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                           Lurk                            
                         -by Zvn-                          
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                             I                             
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I
Twilight wakes with a startled gasp, eyes adjusting to the familiar crystal ceiling hanging above her. A peculiar noise had woken her; but as the seconds go by, and the castle remains as silent as it had on any late night, she begins to question the validity of the sound. After all, lifting her head up off her pillow, the princess can see her number one assistant sound asleep in his bed, seemingly unmoved from his position two hours ago.
A dream, perhaps. Satisfied with her conclusion, Twilight flips her pillow with her magic, and readies herself for a return to sleep. Only, before her head could even reach the pillow, there is a crash outside; louder than before.
Princess Twilight is careful not to wake the young dragon sleeping in the room with her, as she makes her way through the large, empty halls of her castle, and to the front door. A dim white light casts itself over her horn, before Twilight unlocks the double doors with her magic and steps into the cool, dark night.
Immediately upon opening one of the doors, a breeze brushes past her, tussling her mane and tail. The moon is rather full this night, casting a silver light over the fields just outside of her crystal fortress. Twilight takes a few steps down her stairs, then peeks over the short stone wall surrounding them. She half expects to find a skunk or raccoon hiding in the bushes opposite the wall; but the glow of her horn reveals nothing of the sort. Twilight becomes increasingly aware of the cold that surrounds her, as her interest in the phantom noise wanes. With no culprit in mind, she turns her back against the outside, and trots back up to the tall golden doors.
Upon seeing the outside of the doors, Twilight freezes. After a few moments of analyzing the symbols drawn crudely on the left door, her magic slowly brings the other to a close, completing the message drawn in a deep shade of crimson:
you’re no god
Friday, October 9th
Twilight stares blankly into the swirling cup of tea before her, mind encumbered with thoughts of the night before. Only the latter half of Rarity’s inquisition is picked up by the princess.
“...you did tell the Royal Guard, correct?”
The alicorn blinks a few times, tearing her focus from the small cup of tea.
“Yes—yeah; and of course they sent down a team. I can’t look out a window without seeing an armored guard…”
A concerned frown forms on Applejack’s muzzle, but she remains silent. Or at least, she isn’t quick enough to respond before Rarity’s theatrical voice returns.
“As it should be! You do realize that you could be in serious danger?”
The days were growing colder, Twilight prioritizing her hot tea for a moment while she considers her friend’s concern.
“Yeah, of course. I guess I’ve just never been fond of change.”
Hardly a satisfying response, if Rarity’s facial expression was anything to go by.
“...Do y’all think this’s got anything to do with what happened to Fluttershy?”
The table grows quiet. Twilight looks off into the distance, while levitating the porcelain to her lips. Everfree lay on the horizon; the vast, green canopies drawing a thick shadow over the forest.
* * *
Twilight stands motionless, scowling at the room behind the glass. A mare and a stallion sit at a table, the mare verbally prodding the other pony, who replies with lines ranging from the annoyed “I’ve already told you…”, to the much more apathetic “This is a huge fucking waste of time.”
Hoofsteps resound throughout the stone hall as Princess Celestia approaches the glass, pausing right next to Twilight. For a moment, neither of the ponies say a word, instead opting to listen to the dry banter before them. Celestia is the first to break the silence.
“I’m sorry about all of this. He requested your presence as soon as we brought him in... but with everything happening like it has as of late; frankly, I was tempted to tell him where he could shove his request.”
Twilight tilts her head towards Celestia, feeling a bit shocked as she remembers that she is far from the tallest of her friends.
“It’s fine. I have questions anyway.”
The ivory alicorn nods, her hoof pressing a small gray button on a console jutting out of the glass, the speaker in the room coming to life with a short feedback loop.
“May we have the room, please?”
The mare inside with a coat bearing a washed out violet hue collects a few documents from the table, and then begins to make her way to the door. Upon exiting the room, her eyes widen at the sight of both princesses standing before the glass, a hoof running awkwardly back through her frazzled mane.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight.”
Celestia smiles warmly at the mare.
“Thank you, Moon Dust.”
