much she cried. It wasn't unusual in this situation. But how she looks with her eyes. It was cold and lifeless. Her indigo and dark red mane was a mess. She didn't brush it as usual. She just left it like that. Cold water came from the faucet, and filled up halfway the sink. She dipped her hooves in it, then splashed the water on her face. She washed the tears from her face. It also helped her to calm down even more. As she washed herself the sun rose slowly. Its first rays lit up the dark room. It warmed her up. She hated the feeling. Now that she calmed down. She could walk without a problem. She walked down on the stairs slowly. In the house there was only silence. The silence, that could drive anypony insane after a while. She liked the silence. It comforted her. She opened the back door and walked outside. She went to the tree in her garden. She looked at it. The trunk was damaged probably because somepony used it as a target dummy. The pain will easy my agony. She started hitting the tree. After doing it a few times she knew it wasn't enough for her. She smashed into tree. Somepony might say insanity already claimed her for doing such reckless thing. She was serenity incarnate. For her this act was more like asceticism. She attacked the tree without self-preservation. She wanted to feel the pain. She punished herself with it. The schoolhouse was full of life. Foals were laughing, playing, and talking about the events of yesterday. They were waiting for their teacher Cherilee. Every foal froze in their track when they saw a filly in the distance. Even though the sun warmed them up. They shivered. Diamond Tiara was disgusted by the filly. She turned to her friend Silver Spoon. " Look at that disgusting pony, Silver Spoon. How can she come to school like this? Does she not ashamed by herself? She looks like a filthy savage. " Her rant was disrupted by Cherilee. " Come on my little ponies. Class is starting. " The foals happily ran into the schoolhouse, except one. She walked slowly, as if she had all the time in the world. Cherilee waited for her. She felt a knot forming in her stomach. The filly looked dreadful. Bruises, and dirt stains covered her once beautiful amethyst coat. Her mane was a tangled mess. She even saw a few leaves in it. " Travesty, what happened to you? " It was not the first time Cherilee saw her like this. It happens almost every week. No matter how hard she tried, the filly never told her, what happened to her. " Nothing. " She gave her this answer always. Although she didn't care if Cherilee finds out. She just couldn't tell her the pain that was in her heart. The teacher put her hoof on her shoulder gently. " You can tell me everything. Maybe I could help you. " Travesty was thinking about it. She wanted to tell her everything. Yet, her inner demons didn't let that happen. Travesty was the cause of her own demise. She liked it that way. " Please, refrain from touching me. " Cherilee's smile faded. She knew this sentence means she retracted into her shell. She sighed then pulled her hoof back. " Take your seat then. Maybe next time you will be willing to talk. " Travesty walked into the class, and took her seat at the back of the room. Cherilee was sad about her, but she could do nothing to break her shell. At least not now. The class was boring and long. They were learning math. It was a torture for the other foals. She liked it. Her intelligence helped her learning everything at incredible speed. She liked studying. At least it occupied her mind instead of the horrors she saw time to time. Technically she wasn't listening. She was just looking out the window. The bell rang, and the foals started to pack their things, but Cherilee wasn't going to let them go that easily. " Don't forget the talent show! It is your best chance to show who you are. " The class cheered. The foals were already chatting about what will they do in the talent show. Two colt were arguing about a magic show. A filly in a tiara was ranting about a dress, she would wear to dazzle the audience. Everypony left the class except Cherilee and Travesty. She was the last one who left the class. The mare turned to her. " Travesty, may I have a word with you? " The filly stopped. She turned very slowly to her, then walk in front of her desk. Why can't she leave me alone? " Yes, Miss Cherilee? " Her voice was as cold, and lifeless as her eyes. Ponyville number one teacher had to use all of her willpower to not hug the filly. She knew that Travesty didn't like it when somepony touched her. " I was wondering, will you participate in the talent show? " She smiled at her in hope that she will participate. " ... " Travesty didn't answered. Not because, she didn't want to. She didn't have an answer for her. It made Cherilee uneasy when she didn't say anything. " Is this a maybe? " Cherilee said hopefully. " ... " Travesty turned around then started walking towards the door. Cherilee saw this as an escape attempt. She intercepted her quickly and was in her way. Travesty stopped before her. " Is there a problem? If you don't want to participate, just say so. " The teacher tried to not sound disappointed. " Why should I be in this thing? I will turn it into a disaster probably. " The mare couldn't contain herself, and brushed the filly's mane. " It is your chance to show everypony that you are not a bad omen. Tell them your hopes and dreams in a way you like it. " She gently caressed her. It made Travesty uneasy. She felt as if her warm hoof wanted to melt her heart. It wasn't going to happen. " Please, refrain from touching me. " The mare stopped caressing her. " I will work on a project, but I won't promise that I will perform it in front of an audience. " Cherilee clapped her hooves happily. She smiled at her. " This is a great news. I will look forward into seeing your performance. " Travesty just left, without saying good bye. She was thinking deeply. Now she had to do something. She hated doing something. She hated when things change. She hated walking through Ponyville. Ponies were cold to her, because she was a bed omen in their eyes. Whatever she do, or participate in, it will always turn into a disaster. Her very first Summer Sun Celebration turned into almost into an eternal night. She didn't attend it for years, but Cherilee convinced her, that this will be the only chance she will ever see Princess Celestia. There are ponies in Ponyville who blame her about the event that occurred. They accused her, that she summoned Nightmare Moon with her presence. There was another case, when she helped two colt finding an ursa minor. The ponies were not pleased that she led a monster into the village. Rumors says she was behind all the disaster that occurred in the village. Whether it was intentional, or she was at the right time, at the right place. Nopony dared to ask her opinion on this matter. Travesty agreed with their logic. She saw the signs too. She killed her own mother, although unintentionally. Still she blamed herself for it. Everything else were icing on the cake. She hated walking through Ponyville. Ponies fearfully stepped aside from her way. Merchants didn't want to sell her their stock. They gave her cold looks. A few ponies even yelled hurtful things at her. Although they didn't hurt her physically, she was wounded. She got used to it by now. She just ignored them, as they ignored her. Normally she stayed in the shady parts of Ponyville, but in this case she needed to go to the library. She needed research material to make her little project for the talent show. She arrived at the Golden Oak library. She eyed the building. I wonder. Is the building fireproof? If so, how hard is it to set it on fire? She shivered by the thought. How can I think of something that horrible? She walked to the door, then knocked two times. The door was opened by a purple dragon. He looked a little annoyed. " Hello. How can I help you? " She wasn't interested in the dragon's help. " I want to learn about magic. " That got his attention right away. " Don't worry. You came to the right pony. Twilight is really awesome with magic. Come in! Just wait a minute, she is doing a little experiment. " Spike let the filly inside. She looked around. She wasn't impressed by the selection. She had more book probably, then the whole library. Travesty didn't have time to compare the variety, when a lavender unicorn appeared from the basement. She wore a lab coat, and safety goggles. Twilight smiled at the filly. " Hello. I don't think we have met before. My name is Twi-- " Travesty interrupted her. " You are Twilight Sparkle. Protege of Princess Celestia. " Other ponies would be annoyed by the fact if somepony don't remember them, but in her case. She didn't care at all. " Oh? Have we met before? When? " Although Twilight had seen Travesty in Ponyville, but they never really met personally. - A few months ago - Travesty was walking through the Everfree Forest. She explored the forest, not because it amused her, but she was looking for predators. Everypony knew how dangerous is the forest, yet she never encountered with dangerous creatures. As if the predators were afraid of her. She could move through the whole forest easily. She knew the forest well. Most of the time she was collecting herbs. She used them as a source of income. There were supplies she had to buy, even if she didn't liked the idea. As she was just about to leave the forest she saw something in the corner of her eye. Did she find a predator she was looking for? A monster capable of total devastation? She pushed the bush aside and saw a different kind of monster. It was just a colorful ball, with little legs, and four wings. It looked adorable. It was a parasprite. She nudged it with her hoof, and it came alive. It buzzed happily in front of her face. She whistled a tune. The parasprite landed on her muzzle. " I get it. You are happy. Now shoo! " She gently nudged it off her nose. " I was looking for a monster, but you are a different kind of monster. Your creator must have had a sense of humor. A charming outside, with a soul made out of pure chaos. We are similar. " The parasprite nudged her face. " Don't you believe me? My flesh might resemble friendship and harmony, but my soul. Oh, my soul. It is the testament of chaos and destruction. I am a living disaster." It flew straight into her face, then rubbed it as if it was showing some kind of affection to her. " I'm going insane. I'm talking to a parapsrite. Stupid insect. " She looked around if there were more parasprite in the vicinity. She found none. Meanwhile the insect just followed her around. " Tell me my little.... friend. Where did you come from? " It found a mushroom, then ate it with one bite. " South? You came a long way just to die here. I have bad news for you. You won't survive the winter. " One by one it ate the whole patch of mushroom. " You probably don't care that those mushrooms are poisonous. " She whistled again. The parasprite obediently followed her. " To bad I can't keep you. You are far too dangerous, but I don't hate you for it. It is in your nature. " She started walking to the edge of the forest. " We can't fight against our nature. " She looked at the happy parasprite. It was just a mindless beast, yet it felt happiness. " Don't look at me like that! " She grabbed it, then put it under her hoof. " I can end your life right now, if I wish. Do you fear me? Can you see the monster inside me? Why don't you fear me? Why don't you hate me? Why? Why? Why? " Just a little pressure with her hoof, then she could