Letters from Ponyville Community College

Chapters

High School Sweethearts
All Good Things Must End
Pumpkin Spice
Pandemic

High School Sweethearts

Dear Nitevision,

After ten long years, my child has returned! I’m so happy to hear that you’ve come to finish your schooling at PCC! The Tavern simply hasn’t been the same without my son, listening to stories from travelers and locals until he fell asleep…
I’ve kept your little basket out on the counter. Do you remember how you used to play in the Everfree Forest with your friends the Crusaders? Lyra and Sweetie Drops stopped by the Tavern yesterday. We spent hours talking about the adventures you had at their house when the Tavern was too noisy for you to sleep. Sweetie Drops promised to come see you at the college once you’ve gotten settled in. I hope you’ll come see me soon!

Your loving mother,

Berry Punch.

Nitevision was nearly buzzing with excitement. He hadn’t seen his friends in a decade, and now, they were all attending the same school! The Bat pony simply HAD to see them all, starting with the Crusaders. Nitevision looked around, watching ponies as they wandered around the campus on their first day. His ears perked up as a familiar female voice drifted on the breeze over to where he stood. Could it possibly be? After all these years, the Bat could still recognize the voice of Sweetie Belle. He broke into a grin as he saw the mare standing nearby, speaking with an Earth Pony and a Unicorn.

“Scootaloo! Apple Bloom! Look who it is!” The Unicorn gasped as she caught sight of the Bat pony. She raced over and embraced the stallion. Nitevision laughed happily as the other Crusaders followed.

“Hey guys. I’m back!” He chuckled. “You guys got your Cutie Marks!” The three nodded together.

“Isn’t it great?” Scootaloo asked, posing in such a way that her Cutie Mark was perfectly visible. “They all look the same, yet their totally different!”

“What’s your mark, Nite?” Apple Bloom teased. “Or have you not gotten it yet?” Nitevision unfolded his bat-like wings, in order to display his own Cutie Mark.

“It’s a Bat, just like me!” He explained gleefully. “Hey! Have you met my friend?” The Bat said, changing the subject. Behind him, a red Unicorn approached slowly.

“Hey. I’m Fire Alloy. Nitevision’s…friend.” Fire Alloy wasn’t particularly proud of the fact that he was a companion of Nitevision’s.

“Pleased to meet ya! I’m Apple Bloom. Nite an’ I are old friends.” The yellow Earth Pony said.

“Speaking of old friends…did you guys hear that Twist is attending here?” Scootaloo shivered. Apple Bloom visibly paled.

“Why is that a bad thing?” Fire Alloy asked, noting Scootaloo and Apple Bloom’s reaction to this news.

“Well…you see…” Apple Bloom stuttered.

“Back in the day, Apple Bloom was Twist’s first official friend. Ever since then, Twist kind of…grew on Apple Bloom. Something about the way Apple Bloom took her in, Twist kind of fell in love with her.” Sweetie Belle explained. “We tried to be friends with her too, but she was pretty over protective of Apple Bloom. By that I mean she didn’t let anyone else be her friend. All of Apple Bloom’s time had to spent with Twist. Finally, it got to the point where Twist was full on stalking her. We had to pretend Apple Bloom moved away to get Twist to stop going to her house in the middle of the night and…well, Twist always called it ‘Checking on her’, but I always thought peering through some pony’s window while they slept was creepy. Twist moved away almost a month later. This is the first time I’ve seen her since she left Ponyville eight years ago. Apparently she’s come back, since she found out Apple Bloom’s attending the college here.”

“That sums up my reason for being here quite nicely.” Twist said from behind the ring of ponies. “It couldn’t possibly be because I’m pursuing my chemistry major?” Apple Bloom nearly screamed.

“What do you want Twist?” Fire Alloy snapped. Twist’s smile sent shivers down Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom’s spines. Scootaloo and Fire Alloy both grew defensive, and Nitevision was distracted by a teal balloon that drifted past.

“You know who I am I see.” Twist chuckled.

“I know a lot more than THAT.” The Unicorn snarled.

“So what do you know about me? My awesome personality? The fact that I am credited with the discovery of the Love Poison? Or perhaps the fact that I am the one who discovered the Poison’s twin, the Love Potion?” She scoffed. Fire Alloy’s mouth opened, then closed. “What’s the matter? Speechless?” The fiery red Unicorn growled.

“Love Poison, you say?” He snapped. “What use do you have for something called a POISON?” Twist nearly shrieked with laughter at the question.

“Oh, no, no, no” She cackled. “The Poison wasn’t for me. It was for Apple Bloom.” Fire Alloy’s hooves shot out from his sides, wrapping around the mare’s throat.

“You were going to POISON Apple Bloom?” He growled, teeth bared. Twist groaned in frustration.

“NO, Apple Bloom wanted the Love Poison years ago, to set two ponies up on Hearts and Hooves day.” She spat. “I figured this level of stupidity would come from your BAT friend, but a Unicorn like you should be…smarter, I guess.” Fire Alloy tightened his grip on the mare’s neck, squeezing tighter and tighter until Apple Bloom swatted his hooves.

“Well don’t KILL her!” She whispered. Fire Alloy let his hooves fall to his sides once more, visibly relaxing.

“You came to the rescue. You’re my hero, Apple Bloom!” Twist said in a mocking voice. “How can I ever repay you? How about a date?” Scootaloo exchanged glances with Nitevision and Fire Alloy, and mouthed the words ‘See what I mean?’ Nitevision nodded.

“Sorry, Twist. I’m…taken.” Apple Bloom said, faking sorrow.

“WHAT?” Twist roared. “Who would DARE take my Apple Bloom from me?” Apple Bloom swallowed nervously, looking around for a suitable stallion, who wouldn’t raise suspicions or ask questions. Nitevision, she knew, was in love with Sweetie Belle. Perhaps…Fire Alloy? He had proven he could defend himself…

“I’m dating Fire Alloy. We’ve been together for a week.” Her eyes darted from Fire Alloy to Twist, then back to Fire Alloy.

“WHAT?” Twist shouted.

“WHAT?” Fire Alloy repeated.

‘Just help me out.’ Apple Bloom mouthed. Fire Alloy nodded.

“Well,” Twist spat. “This isn’t I over!” She shouted as she turned and walked away. Nitevision turned around at the sound of Twist’s shouting.

“Did I miss something?” The Bat asked in confusion. Sweetie Belle simply patted his shoulder.

The windows of the Chemistry Lab were covered by blankets. Twist raced back and forth, grabbing beakers and syringes. She laughed maniacally as she poured two chemicals into an empty beaker, and set it out over an open flame. The mixture bubbled for a moment, then turned pink. Twist breathed in through her nose, allowing the smoke from the liquid to curl in through her nose. Her eyes glazed over for a moment, pink and purple stripes traveling up and down her eyes for am moment, before they subsided.

“Love Potion is perfect! It’s exactly what I need!” She chuckled. “Apple Bloom will have no choice but to focus on me, and me alone! This is perfect!” She paused for a moment, and watched the liquid bubble for a moment. “Hm. Something’s wrong. I need to test this little potion on some pony before I use it on my love…but, who can I trick into taking this little concoction…I don’t want to hurt the lovely Earth Pony that my heart desires…” Twist cast a casual glance out the window, observing the mass of ponies as they went about their business. She could hear a mare shouting, and recognized the voice immediately. Pumpkin Cake was voicing another of her protests against baking. There was literally only one pony he knew that actually LISTENED to the mare’s speeches…

Nitevision sat on the grass, his tail wrapped comfortably around his legs, wings folded neatly against his back. He stood two hoof lengths from Pumpkin Cake’s makeshift stage, listening to her protests. Other ponies began to gather nearby, but none of them cared about what the mare was saying.