The mare nods sharply, obviously uncomfortable with formalities. As her hoofsteps grow quieter in the distance, Twilight watches the stallion who sits alone now on the other side of the glass, his magic lifting the small plastic cup on the table to his lips—before grimacing at the bottom of the cup, and carelessly letting it drop onto the floor. Princess Celestia places a hoof on her student’s shoulder, maintaining a reassuring smile.
“I’ll leave you to it.”
Twilight nods, then watches as Celestia’s tail disappears around the corner from where the princess entered. After Twilight knew that her and the pony behind the glass were alone, she places a hoof gently on her chest, breathes in, and exhales slowly.
The stallion’s ears perk up at the sound of a new body entering the room, but refuses to turn and see who it is.
“Hello, Night Light.”
The stallion turns so that his profile is visible to Twilight. He has a dark blue coat, with gray hair running back and resting against his shoulders. His tired blue eyes show a touch of relief, as they find Twilight’s. This lasts only for a short moment, Night Light turning his head back around, and folding his arms on the table as the princess makes her way to the other end. She sits down quietly, folding her wings at her side.
“I’m sorry to hear about your partner…”
The stallion keeps his glance glued to the table, most of his face drawn in shadow.
“We’re going to get everyone back. I’m sure of it.”
Night Light lifts his head just enough so that Twilight can see one of his bushy gray eyebrows raise in suspicion.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I don’t think you believe you.”
The alicorn sighs, leaning back into her chair.
“Obviously this case is child’s play for the great Detective Light; please, fill me in.”
Unable to make eye contact, Night Light holds his attention on the fallen cup while mumbling a response.
“I’m still working on it…”
Twilight nods with exaggerated animation.
“Oh, inconclusive? You can stare at as many half-empty glasses as you want to, that’s your right. But that does not make your view any more concrete than my own.”
“I just lost my partner, and I keep getting dragged in here because your team suspects I’m the one responsible! So I’m sorry if I’m not fucking ecstatic about the whole situation!”
The princess squints her eyes and purses her lips, staring down at the violet blob reflected in the metal table.
“I’m sorry. I know this is crazy, I—it’s just routine.”
The two sit quietly for a moment, before the train ride to Canterlot finally catches up with Twilight, the alicorn rubbing her temple with a hoof.
“We have nothing, Night. I was just hoping you might of had some… theories, I guess.”
Silence returns to the room. Night Light opens his mouth, but fails to conjure words. His hesitation only intrigues Twilight; after all, a good mystery had always been enjoyed by the princess.
“I’ve—spent a lot of nights thinking about it… about the connections between Minuette and Lemon Twist…”
Memories briefly come over Twilight, of meeting Night’s partner in the field for the first time. Lemon was brash and cocky; albeit effective at his work. Even still, Twilight had no recollection of being a huge fan of the pony.
“After Minuette, I became afraid of whatever was out there. I’d managed to sleep even less than usual…”
Night Light continues to look everywhere in the room (predominantly down at the table and floor) but into Twilight’s eyes.
“Anyway; I was with Lemon Twist the night of his disappearance. I remember being amazed at how calm he seemed—ponies were disappearing at random, and Twist hadn’t missed a wink of sleep. When I went to wake him up the next morning, he was gone. No struggle, no blood.”
Twilight knew the circumstances, but the bizarreness of the scenario is still enough to unnerve her.
“What I theorize, is that Fluttershy went into Everfree two months ago—and something followed her back.”
The violet alicorn at the end of the table sits frozen in place, expecting more to follow.
“‘Something’?”
Night Light inhales sharply, knowing the next part would be more difficult to explain.
“I think that fear repels it. A creature that can only attack those with peace of mind.”
Before any words can escape Twilight’s lips, Night scrambles to back up his claims.
“Minuette? She had just been accepted to SA, she was at a party the night before her disappearance. And in all of my years working with Lemon Twist, I’d never seen him fret over a single fucking thing.”
Twilight intervenes faster now, having heard enough.
“It’s pure coincidence, Night Light. We need to look at the facts.”
Suddenly much more energized than before, the unicorn with a dark coat begins to retorte the expected denial.
“Well I know I’m not the fucking killer, so I’m already a step ahead of Canterlot!”
A drawn out sigh escapes Twilight’s muzzle.