squash the insect. Travesty knew she was a monster. She accepted the fact. Yet, she couldn't act like one. She closed her eye when she was about to cry. Instead with a heavy sigh. She let go the parasprite, which was happily flying around her again. " You might find this funny, but I rarely speak with ponies. " She said, while trying to shoo away the parasprite. " I'm not lying. You know nothing about me. They hate me. I'm nothing but a monster. I bet that is why the predators fear me in the forest. I'm at the top of the food chain. " It landed on her face again, but when she tried to get it off from her. She slapped herself. She just wanted to go home, and forget about this encounter. She frowned at the thought that she was speaking to a parasprite. " This is the longest conservation I have ever had in my whole life. " She calmed down a little. " Thank you, for listening to me, but don't think you are something special. You are just a mindless beast. " The parasprite rubbed against her face. " Stupid something, that created you! Stupid insect! " She couldn't control herself. She couldn't take anymore affection towards her. She whistled again. She commanded it to return to the forest. It happily flew away. She was impressed by the rate of destruction, these little creatures created so fast. Whole Ponyville had been destroyed. She walked next to the mane six. Fluttershy noticed her presence. She said it quietly. " Travesty, are you alright? " She looked at the mare. Fluttershy and Cherilee were the only ponies who did care about her well being. " I'm fine. Where did you find a parasprite? " Although the question wasn't addressed to Fluttershy directly. She was hiding behind her hooves. Clearly she was guilty. " Well.. I.. uhm.. I didn't know it was one. I just found it at the edge of the Everfree Forest. It looked adorable." Travesty guessed that she found the parasprite after she left it in the forest. It seems even when she wasn't acting like a monster, it still turns into a disaster. Maybe I spared the parasprite, because my evil instinct told me that it will cause destruction. Even when I try to be different, it always turns into a disaster. She looked around, and seeing the destruction made her uneasy. At least she could help dealing with them. She started whistling, and the parasprites started following her obidiently. Suddenly Pinkie Pie appeared and did the same tune with her musical instruments. When she saw Princess Celestia she stopped the whistling. She was simply walking away. Fluttershy seeing this followed her. " Travesty. Where are you going? " Travesty stopped in motion, then turned to the mare. " I don't need a reminder from Princess Celestia, that I am a monster. It was my fault, that the parasprites destroyed Ponyville. I found it in the Everfree Forest. " A little sadness was in her normally calm voice. Fluttershy gently hugged her. She brushed her messy mane. " It was just a little accident. Nothing more. You have to stop blaming yourself for things that you didn't do. " For a moment her normally emotionless face showed anger and sadness. Travesty gently pushed Fluttershy aside. Looking into her eyes she said. " You may not see me as a monster, but your animals do. They can not lie. Everypony fears me. Everypony hates me." She galloped away. She wasn't angry, she ran away because she was at the verge of crying. " Strange. Fluttershy never mentioned that you find the parasprite in the forest. Oh well, it doesn't matter now. It was just an accident after all. " Twilight smiled at her. " I want to learn magic. " Twilight's eyes sparkled when she heard that. " Great! I can point you towards book that helped me with my training. What type of magic are you interested in? " She made a big smile, and clapped her hooves happily. " I wish to know my magic level first. " She already regretted coming to here. When she said those words Twilight pulled a crazy contraption next to her. " Don't worry. With this little device I can read your magic level in no time. I just have to fasten this helmet onto your head, and we could start. " Twilight put the helmet on her. " Maybe we should start? " Twilight pushed a few buttons on the contraption. " Just channel your magic, and I will analyze the results. " " I'm ready. " Indigo aura appeared around her horn, when she started channeling her magic. The contraption using her magic started to work. Steam coming out of a tube, while a vial filled with magic started to spin around. At the other side, where Twilight stood paper came out, with graphs, and lots of number on it. Twilight was reading the data, when suddenly the vial that contained the magical energies cracked. Raw magical energy burst from the machine, blowing it up completely. The two of them barely had time to jump away from the explosion. Twilight was coughing. She looked at the debris worryingly. This is the first time that she saw something like this. " W-what happened? " She slowly walked to the machine. Some magical way, the data survived the explosion. She looked through it. " Ooooh. I get it now. " She looked at Travesty who just got the helmet off. Her mane burned a little, and her face was covered in soot. " Why did your machine blow up? " Travesty said with an uninterested tone. She didn't really care about it. " I think this is a good news for you. The explosion was caused by you. " Twilight was in full researcher mod. She was analyzing the data, writing on three different paper at the same time. " I don't think another disaster caused by me is considered as good news. " Her neutral face changed into a frown. " Don't worry. It wasn't a disaster. I was just surprised by the fact, that you are the second most magical unicorn in all of Equestria. " Twilight couldn't believe that the little filly had almost as magical power as she at her disposal without training. Twilight wondered if the filly once could be the most magical unicorn. With proper training she could even surpass Star Swirl. " Second? That's pretty high on the list. Who is the first? " Although she didn't want to show it. She was interested. She never knew she had so much power. " Oh.. well.. " She said it with a blush. " According to the Canterlot Archives I am the first. The list doesn't contain Star Swirl's magical level, but he holds the honorary title for the most magical unicorn. The second was a mare called Sunset Shimmer. You are the second now. I have to send the data to the Archives, so they could change the order. Oh! I could give you a patronage so you could apply to Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. I'm so excited. There is so much thing for you to learn. " Twilight happily jumped around her. Travesty stopped her suddenly. " I have no wish to master the arcane. I just want to learn a few tricks for the talent show. " She said with her cold voice. " But.. you have a wonderful gift. Think how much good you can do. You can even surpass Star Swirl the Bearded. " Twilight wasn't going to give up. She wanted to convince the filly. " Twilight Sparkle. I am a hideous monster. If what you say is true. I'm a danger to all of Equestria. If I turn evil I will become the destroyer of Equestria, not her savior. " Travesty turned around so Twilight could not see the tears in her eyes. " You are not a monster Travesty, but I can understand your fear from your power. " She put a hoof gently in her shoulder. " You can come here anytime you wish. I will teach you a little about magic, but please at least consider my offer. " Twilight smiled warmly at her. " ... " Travesty for once in her life she was speechless. She could feel that a warm feeling embrace her. " I will think about it, but I won't promise anything. " She took a few step towards the door. " I have to go. I will come back tomorrow. " Although most of the time she was walking very slowly, that could drive anypony insane. This time she ran as quickly she could. She was running away from her feelings.
Friends? ~ Friends? ~ "... I cannot believe that I'm walking on the path that leads towards the Abyss itself. I'm terrified and excited at the same time. Whisper seems to enjoy the sight seeing. Probably because It's her homeland. Although her temper seems to be out of control. Her usual aggressive behavior turned into something more enjoyable. She is still aggressive, but she was making fun of things. Commenting on everything she saw, or I wrote down. When she was teaching me how to defend myself. She kicked my flank so fast, that she made a funny comment, that I made an academy record about being the fastest one to be defeated in the history. There most be something wrong with me. When she and Lady Everblaze fought, for me it looked like they were sisters. We are so different from each other, yet I feel we attract each other in a different way. The more days we spend together, the more I think of them as my sisters. Is it a weird thing to consider them as family?... " Rosemary - The Grand Expedition: A journey around the world The once proud city of Canterlot had been under a state of emergency. A monster living as a pony infiltrated the city. Even the moon hid itself under a blanket made out of clouds. " Ahahahahaha! " A wicked laugh echoed through Canterlot. The guards were on full alert. An amethyst unicorn filly ran towards a guard. She was crying. " Please, mister help me! Something horrible is in the alley way. The monster took my mother. " Her voice was innocent, and filled with fear. The guard followed her to the dark alley way. " Don't worry. Where is this horrible monster you speak of? " He looked around, but found nothing, that could prove the filly's claim. " Right behind you. " Travesty said with a wicked smile. The guard only had enough time to look behind himself. What he saw is horrified him completely. The once innocent looking filly, were laughing maniacally. Blood lust in her eyes. Her horn flared, with indigo color. She was draining his life force. He wanted to run, but his legs didn't move. He tried to resist, but in the end. The stallion collapsed. He a lifeless husk. With a smirk Travesty kicked the dead body. Her ears perked up, when she heard voices nearby. When the first guard showed up, she quickly sent a magic beam against him. The guard was slammed into the wall, by such force, that it broke his spine. " It's the demon! Sound the alarm! " The guards gathered around her. She licked her lips. " Mmmmmm. So much juicy life force. It will be my pleasure to kill you all, but first let us play a game. " Her dark laughter echoed through the alley. " You won't get away from us, Travesty. " A pony with dark grey mane stepped forward. " Give up now, while you still can. End this madness. " " Look who we got here. " Travesty gave him a seductive smile. " Commander Hammerhead, you came here because of me? I'm flattered. " She blew him a kiss. " Enough! Don't play games with me. " He stomped with his hooves. He was ready to charge at her. " Give up! Now! " " Ahahahahahahaha! Only if you can catch me. " When the guards jumped at her, she summoned her magical power to teleport herself above the city. While falling to her demise, she transformed into a winged demon. Like a monstrosity from Tartarus itself appeared. Hammerhead just smirked. It looks like he prepared for something like this. " Midnight! Taker her down from the sky! " He shouted. Pegasi guards quickly took off. Travesty was surrounded. Spears aimed at her. They flew in a formation that she couldn't brake without hurting herself. " Well..well..well.. It looks like I walked straight into a