Chapters

Chasing A Dream
In The Shadows
Dead And Buried
Gaining Ground
New Surroundings
Suspicions
A Troubled Past
A Seed Of Doubt
Nowhere To Run
Nightmare Shackled
Nightmare Unbound
Nightmare Eternal
Nightmare's End
Run For Your Life
Cutting To The Chase

Chasing A Dream
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Fear of A Child

Chasing A Dream

A few days after Survival's flight, Caboose was waking up to another Canterlot morning. He wasn't exactly well-rested, as for the last few nights, he'd had to contend with Michael's nightmares. The previous night had been particularly unsettling, as Michael had woken up crying and screaming multiple times.

Caboose and Daring had tried everything they could think of to try and help their boy; warm milk, bedtime stories, and even Caboose's suggestion to put a spoonful of sugar on Michael's tongue before putting him down for bed so he would have "sweet dreams" didn't work.

"You weren't kidding." The weary Caboose told Daring after breakfast. Hurricane had left for her Junior Guard training, while Michael had been dropped off at kindergarten, in hopes that playing with his friends might help ease his mind. “I mean, three weeks? That’s an academy record! If I weren’t so tired and this wasn’t a bad thing, I'd be proud!”

“Well, I’m more concerned about the effects this is going to have on him long-term.” Daring grimaced, letting out a small yawn, just as tired as Caboose, “Little foals need their sleep, and the way things are going, Michael is never going to want to sleep again.”

“Well, we just gotta keep at it.” Caboose declared, “Surely, Mikey can’t keep having nightmares forever, right?”

“I hope so.” Daring agreed, “Because if it doesn't, we may need to consider getting a child therapist.”

“Or invest in a dreamcatcher.” Caboose suggested, “Don’t know how some hoop with web catches dreams, but Big Guns insists up and down that it works.”

"At this point, I'd be willing to try anything." Daring shook her head.

"Me too." Caboose sighed. "Anything to help our precious little guy..."

Just then, there was a knock at the front door.

"I swear, if this is another encyclopedia salespony..." Daring growled, “They've been bugging me too.”

"I think I'll get this one." Caboose said awkwardly, fearing that his wife's already-exhausted state could lead to a dangerous loss of temper.

"Thanks, hon." Daring smiled. "If it is one of those salesponies, hit 'im once for me."

"Will do." Caboose nodded.

Caboose made his way to the the front door, opening it to find Fletcher.

"Good morning, Caboose." Fletcher smiled.

"Oh, hey, Fletch." Caboose smiled, "What's with the early visit?"

"I'm afraid this isn't a social visit." Fletcher admitted.

“Oh, is something up?" Caboose frowned.

"In a manner of speaking." Fletcher answered. The Royal Guard just received a communication from the local police. They're requesting that you and I go down there to talk with a pony in need."

"Guess we'd better get down there, then." Caboose sighed. "Honey, I gotta go to work!" He told Daring.

"Okay." Daring called back. "Be safe!"

"I'll try!" Caboose smiled. He turned back to Fletcher. "Okay, let's go."

Meanwhile, at the Taskforce headquarters, Fury was in the gym, practicing his spear techniques (and tearing up several training dummies into the bargain). As he finished his routine, Black entered the room.

"Up and around already, I see." Black noted. "Are you a fast healer, or just impatient?"

"Little of both." Fury smirked, his bandaged talon gripping the spear more tightly. "You wanna join in? I could use a sparring partner."

"Thanks, but I'm good." Black declined. "Already got in my workout earlier."

"Suit yourself." Fury shrugged, as he resumed his workout regime.

"You pretty much spend all your time here, don't you?" Black mused.

"So?" Fury retorted, swinging the spear.

"You don't have anywhere else to go? I mean, there’s nothing stopping you from going somewhere." Black asked.

“Nah. Barbossa’s busy in the Crystal Empire helping Professor Alchemy with Project: Synchro.” Fury declared, “Besides, this is the only place that supplies enough training dummies.”

“Really? I figured with all this free time, you'd be off seeing that nephew of yours over in Dodge Junction.” Black mused.

Fury paused, glancing at Black wearily.

“And what makes you think I’m been doing that?” Fury glared.

“Come on, Fury.” Black deadpanned, “I know the scent of Big Red’s homemade cherry wine anywhere. Been smelling it on your breath for the past few weeks. Either you’ve been happening by Red’s homestead often, or you’ve taken up drinking in general. Which is it?”

“Okay, you got me.” Fury grunted, jabbing his spear in the ground, “I’ve been seeing Eclipse. Not like I’m not allowed, am I?”

“‘Course not.” Black shook his head, “Figured that’s what you’ve been doing since we got off that island… don’t know why you’ve been keeping it a secret from everyone.”

“I wasn’t. I’ve been running it by Elite after the first time.” Fury said stubbornly, “As for you guys, you simply didn’t ask.”

“Fair enough.” Black admitted, “We’re not judging you or anything.”

"You'd better not." Fury scowled. "What I do outside these walls is my business."

"Of course it is." Black agreed.

"Glad we're on the same page here." Fury scowled.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

“...So, how is Eclipse?” Black asked, breaking the silence.

“...Well, he’s fine, I guess.” Fury shrugged, “The kid's been nice enough to give me a shot, especially after how I left things with him after that mess with Crystal and Lunard…”

"That's a good sign, right?" Black offered.

"Technically, yes." Fury nodded. "But things are still a little shaky between us. And his brothers aren't exactly my biggest fans. I think they're a little afraid of me."

"Yeah, well, Globe and Huckleberry have had bad experiences with violent Griffons, if you'll recall..." Black noted.

"Yeah, I do." Fury mused. "Big Red has been welcoming enough, but Cherry has been more than a little cold around me."

"She's just protective of her family." Black shrugged.

"Yeah, sure..." Fury hung his head.

“Well, just give it time, Fury.” Black advised, “At the very least, you and Eclipse are able to speak with one another…” His face slightly fell, “I would give anything to have something like that…”

“...Right, Shade…” Fury murmured, glancing at Black sympathetically, “Have you heard anything about him? Last I check, he started his job as an RDL general.”

“Elite tells me he’s been doing very well.” Black admitted, “He’s heading up a squad in Tehrein. He’s still trying to get the hang of things, but Elite has faith in him.”

“Heh, like father, like son, huh?” Fury mused.

“Guess so.” Black nodded softly, “But I can’t help but worry about him. He got my fighting skills, but there’s no telling what could happen out there.”

"I'm sure the kid can handle himself." Fury assured him. "He took on that Solomon fella, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he sure did." Black said proudly. "I just hope he'll keep up the good work."

"Of course he will." Fury smiled. "The kid's from good stock. He'll do great."

"Thanks, Fury." Black smiled.

"From one family guy to another, you're welcome." Fury nodded.

At the same time, Sterling and Ballista were outside, sparring with swords (Sterling using his personal ‘DAMP’ sword, a gift given to him by Loveless prior to joining the RDL). Sterling put up a good assault, but Ballista's greater experience allowed him to give as good as he got.

"Nice technique." Ballista noted, as he parried one of Sterling's strikes. "You've been practicing."

"Always." Sterling smirked.

"But I'm not so bad myself." Ballista grinned.

Ballista swung his blade in a wide, sweeping motion. As Sterling moved to avoid the swing, Ballista suddenly changed its direction, knocking his sword out of his hoof.

"See?" Ballista bragged.

"Okay, ya got me." Sterling capitulated. "Nice move, B. But you won't be so lucky in round two."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Ballista frowned. "No offense, but I've noticed that your technique is a little off today..."

"Yeah, that's the reason why you won." Sterling scoffed, as he walked over to his fallen sword and picked it up. "No need to try and rub it in."

"I'm serious." Ballista insisted. "I can tell something's up with you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing much." Sterling insisted.

“Really? Because I heard from Black and the others that you’ve having some bad dreams lately…” Ballista revealed.

“Ugh, of course they did." Sterling scowled.

“Look, I know you don’t want to make a big deal of it.” Ballista noted, “They’re just concerned about you. It’s what teammates do.”

“...Yeah, I guess.” Sterling’s scowl weakened, seeing his point, “But it’s really nothing.”

“That’s what they all say.” Ballista declared, “Trust me, I know a bit about bad dreams myself. Back in Her Majesty’s Service, I’ve gotten myself into some bloody awful battles. Many of which I barely got out with my life. But the things I’ve seen, the friends and comrades I’ve lost...” He shuddered, “Well, let’s say the nightmares I had were pretty bad.”

"Well, how did you handle them?" Sterling asked.

“Easy. I don’t pay them any mind.” Ballista explained, “I was a soldier. I had no time to worry about my dreams when there was ponies to save and bad creatures to bring down.”

“And how does that help you with the guilt over the ponies you lost?” Sterling asked, “Didn’t you mourn them?”

“Of course I did… but there’s a time to mourn, and a time for action.” Ballista said sagely, “I haven't forgotten any of the soldiers that died under my command. But dwelling on how they died doesn't help anypony or anything. Keeping up the fight is how I honor their memories, keep them alive."

"I'm not sure I want to keep Crystal's memory alive." Sterling said sourly.

"But you still feel responsible for his death, don't you?" Ballista noted.

"Of course I do." Sterling sighed. "It's because of me that that oversized Griffon killed him. He was there to deal with me, and ended up caught in something he didn't understand. Something that killed him... He may have been the worst brother ever, but he didn't deserve to go out like that. And thanks to me, he didn't have a choice."

"...Look, I don't have any easy answers for you, Sterling." Ballista admitted. "The only thing you can do is try to let all this guilt go. What's done is done. No amount of regret is going to bring Crystal back, even if you wanted him back."

"I'd like to, but it isn't that easy." Sterling shook his head.

"Give it time." Ballista assured him. "All nightmares fade eventually. You just have to focused on what you have, as opposed to what you've lost."

"I'll try." Sterling sighed. "But I wouldn't cross my hooves if I were you..."

"That's all I ask." Ballista smiled. "Now, how about round two?" He raised his sword.

"You're on." Sterling nodded, raising his own weapon.

Elsewhere, Caboose and Fletcher were making their way to the station, having donned their Royal Guard Armor.

"No offense, Caboose, but you look a little tired." Fletcher noted.

"Yeah? Well, you look... Uh..." He rubbed his eyes. "Eh, I'm too tired to think of a comeback..."

“Dove told me that Michael has been keeping you and Daring up.” Fletcher frowned, “It’s that bad, huh?”

“No kiddin’.” Caboose grimaced, but he gave a small smirk, “But I’m not worried. Because I have a plan.”

“Really? I hope it’s nothing like that one time when the Royal Guard had to deal with a Diamond Dog intrusion.” Fletcher murmured.

“...It’s not.” Caboose deadpanned, “The only problem is, I’m going to need a night-shirt that is foal-sized.”

“...A night-shirt?” Fletcher began, confused, “What does a night-shirt-”

“It’s a long story. Besides, the next scene is coming up.” Caboose pointed.

As Caboose accurately predicted, the two had arrived at the police station. Putting his questions regarding Caboose’s plan aside, Fletcher marched up to the front desk, Caboose behind him.

"Fletcher Ulysses and Caboose Napoleon." Fletcher told the officer behind the desk. "We were summoned here for an urgent matter."

The officer checked his papers.

"That's right." He nodded. "Chief Colt is waiting for you in interrogation room #2. Go right ahead."

"Thank you, nameless yet helpful supporting character." Caboose smiled.

The officer only had a moment to look confused before the visitors moved on.

Entering the interrogation room, Fletcher and Caboose were greeted by Chief Colt, a burly orange Earth Pony stallion with a yellow buzz cut, dull gray eyes and a Cutie Mark of a police cap.

"Ah, you're here." Colt acknowledged. "Very prompt. I expected no less from the Royal Guard."

"What's the situation here?" Fletcher asked.

"The situation is right over there." Chief Colt pointed to the table, where a frazzled Survival Horror was sitting.

The young stallion had seen better days, his mane messier than usual, his shirt filthy and a few scratches on his legs. He had a cup of tea in his hooves, shaking.

“This here is Doctor Survival Horror.” Chief Colt introduced, “Dr. Horror, this is Captain Fletcher Ulysses and his lieutenant, Caboose Napoleon.”

“H-hello.” Survival said curtly, attempting to maintain composure.

"Hi." Caboose smiled.

“So, what’s the story here, Chief?” Fletcher asked.

“Well, he came into the station last night, on the brink of collapsing." Chief Colt recapped. "Looked like he'd been on the run for a couple of days, at least. Once we had got him warmed up and fed, he claims that he has ran afoul of some dangerous characters, and begged for us to call in the Royal Guard."

"I see." Fletcher mused. "So, Mr Horror, what exactly do you require the Royal Guards' services for?"

"Well, that's quite a tale…" Survival declared, nervously running his hoof through his messy mane.

"Ooh, story time!" Caboose grinned. "Too bad we don't have any popcorn..."

“It all happened so fast…” Survival murmured, “You see, I work as an attending physician at a local mental hospital, not far from Canterlot, and I was accompanying a transport to another hospital when our medical carriage was beset by these cloaked individuals."

Survival let out a sniff.

“...It was just me and a friend of mine, a security guard.” Survival continued, his voice quivering, “He went out to assess the damages… only to get gunned down. The pullers as well. They all were killed.”

“...Ooh. I guess the popcorn line was in bad taste…” Caboose cringed.

“Killed?” Fletcher’s eyes widened, “Why?”

“I’m still trying to understand that myself…” Survival continued, sipping his tea, “But either way, they were going to kill me as well, so I had to get out of there. They must have chased me a few good miles before they lost me in the rain. I kept running non-stop till I got to this station, scared for my life. In fact, I’m still scared.”

“Well, you’re safe now, Dr. Horror.” Fletcher assured, as he glanced at Caboose, “Caboose, a quick word?”

"Sure, pal." Caboose nodded.

The two walked over to the corner of the room.

"Cloaked individuals..." Fletcher frowned, speaking in hushed tones. "You know what that sounds like?"

"Yep." Caboose nodded. "They were either Forefather agents, or a bunch of mutants from a dystopian near future."

"I think we can eliminate the second option." Fletcher deadpanned. "But why would the Forefathers attack a medical carriage? Let alone killing all the passengers?”

"Maybe they needed bandages?" Caboose suggested, “Hospitals are crazy expensive these days… well, unless you’re in Canada.”

“We’ll put that in the 'maybe' column." Fletcher replied, “But I have a feeling that there’s something worse at play here.”

“Oh, we’re gonna have to tell the others about this, aren’t we?” Caboose asked, a resigned look on his face.

"That's right." Fletcher nodded, “I’m sorry, but this is something we can’t overlook.”

“I know…” Caboose sighed, “But I was all set for a nice long break… stupid sudden plot twists..."

"Chief Colt, we would like to take Dr. Horror into our custody." Fletcher announced, as he and Caboose returned. "From what we've heard, this may be a matter of national security."

“National security?” Survival repeated.

“Really?” Chief Colt asked, a bit surprised, “Well, if it’s that serious, I’ll just get the paperwork ready..."

"And I'd better call Elite." Fletcher extracted his mirror. "Let him know of the situation."

"Ooh, tell 'im something funny!" Caboose urged. "Always good to start with a joke..."

Fletcher activated the mirror.

Back at RDL HQ, in Elite’s office, the office’s owner was sitting at his desk, looking through papers when his orb communicator started to buzz. Immediately, he slip a hoof in his cloak and pulled out, tapping it.

“Hello, Director Everest speaking.” Elite declared.

“Fletcher here, sir.” Fletcher declared, the image of Elite’s cutie mark (a hawk clutching a snake) appearing on the mirror, “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

“Of course not, Fletcher.” Elite smiled, “You and Caboose enjoying your time off?”

“We were… but I’m afraid it’s about to be cut short.” Fletcher grimaced.

"How do you mean?" Elite frowned.

“Caboose and I are at the police station right now.” Fletcher announced, “Last night, a doctor by the name of Survival Horror had come in, having escaped an troubling encounter with cloaked ponies. They attacked the medical carriage he was accompanying, and killed three of his fellow employees. We’ve reasons to believe that those cloaked ponies could be Forefather agents.”

“A medical carriage?” Elite repeated, understandably perturbed, “Any ideas as to motives?”

“Not as of yet. But I have no doubt it’s something nefarious.” Fletcher grimaced, “We’ve taken the doctor into our custody for protection. Our plan is to investigate the crime scene and then we’ll inform you of our findings.”

“Very good.” Elite nodded, “Should I send one of the others to assist you?”

“Not yet.” Fletcher shook his head, “But we’ll keep you up to date on the investigation, and once we ascertain the severity of the situation, we’ll call you.”

“Very well.” Elite nodded once more, “Be careful, both of you.”

“Affirmative. Until then, Fletcher, out.” Fletcher declared.

As Fletcher put away the mirror, Chief Colt returned, carrying the paperwork.

"Sign here, please." He urged, placing the parchment on the table.

"Of course." Fletcher nodded grabbing a nearby quill.

"You're in for a treat, pal." Caboose smirked at Survival. "Fletcher writes real fancy."

Fletcher signed the paperwork in short order. As he handed it back to Chief Colt, there was a commotion outside.

"Sir, you cannot go in there!" A voice said firmly.

"Let me through!" A second voice demanded.

The door to the interrogation room flew open, and a pale tan stallion with a balding grey mane and beard, tweed jacket and black poloneck sweater entered the room.

"What is this?" Chief Colt frowned. "Who do you think you are, barging in here?"

"We tried to stop him, Chief." A dishevelled officer panted. "But he just wouldn't be stopped."

“I apologize for forcing my way in like this.” The stallion apologized tersely, straightening his jacket, “But I’m looking for somepony, somepony I believe is-” He saw Survival seated at the table, and smiled. "Survival, thank Faust, I found you!”

“Nabudis!” Survival declared happily, a relieved look on his face, “You’re here!”

"And who might you be?" Fletcher asked.

“Oh, this is Doctor Somnus Nabudis.” Survival glanced at Fletcher, “He’s the medical director at our hospital, and I’m one of the attending physicians. You could say I’m one of his personal assistants.”

“Somnus Nabudis? Sounds like you borrowed two names from two fantasy games in the same series.” Caboose sniggered.

“I’m so glad I’ve found you, Survival.” Nabudis smiled, ignoring Caboose, “I was afraid something bad has happened to you.”

“I was worried I was never going to see you again.” Survival sniffed, “Oh, Faust, it’s awful, Somnus...”

“Look, I know you’re shaken, Survival, but I need you to focus.” Nabudis ordered, “What happened to the carriage? Where is the p-

“Excuse me, ‘Doctor Nabudis’...” Fletcher stepped in, “But how did you know Dr. Horror was here? He only just got here last night.”

“If you must know, Survival was supposed to check in with me every hour while he was accompanying the transport carriage.” Nabudis glared at him, annoyed, “When I didn’t get the call, I got worried. I got word earlier this morning about one of my doctors coming in to this police station…” His glare hardened, “Now, could you care to explain who you two are?”

“They’re the Royal Guards.” Chief Colt grunted, “Mr. Horror here requested their presence and assistance regarding the attack on the carriage-”

“Attack?!” Nabudis cut him off, eyes alight in horror, as he turned to Survival, “Survival, you were attacked?! What happened, where’s the patient?!”

“I don’t know, sir.” Survival cringed, not liking the panicked look in his eyes, “When those cloaked ponies crashed into us, they busted open the back and she-”

“You mean she’s out there alone?!” Nabudis snarled, “Why didn’t you look for her?!”

“I didn’t really have time to!” Survival shot back, “I was busy running for my life from the guys who attacked us! It took me days to get here!”

“So while you were running away, our patient is out there somewhere, with these ponies!” Nabudis gestured outside, very angry, “Dr. Horror, the patient was your number one priority!”

“I’m sorry!” Survival growled, “But they had crossbows! That’s why I called in the Royal Guards-”

“And why did you do that?!” Nabudis yelled, “Discretion was key here! You should have waited for me before you-”

“They killed Hamm!” Survival roared, standing up.

Nabudis stopped mid-sentence, his anger fading away. The others were stunned by the outburst.

“Hamm is dead?” Nabudis murmured.

“Y-yeah.” Survival nodded weakly, as he sat back down, sniffing a bit, “Him, and the pullers. Those ponies who crashed into us killed them all in cold blood.”

“Fievel…” Nabudis began, “I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“Okay, let’s all just calm down here.” Fletcher declared, as he glanced at Nabudis, “What is this about a patient?”

“Yeah. I thought you guys were transporting bandages.” Cabooses frowned.

"Well, it's... rather complicated..." Nabudis said hesitantly.

“Come on, doc, just tell them.” Survival pleaded, “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“...Very well.” Nabudis sighed, “You see, gentlecolts, Horror and I are doctors at the Brightdale Mental Hospital, just outside of Canterlot.”

“Mental hospital? You mean, a looney bin?” Caboose gaped.

“I'll thank you to not refer to it like that.” Nabudis glared at him, “But yes. On the night in question, I instructed Dr. Horror and Hamm, one of our security on staff, to accompany a patient transfer over to a hospital at the Isle of Wheat. The transfer was to be done overnight, and was to travel through back roads, no stops period.”

“That’s… very specific.” Fletcher mused, “Why all the secrecy? Who is this patient, exactly?”

“I’m afraid I cannot disclose that information.” Nabudis said tersely, “No pony is to know of them, not even Dr. Horror or Hamm. The fact that you all know that them is actually a ‘she’ is already pushing it.”

“Hey, don’t look at me. Those guys said it was a ‘her’.” Survival crossed his hooves.

“So, what you’re saying is that she is a VIP: very important patient." Caboose joked.

“...Yes, way to sum it all up.” Nabudis huffed.

“But that doesn’t quite answer why this patient is so special.” Fletcher frowned, “Care to elaborate?”

“Well, I rather not, but given the circumstances…” Nabudis sighed, “The patient in which Survival and Hamm were escorting happens to possess a particular set of powers…”

“Powers? Like a Nightcrawler?” Fletcher raised a brow.

“No, not like that.” Nabudis shook his head.

"Ohh, what kind?" Caboose grinned. "Can she see through walls? Shrink? Talk to fish? Actually, I hope it's not the last one, that's lame..."

“Again, I am not at liberty to divulge such information." Nabudis declared. "Only that those powers are dangerous, and she has little control over them. She was being moved to the Isle of Wheat’s hospital for her own safety. We set up those protocols so that we could get her there safely and without anyone knowing. But I fear that even that wasn’t enough. Whoever attacked the carriage was out to get her. And because of their interference, the patient is now out there on the loose...”

“...And Hamm and the others are dead.” Survival grunted, frustration in his voice, “In case you’ve forgotten…”

"Perish the thought." Nabudis retorted, his face stoic. "Hamm was a good stallion. As were the others. But there’s no point in mourning. Not when there’s more pressing matters to concern ourselves with.”

“Wow, you must be a wiz at prostate exams.” Caboose frowned, “Because you’re coming off as kind of an ass.”

“Caboose.” Fletcher chided.

“You don’t understand what’s at stake here.” Nabudis glared at Caboose, “This patient is not properly adjusted. If she were to find herself in a stressful situation, her powers could activate, and rage beyond her already limited control. And if that were to happen in a populated area, well, what happened to Hamm and others will ill in comparison..."

“...If what you say is true, then we must locate this patient of yours at once." Fletcher frowned. "We know some ponies who will able to provide excellent assistance on that matter."

“What ponies?” Nabudis asked in suspicion.

“Yeah, I’m curious myself.” Survival spoke up, “You mentioned that this attack could be a matter of national security.”

“National security? What are you on about?” Nabudis demanded.

“Well, Mr. Grumpy-pants, Fletch and I aren’t just Royal Guards. We’re also RDL con-sultans!” Caboose bragged.

“Consultants, Caboose. Consultants.” Fletcher corrected.

“RDL? As in the Royal Defense Legion?” Nabudis asked.

“That is correct.” Fletcher nodded.

“Well, I’ll save you the effort and tell you now that it’s not necessary.” Nabudis grunted, “It’s bad enough that the Royal Guards have gotten involved in this, but there’s no need to involve the RDL. The last thing I need is more ponies to know about the patient!”

“Well, I’m sorry, doctor, but it’s no longer your call.” Fletcher frowned, “Three ponies are already dead, and if the patient’s ‘powers’ are as bad as you say they are, that number could increase exponentially. Not to mention that those ponies who attacked Dr. Horror are still out there.”

“I realize that but-” Nabudis protested.

“I promise you, no more ponies will know of this patient. I’m sure Chief Colt here will keep silent on the matter?” Fletcher turned to the chief.

“Of course, Captain.” Chief Colt nodded, as he eyed Nabudis warily, “As long as the good doctor here doesn’t try to barge in again.”

“Thank you.” Fletcher smiled, before turning to Nabudis, “We will find your patient and make sure she’s safe and sound, but in order for us to do our job, we’re going to need both Horror and your cooperation. Can you give us that?”

“Nabudis, please.” Survival urged, “For Hamm and the others.”

“Ugh, alright. Alright.” Nabudis groaned, “By all means, call your RDL friends. And be snappy about it. Every moment she’s out there is a moment closer to disaster.”

"Way to lighten the mood, doctor grumpy." Caboose rolled his eyes.

“Caboose, please.” Fletcher admonished, as he pulled out his mirror, tapping it, as he held it up, “Hey, Elite. Fletcher again. Turns out that we are going to need you to send the others after all…”

"Really?" Elite answered. "I'm going to need some more information here..."

"And you shall have it." Fletcher nodded.

Somewhere, in Canterlot, on the outskirts of a park, there walked a young black filly. At first glance, she looked like a normal young Unicorn filly, no older than twelve, sporting a short-length purple mane and a small horn… but that was where the normalcy ended.

Her hospital gown was torn and dirty (and it seemed something was fidgeting under it), and her purple mane was messy, having been drenched from walking in the rain that has passed over Canterlot for the past few days.

But what was most off-putting was the light blue eyes she had, accompanied with a turquoise sclera, as they surveyed the area around her.

The filly wandered around aimlessly, her hooves sore, clueless as to where she was going or what to do. As she glanced around, she saw some other foals playing nearby, spinning on the roundabout, going down the slide, playing on the swings, and more.

The wayward filly looked on, marveling at how carefree and happy they seem… she was tempted to join them and take part in whatever activity they had in mind… but the temptation faded, knowing full well the risk of doing so…

As she continued observing, the cloaked filly was approached by a lanky crimson Pegasus stallion, one with a black, slicked mane, pale green eyes, a wispy moustache, and a Cutie Mark of a rat.

The filly could immediately tell he did not mean well.

"Hey there, little lady." He leered, showing off a mouth full of crooked teeth (with one gold tooth in the bunch). "What's a sweet little filly like you doing out here, all on your own?"

“...Because I… I want to be on my own.” The filly muttered.

“Oh, but why?” The stallion cooed, reaching out to her, “A pretty little girl as yourself shouldn’t be out alone…”

“I-It’s fine.” The filly shrunk back, “I...I prefer being alone. Away from them...”

“Them, is somepony’s lookin’ for ya?” The stallion smirked, getting a wicked idea.

“Y-yes. And I-I don’t want them to find me.” The filly whimpered.

“Well then, you could use some good company…” The sketchy stallion sidled up to her.

"Th-that's okay." The filly trembled. "I r-really should be going anyway..."

"What's your hurry?" The stallion stood in her way. "You don't wanna stick around and play?"

"I-I don't feel like playing." The filly shivered, not liking the look in his eyes.

"You'll change your mind, I promise." The stallion insisted. "I'm a great playmate."

"N-no thank you." The filly shook her head. "I should be going now..."

Suddenly, the stallion grabbed one of her hooves.

“Ah!” The filly nearly yelped.

“Look, you little brat.” The stallion snarled, his sickly sweet demeanor now gone, “I’ve been down on my luck ever since those damn ponies at the school fired me. So I got a little close to the students, invited them to join me after school in my private workshop. Didn’t mean they had to put me on a damn list! I thought this was Equestria!”

“B-but that has nothing to do with me! Let go!” The filly protested.

“Oh, but why? If somepony’s looking for you, that must mean they’ll do anything to get you back.” The stallion chuckled darkly, “Including paying through the muzzle! You’re gonna net me a nice, big payday, kid!”

"No! Let me go!" The filly struggled against her captor's grip as he started to drag her away.

"Easy, kid." The stallion tightened his grip. "I'm doing a good deed here. Besides, I'll probably get paid less for damaged goods, so do us both a favour and play along..." However, as he glanced the filly up and down a bit, donning a rather lecherous grin, “Although… I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you came back a little… shall I say, dirty?”

"No, please!" The filly started to panic. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I don't like it!"

"Quiet, kid." The stallion hissed. "You want the whole neighborhood to hear?"

"Let me go!" The filly struggled.

"Oh, I will." The stallion smirked. "Just as soon as I put you somewhere you can't get away from."

"No!" The filly yelled.

"This is happening whether you like it or not, little missy." The stallion started dragging her away. "So just stop struggling, and it'll be easier on both of us."

"I. Said. No!!" The filly roared. Her pupils suddenly turned into slits, as they began to glow.

"Hey, what's with the light show?" The stallion frowned.

As he looked into the glow, the stallion found himself unable to look away. The light seemed to fill his entire field of vision.

"Gahh!" He cringed, rubbing his eyes.

When his vision was clear, he saw that his former surroundings had vanished, replaced by a dark mist.

"What the buck?" The stallion gaped. "Where am I? Where'd the kid go? What's going-"

The mist soon gave way, as the stallion found himself in what appeared to be a workshop…

“Hey… this looks like the workshop I used to work at…” The stallion glanced around, “But why am I-”

Before he could finish that question, he noticed something outside a nearby window.

“Huh? Wait…” The very sketchy stallion narrowed his eyes, “Those look a lot like those damn parents that got me fired… they look rather angry… and what’s that in that one pony’s-”

Suddenly, a molotov cocktail came crashing through another window, setting the whole place ablaze.

"Ahh!" The stallion screamed.

Panicking, the stallion tried to get out, but the door was locked.

"No... No!" He screeched.

The flames enveloped him, crawling up his body in agonizing waves.

"YARRRGH!!" He howled. He dropped to the floor, writhing in pain, the flames engulfing him. "NOOOOOO!!"

The last thing he saw was the light of the flames, then smoke, and finally darkness...

Back in the real world, the stallion had dropped to the ground, convulsing, his eyes wide open in terror… before he suddenly stopped. He was no more.

The filly watched the disturbing scene, still as stone, ignorant to everything around her. Then her eyes soon reverted back to normal. She swayed a bit, as if coming out a trance.

“Oh…” The filly shook her head, “What hap-”

She soon stopped, as she saw the sketchy stallion dead before her.

She looked around, noticing that the park was now devoid of foals (they had departed during her initial discussion with the stallion). With nopony around to observe her, the filly ran from the scene, leaving her would-be captor's body behind. His eyes, still frozen in a look of fear, stared up at the sky.

"Why is this happening to me?" She asked, as she continued her flight into some nearby alleyways...

In The Shadows
View Online

Fear of A Child

In The Shadows

Out in the countryside, a motorized carriage made its way towards Canterlot, carrying Sterling, Fury, and Black (as always, wearing the identity-concealing armor Armory made for him).They had been sent out after Elite had received more word from Fletcher, and were in the g midst of a discussion about what they would have to deal with this time.

“So… the Forefathers are at it again.” Sterling grimaced.

“It seems that way, yeah.” Black nodded, his helmet down, “Attacking and killing a few ponies, and for what?”

“A Faust damn loon.” Fury scoffed, “Seriously, what the hell do those guys want with a crazy pony?”

“A crazy pony that allegedly possesses some special ability.” Sterling pointed out, “According to what Fletcher told Elite, the patient has powers that are potentially dangerous.”

“And now that patient is out and about.” Black declared, “And the Forefathers are after her.”

“Don’t suppose you have any ideas why they would want her?” Fury turned to Sterling.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Sterling shook his head, “...But this is not normal, even for the Forefathers. I can only assume they need her for something big.”

“Like a Project?” Black suggested.

“Most likely.” Sterling glared, “Nevertheless, we gotta find her before they do.”

“Agreed.” Black nodded, “Now, our plan of attack is simple: Sterling, we will be dropping you off in Canterlot to meet up with Fletcher and the others. The good Captain is already working on a search pattern to help find this patient. In the meantime, me and Fury are going to check out that carriage, see if we can’t get a grasp of what’s going on around here.”

"Sounds like a plan." Fury nodded.

"Consider it done." Sterling smiled.

"You're sure you're up for this?" Black asked, concern in his voice. "I mean, you have been having these bad dreams lately..."

"I'm fine." Sterling insisted. "Takes a lot more than a few bad dreams to put me out of commission."

"If you're sure..." Black mused. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here."

Black handed Sterling a package. When Sterling opened it, he saw that it contained clothes; dull colors, a hood, and a baseball cap.

"Courtesy of Ballista." Black declared. "You need to keep your identity hidden, remember?"

"Like I could forget." Sterling sighed, putting the clothes on. "Funny how Fury is the only one here who can go out in public as is."

"Don't hate the player, hate the game." Fury smirked.

As they neared their destination, Black had a worrying thought.

'Let's just hope those who are also seeking this poor mare don't have too much of a headstart...'

Elsewhere, in Canterlot…

Elsewhere, in a darkened room, only lit up by the light of a mirror, held by a greyish-blue hoof, a shadowy conversation was underway.

“I can’t believe this. I cannot believe this!” The owner of the greyish-blue hoof snarled.

“Please, it’s not as bad as you think, sir.” The one on the mirror tried to placate him, who was none other than the head of the hooded figures that had attacked Survival carriage nights prior.

“Not as bad? You had that filly right there, trapped in a padded defenseless carriage!” The dark figure spat, “You had one job!”

“Look, it was an error in judgment. Roadblock was the one who suggested ramming the carriage from the back.” The hooded leader grunted.

“Hey, buck you!” The one named Roadblock growled.

“Quiet!” The leader snapped.

“You incompetent buffoons!” The voice seethed, “Not only is my subject is on the loose, but you also let one of the details slip away! A witness! I swear to Faust, I have half a mind to have you all put down-”

“Sir, please!” The hooded leader pleaded, “I can fix this! Give us more time and we can find the girl and dispose of that pesky doctor! I swear!”

“Well, normally I would say ‘don’t make promises you can’t keep’, but considering the time crunch we’re now in due to your blunder, I can’t be picky.” The voice sighed in frustration, “You and your group of foul-ups, get to Canterlot. You’ll begin your search there.”

“Canterlot? You think she’d go there? Why?” The hooded leader frowned.

"Obviously, because it's a big place with lots of hidey-holes." The shadowy stallion said irritably. "Best place to hide in miles. Not to mention that ‘he’ will know to look there first. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that we find her before he gets to her and takes her far out of any of our reach, do you understand?!”

"Y-yes sir." The hooded leader said nervously. "I understand completely."

"I hope so." The stallion snarled. "Because if you mess up again-"

Before he could continue, the stallion looked out of his carriage's window, and scowled at the position of the sun.

"Great. Now I'm running late." He frowned. He glanced back at the leader. "We'll continue this conversation later. And I expect to hear results, understand?"

"Yes, sir." The leader nodded timidly.

"Good." The stallion smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lunch to attend."

The mirror turned off, as the carriage came to a halt. One of the pullers opened the door.

Stepping out into the light was a greyish-blue Pegasus, relatively young looking, with a brown mane and pale green eyes. He was decked out in a fine gray suit. He straightened his tie, and ran a hoof through his neatly combed hair.

The carriage, a simple gray with silver trimming, was parked outside a restaurant, The Silver Stable. He stepped inside, and approached the hostess.

"Secretariat Dysley." He produced a charming smile, introducing himself. "I have a table reserved for noon."

"Of course, Mr Dysley." The hostess declared, after taking a moment to check the bookings. "Right this way."

The hostess directed Dysley toward the table in question. At the table was none other than Constell, the daughter of Princess Luna, and her husband, Luxury, the son of Fancypants.

“There he is, Secretariat Dysley!” Luxury smiled, "Fashionably late, I see."

"Sorry for the delay." Dysley apologized. "Business problems. You know how it is."

"I sure do." Luxury rolled his eyes. He turned to his wife. "Constell, this is Secretariat Dysley. Secretariat, my wife, Princess Constell."

"Nice to meet you at last." Constell smiled. "Luxury's told me a lot about you."

"The pleasure is all mine, princess." Dysley kissed her hoof.

"Aren't you a charmer?" Constell smirked. "Makes me wonder why Luxury didn't introduce us sooner."

"Well, I would have, but ol' Secretariat's been real busy these last few years." Luxury admitted. "Barely had any time to just hang out."

"Call it a hereditary flaw." Dysley shrugged. "My father tended to get wrapped up in his work. Always talking business with your dad..."

"If they weren't, we wouldn't have been able to hang out so much when we were kids." Luxury pointed out. "Good times, right?"

"They sure were." Dysley smiled. Then his face fell. "Then dad died, and it all seemed to go downhill for me."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Constell said kindly. "That must have been hard."

"It was." Dysley sighed. "I was still a kid at the time. Then I heard he died in an airship crash, and I had to grow up without a father."

"I don't blame you for wanting time to deal with your grief, pal." Luxury placed a good on his friend's shoulder. "When my dad heard about what happened, he was pretty shattered too."

"It was a tough road from then on." Dysley sighed. "But I managed to hang in there. I even took the helm of dad's business once I was old enough. I like to think he'd be proud of me if he could see me now."

"I'm sure he would." Luxury smiled. "And I am too, old pal. Now, how about we order some appetizers and make up for lost time?"

"Gladly." Dysley smiled. "We have a great deal to catch up on… like say, how you managed to earn the hoof of a princess.” He gestured to Constell.

"Oh, that is quite a story." Constell grinned. "Hope you don't have any pressing afternoon appointments..."

“Oh-ho, not at all.I have ‘guys’ to take care of things while I’m away.” Dysley smirked, “Besides… I love a good story…”

After much discussion with Elite regarding the severity of the situation, Fletcher and Caboose had departed the station, with Fievel and Nabudis in tow… or rather vice versa, as Nabudis was the first out the door, walking briskly, with Fievel behind him, and the two Royal Guards following them.

"Good luck, fellas!" Chief Colt waved them off.

"Thank you, good sir." Fletcher smiled. "It is most appreciated."

"And it's nice to know you're rooting for us, too." Caboose added.

“While we’re young, gentleponies!” Nabudis yelled.

“...I also wish you good luck with him.” Chief Colt grimaced, “I’ve a feeling he’s going to be rather difficult.”

“Indeed…” Fletcher sighed, “Let us know if anything comes up.”

The officer gives a nod as the two RDL agents caught up to the two doctors.

“Doctor, I understand time is of the essence, but we would be appreciative if you wouldn’t snap at ponies.” Fletcher said firmly.

"And I would be appreciative if you would keep the idle chatter to a minimum." Nabudis’s retorted.

"Well, you're a grumpy doctor." Caboose pouted. "Maybe you should get your own TV series. Ooh, and maybe a cane..."

"What did I just say?" Nabudis scowled.

"I'm afraid that for Caboose, 'chatter' and 'minimum' do not go together." Fletcher smirked.

"Wonderful..." Nabudis groaned.

“So, how do we go about this?” Survival asked, “You guys have a plan?”

“Indeed we do. Firstly, Caboose and I will be making contact with an associate of ours who should have arrived by now.” Fletcher announced.

“And what are we to do in the meantime?” Nabudis inquired.

“You wait here with Dr. Horror in plain sight. We won’t be long. Just keep vigilant for any suspicious ponies.” Fletcher declared.

“Yeah. If those guys were wearing cloaks, they could be anypony. Anypony!” Caboose added.

“Thank you. I couldn’t have gone without thinking about that.” Survival deadpanned.

"Maybe not anypony." Caboose said awkwardly, trying to save the conversation. "Maybe they're just part of some secret group, intent on-"

"Okay, Caboose." Fletcher drag him before he could say something else. "Let's not be too rash with the crazy theories..."

As soon as the two were out of earshot, Survival glanced at Nabudis.

“Odd sort of fellows, aren’t they?” Survival admitted.

“Yes… and I don’t like it.” Nabudis scowled, “Out of all the Royal Guards they have in this city, we ended up with two that just so happen to be ‘RDL consultants’...”

“What? You think they’re lying?” Survival frowned.

“Everypony are almost never who they appear to be at first glance. I’ve taught you this, Fievel.” Nabudis grimaced, “If you ask me, we shouldn’t be so quick to trust them…”

“Says the one who’s keeping secrets.” Survival glared.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nabudis challenged.

“I’m talking about this ‘patient’ of yours.” Survival growled, “I mean, where do I begin? It was weird enough that you said little to me about her before we left. Even weirder that the manifest said nothing about her. I’ve seen and met many patients over the years, but I never once heard about this one!”

“That because no one was to know about her.” Nabudis grunted, “As I’ve said before, few ponies were to know of her existence. All that was needed to know was that she was a very important pony that needed to be protected at all costs.”

“Yet you sent just me and Hamm and the two guys.” Survival seethed, “Hamm was the only one of us who had a weapon, and you and I both know he couldn’t shoot the broad side of a barn! If this patient was so ‘important’, then why didn’t you up the protection detail?!”

“Fievel, I could have put the entire hospital security staff on that carriage and it wouldn’t have made a difference!” Nabudis countered, “Not only would it had been costly, but by the sounds of these attackers, they probably have murdered them all just the same, numbers be damned. Only difference would have been a higher body count. Would you have preferred that?”

“...Well, I guess not…” Survival admitted, “But...”

“I know.” Nabudis sighed, “...And I’m sorry. I should had been there with you. It was my fault that you and him were on that transport to begin with...”

“...Why weren’t you though?” Survival frowned, “I mean, I haven’t seen you around the hospital in weeks, and with how you are acting about this patient, I doubt you would had just passed.”

“I’ve just been busy with things. Personal matters.” Nabudis shook his head, “But they’re not important now. Instead of focusing on the past, we must focus on the present… namely, recovering the patient…” He then glanced at Survival, “But make no mistake, once we do, we’ll make sure those ponies who killed our colleagues get their just desserts.”

"I can get behind that." Survival declared. "I've got some major payback planned for those monsters."

"Of course, whether or not you can get it may depend solely on our new allies..." Nabudis mused.

Meanwhile, a short bit away, Fletcher and Caboose were waiting in a nearby alleyway, awaiting their comrade.

"I’ll tell ya, it'll be good to see Sterling again." Caboose smiled.

“Caboose, we’ve only been away for a few days.” Fletcher shook his head.

“A really long few days.” Caboose pouted, “Besides, we can’t just hang out outside the HQ, what with him being a wanted felon and all.”

“Well, there is that.” Fletcher murmured, “But I do agree that it’ll be nice to have Sterling around.”

“Aw, how sweet of ya.”

Fletcher and Caboose perked as they glanced to see Sterling, donning the leather jacket he had prior to joining and an old looking baseball cap.

"You mind not bothering us, pal?" Caboose frowned. "Nothing personal, we're just waiting for a guy."

“Caboose, it’s me.” Sterling deadpanned, lifting his cap a bit, “Sterling?”

“Oh!” Caboose lit up, “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you. What’s with the getup? Is there a baseball game nearby?” He paused, “Is baseball a thing in this universe?”

“It’s just a little low-key disguise.” Sterling explained, “Since I’m not that recognizable, at least compared to Black, Elite and Ballista believed that I should be able to go about my business in cities like Canterlot, given I don’t bring attention to myself.”

"Sound reasoning." Fletcher nodded.

"Eh, I've seen worse disguises." Caboose admitted. "Like when Murray tried to sneak into a carnival dressed as a Timberwolf. That didn't end well..."

“Well, let’s hope our two guests won’t see through it.” Fletcher mused.

“It fooled Caboose, so something’s working.” Sterling joked.

"And they barely even know you!" Caboose added, overlooking the joke.

Fletcher and Caboose led Sterling over to the others.

“About time.” Nabudis scoffed, “I see you brought your ‘associate’.”

“Indeed. Doctor Horror, Doctor Nabudis, this is our comrade-” Fletcher began.

“Silver Lining." Sterling announced, “RDL.”

"Yeah, great guy, that Silver." Caboose agreed. "Loves baseball, hay dogs, and the Equestrian way! Not to mention he comes from a very influential-"

“That’ll do, Caboose.” Fletcher silently urged.

“It’s good to meet you, Silver.” Survival said politely, “Survival Horror. Most ponies just call me Fievel.”

“Likewise, Dr. Horror.” Sterling nodded. He then turned to Nabudis, “And this must be…”

As he glanced at Nabudis, he paused for a moment. Nabudis did so as well, the two sharing an eye glance, remaining silent. It was odd, but the two had a feeling… what that feeling was, they did not know.

“Somnus Nabudis.” Nabudis said finally.

“Oh, right.” Sterling snapped out of it, “Sorry, long trip.”

“Right…” Nabudis murmured, “So, I take it you are already up to speed with our predicament, ‘Silver’?”

“That’s right.” Sterling nodded, “And I am here to help out in any way I can.” He glanced at Fletcher, “So, have you guys any ideas on where to find this wayward patient?”

"Well, I have surmised that she would most likely go towards the nearest piece of civilization, which, obviously, places right here in Canterlot as the prime candidate." Nabudis declared.

"Though she could have chosen to stay away from big cities." Fletcher suggested. "A scared pony, especially one who had been cut off from social interactions with the outside world, might not wish to be near large groups of ponies."

"I suppose that would make sense." Nabudis mused.

"Poor thing." Caboose sighed. "Nopony should want to be alone..."

"You'd be surprised." Sterling sighed.

"All things considered, her being alone is a good thing." Survival declared. "I shudder to think what would happen if she unleashed her power in a crowded area..."

"Which makes it all the more imperative that we find her quickly." Fletcher stated.

“Well, before we get started, what about the patient?” Caboose asked.

"Excuse me?" Nabudis frowned, “What about her?”

“Well, we can’t really go looking for a patient if all we know is that she’s a girl.” Caboose pointed out, “I mean, is she a baby? A teenager? A Cylon?”

“Cylon?!” Nabudis sputtered in disbelief.

“Okay, maybe not a Cylon. A Dalek perhaps?” Caboose shrugged.

“While that is incredibly unlikely, Caboose does have a point.” Fletcher noted, “If we are going to locate this patient, we need to know more about her.”

“Of course…” Nabudis said begrudgingly, “While I still can’t share much information with the lot of you, I will tell you this: she is a twelve year old filly, black as night, with a violet mane.”

“Twelve year old?” Caboose gaped, “...That’s around my little girl’s age… and she’s a loony?”

“Again, do not use that term.” Nabudis glared.

“Wait, so this patient is a little filly, and you had her locked up like an animal?” Sterling frowned.

“Don’t you start with that.” Nabudis huffed, “We are well aware that she is a filly. And we don’t enjoy that fact. But her unique abilities and the risks that stem from them poses a threat to not only her health, but to everyone around her.”

"And what exactly are these abilities again?" Fletcher asked.

“That is still classified… but even if it wasn’t, we’re not completely sure.” Nabudis admitted, “The patient has been with us for a long time, and even now, we have yet to plumb the depths of her capabilities."

"Now there's a nice, open answer." Sterling said sarcastically.

“Doctor, it’s important that we know exactly what we’re dealing with.” Fletcher grimaced, “Last time we went blind into a mission, we nearly died.”

“I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t.” Nabudis said firmly, “...However, what I can tell you is that if and when we find her, we mustn’t upset her.”

“What happened if we do?” Caboose asked.

“Well… let’s just say that those ponies ended up extremely traumatized…” Nabudis revealed, “...Those that lived, that is.”

“And you thought it would be a good idea to transport her in a simple medical carriage, with barely any security?" Fletcher frowned.

“Again, we were trying to be discreet.” Nabudis retorted, “That’s why they were taking backroads, and doing it in the dead of night. All for the purpose of not drawing attention to the patient.”

“Well, clearly, that didn’t pan out well for you.” Sterling huffed.

“Well, I’m trying to figure out what happened myself.” Nabudis glared, “Not many ponies were to know that she was being moved, let alone exist. Somehow, these ponies became aware of the move, and knew when to strike.”

"Maybe you've got a mole in your hospital." Fletcher surmised.

"Or a double agent." Caboose added.

"Impossible." Nabudis shook his head. "I screen each employee myself. No spy could slip by me. No, I believe something darker may be at work here."

"But what?" Survival asked.

"That's what we've got to find out." Nabudis mused.

Elsewhere...

At the same time, Black and Fury were investigating the carriage which had been carrying the patient, having been fortunate enough to arrive before the authorities could lock down the area. The bodies of those murdered by the hooded ponies were strewn across the area.

"What a mess." Black frowned.

"Whoever did this, you can't say they weren't thorough." Fury admitted.

“Yeah, but still…” Black glanced down at the body of Hamm, “To be gunned down so mercilessly. I’m surprised that Dr. Horror fellow survived this.”

“The guy's got stones, I’ll give him that.” Fury smirked.

As they looked around, they checked around the damaged carriage, as Fury looked in the back, while Black looked in the passenger side.

“You got anything, Fury?” Black called out through the partition.

“Naw. Just your typical padded cell for the crazies…” Fury glanced around, “Probably a good thing. Those guys really did a number on the doors.”

“Well, I think they weren’t the most coordinated, for them to risk hurting their objective by crashing into the back.” Black grimaced, as he then noticed something, “Hey, I got something!”

“Really?” Fury went out and around to Black’s side, “What you got?”

"Some kind of manifest." Black mused.

"Anything useful?" Fury inquired.

"Not really." Black frowned. "All it has is a destination, and a warning not to get the patient riled up."

“That’s it?” Fury scowled, “Shouldn’t those things be brimming with info regarding who they’re moving or something?”

“Well, Fletcher told Elite that the doctor who authorized the move was insistent on keeping everything on the down-low. Even kept it from the guys doing the move.” Black frowned, “But I agree, it’s a waste of paper and ink.”

"Those lousy pencil-pushers." Fury scowled. "They got one job, and they can't even do that right."

"Makes me glad I never got an office job." Black agreed.

"You and me both, pal." Fury chuckled.

"Hang on." Black squinted in the carriage's poor lighting. "There's a logo here: Brightdale… What’s that?”

“Wait, the logo is right on this carriage.” Fury added, “Come see.”

Fury led Black to just outside the carriage, gesturing at the logo.

“Is that a company or something?” Black asked.

“I think Barbossa told me about them.” Fury declared, “They’re a major pharmaceutical company. They make medicines, vaccines, medical equipment... and if memory serves, they so happen to have a nearby mental hospital… one that I believe our two doctors and the patient hails from.”

“Well, then, looks like we got ourselves a lead.” Black smirked.

"So let's drop by and ask them a few questions about our mystery patient." Fury grinned.

"You got it." Black nodded. "Hopefully, we can find the next piece of the puzzle there..."

Meanwhile, the first search party were continuing their work, quietly scrutinizing the area for any traces of the filly. Sterling saw fit to break the silence.

“So… Nabudis, Horror… mind telling us about yourselves?” Sterling requested.

“Why?” Nabudis frowned.

“Just something to pass the time.” Sterling shrugged, “It’s going to take us a bit to find this girl and I figured we could get to know each other in the meantime.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but now is not the time for meet and greets.” Nabudis huffed, “Besides, I don’t know if I feel comfortable sharing my backstory with some guy in a baseball cap.”

"I don't know if I want to hear the backstory of some creepy doctor guy, anyway." Sterling retorted.

"Charming." Nabudis sneered. "I find myself wanting to know you less and less."

"The feeling's mutual." Sterling smirked.

"I think I'll take point on this mission." Nabudis said coldly. "The air is getting quite unpleasant over here..."

Nabudis went on further ahead.

“Eesh, he’s pleasant.” Sterling scowled.

“I know, right?” Caboose pouted.

"I pity all the poor patients and employees who have to contend with his boorish attitude." Sterling shook his head.

“I’m sorry, guys. Trust me, the doctor isn’t always like this.” Survival apologized.

“What? Is there a level of jerkiness that he has yet to attain?” Caboose scoffed.

“I’m serious.” Survival frowned, “Under normal circumstances, Nabus is caring, compassionate, amiable, the best boss one could hope for. We may not always agree, but I deeply respect him. He earned my respect, and he can do the same for you, if you give him the chance.”

“Well, if you say so…” Sterling shrugged, “Perhaps you can tell us more about yourself. I mean, considering you’re but a humble attending physician, it seems surprising you were able to escape a group of murderous hooded ponies with crossbows."

“Well, I did what I had to to survive.” Survival shrugged, “Never thought that all those years of training would actually pay off…”

“Training?” Sterling raised a brow, “What do they teach you in becoming a doctor at that hospital of yours?”

“No, not the hospital.” Survival shook his head, “You see… I was kinda raised to be a survivalist when I was a kid.”

“A survivalist?” Caboose repeated, confused, “Like a guy who knows how to survive? Don’t we all do that already?”

“No, Caboose. A survivalist is somepony who are trained in surviving in the wilderness or other scenarios.” Fletcher explained, “Sort of like what we did on the island a while back, except they do it for a hobby.”

“Oh!” Caboose smiled, “And here I thought your name was like that because the writers were being coy with ‘Survival Horror’.”

“Nope, but I thank you for seeing that.” Survival gave a half-hearted chuckle, “But honestly, that survival training made up for pretty much my entire childhood… that, and being stuck in a bunker for months on end.”

“Ah, I get it now. Your parents were ‘preppers’.” Sterling realized sympathetically.

“Preppers? You mean those whackos who waste their money and stuff preparing for an apocalypse that never really happens?” Caboose mused.

“Caboose…” Fletcher chided.

“No, it’s alright, Captain.” Survival sighed, “It wasn’t all bad. My parents meant well and I’d be lying if I said their teachings didn’t come in handy. But as much as I loved them, I had to get out of there.”

“So you became a doctor?” Sterling asked.

“It kinda made sense to me.” Survival smiled, as he showed off his flanks, a cutie mark of a pony’s head, the brain highlighted, “It took some doing, but I had come to realize my true talents in psychology. With patient study and a lot of hard work, I became an expert, one of the best in the field, if I may boast."

"Oh, really?" Caboose smirked. "How 'bout ya prove it, Mr. shrink?"

"Very well then." Survival rose to the challenge. He glanced fiercely at Caboose.

"Uhh... what are you doing?" Caboose frowned.

"Just getting a reading. There’s a lot you can tell from a pony, or anycreature at that, from the look in their eyes or the way they carry themselves..." Survival declared. "Like you for example: judging by that big smile you always have on your face, you are a very happy pony with a big heart and a zeal for adventure, a child-like love for fun and a very positive, if not very naive, outlook on life.

"That's me." Caboose chuckled, “I don’t know half the things you said, but that’s me to a T.”

“Very impressive, Dr. Horror.” Fletcher smirked, “Care to try me?”

“Of course.” Survival chuckled, as he stared intently at him, “By the way you stride with confidence and purpose,You are a dedicated and hard-working stallion with a strong sense of justice and fair play. You hold yourself up to a high if not perfect standard, sometimes to your detriment, but I can tell you are working on it.”

“Hmm, uncanny.” Fletcher mused, “I admit, that does fit my description.”

“Thanks. Now, how about Silver over here?” Survival turned to Sterling, “I’m actually interested in learning more about-”

“No thanks.” Sterling walked further ahead, “I’m… I’d rather keep to myself, thank you.”

"I... I didn't mean to impose..." Survival muttered, confused by Sterling's reaction.

"...Don't mind him." Fletcher tried to salvage the situation. "He likes his privacy."

"And don't get me started on getting him to talk about his hobbies." Caboose chuckled.

As they continued their search, the search party reached a local park.

"This looks like a good place for a kid to go." Sterling noted.

"Yeah." Caboose smiled. "Who could resist a go on the teeter-totter?"

As they drew closer, they saw a crowd gathered around a spot just outside the playground.

"This seems a little too coincidental." Nabudis said darkly.

"It might not be so bad." Caboose suggested. "Maybe it's one of those cute little performing monkeys."

"Only one way to find out." Survival mused.

The group (minus Sterling, who held back) walked over to the crowd. As they moved in closer, they saw the dead body of a shady-looking pony, his eyes open in terror.

“...Maybe the monkey is dressed up, pretending to be a dead guy?” Caboose suggested nervously.

"What happened here?" Fletcher inquired.

"This guy was found dead a bit ago." A Pegasus stallion announced. "The coroner’s on their way, but it looks like he suffered a heart attack."

"What a tragedy." Survival grimaced.

“Oh, please.” A Unicorn mare scoffed, “That stallion was nothing but utter garbage.”

“Whoa, a little harsh there, lady.” Caboose winced.

“Not harsh enough. This guy was a real creep. He was always lurking around parks, eyeing our children like fresh meat. I heard he was fired from a nearby school for doing… awful things… to the colts and fillies there." The mare snarled.

"That's deplorable." Fletcher gagged.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy..." Caboose glanced at the body.

"My thoughts exactly"

As Sterling glanced at the scene from afar, he saw the horror in the corpse's eyes. As hard as it was to look at, Sterling had a bad feeling...

'This all seems horribly familiar...' He thought.

Glancing around, he noticed Nabudis, who hung back with him, seemingly mortified by the death.

'And it looks like I might not be the only one...' Sterling noted.

Caboose, Fletcher, and Survival returned.

"Well?" Nabudis insuired. "What happened?"

"It's like this..." Survival started.

Soon, the details had been shared with Sterling and Nabudis.

“...If it’s all the same, gentleponies, I’d like to continue the search now.” Nabudis said tersely, the mortification gone.

“Sir, a stallion is dead.” Fletcher frowned.

“A child abuser, Captain.” Nabudis grunted, “One less scum to plague our society. Besides, we have to find the patient, and from how many ponies are here, she probably left this area a while ago, so let’s go.”

"Wow." Sterling shook his head. "Such compassion. No wonder you're a doctor..."

"Yes, I am a doctor." Nabudis snorted. "And I need to find my patient. Nothing else matters right now."

Nabudis walked off, in a bad mood, with the others following him.

“Ugh, this might be a long day…” Fletcher sighed.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Sterling grimaced, though his mind was still elsewhere.

“Is something wrong, Sterling?” Fletcher glanced at him, “You had an odd look about you as well.”

“I don’t know, Fletch.” Sterling admitted, “But I feel there’s something off about what happened to that guy back there. You saw his face, didn’t you?”

“Indeed… but from what I understand, it was probably a heart attack.” Fletcher declared, “...You think it might be pertinent to this case?”

“Maybe… but right now, all I got is a gut feeling.” Sterling shook his head.

“Well, it’s important to trust that.” Fletcher nodded, “It might do us good to have others contact the coroner once they finished with him.”

"I suppose it's the least we can do." Survival nodded.

"Have that scum's body cut up? I like it." Caboose scoffed.

"For now, let's focus on finding that kid." Sterling insisted. "Wherever she is..."

Elsewhere in Canterlot, the mysterious black filly was sneaking her way through some alleyways, trying to take her mind off of the stallion who had just died in front of her.

"What am I going to do?" She mumbled to herself. "Where will I go?" Tears flowed from her eyes. ‘Papa... Papa...’

"I think I heard something!" A voice rang out.

The filly froze in place, as the voice was joined by the clanking of Royal Guard armor.

'No… have they found me?' She panicked.

"Yeah, I think she's over here!"

'No, they won't get me!' The filly quickly glanced around and found a dumpster.

In a panic, she jumped in, barely able to grab onto the side, and scramble to get in… only to fall instead, the dumpster being emptied recently.

“Yikes!” The filly gasped, only to land with a small thud, “...Ow…”

Meanwhile, the source of the clanking, which was a Royal Guard naturally, was rushing by, towards the dumpster. The filly huddled into a corner, hopelessly wishing she could blend in.

“Please… please, no…” The filly whimpered.

However, the Royal Guard soon passed the dumpster… and picked up a tabby cat that was sitting not far from it.

"There she is!" He smiled, as he soon took it back out the alleyway to a nearby colt.

"Thanks, mister!" The colt smiled.

"Just doin' my job, kid." The Guard said humbly as he walked away.

The filly remained still for a moment, fearing that the guard might come back… but after a few more seconds of hearing nothing, she let out a sigh of relief… then wrinkled her snout in disgust.

“Ugh, it smells in here.” The filly grimaced, “I gotta get out of here.”

Making sure the coast is clear, the filly climbed up over the edge of the dumpster, ready to jump out when…

“Hey there.”

The filly glanced up in shock… as she came face-to-face with a tan-coated Pegasus filly with a black mane and green eyes, who was flapping to meet her gaze.

“Augh!” The filly yelped, as she tried to jump back in… but the rest of her body was already out, and thus resulted in her falling flat on her back.

“Hurri, what’s going on?”

The filly glanced up as three other young ponies approached her: a Earth Pony colt with a white coat, blue eyes and an blonde mane, and a Unicorn with a brown coat, green eyes and blonde mane, and to her confusion, a white coated Alicorn filly with a gold, braided mane and blue eyes. All of whom looked to be about her age.

“My plot senses were tingling, and when I looked back here, I saw this important-looking filly climbing out of the dumpster.” The one called ‘Hurri’ explained, as she landed.

“Ugh, Hurricane, you shouldn’t be talking to random ponies. Especially the ones of the dumpster-diving variety.” The brown coated Unicorn grimaced, “You don’t know where they’ve been.”

“Vito, be nice.” The blonde Earth Pony nudged him, “We don’t know if that she’s a dumpster diver.”

“Why else would she be in a dumpster?” ‘Vito’ frowned.

“Maybe she’s trying to drive it. Caboose told me one of my many great uncles who drove one once.” Hurricane suggested.

“Perhaps we should ask her herself.” The blonde alicorn spoke up, “Miss-”

She turned to the black filly, only for her to be slowly backing away, having been doing so while the others talked.

“Hey, where are you going?” The alicorn frowned.

“I… um…” The mysterious filly quivered, “I d-don’t want any trouble.”

“Trouble?” The alicorn filly repeated, a bit confused, “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“R-really? Because that’s usually what a pony who’s going to hurt you would say.” The filly challenged.

“...Well, she's got us there.” Hurricane mused.

“Hurricane, please.” The Alicorn filly frowned, as she turned to the mysterious filly, “There’s no need to worry. We’re friendly ponies. How about we introduce ourselves: my name is Miracle.”

“I’m Hurricane!” Hurricane stepped forth.

“And my name is Pureblood.” The Earth Pony spoke up, as he then gestured to the Unicorn next to him, who was just staring at her, “...And Mr. Stare-A-Lot here is my twin brother, Vito.”

Vito didn’t retort, glancing at her.

“Look, I… I shouldn’t be here.” The filly muttered, “I have to go.”

“Come on," Hurricane smiled. "You just got here. Stay a while.”

“I’d rather not.” The mysterious filly shook her head, “I’ve somewhere I have to be.”

“Then why were you in a dumpster?” Vito challenged.

"I was... looking for my lost ball." The filly replied.

"Really?" Miracle used her magic to levitate everything in the dumpster. "I don't see any ball there."

"Um, well..." The filly mumbled. "The thing about that is..."

“Look, forget about the dumpster.” Miracle shook her head, “Would you like to come with us?”

“...Why?” The filly asked.

“To hang out. Have fun. We could always use somepony new to play with.” Miracle smiled.

"I... I dunno..." The filly frowned, uncertain.

"Come on." Miracle pressed on, smiling encouragingly. "You look like you could use a little fun. Wouldn't you like to play?"

"I guess so..." The filly temporarily ceased her uncertaintly, feeling a sense of warmth in Miracle's smile.

"...Guys, a word?" Vito said awkwardly.

Miracle stifled a sigh.

