Tainted Memories

Chapter 1           A Stop for the Night

        "Lost! How do we get lost leaving the train station?!"

        It was the middle of the night, the moon was high and casted a light glow upon the citizens of Equestria. Two unicorns, a male and a female were making their way home to Ponyville from the nearby train station but in the darkness of the night they were hopelessly lost.

        "Well you know us honey, we have no sense of direction what so ever," said the male. His coat was a dark gray with a dark orange red mane and tail, his eyes a lighter verison of his mane. His Cutie Mark consisted of three little flames arranged in an upright triangle.

        "Yeah but this is just sad Fire Magic, I can't tell what's what anymore," said the female. her coat, mane and cutie mark was a stark contrast compared to the male. She had a pale blue coat, eye color and her mane and tail was even lighter almost white. Her cutie mark was three snowflakes arranged in a sideways triangle.

       Fire Magic looked around, making the same realization. "You're right Snowflake, I can't see Ponyville or even the Everfree Forest. Did we even get off at the right station?"

        "What are going to do Fire? We should have been home by now." Snowflake said, unable to hide the panic in her voice.

        "Don't worry Snowflake we'll get home, somehow." He tried to sound strong for his wife but Fire Magic was starting to feel scared as well. "Perhaps we should find a hotel or something where we can stay until tomorrow."

        Snowflake glanced around, "I guess that's for the best. We'll get there in the morning, no reason to wonder around aimlessly in the middle if the night." She continued to glance around, desperately searching for something, anything where they could stay for the night. She eventually saw something in the distance, she squinted her eyes to see better in the darkness, it was a small house. She pointed towards the house, "Look Fire Magic! Is that a house over there?"

         Fire Magic looked towards where his wife was pointing, he squinted. " I think so. We should go see, maybe they can let us stay."

They started walking towards the house, talking to each other to calm their nerves. So absorbed in their conversation they didn't notice a hooded pony walking towards them from the general direction of Ponyville until she said something to the pair.

         "Um... Are you guys ok?" The hooded pony asked.

         Fire Magic, startled, took a defensive position in front of his wife while Snowflake moved even closer to him. " Who are you?!" He demanded.

        The hood came off, showing a unicorn mare with a creamy brown colored coat and a curly black mane, her baby blue colored eyes were full of concern. " Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't to startle you! I was walking back to my house when I saw the two of you, I thought you guys were lost." She hung her head low, her ears falling. "I'm sorry I startled you."

        Snowflake walked up to the unicorn. " No no, don't be. We should have paid more attention to our surroundings." She glanced at Fire Magic then back at the unicorn, "Um, if you don't mind can we possibly stay at your home until tomorrow morning. It's awfully late and we need a place to sleep."

         The unicorn mare smiled genuinely, "That's perfectly fine, as long as nothing happens, follow me. My house is that one over there. It's not far."

        "Thank you so much Ms..." Snowflake started.

        "Sugar, though my full name is A Spoon full of Sugar, but most ponies always thought it was too long to say so I shortened it." The unicorn mare replied.

        "I think it's a lovely name. It suits you." Snowflake offered.

        "Thank you uh... Snowflake right?"

        "Yes, how did you know?"

        "I heard the stallion say it when I was walking by."

        "Oh yeah, right."

        The trio walked on in silence until they reached the house, a small house with a second floor.

Sugar levitated her key to the lock, opening the door to a rather empty house. "I'm sorry it isn't much, I'm still kind of in the process of moving in. You two can take my bedroom upstairs and the bathroom is down the hall to the right of the bedroom."

        "Are you sure we can take your room?" Snowflake asked.

       "Of course," Sugar said as a matter of fact, "You are my guests after all, you should be as comfortable as possible until you can go home tomorrow. Though I really don't have any real food yet."

       "That's alright, we just need a place to sleep, nothing more, thank you so much for giving us that." Fire Magic said.

       Sugar nodded and led them to the bedroom. "Here we are, well good night, I'll be downstairs on the couch if you need me." The unicorn mare walked back down the stairs, her hoof steps echoing in the empty house until there was silence once more.

         They couple walked into the bedroom, looking around. There was a bed at the back of the room and a beanbag chair off to the side of the room.

         "Well she did say it wasn't much," Fire Magic noted.

         "Ha ha, very funny Fire Magic," Snowflake said flatly. "Let's just get to sleep."

         "You sure Snowy?" He said in a flirtatious tone, leaning closer towards Snowflake. A few seconds later he started nuzzling her, giving her little kisses on her face, neck and shoulder.