trap. Or in this case I flew straight into it. " While stalling the inevitable she scanned for an escape route. " I will blow you out of the sky, Travesty. Hammerhead might tried to reason with you, but I see who you are. You are a monster. I will see to it, that you will die as one. " Midnight gritted his teeth. He tried to hold the formation. If he charge forward foolishly, she could escape. " Oh? Is that so? Tell me, captain. How is your wife, and filly? Have you dug their grave, yet? " Travesty knew this will tick him off. " You bitch! I will avenge them! " Midnight charged forward breaking the formation. With a dramatic pirouette she flew aside. The stallion's attack missed her completely. " Thank you captain. You are very kind of letting me go. " She used this opportunity, to break through the formation. Two guard died as she flew past them. Travesty incinerated them with magic. She was free at last, even though the guards chased after her. " I will burn down Canterlot, because you let me do it! " She yelled while setting the city ablaze. Mares, stallions, even foals couldn't escape from her blazing fury. " Dammit, Midnight! Lead her to the castle! " The rest of the guard were fighting against the flames. The stallions tried to save as many civilian as they could. Hammerhead galloped to the castle. Twilight Sparkle was there. " Commander! How bad is the situation? " She saw the flames. Even though it was night, the flames light up the whole city. " The casualties will be too high. The whole city will burn down if we don't stop her now. I hope your plan will work. " Hammerhead was angry, because he couldn't do anything. " I-I.. never imagined that she will be completely out of her mind. If I knew I would have never taught her magic. " Her tears flowed freely. " Hold together! Canterlot, and Equestria depends on it. " The white stallion scanned the sky. He was looking for something. " Ahahahaahaha! Do you want to join your beloved wife and filly in death? " Travesty taunted him. The filly loved torturing ponies. Midnight tried to collide with her, but she was much more agile than he thought. Some might argue, that it wasn't a good idea, to involve Midnight in the plan to capture Travesty, because she could easily get under his skin. They were counting on it. Travesty could never say no to play a game. While Midnight served as a distraction, he intentionally led her near the castle. Hammerhead waited for the right moment, then pulled a lever. A catapult launched a ball into the air. It blew up in mid air with a white flash. Disorientating, and blinding everypony who looked at it. " Aaarrrrgghhh..! What did you do to me? " Travesty couldn't see anything. She was flying in circles. Midnight Impact waited for this opportunity. Living up to his namesakes he collided with her in mid air. Both of them fell from the sky. Although Travesty hit the ground hard. She already tried to stand up. She looked up just to see a net was thrown over her. The filly charged up her horn to blast away the net, but as soon her magic touched the net, it started to tighten around her. The more magic she used, the tighter it got. Her eyes widened. " Shadowsilk! " Travesty gritted her teeth while saying that. " The game is over for you, Travesty. " Hammerhead said, while helping Midnight up. " The game is only over when I lay dead. " She spit towards his direction. " Travesty... " Her eyes widened again. She knew this voice. It was Twilight. The mare walked next to her. " I'm sorry. It was my fault... " " Don't you dare to pity me. I warned you. You didn't listened to me. Now you pay for this lesson in sweet-sweet blood. " Travesty spit in her face. Twilight wasn't bothered by it. She was just sad. Her heart completely broken. " I'm sorry. I... have to... " Twilight winced it was just so hard for her to say something like that to her own apprentice. " Just get over it! " The filly yelled at her, while struggling against the net. " For your crimes against Equestria. I have to banish you.. to Tartarus. " Twilight looked into her eyes. " You... you.. " Travesty was about to explode. " You can't do that! I would rather die, than to be banished! " " Travesty, please... forgive me for this. " Twilight charged her horn up. " Nooooo! " Travesty wasn't going to just give up. She summoned all her magic that she could. The shadowsilk net reacted accordingly. It tightened around her. It cut into her flesh. She started suffocating as the rope tightened around her throat. She smiled when the world gone dark around her. The last thing she saw was Twilight. The lavender unicorn was crying and pleading to her to stop. She hugged the filly, when she slowly left the living world. " Noooooooo! " Travesty got up. She was hyperventilating. " No! No! No! No! " The filly was shaking, and sweating heavily. She started screaming until she had no voice anymore. She ran to the bathroom, then grabbed a bucket. " Uggghrrr.." She emptied the content of her stomach into the bucket. Travesty was panting heavily. She looked at herself in her mirror. The filly was so occupied with herself, the she didn't saw, that the cracks in the mirror started to spread and grow. " Nightmares two consecutive day. It didn't happen before. What is happening to me? " She was demanding answer from her own reflection. " Stupid reflection. Why don't you have answers for me? Useless junk. " She walked out the bathroom. She wanted to lay down and sleep a little more, but she had to go to school. " This is going to be a long day. " She sighed, then packed her school supplies. " What should we do for the talent show? " Sweetie Belle asked from her fellow crusaders as they walked out of the schoolhouse. " We should do something totally awesome. Like a stunt show. I will jump through flaming circles. Then Rainbow Dash will say I'm totally awesome. It will be the best day ever. " Scootaloo was daydreaming. " Hmmm. I'm not sure about the flaming circles. It sounds dangerous. Applejack would never allow me to do it. " Apple Bloom objected. " It doesn't matter what you do. You will fail spectacularly. " Diamond Tiara appeared suddenly next to them. " You can show whole Ponyville that you aren't special. Blank Flanks! " The cutie mark crusaders were about to remark something, when a cold voice interrupted them. " Leave them alone. " Travesty walked slowly next to them. Everypony except the crusaders backed away slowly. The other foals gave fearful looks to her. " Oh? It's you. Another blank flank. I think your cutie mark must be tied to disasters. Don't you agree...Tragedy? " Diamond Tiara never saw what was coming. Travesty hit her hard, then pinned her to the ground. The unicorn filly whispered into her ears. " I've got my name from my mother. Never ever dare to call me in a different name. If I see you trying to bully somepony. I will skin you alive. You got this, mudpony? " Diamond Tiara just winced. She was horrified by her. Travesty slapped her again. " You got it? " " Y-y.. yes.. please, let me go. " She was about to cry, when Travesty let her go. The filly ran away with her friend Silver Spoon. The crusaders were dumbstruck. " What did you do to her? " Apple Bloom demanded answer. " I just remind her who is the alpha in the pack. " Travesty was back to her old unenthusiastic self. " Alpha in the pack? What does it mean? " Scootaloo scratched her head. " She means she is the leader. " Sweetie Belle lectured her fellow crusader. " Oooooh. I get it now. Does this mean you are the lead bully now? " The crusaders stood right next Travesty. The amethyst filly looked at them. " I am not a bully. I just had to step up against her. She was annoying me. " The crusaders cheered when she said that. " Finally somepony, who think like us. Crusaders! " Scootaloo grabbed her friends. They spoke privately, while glancing back at Travesty a few times. " I don't know if it's a good a idea, to ask her to be a crusader. She isn't the type who will go around doing stuff like what we do. " Apple Bloom objected. Mostly because she knew that the farm was almost burned down by accident. Applejack told her that a certain amethyst filly was involved. Although she didn't know how. " She is the smartest filly in town. She even surpassed Sweetie Belle. Maybe she has different ideas about crusading. Ideas, that not involves tree sap. " Scootaloo counter-remarked. They looked at Sweetie Belle. Her vote should decide the debacle. " Maybe we should know her better first. Like go out with her, and then we could decide if she is a crusader material or not. " All of them nod in agreement. " Say, Travesty. Do you have something important to do? " They all give her a big smile. " No. I have a lots of time, but later I have to go to the library. " Travesty knew something was odd, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. " Maybe you could come with us to Sugarcube Corner? We could eat something together. " Scootaloo was the one to speak. " I'm not allowed to enter Sugarcube Corner. " She said in her monotone voice. " W-what? " They all jumped at her. " Why? " " I'm a bad omen. A living disaster. If I were to buy something from them, I will curse them, or something like that. No merchant, or shop in Ponyville allows me to buy from them. " " That's so sad. It makes sense now, that's why we never saw you in Ponyville. Where do you buy school supplies, or food? " Sweetie Belle was touched by her hardship. " I get everything from the black market. " The crusaders looked at each other. They never knew that she was struggling so hard in life. " Come with us. They will let you in, if you are with us. " They grabbed her. " No. " Travesty said quietly, while putting her hoof down, so they couldn't just drag her there. " Awwwwwww... pretty please? " They all used their puppy eyes on Travesty. " Uuuugh... Fine. " The amethyst unicorn put her hooves on her ears, when the crusaders all yelled in unison. " YAAAAAAAY! " " I cannot believe you pulled me into one of your crazy antics. It almost turned into a disaster. " Travesty scowled at them. " I don't want to see tree sap ever again. " She murmured the last sentence under her breath. " Almost. " Sweetie Belle said, then giggled. " Let's go and eat something! " They all went inside Sugarcube Corner. " Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! " Said the hyperactive pink party pony. When she saw Travesty, she quickly dashed to her side, putting a party hat on her, then gave her a powerful hug. " Travesty, how can I help you? It's good to see you finally coming here. " The amethyst filly was about to explode. " Let. Me. Go. " She gritted her teeth. " Don't be such a party pooper. We are about to have fun! " " Pinkie Pie! What did I tell you about fun? Do you remember? " Pinkie Pie started drooling, and her eyes spinning around in a hypnotic way. - Flashback in Pinkie Pie mind - " Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! " The hyperactive pony was bouncing in front of the filly. Travesty looked at the mare. Her overly enthusiastic behavior annoyed her. " I threw this surprise party just for you! " She threw confetti over her. " Surprise! Are you surprised? " I'm surprised. How did you get into my house? " She checked the locks, but everything was in complete order. " Naturally through the chimney. How else? " Pinkie Pie stated this as if it was the most natural thing in the world. " I see. It was foolish of me to not think of something that obvious. " Her sarcasm didn't work on the mare. " Don't be too hard on yourself. This is the time for fun, and happiness. " She