“Give us a moment, won’t you?” Miracle asked.

As the group walked away, the filly felt the urge to try and run, seizing the opportunity to get away… but something stopped her, a strange feeling she couldn't explain.

For the past few days, she’d been running, fearing that one slip-up would seal her doom. But there was something about the warmness in the strangers' eyes, namely the one named Miracle, that gave her pause… and for a little bit, it lessened the feelings of terror in her heart.

The quartet reconvened a short distance away.

“What is it, V?” Miracle frowned.

“Look, guys, I’m getting a really bad vibe about this filly here.” Vito explained.

“What? Because she was in a dumpster?” Pureblood asked.

“No!” Vito spat, “...I mean, yes. But it’s not just that. I mean, look at her.” He gestured to the filly, who was just standing there.

“...I’m not seeing the problem.” Hurricane admitted.

“Of course you don’t.” Vito grunted, “Note her attire.” He pointed out the torn-up hospital smock, “That looks a lot like those clothes that a patient would wear at a hospital. Not something a normal pony would wear out in public.”

“Really, V?” Pureblood scowled.

“What? Dad always said you can tell a lot about a pony by how they dress. And she looks like she escaped from a mental institution.” Vito defended.

“Maybe she’s cosplaying?” Hurricane suggested.

“They’re probably hand-me-downs or something.” Pureblood shrugged.

“Okay, what about everything else? Her mane look ratty, and her eyes look… off.” Vito grimaced.

“Her eyes?” Hurricane scoffed. "Seriously?"

“Well... just look at them!” Vito sputtered, “Those aren't natural! Makes her look like some freaky cat...”

"So now you don't like cats?" Pureblood frowned.

"No, I like cats." Vito insisted. "I just don't like cats eyes on a pony. Doesn't seem right at all..."

"So because her eyes look a little different, you think we should just abandon her?" Hurricane scowled. "Real nice, V!"

"I'm telling you, she's bad news!" Vito growled. "I can feel it!"

"Keep that up, and the next thing you'll be feeling is my hoof kicking your flank!" Hurricane snarled.

“That’s enough.” Miracle hissed. “She may look a bit odd, but she doesn’t seem all that bad. If anything, she seems… scared.”

“And you don’t wonder why that is?” Vito asked.

“A little bit, but right now, she looks like she could use some company. And it wouldn’t really be fitting for Cutie Mark Crusaders to leave a filly in need, right?”

"Agreed." Pureblood nodded.

“Totally.” Hurricane smirked.

“Well, I still say it’s a bad idea.” Vito crossed his hooves.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Hurricane frowned, “I mean, come on, we haven’t had been in a story for ages. The last three stories have been about my dad and his friends, some guy we don’t know, and about the changedlings that didn’t exist until the season 6 finale. It’s not like our plot is going to intersect with someone else.”

The others stared, having trouble comprehending what she'd just said.

"Well, that's... one way of looking at things." Pureblood said awkwardly.

"How about we put a pin in that train of thought for now?" Vito shrugged.

"Agreed." Miracle nodded. "Now, let's go talk to our new friend."

The quartet returned to the filly (Vito intentionally bringing up the rear).

"Sorry about that." Pureblood apologized.

"That's alright." The filly gave a small smile, “What were you guys talking about?”

“Oh, Vito made some remarks against the more unique individuals in this world.” Hurricane shrugged.

“Hurri, I swear to Faust…” Vito scowled.

“Don’t mind them.” Miracle spoke up, “So… do you have a name?”

“Oh, yes…” The filly murmured hesitantly, “...My name is Nyx.”

"That's an... Interesting name." Vito noted.

"I like it." Miracle smiled. "Nice to meet you, Nyx."

"Same here." Pureblood grinned.

At that moment, Nyx's stomach growled.

"I take it you're hungry?" Pureblood joked.

"Maybe a little..." Nyx cringed.

"Then come with us." Miracle urged. "We can get you some real great food. Does that sound good?"

“Well, it would sound nice.” Nyx rubbed the back of her head.

“Then it’s settled.” Hurricane smiled, “Welcome aboard, Nyx.”

"Follow us." Pureblood urged. "We know just the place to fill you up."

"...Okay..." Nyx nodded, glad to have the chance to quiet the rumble in her stomach. "Thank you."

"No need to thank us." Miracle smiled. "it's just what decent ponies do. Now, away we go."

The group started walking, Nyx following (but not too closely, with Vito also keeping his distance from her). While still a bit scared, she was starting to feel a little safer, all thanks to your new acquaintances.

'Maybe these four will help me take my mind off of things.' She thought. 'I could really use a nice, calming distraction right now...'

Author's Note

Nyx is the creation of Pen Stroke (used with permission, of course).

Dead And Buried
View Online

Fear of A Child

Dead And Buried

The search party had moved on from the playground, and heading to the outskirts of Canterlot (having hung back a bit while Fletcher spoke with a coroner who took the body).

“So, Nabudis…” Sterling began, “Since the playground was a bust, do you have any more ideas as to where to start looking? Canterlot is a pretty big city, you know. Lots of nooks and crannies to hide in. Even with Fletch’s search patterns, we’re going to be looking for days, maybe weeks.”

“Well, we’d be further along if we didn’t have to wait on the captain when he spoke to that coroner that arrived to pick up that filth’s corpse.” Nabudis glared at Fletcher, “Remind me again the point of that waste of time?”

“Look, Silver here had some concerns regarding the circumstances of the pony’s demise.” Fletcher explained simply, “Regardless of his nefarious background, it’d make us no better to just ignore a potential murder of a pony.”

“That’s all well and good, but you already tasked with helping us find the patient.” Nabudis grumbled, “Besides, you and that coroner were talking for a good bit. Care to explain what you were discussing?”

“I was just informing him to contact one of our fellow staff at the RDL Headquarters. A doctor of our own.” Fletcher said firmly, not liking his attitude, “With his additional examination, if we’re lucky, it’ll turn out to be nothing and we’ll deal with it after we find the patient.”

“Very well.” Nabudis huffed, “Let’s just hope this little diversion of yours didn’t give Fievel’s attackers more of a head start.”

“Eesh, it’s rush, rush, rush with you.” Caboose grimaced, “Haven’t anypony ever told you that a rushed plot is forever bad?”

“...I don’t think anyone ever said that.” Survival grimaced.

“Well, my point still stands.” Caboose pouted.

“Look, can we just go?” Nabudis said gruffly, “Knowing our patient, she will most likely stick to the alleyways and back streets. So we should start the captain’s ‘search pattern’ or whatever you called it there. Come on, Fievel.”

“Um, yes, sir.” Survival nodded as he went after Nabudis as they went ahead.

“Are you sure it will be nothing, Sterling?” Caboose turned to Sterling, unsure.

“I don’t like our chances, but I like to be optimistic…” Sterling grimaced.

“Well, the coroner and Triage’s examinations should tell us in due time.” Fletcher nodded, “In the meantime, we should focus on finding the girl.”

"Sounds like a plan." Caboose nodded. "Let's hope Black and Fury are doing just as well as us. Hint, hint..."

Elsewhere, Black and Fury were making their way to the Brightdale mental hospital in the automated carriage, in hopes of finding some leads regarding the wayward patient and the attack on the carriage.

"Hope you're not afraid of hospitals, pal." Fury joked.

"Not a chance." Black smirked. "Let's just hope the doctors here are more like Triage."

"Something tells me we might not be so lucky." Fury said skeptically. "Not in a place like this..."

“...So, you mentioned Brightdale being some big pharma company.” Black mused. “Any idea about who runs the place?”

“Well, if memory serves, the CEO of the company is a stallion by the name of Dysley.” Fury recalled.

“...Wait, did you say Dysley?” Black paused, his eyes alight with shock, “That can’t be right. He’s dead. I’m the guy who made it happen!”

“Easy there, Black.” Fury rolled his eyes, “You’re thinking of Sacred Dysley. The guy who owned the place before you dropped a ceiling on him.”

“More like I shot his hoof who then fired the ceiling with that staff thing.” Black corrected, a bit bitter over the events.

“Yeah, well, the company as of now is being ran by Secretariat Dysley, his son.” Fury explained.

"What...Dysley had a son?" Black murmured.

“That’s right.” Fury nodded, "Born not long before... y'know."

“...Oh, buck.” Black grimaced, face alight with guilt, “Dysley was a piece of work… but I didn’t think he actually had a kid… and that kid had to grow up without a father because-”

“Come on, don’t start that woeful crap.” Fury countered firmly, “The kid seems to have done just fine without daddy in his life. He's this big time pharmaceutical giant, with a whole bunch of companies and hospitals under his belt. He got it good.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Black murmured, before his eyes narrow, “You don’t think he might have followed in his dad’s footsteps and became a Forefather?”

“Well, I heard nothing to say he is or not.” Fury shrugged, “Then again, no one really knew that Gridlock and the others were involved with the Forefathers besides us.”

“And with how affluent he is, I doubt we can just ask him.” Black deadpanned, “Still, with the fact that our patient was from one of his hospitals, we might have to consider that he’s involved somehow.”

“Good thing we already heading there then.” Fury chuckled, “If those medical dramas taught me anything, hospitals are always abuzz with gossip and rumors.”

“You watch medical dramas?” Black snorted.

"Oh, yeah." Fury nodded. "You'd be surprised how well-written those things are."

"Maybe I'll check one out sometime." Sterling mused.

"You'd be welcome to join me me in the lounge next time St. Elsewhen's on." Fury smiled.

"Thanks." Black grinned. "Just one more reason to end this as quickly as possible..."

Over in Canterlot, Nyx found herself being led through the streets by her new friends.

The five young ponies walked up Restaurant Row, stopping at The Tasty Treat. As they entered, Nyx picked up the scent of the food on the air.

"This smells... different." She declared. "I don't think I've ever had food like this before."

"Trust me, you're in for a real treat." Pureblood smiled.

"Just like the sign promised." Hurricane grinned.

A middle-aged mare approached him, possessed of an orange coat and purple mane (with a few gray hairs).

"Hello, I'm Saffron Masala." The mare smiled. "Welcome to The Tasty Treat. What would you like?"

"We'll have the mild curry and rice dish, vegetable simosas, and a round of milk, thank you." Miracle declared, passing the necessary amounts of Bits to Saffron.

"An excellent choice." Saffron smiled.

As Saffron made her way to the kitchen, the kids were led by one of the waiters to a free table.

"Mmm, I can't wait for those samosas." Hurricane smiled.

"Are they really that good?" Nyx asked.

"They sure are." Miracle nodded.

"What kind of food are you used to eating?" Pureblood asked.

"Oh... nothing fancy." Nyx shrugged. "Just normal, bland stuff. Kind of like hospital food..."

“Hospital food?” Vito frowned, “How oddly specific.”

"Lay off, V." Pureblood scolded his brother. "Not everypony can afford the best food in Equestria, you know."

"Yeah, yeah..." Vito scowled.

Soon, the food arrived. While the others dug in heartily, Nyx eyed it apprehensively.

"Come on, Nyx, try some." Miracle urged. "It's good."

Nyx's stomach growled once again.

"Okay, I'll try a little bite." She picked up a samosa, and took a bite. After a couple of chews, she found that it was quite tasty. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

"Told ya." Miracle grinned.

After finishing the samosa, Nyx tried some of the curry. While mild, it was still more flavorful than anything she'd eaten over the last few days (and certainly tastier than the scraps she'd scavenged).

"Mmm..." She smiled. "This is fantastic! I can't believe I've gone my whole life without trying some before!"

"Yeah, that's how I felt the first time I ate here." Pureblood declared. "Right, V?"

"Uh-huh." Vito shrugged, still wary of Nyx.

"Wait 'til you try the curried oatcake." Hurricane grinned. "It's a little spicy, but really tasty. Like samba music."

"Maybe I'll try that next time." Nyx mused. "Not really used to spicy food. I'd hate to ruin a good meal.."

"Good thinking." Miracle nodded. "Work your way up to the hotter stuff. For now, we can all enjoy what we have right here."

"I'll drink to that!" Hurricane drank her milk.

The five eagerly dug into the rest of their food, but none more so than Nyx, who was grateful to finally have a chance to silence the rumbling in her stomach.

Meanwhile, Fletcher and Caboose's group were looking through one of Canterlot's alleyways (namely the one Nyx was in earlier).

"No trace of her so far." Nabudis noted.

"We should keep looking." Survival urged. "Our target would have to be pretty hungry as such a busy day. And without money, she'd have no choice but to scavenge for food."

"A solid hypothesis." Fletcher nodded. "Unfortunately, not one that has born success so far."

"Sifting through garbage wasn't really how I saw my day progressing..." Sterling frowned.

Suddenly, a dumpster opened up, revealing Caboose.

“Well, she ain’t in here.” Caboose climbing out.

“We got nothing either.” Fletcher sighed.

“Us too.” Survival frowned, as he came back with Nabudis.

“How many alleyways does that make?” Sterling asked.

"Nine." Nabudis scowled, a clear element of frustration in his voice.

“Maybe it would help if we knew the patient’s name.” Sterling frowned, “It’s kinda weird trying to find someone when we don’t know whose name to call.”

“I’m afraid that’s one thing I won’t share.” Nabudis huffed, “I already shared enough. Even then, if we go around calling her name, ponies will hear, and before we know it, everypony in Canterlot will be looking for her. Like I said for the umpteenth time: no one is to know about her!”

“Relax, Nabudis.” Survival soothed, “They’re just trying to help us.”

"So far, their 'help' has amounted to very little." Nabudis said bluntly.

"We can hear you, you know." Sterling scowled.

"Yes, I know." Nabudis said haughtily.

"Let's not descend into petty bickering." Sterling sighed. "We really should just continue onwards."

Suddenly, a mirror in Sterling’s pocket began to buzz.

“Ugh, what now?” Nabudis growled.

“It’s a call from HQ.” Sterling pulled out the mirror, “Me and the guys have to take this. How about you and Survival go on ahead. We’ll be with you in a bit.”

"Gladly." Nabudis walked off, annoyed at another interruption.

"Right behind you." Survival joined him. "Wherever you're going…" He added, suspicion in his voice.

Soon as they were out of earshot, Sterling shared glances with Fletcher and Caboose.

“It seems Triage might have some news regarding the dead child abuser.” Fletcher noted.

“Or maybe he just wants to say ‘hi’.” Caboose suggested.

“Somehow, I doubt that.” Sterling frowned, tapping the mirror, revealing the face of Triage.

“Ah, hello there...” Triage smirked for a moment… before frowning, “...you…”

“Sterling.” Sterling added.

“Right, Sterling!” Triage sheepishly rubbed his head, “Sorry. I guess we hadn’t really talked much since you first joined.”

“Considering you weren’t in the last story at all, I’m surprised you know any of us.” Caboose pondered.

“Huh, Master Mind wasn’t kidding. You really do not make sense at times.” Triage deadpanned.

“Let’s get back on topic.” Fletcher announced, “I take it you have finished your examination of the park’s body already?”

“Oh, yes.” Triage grimaced, “The stallion's name was Wily Weasel. He had a record of theft, assault, and many other indiscretions I’d say what happened to him was far too good a fate.”

“What did happen to him?” Caboose asked, “For a dead body, he looked perfectly fine.”

“Well, there’s the kicker.” Triage declared, “I looked over the report, and it says that there were no signs of physical wounds, least of all any fatal ones. No internal injuries or trauma. And no traces of any known poisons were detected.”

“So it was natural causes?” Fletcher suggested.

“That would be the next logical conclusion.” Triage mused, “But no. I looked over Weasel's medical history. Despite having less than stellar dietary habits, and a little dabble in some diamond dust, he was fine healthwise… which doesn’t make sense considering the neurological examination...”

“Neuro-what now?” Caboose raised a brow.

“Examination of the brain, Caboose.” Triage explained, “From what I can tell, death was caused by some kind of massive stress-related aneurysm in his brain, which lead to a cardiac arrest, and an immediate cease of all vital functions… but that’s not the strangest part…”

“Oh?” Sterling frowned.

“According to the charts… Weasel was ‘asleep’ when all of that occurred.” Triage revealed.

“Asleep? In the middle of the day?” Caboose blanched.

“Yes. And from the way the body was found, he wasn’t napping.” Triage mused, “From the way his brain activity wavers, he was put to sleep by something, right before the aneurysm and cardiac arrest occurred. Personally speaking, from the look in his eyes, it seems like he died in the midst of a really bad dream…”

Triage glanced at Sterling, noting the dread in his eyes.

“But something tells me you already knew that.” Triage declared.

“Sterling?” Fletcher turned to him, “What is it?”

“It’s… it’s something I remember when I first saw the body…” Sterling began, “A few months ago, back before Titanfall happened, back at Infinity… I was reading the papers when I came across this odd story...There was this pony, Cirrus, a mailroom assistant from a medical insurance company, who died in his sleep. He was young, had no medical problems, and there were no signs of foul play… all he had was this of terror on his face. Like he was scared to death…”

“Oh, yeah, I think I recall that story.” Triage mused, “Ballista and I were talking about it. It was rather tragic, for someone to suddenly die like that…”

“...Wait… are you pertaining to those ‘mysterious deaths’ that have been occurring over the past few months?” Fletcher gasped.

“The very same.” Sterling nodded glumly.

“‘Mysterious deaths’? Whatcha talking about?” Caboose frowned in confusion.

“Over the last few months, there have been scattered reports of creatures suddenly dying in their sleep.” Sterling explained, “The stories were almost the same: they were all healthy. No physical damages. And all of them had looks of horror.”

“That’s right.” Fletcher grimaced, “Last one that happened was to a treasurer of a nearby pharmaceutical company. That was about three weeks ago.”

“Bringing the count up to seven.” Sterling added.

“That’s sad and all… but what exactly does that have to do with what we’re doing right now?” Caboose raised a brow.

“I’m actually curious, myself.” Fletcher frowned, “Why now are you bringing this up?”

“Well… what if it was the patient who did this to the scumbag?” Sterling suggested.

“...Are you saying we might be going after Michael Briers?” Caboose gasped.

“Caboose, that’s not what he’s saying… is it?” Fletcher glanced at Sterling.

“Think about it.” Sterling crossed his hooves, “Nabudis did say that the patient’s powers could be fatal if we upset her. And she would had been a prime target for our dead scumbag. Maybe he tried to pull something… and it got him killed.”

“Sterling, this is a child.” Fletcher frowned, “You don’t actually believe that someone so young would kill another pony, just like that, do you?”

“Why else would Nabudis be so gung-ho about keeping her a secret?” Sterling questioned.

"Maybe she's really his long-lost niece?" Caboose suggested.

"That's... One possibility." Triage replied, bewildered.

“Look… you should have seen the look on Nabudis’s face when we saw the body.” Sterling shook his head, “He looked mortified… but in a way like he might have seen it before… and perhaps he had… with the other seven.”

“Let me stop you there.” Fletcher said firmly, “We don’t know what truly happened to Weasel. Or any of the others. Even if the patient was responsible for that stallion’s death somehow, she was in a mental hospital for the other seven when they died.”

“So they say.” Sterling frowned in suspicion, “You’ve seen how tight-lipped Nabudis have been about the patient. There’s no telling what else he might be hiding…”

“...I won’t lie, Sterling, you might have a point there.” Fletcher admitted, “...But even then, all it is is speculation, and until we can prove otherwise, there’s not much we can do at this point.”

“Well, maybe not you guys, but if you give me some more time, I can look further into these cases.” Triage declared, “Maybe there’s something they might have missed.”

“Very well. Keep us posted of any further developments.” Fletcher declared.

"Will do." Triage nodded, his face disappearing from the mirror.

"Well, this just gets stranger and stranger." Sterling mused.

"Yeah." Caboose agreed. "All this talk about creatures dying in their bad dreams... Is that filly related to Freddy Kanter, or something?"

’...Dreams… bad dreams…’ Sterling mused silently, before lighting up, ’Wait… Project: Bad Dreams. That was Dysley and Doc’s project… Dysley may be gone… but his son is not. Maybe he can give me some answers…”

"We'd better catch up with Nabudis and Survival.” Fletcher began, “Regardless of who the patient might be, we need to find her before the Forefathers do.”

"Hopefully, without dying an 80s horror movie death in the process." Caboose added.

"You guys do that." Sterling said suddenly. "I just thought of a possible lead for this little situation."

"Really? Who?" Caboose asked.

"Nopony you guys know." Sterling replied. "Besides, it might just be nothing. Hate to say the name, then get embarrassed if it turns out to be nothing."

"Very well, then." Fletcher nodded, recognizing the nostalgic look on Sterling's face. "You see who you need to see, and we'll reconvene later."

"Sounds like a plan." Sterling smiled. "See you guys soon."

"Bye!" Caboose waved as Sterling departed, “Who you think he’s going to talk to?”

“I don’t know… but I can only hope it help us find this wayward subject.” Fletcher frowned

"Well, I'm pretty good at playing hide and seek with kids." Caboose noted. "So I'm feeling pretty confident about this myself."

"That makes one of us, I suppose..." Fletcher smiled.

Meanwhile, Nabudis and Survival were sharing a discussion.

"This is getting us nowhere." Nabudis scowled. "While they chat, our patient is surely getting further and further out of our grasp."

"I just thought of something." Survival declared, concern in his voice. "How's it’s going to look when Brightdale find out we lost the patient on my watch. Not to mention everypony on that assignment but me is now dead..."

"Calm yourself, old friend." Nabudis told him. "I'm sure that things will be fine, at least in that respect."

"You really think so?" Survival asked hopefully.

"Of course." Nabudis nodded. "You couldn't help being attacked by those malcontents. And while it's natural to feel survivor's guilt, you have to accept that there was nothing you could have done to save the others."

"That doesn't make it right that I managed to survive, and they didn't." Survival sighed. "I feel like I owe them..."

"Then we must find the patient, and keep her from those who tried to take her." Nabudis urged. "That is the best way to honor their memories."

"...Thanks, Nabudis." Survival smiled. "I needed that."

"Anytime." Nabudis smiled.

At that point, Fletcher and Caboose joined back up with them.

"Thank you for waiting." Fletcher said curtly.

"We're ready to tag back in." Caboose added.

"Great." Survival smiled. "Let's get going."

"Wait." Nabudis frowned. "What happened to that ‘Silver’ fellow?"

"He discovered a new lead to follow up." Fletcher announced. "He'll catch up with us later."

"Until then, we're back to being a pair of pairs." Caboose grinned. "Just like a good hoof in poker."

"Then let's not waste any more time." Nabudis urged. "Back to the search..."

As the group departed, Fievel's thoughts fell upon his colleagues at the hospital.

'I hope they're not too worried about us.' He thought. If luck is on our side, we'll see them soon...'

Elsewhere, Black and Fury, after a long drive, had finally arrived at the Brightdale mental hospital, the place from which the patient had originated from. It was an old, foreboding-looking building, situated outside of a forest, overlooking a cliff. A flash of lightning would complete the setting, one would say.

"...Nice place.” Black deadpanned, as they got out of the carriage, “Looks like the perfect place for patients to recuperate."

"I've seen worse." Fury shrugged. "Let's hope the staff aren't as bad as the place looks..."

The two approached the front gate, and saw that it was shut.

“Well, at least they have security.” Black snarked.

“Oh, yes. A big iron gate.” Fury scoffed, as he glanced around, “Say… shouldn’t there be a security guy or something manning this thing?”

“Well, I don’t see anypony.” Black peeked through the gates, seeing nothing but a spacious courtyard, “...In fact, I don’t see anything. Shouldn’t there be carriages going in and out this place?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Fury frowned, as he then noticed an intercom system, “Hey, maybe someone can let us in.”

“We’ll see.” Black declared, as he hit the button, “Hello? This is RDL agents Dreadnaught and Fury Xaldin. We are here on RDL business. Could you let us in?”

“Dreadnaught? Where did that name come from?” Fury grimaced, as Black let go of the button.

“It’s the armor.” Black gestured his armor, “The others suggested that I give myself a codename when I’m out so ponies have something to call me rather than that ‘guy in the armor’."

"Seriously?" Fury snorted. "What, do they think we're in a comic book, or somethin'?"

"As long as it works, I'm not complaining." Black shrugged.

After a few moments, they realized that the gates were still shut.

"What's with the hold-up?" Fury scowled, a bit annoyed. He banged on the gates with a curled talon. "Open up, already!"

As Fury barked at the intercom, Black glanced at the hospital. As he looked over the dreary place, his eyes caught a glimpse of one of the windows…

“What the…” Black squinted his eyes. Narrowing on the windows, he began to notice something was on it. His eyesight did not compare to that of Fury, but he could have sworn that it was some spatter of-

“Hey! Are you deaf?!” Fury snarled, getting irritated with the silent speaker, “Don’t make me come in-”

“Fury, something isn’t right here.” Black cut him off, dread in ihs voice, “We gotta get in there.”

"Done and done." Fury spread his wings. "No more being polite..."

Fury flew over the gate in one easy arc, while Black climbed over the nearby wall. Once they were both on the other side, they approached the main doors.

As Black cracked one of the doors open, they were beset by an awful scent.

"Ugh…” Black winced, as he sniffed it, “Buck, it’s blood.” He glanced at Fury, “You got my back?"

"I got your everything.” Fury materialized a spear, “Let’s go."

The two pulled both doors open and charged in… only to be greeted by a horrifying sight: the lobby was a complete bloodbath, with dead bodies scattered all over, crossbow bolts and knife wounds in many of them

"Holy hooves..." Black gaped.

"What the flap..." Fury whispered. "What happened here?"

“I… I don’t know.” Black’s eyes darted back and forth, unable to look away, “...Spread out. There might be survivors.”

“...Right.” Fury nodded weakly.

The two of them investigated the rest of the hospital, and found that things looked no better: there were dead bodies everywhere. All manner of staff members, from the doctors to nurses, and even janitors, were scattered all over, in varying states of mutilation.

As Black glanced inside some of the patients’ rooms, he came to realize they weren’t spared either, as they'd suffered the same crossbow and knife wounds as the others. Some of them were still in their beds, a single bolt lodged in their head.

Black, who was no stranger to the horrors of war, found himself struggling to keep it together - and keep his lunch.

"Keep it together, Black." He whispered to himself. "There still might be survivors. Don't give up hope yet..."

As he kept searching, Black found an elevator.

"Here we go." He smiled. "Maybe somepony hid in there."

Black pried open the doors, hoping to find survivors. But when he looked in… all he saw was a munch of mangled bodies, both doctor and patient alike, shot to shreds by bolts. The sight was so awful that Black couldn’t bear to look any longer.

"Oh, Faust…” Black cringed, as he felt his stomach churned, “Oh, Faust…”

Spotting a nearby trash can, he ran over to it, and tapped the side of his helm. The visor and helm just barely got out of the way in time, as Black vomited into the can.

"Hurrgh!” Black hurled, coughing as the bile left his mouth. He gripped the can to keep himself steady, “Ugh… Faust… how… how can they…"

Fury made his way through another part of the hospital, faring no better than Black, as all he saw were more dead bodies. The griffon only looked on in sadness, only feeling a twinge in his stomach.

"Dammit… these poor ponies…” Fury whispered, “All they wanted to do was help ponies get better… and all they got was a killing squad…"

Shaking his head, Fury soon came across a place of interest: a records room, with the door torn off its’ hinges

Holding his spear tightly, Fury peeked in, glancing around. There were maimed corpses as with everywhere else, but there were a plethora of filing cabinets, all of them been opened (some forcefully), with paper strewn across the floor. It was as if they were looking for something.

He gingerly stepped around the bodies, and reached into one of the cabinets, glancing at the files...

"Looks like murder wasn't the only thing on the agenda." Fury whispered.

Soon after, the two reconvened down in the lobby. Fury noted the ashened look on Black’s face as they met up.

“It was that bad, huh?” Fury asked.

“Yeah…” Black shook his head, “Not a living soul anywhere.”

“Same here…” Fury nodded sadly, “But I did find the records room. The file cabinets were all a big mess. I couldn’t make heads or tails, but either they were ransacking to cover their tracks… or they took a file or something.”

“Then why did they…” Black frowned.

“The old ‘scorched earth’ routine.” Fury said grimly, glancing around, “I’d say somecreature wanted them all to keep quiet.”

“But I don’t think any of them even knew about the patient.” Black shook his head.

“You think that matters to them?” Fury huffed.

“Faust damn… Elite told me about the Forefathers had done things to keep their deeds and themselves hidden…” Black murmured, as he looked at the body of a particularly young doctor, “But I didn’t actually think they would do something so awful.”

“Just makes me wonder just who this patient is.” Fury growled, “What is so special about them that they would go to this much effort to keep her hidden.”

“I don’t know… I just want to get out of here.” Black grimaced.

“Same here.” Fury declared, “The sooner we get away from this house of death, the better.”

“Right… and whoever did this will pay for this.” Black said fiercely, as they departed the dead place, the only thing keeping their spirits up being the thought of preventing further bloodshed.

Back in Canterlot, the five youths departed from the restaurant. Nyx was deeply satisfied, her stomach full for the first time in days.

"That was amazing." Nyx smiled. "Thank you all for bringing me here."

"Don't mention it." Miracle smiled. "That's what friends are for."

"And your tour of Canterlot is just getting started." Pureblood grinned.

"We're gonna show you all our favorite places." Hurricane promised. "Aren't we, V?"

"Sure we are." Vito rolled his eyes. "In fact, let's save mine for last."

"You're gonna have a great day, Nyx." Miracle declared. "I promise."

"I'm sure I will." Nyx beamed.

The group left Restaurant Row and went down a side street. Moments later, Fletcher's group appeared from the opposite direction, completely missing the kids.

"Ooh, there's Restaurant Row." Caboose smiled. "Can we stop and get some food?"

"As tempting as that sounds, we do still have a job to do." Fletcher refused politely.

"Besides which, I highly doubt our quarry will be sitting in a restaurant." Nabudis scoffed.

"I have to agree." Survival declared. "As something of a survivalist myself, I'd say it's much more likely for the patient to not be openly walking the streets, among other ponies, but hiding in the city's dark belly, alone and afraid."

"Which is why we need to find her before fear makes her harm anypony else." Fletcher added.

"Can't I least get something to go?" Caboose offered. "I can get something for all of us. My treat!"

"Okay, but make it quick." Fletcher nodded. "Can't search on an empty stomach, after all..."

"Sweet!" Caboose made a beeline for the nearest restaurant.

"Our quarry is here, somewhere." Nabudis said grimly. "We must locate her before she has a chance to slip away."

"And after we find here, maybe we can focus on who it was that killed our colleagues in an attempt to get to her." Survival added. "And whoever it was who sent them."

"Of course, Survival." Nabudis nodded. "But let focus on the most important aspect first. Whoever sent those fiends after her will pay for their crimes, wherever they are..."

Meanwhile, back at the Silver Stable, Dysley, Secretariat Dysley to be exact, was finishing up his lunch date with Luxury and Constell.

"I'm so glad we could see each other again so soon." Constell smiled.

"Me too." Luxury declared. "It's been nice catching up."

"I know." Dysley grinned. "I'd almost forgotten how great it is for us to spend time together. And getting to know your lovely wife is a wonderful bonus."

"Oh, you." Constell chuckled. "You know, Luxury and I are in charge of this year's charity dinner for the Royal Animal Preservation Society. Think you can make it?"

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Dysley chuckled.

“Hey, we still have some free time before we have to get to the theatre. Maybe we can hang out some more, grab a drink down at Blue Blazes-” Luxury offered.

“‘Fraid I have to pass.” Dysley cut him off, “I have several appointments I can’t afford to push back today. But next time for sure.”

“Of course. See ya at the party.” Luxury smiled.

"I look forward to it." Dysley declared.

Luxury and Constell left the restaurant.

"That Secretariat is such a great guy." Constell noted. "I can see why you two are such good friends."

"Well, there's a little more to it then that." Luxury shrugged.

"Meaning?" Constell asked.

"Growing up as one of the richest kids in Canterlot isn't always easy." Luxury declared. "First, you have the false friends, who just want to hang out with you for the status, or to get you to buy them things. Then there were the resented; the ones who shun or even bully you for being so well off."

"That sounds awful." Constell cringed.

"I didn't have to worry about any of that with Secretariat." Luxury smiled. "He accepted me for who I was. He was always honest with me. And he always had my back, helped me stand up to the bullies and the haters. I couldn't have asked for a better friend."

"Wow." Constell beamed. "The more I hear about Secretariat, the more I like him."

"Yeah, he's a great guy." Luxury declared. "Anypony would be lucky to know him..."

As Dysley watched them leave, a waiter approached.

“Will there be anything else, sir?” The waiter asked.

“No thank you. I would like the bill, if you please.” Dysley shrugged.

"Right away, sir." The waiter nodded.

As the waiter departed to get the bill, Dysley simply sat at his table, sipping from his wine, taking in the background noise… suddenly, he heard someone taking a seat at the table beside his.

Dysley lifted his head up, giving a small smirk.

“...Ah, Sterling Cross.” Dysley remarked nonchalantly, “I was wondering when we’d be seeing each other again…”

Sterling was indeed sitting at the opposite table, still in his disguise.

“It has been a while, hasn’t it?” Sterling said curtly.

“I’m curious as to how you knew I’d be here.” Dylsey mused.

“Lucky guess.” Sterling deadpanned, “Reading some of the tabloids also helped.”

“Heh, didn’t think you were into those.” Dysley chuckled lightly, “You looked more like a comic book guy… minus all the weight, and the neckbeard.”

"Very funny." Sterling sneered. "So, how have you been?"

"Quite well, thank you." Dysley answered curtly. "Though I'm afraid life in the Forefathers has been quite hectic as of late. We lost Nalik, Gridlock, Harlhooves, Solomon… and of course you."

"The Forefathers didn't 'lose' me." Sterling sneered. "I left of my own accord."

"You betrayed us all." Dysley scowled. "You lowdown, backstabbing scum."

"You can talk." Sterling retorted. "All the dirty deeds you've been involved in. Wonder what your adoring public would think of all that."

"Like you would tell anypony what I've been up to, Mr. Fugitive." Dysley retorted. "I doubt I'd be seeing you if I was going to be arrested or something."

"No. There'll be time for that later." Sterling shook his head.

"I'm sure." Dysley gestured to the bottle. "Wine?"

"No thanks." Sterling said bluntly.

“Suit yourself.” Dysley shrugged as he poured himself another glass, “...So… do your new 'comrades' know you're here speaking with me?"

"They're aware for the most part." Sterling shrugged.

"Well, that says a lot about the level of trust between you all." Dysley sneered.

"It's better than what the Forefathers insist upon." Sterling retorted.

“I’m sure Loveless and Ricochet would love to hear that from you.” Dysley snarked.

“Leave them out of this. Only warning.” Sterling glared.

“Ooh, touchy, touchy.” Dysley grimaced, “I guess there’s some loyalty under all that doublecrossing after all.”

“Maybe. Just not to you.” Sterling scoffed.

“Charming.” Dysley deadpanned, “Since this obviously not a social visit, why don’t we cut to the chase, and tell me why you’re here?”

“Well, me and my comrades had recently caught wind of some Forefathers attacking a carriage transporting somepony. A medical carriage from one of your hospitals, no less.”

“What? You think I would send some guys to attack a transport under one of my subsidiaries and with my employees?” Dysley scoffed, “Why would I go to such troubles?”

“Doesn’t really matter what I think.” Sterling huffed, “What matters is three ponies, your ‘employees’ no less, are now dead. And a mental patient is on the loose.”

“Well, I suppose that’s whoever orchestrated that attack gets for picking agents out of the lower ranks.” Dysley sneered.

“Gonna play ignorant, huh?” Sterling sneered back, “That’s fine by me.”

“You still didn’t say why you’re here though.” Dysley frowned, “I doubt you came in here just to talk about some random attack.”

“Well, call it a trip down memory lane.” Sterling answered, “When I heard about this mental patient and how these ‘attackers’ were after her, it got me thinking. Thinking about all the projects the Forefathers were working on back in the day… one always stuck out to me.”

Dysley’s frown deepened.

“Project: Bad Dreams.” Sterling mused, as he glanced over at Dysley, “You know what that is, don’t you?”

“Of course… it was my father’s project.” Dysley murmured. His eyes showed great sadness, “Something he dedicated his life to… until those self-righteous scumbags dropped a ceiling on him. You know, the guys you’re now bud-buds with.”

“Trust me, I remember.” Sterling sighed, no more happy than he was.

“Thanks for bringing that up, by the by.” Dysley glared, “That project ruined my childhood. Robbed me of my father..."

“Yet here you are, picking up where your dad left off.” Sterling scoffed, “I know that Father had you take his place in heading Project: Bad Dreams.”

“Yes, out of respect for him and my own father. Not by choice.” Dysley scoffed, “Why are you bringing it up anyhow?”

“Well, surely you heard about those odd deaths in the papers over the past few months.” Sterling declared, “You know, those who died in their beds, ‘scared’ to death?”

“Ah, yes.” Dysley murmured, “Some of the victims were actually ponies I knew. Very tragic. Not to mention kinda scary. It’s like they died of fright from a very-”

“Bad dream?” Sterling finished knowingly, “...Well, that’s why I’m here…”

“...Sterling, you don’t really think I had anything to do with those deaths, do you?” Dysley grimaced.

“Well, you tell me. Your dad never really specify what his project was all about.” Sterling shook his head, “All I know was that it had something to do with those pieces that had Nightmare Moon’s essence… and that subject.”

“Subject?” Dysley raised a brow.

“Come on, like you don’t know.” Sterling scoffed, “For years, I kept hearing about this ‘subject’, a girl of some kind, keeping kept in the labs. Not once have I, let alone anypony else, have ever seen her. And considering Nightmare Moon was involved in this project, I have a sinking suspicion that maybe this ‘subject’ is responsible for those deaths.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know.” Dysley shook his head.

“And you expect me to believe that?” Sterling sneered.

“For your information, I kept my involvement to a minimum with the project.” Dysley huffed, “You think I’d be so foolish to go down the same road that cost my father his life, my mother a husband, and me a parent? Well, you’re wrong.”

“Well, forgive me if I have trouble believing that.” Sterling said skeptically.

“Then believe this: I don't know anything about those odd deaths." Dysley insisted.

“Then what about the patient three ponies got killed over?” Sterling pressed onwards, “What is so special about her? I heard she has powers that can kill a pony. Is she related to Project: Bad Dreams somehow?”

“I’m afraid I’m not privy to private matters within my companies, let alone some ‘special’ patient...” Dysley crossed his hooves… before pondering, “In fact, what makes you think she’s related at all?”

“Call it a hunch.” Sterling clenched his hooves, feeling frustrated.

“Well, I call it reaching.” Dysley declared, “If you ask me, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

“Okay then, then how about Doc?” Sterling suggested.

Dysley went silent.

“I know that your father and Doc were real close.” Sterling frowned, “And I know that he felt awful about you growing up without a father. Loveless once told me that he has been looking out for you growing up. If you’re not going to talk, maybe you can direct me to him.”

“First off, why the hell would I help you? You betrayed this entire organization.” Dysley snarled, “Secondly, Doc and I aren't as close as you think we are. I barely even see him these days."

"Once again, I have trouble believing that." Sterling scoffed.

"It's the truth." Dysley insisted. "To be perfectly honest, Doc and I haven’t really been on speaking terms as of late. In fact… he’s been acting… off.”

“Off?” Sterling raised a brow, “Off how?”

“Well, he’s been distant. Aloof.” Dysley explained, “Secretive.”

“...That’s really not any different from how I remember him.” Sterling said dismissively.

"Oh, really?" Dysley narrowed his eyes. "And how close were you back then?"

"Close enough." Sterling said brusquely.

"Is that so?" Dysley smirked. "Now I'm the one who's having trouble believing."

"Sure you are." Sterling retorted.

"Speaking as somepony who's actually seen Doc in the recent months since your desertion...” Dysley declared as Sterling let out a huff, “Doc has been acting suspicious. He hasn’t been down to the Coils in forever. He has pretty much locked out all but a few ponies out of his lab, and his ‘subject’...” He grimaced, “I hesitate to say this… but I think Doc is planning something. Something awful.”

"Oh, sure, and you're totally innocent in all this." Sterling said skeptically.

“I am! I may be a Forefather, but I do care about the betterment of Equestria.” Dysley glared, “Which is more than can be said for Doc.”

“Horseapples.” Sterling snapped, “Doc is a lot of things. A loner, a weirdo, and a bit of a jerk, but he’s not some solo schemer, working behind the other Forefathers' backs. And believe it or not, he was one of the few guys I could rely on in the organization."

"You really think that, don't you?" Dysley snorted.

"I've known Doc a lot longer than you have, kid." Sterling reminded him.

"Did you even know Doc at all?" Dysley said suddenly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sterling frowned.

"Exactly what I said. I mean, for Faust's sake, have you even seen his face?" Dysley asked. "Know his name?"

Sterling paused for a moment, recognizing the truth in Dysley's words.

“Well, that isn’t important.” Sterling shook his head, “What is important is what he’s been up to. Maybe he could tell me what the hell is going on around here.”

"Ah, yes, the big question." Dysley mused. "Of which I do not know the answer. I wonder if anypony truly knows what's hidden behind that mask of his?"

“Look, I’m not going to play guessing games with you.” Sterling growled, “If you’re so worried about Doc, tell me where to find him, or at least give me a way to reach him.”

“And why pray tell would I do that?” Dysley grunted, “You forget, you’re one of the enemies now. I pretty much risking my neck here just talking to you.”

“Well, if you help us, we might be able to help you.” Sterling suggested, “I’m sure with enough convincing, they might take it easy on you, especially if you manage to help us put an end to whatever Project: Bad Dreams is.”

“...Tempting, but I think I’ll pass.” Dysley snorted, “I stand by what I said that I don’t know anything about Project: Bad Dreams, and I don’t know what the deal is with the patient, but if the Forefathers wants her, I would be wise to stay out of their way…”

“...Okay, be that way.” Sterling huffed, as he stood up, “Don’t say I didn’t give you an out.”

"Speaking of out, how about you depart this fine establishment, before you ruin its charming mystique?" Dysley snarked.

“Don’t think this is over.” Sterling casted a sideways glare, “We’ll be watching you, Dysley. I still believe you have a part in all this, and whatever it is, me and the others will stop you, and you’re going to wish you sang like a canary.”

Sterling made his way for the exit.

"By the way, he misses you." Dysley spoke up.

"Who?" Sterling stopped, glancing back at Dysley with curiosity.

"Loveless." Dysley said simply. "You really were like the son he never had… too bad you abandoned him..."

Sterling’s eyes narrowed, and his hooves clenched.

"...That is none of your business." He said bluntly.

With that, Sterling stomped out of the restaurant.

"Methinks I got under his skin just a tiny bit..." Dysley smirked, taking a triumphant sip from his glass… before the smirk faded, “...Still, this is going to complicate things even further…”

Outside, Sterling seethed over Dysley's words.

"Little punk." He muttered. "Got no right to even mention Loveless's name..." His scowl split into a cold sneer. "We'll see how long that smug attitude lasts. He's up to something. And I'm going to find out what..."

Gaining Ground
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Fear of A Child

Gaining Ground

Fletcher and Caboose continued their search through Canterlot, followed by Nabudis and Survival. They had departed from Restaurant Row, and were currently checking the nearby alleyways.

"For being the shining capital of Equestria, this place sure has a lot of dark, dirty alleyways." Caboose noted.

“I hate to admit it, but you’re right.” Fletcher frowned, “I might have underestimated how many alleyways there was when I first made the search patterns.”

“Well, that’s something you want to hear several hours into a search.” Nabudis grunted.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t working.” Fletcher retorted firmly, “But perhaps we should start splitting up. We’d cover more ground that way.”

“Well, that could speed things up a little.” Survival nodded.

“I dunno…” Caboose frowned, “I mean, you heard doctor grumpy over here. This girl has spooky powers. Did we ever actually talk about what to do when we find her?”

“That will be for me to worry about.” Nabudis grunted, “Your only concerns should be helping us find her-”

“-Before the others do. We know.” Caboose rolled his eyes, “Still, I think we should stick together. If horror movies taught me anything, splitting up just ends up getting more ponies killed.”

“Again with the horror movies…” Survival muttered, as he glared at Caboose, “Look, I highly doubt the mortality rate will be affected whether we stick together or not.”

“What do you know? You’ve ever been in one before?” Caboose challenged.

"No, but I've seen enough to know how unrealistic they are." Survival scoffed.

"Oh, yeah?" Caboose sneered. "What about 'I Know What You Did Last Summer Sun Celebration'?"

"Totally unbelievable." Survival shook his head. "We're supposed to believe the killer survived being hit by a carriage and thrown into the sea?"

"It could happen!" Caboose insisted.

"What about his uncanny ability to unerringly stalk all his victims, sometimes appearing from out of nowhere?" Survival continued. "He wasn't even a Unicorn!"

"Maybe he's just really quick, and sneaky?" Caboose suggested.

"I doubt that." Survival smirked.

"Oh, yeah?" Caboose growled. "Then what about... 'Candystallion'?"

"Oh, please." Survivial scoffed. "For starters, there was way too much blood. And why would he need to have his name said five times in order to be summoned? Surely one would be enough..."

"'Wishmaestro'!" Caboose stubbornly continued.

"Utter nonsense." Survival shook his head. "Why would the Djinn purposefully twist the mare's wishes in horrible ways if his whole plan revolved around getting her to make three wishes? He sabotaged himself!"

"He's bad guy!" Caboose countered. "It's what they do!"

"Well, that's some solid logic." Survival scoffed. "Exactly what I'd expect of movies like that..."

"Who said movies have to have logic?" Caboose scoffed. "That's your first mistake right there!"

“Wow, looks like I walked in on a very enthralling discussion.”

The group turned, and saw Sterling standing before them, a slightly defeated look on his face.

"Hey, you're back!" Caboose smiled.

“That didn’t take long.” Fletcher mused, “How did your lead go?”

"It went... Somewhere." Sterling shrugged. "You guys?"

"Still following breadcrumbs." Survival declared. "With little success."

"Which is why we shouldn't waste any more time talking." Nabudis said bluntly. "So let’s shut up about ‘horror movies’ and get back to work."

"Killjoy." Sterling scowled.

"See if I invite you to our next movie night..." Caboose said under his breath.

As the group continued moving, Fletcher and Caboose subtly moved closer to Sterling.

“So, what was this lead you were talking about?” Fletcher asked.

“It turned out to be a huge waste of time.” Sterling shook his head, “Nothing worth talking about.”

“Yet you felt the need to run off and check it out.” Fletcher frowned, “Sterling, who did you talk to?”

“Come on, Sterling. You can trust us, remember?” Caboose urged.

“Well, I guess there’s no point hiding it.” Sterling huffed, “I was talking with Dysley.”

“...Dysley? Wait, isn’t that the guy Black dropped a ceiling on back in that one flashback a while back?” Caboose frowned in confusion.

“Not that Dysley. That was Sacred Dysley.” Sterling corrected, “I’m referring to Secretariat Dysley. His son.”

“As in the CEO of Brightdale?” Fletcher raised a brow, “The leading pharmaceutical company in all of Equestria? What in Equestria would you be doing talking to someone like him?”

“Well, because he is… well, was my fellow Ouroboros of the Forefathers.” Sterling revealed.

“What?!” Caboose and Fletcher gaped.

“His son became a Forefather?” Fletcher frowned.

“Aw, the boy is keeping it in the family. How sweet.” Caboose smiled.

“‘Sweet’ is not how I would describe this.” Fletcher grimaced, “How long has he been with the Forefathers?”

“Well, he was sworn into the Ouroboros shortly before I left for the Crystal Empire for Project: Maelstrom.” Sterling admitted, “But that’s not important: what is important is what he is up to.”

“What do you mean?” Fletcher asked.

“You two are aware of Project: Bad Dreams, right?” Sterling declared.

“You mean that project that Black supposedly stopped but not really?” Caboose suggested.

“The very same.” Sterling nodded.

“Ballista did tell us that the project was still in operations, under the one you called ‘Doc’.” Fletcher recalled… before giving a dreaded look, “Oh, Faust, did Secretariat-”

“Take his father’s place in the project? Yeah.” Sterling glared.

“Oh, that’s doubly sweet!” Caboose smirked, “He’s finishing his father's life work!”

“Caboose, that isn’t a good thing.” Sterling deadpanned.

“It isn’t?” Caboose’s smile faded.

“What exactly did you and Secretariat talk about?” Fletcher asked.

“Nothing substantial, unfortunately.” Sterling admitted, “Like his father, the punk got a mouth on him… but I will tell you this: he is involved in this somehow.”

“Involved? How so?” Fletcher frowned.

“...I don’t quite know.” Sterling grimaced, “But what I do know is this: his company owns the hospital, who was holding this patient, who has ‘special’ powers. And he has been running Project: Bad Dreams in his father’s place, a project concerning a ‘subject’. This can’t all be a coincidence, can it?”

“That is a fair point, but still, it’s just speculation.” Fletcher frowned, “Did Dysley actually admitted to any involvement with the attack or the patient?”

“Well, no, but he was playing dumb.” Sterling scowled, “And he did tell me that he was working on Project: Bad Dreams!”

“But none of us truly knows what Project: Bad Dreams really is.” Fletcher said firmly, “I’m sorry, but even if he does have some part in all this nonsense, without proof, we can’t really do anything with Dysley, ”

"Just like those lacrosse sticks back home..." Caboose shook his head.

"So we're just supposed to let him keep doing what he's doing?" Sterling protested. "Seriously?"

"I'm afraid that's the way it has to be." Fletcher shrugged. "We cannot act against him directly."

"Okay, fine." Sterling said reluctantly. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

“I know!” Caboose lit up, “Maybe we should ask the docs! They technically work for him! Maybe they might know!”

“That might not be a good idea.” Sterling held up a hoof.

“What? Why?” Caboose frowned.

“You just said so yourself, Dysley is pretty much their boss.” Sterling declared, “They might take an exception to us suspecting him of any wrongdoing.”

“Indeed, and that could lead to them ceasing co-operations altogether.” Fletcher nodded.

“Yeah, I guess… and they could stop working with us too.” Caboose admitted, “...But what do we do then?”

“The only thing we can do at this moment.” Fletcher declared, “Find the patient and deal with whoever is after her. Then we’ll know for sure what is going on.”

"Excuse me, what did I just say?!" Nabudis called back angrily. "We need to stay together, and keep moving!"

"Please?" Survival said contritely.

"I'd almost forgotten what a nice guy he is..." Sterling glared at Nabudis. "Let's get after that kid so we can finish this as quickly as possible."

"That's the plan." Fletcher nodded. "Not my plan, but still..."

Up ahead, Nabudis once again cast a suspicious look at the three of them.

"There they go again." He scowled. "What are they whispering about?"

"No idea." Survival frowned. "By the looks on their faces, it seems important. So why don't they share it with us?"

"Perhaps because they're discussing things they don't want us to know about." Nabudis sneered, “Maybe including why they’re really after the patient.”

“You know, I would normally disagree… but you might be onto something.” Survival admitted.

“Wel-wait, really?” Nabudis glanced at Survival in surprise.

“Look, I still don’t think Fletcher and Caboose have any ill intent for us or the patient.” Survival explained… before scowling, “But it’s that Silver guy I’m worried about.”

“Him?” Nabudis glanced at Sterling, a bit confused.

“Yeah. I mean, it’s weird enough that he comes out of nowhere to help us.” Survival grimaced, “And there’s the fact that he wouldn’t let me study him… and call me crazy, but I think I might have seen him somewhere before…”

“...Well, he is from the RDL…” Nabudis shrugged, surprisingly hesitant, “As are Fletcher and Caboose.”

“But those two are consultants.” Survival retorted, “Silver… he claims to be from RDL… but for all we know, he’s part of some shadowy ‘Illuminati’ organization… like those Forefathers I keep hearing about in the news.”

"That is... quite the theory." Nabudis noted. "Though I have to agree with you on the subject of something being off here."

"So what do you recommend we do?" Survival asked.

"We play along... for now." Nabudis declared. "The second any of them try anything, we make them regret ever getting getting involved in our business."

“You think we can take them all?” Survival frowned.

“You insult me.” Nabudis smirked, “I may be getting on in age, but I have a few tricks up my sleeves.”

The others joined them seconds later.

"And what are you two talking about?" Sterling frowned.

"Oh, nothing." Nabudis shrugged.

"Just some medical matters." Survival declared. "Nothing you'd understand."

"I dunno, I think I've been in enough hospitals to pick up a few things." Caboose declared. "Even if I was unconscious most of the time..."

"In any case, we should keep moving." Fletcher declared. "We won't find that filly just standing here chatting."

"My thoughts exactly." Nabudis nodded. "Back to business, I say..."

The group continued onwards. Sterling, unconvinced by the pairs' excuses, kept a particularly suspicious eye on them.

Meanwhile, Nyx and her newfound friends were continuing their way through Canterlot. Nyx, still nervous about being out in the open, tried to stay close against any walls, fences and railings they passed by. Of course, it was inevitable that her ragged outfit would catch against something; to be precise, it snagged on a cracked fence, leaving a sizeable tear.

"Oh no!" Nyx gulped, trying to hold it together.

"What's wrong, Nyx?" Miracle asked, as she and the others stopped.

"My... dress ripped." Nyx said awkwardly.

"Typical girl, worrying about her clothes." Vito said dismissively.

"Save it, V." Pureblood elbowed his brother.

"I'm not surprised." Hurricane declared. "No offense, but that oversized rag looked like it was on the verge of falling apart anyway. How long have you had that?"

"Longer than you might think." Nyx said awkwardly.

"Either way, it's got to go." Miracle declared. "We're getting you some new clothes, right now."

"...Oh, you don't have to do that." Nyx said nervously. "You already bought me lunch..."

"Friends help friends." Miracle insisted. "And not to brag, but money is no object for a Princess."

"Well, if you insist..." Nyx gave in, not wanting to press the matter further.

"Great." Miracle smiled. "I know just the place."

"You guys coming with?" Hurricane asked Vito and Pureblood.

"Go clothes shopping? No thanks." Vito scoffed. Secretly, he had been hoping for an excuse to put some distance between himself and Nyx. "I'll catch you guys later."

"I'd like to, but I promised mom I'd help with the spring cleaning." Pureblood said, completely honestly. "Sorry."

"That's okay." Miracle shrugged. "We can meet back at the castle in a little while."

"All of us?" Vito cast a suspicious glance at Nyx. "You really think that's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Hurricane frowned.

"You think your parents would like you bringing back a strange filly?" Vito asked.

“Please, mom and dad are off on a diplomatic visit to Zebrica and won’t be back for a couple of days.” Miracle glared, “Even if they weren’t, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind us giving a pony in need a safe place to stay for a little while. What's safer than the castle?"

"Sure, why not?" Vito growled, exasperated, as he walked away. "That probably won't backfire in any way..."

"See you soon." Pureblood added, as he followed after his brother.

Nyx remained silent, but was relieved to see Vito leave. He had been suspicious of her from the start, and she preferred that he would have as few opportunities to pry into her as possible.

"Guess it's just us girls then." Hurricane hugged Miracle and Nyx. "Let's get Nyxie here a new look!"

"You ready for a makeover, Nyx?" Miracle asked.

"As I'll ever be." Nyx smiled weakly.

The trio of fillies made their way down another street, fashion in their sights. Nyx made sure to hold her outfit as close to her as possible, to prevent any further tears.

'I can't let them see what's under here, no matter what...' She thought to herself.

Meanwhile, a group of police officers arrived at the hospital (having received an "anonymous" tip), intent on investigating matters.

"Sweet Celestia." The lead officer, a grizzled Earth Pony veteran by the name of Chief Force, grimaced at the mess before them. "This kind of thing never gets any easier to look at..."

"Your orders, sir?" One of his subordinates asked.

Chief Force swallowed a lump of bile.

"Search the building for any clues." He answered. "And put those poor folks, or what's left of them, into body bags."

"Yes, sir." The officer nodded.

The officers spread out, securing as many corpses as they could, while at the same time keeping their eyes open for any evidence. One of them, a broad, bearded fellow, approached the chief.

"I think I'll check out the basement, if it's all the same to you, sir." He announced.

"Very good, officer Longarm." Chief Force nodded, “It is good to have you back. How long you say you will be sticking around in Equestria?”

"Only a few days, sir." Longarm replied. "I'll be leaving for the Caymare islands for a good ten or twelve months. Some serious crimes going on there."

"I see." Chief Force noted. "Then you'd better make these few days count."

"That's the plan, sir." Longarm nodded. "And I'll start right now."

Officer Longarm split off from the others, and made his way to the basement. Once there, he took off his false beard. He was really Ballista in disguise. After taking a moment to make sure he hadn't been followed, he pulled out a mirror, and activated it.

Black appeared in the glass, Fury looking over his shoulder. The two were currently in the steam carriage, ways away from the hospital, out of all the cops’ sights.

"I'm at the hospital." Ballista announced.

"How's it looking?" Black asked dejectedly, already knowing the answers.

“You guys weren’t kidding.” Ballista shook his head, “No survivors, and no trace of whoever did this. It’s a complete bloodbath up in here."

“How you think we feel?” Black growled, “We had to see it all firsthoof.”

"Stomach-churning, ain't it?" Fury grimaced.

"And then some." Ballista admitted. "Enough to sicken even this old warhorse."

"Question is, what do we do now?" Black sighed. "The trail's gone cold. All those dead innocents, and we have no way to avenge them.."

“Hold on a minute.” Fury held up the manifest they picked up earlier, “Remember this poor excuse of a manifest? It mentioned something about the Isle of Wheat. That was where they were going with the patient before it all hit the fan.”

“Isle of Wheat? I didn’t think they had a hospital over there.” Ballista frowned.

“Well, there’s only one way to know for sure.” Black said firmly, “We oughta get over there double time. We’re gonna have to drive through the night if we want to catch the next boat there.”

"Good luck with that, fellas." Ballista smiled. "I'll stick with the investigation here, and keep you posted. If anything new pops up, I'll let you know."

"Understood." Black nodded.

Black and Fury's faces vanished from the mirror.

"Time for Officer Longarm to get back to work..." Ballista declared, putting the mirror away and replacing his fake beard. "And by 'work', I mean 'sift through all the bodies of those poor dead ponies'..."

Back in Canterlot, Nyx was lead into Canterlot Carousel. The place was quite crowded, to Nyx's nervousness. At least in the restaurant, they had sat at a table away from the others, giving her a measure of being a safe distance from others. But she wouldn't be so lucky here.

"Maybe this was a bad idea." She said awkwardly, hiding behind Miracle. "I-I don't do so well in big crowds..."

"Relax." Hurricane assured her. "You're with us, remember?"

"It'll be fine, Nyx." Miracle declared.

"What if somepony thinks I look... Strange?" Nyx asked.

"Then they'll have to answer to me." Miracle proclaimed.

"And me." Hurricane added.

"Thanks, guys." Nyx smiled.

"Anytime." Miracle smiled. "Now let's take a look around, and see if anything suits you."

The trio looked around the boutique (Nyx keeping close to Miracle and Hurricane), trying to find a new outfit for Nyx. It wasn't easy, since Nyx, having never had any experience with fashion, couldn't say which clothing she thought would look good on her.

"I just don't know." Nyx sighed. "This all seems the same."

"Let's not give up." Miracle urged. "We'll find the perfect look for you sooner or later."

Moments later, Hurricane's eye was caught by a purple vest and a mint green headband.

"Try these on." She urged.

"...Right here?" Nyx said nervously, once again glancing at the surrounding ponies.

"Of course not, silly." Miracle chuckled. "The changing rooms are right over there."

"Oh, right." Nyx chuckled awkwardly. "I'll be right back."

Taking the clothes, Nyx entered a changing room. After making sure the curtain hid her completely, she took off her smock... Revealing a pair of wings, larger than most Pegasi her age (or older).

'Ah, finally.' She thought as she stretched her wings (a few long-molted feathers falling to the floor). 'Feels good to finally let them go free...'

After taking a moment to enjoy her freedom, Nyx put on the vest, reluctantly tucking her wings back against her sides, and donned the headband. She then looked at herself in the dressing room's mirror.

'Hey, not bad...' She smiled.

"Everything okay in there, Nyx?" Miracle's voice called. "You've been in there a while."

"Uh, I'm fine!" Nyx, after taking a moment to ensure her wings were hidden, drew back the curtain. "All good here!"

"Wow, looks more than good!" Hurricane smiled. "Girl, you are rockin' that vest!"

"She's right, you look great." Miracle agreed.

"It really is a wonderful outfit." Nyx admitted. "Thank you both for this."

"No problem." Hurricane beamed. Just the, something caught her eye. "Hey, what's that?" She pointed into the dressing room.

Nyx froze with horror as Hurricane pointed to the black feathers she had just molted.

“Look, it’s not what you-” Nyx began to panic.

"That's odd." Miracle mused. "Maybe a crow got in here, or something."

Nyx breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lemme guess, you want to wear that out of here?" Hurricane asked Nyx.

"I do." Nyx nodded. "That's not going to be a problem, Is it?"

"Of course not." Miracle smiled, removing the price tag. "I'll just pay for this, and then we can go."

After Miracle brought the price tag to the cashier and paid the necessary Bits for the dress, she returned to her friends.

"Come on, Nyx." Miracle declared. "Let's go meet up with the guys, show them your new look."

"'Cause what's the point of a new outfit if you can't show it off?" Hurricane smirked.

"I like the sound of that." Nyx smiled.

As they walked back onto the streets, Nyx had a new spring in her step. No longer having to wear that ragged cloth - a constant reminder of her current situation - left her feeling elated. She didn't stand out quite as much anymore.

"Somepony's happy." Hurricane noted teasingly.

"Well..." Nyx laughed awkwardly.

"No surprise there." Miracle grinned. "The Canterlot Carousel always has the perfect outfit for anypony. That's why we brought you here."

"Thanks again." Nyx said humbly. "You keep doing all these nice things for me. I feel like I need to do something for you in return."

"That's not how friendship works." Miracle told her. "Friends do nice things for each other because it makes them happy. Seeing you happy is good enough for me."

"If you say so..." Nyx mulled the subject other, still not getting.

"Come on." Hurricane urged. "You've got some struttin' to do!"

As the three fillies continued down the street, Nyx cast aside her ruined smock, happy to be rid of it at last. Moments later, the search party approached Canterlot Carousel from the other side.

"Ooh, pitstop!" Caboose said suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Nabudis frowned.

"I just remembered, I need to get a nightshirt!" Caboose explained.

"A nightshirt?" Fletcher frowned.

“Yeah!” Caboose smirked, “Remember that plan I told you about before we got interrupted by the next scene?”

“...A little bit.” Fletcher admitted.

“What?” Nabudis mouthed in disbelief.

“Well, when I was a little foal, I’ve been having lots of bad dreams. Kept everyone back home up at night. I don’t know if it was due to stress, too much cheese before bed, or some guy in a white mask silently stalking me.” Caboose reminisced, “It wasn’t till my dad had enough and decided to do something about it. You see, he got out this old nightshirt and put me in it, despite it being too big for me. Told me it would get rid of those nightmares like it did for him. And when I went back to sleep… he was right. Instead of dreaming about being chased through a boiler room by some guy with claws and nasty burns... I was flying, all through the city of Roam. No fear, no worries… only the freest, most wonderful feeling in the world…”

“Well, that’s all moving and all, but how is this relevant to what we’re doing?” Survival asked.

"My little colt Michael has been having bad dreams lately." Caboose revealed.

“...Bad dreams?” Nabudis’s frown softened.

“Yeah, the worst.” Caboose grimaced, “Me and my wife been trying everything to help him, but nothing seems to work. But I figure if I put Mikey in a nightshirt, he might experience the same sensations I did and be able to sleep a good nights’ sleep.”

