Wretched Hive 3: The Gray Pony

The gray pony opened his eyes to the light and colors of the crystal city. Looking around, Kernel found himself in a new part of the city. A crystal mansion caught his eye, being slightly more defined than the rest of the dreamscape.

"These are definitely dreams," Kernel thought to himself. He looked down at his reflection in the road. A gray blur looked back at him through the crystal path. "But why am I this gray stranger?"

Looking up from his reflection, Kernel could see Foresight galloping up to the mansion. His magic threw the door out his way as he went inside. Kernel picked up the pace, hoping that Foresight knew as much as he was letting on.

Kernel blinked.

The gray pony opened his eyes to a large feast placed on a long, rectangular table inside the dining room of the mansion. Places were set for at least a dozen seats. The plates and glasses were all empty, and the entrees were still covered in the middle of the table.

"Welcome, Carnal," Duplicity spoke from his left.

Kernel looked at the left end of the table to find a beautiful pony made of crystal sitting at the head. She smiled at him. On her left sat Foresight with a creepy yet friendly grin.

"Please, sit anywhere you like!" Duplicity said cheerily, waving a hoof at all the empty seats. "We'll start eating once everypony gets here."

Kernel considered his many options, scanning the entire table from left to right. Another crystal pony sat at the other head of the table, all alone. Kernel trotted over and sat on the pony's right. Looking closer, the gray pony noticed his crystal neighbor lacked a lower jaw. He nodded as he recognized this uncorrupted Silence.

"She's here, isn't she?" Foresight asked the talkative host.

Duplicity shrugged. "What's the point of her having free will if you want her here right now?"

"Well, there's always a limit. Unless you want to admit taking innocent lives was your free will, right?" Foresight chuckled. "Or was that just doing what's expected of you?"

Silence glared intently on Foresight. Duplicity stammered for a moment.

"Free will is often overshadowed by corruption," Duplicity explained. "It can't really be our fault."

"Yeah, that'd be true for crystal ponies." Foresight looked between the two hosts before fixing his gaze on Kernel. "So, what do you think about all this, Carnal?"

Kernel looked around the table, only to find all eyes on him. Silence looked away to try to relieve some pressure.

"Well..." Kernel started, trying to draw substance from a blank void. "I'm not sure?"

“Fascinating.” Foresight turned back to Duplicity. “So is he supposed to be someone you killed or what? Usually you grab ponies who are more for conversation.”

The host glared at the changeling. “Foresight, be quiet. Maybe he doesn’t talk because he doesn’t have some seething guilt that frivolous questions could distract from!”

Foresight glanced at Kernel a couple times. “And since when do you invite boring ponies to the dinner table?”

“Shut up,” Duplicity sternly replied.

Foresight scoffed. “Excuse me? You invite me to this stupid dreamscape and don’t expect me to talk?!”

“Shut up.”

“You just toy with our subconscious without any thought to the lasting--”

“Shut. Up.” Duplicity began to get up from her seat.

“Alright, fine... I’ll be quiet until that Drooling Oasis gets here.” Foresight relaxed and tried to ignore her glare.

“Her name is Bubbles.”

“O yeah? Did her mother name her that?”

“Does it matter? She’s neither affiliated with the Oasis anymore, nor does she drool.” Duplicity crooked her head as Foresight turned away. “Her past shouldn’t define her.” She put a hoof on the changeling’s shoulder.

“I wish I wasn’t awake right now,” Foresight sighed. He shrugged off her hoof. “I still don’t know who you two are or why you insist on tormenting the wretchers with these lies.” He shook his head. “But I want no part of it.” His horn lit up.

“No.” A corrupt crystal dropped from the ceiling as Duplicity grabbed Foresight’s hoof. With her guidance, the crystal impaled the changeling’s hoof on the table.

Foresight screamed.

“It’s not real,” he said, under his breath. “It’s not real, it’s not real...”

“You came to our world, you impotent whelp,” Duplicity growled. “And you should know that nightmares always have the greatest impact.” She put a hoof on the crystal, causing it to burn.

Foresight cried out in pain as ashes fell from his hoof like sand. “I’m... I’m gonna get out of here you...”

“You can’t,” Kernel said. “You can’t.”

The wounded changeling’s eyes widened as he turned to the pony. “Where did you hear that?” He winced in pain.

“A night’s dreams are always forgotten, Foresight,” Duplicity said, petting his head. “With exceptions only for the really good ones.” The crystal twisted in his hoof. “And the bad ones.” The crystal mare grinned. “But the best ones are both, in my opinion!” She looked over to the gray pony. “What about you? What was your favorite dream tonight?”

The gray pony’s eyes widened.

“See, Foresight?” She rubbed the changeling’s neck. “He remembers. The good... But mostly the bad.”

The gray pony’s lips quivered.

“And maybe, just maybe... a nice, little message for the waking self.”

The gray pony’s eyes closed.

“Find him.”

The gray pony opened his eyes to darkness. The voice of Duplicity seemed more distant.

“Find him.”

“Find who?” he called out to the darkness.

“He’s going to die. Find him.”

“Why?” he asked the emptiness.

“It’s all your fault. Find him.”

Frost covered the gray pony’s hooves. With a blink, they were warm and soaked with something. He blinked again.