7DSJ: The Knife's Edgeby Flynt CoalChaptersAugust 18 - Déjà vuAugust 25 - Something WrongAugust 28 - ErasedAugust 29 - PartyAugust 30 - Nightmares and DreamsAugust 18 - Déjà vu At the front of the classroom, the professor continued his lecture, but Jade Lily did not hear him. Something’s different…. Once again that day, Jade was wracked by another surreal, overwhelming sense of déjà vu. It had started early Saturday morning, when the feeling had been so powerful it had actually roused her from her sleep. Somehow, ever since that moment, Jade felt that the entire world was different somehow. Yet at the same time… it was not. In those bleary-eyed early hours of the morning, Jade had chalked it up to nothing but frayed nerves after her first week of University, but now Jade was convinced: There was powerful magic at work here. “Jade?” Her friend’s voice brought her back to reality (whatever that might be now). “You coming?” Jade blinked. Somehow, class was already over, and students were filing out of the room. Shrinking Violet stood just beside her, looking mildly anxious. Of course, Violet was always mildly anxious about something, but this time Jade thought it might actually be warranted. “You feeling okay, Jade?” Violet asked. “You’ve been spacing out a lot today.” “I’m fine,” Jade answered, brushing aside a lock of her long mauve and lavender hair. “I’m just tired.” It wasn’t necessarily a lie, and the yawn that followed was genuine enough, so Violet simply nodded as Jade put her books away and stood to accompany her out the door. It had only been about a week since Jade started her first semester at Michigan Tech, but already she knew she would have a lifelong friend in Violet. The two of them had hit it off almost immediately when they met in their first period class. Perhaps a part of it was they were two of the only black girls in their focus, but Jade soon found out the two of them had a lot in common. Violet was a brilliant and creative young woman with frameless glasses and soft red hair cut short, and had worked very hard through high school to get into MTU. Despite the girl’s very prevalent social anxiety, Jade had managed to get her to open up a little about herself, and had since discovered they shared a certain degree of homesickness. Violet had spent much of her childhood growing up in New Orleans, that is until Hurricane Katrina came through. Having completely lost their home, Violet and her family had moved to Detroit to live with her aunt and uncle. Although they had been accommodating enough, Violet still missed the friends and the life left behind in New Orleans. Without elaborating, Jade had told Violet that she could empathize with that. After all, the pain of being unable to return home—and that even if she did, it wouldn’t be the same—was one Jade was all too familiar with. Jade brushed aside those rather depressing thoughts, choosing instead to enjoy the home and friends she had now. She pulled out her phone and her heart skipped a beat when she saw a new alert: A message from Braeburn. It was nothing more than a simple check to see how she was doing, but any message from the love of her life gave her butterflies. “So, what are you doing for lunch, Jade?” Violet asked. “Iris and I wanted to check out that new burrito place that opened up down the street,” Jade said as she replied to Braeburn’s message. Violet seemed somewhat disappointed, and if Violet had wanted to eat with her, Jade could guess why. Her roommate in residence, Iris Nightshade, had what could generously be described as a very… outgoing personality. One that often set her at odds with Jade’s much more timid friend. So it was a surprise when Violet said, “Mind if I tag along?” At Jade’s surprised look, Violet folded her arms. “What? I can handle a little teasing from your roommate.” “I just thought you would have wanted to have lunch with Sandstone and the others,” Jade said with a shrug. Apparently, Sandstone and Violet had been friends since high school, and were all part of a very diverse little group of friends. It was easy to miss the way Violet’s folded arms shifted ever so slightly so that she was hugging herself. “Nah, things have been kind of weird between us lately.” “What happened?” Jade asked. Sucking in a breath, Violet answered, “He asked me out.” It took a second for Jade to process this. “Oh.” After giving it more thought, Jade said, “Well, seems like a good guy. You don’t at least want to give it a chance?” Violet looked away. “He’s… let’s just say he’s not really my type.” Violet’s face then turned an interesting shade of red. “Besides… I kinda like somebody else….” Jade raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Who is it?” But Violet kept staring at the ground, her voice even smaller now than it had been. “Doesn’t really matter.” Then gesturing to the promise ring on Jade’s finger, she said, “Not all of us can be as lucky in love as you, Jade. I don’t have a chance with them….” “Not with that attitude you don’t!” said a new voice in a lighthearted teasing tone, and Violet jumped in alarm as another girl approached. “Just get some lacy underwear, invite them over and show them what it looks like on you. That usually works for me!” “Hey Iris,” Jade greeted, and braced herself for an over enthusiastic hug. Iris Nightshade was an exceptionally attractive young woman with a lot of love to give, and was well on her way to building a reputation of giving it very freely. “Jade. Is Mumbles there coming with us for burritos?” Iris asked when she broke the hug. “As long as you keep the teasing to a minimum,” Jade said sternly. “Of course! You know it’s all in good fun, right?” Just then, Jade remembered something. “Oh! I actually need to return a book to the library. Mind if I do that real quick before we go?” “What book?” Violet asked curiously. Seeing no harm in it (after all, she didn’t have to explain why she had taken it out), Jade pulled out the book in question. “Religious Cults Through the Ages?” “Jade, why are you reading about cults?” Iris asked curiously. “You can’t deny this sort of stuff’s kinda fascinating,” Jade said, deliberately avoiding giving her a real answer. After all, how was she to explain that she came from a dimension where she was a magical unicorn, and that she was searching for evidence of somepony using her mentor’s mirror portal without his knowledge? “For instance, there was this one group called Ordo Duodecim said to have operated all around Rome and Europe as far back as Julius Caesar’s time. Executed a lot of people. Some real Illuminati shit...although obviously they existed before the real Illuminati.” Violet rubbed an arm uncomfortably. “Eesh. History is so… scary.” Iris was quiet for some time before saying, “Welp, just make sure you don’t drink the Kool-Aid, okay, Jade?” Jade laughed. “Yeah, I’ll be careful. In the meantime, can I trust you to behave yourself around Violet while I return this?” “I’ll do more than merely behave.” Iris put an arm around Violet and smiled. “I’m going to completely steal your best friend while you’re gone.” Seeing Violet’s own vaguely uncomfortable smile, Jade said, “Good luck with that,” before heading into the library. She returned the book without incident, and was surprised to see upon her return that Iris and Violet were actually talking quite amicably. Iris gave her a triumphant grin when she saw her, and Jade couldn’t help but grin back. Even so, as she, Violet, and Iris went off to eat, Jade had an inexplicable bad feeling. She didn’t notice the male figure follow her out of the library, watching the trio of girls go through spectacled eyes curtained by long black hair. That night, Jade went to bed still feeling the strange coming and going sensation of déjà vu that she’d felt throughout the day. It was becoming more than just surreal now—it was becoming unsettling. So as luck would have it, when Jade finally drifted off into slumber, she dreamed a most comforting dream of someone she had not seen in a very long time. A woman appeared before her in the dream wearing simple attire, her hair as red as lifeblood. It was only as her hands started to glow—weaving together invisible broken threads—that Jade realized it was her liegelady: Queen Faust of Equestria—regent of her home as it was when she still lived there. Jade called out to her, but the ancient queen was too preoccupied with her work. Finally, the alicorn in human form took notice of Jade and smiled. “It’s good to see you’ve made a fulfilling life for yourself despite the injustice you have suffered, my little pony,” Faust said, and Jade’s heart swelled at the familiar old term of endearment. “But your faith is soon to be tested. Much hardship lies ahead of you; revelations to shatter all you know as truth.” At that, the old queen’s countenance grew sad. “I only wish there was more I could do to prepare you for what lies ahead.” Jade was speechless. She had dreamed of her world many times before. Seen Queen Faust, her parents, and her mentor, Starswirl the Bearded. But never before had any of them seemed as real as Faust had been in that dream. “I don’t understand,” Jade had told her after a time. Faust had only looked at her with sad, resigned eyes. “You will,” she said, like it was the most terrible thing she could imagine. Though Jade didn’t know it, the revelations Faust spoke of would not come to pass until early in the following year. But the catalyst to those events would take place the very next week. Author's Note For the unaware, Jade Lily first appeared in 7DSJ: The Apple Tree. Stay tuned for a new chapter every day! August 25 - Something Wrong Jade Lily awoke with a start in the darkness of her dorm room. Something’s wrong. Pushing aside a mop of lavender and mauve hair, she rolled over and grabbed her phone, checking the time. Ten past four. She still had three more hours before she had to be up to get ready for classes. Yet try as she might, she couldn’t get back to sleep. The same queer feeling that had awakened her in the first place persisted. In many ways, the feeling was similar to the dream of Queen Faust that she’d had the week before. But this feeling was different. It wasn’t déjà vu that Jade felt now, but a much darker sense of dread—a deep pit in her stomach that sent alien chills all throughout her body. For some reason, Jade was suddenly compelled to check on her roommate. She wasn’t sure why, but she half expected to find Iris Nightshade lying dead in the bunk next to her, or some terrible monster lying in her place. Instead, Jade found neither. Iris’s bunk was empty, as it so often was on nights that the rather amorous girl decided to spend in bed with some guy (or occasionally girl). Trying to push the unexplained dark feelings away, Jade tried to get back to sleep, and eventually managed to get a couple more hours of uneasy rest before her phone’s seven o’clock alarm went off. Groaning, Jade climbed out of bed and set about her morning routine of showering, getting dressed, and applying the minimum makeup required for her to look like she’d managed to get a decent night’s sleep. It was still early enough when she got down to the cafeteria that it was still relatively quiet, with only a few groups of other Michigan Tech students sleepily getting through the morning. Jade didn’t see any of her friends among them, so after grabbing herself a breakfast consisting of eggs, toast, and bacon (something that she’d acquired a taste for since living as a human), Jade found herself a nice empty table in a quiet corner of the cafeteria and began to eat. As she did so, Jade reached into her bag and pulled out a book: A History of Equestria, by Time Passages. It was a gift she’d received from her soon-to-be cousin in law, Applejack, who got it from a friend who was apparently in a very similar situation to Jade herself. It was a convenient way for Jade to keep up to date on how her old homeworld had progressed in the millennia that she’d missed, but more and more she found herself going back to the accounts of Equestria’s older history—of things that had happened during her time. Something about the familiarity was comforting. “Heya, roomie,” a voice called out, and Jade looked up to see her roommate take a seat across from her with her own tray of food. “Morning, Iris,” Jade greeted. She didn’t bother trying to hide the book from Iris. As far as her roommate knew, it was just a fantasy book about fantasy creatures. Jade had even let Iris read it, and had been surprised when the girl who only seemed to care about sex and drinking became very interested in it. Iris looked to have indulged in plenty of both the other night, yet by all appearances she seemed more refreshed than Jade felt at that moment. The smile Iris wore was serene and satisfied. “I take it you had a good night?” Jade asked. “Mmm,” Iris moaned into her breakfast. “It was everything I was hoping for and more. I feel like a new woman!” “You think this one’s gonna be serious?” Jade asked. She didn’t resent Iris for her more… free-spirited lifestyle, even if it wasn’t for her. After all, Iris was considerate enough not to bring anyone over to their room while Jade was there. Even still, Jade thought Iris might be happier with a more committed relationship. “Will what be serious?” Iris asked, looking slightly confused. “This guy you’re sleeping with,” Jade said. “Or is it a girl?” For some reason, Iris tensed up and looked down at her hands. “Nah, this was more of a one-time thing….” Jade nodded and got back to her breakfast. “So, you coming to Hotshot’s new house-warming party next Friday?” Iris asked. Someone shrieking somewhere outside momentarily distracted Jade. Sheesh, it is way too early in the morning for whatever nonsense they’re up to. “No, Violet and me were gonna hang out,” Jade answered, resolutely ignoring the noise. “She’s helping me study for a test on Monday.” Iris tensed again and chewed her lip. “Wouldn’t you rather go to a fun party with your fun roommate? Mumbles wouldn’t know a good time if it hit her.” “Iris, I told you: Shrinking Violet is my friend, and I don’t appreciate you calling her names.” Besides, Jade thought Violet and Iris had been getting along great lately. But Iris only shrugged. “Just saying, that girl’s going to die a virgin. Unless….” Then with a wiggle of her eyebrows, Iris added, “Gonna be a lot of cute guys at this party. Who knows? Maybe both of you could get lucky!” Somebody else screamed outside, and Jade found herself growing impatient. “First of all, Violet hates those kinds of parties. Secondly….” Jade held up her hand, showing Iris the engagement ring on her finger. “I’m engaged, remember?” Iris sighed. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just….” She then put a hand on her roommate’s own and squeezed. “I’m just trying to look out for you, Jade. College is supposed to be a time for you to experiment—to find yourself. It’s great that you’ve got your highschool sweetheart, it really is. But I don’t want you to miss out on getting the full University experience. You’re only young once, girl!” Jade smiled. “I appreciate the thought, Iris, but I’m happy with the experience I have now.” Her answer didn’t really seem to make Iris happy, but she nonetheless smiled and nodded. She then looked off at something just behind Jade and frowned. “Uh oh, watch out. Creeper at four o’clock,” Iris warned in a low voice, gesturing with her head in the relevant direction. Following where Iris indicated, Jade looked over her shoulder and saw a familiar pale face curtained by long dark hair, his reedy body covered by a raggy black jacket. Code Break was a boy in her and Violet’s English elective. One whose presence Jade could usually sense when the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. Indeed, the only interaction Jade ever had with the strange young man was the times she caught him staring at her with an intense concentration. As a fairly attractive young woman, Jade had noticed her fair share of guys checking her out throughout her life both as a human and even a pony. But at least all of those other guys had the decency to pretend that they weren’t ogling her when she looked their way. “Wonder what he thinks is gonna happen if he just keeps staring at you,” Iris mused. Getting a little tired of his lurking herself, Jade turned in her seat to face the dark young man fully. “Can we help you?” she asked dryly, allowing herself to go full “sassy black woman” for just a moment. Code froze like a deer caught in a car’s headlights before turning tail and skulking back to whatever hole he liked to hide in. Jade turned back to Iris, ready with a dry remark when another shriek drew her attention. A moderately sized crowd was gathering out the window back over by the residence building. “Someone call the cops! Now!” “What the hell’s going on out there?” Jade asked, standing to get a better look. “Probably nothing. A stupid prank or something maybe,” Iris said, taking another bite of her breakfast. Jade didn’t think it was nothing. Something’s wrong. There was a dark energy in the air. A feeling much like the one that had awoken her in the early hours of the morning. Before she knew it, Jade’s feet were taking her to the cafeteria entrance. “Jade, c’mon! Don’t get involved in whatever bullshit’s going on out there! You remember what happened the first day we were here, right? Those morons pretended there was a zombie invasion and you got suckered into it!” Jade brushed that off; given that Braeburn was a fan of zombie horror, she should’ve known better—the first thing she’d thought of when she’d heard the word “zombies” was the zebra bokor she and Starswirl had fought who’d raised a modest army of undead with his voodoo magic. “C’mon, Jade. If you go now I got dibs on your leftover bacon!” But this time, Jade just ignored her, being drawn to the scene outside as if by some force. Something like magic. That last time didn’t have the same feel—this, despite Iris’ protestations, wasn’t the same thing. She knew it. Soon Jade found herself approaching the crowd. They were all looking at something on the ground right beside the building. People were crying. One guy backed away and vomited on the nearby grass. One girl held a hand over her mouth and just kept repeating, “Oh my God oh my God oh my God….” Jade pushed her way through the crowd, and her heart stopped when she saw what they were all looking at. Shrinking Violet lay in a mangled heap on the pavement, her neck bent back at an unnatural angle, and her dead eyes looking up at nothing. Jade lost the strength to stand and fell to her knees, her chest shuddering with sobs. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that before the sound of sirens brought her back to reality. Then someone gently took her by the arm—MTU campus police—and started helping her to her feet. “W-what happened to her?” Jade heard herself ask. “She jumped. I’m sorry,” the officer said. “C’mon. We need to make room for the investigation.” As Jade was about to allow herself to be led away from the horrible scene, something strange suddenly caught her eye. Both of Violet’s wrists had been opened at the vein… but only a small amount of blood had formed underneath her. How could she have jumped… when she’d already been bled dry? August 28 - Erased Standing on the threshold of Shrinking Violet’s dorm room, Jade Lily tried to temper the warring emotions within her. It was an uphill battle. It had been three days since the tragedy that claimed the life of her friend. What disturbed Jade the most was just how quickly life at Michigan Tech returned to normal. Sure, there had been some talk of the girl who jumped from the roof of the residence building, but now it was like nothing had ever happened. Violet’s roommate now had a replacement, and every topic of conversation had moved on to the next big scandals: who was sleeping together, who had broken up, and what assignments the professors had them doing. It was like Violet wasn’t merely dead: She had been erased. Well, not if I have anything to say about it. Jade composed herself and with a wave of her hand, magically unlocked the door to what had once been her friend’s dorm. Jade had been talking to the new occupants of Violet’s room, and had made sure they would both be elsewhere for the next couple of hours. She had some investigating to do. The official police statement on Shrinking Violet’s death had been that it was a suicide. The police had backed that up with the scars on her wrists: evidence of self-harm, they said. But Jade knew Violet. She was a quiet and nervous girl—a true sufferer of social anxiety if Jade had ever seen it—but once she got past her walls and Violet allowed herself to open up, what Jade saw was a girl with a passion for learning. A girl dreaming to be a game programmer at a large company like Ubisoft or Naughty Dog, and who had the raw talent and drive to pursue it. A girl who loved Broadway musicals and cheesy old movies. A girl whose light would tragically never shine on the world again. So Jade was determined to shine twice as brightly for her. Because she knew there was no way Violet had killed herself. There was just too much that didn’t add up. Jade had already snuck up onto the roof where Violet had supposedly jumped, but found no trace of anything suspicious. That in itself seemed suspicious to Jade, and now she found herself in her friend’s old dorm. The myriad of posters for various Broadway productions had been removed, and Violet’s organized clutter had been cleared. The bathroom cupboards were emptied of the sizable amount of anxiety medication (enough to provide a comfortably fatal overdose, had Violet truly been of a mind to kill herself). These too had been erased, and the room looked completely different from the one Jade had spent many nights in. Studying for exams, watching movies on a small laptop screen, talking, laughing. Jade quickly blinked the building tears away. She promised to let them come later, after she was done with this. She methodically searched the room front to back, removing items before carefully returning them to their place. After thinking for some time that her search would yield nothing, she finally spotted it: a tiny stain no bigger than a thumbprint in the far corner of the room. The stain was brown and faded—easily blending in with the others of its kind throughout the entire residence. Hand glowing with arcane power, Jade knelt by the tiny speck and sent forth a spell. A soft ping rang through her mind, confirming what Jade suspected: It was blood. Another spell, this one taking longer, analyzed the blood, and when it was finished, Jade’s mind was filled with images of a pretty young woman with dark skin, short red hair and a shy face adorned with large glasses. It was Violet’s blood. The next spell Jade cast was one of her own design. She first got the idea for it watching some police drama with Braeburn. The perpetrator in a murder case on the show had meticulously cleaned the blood away from the scene of the crime, so the officers had used a chemical called luminol to reveal an area where blood had been. After careful study of the exact mix of chemicals in the compound (and wasn’t the internet a marvelous invention?), Jade was able to craft a light spell that would create a chemiluminescent reaction to traces of blood similar to luminol. At the time it had merely been an experiment of curiosity. Jade never thought she would actually use it for something like this. As she feared, when Jade cast the spell—coating the room in a soft blue light—the thumbprint sized stain on the floor became a massive blob glowing a bright blue. Like the TV criminal, Violet’s killer had carefully cleaned up after themselves. Jade spotted another luminescent blue blob in the corner across from the first, but apart from that, the room was clean. Then Jade noticed the carpet. More big blue blobs seemed to spiderweb out of it, like the carpet was at the epicenter of an explosion of glowing goo. So, with a wave of her hand, Jade called forth a simple levitation spell to remove the carpet. Jade’s arms fell slack and the carpet slumped dully to the floor when she saw what it hid. Oh Faust, it’s worse than I thought, Jade thought with dismay as she looked at the very clearly runic patterns in the glowing blue. The fact they were showing up so clearly through Jade’s “luminol spell” meant that they had been etched into the floor before Violet’s blood was spilled. The purpose of the runes was all too clear, and all of a sudden, Iris’ words from the week before echoed in Jade’s mind. That girl’s going to die a virgin. What Iris couldn’t have known, of course, was that Violet would die because she was a virgin. All at once the terrible ramifications of this discovery began to play out in Jade’s mind. There’s another magic user in Michigan Tech. Human? The runes almost look Equestrian. Will they try to kill again? Jade nearly gasped out loud when she heard the doorknob start to turn. At first she thought that the residents of the dorm were back early, and she hastily dispelled her luminol spell and replaced the carpet before pressing her back to the wall, activating a simple invisibility spell. But the doorknob kept fidgeting, and Jade realized that the real residents of this room wouldn’t be having this much trouble gaining entry. Finally the door was forced open, and Jade’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of the dark figure that entered. Of course… it only made sense that it would be him. The black-clad young man with horn-rimmed glasses and long, greasy looking black hair was always watching them in their English elective, wasn’t he? Jade had always thought he was staring at her all that time, but now she knew the truth. Code Break would always leave shortly after Violet; it was her he’d always been staring at. Her he was always behind—Violet’s slimy shadow. Jade held her breath as Code silently closed the door behind him, taking one last peek into the hall to make sure he hadn’t been followed. Then Jade was upon him. Dispelling her invisibility, Jade lunged forward, grabbing Code by the collar and slamming him hard against the wall right next to the door. “Why in Faust’s name do you trespass here, miscreant?!” In her passion, Jade slipped partially back to her Old Equestrian dialect. “J-Jade?” The man stared at her wide-eyed, his long black hair partially obscuring his face. “What are you doing here?” “I could ask the same of you!” Jade spat, making a point to correct her earlier slip. “Returning to the scene of your crime?” “What?! Are you insane?!” The genuine shock in his voice momentarily gave Jade pause. “Explain yourself!” “I-I’m here because I want answers,” Code said quietly. “I don’t believe Violet killed herself. She wasn’t suffering from depression like everyone seemed to think. She still had so much she wanted to do!” His answer took Jade aback. “How do you know that?” “We’re in the same class, remember? I heard all of your conversations with her.” Then to Jade’s surprise, Code’s eyes started to fill with tears. “Truth is… I really liked her. Always wanted to talk to her… to ask her out. But… every time I tried, I-I freaked out. Too many traumatic experiences in high school, I guess.” Then Code broke down sobbing, and Jade could only let go of his collar and take a step back. “M-maybe if I wasn’t such a fucking coward, things would be different. Maybe she’d even still be alive….” As the incredibly strange young man before her continued his pitiful sobs, Jade could only stand there. It took her awhile to figure out what to say. “Alright, I’m sorry. Guess I misjudged you, Code,” she finally said. “And don’t blame yourself for what happened to her.” Jade looked down at the rug, guilt rushing through her. It was a magic user that had killed her. Jade was probably the only person in this half of the country that could have saved Violet. “If anyone failed her, it was me.” Code looked at her quizzically, but Jade didn’t elaborate. How could she? “So how did you get in here, anyway?” she asked, hoping that doing so would make him forget about her earlier statement. Code pulled out a key card in answer. It was the same size as the ones used to enter the dorms. “I made this,” he sniffed. “Programmed it with a code of my own design to bypass the locks.” Jade took the offered card and gave it a look. “Huh. Pretty impressive.” She then turned her scrutinizing stare Code’s way. “You haven’t been using it to break into other people’s dorms, have you?” “Of course not! I made it specifically for this occasion. I don’t plan on using it again either.” Jade gave the card back, and after taking it, Code nervously ran a hand through his long hair. “So uh, I take it you came here for the same reason as me, huh?” Jade nodded, and Code asked, “Find anything?” For one brief moment, Jade considered telling him about the cleaned bloodstains, but that would lead to more questions she didn’t feel like answering. “No. Place is clean.” Looking disappointed, Code sighed. “Figures. Can’t even do anything right for her after she’s gone.” “Y’know, if that little magic card of yours is anything to go by, you’re a pretty talented guy, Code,” Jade said. “If you cleaned up your act a little—y’know, actually went through with talking to girls instead of staring creepily at them from a distance—there’s lots of girls here that would be willing to give you a chance.” At that, Code actually smiled, his pale complexion turning a faint red. “Heh. Thanks, but… I don’t know. Not yet anyway. Violet was…. There’s not anyone else like her.” Jade let out a sad sigh. “Yeah, you’re right about that.” “I probably never had a chance with her anyways. From the looks of it, she preferred girls.” Jade blinked. Violet never actually told her about who it was she liked. “Um… how do you figure?” “I saw her making out with a girl late one night in the common area,” Code answered, blushing even more. “I, uh… was trying to mind my own business, I swear!” “Huh. She never told me she was seeing someone.” “It happened pretty recently. It, uh… looked like her first time.” “Huh.” Jade was ready to leave it at that, but then a terrible thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait, how recently was this?” “About three or four days ago,” Code answered, before giving a slight gasp. “Oh God… it might actually have been the night before she died!” “Did she and this other girl leave together?” Code nodded, then his face went even paler than usual. “Wait… y-you don’t think…?” “Code, do you remember what this other girl looked like?” “N-not really. Her back was to me and she was wearing a hat. Could have been anyone.” Jade was unable to hide the disappointed frown. “And you didn’t hear a name?” Code shook his head. “She had a real distinct voice, though. Kinda husky. I’d definitely know it if I heard it again.” “Hmm….” The trouble would be finding this mystery girl. Fortunately, the makings of a plan started to form in Jade’s head. “Hey Code, how’d you like to be my date for Hotshot’s party tomorrow?” Author's Note It's going to be one hell of a party... August 29 - Party As heavy techno beats shook the walls of the house, Jade stood with a red cup full of beer, just another face in the crowd. Just moments ago she’d politely but firmly turned down Hotshot, who was already a few beers deep and seemed oblivious to the ring on her finger. All around her were other people she knew from school; people she talked and joked with during and between classes. It was hard to imagine any one of them could be a killer. Violet’s killer might not even be here, Jade thought. It was very tempting to just allow herself to think that. To simply let the whole investigation go and just enjoy a night of drinking with friends. But she couldn’t do that. Otherwise, Shrinking Violet would be well and truly erased. “Oooh, I don’t know if I can do this…” Code Break muttered beside her. Jade looked over at her “date” for the night, and once again was baffled at just how different the man standing next to her was now. Code had taken her advice to clean up his act very liberally. His formerly greasy long hair now looked thoroughly washed and he wore it back in a ponytail. He wore a relatively handsome button-up shirt rather than his usual dark rags, and even his complexion seemed more full of color. He held another red cup in his hand that was still very full. Jade gave him an encouraging smile. “It’ll be alright, Code. If the murderer is here, she probably won’t try anything with this many people around.” Code returned her smile with a much more nervous one of his own. “At this point, I’d honestly take a confrontation with a murderer alone over this.” A loud cheer sounded from where a beer pong game was being played across the room, and Code fully recoiled as if he were suddenly in the path of a lion. “Large crowds and loud rooms… not my forte!” Code released a shuddering sigh. “And I don’t know how in the world I’m gonna start a conversation with a girl without making a fool of myself.” Jade put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “Code, trust me: Nothing you could say will freak them out more than just staring creepily at them from a distance.” Code had the decency to look thoroughly embarrassed. “Touché.” Jade, meanwhile, took another look around the crowded room. She had been thinking a lot about this over the past couple of days. Whoever killed Violet must have been someone she knew and trusted enough to take back to her room. There weren’t many people at school who met that description. Jade spotted the few that did sitting around a table in the corner: Sandstone and his friends. Just about all of them had become pretty reclusive since she died, barely even responding to Jade’s attempts to reach out. Jade had thought it was just grief over their friend, but now she had to wonder…. Could there be more than one murderer? “Hey Jade! Decided to come after all?” Her roommate’s voice preemptively interrupted Jade from suggesting Code investigate Sandstone and the others, and Jade forced a smile on her face as Iris approached. “Yeah, thought this might be just what I need after the past week.” Iris wore a small yellow hat over her shoulder-length purple hair, making Jade think of a flower. Her extremely tight baby blue shorts that left very little to the imagination made it clear she hoped to be “pollinated.” But her otherwise sultry look gave way to one of sympathy. “What happened with Violet has been hard on you, huh? For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. Despite all my teasing, I did kind of like her.” “Thanks,” was all Jade could think to say. Iris’ gaze then fell on Code Break, and after a few moments of careful scrutiny, her eyes widened with recognition. “Creeper?” “It’s Code Break, actually,” her date responded, clearing his throat and offering his hand. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure, Ms. Nightshade.” Iris took his hand eagerly enough, eyes lidded seductively as her voice turned husky. “Well not yet, Codey, but the night is still young! Anything could happen….” Code’s entire posture went rigid, and Iris laughed. “What’s wrong? Never had a girl flirt with you before?” She gave him a sweet smile, bringing her face closer and closer to his. “It’s okay, there’s no shame in that. Honestly… I kinda like virgins.” Just when their faces seemed close enough to kiss, Iris pulled away. “Come find me later if you want to have some fun, Codey.” With that, Iris left, adding just a hint of extra sway in her hips. Jade only smiled and shook her head. “Well, if nothing else comes of tonight, at least you might get some experience out of it!” But Code remained stock still, his wide eyes following after Iris. That’s not a look of a nervous boy around a pretty girl, Jade realized, and then with horror it dawned on her what it could only have meant. “Code?” she asked. “Is Iris…?” Code looked at her soberly. “She used the same line on Violet.” Jade was about to ask which line he was referring to when it hit her. I kinda like virgins. And now, Jade knew why. Her mind racing, Jade watched as Code Break executed his part of the plan. He was currently talking to Iris, letting her believe that he was interested in her offer from earlier. All the while, Jade was at war with herself. In spite of all of their differences, Jade really did consider Iris a friend. She wanted nothing more than to believe that she was innocent, and that she and Code were on completely the wrong track. But she knew the dangers if they were right. She could have spent an entire semester sharing a room with a killer—a potentially magic one to boot. She couldn’t just pretend that this was nothing. She needed answers, and one way or another, she was going to get them. In a few more minutes, Iris left and Code Break approached her. “Okay, she should be waiting for me in the bedroom.” Frowning, he added, “I still don’t like this, Jade. Are you sure you’re going to be alright alone with her?” With a confident smile, Jade said, “Trust me, I’ve been in way more dangerous situations.” Code didn’t need to know that said situations included battles with warlocks, lesser dragons, and a sphinx. “If you say so. Still, maybe we should wait to confront her until we’re more prepared?” In all honesty, Jade had thought about that too, albeit for different reasons than Code was likely considering. If Iris really was a magic user, she might do some serious damage if she decided to be uncooperative… and there were a lot of people at this party. However, Jade ultimately decided it was a risk she’d have to take. “What if while we’re waiting for the right time to confront her she decides to kill again? She has a lot of potential victims to choose from at this party.” And if Jade was right about Iris’s motive for murdering Violet, letting her get even one more kill would make her much harder to deal with. “Right. Like me,” Code said with a nervous swallow. Jade nodded. “You just keep an eye on the door. Make sure nobody else tries to get in while we’re talking.” Then Jade pulled out her phone and opened an app she had downloaded for this exact occasion. The app had originally been developed as a tool for victims of domestic abuse. Designed to look like nothing more than a weather app, it was actually a way to discreetly record conversations to catch the abuser red handed. “Alright, wish me luck!” At that, Code leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “For luck!” Perhaps Jade would have objected to such a bold action under any other circumstance, but now the almost romantic gesture worked wonders to alleviate some of the anxious tension building inside her. Jade gave him a grin, then steeled herself for what needed to be done. Weaving between groups of loudly drunk university students, Jade made her way to the bedroom door and took a breath. Knowing that she would never be more ready than she was at that moment, Jade turned the knob and went in. Iris was reclined on the bed in a deliberately provocative way, having discarded her shirt and extremely tight shorts so that only lacy black underwear barely covered her. Outside the room, the party was muffled as it went on. For a moment, Iris’s brow furrowed when she saw Jade enter instead of Code, but just as quickly she regained her usual sensuality. “Heh, wasn’t expecting to see you walk in. If you were looking to explore your sexuality a bit, you could have just asked me directly. No need to go through Creeper out there!” Jade simply shut the door behind her. “We need to talk, Iris.” Her roommate wasn’t quite sober enough to be able to hide the sudden concern on her face, and to Jade, that was a confession in itself. “You and Violet were together right before she died, weren’t you?” Jade asked firmly. “W-where exactly did you get that idea?” “Don’t lie to me, Iris. Were you with her?” Iris folded her arms across her chest and returned Jade’s firm glare with a much more indignant one of her own. “So what if I was? Last I checked, it isn’t any of your business who I sleep with, now is it?” “If it’s true, that makes you one of the last people to see her alive.” Jade took a step closer, her look unwavering. “So what happened after you two hooked up?” Letting out a slow sigh from her nose, Iris stood. “Y’know, people are usually put off by how forward I am. I’m no stranger to hearing words like ‘slut’ or ‘whore’ hurled my way. But if you ask me, the same people who sling those words spend way too much time playing their love games. Flirting one minute, playing hard to get the next. For fuck’s sake, people should just say what they mean!” Iris was standing right in front of Jade now, their faces inches apart. But this time there was no overpowering sexuality in Iris’ face. She looked more serious than Jade had ever seen her. “So what do you mean, Jade? What are you so afraid of simply saying outright?” There was only one course forward now. “Did you kill her?” “Pfft!” Iris scoffed so hard she spit on Jade’s face a little. “Are you stupid? She killed herself, remember?” “So the official police reports say,” Jade said. “But somehow they missed the trace amounts of blood all over Violet’s dorm someone had gone to the trouble of cleaning up. That would have taken time. And as I recall, you never did come back to our room that night. No, you showed up at breakfast. Right around the time the body was discovered, now that I think about it!” Iris opened her mouth in protest, but for a moment only managed a few indignant sputters. “I-I… okay,” she said when she finally remembered how to speak again. “So let me get this straight: in your fucking Looney Tunes reality, I slept with Violet, then killed her and made it look like suicide. What reason would I possibly have to do that?” Raising her hands in a mockery of a shrug, Jade answered, “I can only speculate about that at this point, but I’m willing to bet it has something to do with the magic circle you killed her on.” Then with a wave of her hands, Jade summoned arcane power to her hand and thousands of tiny glowing lights converged, forming a shining ethereal representation of the very runes Jade had found in Violet’s dorm. “This look familiar?” Iris took a step back, staring at the conjuration with wide eyes. “Y-you… how did you…?” “These particular runes are supposed to grant their user power from a virgin sacrifice,” Jade explained. She knew all of this would sound crazy on her recording, but she wasn’t trying to prove the existence of magic to the world: Just that Iris believed she had a reason to kill Violet. “You…” Iris growled again. “You really have all of this figured out, haven’t you?” “Is that a confession, Iris?” “Is that a confession…” Iris repeated, giggling in an unsettlingly childish way. Then with wide eyes and a too wide grin, Iris shrugged. “Why the fuck not! I killed her! Do you know how hard it is to find a real, honest-to-God virgin in college these days? It’s like finding a goddamn unicorn! When I found out Violet was pure, I couldn’t pass up that opportunity!” Then with a twitchy shake of her head, Iris found her center again, and her smile was much more in line with the roommate Jade had known. “So what now, roomie? You gonna turn me over to the police? With what evidence? It’s your word against mine!” Touching the bulge in her pocket where her phone was, Jade only sounded disappointed when she said, “I still have a few more questions for you, Iris.” “First I have a question of my own,” Iris said. “Why do you care so much? Yeah, I get it: Violet was your friend. But why couldn’t you just let yourself believe she killed herself and grieve like a normal fucking person?” With a grin, Iris said, “You wouldn’t be acting on a guilty conscience now, would you?” If she was being honest with herself, Jade had felt guilty ever since she first discovered magic was involved in Violet’s death. And now that she knew that Iris was the killer, that guilt had only doubled. Jade should have been able to sense her power; she’d sensed Applejack’s back in Oklahoma, after all. Perhaps she had sensed magic in Iris, but failed to identify it. Either way, Jade had remained blind to the threat, and her friend had paid the price. But Jade wouldn’t give Iris the satisfaction. “What the hell do I have to be guilty about?” Iris giggled sadistically. “She was in love with you, did you know that?” “That’s an absurd lie,” Jade said, but even to her own ears she didn’t sound too confident. She had always thought it peculiar how Violet always avoided the topic of romance when it came up, blushing and avoiding eye contact. And she never did tell her the name of the person she really liked. “Oh believe me, she wanted you bad. Too bad for her, you’re serious about that cute guy you’re engaged to.” Iris put a finger to her chin in mock thought. “I wonder if the realization you two would only ever be friends is what caused her to rebound so hard to me.” Then with a grin, Iris said, “So really, if you think about it, Violet’s death was as much your fault as it was mine!” Jade’s fists clenched hard enough for her nails to dig painfully into her skin, and Jade wanted nothing more in that moment than to punch this person she’d once thought was her friend right across the mouth. It was only the realization that Iris was likely egging her on—hoping for her to do something just like that—that stayed her hand. Still, Jade was angry enough that she did something she otherwise wouldn’t have considered. She pulled out her phone and showed the currently open “weather app” to Iris. “That’s enough, Iris. Your recorded confession should be enough to guarantee your arrest, but time enough for that later. First those questions I mentioned earlier. Namely, I wanna know how you acquired your powers, not to mention the knowledge to perform a magic ritual of this caliber,” Jade said, nodding to the arcane image of the magic circle. But Iris was staring right at the phone in Jade’s hand, her own hands trembling into closed fists. “You sneaky bitch!” Jade barely had time to realize Iris was losing it before the half-naked young woman lunged at her, pushing her against the wall with incredible strength and grabbing the phone from her hands. Jade let it go easily enough. She had planned for this possibility as well. “The recording of our talk automatically saved to my iCloud. It’s beyond your reach now.” Jade then held out her hand as Iris’ face grew pale. “So if you’d kindly give my phone back? It’s brand new.” Iris instead let the phone fall out of her hand onto the floor as she clutched her head, gently but persistently yanking at strands of her own hair as she said in a terrified whisper, “I screwed up….” “That’s putting it mildly,” Jade said dryly, but Iris just kept pacing the room, and something about how terrified she looked put Jade ill at ease. “I screwed up… I had one job and I screwed it up… oh God he’s going to be so mad at me… he’s going to be so mad….” Something in Jade’s stomach turned ice cold. “’He?’ Who’s ‘he?’” But Iris just continued like she couldn’t even hear her. “I failed him… I’m going to be punished….” The bad feeling in her gut growing, Jade took a step closer to the unstable woman. “Look, whoever you’re worried about, I can protect you from them. But first I need you to tell me everything.” “You can’t protect me…” Iris said, an unsettling smile growing on her face. She looked at Jade like her last hope for salvation. “But you can save me!” Then before Jade could react, Iris threw her hand forward and a dark, eldritch energy shot forth, picking up Jade and sending her flying backwards into the door. Jade felt it give way completely before the force of her body, and before she knew it Jade was lying in a heap in the middle of the party, with dozens of intoxicated university students looking down at her in bewilderment. Their faces matched how Jade felt at that moment. She had been ready for Iris to try something, but she wasn’t prepared for the sheer speed and accuracy of her spell. An amateur couldn’t have done that: Someone had trained her. Jade then felt black fingers close around her again, and she was lifted into the air. Iris stepped over the remains of the bedroom door, arm outstretched, her hand glowing with dark energy. All around them, the partygoers stepped back, gasping and muttering amongst themselves in shock. Jade tried to conjure up a spell of her own, but with a flick of her hand Iris sent her crashing into the ceiling, dislodging bits and pieces of drywall. Jade was vaguely aware that people were shrieking, but otherwise were frozen in place, too transfixed by the impossible scene to move. Iris’ eyes were wild, and Jade didn’t think there was a single trace left of the girl she thought she knew. “Yes, you can save me, Jade… all I have to do is deliver you to him, and all will be forgiven. Who knows? I might even be rewarded—ARGH!” Iris staggered forward from a vicious blow to the back of her head by a chair-wielding Code Breaker, who for his part looked utterly astonished at what he’d just done. Growling, the deranged young woman turned to face the young man holding up the remains of the wooden chair like a shield. “That fucking hurt, Creeper!” Iris thrust out her arm and another eldritch blast sent Code flying. He landed on the table on which moments ago several young students were playing beer pong, utterly destroying it with the force of his impact. Fortunately, the momentary distraction was just what Jade needed, and she cast a quick counter spell to dissolve the dark magic holding her in place. Sensing this, Iris turned away from Code as he lay groaning in the remains of the table. Jade wasted no time throwing her back with her own magic, and Iris hit the wall beside the bedroom doorframe like a wrecking ball, knocking one or two pictures from the walls. Iris didn’t even get back up before retaliating with a knife-like beam of pure energy, but Jade was ready for her this time, and held out both of her palms to absorb the blast in a magical shield. Jade then returned the energy to its sender, and Iris hit the same wall again with a cry of pain, dislodging even more rubble. Jade noticed a tinge of crimson was added to Iris’ purple hair, and knew she had to finish this now before the crazy girl ended up killing herself. “Yield, Iris. You don’t stand a chance. I have faced far more skilled warlocks than you.” For a moment, Iris seemed ready to raise her arm and strike again. But instead her limbs went slack, and she slumped to her knees. In the eerie silence that followed, Jade could hear faint rumbling outside. Evidently, a storm was coming. Allowing herself a breath of respite, Jade looked around, suddenly very worried about the sheer number of people around them seeing magic for the first time. She’d have to worry about what to do about that later. First, Jade went to Code. “You okay?” she asked him. Code sat up, but there was something about the way he looked at her… his face was haunted by what he’d seen. “What… what are you?” Jade tried to think of something, anything to tell him. “Still your friend, I hope,” was all she could think of. Then she went over to Iris. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Iris. How do you know magic?” “I’m from one of the Twelve Families of my Order. They taught me everything,” Iris answered, her voice small and defeated. But something about what she said sounded familiar, and Jade recalled the book she’d been reading just a couple of weeks ago. “The Ordo Duodecim?” Jade asked without realizing it. “They still exist?” Iris nodded. “They sent me here to watch you, Jade. He most of all wanted to keep tabs on you. Taking care of those runes in Oklahoma really got his attention.” The more Jade heard, the more unease filled her. “And who is ‘he?’” “The Grandmaster of our Order,” Iris whispered, like telling a terrible secret. “And does your Grandmaster have a name?” Jade asked. Iris looked at her as if the question had formed a second head on her shoulders. “He has many names, for he is Legion. H-his Eye sees all!” Then her eyes widened in terror. “Oh no… he’s already here!” Any follow up question Jade might have had was cut off by the sudden darkness that shrouded the room. Jade expected more panicked shrieks from the dozens of others all around them but heard nothing but the approaching thunder. Looking around in the dark, Jade noticed that every other body in the room was frozen in place. Unmoving. Unblinking. Even the particles of dust in the air were perfectly still. The only other movement came from Iris, who covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. Surrounded by the frozen, unseeing stares of all the others, Jade came to realize just how alone she and Iris suddenly were. “I-I’m sorry…” Iris sobbed. “I’m sorry, please forgive me.” “I don’t know that I can,” Jade said, but as a sinking feeling permeated her very being, she realized: Iris wasn’t talking to her. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry….” Chills ran down Jade’s spine. She and Iris weren’t alone. Someone else—something else—was now here with them. Jade couldn’t see them, but she was more sure of it than anything: Something dark was now here, standing in the shadows just beyond sight. “No please, please don’t! I’M SORRY—AAAAAAAAAAAGH” Iris’ pleading then became a shrill, agonized scream. With horror, Jade saw that the girl’s own fingers were slowly inserting themselves into her eyes, going deeper and deeper as Iris screamed. Jade tried to go to her, but found herself frozen. It wasn’t just fear that gripped her; some force blacker and more powerful than any she’d ever felt held her in place. She was just another living statue watching the horror show in the dark room. It seemed forever until Iris’ fingers were pulled free of her now empty sockets, tears of blood running down her cheeks. Lightning flashed angrily overhead (a manifestation of his anger, Jade thought), briefly illuminating Iris’ now mangled face, and for that brief moment Jade thought she saw that of an eyeless old man in place of Iris’ own. Then Iris stood. “P-please stop…” she pleaded as her body seemed to walk to the window of its own accord. Bracing her hands on either side of the window, Iris’ head slammed into the glass as hard as it could, causing cracks to spiderweb across the glass. Then it happened again. And again. Somehow, Jade conjured up enough will to break through the force holding her just enough to scream, “STOP!!!” And somehow, Iris’ body did stop. “I’m sorry…” she said softly, almost serenely, and this time Jade knew she was talking to her. Then with one final bash, Iris’ head went through the window, a long shard of glass going through her neck. For a while, Jade was trapped alone in the dark with Iris’ body, a few dozen frozen students, and him. The man in the dark was watching her now, wherever he was. Heart pounding in her chest, Jade waited for her own hands to make their way up to her eyes. Or for her body to start walking by itself to the window next to where Iris hung limply. Instead, the lights all came back on, and Jade was overwhelmed as the eerie quiet was replaced by heavy techno beats and dozens of intoxicated voices. “W-what…?” Jade muttered, breathlessly looking around in terrified confusion as the party carried on as if nothing had happened. Two groups of guys stood playing beer pong on the table that moments ago was crushed to splinters. The door Jade had been thrown through when Iris first attacked her was back on its hinges. All of the damage the house had received from the fight was gone without a trace of having ever been there. With trembling hands, Jade pulled out her phone and checked her recording of Iris’ confession. But no recording was there. “Jade?” Still shaking, Jade looked up to see Code standing there, looking at her with concern. “You okay?” Looking around again at the undisturbed party, Jade said, “You… don’t you remember? Iris, she….” But Code’s look of complete incomprehension told her everything she needed to know. “Who’s Iris?” Code asked. Everything about the party had been restored exactly the way it was… with the exception of Iris herself. She had been well and truly erased. Then Jade’s gaze fell on the flawless window, and she moved to take a closer look. Nothing seemed out of place… save for a single tiny red stain no bigger than a thumbprint. Suddenly Jade was short of breath, like she was being suffocated, and decided she couldn’t be in that house one minute more. So muttering an apology, Jade pushed past Code and left the house. Then she continued walking. It was a twenty-minute walk back to her residence. Jade made it back in fifteen. After ensuring her door was securely locked, Jade spent the rest of the night carefully crafting every protective ward she could think of, and casting it over her room. It was only as the first light of the morning sun started to arrive that Jade finally allowed herself to fall into uneasy sleep. Author's Note Tomorrow, the conclusion August 30 - Nightmares and Dreams Jade awoke alone in her dorm, short of breath and just short of screaming. She dreamed she was back at the party, trapped in the dark with dozens of other students. Trapped with him as he put on another horrifying show for her benefit. But this time it wasn’t Iris looking up at her with mangled eyes. Not Iris banging her head into the window over and over again. It was Braeburn. All at once she knew she had to call him. She had to know he was okay. So she pulled out her phone and opened FaceTime. She hesitated only once when she saw the time: 7:43 AM. Jade remembered it was Saturday, and wasn’t even sure he would be awake at this hour. Her heart fluttering, she started the call anyway. As luck would have it, he answered relatively quickly, and Jade felt more at ease when she saw his handsome green eyes and dirty blonde hair with amber highlights. “Morning, Brae,” she said with a tired smile. “Sorry, did I wake you?” Braeburn gave her the smile he seemed to always have just for her. “’Course not, hon. Grew up on a farm, remember? I’m used to getting up at the crack of dawn.” Then Braeburn’s smile started to drift away, and he studied her closer through the phone screen as he asked, “Is somethin’ wrong, Jade?” Trying her best to keep up her smile, Jade answered, “No, just… wanted to talk to you. How’s classes?” Braeburn’s skeptical look remained, and Jade realized she should’ve known better than to try and slip one past him. “Fine. Better than you look right now to be brutally honest. Jade, you look like you haven’t slept at all.” His skeptical expression became more pained. “Please… just tell me what’s wrong.” As she thought about everything from losing Violet to the horror she’d witnessed the night before, Jade couldn’t keep the hot tears from building up. Nor could she keep her voice from breaking as she finally answered, “It’s just… i-it’s been a really hard week….” Jade wiped at her eyes, and couldn’t see the sorrowful sympathy on her fiancé’s face as he asked, “You miss your friend, huh?” Sniffing loudly, Jade nodded. “You have no idea.” And Jade hoped it would stay that way. “I’m sorry, hon. Believe me, if I could I would climb right through this screen to hold you and make you breakfast.” The earnest sincerity in his eyes gave her the strength to smile. “I know, and I love you for it.” But her smile didn’t last. “I really wish you could be here too.” At that, Braeburn perked up. “Hey, that reminds me. It may be awhile, but in about a month I’m dropping my Friday ethics class for a different elective, and there’ll be a week that I have no classes on Friday. I was thinking I’d head down to visit you then. Spend the weekend together!” The smile that formed on Jade’s face was bigger than the last, and remained longer. “I’d love that.” “Well, I love you.” The two of them talked for several more minutes after that about nothing in particular, and when they at last hung up Jade already felt better than she had at any point during the entire week. At the very least, it gave her the strength to go through her morning routine and head down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Even so, the cold fear gently but persistently nagged at her. All throughout the uneasy night that she spent setting up magical wards around her room, Jade kept thinking about why she was the only one at the party who could remember the events of that night. At first she assumed that her inherent magical nature protected her from whatever mass memory wipe spell had been cast, but the dream that so violently awoke her that morning presented another possibility: That the man in the dark had wanted her to remember everything. That the whole night—and the dream that followed—served as a warning: Stay out of my way. Considering what she stood to lose, Jade was certainly tempted to obey. After all, she had left her life as a Magus of Equestria behind her. All she wanted now was to lead a normal life. She’d never asked to be Starswirl’s apprentice when she’d still lived in ancient Equestria. Hadn’t wanted fame or glory. In some way, ending up in the human world was the best thing to ever happen to her. Besides, what could someone like her do against such a powerful evil? Perhaps she could help, Jade thought. The daughter of Princess Celestia that Applejack spoke of. But time enough for that later. Jade had given Applejack the means to put this Sunset Shimmer in touch with her. No need for Jade to rush to find her without good reason. No, Jade would bide her time. Let the man in the dark think that she was cowed. And all the while she would research and plan. So Jade entered the barren cafeteria and grabbed herself some breakfast. Hours later, Jade found herself sitting in the park near the campus with another history book, remembering with sorrow that the last time she’d opened one like it was with Violet. At the very least, she was going to find out more about this Ordo Duodecim. “Jade, there you are!” Jade looked up, and saw Code Break approach her. Yet again she was struck by the sheer contrast between the man she saw now and the one she had known only days before. It wasn’t just that he’d given himself a cleaner appearance, his entire demeanor seemed much more confident now, and Jade couldn’t help but be reminded of Braeburn when he first started wearing contacts. “Hey Code, were you looking for me?” Nodding in affirmation, Code said, “Wanted to make sure you were okay. You left the party in a pretty big hurry last night. Looked like you were sick to your stomach.” “I’m fine now, I think,” Jade answered, giving him a reassuring smile. “Must have just been something I ate.” Code nodded and “hmm’ed” before saying, “Actually, I also kind of wanted to thank you.” “Thank me? What for?” With a smile, Code said, “Well… I guess for everything. I know that things have been hard for you lately, so the fact that you took the time to help me on top of all that…. Well, it was very selfless.” Jade was puzzled. “Sorry Code, but remind me… what exactly did I do to help you?” “Listened to me vent, for one.” With a bitter laugh, Code added, “Funny, isn’t it? You were one of Violet’s best friends, and the guy who barely knew her was the emotional wreck. I’m sorry about that, by the way. That was probably the last thing you needed to deal with.” “No, it’s okay. We all deal with our grief differently.” “But it wasn’t just that,” Code went on. “You also told me some things that I think I needed to hear. It might have been nothing to you, but our talk really motivated me to turn my life around.” “Well, I can’t take all the credit,” Jade said with a smile. “You’re the one who went and improved yourself!” Code rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah. It’s still a long road ahead, I think. I still have a hard time talking to most people, but again, you helped me a lot. Taking me with you to the party was definitely a step in the right direction I think.” With a teasing grin, Jade said, “You seem to be doing just fine talking to me.” Returning her grin with an awkward one of his own, Code said, “Well… I guess I find it easier to talk to a friend.” Shortly after that Code told her he had to go, and as Jade watched him go she realized that perhaps one good thing had come of the last week after all. The rest of Saturday passed relatively quietly. Jade passed it reading mostly school assignments, trying to put everything that happened out of her mind for now. She ended up going out for dinner with Sandstone and his friends, who made sure to apologize for not returning her messages. By the time it was finished she was beat, and headed back to her dorm for an early night. She half expected more nightmares as she drifted off to sleep, but was blessed with a very soothing dream. She was talking with Shrinking Violet the way they always used to about this, that, and the other. Assignments, the Canterlot nobility. Cute boys, cute girls, the state of Equestria’s foreign relations. For a while, Jade believed this was the waking world, and that everything that had transpired over the last week was just a bad dream. At some point though, Jade remembered where she really was and frowned. “Is something wrong, my little pony?” Violet asked with Queen Faust’s voice, and Jade knew she was talking to both of them at once, with that weird logic that could only exist in dreams. Thus, Jade’s answer was for them both. “I just miss you, is all.” “Then linger here a little longer. There’s still time.” Jade’s problems in the waking world nagged at her mind, but the friend sitting across from her smiled. “You need not fear the man in the dark. He is not yet ready to make his next move, and in the end you cannot be the one to stop him.” Jade had many questions of course, but Braeburn was there now and suddenly they didn’t seem all that important. She lay with him for who knew how long—in dreams time mattered not—until his arms started to take on the texture of bed sheets; of the bed sheets in her dorm bunk. Jade fought it even as the rest of the room started to appear in her mind’s eye—not ready to leave just yet. “All dreams must end eventually, my little pony,” Faust’s voice was faint now, but was still clear and comforting. “But fortunately, so do all nightmares.” Then Jade awoke, surprised to find herself feeling refreshed and… peaceful. That morning she knew that come what may, she would be ready for it. Author's Note And so this story comes to a close, but Jade's story is far from over. Until next time!