“That is terrible… but do you really have to do this now?” Survival frowned, “Time is of the essence.”

"It'll only take a minute or two." Caboose declared.

“Look, I’m sorry to hear about your son, but we don’t have a minute or two.” Nabudis growled, “There is another child that needs us more and we have already suffered too many-” He stopped, spotting something nearby.

"Hey, what's up?" Sterling asked.

Nabudis marched over to the other side of the street, and picked up Nyx's discarded smock.

“This smock… it’s the same kind we use at our hospital.” Nabudis declared.

“You’re right.” Survival gasped, “And note the tears and dirt on it. The patient must have been running like I was for the past few days.”

“If this is here, that must mean she was here recently!” Nabudis gasped.

“Hmm, it’s probably no coincidence that we found this right outside a clothing store.” Fletcher surmised, “She must have stolen some clothing from the store somehow, presumably to conceal her identity.”

"That is the most likely explanation." Nabudis admitted.

“Really?” Sterling frowned, “She’s been in the hospital for a while, hasn’t she? Where would she learn how to steal, let alone know to conceal herself?”

“Look, that isn’t important right now.” Nabudis grunted, “The patient might still be in the area! We must confront the owner of the establishment at once!”

"...Well, I guess we're all going into this charming little boutique after all." Survival smiled.

"Great." Caboose smiled. "We can get two birds with one scone."

"That's 'stone', Caboose." Sterling rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm pretty sure you can attract more birds with scones." Caboose shrugged. "They don't like stones at all. Believe me, I've checked."

"He's checked?" Survival frowned.

"Long story." Fletcher declared.

"I'll stay out here." Sterling stated. "Just in case our target comes back."

The others entered the boutique, and made a beeline for the cashier's desk.

"Can I help you, gentlestallions?" The mare at the desk asked.

"You? I'm afraid not." Nabudis said bluntly. "I need to speak to the mare in charge."

"That would be me." Sassy Saddles stepped forward. She had some gray hairs, and a few more face lines, but was as glamorous as ever.

"You can help me." Caboose told the dejected employee. "I'm looking for some nice, warm nightshirts..."

As the employee led Caboose to the right area of the boutique, Nabudis approached Sassy.

"Did you happen to see a little black filly enter your store?" He asked curtly.

“Um… a little black filly?” Sassy frowned.

“Yes. About yay high.” Nabudis gestured to halfway up his leg, “Purple mane, and light blue eyes.”

“...May I ask why?” Sassy grimaced, “Are you her father?”

“That’s not important!” Nabudis grunted, “Have you seen her or not?”

“Well, we’ve had a lot of customers this afternoon.” Sassy replied, a bit put-off, “Even if she did come in, I highly doubt I would remember her-”

"Trust me, this filly stands out." Nabudis retorted. "And we have reason to believe she came in here."

“We?” Sassy glanced at Fletcher and Survival, “All three of you are looking for this filly?”

“Fletcher Ulysses, Royal Guard.” Fletcher announced awkwardly, “I’m simply assisting these two here in finding someone. So if you have any information…”

“Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t recall seeing the filly you described.” Sassy shrugged.

"Perhaps you need to get your eyes checked." Nabudis said through gritted teeth.

“Is there maybe any missing stock by any chance?” Survival stepped in, recognising Nabudis's mounting frustration, “Maybe the filly managed to slip in and take some clothes?”

“None whatsoever.” Sassy answered swiftly, “We here at Canterlot Carousel take pride in keeping an eye out for anything like that.”

“Yet you missed a little black filly.” Nabudis scowled.

"I'm sorry, but I already told you-" Sassy started.

“Bullcrap!” Nabudis snapped. Everypony in the room perked up, as he began getting in Sassy’s face, “How in Faust’s name could you not have seen her?! That moron of a Royal Guard raving about nightshirts could had seen her! Why not you?!”

“Sir!” Survival gaped.

"Dr. Nabudis, control yourself!" Fletcher stepped inbetween them. "She said she hasn't seen the filly. Losing your temper isn't going to change things!"

"Then why are we still wasting time here?!" Nabudis stormed out.

"Sir, wait!" Survival followed after him.

"I am terribly sorry about that, madam." Fletcher told Sassy.

"It's quite alright." Sassy sighed, a bit shaken, "I've dealt with problem customers before. Although not with that kind of request… are you sure he’s on the level?"

“...I’d have to get back to you on that one.” Fletcher grimaced, “Have a good day, madam.”

Fletcher departed from the store, following after Nabudis and Survival.

Outside the boutique, Fletcher saw that Nabudis and Survival were a little ahead, Nabudis still fuming, and Survival trying to calm him down.

"With all due respect, sir, you need to control your temper." Survival declared.

"My temper is the least of our worries!" Nabudis snarled. "The patient is still out there, and we are getting no closer to finding her!"

"Well, yelling at innocent store owners isn't going to change anything." Survival retorted boldly.

"I'll let you have that one." Nabudis grudgingly admitted the truth of Survival's statement. "But only that one..."

"I saw the good doctor was a little steamed." Sterling declared, approaching Fletcher. "Guessing your lead turned out to be a dead end?"

"In so many words, yes." Fletcher sighed. "I suppose we should return to the search, and- wait. Where's Caboose?"

Caboose suddenly emerged from the boutique, carrying a fancy bag.

“Hey, did someone call me? I heard ‘moron’ and assumed someone was looking for me.” Caboose frowned.

“That would be doctor grumpy over there.” Sterling gestured, “Apparently no one saw the filly.”

“Bummer… but at least I got my shopping done.” Caboose smirked, holding up his bag.

“For your son, right?” Fletcher smiled.

“That’s right.” Caboose chuckled, “And get this, they had a buy one, get one sale, so I got Sterling one as well!”

“Excuse me?” Sterling gaped.

“Yeah! Didn’t think I forgot about you, didja?” Caboose smirked, as he pulled out a stallion-sized shirt, “I betcha if you wear this, whatever bugging you in your dreams will go away lickedy split!”

“...How… thoughtful.” Sterling groaned, “Can I ask you to hold onto it till later? Because I don’t really-”

“Oh, right, right!” Caboose nodded as he put it back in, “I’ll give it to ya later.”

Sterling let out a sigh of relief when Nabudis shouted.

"Enough dawdling!" Nabudis scowled. "We must continue the search!"

"We're getting close, I can feel it." Survival declared. "That cloth was just the clue we needed..."

"And away we go again." Caboose declared.

"Yippee..." Sterling said sarcastically.

"At least we found proof that we're close to our target." Fletcher pointed out. "And we end up closing in before we know it..."

The trio continued after Nabudis and Survival, intent on achieving their goal.

Meanwhile, Secretariat Dysley in the midst of a fierce conversation in his carriage (which was currently parked) with the trio of hooded thugs over his mirror.

"You idiots!" He snarled. "Can't you do anything right?"

"Sorry, boss." Roadblock trembled.

"We did our best." The smallest, a stallion named Peat, gulped.

"Well, your best isn't good enough!" Dysley turned to the leader, who was named Briar. "Why haven't you found her yet?"

"She is... more elusive than we thought." Briar admitted.

"Or she's simply smarter than the three of you." Dysley spat. "Which isn't really saying much."

At that moment, his mirror buzzed.

“Dammit, I’m getting another call. Hold on.” Dysley seethed.

He tapped the mirror, as he let out a sigh to calm himself.

“This is Secretariat Dysley speaking.” Dysley put on a smile.

“Dysley.”

Dysley’s smile quickly faded as he heard that gravelly voice, as the hooded visage of none other than Father, the leader of the Forefathers, appeare in the mirror.

“F-father!” Dysley gasped, taken aback, “What a surprise! I wasn’t expecting a call from you.”

“Indeed you weren’t… but I was expecting one from you.” Father noted, “You do recall that you were to keep me notified regarding your… situation, correct?”

“...Oh, buck, was that today?” Dysley hissed, “My deepest apologies, sir. I had a lot of appointments this morning, a lunch date with my friend and his wife, and-”

“Sterling Cross came to see you. I am well aware.” Father cut him off.

“Okay, how did you-” Dysley frowned.

“Omniscient. A quality I possess that my sons of late can’t seem to remember.” Father deadpanned.

“Look, if you’re worried, don’t be.” Dysley scoffed, “I didn’t tell him jack crap.”

“That is assuring to hear… or it would, if not for the fact that the Royal Defense Legion and Everest’s men have now involved themselves in the search for your wayward patient.” Father frowned.

“I know. But it’s nothing to worry about.” Dysley insisted, “They’re probably running themselves in circles.”

“...Yet you are faring no better.” Father declared, “Or else you would had regaled me with the good news.”

“Alright, so our efforts at locating my wayward patient has come to naught so far.” Dysley admitted, “But I have my guys looking all over Canterlot for her. It’s only a matter of time.”

“But time, it seems, doesn’t seem to be on your side.” Father mused, “It would be most unfortunate if the patient was found and recovered by our enemies. All your work, all your father’s work… it would be all for nothing.”

"Indeed." Dysley said quietly. "Years of effort, of working with Doc..."

“...You know, Dysley.” Father began, “I’ve become aware of some hearsay around the Infinity, regarding both you and Doc…”

“...Whatever do you mean?” Dysley frowned.

“Well, from what I can gather, there has been some… shall we say, ‘dissonance’ between yourself and Doc. And it seems to have created quite a rift…” Father mused, “And you know how I feel about ‘dissonance’ between my sons…”

“I can assure you, it’s not anything like that.” Dysley said, an edge to his voice, “We might have had a few professional disagreements, but what partners don’t?”

“Really? So this wouldn’t have anything to do with why Doc has been away from Infinity for a rather long time?” Father supposed.

“...Not at all.” Dysley said firmly, “You know the doctor. He comes and goes as he pleases. I do not make it my business to know what he is doing all the time.”

“I sense agitation in your voice, Dysley.” Father mused, “...Are you certain that something hasn’t transpired between you and Doc? Something regarding Project: Bad Dreams?”

“Look, it’s nothing you need to worry about, Father.” Dysley growled, “Everything is fine. I swear.”

“...I see. Well, like you, I do not make it my business to pry into other ponies’ affairs… unless of course, it became necessary.” Father sighed, “Like now. It seems you may require somepony to spearhead your underlings’ search party. What with your ‘appointments’ and all.”

“...Hmm, it could help.” Dysley muttered, “But I haven’t the time to pick somepony out-”

“You needn’t worry about that.” Father said coolly, “I’ve already arranged somepony to meet with you.”

“Really?” Dysley gaped, “Who?”

“He should be knocking on your carriage’s door right about-” Father began.

There was a knock on the carriage’s door.

“Now.” Father finished.

A bit curious, Dysley opened the door to see who has knocked…

Only to be greeted with a familiar (and quite unwelcome) dark blue Unicorn stallion.

“Silas Necross, leader of the Order of Darkness, at your service.” Silas sneered, slinging a (fake) silver-tipped cane, much like his old one.

Dysley glanced at the sneering stallion… and shut the door.

“...Well, buck you too.” Silas hissed, offended.

“Father… why is that pompous oaf from that dead order standing outside my carriage?” Dysley deadpanned.

“That would be your ‘help’, Dysley.” Father explained.

"...Are you bucking me right now?!" Dysley gaped. "This guy?! Out of everycreature in the organization, you chose him?!”

"I have my reasons." Father declared. "One being that Necross has a history with dark magic. That, and Ricochet and Loveless are currently unavailable." He shrugged.

“Well, couldn’t you have at least sent more than just him?” Dysley grimaced, “I highly doubt Silas is going to help me find my patient before those RDL clowns.”

“That would be ill-advised.” Father pointed out, “Canterlot is still wary of us following Titanfall. To send a platoon of agents would attract too much attention…” He then added coldly, “And to be fair… the only reason those ‘RDL clowns’ became aware of the patient is because of the attack on one of your own carriages… which cost three ponies their lives.”

“I had no choice, sir.” Dysley said firmly, “It was the only way.”

“So you say.” Father retorted, “Actions have consequences. And your actions have yielded potentially dangerous and catastrophic consequences. I am not entirely certain of what is going on between you and the doctor, but I should warn you that the last pony who lied to me is currently facing life imprisonment… without his horn.”

"I see." Dysley gulped, clearly intimidated by Father's statement. "But I assure you, sir, by the time this is all done, the patient will be ours, and our project will finally bring the Forefathers’ goal to fruition."

“Hmph, I have heard that before.” Father grunted, “I do expect some results, Dysley, and you’d best deliver. Faust knows we have had enough bad news as of late. Do I make myself clear?”

"...Yes, sir." Dysley sighed.

"Good." Father said curtly. "Until then."

Father's face vanished from the mirror… only to be replaced by Briar.

"Is everything alright, sir?" Briar asked. "You were gone for quite a while..."

“I’ll call you back.” Dysley growled, as he quickly tapped the mirror.

With a sigh, he reopened the carriage’s door, Silas still standing out there.

“About time.” Silas grumbled.

“I do apologize.” Dysley declared, no sincerity in his voice whatsoever, “I was simply not expecting… well, you.”

“Well, all I know is that the big man himself sent another pony to tell me that I was to come back to Canterlot to help some guy… that’s you, right?” Silas frowned.

"It would appear so, yes." Dysley nodded, as he gestured inside his carriage, “Come in, we’ll talk more on the way.”

Silas stepped into the carriage, and they departed.

"Not bad." Silas took note of the quality of the carriage interior. "Somepony has a taste for the finer things..."

"If you're going to travel, you may as well travel in style." Dysley shrugged.

"No argument here." Silas declared. "Nice to have money, huh?"

"It doesn't hurt." Dysley admitted.

There was a brief, awkward silence.

“So… you’re that pharamaceutical titan, aren't you?" Silas pointed out. "Lots a' money in your pockets?"

"That's right. Secretariat Dysley." Dysley said curtly.

“Dysley? Hey, I think I remember that name.” Silas mused, “Your father was Sacred Dysley, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah… was.” Dysley grumbled.

“Right… he was that Ouroboros who got that ceiling dropped on him.” Silas gave a small chuckle, “Not a dignified way to go, huh?”

“I thank you to not speak a word of him.” Dysley snarled, “In fact, I thank you to not say a thing at all.”

“Touchy, touchy.” Silas held up his hooves, “I figured you be a bit more gracious, given I’m helping cleaning up your mess.”

“Oh, please. I heard all about your blunders over the years.” Dysley scoffed, “Honestly, only a fool like you could mess up your ‘big plan’ twice.”

“I didn’t mess up any-” Silas seethed, before catching himself. He took a deep breath, “...There were outlying factors for both times. I can hardly be blamed for messing anything up.”

“Sure you can.” Dysley rolled his eyes.

“What about you, Mr. Moneybags?” Silas smirked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dysley grunted.

“Come on, I’ve been hearing the same things back in Infinity.” Silas challenged, “About how Doc has up and vanished, and how he has moved that ‘subject’ of his to an unknown location. All without telling you. Sounds like somepony pissed somepony off.”

“It’s nothing.” Dysley grunted, growing very agitated, “Me and Doc just had a gentecolt disagreement. That’s all.”

“Oh, really? And it wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with you having three guys attack a carriage from your hospital, and this so-called ‘patient’?” Silas challenged.

“Fair warning, Silas. The others may have been willing to put up with your horse-crap.” Dysley leaned in, his eyes glaring holes into him, “But I’m not. So I will say it once: ‘drop it’.”

“Okay, okay…” Silas scoffed, “...So, what now?”

“I’m going to drop you off at Silver Shoals and have you rendezvous with my other agents. Since Father think you know Canterlot best, you’re going to be leading them in finding this patient.”

“And what are you going to be doing?” Silas challenged.

“I have to keep up appearances, meaning you’d better not lollygag or whatever in your search. I already have enough problems as it is.” Dysley grunted, “No thanks to you, I’m already late for my meeting with the executives from the Verdant corporation.” He then paused, “Speaking of appearances, aren’t you technically a wanted criminal here in Canterlot?”

“Oh, please. I’ll have you know that one of my specialties is blending in with the crowds.” Silas smirked, “My whole life, no one has never once paid me any mind. I grew up in some no-name town, my parents barely did anything to encourage me to be special, I could never be part of a group, and I was the most average student you can imagine. When it comes to not standing out, I'm your stallion..."

“For your sake, I hope so.” Dysley huffed, “I still say Father made a mistake picking you.”

“Well, just you wait, rich boy.” Silas glared, “I'll find this kid, and I won't need a big bank account to do it..." He then paused, “...On that note, who is it exactly I’m looking for?”

Dysley's clenched his teeth with anger. He could already tell his partnership with Silas wasn't going to go swimmingly.

’Just perfect, as if things couldn’t get more bothersome.” He thought bitterly, ’...But I have no choice. That filly must be found before Elite’s lackeys get to her first. Father is already questioning my capabilities, and Doc…’ He clenched his hooves, ’You will be found, young lady, and returned to me. You were created to serve a purpose, and serve a purpose you shall...'

New Surroundings
View Online

Fear of A Child

New Surroundings

Still enjoying her new outfit, Nyx was led to Canterlot Castle by Miracle and Hurricane. She had seen it before, from a distance, but nothing compared to seeing it up close.

"You really live here, Miracle?" Nyx gasped. "It's amazing."

"Maybe." Miracle shrugged. "But to me, it's just home."

"And for me, it's my best friend's home." Hurricane added, “Which happens to be a huge castle.”

Despite their words, Nyx couldn't help but be awestruck as they entered the castle, which somehow looked even more glorious on the inside.

"Wow..." Nyx gaped, as she looked around

"Fancy, isn't it?" Hurricane teased. "Try not to let your jaw scrape along the floor."

"Very funny, Hurri." Miracle chuckled.

"And what's this?" A female voice asked. "Are you girls giving tours now?"

The trio of fillies were approached by Vito and Pureblood's parents, Prince Blueblood and his wife Dusty.

"Just showing our new friend around, aunt Dusty." Hurricane declared.

"This is Nyx." Miracle introduced her.

"Hello." Nyx waved nervously.

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you, Nyx.” Dusty smiled warmly, “I’m Dusty, and this here is my husband, Blueblood.”

“It is always a pleasure to meet a new…” Blueblood smiled… which faded a little as he got a good look at the new filly. Like with his son, he couldn’t help but be a bit put off by the filly’s dark fur color, and those odd blue eyes, “...face.”

“Hey, you know where Vito and Pureblood are, Dusty?” Hurricane asked.

“Oh, Vito is holed up in his room reading up on those books Lars gave him, and Pure is busy making that orchid ravioli Sonny assigned him in the kitchen.” Blueblood declared.

“Right. Totally forgot they were apprentices. The writers really hadn’t touched on that in forever.” Hurricane mused.

“...Excuse you?” Nyx grimaced.

“Don’t mind her, she makes comments like that all the time.” Miracle shrugged, “Anyways… we’re going to be showing her around the castle.”

“Well, then you best get a move on. It’s starting to get late.” Dusty urged, “Especially you, Hurricane. You know how Uncle Caboose gets when you’re home late.”

“I know.” Hurricane rolled her eyes, “Late one time, and dad ends up wrecking the neighborhood with his homemade 'search buggy'. I’ll head back soon, right after I help Miracle show Nyx around.”

“Then don’t let us keep you.” Blueblood nodded, “It’s a big castle.”

“Thanks, Blueblood.” Miracle smiled, as she gestured to Nyx, as they left, “Come on, Nyx, we’ll start with the ballroom.”

“Oh, okay…” Nyx followed, a bit put off by the stare Blueblood was giving her as she did so.

“See ya, cuz, I hope you guys get a bigger role in the next story!” Hurricane waved as she trailed behind the two.

Soon, it was just the two.

“Heh, good ol’ Hurricane.” Dusty chuckled, “It is nice for the girls to make a new friend, wouldn’t you say, honey?”

Blueblood was silent for a moment, staring at where the girls went.

“Blue?” Dusty frowned.

“Huh, oh, sorry.” Blueblood snapped out of it, “It’s just… it’s that Nyx girl..”

“What about her?” Dusty raised a brow.

“Doesn’t she look… odd to you?” Blueblood declared, “I mean, the black coat is a bit off-putting as it is, but those eyes… who has cat eyes nowadays?”

“Blue!” Dusty grunted, slapping Blueblood upside the head.

“Ow! What?!” Blueblood cringed.

“That’s really offensive.” Dusty glared, “Haven’t you learn by now to not judge ponies by appearance?”

“Of course I have! I’m not saying she’s some demon or anything!” Blueblood defended himself, “I just think she looks…” He waved one hoof, “...’different’. Don’t tell me you don’t think the same.”

“Well… maybe a little, but that’s besides the point.” Dusty shook his head, “We best keep those kind of thoughts to ourselves. The last thing I want is one of our sons to judge someone by their appearance.”

“Again, I just think she is odd-looking.” Blueblood scowled, “...Not to mention she kinda reminds me of somepony… but I can’t put my hoof on it…”

And so Miracle and Hurricane showed Nyx around the castle, taking her all over to show them how royalty lived it up, showing her such things as the guard barracks, the conference room, and the stained glass windows chronicling major events in Equestrian history. Nyx found herself enthralled by it all.

'It's even more amazing than I imagined...' She thought.

After a look at the ballroom, they headed into the kitchen, where Pureblood was still hard at work.

"Hey, guys." Pureblood smiled.

"Still working on your assignment?" Hurricane asked.

"Oh, I already finished that." Pureblood declared. "This is a little creation of my own: spicy bean enchiladas. Wanna try?"

"Sure." Miracle nodded.

"I'll bite." Hurricane added.

"Okay." Nyx smiled.

The three all took a bite.

"Mmm." Miracle smiled. "This is great!"

"Yeah." Hurricane agreed. "Nice job balancing the spices with sour cream."

"That's what I was going for." Pureblood grinned.

"This is just as good as the restaurant food." Nyx declared. "You've really got a gift for this."

"Eh, I wouldn't go that far." Pureblood said humbly. "I'm still learning."

"Like I keep saying, you're going to be an amazing chef someday." Miracle declared.

"Best in Equestria." Hurricane agreed.

"You should open up your own restaurant." Nyx suggested. "I'd eat there."

"Thanks, guy." Pureblood grinned. "But I should be getting back to work. I've got a few appetisers I've been wanting to try."

"Then we'll leave you to it." Miracle nodded.

"Later." Hurricane waved.

"Bye." Nyx added.

"Later." Pureblood declared, returning to his work.

As they continued around the castle, they bumped into Vito.

"Oh, hey, Vito." Hurricane noted. "Thought you were studying?"

"Just taking a break." Vito shrugged. She glared at Nyx. "I take it you're still insisting Nyx should stay?"

"It's the right thing to do, V. "Miracle glared back at him.

"If you say so." Vito said bluntly.

Vito walked off down the corridor, barely giving Nyx a second glance.

"He really doesn’t like me, does he?" Nyx sighed.

"It's nothing personal, believe me." Miracle assured her.

"Yeah, that's just Vito being Vito." Hurricane shrugged. "Now, come on, we've got more to show you."

Soon, they were making their way through another hall, as Nyx took in the surroundings.

“This is truly an amazing home you have, Miracle.” Nyx declared, “Far better than anything I've ever known..."

“Well, we all can’t live in castles, but I’m sure your home is pretty alright, right?” Hurricane asked.

"I... uh..." Nyx muttered. "Well..."

“...You do have a home, do you?” Miracle frowned.

"Not in the traditional sense..." Nyx said nervously.

“Meaning what exactly?” Hurricane tilted her head quizzically.

“Look, it’s not important.” Nyx shook her head.

“If you say so...” Hurricane mumurred, before smiling, “But at least you have parents who loves you.”

Nyx was silent.

“...Why aren’t you agreeing with me?” Hurricane deadpanned.

“Do you not have any pony, Nyx?” Miracle asked, concerned.

“I actually do…” Nyx spoke up, though hesitant, “I have my Papa… but…”

“But what?” Hurricane pressed on, “Is he mean to you?” She grew angry, “‘Cause if he is, I have three uncles just down the street who can pay him a visit and-”

“No! No! He’s not like that at all!” Nyx snapped. For a brief moment, her pupils narrowed, “He's been taking care of me all my life! He taught me everything I know! And he would never hurt me! Never!!”

Hurricane and Miracle took a step back in shock, surprised by the quiet filly’s outburst.

Almost immediately, though, Nyx’s anger faded, replaced with guilt.

“Oh…” Nyx shook her head, “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

"It's okay." Miracle assured her. "Hurricane didn't really mean that. Right, Hurricane?"

"Yeah, sure." Hurricane nodded, still unnerved by Nyx's outburst. "My bad."

"But, er... Where is your dad, anyway?" Miracle asked.

“...I… I don’t know.” Nyx admitted, “He told me that he had to go away for awhile. I haven’t heard from him since…”

"Oh." Miracle raised a hoof to her mouth.

"Sorry about that..." Hurricane said sadly.

"That's okay." Nyx sighed. "You didn't know. Let's keep going, okay?"

Miracle and Hurricane shared a concerned look as they continued their trek.

Their tour soon brought them to the throne room. There, they ran into Luna, who occupied her throne, reading some scrolls, with Celestia's standing empty beside it, neither she nor her husband (and Miracle's father) Shine Paladin anywhere to be found.

"Oh, hello, children." Luna smiled as she saw them enter, furling up a scroll with her magic.

"Hi." Hurricane smiled.

“Have you heard back from mom and dad at all today?” Miracle asked.

“I have. They had to make a last-minute detour over to Abyssinia.” Luna explained, “A new trade agreement is required, as their crops have suffered through a terrible drought this year."

"Oh, that's awful." Miracle gasped. "I hope mom and dad can help them."

"As do I." Luna agreed.

"Me too." Hurricane nodded. "Those poor kitties..."

“So, what are you two up to? I heard from Blueblood that you’re showing a new friend around the castle.” Luna questioned, as she then noticed the black filly, who was standing behind them, “I assume this is she?”

“That’s right.” Miracle gestured Nyx forward, “Don’t be shy. Aunt Luna is really nice.”

“Um… hi.” Nyx said awkwardly, “My name is Nyxxxxx…”

As Nyx glanced at Princess Luna, she began to trail off as her awkwardness gave way to a wayward stare. A strange feeling came over her, a feeling that almost felt… familiar…

And she wasn’t the only one, it seemed.

Luna gazed at Nyx, seeing those turquoise eyes staring right back at her. The pupils within them looked so odd…

As she looked into Nyx's eyes, words flickered into her mind, like static...

"It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces."

"Did you not recall the legend?"

"Remember this day, little ponies..."

“Um, aunt Luna?” Miracle frowned, noting the stare-off the two were having, “Nyx?”

The two quickly came to attention.

“Uh, it is a pleasure to meet you… Nyx.” Luna declared, shaking off the odd feeling.

“The pleasure is mine, p-princess.” Nyx bowed meekly, confused by the weird sensation she had.

“So, are you new around these parts?” Luna asked.

"You could say that." Nyx said awkwardly.

"I see." Luna nodded. "And where do you come from, may I ask?"

"Well..." Nyx said nervously.

"Um... auntie Luna?" Miracle spoke up. "Would it be okay if Nyx slept over tonight?"

“Huh?” Nyx glanced at her.

“A sleepover?” Luna raised a brow, “Normally, I’d say you should ask your parents, but since they're not here, I suppose there's no harm there… as long as it is alright with Nyx’s parents."

“Um-” Nyx was about to speak up, when Hurricane stepped in.

“Oh, sure! Nyx’s ‘Papa’ said it was A-OK!” Hurricane lied, “He's a really nice guy! And not mean at all!"

“Hmm, I see.” Luna murmured before smiling, “Well, in that case, I see no reason why not.”

"Thanks, auntie Luna." Miracle smiled.

"Thank you very much." Nyx bowed once more.

"You're quite welcome, fillies." Luna declared.

“Well, we’re gonna continue showing Nyx around the castle. See you around, Aunt Luna.” Miracle waved.

“You take care.” Luna smiled after them, up till they were out of the throne room, as Luna’s smile faded, dwelling on what had occurred between her and that filly, “...What in Equestria was that all about? Why did she seem so… familiar?”

Luna was left alone to ponder those thoughts.

“Whew, I’m glad she bought it. I was running out of things to say.” Hurricane sighed in relief, as the three made their way down the hall.

“You really didn’t have to do this, you know.” Nyx declared, “I don’t want you two to get in trouble.”

“Hey, we’re glad to do it.” Miracle smirked, “I’m not about to let you spend another night on the street alone. Not if I can help it.”

“Yeah. Helping ponies is kinda a Cutie Mark Crusader’s thing. Y’know?” Hurricane chuckled.

“Cutie Mark… Crusader?” Nyx perked a brow, “What’s that?”

"We help ponies find their special talents." Miracle explained.

"Or help them understand those talents better." Hurricane added.

"Oh." Nyx nodded. "That sounds... Fulfilling."

"It is." Miracle nodded. "Now, how about we get back to the tour?"

“Well, I’d love to join you guys, but I gotta get home.” Hurricane stated, “Mom and dad will be wondering where I am.”

“That’s alright. Me and Nyx will be fine on our own.” Miracle smirked, “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Hurricane smiled as she turned in the opposite direction, as Nyx and Miracle continued onwards.

"Where to now?" Nyx asked.

"The study." Miracle answered. "Hope you like books."

They made their way over to the study. Luna's daughter Constell was there, reading.

“Oh, hey, Constell.” Miracle smilked, “Did you and Lux enjoyed that lunch date?”

“Very much so.” Constell nodded, “Lux has to attend to another court case, so I figure I hang around here till he finished up.” She then glanced at Nyx, smiling warmly, “And who is this now?”

“This is Nyx, my new friend.” Miracle smiled, “Nyx, this is my cousin, Constell. Luna’s her mom.”

“Um, it’s nice to meet you.” Nyx nodded.

“Nice to meet you too, Nyx.” Constell declared, “That’s a nice vest you have there. Canterlot Boutique?”

“Oh, yeah.” Nyx rubbed her head, “Miracle bought it for me.”

“Well, it really suits you.” Constell smirked.

"Thank you." Nyx blushed.

"So... What are you all doing?" Constell inquired.

"Just showing Nyx around before a sleepover." Miracle explained. "How about you?"

"Just a little reading." Constell held up a book. "I just checked out this book on stars and constellations."

“Wow! I love stars!” Nyx gasped, taking the book.

"You don't say?" Constell mused.

"Yeah." Nyx nodded. "I love the way they shine and twinkle."

"Me too." Constell grinned.

"Um, can I read that book when you're done with it?" Nyx asked.

"I'll do you one better." Constell smiled. "You can read it with me."

"Really?!" Nyx gaped.

"Sure." Constell nodded. "Always happy to help another stargazer."

Miracle smiled as Nyx joined Constell at the table, both eagerly reading the book.

'One more friend for Nyx.' She thought. 'This is going better than I hoped...'

Meanwhile, the search party were scouring the streets of Canterlot, still looking for Nyx. They had been searching for hours, and were growing exhausted. All except Nabudis, who seemed to have unlimited endurance.

"Keep searching!" He told the others, glancing down an alleyway. "Our target is near, I can feel it..."

“You said that off-screen about four times now!” Caboose groaned.

"And you've spouted incomprehensible nonsense eight times." Nabudis retorted. "Your point?"

"Right here." Caboose held up his crossbow.

"Imbecile." Nabudis scowled. "Keep searching!" He yelled at the others.

"We've been searching all day." Sterling scowled. "We're all searched out."

“Look, I don’t care!” Nabudis snarled, “We can’t let up now! Not for anything!”

“Fletcher, you gotta put a stop to this.” Sterling whispered harshly.

“Way ahead of you.” Fletcher nodded, “Doctor, it’s getting late and we’re all exhausted.” He pointed at the quickly-setting sun behind them, “We should consider turning in for the night, and continue the search in the morning.”

"Absolutely not!" Nabudis objected.

"Seriously?" Sterling scowled.

"Yes, seriously." Nabudis said stubbornly. "We shouldn’t rest until the patient has been found and secured! Even if it means searching into the night!”

"But I need my eight hours!" Caboose protested. "You think good looks like these just happen?"

“I know you’re concerned, doctor.” Fletcher frowned, “But if we were to find the child and we’re not at our best, containing her might pose to be a problem.”

“Yeah. We’d pretty much be doing the work for her!” Caboose agreed.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Nabudis snapped.

“Um-” Caboose opened his mouth, realizing what he said. Before he could try and make up a lie, Sterling stepped in.

“Look, we just don’t think it’s a good idea to pull an all-nighter.” Sterling began, “Canterlot may look all clean and safe, but at night, things get pretty dirty. Lots of ne’er do wells. You catch my drift?”

“Which is more the reason why we must find her!” Nabudis glared, “I don’t want to hear any of your slovenly excuses!”

"Say what?!" Sterling scowled.

"There is no sloth involved in exercising caution!" Fletcher pointed out.

"With all due respect, sir, they're right." Survival stepped in. "Even if we were to search all night, you gotta consider the fact that we’re looking for a black-coated filly. We would run the risk of coming across the patient and not know it, and potentially letting others that are looking for her get to her first. Would you be willing to live with yourself if that was to happen?”

Nabudis paused, contemplating that horrid thought.

“Oh…” Nabudis hissed in frustration, before letting out a begrudged sigh, “...Alright. I guess we can rest for tonight.”

“Wow. He’s good.” Caboose whispered to Sterling.

“Then it’s settled.” Fletcher declared, “I know a delightful hotel nearby. I will set you and Dr. Horror up with some hotel rooms. And if ‘Silver’ here don’t mind, he will be accompanying you two and make sure Horror’s attackers don’t come back and try to finish the job.”

“I don’t mind one bit.” Sterling smirked, “A cozy bed, room service, and free TV? How can I say no?”

“In that case, I’ll leave them in your charge.” Fletcher handed him a bag of bits, “The hotel in question is The Skytower Stable. If memory serves, it isn't too far from here. Three rights, two lefts, and straight forward. You can't miss it."

"Got it." Sterling nodded.

“As for you two, do rest up.” Fletcher turned to Nabudis and Survival, “We’ll reconvene outside the hotel first thing tomorrow. If any trouble arises, you tell Silver. You got that?”

"I suppose." Nabudis said impatiently.

"Yeah, sure." Survival shrugged, looking away as he did.

“We’d be at our homes.” Fletcher smiled, “Good night, and rest easy.”

“Ooh, almost forgot.” Caboose gave Sterling the bag with his nightshirt in it. "Don't forget this."

"Oh, right." Sterling said awkwardly. "Thanks..."

"If we're lucky, this'll work for you and Mikey." Caboose declared. "Hooves crossed, right?"

"Yeah, sure..." Sterling smiled weakly.

"Sweet dreams!" Caboose waved as he and Fletcher departed.

After the two rounded a corner and vanished from sight, Nabudis turned in a direction other than the one the hotel was in.

"And where are you going?" Sterling frowned. "The hotel's that way."

"I am aware of that." Nabudis said flatly.

"Hey, we just agreed-" Sterling started.

“That we can rest for tonight.” Nabudis retorted, “I didn’t say anything about stopping right now.”

“Sir…” Survival protested.

“Look, there's still some time left before darkness falls.” Nabudis retorted, “And I intend to make as much use of that time as possible looking for our filly. Only when it gets really dark will I turn in.”

“But…” Survival was about to retort.

“Just let him go, Dr. Horror.” Sterling scowled, having just about enough, “If he’s going to keep being a stubborn ass about this, there’s not much we can do.”

“Oh, real nice.” Nabudis rolled his eyes with disdain.

“But what if somepony tries to-” Survival sputtered.

“That is why I’m telling our good doctor here that he better be at the hotel by midnight.” Sterling glared at the doctor, “We already spent all day looking for one lost pony. And I won’t be happy if I have to look for you too.”

“Oh, I quiver with fear." Nabudis brushed off Sterling's implied threat as he walked away.

“Remember! Skytower Stable!” Sterling yelled after him.

Nabudis gave a gruff wave off as he went off.

“Buckin’ jackass.” Sterling growled. His anger dimmered as he then glanced at Survival, “I don’t suppose you want to join him?”

“...No. I think it’s best I give him some time to cool off.” Survival sighed, “It’s been a long day for all of us.”

“You said it.” Sterling agreed.

“But, if it’s alright with you, Silver, I did notice this nice late-night cafe back there during our search.” Survival explained, “I’m still a bit on edge from the attack and running for my life these past few days, and I could really do for a nice hot cup of tea.”

“Would you like me to join you?” Sterling offered, “You still looked worried about those attackers.”

“No, no, I’ll be fine.” Survival grimaced, “The cafe will be well-populated, and besides, I need some time myself to process things. Nothing tea can’t fix.”

"Trust me, it's rarely that easy." Sterling deadpanned sagely.

"Perhaps." Survival shrugged. "But it's a start."

“In that case, it’s the same deal for you.” Sterling declared, “Be at the hotel by midnight. And watch yourself.”

"Of course." Survival nodded. As he walked away, he added under his breath. "I would hate to invoke your wrath, and find out what you're really made of..."

Unaware of Survival's words, Sterling departed for The Skytower Stable.

“Well, I guess it’s just me.” He muttered irritably, “Faust, I hope Black and Fury are having a better time of it than I am…”

At the same time, Black and Fury were still driving to their next destination, both still a bit traumatized from the hospital’s massacre. The carriage was silent, except for the sounds of the steam engine.

Fury was resting in the corner, taking occasional glances at Black, who was focused on driving the carriage.

“...You doin’ alright, Black?” Fury asked, “You hadn’t said squawk since Ballista called us last.”

“I’m fine, Fury.” Black sighed, “...It’s just… I can’t get those ponies out of my head.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty fricked up, isn’t it?” Fury admitted.

"That's one way of putting it." Black nodded. "Another is that it's utterly sick and vile."

"I'm surprise at how shocked you are by all this." Fury declared. "You know, considering you ‘history’ with Reinadh and other stuff."

"Some things you don't get used to." Black sighed. "Especially senseless loss of life."

"Guess so." Fury shrugged.

“...I wanna know, Fury. How are you taking this so well?” Black asked, “An entire hospital has been massacred, and you don’t seem to be fazed by this one bit.”

“Well, to be honest, I have seen worse.” Fury said matter-of-factly.

“You’ve… you’ve seen worse?” Black gaped, “How- what could possibly be worse than what we saw back there?”

"Hope you never find out." Fury said darkly, “...I wish I never did…”

“...Dawn?” Black murmured, mentioning the name of Fury’s deceased sister.

Fury glanced away for a moment, his silence confirming his answer.

Before Black could inquire more, his mirror started buzzing.

“Hmm?” Black pulled out and activated the mirror, “Hello?”

Ballista's face appeared in the mirror.

“Hey, mates.” Ballista declared.

“Ballista.” Black noted, “What’s up? Did you find anything?”

“Not yet, but I figured I give you the heads up.” Ballista noted, “The press just showed up at the gates to the hospital.”

“The press?” Fury frowned, “How the hell did they find out about the hospital?”

“It’s the press. They have insiders and snoops for these kind of things.” Ballista grunted, “The chief is trying to keep things on the down low, but this massacre is going to be all over the news tonight.

“Well, that’s perfect.” Fury scowled. "The last thing we need is for this sort of thing to be out in the open."

"No kidding." Black agreed. "Nothing impedes an investigation more than public scrutiny. No doubt they’re going to find out about the missing patient too if this keeps up.”

“Well, I’ll do my part in trying the cops out of that business.” Ballista pledged, “...But I do highly suggest that you two and Fletcher’s group get the lead out in finding this patient and get to the bottom of this before any more ponies get killed.”

"Understood." Black nodded. "We'll keep you posted."

"Roger that." Ballista acknowledged, his face vanishing from the mirror.

"Right then." Fury sighed. "Off to the Isle of Wheat?"

"Got it in one." Black nodded.

"Maybe we can actually unravel this mess..." Fury mused as they continued onwards.

Meanwhile, back in Canterlot, inside a derelict convenience store, Briar and his followers, Roadblock and Peat, were resting on some boxes, taking a breather from their mission.

"Well, this is a lousy job." Peat sighed.

"Yeah." Roadblock agreed. "Who would've thought finding one little filly could be so tough?"

"Anypony with a stupid plan like yours." Briar glared.

"Hey, you could've said no!" Roadblock yelled.

"Like anything can get through that thick skull of yours." Briar sneered.

"Why, you-!" Roadblock snarled.

There was a knock on the back door. Instantly, the three pulled out their crossbows, as Briar quickly approached the door.

“Who’s there?!” Briar roared, “Identify yourself!”

“Eesh, take it easy!” The voice of Silas grunted, “It is I, Silas Necross! Dysley sent me to help you guys!”

The trio let out a sigh of relief as Briar opened the door, keeping his crossbow at the ready. But as soon as he did, it was immediately flung open by Silas’ magic as the Unicorn strutted in, shoving Briar aside.

“Ugh…” Briar growled, glaring as the Unicorn came in.

“Wow, what a dump.” Silas tut-tutted, glancing at shabby, poorly-kept room. “What? You guys couldn’t spring for a motel room?”

"I don't see you springing for board." Briar sneered.

"With good reason." Silas sneered.

“So, you’re the guy Father sent to help us?” Briar stepped forth, his glare not fading, “...Well, that’s great. We ask for help and all he sent us is the guy whose organization got arrested twice.”

"I trusted the wrong ponies." Silas replied, trying to reign in his temper.

"Ponies anypony else would know not to trust." Peat snorted.

"That's not the poi-" Silas growled.

"Whatever excuse you have doesn't stop you being a two-time loser." Roadblock smirked.

"Now you're just-" Silas snarled.

“Look, can we focus on the task at hoof for a moment?” Silas hissed, “Has there been any progress in finding this filly since you last talked with ‘Moneybags’?”

“No, and trust me, we’ve been looking.” Briar grimaced.

“Of course…” Silas sighed, “Well, he’s counting on me to help you guys find her. My reputation in the organization is already in the mud. The last thing I need is you guys dragging me down further.”

“Hey, we’ve been busting our asses all day looking for this little brat.” Roadblock snarled, “The problem is, our jobs haven’t really been the easiest lately.”

“Yeah.” Peat agreed, “It’s been hard getting around cities unnoticed. Ever since Titanfall, the cops and the guards've been keeping an eye out for anypony that looks even the slightest bit suspicious. Add that on top of the RDL and that taskforce of theirs getting up in our business, and it becomes impossible to get anything done anymore.”

“Yeah. All because that damn Solomon had a hard-on for ‘vengeance’ or whatever.” Briar growled, “Because of him, things have been going wrong left and right.”

“Well, on that we can all agree.” Silas huffed, “Buck that lightning freak.”

“Fat lot of good that does us.” Briar grumbled, “Dysley has been riding our flanks in finding this girl, but with having to keep a low profile and the RDL probably looking, there’s no way we’re going to be able to pull it off.”

“Hmm, that is certainly a problem.” Silas mused… before grinning wickedly, “A problem in which I have a solution.”

“Oh, this oughta be good.” Peat rolled his eyes.

“It will be.” Silas smirked, “It’s obvious that you all stick out too much. A bunch of hooded thugs with indiscernible colors and species. You all just scream ‘arrest me!’”

“Hey, I think we look pretty badass.” Roadblock pouted.

“The point is, what you three need is to ‘blend in’.” Silas said smoothly.

“And how, pray tell, do we do that?” Briar challenged.

“Well, I may be a wanted felon, but I still have connections here in Canterlot.” Silas grinned, as he pulled out a mirror, “And they all still owe me favors. Come tomorrow, that little twit you’re looking for will be back in her place and I’ll be soaring to the top!”

“Don’t you mean we?” Roadblock deadpanned.

“I know what I said.” Silas sneered.

Later on, Caboose had arrived back at his house.

“Hey, I’m home!” Caboose smiled.

"Hi, honey!" Daring called, she and Hurricane eating dinner in the kitchen. "Come join us!"

"You got it!" Caboose smiled. Grabbing some food, he joined them at the table.

“So, you were gone all day. I’m guessing something serious came up at work?” Daring asked.

“Oh, you have no idea.” Caboose bemoaned, leaning back, “The day started with a murder inquiry, then it turned into a buddy comedy gone wrong, than a game of hide-and-go-seek, a few philosophical discussions, a fashion debate, a counting contest, and a new friend who's totally hating on classic horror movies.”

“...Well, I made a new friend today. But your day sounds a lot more interesting.” Hurricane deadpanned.

"I guess it was." Caboose shrugged. "What's your new friend like?"

"Oh, she's nice." Hurricane declarwed. "Weird, but nice."

"The best friends usually are." Caboose nodded. "In other news, I thought of a way to deal with Mikey's nightmares; I got him a new nightshirt."

"A new nightshirt?" Daring frowned, a bit perplexed by the idea. "I'm not sure how that will help Mikey..."

"Come on, mom, it's obvious!" Hurricane chuckled. "Wearing a nightshirt from grampa helped dad with nightmares when he was a kid, so it'll definitely work for Mikey!"

"I guess that makes sense..." Daring sighed.

“Speaking of which, where is Michael?” Caboose glanced at the empty high-chair where Michael usually was.

“The poor thing couldn’t stay awake through dinner.” Daring frowned, “He did put up a bit of a fuss, but he’s asleep… for how long, I don’t know.”

“Aww, but I got the nightshirt.” Caboose frowned, holding up the said shirt.

“I’m sorry, honey.” Daring soothed, “But if Michael ends up not sleeping well tonight, we can try it tomorrow, okay?”

“Oh, alright.” Caboose grimaced.

After dinner, the three started cleaning up after dinner. As they did, Hurricane sidled over to her father.

“What is it, sweetie?” Caboose asked.

“You see, Nyx told me today that her ‘papa’ or whoever has gone away, and by the sounds of it, she hasn’t seen him for a while.” Hurricane frowned, “It’s probably nothing, but I was thinking maybe you can ask one of your RDL friends and maybe look-”

“I’m sorry, honey, but I’m kinda already busy looking for someone else. And I know a certain doctor would be ticked if I am not focused tomorrow.” Caboose rubbed his head, “Is it a matter of life or death?”

“No… I guess it’s not.” Hurricane admitted.

“Then I’m sure it can wait.” Caboose smirked, “Once I find this pony that is in no way related to your pony, I promise, I will come looking for your pony who is in no way related to my pony! Deal?”

“Thanks, dad.” Hurricane hugged him.

“Anytime, sweetie.” Caboose smiled.

Elsewhere, Fletcher was having dinner with Dove.

"So, how was your day, dear?" Dove asked.

"Troubling." Fletcher admitted. "We spent all day searching for a suspect, but said suspect stayed ahead of us throughout."

"That does sound troubling." Dove mused.

"It's not just that." Fletcher admitted. "The suspect, incredible as it seems, is just a filly. A foal, like one we would have."

Fletcher quickly explained what her knew to Dove

"How awful." Dove sighed. "For a foal to be in that position..." She stroked her pregnant stomach. "What happened to her parents?"

"I don't know." Fletcher admitted.

"I shudder to think of our foal ending up in a situation like that." Dove declared.

"As long as it has us, it won't." Fletcher pledged. "I will do everything I can to protect our foal. To ensure it never has to go through what that poor filly is going through."

"I know you will." Dove snuggled against her husband. "I can't imagine you ever letting us down."

"Not as long I can help it, darling." Fletcher grinned.

The two nuzzled together tightly, feeling not only the warmth of their own love, but love for the new life growing within Dove, a new life they were determined to guide and raise properly.

Back at Canterlot Castle, it was starting to get late. Miracle and Nyx were walking down the corridors, having just had supper.

"Mmm." Nyx licked her lips. "That was so good!"

"Yeah, it was." Miracle agreed. "But we should probably get ready for bed now. I'll take you to the guest room."

"...Thank you, Miracle." Nyx declared.

"For showing you to the guest room?" Miracle frowned.

"For everything." Nyx clarified. "For helping, taking me into your home... And being my friend."

"You're welcome." Miracle hugged her. "Now, about your room..."

The two fillies continued down the corridors.

In the streets of Canterlot, night has finally fallen, as the lamps lit the streets. Walking along, Nabudis was continuing his search for the lost patient, but was unfortunately faring no better than he was earlier that day.

“Son of a whorse!” Nabudis grunted, kicking a stray can, greatly discouraged, “I don’t get it! We should have found her by now!”

Nabudis let out a restrained growl… as he let out a sigh.

“...Dammit, this is all a big damn mess.” Nabudis lowered his head, “Because of me, not only the patient is out there alone, but Hamm and the others are dead… and Survival has ran afoul of those bastards…” He shook his head, “...Where are you, Nyx? Please be okay… if something happened…”

He tried to not think about it, focusing on his fruitless search… but as he did so, he noticed that he was just outside the Blue Blazes tavern. He had heard that it was a very nice down-to-earth bar, and that many of his colleagues frequent there often..

“...Ugh, no, I shouldn’t.” Nabudis told himself, “She’s still out there…”

He glanced out into the streets, seeing how dark it has gotten. He recalled Survival’s argument about how hard it would be to find a black-coated filly in the dark.

Glancing back at the tavern, Nabudis shrugged.

“Heh, buck it. Maybe a drink will make me feel better.” He sighed.

Nabudis entered the tavern. It was having fairly good business at the moment, with multiple customers. Nabudis walked up to the bar, taking a seat. Soon, the owner approached him.

"Hi there." The owner smiled. "I'm Blue Blazes, and I'll be your bartender this evening. What can I get-?"

“Just a cider, thank you.” Nabudis said bluntly.

“Okay, then.” Blue’s smile faded a bit, before recovering, “Coming right up.”

Nabudis waited patiently. As he looked around, he noticed a picture of Blue with what was presumably his wife and son above the bar. Seeing this happy family together brought up a bit of sadness within him.

“That’s my family right there.”

Nabudis glanced at Blue, who was coming with his drink.

"That's my family." Blue noted Nabudis' line of sight. "Don't know what I'd do without them. They're what keeps me going. The best part of my life, really. Tempest, my boy. Nothing makes me prouder than to see him growing up, slowly but surely becoming a strong young stallion."

Nabudis felt sadder with every word.

"And then there's my darling Mist." Blue grinned. "I've loved her since we we were teenagers. That mare is something special-"

“Sir.” Nabudis began, “I know you’re trying to be friendly and all, but I really don’t want to hear about somepony else’s family. Especially not tonight. So if I can...”

“Oh, right. Suit yourself.” Blue nodded awkwardly, used to such bluntness, “I’ll be over here then…” He sidled away slowly.

Nabudis let out a melancholic sigh. He sat there at the bar for a while, nursing his drink. He tried to take his mind off of things, but considering the severity of his situation, he was failing miserably…

“Well, well, look who it is…” A voice called behind him.

“Whoever you think I am, you are mistaken.” Nabudis said briskly, not bothering to look behind him.

“Oh, but I know who you are.” The voice taunted, “Who you really are…”

Nabudis’s breath hitched, as his hooves clenched.

’...So, the time has finally come.’ Nabudis grimaced, seemingly resigned to what would happen next, ’...Dammit, I was hoping I’d have more time...’

Nabudis turned around, his face set in cold dread, ready to face whoever was confronting him…

Only to be faced with a brutish-looking teal Unicorn stallion with a bit of a paunch.

Immediately, Nabudis’s face turn to confusion.

“...Well? Anything you gotta say?” The Unicorn stallion challenged.

“Um, yeah.” Nabudis admitted, “...Who are you?”

“You really don’t remember me?” The Unicorn scowled, “Dullard Point, Canterlot Primary, sixth grade?”

“...Wait. Dull Point?” Nabudis lit up in realization (and relief), “That’s right. You were the jock on that buckball team.”

“Star player actually.” Dull corrected, before sneering, “And you’re Somnus Nabudis. The weird freak who was in love with Nightmare Moon.”

Immediately, the memories came flooding back, fraught with bullying and violence, as Nabudis’ relief turn to disdain.

“I wasn’t in love with Nightmare Moon.” Nabudis growled.

“Well, you sure talked about her non-stop way back when. Same difference, right?” Dull glared.

“Typical, all these years, and that’s the first thing you remember about me?” Nabudis snarled.

“Of course it is. Who could forget the ‘weirdo’ who always had his snout buried in one of those creepy books.” Dull spat.

“One, the ‘Eldritch Almanac’ is a good read for anypony interested in the dark and mysterious, and is hardly ‘creepy’.” Nabudis said coolly, “Two, at least it was a book rather than all the smut magazines you’re so familiar with.”

“Oh-ho, big talk coming from someone who would go on and on about how ‘misunderstood’ Nightmare Moon is, and how she’s so ‘lonely’.” Dull mocked.

The other patrons and even Blue were starting to take note of the argument, which made Nabudis feel uncomfortable.

“It wasn’t like that.” Nabudis grimaced, trying to save face, “It was merely a phase. Everypony has them.”

“Well, my ‘phase’ didn’t get my entire family ran out of Canterlot, now did it?” Dull sneered.

Nabudis paused, the bar going silent for a moment.

“...Wow, you’re really going there, huh?” Nabudis grunted.

“Well, I call it like I see it. That’s how I do.” Dull smirked in superiority.

“Really?” Nabudis adopted a sly smirk, “Funny. So do I. And might I ask: did your dreams of going professional ever pan out?”

"I-what?" Dull gaped, caught off guard. "Well, I think I made some progress in the Buckball league..."

“Clearly not, if that beer gut is anything to go by.” Nabudis cut him off, “Perhaps you simply aren't a team player? Perhaps you don't take direction well? Or perhaps, you just have... Disagreements with female co-workers? Disagreements where you don't know how to take 'no' for an answer, if you catch my drift?”

The entire bar went ‘ooh’.

“What?! No!” Dull snarled, “No! It wasn’t that at all!”

“Really?” Nabudis raised a brow, “Do you like little colts instead?”

Instantly, Dull grabbed him by the collar.

“You god-damn freak!” Dull held up a hoof, ready to clobber him.

“Wow, this does take me back.” Nabudis said nonchalantly.

“Whoa! If you’re gonna fight, take it outside!” Blue yelled.

“There’s no need! I will end this fight in one second flat!” Dull roared.

“Please do. Your breath stinks.” Nabudis snorted.

“Why you-” Dull reared his hoof… only to be caught by somepony.

“Okay, I think you should head home, Mr. Point.” A new voice announced.

“Oh, and who’s gonna make m-?" Dull began to scoff, but stopped when he saw who he was talking to: Prince Gothic, Princess Luna’s husband.

"It’s Gothic!" One patron whispered.

"Prince Gothic!" Another gasped.

"Gothic?" Nabudis frowned, also surprised to see him.

“Umm…” Dull Point trailed off.

"You were saying?" Gothic said firmly.

"I was saying... I'm going to go home." Dull cringed, letting go of Nabudis. "Good evening, your majesty."

Dull quickly made himself scarce.

“...As you were, everypony.” Gothic announced.

Just like that, the bar went back to normal, albeit giving the stunned doctor a few odd glances.

“Looks like I picked a good time to get a drink, huh?” Gothic smiled.

“Gothic.” Nabudis gasped, giving a genuine chuckle, “As I live and breathe…” He quickly added, “Or should I say, Prince Gothic.”

“Somnus, please, there’s no need for titles. Especially for one of my oldest friends.” Gothic smiled.

“Well, you seem to enjoy it.” Nabudis noted, “Lucky you, marrying into royalty.”

"We can't all inherit billion Bit companies." Gothic declared heartily, as he gestured to the bar, “Here, let’s take a seat,”

The two sat back at the bar, as Blue quickly made his way over to them.

“Thanks for defusing that, Gothic.” Blue nodded, “Bar brawls are not as fun as they look on TV.”

“Glad I could be of help.” Gothic smiled, “The usual for me, Blue.”

“Coming right up.” Blue smirked, as he prepared another glass. As he did so, he glanced at both him and Nabudis, “So, you two know each other?

“Oh, yes.” Gothic smiled, “We were both part of the Luna fan club.”

“Ah, yes, the old gang.” Nabudis mused, a wistful smile, “I still look back fondly on those days where we and the others stay up all night discussing our mutual admiration for Princess Luna and the blue night sky…"

“That’s not all.” Gothic chuckled, “This guy here was the one who taught me and the others how to merge with our shadows.”

“For real?” Blue turned to Nabudis.

“Well, yeah. But it’s really wasn’t that hard once you got into it.” Nabudis shrugged, “Gothic here was one of the fastest learners in the group.”

“Not faster than you.” Gothic laughed, “You were the best shadow-walker out of all of us. You should see half the things he could do with his own shadow.”

“Oh, please, it’s nothing special.” Nabudis said humbly.

"Don't sell yourself short." Gothic declared. "We voted you club treasurer for a reason, you know."

"Ah, good times." Nabudis smiled proudly.

"Not to pry, but what's with the Nightmare Moon bit?" Blue asked.

"Let's not get into that." Nabudis brushed him off.

"Yeah." Gothic agreed. "It was kind of a hot button topic in our group."

"Fortunately, it didn't come up that often." Nabudis smiled. "We had far more pleasant conversations than unpleasant ones."

“...So, what happened? It sounded like you guys fell out of touch.” Blue frowned.

Nabudis’ smile faded immediately, as he silently glanced down at his drink…

“Um, I’m sorry, Blue.” Gothic murmured, “But you could give us a moment?”

“Oh, okay.” Blue said awkwardly, going to another customer, but not before mouthing ‘sorry’.

The two former fan club members sat there for a moment, as Gothic looked sadly at Nabudis.

“How long has it been?” Gothic asked, “Since Sacred died?”

“About twenty years.” Nabudis murmured.

“Yeah… when that airship crash happened.” Gothic grimaced, recalling the day the news reported it, “One day he was here… the next he was just… gone.”

Nabudis did not respond.

“The last time I ever saw you was at his funeral.” Gothic recalled, “...I couldn’t imagine what it had been like, to lose someone real close to you…”

“...He was my whole world.” Nabudis admitted, despondent, “Back in sixth grade, he was the only pony who actually liked me. Stood up for me when I was bullied. Shared his lunches. And not once did he mocked me for Nightmare Moon or any of my ‘interests’... he was the only pony who understood me.”

“You and him were like the sun and moon.” Gothic gave a sad smile.

“Yeah…” Nabudis whispered, before clenching his hooves, “But those days are gone… and so is he.” He got out of his seat, “...I enjoyed this chat, Gothic, but I have to go.”

“Som, please…” Gothic urged, “Ever since Sacred died, you fell off the face of Equestria. All I’ve heard of you was that you visiting Secretariat and his mother time to time, but I could never find you myself.”

“Well, I’ve been busy.” Nabudis brushed him off, “Things have been hectic at the hospital.”

“Yet you couldn’t spare even a day or so to come visit?” Gothic frowned, “Nabudis. You know that if you ever wanted to talk, me or even Luna are more than willing to listen.”

“Look, I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine.” Nabudis said more tersely than intended, “I’ve done my grieving and I have moved on.”

“Even so, I don’t want you to just disappear on me again.” Gothic insisted, “We could still hang out, catch up, relive old times…”

“It’s… it’s not that simple.” Nabudis said reluctantly.

“Sure it is.” Gothic declared, “In fact, tomorrow night, my daughter and her husband is hosting that charity dinner. I know she would love to finally meet you. Would you at least consider it?”

“...Perhaps.” Nabudis relented, “But I’m really busy with a… shall we say, project, at the moment. But maybe I might be able to stop by if I have the time.”

"That's all I ask." Gothic sighed, before frowning, “Though I have to ask, what are you doing here in-”

Suddenly, the chime of a news station blared out of the nearby radio, signifying the beginning of the evening report.

“Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts, this is the Nine O'clock news.. For our top story tonight, tragedy has struck Brightdale Mental Hospital, as a horrendous massacre was discovered.” The announcer declared, “The authorities were given an anonymous tip and were prompted to investigate the remote hospital, where staff and patients alike were discovered brutally maimed, with no known survivors. Police are still investigating, but it is believed that this massacre was an act of domestic terrorism…”

The entire bar went silent at the horrendous news, many having expressions of pure mortification on their faces.

“My Faust, what is this world coming to…” Gothic shook his head… before realizing something, “Wait, isn’t Brightdale where you work-” He turned to face Nabudis, only to find he had run off. "Guess you need to attend to that." He mused.

Meanwhile, at a tea shop, Survival was sitting at a table, sipping some lemon tea, and chewing on a biscuit. He was thinking about everything that had happened lately. Chief among those thought were the deaths of Hamm and the others.

'Hamm... guys...' He mourned them. 'As awful as it is to consider, your feaths seem to have the been the beginning of something terrible... but what, exactly?'

His mind had so many questions…

Who were those ponies who attacked them?

Why did they want the patient?

Who was the patient and why she was worth killing three ponies over?

Why is Nabudis obsessed with finding her?

Where has Nabudis been the past few weeks?

All of these questions were already being mulled over, but another pressing question entered his mind: where has he seen ‘Silver Lining’ before?

He didn’t think much of it when he first met the enigmatic stallion, but as they spent the day together, looking him over and over, and seeing how odd he was acting, he felt like he has seen him before...

’But where?’ Survival growled in his head, ’I swear to Faust, this is gonna kill me. I never met him before… but I saw his face somewhere…’

The shop's radio blared the opening chimes of the news report, breaking Survival's concentration.

'Seriously?!' Survival scowled. 'Who buckin’ keeps a radio in a tea shop?! It makes no sense!'

“Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts, this is the Nine O'clock news. For our top story tonight, tragedy has struck Brightdale Mental Hospital, as a horrendous massacre was discovered…”

Immediately, Survival’s anger turned to shock and horror as everypony turned to face the radio.

“What?!” Survival stood up, glancing at the radio, his heart nearly stopping, “No… No…”

“The authorities were given an anonymous tip and were prompted to investigate the remote hospital, where staff and patients alike were discovered brutally maimed, with no known survivors. Police are still investigating, but it is believed that this massacre was an act of domestic terrorism…” The announcer continued.

"They're all dead..." Survival started hyperventilating with horror. "All of them... But how... why would somepony do this?"

"The perpetrators responsible for this vile act remain unknown. But many ponies are speculating that the criminal group known as the Forefathers may have been involved.”

“...The Forefathers?” Survival gasped.

“‘The Forefathers’ has been named responsible for several atrocities over the past several months, such as the attack on Canterlot and the bio-attack on the Changeling territory.” The announcer explained, “No one is for certain where this group has originated, but it seems their activities dated at least back before the attack on the Crystal Empire that was perpetuated by one ‘Synchro Alchemy’...”

“The Crystal Empire…” Survival mused… before something clicked, and a scowl grew on his face. “Oh, son of a-”

Survival rushed out of the shop, leaving his payment on the table. Shortly after, one of the workers started cleaning up tables. When he reached Survival's, he stopped.

"Hey, there's a knife missing." He frowned. "That is so coming out of my paycheck..."

At the Skytower Stable, Sterling was laying on the bed in his room. He has checked in a while ago, being sure to get two more rooms for the two doctors. Since then, he was just waiting around. He wasn’t particularly hungry, and there wasn’t anything good on TV. He had since shed his hat and jacket, which hung on a nearby chair.

As he laid in that soft bed, a part of him had considered taking a brief nap, having been exhausted from the day-long search… but as appealing as that sounds… Sterling dreaded the thought.

Sterling knew that the moment he went to sleep, his dead brother would be there to greet him. And kill him. And the whole scene would repeat over and over until he woke up, more tired than he was the night before.

The stallion looked on the nightstand, where the bag with the nightshirt stood. Silently, he reached in and pulled it out. It was a nice soft silk nightshirt, being a bright silver with gold trimmings. How Caboose managed to guess his favorite color scheme, he didn’t know.