         "No Fire Magic, stop," Snowflake said, stifling her giggles. She nearly gave in to Fire Magic's urgings, but the memories of the day came back, stopping her in her tracks.

        "No, not tonight Fire, we're in somepony else's house.  It has been a long day, a day I really would really like to forget." Snowflake started walking towards the bed, feeling the material with her hooves before settling in. "Are you coming?" She asked her husband.

        "Oh right." Was all he said before climbing into the bed as well. There were no words spoken between the couple for a few moments, before 3 little words were spoken.

        "If you insist."

✳  ❇  ✳

        "Damn, Mom was right I really do need to get a new couch." Sugar said to herself as she tried to sleep on her lonely little couch. Moments pass and the unicorn mare still couldn't find a good position on her old couch. Getting up, Sugar began walking around her little house, trying to find something to to help her sleep. "What was that old sleep aid my grandmother used to give mom?" She thought to herself as she rummaged through her near empty fridge.

        "Oh! Warm milk! Maybe that will help." Sugar said quietly but with excitement and started heating up a small pot of milk. As the milk heated up Sugar continued to walk around, gathering ideas on how to fix up her home all while keeping an eye on her heating pot, and yet she never saw it coming. Smelling her warming milk and seeing the steam cloud Sugar returned to the stove, levitating the pot in the air as she readied a glass. Behind her a red smoke cloud laced with black began to creep towards her slowly, as if stalking her. As Sugar finished pouring the milk into the glass she then swallowed every last drop, savoring it's mildly sweet taste. The glass was still in the air as the unicorn patted her mouth dry, closing her eyes for a brief second. When she opened them again the strangely colored smoke was encircling her, letting out a squeal just barely loud enough to be heard from the second floor, she dropped the glass but it never hit the floor. The red and black smoke manifested, transforming itself into a deathly white female alicorn, with piercingly red slit shaped pupils, and a near sickly thin figure. Her front hooves were placed on Sugar's mouth and chest respectively, her long and sharp horn, glowing blood red as it held the glass in the air, was precariously placed beneath Sugar's head, ready to slice and release the life giving blood that laid under her coat. The alicorn spoke in a low whisper.

        "Hush, wouldn't want to wake up your guests up now would we?"

        A loud creaking sound came from upstairs moments later.

        "Too late."

✳  ❇  ✳

        Upstairs, the two unicorns were laying next to each other on the bed, the covers were a mess and they were breathing deeply. No words were spoken between the two unicorns, just silence as they caught their breath. Suddenly a low squeal went through the house. Snowflake was sitting up instantly.

        "What was that?" She asked, hushed.

        "What was what Snowy?"

       "I'm serious Fire, I heard something from downstairs."

Fire was up for a second, curious but then laid back down on his pillow. "It's probably Sugar, she does live in this house you know." Fire Magic got a face full of pillow. "Pfft. Oh nice one Snowy, real mature." He threw the pillow behind him.

        "If I had another pillow I would throw it at you too." Snowflake said, looking back at Fire Magic. She turned towards the door slowly getting off the bed.

      "Come on Snowy, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Fire Magic said but Snowflake kept going, not even listening to him. Quickly he grunted and got up out of bed after his wife.

       The couple slowly walked towards the door, careful that their hoofsteps were not heard. Once there Fire Magic, opened it enough to peek outside. He saw nothing. He heard nothing.

        "I don't see or hear anything." He opened the door wider and stepped outside quietly, Snowflake followed closely behind him. Fire Magic peaked beyond the stairs down to the first floor. Again he saw nothing.  He heard nothing. "See Snowy? There's nothing wrong, we should go back to bed." He said in a low hushed whisper. But Snowflake wasn't having anything of it and she walked towards the stairway, placing one hoof on the stairway. It  creaked loudly, Fire Magic wincing as it reverberated across the house.

        "Are you crazy Snowflake? We need to be quiet!" Fire Magic whisper loudly.

        "I think it's too late for that." Snowflake said on the step. Her horn glowed a very pale light blue, suddenly Fire Magic was enveloped in the same glow. Straining, Snowflake placed her husband at the bottom of the stairs, and he taking the hint did the same for her.

     Snowflake smiled at her husband, "Together," she whispered.

        "Together," he whispered back.

        They walked barely a step when the red and black smoke engulfed them, seconds later it dissipated and the couple were on the floor unconscious. The smoke appeared once more and manifested into the white alicorn. She stood silently over the two unconscious unicorns, her eyes glowing red slightly, smiling slyly.