put a party hat on Travesty. " Happy birthday! " When those words left Pinkie Pie's mouth something in Travesty awakened. The filly growled. " Birthday? How dare you speak about fun and happiness on this day! Do you even know what happened? " She started pushing the mare out of her house. " Well.. duh. This is the day when you were born. " Pinkie Pie just smiled at her. " I know that you don't have friends to celebrate with, but I will be your bestest friend. " " This day is a memorial for my mother, who died by my hooves. " She pushed the mare outside. " If you dare to speak about fun in front of me one more time. " Travesty put the party hat down in front of her, then stomped over it several times. " You will get the same treatment. Now get lost before I do something I won't regret. " She levitated the cake that Pinkie Pie made for her. She just threw it into the nearest bush, then slammed the door close. " But... " Pinkie Pie couldn't even finish the sentence when a magic shield appeared around the house. " Awwwww... " Pinkie Pie was sad that she couldn't cheer up the filly, but she was scheming plans to make her happy. Travesty tried to get out of her hug, but the mare didn't even bulge despite, she was under some kind of hypnosis, and didn't respond to anything at all. Why is this have to happen to me all the time? Finally Pinkie Pie returned from the land of flashbacks. " Sooooo... What kind of party do you want? I could invite whole Ponyville. You just need to ask. " Pinkie Pie giggled. " LEAVE ME ALONE! " Travesty shouted. A chill ran through her spine, when she heard a dark whisper in her mind. "Kill them! They wish to harm you! Defend yourself!" Travesty panicked and lost control of herself. Suddenly she disappeared with a bright indigo flash. The filly appeared next to the cutie mark crusaders. Her mane was burned, and snoot covered her amethyst coat. She was coughing. " I didn't know that you could teleport. " Sweetie Belle was amazed. Travesty was still dazed from the random teleportation. She could only hear a dark laughter. " It seems, that we are finally broken beyond repair. Do not fret. Soon the storm will wash away your tears, and fears. Everything will change soon. Very soon... " " I.. just need a little time alone. See you tomorrow. " She run off not waiting for them to answer. The cutie mark crusaders were shocked, and couldn't even say anything. Pinkie Pie was wearing a tin foil hat. " Travesty just vanished! What if she was captured by reptilian aliens? Do you hear this Gummy? Maybe she found your cousin. " Everypony sweat dropped from this. After finally getting rid of the crusaders she was on her way towards the edge of Ponyville. As she got closer and closer, she was getting more nervous with each step. Her nightmare still haunted her. Maybe I shouldn't push my luck. What if it's not a nightmare, but a vision? A warning from the future? I am such a mess. Travesty found out she was sweating heavily. Images flooded her mind. Her nightmare still haunted her. She ran into one of the alley way, and hugged herself, as she was shaking. " Calm down, you stupid filly! Everything will be fine. Why is this have to happen to me? Why can't I have peace? " She was talking to herself. When no answer came she bit her hoof as hard as she can. Soon the pain took over her senses, and the shaking stopped. " The Madam will not be pleased if I arrive late. I have to hurry. " Travesty frowned at the thought of hurry. She hated when she had to do things fast. She started running towards the Void Zone. Author's Note Sorry for the long wait. I was working in a country wide research. It ate up all my time. I will try to make up the loss of time, but I cannot promise anything.
Void Zone - Red Light District ~ Void Zone - Red Light District ~ "... I finally met Whisper's family. They were shockingly.... nice and normal. Her youngest sister didn't even remembered her. It was so sad I almost cried. It was completely different how she described her tribe to me. She told me they were savages, who only wanted to pillage, and kill. They were the most peaceful ponies I encountered in the Badlands so far. It is so romantic, how they wander around in the endless wilderness. I wish I could go with them, but The Grand Expedition must go on. I found a few very interesting cultural difference. It was so fascinating to talk about how they viewed their cutie marks. When a pony gets his or her cutie mark the elder -who is the spiritual leader of the tribe- will tell them a prophecy about their role in the tribe. At this point Whisper destroyed the table in anger, and left the hut. I wonder why she holds so much resentment for them. Maybe the prophecy about her was something, that pushed her towards The Phoenix Covenant. Why do I have a feeling, that this story won't have a happy ending?..." Rosemary - The Grand Expedition: A journey around the world Ponies around the world tend to forget, that there are regions in Equestria where the magic of friendship will only earn you a knife in the back. Next to Ponyville there is a city called the Void Zone. This is the home place of the underworld, and every shady deal that exists. It was the result of a background deal between Princess Celestia and the underworld. They would only operate inside the Void Zone, then they will be left alone. Most of the time. So thus in this city everything can happen, and will happen. High walls around the city guarantees, that no prying eyes will disturb the delicate balance. They only way to enter or exit the city is through the checkpoint at the main gate. The Void Zone was distributed into three districts, and an outpost, that was placed outside of the walls, because when the garrison was inside, let's just say the guards had nightly 'accidents'. The distribution main purpose is to make a relative peaceful relationship between the different factions of the underworld. The Merchant District is led by a pony named Mr. Nine. Nopony knows who is he, or how he looks like (except a selected few), or even what is his real name. He got his alias because he have agents in nine different region of the world. He always makes deals through his agents. He is the most successful smuggler currently. The Society of Freedom consists many group that deviate from the 'normal' way. Whether to be a scientist with unethical experiments, or a simple follower of the Dark Arts. You will find a safe haven in this district. Currently the Society of Freedom is represented by the biggest group called Alliance of Darkness. They are the followers of the Dark Arts, that was created by Magnus Shadowkeeper who was the rival of Star Swirl The Bearded. The famous Red Light District is under the caring touch of Madame Coral Rift. Her aquamarine coat, with warm orange eyes sure makes her look exotic. She always wears her magenta mane in a noble like fashion. There is a saying in the Red Light District. Never double-cross the Madame, or she will ruin your life forever. This district acts as a neutral ground, so outsiders could interact with the Black Market. The outpost is the home of the civil service, and the guard garrison. The garrison leader is Sergeant Pepper Spray. A very young and hotheaded guard pony, who was stuck into this position. His attachment to mares, alcoholic beverages, and gambling made him the perfect candidate. A very brave young filly walked on the streets of the Void Zone. She was in a hurry, when she bumped into someone. " Ah, young lady. May I request your help? It seems my cat has been lost again. " The filly just rolled her eyes. The pony she ran into looked like a very cliche like evil genius scientist. Lab coat? Check! Wild tangled mane? Check! A box as a cutie mark? Che.. wait a minute? A box? " Dr. Schrödinger, I haven't seen your cat today. Have you tried asking the Madame, or your wife? " She was annoyed by the fact, that no matter how many times she came into the city, somehow the good old doctor always bothers her with something. " Ah, yes. Annemarie. She is howling at the Blood Moon at the moment, so I would rather not confront her with this matter. I'm afraid at the moment I'm not allowed in that fine establishment, where you work. It is a shame; I don't know what its cause was. " He suddenly had a dreamy face. Probably because he was dreaming about what he would do to the girls, that work there. " Doctor. You electrocuted a girl during your *ahem* quality time with her. It is a miracle it didn't cause any serious injury. " Travesty was getting very irritated. " You just can't apprehend the scientific value of this act! Hmph! " The doctor just turned around, as if he was the one, whose honor have been damaged. It looked very childish. " Whatever you say. " She just rolled her eyes at his antics. " Have a good evening Dr. Schrödinger!" " Good evening to you Travesty!" As she left the doctor was looking at her. " What a fine young lady. If only I were 20 years younger. Oh, to be young again. Hmm, maybe I should just invent a youth serum." His musing was interrupted by a very loud shrieking sound. " Schrödinger! " He gulped at the sound of his enraged wife, who ran towards him emitting a dark aura that promised a very painful beating. " Dear Celestia! Save your faithful follower! " The sound of a painful cries filled the night. Another typical evening in the Void Zone. Travesty entered into a large building made out of brick. As soon as she entered her nostrils were filled with the smell of booze, sex, and cheap perfume. She resisted the urge to gag for the thousandth time. She quickly walked to the receptionist to check in, when the Madame arrived. " My dear Travesty. How are you feeling today? " The mare was gently swaying her hips as she walked. She wore a purple dress, that hugged her curves very tightly. Leaving almost nothing to imagination. Every male in the vicinity started drooling by looking at the mare. If there was a mare who was in every stallions fantasy, that would be her. Only the richest could afford her entertaining personality. " I.. can we talk? Alone? " Travesty never really trusted anypony else, then herself, but somehow -apart from Fluttershy - Madame Coral Rift could ease her pain, that is festering her soul. " Come my little pony. Let us talk, where our voice is muffled by the sound of flesh on flesh. " They walked into a dimly lit corridor. It was the backstage area, where all the girls prepared themselves. Moans came from the rooms on the left side. While the mare just smiled at this. Travesty shuddered. " So tell me.. what is it, that is bothering you? " Coral Rift was genuinely interested. Travesty wasn't the one who came seeking her advice. " It seems I have magical powers at my disposal. So much, that I'm officially the second most magical unicorn. " The Madame eyes widened by this fact. Gears working in her brain at a hundred percent. She quickly pulled Travesty closer. " Are you sure? Is it confirmed? " She whispered to her, while gently brushing her mane. " Yes. Twilight Sparkle confirmed herself. " She quickly found herself in the embrace of the mare. She was hugging the hell out of her. " Oh so wonderful. Imagine what could you... " Her speech was interrupted by a yelp of pain. The Madame scrunched her nose, as she was remembering which client was the cause of it. She quickly turned to one of the fillies who occupied the staging area. " Little One tell mister Filthy Rich, that he is not allowed to harm any of the girls. This is the final warming. If he seeks the pleasures of pain, he must pay for it, as everypony else. " In