“Night—”
“I was asleep just a room down from Twist; we were working on the exact same case, why would it attack just him?”
The princess shakes her head.
“Okay; let’s say that hypothetically, this creature is the one doing all of this. Fluttershy is the most easily frightened of practically everyone in Ponyville. It doesn’t add up—”
“We both know the attitude she has with animals; you’ve seen her pacify both a grizzly and a manticore. I just don’t think she knew what she was dealing with.”
Whether it was the morsel of intrigue she harbored, or just the long trip that left her too tired to argue, Twilight spends a moment in silence to consider Night Light’s words.
“I’ve started to see things outside of my house. I think whatever this is, it’s intelligent. This isn’t a rabid animal, killing in blind rage.”
Twilight’s eyes brighten with life, and her lips part as if she was eager to mention something. Hesitation held her, and the message on the doors is never brought up. Instead, the princess clears her throat, and stands at her end of the table.
“Thank you, Night Light. Rest assured we’re working diligently to bring the suspect to justice.”
After unfurling her wings, Princess Twilight begins to make her way to the black door at the other end of the room.
“Twilight, wait—”
A hoof blanketed in shaggy fur connects lightly with Twilight’s shoulder. The ponies’ eyes meet for the first time since Twilight entered the room.
“You know that I care deeply for you, Twilight. I would do anything—”
Night’s hoof falls limply back to his side, as the alicorn takes a small step away from him.
“We’ve been through this. Do you not remember me saying how difficult it was to be with you, when you never saw the joy in anything?”
The unicorn shakes his head.
“I’m not asking for a second chance. Just—that you trust me…”
Perhaps the most genuine emotion Twilight has ever seen from Night had found its way onto the stallion’s face.
“...I’m going to stop them—”
Twilight pauses just long enough for Night Light to look away, the muscles on his face relaxing.
“—or it. And I won’t let you take the fall for Canterlot. I promise.”
The stillness of the room suddenly becomes much more obvious to Twilight, who watches the stallion with his head hung low, and his shoulders arched. No response is uttered. Twilight doesn’t need one.
Night Light again sits alone at the table, centered neatly in the small white room.
* * *
The sun had retreated to its resting place behind the horizon, the warm rays of light quickly dissipating over Ponyville. Twilight stands in the kitchen with her dear friend Spike, who is busy experimenting with a new recipe he had discovered for the otherwise insignificant portion of gemstones that remained in the house. The young dragon speaks dramatically about his day, all of which fell on the deaf ears of the princess, who had buried her proverbial muzzle deep into a book she had read dozens of times before.
“Uh… Twilight? Are you listening?”
Spike’s disappointed gaze remains locked to the violet pony. Eventually, it is enough to draw her attention, her eyes flicking up from the pages.
“Oh, you saw Rarity earlier today?”
“I said that like an hour ago!”
A violet aura surrounds the tome on the kitchen table, its pages folding to a close with the help of arcane energy.
“I’m sorry, Spike. I just…”
Twilight trails off, pushing back her frazzled mane with a hoof.
“—Have a lot on your mind?”
The princess smiles at Spike, the lack of sleep made obvious in her eyes, highlighted under the bright lights.
“I just hope things will be back to normal again soon.”
As the night consumes Ponyville, the quiet conversations in the castle give way to total silence. Twilight had wished her scaly companion goodnight, then finds her way to her own bed, and wraps the blankets snugly around her.
Moonlight is the only source of light in the room, casting long, still shadows on the floor and walls. From where Twilight lay on her bed, she can watch the fogged glass of her window, the tip of a spear visible beyond it. A pegasus guard stands diligently out on her balcony, keeping watch for anyone—or anything—who might return with another message for the princess.
Twilight sits up in her bed, turning her head around as her wings stretch out, free of the heavy blankets. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she had heard an echo somewhere in the vast halls of her crystal castle. The room, bathed in silver and blue lights, is unsettlingly quiet. Even Spike is more silent than usual, his steady breathing barely reaching Twilight’s ears.