“Hmm, the freest, most wonderful feeling in the world…” Sterling mused, running his hoof along the silk, “Maybe I should…”

He shook his head.

“Nah, I know he meant well, but I hardly doubt that a fancy nightshirt will make the guilt of getting your only living brother killed go away.” Sterling grimaced as he toss it back in the bag, “Besides, I’d probably look stupid in it.”

Suddenly, as if in response, he let out a small yawn.

“Dammit…” Sterling grunted, “Hmm, maybe I should try the old radio…”

Sterling approached the bedside radio, adjusting the dial until it crackled into life.

"Recapping our top story: tragedy has struck Brightdale Mental Hospital, as a horrendous massacre was discovered…”

“Wait. What?!” Sterling lit up in shock, “Brightdale?!”

“Oh, no…” Sterling knew immediately who would be responsible, “...How could Dysley… How could Father…” He brought his hoof to his head, “Faust dammit…”

A sense of dread immediately struck him.

“Survival. Nabudis. They’re still out there.” Sterling fretted, “Buck! I shouldn’t had let them go off on their own! I… I have to find them!”

Sterling switched off the radio, and rushed towards the door, worried about the danger that his two charges could be in. He opened the door quickly…

Only to be punched in the face.

“Urgh!” Sterling stumbled back, clutching the side of his cheek, “What the…?!”

Standing in the doorway was Survival, who was seething with rage.

“Survival?” Sterling gaped, before scowling, “Okay, you got five seconds to tell me what’s going on!”

“Shut up!” Survival roared.

Sterling flinched a bit.

“I now know who you are.” Survival said coldly.

“Really? If it’s ‘getting a little pissed off’, you would be right.” Sterling growled.

“It took me a while, but I finally remembered how I know you.” Survival admitted.

“...Is that right?” Sterling frowned, concerned as to where he’s going with this.

“Yeah. Me and a couple other doctors were asked to come to the Crystal Empire about a year ago.” Survival explained, “They wanted us to help do a few psych checks on several ponies. Apparently, some madpony was using a horn or something filled with dark magic to mess with ponies’ heads, making them angry, greedy, lazy, and just about everything in between… it was a real crapshow…”

“...Aw, frick…” Sterling suddenly knew what he was talking about.

“When I was down there, I’ve heard how all of that was because a guy from this awful organization wanted to make a supersoldier or something. I didn’t pay much attention to that, but I do recall two names… ‘the Forefathers’... and ‘Sterling Cross’.” Survival declared, as he glared hatefully at him, “And one of them is right in front of me.”

“Survival, listen to me…” Sterling held up a hoof soothingly, “I...I can explain.”

“Those ponies who attacked me and my colleagues… they were Forefather agents, weren’t they?” Survival seethed, “...And you are one of them.”

“I’m not though.” Sterling felt the dread return, “I’m really not-”

"Liar!" Survival snarled. "Your thugs killed my best friend… and now, they killed every single one of my colleagues and patients! I’m gonna kill you!”

“Survival, please, be rational.” Sterling pleaded, “You’re not thinking straight… besides, look at us, I would pulverize you.”

“Why you think I brought this?!” Survival hissed, holding up a knife (that he'd ‘borrowed’ from the cafe).

“Okay, that might even things a little.” Sterling cringed.

“Raargh!” Survival roared, as he swung at Sterling, intent on carving him like a mushroom steak. Sterling, surprised by the sudden lunge, just barely managed to dodge the swing.

"Okay, you're pushing it." Sterling frowned.

"Yes... Right into your heart like that chair did to Miss Lewpon in Final Destination!" Survival thrust the knife forward.

The time, Sterling caught Survival's hoof mid-strike, and then began to struggle over the knife.

“...Final Destination? Really?!” Sterling grimaced, “I figured you go... with a more obvious example... like Michael Briers pinning that Bob guy to the wall... with a kitchen knife!”

“You leave that mask-wearing glorified mime out of this!” Survival snarled, as he shoved Sterling back against the wall.

“Ugh!” Sterling slammed against it, before stepping forward, “I’m not the one who killed your friends, Fievel!”

"Close enough!" Survival snarled, charging again with the knife. "Soon, your Forefather pals will know how I feel!"

"They're not... My... Pals!" Sterling roared.

Sterling quickly caught Survival’s knife hoof, and twisted it back.

“Ack!” Survival cried, dropping the knife.

But that did little to stop the furious doctor, as Survival instantly slugged Sterling in the face.

“Agh!” Sterling grunted.

Survival clamped his hooves around Sterling’s neck, and clenched tightly, attempting to choke him to death.

"Die, you monster!" Survival spat.

"Get... Off!" Sterling wrenched Survival's hooves off his neck, then flung him across the room.

"Ugh!" Survival grunted as he hit the floor. "I'm not done yet..."

No sooner had he said that boast, then Survival was back up and charging Sterling. He threw multiple punches at him. Sterling dodged some, parried others, then finally caught one with his own hoof.

"Let go of me!" Survival struggled to break free, but was unable to escape Sterling's grip.

"Not gonna happen." Sterling retorted. With one swift movement, he twisted Survival's leg, putting him into a hoof lock.

"Yahhh!" Survival yelled in pain.

Following up, he slammed Survival to the floor, bringing it behind his back. The doctor struggled, crying in pain and fury as Sterling stood atop him.

Sterling wiped his snout, bleeding a bit from Survival’s last punch. He let out a huff as he frowned at Survival.

“...Okay.” Sterling began, “Here’s how it’s going to go: I’m going to let go of your hoof. When I do, we’re both going to get up and talk this through, like normal, civilized adults… alright?”

Survival growled a bit… but soon stopped struggling, realizing the futility of it.

“...Okay, okay, just let me go.” Survival said softly.

Sterling let go of his hoof, as he backed away. Soon as he was off, Survival got back up, scurrying to the nearby wall, rubbing his sore hoof.

“Not going to lie, you put up quite a fight.” Sterling admitted, “Guess that survival training really did do wonders.”

“Your words means nothing to me.” Survival grumbled, “Especially coming from a terrorist.”

“Look, let’s start from the beginning.” Sterling sighed, “You were right. I am Sterling Cross. I’m sorry for the deception, but I am not a Forefather agent, not anymore. I really am with the RDL. Both Caboose and Fletcher would vouch for me.”

“Is that so?” Survival said skeptically, “Then why the fake name?”

“That is because, technically, I am still a felon, what with that stuff in the Crystal Empire.” Sterling cringed, “Which is why I was wearing the hat and jacket.”

“Well, it was a horrible disguise.” Survival scowled.

“To be fair, we didn’t think someone would recognize me based on hearing about me a year ago.” Sterling glared.

“I have a photographic memory. Sue me.” Survival scowled, “...Besides, that still doesn’t explain what the hell is going on here.”

“What do you mean?” Sterling frowned.

“Didn’t you just hear the news?!” Survival snapped, his eyes growing misty, “The Forefathers murdered everyone at the hospital! Why did they do that?! What the hell is so important about this patient that I’ve lost just about everypony I know?!”

“Do you really want to know?” Sterling frowned.

“I think I’m owed an explanation.” Survival stated firmly, his anger simmering.

“Very well…” Sterling sighed, “When you told Fletcher and Caboose about your attackers, we were already concerned that the Forefathers were involved. However, when we discovered Weasel’s body at the park, we… or rather I, believe that the situation is a lot worse.”

"Meaning?" Survival urged.

“We’d believe there is a nefarious plot upon us, a Project.” Sterling explained, “And I have reason to believe that the patient you and Nabudis are looking for could be at the center of it.”

“What?! Center of it how?!” Survival sputtered.

“I don’t know.” Sterling admitted, “But I can only assume they massacred the hospital for the same reason they tried to kill you: to keep everyone who could know the patient quiet… for good.”

“But that makes no sense. I didn’t even know this patient until after the attack!” Survival protested, “I had no idea she even existed at the hospital! I don’t think anypony there did.”

“I don’t think it would have mattered.” Sterling said glumly, “But if I had to take a guess, it might have something to do with the owner of the hospital…”

“What are you talking about?” Survival questioned.

“I’m talking about Dysley, Survival.” Sterling explained, “He’s a pony of interest in this case.”

“Dysley? As in Secretariat Dysley? As in the CEO of Brightdale? Our Brightdale?!” Survival gaped in disbelief.

“That’s right. And just like I used to be, he is a member of the Forefathers. And the one heading the project that I believed your patient is a part of.” Sterling revealed.

Survival sat there for a bit… before scowling.

“No.. no, no, no. That is… that is…” Survival got up, his mind going haywire, “It’s complete bullcrap! No way!”

“It’s the truth, Survival.” Sterling declared, as Survival stormed past him, “I met him personally several times. He may feign innocence, but I know he’s responsible somehow.”

“Really?! Assuming I believe all this crazy bullcrap… how do I know you’re not just lying to save your ass?!” Survival accused, “You lied to us before, and you sure as hell lied to everypony at the Crystal Empire!”

“...You make a fair point.” Sterling conceded, “...I can’t simply ask you to trust me… which is why I will ask you this: read me.”

“Excuse me?” Survival asked.

“You said that you can tell a lot about a pony by looking in their eyes.” Sterling declared, “I stopped you before because I fear you would figure out who I was, but considering you figured out anyways, I’m all yours. Do your psycho-babble like you did for Caboose and Fletcher, and see for yourself if I’m lying or not.”

“...Fine, but no funny business.” Survival grunted.

Survival looked Sterling in the eyes. The two stood there for a moment, nothing but silence…

“Well?” Sterling broke the silence, “What do you see? Because this is getting kinda weird.”

“...I see… by your guarded stance, that you are quite familiar with keeping secrets and partaking in duplicitous activities, which you mask with confidence and a hint of arrogance. Temperamental, cynical, and surly.” Survival frowned in disapproval.

“And…?” Sterling gestured.

“...But under all that…” Survival’s frown faded, “You are the kind of stallion that fight to protect everypony around him, even if it means hurting them. You endured a rather bad childhood, and a tumultuous life, but rather than embittering you, it made you thrive harder to be better than those who tormented you…”

“Huh, never heard my life described that way before…” Sterling mused, “...But does that mean I’m alright?”

“...Buck, I guess it does.” Survival said begrudgingly, as he sat on the bed, “...I still find all this Forefather business hard to swallow… but you’re really are on the level…”

"Good." Sterling smiled. "Now that we got that established, I’m gonna have to ask that you don’t tell Nabudis about any of this?”

“Why?! He’s the only other survivor besides me!” Survival protested.

“That may be so.” Sterling admitted, not willing to let on his suspicions of Nabudis just yet, “But no one is to know who I truly am. The less ponies know about my identity and purposes, the better.”

“Yeah...but…” Survival let out a defeated sigh, “...Alright, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you.” Sterling nodded, “...Are you going to be okay?”

"I... I don’t know," Survival admitted, his voice cracking. He looked to be on the brink of tears, "I've lost so many ponies in the span of a few days. I just... I don't know how long I can keep it together..."

Immediately, the door to the hotel room opened again as Nabudis rushed in.

“Survival!” Nabudis called, “Oh thank Faust! When I heard the news, I was worried that-”

Almost immediately, he felt himself being hugged hard by the younger doctor, who began silently crying…

“Sir… they’re gone… they’re all gone…” Survival whispered woefully.

“Oh, Fievel…” Nabudis sighed, wrapping his hooves around him, “I’m so sorry…”

Survival silently wept into Nabudis' shoulder. Nabudis did what he could to comfort him, but he knew this was something Survival would not easily recover from.

'I'm sorry you had to endure such pain, my friend.' Nabudis mused. 'Truly sorry...'

Back at the castle, everypony was fast asleep, and nopony in the vicinity was stirring… well, with the exception of one filly.

Nyx tossed and turned in her bed. Despite her surroundings being far more comfortable than what she was used to, she was unable to sleep. Every time she nodded off, she experienced terrible nightmares. Nightmares involving inky shadows, and cold winds, and terrible horrors… and five words…

’The night shall last… FOREVER!’

Nyx jolted awake, panting a little. She glanced around and was relieved to still be in the comfort of the guest room.

’...Maybe I should take a walk.’ She thought to herself. 'It's better than the nightmares...'

Sneaking out of the room, Nyx explored the darkened corridors of the castle.

'This place is so big.' She mused. 'I can't believe Miracle and the twins actually live here. How do they not get lost?'

As she explored the castle, Nyx turned a corner, and saw a group of guards listening to a radio.

"Tragedy has struck Brightdale Mental Hospital, as a horrendous massacre was discovered…”

“Brightdale?!” Nyx froze, recognizing the name, “...But that’s where Papa…”

“...The authorities were given an anonymous tip and were prompted to investigate the remote hospital, where staff and patients alike were discovered brutally maimed, with no known survivors…”

The words ‘no known survivors’ echoed in Nyx’s mind, as she felt her heart has been turned to ice…

“No… no…” Nyx whispered.

Nyx began shaking in horror and despair.

"No..." She wept in ragged, sharp sobs. "No, no, no, no..." Her pupils narrowed as she began to break down emotionally, the miasma shedding from her body.

“Hey, did you hear something?” One of the guards spoke up. Nyx froze.

“Yeah, I think it came from over there.” Another guard pointed in Nyx’s direction.

Distraught, Nyx ran off in the opposite direction, not caring where she went. A trial of blue mist was flying off her body, unbeknownst to her.

'No...' She thought, horrified. 'He can't be gone... He can't...'

Somehow, she made it out into the gardens. As she stumbled through the hedges, tears streaming through her eyes, she soon found herself in an isolated area of the garden, surrounded by hedges, and a gazebo nearby.

Her legs wouldn’t run anymore, as she fell to the ground. Unable to keep it all in, Nyx began weeping.

"PAPAAAA!!!" She wailed, hammering her hooves on the ground as she buried her face in the grass. "PAPA!"

The filly laid there, crying for her father, agonized and terrified that she was never going to see him again.

"Hello?" A familiar voice called. "Who's there?"

Nyx threw her head up, her face covered in tears and blades of grass. She saw Constell approaching.

"Nyx?" Constell whispered. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be in bed?"

"I..." Nyx bit back a sob, “I…”

“What’s wrong?” Constell asked, “Why are you crying?”

Nyx looked away, unable to face her.

“Come on, you can tell me…” Constell soothed, “We’re friends, remember?”

Nyx sniffled, trying to calm down, but failing.

“I… I just heard that..." Nyx sniffled. "My papa is dead."

"Oh..." Constell gasped softly. "Oh, Faust… I'm sorry, Nyx."

"He was... The only family I've ever had." Nyx hiccoughed. "And now I'll never see him again..." Fresh tears streamed down her face.

"There, there." Constell placed her hooves on Nyx's shoulder. "Let it all out."

Nyx buried her face in Constell's chest, shaking from her heartbreak. Constell moved one of her hooves, placing it on top of Nyx's head, and gently stroked her mane.

Meanwhile, Vito was fast asleep. He was dreaming of riding a Roc through clear blue skies.

"Woo-hoo!" He cheered within his dream. "Go, go, go!"

Suddenly, black clouds emerged from out of nowhere, darkening the skies. Bolts of lightning crackled, lighting up the area.

"Crazy weather we're having." Vito noted.

A powerful gust of wind buffeted the Roc. It screeched in surprise, and Vito had to hold on tight to avoid being thrown off.

"Whoa!" Vito yelped. "Maybe we should find a place to land..."

As Vito looked around for solid ground, the howling wind seemed to deepen, until it sounded more like a roar. Then came another flash of lightning, which produced a shadow against the clouds; one of an even larger winged creature than the Roc.

"What was...?" Vito looked up, a shiver of dread crawling up his spine.

A titanic dragon seemed to melt out of the clouds. Its scales were a poisonous green, blue mist steaming off of it. It was covered with multiple long, sharp spines, and it had towering fangs leering in its mouth. Cold red eyes locked onto Vito's position, and it roared monstrously.

"Noo!" Vito screamed.

The dragon descended with speed belying its massive size. In an instant, it slammed into the Roc, knocking Vito off its back.

"Ahhh!" Vito yelled as he dropped out of the sky.

The dragon shoved the Roc aside, and dived after Vito. It passed him and positioned itself directly below him. It's razor-fanged maw opened wide...

"No, please, noooo!" Vito screeched as he fell into the dragon's mouth, which snapped shut around him.

The next thing he knew, Vito was falling out of bed. He crashed onto the floor, dripping with cold sweat. His heart was thumping like crazy..

"It was just a dream..." He gasped. "Just a dream..."

Just then, Dusty entered the room, her face alight with worry.

"Is everything okay, Vito?" She asked. "I heard you screaming."

"I was just having a nightmare." Vito declared. "I was flying on a Roc, then this huge dragon showed up, and it... And it..."

"It's okay." Dusty held him comfortingly. "No dragons here. Everything's okay..."

“But it felt so real… I thought my heart was going to explode.” Vito whimpered.

“But it’s not.” Dusty assured, “It’s just a bad drea-”

"AHHHH!" A new (and somehow more shrill) scream, that of Blueblood, was heard.

"Dad!" Vito yelped.

He and Dusty rushed over to Blueblood and Dusty's bedroom. Blueblood was sat up in bed, quaking with terror… and still screaming.

“AH! AH! AH!” Blueblood panicked.

“Blue! Calm down!” Dusty ordered, “What has you so scared?!”

“N-Nightmare!” Blueblod panicked, “Horrible! Horrible! Nightmare!”

“You too?” Vito murmured, “Were you eaten by a giant evil dragon?!”

“Worse!”

“What could be worse than a dragon?” Vito gaped.

“Old! I was old!” Blueblood cried.

“...Excuse me?” Dusty frowned.

“Super old!” Blueblood yelled, “I looked like the Crypt-keeper!”

“...Mom?” Vito was confused.

“Blueblood, please calm down!” Dusty pleaded, “If you keep screaming like this, you’re going to-”

“Oieee!” Blueblood froze, and felt backwards, having fainted from shock.

“...Faint.” Dusty cringed.

“Dad!” Vito gasped, “Mom, is he okay?!”

“I think so. He just passed out… but I should get him to the doctor.” Dusty murmured, as she then lifted the unconscious Blueblood onto her back, “Will you be alright getting back to bed, sweetheart?”

“Um, yeah, I think so.” Vito weakly nodded.

“Very well. Sleep well, Vito.” Dusty declared as she carried Blueblood off, “Oof, I’m gonna have to have the chefs put you on a diet…”

With his mother gone, Vito began walking back to his room, shaken by what has happened.

’What is going on here? Both me and dad end up having a very horrid nightmare, one afther the other?’ Vito fretted, ’This is weird… too weird…’

Suddenly, a scowl grew on Vito’s face.

’Then again… it’s not the only weird thing I’ve seen today…’ Vito growled.

His thoughts turned to Nyx. He had been suspicious of her from the start, and considering how things are lining up... that suspicion was starting to grow...

Suspicions
View Online

Fear of A Child

Suspicions

The following morning, Blueblood was examined by the royal physician, a bearded Unicorn stallion with a cane. Dusty, Vito, and Pureblood were also there, watching nervously as the examination neared its end.

"Give it to me straight, doctor." Blueblood said, his bottom lip quivering. "I can take it."

“Well, you don’t have to. I checked your vitals and everything.” The doctor announced, “Physically, you’re absolutely fine.”

“Well, he wasn’t fine last night.” Dusty frowned, “He was screaming bloody murder.”

“Tell me again, what was it that brought this on?” The doctor questioned.

“Oh, it was horrible.” Blueblood shuddered, “I was dreaming that I’ve just won the Perfect Stallion Pageant for the umpteenth time. Everything was good… but then there was this blue smoke or something and I started to grow old. Like really old. Like if Starswirl and Mistmane had a baby and that baby was just as old as them!”

“Ugh, dad…” Vito grimaced at the thought.

“I was so ugly that everyone was repulsed by me and pushed me away. Even you, Dusty” Blueblood murmured, “And I thought for a moment I was going to die from this ugliness… like that barnacle.”

“Oh, Blue.” Dusty smiled soothingly, “That’s utter nonsense. I would love you no matter what you looked like."

"Really?" Blueblood asked. "Even if I lost every strand of hair on my head?"

"Yes." Dusty nodded.

"Even if I was all grey and had no teeth?" Blueblood asked.

"Of course." Dusty assured him.

"Even if I came down with the worst case of ponypox ever?" Blueblood asked.

"Yes." Dusty grinned.

"Even if I lost all my legs, became grossly overweight, and lost my face in a freak accident?" Blueblood asked.

"Uh..." Dusty said hesitantly.

“Naw, you’re right, not even I would say yes to that.” Blueblood grimaced.

"So basically, dad's okay?" Vito asked.

"More or less." Blueblood nodded.

"Are you sure?" Pureblood asked nervously. "Are you positive?"

"Relax, PB." Vito assured him. "The doc said dad's fine."

"Really?" Pureblood frowned.

"Really, son." Blueblood placed an assuring hoof on his son's shoulder.

Pureblood smiled, his fears assuaged.

"You two run along." Dusty declared. "We'll square things with the doctor."

"Okay..." Vito nodded.

"See you at lunch!" Pureblood added.

As the two left the room, Luna passed them by.

"Hello, aunt Luna." Pureblood smiled.

"Hello, boys." Luna nodded distractedly.

"What brings you here?" Vito asked.

"Oh, I was just planning on checking on your father." Luna answered, casting a strange glance at the room. "I heard something happened to him."

"It was just a bad dream." Pureblood told her.

"Perhaps." Luna glanced at the room again. "But even so, it wouldn't hurt to check on him."

"If you say so, aunt Luna." Vito mused, his suspicions raised again. "Come on, PB."

"Right behind you, bro." Pureblood nodded.

As the twins trotted down the corridors, Luna entered the doctor's office.

“Blueblood. Dusty.” Luna declared, seeing the two, “I came as soon as I heard. Are you alright?”

“I am now.” Blueblood nodded.

“Are you sure?” Luna frowned, “I was told that you and your son had some very bad nightmares.”

“It was pretty bad… but it’s all good now.” Blueblood shrugged, “Though I have to say, I think you might be slipping, auntie.”

“Blue.” Dusty hissed.

“For your information, I had no idea that there were any nightmares last night.” Luna grunted, “I saw nothing when I was doing my rounds, aside a few weird dreams here and there.”

“Well, to be fair, my nightmare didn’t really start out that way till the blue smoke came in…” Blueblood declared.

“...Blue smoke?” Luna murmured.

“Either that or some sort of mist.” Blueblood shook his head, “Either way, the moment that came in is when it all went awry. I was so terrified that I thought my heart was going to stop in shock.”

“Well, at least it’s done and over with.” Dusty sighed.

“..Um, actually…”

The three royals glanced at the doctor, who rubbed his shoulder awkwardly.

“This might not be the best time to mention this… but not long after Blueblood was admitted, we had a few other staff members come in. A few Royal Guards, a chef, and couple of maids.” He explained, “Some of them awakened in a cold sweat, citing a ‘horrible nightmare’, experiencing heart palpitations. The others reported having sudden panic attacks, even though there was no history.”

“All of this happened last night?” Luna gaped.

“That’s right.” The doctor nodded, “They’re all doing fine now, though.”

“Well, that’s… unusual." Blueblood noted.

"I would say 'deeply concerning'." Luna countered. "For there to be so many nightmares without me knowing about it? Something like this hasn’t happened since the Tantabus, and that thing has been gone for years..."

"What must have changed, then?" Blueblood pondered.

‘I can think of one…’ Luna mused to herself, as her mind turned to the odd filly that was now residing in the castle, before shaking her head, ‘What am I saying? That’s ridiculous. There’s no way a little filly could be capable of that… but that blue smoke… it can’t be what I think it is… right?’

"Luna?" Dusty frowned, unnerved by Luna's silence. "Luna?"

"Aunt Luna!" Blueblood yelled.

"Oh!" Luna snapped out of her reverie.

"Is something wrong?" Dusty asked. "You looked a little... Preoccupied."

"Sorry." Luna tried to brush it off. "I was just thinking about the day ahead. Anyway, I shall make sure the bad dreams stay out tonight."

"I certainly hope so." Blueblood sighed.

"As do I." Luna walked out of the room, continued her musing.

'What does this mean?' He thought. 'Certainly not the return of... no, it's not possible...'

“Is it just me or is something bothering Luna?” Dusty frowned.

“Yeah. I was just kidding about her slipping.” Blueblood declared.

"Whatever it is, let's hope she can shake it off soon." Dusty mused. "It wouldn't do for problems like that to linger..."

Elsewhere, Miracle wandered into Nyx's guest room to check on her, only to find her gone.

"Nyx?" She frowned. Confusion quickly turned to panic. "Nyx! Nyx!"

"What?"

Miracle turned to see Nyx entered the room, joined by Constell.

"Nyx!" Miracle sighed with relief... Which gave way to anger. "Where were you? I was worried!"

"I, uh..." Nyx stuttered, hesitant to answer.

"She was with me." Constell stepped in. "She spent the night in my room. She couldn't sleep. And she wanted to talk more about stars and constellations."

"Oh." Miracle said sheepishly. "Okay then..."

"How about we head down to breakfast?" Constell offered.

"I am feeling pretty hungry." Nyx nodded.

"Sure, let's go." Miracle agreed, eager to put the awkwardness behind her.

As they headed downstairs, Nyx sidled over to Constell.

"Thanks for not telling Miracle about... Y'know." She whispered. "She already done so much for me… I don’t want to burden her with any more of my problems.”

“You’re welcome.” Constell nodded, “...But are you sure you’re going to be okay? You were crying well into the night.”

“I’ll be fine, really.” Nyx assured her, “I… I’ll just hang out with Miracle and the others.”

“If you say so…” Constell murmured, “Is there anypony else… besides your ‘papa’?”

Nyx remained silent, shaking her head.

“Oh…” Constell said simply.

“Look, let’s just forget about it.” Nyx put on a smile, “I can’t wait to see what they made for breakfast.”

Nyx went on ahead, as Constell held back a bit.

"Poor filly." Constell said sadly. "I wish there was something we could do for her..."

Meanwhile, in the city, Fletcher and Caboose had met up not far from the hotel. As Fletcher saw Caboose, he quickly noticed the bags under Caboose’s eyes.

"Are you okay, Caboose?" Fletcher asked. "You look a bit tired."

“Well, I feel ‘a lot’ tired.” Caboose grimaced, “Michael was crying all night. Kept me up.”

“Did the nightshirt not work?” Fletcher frowned.

“Didn’t get the chance to try it.” Caboose growled, “And honestly, I feel it was the writers’ way of dragging out this utterly pointless plot point because they didn’t know what to do with it after they changed up this story.”

“...Um, what?” Fletcher raised a brow.

“...I don’t know. I’m too tired to try and explain it.” Caboose brushed it off.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m going to need you to be up and at it.” Fletcher said firmly, “Did you hear the awful news last night?”

"You mean about the Manehattan Buckball team losing to Applewood?" Caboose asked.

"...I was referring to the massacre that occurred at Horror and Nabudis' hospital." Fletcher said awkwardly.

"...Oh... well, that too is also bad." Caboose grimaced.

“Yeah. As if three ponies being dead wasn’t bad enough…” Fletcher grunted, “I can only imagine how the doctors are taking it.”

"I'd prefer not to imagin.e" Caboose grimaced. "So... how are the others doing?"

"Well, I heard that Black and Fury have just boarded the ferry to the Isle of Wheat." Fletcher declared.

"Sounds like they're makin' pretty good time." Caboose smiled. "Same as usual. I wondering how that’s coming along?"

Elsewhere…

On a medium-sized ferry, bound for the Isle of Wheat, Black and Fury were in one of the cabins, snoozing on their beds. Black was still in his armor, while Fury was clucking softly in his sleep, like a chicken.

"Bok, bok, bok..." He mumbled.

Back in Canterlot...

"No doubt they're the picture of professionalism and alertness." Fletcher said faithfully. "And since we don't them to show us up, we should get back to our part of the mission."

"Wilco, skipper." Caboose nodded.

Caboose and Fletcher continued on to the hotel, with Sterling, Survival, and Somnus waiting outside. They were all silent, and Survival looked downright downtrodden.

“Silver, Horror, Nabudis.” Fletcher said solemnly, “...I take it you all heard about last night’s events.”

“I’m afraid so.” Sterling sighed, “It’s terrible, isn’t it?”

"Absolutely horrific." Fletcher sighed.

"Like an over-the-top slasher flick." Caboose frowned. "You okay, Survival?"

"Not even close." Survival bowed his head in grief.

“We are all reeling from this horrible atrocity…” Nabudis shook his head, as he stepped forward, “...But nevertheless, now that we’re all here, we should resume our search immediately.”

“Dude, really?” Caboose glared.

“Look, what happened last night was terrible. I’m not denying that.” Nabudis glared back, “But we still have to find the patient.”

“What’s the point, Som?” Survival grumbled, “There’s no hospital to bring her back to anymore.”

“That’s not true.” Nabudis corrected, “You forget, you and Hamm were transporting her to the hospital at the Isle of Wheat.”

“And look where that got us.” Survival growled, “It’s like everypony who evens breathe the same air as this patient has ended up dead. It was bad enough losing Hamm and those pullers… but now everypony is dead, and all you can think about is that damn patient?”

“I know you’re angry, Fievel-” Nabudis started.

“But nothing!” Survival snapped, “If I can be honest, sir, this patient is really starting to be more trouble than she’s worth. If you ask me, I say we should just forget about her!”

“Whoa now.” Caboose held up his hooves in shock.

“How can you say that?” Nabudis asked, visibly aghast.

“Because we’re the only two ponies in Brightdale that are still alive!” Survival scowled, his eyes misty, “How long do you think it’ll be before those guys who killed Hamm, or whoever massacred our hospital comes for us?!”

“Survival…” Sterling murmured, seeing the pain in the doctor’s eyes.

The older doctor stood there for a moment…

“Doctor Horror. Do know that what I’m about to do is because I care about you.” Nabudis declared firmly…

Before he slapped him.

“Whoa!” Fletcher, Caboose, and Sterling gasped, in shock and outrage.

“Ugh! What the hell?!” Survival clutched his cheek.

"What are you doing?" Fletcher gaped.

"Nice bedside manner, doc." Sterling chided him.

“I’m sorry but I had to eloquently tell my assisting physician to get a grip!” Nabudis seethed, as he glanced at Survival, “You’re angry. You’re grieving. Both feelings are natural in a situation like this. But do not think for a moment that you can just take it out on the patient.”

“But sir-” Survival protested.

“The patient is as much a victim as everypony else!” Nabudis snarled, “You think she wants ponies getting killed over her? You think she wants to be hunted like an animal, being stalked by those who would use her for their wicked ways. No. That is why we’re here. She is our patient. Our responsibility. Even if our hospital is no more, that does not free us of our charge. We still have a duty to her, and as of now, it’s on us to make sure she is returned to safety! And I will not tolerate you spitting in the face of that because of your grief. Do I make myself clear?!”

“...Yes, sir.” Survival nodded glumly.

“...Good.” Nabudis’ glare softened, as he placed a soothing hoof on his shoulder, “I’m sorry I had to do that. You didn’t deserve to have this happen to you. Neither did Hamm or the others. But we can’t lose sight of our task.”

"He has a point." Fletcher admitted grudgingly.

"And a nasty 'tude, too." Caboose added.

“So… if it’s all the same, I think we should discuss our next plan of-” Nabudis began.

“Actually, I’m really sorry to do this.” Sterling grimaced, “But I would like to take Fletcher and Caboose aside for a moment. I want to discuss something with them.”

“Again?!” Nabudis growled.

“I know, I know.” Sterling sighed, “But it’s very urgent. We won’t be long, I promise. We’ll be over in the nearby alleyway.” He glanced at Survival, who shared a glance with him, “Guys?”

“Very well.” Fletcher nodded, a bit concerned.

"Ooh, secrets!" Caboose grinned.

Fletcher and Caboose followed Sterling to a nearby alleyway.

“I swear…” Nabudis shook his head, “With all those private talks they’ve having, you’d think they don’t trust us.”

“Yeah…” Survival murmured, “Actually, sir, I just realized that I left something back in my room. If it’s alright, I-”

“Just go and get it.” Nabudis sighed, “Not like we’re going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Thanks. I won’t be long.” Survival walked back inside the hotel.

Soon, it was just Nabudis.

“...All by myself... sounds like Saturday night.” Nabudis quipped to himself.

Sterling lead Caboose and Fletcher deep into the alleyway, far out of earshot from any vying eyes.

“What’s going on?” Fletcher frowned, “Is there something wrong?”

“I wouldn’t say wrong… but something did kinda happen last night.” Sterling admitted.

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense.” Caboose frowned, “What’s going on, Ster-”

As he said his name, a nearby door, which happened to be the back exit of the hotel, opened up as Survival came out.

“Ster-ster-Starling! Clarice Starling!” Caboose caught himself, “Man, she was an awesome character!”

“Um, Survival.” Fletcher was a bit caught off-guard. "We... we were just... using codenames for-”

“Don’t bother, guys.” Sterling sighed, “He’s what I wanted to talk about. He knows everything.”

"What?!" Fletcher and Caboose gasped.

“That is right.” Survival nodded, “And by the way, Clarice was middling at best. Any self-respecting EBI agent would have seen through Hannibal's machinations."

"Well, you never met my uncle!" Caboose pouted.

“Uncle? Hannibal is a fictional character.” Survival frowned.

“A fictional character that the writers ripped out and made as one of my many uncles!” Caboose rebutted.

“Hey, let's back it up a moment!” Fletcher snarled, as he seethed at Sterling, “I can’t believe you told him! No one was supposed to know that you’re affiliated with us!”

“Look, it’s not his fault.” Survival stepped in, “I actually figured it all out on my own.”

"Well, aren't you clever?" Caboose grinned.

“I’m sorry, Fletch.” Sterling apologized, “But Survival immediately came to me after he heard the news last night, having pieced it all together and demanded to know who I was.”

“And you just told him?” Fletcher frowned.

“He made it ‘clear’ he wanted answers.” Sterling deadpanned, omitting his and Survival’s little fight, “And he wasn’t going to take a no.”

“Oh, Faust dammit.” Fletcher cursed.

“If you’re worried about national security or something, don’t be.” Survival assured, “I am not going to tell anyone.”

“Then why are you here right now?” Fletcher asked, suspicious.

“Because I want in.” Survival declared simply.

“Whoa, dude. I mean, we’re all hot, but I don’t think any of us-” Caboose began.

“In on the investigation, Faust!” Survival snapped at Caboose, “The Forefathers are the ones behind this, aren’t they? I want to help you guys find those monsters and bring them down for what they did to my friends!”

"Oh, really?" Fletcher frowned.

"Um..." Caboose put a hoof behind his head.

"That's not really ideal..." Sterling cringed.

“What? What’s the issue?” Survival scowled.

“Look, Survival. I understand you want justice for your friends, but we can’t simply take on civilians for missions like these. There’s protocols and procedures to follow.” Fletcher explained, “For starters, you’ll be a liability should we come across those who attacked you.”

“I can handle myself.” Survival glared, “Survivalist, remember? I know how to fight.”

“I believe him.” Sterling admitted.

"But won't it still be super-dangerous for him?" Caboose pointed out. "These guys are monsters. And not nice ones, like Cerberus."

"I'm feeling pretty monstrous myself right now." Survival boasted.

"No offense, but considering your current mental state, I have reservations regarding what would happen should you find one of these attackers." Fletcher declared. "You may not be able to control yourself, and things could get... messy."

"You might have a point there." Survival admitted.

“Glad you see it that way.” Fletcher sighed in relief.

“But maybe I could help you in finding out what’s really going on around here.” Survival insisted, “Sterling here already told me a bit about what’s going on and how the patient is a part of it.”

“Did he now?” Fletcher frowned at Sterling.

“That’s right.” Survival nodded, “Apparently, there’s some big plot that centers around a subject, and apparently, the CEO who owns my hospital is behind it. Or am I wrong?”

“Well, I’m afraid Sterling here neglected to mention that all that was all speculation.” Fletcher took a moment to shoot Sterling an annoyed glare. "We do not know for sure if your patient and the subject of Project: Bad Dreams are one and the same."

"Project: Bad Dreams? So this evil plan has a name?" Survival asked. "Not a very creative one it seems."

"Jeez, you're just a critic with everything, aren't you?" Caboose scowled.

“So, what is this ‘Project’ about?” Survival jasked, “Is it anything like the terrorist attacks that were carried about months ago?"

"...We do not know that either." Fletcher admitted.

"Seriously?" Survival glared at Sterling. "Not even the former terrorist here?"

"Look, I only knew the ponies involved." Sterling shrugged. "We kinda kept to our own matters."

"Well, is there anything you guys do know?" Survival asked.

"Sterling did say it has something to do with Nightmare Moon." Caboose stated.

"Nightmare Moon? As in the alter ego of Princess Luna?" Survival frowned. "Isn't she dead?"

"Well, when it comes to this series..." Caboose said lightly.

"And what does a dead mare have to do with any of this?" Survival asked.

"I'm still trying to figure it out... but I can bet it might have something to do with those mysterious deaths." Sterling shrugged.

"Sterling..." Fletcher frowned.

"Mysterious deaths?" Survival asked.

"Yes." Sterling nodded. "Weasel's death, you know, that guy from the park, had some similarities to that of a few ponies who died in their sleep-"

"Hold on, are you referring to those deaths that had been happening over the past several months?" Survival gaped.

"You're aware of them?" Fletcher asked.

"Oh, yeah." Survival nodded. "In fact, I knew a few of them. Like Cirrus, the first one. He was a mailroom assistant at one of our medical insurance companies. He and a few of my colleagues used to get drinks together... are you meaning to tell me that their deaths might have been a part of all this too?"

“We don’t know.” Fletcher repeated.

“Again? Well, this investigation is clearly going nowhere.” Survival huffed.

“Look, Survival, there are some questions that need answers.” Fletcher insisted, as he then glared at Sterling again, “But unfortunately, all the information we do have is just guesswork. The mysterious deaths. Project: Bad Dreams. Your patient. We do not know if they’re connected. For all we know, it’s just one big coincidence. We can’t just assume things without concrete evidence.”

"So what?" Survival challenged. "Our hospital got slaughtered just for the laughs?"

"I did not say that." Fletcher insisted.

"Then what?" Survival urged. "You keep saying it’s speculation, but you know what I think? Before that night the carriage was attacked, all my friends were still alive. And now, they’re not! All I have left now is Nabudis! The only thing that has changed is now this patient is out and there are ponies are after her who are from the same guys that attacked this city! You're seriously going to tell me that all of this is just one big fat coincidence?!"

The three glanced at him, noting the pained expression in Survival's eyes... then the doctor sighed.

“...I need answers. I can’t just stand here and dawdle while the guys who killed my best friend and all my colleagues and patients are out there, planning some awful. I owe it to them to see that they’re stopped.” Survival declared.

"I can understand that feeling." Sterling sighed.

“...I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me that Dysley being involved in this is just speculation too?” Survival deadpanned.

“Well, yes.” Fletcher began, noting Survival’s frown deepening, “But he is a pony of interest. We just don’t know if he’s involved yet.”

"Oh, he's definitely involved." Sterling said adamantly. "I can feel it. Why else would he take on his father’s project?”

“Father’s proj-” Survival murmured, before lighting up in shock, “Hold on… you mean the late Sacred Dysley was a Forefather member too?!”

“That is… correct.” Fletcher began, getting more frustrated at the constant leak of confidential information.

“Son of a-” Survival was bewildered, “You realize how crazy that sounds right? Sacred Dysley was one of the most beloved ponies around! He founded a number of charity organisations, donated to those in need, even sent medical supplies to sickly ponies in Kenyoke! He was a good stallion!”

“He still was.” Sterling admitted, “Trust me, I met him. Don’t know why he decided to shack up with the Forefathers, but he did. I can only assume he made some pretty bad choices, like I did.”

"Bad choices which hurt many ponies." Fletcher said darkly.

"And used a lot of tired old clichés." Caboose added.

“So, what does this mean for his son?” Survival asked, “He’s not quite up there with his father, but he’s still a pretty big deal.”

"At the moment, we can't do anything." Fletcher begrudgingly admitted. "Not without risking his scorn and influence. Which could be even worse if he is a part of this.”

“Then there’s nothing we have to go on.” Survival sighed in frustration, “Wonderful.”

“Not true.” Caboose spoke up, “What about Doc?”

“Doc?” Survival repeated.

“Yeah, Sterling mentioned that he was the other guy in charge of the project.” Caboose explained, “He was Dysley senior’s ‘mysterious’ partner. Maybe we should call the guys and have them look for him!”

“That would be a good idea… if anypony knew who he was.” Sterling grimaced, “Doc was one of the few ponies in the organization that kept his identity a secret. No one had any idea who he is, and not for lack of trying, mind you. I can’t even tell you his real name.”

“Then why was he brought up?” Survival snapped.

“Hey, I was just trying to come up with ideas.” Caboose pouted, “Though speaking of docs, maybe we oughta take a crack at Nabudis!”

“...What?” Survival began, his voice soft.

“Um, Caboose, I don’t think that’s a very good-” Sterling growled, moving his hoof across his neck erratically.

“No, really.” Caboose continued, oblivious to Sterling's signal. "If this patient really is the subject of Bad Dreams... then Nabudis might know something. After all, he’s the guy who set that whole escort up, right?"

"Are you suggesting that Nabudis would have a part in all this?" Survival said defensively.

"Survival didn't know we suspected Nabudis, Caboose." Sterling said bluntly.

"...Oops." Caboose cringed.

“Well, now that everything is out in the open..” Fletcher sighed, “I’m sorry, Survival, but from the start, Nabudis has been acting suspiciously. He’s the only one who seems to know anything about this patient, and refuses to tell anypony. And some of the behaviors he displayed yesterday seems to border on obsessive. You must understand how this must look to us.”

“No! I refuse to believe it!” Survival snarled, “Nabudis is more than just my boss. He's my mentor, my friend!"

"I know where you're coming from." Sterling stepped in. "Nopony likes the idea of the guy who taught them so much, gave them a job, could be a bad guy. But it happens sometimes. Believe me."

"Not this time." Survival said stubbornly. "Not with Nabudis."

“And now you see why we are hesitant on taking you aboard.” Fletcher deadpanned.

“Look, I know Nabudis. He’s many things, but a terrorist?” Survival grunted, “There’s no way. No way he would hire ponies to-”

“Look, we’re not saying he did anything… yet.” Fletcher cut him off, “But as it stands, unless Nabudis decides to come clean with us, we can’t rule out the possibility that he has some ulterior motive…”

“Yeah, and if he’s anything like yesterday, it’s going to be next to impossible to get anything outta him.” Sterling grimaced.

"Not entirely." Fletcher declared, "We may be able to steer a conversation towards the kind of information we need."

"But how?" Caboose asked. "None of us have a conversation driver's license... do we?"

“...I’ll do it.” Survival stepped forth, “I’ll get Nabudis to talk.”

“Survival, you don’t have to-” Sterling spoke up.

“Look, you said so yourself. Nabudis isn’t going to talk to any of you guys, especially not Caboose.” Survival explained.

“Hey, he’s the jerk.” Caboose crossed his hooves childishly.

“But Nabudis trusts me.” Survival continued, “If I can get him to open up about the patient, then we might be able to find out what’s actually going on.”

“Are you sure you’re gonna be able to do it?” Sterling frowned, “I mean, he didn’t exactly trust you enough to tell you about the patient to begin with.”

“That is a fair point, but he’s my friend.” Survival declared, “If I can talk some sense into him, convince him with a very good argument, he will talk.” He glanced at Fletcher, “I know I can do it.”

“It’s not a matter of can or can’t.” Fletcher frowned, “You say Nabudis is your friend… but what do you suppose will happen if he says something that implicates him in this whole mess? How do we know you won’t lie to cover his flanks?”

“I won’t lie.” Survival insisted, “And I won’t have to, because he’s not involved.”

“And what if he is?” Fletcher shot back, “Can we trust you to do the right thing, even if it means taking down your friend?”

“Fletch, take it easy.” Sterling urged, “The kid's already had it rough.”

“It’s fine, Sterling.” Survival said firmly, as he glared at Fletcher, “You can trust me. I want to find the one responsible and make sure they get what’s coming to them, even if it means…” Survival paused, unable to say it, “But I still say Nabudis is innocent, and if this is the only way to clear him, so be it.”

"Then we're agreed." Fletcher nodded. "Now let's get back to Nabudis, before he starts asking questions of his own."

"We haven't even got to the question-and-answer round yet..." Caboose smirked.

The group returned to Nabudis, with Survival coming back through the hotel.

“Finally.” Nabudis huffed, as he saw the others, “You three were talking a good while. I don’t suppose you’ll be telling me.”

“It was nothing. Silver here was just catching up on everything that has happened last night.” Fletcher explained.

“And that was urgent because…?” Nabudis challenged.

"Because he saw this crazy scene outside where these two cats were fighting over a burrito!" Caboose lied.

“Of course…” Nabudis grunted, as he then noticed Survival coming out, “Ah, Fievel. You found what you left behind?”

“Oh yeah. Got it right here.” Survival nodded, holding up the knife he pilfered from the cafe last night, sharing a knowing glance with Sterling.

“Hey, that kinda look like the knives they have back at that late night cafe.” Caboose noted.

“Um, no it isn’t.” Survival quickly rebutted.

“You’re sure?” Caboose frowned, “Because I think I remember that kind of cutlery being set on their tables. I hear they get stolen a lot.”

"No, it's different." Survival insisted.

"I'm certain it's the same one." Caboose peered at it.

"I'm telling you, it's just a very similar make." Survival declared. "With miniscule, yet obvious differences."

"Are you sure?" Caboose narrowed his eyes.

"Knock it off, Caboose." Sterling growled irritably.

“Yes. We already wasted enough time talking. So can we just get a move on?” Nabudis said sternly.

“Yes, sir…” Survival nodded awkwardly.

“Geesh, I was just making an observation.” Caboose frowned, “It’s not like I accuse him of trying to shank Silver over here over some misunderstanding.”

“Yeah…” Sterling’s eyes shifted back and forth. Fletcher was quick to notice.

“...Sterling, what happened last night between you and Survival?” Fletcher whispered.

“Oh, nothing.” Sterling grimaced, “Things might have gotten a little heated, but it’s nothing to worry about now.”

“...If you say so.” Fletcher frowned.

“Okay, now that we are finally ready to go, we should discuss a new plan in finding our patient.” Nabudis declared, “Captain Ulysses’ plan, while not bad, bore no fruit. That is why we should try and pick up the patient’s trail.”

“Well, what do you suggest?” Fletcher asked.

"She would have tried to find shelter to spend the night." Nabudis mused. "An abandoned building, an out-of-the-way overpass... even a house whose occupants are currently elsewhere. And chances are, she might still be there."

"Hmm, somepony's got his thinking cap on today." Caboose declared.

“Well, somepony has to.” Nabudis declared, prompting a frown from Caboose, “We must fan out and find any suitable locations. Survival, you're with me."

"Of course." Survival nodded curtly.

"We'll meet back here at noon." Nabudis stated.

"Says the pony with a plan..." Sterling muttered under his breath.

“Do be careful.” Fletcher frowned, “If anything goes awry, you are to come find us at once. You understand?”

“Yes, yes, we’ll let you know.” Nabudis brush him off, “Let’s get going, Survival.”

“Right away.” Survival nodded, as he gave a small glance to Fletcher, “See you at noon.”

The two doctors headed off, leaving the three Alpha Force Squad members.

“I really hope this works.” Fletcher grimaced.

“You and me both, Fletch.” Sterling sighed. "The sooner we get moving, the sooner we get this done."

The trio began their own journey.

"How well did you sleep in that nightshirt, by the way?" Caboose asked Sterling.

"I... didn't." Sterling answered.

"Aww, why not?" Caboose pointed.

"I was a little busy consoling Survival and Nabudis." Sterling lied (making sure to hide a yawn).

“Oh well… at least there’ll be tonight.” Caboose smirked, “I just know you and Mikey will be sleeping sweet dreams.”

“Yeah… can’t wait.” Sterling frowned...

Meanwhile, Miracle, Nyx, Pureblood and Constell were eating breakfast. Nyx was greatly enjoying the pancakes.

"Mmm, this is great!" Nyx smiled.

"Isn't it, though." Miracle grinned. "Mom makes them herself."

"Really?" Nyx asked.

"Yep." Pureblood nodded. "And they're always great."

"Thats kinda cool." Nyx admitted. "Celestia is a princess, and a chef."

"And so much more." Miracle smirked. "So, Constell, what will you be up to today?"

Constell didn't reply. She was unfocused, her mind still on Nyx's plight.

"Constell!" Miracle yelled.

"Huh?" Constell looked up.

"Any plans today?" Miracle inquired.

"Oh, you know..." Constell shrugged. "The usual. A little reading, a walk around the grounds... that kind of thing."

The doors to the dining room opened, as Hurricane came in.

"Morning, guys." Hurricane smiled.

"Morning, Hurri." Miracle smiled back. "How are things?"

“Ugh, terrible. Mikey still can’t sleep right.” Hurricane grimaced, “Kept mom and dad up all night. I could barely get some shut eye myself.”

“Oof. Mikey must be having some pretty bad nightmares for it to go on this long.” Pureblood frowned.

Nyx’s smile faded, a flash of guilt on her face. Without a word, she continued eating.

“Well, dad is hoping to try that nightshirt idea tonight, so wings crossed.” Hurricane shrugged. She glanced at Nyx, “Hey, Nyxie! How it’s hanging?”

“Oh.” Nyx glanced up, putting on a small smile, “It’s going… well.”

"Great to hear." Hurricane smiled.

"You know us." Constell declared. "We're nothing if not gracious hosts."

"Sure you are." Hurricane chuckled. "Why else would you put up with me for so long?"

"Very funny, Hurri." Miracle rolled her eyes.

At that moment, Vito entered the room.

"Hey, V." Pureblood smiled. "Not like you to be late for breakfast."

"I've been busy." Vito declared. He lowered his voice as he drew closer to Pureblood, Miracle and Hurricane. "I need to talk to you guys... in private."

"Again?" Hurricane rolled her eyes.

"Just for a second." Vito urged.

"Okay, fine." Miracle sighed.

"We, uh... need to talk for a moment." Pureblood told Nyx. "Be right back, okay?"

"Okay." Nyx nodded, a bit perplussed.

The others followed Vito into the corridors.

"Okay, what is it?" Miracle asked.

"I've just been to the library, and I've seen something that makes me think we need to have a discussion about Nyx." Vito declared.

"Not this again." Hurricane groaned.

"Seriously, V?" Pureblood sighed.

"I don't want to hear your paranoia again, Vito." Miracle growled.

"Hear me out." Vito insisted. "Nyx might not be who she appears to be..." He held up a book he'd checked out of the library, opening it to a page with the unmistakable image of Nightmare Moon. "I think we just brought in Nightmare Moon."

"...This is a joke, right?" Miracle shook her head.

"Not a very funny one, either." Hurricane added. "And I know funny."

“I get you don’t like her, V, but this is taking things too far.” Pureblood frowned.

“I’m being serious, guys!” Vito insisted, “Look at this picture! And think of Nyx...”

“Hmm…” Hurricane studied the image, “I don’t know. Nyx has a nice butt, but I don't think it compares to Nightmare Moon's moons.”

"...What?!" Vito gaped.

“Yeah, I have to agree, what?!” Pureblood sputtered.

"Nothing." Hurricane said quickly, “Definitely not bi-curious like my dad!”

“You know what, not dealing with that today.” Vito growled, “But you guys see what I’m seeing? Look at the coat, the eyes, and even the mane, minus the weird thing our aunts do with their hair. They all match with Nyx.”

"That doesn't prove anything." Miracle scoffed.

“Yeah. If Nyx is Nightmare Moon, then where’s her wings?” Hurricane spread her wings to emphasize, “And a bigger question: why is she a child, rather than a grown-up?”

“She’s probably using a spell to make herself look way younger than she actually is. And did away with the wings to blend in.” Vito surmised, “All so she could pretend to be a poor, scared little filly so that careless ponies like you guys would take her in. She could be waiting for the opportune moment to strike and take over Equestria like she almost did all those years ago!”

“Almost?” Hurricane snorted, “All she did was made a spiel about making the night last forever, and shot Celestia with one beam of magic, before Celestia booted her nice big butt to the moon. Me and dad seen the episode.”

“Okay, now you’re really taking this too far.” Miracle snarled, “Nyx is not Nightmare Moon!”

“Oh, and how do you explain the nightmare me and dad had last night?” Vito challenged, “One moment, I was flying on a roc, having the best dream of my life, the next, I get eaten by a dragon!”

“Is that what this is about?” Pureblood frowned, “V, it was just a bad dream.”

“No, it wasn’t!” Vito snapped. Fear was clear in his voice. Miracle’s glare softened, seeing the clearly freaked out look on his face, “This wasn’t like any bad dream I had. I was actually truly scared. I thought I was going to die. And so did dad.”

“Well, that’s awful and all, but it was just you and Blueblood.” Miracle shook her head, “That can hardly be put on-”

“But it wasn’t just us.” Vito continued, “I asked around the castle a bit, and I heard that several ponies in the castle had to come into the infirmary. All of them having to do with some ‘nightmare’ they had. Something that just so happened after Nyx spent the night.”

“Really?!” Pureblood gaped. The fear for his father suddenly returned, “Oh… Maybe Vito is onto something, guys.”

“Pure!” Miracle gaped.

“I’m sorry, but it doesn’t sound normal for that many ponies to be having bad nightmares.” Pureblood lowered his head.

“But that doesn’t mean Nyx is Nightmare Moon!” Miracle insisted.

“Yeah. I mean, does Nightmare Moon even have the power to cause nightmares?” Hurricane asked, “She never did something like that in the series!”

"Of course she does." Vito snorted. "It's right there in her name!"

"That still doesn't prove anything!" Miracle retorted.

"The timing seems a little too coincidental, though..." Pureblood declared.

"So?" Hurricane shrugged. "What are you, a watch?"

“You know what, there’s only one way to prove it: if she did make herself younger, her cutie mark should remain the same. And if I am a betting pony, that cutie mark is Nightmare Moon’s, splotch, moon, and all. If it is, then I’m right and we gotta get rid of her…” Vito announced.

“And if it’s not, you will drop the whole thing.” Miracle said firmly, “And you will never bring it up again. Got it?”

“Deal.” Vito said firmly, “But I know I’m right. You’ll see.”

"Well, if we're gonna take a peek at her Cutie Mark, we'll need to get back to Nyx." Hurricane pointed out.

"She should still be at the breakfast table." Pureblood declared.

"Then let's go." Vito urged. "No time like the present."

The group made their way back to the kitchen. Along the way, they encountered Nyx

"There you guys are." Nyx declared. "I was just looking for you."

"Well, here we are." Miracle said awkwardly. "All done with our private talk."

"Private, but totally pointless." Hurricane added. "So don't worry whatever it was we talked about."

"Who wants to live in the past anyway?" Pureblood shrugged.

"Ookay..." Nyx frowned. "So, what shall we do today?"

At that moment, Vito realized something.

“Wait… Nyx, what are you wearing?” Vito frowned.

“Oh, this?” Nyx referred to her new outfit, which was a light purple dress with some small sparkles, “Constell lent it to me. My vest got a little dirty last night, so she let me wear this while she has someone wash it… is something wrong?”

"No, no!" Miracle shook her head.

"Everything's fine." Hurricane added.

"Nothing wrong." Pureblood insisted.

"Nothing at all... yet." Vito muttered.

"...Whatever you say." Nyx said awkwardly. "So, shall we go out and play?"

"Gladly." Miracle smiled.

"Lead the way." Hurricane urged.

The group walked in the direction of the gardens.

“...None of you would have happened to catch a glance of her mark yesterday, did you?” Vito whispered to the others, making sure Nyx couldn’t hear them.

“Dad always said it’s impolite to stare at another mare’s flanks.” Pureblood grimaced.

“Unless you follow it up with wolf whistles and boat noises and pant with your tongue sticking out.” Hurricane added, “...But I didn’t see it either.”

“Really?” Vito grunted.

“Hey, unlike you, we weren’t focused on her appearance.” Miracle glared.

“Well, this is just going to make it harder to prove she’s Nightmare Moon.” Vito frowned.

“We could just forget about it.” Miracle suggested.

“Not a chance...” Vito furrowed his brow, “We’re gonna see that cutie mark!”

“What?” Nyx glanced back at Vito.

“Nothing.” Vito quickly declared.

Meanwhile, Luna was in the study, contemplating the nightmares that had occurred last night.

'How is it any of this could happen?' She fretted. 'It seems so impossible, and yet-'

Her thoughts were interrupted by the knock of the door, as Gothic came in.

“Hey there, love.” Gothic smiled, “I was told I might find you here. Is everything alright?”

“Well, they’ve been better.” Luna admitted, “I’m sure you’ve heard about Blueblood this morning?”

“Oh yeah. Something about nightmares?” Gothic asked.

“Indeed. And not just him. Quite a few ponies had came in to the infirmary talking about bad dreams and sudden panic attacks.” Luna explained, “All of this happened last night, right under my nose.”

“Really? But you’ve never miss a bad dream before.” Gothic frowned.

“Exactly.” Luna grunted, annoyed, “Everything was completely normal during my dream duties. I could accept missing one or two bad dreams on a particularly busy night but about a dozen or so? Without me knowing about it? It’s unheard of.”

“You think there’s something going on?” Gothic said, concerned.

“...I don’t know.” Luna shook her head, “Maybe I am just being paranoid… but it is my responsibility to make sure everypony can sleep peacefully. By not stopping those nightmares last night, my nephew and his son, along with the others suffered a very horrid nightmare. That’s all on me.”

“Luna…” Gothic whispered.

"It's my job, Gothic." Luna declared. "And I failed."

"You can't think like that." Gothic urged. "We all slip up sometimes. And you still have a really great track record. Try focusing on that. Because that's what I do. I focus on the amazing mare my wife is."

"Thank you, Gothic." Luna smiled. "I needed that."

"Being a good husband is my job, remember?" Gothic chuckled.

“But that’s enough from me… how was your night last night?” Luna asked. “Enjoyed your drink at the Blue Blazes?”

“Actually, you’re not going to believe it, but I ran into Somnus.” Gothic revealed.

“Somnus, Somnus…” Luna pondered, “Which one was he again? I know he was a part of your fan club.”

“Well… he’s the one who was with Sacred Dysley...” Gothic said simply.

“Oh!” Luna lit up… before frowning sadly, “Oh… that’s right. Faust, how long has it been since-”

“Twenty years.” Gothic murmured, “It was like seeing a ghost, to be honest.”

“How is he?” Luna asked.

“Honestly, not too good.” Gothic admitted, “Things were fine at first. He still has quite the dry humor and quite a wit too… but when Dysley came up… Somnus was never the feeling type, but I could see plain as day that he still misses him, after all these years.”

“I could imagine. If I had lost you, I would be unconsolable.” Luna sighed, “Is he still at that mental hospital?”

“He is… though I think that might be changing, what with…” Gothic shrugged awkwardly.

“Oh, right, that massacre.” Luna gasped, “Faust, that’s awful… it’s a miracle that he was not there when it happened.”

“You said it.” Gothic nodded, “Unfortunately, the moment that came on the radio, he was gone. I did invite him to the charity dinner tonight, but I don’t know for sure if he will come or not.”

“Well, it seems he might have some problems of his own to contend with. I can hardly blame him” Luna mused.

“Yeah… and I was really hoping we could catch up. Maybe cheer him up a bit.” Gothic bowed his head, as he turned to Luna, “He always did say you were a source of great inspiration to him, way back when.”

“I do my best.” Luna said humbly, “But Somnus did well all by himself. He made such great leaps and bounds in pursuit of bettering ponies' mental health.”

“But your example is what helped him get to where he is now.” Gothic declared, “I just hope he will be alright.”

"As do I." Luna nodded. "And I hope I can prevent repeated nightmares tonight."

"I'm sure you will". Gothic smiled. "But for now, how about we take our minds off things? Say, with tea on the terrace?"

"Sounds wonderful." Luna smiled.

The two departed from the room, eager to spend some peaceful moments together.

Just outside the castle, the CMCR and Nyx were heading out to play. Nyx had lightened up since breakfast, and was now ready to have some fun.

"Come on, guys!" She called as she raced ahead.

"Right behind you!" Miracle called.

"Okay, time to put our plan into action." Vito declared.

"So how are we going to see her Cutie Mark?" Pureblood asked. "Any ideas?"

“Couldn’t we just ask her?” Miracle frowned, “I mean, she knows we’re Cutie Mark Crusaders. Maybe she wouldn’t mind showing us.”

“No way.” Vito grimaced, “If Nyx is Nightmare Moon, we’d be letting her know that we know, and I doubt we would stand a chance if she decides to show her true colors to silence us.”

“Well, how else are we going to prove you wrong?” Miracle glared. Vito glared back silently in response.

"Hang on to your manes, folks." Hurricane announced. "Because I have a brilliant plan!"

Hurricane flapped her wings, creating a small breeze that ruffled Nyx's dress.

"Whoa!" Nyx, reacting with unexpected speed, put a hoof on her dress, keeping it down.

"That was your brilliant plan?" Vito hissed.

"I didn't see you coming up with anything!" Hurricane shot back.

"Perhaps I may suggest an idea?" Pureblood offered.

"If you must." Vito nodded begrudgingly.

"Hey, Nyx." Pureblood called. "Do you want to play Buckball with us?"

"Buckball?" Nyx frowned. "What's that?"

"What's Buckball?" Hurricane chuckled. "Where have you been?"

"...Nowhere special." Nyx said awkwardly.

"Buckball's a really fun game." Miracle told Nyx. "You're gonna love it, trust me."

"I do." Nyx smiled. "But I wouldn't mind knowing more about it..."

"Ask, and she shall receive." Miracle nodded. "Here's the basics..."

As Miracle started explaining how the game worked, the group made their way to the garden.

"What's the point of this again?" Vito whispered to Pureblood.

"Buckball is a very active game." Pureblood pointed out. "With all the movement required, it's more than likely we can catch a glimpse of her Cutie Mark."

"I guess that makes sense..." Vito admitted.

"And we get to have fun too!" Hurricane cheered. "What a day this'll be..."

A few minutes later, the kids had put together the necessary game equipment, and Nyx had been fully briefed on the rules.

"Can I be on your team, Miracle?" Nyx asked.

"Sure." Miracle nodded.

"I think I'll play with you guys today." Hurricane wrapped her hooves around Vito and Pureblood's shoulders.

"Won't the teams be uneven?" Pureblood asked.

"Since I'm an Alicorn, I'll play both the Unicorn and Pegasus positions on our team." Miracle announced. "That should keep things fair."

"Keep telling yourself that." Vito smirked.

The two games got into their positions, and the game began. Despite her crash course in the rules, Nyx still found herself at a disadvantage.

"Whoa!" She missed the ball, landing on her face.

The ball landed in her team's basket.

"That's one for us!" Vito smirked.

"Good try, Nyx!" Pureblood said sportingly.

"You'll get us next time!" Hurricane added.

"Try and remember which side you're on here, guys." Vito rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, Miracle." Nyx apologized. "Guess I'm not a very good teammate..."

"It's okay." Miracle assured her. "I don't expect you to be great at a game you haven't played before."

"But-" Nyx started.

"Let's just play to have fun, okay?" Miracle urged.

"Okay." Nyx nodded.

The game resumed. Despite Miracle's words, Nyx was determined to try and succeed. Her chance came when the ball was sent flying her way.

"I got it!" Nyx charged forward.