“Down with Dairy!” Pumpkin Cake shouted.

“Give it up Pumpkin Cake!” Snails yelled. “No pony cares about your little protests!” The crowd of ponies laughed. Feeling support from the group of ponies surrounding him, Snails grinned. He reached into his saddle bag and produced a pie. He positioned it on his hoof, and hurled it. The pie sailed through the air, rotating twice, then hit it’s target. Whipped cream and cherry filling dipped down Pumpkin Cake’s face. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she listened to all of the ponies roaring with laughter at her misfortune. She ran off the stage, tripped and fell, drawing more and more laughter. Nitevision rushed to her side as the mare rolled onto her back.

“Nitevision,” she cried. “You’re the best friend a pony could have.” Her body shook from her sobbing. The Bat proceeded to lick the pastry off of the mare’s face, causing her to giggle In between her sobs. “You always know how to calm me down, and make me feel better.” Once he had finished cleaning the mare’s face, he offered her a hoof. She stood up, brushed herself off, and pulled him into a hug.

“Feel better?” He asked. She nodded, clearing one final tear from her cheek, and looked at him. “Y-you want to go get lunch?” She asked. He nodded slowly. His first priority in life was to make sure his friends were feeling alright. It was a skill he had picked up from Pinkie Pie from his days in Ponyville. Pumpkin Cake smiled warmly.

“This is why you’ve always been my best friend.” Nitevision said. “Because I know how to cheer you up!” He grinned at the Earth Pony, who nodded, and smiled back.

“Come on,” She said. “I’m getting hungry.” The pair walked off towards the lunchroom.

Twist watched happily, shadows crisscrossing her face. Nitevision would be the perfect pony to deliver Pumpkin Cake right into her hooves. She trusted him, and he, well, Nitevision was an absolute moron. Now there was only the matter of HOW she was going to lure the mare into her trap. Twist paced back and forth, considering her options.

‘Perhaps if she were to be invited to a party? No…that wouldn’t work…maybe…if I wrote her a letter,’ Twist pondered. An evil grin spread across the Earth Pony’s face as she thought about this option. ‘Yes…a letter would be perfect! But…what would the subject be? Maybe if I pretend to be a supporter of her pathetic rights rally” The mare snickered as she grabbed a sheet of paper and a quill.
Dear Pumpkin Cake,

At the current time, I am unavailable to reveal my identity, but rest assured I am a supporter of your protests. It is a wonderful thing you are doing, and I wish to meet you in person. Please come to the Chemistry Lab tomorrow at noon.

Your friend and Ally.

Twist snickered as she slipped the sheet of paper into an envelope, and began to consider how best to go about getting the letter to Nitevision. If she simply walked up and handed it to him, he would recognize the mare immediately, and suspect a trap. Perhaps, if she were to say, drop it in front of him, being the good Samaritan that he was, he would simply take it to her. That would be perfect. Twist looked over at the hooded cloak that hung over a chair near the door. She slipped on the robe, then left the room, envelope in hoof. The Earth Pony walked away, without noticing that the door hadn’t fully closed. Featherweight watched her from the hall in silence. There wasn’t supposed to be a chemistry class for the rest of the day, so what was Twist doing in the lab?

This, he decided, was something worth investigating further. He hungered for knowledge, thirsted for answers. As a reporter, Featherweight felt the urge to dig up a story here. If there was something going on here, and he discovered it, it would be front page material. It was foolproof, but he first needed to investigate. The door to the lab had been left open, tempting the Pegasus. There simply HAD to be something there. Why else would Twist leave the room wearing a hood? The door creaked open, and Featherweight stepped in. It appeared to him that in her haste to further her plan, Twist had carelessly left a vial of pink liquid lying on the table. Featherweight couldn’t be sure what it was, but he knew it couldn’t be anything good.

“I need to report this to the authorities!” He said to himself. A crooked grin spread across his face as an idea occurred to him. ‘Or…I can keep it to myself, and when this thing inevitably evolves into a problem, I can get to the bottom of this, and make it into a front page story. I would be famous! Writers would come for miles across Equestria just to read my stories. All of my childhood dreams would come true!’ He thought. Featherweight decided he would let this go, if only for now. All that was left to do now was to lay in wait. The Pegasus gripped his camera tighter, and slipped out of the lab. He had a lot to process, and determined he would need a partner. Fortunately for him, he knew just the stallion.

Fire Alloy was walking around the school with Apple Bloom, enjoying the crisp fall air.

“Tell me more about the big city!” Apple Bloom said excitedly. Fire Alloy chuckled.

“I’ve told you nearly everything about Whinnieappolis, what more could you want to know?” He asked. “It wasn’t all that exciting. I just came back to study welding, so I can open my own business.”

“That’s really cool!” Apple Bloom beamed. “Is that your plan for after college?” Fire Alloy looked off into the distance for a moment, then nodded slowly with a sigh.

“I suppose that would be a fair assumption.” He replied, knowing what was going to happen next, regardless of if he asked or not.

“I want to run my own apple farm down in Appleloosa!” She said with a grin. Fire Alloy stopped suddenly, to ponder something the mare had just said.

“What a coincidence…” Fire Alloy said casually, “I was thinking I could use my blacksmithing skills to fix…”

“Farm equipment!” The pair said at the same time. Apple Bloom grinned.

“Maybe we really SHOULD date!” She said happily. “Seein’ as we have so much in common!”

Fire Alloy chuckled, unaware of just how serious the mare was. Neither Earth Pony nor Unicorn noticed the glowing eyes that watched them from beneath a dark hood, a few steps away from where they stood.

‘If she’s considering dating him…’ Twist thought as she watched them walking along the sidewalk that ringed the campus. ‘Then I need to hurry. I can’t afford to advance the Potion to the testing phase right now…I need to find Nitevision. Now if I were a Bat Pony…I would be…’ Twist tapped her chin with her hoof. ‘The cafeteria! Of course! I need to go find him.’

Nitevision sat across from Pumpkin Cake as the pair wolfed down their lunch. The Bat Pony smiled at his companion, then cocked his head to one side.

“What is it Nitevision?” Pumpkin Cake asked as she swallowed the final bite of her lunch. The Bat didn’t answer. His attention was captivated by a pony he seemingly had never seen before. “Nitevision?” She asked again, waving a hoof in front of his face. He shook his head.

“Nothing, sorry.” He said as he absent mindedly stood up, and walked over to the pony in the hood.

“Where are you going?” She asked. Once more, the Bat didn’t answer. He seemed to be under some sort of a spell. Noticing him, the hooded pony turned and ran, purposefully dropping the letter from her bag. Nitevision picked it up in his teeth, and raced after her.

“Hey!” He said, his words distorted by his teeth, which were clamped down on the envelope. The hooded mare didn’t stop, so Nitevision took flight, soaring after her. He easily overcame the mare, and landed in front of here. Twist dug her hooves into the ground and slid to a stop.
“You dropped this.” Nitevision said, leaving the letter at her feet. Twist had to bite her lip to keep from snapping at him, and revealing her identity. Instead of speaking, she simply nodded. The Bat Pony walked back to his place across from Pumpkin Cake, and sat down.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “She dropped something, I was giving it back to her.” He looked up again, just in time to see the envelope once more fall from her bag, and drift to the ground. Nitevision raced over to it, and once more picked it up. This time however, he noticed the name on the envelope, and decided not to return it until he discovered who the letter was intended for. Behind his goggles, his eyes crossed in an attempt to read the address. Pumpkin Cake wandered over to see what he was doing.

