Lurk

The moon was bright that night. All of Ponyville basked in its glow, and all of it was visible from Twilight’s Castle.

Night Light sits motionlessly on the edge of his Princess's bed. The alicorn is sound asleep behind him, and he has no intention of disturbing her. Instead, the unicorn with a dark blue coat sits awake, watching the sleeping village beyond Twilight’s window.

Every meter between the glass and the town can be felt by the pony who sits alone on the bed.

Night Light would have sat there until dawn, were it not for the mare behind him who begins to stir. She stretches her legs and wings with a quiet yawn, then sits silently while she considers what’s most appropriate to say. Perhaps her mind is still too tired, or perhaps she realizes the most appropriate thing to say is to not say anything all; either way, the princess opts to crawl closer to her mate, resting her head just under his.

For a brief moment, Night Light is brought out of his lull, staring down at the pony next to him while his hoof wraps around her back. But the illuminated town in the distance cries for his attention to return.

* * *

The ground underhoof is still wet with dew, and the breeze will occasionally nip at the stallions’ uncovered fetlocks. Night Light follows the sound of the small creek, pausing as he reaches the top of a hill.

“It’s just up ahead!”

Lemon Twist and Night Light canter to the cottage, the building surrounded by several trees painted with the warm colors of Fall. Small animals dash towards their burrows as the two stallions approach, the small critters seemingly much less social than either of the ponies remember them to be.

Night raises a hoof to the wooden door.

“Fluttershy? ...You there?”

No lights are visible through any of the windows.

Lemon Twist begins to shiver, laying a hoof over his front leg.

“Where’d this wind come from, man? Thought you were crazy for putting that jacket on…”

Night Light again knocks forcefully on the door.

“Fluttershy?”

No response.

The unicorn with the dark blue coat looks closer at the door, feeling the painted wood with his hoof. Not to be discouraged, he then locates a heavy rock on the ground, and lifts it with his magic.

“Whoa, Night, what are you doing?”

“She could be in danger.”

Without further explanation, Night Light hurls the rock at a window to the left of the door. A large spiderweb crack appears around a hole the rock creates, its journey coming to an end with a few clacks on the floor inside. The rock’s decent is also joined by the high-pitched cries of surprised animals.

Lemon Twist moves closer to the cottage, trying to see past the newly cracked glass. After rolling his jacket sleeve back to provide extra protection, Night smashes through the remaining glass with a fast strike from his elbow.

Before the morning light has a chance to reveal the contents of the inside, a thick, foul odor hits both of the ponies straight in their muzzles. The scene is littered with blood, animal corpses, and waste; and all three emit nauseating smells. Lemon supports himself with a hoof against the wall, heaving violently until a small spattering of vomit makes its way out of his mouth and into the grass.

Night Light lifts himself over the broken glass, holding a flap from his jacket tightly against his muzzle. It was impossible to discern how many corpses lay on the hardwood floor, as even without the dim lighting making the animals difficult to make out, many had been torn into bloody chunks. The occasional screeching of birds and the armada of flies are the only sounds in the horrific scene. Lemon Twist rests a hoof on the window ledge and peers in.

“Fuck…”

The older stallion lifts one of his hooves to find it had been caked in a mixture of blood, bile, piss; and whatever other fluids the room’s occupants had managed to produce. A low, growling sound comes from a dark corner of the room, a surprise that almost causes Night to lose his balance. The stallion eyes the fur covered mass just a few meters to his right. Blood matted the bear’s fur around its face.

“Think we found our culprit.”

“Oh fuck, Night—you really think you should be in there?”

The unicorn keeps his eyes glued to the beast.

“I don’t think it’s hungry anymore.”

Night Light continues to watch the animal closely. The bear seems to have already lost interest in him, and begins to rest its large head against its blood-stained paws.

* * *

The mare behind the desk, Moon Dust, as the signed documents before her told Night Light, shoots glances between the two stallions.

“So that’s it? Not a single lead?”

For a moment, there’s no response. Lemon Twist eventually leans forward on the desk, hoping to not make the trip seem like a total waste.

“...Well—the bodies looked like they’d been there for a few days, at least. Might help our time frame a little…”

Moon Dust bites the end of her pen, staring at Lemon Twist until he becomes too uncomfortable to stare back.

“That’s a start I suppose.”