The world seemed to go into slow motion as Nyx leapt sideways into the air. She struck out with her hind leg, striking the ball. The others watched, awestruck, as her dress fluttered, revealing her Cutie Mark.

The flank had no splotch on it, and while there was a crescent moon included, it was within a blue shield. Nothing like Nightmare Moon.

The others were so intent on finally seeing the truth that they barely noticed the ball land in the boys' basket.

"Yeah!" Nyx cheered upon landing. "I did it!"

In the middle of her jubilation, she noticed that the others were staring at her.

"...What?" Nyx asked.

"Oh, nothing." Pureblood declared.

"It's just... Nice move." Hurricane smiled.

"Really nice." Miracle added.

"Thanks." Nyx said proudly. "I'm kinda thirsty. Mind if we pause the game so I can get a drink?"

"Not at all." Pureblood nodded.

After Nyx departed from the area, Miracle rounded on Vito.

“Well, well, well.” Miracle smirked, “Now do you admit you were wrong about Nyx? That she's not Nightmare Moon?"

"The facts do seem to speak for themselves." Pureblood noted.

"Okay, fine." Vito sighed. "She's not Nightmare Moon. But she's still weird."

"And that's a bad thing?" Hurricane shrugged.

"Just as long as he doesn't accuse our friend of things she hasn't done, I can tolerate 'weird'." Miracle scowled.

Inside, Nyx reached the kitchen, and poured herself some water, After quenching her thirst, she took a look around, making sure she was alone... then stepped into the pantry and took a moment to let her wings breathe for a bit.

"Ohh, that's better." Nyx sighed, as she flared her wings. 'Hmm, I'm starting to think the others might know about my wings.' She thought. 'Nahh. How could they?'

Nyx returned soon after, and the game continued. But as it did, the others failed to notice the frustrated scowl on Vito’s face.

’This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.’ Vito thought stubbornly, ’I don’t know what, but there’s something rotten about Nyx, and one way or another, I’m going to find out what that is… for everypony’s sake, I have to.’

A Troubled Past
View Online

Fear of A Child

A Troubled Past

After their latest search turned up nothing, Survival and Nabudis reconvened with the Taskforce members at one of Canterlot's parks, which was mere distances from the Skytower Stable where they agreed to reconvene. The non-triumphant expressions on the faces of all concerned were a clear indication that none of them had been successful.

"I'm guessing you guys got a big, fat nothing too?" Sterling scowled.

"I wouldn't put it quite so crudely." Nabudis frowned. "But yes, still no sign of the patient."

"We haven't had any luck either." Fletcher admitted. "We’d tried some of the toy stores, but we got nothing… although Caboose insisted on getting this ‘fidget spinner’.”

"Whoo!" Caboose spun the fidget spinner on his hoof. "Look at it go!"

"We tried some of the candy stores, but there was no sign of her." Survival announced.

"Very vexing, I must say." Nabudis scowled.

"Heh-heh, it's still goin'!" Caboose chuckled, as the fidget spinner continued spinning. "Spin, spin, spin!"

Sterling snatched the fidget spinner out of Caboose's hoof.

"That's enough of that for one day, pal." He said bluntly.

"Aww..." Caboose pouted, disappointed.

“I just don’t get it. Where else could the patient be hiding?” Fletcher pondered.

“Maybe someplace so unlikely, none of us would ever think of it?" Caboose suggested. "That'd be a good spot to hide!"

“But there lies the problem. How do we find someone in a place that we would, by definition, never think of looking there?” Fletcher mused.

"...By not thinking, of course!" Caboose grinned.

“...You know, sometimes I wonder how you ever got anything done with him as your lieutenant.” Sterling glanced at Fletcher.

“Not going to lie. It was not without tremendous difficulty.” Fletcher deadpanned.

"Not unlike our current situation." Survival cut in. "We are running out of specific locations to search. At this rate, it won't be long before we're reduced to going door to door, asking if anypony has seen the patient."

"Call me crazy, but I don't think that'll work." Caboose said, missing the sarcasm.

As they discussed the matter, Sterling noticed Nabudis edging away from the others.

"And where are you going?" Sterling frowned.

“I’m going to ask around the park.” Nabudis revealed, “It’s a long shot, but I’m hoping one of them might have seen her.”

“Should I go with you, sir?” Survival asked.

“No, you wait here with the others and take a moment to rest.” Nabudis declared, “I’ll only be a few minutes.

“Oh, okay, I guess.” Survival frowned.

“Do be careful, doctor.” Fletcher declared.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Nabudis rolled his eyes, as he walked away. Sterling looked on, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Well, for all his flaws, you can’t deny that he has quite the determination.” Fletcher admitted, “I just hope that it will pay off though.”

“Either way, we get to hang out in the park.” Caboose smirked, “It’s a win-win!”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Survival nodded… before noting the others were staring at him, “...What?”

“...Aren’t you going to tell us?” Fletcher asked.

Survival glanced at him in confusion.

“About Nabudis. What’s he hiding.” Sterling added.

“Yeah, like what we discussed last chapter.” Caboose frowned.

“Oh! Oh, right!” Survival lit up… before drooping, “...Right.”

“What? What is it?” Sterling questioned, “Did you strike out?”

“No, nothing like that.” Survival shook his head, “Me and Somnus talked a bit and…”

"What about?" Caboose asked.

"Well..." Survival said hesitantly.

"Don't hold out on us now." Sterling urged.

"You're not hiding something, are you?" Fletcher asked concerned.

"Not exactly..." Survival mused, losing himself in thought.

Several minutes earlier…

Nabudis and Survival were en route to the nearby park, where they were going to meet Fletcher and the others. Both weren’t particularly in high spirits, having no luck in finding the wayward patient.

"All this effort, and we still have no idea where she is!" Nabudis vented.

"We'll find her, sir." Survival consoled him. "We can't give up. You never know, maybe the others got lucky-"

Nabudis suddenly lift up a hoof, blocking Survival.

“Som?” Survival frowned.

“Look, before we see them, there’s something I must ask of you.” Nabudis declared, “It is highly important that you do not tell them the truth behind Nyx or of my… ‘falling out’ with Mr. Dysley.”

“Wait, what?!” Survival gaped, “But sir, what you told me could absolve you. If they know just how much Nyx means to you, they’ll know for certain that you are not the bad pony they think you are!”

“That may be.” Nabudis grimaced, a grim look on his face, “...But what to say, if and when we do find Nyx, that they won’t take her away as well?”

“What do you mean? Why would they?” Survival gaped.

“Take a moment to think, Fievel.” Nabudis urged, “Even though my intentions were pure, what I did was highly illegal. I had you and Hamm smuggled a patient out of Brightdale, and through this action, Hamm and those pullers were killed by the Forefathers.”

“But that wasn’t your fault!” Survival defended.

“You think they’ll see it that way?” Nabudis rebutted, “Although it wasn’t intentional, it was my fault that you all were in that predicament to begin with. Do you honestly believe that they would allow Nyx to be put back under my care as her doctor, let alone father, if they were to learn of all this?”

“Well, better you than Dysley.” Survival glared, “After all, you wouldn’t have done any of this if Dysley hadn’t tried to take Nyx away from you.”

“After I had an unauthorized facility built under his hospital, using their funds, to raise a child I never officially adopted.” Nabudis pointed out, “As much as it pains me to admit, in legal sense, Dysley was more in his right to do all that. And if the RDL were to find out about both Nyx and how I was fired, they will most likely be obligated to remand Nyx to Dysley and his company’s custody, making all my efforts to this point all for naught.”

“But… but they told me that Dysley is a pony of interest in both the attack on me and on Brightdale.” Survival murmured, “Surely if the RDL can do their thing-”

“That is a very big if.” Nabudis said glumly, “Secretariat is an affluential pony… and I’m just a former doctor who everyone sees as a lowly outcast. Put us next to each other, and it’s no contest to who anypony would side with.”

"But the RDL could help us." Survival pointed out. "They wouldn’t care about reputation, just doing what's right. I'm sure we can trust them."

“Well, the choice is yours...” Nabudis shook his head, “I can’t make you lie nor will I force you. But before you speak, I want you to consider the ramifications…”

As the two continued onwards, Survival pondered Nabudis’ words…

'Consider the ramifications...' He thought.

The present...

Survival was snapped out of his recollection by Caboose prodding him in his temple.

"Hello?" Caboose tapped. "Anypony home?"

“...He said nothing.” Survival said firmly.

“...Nothing?” Fletcher frowned disapprovingly. “Doctor Horror…”

“Nothing... incriminating.” Survival added tersely, “Look, I talked with him, and there was nothing he said that suggests that he had anything to do with Brightdale or otherwise.”

"Well, I guess that was sort of a long shot," Sterling said grudgingly.

"Another lead that probably panned out to nothing." Fletcher sighed.

Survival was silently relieved.

"Oh, well." Caboose shrugged. "At least it made for a supenseful narrative tangeant."

"I know know Doctor Nabudis can seem somewhat... standoffish, but he really is a decent pony underneath it all." Survival insisted.

“...So, what exactly do you see in him?” Sterling asked.

“Excuse me?” Survival frowned.

“I mean, I get that he's your mentor, and your friend… but why are you so adamant that he’s not a bad guy?” Sterling questioned, “Especially with how he’s been acting lately?”

“I thought I’ve already told you guys this. He’s not always like this!” Survival growled in frustration.

“Yeah, that he’s caring, compassionable, and Amy-able, yada yada.” Caboose scoffed, “Not really seeing it though.”

“Indeed, as you recall our conversation from earlier, he seems to have… should I say… obsessive tendencies?” Fletcher grimaced, “Not somepony I would consider good company.”

“Well, of course you wouldn’t. You guys don’t know him like I do.” Survival glared.

“So you say… care to elaborate for us?” Sterling challenged.

"It's not exactly a grand tale." Survival said humbly. "I first met Nabudis when my friend, Hamm..." He paused in remembrance. "...Got my an interview. And I was super late, because , well... let's just say there was a very big flight delay. Even though I was way best the appointment time, Nabudis still gave me an interview."

"That was quite courteous of him." Fletcher noted.

"What happened next?" Caboose asked, eating from a box of popcorn he had gotten from out of nowhere.

"Well, Nabudis was impressed by all my psychological knowledge and medical know-how, so he took me under his wing, showing me everything there was to being a doctor." Survival declared.

“Wow… that’s actually pretty touching.” Caboose admitted.

“You bet your flanks it is.” Survival grinned, “You might not know it, but Nabudis was one of the most important ponies in Brightdale. Day after day, he had lots of appointments, meetings, and all sorts of research projects…”

“Projects, you say?” Fletcher mused, “What kind?

“Mostly involving medical research.” Survival explained, “Almost every week, Nabudis would get called out to all sorts of places, other doctors and researchers seeking his wisdom and expertise. Heck, one time, I spent a whole week trying to get a hold of him when he was out in Yokestadt, overseeing the mining operations in these caves for special minerals…”

“Yokestadt?” Sterling frowned, ’...Wait… I think I know what caves he’s talking about… wasn’t that the place where-’

“Then I find out that the caves are rather infamous for fudging with magic-related devices, especially mirrors.” Survival gave a small chuckle, “Boy, I felt dumb that day…”

’...That’s funny…’ Sterling grimaced, ’...Surely he can’t be talking about those caves me and… Dysley…’

Memories flooded in his mind of that day. It was at those caves that he had officially met Sacred Dysley for the first time (and sadly only time), both him and the mysterious Doc. He was sent there to check on them, and almost ended up in a cave-in when they were trying to retrieve a fragment of Nightmare Moon… but surely if he had seen Nabudis there, he would had easily recognized him when they met yesterday… unless he was wearing a...

’...No, that can’t be right.’ Sterling shook his head, ’Maybe there was some other caves that Nabudis visited… not like there isn’t a whole network of them out there...’

“Me and Nabudis had a good laugh for a while.” Survival continued, “Although there were times that I was actually worried for him. There was this one time he went to Alpacia of all places...”

Sterling’s eyes narrowed, it was another place he was well familiar with.

“Alpacia? As in that country of loonies?” Caboose gaped, “Whoa, talk about well-traveled." Caboose noted. "His travel agent must be rich..."

"I don't think that's how it works, Caboose." Fletcher deadpanned.

“Well, Nabudis was lucky to get out of there with his life.” Survival shuddered, “He told me how he ran afoul of this militia, and how they had sic this monster on him… what was it called… it was like a mix of a fish and a dog-”

“A Titanbeast?” Sterling spoke up, his eyes widening.

“Yeah, that’s it!” Survival smirked, “When he got back, Nabudis swore to me that he’d never go there again.”

Sterling felt a bout of uneasiness. He still remembered that rescue mission to save that mysterious stallion Epoch, and how they nearly met their end when the leader of that militant group, a mental stout stallion named Stature, had a Titanbeast that gave them the business… but Titanbeasts are a very rare species… and Nabudis and he couldn’t have seen the same beast… unless he was there… wearing a…

’No, that’s not possible. Knowing those loons, they probably have multiple Titanbeasts throughout Alpacia. Nabudis could have easily ran afoul of another miltant organization… that’s it, it has to be.’ Sterling tried to convince himself.

“I won’t lie, he certainly does get around a lot.” Fletcher admitted, “Never realized there was so much to research in the medical field.”

“Well, he isn’t good for only research and tending to the mentally unwell.” Survival boasted, “Being such an accomplished physician, he's often had to be called upon to perform life-saving surgery."

"Ooh, like what?" Caboose asked.

"Well, I'm not really at liberty to divulge sensitive medical records." Survival replied. "But off the record, I do remember that during a trip to Neigh Orleans to study some medicinal plants, he was sought out to perform an emergency operation..."

’...No…’ Sterling was stupefied. There was no way...

"...What kind of 'emergency operation'?" Sterling suddenly asked.

“Oh, it was awful. Nabudis had to staple an entire hoof back onto this poor stallion’s leg.” Survival shook his head.

"Ouch." Fletcher cringed.

"That must've been some accident." Caboose gaped.

"Oh, it was no accident." Survival shook his head. "From what I heard, some maniac mare with a chainsaw lopped the hoof right off. It was touch and go for a while, but Somnus was able to reattach it, and after getting him to a proper hospital, the patient enjoyed a miraculous recovery.”

This was getting freaky for Sterling. He too was in Neigh Orleans, retrieving formulas for what would become the Super Soldier Serum for Gridlock and Harlhooves, when Erlenmeyer Flask, the mare who created the formula, had gone mad (from testing said formulas on herself) and came at him with a chainsaw, and just like that stallion in Survival’s story… he got his hoof cut off too.

And had it not been for one stallion, who just so happened to have been forced to come along that fateful day, who reattached that hoof (which would then be fixed up by that same formula he was out there to collect) he might have lost that hoof for good, along with his life. It was all thanks to Doc… who was wearing a...

'It...it can't be...' He thought, rubbing his "strong" hoof. ’This all have to be some freaky coincidence…’

"That is quite impressive." Fletcher declared. "Not that many physicians can reattach a severed limb like that..."

"Yeah, sounds like he's some kinda super-doc." Caboose grinned.

“Nabudis would be embarrassed if you called him that.” Survival smirked, “He was humble that way. He told me how he owed his success to many ponies he have met over the years… but there was only one pony that pushed him to be the very best he was, a pony he cherished above all else… his name was Sacred Dysley.”

Sterling froze up. Nabudis and Sacred knew each other?

'Dysley?' He thought.

"Sacred Dysley?" Fletcher asked, his eyes wary, “As in Secretariat’s father? The ‘former’ Forefathers member?”

"I know what you're thinking." Survival said quickly. "But it's not what you suspect. Dysley and Somnus went back. Way back. All the way to elementary school. They were childhood friends. The moment he became CEO, he gave Somnus a job at Brightdale, and the two had been together at the hip onwards. Sacred absolutely respected and valued Nabudis, and Nabudis never had a bad thing to say about him… they were practically inseparable."

"Aw, sounds like they were the best of pals." Caboose grinned.

"Maybe." Survival replied. "Maybe more..."

"What does that mean?" Fletcher inquired.

"Well, it was mostly rumors, but there were reasons to believe that Somnus and Sacred… were… well, an item." Survival confessed, “That they really like each other.”

“No kidding?” Caboose gaped, “Nabudis is… I would had never guessed.”

“You and me both.” Fletcher frowned, “...But hold on, wasn’t Sacred married? Hence the son? If Nabudis and him were an item…”

“Ooh, it just got ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ up in here.” Caboose cooed.

“Like I said, they were only rumors.” Survival corrected, “...Although it would have explained all the times Nabudis and Dysley had gone away together on those research projects…” Survival’s face fell, “And just how much it destroyed Nabudis when Sacred died…”

“When Sacred died?” Sterling repeated.

“Yeah… when I saw Somnus the day after that airship accident that killed Dysley, you could have sworn that he had died that day too.” Survival sighed, “He was so lost in despair… he wouldn’t eat, he halted all his research… hell, he stopped coming into work for a long while.”

“...Did he now?” Sterling questioned, his eyes taking on a gleam.

“That’s right. Hamm told me it was a sabbatical… but I knew better.” Survival said glumly, “Nabudis needed time to grieve… and I guess now, after what happened to Brightdale and all my colleagues and friends, I can begin to understand just how much he was hurting.”

“I can relate. My family went through something like that when my oldest brother died." Caboose admitted. "It's not the easiest thing to get over."

“No kidding.” Survival bowed his head, “...Fortunately, he did eventually come back, for better or worse. While he still had those days, he only threw himself harder into his work, going one step and beyond to help other ponies. He told me himself that is what Sacred would have wanted.”

Fletcher and Caboose were both moved by this statement. Fletcher held his hoof to his chest in awe, while Caboose struggled to keep himself from crying.

"That is quite inspiring." Fletcher admitted. "Wouldn't you agree, Sterling?"

"...What?" Sterling snapped out of his grim reverie. "Uh, yeah, sure."

"That's why I respect Somnus so much." Survival smiled. "And why I believe he could not be responsible for any of these events. Even after everything he's been through, he is still dedicated to helping others. Not hurting them."

"Now that's the kind of life story that would make a great movie of the week." Caboose beamed.

"Indeed." Fletcher nodded. "Perhaps there truly is more to Nabudis than I first imagined.

"Glad you're finally coming round." Survival smirked. "Trust me, by the time this is all over, that perspective will only get better..."

As the others continued talking, Sterling tuned them out, as he came to a shocking realization. It was unbelievable. Unlikely. Crazy… but at the same time… it all seem to line up. The caves and Yokestadt. The chainsaw-wielding mare and Neigh Orleans. The Titanbeast and Alpacia. And then there was Sacred…

While he did not know Sacred long, he knew how close Doc was to him. Doc flat out threatened to throttle him when he almost got him killed in that cave-in. A response like that was certainly saying that they were more than just partners, even if Doc wouldn’t had said it aloud. And like Nabudis, Doc himself had disappeared following his death.

The similarities were damning...

’But that makes no sense.’ Sterling grimaced, ’If Nabudis is Doc… does that mean this patient of his… is she really a part of Project: Bad Dreams? But if that is the case, then why is he here with us then? Wouldn’t he be better off helping the Fore...’

Suddenly, however, he recalled the words Secretariat spoke to him yesterday.

’Doc has been acting suspicious. He hasn’t been down to the Coils in forever. He has pretty much locked out all but a few ponies out of his lab, and his ‘subject’... I hesitate to say this… but I think Doc is planning something. Something awful.’

’Suspicious… what if I had this all wrong?’ Sterling thought to himself, dread building in his stomach, ’What if Dysley really doesn’t know anything, and all this death and carnage was some part of this big scheme Doc is…’ Sterling shook his head in disgust, ’No, you’re being stupid, Sterling. Doc had his flaws, but he’s not some monster. He wouldn’t do something this horrible… he wouldn’t… would he?’

"Uh... Sterling?" Caboose interrupted his inner monologue.

"What?" Sterling started.

"Looked like you were off in Sterling land." Caboose noted. "What is it with everypony zoning out today?"

I was just processing all the new info." Sterling attempted to brush it off.

"I suppose it was a lot to take in." Fletcher shrugged.

At that point, Nabudis returned.

“Somnus, you’re back.” Survival smiled.

“Any luck?” Fletcher frowned.

“Not really.” Nabudis grimaced, “At this point, it seems I have greatly underestimated the difficulty of finding a black filly.”

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Doc." Caboose consoled him. "Speaking as a father, I know how much trouble kids can be to rein in sometimes."

"I'm sure we're getting closer to finding her." Fletcher added.

"If you say so." Nabudis shrugged. "But first, we must discuss our next plan of action."

"Do you have any ideas, Som?" Survival asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Nabudis nodded. "The best way to maximize our chances of finding our target is by ensuring we search as many different areas as possible."

"Do I see the words 'Let's split up, gang' on the horizon?" Caboose deadpanned.

"Of course." Nabudis said flatly. "Survival, you and I will investigate the South-West, while our compatriots will look into the South-East."

"Yes, sir." Survival nodded.

“Actually, if it’s all the same, doctor… I would like to join you and Survival in your search.” Sterling suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?" Caboose frowned, confused.

"Pardon?" Fletcher asked.

"Really?" Survival gaped.

“And may I ask why?” Nabudis challenged.

“Safety reasons.” Sterling said simply, “After what had happened last night, I think someone should accompany you two to make sure you're protected.”

“Yet you weren’t concerned this morning?” Nabudis raised a brow.

"What can I say?" Sterling shrugged. "Guess you've grown on me since then."

Nabudis stared at Sterling, who stared back at him, gazes locked.

“...Very well. But don’t even think of slowing us down.” Nabudis glared.

“Wouldn’t dream of it… doctor.” Sterling said tersely.

“Then it’s settled, I guess.” Fletcher nodded, a bit bemused, “Once more, into the fray”

"This would be easier if we had some Scooby Snacks..." Caboose muttered.

The search party split up once more, leaving the park through two different paths

Soon after they departed… there was a rustling in the bushes, as a pony in a trenchcoat and hat emerged from it, his eyes following Nabudis, Survival, and Sterling...

"Isn't this interesting..." The pony said quietly.

A short distance away, Fletcher and Caboose were moving to their designated search area.

"...What was that all about?" Fletcher asked.

"Sorry?" Caboose frowned.

"Why did Sterling decide to go with Survival and Nabudis?" Fletcher inquired.

"Beats me." Caboose shrugged. "He was kinda quiet right before, though. Almost like he had a very shocking revelation..." He shrugged again. "Eh, it’s probably nothing."

"I just hope Sterling knows what he’s doing." Fletcher said worriedly.

Several streets away, Survival and Nabudis were marching forward with determination, while Sterling was hanging in the back.

"Keep an eye out for any places that could be used as cover by a foal." Nabudis urged. "Anywhere low to the ground, and well-concealed."

"Will do, Som." Survival nodded. "I even have a few ideas in that regard..."

From his vantage point in the back, Sterling kept glancing at Nabudis, trying to see anything in his posture or characteristics that supported the idea that he was Doc.

’Just what is going on here?’ Sterling mused. ’Is Nabudis really Doc? If he is, then what is he up to? Why does Secretariat believe he’s planning something awful, behind the Forefathers’ back? And on that note, why would Doc betray the Forefathers? And why now?” Sterling shook his head in frustration as he glanced warily at Nabudis, who was still talking to Survival, ’I have to get to the bottom of this… Not just because it's a possible lead, but to my own mind at ease.’

Back at the castle, Nyx was still playing with her friends. They were currently playing badminton, Pureblood going up against Hurricane. The filly's greater speed and agility gave her a distinct advantage, but Pureblood's strategy was proving an effective enough counter to give her a run for her money.

"That's one more for me." Hurricane smirked, after hitting the shuttlecock over the net. "You're slippin', PB."

"We'll see about that." Pureblood scowled.

"Show 'er how it's done, bro!" Vito cheered.

"You can do it, Hurri!" Miracle whooped.

"Can I play next?" Nyx asked. "I've never even heard of this game before today."

"You haven't?" Miracle frowned. "Where have you been?"

"Yeah, where?" Vito narrowed.

"Oh, just... out in the countryside." Nyx said hastily. "Never really went too far from home. There's a lot of things I only just learned about when I came here."

"Well, we're all happy to teach you as much as possible." Miracle smiled.

"I'd like that." Nyx nodded, as she returned her focus to the game.

It was just now occurring to her how much she had been missing out on during her short, sheltered life. Now she had the chance to learn more about the world, and she intended to take it. If nothing else, it would take her mind off the loss of her father...

At the same time, Black and Fury finally arrived at the Isle of Wheat.

"Okay." Black declared as they disembarked from the boat. "We're here at last."

"'Bout time." Fury stretched his wings. "I hate travelling by boat."

“Hey, at least you didn’t have to sleep inside this tin can.” Black scoffed, trying to stretch, “Armory might've made this thing to take nukes, but it’s hell on the back.”

"I've slept in cold, craggy caves." Fury retorted. "Felt like I was sleepin' on a bed of broken glass..."

"I was once thrown out a window, and passed out on the glass shards." Black replied. "Imagine waking up to that."

"Okay, you win." Fury rolled his eyes. "Now, where to?

"Now, if I'm reading this right, the hospital should be a little ways to the East from here." Black glanced at the manifest they recovered from the damaged carriage. "Let's get moving."

"Sure." Fury growled. "Sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back on that lousy boat..."

The two made their way through the island, driving the carriage they brought along on the ferry.

“So… any idea what we’re going to say to the guys at the hospital?” Fury frowned, “Because I don’t know if they’re going to be in a talkative mood, what with Brightdale and all.”

“Hadn’t given it much thought.” Black grimaced, undoing his helm and visor, “But we gotta at least try and figure out what’s going on with this patient.”

“You’re right about… by the way, did you hear how Fletch and the others are doing on their end?” Fury asked, “I’m guessing they’re still looking?”

“Afraid so. Elite suggested that once we finish up here, we should head over to Canterlot to assist with the search if the target hasn’t been spotted by then.” Black declared.

“Probably a good idea.” Fury admitted, “Patient or not, I hate to see this kid get pulled into some awful stuff by the Forefathers.”

“More the reason to get this visit over with so we can find her.” Black said firmly, “Speaking of which, I think we are…” His gaze turned to confusion, “Here? What the…”

The carriage came to a stop, as Black and Fury stepped out of the carriage… but rather than being parked in front of a hospital…

They were standing before a construction site.

“This can’t be right.” Black glanced around.

"No flappin' joke." Fury scratched his head. "Why would they say there's a hospital here when there is no flappin' hospital?" He looked at Black, “Are you sure we’re at the right place?”

“We should be. I’ve followed the manifest to the letter.” Black grimaced, as he then noticed something, “Look at this.”

Close by was a large sign. It said

The new Brightdale hospital, coming soon.

“Coming soon?” Fury blanched, “What the hell is going on ‘round here?”

“I don’t know. But it doesn’t look like this place is ready to accept our wayward patient… let alone anypony.” Black mused, as he gestures back to the carriage, “Come on, let’s go in and take a look around. Something isn’t right.”

The two returned to the carriage, and drove it onto the site. as they drove around the lot, they took in the sight. There was a lot of framework set in place, and door frames, but there was still so much to do.

The carriage stopped once again as Black and Fury got out and surveyed their surroundings.

“This is weird…” Black frowned.

“Which part?” Fury deadpanned, “That the hospital our patient was supposed to go to doesn’t exist yet, or the fact that there’s nopony here?”

“Both I guess.” Black mused, “There’s no construction equipment around. I’m guessing the crew must have halted their work. It might have to do with what happened over at the other Brightdale hospital.”

"Yeah, maybe..." Fury mused.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, they were being watched from the shadows.

“Well, it’s about damn time.” One voice growled.

“Tell me about it. You said they’d be here days ago.” Another voice snarled.

“Hey, I was just going off what the other guy told me.” The first voice rebutted, “Take it up with him.”

“Oh, jeez, those guys look rather scary.” A nervous third voice began, “And what’s up with their carriage? There’s no pullers.”

“...You know, he has a point.” The second voice realized, “Didn’t your source say that there’d be pullers on the carriage?”

“Well, maybe they changed up carriages. And maybe that’s why they were late.” The first voice supposed.

“But an automated carriage? Aren’t those reserved for like the military or something?” The second voice frowned.

“Dude, they’re from one of the biggest companies in Equestria. I’m sure they have access to the top of the line stuff everywhere…” The first voice scoffed, “But enough talk. Let’s get ‘em…”

“Um, I don’t know about this…” The third voice murmured.

“Come on, you pansy…” The second voice grumbled.

Black and Fury made their way deeper into the heart of the area, glancing around for anything suspicious. Suddenly, Fury’s wings twitched.

“Black… I feel something.” Fury said grimly, “Someone’s watching us.”

"You sure?" Black frowned.

"These twitchy wings of mine are never wrong." Fury remarked.

"Okay." Black nodded.

"Any ideas?" Fury inquired.

"Let's keep moving." Black declared. "Let them, whoever they are, make the first move."

Fury nodded silently.

As they continued onward, they neared a line of shacks, possibly used for holding building supplies, and casting shadows over the surrounding area.

As they drew nearer, a voice spoke out.

"That's far enough."

Coming out of the shadows were three ponies, donning ski masks, with crossbows holstered at their hips.

“Yup, what did I tell you?” Fury smirked.

“Can we help you, gents?” Black asked the head of the group.

“Oh, I bet you can.” The head masked pony sneered, “You kept us waiting.”

“Waiting? You hear that, ‘Naught?” Fury turned to Black haughtily, using his codename, “They were waiting for us.”

“Indeed. But waiting for what?” Black narrowed his eyes, “What is it do you want?”

“Well, for starters, we want the little pony you got up in your decked out carriage.” The head pony pointed to the carriage.

“What? What are you talking about?” Fury grimaced, glancing back at the carriage, “It’s just us.”

“Okay, you don’t need to play dumb. It’s obvious you guys changed up carriages so you can keep your little V.I.P. safe. But you ain’t foolin’ us.” The head pony scoffed.

“V.I….” Black grimaced, “Okay, I think you are mistaking us for somepony else-”

“Enough of the chit-chat, bub.” The pony on the head pony’s right, notably the owner of the second voice, “We’re taking your ‘cargo’ and your carriage, end of story.”

“Y-yeah.” The other pony, the one with the third’s voice, “I-if you know what's good for ya, you'll beat it... or else!"

“Oh, please. If you guys really knew what was good for you, you wouldn’t be making threats.” Fury smirked.

“Yes. I don’t know who you think we are, but I can tell you now you’re making a big mistake.” Black warned.

"Okay, wanna play hero? Fine by us." The first pony shook his head. "But you brought this on yourselves!"

The first pony tackled Black… only for him to crumble, as he clutched his head. Hitting Black’s armored body was like hitting a brick wall.

“Oh…” The head pony groaned.

“...Okay, not the best start.” Black admitted.

“Tell me about-” Fury grimaced, but then, the other two cronies jumped Fury at once, trying to pin him down.

"Big... mistake!" Fury flared his wings, breaking free and sending his attackers flying.

The two ponies landed roughly.

"Arrgh!" The second voice groaned.

"Was that really necessary?" The third voice whined.

"Oh, yeah." Fury seethed, advancing on them. "And there's more necessities to come."

The head pony renewed his attack Black, and threw a punch. The result: He hurt his hoof on Black's armor.

"Aah!" He yelped.

"That wasn't smart." Black shook his head.

"Shut up!" The head pony lashed out again, hurting his other hoof. "Yeow!"

"My turn." Black smiled. He struck the head pony with a series of rapid-fire blows, each one inflicting heavy damage.

"Uhh!" The head ponyfell backwards, in agony. "That's it, now I'm mad!" He got back up for more.

At the same time, Fury was effortlessly pummeling his two opponents. He was making sure not to break any bones, but still dealing out a hefty dose of pain for both of them.

"Chew on these, boys!" He struck him both with a punch, knocking them back.

"I think I lost a tooth!" The third pony yelped.

"If you need any more dental work done, feel free to ask." Fury taunted.

"Rarrgh!" The second pony suddenly kicked him in the beak.

"Ouch." Fury said flatly. "Let me show you how it's supposed to be done.

Quick as lightning, Fury swung a kick from one of his lion legs at his opponent, catching him in the chest and sending him flying.

"Oof!" The second pony wheezed as he landed on his front, the air forced out of his body.

Before Fury could continue, the third pony jumped his from behind, trying to put him in a full Nelson.

"Give up, please." The third pony urged, a distinctive waver in his voice. "Don't force me to escalate!"

"I'll show you 'escalate'!" Fury snarled.

Fury easily broke out of the hold, grabbed the pony by the hooves, and slammed them sideways into the ground.

“Oo-oh-oh!” The third pony wailed, clutching his bruised shoulder.

“Lauren, whoever hired you pansies are so not getting their money’s worth.” Fury shook his head.

“Oh yeah?! I'll give you 'money's worth'!" The second pony charged angrily at Fury.

Unimpressed, Fury grabbed the pony mid-charge and flung him across the clearing, resulting in a very undignified crash into the dirt.

"Don't suppose you've got change." Fury mocked him.

Black on the other hoof, stood firm as his foe attacked him, but due to his armor, the poor pony was only hurting his hooves each time he punched his armor.

“Gah… what the frick is this thing made of?!” The head pony groaned, clutching his bruised hooves.

“I don’t really know.” Black admitted, “But by the way this fight is going, you’re better off giving up.”

“I’ll show you!” The head pony snarled, as he pulled out his crossbow… and begin swinging it, hitting Black on the head.

“Huh?!” Black stumbled back a bit. It didn’t hurt, but it caught him by surprise, “Why are you swinging a weapon you can shoot?”

"N-none of your business, that's why!" The first pony snarled defensively, swinging the crossbow once more, as Black stepped back, “Besides, bolts would be wasted on you!”

“True…” Black conceded. The enemy swung again… only for Black to catch it with one hoof, “But perhaps I could make better use of it!”

Without any effort, Black pulled the weapon out of his opponent’s hooves, and aimed it back at him..

“Whoa now, let’s not do anything crazy.” The first pony held up his hooves in horror.

“Well, it’s a little late for that now, isn’t it?” Black scoffed, “Let me show you how to really use a cross-”

Something caught Black’s eyes as he glanced down at the crossbow. Something was missing…

“Hold on…” He glanced at the terrified head pony, then quickly turned to his comrade, “Fury, wait!”

Back on the other side, Fury was holding one pony overhead, the one with the third voice, about to perform a backbreaker, with the second voiced pony struggling to get up nearby.

"What?!" He gaped, both surprised and annoyed at being told to stop.

“AUUUGH!” The third voiced pony screamed in his grasp.

"These guys are not who they seem!" Black announced.

"Whattaya mean?" Fury frowned, still holding the pony aloft, who was still screaming.

"Check the other two's crossbows." Black instructed, “You’ll see.”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Fury dropped the screaming pony, making sure he missed his knee. After waiting for him to cowardly clamber to his hooves, he faced both him and the remaining assailant, who just got back up.

"You heard the stallion." He glared. "Fork 'em over. And no funny business."

The two complied, the second voiced reluctantly, while the third one just about threw it at him, not wanting to go near him. Once in his talons, Fury glanced at booth crossbows… and was understandably surprised.

“What the- they’re not loaded!” Fury gaped.

“Exactly.” Black nodded, “Neither was this guy’s.” He pointed to his foe.

“Okay, what the flap is going on here?” Fury demanded, “Forget how crappy of a fight you gave us, why the hell would you ambush two highly-trained agents with unloaded crossbows?!”

“Highly-trained… wait…” The first pony lit up in shock, “So… you guys… aren’t security guards?”

"What? No!" Black frowned. "We're RDL agents!"

"RDL?!" The second gaped. "Ah, frick!" He said angrily, followed by a glare at the first pony. "I told you that carriage looked too fancy to have the patient!"

"Patient?" Fury repeated. "You mean the one coming from Brightdale? You guys were waiting for them?"

"Nice going, numbskull." The first pony glared at the second one.

"L-look, sir. This is all a big misunderstanding." The third pony trembled. "We didn't know you were RDL! We wouldn't have attacked you if you were."

"But you were more than ready to attack an actual medical transport." Black pointed out.

"Well, y-you see..." The third pony, realizing how that sounded, started to panic.

"We weren't looking to kill or anything." The first pony insisted. "See our crossbows? We were just told to wait here and ambush a carriage carrying this patient, while roughing up the detail! And then we’d take the patient away!"

"Oh, Faust, you're making it worse!" The second pony cringed.

“And who exactly put you up to this? The Forefathers?!” Fury demanded.

"What?!" The third pony gulped. "W-we're not- we're just construction workers trying to make a quick buck!"

"Oh great!" The second pony groaned. He rounded on the first. "They think we're the terrorists from the news!"

"And whose fault is that?" The first pony growled.

"Yours!" The second pony yelled. "You're the one who came to us, asking us to help you with a ‘job’, promising a big payday!”

“Hey, I was told to expect this skinny doctor and this fat-ass security officer.” The head pony defended himself. “Not two buckin’ military officers!”

"Excuses, excuses." The second sneered. "Why can't you just admit you messed up?"

"Why can't you just shut up?" The first pony yelled.

"You shut up!" The second fired back.

"You!" The first retorted.

"I never wanted to be part of this in the first place!" The third pony wept. "Now we're all gonna rot in jail!"

Fury and Black glanced at each other, utterly befuddled by the situation.

“Well, this just went from shady to just plain weird.” Fury deadpanned.

“You got that right.” Black grimaced, as he then stepped forth, “Okay, listen up you three.” The three ponies went silence, “We just came here to get information. The patient and the carriage you were actually waiting for were attacked days earlier.” The three ponies gasped in surprise, “We came here because the manifest said this place was it’s destination… but why would they be bringing a patient to an unfinished hospital? Is there anything you three could clear up as to what’s going on around here?”

“Well, I-” The third pony began.

"Look, we ain't saying another word until we hear from our lawyer." The second pony shook his head.

“Okay, be that way.” Black grunted, “Fury?”

“Way ahead of you.” Fury’s eyes wisped, as spears materialized, pointing at the three, “If you three ain’t gonna talk, we’ll just have to haul your sorry flanks back to Quanticolt. Once there, you'll get to talk to your precious lawyer all you want. You’re gonna need one for attacking two RDL agents and conspiracy to kidnap a pony!"

"Oh, I knew it!" The third pony groaned. "Jail!"

"Oh, shut up." The first pony admonished his comrade. "It's federal custody. Totally different thing."

"Like that's so much better." The second scoffed.

"Knock it off." Black groaned. "We've got better things to do than listen to you three argue."

"Yeah, like save Equestria." Fury added.

The two lead their assailants over to the carriage, hoping that they could get information from them, thus ensuring their trip wouldn't turn out to be a complete dead end.

Back in Canterlot, the badminton games had been finished, and Nyx was now following her friends to Miracle's room, for a new game.

"You did pretty good for a first try, Nyx." Hurricane admitted.

"Big deal." Vito scoffed. "You hit a feathery thing with a bat. It's not exactly ancient magic..."

"Still, quite impressive." Pureblood noted.

"Thanks, guys." Nyx grinned.

"Let's see if you can catch on to our next game just as fast." Miracle declared.

"I sure hope so." Nyx nodded.

The group zig-zagged through the castle corridors, taking many turns and corners. Nyx was so focused on following her friends. that she didn't notice where she was going, and as a consequence, she bumped into a Pegasus servant, knocking the scroll he was carrying out of his wing.

"Oops!" Nyx cringed. "Sorry! Let me get that for you..."

Using her magic, Nyx lifted the scroll off the ground, and back into the servant's wing.

"Thank you, young filly." The servant nodded, an odd look in his eyes.

"Again, I'm sorry I bumped into you." Nyx apologised.

"Think nothing of it." The servant smiled kindly.

"Come on, Nyx!" Hurricane called. "Fun waits for no pony!"

"Coming!" Nyx smiled, following her friends.

Once Nyx disappeared from sight, the servant dropped his smile. After making sure there was nopony watching, he sidled into a storeroom, and extracted a mirror from his pocket. Following a quick double-check that he was alone, he activated the mirror…

Meanwhile, in his office, located in the headquarters of the company he inherited, Dysley was sifting through note cards, reading out a speech to the family of the victims of Brightdale.

"'Ladies and gentlestallions, I come to you today with a heavy heart, and many tears in my eyes'..." He read aloud. "...Okay, that 'tears' part seems like a bit much..." He kept reading. "'Our employees are like family to us, so this tragedy hurts me as much as it does me'... Piling on the mush a little there..."

At that point, the mirror on his desk started buzzing.

"Oh, what now?" He groaned.

He picked up and activated it… revealing the face of the pony from the park. "This had better be good. I’m in the middle of writing a speech."

“Well, it depends, sir.” The stallion answered, “I was doing what you told me to and keeping tabs on our enemies’s search for the subject… and well, I found Doc.”

"You don't say." Dysley crooned, as his scowl gave way to a smirk.

“Yes. To be honest, I didn’t believe it when you mentioned that the Doc himself has gone rogue… but here he was, working with those RDL goons to find the patient. That one guy that Briar and the others failed to kill was there too.”

“Figures. No doubt the Doc is working them all to the bone to find the subject.” Dysley huffed.

“Well, either way, it looks like Doc, that other doctor, and the traitor had split up away from those two RDL yutzs.” The trench-coated pony mused. He held up a crossbow, “Shall I take care of them?”

“I don’t think that would be a wise course of action.” Dysley shook his head.

“But sir, two of them are traitors, and one of them is-” The trench coat pony protested.

“And what exactly can you do to them?” Dysley challenged, “The two doctors I cannot speak for, but Sterling is one of the best agents the Forefathers had. I’m sure you’ve heard about what transpired on that Alpacian island not too long ago?”

"Well, yes." The trenchcoat pony nodded. "But I must stress the severity of the situation. It's just too risky to let them roam free-"

The mirror to shake again.

“Dammit. I’m gonna have to call you back. There’s another pony on the line.” Dysley growled as he tapped the mirror, revealing the servant Nyx has bumped into. “What is it?”

“Pinion reporting, sir.” The servant announced, “You called me earlier about wanting to check on something out of the ordinary around the castle?”

“Yes, I recall.” Dysley frowned, “What of it? You got something for me or did you seriously waste my time just to remind me?”

“Quite the opposite actually. It seems you were right, sir.” Pinion declared, “There’s a filly with a jet black coat, purple mane, and teal eyes… doesn’t that match the description of the filly you have others looking for?”

“Indeed it does.” Dysley sighed, his fears confirmed, “So she’s at the castle, right now?”

“That is correct. From what I understand, she was brought here yesterday by the royal children.” Pinion explained.

“...So they brought a random filly from right off the streets… into their home.” Dysley deadpanned.

“...Yeah, hearing that aloud, that sounds like a stupid thing for anypony to do.” Pinion admitted, “But it seems like she’s getting on well with the others.”

“Well, how long you reckon that will last?” Dysley frowned.

“What do you mean, is she a threat?” Pinion questioned.

“Potentially.” Dysley declared. “But that is all I can say on the matter.”

“Well, if that is the case, perhaps I should extract her now and bring her to you?” Pinion asked.

“No, no, that won’t be necessary. Besides, if you grab her now, you’ll risk blowing your cover.” Dysley shook his head, “You are no doubt aware of the party the royals are throwing?"

"Am I ever." Pinion groaned. "Myself and the others have been preparing for it all week."

"Well, it just so happens that I have been invited to that very party." Dysley revealed. "I'll use that as a cover to take the filly myself. I can go in, apprehend her, and depart, all without raising any suspicions. Brilliant, no?"

"Brilliant, yes, sir." Pinion nodded, “...But what about the RDL? What if they come here before then?”

“You let me worry about that.” Dysley instructed, “In the meantime, keep an eye on that filly. Do not confront her at all unless she tries to slip away again. Do I make myself clear?”

"Yes, sir." Pinion said obediently. "Pinion out, sir."

Seconds after Pinion's image vanished from the mirror, Dysley returned to the trenchcoat pony.

“Is everything alright, sir?” The trenchcoat pony asked.

“Actually, they are.” Dysley said firmly, “And it looks like I might actually need you to do something after all.”

“Oh? And what is that?” The pony asked.

“Well, I’ll explain in a bit… but let’s just say that come the end of tonight, my subject will be back where she belongs, and I will finally rid myself of the good Doc once and for all.” Dysley said grimly.

A Seed Of Doubt
View Online

Fear of A Child

A Seed Of Doubt

The three ponies from the construction site were sat in a interrogation room, in the midst of an interrogation. Ballista and Titan were sitting on the other side of the table.

"Can you please stop looking at me like that?" The wimpy pony of the group asked Titan.

"Grrr..." Titan growled.

"I demand to see our lawyer!" The second, more irritated pony snarled. "Why hasn’t he come yet?"

“Caught up in traffic.” Ballista deadpanned, “But honestly, this would go a lot faster if you just tell us what we want to know.”

“And we told you before, we ain’t telling you anything!” The head pony snarled.

“Do you guys really think you’re in any position to be this defiant?” Ballista grimaced. “You three assaulted two RDL agents, with plans to kidnap a mental patient. Unless you give me a reason not to, you’re all looking at a very long prison sentence.”

“Look, this is all a big misunderstanding!” The wimpy pony insisted. “I’m not a terrorist! I’m a very law-abiding’ citizen! I don't steal from the office, I never commit parking violations... I even return all my library books on time! Besides-” He pointed to the head pony, “He’s the one who thought this all up!”

“Oh, you backstabbing buck!” The head pony growled.

“I ain’t going to prison for you!” The wimpy pony pouted, “I didn’t even want to be there to begin with!”

“Really? So you weren’t the one bellyaching about not being able to pay your rent?” The irritated pony crossed his hooves, “You practically begged to be a part of it!”

“I did not!” The wimpy pony snapped.

"Oh, quit whining!" The head pony snarled. "And you!" He pointed to the irritated pony. "Stop yelling. You're giving me a headache!"

"I'm not whining!" The wimpy pony screeched.

"I'll yell if I want to!" The irritable pony snarled.

"Not if you don't want my hoof in your face!" The head pony threatened.

"Bring it!" The irritable pony taunted him.

"Not more violence!" The wimpy pony cringed.

Their petty bickering quickly annoyed Ballista.

"That's enough of that." He scowled, gesturing to Titan.

"RUFF!" Titan barked loudly.

The three instantly clammed up, as the wimpy pony cowered in fear of the big Diamond Dog.

“Okay, now that I have your attention again, maybe we can finally get some questions answered. So, quit your bloody bickerin’ and just tell me what’s going on around here.” Ballista growled, as he turned to the head pony, “Now then… I was told by my two associates that you three were at that site because somepony was going to pay you to take the patient. Is this correct?”

“Well, define ‘going to pay-’” The head pony hesitated.

Titan growled.

“Yes, yes we were.” The head pony added swiftly.

“And who exactly hired you?” Ballista asked.

“Hell if I know.” The head pony grimaced, “I was walking to the hotel after work one night, when this guy pulled me into an alleyway. Told me it was my lucky day. He was hiding in the shadows, so I didn’t get a good look at him. All I know is he wanted me to get a few guys to jump a carriage that was going to be arriving at our construction site in a few days. He apparently pulled some strings to have the entire crew take a few weeks off. His instructions were: attack the carriage, take the patient within, hurt no one.”

“Hurt no one?” Ballista repeated, “That’s an odd thing to ask for in a kidnapping.”

“Tell me about it.” The head pony grunted, “But with the money he was gonna pay us, I didn’t ask questions. But we brought empty crossbows, hoping it would be enough to scare them… but then the carriage was late. We kinda thought for a moment that we were being punk’d until you guys came in.”

“So, you three really had no idea about what happened to the actual carriage?” Ballista raised a brow.

“Hell no.” The irritated pony snarled, “I certainly didn’t waste nights at that damn site for my health…”

“Well, you didn’t have to be there either.” The head pony glared, “Oh wait, who racked up gambling debts from all those air races?”

"Don't get all high and mighty with me!" The irritable pony shot back. "You're the one who can't get any other job!"

"Shut up!" The head pony spat.

"You shut up!" The irritable pony snarled.

"I just wanna go home!" The wimpy pony bawled.

“Lauren buckin’ Faust…” Ballista hissed, as he turned to Titan, “Keep an eye on them. And no matter how much you want them to, don’t let them kill each other.”

Titan gave a annoyed ‘ruff’, as Ballista left the interrogation room full of bickering idiots. The British pony pulled out his mirror as he tapped it.

Elsewhere, Black and Fury’s carriage were making their way through the mountainside. Just then, Black’s mirror started ringing.

“Ballista.” Black answered swiftly, expecting his call, “What did you learn?”

“Well, one thing is for certain, they aren’t Forefather agents.” Ballista grimaced, “I don’t think even they would hire these morons.”

“Hmph, I figured as much.” Black frowned, “Even by Forefathers’ standards, they were pretty lousy fighters.”

“You said it.” Fury nodded, listening in, “Besides, if they were Forefather agents, they would’ve known that the patient wasn’t coming.”

“Yeah, that’s what they said.” Ballisa nodded, “It sounds like they’ve been waiting for a while for this patient. Longer than expected, even.”

“Which begs the question: if they’re not working with the Forefathers, then who hired them?” Black pondered.

“Your guess is good as mine, mate.” Ballista admitted, “The ringleader didn’t get a good look at the guy who hired him. All they said was he promised good money for the patient’s retrieval…” Ballista then put a hoof to his chin, “Although... they were given explicit instructions to not harm anypony while doing so.”

“That’s what they said back at the site.” Black mused, “...And you know what? They also described the two guys who were escorting the patient. That security guard and Dr. Horror.”

“This is getting hinky.” Fury scowled, “I thought this transport was on the down low. If they weren’t sent by the Forefathers, then who else knew about them, let alone the two guys doing the run?”

“...Hmm…” Black closed his eyes in ponderance, “...Ballista, did you ever find anything back at the hospital that could be linked to the patient?”

"Well, now that you mention it, there was this one thing..." Ballista recalled. "We found an underground facility under the hospital. It wasn’t even that well hidden, actually. It was just this big hatch in the floor, right under a rug. May as well have put a sign there, saying 'secret passageway here'..."

"What was down there?" Fury asked.

"The cops found a lab with an empty glass cell." Ballista answered. "The whole place had been ransacked… but they did find some vital statistics about a 'Nyx’... With Nabudis' name on them."

“Nabudis… isn’t that the doctor who organized the transport to begin with?” Black recalled.

“That’s what Fletcher said.” Ballista nodded, “The guy’s been riding their asses to find the patient all day yesterday…” He then noted Black’s glance, “What are you thinking?”

“Well, as we already know, not a lot of ponies knew that the VIP was heading over to the Isle of Wheat.” Black mused, “The Forefathers, Dr. Horror, and Dr. Nabudis. The Forefathers already made their move that night. Dr. Horror definitely had no idea… which leaves only one…”

“Hold on, you’re saying that Doctor Nabudis guy hired those idiots?” Fury frowned.

“Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Black asked, “He was the one who gave the go ahead to transport this patient to a hospital that was still in construction. And specified that the transfer be made in the dead of night with no one knowing.”

“That is a good point.” Ballista nodded, “And since he does work at Brightdale, he would have ways for clearing out a construction site for the company… the only question is why? Why would a doctor hire somepony to steal one of his patients?”

“...I don’t know.” Black grimaced, “But me and Fury are en route to Canterlot right now. We’ll ask him ourselves. Hopefully, the doctor won’t be as difficult as those morons.”

“Alright. Titan and I will sit on our ‘morons’ for a bit, in case they have something else to tell us.” Ballista declared, “Triage and the others are still over at the morgue, looking at that park scum.”

“Still?” Fury frowned, “I get Triage is old and all, but I didn’t think he was slow.”

“I can assure you, it’s not that.” Ballista deadpanned, “Apparently, something weird happened and Triage insisted that we send Armory over with one of his gadgets to check something.”

"So the plot thickens." Black frowned.

"What about Sterling and the others?" Fury frowned.

"We haven't heard back from them yet." Ballista shrugged.

"If we're lucky, maybe they'll find the missing piece of the puzzle." Sterling suggested.

"We've never been that lucky..." Fury scoffed.

"Either way, keep me posted." Ballista urged. "And I'll do the same."

"Will do." Black nodded.

Ballista's voice vanished from the mirror.

"Sterling and his guys better be working hard, and not goofing off." Fury muttered.

"Of course they're workin' hard." Black scoffed. "It's not like some walk in the park..."

Back in Canterlot, Sterling, Survival and Nabudis were continuing their search, which had currently led them to the outskirts of another park.

“Another park? Lauren Faust, how many parks does this city need?” Sterling grimaced.

“You said it.” Survival grimaced. "Can't imagine how much of the city budget goes toward groundskeeping..."

“Well, I’m not complaining.” Nabudis shook his head, as he took in the gates. "A park has plenty of places for our patient to hide in. Makes it harder for those attackers to find her.”

“It also makes it harder for us, you know.” Sterling deadpanned.

“Which is why we must persevere.” Nabudis declared, “Even if we have to explore every park in this city, we must find our patient.”

“So… we're gonna spend the day digging in the dirt, climbing trees, and crawling through bushes." Sterling deadpanned. "Nice plan."

"Well, your sarcasm certainly isn't helping matters." Nabudis frowned.

"Well, sor-ry." Sterling sneered. "I just thought, with you seeming to know so much about the kid, you might have a better idea about where she could be. Or were you just blowing smoke with all that?"

"I daresay I know more than you do." Nabudis retorted. "And it's not like you have any better ideas..."

"But I'm not the expert here, am I?" Sterling shot back. "Guess that makes two of us."

"Now see here..." Nabudis growled.

The two continued their disagreement as the group made their way to the park. Survival fell behind, not wishing to be involved in the argument.

"What s with those two?" He muttered. "Always arguing about something..."

As he continued walking, he passed by an alleyway. The trenchcoat wearing pony that had spied on them earlier suddenly emerged from the shadows.

“What the- what are you-”

Without a word, the trenchcoat pony grabbed Survival, pulling him into the alleyway.

“Hey, what the-” Survival gripped the other ponies’ hooves, “Let me go!”

"Anything you say." The trenchcoat pony tossed him aside.

"Arrgh!"' Survival grunted as he hit the ground hard.

As he got to his hooves, Survival found his opponent blocking the way out of the alley.

“Okay, bub, you better not mess with me!” Survival snarled, “I got a knife on me and I’m not afraid to use it!”

“Lauren, take it easy!” The trenchcoat pony grimaced, ‘I’m not here to mug you or anything!”

“Then why the hell did you yank me in here?” Survival challenged.

“Because there’s somepony who wishes to speak with you.” The trenchcoat pony replied, pulling a mirror out of his pocket, and tapping it, before extending his hoof. “Here…”

Survival, against his better judgement, hesitantly reached out and grabbed the mirror, as it began to activate.

The mirror’s surface was snowy at first before it soon revealed the face of Secretariat Dysley.

"Hello, Dr. Horror." Dysley smiled.

“What the- Mr. Dysley?” Survival gaped.

“The one and only.” Dysley nodded, “I’m glad that I’ve finally reached you. After what happened with the hospital, I’ve assumed the worst had happened.”

“What is going on here?” Survival frowned, “How did you know I was here… let alone alive?”

“Well, not long before the massacre, I’ve heard that an overnight transport was authorized and that you and Hamm were on it.” Dysley explained, “Speaking of which, where is Hamm?”

“He’s dead.” Survival said bluntly, “And so are the pullers, by the way.”

“Oh.” Dysley frowned, “I’m sorry…”

“Yeah, me too…” Survival closed his eyes in grief.

“...But, on the upside, at least you weren’t around when the hospital was attacked.” Dysley forced a smile, “We can all be thankful that one doctor survived this old mess.”

"...Thankful?" Survival felt a scowl grow on his face. "All those deaths. Good, innocent ponies. And you're 'thankful' one survived?"

“Uh… yes?” Dysley frowned, a bit taken aback by the sudden change in attitude, “After all, I hear you are one of our best doctors.”

“Well, for your information, Dysley, I’m not the only doctor who survived.” Survival snarled, “Somnus is still alive and with me!”

“Somnus? He’s with you?” Dysley gaped.

“That’s right. And he told me everything.” Survival declared fiercely.

“What are you talking about? Where is all this hostility coming from?” Dysley frowned, “You know it’s me, right? Secretariat Dysley, pharmaceutical trailblazer, philanthropist..."

“The guy who tears a father from his child?” Survival accused.

“What?!” Dysley gasped.

“Som told me all about Nyx.” Survival growled, “About how he took her in when he found her abandoned in Everfree Forest. How he’s been raising her under Brightdale Hospital. And how you found out and fired him! And how you were going to take her away!”

“Well, anything sounds bad if you put it like that.” Dysley grimaced.

“How else would you put it, then, sir?” Survival scowled, “Never have I imagined that a Dysley would be capable of doing something so crappy, so cruel! Faust knows Sacred would never do something like this!”

"Ooh..." The Trenchcoat Pony covered his mouth in shock.

"I will thank you to leave my father out of this, Dr. Horror." Dysley said coldly, “And I don’t appreciate the accusations you’re throwing at me.”

“I call them as I see them, sir.” Survival glared. “I wanna know why you would do this to Somnus, after everything he's done for your company! Yes, maybe he used company resources to take care of Nyx, but he did it because-”

“Wait, you actually think I fired Nabudis over misappropriation of funds?” Dysley scoffed.

“Well, that’s what Nabudis told me.” Survival frowned.

“Then it seems Nabudis has filled your head with lies.” Dysley declared.

“...What?” Survival gaped, “What are you talking about?”

“Well, to start, I didn’t fire Nabudis over the misuse of company money.” Dysley claimed, “Can’t really call it misuse if I was the one who approved the spending.”

“Wait… so you knew about-”

“The underground facility? Yes.” Dysley nodded, “Honestly, Dr. Horror, nothing goes on in that hospital without me knowing. Which is why I know everything about Nyx… but what is this I hear about Everfree Forest? Why did he tell you exactly?”

“...That he found her abandoned among a group of dead cultists following a ritual gone wrong twelve years ago?” Survival answered hesitantly.

“You mean the cult run by Spell Nexus?” Dysley said incredulously, “Hate to burst your bubble, but that incident was over twenty years ago, and no one died… although Spell Nexus had to undergo a lot of therapy…”

“Wait, what?!” Survival gasped, before scowling, “No way. That can’t be right!”

“It’s the truth. Brightdale even helped with his rehabilitation. I could show you the records… but the hospital is kinda-” Dysley gave an awkward shrug.

“But where did Nyx-” Survival began to ask.

“Allow me to clarify.” Dysley declared, “You see, Nyx was brought to us by this Unicorn couple, not long after my father’s passing. They were socialites, desperately seeking help with the young foal’s ‘powers’, which had seemingly manifested out of the blue. The power to generate nightmare-inducing miasma.”

Survival remained silent, acknowledging the similarity to what Nabudis told him.

“As a favor, they asked we kept Nyx’s admittance and residency a secret, for the sake of their reputations and hers’.” Dysley explained sadly, “With Nabudis taking the lead, we specially designed the underground facility to keep her hidden, as well as keeping her powers in check. And up 'til now, we had monitored her, studying her, trying to find a way to reintegrate her back into society without her powers causing panic to those around her. We thought we were close to succeeding… but then Nabudis…”

“Hold on, what do you mean Nabudis?” Survival glared

“Well… he started to change.” Dysley shook his head, “I would be lying if I said Nabudis wasn’t instrumental to the progress we made with the young patient. Out of everypony, Nyx grew closest to Nabudis… but then, Nabudis started to act funny.”

“Funny how?” Survival frowned.

“Well, he began neglecting his other duties in favor of Nyx.” Dysley explained, “More often than not, he would pass off his work onto other doctors, or just blatantly ignore other patients. Every hour of the day, he was spending it with Nyx. One could say that he has become rather obsessed with her.”

“Obsessed?” Survival winced, recognizing Fletcher’s comments about Nabudis’ determination to find Nyx.

“Yes, not to mention all the time Nabudis had not shown up for work.” Dysley grimaced, “And not just because of his job. For days on end, he would just disappear, only to come back like nothing has happened. Where to, and for what purpose, he would not say.”

"This... This can't be true." Survival struggled to reign in his feelings of uncertainty. "It just can't..."

“When I first got word of his obsessions, it had already escalated.” Dysley continued, “He was refusing to let any of the other doctors that were assigned to Nyx to take care of her. There were even times that he was hostile.”

“Nabudis? Hostile?” Survival said skeptically, “I find all that very hard to believe. It doesn't sound like the Dr. Nabudis I know."

"I've known him longer than you have." Dysley retorted. "But even to me, he was acting out of sorts. I’ve tried to talk to him about his behaviors several times, but he refused to listen. I can only assume that my father’s death had finally caused him to crack… or maybe, this obsession stemmed from another obsession he once had…” He glanced intently at Survival, “Has Nabudis ever told you about his obsession with Nightmare Moon?”

“Of course he had.” Survival nodded, “It was not one of his proudest moments. He said it caused him a bit of trouble way back when…” He narrowed his eyes, “Why you bring it up?”

“Well, if you had seen Nyx yourself, you would be hard-pressed to not see the similarities between her and Nightmare Moon. Both have black coats, turquoise cat-like eyes… and that miasma…” Dysley trailed off.

"What are you getting at?" Survival frowned.

"I'll tell you what I'm getting at." Dysley rose to the challenge. "I believe Nabudis had begun to groom Nyx, so that she can become the new Nightmare Moon."

"What?!" Survival gaped. "You can't be serious!"

"As a heart attack." Dysley declared grimly. "Nyx’s parents had begun to pick on Nabudis’ behaviors. They wanted to bring her home, or at least find another hospital that could take care of her. But Nabudis was smart. He kept falsifying reports, intercepted transfer requests, buried memos in the paperwork... Next thing I knew, there was a story in the paper about the parents dying under 'suspicious circumstances'. Right after Nabudis decided to take a night off for the first time in months. I had no proof it was him, but it all seemed a little too coincidental for my tastes..."

Survival listened silently, unable to even comment on the twisted words he was hearing.

“It pained me to do it, but I had to fire Nabudis, and ban him from the premises to protect the company as well as the patient." Dysley continued. "However, it seemed even that wasn’t enough. Nabudis must have managed to arrange a transport and was going to take her to some secret location, so he could keep her all to himself…”

"I can believe some of this." Survival recovered his voice. "Dr. Nabudis told me himself that he'd made preparations after you fired him…” He then scowled, “But the rest is just grade A hydra droppings! Nabudis got over that obsession with Nightmare Moon years ago! And he sure as hell wouldn’t kill ponies!"

"Ponies don't just get over their obsessions, Dr. Horror." Dysley said bluntly. "Haven't you ever noticed how Nabudis always seemed... off? That he had a thing about him that made him not well liked among his peers?"

"So what?" Survival said defensively. "All great minds have their eccentricities."

"Do not allow your admiration of Nabudis to color your perceptions, Dr. Horror." Dysley warned him. "I know that it can be difficult to see a mentor figure, even... a father figure, as being in the wrong..."

"It's only difficult because Dr. Nabudis has done nothing wrong." Survival retorted.

"Hasn't he?" Dysley urged.

"No, he hasn't." Survival said stubbornly.

"Think about it, Survival." Dysley pushed. "Nabudis picked you and Hamm to handle the escort.”

“Yeah, because we are his closest friends.” Survival rebutted, “The only ponies he could trust to take care of her.”

“Yes… because everypony else saw him for the disturbed individual he is.” Dysley shot back, “All he needed was two ponies nai-I mean, trusting enough to do as he asked, no matter how shady it sounded.”

“He is not disturbed!” Survival snarled.

“Oh yeah? Name one pony who is friends with Nabudis beside you and Hamm.” Dysley challenged.