“What’s that?” She asked, looking at the letter. Nitevision shrugged, letting the letter drift slowly to the ground.

“What’s that word?” He asked pointing at the first word on the envelope.

“To.” Pumpkin Cake read aloud.

“Uh huh. What does that say?” He asked, pointing at the second word.

“Pumpkin.” The mare replied.

“Uh huh. What about that one?” He asked pointing at the final word on the envelope.

“Cake.” She said.

“What does that mean?” Nitevision asked.

“It means the letter is for me.” Pumpkin Cake said in surprise. The Bat pony reached his head down, gripping the letter in his teeth, then stood back up. Pumpkin Cake giggled as she bit down on the opposite side of the envelope, and Nitevision let go. The Earth Pony opened the letter, and read it over, before folding the sheet of paper, and slipping it back into the envelope.

“I have to get going.” Pumpkin Cake said. “I’ll catch up with you later.” Nitevision nodded and embraced the mare. He never suspected that this would be the last time he would see his friend for a very long time.

Dear Mom,

College is awesome! It’s great to be home. I’m glad to hear the Tavern doing well. You’ll never guess who I saw today! Pumpkin Cake, AND the Crusaders! It’s awesome! Oh, Twist is here too. I guess I’m happy to see her again, too. I’m looking forward to seeing you again after so long!

I’ll visit soon!

Nitevision

All Good Things Must End

Dear Nitevision, I’m so happy for you! Getting to see all of your old friends again is a huge deal, especially after ten long years! Aunt Lyra stopped by the Tavern the other day. She said she saw you yesterday. We spent hours talking about all of the fun times you two spent together when you’d spend the night at her house. I’m glad you are enjoying your first day at school! See you soon!

Your loving mother,

Berry Punch

The windows of the classroom had been covered by dark blankets. The sound of bottles crashing together filled the air. The room was lit by a flame underneath a beaker of bubbling pink liquid. A hooded figure chuckled evilly, listening to the flames as they hissed like a snake greedily drinking the runoff of the liquid in the vial. The pony was humming an old nursery rhyme from its childhood. A sound near the back of the room attracted the attention of the hooded creature. A mare was stirring, her hooves bound and mouth gagged.

“Hush little Pumpkin, don’t say a word. Mama’s gonna make you a loverbird.” The hooded figure sang in an eerie voice. Pumpkin Cake’s eyes opened wide and she tried to scream.

“Hush now,” the creature said tapping a syringe near her eyes. “I’ve taken the liberty of gagging your mouth so you won’t be able to cry out and ruin our little party. You wouldn’t want to do that, would you?” Pumpkin Cake squirmed nervously, as if trying to run. “Don’t tire yourself out,” the hooded pony groaned. “It’s not as fun when they don’t have the energy to fight back. Keep in mind, you’re doing me a huge favor here, helping me test this so I don’t hurt Apple Bloom when I finally open her eyes to the fact that she loves me...” the pony walked slowly towards Pumpkin Cake. “Mamma can’t hear you scream little girl,” Pumpkin’s captor mocked. “Come now, let’s hear it. The silent ones bore me.” Lightning crashed outside illuminating Twist’s eyes. “Hm.” The pony said. “This is nice and all, but something’s… Missing.” The Earth Pony tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Oh, I know what it is! The part where you beg for me to spare you. Let’s get that little cloth off your mouth, shall we?” The pony untied the gag from Pumpkin Cake’s mouth. “Go on,” Twist said. “Beg!”

“Never. You won’t break me!” Pumpkin spat.

The hooded figure chuckled “That’s what you think, little mare, but I happen to disagree.” Pumpkin Cake muttered something. “What was that dear?” The pony asked. “I couldn’t hear you.” Once more, Pumpkin Cake muttered something just quiet enough that the hooded figure couldn’t understand. “Fine. We’ll play your game.” The pony said, positioning her head near Pumpkin Cake’s mouth. “Say that again?” Pumpkin Cake grinned, seizing the opportunity to slam her skull into her kidnapper’s. Twist fell back into a stack of bottles, and Pumpkin Cake began to hop towards the door.“Not so fast!” She shouted, desperately hurling an empty beaker at the fleeing mare. The glass collided with her head, and she dropped to the ground mere hoof lengths from freedom.

“Don’t be a naughty little girl now,” The pony said as she watched Pumpkin’s eyes slowly drift close. The last thing she remembered was the distinct feeling of a cold, metal needle piercing her flank before she drifted into unconsciousness.

“All units, be advised, there’s been an accident on the campus. One mare was found clinging to life in the chemistry lab. All signs point to assault, or overdose.” The female officer’s voice crackled through the radio. “No sign of forced entry or exit. It looks like she came willingly.” The Pegasus stretched out his wings. ‘So much for a relaxing first week,’ he thought.

“Unit 333 responding, I’m on my way, over.” Pound Cake replied, sliding his hat down over his eyes. He never could have expected that the unidentified mare that he was going to find could be his sister. “Poor girl,” he said to himself. “I hope she’s alright...” He flapped his wings and took off from the cafeteria headed for the chemistry lab. Pound Cake looked around at the other ponies, who were simply going about their business as though nothing had happened. ‘That’s odd...’ He thought. ‘I would have thought ponies would be a little more concerned that one of their own had been viciously attacked… They don’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary...’ His hooves clicked against the stone floor as he landed next to one of the fellow Campus police officers. She tipped her hat, and stepped to the side. He pushed past another stallion with a camera.

“Featherweight? What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I heard about the attack through the radio I keep on my desk.” He replied. “Ponyville Community College’s newspaper needed a good story. I figured this would be the biggest story of my career! How fortunate that it would just fall into my lap like this!” Pound Cake narrowed his eyes. He knew that Featherweight would do just about anything to get his hooves on a good story for the paper. But would he go so far as to assault another student?

“Just… Try not to tamper with the evidence. Do we know who the victim is?” Pound asked.

“Yeah.” Featherweight said with a solemn frown. “Sorry about your sister. I hope she gets better.” Pound Cake’s heart nearly stopped.

“W-what did you just say?” He asked.

“I said, I hope your sister gets better.” Featherweight said, looking around nervously. Pound Cake looked at the most recent photo on the stallion’s camera. Sure enough, it was his sister, bound and gagged, and laying on the floor in a pool of blood. Pound Cake shoved the Pegasus out of the way, causing him to nearly drop his camera.

“Hey, watch it! This thing is brand new!” He snarled. Pound barely heard him. The stallion’s attention was captured by the sight of his beloved sister.

“Pumpkin...” he cried. “What happened to you?” The mare stirred, and her eyes opened halfway. Was it just his imagination, or… Had her eyes have splotches of pink in them? Pound Cake rubbed his eyes and looked again, but this time, the mare’s eyes were closed. He shook his head. ‘I must be seeing things’ he thought. Pumpkin Cake moaned.