The mare scribbles one last line in her notepad, then spins her chair around so that she’s able to file away her documents in a cabinet behind her. Night Light realizes this is the first time he’s able to see her wings; the feathers are splayed unnaturally, and pink flesh is visible in small patches.

“Now if either of you geniuses find anything, make sure you bring it to me.”

Night and Dust lock eye contact, a scowl on either of their faces.

“Until then…”

The room grows warm, at least for Lemon Twist. Uncomfortable, he keeps his eyes anywhere in the room but on the other two. After far too long, Twist is able to clear his throat, and begins to stand up.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Moon Dusts watches as the two stallions make their way to the door, leaving her alone with a desk full of notes and documents. After the door closes, she returns her attention to the photograph on top; and the gruesome scene it depicts.

* * *

“...it is, the timing of these events could not be worse. As we know, this is the second disappearance in Ponyville in the last; what, month or so?”

Night Light turns his head to the side so that he’s able to watch the radio sitting on his desk.

“...Minuette. She lived in Canterlot—and yet, in celebrating her acceptance into Starswirl Academy, she had come to our small town of Ponyville to be with friends. The Guard has said next to nothing on the matter…”

The unicorn returns to his work, pinning a newspaper article to the bulletin board in front of him. The board is full of other articles, notes, and photos of Fluttershy and Minuette. Everything flows into the center of the board, where only a sketch of a silhouetted figure is drawn.

“...of course they’re not talking, they don’t want to admit that whatever this is, it has them beat.”

Night retreats to his thoughts. Leaning back in his chair, he’s able to see all of his work, and strives to mentally connect it.

“...and the truth is, nopony was really prepared for anything like this. This is Ponyville we’re talking about—if there’s a problem, the Elements of Harmony go to work…”

An idea settles. Night Light grabs a pencil from his desk, supporting the loose graphite tip with extra magic reinforcement. Steadily, he writes on the back of a page he had torn out of a herbology book.

fear = protection?

The pony lays down the pencil, satisfied with the first real step he had made. The note is levitated up to the center of the board, where it’s pinned underneath his sketch.

For a moment, the beast isn’t on Night’s mind. Instead, someone very dear to him begins to consume his thoughts.

“...you know? Nopony asked: ‘What happens when the Elements of Harmony aren’t safe?’”

Later that night, the unicorn detective finds himself outside of Twilight’s Castle, after the residents of Ponyville have all settled into their beds. As quietly as possible, he makes his way to the front doors.

Night Light settles his pack on the ground at the entrance of the castle. After one final look over his shoulder, the stallion opens a flap and retrieves a brush, and a jar filled with a deep crimson paint.

* * *

With another new day, comes another morning the ponies of Ponyville wake without answers. Night Light and Lemon Twist had rented hotel rooms, to stay close to the site of Minuette’s disappearance.

Night sits alone in his room, hunched over a desk as he rubs his temples. A single unlabeled notebook sits in front of him, with a worn pencil lying next to it. With a sigh, the pony lifts his head off of his hooves to glance at the clock on the wall.

Night Light finds Lemon at his own desk, and his door ajar.

“How’s it coming?”

The earth pony at his desk turns his chair to see his partner. Lemon Twist seems hesitant to respond.

“...I might have something.”

Night can see a small smile forming.

“You might have something…”

“Yeah, but I’m gonna need some more time.”

The unicorn shifts forward a tad, trying to lay eyes on the cluttered desk.

“Why don’t you just tell me what you have at the moment?”

“It sounds crazy right now; just let me make sure I’m in fact not crazy, and then I’ll share.”

Night Light looks at his partner in the field with tired eyes.

“Tomorrow, then?”

The smile returns.

“Tomorrow.”

Bright lights suddenly flood the room, revealing to the unicorn where Canterlot had moved him. He sits alone at a table, with a door behind him and a large tinted window to his left.

“Small world…”

A pegasus with a dark mane and a washed out violet coat enters the room. She walks to the other end of the table, eyeing Night Light the entire way. Moon Dust pulls a chair out for herself, and then carelessly drops several folders on the cold surface between the two ponies.

“So; how would you describe your relationship with Lemon Twist?”

Night Light slowly leans in, resting his hooves on the table.

“Fuck you.”

The mare opens her binder to a blank page, pulling a pen close.

“Not a great start, if you’re looking to defend your innocence.”

“This is bigger than us…”

“Do you even care what happens to you?”

Night slides back into his chair, turning his head off to the side.