"Well, uh..." Survival racked his brains. "I think there's... No, he doesn't count..."

"As I thought." Dysley nodded, vindicated.

“Ugh, that doesn’t prove anything!” Survival snapped.

“Oh, then how about this? Isn’t it a little coincidental that those attackers knew all about the escort, and exactly where to strike?”

“Well..." Survival frowned, eyeing him suspiciously, “I can only assume somepony told them…”

“Like who?” Dysley challenged, “Clearly, it wasn’t you or Hamm. And I couldn’t have known.” He noted the suspicious glance in his eyes, “No matter what you may think, Survival... So that only leaves only…”

"No, it can't have been Dr. Nabudis..." Survival shook his head. "He wouldn't do that. Especially not to me or Hamm."

"Don't be blind!" Dysley growled. "Nabudis is not the benevolent stallion you think he is. Far from it."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Survival shook his head.

"I think you'll find I do." Dysley insisted.

"No, you don't!" Survival insisted. "You're trying to deceive me!"

"I'm trying to talk some sense into you." Dysley growled.

"I don't want to hear it!" Survival spat. "But I've heard a little about you. About your connections to this group called the Forefathers."

"'Fore-fathers'? Is that some kind of golfing club?" Dysley asked.

"Don't play dumb." Survival snarled. "I know you're working with those maniacs."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Dysley replied.

"More lies." Survival glared. "And you're surprised I'm not buying anything you're saying about Nabudis."

"You must listen to me." Dysley urged. "Nabudis is dangerous."

"He's my friend." Survival retorted. "And I trust him."

“Well, I guess that’s all there is to it.” Dysley sighed, “Make no mistake, Dr. Horror, your colleagues and friends will be avenged. I will personally see to it that those three who attacked you get their just desserts… in the meantime, I suggest you watch yourself. The last thing I want to happen is to lose my last doctor… for now, I bid you adieu…”

Dysley’s face faded from the mirror, as without a word, the trenchcoat pony snatched the mirror out of Survival’s hoof.

"Have a nice day." The Trenchcoat pony said flatly, before retreating down the alleyway.

Survival stood in place for a moment. As much as he wanted to deny it, Dysley's words had left their mark.

'It can't be true.' He thought. 'But how else would those thugs know when and where to strike?'

Trying to shake off his doubts, Survival headed over to the park, so he could rejoin Nabudis and Sterling.

Once there, he spotted Sterling, inspecting some bushes.

"Oh, hey." Sterling noticed Survival's approach. "Where have you been?"

"I thought I saw the patient running down an alleyway." Survival answered. "Turned out to be a false alarm, though. Where's Dr. Nabudis?"

"Checking over by the fountain." Sterling pointed. "Speaking of which, I was thinking that, now that we have a moment alone, we could talk about Nabudis."

"Talk?" Survival frowned, not liking the conspiratorial tone in Sterling's voice. "What about?"

"I know you two are close, but I have to say, Nabudis might not be who you think he is." Sterling clarified.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Survival asked defensively, well aware that Sterling was the second pony to tell him that.

“Well, the truth is… there is somepony that I once knew, back from when I was a Forefather.” Sterling revealed, “Somepony that had more than a few things in common with Nabudis...”

“Hold it right there, bub.” Survival stepped in, incensed “I already told you guys that Nabudis is not a psychopath! Quite frankly, I am getting sick and tired of-”

“Hey, I’m not saying he’s a psychopath.” Sterling scowled, “But he might not be innocent either…”

“What are you even talking about?” Survival demanded.

“That story you told me about Nabudis helping that stallion who got his hoof cut off by a chainsaw wielding psycho mare, back in Neigh Orleans...” Sterling recalled. “...Which hoof was it, exactly?”

“Not sure how this pertains to anything.” Survival huffed, “But it was the-”

“Front left hoof?” Sterling finished, a grim look on his face.

Survival paused for a moment, taken aback.

“What the-” Survival stammered, before glaring, “Okay, how did you know that?”

“Because...” Sterling then lifted his front left hoof, pulling his jacket sleeve down to show the faint, but visible, scar of when his hoof was severed and subsequently sewn back on, “I was that pony.”

“...No…” Survival shook his head, stupefied, as he then suddenly took Sterling’s hoof into his own, to the owner’s surprise, as he looked it over, “T-that can be right! There’s no way! T-this is a joke, right?”

“It is not.” Sterling pulled his hoof away abruptly, “Trust me, I still remember the day that damn mare lobbed it off. Hurt like a motherbucker!”

“But how can that be?!” Survival asked, “You only just met Nabudis yesterday! You two would have recognized each other if he had fixed your hoof!”

“But that’s the thing… he didn’t.” Sterling announced.

“Huh?” Survival gaped in confusion.

“You see, I was there that day in Neigh Orleans on a mission for the Forefathers.” Sterling recounted, “I was sent there with three others to retrieve some notes for a regenerative serum. Crap went down, and I lost my hoof. But the stallion who sewed my hoof back on and treated me was a stallion who called himself Doc.”

“Wait… as in that ‘Doc’ Caboose was talking about earlier?” Survival grimaced, “The one Dysley was supposedly working with?”

“The very same.” Sterling nodded, “He was the head doctor back in the Forefathers. And an expert surgeon. He was not as bad as others I’ve come to know in that organization… but he was definitely the strangest… he was always shrouded in cloaks, and he wore a mask with a voice modulator all the time. No one knew who he was, especially me… at least, until now.”

“Hold on… are you saying that Nabudis and this ‘Doc’ are one and the same?” Survival gaped, “...No, that can’t be. I refuse to believe it!”

“Look, I don’t want to believe it any more than you do.” Sterling said firmly, “But you can’t deny the similarities.”

“This doesn’t prove anything!” Survival insisted, his resolve weakening, “Just because you just so happened to lose your hoof in the same way and in the same location doesn’t necessarily mean you are the same guy from Nabudis’ story.”

“Then what about how you said he went to Alpacia and Yokestadt?” Sterling pointed out, “I’ve been to both those places, and both times, it was with Doc. Don’t you think it’s a bit too much of a coincidence that Doc and Nabudis have been to all the same locations?”

“Yes I do actually.” Survival grunted, “Alpacia and Yokestadt are very big countries. Neigh Orleans is also a very populous city. By your logic, I could have easily been Doc.”

“Not likely… Doc was Sacred Dysley’s partner, you know.” Sterling revealed, “...And from what I could tell, he was just as close to Sacred as Nabudis was.”

“He was?” Survival’s glare softened.

“That’s right. And Doc was just as heartbroken when Sacred died all those years ago.” Sterling frowned.

“Well, that still doesn’t necessarily mean anything.” Survival grimaced, “I mean, Sacred was married. If the rumors were true, then it’s not farfetched to say that he had affairs with more than one guy, you know?”

“Survival…” Sterling frowned.

"It's still not certain!" Survival insisted. "It could all just be a massive coincidence!"

"That would be quite a big coincidence, you have to admit." Sterling pointed out. "What's more likely to be true here?"

"And what if it is true?" Survival groaned. "Then what?!"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Sterling declared. "Despite the evidence, we still need to be absolutely sure before we confront him, so don't let Nabudis know about any of this just yet."

"So there's still a chance that Nabudis and this Doc aren't the same pony." Survival pointed out (for his own sake more than anything). "Until we know for sure, I won't burden him with the accusation..."

Soon after, Nabudis returned.

"There you are, Survival." He frowned. "Care to explain your sudden absence?"

"I thought I saw the patient run down an alleyway." Survival repeated the lie. "But it wasn't her. Just a dumb cat."

"I see..." Nabudis mused. "It seems Nyx isn't hiding at the park either."

"So much for that idea." Sterling sneered. "Now what?"

"We keep looking, of course." Nabudis said testily.

"Yeah, sure." Sterling scoffed. "If it ain't broke..."

"Spare us all the sarcasm, please." Nabudis scowled. "Save your energies for searching."

"I think I have a few ideas where we can look." Survival declared, eager to defuse the situation.

"Well, let's hear 'em." Sterling urged. "Better to listen to you, anyway..."

The trio left the park, Survival beginning to list his ideas.

Back at the morgue where Weasel's body was being kept, Triage and his coneades were waiting, the mortician standing beside them.

“Are you absolutely sure this is necessary?” The mortician grimaced, “I mean, the circumstances are strange, but this seems to be a whole lot of effort to go to just for this one guy.”

“It may look that way, but considering what happened to me earlier, I have reasons to believe there’s something very wrong going on around here.” Triage said firmly. “And hopefully, with Armory’s help, we’ll figure what that something is.”

“You sure we can’t just chalk this up to you getting early dementia?” Incognito crossed his hooves.

“Cog.” Master Mind cuffed him on the head.

"Fine. Let's just make it quick." Incognito said tersely.

Moments later, Armory coming in, lugging in something that looked like a industrial vacuum cleaner, and visibly struggling.

“Oh, don’t mind the cripple here.” Armory scowled, as he pulled it once more, “Just pulling this VERY heavy instrument all by myself! Wouldn’t need any help!”

“Alright, you made your point.” Incognito scoffed as he and Master went to help move the machine.

“What is this thing?” The mortician frowned.

“The thing that will break this case wide open.” Triage stepped forth, “I want to thank you again, Heinrich, for doing this.”

“No problem.” Armory stretched his back, a bit sore from the hauling, “I must say, I was wondering why you required me and my magic detector. The others mentioned you went crazy or something?”

“I didn’t go-” Triage growled, before sighing, “You see, I was looking at Weasel’s body. You know, the scumbag from the park. But when I did, I think I might have breathed in some hallucinogen, because next thing I knew, I was rudely slapped by Incognito, having suffered some episode.”

“It worked. Didn’t it?!” Incognito hissed.

“Well, it couldn’t have been any hallucinogen I know.” Master Mind frowned, “I checked and double-checked Triage’s work when he re-examined the body and we found nothing. In fact, there was nothing to indicate there was anything in his body to begin with.”

“That is why I suggested calling you.” Triage declared to Armory, “I heard you were developing something that could detect and collect traces of magic and magic residue.”

“That I was.” Armory smirked, as he then pulled out what looked to be the wand of the ‘vacuum cleaner’, “Allow me to present the Magische Probe, the top-of-the-line magic detector and sampler, made by yours truly!”

“Um, what?” The mortician grimaced.

“Let me explain.” Armory began, “Like hooves, magic can leave prints on whatever it touches. And that residue has a bit of a dna match with it’s user. It's really quite a fascinating phenomenon. You see, how it works is-"

“Hey, Armory. We love you, man, but we’re kinda on a tight schedule.” Incognito sighed, “So can you hurry it up?”

“Okay, okay.” Armory grunted, as he approached Weasel’s body, tugging the machine with him, “The point is, with this device, we can see if magic was used on this poor soul, and if it was, this machine will be able to extract it’s residue, whatever remains of it at least.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on a moment.” The mortician stepped forth, “This thing isn’t going to contaminate the body or something? I can lose my job if a body got bucked up on my shift.”

“Relax. I’ve tested this thing loads of times. As of now, it has a 97% success rate.” Armory rolled his eyes.

“97%?” The mortician’s eyes widened, “What happened during the three percent?”

“...It’s probably best to not dwell on that.” Armory shrugged, as he then flicked the switch on the device itself, “Now let’s do this!”

Armory waved the wand over the body while the others looked on (the mortician nervously so).

Suddenly, the Probe’s main body began lighting up and giving off sounds, as Armory slowed his waving.

“Ooh, we got something!” Armory smirked.

“Looks like I was right after all.” Triage chuckled.

“Thank Faust.” The mortician sighed in relief, “For a moment there, I thought it was going to explode or something.”

“What are you talking about?” Armory grimaced, “The machine does the detecting just fine. It’s the sample-taking that it usually has problems with.”

“Wait, what?!” The mortician’s relief was gone.

Armory pushed another button, and the machine began rumbling ominously.

"That doesn't sound promising..." The mortician cringed.

"No, it does not." Master Mind agreed.

"That thing looks like it's about to burst..." Incognito said warily. "Maybe we should get out of-"

*TING*

Suddenly, a small vial popped out of the top of the machine.

“All done!” Armory smirked as he took the vial.

“What, that’s it?” Incognito frowned.

“Yeah, what were you expecting? A fanfare?” Armory deadpanned, as he then gave the vial to Triage, “Here ya go, Triage.”

Triage examined the vial. Inside it was what looked to be a small blue wisp, swirling around.

“...What the hell is it?” Master Mind glanced over his shoulder, “Some sort of gas?”

“Not likely. We would have found it sooner if it was.” Triage frowned, “But I have a good feeling that this is what brought on that hallucination.”

“So it must be some sort of toxin.” Incognito surmised, “A magical-based one at that. You must have breathed in the remnants of it, when you cut the stiff open.”

“A good deduction, Incognito.” Triage nodded, “It’s a miracle there was anything left.”

“But I am curious… if this is the thing that killed this pony, then why didn’t it kill Triage?” Master Mind asked.

“I can only assume there were varying factors.” Triage mused, “I only breathed in a fraction of what was in this body…” Triage then adopted a grim expression, “... That, and I think me being awake might have something to do with it.”

“Huh? Why would you being awake change anything?” Incognito frowned.

“It’s something Sterling brought up earlier.” Triage recalled, “About those ponies who died in their sleep the last couple of months…”

“Oh, yes, I think I remember the stories.” Master Mind mused, “But why bring them up? Do you think there’s a connection here?”

“Sterling seemed to think so, and considering how this guy was asleep when he kicked the bucket like them, there might be a chance whatever this is…” He held up the vial, “Might have something to do with the others.”

“That’s a big ‘might’, Triage.” Incognito grimaced, “I heard all about these deaths too. They were all corporate, ponies working in big companies. But I hear this Weasel guy liked foals… and not in a good way. If this is all the work of somepony, why the major change in m.o.?”

“First things first, we have to confirm whether or not this pony’s death is connected to the others.” Triage said firmly, as he turned to the mortician, “I must ask, do you still have the body of the treasurer who passed three weeks ago? I read that she was sent here as well.”

“Well, there’s still paperwork being done on having the body released, what with the odd circumstances.” The mortician frowned.

“Then I must ask that you permit us to analyze her body with the Probe.” Triage requested, “If my suspicions are realized, then we just might be able to find what little remains of this blue wisp.”

"I don't know..." The mortician said hesitantly. "It's a little late for examinations. Protocol states-"

"This really isn't the time for protocol." Incognito cut him off.

"We need to find out what this is all about as soon as possible." Triage insisted. "Even if it means bending the rules."

"It’s for the greater good." Armory pointed out. "The sooner we solve this mystery, the sooner we can stop these deaths. What do you say?"

"...Okay, do it." The mortician agreed. "Just let me step out first. I'd prefer not to be implicated in all this..."

With that, the mortician left the room.

“Are you sure about this, Triage?” Incognito frowned.

“I know I am.” Triage said firmly, “But in the meantime…” He held up the vial once more, “Me and Master Mind should get to work on finding out what this is… with luck, we can get to the bottom of this...”

Meanwhile, Nabudis, Sterling, and Survival were halfway through the park.

"Somnus, a quick word?" Survival asked. "Alone?"

"Gladly." Nabudis nodded, giving Sterling an aside glance.

The two moved a short distance away.

"What's the matter?" Nabudis inquired.

"It's about Nyx. And her parents." Survival said tentatively.

"What about them?" Nabudis frowned.

"Did... Did you ever go to look for Nyx's parents after finding her in Everfree?" Survival asked.

"I did not, actually." Nabudis answered.

"Why not?" Survival said awkwardly.

"Because, by all accounts, they were probably long gone." Nabudis replied. "Nyx was in a very dishevelled state when I found her, marking her as being on her own for days. Aand even if they weren’t gone, Nyx would have been better off with me, anyway."

"I see..." Survival said quietly, feeling more unease than ever (due to what Dysley had said).

Before Survival could inquire further, Sterling butted in.

"There you two are." He scowled. "Ditching me again, are we?"

"No, just... Discussing patients." Survival lied.

"Not something we can share with others." Nabudis added. "The old Hippocratic oath, you know..."

"Well, the park is turning out to be a bust." Sterling shrugged. "Any other ideas?"

"A few." Survival nodded. "But let's get out of here first."

As they made their way to the exit, Survival heard something in a nearby bush.

"Agent Slugger, reporting in."

“Hey, guys.” Survival spoke up, as he approached the bush, “I think I hear something.”

The two stallions frowned as they joined him. The three kneeled by the bushes, and peeked over to see a rather thuggish brown Earth Pony stallion, holding up a mirror. It was impossible to tell who he was talking to.

“What’s up?” Nabudis frowned.

“This guy just called himself an agent.” Survival explained, “Considering how he doesn’t look like EBI or the RDL, I think this might be a Forefather agent.”

“How can you be certain?” Nabudis grimaced, uneasiness in his eyes.

“It might have something to do with that.” Sterling growled, pointing to the mirror in his hoof.

On the back of the mirror, as the thug held it up, the unmistakable eagle and two Fs were partially visible on the back of it.

“Huh, almost didn’t see that.” Survival mused, before frowning, “Seems a bit dumb to have your secret organization’s emblem just out there, isn’t it?”

“Well, how else are they going to get brand recognition?” Sterling joked.

“Now is not the time to joke around, Silver.” Nabudis glared, as he turned to Survival, “Fievel, does this pony look anything like the ones who attacked the carriage?”

“I don’t know. They were all wearing cloaks, so I didn’t get a good look at them.” Survival admitted, “But I might be able to recognize his voice. We’d need him to say something familiar though for comparison.”

“Well, let’s listen in. He might know something.” Sterling declared.

The group moved in closer. They weren't close enough to hear who was on the other end of the mirror, but they could definitely hear the agent's side of the conversation.

“The subject has been found? Are you sure?” The agent smirked.

“No…” Nabudis gaped.

“It can’t be.” Survival shook his head.

“...Maybe he’s talking about another ‘subject’?” Sterling grimaced.

"You're saying she matches the description?" The agent declared. "Pre-teen filly? Black coat? Cat-like eyes?"

The three stood there in silence.

“What’s that? I should probably stop repeating everything out loud for everypony to hear?” The agent frowned, “Well, I don’t see anypony around me. So I don’t see what the big deal is...”

“What do we do?” Survival frowned.

“We have to follow him!” Nabudis growled fiercely, “He knows where N- the patient is!”

“Take it easy, Nabudis.” Sterling grimaced, “We can’t afford to act irrationally. Now, just give me a sec, and I’ll call Fletcher and Caboose to our position, and we’ll grab him together and-”

“So... Report back to the safehouse?” The thug shrugged, “Wait until further instructions? Again, stop repeating everything out loud? I’m a dumbass?” He growled, “Oh, real mature! When I get back to Infinity, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

Turning off the mirror, the irate thug began to move away.

“No, he’s gonna get away!” Nabudis roared, parting the bush.

“Som, wait!” Survival gasped.

“Don’t move, you idiot!” Sterling snarled.

But it was too late, for as Survival and Sterling grabbed Nabudis, the doctor tripped on a root, sending all three to the ground with a ‘thud’.

“Oof!”

Immediately, the thug pony turned to face the others, his eyes alight with terror. For a second (that seemed to stretch into minutes), they stared at each other.

“Uhh… hello?” Survival smiled weakly.

“Oh, crap!” The thug hissed, as he made a break for it.

"After him!" Nabudis yelled, “We can’t lose him!”

The group chased after the pony as he hurtled out of the park. The chase led them down the alleyways.

"I know these alleys." Sterling declared. "Survival, take the left turn! Nabudis, straight ahead! We'll trap him in a pincer movement!"

Survival and Nabudis complied, while Sterling moved right.

Up ahead, the target zigzagged through the back alleys, starting to grow confident that he could evade his pursuers. As he made a turn, he saw Survival in his path.

"Not so fast." Survival growled.

The pony tried to retreat in another direction, but was faced with Nabudis.

"Going somewhere?" Nabudis jeered.

The pony stepped back, but was then tackled by Sterling.

"Gotcha!" Sterling smirked, pinning him to the ground.

"Get offa me!" The stallion demanded, “I did nothing wrong!”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Sterling scoffed. He pulled out hoofcuffs from his jacket’s pockets, given to RDL agents for arrests such as these, and cuffed him, “You really should've listened to your friend on the other end.”

“Oh, buck me…” The thug snarled.

"Okay pal, here's how it's going to go." Sterling announced, as he lifted the stallion to his hooves. "We're gonna ask you some questions, and you're gonna answer.”

“I ain’t got a thing to say to any of you!” The thug spat defiantly, “Kiss my flank!”

“Survival, is this guy one of the three who attacked you?” Sterling turned to Survival.

“Still not sure… hold on.” Survival frowned, “Say ‘Doctor Horror’.”

“‘Doctor Horror’?” The thug repeated, “Why-”

“Nope, the voice was more gravelly.” Survival shook his head, “And it’s definitely nothing like the other two.”

“Well, it was a long shot.” Sterling sighed, before glaring at the thug, “But since we already have you here, perhaps you can tell us what you-”

“Step aside!” Nabudis demanded, shoving Sterling, staring hatefully at the thug, “Where is she?!”

“What the-” Sterling growled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about-” The thug spat.

“LIAR!” Nabudis roared, grabbing him by the neck.

“Whoa now, what are you-” The thug panicked.

“Tell me where she is!” Nabudis demanded again.

“Som, what are you doing?!” Survival gasped.

"I'm telling, I don't know anything!" The thug feigned innocence, utterly terrified.

"You are lying!" Nabudis roared, the thug's words making him even more angry. "Talk, or else!" He started punching the thug.

"UURGH!" The stallion grunted with pain.

"Where. Is. Nyx?!" Nabudis roared, punctuating each word with a punch. "Tell me where she is. Now!"

Nabudis' brutality and rage horrified Survival. He had never seen his mentor act like that before. Seeing such a display only made his suspicions worse.

“Ohh… ohh…” The thug whimpered, his face bloody and bruised.

“I’m only going to say this one more time…” Nabudis clutched him tightly by his throat, hoisting him up against the wall, as the thug gagged, “Where is my baby girl?!”

"Som, stop!" Survival yelled, grabbing Nabudis' hoof.

"That's enough!" Sterling grabbed his other hoof.

Without a bit of force, Nabudis was pulled away, leaving the thug to fall to the ground, coughing.

“Nabudis…” Sterling glared.

“Alright, I might have got a little heated just now.” Nabudis brushed off, calming down.

“A little heated?!” Survival gaped, “You were going to kill him!”

“I had to do whatever is necessary!” Nabudis rebutted, “I have to find Nyx, no matter what!”

“Well, I’m afraid you’re too late.”

The three glanced at the thug, as he spat a bit of blood, laughing.

“We already knew where the patient was, before I said it out loud.” The thug smirked, “While you guys were busy chasing me, I gave the others time to close in on her. She'll be ours before the day is through, just mark my words!"

“You son of a- you were a diversion!” Sterling snarled.

“That’s right. I might have flunked elementary school, but I ain’t so dumb that I repeat everything out loud!” The thug chuckled, as his eyes darted towards the direction of Canterlot Castle.

Nabudis was quick to pick up on his eyes’ side glance to the Canterlot Castle. His own eyes lit up in shock and disbelief. Sterling and Survival did not pick up on the cue.

’...Oh, you gotta be kidding me.’ Nabudis grimaced, ’There of all places?’

“So I guess it looks like I outsmarted the lot of you!” The thug cackled.

“Oh, shut up!” Nabudis slammed his hoof into the thug’s face, knocking him out, “Lousy trash…” Without another word, Nabudis started to move in the direction of the castle.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Sterling scowled, as he and Survival stepped in front of him.

“What does it look like?” Nabudis glared, “I’m going to find Nyx!”

“And who the hell is Nyx?” Sterling frowned, “Is that the patient’s name?”

"That's none of your concern." Nabudis retorted.

“Somnus, please…” Survival insisted.

“It is our concern!” Sterling growled, “We are here to help you find the patient!”

“And you all have been a ‘big’ help.” Nabudis sneered sarcastically, “Oh wait, no you haven’t. Why else have our enemies found the patient before us?!”

“We don’t know that for sure!” Survival stammered, trying to sooth the angry doctor, “Maybe that agent was bluffing!”

“Oh no, he wasn’t.” Nabudis shook his head, “I saw it in his eyes. He was waiting in that park for us, so he could lure us away and give his cohorts a chance to nab Nyx. Well, not if I have something to say about it!”

"Fletcher was right about you!" Sterling scowled. "You are acting obsessed about this patient!"

"I am not!" Nabudis retorted.

"You are!" Sterling insisted. "And you know what? It makes me think like this patient of yours is something a whole lot more to you than just a patient."

"It does?" Survival frowned. Sterling was so close to the truth...

"That is ridiculous!" Nabudis scowled. "I simply care about her wellbeing, as I do with all my patients!"

"Sure ya do." Sterling said mockingly.

Survival wasn't sure how long he could hold himself back. The truth was welling up within him, eager to burst free...

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nabudis growled.

"What do you think it means, Mr. 'bedside manner'?" Sterling retorted. "I'm thinking this isn't just some missing pony case. That this patient of yours is more than just somepony you wanna help..."

Survival winced, as Sterling's theory echoed the words Dysley had told him not so long ago...

“We do not have time for this!” Nabudis roared, “We have to go now, and get Nyx before they do!”

"Why, so you can have your own Nightmare Moon?!" Survival blurted out.

"...What?" Nabudis froze.

"Huh?" Sterling gaped.

“What are you talking about?” Nabudis murmured, his eyes adopting a cold gleam.

“Look, while you guys were arguing earlier, I was pulled aside by this guy in a trenchcoat, and was reached out by Secretariat Dysley.” Survival revealed.

“Dysley?” Sterling gasped.

“Oh no…” Nabudis murmured to himself.

“Dysley and I got to talking…” Survival continued, his voice wavering with hesitation, “He told me a very different story from what you told me regarding Nyx. How she had two loving parents who were ‘murdered’, how you dote over her every minute of the day… and how you wanted to keep Nyx all to yourself, and make her the new Nightmare Moon!”

"Whoa, seriously?" Sterling asked, shocked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nabudis retorted.

"Don't you?" Survival asked in an accusatory tone. "I didn't want to believe you would do something like that. Faust did I not want to believe… but I can’t deny everything I have seen up to this point… and to think, I was ready to stick my neck out for you…”

“Listen to me!” Nabudis insisted, “Whatever you’ve been told is a lie. This is obviously a ploy by Dysley to try and turn you against me! To paint me as a disturbed madpony!”

“Really? How do I know that what you said this morning wasn’t ‘obviously a ploy’ by you to manipulate me into not trusting Dysley, so I can help you spirit Nyx away so no one would ever find you?!” Survival shot back.

“You’re seriously going to take his word over mine?!” Nabudis accused, “Survival… I’m your mentor… your friend-”

“Don’t you even!” Survival snapped, as Nabudis clammed up in shock, “From the very beginning, you’ve been hiding things from me! About Nyx and yourself! From not telling me and Hamm who we were escorting or why, to why you haven’t been at the hospital for weeks and just about everything in between! Friends are supposed to be honest with each other!”

“Fievel…” Nabudis frowned, fraught with guilt, “Please understand… I’m not the bad guy here!”

“Really?” Survival glared, “Then tell me… did you send me and Hamm out that night, knowing that we were going to get attacked and possibly killed by those Forefather agents?”

“No, never!” Nabudis angrily denied, pain in his voice.

“Then how did they know, huh?!” Survival snarled, “Out of everypony who could have known about the escort, you and I are the only ones left alive! And you are the only one who knew anything about Nyx! How do you explain any of that?!”

“I didn’t tell a soul!” Nabudis roared, “Dysley-”

“Dysley! Dysley! Dysley!” Survival mocked, “It keeps coming back to Dysley! I get that Secretariat is nothing like his dad, and I have no doubt in my mind that he is hiding something!”

“Yet you are trusting him?!” Nabudis glared.

"His words made some sort of sense." Survival declared. "He had a lot of good points. more than you're making right now!"

"I am not the monster Dysley seems to be making me out to be!" Nabudis tried to defend himself.

"Then why don't you prove it!" Survival got up in his face. "Give me proof that you weren't involved in the attack, right now!"

“Okay, let’s all calm down here!” Sterling pushed the two apart, “It's helping no one to turn on each other like this-”

“You stay out of this, Sterling!” Nabudis snapped, “You and those two RDL lackies of yours have caused enough problems as it is!”

Sterling stood there in silence, as well as Survival, as they both stared at him.

“...What?” Nabudis asked.

“...You just called Silver ‘Sterling’.” Survival pointed out.

“I… I did?” Nabudis frowned, “I… I must have been thinking of someone else-”

“Oh, no you weren’t.” Sterling began, his voice grim, “You were thinking of the right pony…”

“I don’t know what you’re implying.” Nabudis shook his head.

“It all adds up, doesn’t it?” Sterling declared, “How you were close to Dysley senior, how you know all kinds of advanced medical procedures and psychological know-how, and how you just so happened to have saved another stallion’s hoof. A feat like that is pretty rare, and I oughta know, considering a certain doctor did that for me. It's something I'd never forget, and I like to think it's something the doctor will never forget…” Sterling stared him right in the eyes, “...Am I right, Doc?”

Nabudis stared back, as if ready to refute his claim… but then he let out a deep sigh.

“...It’s been a while, Sterling Cross.” Nabudis… or rather Doc, relented.

“Oh my Faust… so it’s all true? You really do know him?! You’re really a Forefather agent?!" Survival gasped, horrified.

“No, I’m- look, it’s not what you think!” Nabudis insisted.

“Then what is it?” Sterling challenged, “What the hell is going on around here, Doc?! What has happened between you and Dysley?! What is the deal with Nyx?! And what the buck is Project: Bad Dreams?!”

“I’m afraid I have no time to explain!” Nabudis shook his head, “Right now, Nyx needs me-”

“For what? What is so important about her?!” Sterling demanded, “Because the way you’re sounding right now, you’re coming off just like that Weasel guy!”

“...Really?” Nabudis growled, outraged, “You compare me to that filth?! Come on, Sterling, you know me! We were friends-”

"Don't you give me that." Sterling retorted. "I didn't even know who you really were up until now! You’ve been hiding from secrets me just like Survival.”

“An unfortunate, but necessary, act of deception.” Nabudis said sullenly , “It was for the good of everypony!”

“How?! How was lying to me for all those years for anypony’s good?” Survival demanded, “It’s like- it’s like I don’t know you anymore! I don’t think I’ve ever known you.”

“I’m sorry, but I did what I had to.” Nabudis defended grimly, “But you have to believe me, I never meant for anypony to get hurt in all this. Fievel, please…”

“...I can’t…” Survival’s anger gave way to sadness, “...I don’t.”

“...I see.” Nabudis nodded glumly, “I guess that’s that…”

“If you’re not going to tell us, then I have no choice.” Sterling said firmly, “I’m going to have to take you in. We may have been friends, but you need to answer for your work with the Forefathers, just as I did. So, please make it easy on us and come quietly."

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Nabudis shook his head, “I need to get to Nyx before the others do. And I am not going to let anypony get in my way… not even you two.”

“Don’t try it, Doc.” Sterling warned, “We are going to save Nyx or whatever her name is… and we’ll protect her, whether it’s from Dysley or from you.”

“And here I thought you were one of the good ones.” Nabudis grumbled, “I’ll only ask this once: stand down.”

“You really think we’re just going to let you walk away?” Survival demanded, finding new resolve from Nabudis' stubbornness, “Come on, Nabudis, look at Sterling. He’d cream you!”

“Well, then, it’s a good thing I came prepared.” Nabudis smirked.

"Did you, now?" Sterling took a defiant step forward.

“Sure. Watch this.”

Swiftly, Nabudis reached into his jacket’s pocket, and pulled out a strange bottle, He pressed a button on the top of the bottle, which sprayed its contents all over Sterling and Survival.

“Hey!” Survival shielded his eyes.

“What the-” Sterling grunted, shielding himself as well.

As the substance spread all over them, it began to solidify and set, as the two were now covered in some sort of paste, sticking them in place.

“Ack! What the buck is this?!” Sterling growled, as he struggled in place, “I can’t move!”

“Yeah, me neither!” Survival lurched back and forth.

"Super-strength medical adhesive." Nabudis revealed. "Normally used to meld together massive wounds, but it has other uses, as you can see. You two won’t be going anywhere for awhile.”

“So that’s it? You’re just going to leave?” Sterling asked, trying to shake the paste off, “Come on, Doc, don’t do this! Whatever is going on, we can help you!”

“I’m afraid we’re well past that point, Sterling.” Nabudis sighed, as he turned to leave, “This is something I’ll have to do on my own...”

“Somnus, please!” Survival pleaded.

“Just one more warning.” Nabudis declared, unable to face the two, “If any of you value your lives, you will stay out of this. Too many ponies have already lost their lives in these past few days, and I can’t have any more deaths on my conscience… good-bye.”

Nabudis walked away, leaving the two.

"Som, wait!" Survival yelled.

"Get back here!" Sterling called.

Nabudis kept on walking, until he vanished from sight.

“Somnus! Somnus!” Survival cried, as he let out a scream of agony. “AGGH! Faust dammit!”

“Survival… I’m sorry...” Sterling frowned.

“How… how did things get this messed up?” Survival quivered, on the verge of tears, “First Hamm, then Brightdale, and now… I find out that my mentor is a Forefather agent? Faust damn, when I think things couldn’t get any worse!”

"Just try to stay calm." Sterling tried to offer comfort.

"Calm?!" Survival screeched. "How can I be calm in a situation like this."

"Well, losing it won't help either." Sterling pointed out.

"I suppose not..." Survival sighed.

"There ya go." Sterling smiled.

“...Now what?” Survival grimaced.

“Well, first things first, we need to get out of this ‘sticky situation’.” Sterling declared, as he then (with great difficulty) reached into his pocket, pulling out his mirror, “Luckily, our tech guy installed an emergency signal emitter for a situation like this.” He tapped a secondary button on the back of the handle, and the mirror began to make a soft humming noise, “There. Caboose and Fletcher will be able to follow it straight to us.”

"Well, let's hope they don't take too long." Survival sighed.

Across Canterlot, Caboose and Fletcher doing their own searching, with Caboose trying to lighten the mood with some chatter.

"...And that is why, in my opinion, horseshoes are a waste of iron." Caboose finished his thought.

"That was a very well-constructed argument, Caboose." Fletcher said awkwardly. "But we really should-"

Fletcher was interrupted by the same humming noise emmanating from his mirror as Sterling.

"Oh, no." He frowned.

"What is it?" Caboose asked. "Gotta call waiting?"

"No, Sterling and the others are in some kind of trouble!" Fletcher corrected him. "We need to get to them, fast!"

"Right behind ya!" Caboose grinned

The two rushed off to find their comrades. Thankfully, they arrived on the scene sooner rather than later.

“Guys! Over here!” Sterling called to them.

"What the heck is this?" Caboose frowned. "Did somepony leave a giant wad of bubblegum that you guys stepped in?"

"And who is that?" Fletcher glanced at the still unconscious thug. "And where is Nabudis?"

"It's a long story." Survival sighed.

"How about you get us out of this before we tell you?" Sterling suggested.

"Of course." Fletcher nodded, as he inspected the adhesive, “Hmm, nothing a little knee grease won't cure, eh, Caboose?"

"Oh, yeah." Caboose nodded, “...Do you have knee grease on you? ‘Cause I didn’t bring any.”

“Just grab Sterling. I’ll grab Dr. Horror.” Fletcher rolled his eyes.

The two rescuers grabbed their trapped friends by their midsections.

"Are they going to...?" Survival cringed.

"Looks like it." Sterling nodded.

"Just be careful not to rip our legs off." Survival urged.

"No promises." Caboose shrugged.

The two free stallion used all their might to pull their friends free of the adhesive, and set them back down by the still-unconscious stallion.

"Finally." Sterling smiled, stretching out his legs, which were almost numb from being stuck for so long.

"Still in one piece." Survival noted after a quick inspection.

"Now then, would you be so kind as to tell us what's going on?" Fletcher urged, “How did you end up in this gunk?”

“Well, you’re not going to like it…” Sterling frowned.

Sterling and Survival quickly explained the truth about Nabudis.

“No way!” Caboose gasped, “Nabudis is Doc?! An Arhubarbus?! Wow, what a classic horror movie twist! Did not see that coming!”

“Ugh, again with the horror movies?” Survival cursed under his breath.

“This is certainly not good… especially the part where Survival lied to us about Nabudis.” Fletcher glared at Survival.

“Easy, Fletch…” Sterling warned.

“No, no, Fletcher is right to be mad at me.” Survival admitted glumly. “I didn’t want to lie to you guys, but I also didn’t want to tear a father away from her daughter… Faust, I let him play me like a fiddle.”

“Come on, pal…” Caboose patted his back, “You’re more like an acoustic guitar.”

“I don’t know, guys.” Sterling frowned, “Something about this doesn’t add up.”

“What are you talking about, Sterling?” Caboose frowned.

“Nabudis is Doc.” Sterling began, “A high ranking member of the Forefathers… yet, this whole time, he has been searching for the patient alongside us, rather than with Dysley and the other agents. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

“Perhaps it was his way of keeping tabs on us while his cohorts look for the patient.” Fletcher surmised, “Or maybe he intended to nab the patient right from under our noses…”

“But then why did he beat the crap out of this agent here then?” Sterling gestured to the knocked out agent, “You should have seen the way Nabudis was laying into him… he was about ready to kill him before me and Fievel stopped him. Not something a Ourobors would do to a fellow agent.”

“Okay, you guys were giving me flak for letting my emotions cloud my judgement, yet you are now defending him?!” Survival snarled, “What the hell?!”

“He does have a point.” Fletcher frowned, “I get that he was your friend too, Sterling but-”

“I’m not saying he’s innocent in all this. Far from it.” Sterling glared, “...But I am afraid Nabudis is caught up in something far worse than we realized, and I can betcha that it has something to do with Secretariat.” He glanced at Survival, “Don’t tell me you don’t think the same way.”

"I know it does." Survival admitted. "But I'm still not sure how..."

“Look, right now, we have no time to debate that.” Fletcher said grimly, “If what our fallen agent here said is true, then we have to find our wayward patient and fast.”

“But how? This guy was our only lead and he’s out cold.” Sterling grunted, “Even then, I don’t think he even knew where she was.”

“Nabudis did.” Survival crossed his hooves, “I saw it in his eyes before he sprayed us with that adhesive… he wouldn’t have run off like he did if he had no idea where he was going.”

“Which leaves us in the dust.” Sterling growled in frustration, “Nabudis is in the wind. The Forefathers are closing in. And we’re no closer to finding this Nyx.”

“Yeah. I think the writers wrote us in a- wait a minute.” Caboose paused mid-fourth wall break. He stared at Sterling, “What did you just say?”

“...We’re no closer to finding Nyx?” Sterling repeated, confused.

“Nyx… Nyx… oh, no…” Caboose murmured, horror in his eyes.

“Wait, you heard the name before?” Survival asked.

“You bet I have…” Caboose declared, glancing fearfully at Fletcher, “Hurricane, my daughter. Last night, she was telling me about this new friend of hers who was missing her ‘papa’. I didn’t think much of it because we were busy looking for the patient all day… but the new friend’s name… it was Nyx. Her name was Nyx!”

“Wait… you don’t think…” Fletcher gaped.

"Son of a draft horse, your daughter found the patient!" Sterling gasped.

“Unbelievable!” Survival was stupefied, “Your daughter didn’t happen to tell you where she was, did she?”

“Oh, she was telling me all about it last night.” Caboose grimaced, beating himself for not realizing all this sooner, “She ran into her while she was hanging out with Princess Miracle and the twins. Said Miracle asked her to stay the night over at her place.”

"Wait, that would mean..." Fletcher said in hushed tones.

"Nyx might be at Canterlot Castle right now!" Sterling gasped.

"The one place none of us would think to look." Survival noted.

“Wow… looks like I was right all along.” Caboose mused, “...But I can’t enjoy it because the bad guys know about it too!”

“Then we must act posthaste!” Fletcher declared, “We must get to Canterlot Castle!”

“But then what?” Caboose frowned, “She might have Freddy Kanter powers! The only pony who knows how to handle that is one of the bad guys!”

“It’s something we’re going to have to improvise when we get there.” Fletcher grimaced, as he made to leave.

“Wait, what about this guy?” Survival gestured to the thug.

“We’ll just have to leave him. He’s cuffed right now, so I don’t think he’ll get far.” Fletcher frowned, “We’ll be back for him afterwards. Come on!”

“Um, right behind you!” Caboose frowned, as he followed.

“Faust, I hope we’re not too late.” Survival grimaced, as he and Sterling followed suit.

“You and me both.” Sterling nodded, as he eyed the castle in the distance.

Nabudis’ warning flashed through his mind for a brief moment, as the former Forefather agent worried about his former comrade.

’Doc… what the hell did you get yourself into?’

Nowhere To Run
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Fear of A Child

Nowhere To Run

Nabudis, or as many once called him, Doc, was making his way to Canterlot Castle, slowing down to a brisk walk when he was certain nopony were following him.

It was only mere minutes ago that everything had come out into the open, prompting his friend and his former comrade to turn on him, ultimately leading to him having to abandon them in their sticky predicament while he rushed off to find Nyx, who, if he wasn’t wrong when he read the thug’s shifting eyes, was at Canterlot Castle right now.

The doctor gave little thought as to why or how Nyx came to be at the castle, but mostly because his mind was still lingering back to the two ponies he abandoned…

’Faust, such a damn mess…’ Nabudis sighed internally, ’I guess it was too much to hope that I’d make a clean getaway… I just wish Survival didn’t have to find out…’

An image of Survival's face, displaying pain and betrayal, appeared before his mind's eye.

’I know discovering that I am… or rather was, a Forefather couldn’t have done your already stressed mental state any favors. Especially with the hell you’ve been through these past few days.’ Nabudis thought, his guilt growing, ’...But you’ll be okay. You’re tough. And you’re smart. That is why I hired you all those years ago… besides, the plan was always to leave you eventually.’ He shook his head sadly. 'But it wasn't meant to be like this. We weren't meant to part on such unpleasant terms...'

Then an image of Sterling’s face, displaying confusion and worry, ran across his mind.

’Sterling…’ Nabudis sighed. ’Even on the other side… you offered to help someone like me? It’s not like we were actually friends back then…’ He gave a small wistful smile, ’...It’s clear to see what Loveless and Jetstream saw in you… even Sacred knew…’ The smile quickly faded, ’...But you can’t help me, Sterling. No one can…’

Nabudis paused for a moment, the despair sinking in… before shaking his head.

’Ugh, get it together, Somnus.’ He told himself, ’This is no time for regrets. Nyx is so close. You must find her before Secretariat and the others do. Nothing must stop you from reuniting with her. Nothing.’

At the same time, a carriage sat outside a morgue. Inside were Triage and Master Mind.

After having extracted the odd blue mist from Weasel’s body, the group had split up; Armory and Incognito went to analyze the body of the pony who had previously died of ‘odd circumstances’, like with Weasel, the discovery of the blue mist opening up the possibility that what had happened to the dead scum could had happened to the other seven ponies who died in their sleep in the past.

While the two did that, Triage and Master Mind had decided to use another device Armory had brought as a companion piece to the Magische Probe: a scanning device that analyzes magic and magic-related essences and tells you their components, including the DNA of the one who produced the magic essence to begin with.

Armory claimed he was inspired by a plankton trying to recreate a burger that a very greedy crab sold at his restaurant. Master Mind recalled asking the Germane doctor what he was smoking (and if he could give him some).

Unfortunately, the device needed time to do it’s task, leaving the two stallions sitting in the carriage as they awaited the result. Evidently, the miasma was proving difficult for the device to decipher.

"So..." Triage attempted to pass the time with small talk. "You excited about the new Buckball season?"

"Can't say that I am." Master Mind shrugged. "I'm not really into sports..."

"Oh." Triage muttered.

"Have you... heard about the new production of Hoofilton coming to Manehatten?" Master Mind asked after a moment's silence.

"I'm not a fan of musicals, I'm afraid." Triage replied. "Have you heard about the Trottingham dog show?"

"I don't like dogs much." Master Mind declared. "Titan is a rare exception."

"Right..." Triage sighed.

They faded back into awkward silence.

"So... are you doing okay, doctor?" Master Mind asked suddenly.

“I assure you I’m fine.” Triage shook his head, “All this miasma did was give me a scare-”

“I’m not talking about that.” Master Mind frowned, “It’s just… you’ve been acting off all day. And honestly, I think Incognito might have been right.”

“Right? Right about what?” Triage scoffed.

“About what Fury said to you, about you becoming old.” Master Mind pressed onwards, “It really got to you, didn’t it?”

“Come now, Master, you know me.” Triage waved his hoof dismissively, trying to brush off the idea. "I served in wars, you know. I’d think I’ve much thicker skin."

“Not saying you don’t, far from it.” Master Mind shrugged, “But you have been at this for a long time. Longer than me. Longer than most of us.”

"So?" Triage scoffed. "That just means I've got experience. And yes, a few grey hairs. Some creaky joints, and-"

Master Mind glanced at him.

"Okay, fine." Triage sighed. "I am getting old. And maybe what Fury said did get to me. I mean, I have nothing against being old. I mean, we all gotta go sometimes… but when Fury brought it up… it just took me by surprise.”

"Triage..." Master Mind said sympathetically.

"I know Fury didn't mean anything by it. He’s brash, but he’s not malevolent.” Triage admitted, “...But it got me thinking… I’m not going to be able to do this job forever. Someday, I am going to have to step down, while some young new hotshot takes my place. And that day is coming closer and closer.”

“Well, you shouldn’t think about that.” Master Mind urged, “You still have a long while before they make you retire.”

“Don’t patronize me, Master.” Triage looked away, “Look at me. I’m pretty much at that point between being a grandpa and a ‘great’ grandpa!”

“Speaking of which, how is Anatomy?” Master Mind asked.

“She’s doing great. Just had her second foal last month.” Triage nodded… before scowling, “But don’t you see? They’re going to put me out to pasture soon, and then I’ll be spending the rest of my days doing old fogey crap like shuffleboard!”

"I doubt that will happen." Master Mind countered. "Not that soon, at least."

"Soon enough." Triage sighed. "It's only a matter of time before my surgical skills start to degrade, and that'll be it for me. Just another old fool, set for the retirement home."

"You're not an old fool." Master Mind retorted. "You're the best medic I've ever seen. Your skills are invaluable to this team, as are so many other talents."

"You're just saying that." Triage looked away.

"I mean it." Master Mind declared. "Micro told me how you were the smartest pony he has ever met. Even smarter than himself. And you know as well as I do that Micro does not say that about anyone. Your medical knowledge is greater than anypony else's. Even if you're not as young as you used to be, I doubt the RDL would want to get rid of an expert of your calibre. And I know none of the Taskforce would want to let you go. You're like family to us. And family doesn't let family go that easily."

Triage sat there in silence… before giving a small smile.

"Thank you, Master Mind." Triage smiled. "Hearing you say all that... it means a lot to me."

"You're welcome." Master Mind grinned. "Now, no more talk of getting old, okay? We've all got enough on our minds alread-"

Suddenly, the carriage was filled with a loud beeping noise, for the machine had finished the analysis. The results were written on a ream of paper emerging from the machine.

"Ah, finally." Triage smiled, tearing off the paper.

"Let's take a look." Master Mind leaned in. "Maybe we can finally find out what we're dealing with."

The two read the contents of the paper. Their faces initially showed simple curiosity... which then gave way to shock and surprise.

“What the…” Triage glanced over the readings again, “That can’t be right.”

“Did we enter something wrong on the machine?” Master Mind examined the scanner.

“No, no, Armory gave very explicit instructions.” Triage shook his head.

“But this simply can’t be.” Master Mind blustered, “This is-”

"We must inform Armory and Incognito!" Triage declared.

"Agreed." Master Mind nodded.

Just as they opened their carriage door, they found Armory and Incognito waiting outside.

“Oh, there you two are.” Triage declared, a bit shocked, “We were just about to come get you.”

“Well, we had to come see you right away.” Incognito frowned, “We got done looking at that treasurer’s body and-”

“Hold on, I think we know what you’re about to say, but you’re going to want to look at this.” Master Mind held out the readings.

“What the-” Armory took the readings, “...This is impossible… did I foul up somewhere in my instructions? I was certain I got the scanner right after the last time it blew up-”

“No, no, your instructions were clear… but what was that about the scanner blowing up?” Master Mind frowned.

“That is…’less’ important right now.” Triage grimaced, “We must inform the others about this at once...”

Over at Canterlot Castle, the charity event was in full swing. The party took place among the terrace and gardens, outdoorsy being the key theme for a charity dedicated to the Royal Animal Preservation Society. Everywhere you looked, everypony was enjoying refreshments, taking in the sights, and talking in merriment with their fellow ponies.

Nyx stood on a balcony, overlooking the terrace from her room, watching as the partygoers came in.

“Whoa, I’ve never seen so many ponies before.” Nyx mused, a bit daunted by the amount of ponies.

“Ah, Nyx, there you are.”

Nyx glanced away as Constell approached her. She was wearing a backless silvery gown, her mane done up in a bun.

“Whoa. Constell…” Nyx gaped, “You look great.”

“Thank you. That is real sweet of you.” Constell smiled, posing a bit, “When it comes to parties such as tonight, you really got to bring your A-game.”

“What is going on, anyways?” Nyx asked, glancing back down on the terrace, “Is it somepony’s birthday?”

“Oh, no, it’s just a little charity dinner.” Constell explained, “Ponies of wealth and status pay to come by and have a good time, and their money goes to a good cause. It’s kind of a two to three times a month kind of deal. Tonight is all about helping the Animal Preservation Society raise money to help save those poor blue macaws over in Brayzil.”

“Wait… I think I heard about those.” Nyx recalled… as her face saddened, “Papa used to talk about them a lot. He once said that they were were a waste of time. That it was all about a bunch of fat cats bragging about their wealth, and acting like, like... something about bucking, and Tartarus...”

“Hmm, your Papa didn’t have much love for high society life, did he?” Constell frowned.

“Not in particular.” Nyx shook her head, “He told me he only ever went to them because he was with somepony he cared about.”

“They must have been someone pretty special.” Constell mused.

“I wouldn’t know.” Nyx admitted, “Papa always used to get sad whenever he talks about this somepony. And now… I guess I’ll never know.”

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.” Constell placed a hoof on her shoulder, wearing a soft loving smile, “Tell you what, how about you come down and join the festivities?”

“But I haven’t any money.” Nyx frowned.

“You let the ‘fat cats’ worry about that.” Constell chuckled, “Besides, you could use a little fun. Miracle and the others are already down there. Forget about your worries and dance the night away. Does that sound good?”

“Well, I guess…” Nyx nodded weakly, as she gestured to her outfit, having donned her headband and vest again, “Do I look alright, though?”

"Of course you do." Constell assured. "Come on, let's go."

"Okay..." Nyx nodded.

The two headed down to the party.

'I think I know just how to help you loosen up, kid...' Constell mused, a plan forming.

Meanwhile, at the gates to the castle, Nabudis arrived. His eyes shifted back and forth as he made his way to the entrance, slightly paranoid that other Forefather agents or the RDL agents Sterling made friends with had beat him there.

To his relief, he saw nopony he recognized, and considering that no guard had rushed in to arrest him yet, he was in the clear. For how long, however, he did not know.

“Okay, Nabudis, you can do this.” Nabudis straightened his jacket, taking a deep breath. He marched forward, saying to himself, “Get in. Get Nyx. Get out. Get in. Get Nyx, Get out. Simple. Just as long as there’s no-”

A spear was held out in front him, being wielded by one of the two guards watching the entrance.

“Interruption.” Nabudis grunted.

"Can we help you, sir?" One guard, a Unicorn, asked.

“Um, yes. Somnus Nabudis.” Nabudis replied, “I’m here for the party. I was invited by Prince Gothic.”

“Is that so?” The other guard, a Pegasus, frowned, “Well, no offense, but you don’t look like the kind of guy the Prince would invite.”

“And what kind of guy do you suppose he would invite?” Nabudis shot back, his patience already wearing thin. “Look, I’m a good friend of his. We spoke last night, and he personally invited me.”

“Sure he did.” The Unicorn sneered, “Forgive us if we don’t believe you. Last time we let in somepony who was supposedly in good with a Prince, we almost got robbed and then a giant metal spider came and wrecked the place!”

“I feel those two things have nothing in common.” Nabudis glared, definitely recalling Project: Titanfall.

“Oh, you have no idea.” The Pegasus grimaced.

“Well, I assure you, I’m not a thief.” Nabudis scoffed, “Now, if you could please let me in, I would be most gracious.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” The Unicorn refused, “You may be no ‘Western Shade’, but you definitely look shady. And we don’t like ‘shady’.”

“Okay, I am already having a bad day, and I am in no mood to argue with the hired help.” Nabudis seethed, “So, if you would kindly, step aside. Now.”

“Or what?" The Unicorn challenged.

"Yeah." The Pegasus added. "What are you gonna do, weirdo?"

“Weirdo, am I?” Nabudis snarled darkly, “Well, let me show you just how ‘weird’ things will get if you don’t-”

"What's going on out here?" Gothic suddenly walked by, having stopped by to greet more guests.

“Prince Gothic!” The Pegasus and Unicorn saluted, as the Unicorn continued, “It’s nothing, sir. Just a irate gate-crash-”

“Somnus?!” Gothic gaped, ignoring him, as he saw his best friend, “You’re- you’re here!”

“Surprise.” Nabudis smiled weakly, hiding his immense relief at his timely arrival.

“Well, what are you doing out here?! Come on in!” Gothic urged with a bright smile.

“Whoa, with all due respect, your highness, do you think that's a good idea?" The Pegasus asked.

"Yeah, this guy seems a little off, if you ask me..." The Unicorn added.

"Now, now, let's not judge by appearances." Gothic admonished them. "Somnus here is an old friend of mine. I appreciate your concerns, but there is no need for them. Now if you excuse us…” He gestured inwards, “After you, Somnus."

"Thank you, Gothic." Nabudis smiled, entering the building. It took great restraint to not shoot a smug look at those guards, who awkwardly returned to their posts. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t showed up.”

“I do apologize for that.” Gothic sighed, “Our last guest kinda left a lasting impression. And on top of that giant mech spider fiasco, the guards have been cracking down on anypony who might appear to be suspicious. If I had known you were actually coming, I would have made sure that they let you in without any trouble.”

“Relax, it’s not your fault.” Nabudis shook his head, “To be perfectly honest, my decision to come here was actually kind of a last-minute deal. I didn’t even have time to change into something more presentable.”

“Don’t you worry about clothes, Som. All that matters is that you’re here now.” Gothic smirked, “And we have so much to catch up on! What the old gang has been up to, how things have been changing here..."

As Gothic continued on with his talk, Nabudis nodded listlessly, a pang of guilt welling up inside once more.

‘Oh, Gothic… why must you trust me so blindly?’ Nabudis bemoaned, ’You’ll make finding Nyx easier… but you’ll make leaving you behind all the much harder…’

Inside, the party was in full swing, as guests chatted the night away.

"Magnificent soirée, wouldn't you agree?" Sassy Saddles smiled.

"Indubitably." Hoity Toity nodded.

Jet Set and Upper Crust were standing by the fondue fountain.

"I swear, there are more and more nouveau riche at these events with every passing year." Upper Crust glared at the other guests with distaste. "It wasn't so long ago that a legacy was a prerequisite for attending such a function, and now they're letting any uncouth pony with deep enough pockets to attend. Wouldn't you agree, Jet?"

Jet Set remained mute, gazing off into the distance. His eyes were glazed, subconsciously rubbing his abdomen, recalling the voltage he had received at the hooves of a certain mad stallion.

“Jet? Jet!” Upper Crust called for his attention.

“Huh, oh, yeah. I agree wholeheartedly with... Whatever you just said.” Jet Set quickly added, readjusting his glasses.

"Thank you for the support, dear." Upper Crust rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile, Dusty and Blueblood were standing by the buffet table. Blueblood hungrily reached for a chocolate-coated, cream-filled profiterole, only for Dusty to slap his hoof.

"Oww!" Blueblood yelped.

"No fatty foods." Dusty glared. "You're on a diet, remember?"

"One little treat won't hurt!" Blueblood pouted. "Please?"

"No, dear." Dusty shook her head. "You have to set a good example for the boys."

Speaking of which, Pureblood and Vito were standing by the punch bowl, also dressed up for the occasion; Pureblood had on a simple bow tie, while Vito was wearing a small blue suit.

“This is turning out to be a nice party.” Pureblood smiled, as he took a sip of punch, “And the refreshments are nice. The staff really hit it out of the park. What’d you say, V?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” Vito crossed his hooves with a pout.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re still on about ‘Nyx being Nightmare Moon’, are you?” Pureblood frowned knowingly, “You swore to Miracle-”

“Yeah, I know.” Vito grunted, “But honestly, I still stand by my theory that she is Nightmare Moon in disguise.”

“What do you want, V?” Pureblood sighed, “You saw her cutie mark just like the rest of us. Aside from the crescent moon, it was completely different. That was supposed to prove that she isn’t Nightmare Moon, right?”

“Look, maybe I was wrong about the cutie mark.” Vito admitted, “But what about everything else? The cat eyes, the black coat, and the nightmares?! Come on, it’s so obvious!”

“Vito, we don’t know for sure if Nyx was even responsible for that.” Pureblood glared, “Maybe she does have some things in common with Nightmare Moon, but for all we know, it’s all a big coincidence.”

“Are you willing to stake everyone’s lives on that?” Vito challenged, “First, it was just me, dad, and few of the staff. What’s to say that these nightmares won’t come back and finish us all off tonight?!”

“And how are you sure that’s going to happen?” Pureblood shot back, “I mean, even if Nyx is hiding something, what does it matter? She has been nothing but nice to us the whole time she’s been with us. She really doesn’t seem to be the type to just up and go crazy on us all the sudden.”

"We've only know her a few days, so how do you know?" Vito pointed out.

"I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character." Pureblood retorted.

"The jury's still out on that one too..." Vito muttered.

“Look, let’s forget this whole thing for now and enjoy the party.” Pureblood soothed, “How about we check out that buffet table? They’ve got those fancy cheese squares you like..."

“You know what, you’re right.” Vito let out a sigh, “But only cause there’s cheese squares. This discussion still isn’t over.”

“Heh, I’ll take it.” Pureblood shrugged, as he followed his brother to the buffet table.

Meanwhile, Miracle, Nyx, and Hurricane were hanging out. Miracle was the only one of the three to dress up, having done a simple white sundress.

"So this is a party." Nyx mused, taking in the sights and sounds of the event. "It's very... busy."

“Oh, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Hurricane chuckled, “You should see the parties my dad’s family puts together.”

“Or the parties that this one mare in Ponyville plans.” Miracle added. “Makes this little gathering look like a talk around the water cooler."

“Really? This party is pretty crowded already.” Nyx mused. She shuffled a little, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

“Are you doing alright, Nyx?” Hurricane asked.

“O-oh, yeah.” Nyx shook her head, “I just need to get a drink. Mind if I-”

“Sure you can. We’ll be right here.” Miracle smiled.

“Just don’t be long.” Hurricane added, “The party's just getting started."

Nyx negotiated her way through the crowd. It wasn't easy, even for a filly. She narrowly avoided bumping into several ponies, spinning herself around to watch for any incoming obstacles. As she was taking in any problems from the left, she bumped into somepony behind her.

"Oops!" Nyx yelped. "Sorry about that!"

"That's okay, little filly." A familiar, kind voice replied.

Nyx turned, and saw Luna standing before her, wearing an elegant midnight blue gown.

"Oh... h-hello." Nyx said awkwardly, their last encounter still fresh in her mind.

“Yes, hello.” Luna nodded, “Enjoying the festivities?”

“Y-yes. Was just getting something to drink.” Nyx rubbed her shoulder anxiously, “A lot of ponies around here, huh?”

“Oh, yes.” Luna agreed, seeing the anxiety in the young filly’s eyes, “It is a bit overwhelming, wouldn’t you say?”

“W-well, kinda.” Nyx cringed.

“Believe me, I felt quite the same when I first got back many years ago.” Luna sighed.

“Got back? Got back from where?” Nyx tilted her head in confusion.

“It’s not important.” Luna shook her head, “I just know it’s not easy for ponies like us to be in big crowds such as these. Which is part of why I’m surprised to see you here.”

“To be honest, I wasn’t planning on attending.” Nyx admitted, “But Constell invited me… I hope that was okay.”

“Of course it’s fine.” Luna smiled, “You are our guest after all.”

“And I thank you.” Nyx nodded humbly, “You’ve all been very kind to me… especially Constell.”

“Indeed. It seems my daughter has taken quite a shine to you.” Luna mused.

"Yeah, she's great." Nyx smiled. "I don't why, exactly, but being around Constell is making me feel… not alone. I've spent so much time on my own, in what felt like everlasting night..."

“What was that?” Luna raised a brow.

“O-oh, um, it’s nothing.” Nyx shook her head, “I really should go get that drink and get back to Miracle and the others.” She gave a small bow, “It was nice talking to you, Princess.”

Before Luna could react, Nyx swiftly walked off, heading to the punch bowl. The princess of the night stood there, nonplussed. She truly didn’t know what to make of the mysterious filly or why she invoked these very odd feelings within her.

’Just who is this filly?’ Luna mused, ’Why does she remind me so much of ‘her’? Is it just the way she looks… or is there something she’s hiding? If so… what?’

"Good evening, your highness!" Luna was brought out of her thoughts by one of the other guests, a Crystal Pony philanthropist by the name of Clear Karat. "Wonderful party you've put together."

"Thank you." Luna smiled. "We do try..."

"I was hoping to talk to you about holding a new charity gala." Clear declared. "Have you ever heard of the Winterchilla Preservation Group? It's a new charity, but one with a lot of work ahead of it..."

As Clear led her away, Luna couldn't help but throw one last look toward Nyx, still unable to decipher the mystery.

Meanwhile, Luxury was enjoying the party, making small talk with his fellow guests.

"Thank you for your kind contributions." He told one. "And yours too. Have a good evening."

At that point, Constell joined him.

"Hey, good lookin'." She grinned.

“Ah, Constell, my love.” Luxury crooned, “I was wondering where you got off to.”

“Oh, I was just tending to a guest.” Constell smirked, “How’s our little soirée here?”

“All is well so far.” Luxury declared, “The donations are coming in aplenty and everypony is having a good time. So I think we knocked it out of the ballpark.”

“That’s good.” Constell nodded, “It’s a shame your parents couldn’t make it though.”

“Yeah, I know.” Luxury sighed, “But dad had that business trip to Mount Aris, and mom doesn’t like socializing without him. So it’s just me representing the family tonight.”

“Well, that’s alright. You are more than enough for me.” Constell kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks, Connie.” Luxury nuzzled her.

“...Although, since we’re on the subject, there is something I’ve been wanting to talk about.” Constell revealed.

“Really? What about?” Luxury raised a brow.

“Well, it’s about…” Constell said hesitantly, “Kids.”

“...Say what now?” Luxury’s eyes widened.

“You heard me. Kids.” Constell pressed forward, “You know, starting a family.”

“Whoa, whoa, where is all this coming from?” Luxury stammered, floored by the sudden bombshell, “...Holy crap, are you pregnant? For real this time?”

“No, that’s not it.” Constell shook her head, “It’s just something I’ve been thinking about lately.”

“Ah… so, are you saying you want to try for kids?” Luxury asked, rubbing his head.

“Not exactly.” Constell shrugged, “Actually, I was thinking maybe we could consider adopting.”