“I’m here...” he said, extending his hoof. The mare extended her leg, and wrapped her hoof around his. Pound Cake laid down next to the mare. “Shh” He comforted. “Just relax. I’m right here.” Pumpkin patted her brother’s hoof, then opened her mouth as if to say something. In an effort to ease her struggle, Pound Cake positioned her ear next to her mouth. All he could make out were the words ‘Love’ and ‘Potion’. Neither of which made sense in this context. He frowned, then moved closer. “What was that sis?” He asked. Pumpkin Cake didn’t respond. “We need to get her to a hospital. NOW.” Pound Cake grimaced. Two other officers nodded and turned away. The Pegasus stood up and went to follow when he felt a sharp prick in his hoof. He looked down to see his sister retracting her mouth from his leg, small spots of blood appearing through his fur. Something was very wrong with his sister. She needed to get to a hospital right away.

Pound Cake’s mind raced. What had happened to her sister? Why had she bitten him? He looked around at all of the ponies around them, who were still going about their business. ‘Who could do this to my sister? How can they be getting away with this? And… Has Diamond Tiara always been so… Beautiful?’ Pound Cake stopped in midair. ‘Diamond Tiara? Why would I be thinking about her? She was always mean to me as a foal.... Pound could feel a change beginning to affect his body. The stallion felt something taking control of his mind. His eyes began to glow with pink stripes traveling up and down, slowly at first, then faster and faster. All thoughts of his sister slowly drained from his mind, replaced by the image of Diamond Tiara. Featherweight watched from a distance, watching through his camera lens as Pound Cake casually approached the mare. Snickering to himself, he snapped a photo of what was sure to be a disaster in progress. The Pegasus laughed as Diamond Tiara whirled on the stallion, and snarled something he couldn’t quite hear. The camera captured another photo all on its own. Featherweight moved to delete the picture, but something caught his attention. Something wasn’t right, and although he couldn’t immediately see it, there was something undeniably wrong with Pound Cake. The Pegasus zoomed in the photo and looked closer. There! Pound Cake’s eyes… It looked almost as if…

Featherweight nearly dropped his camera in shock. It was impossible… The Love Potion was a myth! And yet, here it was, clear as day. The stallion was clearly displaying symptoms of the virus. ‘You don’t just catch Love Potion...’ he thought. ‘And unless there’s somepony super in love with him, and he just doesn’t realize it… Somepony drugged him… I need to tell somepony about this!’ Featherweight though, as he raced off to find somepony. All of a sudden, a thought struck the stallion and he stopped in his tracks.

“Or,” he said to himself. “I can keep this to myself, and make it a front page story! I’ll be hailed as a hero! Ponies will come for miles to read my story… I could be the most popular journalist in Ponyville! Or even in all of Equestria!” He laughed. “That just leaves one question… Who would poison a Cop?” Featherweight frowned. He couldn’t just go around randomly accusing ponies of doing something this drastic. At least, not without evidence. ‘How am I going to investigate a Love Potion pandemic without raising suspicion or alarm?’ He wondered. And what about Pound’s sister? What happened to her? Had she… Bit him? If so, why? It looked like she had been brutally attacked… ’I really need to make a flow chart.’ He concluded. The Pegasus scanned the crowd, looking for somepony he could talk to about these new findings that wouldn’t immediately go to the authorities… Somepony who could understand what he was saying, but at the same time, not know what to do with the information… Somepony like… Featherweight’s gaze stopped on a pony he had not seen in years, and a grin spread across his face.

‘Yes… Nitevision would be PERFECT! If I remember correctly… He could barely stand on four hooves without nearly hurting himself somehow...’ The Pegasus’s grin broadened. ‘I doubt he even knows what a Love Potion is… He’ll be perfect! Now I just have to get his attention somehow… Maybe if I throw a rock in his general direction… No, that won’t work, it could get somepony else’s attention in addition to his.’ Featherweight tapped a hoof on his chin, causing his camera to sway from side to side. ‘If I were to say his name, another pony could notice… How AM I going to do this?’ A noise startled him back into reality. A black furred Bat Pony with blue goggles was jumping around, chasing a small butterfly. Featherweight scratched his head. What could he do to capture the attention of the other stallion? He looked down at the lens of his camera, and had an idea. Unscrewing the lens cap, he positioned the camera at the perfect angle to reflect the sunlight into a focused beam on the ground in front of where Nitevision was standing. The Bat immediately forgot about the bug he had been playing with, captivated by this newfound source of entertainment.

“Atta boy, Nitevision. Come get the pretty light!” Featherweight murmured, manipulating the reflection to lead the bat right to him. Nitevision fell perfectly into the trap, following the light around the corner of the school, and to where Featherweight was standing. The Pegasus held his camera still, allowing the light to stay in one spot. Nitevision pounced on it, clamping both hooves down on where the light had been. Featherweight took advantage of the situation, covering the lens with a hoof.

“Gotcha!” The pair said in unison. Nitevision looked up, for the first time noticing Featherweight standing right next to him.

“Hey Featherweight! Look what I got!” He said, raising his hooves. He opened them to display the speck of light that he had captured.

“That’s very nice Nitevision,” Featherweight said slowly, trying not to spook his quarry. “Where did you find it?”

“I caught it! Just now! See?” The Bat said examining his hooves. Upon discovering that the captured light had somehow escaped, the Bat’s face fell. “Aw… I thought we were friends...” Featherweight sighed. Working with this… Imbecile… Was going to be more difficult than he had imagined. But the fame would be worth it.

“What if I told you I knew where it went?” Featherweight asked, with an evil looking grin.

“You do?” Nitevision said, his face lighting up with an expression of hope.

“Of course I do!” The Pegasus said, casually examining his hoof. In the time it took Featherweight to blink, Nitevision had gone from looking up at him from the ground, to having both hooves pinning the stallion’s shoulders to a wall.

“You MUST tell me where it is!” He said. Featherweight gasped. He wanted to get Nitevision’s attention, but this was borderline suicide...

“Alright, alright! Don’t scare it off. Let go of me you little spaz!” He snapped. Nitevision relaxed his grip, but did not let go. Instead, the Bat moved closer to the Pegasus looking deep into his eyes.

“Where is it? Tell me tell me tell me tell me! Now, now, now, now, NOW!!!” He chanted. Fearing for his life, Featherweight sighed.

“Don’t tell anypony, but… I think I saw it go into that storm drain on the other side of the college.” He explained. Nitevision took off, on a quest to find the light.

“Hopefully I can get out of here before he realizes that light can’t get into the storm drain, or at least before he remembers that there isn’t a storm drain on the other side of the college...” Featherweight groaned.

“You could probably be to the moon and back by the time Nitevision even figures out ONE of those things” Fire Alloy said, rolling his eyes. Featherweight chuckled as he extended a hoof towards his old friend.

“It’s been forever since I’ve seen you!” He said as Fire Alloy bumped his hoof. “How’ve you been?”

“Super busy,” the Unicorn explained. “The Blacksmithing industry is in high demand over in Whinnieappolis. How about you? Are you a super famous journalist yet?” He asked.

“Not yet. Key word, YET. I’ve stumbled onto a bit of a major story, can you keep it on the Down Low?” Featherweight replied. Fire Alloy shrugged.

“I don’t see why not, seeing as nobody at this school seems to notice I’m even here. I mean seriously. Am I that hard to notice? I’m bright red for Luna’s sake!” Featherweight laughed.

“Alright. Well… The thing is, I heard about this brutal attack last night, and so I decided to check it out right? Turns out, this girl Pumpkin Cake somehow got Love Potion in her system!” The Pegasus paused. “Are you… Feeling alright? You’re turning a little pale...” Fire Alloy shook his head.