“I’ve already told you, you’re out of your league. I’m not talking to you.”

“No? How about the High Council then? Because keep this up, and that’s where your ass is headed!”

Silence settles between the two. Eventually, without turning his head, Night Light gives a response.

“This is a huge fucking waste of time.”

Moon Dust closes her eyes and sighs. It would seem as if both ponies were in for a long day; had it not been for the relaxed, elegant voice that suddenly sounded over the speaker.

“May we have the room, please?”

The pegasus uses her last few seconds in the room to stare at Night Light with overt annoyance. Soon after, she collects the documents spread about the table, and heads for the door.

Left alone again, Night Light leans with one hoof against his end of the table, dropping his head into shadow. Focusing, he can just make out the sound of muffled voices beyond the wall.

Using his magic, Night lifts the cup that had been lying next to his hoof, only to find a drizzle of water pour out as he tilts it. The cup makes a soft plastic collision with the floor after the unicorn carelessly disables his levitation.

The pony returns to a lifeless slouch. Only the sound of the door opening, and a familiar voice arouses his attention, and seemingly suspends his heartbeat.

“Hello, Night Light.”

* * *

A week had passed since Lemon Twist’s disappearance, and more than a month since Fluttershy’s. And yet, not a single soul in Ponyville seemed to have an explanation.

Night Light walks alone along the cold, dark streets of Ponyville. Recent events cling stubbornly to his mind, the night stroll providing a chance to move past them. During the day, the streets would have been bursting with life, commotion in every corner of the town. But at night, Ponyville transformed into another world entirely; like walking through a dream conjured by the sleeping village.

The unicorn freezes under a street lamp, taking a moment to close his eyes and listen.

“Alright. You get one shot at this. Take it from the top.”

Night stares into the now familiar eyes looking back from across the table. Moon Dust appears inpatient, annoyed—disappointed. To Night Light’s right sits Carp, his newly assigned partner, who uses his magic to roll a pencil back and forth on the table in front of him.

“Okay. From the top.”

Carp suspends his leisurely activity, watching the dark blue unicorn lean in towards Moon Dust.

“And I’m telling the real story. You can believe whatever you want.”

The pegasus at the other end of the table tilts her head ever so slightly.

“That’s all I ask.”

Night Light leans back into his chair, shooting a quick glance at Carp before returning his intense stare to the pony at the other end of the table.

“We got an emergency flash on our emberstones at 2 o’clock. It took us to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Punch; and that was all we had. Going in, we were completely in the dark…”

* * *

Night Light stands impatiently at the scene, watching his newbie partner arrive from an alley.

“Did they not teach you what an emergency is?”

“Relax old-timer, some of us actually go to sleep at night.”

The young unicorn finishes buttoning up his coat as Night leads him to the building entrance. Music can be heard playing on the inside, the bass penetrating the walls more than any other component.

Night Light looks through the small window embedded in the front door. The sliver of light leaking in illuminates what appears to be a living room, with no signs of life.

“Is that a new jacket?”

Night turns around, narrowing his eyes at Carp.

“What?”

“It looks nice is all.”

The stallion turns his head off to the side, staring at the corner of the quaint house.

“Shut up and stay close.”

Leading his partner around to the back, Night Light trots up a set of wooden stairs, finding himself on a large garden balcony, a wide glass window and door revealing the interior. Carp immediately steps closer to the glass, trying to peer inside. A string of white lights running through the lattice above the ponies creates a glare in the glass that is difficult to see past.

“Shit, is that Mrs. Punch?”

Night tries the handle with his telekinesis, and like many of the doors in Ponyville, it opens without a struggle. The music playing from a phonograph in the room—an upbeat rock track—suddenly sweeps over the two colts. Lying on the floor in a pool of blood and wine is Berry Punch, her front leg outstretched as if she had attempted to crawl away from something.

“Get her out of here, now!”

Carp rushes over to the mare, attempting to avoid the broken glass that surrounds her as he drags the pony by the hoof.

“They taught you BEMR, right? Get that bleeding to stop!”

Holding the door open with his magic, Carp is able to move Berry out onto the balcony.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

The door swings closed, and Night Light is left alone in house; at least, he hopes.

There’s one other door in the room, left just slightly ajar. Night slowly pulls it wide open, finding an empty hall with several rooms branching off. The first on the right draws his attention, again, the door hanging half open. He approaches slowly, raising a hoof to the handle. Before he’s able to reach the door, however, something rushes from out of the room.