August 18 - Déjà vu At the front of the classroom, the professor continued his lecture, but Jade Lily did not hear him. Something’s different…. Once again that day, Jade was wracked by another surreal, overwhelming sense of déjà vu. It had started early Saturday morning, when the feeling had been so powerful it had actually roused her from her sleep. Somehow, ever since that moment, Jade felt that the entire world was different somehow. Yet at the same time… it was not. In those bleary-eyed early hours of the morning, Jade had chalked it up to nothing but frayed nerves after her first week of University, but now Jade was convinced: There was powerful magic at work here. “Jade?” Her friend’s voice brought her back to reality (whatever that might be now). “You coming?” Jade blinked. Somehow, class was already over, and students were filing out of the room. Shrinking Violet stood just beside her, looking mildly anxious. Of course, Violet was always mildly anxious about something, but this time Jade thought it might actually be warranted. “You feeling okay, Jade?” Violet asked. “You’ve been spacing out a lot today.” “I’m fine,” Jade answered, brushing aside a lock of her long mauve and lavender hair. “I’m just tired.” It wasn’t necessarily a lie, and the yawn that followed was genuine enough, so Violet simply nodded as Jade put her books away and stood to accompany her out the door. It had only been about a week since Jade started her first semester at Michigan Tech, but already she knew she would have a lifelong friend in Violet. The two of them had hit it off almost immediately when they met in their first period class. Perhaps a part of it was they were two of the only black girls in their focus, but Jade soon found out the two of them had a lot in common. Violet was a brilliant and creative young woman with frameless glasses and soft red hair cut short, and had worked very hard through high school to get into MTU. Despite the girl’s very prevalent social anxiety, Jade had managed to get her to open up a little about herself, and had since discovered they shared a certain degree of homesickness. Violet had spent much of her childhood growing up in New Orleans, that is until Hurricane Katrina came through. Having completely lost their home, Violet and her family had moved to Detroit to live with her aunt and uncle. Although they had been accommodating enough, Violet still missed the friends and the life left behind in New Orleans. Without elaborating, Jade had told Violet that she could empathize with that. After all, the pain of being unable to return home—and that even if she did, it wouldn’t be the same—was one Jade was all too familiar with. Jade brushed aside those rather depressing thoughts, choosing instead to enjoy the home and friends she had now. She pulled out her phone and her heart skipped a beat when she saw a new alert: A message from Braeburn. It was nothing more than a simple check to see how she was doing, but any message from the love of her life gave her butterflies. “So, what are you doing for lunch, Jade?” Violet asked. “Iris and I wanted to check out that new burrito place that opened up down the street,” Jade said as she replied to Braeburn’s message. Violet seemed somewhat disappointed, and if Violet had wanted to eat with her, Jade could guess why. Her roommate in residence, Iris Nightshade, had what could generously be described as a very… outgoing personality. One that often set her at odds with Jade’s much more timid friend. So it was a surprise when Violet said, “Mind if I tag along?” At Jade’s surprised look, Violet folded her arms. “What? I can handle a little teasing from your roommate.” “I just thought you would have wanted to have lunch with Sandstone and the others,” Jade said with a shrug. Apparently, Sandstone and Violet had been friends since high school, and were all part of a very diverse little group of friends. It was easy to miss the way Violet’s folded arms shifted ever so slightly so that she was hugging herself. “Nah, things have been kind of weird between us lately.” “What happened?” Jade asked. Sucking in a breath, Violet answered, “He asked me out.” It took a second for Jade to process this. “Oh.” After giving it more thought, Jade said, “Well, seems like a good guy. You don’t at least want to give it a chance?” Violet looked away. “He’s… let’s just say he’s not really my type.” Violet’s face then turned an interesting shade of red. “Besides… I kinda like somebody else….” Jade raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Who is it?” But Violet kept staring at the ground, her voice even smaller now than it had been. “Doesn’t really matter.” Then gesturing to the promise ring on Jade’s finger, she said, “Not all of us can be as lucky in love as you, Jade. I don’t have a chance with them….” “Not with that attitude you don’t!” said a new voice in a lighthearted teasing tone, and Violet jumped in alarm as another girl approached. “Just get some lacy underwear, invite them over and show them what it looks like on you. That usually works for me!” “Hey Iris,” Jade greeted, and braced herself for an over enthusiastic hug. Iris Nightshade was an exceptionally attractive young woman with a lot of love to give, and was well on her way to building a reputation of giving it very freely. “Jade. Is Mumbles there coming with us for burritos?” Iris asked when she broke the hug. “As long as you keep the teasing to a minimum,” Jade said sternly. “Of course! You know it’s all in good fun, right?” Just then, Jade remembered something. “Oh! I actually need to return a book to the library. Mind if I do that real quick before we go?” “What book?” Violet asked curiously. Seeing no harm in it (after all, she didn’t have to explain why she had taken it out), Jade pulled out the book in question. “Religious Cults Through the Ages?” “Jade, why are you reading about cults?” Iris asked curiously. “You can’t deny this sort of stuff’s kinda fascinating,” Jade said, deliberately avoiding giving her a real answer. After all, how was she to explain that she came from a dimension where she was a magical unicorn, and that she was searching for evidence of somepony using her mentor’s mirror portal without his knowledge? “For instance, there was this one group called Ordo Duodecim said to have operated all around Rome and Europe as far back as Julius Caesar’s time. Executed a lot of people. Some real Illuminati shit...although obviously they existed before the real Illuminati.” Violet rubbed an arm uncomfortably. “Eesh. History is so… scary.” Iris was quiet for some time before saying, “Welp, just make sure you don’t drink the Kool-Aid, okay, Jade?” Jade laughed. “Yeah, I’ll be careful. In the meantime, can I trust you to behave yourself around Violet while I return this?” “I’ll do more than merely behave.” Iris put an arm around Violet and smiled. “I’m going to completely steal your best friend while you’re gone.” Seeing Violet’s own vaguely uncomfortable smile, Jade said, “Good luck with that,” before heading into the library. She returned the book without incident, and was surprised to see upon her return that Iris and Violet were actually talking quite amicably. Iris gave her a triumphant grin when she saw her, and Jade couldn’t help but grin back. Even so, as she, Violet, and Iris went off to eat, Jade had an inexplicable bad feeling. She didn’t notice the male figure follow her out of the library, watching the trio of girls go through spectacled eyes curtained by long black hair. That night, Jade went to bed still feeling the strange coming and going sensation of déjà vu that she’d felt throughout the day. It was becoming more than just surreal now—it was becoming unsettling. So as luck would have it, when Jade finally drifted off into slumber, she dreamed a most comforting dream of someone she had not seen in a very long time. A woman appeared before her in the dream wearing simple attire, her hair as red as lifeblood. It was only as her hands started to glow—weaving together invisible broken threads—that Jade realized it was her liegelady: Queen Faust of Equestria—regent of her home as it was when she still lived there. Jade called out to her, but the ancient queen was too preoccupied with her work. Finally, the alicorn in human form took notice of Jade and smiled. “It’s good to see you’ve made a fulfilling life for yourself despite the injustice you have suffered, my little pony,” Faust said, and Jade’s heart swelled at the familiar old term of endearment. “But your faith is soon to be tested. Much hardship lies ahead of you; revelations to shatter all you know as truth.” At that, the old queen’s countenance grew sad. “I only wish there was more I could do to prepare you for what lies ahead.” Jade was speechless. She had dreamed of her world many times before. Seen Queen Faust, her parents, and her mentor, Starswirl the Bearded. But never before had any of them seemed as real as Faust had been in that dream. “I don’t understand,” Jade had told her after a time. Faust had only looked at her with sad, resigned eyes. “You will,” she said, like it was the most terrible thing she could imagine. Though Jade didn’t know it, the revelations Faust spoke of would not come to pass until early in the following year. But the catalyst to those events would take place the very next week. Author's Note For the unaware, Jade Lily first appeared in 7DSJ: The Apple Tree. Stay tuned for a new chapter every day!
August 25 - Something Wrong Jade Lily awoke with a start in the darkness of her dorm room. Something’s wrong. Pushing aside a mop of lavender and mauve hair, she rolled over and grabbed her phone, checking the time. Ten past four. She still had three more hours before she had to be up to get ready for classes. Yet try as she might, she couldn’t get back to sleep. The same queer feeling that had awakened her in the first place persisted. In many ways, the feeling was similar to the dream of Queen Faust that she’d had the week before. But this feeling was different. It wasn’t déjà vu that Jade felt now, but a much darker sense of dread—a deep pit in her stomach that sent alien chills all throughout her body. For some reason, Jade was suddenly compelled to check on her roommate. She wasn’t sure why, but she half expected to find Iris Nightshade lying dead in the bunk next to her, or some terrible monster lying in her place. Instead, Jade found neither. Iris’s bunk was empty, as it so often was on nights that the rather amorous girl decided to spend in bed with some guy (or occasionally girl). Trying to push the unexplained dark feelings away, Jade tried to get back to sleep, and eventually managed to get a couple more hours of uneasy rest before her phone’s seven o’clock alarm went off. Groaning, Jade climbed out of bed and set about her morning routine of showering, getting dressed, and applying the minimum makeup required for her to look like she’d managed to get a decent night’s sleep. It was still early enough when she got down to the cafeteria that it was still relatively quiet, with only a few groups of other Michigan Tech students sleepily getting through the morning. Jade didn’t see any of her friends among them, so after grabbing herself a breakfast consisting of eggs, toast, and bacon (something that she’d acquired a taste for since living as a human), Jade found herself a nice empty table in a quiet corner of the cafeteria and began to eat. As she did so, Jade reached into her bag and pulled out a book: A History of Equestria, by Time Passages. It was a gift she’d received from her soon-to-be cousin in law, Applejack, who got it from a friend who was apparently in a very similar situation to Jade herself. It was a convenient way for Jade to keep up to date on how her old homeworld had progressed in the millennia that she’d missed, but more and more she found herself going back to the accounts of Equestria’s older history—of things that had happened during her time. Something about the familiarity was comforting. “Heya, roomie,” a voice called out, and Jade looked up to see her roommate take a seat across from her with her own tray of food. “Morning, Iris,” Jade greeted. She didn’t bother trying to hide the book from Iris. As far as her roommate knew, it was just a fantasy book about fantasy creatures. Jade had even let Iris read it, and had been surprised when the girl who only seemed to care about sex and drinking became very interested in it. Iris looked to have indulged in plenty of both the other night, yet by all appearances she seemed more refreshed than Jade felt at that moment. The smile Iris wore was serene and satisfied. “I take it you had a good night?” Jade asked. “Mmm,” Iris moaned into her breakfast. “It was everything I was hoping for and more. I feel like a new woman!” “You think this one’s gonna be serious?” Jade asked. She didn’t resent Iris for her more… free-spirited lifestyle, even if it wasn’t for her. After all, Iris was considerate enough not to bring anyone over to their room while Jade was there. Even still, Jade thought Iris might be happier with a more committed relationship. “Will what be serious?” Iris asked, looking slightly confused. “This guy you’re sleeping with,” Jade said. “Or is it a girl?” For some reason, Iris tensed up and looked down at her hands. “Nah, this was more of a one-time thing….” Jade nodded and got back to her breakfast. “So, you coming to Hotshot’s new house-warming party next Friday?” Iris asked. Someone shrieking somewhere outside momentarily distracted Jade. Sheesh, it is way too early in the morning for whatever nonsense they’re up to. “No, Violet and me were gonna hang out,” Jade answered, resolutely ignoring the noise. “She’s helping me study for a test on Monday.” Iris tensed again and chewed her lip. “Wouldn’t you rather go to a fun party with your fun roommate? Mumbles wouldn’t know a good time if it hit her.” “Iris, I told you: Shrinking Violet is my friend, and I don’t appreciate you calling her names.” Besides, Jade thought Violet and Iris had been getting along great lately. But Iris only shrugged. “Just saying, that girl’s going to die a virgin. Unless….” Then with a wiggle of her eyebrows, Iris added, “Gonna be a lot of cute guys at this party. Who knows? Maybe both of you could get lucky!” Somebody else screamed outside, and Jade found herself growing impatient. “First of all, Violet hates those kinds of parties. Secondly….” Jade held up her hand, showing Iris the engagement ring on her finger. “I’m engaged, remember?” Iris sighed. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just….” She then put a hand on her roommate’s own and squeezed. “I’m just trying to look out for you, Jade. College is supposed to be a time for you to experiment—to find yourself. It’s great that you’ve got your highschool sweetheart, it really is. But I don’t want you to miss out on getting the full University experience. You’re only young once, girl!” Jade smiled. “I appreciate the thought, Iris, but I’m happy with the experience I have now.” Her answer didn’t really seem to make Iris happy, but she nonetheless smiled and nodded. She then looked off at something just behind Jade and frowned. “Uh oh, watch out. Creeper at four o’clock,” Iris warned in a low voice, gesturing with her head in the relevant direction. Following where Iris indicated, Jade looked over her shoulder and saw a familiar pale face curtained by long dark hair, his reedy body covered by a raggy black jacket. Code Break was a boy in her and Violet’s English elective. One whose presence Jade could usually sense when the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. Indeed, the only interaction Jade ever had with the strange young man was the times she caught him staring at her with an intense concentration. As a fairly attractive young woman, Jade had noticed her fair share of guys checking her out throughout her life both as a human and even a pony. But at least all of those other guys had the decency to pretend that they weren’t ogling her when she looked their way. “Wonder what he thinks is gonna happen if he just keeps staring at you,” Iris mused. Getting a little tired of his lurking herself, Jade turned in her seat to face the dark young man fully. “Can we help you?” she asked dryly, allowing herself to go full “sassy black woman” for just a moment. Code froze like a deer caught in a car’s headlights before turning tail and skulking back to whatever hole he liked to hide in. Jade turned back to Iris, ready with a dry remark when another shriek drew her attention. A moderately sized crowd was gathering out the window back over by the residence building. “Someone call the cops! Now!” “What the hell’s going on out there?” Jade asked, standing to get a better look. “Probably nothing. A stupid prank or something maybe,” Iris said, taking another bite of her breakfast. Jade didn’t think it was nothing. Something’s wrong. There was a dark energy in the air. A feeling much like the one that had awoken her in the early hours of the morning. Before she knew it, Jade’s feet were taking her to the cafeteria entrance. “Jade, c’mon! Don’t get involved in whatever bullshit’s going on out there! You remember what happened the first day we were here, right? Those morons pretended there was a zombie invasion and you got suckered into it!” Jade brushed that off; given that Braeburn was a fan of zombie horror, she should’ve known better—the first thing she’d thought of when she’d heard the word “zombies” was the zebra bokor she and Starswirl had fought who’d raised a modest army of undead with his voodoo magic. “C’mon, Jade. If you go now I got dibs on your leftover bacon!” But this time, Jade just ignored her, being drawn to the scene outside as if by some force. Something like magic. That last time didn’t have the same feel—this, despite Iris’ protestations, wasn’t the same thing. She knew it. Soon Jade found herself approaching the crowd. They were all looking at something on the ground right beside the building. People were crying. One guy backed away and vomited on the nearby grass. One girl held a hand over her mouth and just kept repeating, “Oh my God oh my God oh my God….” Jade pushed her way through the crowd, and her heart stopped when she saw what they were all looking at. Shrinking Violet lay in a mangled heap on the pavement, her neck bent back at an unnatural angle, and her dead eyes looking up at nothing. Jade lost the strength to stand and fell to her knees, her chest shuddering with sobs. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that before the sound of sirens brought her back to reality. Then someone gently took her by the arm—MTU campus police—and started helping her to her feet. “W-what happened to her?” Jade heard herself ask. “She jumped. I’m sorry,” the officer said. “C’mon. We need to make room for the investigation.” As Jade was about to allow herself to be led away from the horrible scene, something strange suddenly caught her eye. Both of Violet’s wrists had been opened at the vein… but only a small amount of blood had formed underneath her. How could she have jumped… when she’d already been bled dry?
August 28 - Erased Standing on the threshold of Shrinking Violet’s dorm room, Jade Lily tried to temper the warring emotions within her. It was an uphill battle. It had been three days since the tragedy that claimed the life of her friend. What disturbed Jade the most was just how quickly life at Michigan Tech returned to normal. Sure, there had been some talk of the girl who jumped from the roof of the residence building, but now it was like nothing had ever happened. Violet’s roommate now had a replacement, and every topic of conversation had moved on to the next big scandals: who was sleeping together, who had broken up, and what assignments the professors had them doing. It was like Violet wasn’t merely dead: She had been erased. Well, not if I have anything to say about it. Jade composed herself and with a wave of her hand, magically unlocked the door to what had once been her friend’s dorm. Jade had been talking to the new occupants of Violet’s room, and had made sure they would both be elsewhere for the next couple of hours. She had some investigating to do. The official police statement on Shrinking Violet’s death had been that it was a suicide. The police had backed that up with the scars on her wrists: evidence of self-harm, they said. But Jade knew Violet. She was a quiet and nervous girl—a true sufferer of social anxiety if Jade had ever seen it—but once she got past her walls and Violet allowed herself to open up, what Jade saw was a girl with a passion for learning. A girl dreaming to be a game programmer at a large company like Ubisoft or Naughty Dog, and who had the raw talent and drive to pursue it. A girl who loved Broadway musicals and cheesy old movies. A girl whose light would tragically never shine on the world again. So Jade was determined to shine twice as brightly for her. Because she knew there was no way Violet had killed herself. There was just too much that didn’t add up. Jade had already snuck up onto the roof where Violet had supposedly jumped, but found no trace of anything suspicious. That in itself seemed suspicious to Jade, and now she found herself in her friend’s old dorm. The myriad of posters for various Broadway productions had been removed, and Violet’s organized clutter had been cleared. The bathroom cupboards were emptied of the sizable amount of anxiety medication (enough to provide a comfortably fatal overdose, had Violet truly been of a mind to kill herself). These too had been erased, and the room looked completely different from the one Jade had spent many nights in. Studying for exams, watching movies on a small laptop screen, talking, laughing. Jade quickly blinked the building tears away. She promised to let them come later, after she was done with this. She methodically searched the room front to back, removing items before carefully returning them to their place. After thinking for some time that her search would yield nothing, she finally spotted it: a tiny stain no bigger than a thumbprint in the far corner of the room. The stain was brown and faded—easily blending in with the others of its kind throughout the entire residence. Hand glowing with arcane power, Jade knelt by the tiny speck and sent forth a spell. A soft ping rang through her mind, confirming what Jade suspected: It was blood. Another spell, this one taking longer, analyzed the blood, and when it was finished, Jade’s mind was filled with images of a pretty young woman with dark skin, short red hair and a shy face adorned with large glasses. It was Violet’s blood. The next spell Jade cast was one of her own design. She first got the idea for it watching some police drama with Braeburn. The perpetrator in a murder case on the show had meticulously cleaned the blood away from the scene of the crime, so the officers had used a chemical called luminol to reveal an area where blood had been. After careful study of the exact mix of chemicals in the compound (and wasn’t the internet a marvelous invention?), Jade was able to craft a light spell that would create a chemiluminescent reaction to traces of blood similar to luminol. At the time it had merely been an experiment of curiosity. Jade never thought she would actually use it for something like this. As she feared, when Jade cast the spell—coating the room in a soft blue light—the thumbprint sized stain on the floor became a massive blob glowing a bright blue. Like the TV criminal, Violet’s killer had carefully cleaned up after themselves. Jade spotted another luminescent blue blob in the corner across from the first, but apart from that, the room was clean. Then Jade noticed the carpet. More big blue blobs seemed to spiderweb out of it, like the carpet was at the epicenter of an explosion of glowing goo. So, with a wave of her hand, Jade called forth a simple levitation spell to remove the carpet. Jade’s arms fell slack and the carpet slumped dully to the floor when she saw what it hid. Oh Faust, it’s worse than I thought, Jade thought with dismay as she looked at the very clearly runic patterns in the glowing blue. The fact they were showing up so clearly through Jade’s “luminol spell” meant that they had been etched into the floor before Violet’s blood was spilled. The purpose of the runes was all too clear, and all of a sudden, Iris’ words from the week before echoed in Jade’s mind. That girl’s going to die a virgin. What Iris couldn’t have known, of course, was that Violet would die because she was a virgin. All at once the terrible ramifications of this discovery began to play out in Jade’s mind. There’s another magic user in Michigan Tech. Human? The runes almost look Equestrian. Will they try to kill again? Jade nearly gasped out loud when she heard the doorknob start to turn. At first she thought that the residents of the dorm were back early, and she hastily dispelled her luminol spell and replaced the carpet before pressing her back to the wall, activating a simple invisibility spell. But the doorknob kept fidgeting, and Jade realized that the real residents of this room wouldn’t be having this much trouble gaining entry. Finally the door was forced open, and Jade’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of the dark figure that entered. Of course… it only made sense that it would be him. The black-clad young man with horn-rimmed glasses and long, greasy looking black hair was always watching them in their English elective, wasn’t he? Jade had always thought he was staring at her all that time, but now she knew the truth. Code Break would always leave shortly after Violet; it was her he’d always been staring at. Her he was always behind—Violet’s slimy shadow. Jade held her breath as Code silently closed the door behind him, taking one last peek into the hall to make sure he hadn’t been followed. Then Jade was upon him. Dispelling her invisibility, Jade lunged forward, grabbing Code by the collar and slamming him hard against the wall right next to the door. “Why in Faust’s name do you trespass here, miscreant?!” In her passion, Jade slipped partially back to her Old Equestrian dialect. “J-Jade?” The man stared at her wide-eyed, his long black hair partially obscuring his face. “What are you doing here?” “I could ask the same of you!” Jade spat, making a point to correct her earlier slip. “Returning to the scene of your crime?” “What?! Are you insane?!” The genuine shock in his voice momentarily gave Jade pause. “Explain yourself!” “I-I’m here because I want answers,” Code said quietly. “I don’t believe Violet killed herself. She wasn’t suffering from depression like everyone seemed to think. She still had so much she wanted to do!” His answer took Jade aback. “How do you know that?” “We’re in the same class, remember? I heard all of your conversations with her.” Then to Jade’s surprise, Code’s eyes started to fill with tears. “Truth is… I really liked her. Always wanted to talk to her… to ask her out. But… every time I tried, I-I freaked out. Too many traumatic experiences in high school, I guess.” Then Code broke down sobbing, and Jade could only let go of his collar and take a step back. “M-maybe if I wasn’t such a fucking coward, things would be different. Maybe she’d even still be alive….” As the incredibly strange young man before her continued his pitiful sobs, Jade could only stand there. It took her awhile to figure out what to say. “Alright, I’m sorry. Guess I misjudged you, Code,” she finally said. “And don’t blame yourself for what happened to her.” Jade looked down at the rug, guilt rushing through her. It was a magic user that had killed her. Jade was probably the only person in this half of the country that could have saved Violet. “If anyone failed her, it was me.” Code looked at her quizzically, but Jade didn’t elaborate. How could she? “So how did you get in here, anyway?” she asked, hoping that doing so would make him forget about her earlier statement. Code pulled out a key card in answer. It was the same size as the ones used to enter the dorms. “I made this,” he sniffed. “Programmed it with a code of my own design to bypass the locks.” Jade took the offered card and gave it a look. “Huh. Pretty impressive.” She then turned her scrutinizing stare Code’s way. “You haven’t been using it to break into other people’s dorms, have you?” “Of course not! I made it specifically for this occasion. I don’t plan on using it again either.” Jade gave the card back, and after taking it, Code nervously ran a hand through his long hair. “So uh, I take it you came here for the same reason as me, huh?” Jade nodded, and Code asked, “Find anything?” For one brief moment, Jade considered telling him about the cleaned bloodstains, but that would lead to more questions she didn’t feel like answering. “No. Place is clean.” Looking disappointed, Code sighed. “Figures. Can’t even do anything right for her after she’s gone.” “Y’know, if that little magic card of yours is anything to go by, you’re a pretty talented guy, Code,” Jade said. “If you cleaned up your act a little—y’know, actually went through with talking to girls instead of staring creepily at them from a distance—there’s lots of girls here that would be willing to give you a chance.” At that, Code actually smiled, his pale complexion turning a faint red. “Heh. Thanks, but… I don’t know. Not yet anyway. Violet was…. There’s not anyone else like her.” Jade let out a sad sigh. “Yeah, you’re right about that.” “I probably never had a chance with her anyways. From the looks of it, she preferred girls.” Jade blinked. Violet never actually told her about who it was she liked. “Um… how do you figure?” “I saw her making out with a girl late one night in the common area,” Code answered, blushing even more. “I, uh… was trying to mind my own business, I swear!” “Huh. She never told me she was seeing someone.” “It happened pretty recently. It, uh… looked like her first time.” “Huh.” Jade was ready to leave it at that, but then a terrible thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait, how recently was this?” “About three or four days ago,” Code answered, before giving a slight gasp. “Oh God… it might actually have been the night before she died!” “Did she and this other girl leave together?” Code nodded, then his face went even paler than usual. “Wait… y-you don’t think…?” “Code, do you remember what this other girl looked like?” “N-not really. Her back was to me and she was wearing a hat. Could have been anyone.” Jade was unable to hide the disappointed frown. “And you didn’t hear a name?” Code shook his head. “She had a real distinct voice, though. Kinda husky. I’d definitely know it if I heard it again.” “Hmm….” The trouble would be finding this mystery girl. Fortunately, the makings of a plan started to form in Jade’s head. “Hey Code, how’d you like to be my date for Hotshot’s party tomorrow?” Author's Note It's going to be one hell of a party...