“You don’t mean the Cake Twin… Do you?” He asked nervously. Featherweight nodded. “Yeah. The girl. Why do you ask? Do you know her?” The Pegasus asked.

“Celestia have mercy...” Fire Alloy breathed. “I don’t know her personally, or at least, not as well as Nitevision does… He used to tell me all these stories about how they were best friends back in the day.” Featherweight shook his head.

“I hope for his sake, she’s alright...” He explained. Fire Alloy nodded.

“So, what do you need me to do?” The Unicorn asked. “Help me find out what happened.”

“Do you think this was purposeful?”

“I believe somepony may have drugged her, yes.”

“Then we had better find out who did it, how they did it, and why they did it, before somepony else gets hurt. I don’t know a lot about Love Potion, but I remember that, unlike love Poison, it can spread. So we’d better make sure ponies get warned before that happens.” Fire Alloy turned to walk away, but Featherweight put a hoof on his shoulder to stop him.

“Or,” he said. “We can find out ourselves! Think about it Fire Alloy. This could be a MAJOR career boost for us! Well, mostly me, but you’d be famous by association.” Featherweight grinned ear to ear. Fire Alloy gave a disgusted sigh and rolled his eyes.

“Featherweight, you’re going to get me killed some day, if Nitevision doesn’t do it first.” He replied.

“I’m taking that as a yes...” Featherweight exclaimed excitedly. “We need to get to work on finding out who would poison Pumpkin Cake, and why. Means, Motive, Opportunity, Execution.” Featherweight recited.

“Yeah… Whatever.” Fire Alloy said.

Diamond Tiara was severely upset. As if the day hadn’t been strange enough, with ponies paying more attention to something OTHER than her, Pound Cake was acting strange too. She had barely even spoken to the Pegasus when they were foals, and now here he was, professing his love for her in a public place! As if that wasn’t bad enough, when she had rejected him, instead of dropping to his knees and begging the mare for a chance like most of her other potential suitors did, he had BIT her. “He BIT me Silver Spoon!” Diamond Tiara snapped in disgust. Silver Spoon shook her head. “Maybe he really did like you! Did you see his eyes? I mean, most of the ponies that fall for you have glazed looks, but he was… Different. It was really weird!”

“Yeah, Silver Spoon? We’re talking about me, remember? Not him. Me. Now, as I was saying, he BIT me! Now, I’m getting blood all over my scarf! My brand new, beautiful...Silver Spoon, did you do something with your mane? I really… Really… Like… It...” Diamond Tiara said, looking closer.

“Uh… I… No, it’s not… Different? This is how I always wear it...” Silver Spoon explained, her voice laced with confusion. Diamond Tiara rarely noticed ANYTHING about other ponies, let alone, COMPLIMENTING them! “Are you feeling alright?” Silver Spoon asked, genuinely concerned for her friend.

“I feel just WONDERFUL, having such an amazing, amazing friend as you, Silver Spoon...” Diamond Tiara said, taking a step towards the mare. Silver Spoon swallowed. What was going on with her best friend? In nearly 20 years of knowing the mare, she had never acted so strangely… What had changed? The Earth Pony gasped.

“Diamond! Your eyes! They’re so… Pretty! Almost hypnotic! They’ve got these really cool pink stripes moving up and down… I… Wow, that’s really cool...” Silver Spoon said as she looked deeper into the mare’s eyes. Diamond Tiara stepped closer, and opened her mouth.

Dear Mom, Something weird happened today. A girl was found in the Chemistry Lab. Apparently, she was attacked, and injected with some sort of a potion. It’s really strange. I’m not worried though, Pound Cake said it looked like a one time attack. Fire Alloy reunited with Featherweight, who is also doing well. Pumpkin Cake said her parents stopped by earlier! How are they doing? I’ll visit soon!

Your son, Nitevision.

Pumpkin Spice

Chapter 3: Pumpkin Spice

Dear Nitevision,

The Cakes are doing wonderful! Pinkie Pie is continuing to attract business for Sugar Cube Corner. Rainbow Dash and the Cloudsdale Weather Corporation have been working overtime to keep the skies clear. The Tavern is drawing a ton of business from locals, as well as travelers! We’re putting in a second story soon. You’ll love to see it!

Visit soon!

Mom

Silver Spoon had a lot on her mind. Believing that Diamond Tiara was going to share with her the secret of how she had gotten her eyes to be so, hypnotic, the mare had allowed the Earth Pony to step close to her. Silver Spoon had leaned towards her, thinking that the secret had to be whispered, but when Diamond Tiara had gotten close enough to her, instead of whispering, she had BITTEN the mare. Silver Spoon let out a small shriek, but had ultimately not panicked. She had gotten used to random displays of affection from unfamiliar ponies, but this was not the case. She knew Diamond Tiara was not the kind of mare to pay attention to any pony other than herself. This seemed odd, but Silver Spoon dismissed it without a further thought. Walking alone on her way to the Gym, she noticed Snips, Star Quarterback for the College’s football team. Had his muscles always been that…huge? It was impressive, even she had to admit. She could almost feel her mind begin to change. In a matter of seconds, she had gone from despising the stallion with every fiber of her being, to feeling a great emotional attachment to him. Snips didn’t notice her until she stood right behind him.

“Hey Snips,” She greeted casually.

“Hi pretty pony,” Snips said, failing to notice the pink bands running up and down her eyes. “What want with Snips?” Clearly, his English had NOT improved since he had joined the hoof ball team. Silver Spoon smiled.

“How about a hug for luck?” She asked. Snips shook his head.

“Snips no believe in luck. No want hug from pretty pony.” He explained. Silver Spoon gasped.

“Did you just…reject me? How DARE you reject ME? It’s bad enough that daddy is forcing me to go to this…awful school. He wants me to learn how to socialize with ponies that AREN’T rich like me, but to top it all off, you just REJECTED ME?” She snarled, rushing the Quarterback and sinking her teeth into the stallion’s throat. The Love Potion raced from her teeth and into the stallion’s bloodstream, rushing directly to his brain. Once there, the virus took control of the pony’s mind, manipulating his thoughts to do it’s will. Beside him, Silver Spoon’s energy drained from her body, and she collapsed. Featherweight and Fire Alloy watched from the shadows cast from the library building.

“Interesting,” Featherweight said to his partner. “Did you see that? It’s almost as if…Silver Spoon’s energy transferred to Snips…” Fire Alloy nodded.

“That’s an interesting observation, I suppose.” He agreed. “But we can’t prove exactly what happened.” Featherweight swallowed nervously.

“You’re not going to like this,” He started slowly. “But I think I know who can explain this.” Fire Alloy’s eyes grew wide.

“Oh no. We are NOT bringing TWIST into this. No way.” Featherweight sighed, and looked his old friend in the eyes, putting a hoof on the Unicorn’s shoulder.

“Look Fire Alloy. This is an extremely dangerous…whatever you call it…that could potentially start infecting many, many ponies. We need to stop it, and if it takes interacting with some pony we don’t like, then so be it, because saving the population is far more important than a petty rivalry!” The Pegasus explained. Fire Alloy shook his head.

“No.” He growled. “Twist has a dangerous obsession with Apple Bloom. I can’t work with her.”

“And just why not? The fate of Ponyville could be in our hooves. You have to look past your rivalries with-“ A thought occurred to the stallion. “You’re in love with Apple Bloom, aren’t you.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re jealous of Twist! So THAT’S why you don’t want to work with her, ISN’T it?” He asked. Fire Alloy groaned, and shook his head.