A sparkling field of magic pull the blankets closer to Twilight as she lies back down, trying to forget about the distant noise. Her eyes again watch the spear just outside her room, the sharp metal occasionally rocking back and forth as the guard adjusted their position. Slowly, Twilight’s eyelids begin to relax, sliding over her bloodshot eyes. Just before her world is swallowed by darkness, the alicorn watches the spear sink beneath the window for the first time during the night.
Twilight’s eye shoot back open, her pulse quickening. The muffled sound of wings beating fade into the night, as Twilight realizes what was happening. She had studied the guards schedule, and knew of a small window of time—about a minute and thirty seconds—where shifts changed, and no guard stood watch on her balcony.
The heat begins to draw sweat on Twilight’s coat, as she pulls the blankets more tightly against her. Her heartbeat grows alarmingly fast as she lies deathly still underneath the covers, desperate for any sense of security. A peculiar metal sound, like that of a latch being toyed with, settles in Twilight’s ears.
Princess Twilight turns to face the other side of the room, pulling the blankets close to her muzzle and squeezing her eyes tightly shut. The fear of what she might discover if they opened kept her eyelids closed firmly, grotesque and frightening imagery poisoning her mind.
* * *
The warm waters surrounding Twilight held her in a peaceful lull. Rarity sat beside her, occasionally allowing her bliss to manifest itself in drawn out sigh. Twilight accepted without hesitation when Rarity invited her to a day at the spa; for a princess, the alicorn’s schedule was surprisingly empty.
“Oooh how I missed this. Somedays I wish I could just leave Sweetie Belle to run the Boutique…”
Twilight allows just a little more of her to sink beneath the water, the heat absorbing any tension.
“Thanks again for inviting me, Rarity.”
“Oh darling, please; it was the least I could do when I heard about your trip to Canterlot. You must have so much on your mind.”
A week lies between Twilight’s visit to Canterlot and now. The violet pony spends a moment trying to remember when she might have talked to Rarity about it.
“Who told you about that?”
Rarity chuckles nervously, turning her head to face her friend instead of the ceiling.
“Ah—sorry, Twilight. My connections in Canterlot…”
A sigh can be heard over the bubbling of the bath.
“So, I guess you know why I was there, too?”
“I’m afraid so... What was it like, talking with him?”
Twilight thinks about it for a moment, trying to find the right words to describe it.
“He’s… the same.”
The white unicorn moves closer to Twilight, lowering her voice considerably.
“You don’t believe anything he said about the ‘monster from Everfree’, do you?”
“What the hell, Rarity? Who are your connections?”
Rarity backs off of the princess, clearing her throat before speaking again.
“I’m sorry, Twilight. I know it’s not any of my business…”
The calmness of before again overtakes the room. Twilight watches the spa owners Aloe and Lotus talk quietly over a binder in the distance, their conversation not audible over the bubbling that surrounded her.
“I’m considering all of the leads.”
Rarity looks off to the side Twilight was sitting on, but remains silent.
“...And, you know, I’ve had some time now to do a little research, and—I don’t know… maybe it’s not that crazy. My reading would suggest that a lot of animals can detect the aura we unknowingly create around ourselves. Theoretically, learning to attack when the victim feels safest would be an natural adaptation of something that doesn’t want to be seen.”
A gap forms in their conversation, Rarity twisting her face as if preparing for something bad.
“So you don’t think he…?”
“Night Light? No… he’s strange, but… not like that.”
Rarity relaxes, turning her attention to a new potential customer for the twins, a young earth pony with a peach coat.
“Well, you certainly know him better than anyone else.”
An emotionless stare off into space takes hold of Twilight.
“You know, it’s funny; I didn’t realize it then, but being with Night Light felt like coming to Ponyville for the first time.”
As exciting watching ponies check in was, Rarity donates her attention back to her friend.
“In what sense, dear?”
“The adventures, the danger—that sort of stuff always seemed to follow him around. The Cutie Map was summoning me less and less; with Night Light… I don’t know, it just felt like I was ‘back in the game’, so to speak.”
A soft ‘hmm’ is all that Rarity manages, the two returning to their comfortable silence. For Twilight, saying it out loud felt like she had been denying the feelings, and that this was a personal admission. The soothing image of bubbles rising and dissipating into the air is all that the princess can focus on; until a familiar purple dragon rushes into the spa.