August 29 - Party As heavy techno beats shook the walls of the house, Jade stood with a red cup full of beer, just another face in the crowd. Just moments ago she’d politely but firmly turned down Hotshot, who was already a few beers deep and seemed oblivious to the ring on her finger. All around her were other people she knew from school; people she talked and joked with during and between classes. It was hard to imagine any one of them could be a killer. Violet’s killer might not even be here, Jade thought. It was very tempting to just allow herself to think that. To simply let the whole investigation go and just enjoy a night of drinking with friends. But she couldn’t do that. Otherwise, Shrinking Violet would be well and truly erased. “Oooh, I don’t know if I can do this…” Code Break muttered beside her. Jade looked over at her “date” for the night, and once again was baffled at just how different the man standing next to her was now. Code had taken her advice to clean up his act very liberally. His formerly greasy long hair now looked thoroughly washed and he wore it back in a ponytail. He wore a relatively handsome button-up shirt rather than his usual dark rags, and even his complexion seemed more full of color. He held another red cup in his hand that was still very full. Jade gave him an encouraging smile. “It’ll be alright, Code. If the murderer is here, she probably won’t try anything with this many people around.” Code returned her smile with a much more nervous one of his own. “At this point, I’d honestly take a confrontation with a murderer alone over this.” A loud cheer sounded from where a beer pong game was being played across the room, and Code fully recoiled as if he were suddenly in the path of a lion. “Large crowds and loud rooms… not my forte!” Code released a shuddering sigh. “And I don’t know how in the world I’m gonna start a conversation with a girl without making a fool of myself.” Jade put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “Code, trust me: Nothing you could say will freak them out more than just staring creepily at them from a distance.” Code had the decency to look thoroughly embarrassed. “Touché.” Jade, meanwhile, took another look around the crowded room. She had been thinking a lot about this over the past couple of days. Whoever killed Violet must have been someone she knew and trusted enough to take back to her room. There weren’t many people at school who met that description. Jade spotted the few that did sitting around a table in the corner: Sandstone and his friends. Just about all of them had become pretty reclusive since she died, barely even responding to Jade’s attempts to reach out. Jade had thought it was just grief over their friend, but now she had to wonder…. Could there be more than one murderer? “Hey Jade! Decided to come after all?” Her roommate’s voice preemptively interrupted Jade from suggesting Code investigate Sandstone and the others, and Jade forced a smile on her face as Iris approached. “Yeah, thought this might be just what I need after the past week.” Iris wore a small yellow hat over her shoulder-length purple hair, making Jade think of a flower. Her extremely tight baby blue shorts that left very little to the imagination made it clear she hoped to be “pollinated.” But her otherwise sultry look gave way to one of sympathy. “What happened with Violet has been hard on you, huh? For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. Despite all my teasing, I did kind of like her.” “Thanks,” was all Jade could think to say. Iris’ gaze then fell on Code Break, and after a few moments of careful scrutiny, her eyes widened with recognition. “Creeper?” “It’s Code Break, actually,” her date responded, clearing his throat and offering his hand. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure, Ms. Nightshade.” Iris took his hand eagerly enough, eyes lidded seductively as her voice turned husky. “Well not yet, Codey, but the night is still young! Anything could happen….” Code’s entire posture went rigid, and Iris laughed. “What’s wrong? Never had a girl flirt with you before?” She gave him a sweet smile, bringing her face closer and closer to his. “It’s okay, there’s no shame in that. Honestly… I kinda like virgins.” Just when their faces seemed close enough to kiss, Iris pulled away. “Come find me later if you want to have some fun, Codey.” With that, Iris left, adding just a hint of extra sway in her hips. Jade only smiled and shook her head. “Well, if nothing else comes of tonight, at least you might get some experience out of it!” But Code remained stock still, his wide eyes following after Iris. That’s not a look of a nervous boy around a pretty girl, Jade realized, and then with horror it dawned on her what it could only have meant. “Code?” she asked. “Is Iris…?” Code looked at her soberly. “She used the same line on Violet.” Jade was about to ask which line he was referring to when it hit her. I kinda like virgins. And now, Jade knew why. Her mind racing, Jade watched as Code Break executed his part of the plan. He was currently talking to Iris, letting her believe that he was interested in her offer from earlier. All the while, Jade was at war with herself. In spite of all of their differences, Jade really did consider Iris a friend. She wanted nothing more than to believe that she was innocent, and that she and Code were on completely the wrong track. But she knew the dangers if they were right. She could have spent an entire semester sharing a room with a killer—a potentially magic one to boot. She couldn’t just pretend that this was nothing. She needed answers, and one way or another, she was going to get them. In a few more minutes, Iris left and Code Break approached her. “Okay, she should be waiting for me in the bedroom.” Frowning, he added, “I still don’t like this, Jade. Are you sure you’re going to be alright alone with her?” With a confident smile, Jade said, “Trust me, I’ve been in way more dangerous situations.” Code didn’t need to know that said situations included battles with warlocks, lesser dragons, and a sphinx. “If you say so. Still, maybe we should wait to confront her until we’re more prepared?” In all honesty, Jade had thought about that too, albeit for different reasons than Code was likely considering. If Iris really was a magic user, she might do some serious damage if she decided to be uncooperative… and there were a lot of people at this party. However, Jade ultimately decided it was a risk she’d have to take. “What if while we’re waiting for the right time to confront her she decides to kill again? She has a lot of potential victims to choose from at this party.” And if Jade was right about Iris’s motive for murdering Violet, letting her get even one more kill would make her much harder to deal with. “Right. Like me,” Code said with a nervous swallow. Jade nodded. “You just keep an eye on the door. Make sure nobody else tries to get in while we’re talking.” Then Jade pulled out her phone and opened an app she had downloaded for this exact occasion. The app had originally been developed as a tool for victims of domestic abuse. Designed to look like nothing more than a weather app, it was actually a way to discreetly record conversations to catch the abuser red handed. “Alright, wish me luck!” At that, Code leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “For luck!” Perhaps Jade would have objected to such a bold action under any other circumstance, but now the almost romantic gesture worked wonders to alleviate some of the anxious tension building inside her. Jade gave him a grin, then steeled herself for what needed to be done. Weaving between groups of loudly drunk university students, Jade made her way to the bedroom door and took a breath. Knowing that she would never be more ready than she was at that moment, Jade turned the knob and went in. Iris was reclined on the bed in a deliberately provocative way, having discarded her shirt and extremely tight shorts so that only lacy black underwear barely covered her. Outside the room, the party was muffled as it went on. For a moment, Iris’s brow furrowed when she saw Jade enter instead of Code, but just as quickly she regained her usual sensuality. “Heh, wasn’t expecting to see you walk in. If you were looking to explore your sexuality a bit, you could have just asked me directly. No need to go through Creeper out there!” Jade simply shut the door behind her. “We need to talk, Iris.” Her roommate wasn’t quite sober enough to be able to hide the sudden concern on her face, and to Jade, that was a confession in itself. “You and Violet were together right before she died, weren’t you?” Jade asked firmly. “W-where exactly did you get that idea?” “Don’t lie to me, Iris. Were you with her?” Iris folded her arms across her chest and returned Jade’s firm glare with a much more indignant one of her own. “So what if I was? Last I checked, it isn’t any of your business who I sleep with, now is it?” “If it’s true, that makes you one of the last people to see her alive.” Jade took a step closer, her look unwavering. “So what happened after you two hooked up?” Letting out a slow sigh from her nose, Iris stood. “Y’know, people are usually put off by how forward I am. I’m no stranger to hearing words like ‘slut’ or ‘whore’ hurled my way. But if you ask me, the same people who sling those words spend way too much time playing their love games. Flirting one minute, playing hard to get the next. For fuck’s sake, people should just say what they mean!” Iris was standing right in front of Jade now, their faces inches apart. But this time there was no overpowering sexuality in Iris’ face. She looked more serious than Jade had ever seen her. “So what do you mean, Jade? What are you so afraid of simply saying outright?” There was only one course forward now. “Did you kill her?” “Pfft!” Iris scoffed so hard she spit on Jade’s face a little. “Are you stupid? She killed herself, remember?” “So the official police reports say,” Jade said. “But somehow they missed the trace amounts of blood all over Violet’s dorm someone had gone to the trouble of cleaning up. That would have taken time. And as I recall, you never did come back to our room that night. No, you showed up at breakfast. Right around the time the body was discovered, now that I think about it!” Iris opened her mouth in protest, but for a moment only managed a few indignant sputters. “I-I… okay,” she said when she finally remembered how to speak again. “So let me get this straight: in your fucking Looney Tunes reality, I slept with Violet, then killed her and made it look like suicide. What reason would I possibly have to do that?” Raising her hands in a mockery of a shrug, Jade answered, “I can only speculate about that at this point, but I’m willing to bet it has something to do with the magic circle you killed her on.” Then with a wave of her hands, Jade summoned arcane power to her hand and thousands of tiny glowing lights converged, forming a shining ethereal representation of the very runes Jade had found in Violet’s dorm. “This look familiar?” Iris took a step back, staring at the conjuration with wide eyes. “Y-you… how did you…?” “These particular runes are supposed to grant their user power from a virgin sacrifice,” Jade explained. She knew all of this would sound crazy on her recording, but she wasn’t trying to prove the existence of magic to the world: Just that Iris believed she had a reason to kill Violet. “You…” Iris growled again. “You really have all of this figured out, haven’t you?” “Is that a confession, Iris?” “Is that a confession…” Iris repeated, giggling in an unsettlingly childish way. Then with wide eyes and a too wide grin, Iris shrugged. “Why the fuck not! I killed her! Do you know how hard it is to find a real, honest-to-God virgin in college these days? It’s like finding a goddamn unicorn! When I found out Violet was pure, I couldn’t pass up that opportunity!” Then with a twitchy shake of her head, Iris found her center again, and her smile was much more in line with the roommate Jade had known. “So what now, roomie? You gonna turn me over to the police? With what evidence? It’s your word against mine!” Touching the bulge in her pocket where her phone was, Jade only sounded disappointed when she said, “I still have a few more questions for you, Iris.” “First I have a question of my own,” Iris said. “Why do you care so much? Yeah, I get it: Violet was your friend. But why couldn’t you just let yourself believe she killed herself and grieve like a normal fucking person?” With a grin, Iris said, “You wouldn’t be acting on a guilty conscience now, would you?” If she was being honest with herself, Jade had felt guilty ever since she first discovered magic was involved in Violet’s death. And now that she knew that Iris was the killer, that guilt had only doubled. Jade should have been able to sense her power; she’d sensed Applejack’s back in Oklahoma, after all. Perhaps she had sensed magic in Iris, but failed to identify it. Either way, Jade had remained blind to the threat, and her friend had paid the price. But Jade wouldn’t give Iris the satisfaction. “What the hell do I have to be guilty about?” Iris giggled sadistically. “She was in love with you, did you know that?” “That’s an absurd lie,” Jade said, but even to her own ears she didn’t sound too confident. She had always thought it peculiar how Violet always avoided the topic of romance when it came up, blushing and avoiding eye contact. And she never did tell her the name of the person she really liked. “Oh believe me, she wanted you bad. Too bad for her, you’re serious about that cute guy you’re engaged to.” Iris put a finger to her chin in mock thought. “I wonder if the realization you two would only ever be friends is what caused her to rebound so hard to me.” Then with a grin, Iris said, “So really, if you think about it, Violet’s death was as much your fault as it was mine!” Jade’s fists clenched hard enough for her nails to dig painfully into her skin, and Jade wanted nothing more in that moment than to punch this person she’d once thought was her friend right across the mouth. It was only the realization that Iris was likely egging her on—hoping for her to do something just like that—that stayed her hand. Still, Jade was angry enough that she did something she otherwise wouldn’t have considered. She pulled out her phone and showed the currently open “weather app” to Iris. “That’s enough, Iris. Your recorded confession should be enough to guarantee your arrest, but time enough for that later. First those questions I mentioned earlier. Namely, I wanna know how you acquired your powers, not to mention the knowledge to perform a magic ritual of this caliber,” Jade said, nodding to the arcane image of the magic circle. But Iris was staring right at the phone in Jade’s hand, her own hands trembling into closed fists. “You sneaky bitch!” Jade barely had time to realize Iris was losing it before the half-naked young woman lunged at her, pushing her against the wall with incredible strength and grabbing the phone from her hands. Jade let it go easily enough. She had planned for this possibility as well. “The recording of our talk automatically saved to my iCloud. It’s beyond your reach now.” Jade then held out her hand as Iris’ face grew pale. “So if you’d kindly give my phone back? It’s brand new.” Iris instead let the phone fall out of her hand onto the floor as she clutched her head, gently but persistently yanking at strands of her own hair as she said in a terrified whisper, “I screwed up….” “That’s putting it mildly,” Jade said dryly, but Iris just kept pacing the room, and something about how terrified she looked put Jade ill at ease. “I screwed up… I had one job and I screwed it up… oh God he’s going to be so mad at me… he’s going to be so mad….” Something in Jade’s stomach turned ice cold. “’He?’ Who’s ‘he?’” But Iris just continued like she couldn’t even hear her. “I failed him… I’m going to be punished….” The bad feeling in her gut growing, Jade took a step closer to the unstable woman. “Look, whoever you’re worried about, I can protect you from them. But first I need you to tell me everything.” “You can’t protect me…” Iris said, an unsettling smile growing on her face. She looked at Jade like her last hope for salvation. “But you can save me!” Then before Jade could react, Iris threw her hand forward and a dark, eldritch energy shot forth, picking up Jade and sending her flying backwards into the door. Jade felt it give way completely before the force of her body, and before she knew it Jade was lying in a heap in the middle of the party, with dozens of intoxicated university students looking down at her in bewilderment. Their faces matched how Jade felt at that moment. She had been ready for Iris to try something, but she wasn’t prepared for the sheer speed and accuracy of her spell. An amateur couldn’t have done that: Someone had trained her. Jade then felt black fingers close around her again, and she was lifted into the air. Iris stepped over the remains of the bedroom door, arm outstretched, her hand glowing with dark energy. All around them, the partygoers stepped back, gasping and muttering amongst themselves in shock. Jade tried to conjure up a spell of her own, but with a flick of her hand Iris sent her crashing into the ceiling, dislodging bits and pieces of drywall. Jade was vaguely aware that people were shrieking, but otherwise were frozen in place, too transfixed by the impossible scene to move. Iris’ eyes were wild, and Jade didn’t think there was a single trace left of the girl she thought she knew. “Yes, you can save me, Jade… all I have to do is deliver you to him, and all will be forgiven. Who knows? I might even be rewarded—ARGH!” Iris staggered forward from a vicious blow to the back of her head by a chair-wielding Code Breaker, who for his part looked utterly astonished at what he’d just done. Growling, the deranged young woman turned to face the young man holding up the remains of the wooden chair like a shield. “That fucking hurt, Creeper!” Iris thrust out her arm and another eldritch blast sent Code flying. He landed on the table on which moments ago several young students were playing beer pong, utterly destroying it with the force of his impact. Fortunately, the momentary distraction was just what Jade needed, and she cast a quick counter spell to dissolve the dark magic holding her in place. Sensing this, Iris turned away from Code as he lay groaning in the remains of the table. Jade wasted no time throwing her back with her own magic, and Iris hit the wall beside the bedroom doorframe like a wrecking ball, knocking one or two pictures from the walls. Iris didn’t even get back up before retaliating with a knife-like beam of pure energy, but Jade was ready for her this time, and held out both of her palms to absorb the blast in a magical shield. Jade then returned the energy to its sender, and Iris hit the same wall again with a cry of pain, dislodging even more rubble. Jade noticed a tinge of crimson was added to Iris’ purple hair, and knew she had to finish this now before the crazy girl ended up killing herself. “Yield, Iris. You don’t stand a chance. I have faced far more skilled warlocks than you.” For a moment, Iris seemed ready to raise her arm and strike again. But instead her limbs went slack, and she slumped to her knees. In the eerie silence that followed, Jade could hear faint rumbling outside. Evidently, a storm was coming. Allowing herself a breath of respite, Jade looked around, suddenly very worried about the sheer number of people around them seeing magic for the first time. She’d have to worry about what to do about that later. First, Jade went to Code. “You okay?” she asked him. Code sat up, but there was something about the way he looked at her… his face was haunted by what he’d seen. “What… what are you?” Jade tried to think of something, anything to tell him. “Still your friend, I hope,” was all she could think of. Then she went over to Iris. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Iris. How do you know magic?” “I’m from one of the Twelve Families of my Order. They taught me everything,” Iris answered, her voice small and defeated. But something about what she said sounded familiar, and Jade recalled the book she’d been reading just a couple of weeks ago. “The Ordo Duodecim?” Jade asked without realizing it. “They still exist?” Iris nodded. “They sent me here to watch you, Jade. He most of all wanted to keep tabs on you. Taking care of those runes in Oklahoma really got his attention.” The more Jade heard, the more unease filled her. “And who is ‘he?’” “The Grandmaster of our Order,” Iris whispered, like telling a terrible secret. “And does your Grandmaster have a name?” Jade asked. Iris looked at her as if the question had formed a second head on her shoulders. “He has many names, for he is Legion. H-his Eye sees all!” Then her eyes widened in terror. “Oh no… he’s already here!” Any follow up question Jade might have had was cut off by the sudden darkness that shrouded the room. Jade expected more panicked shrieks from the dozens of others all around them but heard nothing but the approaching thunder. Looking around in the dark, Jade noticed that every other body in the room was frozen in place. Unmoving. Unblinking. Even the particles of dust in the air were perfectly still. The only other movement came from Iris, who covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. Surrounded by the frozen, unseeing stares of all the others, Jade came to realize just how alone she and Iris suddenly were. “I-I’m sorry…” Iris sobbed. “I’m sorry, please forgive me.” “I don’t know that I can,” Jade said, but as a sinking feeling permeated her very being, she realized: Iris wasn’t talking to her. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry….” Chills ran down Jade’s spine. She and Iris weren’t alone. Someone else—something else—was now here with them. Jade couldn’t see them, but she was more sure of it than anything: Something dark was now here, standing in the shadows just beyond sight. “No please, please don’t! I’M SORRY—AAAAAAAAAAAGH” Iris’ pleading then became a shrill, agonized scream. With horror, Jade saw that the girl’s own fingers were slowly inserting themselves into her eyes, going deeper and deeper as Iris screamed. Jade tried to go to her, but found herself frozen. It wasn’t just fear that gripped her; some force blacker and more powerful than any she’d ever felt held her in place. She was just another living statue watching the horror show in the dark room. It seemed forever until Iris’ fingers were pulled free of her now empty sockets, tears of blood running down her cheeks. Lightning flashed angrily overhead (a manifestation of his anger, Jade thought), briefly illuminating Iris’ now mangled face, and for that brief moment Jade thought she saw that of an eyeless old man in place of Iris’ own. Then Iris stood. “P-please stop…” she pleaded as her body seemed to walk to the window of its own accord. Bracing her hands on either side of the window, Iris’ head slammed into the glass as hard as it could, causing cracks to spiderweb across the glass. Then it happened again. And again. Somehow, Jade conjured up enough will to break through the force holding her just enough to scream, “STOP!!!” And somehow, Iris’ body did stop. “I’m sorry…” she said softly, almost serenely, and this time Jade knew she was talking to her. Then with one final bash, Iris’ head went through the window, a long shard of glass going through her neck. For a while, Jade was trapped alone in the dark with Iris’ body, a few dozen frozen students, and him. The man in the dark was watching her now, wherever he was. Heart pounding in her chest, Jade waited for her own hands to make their way up to her eyes. Or for her body to start walking by itself to the window next to where Iris hung limply. Instead, the lights all came back on, and Jade was overwhelmed as the eerie quiet was replaced by heavy techno beats and dozens of intoxicated voices. “W-what…?” Jade muttered, breathlessly looking around in terrified confusion as the party carried on as if nothing had happened. Two groups of guys stood playing beer pong on the table that moments ago was crushed to splinters. The door Jade had been thrown through when Iris first attacked her was back on its hinges. All of the damage the house had received from the fight was gone without a trace of having ever been there. With trembling hands, Jade pulled out her phone and checked her recording of Iris’ confession. But no recording was there. “Jade?” Still shaking, Jade looked up to see Code standing there, looking at her with concern. “You okay?” Looking around again at the undisturbed party, Jade said, “You… don’t you remember? Iris, she….” But Code’s look of complete incomprehension told her everything she needed to know. “Who’s Iris?” Code asked. Everything about the party had been restored exactly the way it was… with the exception of Iris herself. She had been well and truly erased. Then Jade’s gaze fell on the flawless window, and she moved to take a closer look. Nothing seemed out of place… save for a single tiny red stain no bigger than a thumbprint. Suddenly Jade was short of breath, like she was being suffocated, and decided she couldn’t be in that house one minute more. So muttering an apology, Jade pushed past Code and left the house. Then she continued walking. It was a twenty-minute walk back to her residence. Jade made it back in fifteen. After ensuring her door was securely locked, Jade spent the rest of the night carefully crafting every protective ward she could think of, and casting it over her room. It was only as the first light of the morning sun started to arrive that Jade finally allowed herself to fall into uneasy sleep. Author's Note Tomorrow, the conclusion
August 30 - Nightmares and Dreams Jade awoke alone in her dorm, short of breath and just short of screaming. She dreamed she was back at the party, trapped in the dark with dozens of other students. Trapped with him as he put on another horrifying show for her benefit. But this time it wasn’t Iris looking up at her with mangled eyes. Not Iris banging her head into the window over and over again. It was Braeburn. All at once she knew she had to call him. She had to know he was okay. So she pulled out her phone and opened FaceTime. She hesitated only once when she saw the time: 7:43 AM. Jade remembered it was Saturday, and wasn’t even sure he would be awake at this hour. Her heart fluttering, she started the call anyway. As luck would have it, he answered relatively quickly, and Jade felt more at ease when she saw his handsome green eyes and dirty blonde hair with amber highlights. “Morning, Brae,” she said with a tired smile. “Sorry, did I wake you?” Braeburn gave her the smile he seemed to always have just for her. “’Course not, hon. Grew up on a farm, remember? I’m used to getting up at the crack of dawn.” Then Braeburn’s smile started to drift away, and he studied her closer through the phone screen as he asked, “Is somethin’ wrong, Jade?” Trying her best to keep up her smile, Jade answered, “No, just… wanted to talk to you. How’s classes?” Braeburn’s skeptical look remained, and Jade realized she should’ve known better than to try and slip one past him. “Fine. Better than you look right now to be brutally honest. Jade, you look like you haven’t slept at all.” His skeptical expression became more pained. “Please… just tell me what’s wrong.” As she thought about everything from losing Violet to the horror she’d witnessed the night before, Jade couldn’t keep the hot tears from building up. Nor could she keep her voice from breaking as she finally answered, “It’s just… i-it’s been a really hard week….” Jade wiped at her eyes, and couldn’t see the sorrowful sympathy on her fiancé’s face as he asked, “You miss your friend, huh?” Sniffing loudly, Jade nodded. “You have no idea.” And Jade hoped it would stay that way. “I’m sorry, hon. Believe me, if I could I would climb right through this screen to hold you and make you breakfast.” The earnest sincerity in his eyes gave her the strength to smile. “I know, and I love you for it.” But her smile didn’t last. “I really wish you could be here too.” At that, Braeburn perked up. “Hey, that reminds me. It may be awhile, but in about a month I’m dropping my Friday ethics class for a different elective, and there’ll be a week that I have no classes on Friday. I was thinking I’d head down to visit you then. Spend the weekend together!” The smile that formed on Jade’s face was bigger than the last, and remained longer. “I’d love that.” “Well, I love you.” The two of them talked for several more minutes after that about nothing in particular, and when they at last hung up Jade already felt better than she had at any point during the entire week. At the very least, it gave her the strength to go through her morning routine and head down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Even so, the cold fear gently but persistently nagged at her. All throughout the uneasy night that she spent setting up magical wards around her room, Jade kept thinking about why she was the only one at the party who could remember the events of that night. At first she assumed that her inherent magical nature protected her from whatever mass memory wipe spell had been cast, but the dream that so violently awoke her that morning presented another possibility: That the man in the dark had wanted her to remember everything. That the whole night—and the dream that followed—served as a warning: Stay out of my way. Considering what she stood to lose, Jade was certainly tempted to obey. After all, she had left her life as a Magus of Equestria behind her. All she wanted now was to lead a normal life. She’d never asked to be Starswirl’s apprentice when she’d still lived in ancient Equestria. Hadn’t wanted fame or glory. In some way, ending up in the human world was the best thing to ever happen to her. Besides, what could someone like her do against such a powerful evil? Perhaps she could help, Jade thought. The daughter of Princess Celestia that Applejack spoke of. But time enough for that later. Jade had given Applejack the means to put this Sunset Shimmer in touch with her. No need for Jade to rush to find her without good reason. No, Jade would bide her time. Let the man in the dark think that she was cowed. And all the while she would research and plan. So Jade entered the barren cafeteria and grabbed herself some breakfast. Hours later, Jade found herself sitting in the park near the campus with another history book, remembering with sorrow that the last time she’d opened one like it was with Violet. At the very least, she was going to find out more about this Ordo Duodecim. “Jade, there you are!” Jade looked up, and saw Code Break approach her. Yet again she was struck by the sheer contrast between the man she saw now and the one she had known only days before. It wasn’t just that he’d given himself a cleaner appearance, his entire demeanor seemed much more confident now, and Jade couldn’t help but be reminded of Braeburn when he first started wearing contacts. “Hey Code, were you looking for me?” Nodding in affirmation, Code said, “Wanted to make sure you were okay. You left the party in a pretty big hurry last night. Looked like you were sick to your stomach.” “I’m fine now, I think,” Jade answered, giving him a reassuring smile. “Must have just been something I ate.” Code nodded and “hmm’ed” before saying, “Actually, I also kind of wanted to thank you.” “Thank me? What for?” With a smile, Code said, “Well… I guess for everything. I know that things have been hard for you lately, so the fact that you took the time to help me on top of all that…. Well, it was very selfless.” Jade was puzzled. “Sorry Code, but remind me… what exactly did I do to help you?” “Listened to me vent, for one.” With a bitter laugh, Code added, “Funny, isn’t it? You were one of Violet’s best friends, and the guy who barely knew her was the emotional wreck. I’m sorry about that, by the way. That was probably the last thing you needed to deal with.” “No, it’s okay. We all deal with our grief differently.” “But it wasn’t just that,” Code went on. “You also told me some things that I think I needed to hear. It might have been nothing to you, but our talk really motivated me to turn my life around.” “Well, I can’t take all the credit,” Jade said with a smile. “You’re the one who went and improved yourself!” Code rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah. It’s still a long road ahead, I think. I still have a hard time talking to most people, but again, you helped me a lot. Taking me with you to the party was definitely a step in the right direction I think.” With a teasing grin, Jade said, “You seem to be doing just fine talking to me.” Returning her grin with an awkward one of his own, Code said, “Well… I guess I find it easier to talk to a friend.” Shortly after that Code told her he had to go, and as Jade watched him go she realized that perhaps one good thing had come of the last week after all. The rest of Saturday passed relatively quietly. Jade passed it reading mostly school assignments, trying to put everything that happened out of her mind for now. She ended up going out for dinner with Sandstone and his friends, who made sure to apologize for not returning her messages. By the time it was finished she was beat, and headed back to her dorm for an early night. She half expected more nightmares as she drifted off to sleep, but was blessed with a very soothing dream. She was talking with Shrinking Violet the way they always used to about this, that, and the other. Assignments, the Canterlot nobility. Cute boys, cute girls, the state of Equestria’s foreign relations. For a while, Jade believed this was the waking world, and that everything that had transpired over the last week was just a bad dream. At some point though, Jade remembered where she really was and frowned. “Is something wrong, my little pony?” Violet asked with Queen Faust’s voice, and Jade knew she was talking to both of them at once, with that weird logic that could only exist in dreams. Thus, Jade’s answer was for them both. “I just miss you, is all.” “Then linger here a little longer. There’s still time.” Jade’s problems in the waking world nagged at her mind, but the friend sitting across from her smiled. “You need not fear the man in the dark. He is not yet ready to make his next move, and in the end you cannot be the one to stop him.” Jade had many questions of course, but Braeburn was there now and suddenly they didn’t seem all that important. She lay with him for who knew how long—in dreams time mattered not—until his arms started to take on the texture of bed sheets; of the bed sheets in her dorm bunk. Jade fought it even as the rest of the room started to appear in her mind’s eye—not ready to leave just yet. “All dreams must end eventually, my little pony,” Faust’s voice was faint now, but was still clear and comforting. “But fortunately, so do all nightmares.” Then Jade awoke, surprised to find herself feeling refreshed and… peaceful. That morning she knew that come what may, she would be ready for it. Author's Note And so this story comes to a close, but Jade's story is far from over. Until next time!