“I always knew you were destined to be a reporter Featherweight.” Fire Alloy replied, “But I suppose you’re right. I shouldn’t be putting my feelings ahead of the fate of Equestria.” The Unicorn rolled his eyes. “You certainly have a knack for finding things out that you’re not supposed to know, but you’re a lot better at blowing things out of proportion.” Featherweight grinned.

“So do you want to call Twist, or should I?” He smirked.

“Featherweight, you know we’ve been best friends since elementary school.” Featherweight nodded. “So then you know I’m not going to feel bad about pounding your skull into your throat.” The Pegasus swallowed nervously.

“So…I take it that means you want me to go talk to Twist?” He asked. Fire Alloy glared at him.

“Figure it out.” He said. The Pegasus grinned and nodded sarcastically.

“I’ll go get her.” Featherweight replied.

Twist sighed in frustration. The Love Potion she had created was supposed to be moved into the final stages of testing, and then to be put to the ultimate test: getting Apple Bloom to make herself the center of the mare’s attention, but something had gone horribly awry. Pumpkin Cake had escaped, and as a result, the Love Potion had spread from her to her brother, and from her brother to Diamond Tiara. Something had gone wrong with the creation of the potion. She cursed, and hurled a beaker at the whiteboard that stood at the front of the room. The object shattered, which brought Twist great satisfaction. She picked up another beaker, and was about to hurl it, when the door to the classroom opened. Twist threw it regardless, causing Featherweight to duck in order to avoid being hit by the projectile.

“Jeez Twist! Are you TRYING to kill me?” He snapped.

“No,” Twist said cheerfully. “If I were trying to kill you, I would have hit you. I just wanted to see if you could react quickly enough to get out of the way before the object collided with your skull.” She laughed. “What do you want, anyways?” She asked. Featherweight eyed the mare suspiciously.

“I know you’re behind this Love Potion pandemic, Twist.” He stated flatly.

“Hm. Blunt, accusatory, and straight to the point! All the elements of a great reporter.” Twist smirked. Featherweight rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m a great reporter. I know. I’m here to investigate this outbreak. Congratulations, Twist. You’re our prime suspect.” The mare chuckled.

“What makes you think I had anything to do with that?” She grinned. Featherweight took the notebook from his saddle bag, and flipped to the most recent entry.

“Quote: ‘Oh, I just heard you were going to school here, so I thought I’d come see how you’re doing. I’m working on getting my major in chemistry.’ Traces of Love Poison were found in the chemistry lab, after you were observed leaving the classroom. Incident number two, you were observed explaining the differences between Love Potion, and Love Poison. Shall I continue?” He asked. Twist shook her head. She had heard enough.

“I’m not here to prosecute you, or publicly humiliate you. I’m here to see if you can help us determine what’s driving this potion to take control of ponies.”

“So you noticed that too.” Twist observed. “Alright, I’ll help you out, but, for my OWN reasons. This has nothing to do with my having a ‘change of heart’ or something like that.” Featherweight shrugged.

“Fine by me. Now let’s go, the photography and campus newspaper offices are empty most of the time, and we have multiple whiteboards to work with.” The Pegasus explained.

Twist entered the dark room, followed by Featherweight.

“I thought this room was used for photography?” Twist asked. Featherweight shrugged.

“It is,” he said. “And isn’t.” Twist shook her head. She was confused by this statement, but didn’t ask further questions. Fire Alloy turned on the light, causing Twist to jump.

“Oh hello there!” Fire Alloy said with a sadistic grin. “I’ve been expecting you.” Twist shook her head.

“You didn’t say he would be here!” Twist gulped.

“You are correct. I didn’t say he would be here. I implied it.” The Pegasus grinned.

“Is there a problem, Twist?” He asked. Rage and grief warred on the mare’s face, resulting in a look of confusion. She swallowed hard, then relaxed.

“No. There isn’t a problem. Let’s get to work.” Twist growled. Fire Alloy nodded, but failed to notice as the mare slipped a syringe from her saddlebag, and hid it behind her back.

“What do you know about the Love Potion?” Fire Alloy asked.

“What don’t I know?” Twist shot back.

“Fine,” The Unicorn spat. “What do you know that can help us?” He corrected.

“This Love Potion is…different. I created it with the DNA of the Tantabus. In other words, it’s conscious. Thus, it is capable of taking over it’s host’s mind and body. It can alter the pony’s behaviour, and in turn, it’s personality. Once it takes control of a pony, it drains their energy, replacing it with the energy that drives the potion.” She looked at Featherweight, and smirked. “Shouldn’t you be taking notes?” Featherweight groaned. “Anyways, once it’s finished draining the pony’s energy, it takes over their personality, thus gaining complete control of them. Once it’s finished, the potion leaves a portion of itself behind in the pony’s brain, before it regenerates. Each time the Potion leaves a portion of itself behind, it continues to control the pony. Make sense? Perfect. Now, that’s not the only problem. The Tantabus takes the pilot’s chair in the pony’s brain, by forcing the pony’s brain to take the passenger’s seat. Personality, control, it’s all still there, but it’s just not in control. The only reason the Potion can’t infect certain ponies, is because it can only tell that a pony is infected by the effect left on the creature’s eyes. If it can’t see their eyes, then it will automatically assume that is has been infected.”” Featherweight exchanged glances with Fire Alloy, and both shrugged.

“What does that have to do with anything?” The Unicorn asked.

“What I’m saying is, if we can isolate the Potion within the host’s brain, then we can force it out. Once it’s hosts start fighting back, the creature will flee.” Fire Alloy nodded slowly.

“Do we know what can force it out of a creature?” The Unicorn asked, feeling a piece of ceiling tile fall onto his shoulder. He looked up at the grate covering the vent into the room, and nodded. Twist grinned.

“Oh, I know.” She said as she slammed Fire Alloy’s head into the table, then raced towards Featherweight, attempting to stab him with another dose of the Potion. Featherweight reacted immediately, grabbing then needle from the mare’s hoof, and jabbed it into the mare’s leg. She shrieked in pain as Featherweight ran from the room, barricading the door behind him. Twist pounded on the wall until it shattered, then raced after him.

Nitevision lay flat in the vent above the darkroom, watching through the grate. He looked up, thinking about what he had just heard. The Bat racked his brain, trying in desperation to think of another pony that would be immune to the Love Potion’s effect. He slowly cycled through the ponies he knew. Sketch…Sweetie Belle…Screwball...Scootaloo…

Screwball! The mare would be perfect! If not a little loony. He watched as Twist attacked Fire Alloy, then Featherweight. Featherweight fought back, but Fire Alloy was knocked unconscious. He resisted the urge to cry out, but didn’t. If Twist found him, he would probably be infected as well. ‘Screwball would know what to do.’ He decided, as he watched Fire Alloy stir, and stand up after Featherweight left the room, Twist hot on his hooves. Fire Alloy looked up again.

‘Meet you at the rendezvous point.’ He mouthed. Nitevision nodded, and began to crawl backwards through the vent.

An hour later, the pair met in the library.

“You caught all of that?” Fire Alloy asked. Nitevision nodded. “Did you understand any of that?” He asked. Nitevision shook his head. “I have a feeling, you and I had the same thought when Twist said that it effected a pony based on the status of their eyes.” The Unicorn said.

“Screwball.” The pair said at the same time.