Night Light stands petrified. Before him, a thin, pale, hunched creature runs out into the hall. It bumps into an end table, giving Night a brief look at its expressionless face surrounded by a long dark mane, before the only source of light in the hall shatters on the ground, plunging the room into darkness.

Soft but rapid steps on the carpet can be heard as Night comes back to his senses, and attempts to cast. His horn comes to life with a musical whirl, sending shadows everywhere in the hall with a bright white light. Night Light catches a glimpse of the creature, its hairless skin stretched around its ribs and spinal cord as it makes a retreat down the steps.

Night begins to breath much faster and louder, taking slow but steady steps forward. He pulls the door to his right open, discovering Mr. Punch in his bed. A pillow lies over his muzzle, and his chest showed no signs of breath.

The unicorn backs out of the room, and continues his slow journey towards the stairs. A second door lies on his right, which Night briefly checks, discovers to be a seemingly untouched bathroom, and is promptly left alone by the pony.

Next came the stairs. Night Light pauses at the top, and takes a moment to control his breathing. He takes one last look at the room where he entered, and the light it offered, before shaking his head and removing his coat with telekenisis.

The first step creaks as the stallion lays his hoof on it. Night keeps his eyes glued to the corner at the bottom of the steps as he comes down, watching as the long shadow pulled away and revealed more of the house. By the time he reaches the bottom, the music from upstairs is all but distant bass, the lyrics a muffled, unintelligible mess.

The living room is empty. Curtains had been drawn, further isolating Night Light from the comfort of the outside world. Forward still the stallion moved, leaning his head slowly around the corner leading to the dining room.

Night instinctively ducks at the sound of a crash, but sees nothing in the room before him. Only one room remained, the arched entrance to the kitchen at the end of the dining room.

The stallion leans against the wall next to the arch, and waits. Beads of sweat slide down his forehead, as he stands there hoping the next sound he hears is it leaving. But that sound never comes; and after taking a moment to stabilize his heartbeat, and reciting a plethora of curses under his breath, he moves aggressively into the kitchen.

The light from his horn reveals nothing. A number of boxes and dishes lie scattered about the countertops, but no sign of the beast. Night Light drops his head, and wipes a layer of sweat away with his right hoof. When his head returns to its original position, he becomes fixated on a pan lying against the wall at the end of the room. Squinting his eyes and taking a step closer, Night can see the reflection of the sink and counter behind him, and what appears to be something huddled on top.

The pony spins around at the same time the creature leaps silently from the counter, pushing Night Light over. A stun spell flies out from the stallion’s horn, blasting a cupboard open and sending oats all over the room. A champagne glass falls with Night, reaching the ground just before his leg can.

Night Light grits his teeth and squeezes his eyes shut as he suppresses a scream, shards of glass already dug into his leg before he understands what happened. When he opens his eyes again, he finds the beast, standing—on two legs—over him. It’s colossal in height, even hunched over Night. Its face appears shriveled; the contours of every muscle wrapped around its skull visible in the light, and the sockets where the stallion expects to find eyes, present nothing more than soulless black pits. Perhaps its most repulsing feature, however, is its scent, which is easily comparable to Night’s last visit to Fluttershy’s cottage.

Before the pony can get up, the creature turns, and runs into the next room, returning to its animalistic sprint on all fours. Night fights the pain, and hurries to chase after.

A second shot from Night’s horn nearly clips the creature, but instead singing the ornate couch behind it. By the time the stallion turns the last corner into the living room, the beast is already gone.

Night Light cranes his head into the fireplace that had suddenly began to spew ash moments before, watching the lanky silhouette of the creature climb out of the top of the chimney, and disappear into the night.

A coughing fit tears the pony away from the fireplace, where he rests against an end table to recover. Night Light hangs his head in defeat, grimacing at the sight of his blood-caked leg.

* * *

“So…”

Moon Dust lays her hooves on the table, and stares down at her notes.

“The ‘creature’ got away—and you have no photos, and no witnesses?”

The unicorn at the other end of the table maintains his scowl.

“And your partner wasn’t actually with you in the house?”

Carp clears his throat.

“Just following orders.”

“Right, I told him to help the pony who was fucking bleeding out! What was I supposed to do?”

The pegasus looks up from the table.