“Adopting?” Luxury raised a brow in confusion, “But why? We’re both physically healthy ponies.”

“That we are. And make no mistake, I would like to have a foal of our own someday.” Constell explained, “But I was just thinking of all the poor foals out there, without a home or somepony to love them. And I was thinking, maybe we could be the ones to give one a home with us.”

“Well, if you put it like that, it does sound like a good idea.” Luxury admitted, still unsure, “Adoption or not, this is quite a big step to take for the both of us.”

“Yeah, I know.” Constell nodded, “But I feel like we’re ready. Can you just see us being parents, loving our filly-er-foal with all the love we can muster, filling holes in all our hearts?”

“I do see that.” Luxury assured her, “But still, this is a big decision. I think it would be best that we talk about it later. Right now, we should just live in the moment and enjoy the party. Does that sound alright?”

“Well, I suppose.” Constell agreed, slightly disappointed.

“Good.” Luxury breathed a sigh of relief, “Now then, if I recall, there’s some hors d'oeuvres with our names on them over at the buffet table.”

“Oh, yeah, those are the best, aren’t they?”

Luxury lit up in elation as Secretariat approached them, wearing yet another spiffy suit.

“Secret! Good to see you!” Luxury smirked, giving him a small hug and pat on the back.

“Likewise, Lux.” Dysley smiled, as he glanced at Constell, “And Constell, you are looking rather lovely tonight.”

“Charming as ever, I see.” Constell chuckled.

“Guilty.” Dysley grinned.

“Enjoying the party?” Luxury asked.

"Indubitably." Dysley nodded. "With good ponies and good food, it makes for a brief escape from the stresses of life. Faust knows I need one after the day I had.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard all about the Brightdale Hospital.” Constell frowned, “I’m real sorry.”

“I thank you for the condolences.” Dysley sighed, “I already have a press conference waiting Friday, but the next several weeks are going to be nothing but damage control. Relatives of the deceased are already lining up to give us a piece of their mind.”

“Well, if you ever need any help, you can count on us.” Luxury gave a confident smirk, “I happen to know a very good lawyer who can possibly do things pro bono.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Dysley chuckled knowingly, “But that’s enough about my life. What about you two? It looked like you two were having a serious discussion about something...” He then quickly added, “Not that it’s any of my-”

“Oh, it’s fine, Secret.” Constell grinned, “Let’s just say there’s something new in the pipeline.”

“Something that hasn’t been confirmed.” Luxury added swiftly, earning a pout from Constell. "There’s still much to discuss there ‘later’."

“Fair enough. There’s a lot of other things to talk about.” Dysley smiled, “And I’ve got all night...”

At the same time, Nabudis and Gothic were walking through the party, also talking.

"Looks like a really big turnout this year." Gothic pointed out the number of guests. "Should raise quite the tidy sum."

“Hmm, right…” Nabudis nodded falsely, not paying as much attention, as he scanned the area for Nyx, “For the Foundation to Preserve Flyders, right?”

“Um, not exactly.” Gothic cringed, as he noted his odd glances shifting back and forth, “Is everything alright, Som?”

“Uh…” Nabudis froze for a moment, as he straightened up, rubbing the back of his head “Yeah, everything’s fine. Just… you know I was never fond of these gatherings, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” Gothic nodded, “It was like you said: 'a bunch of fat cats bragging about their wealth'.” He gave a soft chuckle, “Sacred practically had to drag you to the last party. What he had in ways with words, you had in sheer stubbornness.”

“No argument there.” Nabudis gave a wistful sigh. "But after we reunited recently, it reminded me of how much fun we had together, so I decided to drop by."

"Yeah, those were good times." Gothic sighed nostalgically. "Remember that camping trip we took to the Hollow Shades? Boy, what a rollercoaster that was..."

As they talked, Nabudis glanced around whenever he had the chance, looking for Nyx. However, Gothic reminiscing about the old times with him and Sacred induced much regret and sadness in him.

“Somnus… are you doing okay?” Gothic asked.

“I’m… I’m fine.” Nabudis declared, shaking his head, “...Just have a lot on my mind…”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you.” Gothic frowned sympathetically, “Having the place you work at be the center of a massacre would do that to you.”

“Oh… right.” Nabudis grimaced, “It’s… it’s really bad over there.”

“Yeah, and I know this may come off as bad to the other victims, but I’m glad you weren’t there when it happened.” Gothic admitted, “Although I do find it kind of odd that they mentioned there being no survivors… aren’t they aware that you’re still alive?”

“Oh, well, truth be told, I was taking some time off from the hospital.” Nabudis quickly lied, “In fact, I was going to be heading back when you found me at the tavern last night. And with how bad things are, I think it would be best that I keep a low profile.”

“Hmm, that’s a fair point.” Gothic nodded, “You also weren’t a ponies’ pony.”

“No kidding.” Nabudis let out a small chuckle. As he did, he scanned over the party again, still not seeing the young filly.

"But at least you had us." Gothic smiled. "The old Luna fan club. It all seems like so long ago."

"For me, it seems like yesterday." Nabudis shrugged.

As the two continued making their way through the party, they found Luna, who had just parted ways with Clear Karat.

"Hello, darling." Luna greeted her husband.

"Hi, sweetheart." Gothic kissed her. "You will not believe who decided to show up.” He gestured to Somnus.

“Good evening, your majesty.” Nabudis bowed his head.

“Somnus Nabudis.” Luna gave a small grin, “What a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“That makes the two of us.” Nabudic gave a small chuckle, “But since Gothic went to the trouble of sending me an invitation, I felt I just had to make an appearance.”

“Well, we are glad to have you.” Luna smiled, “It has been far too long.”

"Indeed it has, your highness." Nabudis bowed.

As they talked, Nabudis kept sneaking looks at the crowd, in hopes of finding Nyx.

“Do you recall the day when I brought Luna to one of our meetings?” Gothic mused nostalgically.

“Oh, yes. Everyone was absolutely floored.” Nabudis chuckled, “Hell, Sulphur Shade got so excited that he began foaming at the mouth…” He then put a hoof to his chin, “...Although I think he might have had a condition.”

“It was flattering to say the least.” Luna smiled, “You were all so respectful and friendly back then… especially you, Somnus.”

"Well, it wasn't every day I got to meet my idol." Nabudis declared. "Meeting you was definitely a highlight in my life. It was honestly a dream come true.”

“I think it was the same for all of us.” Gothic mused.

“No, I mean it.” Nabudis said firmly, “Seeing you in the flesh made me realize that my goals could be achieved. If it wasn’t for you and your return from imprisonment, I would not be where I am today…” He then murmured, “...You gave me Nyx.”

“What was that last part?” Luna tilted her head.

“Oh, nothing.” Nabudis shook his head, “So… nice party, huh?”

"Indeed." Luna nodded. "And an even nicer amount of Bits raised for a worthy cause."

"Nothing like having a good night out and helping those in need." Gothic agreed.

"So true." Nabudis nodded.. "And so much better than holding a party for self-interested snobs who want nothing more than to revel in how much money they have."

"Tell me about it." Gothic scowled. "The less time we have to spend with ponies like that, the better. I remember this one time..."

As the conversation continued, Nabudis kept looking around, hoping to spot Nyx. He had hoped to do so little enough to avoid notice, but Luna proved him wrong.

"Is there something wrong, Nabudis?" Luna asked. "You seem... distracted."

"Distracted? No, no." Nabudis shook his head. "I was just, er..." He racked his brain, trying to come up with another excuse.

“Well, look who it is.” A confident (with a hint of smug) voice declared.

Nabudis froze, recognizing the voice.

“Oh no…” Nabudis whispered.

Nabudis and the couple looked over to see none other than Secretariat Dysley coming towards them, accompanied by Constell and Luxury.

“Hey, mom. Hey, dad.” Constell smiled.

"Oh, hello, dear." Luna beamed.

“Luna, Gothic, you both remember Secretariat, right?” Luxury asked.

“Of course. Sacred’s boy.” Gothic held out his hoof, “It is good to see you again.”

“Likewise, sir.” Dysley shook his hoof.

“How is your mother? I hope she has been well.” Luna asked.

"In good health, I'm happy to say." Dysley answering in the positive.

“Who’s this, dad?” Constell stared at Nabudis, who was in turn stared at Dysley, who seemed unaware of his wandering eyes.

“Oh, right. Constell, Luxury, this here is Somnus Nabudis.” Gothic introduced, “He’s an old pal of mine from back before I met your mother.”

"Mine, too." Dysley smiled pleasantly. "Isn't that right, old friend?"

"Yes." Nabudis said through gritted teeth. "We go way back."

“So, Somnus. Mind telling me what brings you here?” Dysley began, finally facing him.

Nabudis stared at him silently. He felt tense, fearing that his secrets were moments from being divulged. His mind raced, wondering what to do if the worst had come to pass…

“You have been on that trip to for quite a while.” Dysley continued. Nabudic gave a look of confusion, “I’ve tried contacting you, but no answer. I was beginning to think you came back early… and that you’ve perished along with the others at the hospital.”

“Oh…” Somnus began, going along with this sudden lie, “Oh, right. I’m terribly sorry. I just came back to Canterlot yesterday, and when I heard the news about the massacre, I simply wanted to keep my head low…” He bowed his head, “I didn’t mean to worry you, Secret.”

“Well, all that matters is that you’re okay.” Dysley nodded, “We’ve lost a lot of good ponies this week.” There was a glint in his eyes, “It’d be a shame if we lost a doctor who was as smart and ‘admirable’ as yourself.”

“Indeed.” Nabudis replied, forcing a fake smile, “After all, it must be hard carrying the weight of your father’s legacy of kindness and charity on your young shoulders… right, Secret?”

“...Right.” Dysley grinned forcefully.

The two couples shared awkward glances, sensing something was a bit off.

“So, bottom line, we’re all here.” Gothic stepped in, deciding not to exacerbate whatever was off about tham. “How about we not talk about tragedies right now. We should take this time and-”

“Actually, sir, if it is all right, I have to discuss some very important matters about ‘you know what’ with Nabudis in private.” Dysley declared, giving a look to Nabudis, “We’ll be right back though.”

“Oh, okay, I guess.” Gothic frowned, a bit perturbed.

“Don’t take too long, Secret.” Luxury joked.

“We won’t… I promise you.” Dysley smirked, as he glanced at Nabudis and gestured him to another area on the terrace.

“Yeah… just a little chat.” Nabudis murmured, an edge to his voice.

The two left, leaving the two couples standing there.

“Hmm, I hope whatever Dysley has to talk about to Somnus about Brightdale isn’t too serious.” Luna frowned.

“I don’t know. I feel like there is something going on between those two.” Constell admitted, “Some sort of animosity…”

“I’m not sure about that.” Gothic shrugged, “Somnus has been a friend of Dysley and his family for years.”

“Yeah, and besides, Secret doesn’t have a hateful bone in his body.” Luxury smiled, “They’re probably going to talk about providing benefits for the families of those who died at Brightdale.”

“Hmm…” Constell glanced at where Nabudis and Dysley had gone.

Nabudis and Dysley made their way to a secluded corner of the terrace, away from the prying eyes of the other party-goers.

“...So, here we are.” Dysley grimaced, dropping his smile, “Face to face at last…” He then gave a small sneer, “You’re looking live-”

“Cut the bullcrap, Secret!” Nabudis snapped, “Where’s Nyx?! What have you done with her?!”

“Mind your temper, Somnus.” Dysley admonished him, barely fazed by his outburst, “We’re at a party you know. Wouldn’t want everypony to see you manic… oh wait, you do that just by breathing.”

“Dysley…” Nabudis hissed.

“Relax.” Dysley scoffed, “If I had found Nyx already, I would have been gone by now. I mean, Lux and his wife did a good job with the party, but I have much more important things to be doing, as you well know.”

“Unfortunately.” Nabudis grimaced, sensing truth in his words, “How did you even find out that she’s here?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I got lucky?” Dysley shrugged.

“Knowing my luck, I’d be shocked otherwise.” Nabudis growled.

“Indeed. Right now, it’s only a matter of time before Nyx shows herself.” Dysley declared, “And once she does, she’s good as mine.”

“If you think I’m going to let you take Nyx, then you got another thing coming.” Nabudis seethed, “I meant it when I said you weren’t going near her again!”

“Yes, I think I still recall the right hook to the face.” Dysley huffed, tapping his right cheek, “A bit of an overreaction, if you ask me.”

“No. An overreaction would have been breaking your face against the desk.” Nabudis hissed.

“Ugh, so uncivilized.” Dysley shook his head, “And you want me to let you take Nyx back?”

“Dysley, please.” Nabudis gritted his teeth, “She’s just a child…”

“A child that has a role to play and she is going to play it, whether you like it or not.” Dysley glared, “You already caused enough problems as it is.”

“I did what I had to to protect her from you.” Nabudis simmered.

“And look where that got you.” Dysley sneered, “That fatass buffoon is dead, and that weird assistant of yours got dragged into this mess you’ve made for yourself. He probably would’ve kicked the bucket too if I hadn’t set him straight.”

“You manipulated him, turned him against me.” Nabudis growled.

“Well, I only told him the truth… well, the convenient one at least.” Dysley shrugged, “I mean, I can’t imagine how you’d begin to explain to him about who… or rather what Nyx truly is.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Nabudis glared, “Look, I am not here to fight with you. All I want is Nyx. I don’t care what you do with the project, just let us be.”

“Really? And how do you think that’s gonna go over with Father, hmm?” Dysley crossed his hooves, “He’s already wondering why you haven’t been at Infinity for a while. Everypony is, for that matter. At this rate, everyone is going to think you pulled a ‘Sterling’ and abandoned the Forefathers…” He then gave a knowing sneer. “...Unless that is what's going on.”

“...What if it is.” Nabudis huffed. His eyes grew somber. “There is nothing left for me with the Forefathers. And after what you did, I had to get us out of there. For both of our sakes”.

“And you think we’re just gonna let you leave?” Dysley chuckled darkly, “You know how this song and dance works for all deserters, right? Sterling was one thing, but you tried to take property of the Forefathers with you. My property.” Nabudis clenched his hooves, “Once they figure out you jumped ship, you will be hunted for the rest of your miserable life. Both of you.”

Nabudis felt his breath hitch.

“Even if you were, by some miracle, to walk out of here with Nyx, you two will never know peace.” Dysley pressed on, his eyes cold as ice, getting closer to Nabudis’ face “That little girl will spend the rest of her life living in fear, because ‘Papa’ had to be selfish and steal her away from ponies who would make good use of her powers. Now tell me, do you really think that’s any way for a child to live?”

The doctor remained silent, his eyes glaring holes into Dysley.

“...But I like to think of myself as a merciful pony.” Dysley pulled back, shrugging, “You were my father’s closest friend, and you were honestly a major contributor to my plans and the Forefathers. That is why I’ll tell you this only once...”

He gestured to the ballroom, and to that extent, the gates to the castle.

“Walk away.” Dysley ordered, his face firm, “Walk away and forget about Nyx. Do that, and I’ll see to it that the Forefathers will leave you alone. I’ll tell them that you decided to go on an faraway expedition and will probably be gone for a long, LONG, time. And that you decided to let me take full control over Project: Bad Dreams.”

His face softened, as he placed a hoof on Nabudis’ shoulder.

“And I promise you, Nyx will be well looked after.” Dysley swore, giving what seemed to be a genuine smile, “She’s going to help the Forefathers seize their goals. She’d be hailed as a hero… so what do you say, Doc?”

Nabudis was still silent, as if deep in thought. Dysley began to feel a bit giddy, confident that he had gotten through to him…

But then he felt a strong grip on the hoof that was on the doctor’s shoulder.

“...Did you offer this same mercy to the hospital?” Nabudis began.

Dysley glanced up at him in shock. The young stallion attempted to come up with a response… but none came.

“I didn’t think so.” Nabudis hissed, as he threw Dysley’s hoof off of him, sending the stallion back a step, “So save your so-called ‘mercy’. Faust knows it’s worthless.”

“Grr, You’re making a big mistake.” Dysley snarled, “This is your last chance-”

“I’m not an idiot.” Nabudis snorted, “I know the first chance you get, you’ll have another Forefather agent, or somepony else on your payroll, come and take me out. Maybe stage it like an accident.”

“Wha-” Dysley tried to interject,

“Because I know you, Secret.” Nabudis pressed onwards, “I can see the contempt… the hatred, you hold for me. You wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, knowing that I was still alive. That I know all your secrets. All your transgressions.”

Dysley felt his jaws clench. He was clearly growing irate.

“Besides, even if you were genuine with your ‘mercy’, I still wouldn’t take it.” Nabudis declared, “Because I also know that you don’t give a damn for Nyx’s well-being. No one under your command does. To walk away would be to kill her myself… and I have already lost one pony I loved.”

“You son of a bitch…” Dysley seethed, “I can… and I will destroy you.”

“I know.” Nabudis nodded, “But I did not come all this way to be intimidated. In spite of everything, Secret, I do not want to fight you. For both your mother and your father’s sake. But if you do not stand aside, then I’ll have no choice...”

"So you're threatening me, is that it?" Dysley scowled, “You’re willing to throw everything away for this girl? I can only wonder how Gothic and Luna will feel, once I tell them who you really are.”

“Oh, and what about who you really are?” Nabudis shot back, “That young stallion Luxury. I wonder how he would feel, knowing that his best friend is a cold-blooded killer.”

“You leave Lux out of this!” Dysley roared.

“And just what are you going to do about it?” Nabudis taunted.

"Oh, I'll show you-" Dysley stepped forward, only to be stopped by the sound of his mirror buzzing. “I show-” The mirror buzzed once more, “I’ll sho-” The mirror continued buzzing.

“You should probably get that. It might be important.” Nabudis smirked.

“You shut the-” Dysley snarled, before being interrupted once more, “Oh, for crying out loud!”

Quickly, he ripped a pocket mirror out of his pocket, turned away from Nabudis, and tapped harder than necessary. The mirror activated.

“What?!” Dysley snapped.

The face on the other side was Silas Necross, who seemed just as irate.

“Finally. I have a bone to pick with you, Dysley!” Silas scowled, “I spent all day getting the stuff we needed to find that patient of yours, and just as we were about to head out, I hear that patient was already found!”

“So, what if she was?!” Dysley yelled, “I’m in the middle of-”

“Hey! Hey!” Silas snapped back, “Do you have any idea what I went through today just to get the gear your troops needed to be able to explore Canterlot undetected?! A lot! A real lot! You think you can just buy this stuff on the black market?! No, no. The reality, the real reality of getting these armors was staggering. You know? I had to call in a whole bunch of favors. Favors I’ve collected over the years I headed ‘The Order of Darkness’. Favors that I could have used to finally take over Equestria. Favors that I will never get back, because I wasted them so I could find this damn brat, only to find out she’s already been found! WHY WAS I NOT MADE AWARE OF THIS THE MOMENT SHE WAS FOUND?!”

“Oh my bucking Faust, shut up!” Dysley snarled, “I already have enough problems, and your ‘wasted favors’ isn’t one of them! Call this mirror again and you’ll be the next pony I get rid of, got it?!”

"Wait-!" Silas barely had time to blurt out before Dysley hung up on him.

Dysley let out a silent curse.

“Now, as for you, Som-” Dysley turned back… only to find Nabudis was gone, “Oh, motherf-”

Meanwhile, Fletcher and the others arrived at the castle grounds, in pursuit of Nabudis.

"Okay, we’re here. We've got to find Nabudis." Survival declared. "And fast."

"So we don't have time to try the hors' d'oeuvres?" Caboose sighed. "Story of my life..."

“Sorry, Caboose, but time is of the essence.” Fletcher frowned. He turned to Sterling, “Sterling, you really should hang back. You might’ve been a Crystal Guard, but it’s still possible that some of the guests might have heard about your treachery way back when. We can’t risk you being recognized.”

“Right.” Sterling nodded, “Besides, it’d probably be a good idea for one of us to watch the front in case Doc manages to slip past you guys.”

“Well, considering this castle is on the edge of a mountain, the only way out is back into the city or jumping off.” Fletcher mused.

“Any advice if we have to fight him?” Caboose asked.

“I’m afraid not.” Sterling admitted, “I’ve never sparred with him before, let alone seen him fight. But considering he was able to survive as an Ouroboros all these years, he’s not somepony to take lightly.”

"We'll stay alert." Fletcher nodded.

"I'll try to bring you back a snack too." Caboose added.

"Maybe you should stay behind, too." Fletcher told Survival.

"Not a chance." Survival shook his head. "You’re going to need all the help you can get to find him"

“I honestly don’t think that’s-” Fletcher shook his head.

“Look, I’m sorry about lying to you earlier, but right now, we don’t have time to argue.” Survival pleaded, “Come on.”

“...Ugh, you’re right.” Fletcher grimaced, “But if you see the doctor, do not engage. You get me or Caboose at once. Understand?”

“Got it.” Survival nodded.

“Alright then. Let’s do this.” Fletcher declared.

Fletcher ran in, followed by Caboose and Survival, determined to find their target.

As soon as they were out of Sterling’s sight, Sterling pulled out his mirror, tapping it.

Ballista’s face appeared.

"Well, this is unexpected." Sterling frowned. "What's up?"

“Sorry to bother you, but I need a quick favor.” Sterling said hastily, “I need you to contact your cop buddies and have them look into something.”

“Really? What for?” Ballista asked, “Is it about the patient?”

“Sorta. There’s been some development in the case.” Sterling explained, “But I need your friends in the force to look into something about some cult leader named ‘Spell Nexus’ and a filly named Nyx.”

“Nyx?” Ballista lit up, recalling the name.

“You know the name?” Sterling gaped.

“Yeah, it was in one of the files we found while the cops investigated the hospital.” Ballista mused, “...You give me an hour and I’ll let you know what I find.”

“Well, we’re kinda on the clock here. It’s hard to explain-” Sterling started to explain.

“Then a half hour then.” Ballista nodded firmly, “I’ll be right back.”

“Please hurry.” Sterling urged.

"Will do." Ballista nodded before hanging up.

"This is getting more complicated by the minute." Sterling frowned. "You'd better be staying out of trouble, Nabudis..."

In the greens of the castle gardens, Nabudis was searching the crowd, not for Gothic and Luna, but for Nyx.

Slipping away while Dysley was yelling at what he believed was that Silas idiot he'd heard so much about, Nabudis knew that time was running out. If Dysley found him again, he was sure that he would not let him walk away again.

’Come on… come on, where are you, little filly?’ Nabudis thought, his eyes darting back and forth, left and right as he made his way through the crowd, bumping into several of them.

"How rude!" Hoity Toity yelped.

"Watch it!" Upper Crust snarled.

Nabudis paid them no mind, utterly focused on his goal.

In the same crowd, Nyx was trying to make her way back to where Miracle and Hurricane was after getting her drink. Unfortunately, due to the shifting crowds, she found herself lost, and felt herself becoming overwhelmed once more.

"Excuse me." She said meekly, trying to urge the pony blocking her path to move.

The pony have no indication of having heard her.

"Please, just move..." Nyx's breathing grew more ragged, as she felt another panic attack coming. "Please..."

Nabudis continued his searching, bumping yet into another guest, a middle-aged Unicorn stallion.

"Watch where you're going!" The stallion scowled.

As the stallion walked away in a huff, Nabudis grimaced.

“Ugh, nice to know things hadn’t changed-” Nabudis began… but trailed off, as in the gap he left behind, he saw Nyx, cowering amidst the crowd.

“Oh my-” Nabudis gasped, as he then called, “Nyx!”

Amidst her panic attack, Nyx heard her name called. It sounded familiar.

“Nyx, it’s me!”

Nyx glanced up from the floor… and suddenly, all her fears melted away.

“Papa?” Nyx whispered, as a great big smile grew on her face, “Papa!”

Father and daughter raced toward each other, embracing happily.

At the same time, Fletcher, Caboose, and Survival were also making their way through the party.

"Pardon me." Fletcher said curtly.

"We have an urgent issue to attend to." Survival added.

"Anypony seen a sneaky doctor?" Caboose asked, seeming materialising between two guests. "'Bout this big?" He appeared between two others. "Seems like a good guy, but isn't?" He emerged from behind a statue.

The guests didn't answer, mostly due to being disturbed by Caboose's antics.

With Nyx in his hooves, Nabudis quickly walked out of the crowd, finding a spot just outside the hedge gardens.

“Oh, Papa…” Nyx began to weep, burying her face in his shoulder, “I thought you were dead. The news… they said everypony at Brightdale died. I was so scared-”

“I know, baby. I know.” Nabudis soothed, rubbing her back, “I’m so sorry it took me so long to find you.” He pulled her away a bit, “Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”

“No, not at all.” Nyx shook her head, “I met these wonderful ponies. They helped me when I was alone. I could take you to meet-”

“I’m afraid we don’t have time for that.” Nabudis grimaced, “We need to leave. Now.”

“What? Why?” Nyx gaped.

“It’s tough to explain, sweetheart.” Nabudis sighed, “But Dysley is here, looking for you.”

“Dysley?! No…” Nyx gripped Nabudis’s coat, fear in her voice.

“But don’t you worry. I gave him the slip.” Nabudis smirked, “All we gotta do now is get out of the castle and out of Canterlot, and we’ll be home free. Ready?”

"Um..." Nyx said hesitantly. "Maybe we could try asking for help. There are some ponies here who could-"

"No time for that." Nabudis grabbed her hoof. "Time to leave."

"Excuse me?"

Nabudis and Nyx turned around to see Constell approaching them.

"Constell?” Nabudis and Nyx said in unison.

“What is going on here?” Constell frowned, as she turned to Nabudis, “And what are you doing with Nyx? Weren’t you talking with Dysley?”

“Oh, um, yeah.” Nabudis rubbed his head, “We actually finished up our discussion. Dysley told me to carry on keeping my head low till the whole thing with Brightdale blew over. I was making my head to the drinks table before coming back to your parents when I found Nyx here.”

“And who is she to you?” Constell glared suspiciously, Nabudis feeling a bit uneasy.

“Constell, it’s alright.” Nyx stepped forth, “This is my Papa.”

“Papa?” Constell gaped, “But I thought you said he died in the massacre.”

“Well, I thought he did.” Nyx murmured, “But-”

“It was a misunderstanding.” Nabudis finished, “As you recall from our conversation earlier, I was just laying low. That’s all.”

“Really?” Constell’s glare hardened, “Then care to explain to me how my cousins found Nyx wandering the streets yesterday in tattered clothes? If you are her ‘Papa’, where have you been, if not dead?!”

“Um, yes, that.” Nabudis grimaced, “That is… well, it’s kind of complicated, and it’s a long story.”

“I got all night.” Constell crossed her hooves, “Do you?”

“Constell, it’s fine.” Nyx insisted, “Papa didn’t mean to be gone as long as he did.”

“Yet he was.” Constell frowned, “And he was about to take you away, probably without telling anyone.”

"I was just going to bring her home." Nabudis tried to defend himself. "After being apart for so long, can you really blame me for trying to rush her back to where she belongs?"

"Yes, I can." Constell said fiercely. "Mostly because it doesn't quite fit."

At the same time, Survival looked over the banister of the terrace and saw Nabudis, and what he believed was Nyx.

'There they are...' He found himself hesitating, due to his connection with Nabudis. '...No. I have to do the right thing.'

"Guys, come quickly!" Survival called out to Fletcher and Caboose.

"What's up?" Fletcher asked.

"Did you see a shooting star?" Caboose asked. "I call dibs on the wish!"

"Nabudis is down there, with who I assume to be the patient." Survival pointed. "They're with Princess Constell."

"Finally." Fletcher smiled victoriously. "Time to end this..."

Meanwhil, Nabudis was struggling to keep his cool.

’Keep it together, Som.’ Nabudis panicked, ’This is Gothic’s daughter here. Just recollect your thoughts and provide a rational and calm explanation, and reassure her that you’re not a monster that everypony has had you pegged your entire life. Simple. Just as long as there’s no-’

"NABUDIS!"

Nabudis turned in the direction of the yell, and froze in horror as he saw Fletcher, hooves on the banisters, glaring fiercely at him, flanked by Caboose and Survival.

"You get away from that poor filly this instant!" Fletcher demanded, prompting everyone to look at Nabudis and Nyx.

’Oh, buck me!’ Nabudis cursed to himself loudly.

"What the-?" Gothic frowned.

"What is going on here?" Luna asked.

"What's all the yelling about?" Miracle asked.

"Looks like the party's moving elsewhere." Hurricane presumed.

"Is that Nyx?" Vito frowned.

"Who's that with her?" Pureblood asked.

Secretariat approached the bannisters upon hearing the yelling, and saw Nabudis and Nyx as well.

“...Well, this just got interesting.” Dysley grinned darkly.

Caboose pulled out a carrot, and began munching it, making sure to make loud smacking sounds with his mouth.

"Eh… what's up, Doc?" Caboose asked.

“Somnus, please, give yourself up!” Survival urged, “Before things get any worse!”

Constell glanced at Nabudis, aghast.

“What did you do?” Constell gaped.

Nabudis was in a tight spot. Everypony was looking at him. His next move could decide everything.

“Hang on to me, Nyx…” Nabudis urged to the young filly. Nyx quickly grabbed his hoof.

“What are you-” Constell began.

But before she could finish, Nabudis suddenly checked her, knocking her to the ground.

“Forgive me!” Nabudis yelled as he and Nyx ran past.

"Som!" Gothic yelped, horrified.

"Somnus!" Survival gasped.

Thinking quickly, Somnus led Nyx into the hedge maze.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Fletcher yelled.

"We didn't come all this way - and passed up those hors d'oeuvres - for nothing!" Caboose snarled.

Luna, Gothic and Luxury rushed over to Constell.

"Are you okay, darling?" Luna asked.

"Are you hurt?" Gothic inquired.

"Why did that Nabudis do that?" Luxury growled. "Why, I oughta..."

"Nyx!" Constell yelped. "He took Nyx!"

“Don’t you worry, we’re on it.” Fletcher rushed by, as he shouted out, “GUARDS! FALL IN!”

The guards all rushed in, and stood at attention… including Caboose.

“Caboose.” Fletcher frowned.

“Right, sorry, habit.” Caboose cringed, breaking stance.

“Don’t have much time to explain, but that stallion is suspected of being involved in a Forefathers plot, just assaulted a Princess, and now has taken a girl with him!” Fletcher explained, “Find the stallion and the girl and secure them both! And whatever you do, don’t agitate the child! Got it?!”

“Yes, sir!” The guards yelled in affirmation.

“Then let’s go!” Fletcher ordered.

The guards immediately charged into the hedge maze, with Fletcher and Caboose behind them. Survival made to follow.

“You wait out here, Survival.” Fletcher stopped him.

“But I can help!” Survival urged.

“No, at this point, it’s too dangerous.” Fletcher frowned, “Leave this to us.”

“But…” Survival was about to protest, but Fletcher gave him a glare, “...Okay.”

“Good.” Fletcher nodded, as he turned to Caboose, “Come on, Caboose. We must hurry.”

Caboose gave a look of ‘sorry’ as the two dashed in to join their comrades.

The rest of the party looked on, confused and surprised.

"What was that?" Hoity Toity asked.

"Some kind of foalnapping, I think." Clear surmised.

"I knew it." Upper Crust snorted. "The crowd at these functions just get lower every year."

Meanwhile, Survival stood awkwardly in place, struggling to process what just happened.

“Hey!” Gothic marched over to Survival, “What the hell is going on around here?!”

“To be perfectly honest, your highness.” Survival admitted, looking into the hedge maze, “I have no idea anymore…”

Looking from the terrace, Dysley pulled up his mirror and held it up to his ear.

“Silas, this is Dysley.” Dysley said firmly, “What kind were those armors you procured?”

Dysley listened for a moment, and an amused grin appeared on his face.

“Is that right?” Dysley chuckled darkly, “Well, looks like your ‘wasted favors’ won’t be in vain. Here’s what you and the others are gonna do…”

Nabudis and Nyx made their way deep into the hedge mazes. He cursed how his situation had worsened in the past five minutes, but he had to keep moving. All he needed to do was find another exit, and slip out of the castle, hopefully without altercations.

“Papa!” Nyx was struggling to keep pace with him, “Papa! Please, stop!”

“Not now, Nyx. I need to focus!” Nabudis grimaced as he turned another corner.

“Papa, please!” Nyx pleaded, sniffling, “I’m scared!”

As if in response, her body began secreting miasma once more. Nabudis took a glance back, and took notice quickly.

“Oh, no.” Nabudis stopped, kneeling down and wrapping his hooves on her shoulder, “There, there, darling… please calm down…”

“What is going on?” Nyx whimpered, “Why are those guards after you?”

“It’s a bit hard to explain.” Nabudis admitted, “But to put simply, they think that I’m a bad pony. They’re going to take you and me apart again, and chances are, they’ll return you to Dysley.”

“But you’re not a bad pony!” Nyx insisted, “Maybe if we explain-”

“I’m afraid we’re well past that point, Nyx.” Nabudis sighed, “They’re convinced that I’m no good, and after what I did to Constell, I doubt anything I’ll say will keep them from slapping cuffs on me.”

“No…” Nyx shook her head, tears falling, as she wailed, “I don’t wanna go back to Dysley. He’s a monster… he made me hurt them… he called me…”

“Hey, hey, look at me.” Nabudis ordered firmly, but with a soothing tone. “Everything will be alright, I promise. Dysley is not going to get his hooves on you again. But we have to keep moving. Do you think you can keep going for me?”

“I… I think so…” Nyx sniffled, wiping a tear.

“That’s my girl.” Nabudis smiled warmly, kissing her on the head. The two got up to their hooves, the doctor taking her hoof again, “Now let’s see if we can find that exit…”

They moved deeper into the maze, hoping to lose themselves within.

“Come on, where is that-” Nabudis grunted, as they turned a corner…

Only to come face to face with a few guards.

“Crap.” Nabudis cursed.

"That's far enough." The head guard, an Earth Pony, snarled. "You don't get to assault a Princess and just walk away."

“Look, it was an accident.” Nabudis grunted, stepping forth, while silently urging Nyx to stay behind him, “I wasn’t trying to hurt her.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure you’re trying to protect that little girl you got with you.” The heard guard snapped back sarcastically.

“Actually, yes.” Nabudis glared, “But I can tell that nothing I’ll say will make you believe me… so why don’t you step aside? I don’t have time to deal with you.”

"Oh, don't worry." The head guard smirked as he approached. "You'll have plenty of time in prison.” He then reached out to him, “So why don’t you come quiet-”

Without a word, Nabudis grabbed the reaching hoof… and twisted, dislocating it.

“Gah!” The head guard screeched.

Nabudis quickly followed up with a hoof to his face, knocking him out.

“What the-!” A guard gasped.

“Last chance!” Nabudis warned, “Step aside!”

“Come on, guys, he can’t take all of us!” Another guard snarled.

“Ugh, malditos idiotas...” Nabudis hissed.

The guards charged at Nabudis. When the first guard reached him, Nabudis grabbed his shoulders, and swung around him to kick the next guard in the face. When he planted his rear hooves on the ground, he threw the first guard into the third. A fourth swung his hooves at him; Nabudis dodged once, twice, three times, then retaliated with a strike that sent his opponent flying.

"Child's play." He smirked.

Another guard roared as he charged him with a spear.

“PAPA!” Nyx screeched.

But just as he was within inches of piercing his target, the guard suddenly stopped in place, the poor stallion’s stomach slamming into the blunt of the handle. It was as if he charged the spear into a wall, but no, the spear was still pointing towards Nabudis, but seem unable to approach him any further.

“Ohh…” The guard groaned, “What gives?!”

“I told you to step aside.” Nabudis growled as he slammed a hoof into the spear, breaking it in half, slamming the other hoof against the stallion’s face, and gripping the now dazed stallion by the shoulders, flung into the hedges.

Nyx gaped. She'd never seen her father fight somepony before, and was admittingly a bit unnerved, seeing him take down a squadron with nothing but his bare hooves, and cold, clinical fury in his eyes.

That fury quickly faded as Nabudis turned back to Nyx, concern in his eyes.

“Come on, we must continue. The others will probably have heard the commotion.” Nabudis urged.

“O-okay.” Nyx joined him, “...What was that? Why did that guard just stop mid-charge? You’re not a Unicorn…”

“Um, that is a story.” Nabudis grimaced, “I’ll tell you all about it when we get out of here.”

“I guess… but do you know how to get out of here?” Nyx asked, “I could maybe use my wings and-”

“Oh, no, no, no.” Nabudis admonished, “The others must not know about the wings… besides, it will only attract the others to our position.”

“But…” Nyx was about to protest.

“Look, I’m sure we’re almost out of here.” Nabudis declared reassuringly (though it was mostly to reassure himself), “We just have to keep moving.”

Father and daughter continued moving deeper into the maze, narrowly avoiding being detected by another group of guards as they followed the twists and turns.

Unfortunately, they soon came to a dead end.

"Ugh, wonderful." Nabudis groaned. "We must go back-"

"Nowhere to run."

Nabudis turned, and saw Fletcher and Caboose behind them.

“Oh no…” Nyx whimpered as she cowered behind Nabudis.

"How 'bout we call it a night?" Caboose suggested. "Pretty sure it's past the kid's bedtime.."

"Give yourself up, Nabudis." Fletcher urged. "It doesn't have to end this way."

"It's not ending at all." Nabudis retorted. "Not here, not now."

“Come on, man, let’s not make things ugly in front of the kid.” Caboose frowned.

"Of course not." Nabudis nodded, glancing back at Nyx, "I care for Nyx more than anything. You'd understand that, being a father, don’t you?"

"Well, yeah..." Caboose admitted.

“I mean, if it was your son… Michael, was it?” Nabudis explained, “If he was in danger from very bad ponies, wouldn’t you do anything to protect him?”

“Like you have to ask.” Caboose glared fiercely.

“Then please help me protect Nyx.” Nabudis urged, “From one father who loves his child to another. Let us go and you’ll never hear from us again, I swear.”

“Ehhh…” Caboose grimaced, conflicted. He did love his baby boy.

“Don’t let him get to you, Caboose.” Fletcher snapped, “He’s a doctor, well-versed in psychology. He is trying to appeal to your love for your family to manipulate you, like he did for everypony else.”

“Grr, right, right!” Caboose shook his head, “No dice, pal! I may be dumb, but I’m no one’s fool!”

“Dammit…” Nabudis cursed, as he turned to Fletcher, “Don’t do this, Captain. I understand this looks bad, but I’m not the monster here! Dysley is! You have to believe me!”

“At this point, doctor, I don’t know what to believe! All I’m hearing is ‘he says, he says’” Fletcher growled, “But what I do know is that you are currently kidnapping a filly, and you’re a member of the Forefathers, a terrorist faction. I don’t know about you, but that can’t look any worse than it already does.”

“Dammit, if you’re not going to get to let us go, then I’ll have to go through you!” Nabudis snarled.

"We don't have to resort to violence, Nabudis." Fletcher insisted. "Just let Nyx go and give yourself up! We can help you, the right way."

“And let you return Nyx to Secretariat? Not a chance in hell!” Nabudis roared, “You don’t understand what he’ll do to her!”

“Maybe we would if you just told us!” Caboose yelled, “We’re the RDL. The good guys! If you just let us, we can make things better!”

"No, you can't." Nabudis said coldly, “Neither you, nor anyone else can help us."

"I disagree." Fletcher rebutted. "While I don't understand your reasons for lying, or why you're with the Forefathers, or how Nyx fits into any of this… but Sterling believes that you’re in trouble, and if he taught me anything, it’s that even a pony in your position can be helped."

“Help? Like how you helped Sacred? By dropping a Faust damn ceiling on him?!” Nabudis snapped. The hate and anger was loud and clear in his voice.

"Whoa!" Caboose yelped. "Drama bomb!"

"We didn't have anything to do with that!" Fletcher pointed out.

"But your comrades did!" Nabudis spat. "They hunted him down, and killed him!"

Nyx seeing the pain in her father's eyes.

“...Papa?” Nyx whispered.

Nabudis glanced back again… and let out a deep sigh, as he gave a somber glance to the two.

“Whatever help you intend to provide, you can save it.” Nabudis said firmly, “I just can’t take any chances. I will protect Nyx, no matter what. So if you’re not going to step aside…” He took a battle stance, “Then put ‘em up.”

"...Then you leave us no choice." Fletcher begrudgingly raised his hooves.

"Better tell the kid to cover her eyes..." Caboose declared.

"Wait behind me, Nyx." Nabudis urged.

"Be careful." Nyx trembled.

"Don't worry, we'll make this quick." Caboose promised, as he neared Nabudis.

"Quicker than you think..." Nabudis said darkly.

Before Caboose could blink, Nabudis rushed forward and put him in a hooflock.

"Yeow!" Caboose yelped.

"Caboo-Urrk!" Fletcher tried to help, but was kicked away by Nabudis.

“Don’t think I haven’t heard all about you, Napoleon.” Nabudis hissed, “You’re rather infamous around the Infinity. About how you killed that monster Killsquad in one shot. How you blew a hole in the Crystal Castle. And just how… ‘unnatural’ you are. And after spending these past two days with you, I believe them whole-heartedly.”

“Well, if you let me go, I can give you a private show.” Caboose hissed in pain.

“Not a chance. That’s the pitfall everyone else fell for. Leaving you for later.” Nabudis twisted the hoof harder, “No. You must be dealt with first!”

"Good luck with that!" Caboose threw his head back, striking Nabudis in the face.

"Guh!" Nabudis grunted, releasing Caboose.

"And now it's my turn!" Caboose grinned, lighting up his horn for a magic attack.

"Guess again!" Nabudis grabbed Caboose by the horn before he could fire.

"Hey!" Caboose yelped.

Nabudis pointed Caboose's horn skyward, sending the bolt of magic straight up. But he also ended up burning his hoof on Caboose's horn.

"Hrrr!" He winced in pain.

“Hey!” Caboose growled, trying to shake his hoof off as the horn continued firing, “Let go! Let go!”

“As you wish!” Nabudis let go, just as Caboose flung his head back.

“Whoa!” Caboose flailed his hooves.

This sent the poor Unicorn off-balance, as Nabudis then followed up with a good buck to the chest.

“GAH!” Caboose was sent flying into a hedge, “Ohh…”

"Grr, you're going to pay for that..." Fletcher growled, having recovered just in time.

"Bring it on." Nabudis snarled.

Fletcher swung a punch at Nabudis, who dodged, and retaliated with one of his own. Fletcher barely managed to evade it, and struck back. Nabudis blocked it... But using his burnt hoof, sending a fresh surge of pain through him.

"Nnn!" He let out a grunt of pain.

"Gotcha." Fletcher smirked.

Taking advantage of his opponent's broken focus, Fletcher swung another punch. Nabudis tried to dodge, but failed, and suffered a glancing blow that caused him to stumble.

"Gah!" He grunted, shaken.

Fletcher capitalized further on his advantage by kicking Nabudis in the side.

"Uurk!" Nabudis groaned, barely able to keep his footing.

Nyx watched on in horror, terrified by what she was seeing.

Fletcher headbutted Nabudis, then drove a knee into his chin.

"Guhhh!" Nabudis snarled. He retaliated with a punch, one which could miss to their close proximity.

"Grr!" Fletcher grunted, barely feeling the blow. " A decent attempt, but you've already lost this one..."

Fletcher delivered a one-two punch combo that staggered Nabudis further, then a backswing that sent him sprawling. He then swung one of his back hooves at Nabudis, aiming to knock him out… only for it to stop in mid-air.

“What in the world?!” Fletcher gaped, as he felt his back hoof being gripped by some invisible force.

“I said… I will protect Nyx.” Nabudis hissed. But he was stumbling a bit, the fight with the trained stallion taking more out of him than he thought. It looked like he was about to collapse.

“Papa?” Nyx whimpered, seeing the state her father was in. She turned to the caught stallion, as he struggled to pull his ‘caught’ hoof free of whatever was holding it.

Nyx did not consider herself to be an angry pony. If anything, she was the kind of pony to take flight rather than fight.

But seeing her father getting the snot beat out of him by this stallion… it caused feelings… very bad feelings to boil up within her. Feelings that felt familiar… and scary.

All of this was made apparent as her pupils began to narrow, and miasma began to emanate from her again.

Fletcher was quick to catch on as he stopped struggling, seeing the filly, who was previously cowering, was now staring at him, hatred in her tear-filled eyes.

“What the…” Fletcher gaped. Nabudis’ warning about not upsetting the patient echoed in his mind… and it looks like he was about to see why.

“LEAVE! MY! PAPA! ALONE!” Nyx roared through her gritted teeth, stomping towards them. Her bound wings were bulging against her vest, feathers falling from it, the miasma flowing from her like fog from a fog machine.

Nabudis heard the rage in his daughter’s voice as he quickly turned back, and saw her approaching them.

“Nyx, don’t!” Nabudis panicked, terror in his eyes.

The moment Nabudis looked away, whatever held Fletcher’s hoof let go, as the hoof finally collided with the doctor’s face, sending him to the ground.

In a flash, Nyx’s anger changed back to fear.

“Papa!” Nyx gasped.

“Ugh…” Nabudis winced, as he struggled to get back up… only for a hoof to push him back down and pin him.

“Stay down. Final warning.” Fletcher ordered firmly.

“No!” Nyx wailed, realizing what she has done, “Let him go!”

Before Nyx could do anything, two Royal Guards grabbed her and lifted her off the ground.

"No! Noo!" She screeched, trying vainly to escape.

“Whoa, take it easy!” One of the guards (a Unicorn) soothed, surprised by the ferocity of her struggle.

“You’re safe now!” The other guard kept a firm grip on him.

“Ooh…” Caboose groaned, regaining consciousness. He emerged from the hedge, “Eesh, how does Homer do that in that meme? Those hedges are thick.” He noticed the guards holding Nyx. "And where'd you guys come from?"

"We spotted that signal beam you sent." The Unicorn declared. "Good thinking, by the way."

"Uh... Thanks!" Caboose went along with it. "I do try!"

“No! Please!” Nabudis struggled under Fletcher’s hoof, “Let her go! You’re making a horrible mistake!” He tried reaching out to Nyx, “Nyx! Nyx!”

“Papa!” Nyx screamed.

“That’s enough! None of us are happy about this.” Fletcher pressed down harder, the child’s screaming causing him great discomfort, “So please, keep quiet, so this can end sooner.” He turned to Caboose, “Caboose. Cuffs. Now.”

“Um… right away, Fletch.” Caboose frowned, noting Fletcher’s tone.

Shortly afterward, Nabudis was lead out in cuffs, with Nyx being escorted by the two guards.

Some of the guests had taken notice, and a small crowd was forming.

Gothic, Luna, Constell, and Luxury were right there with them, with Survival nearby.

“Somnus…” Survival murmured.

“Ulysses. Napoleon. Care to explain what in Faust’s name is going on around here?!” Luna demanded.

“Nabudis, what is happening?” Gothic stepped forth, “Why are they cuffing you? What is with the girl?”

“Gothic…” Nabudis grimaced, “Look, I can explain…”

"Actually, I can explain."

Secretariat approached them, a smudge smirk on his face.

“Secret?” Luxury gaped.

“You stay the buck out of this!” Nabudis roared at him.

“Quiet!” Constell snapped at him, her mood towards him not getting any more sour, as she turned to Dysley, “What do you know about all this, Secretariat?"

“I was hoping that none of this would be brought to light, but considering the circumstances, I’m afraid I have no choice.” Dysley sighed, as he gestured to Nyx, who looked away in fear, “That child right there is Nyx. She was brought to Brightdale by her parents. She had certain… ‘abilities’ that made her a danger to ponies around her. We were trying to help her get better…” He then turned to Nabudis, That is, until Dr. Nabudis developed an unhealthy obsession with her."

"Obsession?" Luna frowned.

"Yes." Dysley nodded. "As I'm sure you've noticed, the filly bears a passing resemblance to Nightmare Moon."

"Oh, no..." Gothic whispered, aware of his old friend's admiration of Nightmare Moon.

“Huh.” Blueblood, who was watching the scene with his wife and the other guests, mused, “I thought she looked familiar.

"Despite my best efforts, Nabudis refused to let go of Nyx." Dysley said darkly. "He orchestrated this whole mess, having planned to kidnap Nyx, n the process getting one ‘Hamm Berger’ and the two pullers killed, and dragging this poor stallion...” He pointed to Survival, who winced in response. “In this whole affair.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” Gothic protested. “I know Nabudis. He’s not some crazed freak! Why would he do all this?!”

“I am not sure… but I reckon it has to do with the Forefathers.” Dysley pointed out.

The entire crowd gasped.

“You’re kidding.” Luna gasped, “Those terrorists?”

“I didn’t want to believe it myself.” Dysley shook his head sadly, “But from what I could gather, Nabudis has been a part of their inner circles for decades. Even before I was born. He probably intended for poor Nyx to be the basis of another one of their twisted Doomsday weapons. Like that giant mech spider from earlier."

“No… this can’t be.” Luna frowned.

“Somnus… tell me this isn’t so.” Gothic asked, pleading in his voice, “Tell me you didn’t…”

Nabudis looked as if he was about to do so… but he remained silent, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Nyx is a mental patient?" Constell gaped. "That can't be right..."

Miracle and the others were watching events unfold from the terrace.

"This is crazy." Hurricane frowned. "And I know crazy..."

“Well, Well, I sure hope somepony picked up that mirror.” Vito crossed his hooves.

“Huh?” Hurricane turned to him.

“Because I freaking CALLED IT!” Vito declared fiercely, vindicated.

Pureblood slapped him upside the head.

“Ow!” Vito winced.

“Not the time, V.” Pureblood glared.

"Poor Nyx..." Miracle sighed.

"Guards!" Fletcher called over the two entrance guards. "Escort Mr. Nabudis to the detainment carriage."

"Yes sir!" The guards saluted.

"Knew there was something off about this guy." The Pegasus sneered.

"Oh, yeah." The Unicorn nodded. "Big time."

“Congrats, you’re distrustful and judgy pricks.” Nabudis muttered, “Good for you.”

“Why you-” The Pegasus was about to raise a hoof.

“Easy, man.” The Unicorn glared, “You don’t want a repeat of last time, do you?”

“Hey, that griffon was giving me the stink-eye.” The Pegasus grimaced, “...But you’re right. This asshole is going to get it when he’s in prison anyways…”

As they led Nabudis away, Nyx began panicking once more.

“Papa!” Nyx cried, “Don’t go! Papa!”

Luna and Constell couldn't help but be affected at the sight of her crying. Constell in particular looked especially pained by the harrowing sight.

“...So, what now?” Gothic frowned, “What’s to become of Nyx?”

“I’ll personally see to it that the filly is escorted to a new hospital.” Dysley announced, “It’s clear that Nabudis groomed her to a point that she sees him as her only parental figure. It’s going to take a lot of therapy to undo all that damage.”

“Wait.” Constell stepped forth, “Can’t she stay here with us?”

“Hmm?” Dysley frowned. Nyx’s face notably lit up a bit.

“Look, I understand that Nyx might need help, but she’s been doing so well here with us.” Constell explained, “Let her stay with us. We can take care of her.”

“Wait… Connie, is Nyx the one you were-” Luxury realized.

“I appreciate your offer, Constell.” Dysley nodded, “But that would be ill-advised. Nyx’s ‘ability’ is very volatile. Any emotional duress, especially now that Nabudis is in custody, could set them off, and it would spell bad news for everyone in the castle.”

“What ability?” Constell challenged, “She’s been with us for a day now and I’ve seen nothing to indicate that she’s a danger to anypony!”

“To you, maybe.” Dysley shrugged, “But I’m sure if we were to ask other ponies in the castle…”

Immediately, Luna caught on to what he meant.

“Constell… I think we should let them take Nyx.” Luna suddenly clared.

“But, mom!” Constell protested.

“It would be best that Nyx stays somewhere that is better equipped to her needs.” Luna declared, “At the very least until they are able to get this ‘ability’ of hers under control. You do want what is best for Nyx, don’t you?”

“Yes, but-...” Constell was about to retort… only to give a resigned sigh, “...I guess.”

“Then it’s settled.” Dysley nodded, “We’d best be on our way then.” He turned to the Royal Guards, “If you please…”

The Guards silently handed Nyx over to Dysley, who grabbed Nyx’s hoof with a firm grip. Nyx was moments away from struggling once more…

“Now, Nyx, I know you had a rough night…” Dysley began… as he adopted a very cold glance, lowering his voice, “But do not make this any harder than it needs to be… alright?”

Nyx merely nodded in terror, too afraid to defy.

With that, Dysley led Nyx away towards the entrance. As they neared Gothic, Luna, Luxury, and Constell, Nyx locked eyes with Constell.

Constell could see the overwhelming fear and sadness in the filly's eyes. Without words, she could tell Nyx was begging her to not be taken away. The young mare herself struggled mentally to not do just that.

The moment passed. Luxury glanced ruefully at his wife, who looked as if she was on the verge of crying.

“Constell… are you alright?” Luxury asked tentatively.

“No… no, I’m not.” Constell struggled not to sob, a tear falling from her eye.

Luxury silently wrapped her in a hug, as the young mare began to cry quietly.

“Nabudis…” Gothic whispered, just as shocked by this whole turn of events, “...Why?”

“Gothic.” Luna placed a hoof on his shoulder, “I’m sorry…”

Not too far away, Survival, Fletcher, and Caboose looked on in sadness at the tragic scene.

"Was this a happy ending?" Caboose asked plaintively. "Because it doesn't seem like a happy ending..."

"No… no, it's not." Survival sighed.

“Survival… we’re sorry.” Fletcher shook his head, “If there was anything we could have done-”

“No. You guys did your job, and you did it well.” Survival shook his head, “I just wish things could have ended differently.”

“Well, not all cases can end well. That is the unfortunate reality of this line of work..." Fletcher sighed. "But at least for now, this nightmare is over..."

Suddenly, a Royal Guard walked over.

"Pardon me, sirs." The Guard declared. "But I've been asked by Mr. Dysley to take Mr. Horror over to the station to give a statement."

“Oh, right.” Survival said begrudgingly, as he turned to face Fletcher and Caboose, “I guess this is where we part ways…” He gave a small smile, “Thanks… for everything.”

"Just doing our duty." Fletcher smiled.

"Let me know the next time you're free for a good scary movie night." Caboose nodded.

"Will do." Survival agreed, before following the guard.

“...You think Survival is going to be alright?” Caboose asked Fletcher.

“I certainly hope so.” Fletcher sighed, “But who can say?”

"Ladies and gentlestallions, I'm afraid the party is over." Luna announced ruefully. "Please depart in an orderly fashion."

The guests reluctantly followed suit.

"Wonderful." Upper Crust scowled. "Another party being ruined by criminals..."

Outside, Nabudis was still being escorted by the two guards.

Suddenly, two other Royal Guards (both Earth Pony) emerged in front of them.

“Um, excuse us. We’re in the middle of transporting this scumbag.” The Pegasus scowled.

“Sorry about that.” One of the Earth Pony Royal Guards apologized, “But we were sent by the Captain.”

“What? Why?” The Unicorn frowned.

“Search me.” The other Earth Pony guard shrugged, “All I know is that he wanted you guys to report back to him for something while we take the criminal here off your hooves.”

“Really? That sounds… odd.” The Unicorn grimaced, “The Captain’s usually very explicit with his instructions.”

“Well, we don’t know. But you oughta get over there. You don’t want him angry at you, don’t you?” The Earth Pony guard warned.

“Ugh, he’s right. Last thing I need is another court martial.” The Pegasus scowled, as he shoved Nabudis over to them, “Just make sure he gets to jail in one piece.”

“Oh, don’t you worry.” The other Earth Pony smirked, sharing a glance with Nabudis, “We’ll make sure he’s ‘well’ taken care of.”

Nabudis felt his breath hitch… only to give a sigh in resignation.

As the two new guards led him away, the two old guards made their way back to the terrace.

“Hey, funny question… did something look off about them?” The Unicorn frowned. “Could just be me, but I swear the stars on their armor look like a different color.”

“It’s probably nothing.” The Pegasus grunted, “Not like some schmucks can get their hooves on our armors, just like that.”

“I guess…” The Unicorn shrugged.

Meanwhile, outside Canterlot Castle, from across the streets, Sterling was watching the entrance. But at the same time, he was engrossed in a conversation with Ballista.

“Are you sure about this?” Sterling gasped.

“Sure am. Couldn’t find a single thing on the lass.” Ballista nodded, “It’s as if she never existed.”

“But that makes no sense. How could a little filly like her go twelve or so years without so much as a birth-” Sterling then noticed movement at the gates, “Hold up, I see somepony.”

Much to Sterling’s dismay, it turned out to be Nabudis, as he was flanked by the two Earth Pony guards, as they lead him to a carriage that was pulled up front.

“Well?” Ballista asked.

“It’s ‘Doc’.” Sterling sighed, “Or rather, Nabudis… looks like Fletch and Caboose got him.”

“I’m really sorry, Sterling.” Ballista frowned sympathetically, “Can’t imagine it being easy to see an old ally being taken in like this.”

“Yeah.” Sterling admitted, “I just wish I can understand his deal with this ‘Nyx’. Or what happened between him and Secretariat. There’s so many questions and so little-”

As he said this, the Earth Pony guards suddenly shoved Nabudis into the carriage, and rather violently.

“Answers- what the buck?” Sterling lit up in shock as the guards got in.

“Sterling?” Ballista asked, “What is it?”

“The two guards escorting Nabudis. They just shoved him into the carriage… I’m a bit rusty, but that’s against Guard regulations, right?” Sterling asked.

“Yeah. But why would the guards do-” Ballista pondered.

Suddenly, Dysley emerged from the gates, and in tow was a black filly. Sterling knew immediately it was Nyx. The two were approaching the same carriage.

“Wait a minute.” Sterling frowned, “I got visual on Secretariat and I think Nyx… they’re going into the carriage as the guards and Nabudis. It looks like they’re all going together.”

“Okay, that is not regulation for sure.” Ballista scowled.

Just as Dysley was about to get into the carriage, Nyx suddenly began digging in her hooves.

“No! I don’t wanna go! I don’t wanna hurt ponies!” Nyx struggled, a bit of miasma began to flow out of hehr.

“Enough!” Dysley turned on her, causing the filly to flinch in terror, “This bullcrap dragged on long enough! So get your damn flank in the carriage or so help me Faust!”

Nyx was petrified, as the miasma began flowing more from her body, as Dysley tugged her into the carriage.

Sterling watched this little interaction, but was immediately drawn to the miasma flowing off her.

The dark blue mist instantly triggered memories of when he was back in Yokestadt with the senior Dysley, to when they went into the caves and found a room was filled to the brim with a blue mist just like the one Nyx was giving off…and how all of it was because of a fragment of Nightmare Moon’s-

Suddenly, it all clicked.

“Son of a bitch…” Sterling gaped.

“Sterling?” Ballista asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Sir, I think I just figured out what the hell is going on.” Sterling announced, as he saw the carriage was starting to leave, “I need you to tell Fletch and Caboose what you just told me.”

“Wait, hold on, what are you doing?” Ballista frowne.

“I don’t have time to explain!” Sterling started into a run, following the carriage, “Just tell Fletcher and Caboose about Nyx!”

Before Ballista could inquire further, Sterling hung up as he ran after the carriage and the occupants within.

’I now know what is going on here.’ Sterling declared to himself, his eyes fierce, ’And I’m going to put a stop to it, here and now.’

Nightmare Shackled
View Online

Fear of A Child

Nightmare Shackled

Gothic was sitting glumly on the stairs to the castle terrace, with Luna attempting to console him.

“I can’t believe this.” Gothic sighed, shaking his head, “I just can’t believe this. I thought I knew Somnus. Why would he do this?”

"Don't blame yourself, dear." Luna told him. "We were all fooled."

"But I knew him all these years, and never suspected a thing." Gothic pointed out. "I should have seen it sooner..."

“Hey, guys.” Luxury joined them.

“Hello, Luxury.” Luna looked at him, “Where’s Constell?”

“In her room.” Luxury explained, “Said she wanted to be alone for a while.”

"I don't blame her." Luna admitted. "Constell took quite a liking to the little filly..."

“I’d believe it.” Luxury frowned, “Hard to believe she was some mental patient though…”

"She didn't seem that way to me." Gothic frowned.

"Nor I." Luna admitted. "She did seem... Troubled, but not enough to require psychiatric treatment. I do have a measure of experience with the pony mind, after all..."

“So… did you know that Somnus had this thing about Nightmare Moon?” Luxury asked.

“Of course I did.” Gothic grimaced, “But it was never like this. He always had a fascination with her. But he wasn’t like a fanatic or anything.” He let out a sigh, “At least I thought he wasn’t. I didn’t think he would go this far, especially after this fascination got his family ran out of Canterlot…”

“What?” Luxury gaped, “Ran out?”

“Ugh, it’s a long story.” Gothic scowled, “Let’s just say Sacred’s parents were not good ponies and leave it at that.”

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all this, dear." Luna assured him.

"I can only hope." Gothic sighed. "Otherwise, it means my best friend was a fanatical maniac, and I was too dumb to notice."

"Oh, Gothic..." Luna placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

While Luna attempted to sooth her love’s mind, her own mind was at unease, plagued by the questions as to what Nyx was.

’It just doesn’t make sense. Secret said that she did look like Nightmare Moon… but why? It’s not like I had any children when I was under her control and I don’t see how she could have been birthed by two normal ponies, just like that. And what of that ability? If she is the one who made Blueblood and the others have those awful nightmares, then how did she come to have such powers?’

Luna gave a grim look.

’I need to get to the bottom of this. First thing tomorrow, I’m going to have a chat with Nabudis and Nyx. I don’t care what Secret has to say, I need answers, not just for me…’ She glanced sadly at Gothic, ’But for Gothic…’

At the same time, Fletcher and Caboose were on the terrace, leaning against the balustrades. The two glumly stood there, a magic mirror in Fletcher’s hooves. Both were deep in contemplation over the events that had occurred.

“Soooo… what now?” Caboose asked.

“Well, I guess this is ‘case closed’.” Fletcher admitted, “We returned the patient to her rightful place, and we captured an Ouroboros. We call Elite, debrief him on what has happened, and we go home...”

“...But?” Caboose frowned knowingly.

“...Ugh, I don’t know.” Fletcher grimaced, “To be perfectly honest, I don’t even know if I can say ‘case closed’ and actually mean it.”

"Really?" Caboose asked, surprised. "Weren't you the one who said 'not all cases can end well'?"

"I did." Fletcher acknowledged. "But this is different… I can’t shake this feeling that there’s something wrong with this whole scenario. And that it has something to do with Secretariat.”

“You mean you admit Sterling was right?” Caboose frowned.

“I never said he was wrong.” Fletcher corrected, “...But the problem still stands. We can’t confront Dysley without evidence, lest we and the RDL suffers fierce retaliation… and even if we started looking into him, Nyx might be long gone by now and the truth will vanish into the darkness…”

“Yeah… really could use a plot twist right now.” Caboose mused. The two stood there for a moment, as Caboose glanced up, a bit annoyed, “...I said, really could use a plot twist right now!”

“Give it a rest, Caboose.” Fletcher sighed, “I highly doubt anything can happen now that will help us in the slightest.”

“Well, if it doesn’t, I’m coming up there.” Caboose glared upwards.

Meanwhile, being led around the outside of the castle, Survival was still being escorted by the guard off of the castle grounds.

"This was a pretty rotten night." He sighed. "Rotten week, more like it. I lost my friend. I lost the patient. My workplace gets massacred. The guy who taught me everything was a Forefather agent who probably sent me to my death..."

The guard kept walking beside Survival, paying his words no mind.