“Exactly!” Fire Alloy exclaimed. “She’ll be perfect. Absolutely perfect. We can use her to be under cover. Although…since your eyes are always covered…you may be valuable too.” Fire Alloy looked up to see Nitevision snacking on a piece of paper. “Or…knowing you, it could set us back a few steps. I’ll get in contact with Screwball. You go see if you can find Sweetie Belle. Just…stay out of trouble, will you?” The Bat nodded enthusiastically. He greatly enjoyed any activity that involved spending time with the snow-white Unicorn. “Wonderful.” Fire Alloy said. “Run along now.”

Twist felt a new energy coursing through her veins. The consciousness of the Potion gave her a new strength. The mare could feel saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth as she looked at all of the potential hosts for the creature that now lived within her brain. Since her current consciousness had begun to work with the Potion, the creature’s strength had nearly doubled. Twist loved the thought of having this creature in her mind, if only for the purpose of research. However, she could feel the creature’s insatiable hunger captivating her thoughts. She had to feed the creature, and soon. Once it had infected the entire college, nothing could stop it from conquering all of Equestria.

Or so it thought.

Dear mom,

Something REALLY weird is going on. This creature thing, infected Pumpkin Cake. I think it’s coming for me soon. Fire Alloy and I have a plan. I’m not afraid mom, because I trust Fire Alloy. I miss you, and I’ll come visit you, just as soon as I get things straightened out here.

Your son, Nitevision.

Pandemic

Dear Nitevision,

I’m worried about you…the Cakes stopped by again, and it sounds like it was their daughter that got bit, but that’s not the worst part. Pound Cake was infected too. I’m not sure if the story is just a publicity stunt for the college or not, but I hope you’re staying safe. I hope you can visit this weekend!

With love,

Berry Punch

Screwball stood over the seemingly lifeless form of Pumpkin Cake.

“You did the right thing coming to me when you did.” Screwball said casually. “There’s a chance we can get her back.” Nitevision’s face lit up with hope.

“How?” He asked, trying in vain to keep his excitement under wraps. Fire Alloy’s eyes narrowed as he watched his friend pace back and forth next to the mare’s body. Screwball sighed as she considered how to explain things to Nitevision.

“It’s like Twist said,” she explained. “Pumpkin Cake isn’t gone, her personality is just on auto pilot. Basically, if we can get her current personality drained, then we can restore her control once more. It’s not impossible, it’s just extremely difficult. There’s just one little catch. The magic we need to restore her control is wielded by one person, and one person alone. I have just enough of the power to help ONE pony, if that…but we have far more than one pony to help here.” Fire Alloy raised an eyebrow.

“Who’s the pony we need? You make it sound like they’re some sort of supervillain.” He said. Screwball chuckled nervously.

“It’s not a pony, Fire Alloy. Do you know what a Draconequus is?” She asked. The Unicorn’s eyes grew wide with shock, and he nearly choked.

“You don’t mean…” He started, but was cut off by a flash of lightning. Screwball nodded.

“My father is the only one for the job. But it will take a day or so for Discord to get here from his realm. I sent for him earlier.” Fire Alloy groaned. Screwball grinned, and Nitevision watched a teal balloon drift by on the wind generated by a vent in the room.

“Now…this might hurt a little bit, but…it’s for her own good.” The mare said. “Nitevision, you know Pumpkin Cake the best…so I need you to hold her down. Be gentle, but firm, understand?” He nodded, and placed his hooves on hers, effectively pinning the mare to the ground. Screwball pulled an needle from her saddle bag and tapped it with her hoof.

“Ready, Nitevision?” She asked solemnly. The Bat Pony nodded as Screwball slid the needle into the mare’s front leg. Pumpkin Cake jolted, then opened her eyes. Fire Alloy watched as the stripes slowly faded from the mare’s eyes. Nitevision looked at Fire Alloy, and smiled.

“Pumpkin?” The Bat Pony asked. “Are you alright?” Pumpkin Cake nodded.

“I have a slight headache…” she complained.

“That’s a side effect of being in a room too long with Nitevision.” Fire Alloy rolled his eyes. Pumpkin Cake giggled.

“I’ll be fine, I just need to get something to eat, that’s all.” She said. Nitevision broke into a grin.

“It’s no wonder you two are such good friends,” Fire Alloy said. “You’re both obsessed with food. It’s all you can think about, even when you’re in grave danger!” The Unicorn snapped. A thought suddenly occurred to Nitevision.

“Sweetie Belle…” He said. “Apple Bloom…they’re both out there somewhere! We need to go find them!” Fire Alloy gasped.

“You’re right!” He said. “Pumpkin Cake, Screwball, you two stay here. I’m going to go with Nitevision, so we can go save them!” Pumpkin Cake nodded, and hugged the Bat pony.

“Stay safe.” She whispered.

“Where’s the fun in that?” He teased.

“Come on, Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom whispered. “We have to move, NOW!”

“But we haven’t found Scootaloo yet!” Sweetie Belle hissed. Apple Bloom shook her head.

“There’s no time. We have to keep moving. You know Scootaloo, she’ll be fine on her own. We told her where to meet us in the event that we’d be separated.” The Unicorn explained. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.

“Everyone makes that kind of thing up, ‘In case we get separated’. Everyone knows that it isn’t likely to happen.” She snapped.

“Isn’t LIKELY, doesn’t mean isn’t POSSIBLE!” Sweetie Belle shot back. “Let’s just keep moving. If we can get out of here before one of…them…notices us…I hate to say this, but we have to believe Scootaloo is fine.” Apple Bloom nodded sadly as the pair observed the campus map.

“Now, if we’re here,” She said pointing to the cafeteria. “And the rendezvous point is there,” the mare drug her hoof across to the opposite end of the map, stopping on Nitevision’s dorm. “Then all we have to do is get past the…” Her statement was cut off by a small shriek emitted by Sweetie Belle.

“The commons…” she breathed. “That place is the most infected of all of them! Are you sure there isn’t another way to get to the dorms?” Apple Bloom shook her head sadly.

“There’s no possible way to do this without going through there. Unless…” She looked over at one of the buildings nearby. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She asked.

“The vents!” Sweetie Belle said excitedly. “Apple Bloom, that’s brilliant! We just need to find a classroom that can get us access to…” She paused.

“The closest classroom to our current point is,” she used her hoof to trace a pathway from their current position to the classroom nearest to their location. The mare gasped, putting a hoof over her mouth. “The Science Lab.” Sweetie Belle gulped.

“That…is NOT good.” She said. A sound from behind her caused the pair to turn around. Snips stood a few hoof lengths away, the effects of the Potion causing his eyes to glow in the semidarkness.

“Uh, we gotta go. NOW!” Apple Bloom shouted.

“Good idea!” Sweetie Belle said, grabbing the mare’s hoof and dragging her towards the Science Lab. Apple Bloom watched fearfully as Snips began to charge at the pair, his sheer speed a testament to the College’s training camp.

“He’s gaining on us!” Apple Bloom called. Sweetie Belle pushed herself to her physical limits, and beyond. The pair barely made it to the building, slamming the door behind them. Snips couldn’t slow down in time, and ended up barreling into the door, and knocking himself unconscious. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom took a moment to catch their breaths, then looked down the hall. Something strange had happened. Papers were scattered all over the floor, lights flickering on and off.

“Woah…” Sweetie Belle whispered. “What happened here?” She wondered aloud. Apple Bloom shrugged.

“No doubt in my mind, this is a side effect of the Potion’s possession.” Sweetie Belle nodded grimly.