a rare emotional slip the Madame stomped with her hooves, and every girl knew she was mad. A young filly just bowed at the order, then went into the room. After a few minutes the stallion emerged from the room. " Madame it was a misunderstanding. I just.. " The mare stomped again. " Silence you whelp! Is this the way you address your mistress? " The stallion bowed in fear, then started kissing her hooves. " I humbly apologies for my outburst M'lady. " The Madame snorted. " We will speak about this in my office. I think I have to practice my whipping skills. " Filthy Rich was quite furious, but an icy glare quickly shut him up. He hanged his head down, and head to her office. " I'm so sorry Travesty, that our little chat has been disturbed, but as a Madame I have matters to attend to. Do not worry, we will speak about this soon. " She gave her a small kiss on her forehead. " Little One go to Bunny Hop and take my leather whip back from her, and bring it to my office. " Travesty walked into her own room. It wasn't really a 'room' it was more a like a laboratory and a medical room combined. At the backside of the room there were boxes filled with various alchemical supplies. She sat down at her table, and looked at the requests that came from the various mares, who worked here. Who in Tartarus would ever need a body oil, that tastes like whipped cream? Whipped cream? Of all the things? Ugh.. whatever. Denied. She just shook her head in disbelief. The night was long, and Travesty felt like she was already at the gates of the Dreamscape, when a light knock on the door awakened her. Travesty carefully studied the mare at the door. She had a taffy pink coat, with a really long cyan colored mane. She had a very unique yellow eyes. Her iris had a darker yellow ring, while the inside was just simple yellow. " Oh.. you look busy. I-I.. should come back later. " The mare quickly tried to retreat. " Wait! " Travesty hated the shy ones. How could she be shy, if she does this for a living? " How can I help you? " Travesty though already knew why she was here. She was the one who 'entertained' Filthy Rich, but the rules dictates, that what happens in the rooms, stays in the rooms. " I.. well.. maybe it was a bad idea. " It looks like the mare was ashamed of what occurred. " Come on now. Don't be shy. There is nothing you need to be afraid of. I'm here to help you. " She was repeating the same lines over and over again for everypony. She didn't like this side of her job. Why can't they get over it themselves? Why do I have to be the one, who comforts them? The shy mare slowly entered the room. Looking around as if she was expecting something to hurt her. She quickly latched onto Travesty to hug her with all her might. " I was never this afraid before in my life. He.. hit me so many times. It hurts. Help me.. please? " She had big puppy eyes, while saying this. Something in Travesty awakened by this. Help her. " Everything will be fine. " She gave her a reassuring smile. " Where did he hurt you? " " There. " It was enough for her to become shy again. She snuggled into Travesty's mane. Hiding her face in it. " I see. " She gently patted her on the back. " I'm going to ask you to be strong? Okay? Can you do this for me? " Her only answer was a weak nod. " I want you to go to the table, and put your front hooves up on the table. It's easy. You can do it. " The filly didn't know where this sudden.. empathy came. This time she didn't feel like, that this task was forced upon her, and had to act like she care. She genuinely wanted to help her. " Okay... " Travesty could have sworn, that the mare in front of her was Fluttershy's twin sister. After she did what the filly ordered, Travesty searched the medicine cabins for the right ointment for this kind of injury. She went behind her with a green cream in her hoof. " I know this will be awkward, but I have to ask you to lift your tail up. " As she had guessed her answer was a quiet *meep*. She must a relative of Fluttershy. I have no doubt about it. She looked at the mare thoughtfully. Nah. Fluttershy would die of embarrassment before doing this kind of work. She would get a heart attack just by thinking of it. " Look. Do you trust me? " Travesty said with a sigh. " Maybe? " A deadpan look from the amethyst filly was enough for her to cover herself with her mane. " Y-yes? " " I want to help you. You can understand that, right? " A slight nod was enough for her to continue. " Then you will understand why I have to do this.... LIFT YOUR TAIL UP RIGHT NOW! " The mare obediently did what was asked from her. Travesty's eyebrow quickly rose. She was surprised, that this worked. Is she.... submissive? But she is so fragile and shy. A gentle slap would destroy her completely. Without further delay she applied the cream to her backside. " See? I already finished. " " Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! " Travesty found herself in a very powerful hug. The mare was literally choking her to death with a hug. " If you ever need help, just call me. I will help you! I promise! " " Alright, alright! Just don't kill me with your hug. " She had the decency to blush at this, then quickly let Travesty go. After a few awkward emotional moments - awkward to Travesty - she bid her farewell, then left our poor abused filly alone. ' Traaaavestyyyy~? " Coral Rift said in a sing-song voice. " Are you in? " Without waiting for an answer, the Madame entered her room. Her dress was gone, and now she was wearing a latex suit. Travesty eyed her warily. She rubbed her eyes a few times as she was thinking, that she must be hallucinating. " You had a client? " It was not an everyday occurring to see her during work. " Ah..yes. It was a long time ago since I had one. I had to use my charms, but oh my girl I have to tell you, it was worth the wait. This old lady still knows a few tricks. " She laughed lightly. " You are not that old. " Travesty said as a matter of fact. " If I did not know you better, I might think you might try to flirt with me. " Before the unicorn filly could protest, she gently booped her nose. " Do not worry, you are family. I would never do such a thing to you. Of course if you pay for it, then it is another matter. " " Can I ask you something? " If the Madame was surprised by this she didn't show. Travesty wasn't a pony who just goes around and asks things. She may have inherited her mother's curiosity, but she does everything alone. It looks like the previous encounter with the shy mare was still echoing in her mind. It opened up old wounds inside her soul. " Of course my dear. Ask away. " Even though her voice was carefree and playful, her eyes were focused on the filly. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she will find out. One way or another. " Why do you allow this filthy animal to be even here? How many girls have to be broken to satisfy his hunger? Have you seen what he did to her? " Her normally calm self was gone. Her aura changed completely. It radiated power. " Money. It is that simple. He pays as much as three costumer. " The Madame simply shook her head, then with a heavy sigh she said. " I.. no.. we cannot afford to chase away our clients. " " This isn't fair. Why do we have to suffer? Why did we deserve this? " " I have asked myself this question so many times, that I don't even know where to start. When I first joined I was like you. Always angry, but I had to 'entertain' my clients. No matter what they wanted. We were abused constantly, and the Madame didn't do anything at all. She was just sitting on the money, while we barely could eat. I did the only thing I could... " She looked away as she remembered her past. " I took a knife and stabbed into her throat. I took out all of my anger on her. It did not satisfy my hunger for revenge. I wanted to kill everypony who wronged me, but then the girls came. Without a Madame they would have surely died, or worse. So I took the title, then made the rules, that is why we are relatively safe from harm. As you can see stallions, and mares alike tend to be overly excited, and hurt my girls one way or another. Your case is special, because you don't entertain the clients. You are here to help the girls, while making deals on the black market. You have to understand that in this line of work nothing is sacred. " " That's it? Just bow to the whim of these.. animals. " She spat out the word. " I would rather die. " Travesty didn't know where this sudden fire came. It was intoxicating. She could feel power course through her body. " Travesty, maybe you should go home. You look very tired. " The Madame now knew there was something wrong with her. Travesty was shaking. The power inside her was ever growing. Her anger fueled it. " Yeah... " She nodded weakly. Who do you think she is to tell me what to do? Nopony tells me what to do! Nopony! Why can't this bitch leave me alone? No...no..nononono! What am I talking? This feeling overwhelms me! I have to calm down! She did the only thing that could calm her down. She walked next to her table, then banged her head against it really hard. As the pain washed over her body the strange sensation was gone. " Travesty! What are you doing? " She knew that the filly had suicidal tendencies, but seeing it with her own eyes was a different experience. " I should go home. I had a long day, and I'm really tired. " She put a fake smile on her face. " Very well. If you ever need to talk to somepony. You know my office is always open. " The mare grabbed the filly, then gave her a motherly hug before leaving. She glanced back at her for a moment, then she left. " *Yawn* I'm sooo exhausted. " She put the remaining alchemical equipment back where it belongs. " Boo! " She was so frightened by the sudden noise, that she hid under the table. " You are the voice before! Show yourself! " She tried to gather all of her courage, to battle against this unknown enemy. " Ahahahaha! That was fun! We should talk more. I like your funny reactions. But enough chit-chat I have something important to ask. " The female voice gave a long pause just for the dramatic effect. " Tell me, why are you weak? You have everything to be great, yet your self pity holds you back. Pathetic. " She could almost feel as if this unknown pony spit on her. " Oh yeah? What do you know? You are just a voice inside my head. " She mentally patted herself on the back on the behalf of this 'great comeback'. " I know you more than yourself. " The voice said cryptically. " Leave me alone! I don't want to hear your voice again. Please.. just leave me be. " She was trying hard to hold hear tears back. Somehow this sinister voice always made her crying. " Do not worry. I do not seek to torment you. I only want to help you. We will speak again. Soon. " The voice left, and now Travesty felt truly alone. Curling into a ball on the floor. She started crying. After emotionally collecting herself. She packed her things, then left the safety of the brothel. She walked in the shadows as always. Knowing this place is unforgiving for young ponies like herself at night. Suddenly she heard crying and screaming. No.. this is not my problem. Just go home Travesty, don't you dare investigating. She was about to move on, when her curiosity got the better of her. Oh for the love of... I hate myself. She went to investigate it. When she looked around the corner she saw, when Filthy Rich hit the mare who were with him a few hours earlier. " You stupid bitch! Why did you have to yell? Do you know how much you cost me? This time your pathetic Madame won't