“That’s right, Berry Punch. You know I just heard from the hospital, before you two came in here…”

The older stallion rubs the front of his mane with a hoof, already aware of where Moon Dust was going.

“The only other witness. She died, just this morning.”

Suddenly overcome with shame, Carp tilts his head towards the floor.

“So now we have another two gone, and still only one suspect.”

The pony begins to collect the paperwork before her as Night Light watches with his mouth just slightly agape.

“You were right. This one’s out of my league.”

A shadow draws over the two stallions, who quickly spin around to find none other than Princess Celestia standing behind them.

With a frown on her muzzle, Celestia stares firmly down onto Night Light, and no words need to be said.

Judgement day had come; and before he knew it, Night Light had found himself standing before the High Council.

“Equestria can no longer stand idly by, while more innocent ponies go missing.”

Night Light sits motionlessly as the elderly mare behind the podium goes on.

“Ponyville has always been a safe, happy community; where everypony so cheerfully greets others in the street, and not a frown can be seen. It sickens me that someone so vile as yourself, Night Light, lives in that same community. I believe our own Princess Twilight has said it best it about the kind of pony you are, and I quote:”

The accused unicorn looks up at the sound of her name.

“‘He’s different. Apathetic? Sure. Many long nights. And his days? He could be very difficult to communicate with at times, and at worst, would emit seemingly no emotion outside the range of hatred and disgust.’”

Night Light’s face is burrowed between his hooves, every word stabbing deeper than the last.

“No… this is a mistake, let him go!”

A long slender hoof wraps around Twilight’s chest, holding her back from the guards.

“It’s going to be alright, Twilight.”

Night Light grapples with the guards, attempting to catch one last glimpse of the alicorn.

“You must obey my order, I am your princess!”

A hoof from one of the guards forcefully pushes Night’s head forward.

“THIS IS MY LIFE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT!”

The unicorn continues his hopeless struggle, his mind only able to think of how Twilight Sparkle is ultimately the one who doomed him.

“I’M NOT A FUCKING MURDERER!”

* * *

There’s a single window in the room. It’s crammed just underneath the ceiling, providing a solitary shaft of moonlight.

Night Light lies on the stained cot in the cell, staring hopelessly up at the ceiling. His right hoof hangs off the edge of the bed, just hovering over a crumpled up ball of paper. The stallion closes his eyes, knowing fully well that he wouldn’t be able to sleep. As it turns out, he couldn’t if he wanted to; the metallic squeal of the chamber door opening pulls his eyes wide open.

Rolling over, Night can see the princess as she makes her way to his cell. She stops just outside the bars, eyes scanning the unwashed room.

“Yeah, not where I thought I’d end up spending the rest of my life.”

Twilight’s attention snaps to the unicorn in the cell, who sits up on his squeaking cot.

“It’s not over yet. I’m a princess; I can request a retrial, I can speak with the Council directly…”

Night Light lifts his head up slowly.

“It’s over. They’re not changing their minds.”

The alicorn folds her wings at her side, finding it more difficult to look into the unicorn’s eyes.

“I’m so sorry, the quote; that had to have been right after we—”

“It doesn’t matter. They’d have made sure I end up in here anyway.”

The princess places a violet hoof against the bars.

“Maybe. But I made it easier for them…”

Night Light sighs quietly as he attempts to soften the thin mattress. A brightly colored bird lands on the small window, its gleeful song drawing Twilight’s attention.

“...What happened to the bear?”

The stallion scrunches his face in confusion.

“What?”

“The bear; at Fluttershy’s cottage.”

Night continues his futile work, while giving the alicorn the unadulterated truth.

“They tore it open. They had to makes sure the bear wasn’t responsible for Fluttershy’s disappearance.”

Twilight’s eyes narrow as she tries to focus solely on the bird.

“Did they… did they find anything?”

The cot squeaks as Night Light lays back down, his head turned away from the princess.

“No.”

Twilight continues to watch the window, even as the bird returns to the sky. She surprises herself as a smirk makes its way onto her muzzle.

“You know, it’s funny. A part of me actually feels bad for the bear.”

There’s no response from the pony in the cell, his only movement being the slow expanding and contracting of his chest.

“I mean, it’s only the bear’s instinct.”

The alicorn hangs her head, giving up on hearing a response. A crumpled ball of paper, lying just offside of the cot, catches her eye. She uses her magic to bring it towards her, and up through the bars. A chill comes over her upon unfurling it.