“Spike…?”
Twilight’s young assistant hurries over to the pool, attempting to catch his breath while extended his arm towards the violet pony, parchment clutched in his claws.
“From the… Princess… I think it’s urgent…”
A field of levitation pulls the letter towards the edge of the pool, Twilight being careful not to get it wet. Upon reading the first few lines, her eyes widen in shock.
* * *
Twilight had returned to Canterlot again. The long halls and many doors that were once like a labyrinth to her, she now navigated effortlessly, quickly making her way to the courtroom. Celestia stood outside the entrance, cantering over to her student as she walked in.
“Oh, Twilight…”
The two alicorns share a hug, Twilight briefly forgetting how confusing the situation was for her.
“Princess… what’s going on?”
The eldest pony pulls away from Twilight, her tone and expression suddenly more serious.
“We’re finally putting an end to this; Night Light will not continue to terrorize Ponyville.”
Twilight takes a step back.
“No—you don’t mean…”
The door opens wide, two armored guards trailing behind a hoof-cuffed unicorn. Genuine shock can be seen on his face when he looks up to see the violet pony at the other end of the room.
“Night Light, what happened?”
The dark unicorn takes one last step with his bandaged hoof and then stops.
“It attacked us—I-I couldn’t save them…”
A chill comes over Twilight.
“You saw it…?”
The guards begin to prod the unicorn, urging him to keep moving.
“Twilight—did you tell them I was ‘apathetic’?”
The princess’s eyes narrow at the unexpected question. She’s hardly even able to recall the time she was approached by the inquisitive ponies from Canterlot.
“Yeah, maybe—I don’t know, it was more than a year ago…”
Night Light shakes free of the guards who have become more aggressive in their efforts.
“You described a psychopath.”
The realization that Night Light would be imprisoned—at least in part—because of Twilight did not sit easy with the princess.
“But they have no evidence!”
“They don’t need evidence—”
Night pushes over the shoulder of a guard to look into Twilight’s eyes.
“—they’ve got the word of a princess!”
Twilight shakes her head, starting to trot towards the commotion.
“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.”
Celestia’s words are barely heard by the violet pony, who begins to raise her voice in frustration.
“You must obey my order, I am your princess!”
Even as Twilight raises a hoof to pry away her captor’s arm, the steady beating of Celestia’s heart against the back of her neck holds Twilight in a helpless lull.
“THIS IS MY LIFE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT!”
Tears begin to seep out from under Twilight’s eyes, as she can only watch the tragic scene before her.
“I’M NOT A FUCKING MURDERER!”
Twilight closes her eyes. Over all of the shouting and struggling happening before her, one thought remains louder.
She had failed him.
Wednesday, August 14th
Night Light watches the mare with the washed out violet coat behind the desk, as she rifles through a drawer full of folders and documents. Turning to his side, he can see Lemon Twist sitting next to him. His mouth hadn’t yet moved; but his eyes told Night Light that the scene they just witnessed was still the only thing on Twist’s mind.
“Alright, boys; here’s the deal: you two have a story to tell, and Canterlot has a hoof up my ass about getting it from you. So… what exactly happened at Fluttershy’s cottage?”
Lemon Twist casts a glance at his partner, who seemed content with letting him do all of the talking.
“Well ma’am, we got there ‘bout 7 in the morning… I’m not sure if that was the exact time, but I knew the sun had just come up—”
“Stop.”
Night Light follows the mare’s gaze to the yellow envelope resting on the desk, which Lemon had a hoof resting on.
“Please tell me those are photographs, because as engaging as your little story seems like it’s about to be, a picture is worth a thousand words.”
The room grows still, only a few uncomfortable shifts from Lemon indicating life. Aggravated, the mare behind the desk eventually leans forward, her chair squeaking from the shift in movement.
“Hello? The photographs?”
Lemon Twist’s wide eyes stare at Night, as if to silently ask permission. Magic tinted with a dark blue hue appears around Night Light’s horn, as the envelope slides out from underneath the other pony’s hoof.
The mare relaxes, leaning back into her original position as she watches Night Light pull the photographs out of the envelope with his magic.
“Hope you have a strong stomach.”

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                            II                             
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II
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.