disturb us. " Travesty froze. She wanted to look away. To not care, but the mare resembled Fluttershy so much, that she couldn't leave her alone. Filthy Rich hit repetitively the mare on the ground, then started to walk around her. The amethyst filly was horrified of what will happen if no one will help the abused mare. " You can help her. You have to help her! " This time the voice didn't annoy her. " How? I'm just a little filly, there is no way I can overpower him. " She felt so powerless and weak. " You are wrong. You are far stronger than anypony could imagine. Give into your hearts desire. Show them how weak and pathetic they are. Let me take control. " Travesty didn't hesitate. She let the flow overtake her. Magic coursing through her veins. She was a predator, who found her prey. Filthy Rich couldn't even look up when the hit came. A powerful beam blasted him away from the sobbing mare. Travesty jumped on him with a bottle in her grasp, then hit his head with it. Shattering the bottle in the process. The urge to kill. The urge to destroy overcame her. She grabbed the biggest chunk of the shattered bottle, and without hesitation she stabbed him in the eye. He was screaming in pain, but no help came to save him. Travesty stabbed him again, and again and again. She didn't aim, she just stabbed him in the throat, stomach, side, everywhere she could hit him. Even a big roll of cheese would be jealous of how many holes did he have, when the filly finally finished. There was blood everywhere. Travesty was breathing heavily. She didn't know what happened to her. She felt the hot blood on her coat. She knew she just murdered a pony, yet she didn't feel guilty. Quite the opposite. She felt renewed. She felt alive. She felt it was the right thing to do. As the power slowly left her. As the flow retreated back to it's course. She just vomited into one of the garbage can. " Thank you! Thank you! He was about to... he would have... " The frightened mare just hugged the filly. For her it didn't matter, that she was covered in blood. " I.. just killed him. I didn't want to kill him, just to scare him away. I'm a murderer. What will happen now? I... I... " This day was so emotionally devastating for her, that she just simply fainted. " Travesty! "
InitiationAuthor's Note Happy Hearth's Warming Eve! Initiation ~ Initiation ~ "... I do not know how to write down what happened today. I don't even know what to feel in this situation anymore. They don't understand my feelings. They say it's a natural thing that happened. There is nothing wrong with it. How could it be normal to take somepony's life? (...) We were attacked by savage ponies. I have to admit before this journey I would have ran away, but Whisper prepared me for this case. I had to fight. There were like 20 lightly armed pony. For Whisper it counted as breakfast. I wonder how many pony did she kill before. They gave me a crossbow as they couldn't count on me to fight hoof-to-hoof. I just waited patiently on the sideline when I saw a pegasus filly running towards Lady Everblaze. I only wanted to give her a warning shot. I accidentally shot her in the neck. I dropped the weapon, and ran to her as fast I could. I put my hoof on her neck to stop the blood, that was seeping out. Her eyes were lifeless. I held her dead body close to me, while I cried so loud, that even the gods themselves heard. I don't know how long the moment last, but I remember Whisper pulling me up. I spot blood on her armor. It wasn't her blood. She told me that I passed my initiation. For me it wasn't a virtue, but a sin. I committed a sin against ponykind. When I took her life I lost my innocence. I became a monster... " Rosemary - The Grand Expedition: A journey around the world " Ugh... " Travesty finally started to wake up. Her senses were completely dull. Her body felt like if it was on fire. " Hyuelal yigaoekak kgewkakf! " She heard an unknown male voice, but she couldn't understand a word what he said. She laid there for a few minutes, before gathering all of her strength to get up. After what if felt like an eternity she opened her eyes, while pulling herself up. She found herself in an underground place. The stone floor beneath her hooves were glowing. She found it quite strange. Crude stone walls covered her view. Only two small gap were on each side. She crawled to one of the gap to look around, when a three headed dog barked at her angrily. With new found strength she jumped back. " Cerberus? It seems even in death I found myself in Tartarus. That's my luck. " She paced around so the numbness in her body could fade. " You are wrong. You are not dead. " The voice was coming from a prison similar to hers. She walked to the other gap. She looked at the direction of the voice. " Who are you, and how do you know, that I'm not dead? " She looked at him suspiciously. If he was in Tartarus clearly she couldn't trust him. " I am Tirek. " The very old, and weak looking Tirek came forward from the cover of the wall. " You were banished here with a spell. " He was coughing badly after saying this. He pretended to be very sick. " Could you come closer a little? I am very old and could barely see you. " She was thinking about it, but she thought that he was clearly old, and couldn't do anything to harm her. She walked out of the cover of the stone wall. " Fool. " He opened his mouth, and started consuming her magic. Nausea hit her as he was starting to drain her very slowly. " W-what are you doing to me? " Travesty tried to move back, but the connection was strong enough to hold her in place. " I shall consume your magic. You are very powerful. " Naturally one pony would give him a measly amount of magic, but Travesty was different. He already started to regain his original form, and there was a lot more magic he could still consume. " Fuck off asshole! This is my magic! " She gritted her teeth as she tried to pull her magic back, but she could only slow down the process. " Yeeeeees! With your power I could break out of this prison, and rule Equestria! " Tirek was already boasting about his inevitable victory. " I'm not going to give up! NEVER! " She completely lost control over herself. She let out her anger, and in doing so, she did the unthinkable. She tapped into her own life force, and used its power to create a magical explosion. Indigo colored magic burst out of her body, and it destroyed everything in its wake. Her prison crumbled to dust, and the whole place started shake. Her magic was so intense it felt like it could tear apart even the very fabric of reality. Tirek did the most sensible thing he could do. He cut the connection and tried to find cover from the magic. Cerberus wasn't that lucky. He got the full blast head on, and just simply run away in fear. He left Tartarus unguarded. Travesty was floating above the ground. Indigo magic wildly lashing out from her body. Her once bright, and colorful mane started to fade away. Half of it turned grey. On her beautiful young face a few wrinkle appeared. It wasn't enough for it to make her look very old, but she did matured quite a bit despite being still very young. She walked into her neighbor's prison very slowly. She blasted the rock into bits where Tirek was hiding. Her eyes were still glowing with power, and magic trashing around her wildly. " Who are you? What are you? " Tirek was shaking in fear, because of her suffocating evil aura. Never in his life before met somepony as powerful as she. Even his magic stealing ability didn't work on her. " I am Travesty. " She let out an evil laugh. " I am invincible! Nopony could challenge my power! I am the Queen of Tartarus! Ahahahahahahaha! " She laughed, and laughed. Her evil voice penetrated even the deepest parts of Tartarus. Waking up ancient monsters who were imprisoned here. All they could do is to bow before her, or die trying to fight her. All of them accepted her as their queen. All except one. " What a bold statement. " A very deep voice came from the depths. Travesty just lashed out with her magic. Breaking apart the other prison with it. " Silence, monster! I am your Queen now! Kneel before me, or die! " She shouted in the direction of the voice. She didn't care about Tirek anymore, who was slowly creeping away from her. He vowed himself, that if he ever gets out alive he will change, and reunite with his brother. " Is that so? " He chuckled. " Then come my Queen. Come, and find me, and I shall give you your coronation present. " The voice taunted her. Travesty slowly descended in to the deepest parts of Tartarus. Monsters were looking at her fearfully from their hiding spots. Eyes following her every movement. She was on top of a hill. Looking down she saw a pony slowly pushing a boulder closer and closer to the top, but as he was about to reach the top with it, the boulder just moved to the side, then rolled back to the base of the hill. " Damn it! I almost had it this time. " She looked at the pony below her. He was a light brown stallion with black eyes. His jet black mane was interwoven with pearls. He also wore a rusty golden crown. " Amusing. " She laughed lightly. " Is this your punishment? " " How dare you laugh at me! I'm a king. " He pointed at her with his hoof. " Ha! You? A king? " In the next moment she was next to him. Looking into his eyes. She snarled at him. " Oh, yes. I know who you are. King Sisyphus. You are not the only royalty here. I am Travesty The Shattered. Queen of Tartarus. Kneel before your Queen. " She commanded. " You are betting on a loosing horse, if you think that I will ever bow before you. Even death itself couldn't make me bow. " He looked into her eyes defiantly. She used her sweet and seductive voice. " I know. Cheating death twice is quite an achievement. You are a very clever, and crafty pony. I want you to join me in my quest. " " What is the catch? What do you need from me? " He was thinking about the possibilities on how to outwit her. " Lead my army, and you shall be rewarded. Defy me and perish forever. " She circled around him. " What is your answer? " " Of course I will lead your army. Just break the curse that holds me to this place, and we can go. " He was giving her a very trustworthy smile. She smiled back. He thought he had her in his hooves, but something happened he wasn't prepared for. Her magic reached out, and grabbed his throat. He was grasping for air. She leaned closer and whispered into his ear. " Never forget this. Never try to double-cross me, or your punishment will be much more severe, than just rolling a boulder. Is that clear? " Her icy glare bore into his soul. " Y-yes my Queen. " He knew that he just couldn't outwit her. He had to play her game... for now. " Your task is to make a presentable army out of these mindless monsters. " With her magic she created an ordinary leather whip. " You won't have any trouble if you use this. " She gave it to him. He looked at the whip in his hooves, then looked back at Travesty. " Good. You are smart enough not to attack me with it. This was your first test, and you passed with flying colors. " She was about to leave, when he shouted after her. " Wait! What about my punishment? " His fate was in her hooves. Now he realized on what angle she was playing. He will be in her debt. " Use the whip on the boulder. " He looked at her as if he was questioning her sanity, but nevertheless did what was asked from him. Surprisingly as the whip hit the boulder, it exploded into pieces. He was in awe how much power she put into his hooves. " Now you see how much I trust you. You can easily