“Let’s not spend more time here than we have to.” She said as the pair made their way down the hall and towards the chemistry lab. Apple Bloom pushed the door open, and stepped into the darkened room. Bottles of unidentified liquid and the shattered remains of beakers lay scattered about the lab. A single desk had been positioned directly beneath the vent, as if some pony had tried – and failed – to escape through it. A dark red liquid dripped from the edge of the desk, streaked with marks that indicated that a pony had been dragged off of it. Sweetie Belle shivered at the sight of it.

“Come on, I’ll give you a boost.” She said to her Earth Pony companion. Apple Bloom stepped up onto the desk, then balanced on Sweetie Belle’s shoulders and climbed into the vent, turning to offer a hoof to her partner. Sweetie Belle climbed into the vent after Apple Bloom, and the pair looked around.

“Alright, I think we need to go this way.” Sweetie Belle said, her voice echoing through the steel walls of the air ducts. Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. The Earth Pony and Unicorn set off through the cold metal passageway. The mare’s hoof steps echoed as they made their way to the dorm buildings.

Nitevision flapped his wings silently. Night had begun to fall on the campus, acting as a natural veil to mask his flight. His movement attracted no attention as he landed on the roof of the dorm building. Moments later, his partner Fire Alloy joined him.

“Let the record show. I hate stairs.” He panted.

“Yeah, I know.” Nitevision said casually. “But this is the only place that we can see the entire campus from.” Fire Alloy cleared his throat angrily. “Sorry,” the Bat apologized. “This is the only place I can see the entire campus.” As much as he hated to admit it, Fire Alloy knew Nitevision’s ability to see in complete darkness was a…useful gift.

“Do you see anything?” The Unicorn asked. Nitevision scanned the commons.

“There are a couple of ponies patrolling. From what I can tell, they’re under the Potion’s control.” He said. “Wait a minute…there’s Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle too! They’re going to the Chemistry lab.”

“I think I know where they’re headed!” Fire Alloy said. “Do you still have the key to your dorm?”

“I do, somewhere around here.” The Bat replied. “Why do you ask?”

“I need to borrow your history notes.” Fire Alloy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“But…I’m not taking History this semester.” Nitevision said in confusion. Fire Alloy groaned in disgust.

“I was being sarcastic.” He growled. The Bat scratched his head. “Never mind. The important thing is that we get to your dorm, and get it unlocked so we can meet them there. I hope they’re not in trouble…” Nitevision nodded, then leapt from the building, unfolding his wings in midair, and gliding to the ground. “Showoff.” Fire Alloy groaned before using a minor teleportation spell, landing inches from Nitevision.

“Come on. My room isn’t far from here. We should be fine as long as we can get there without attracting any attention.” Nitevision turned to walk away, then shrieked. Screwball clamped one of her hooves over his mouth.

“Sh! You don’t want any of them to hear you!” She snapped. “I came to help you.”

“Where’s Pumpkin Cake?” Fire Alloy asked in confusion. “Is she alright?” The mare nodded.

“She’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about.” Screwball explained. “You guys are in danger. I’m here to make sure you don’t make any mistakes with the Love Potion.” Fire Alloy looked at Nitevision, and both shrugged. “If I let go of you, do you promise not to scream?” Screwball asked. Nitevision nodded, and the mare released her hold on him. Nitevision took a deep breath in, and sighed.

“I thought you were going to choke me to death!” He said.

“Believe me, on several occasions, I’ve thought of doing just that.” Fire Alloy interjected. Screwball laughed. The trio resumed walking in silence, headed for Nitevision’s dorm. The door to the building creaked open, and the Bat pony looked into the dark hallway. A single light flickered on and off at the end of the building.

“All clear.” Nitevision whispered. The Earth Pony and Unicorn entered the hallway, with Nitevision following close behind. Less than a minute later, the group slipped into the dorm. The light had been left on since the last time Nitevision had been in the room, so he turned it off. Screwball closed the door silently behind her, and looked up at the ceiling.

“See that?” She asked, pointing at the vent. “I bet you ten bits that the ventilation system would be the perfect way to get anywhere in the college.” Nitevision nodded, even though this made no sense to him. Screwball was going to continue, but was cut off by a knock at the door. Nitevision went to open it, but Fire Alloy stopped him.

‘Check the peephole’ he mouthed. Screwball did as she was told. Looking out into the hallway, she saw Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, huddled together and looking over one another’s shoulder. Fire Alloy walked over to the door, and peered out, observing each mare’s eyes in turn.

“They’re clean.” He whispered. Screwball opened the door, and the mares raced in, closing the door behind them.

“Nitevision!” Sweetie Belle said as she pulled the bat into a hug. “I was so worried about you!” Nitevision grinned happily. Screwball looked back and forth between the door and the window.

“I hate to break up the happy reunion, but we’re not safe here.” She said as she opened the door again. A lone silhouette of a Pegasus patrolled the halls. “Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, come over here for a second.” Screwball whispered. The pair did as they were told, looking out into the hallway just as the shadow stepped into the light. Apple Bloom gasped, and Sweetie Belle bit her tongue to keep from screaming.

It was Scootaloo.

“We’ve got to get out of here!” Screwball hissed. Apple Bloom shook her head.

“We can’t leave without Scootaloo!” She spat. Screwball groaned.

“We have no choice!” The mare said. “If we don’t leave now, then there’s a greater risk of getting attacked here!” Sweetie Belle walked over to stand next to Apple Bloom.

“If she’s not leaving, I’m not leaving.” Sweetie Belle said. Nitevision nodded, and followed the snow white Unicorn.

“I’m with Sweetie Belle.” He said. Fire Alloy nodded in agreement.

“Fine. Stay here.” Screwball snapped. “I’ll be in the vent if you need me!” The mare crawled up onto Nitevision’s shoulders, then into the air duct. Hearing a noise, Fire Alloy looked out the window. Two shadowy forms were moving towards him at a high speed. Before he could react, the door behind him flew open as four more ponies, lead by Scootaloo, entered the room. Sweetie Belle shrieked as the Pegasus sunk her teeth into the mare’s flank, just below her Cutie Mark.

“NO!” Nitevision screamed as the mare fell to the ground. Apple Bloom was the next to fall. The window behind her shattered as Snips and Snails entered the room.

“Go!” Fire Alloy ordered the Bat Pony. “Follow Screwball! It’s what Sweetie Belle would want!” Nitevision shook his head. The Unicorn put a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder. “Listen to me Nitevision. I can handle myself.” Fire Alloy said as he used a blast of magic to subdue three of the attackers. He looked his best friend in the eyes, feeling the Bat’s body trembling with fear. “You’re gonna have to trust me, Nite.” He said. “Can you do that? Can you trust me buddy?” Nitevision nodded. “I’m going to be fine.” Nitevision looked at his friend.

“Promise?” He asked. Fire Alloy nodded.

“I promise.” The Unicorn replied. Nitevision trusted his best friend. He flapped his wings and crawled into the vent, turning to look watch his friend. Fire Alloy looked up and waved. Snails took advantage of the opportunity, pouncing on the red Unicorn’s back. Nitevision screeched as he watched Snails sink his fangs into Fire Alloy’s neck.

“YOU LIED!” Nitevision shrieked. “YOU LIED TO ME!” Tears streamed down the Bat’s cheeks. “You promised…” Screwball patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.

Dear Mom,

Pumpkin Cake recovered with the help of Screwball! I’m happy to have my friend back. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom and I met in my dorm. Fire Alloy is here, too. We’re going to be fine, as long as we stay together. I’ll come to see you soon.

Love,

Nitevision.