Drawn crudely with charcoal was an image of the beast.

The heavy door swinging open with a metallic groan shocks Twilight, her head quickly spinning around to see who was entering the room.

“I’m sorry Princess Twilight, I need to lock it down for the night.”

Twilight nods, turning to deliver one last final message to the stallion behind the bars.

“Don’t give up on me yet.”

Night lies with his head facing the wall and his eyes wide open, listening to the fading sound of his princess walking away.

* * *

The early morning sun penetrates the cell, bringing warmth that stirs Night to life. Eyelids half open, the stallion takes a moment to let the reality sink in again, remembering that this was likely the same morning he would have for the rest of his life. A spider crawls on the stone wall before him, his lazy gaze fixated on the small creature.

“One down…”

The unicorn simultaneously stretches and yawns, rising to meet the long day. Turning towards the bars, however, Night Light finds something had already risen to meet him.

“NO!”

The unicorn backs himself against the wall under the window, having just stared into the eyes of the beast, its long pale arms reaching through the bars.

“It’s not real, it can’t be fucking real, I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming…”

“You’re right.”

Night opens his eyes just wide enough to see the violet figure coming down the hall.

“This isn’t the beast from Everfree.”

Another look at the creature reveals to Night Light its lifeless condition; its arms actually lying limp against the bars, and a makeshift blade protruding from the side of its head.

“This is my creation. A combination of physical and arcane fabrication. But to the others, it will be frighteningly real.”

Princess Twilight stops just outside the cell, right next to the creature.

“And you just killed it.”

Night Light stares at the alicorn, his muzzle still scrunched back in fear.

“What?”

Twilight rests her hooves against the bars, leaning in close to the cell.

“Listen very carefully, Night Light. They’re going to find this. And when they do, they need to believe that in an act of self-defense, you killed the beast.”

A blood like substance could be seen dripping down into a pool on the stone floor.

“Which means you need to believe that you killed the beast. Do you understand?”

Night tears his eyes from the vile scene to the pony standing next to it.

“I can’t stop them from taking photographs, but I doubt anyone in the High Council will have anything against having the remains destroyed. After, they’re going to apologize to you personally, and your sentence will be lifted.”

The princess drops her head, partially concealing her eyes behind her bangs.

“When the real monster returns, it will be my responsibility.”

“Twilight—”

“The last thing I need you to do is to find me, after you’re let go. Meet me at Zecora’s tomorrow, and I’ll give you more than enough bits to get out of here. To start a new life.”

The stallion finally obtains a normal breathing cycle.

“You’re not very liked right now, as I’m sure you’re aware. I can’t let Canterlot point a hoof at you when the beast returns. You have to understand.”

The room would be completely silent, were it not for the steady dripping of blood.

“Please; will you do this for me?”

Night Light’s eyes jump between the creature and Twilight, not able to settle.

“Twilight…”

Finally, their eyes lock. Night’s mouth hangs open, as if hesitating to say something. The stallion’s stare grows more vacant, his mind backed against a wall. After a long moment of silence between the two, Night Light closes his mouth, and swallows; most of the words he had considered offering the mare discarded in favor of a single one.

“...Okay.”

Princess Twilight smiles warmly, her tired eyes raising just a tad.

“Okay.”

Twilight’s obsession with the matter would pay off, and the events over the next few days would unfold exactly as she had predicted them to. Celestia herself would offer a sincere apology to Night Light, as well as the opportunity to retain his old job; to which, of course, he would decline. The ‘body’ found in the prison would be incinerated at the request of Princess Twilight, due to the creature's particularly cruel nature, which was written to be one of ‘evil of the highest magnitude, presenting nothing but harm and misfortune to the ponies of Equestria’.

Night Light would stay true to his word. On a cold night in Everfree, he would present himself at a small shack in the middle of the forest, where Twilight Sparkle would give the stallion a pouch full of silver bits; more than enough for a fresh start and the means to get there. He would leave Ponyville that same night, no real discernable emotion on his face as he turned to say goodbye; just as Twilight had predicted.

As for the princess herself, she would return to her home in the great castle. She would dedicate many sleepless nights to her research, and many bits to the extensive investigation. Everyday she would wait for a letter, a headline—anything that would tell her of a terrible tragedy that had befallen an unsuspecting pony, and in doing so would mark the day that the beast from Everfree had returned to Ponyville.

Strangely, that day never arrives.