bring the pieces to the top. The rest depends on you. " " I shall serve you faithfully my Queen. You will have your army. I will make it so personally. " He realized, that if he couldn't outwit her, then the next best thing is to be on her good side. " May I ask what do you plan to do with an army? " He was curious about what did she plan to do. " I will conquer Equestria. " She stomped with her hoof. " They cast me aside. Now I shall return, and make them pay. I will be their Que--.. AAARGH! " She clutched her head. Pain overwhelmed her senses completely. " My Queen! " He ran to her, but her magic was trashing wildly around her. He was afraid, that she might kill him accidentally, so he backed away. She writhed on the floor in pain. Her magic didn't respond to her callings. It formed a cocoon around her body. Soon darkness enveloped her completely. Travesty felt like she was about to die. A throbbing headache made it impossible for her to even know what was happening around her. After a few minutes the pain started to lessen. She opened her eyes, and with the help of her front hooves she pushed herself up. As she looked around she found herself in a glass dome. The inside of the dome was a total wasteland. Sand, rocks, bones, and dead trees were the residents of this place. On one of the trees, there was a rope, that they traditionally use for hanging ponies up. It was just there. Waiting for a pony whose life it could take. Travesty then focused her attention to the outside of the dome. Behind the glass she saw floating islands. A storm, that covered the land in fire, and a lake made out of some kind of gelatin. It was an ever shifting, and changing place. In front of her eyes the grass changed color. It was now blue. " Where in the name of Celestia I am? " She wanted to put her hoof on the glass, but as she touched it. Her hoof went straight trough it. She pulled back quickly. Travesty gathered her courage to go outside. She was about to do so, when a voice startled her. " I wouldn't recommend you to go out there. " She turned around, and saw a mare standing on a rock. " You wouldn't survive in the Dreamscape. " " What? How? You are.. me? " She looked at her more thoroughly. She just looks like me, but she is much more older. Half of her mane is....grey. No.. No! She was horrified. She is from my vision. How is this possible? " I forget how stupid my old self was. Ugh.. I need all of my willpower not to kill you. " She gave Travesty an icy glare. " I maybe stupid, but you are a real bitch. " She sent an equally hard glare at her. " Guilty as charged. " She laughed lightly. " I can't help it. You will understand it once you grow up. " She quickly pounced upon the unsuspecting filly. She gave her a very passionate kiss. Poor Travesty desperately tried to push the mare away. The more she fought back, the more passionate the mare became. After what it felt like an eternity Travesty gave up fighting against her. Seeing that she wasn't fighting anymore, the mare simply stopped what she was doing, and let the filly go. "Blurgh..! " The amethyst filly scrunched her face in disgust. I've been violated.. by myself. *sigh* I bet some kind of deity must hate me. Her future self just smiled at this. " Oh, don't be so mean. It wasn't that bad, was it? I always wanted to give my first kiss to somepony I love. " Travesty would have been very angry if what she said wasn't so sad. " This was your first kiss? You never felt love before? My future sure sounds great. " The filly said in a sad tone. " Awwww, you are so adorable. " The mare completely changed. Few moments ago she was a psychotic killer, and in the next moment her voice become softer. Her face went into a more relaxed state with a small smile. The mare gently stroke the filly's face. " Stallions, mares, and all kind of monsters showed no love for me, only for my body. " She let out a sigh. " In time I learned to love myself. I vowed to myself, that I will never cry, and those who try to hurt me shall feel my vengeance. " She put her hoof under her chin, then slowly pushed her head up, so she will look into her eyes. " You are still just a naive little filly. I'm a mare who has seen untold horrors. I did horrible things, but don't judge me because of that. My future was never bright. I had to crawl through hell, and I was all alone through this journey. That made me the pony who I am today. Do I feel regret? No, and I never will. If I do that, I would deny who I am. Do you understand? " " It means... " Her eyes widened in realization. " There is no redemption for you. You can not change who you are. You will fight till the bitter end, not because you want to, but because you have to. This is who you are. A pony consumed by darkness. " If Travesty ever felt the need to die, this was the moment. She didn't want to suffer like her future self. Before she could even think about it, the mare gently embraced her. The filly felt the warmth that radiated from her counterpart. Travesty felt this kind of warmth only once before. When Fluttershy took care of her. Now she knew what this unknown feeling was. It was love. Pure love. " I don't want to live anymore. Now, that I know what lies ahead of me. " She cried, while snuggling into the mare's mane. It somehow comforted her. " Oh you big dummy. " She gently patted her on the back, then slapped her really hard. Her facial expression turned into a very serious one. " Travesty! Listen to me! " She put her hooves on the side of her face, and forced her to look into her eyes. " You have to be strong for what will happen to you. For both of our sake. The future is yours. Don't be afraid of what lies within. You can still change. " As she said her last words, she leaned closer, and gave her a farewell kiss. It wasn't a kiss, that a lover would give. It was a kiss, that a mother would give to her child. Suddenly the warmth was gone. The filly gently wiped her tears, and opened her eyes, but the mare was gone. Travesty was more confused, then before. Is this what awaits me? To be a monster, who stops at nothing? Is there any other way? She said I could still change. How? The Void Zone was built on a very delicate balance. If somepony in any way disturbs it, it will come crushing down on Equestria. That is why being a guard pony here is a very important job. They have to patrol the city constantly while being neutral. Which is very hard as all three faction tries to bribe the guards as hard as they could. Even the best guard ponies will succumb for the temptation. Instead of doing the night patrols they had a very rough night, at a little tavern. Drinking, gambling, and mares of all kind were the main topic on their mind. The night turned into morning, and the morning into afternoon. The guards were still asleep as they had to make up for the lack of sleep they had to endure during their little get together. The barracks were a complete mess. The remains of alchoholic beverages, different kind of snacks, and even a few underwear were here and there. Their blissful sleeping was disturbed by a pony, who kicked the barracks door open. The drunk guards just groaned in annoyance, as they had a massive hangover. The arriving stallion looked around carefully at the situation at hoof. He walked to the closest pony. He kicked him awake. " Where can I find Sergeant Pepper Spray? " It was more like a demand, then a question. " Back there. In his own room. " He didn't even looked up, as he just pointed his hoof in a direction. The stallion walked into room, where the garrison commander was sleeping. He had two mare sleeping with him. " Sergeant Pepper Spray! " He shouted at the pony. Said pony just groaned as he was awakened. " Can't you see ponies are sleeping here? Go fuck yourself somewhere else. " He barked at the unknown pony while still half asleep. He snuggled closer to one of the mares. " *ahem* Ladies, if you forgive me, but I need to speak with the Sergeant privately. " It was a demand, and the mares knew it exactly. They quickly put their dresses on, then stood in front of the newly arrived stallion waiting for their payment. He begrudgingly pulled out a few bits, and put it into their hooves. Still they remained, and were waiting for more. He gritted his teeth while giving more money to them. " It was our pleasure doing business with you. " They left them alone, while counting their money. One of them leaned closer, and whispered into his ear. " If you need stress release, you can find me, and I can give you a little discount. " The stallion's anger was up to the roof, but on the outside he remained calm. " Sergeant Pepper Spray! I demand an explanation. " He stomped with his hoof. There goes the calmness. " Who do you think you are? " The Sergeant angrily got out of the bed, so he could teach a lesson to this annoying guard pony. Realization dawned upon him as he saw the pony in front of him. " Well? Who I am? " The stallion leaned closer threateningly. " C-c-captain Hammerhead. " He stuttered. " Sir, I didn't got a notice, that you will inspect the garrison. If I knew you were coming. " He was afraid that his guard career will be over. " That's Commander Hammerhead now. " Pepper Spray almost fainted. He insulted the Commander. The Commander! He was so screwed. " I'm not here to inspect the garrison. " " Phew.. " He let out his breath that he hold back. He swiped the sweat from his forehead. " I'm here to personally investigate the murder that occurred last night in the Red Light District. " " Murder? What murder? " He quickly shut up. Judging by Hammerhead's glare it wasn't the best thing to say to help his case. " Tell me Sergeant. What is the meaning of this? Drunk guards on duty? If I was an enemy I could have killed all of you without any difficulty. This is unacceptable!" He shouted. Pepper Spray got a massive headache thanks to this. " I-..It was just a little get together. Some stress relief? Surely you can understand. This job is really hard. " He was digging himself deeper and deeper. " I understand. " The Sergeant almost cheered at this. " You are relieved of command. When the case is closed, you and the rest of the guards will return to Canterlot. " He said calmly. " Wait, what? Then what will happen with the garrison? We are needed here. " "I would watch my tone Sergeant in your place. I don't have to explain myself in front of you. Wake up the rest of them, and assemble at the yard. Double Time! " Hammerhead just smirked seeing the Sergeant tried to wake up the drunk guards. After a painful thirty minutes the guards finally assembled in the yard. They were a pathetic bunch in Hammerhead's eyes. Their armors had missing pieces. Some of them even lost their helmet.Their weapon were dull, or completely broken. " You are all a disgrace. Not even fit for guards. " His words completely destroyed their self-esteem. " But.. you can prove yourself, that you are worthy of this title. " They all perked up at this. " Midnight give me a little support here. " As he said that a very big storm cloud appeared above them, and showered them with ice cold water. " Attention! " Even though they shivered, his commanding voice was enough for them to stand in line. " There was a murder in the Red Light District at 1:43. My team arrived at 3:00. We have already taken every evidence, and our doctor investigated the body. " He walked backed and forth in front of them. " Who was the victim Commander? " The Sergeant asked. " That is why I'm here personally, as this matter is very delicate. " He waited for his words to settle in. " The victim was none less, then Filthy Rich an Agent of Mr. Nine. " Now the guards knew they really screwed up. Heads will role, that is for sure. " The resolve of this issue will greatly sway my judgement in the matter of your... life style. " They all pulled themselves together, as he said that. They will do this investigation so perfectly, that the Commander surely won't court martial them. At least they thought that. " Listen up! It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to trust in you, but we need your help. Princess Celestia only allowed a small team to come with me. Our duty is--... " " Small team? " Midnight laughed. " You brought half of the Night Guards with you including me. This isn't a small team. This is a freaking power display. " Despite his little jab. Midnight was very proud, that the Night Guards could finally show themselves to the rest of the world. " As I was saying. " He ignored Midnight completely. " Our duty is to find the murderer, bring him or her back to Canterlot, before this whole situation blows up the fragile peace between the factions. " " What is our task, sir? " One of the mostly sober guard asked. " Midnight. " He turned towards the pegasus. " You and your fellow Night Guards will lock down the city completely. You have the authority to use force if required. The rest of you. " He turned back to the Royal Guards. " You will sweep through the city. Listen carefully. After the autopsy the doctor theorize,that our target is probably a pegasus, or a unicorn. Our only lead is a cyan colored hair on the victim. We don't know if it was on him before the attack, or it got on him during the attack. I will personally investigate this lead as it leads towards the brothel that is run by Madame Coral Rift. " The guards gulped at this. She was very famous for caring about her girls, and she will do anything to stop the guards investigation if it turns out, that one of her girls killed Filthy Rich. This could cause a retaliation from Mr. Nine. They are here to stop the war before happening. " Sergeant Pepper Spray! " He set his gaze upon said pony. " Sir? " He gulped nervously. " You will accompany me, and Midnight, and give us a basic rundown of the situation before the murder. " He gave him a weak nod. " Alright everypony. Do you know your role? " They all nodded. " Then move out! Let's go! " The once busy city full of ponies turned into a real ghost town. The guards swarmed the city. The Night Guards were an imposing sight. It unnerved every member of the underworld. The tension was so thick, that you could see ponies started to arm themselves. They prepared for war. " Commander, I don't want to question your methods, but are you sure, that this is the right thing to do? The folks here aren't that easily intimidated by simple guards. " Pepper Spray bumped into the commander as he stopped in front of him. He looked back at him. " Do you think I am just a simple guard? Learn and watch kid. " He took megaphone out, then jumped upon the roof of one of the merchant stands. " Citizens of the Void Zone. This is Commander Hammerhead speaking. The city is under lock down on my command. Nopony enters or leaves 'till I find out who murdered Filthy Rich. We can do this the easy way. You give us the culprit, and I'm leaving as nothing happened. Or we could do it the hard way. I will tear apart this city If I had to. " After a few minutes the city returned to its normal state. 'Normal' in a way, that ponies returned to their own districts. Merchants started to barricade their stands. A pony with a lots of golden necklace around his neck approached Hammerhead. " Commander Hammerhead. What an inspiring speech. You sure know how to shake up things in this boring little town. Allow me to introduce myself. " He bowed lightly. " I am Sweet Silver. I'm representing his lordship here. Mr. Nine was very devastated that one of his agent had died in such a brutal manner, and he has high hopes, that you could find the culprit without incidents. He also likes to offer any help, that could make your visit... less stressful. If Madame Coral Rift refuses to cooperate I'm sure his lordship could find a way, to help you out. " He spoke like a snake. To Hammerhead it felt like poison was seeping into his skull through his ears. " Sweet Silver, right? Tell Mr. Nine, that I accepted his generous offer. I only require information. Filthy Rich may have been an exemplary citizen, but he still might had a few enemies. Also I advise him to not interfere with our work, as we are very thorough in our work. " Hammerhead almost puked, that he had to sweet talk with him. Sweet Silver just gave him a curt nod before leaving. Hammerhead barely heard a 'filthy commoner' comment. " Wow.. Commander. You are so awesome. He is the most stuck up arrogant pony I ever known, and you made him bow before you. " Pepper Spray heard the stories about Hammerhead, but he always thought it was just propaganda, and over exaggeration. Seeing him in action made him question his beliefs. " I'm not that awesome. I'm just a regular stallion who does his job. " He smiled lightly. " Let me give you a little advice. In our kind of job you have to have balls of steel. There are a lots of ponies out there who will want to use their influence to deter you from your duty. You have to stand your ground and say ' I don't care. It is my duty, and if you stand in my way. You are an enemy of Equestria.' " " I'm not brave enough. " He stopped walking. " Maybe I should just resign. I'm not fit to be a guard. " He lowered his head. " It's your choice. But I ask you one thing. At the end of the day. When you go home, and think about your life. Who do you want to be? The guy who ran away at the first sign of difficulty? You can do that, but you will be forever a loser. Or... you can change yourself. Stand your ground, and earn respect through hard work. Fight your way through, and emerge as a hero of Equestria. " During his speech Hammerhead never looked back at him. He just walked forward not waiting for him. " I'm sorry Commander. " He pulled of his helmet, and put it on an abandoned merchant stand. He left without another word. " Do you really had to be this harsh? " Midnight asked from his friend as he walked besides him. " Yes. He had to hear it. Being a guard requires more than physical fitness. It requires faith. Faith in Equestria. Faith in the future, that what we do is worth doing. If that is not there, even the smallest breeze could take you down. " " Wow. You sound so wise suddenly. Who are you, and what did you do with Commander Hothead? " He playfully hit Hammerhead's shoulder. " I have my moments. " He said it with a smug smile. " You should have yours, but I think you are a lost cause. " " Oh really? How about a race to the brothel? " Before Hammerhead could even say no. Midnight flew away. " You don't even know where the brothel is. " He laughed lightly, and walked to the opposite direction. At least he knew where to go. " You must have cheated somehow. " Midnight said in an annoyed tone as he landed next to his friend. " It was just a little race. " Still he laughed at the misfortune of the pegasus. " I will speak with the Madame, while you look around. You have to be very cautious. " " Yes, mother. " He rolled his eyes. " Let's go. Just don't tell my wife, that I was in a brothel. " They entered into the building. - before the complete lock down - The sun loomed over the horizon. This glorious orb was bathing the city in orange. Spreading it's warmth to the earth. Making ponies happy, and helping them to grow food. There is no reason for a pony to hate the sun. Travesty hated the sun. As she opened her eyes she stared into its glorious form. She screamed in pain. Although she really did overreact the whole thing. " Oh thank Celestia. You are awake. " The mare she saved was next to her. She smiled shyly at the filly. Travesty looked around the room. It was a very tidy place. A very comfortable bed. A few wardrobe, with various clothes in it. It was probably what she used to wear during her work hours. What really caught her attention was her book collection. She had almost every book, that her mother wrote. She even saw a few first edition. " Why do you have those books? " She pointed at them with her hoof. " Oh, these? " She grabbed one of the books. " I really love your mother's work. The raw emotion. How she wrote down everything. The good, the bad, the worse. Everything. You feel you are part of something greater. I really love her writing style. " The mare clutched the book close to herself. She acted like a giddy schoolgirl. " Could you tell me what happened? After I fainted. I only remember the blood. It was everywhere. " Travesty shivered. She still couldn't understand how could she killed somepony in cold blood. " You saved me! " The mare hugged the filly. " But I killed him! I'm a murderer. What will happen know? I can't just pretend it didn't happen. Why did you help me? You obviously bathed me as I smell like industrial soap." Travesty crunched her nose up in disgust. The mare sat upon the bed, and started to comb the filly's unruly mane. Travesty didn't protest. She felt a harsh pain in her soul. This moment made her remember Fluttershy, who did exactly the same thing to her. " Nopony really showed me any kindness. For them I'm just an object, that they could use, then discard. But you! You came for me. You helped without wanting anything in return. You were kind to me. I would never judge you for what you did. I.. don't know how to say this. " The mare blushed, and hid under her mane. " Do you want to be my friend? " She smiled at the filly hopefully. " I don't know. I don't really have any friends at all. " Travesty thought about the Crusaders. Are they my friends? " Oh.. if not friends, maybe I can be your big sister? We could... go into the park, eat ice cream. I could help you with your homework. Teach you how to cook, sew. We could be like a family. I always wanted a little sister. " She was holding her breath back. She really wanted to be friends with the filly. " I.. I.. " Travesty stuttered very heavily. " I.. w-would love that. " " If you ever need help you can come here. You will be welcomed here. This apartment is not much, but I will share it with you, alright? " She looked at her clock. " Oh no! I will be late for work. I was so worried about you, that I completely forgot about it. " " C-can I stay here for a while? I don't know If I'm able to go home. At least not alone. " Travesty mentally gritted her teeth. Stupid! Why do I act like a stupid, scared , and shy schoolgirl? She is not Fluttershy! But I love her the same way. Argh! What are these confusing feelings? " Of course you can stay. This is your home now too. " The mare put on her dress. " Be safe, and don't let anypony in. Just to be sure. If you want to eat, just look into the fridge, but if you need something from the market, you can find a few bits under the bed in a box. " " Are you really have to go? " She tried not to sound too desperate. " I'm sorry Travesty, but I have to pay my rent somehow. I wish there was any other way, than this. " She gave the filly a hug before leaving the apartment. As the mare left, Travesty put her hooves on the ledge of the window. Watching her leaving the building, she waved after her newest friend. One question echoed in her mind. Why is my life has to be so fucked up? *sigh* Hey, voice? Are you in there? Silence was her answer. Great. There most be something wrong with me. I feel it inside me. This burning sensation. It is so familiar.