“Ugh, all those years studying psychology and being able to tell the crazies from the normies, and I couldn’t see Somnus for the stallion he truly was.” Survival lamented, “There must have been so many signs, but I didn’t pay attention… I let our friendship blind me to the truth…” Survival grunted in frustration… only to give a sad frown, “But how could I not? Somnus taught me everything he knew. Took me under his wing… and now, I probably never see him again...”

The guard rolled his eyes irritably.

“And what about Secretariat?” Survival rambled on, “I used to think he was just a stallion struggling to live up to his father’s legacy, but if Fletcher and the others are right, then he’s a Forefather agent too. I mean, how am I supposed to go back to work for someone who possibly did such horrible things? I’d be unable to look him in the eyes…”

The guard, unbeknownst to Survival, began to make a mocking blah-blah-blah motion with motion, getting bored with his ramblings.

“For all I know, he might even have me killed… I’d probably have to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulders.” Survival panicked, “And I’m already on edge worrying about those three guys who attacked… wait.”

Survival stopped mid-sentence, his eyes lit up in realization. The guard quickly stopped his mocking, noticing his escortee’s sudden halt.

“...Three guys.” Survival repeated.

"What is it?" The guard asked.

“It’s nothing... it's just... I didn't say anything to Dysley about there being three attackers that night, back when we were talking in the alleyway." Survival noted, “I didn’t catch it the first time because of what I learned about Som…”

"...And?" The guard asked after a moment's confusion, “I don’t understand.”

“How would Dysley have known that there were three ponies that night? I never told him that. I only ever said I was attacked.” Survival explained.

"Well, maybe he talked to the cops." The guard suggested, “Got all the info he needed from them.”

"Not likely." Survival shook his head. "They wouldn't just outright share details on an investigation, especially one that became an RDL matter. No amount of money or pull would have helped him..." He continued to ponder. "In fact... he said that he only found out about me being alive after learning about the overnight transport... I mean, ask anyone back at the hospital… well, before the massacre… they would have told you that we don't usually do overnight trips..."

"What are you getting at?" The guard asked.

“Dysley would have… no, should have known that something was up when he heard about the overnight transport. He would have looked into it and knew that it was illegally authorized by an ex-employee.” Survival pondered, “If that was the case, then why didn’t he have someone contact us? Or have the authorities intercept us? Unless…”

Survival’s eyes lit up in shock.

“Unless he was the one who hired those thugs!” Survival gaped.

“Excuse me?” The guard grimaced.

“Secretariat! He knew how many attackers there were! He knew that we were transporting the patient! And it’s all because he was the one who got Hamm and the others killed! Not Somnus!” Survival snarled.

“Whoa, that’s a very big accusation you’re throwing around, pal.” The guard frowned, “Why would Secretariat send ponies to kill you guys?”

“I don’t know...” Survival admitted, “But my guess is he probably knew Nabudis was trying to take her away. For all I know, we were collateral damage. After all, we weren’t supposed to know who Nyx was! But why try and have us killed? He’s hiding something, I just know it!”

“Look, Doctor Horror, you had a very bad week.” The guard spoke up, “I really don't think you should worry yourself over the little things-"

"Little? This is-" Survival paused. "Wait..." He glanced at the guard oddly. "...Could you say my name again?"

The Guard looked left and right. "Um, Dr. Horror?"

Survival's pupils shrank, as he flashed back to that night. The night everything went awry...

"That is need-to-know, Doctor... Horror." The hooded thug had said that same rainy night...

In that moment, Survival recognized the guard's voice as that of the head of the group that attacked him. The guard looked at him, tilting his head.

"Something the matter, doctor?" The guard asked.

"Um, no..." Survival tried to play it cool. "I just realized, there was something I needed to tell the Lieutenant."

"Really?" The guard adopted a strange look. "Like what?"

"It's kinda personal." Survival claimed. "You see, we had this argument over horror movies and I realize that I never told him what my favorite was. I need to tell him what it is."

"Surely it can wait-" The guard said darkly as he moved in closer.

"Oh no it can't." Survival said nervously. "I don't want to leave him hanging."

"But Mr. Dysley gave me explicit instructions to escort-" The guard began.

"Look, it will only be a few-" Survival started.

“I said no!" The guard yelled, grabbing Survival by the hoof.

Survival froze, then glared darkly at the guard.

"Let go of me."

"I don't think so." The guard growled. "I already let you slip away from us once. Not doing it again."

"So it is you!" Survival scowled, his suspicions proven correct. "You were one of the three that attacked the carriage! Killed Hamm and the others!"

"Yes, and the name's 'Briar' by the by." Briar declared. "Now, if it's all the same, I would like to keep things going along. Mr. Dysley is expecting me back in half an hour."

"Lemme guess, he sent you to kill me to shut me up." Survival frowned.

"He said to tie up loose ends." Briar clarified. "And after the trouble both you and that brat caused us, I am more than happy to oblige."

Survival struggled against Briar's grip. But the thug had a good grip on him.

"Well, you're out of your damn mind if you think it's going to be easy."

"Well, I'd prefer that it be easy." Briar smirked. "Otherwise, I'll make your death a slow and painful one."

The two locked gazes, as Survival knew that the next move he take could mean the difference between life or death…

At the same time, Fletcher and Caboose were still on the terrace, Caboose looking upwards, expecting some sort of otherworldly intervention…

“...Hmm, did the story cut away from us for a moment?” Caboose asked Fletcher, “I feel like a scene just happened right now.”

“Ugh, there’s no point in putting this off any further.” Fletcher shook his head, ignoring Caboose’s question. He held up the mirror and was about to activate it when...

"AHHHH!" A scream cut through the night air.

"What was that?" Caboose yelped.

"I don't know, but we need to find out!" Fletcher put aside his mirror.

Luna and the others also heard the scream.

"What now?" Luxury frowned.

Both groups rushed in the direction of the scream, and found Briar on the ground with a knife wound in his shoulder and a few other cuts. Survival was standing nearby, holding the knife he had picked up from the café, now a bit bloody. He had a bruised cheek, presumably from a glancing blow, and was breathing a bit rapidly.

"What is going on here?" Luna demanded.

"Help me!" Briar yelled, pointing at Survival. "The doctor just went psycho and pulled a knife! He’s trying to kill me!"

“Dr. Horror?” Fletcher looked at him in shock.

“Whoa, now, it was in self-defense!” Survival quickly defended, slightly panicked, holding up a hoof.

"Explain." Gothic requested.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s nuts!” Briar snarled.

“Shut up!” Survival snapped, as he turned to the group, “This pony here is not a real guard! He’s a fraud!”

"And you know this... how, exactly?" Fletcher inquired.

“His voice!” Survival responded instantly, “It was the same voice I heard when he and his friends attacked me and killed my friends that night!”

“Oh, come on, there’s probably thousands of ponies who could have a voice like mine!” Briar snapped, “He’s a Faust damn liar!”

"I thought he was a doctor..." Caboose frowned.

“But he does have a point.” Luxury grimaced, eyeing Survival warily, “Are you sure this is the guy?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Survival insisted, almost hysterical. "I'll never forget that voice for as long as I live, and that voice is his!" He turned to Fletcher. You have to believe me!"

“Hmm…” Fletcher frowned as he took a step forward. He glanced down at Briar, still clutching his bloody shoulder, as he then noticed something…

“Um, what are you looking at?” Briar asked.

“...Private, would you care to explain your armor?” Fletcher suddenly asked.

"...My armor?" Briar frowned.

"Yes." Fletcher nodded. "You see, I couldn’t help but notice the stars on your armor. It appears to be aqua-colored.”

“...And?” Briar scowled.

“Well, if you take a look at my armor.” Fletcher gestured to his armor, “You’ll notice that my stars are clearly a particular shade of cerulean.”

“...Again, and?!” Briar asked.

“As any Royal Guard should know, it is mandated that the Royal Guards’ armors are replaced each and every year, with the colors on the stars being changed ever so slightly. To prevent counterfeits or attempts at impersonation. It just so happens that ‘aqua’ was the color of last years’ armors.”

Briar turned to look at Caboose.

"Is he serious?"

"Oh, yes." Caboose nodded. "He's usually very particular about this stuff."

"For crying out loud, I'm bleeding out here!" Briar groaned. "What difference does it make?!"

"Hmph, only a pretender would say something like that." Fletcher scowled. "Especially considering that all old armors were supposed to be disposed of and smelted or to be kept in the guards’ possession at all times. The only way you should have this model is either a foolish guard lend you their old set, which I highly doubt, or you got this set off the black market! May I also add that impersonation of a Royal Guard is a imprisonable offense?”

"It-it's not what you think!" Briar tried to deny the facts. "I, er, damaged my armor, and I'm just wearing an old suit I kept for... Sentimental reasons!"

"...Okay, that is way too convenient and coincidental for my tastes." Caboose scoffed.

"And it is still not proper protocol for guards to wear old armor." Luna pointed out. "Especially when they have plenty of spare up-to-date armor in reserve."

"Nice try." Survival smirked.

“...You know what, screw this!" Briar pulled out a crossbow and aimed at them, “Everypony stick their hooves in the-” only for Caboose to shoot his hoof with his own crossbow. "BUCK!"

“Wow, what was your plan there, space cadet?” Caboose tutted, “You realize there was an alicorn here, right? You think a bolt to her head would have killed her?”

Briar glared hatefully at Caboose.

“...Well, it would’ve, but Alicorns are bolt-time fast, y’know?” Caboose grimaced.

“Could I ask one of you to fetch some guards, preferably one with medical training?” Fletcher asked Luna and the others, “This fool needs medical treatment and a pair of cuffs.”

“I’ll do it.” Luxury volunteered, “I’ll be back posthaste.”

Luxury ran off, leaving just the four and the wounded fraud.

“Now then…” Fletcher turned to Survival, “Mind telling me what is going on? Why did this scum go to the trouble of impersonating a guard to kill you?”

“It’s all Dysley!” Survival snarled, “He knew there were three attackers that night. He knew the transport was happening yet he didn’t call the authorities. And now, he was trying to have one of the attackers kill me off to keep me silent!”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down.” Gothic held up his hooves, “Did you say Dysley? You’re saying Secretariat ordered this scum to kill you? That Secret?”

“I’m not just saying that!” Survival hissed, “I am certain now that Secret arranged that attack to begin with!”

“You’re referring to the attack on the transport that Nabudis arranged to try and steal Nyx away?” Luna asked.

“That’s right.” Survival nodded.

“But why would Secretariat do that?!” Gothic sputtered, dumbfounded, “Why would he resort to murder, rather than calling the cops to reclaim Nyx?! Are you telling me he’s caught up in this Forefather nonsense too?!”

“That we can’t ascertain yet, but if this scum was able to get his hooves on old armor, then it’s possible that the other two attackers might be impersonating guards as well.” Fletcher scowled, as he pulled out the mirror he had on him, “We must contact the station and tell them to send Nabudis back immediately”

“Wait, you think Somnus is in danger?” Gothic gasped, immediately concerned.

“If Dysley sent this scum to kill me, I have no doubt he’s going to have him silenced too.” Survival grunted.

“I have a name, you know!” Briar snapped.

“But are you absolutely sure Dysley is responsible for this?” Luna said grimly.

“Considering the guard that Dysley asked to escort Survival just so happened to be a bad guy, I think we’ve reason to think he’s a bad guy too.” Caboose deadpanned.

“No… if that is the case, then Nyx…” Luna whispered.

“Don’t you worry, Princess. Once the guards come for our impostor, we will personally bring in Dysley, and Nyx as well!” Fletcher said firmly.

As if on cue, the two entrance guards from earlier came onto the scene.

“Wow, talk about good timing.” Caboose smirked.

“...Hold on.” Fletcher held up a hoof, “Didn’t I send you two to take Nabudis to the station?”

“Um, yeah you did.” The pegasus asked, a bit confused, “And then you send two other guards to take Nabudis off our hooves and to report right back to you… for some reason. They said you weren’t clear.”

“What?!” Fletcher gaped, offended, “First off, I pride myself on clear, concise instructions. Secondly, I never sent anypony!”

"Quick question." Survival chimed in. "Did their armor have something off with their star?"

"You know what, yeah, their star looked a bit off..." The unicorn nodded. He then noticed Briar. "In fact, it looks just like the one on this guy's armor... the guy who is lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood…” The unicorn’s blood went cold, “...Oh no. Those two guys we handed the criminal off to were fakes, weren’t they?!”

“Not just fakes, Forefather agents.” Fletcher grimaced.

“...BUCK!” The pegasus cursed.

“So that means…” Gothic murmured.

“Nabudis is going to be killed!” Survival gasped.

“Well, took ya long enough, writers!” Caboose crossed his hooves, vindicated, “Had me worried for a second!”

“Now is not the time, Caboose!” Fletcher sighed as he made to leave, “Come on, if we hurry, we might be able to catch up to them."

"I'm coming too!" Survival added.

"Who says three's a crowd?" Caboose grinned.

“Captain, we are so sor-” The unicorn guard made to apologize.

“Save the apologies and look after the agent!” Fletcher said tersely.

“What about us, Captain? What can we do?!” Gothic stepped forth.

“Wait here and take no further actions! We will report back as soon as we can!” Fletcher yelled as he ran off.

“What he said!” Caboose said in the affirmative, following the captain, alongside Survival.

The trio raced to the front of the castle ground, leaving Gothic and Luna behind.

"I'm still totally confused." Gothic admitted.

"As am I, dear." Luna nodded.

At that point, Luxury returned, flanked by two guards.

"I'm back." He announced. "And I brought-" He stopped midsentence as he noiced the two other guards. "What did I miss?"

Luna and Gothic shared grim looks.

“...You’re going to want to sit down for this, Luxury.” Gothic frowned.

Meanwhile, the three stallions arrived at the front gate, where to their dismay, there was no longer anypony there.

"No, no, no!" Survival panicked. "They’re gone! Somnus could be in mortal peril, and we have no idea where they taken him!"

"This is bad. What are we gonna do?" Caboose asked Fletcher.

“I need to think for a moment.” Fletcher muttered, a bit flustered, “We need to mobilize the guards and sweep the city! They couldn’t have gotten far!”

“Sweep the city? Do we have time for that?” Survival gaped, “After everything Nabudis did, I don’t think they’re going to let him live past the night!”

“Hey, wasn’t Sterling waiting out here?” Caboose asked, glancing around, “I don’t see him.”

“Hmm?” Fletcher took note, and realized Caboose was right, as Sterling was nowhere to be seen around the area, “What the- where did he go?!”

“Maybe he went to take a leak?” Caboose suggested.

“Well, he picked a very bad time to do it!” Survival groaned.

"Let's try and stay calm." Fletcher urged.

"Calm?" Survival frowned. "The Forefathers are about to get their hooves on an innocent and do who-knows-what to her, and one of the stallions sent to stop them has gone walkabout! How can I stay calm?"

"...Yoga?" Caboose shrugged.

"I'm sure Sterling hasn't gone too far." Fletcher surmised. "He probably just needed a moment to process this dire situation."

"Too bad every moment counts right-" Survival began, before a loud noise interrupted.

Suddenly, a motorized carriage pulled up in front of them. Cabooses and Fletcher immediately recognized it, as they saw the RDL sigil on the side.

“What the-” Survival gaped.

The door opened, and Black (with his helmet and visor on) and Fury popped their heads out.

"Get in!" Black urged. "Quickly!"

"What's going on?" Fletcher inquired, “What are you-”

"We'll explain on the way." Fury chipped in. “Just hurry your asses in!"

“But what about Ster-” Caboose added.

“Now!” Black ordered.

“Alright, on it!” Fletcher nodded, a bit perplexed. He turned to Survival, “Survival, you should stay behind. I have a feeling things are about to get dangerous from here on out.”

“Nuh-huh, no way am I sitting this one out.” Survival said firmly.

“Survival.” Fletcher was about to protest.

“Dysley. The Forefathers. They killed my friends and colleagues. Pretty much destroyed a place I worked at for several years. And now, they have Somnus and that poor little filly.” Survival declared fiercely, “I don’t care what the protocol is. I am seeing this whole debacle to the end! So, Captain, please… just don’t.”

Fletcher was silent for a moment, unable to rebut. He let out a sigh.

“Hmph, I guess there’s no use arguing then.” Fletcher nodded, adopting a similar gaze as him, “After you.”

Survival smirked as he got in.

“Alright, let’s do this!” Caboose whooped as he and Fletcher got in after him. The moment the door shut behind them, the carriage immediately took off.

“Fletch. Caboose.” Black nodded, being the one driving the carriage, acknowledging them… and then staring at Survival, “...A civilian that I don’t know.”

“What’s with the third guy?” Fury frowned, “Didn’t realize we were ride-sharing.”

“Right. This is Dr. Survival Horror.” Fletcher announced, “He’s the one who called for us yesterday, and the one who survived the carriage attack.”

“And has very poor tastes in horror movies.” Caboose added. Survival shot an annoyed glance at him.

“Survival Horror, huh?” Black mused, instantly connecting the dots, “I’m sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances. I am RDL agent Dreadnaught.”

“Dreadnaught?” Caboose grimaced, “When did you became a airship-”

“Caboose. Remember what Elite, Ballista, and I discussed with you about you-know-what?” Fletcher whispered to him harshly.

“...Oh, right.” Caboose awkwardly winced, as he turned to Survival, “I, er, was thinking about somepony else. Somepony named... Dirigible.”

“Ignore him.” Fury cut him off, “Fury Xaldin. And pardon the rudeness, but again, what are you doing here? This is not something a civilian should be getting himself involved.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Xaldin, I was already involved when the Forefathers attacked my carriage.” Survival responded tersely, “And I intend to stay ‘involved’ until Nabudis and the patient are safe and sound. I hope that won’t be a problem.”

“Depends.” Black cast a sideways glance at him, then at Fletcher, “How privy is he to our current situation?”

“Oh, he’s pretty much up to date. This guy is scary smart” Caboose smirked, “He even found out who Sterling was without us telling him!”

“And how did that happen?” Fury asked Fletcher.

“It’s a long story, but we don’t have time for that.” Fletcher urged, “What is going on?”

Without a beat, Black passed him a mirror he had in one hoof while still driving. Ballista’s face was on the mirror.

“Ballista?” Fletcher and Caboose said in unison.

“Hey, mates. Good to hear from ya.” Ballista nodded.

“We were just arriving in Canterlot when Ballista gave us a call.” Black explained, “He caught us up on what happened with Nabudis.”

“So you know that he’s Doc?” Survival asked.

“That’s right.” Fury agreed… before grimacing, “Sorry about that, by the way.”

“But how do you know about it? We didn’t have time to tell you or the others.” Caboose frowned, “...Unless we somehow did it off-”

“Actually, Sterling went and called me just you guys went into Canterlot Castle to apprehend Nabudis.” Ballista explained.

“And where is Sterling?” Fletcher asked, “We didn’t see him when we got to the gates.”

"Right here." Fury pulled out his own mirror, which depicted a map of Equestria, a flashing dot indicating Sterling's position.

“Whoa… our mirrors have tracking devices?” Caboose gaped.

“Yes.” Ballista said simply, “Me and Sterling were having a discussion when Sterling spotted Dysley departing in the very same carriage as Nabudis. He then suddenly hung up and presumably took off after them to tail them.”

"So Dysley is with Nabudis?" Survival asked.

"Both him and the patient they call Nyx." Ballista replied. "And quick question, who are you?"

"Dr. Survival Horror, I was the guy-" Survival started.

"Hold on, why did Sterling take off like that?” Fletcher asked.

"No clue." Fury shrugged.

"Ballista hadn't gotten to that part yet." Black added.

“Right. The reason Sterling called me was because something was bothering him.” Ballista revealed, “He wanted me to have my buddies on the force look into what the deal was with that Spell Nexus, and the story about Nyx’s parents.”

"Why would he ask that?" Caboose frowned.

"I can only assume he had suspicions, and he might have been right." Ballista mused. "For starters, Dysley was telling the truth about Spell Nexus; he was incarcerated for way longer than Nabudis had described, which debunks Nabudis’ story about how he found the poor lass in the woods as a wee baby."

"So it was a lie." Survival bemoaned. "Maybe Somnus really did kill Nyx's parents..."

"Not likely." Ballista replied.

"And how would you know?" Survival frowned.

"Because they don't exist." Ballista answered.

“Wait, what?!” Survival gaped.

“What?!” Fletcher and Caboose yelped.

"Seriously?" Fury mused.

"That's... Unexpected." Black noted.

"I had my friends look into the files at the hospital." Ballista explained. "Even if the lass was to be kept on the down low, there should've been a record of her, be it admittance or medications or the like"

"But the hospital was ransacked." Fury pointed out. "I checked out the records room myself. Maybe they took the files to cover their tracks?"

"I thought of that." Ballista nodded. "But that was only the hospital. If Nyx really had parents who loved her, she would've had a birth certificate, dental records, the works. But my pals in the force couldn't find a thing. On her or her parents."

"But that makes no sense." Fletcher frowned. "A filly living under a hospital for years doesn't just come out of thin air."

"Yeah, about that... when the cops checked out the underground facility that Nyx was staying in, the place was ransacked, just like the rest." Ballista revealed. "They did find something though: a file on Nyx, with vital statistics and stuff. That's how I found out about her name."

"Yeah, you told me and Fury that earlier." Black noted.

"Yes, but I had them send it to me to look over... and get this: her vitals and what nots go back only three months." Ballista declared.

"Three months?!" Survival gasped. "But Somnus- Dysley- they both said she's been down there for almost her whole life!"

"Well, the file doesn't lie." Ballista insisted. "One thing to give Nabudis credit for, he is very thorough as a doctor. But it’s starting to look like our patient might not have been a patient to begin with."

"So essentially, both Dysley and Nabudis have been lying to us." Fletcher summarized.

"But then where did she come from?" Survival asked. "Why was she even down there to begin with?"

"We're still puzzling over that one." Ballista admitted.

"Didn't Sterling mention how something was going on between Nabudis and Dysley junior?" Caboose pointed. "Didn't think Sterling was into gossip..."

"That's right." Fletcher backed him up. "Sterling did mention how odd it was that Nabudis was working with us, rather than with Dysley, in order to find Nyx. At first, I assume it might have been some sort of gambit he was planning, but now… maybe Sterling was right about Nabudis being caught up in something very serious.”

“If that is the case, then perhaps the two had a falling out.” Black deduced. "Like with Gridlock and Harlhooves. Probably over Project: Bad Dreams and this ‘Nyx’. Nabudis could've moved Nyx to Brightdale from wherever she was being held back in 'Infinity', to keep her away from Dysley."

"But Dysley found out where she was." Fletcher pointed out.

"Yeah, hiding her in a hospital owned by the guy you're trying to keep her from was probably not the Doc's best idea." Caboose noted.

"And if what Nabudis told Dr. Horror here was to be believed, Nabudis got fired shortly after." Black declared. "But not because of his ‘weird behaviors’ or misuse of company time, but probably so Dysley could keep him away."

"A Reverse Uno." Caboose said stoically.

"...Yeah, that." Black said awkwardly.

"Would definitely explain those morons we found at Isle of Wheat." Fury mused.

"Isle of Wheat?" Survival frowned. "You two went to the hospital there?"

"That's right... except the hospital doesn't exist yet." Black revealed.

Fletcher, Caboose, and Survival were surprised.

"Doesn't exist?" Survival narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"He means the place was still under construction." Fury explained. "When we got there, we were jumped by these three guys."

"More Forefather agents?" Fletcher inquired.

"Nope." Black shook his head. "Just your garden variety thugs-for-hire." He turned to Survival. "But they were waiting for your carriage, with plans to kidnap Nyx."

"Wait, if they weren't Forefathers, then how did they know-?" Survival paused, and then realized. "Nabudis. He hired them, didn't he?"

"That seems to be the theory." Ballista nodded on the mirror. "If Sterling's right and the good Doc has gone rogue, I assume he had to resort to hiring some random ponies desperate for some extra cash to be willing to jump a carriage and kidnap a pony."

"So, essentially, me, Hamm, and the pullers were doomed from the start." Survival said glumly. "If Dysley's guys didn't get to us, then Nabudis' would have. We were dead ponies walking..."

“I wouldn’t be too sure.” Black chimed in, “While these guys were hired to kidnap Nyx, they were also given explicit instructions to not hurt you or your friends.”

"Huh?" Survival frowned.

"That's right. They'd had unloaded crossbows." Fury announced. "At worst, they'd probably have roughed you all up. Maybe even steal the carriage. But killing didn't seem to be part of the equation."

"At least, it wouldn't have been, if Dysley's men hadn't intercepted you." Black declared.

"So Som didn't send us out there to die..." Survival let out a small sigh of relief... before frowning. "But if all this is true, then why? Why is Nabudis trying to keep Nyx away from Dysley, falling out aside?"

"That's something else we haven't figured out yet." Ballista shrugged. "But it must have something to do with this ability to produce miasma... but what?”

Just then, Triage and the others entered the room Ballista was in, having just come back to HQ after the morgue.

“Hey, Ballista, we’re back.” Incognito announced.

“What did we miss?” Master Mind asked.

“Quite a lot.” Ballista grimaced back at them, “I’m on the mirror with Black and the guys right now and-”

“Wait, you are?!” Triage perked up.

Before Ballista could answer, Triage, moving quick for a pony his age, swooped in and took the mirror from him.

“Whoa, hey!” Ballista frowned.

“Apologies!” Triage said to him quickly as he turned to the group, who were surprised to see him, “Guys, I have very big news!”

“Triage, what’s going on? What big news?” Fletcher questioned.

“I went down with the others to the morgue where they had Weasel’s body-” Triage began explaining.

“And who the hell is Weasel?” Fury blanched.

“Foal-unfriendly gardener recently fired from school, died in a park, don’t interrupt.” Triage quickly interjected, “I went down there with the others, and we found out what killed him.”

“You did?” Fletcher gasped.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense." Caboose said giddily. "What was it?"

Triage pulled out a vial of the blue mist.

Fletcher tensed up, silently recognizing the substance.

“What the-” Survival got close to the mirror, “What is that?”

“...And who are you?” Triage frowned.

“Doctor Survival Horror.” Survival noted awkwardly, “I was the one escorting the patient.”

“Doctor, huh?” Triage’s frown deepened.

“Back to your question, Dr. Horror.” Master Mind interjected, noting Triage’s frown, “In Triage’s hoof appears to be some sort of magical miasma, undetectable by normal means.”

“Yes, I was exposed to it when I examined the body." Triage added, snapping back to focus. "I began suffering hallucinations, and was seeing my worst nightmare play out right in front of me.”

“Your worst nightmare? Like some sort of fear toxin?” Black asked.

“Sort of. Fears and nightmares aren’t exactly interchangeable.” Master Mind nodded, “But we quickly deduced that this miasma induces hallucinatory images and sounds based on a pony’s bad dream, and sends the inflicted into a panic-induced state.”

“...So, what you’re saying is, if I were to breath in that mi-asthma stuff, I would begin seeing something scary from my nightmares, like say… Chrysanthemum MacDonald?” Caboose asked.

"Okay, not sure why you would have nightmares of the guy who played Grouse Mckenzie from Grease, but yes, that’s the theory." Triage nodded.

"Wow... I really wasn't meaning anything by your old age, but most creatures would have gone with Shooter McGravy." Fury mused.

“Hold on, you said this stuff killed that Weasel scumbag.” Black frowned, “How come it didn’t kill you when you breathed it?”

"We're still trying to figure that out, but we can only assume that it's efficacy is wholly based on the volume, and whether or not the target is in the final stage of the sleep cycle." Master Mind answered.

"..." Caboose gaped.

"He means that it takes a lot of this stuff and you have to be fast asleep." Triage clarified.

"Asleep? Why is that?" Black asked.

"Again, this is only guesswork, but the brain is at its most vulnerable when you're asleep, and is at the stage where dreams usually occur." Triage announced. "This miasma in particular seems to be focused on inducing your worst nightmares, whether it was recent or long forgotten. When awake, the miasma would make you hallucinate, short and simple. Nothing a good slap to the face couldn't fix." He glanced irritably at Incognito.

"Like I said, it worked-" Incognito scowled.

"However, when you're asleep, the miasma makes your brain go haywire, causing your heart and body to believe that the nightmare you're seeing is real." Triage continued. "The ensuing stress causes your heart to beat incredibly fast, and your blood pressure to skyrocket as a result. Ultimately, this culminates in a brain aneurysm and a stroke, effectively ending your life, all within a single night's sleep."

"And that is why Weasel died." Fletcher mused.

"Not just him." Armory chipped in. "After we got that miasma out of Weasel, we checked out the body of that treasurer, you know, one of the seven victims who died in their sleep.”

“The ones that were in the news over the past few months.” Fury declared, sharing a glance with Black, who knew as well, “Their deaths are involved as well?”

“That’s right. Look what we found.” Armory pulled out another vial, with a smaller amount of miasma. "The stuff had faded, but we were able to siphon a tiny bit from her body."

"We weren't able to check out the other victims, probably wouldn't find anything anyways due to how much time passed, but I can bet you that this stuff is definitely what killed the others." Incognito added. "Pretty scary, isn't it? One whiff of this while you're asleep and you’re dead. Virtually untraceable by normal means. To the naked eye, it'd be like you died of fright."

"And this miasma... it came from the girl?" Fury inquired.

"It has to." Survival said, catching the others' attention. "Somnus and Dysley both told me that the miasma she produces induces nightmares… to be honest, I didn't think it was that bad... but after what I just heard..."

"So what? This child killed eight ponies by gassing them in their sleep?" Black asked.

"I have to agree, this is eff'd up." Fury nodded. "I mean, what is she exactly? Is she some sort of Nightcrawler? Because this is no ability I've ever heard of."

Triage shared a grim look with the others. Ballista immediately grew concerned.

"Actually, we might have an answer to that question." Triage frowned, "We ran the miasma through one of Armory's machine, to find out where it came from, and... well, you're not going to believe this..."

"At this point, Triage, we'd believe anything." Fletcher said bluntly.

"Well, think again..." Master Mind held up a sheet of paper containing the readings. "The miasma's magic signature is a near hundred percent match... for that of Princess Luna."

"What?!" The inhabitants of the carriage gasped. The carriage veered, due to Black's shock.

Outside, a Unicorn stallion who was innocently crossing the street saw the carriage suddenly heading for him.

"Whoa!" He yelped, leaping out of the way just in time. "Watch where you’re going, ya... wait, where are the pullers?"

"Princess Luna?!" Fletcher gaped.

"But I thought the mi-asthma came from Nyx!" Caboose protested.

"It does." Triage nodded.

"But how can the miasma coming from a little filly be a match for the flapping Princess of the Night?!" Fury demanded.

"It's not a complete match, but it's pretty close." Master Mind pointed out.

"That doesn't make sense though." Survival pointed out. "Magical signatures are part of a pony's DNA. To have a near-match is unheard of. Not even siblings and children would have that close of a match."

"That is true... but there is this to consider: who is the one pony we all know that was once one and the same as Princess Luna?" Triage asked.

Realization came over the group.

"Nightmare Moon." Fletcher and Black said in unison.

"Wait, are you saying that this filly we've been after this whole time..." Fury frowned.

"Oh my Faust... Nabudis wasn't grooming Nyx to be Nightmare Moon... she is Nightmare Moon!" Survival gasped.

"Holy crap on a crap sandwich with crap on top, with a side of crap!" Caboose yelped.

"But how?!" Black asked. "How is this possible?! Nightmare Moon was destroyed years ago! There's just no way!"

"Are you sure that machine got it right?" Fury asked.

"Oh, yes." Armory nodded. "It's right, alright. I double-checked everything. This is pretty much the only explanation we could all think of."

"This does certainly bring things into a new light." Survival said grimly. "What with Project: Bad Dreams and everything. Having Nightmare Moon on your side would undoubtedly be a boon for the Forefathers."

"I guess... but to think the Forefathers would stoop to use a child to do their dirty work for them-" Black frowned.

"No..." Fletcher said suddenly.

"Fletch?" Caboose asked.

"I don't think Nightmare Moon... er, Nyx is compliant in any of this." Fletcher declared.

"What do you mean?" Survival asked.

"Remember what Nabudis said?" Fletcher prompted. "About not upsetting her? Back in the hedge maze, when me and Nabudis were fighting, Nyx got really upset, like she was seeing nothing but red. And I saw the miasma, just like the ones Armory and Triage both have in their vials. It was so weird, part of it looked like it was steaming off her, the rest looked like it was flowing off her like a over-filled bathtub... I'm starting to think she can't control it."

"So, what?" Fury asked. "She just happened to be in all those victims' houses, minding her business, and then suddenly, something spook her or something and that stuff she made killed all of them?"

"Well, possibly... if someone was to put her in that scenario to begin with." Fletcher answered.

"Huh?" Fury gaped.

"...I think I see what Fletcher is getting at." Survival declared. "According to him, Nyx's ability to produce this miasma seems to be connected to her emotions. The stronger the emotion, the more miasma she produces. Being a child with the upbringing she has, she doesn't yet have the mental capacity to control these said emotions. It could very well be possible that Nyx was planted in the near vicinity of these victims, and maybe through external means, Nyx was forced to experience these strong emotions, forcing her to produce the miasma that kills the pony."

"Like tear gas!" Caboose pointed out.

"Like a weapon." Fury scowled.

"Hmm… mayhaps Nabudis was being truthful about protecting Nyx." Fletcher surmised.

"Seriously?" Fury snorted.

"Hear me out." Fletcher urged. "This whole thing with Nyx being used as a weapon is what kick-started this whole mess. Using a child as a living weapon against her will is obviously morally objectionable. From what Sterling has told us, that seems like something Nabudis would be against. This lead to him falling out with Dysley. And thus bring us to right here and now.”

“And now, Nyx is right back in Dysley’s hooves. Thanks to us.” Caboose groaned.

“And there’s no telling what Dysley is going to do now. If Nyx is responsible for those deaths and Dysley is the one using her, then there’s no telling what he might do with her.” Black growled.

“And what about Nabudis?” Survival asked, “...In spite of everything, I don’t want him to die. Especially not because he was trying to help that poor girl.”

"Let's just hope Sterling managed to keep on their trail." Black frowned.

“Do you think he knows what Nyx is?” Fury asked.

“He said he figured out what was really going on.” Ballista surmised, “I have to assume he has some sort of idea.”

“But still, to go off on his own?” Fletcher grunted, “Surely, he must know how foolhardy that is.”

“Sterling probably wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t think it was absolutely necessary.” Black said sagely.

“Besides, Sterling can handle himself.” Fury crossed his talons, “I mean, Dysley sounds like your typical trust fund kid. He’ll eat him for breakfast.”

“That may be, but I’m more concerned about all the hired guns under his command.” Fletcher glared.

“Fletcher is right. That is why I’m gonna have some RDL agents come in and help apprehend Dysley.” Ballista declared, “He’s going to have much to answer for. Luckily, the damn fool broke the law by kidnapping a prisoner, so we have a hoof in the door in case his team of lawyers try to kick stuff up.”

“Well, let’s focus on finding him first, then we’ll worry about the rest.” Fletcher frowned.

“Alright. We should be arriving at our destination soon.” Black frowned, “We’ll keep you posted.”

As Ballista switched off the mirror, he sighed heavily.

"What a mess this turned out to be." He rubbed his eyes with his hooves.

"Tell me about it." Armory agreed. "When's the last time we ever had a nice, normal mission?"

"I can't recall." Triage shrugged. "And considering I'm the oldest stallion here, that's really saying something..."

"Is anypony else weirded out by the idea that our guys will technically be helping Nightmare Moon?" Incognito asked. "I mean, are we okay with that?"

"What's there to be okay with?" Master Mind frowned. "She's a poor child being used for evil purposes."

"Yeah, a poor child named Nightmare Moon!" Incognito retorted. "You know, the same witch who tried to bring everlasting night to Equestria?"

"Cog, she's only a kid." Armory pointed out.

"A kid that can produce miasma that could kill ponies in their sleep." Incognito scowled. "I mean, am I the only one who's concerned about the danger she could pose anypony who makes her upset?"

"Of course not." Ballista shook his head. "But that isn't our biggest concern. I don't know how or why Nightmare Moon is alive in the form of a child, but everlasting night or not, she needs our help."

"That's what we do, remember?" Armory pointed out. "We help ponies in need."

"As a doctor, I can do no less." Triage agreed.

"Looks like majority rules here." Master Mind smiled. "What say you, Cog?"

“Fine, I guess.” Incognito conceded, “I just hope it doesn’t come to bite us in the ass…”

Meanwhile, a moderate distance away, there was a warehouse complex, used to keep shipments for those coming and going from Canterlot. As a requirement of its function, the complex was the size of a small town, with several individual warehouses spread out in a grid formation. As such, it was the ideal place for ponies to go about potential shady businesses.

Sterling, having not stopped moving since he saw the carriage take off, was sneaking between the alleyways between the warehouses, keeping an eye out for anypony that would be keeping an eye out for stragglers like himself.

Eventually, to his elation, he saw the carriage he had tailed, parked outside a rather dilapidated warehouse (obviously in need of renovation), with several ponies hanging around the place. The crossbows in their hooves made it clear to Sterling that they weren’t for show.

Sterling hid around the corner of a neighboring warehouse, and took out his mirror.

“I sure hope the others knew to track me.” He mused, as he observed the old warehouse once more, “It’d be a bad idea to try and go in alone. Maybe I should hold till they get here-”

At that moment, he heard yells and groans coming from inside the warehouse. And the unmistakable sound of somepony getting their butt beaten.

“Nabudis, buck!” Sterling cursed, “Can’t wait for the others, he might not hold out that long… damn it all, why did you have to get wrapped in this, Doc?"

Without any further hesitation, Sterling sprang into action. Sticking to the shadows, he snuck up on the first thugs, and struck him from behind.

"Ugh!" The thug grunted, dropping like a lead weight.

"What the-Gahh!" The second thug barely had time to react before Sterling leapt forward and kicked him.

Two more thugs emerged, each carrying a crossbow. Sterling jumped them before they knew what was happening, pummeling them soundly. Once he was sure they were out, he took one of their crossbows.

"And that's the easy part dealt with." Sterling said flippantly, cocking the crossbow. "Now for the rough stuff..."

As Sterling made his way in, something began to emerge from the shadow casted by the carriage.

Within seconds, none other than Constell emerged, using the shadow walking spell her father had taught her.

Not long after Dysley had taken Nyx, Constell had excused herself to her room, wanting to be alone, extremely saddened that Nyx had to be taken away, especially after seeing how distraught the poor filly was. She herself wanted to cry into her pillow…

However, on her way to her room, she was overcome by this sinking feeling in her gut. She wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, she felt an urge to see Nyx one last time. Hoping she wasn’t too late, she made her way to the castle gate, just in time to see Dysley pulling Nyx inside (and a little hard, she thought).

Still feeling that same feeling in her guts, and overcome with a few questions, she decided to tail them, using the shadow walker spell to literally keep to the shadows as she followed the carriage, paying no mind to the other stallion who was also following them, eventually ending up in the carriage’s shadow and waiting till the coast was clear.

Constell glanced around, a bit perplexed by her surroundings.

“Hmm.” Constell frowned, “The warehouse district? Why in Equestria would Secret bring Nyx here?” She then noted the carriage, “And why were they riding in a prison carriage?” Her thought immediately went to her father’s ‘friend’, “Did they… did they ride here with Nabudis?”

She then looked at the old warehouse, “I guess I’ll have to find out myself…”

But before she went any further, she immediately noted the unconscious thugs, and how all but one of them had crossbows.

“...Probably would be best to go around.” Constell grimaced, “Maybe there’s a backdoor or a window…”

Meanwhile...

In the midst of the rather spacious warehouse, Nabudis was strapped to a chair, now sporting a few bruises and a bloody snout, as another hoof, courtesy of Peat, slammed into the side of his face.

“Urgh!” Nabudis grunted, recoiling from the hit.

Almost immediately, he was met with a hoof to the gut. This time from Roadblock.

“Oof!” Nabudis cringed.

"You know, it's the perks that make this job worthwhile." Roadblock smirked.

"Oh, yeah." Peat chuckled darkly, as he punched Nabudis once more, “Why beat my witch of a wife when I can beat up this prick, without getting charged with domestic abuse?!”

Roadblock paused, and looked at Peat with a frown.

“What? I thought it, I didn’t do it.” Peat growled, as he then glared at Nabudis, “Now, then, time for another round-”

"Hold up."

The two paused as Dysley entered the room. A sullen Silas walked alongside him, and tagging along on the other side was Nyx. The filly's outfit had been torn off, and she now wore a collar around her neck. She was whimpering.

"Secret, please." Nabudis pleaded with him, grunting in pain. "Don't make Nyx watch this."

"I'm afraid I have to." Dysley retorted. "She needs to learn what happens when ponies think they can defy me.” He glared hatefully at the little filly, who shrank in fear, “Besides, this little brat caused me so much trouble these past few days. That calls for some disciplinary measures…”

Dysley revealed a remote, and pushed its single button. Nyx's collar suddenly surged with electricity.

"ARRRRGH!" The filly howled in pain as she was electrocuted, flailing around in pain, miasma flowing from her again.

"No..." Nabudis looked on in horror, barely able to watch, as he yelled at Dysley. "Please... please, stop!"

"Why not?" Dysley pushed the button, stopping the pain. "Don't want to break my new toy..."

Nyx grew still, but was now sobbing uncontrollably.

“Nyx…” Nabudis himself on the brink of tears.

“Oh, Somnus… it didn't have to end like this, you know." Dysley tutted, as the doctor glared at him, "If you had only played ball, and let Project: Bad Dreams progress the way it was supposed to, nopony would've been hurt. But no, due to your stubbornness, so many ponies lost their lives, starting with Hamm, and ending with poor, poor Survival."

"Survival?" Nabudis sprang up in horror. "No, you're not going to-"

"I can't be having loose ends, Nabudis." Dysley pointed out. "It's your fault really. You dragged him and Hamm into your idiotic scheme to spirit Nyx away to that nowhere island that the board was stupid enough to build a hospital on." He chuckled darkly. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't have found out? Nothing goes on in that damn hospital that I don't know about."

"Clearly something did." Nabudis scowled defiantly. "Otherwise you would've stopped them right at the gate."

Nabusis glared at Peat, who slugged him.

“Hmph, you got lucky.” He scoffed. "But not lucky enough. You really should've been careful who you hired to stage a kidnapping... or rather, whoever that hire hires to help him. Maybe then I wouldn't have gotten a tip about the move."

Nabudis glared at him.

"We can chalk it up to that being one screwup in a line of many." Dysley shrugged. "Your latest one being you refusing my 'mercy' back at the party."

"You're just mad that I didn't buy your bull." Nabudis spat out a bit of blood. "A stallion who had an entire hospital killed is clearly not capable of anything resembling mercy."

Dysley let out a small chuckle... before slugging Nabudis in the abdomen. Nyx winced, and looked away, teary-eyed.

"Well, maybe you're half right." Dysley sneered. "At the very least, my 'mercy' would have gone straight for the head rather than dragging this mess out. But you had your shot."

"Speaking of dragging this mess out-" Silas spoke up, earning a grunt of frustration from Dysley. "Could we hurry this along? Those RDL assholes are gonna catch on that the detainment carriage didn't make it to the station. I wanna get outta here while the getting's good."

"We'll leave when I'm good and ready." Dysley spat, glaring coldly at Doc. "This has been a long time coming, and I want to savor the moment."

"And I think that's peachy, but I rather not take chances." Silas deadpanned, "I barely got out of Canterlot during the whole Titanfall crapshow. And if I'm being honest, we're already wasted time bringing him here rather than just shooting him and leaving him in a ditch."

"Y'know, speaking of shooting and ditching, shouldn't Briar have been back by now?" Roadblock asked. "It shouldn't be taking this long to kill one guy."

"I'm sure the dumbass' taking his time." Dysely scowled. "Why else would I have found Nyx before all of you?"

Peats and Roadblock stifled a grimace, not liking being insulted.

"Oh, screw you!" Silas spat.

"Hmph, how gracious of you." Nabudis said sarcastically. "Sacred would be so proud of how well you treat your employees."

Roadblock put a hoof to his mouth in terrified anticipation, as Dysley, with an eye twitch, pressed his remote, shocking Nyx again, this time much harder.

"Arrrgh!" Nyx shrieked.

Nabudis's smirk faded immediately, replaced with fear and concern.

"Don't say my father's name." Dysley said coldly. "You're not allowed to say his name..." He observed the pained expression on Nabudis' face as he looked at Nyx. "Pitiful. You act like you're all tough yet all I need to do is this-"

He triggered another shock.

"Arrrrrgh!" Nyx screamed again.

"...And it all goes away." Dysley finished. "All over this... thing."

"Damn you, Secret. " Nabudis struggled against his bonds. "Whatever grudges you are holding against me, take them out on me! Leave Nyx out of this! Please... she's only a chil-"

Dysley slugged him, causing the thugs to wince, while Silas rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Would you stop it with this whole 'child' bullcrap?!" Dysley scoffed. "This brat is not a child! Hell, it's a stretch to even call her a pony! This foul thing is-"

"Nightmare Moon."

Everypony turned around in surprise, and found Sterling walking in, crossbow in hoof.

"Sterling?" Nabudis gaped.

"Sterling?" Dysley grimaced.

"Oh buck me..." Silas groaned, stepping back into the shadows.

“We got him, boss!” Roadblock roared.

The two thugs charged at Sterling.

"Yawn." Sterling sneered. He intercepted Roadblock with a clothesline maneuver, then leapt up and double-kicked Peat in the face. He had taken them both down in the space of a few seconds.

“Ugh…” The two stallions groaned on the floor, unable to move.

"Sterling." Dysley said nonchalantly, though his eyes showed shock. "What are you doing here? ...How did you get in here?"

"I let myself in." Sterling smirked. "Said hi to some old friends. One of them even lent me his crossbow." He readied the weapon, “Honestly, after the carriage attack, I thought you learned your lessons about hiring low-ranked agents, but I guess that was expecting a little too much…”

Unbeknownst to any of them, one of the warehouse’s windows opened, as Constell began to quietly climb in through it. Soon as she was inside, she quickly made her way to some nearby crates, in case more of those thugs were around the place. She peeked from behind the crates, and was immediately confused and perturbed.

’What the… what is Nabudis doing here, tied up? And has someone been beating him?’ She then saw Dysley next to him, immediately disturbed by the anger in his eyes, ’And what’s Dysley doing here? Did he do this to him? That… that can’t be right. And who is it he’s talking-’ She turned to look at Sterling, only to stop midway, as her eyes caught Nyx.

The sight of the crying filly on the floor had Constell nearly yelling in shock.

’Nyx!’ Constell gasped, ’Oh my Faust, what happened to you?! Did… Did Dysley do this? But why-’ She then noticed the wings on Nyx’s back, ’...Are those wings? But she has a horn too… she’s an alicorn?’ Constell was now at a loss, ’What the hell is going on here?!’

“Walk away, Sterling.” Dysley ordered, “This has nothing to do with you, and quite frankly, you don’t understand what is going on.”

“Oh, but I do.” Sterling said smugly, “It wasn’t easy, but I finally figured it out.”

’Figured what out? Constell grimaced.

“Nyx is not some patient, nor is she some ordinary kid…” Sterling began, “She is none other than Nightmare Moon, in the flesh.”

Constell’s eyes widened, glancing back at Nyx, who seem to shiver at the sound of the name.

’Nightmare Moon? As in that Nightmare Moon?’ Constell gaped, ’...No, no, that can’t be.’

"I had my suspicions for a while now." Sterling admitted. "Ever since I first heard about the 'subject' way back when. But seeing this filly, wings and all... that's when it all came together… you brought back Nightmare Moon."

“Wow, you must be so clever.” Dysely said sarcastically.

“Can it, Dysley.” Sterling said fiercely, “How is this even possible though. How did ‘Nyx’ come to be?”

“What makes you think I’m going to tell you any-” Dysley snarled.

“I wasn’t asking you!” Sterling snapped, as he then turned to Nabudis, “Doc, explain. How did you do it? How did you bring Nightmare Moon back?” He then pondered, “...Was it those armor pieces? Like the one from Yokestadt?”

"...That's right." Nabudis nodded. "Excellent deduction. Didn’t think you remember..."

"...So what?" Sterling asked. "Did the stuff those armor pieces gave off just suddenly just suddenly come together to make a bouncy baby filly?"

"That... I am not entirely certain of." Nabudis admitted. "It just happened, not long after Sacred died." Dysley growled at the mention of his father's death. "I was in the lab by myself, when I heard the wailing of a baby... that baby being Nyx. I'm not sure to this day how it happened, but it did."

"So, she was created, not born." Sterling frowned. "Was this what you had in mind for Project: Bad Dreams? To bring back Nightmare Moon?"

"...Yes, that was the plan initially." Nabudis nodded. "Me and Sacred never figured out how we were going to do it... but when Nyx came into being... I just went with it."

"I don't believe this." Constell whispered to herself. "This poor little filly staying with us was Nightmare Moon, the one who took over mom all those years ago?" She tnen looked at Nyx.

"And you've been raising her all these years, in Infinity." Sterling noted. "How come nopony ever talked about her? I mean, Nightmare Moon is kind of a big deal."

“That’s because I’ve tried my hardest to keep her existence a secret.” Nabudis sighed, “You’ve seen the ponies the Forefathers employed. I couldn’t risk her being discovered by other ponies who’d want to use her powers. I couldn’t trust anyone, not even you or Loveless. I had to do what I must to protect her…”

“Hey, I understand.” Sterling nodded, before glancing at Dysley coldly, “...But I’m assuming Dysley here had other plans?”

'What?' Constell frowned, confused. ’...Wait, is Dysley a-’

"How did this all start, Dysley?" Sterling asked. "And when did you figure out Nyx could use this miasma?"

"I don't have to tell you anything." Dysley scowled. "This isn't a Q and A session."

"I think you owe me that much." Sterling retorted. "Especially after what your dear ol' dad and I went through. Besides..." He held up his crossbow, “I’m not asking.”

“...Very well.” Dysley scowled, disliking another mention of his father, “...It was shortly after I joined. Me and a few scientists were assisting Nabudis here with Nyx’s examinations, when one of the idiots spooked her by waving around the wrong medical tool. He got a face full of the stuff and started going crazy, talking about baths."

“Bats? Well, that’s a common fear-” Sterling shrugged.

“Not bats. Baths.” Dysley rolled his eyes, “Said something about showers being as refreshing, and using one-third the water… honestly, it was really stupid… but it did give me an idea...”

"So you figured you could make use of that stuff." Sterling surmised. "So is that when murders started happening?"

"Murders?" Constell whispered.

Dysley scoffed once more.

"Seven ponies. From the mailroom assistant, to a treasurer, all corporate." Sterling summarised. "And as I recall, all came from companies that are partnered with Brightdale Pharmaceuticals. So, how'd you do it? Did you just pick a guy and decided that he or she must die or something?"

"I needed test subjects." Dysley shrugged. "After what happened to the scientist, I had to see what this miasma of hers could do."

"What? Were they having a shortage of lab rats? Or cats? Or literally anything that isn't a living pony?!" Sterling demanded.

"Of course not." Dysley smirked. "I ran several tests on the miasma using those lesser creatures. How do you think I found out that the miasma can kill something if they're asleep? But I needed something bigger. I had to test the limits. So I just picked some random nopony in the company and see what happens."

"That random nopony that probably had loved ones." Sterling pointed out.

"Don't we all?" Sterling shrugged. "It was a necessary sacrifice in the name of progress."

’Sacrifice?! Constell repeated in disbelief.

"And I'm assuming the other six were 'necessary sacrifices'?" Sterling growled.

"Well, I had to work out the kinks." Dysley declared. "With each kill, I learned a little more about how to properly use Nyx as a weapon. How to refine her, to... Encourage her."

"Encourage?" Sterling snarled.

"You know, provide incentive." Dysley smirked. "Chemicals, iron prods... I found that she responded well to electroshock."

"What?" Constell gasped in horror at how casual he was acting.

"So, essentially, you forced her into killing seven innocent ponies." Sterling growled. "He glanced at Nyx, who was huddling, whimpering. "She's a kid, for Faust's sake!"

"Oh, bullcrap!" Dysley spat. "This girl is an abomination!"

Constell gasped once more, as Nabudis seethed at his words.

"She was made in a lab!" Dysley pointed. "Out of some dead broad's mist! She's no more a pony than I'm the bucking prince of Saddle Arabia! This little brat here is a bioweapon, nothing more!"

"Really?" Sterling retorted, barely able to restrain his contempt. "Nabudis doesn't think so. I'm guessing he found out about your little experiments, didn't he?"

"...You'd be right." Nabudis fumed. "I found out after the fourth victim. The cause of death roused my suspicions. And then I found some wounds on Nyx one day, and saw how freaked out the poor filly was. When I asked what happened, she told me how Dysley had been hurting her, forcing her to do these horrible things. I was disgusted. Disgusted that somepony I trusted could use her in such a horrid way."

"Well at least she was being used!" Dysley protested. “All you did with her was play house, feeding, teaching, and taking care of her like a baby doll! You were squandering her potential! I tried my damnedest to explain to you that she could be useful in helping us take over Equestria. But you. Wouldn't. Listen!"

"So is that how this whole feud of yours started?" Sterling asked.

"Damn right." Dudley nodded. "After that fight, Nabudis wouldn't let me near Nyx again. Every step of the way, he kept getting in my way. He even tried to hide her away from me!"

"Under Brightdale Hospital, right?" Sterling noted.

"Yeah. This fool thought I wouldn't find her there, but he was wrong." Dysley declared. "For a while there, I tried reasoning with Nabudis, trying to get back in his good graces. And it was working."

"I was an idiot." Nabudis sighed, his voice thick with guilt. "Dysley swore to me that the experiments were over, that he had dropped using Nyx's miasma. I let my guard down, and because of it, he used his lackies to take Nyx out while I wasn't around so he could conduct more 'experiments'. Three more ponies died. That was when I knew I had to get Nyx out."

"Which led to the carriage attack..." Sterling noted.He glared at Dysley. "But then, why the hospital?"

Constell continued watching, wide-eyed.

"No... Secret, you didn't..." She whispered.

"Well, that fatass security guard was always such a gossip." Dysley said dismissively. "Word started going around about Nyx, about how there was a filly under the hospital, and about 'how Nabudis punched the CEO in the face and got fired over her'. I couldn't have word getting out about my weapon, so I had to clean house."

"All those innocent ponies... I can't imagine Father would've sanctioned this." Sterling shook his head.

"It was all for the greater good." Dysley insisted. "What's a few bodies and a hospital when Father's going to change this world for the better?"

"Greater good, my ass!" Nabudis snarled. "This isn't about Father! Or the Forefathers, for that matter! This is all about you, being consumed by your petty hatred and megalomania!"

"Oh, and you're so innocent?!" Dysley closed in on Nabudis. "Who was the one who brought Nyx to Brightdale Hospital? Who was the one who stopped at nothing to get all those armor pieces, be it robbery, arson, or murder? Who was the one who got my father killed so you can play daddy with this living dolly?!"

"ENOUGH!" Sterling roared.

Dysley and Nabudis glanced at Sterling in surprise.

"So many ponies are now dead, because of all this fighting... It's bad enough that a child is being fought over like stray dogs over raw meat, but why did you have to drag those workers into it? The hospital? Survival and Hamm?" Sterling growled.

"A means to an end." Dysley scoffed.

Nabudis glanced away in shame.

"Just how many more ponies are going to lose their lives before one of you kill the other?" Sterling demanded.

"Well, if you give me five minutes, I'll gladly-" Dysley started airily.

"Can it, Dysley!" Sterling yelled. He then glanced at Nabudis. "...You should have come to us, Doc. I know now that you're not a monster. I'm sorry I ever doubted that... but whatever your good intentions were, ponies got hurt because of your actions. Ponies like Survival. If you had just let us help you, this could have been avoided..."

Nabudis remains silent, quietly acknowledging Sterling's words.

"Whatever Project: Bad Dreams is, or was meant to be... I'm putting an end to it." Sterling said firmly. "Nyx is not going to be your weapon, Dysley..." He sadly looked at Nabudis. "And I'm sorry, Doc, but I can't leave her with you either." He glances down at Nyx, as she weakly glanced up at Sterling. "But we will make sure Nyx finds ponies who can take care of her. On that, I swear."

"Oh, is that right?!" Dudley smirked. "You're talking pretty tough for somepony who came alone!"

"But I'm not alone." Sterling held up his mirror. "This mirror is being tracked as we speak. My friends are on their way right now." Dysley's smirk faded into a small panic. "And I already took care of a lot of your flunkies. So, why don't you put the remote down and your hoofs in the-"

Suddenly, a cane was slammed into the back of Sterling's head.

"GAH!" Sterling grunted.

Constell recoiled in shock as Sterling fell to the ground.

"Sterling!" Nabudis yelped.

Sterling was on the ground, dazed, as Silas held his cane high, wielding it like a bat, glaring hatefully at him. Behind him were a few more thugs.

"That was for my order!" Silas snarled. He swung his cane down again.

"Guhh!" Sterling groaned.

"And that was for ruining my plans!" Silas swung once more. "And that... was pure catharsis!"

Silas stepped back as the thugs pinned Sterling down, taking his crossbow as Sterling struggled.

"Silas!" Dysley gaped, as he then glared. "Took you long enough!"

"Buck off!" Silas spat. "I had to get reinforcements! Good thing you and the Doc here kept this asshole entertained enough to give me a chance to take him down!"

"Silas? You're here?" Sterling heaved, shaking off the pain.

"We meet again, Sterling." Silas smirked. "And this time, it's going to be the last." He turns to Dysley. "You heard this bucker, his RDL buddies are on their way now! So, if you're done, can we kill both these assholes now and get the hell out of here? I call killing Sterling!"

"...No." Dysley said flatly.

"No?!" Silas blanched.

The thugs shared his sentiment; they all wore panicked expressions.

"I still have some more things I'd like to say to Nabudis before I end his miserable life." Dysley declared. "And I won't let the RDL or anypony get in the way of that!"

"...Are you bucking me right now?" Silas scowled. "The RDL are going to be here soon! We need to go!"

"I'll decide when we go!" Dysley screeched, visibly stressed. He glanced down at Nyx then at Sterling. "...Bring Sterling back up."

"Huh, why-" Silas frowned.

"Just do it!" Dysley yelled.

The thugs, a bit confused, brought Sterling to his hooves. The stallion tried to shake off his daze. Dysley turned to face him, an evil grin on his face.

"You know, Sterling, you never asked what my idea of Project: Bad Dreams was about." Dysley pointed out.

"Well, if it's anything like what Solomon or Gridlock had in mind, I think I can take a guess." Sterling grunted through the pain.

"Yeah... only difference is, I'm going to succeed." Dysley gloated.

"Not likely." Sterling sneered.

"Hmph, we'll see." Dysley pouted. "I'd go into details about my big plan, but I really don't have time... however, I'll gladly give you a sneak peek."

Dysley held up the remote and pressed it again.

"AHHHH!" Nyx began howling in pain, as miasma began flowing off her.

"Nyx!" Constell yelled, her cry muffled by Nyx's own.

"Dysley, no!" Nabudis begged, knowing full well what was about to happen.

"Yahh!" Nyx cried as the miasma flowed out of her and towards Sterling.

The thugs quickly let go of Sterling and backed away, as did Silas. Sterling didn't have time to take advantage of his newfound freedom as the miasma enveloped him, flowing into his mouth and nostrils.

"Oh, buck-" He started coughing profusely. "Dysley- hurrgh!" He coughed again. "You- hurrk!"

Sterling fell to his knees, his eyes turning into pinpricks, as he succumbed to a panicked state. The world around him seemed to distort, as the miasma faded. Sterling was facing the ground as Dysley approached him, and kneeled down.

"Normally, I prefer to use the miasma to kill a pony outright." Dysley admitted. As Sterling struggled against the infection, Dysley's body seemed to flicker, and his voice seemed... off. "But right now, I need a distraction. After all, how will the RDL have time for me..."

Sterling glanced up... and saw Crystal Cross, his deceased brother, hole in chest and all, wearing an evil grin. The warehouse began flickering, changing into the same church from his earlier nightmare.

"...When they're busy fighting you?!" Dysley/Crystal finished.

"NOO!!" Sterling, panicked, scrambled away from Dysley. But as he did so, he saw the other thugs and Silas also taking the form of Crystal, all with evil smiles. "Ahhh!!"

Utterly terrified, Sterling ran out of the room.

"Nooo..." Constell cringed, mortified. She looked at Nyx, who was on the ground, writhing in pain. 'Nyx... What can I do?'

Dysley smirked in satisfaction as he glanced back at Nabudis, who glared hatefully at him.

"Now that Sterling is going to keep his new friends busy, you and I can have some fun together." He cackled softly.

Meanwhile, Black and the others arrived in the warehouse district, having followed the tracker.

"So, which one of these conveniently empty warehouses is Sterling in?" Caboose asked.

"Hard to say." Black admitted. "The signal isn't that precise. Might be a bad signal, or something."

"Great." Fury scowled. "And there's a lot of warehouses to check..."

"How are we going to find them?" Fletcher asked.

"Maybe we should look at the warehouses furthest from the entrances?" Survival suggested. "Dysley would probably chose the one less likely to be spotted."

"Good thinking." Black mused.

"There's still a lot back there." Fury pointed out. "And we don't exactly have all night."

"Then we need to split up. Fletcher declared. "Dreadnaught, Fury, you take the left side, and the three of us will take the right."

"Works for me." Fury nodded.

"How about we meet back here in about an hour?" Black offered.

"Cool." Caboose smiled.

“Oh, and before I forget.” Black reached into the carriage, and tossed Fletcher a bow and a quiver full of arrows, “Your bow, Fletch.”

“Ah, thank you.” Fletcher caught it, “With all that happened, I hadn’t a chance to grab my weapon.”

“And Caboose.” Black reached in and pulled out Sterling’s sword, passing it to him, “Make sure Sterling gets this and…” He frowned, “That’s weird, I could've sworn Armory put in a crossbow for you-”

“Oh, you mean this?” Caboose held up the crossbow he used earlier.

“What the- how did you-” Black grimaced.

“I dunno, plot element?” Caboose shrugged… before frowning, “...Wow, it’s been forever since I said that.”

“Okay…” Black shook his head, as he faced Survival, “What about you? You need a weapon?”

“I got a knife.” Survival held up his still bloody knife, “And I do know how to use it.”

“Just don’t go doing something stupid.” Fury glared, not out of annoyance, but concern, “You let Caboose and Fletch do the heavy-lifting, got it?”

“Um, got it.” Survival nodded awkwardly.

“Good. See you in an hour, and be careful.” Black declared.

The group split up, as they explored the district. The warehouses contained many things, from lumber to carriage parts to foodstuffs. And even some odd things...

"A whole warehouse full of rubber chickens." Survival shook his head. "How can Equestria need so many of those?"

"You'd be surprised." Caboose smirked.

Meanwhile, Sterling was stumbling around, still under the effects of the miasma.

"Get it together." He muttered. "Gotta get it together..."

Suddenly, Crystal appeared in front of him.

"You killed me, Sterling!" Crystal screeched. "Your own brother, dead because of you!"

"No!" Sterling ran from the hallucination, but was quickly faced with another.

"I always knew you were a monster!" Crystal pointed an accusing hoof.

"Get away from me!" Sterling tried to evade the apparitions, but was faced with more of them.

"You can't run from the truth!" Crystal roared. "Or from me!"

Sterling kept running, desperate to get away.

Moments later, Fletcher and the others were still searching. As they checked another warehouse, Fledged glanced at his mirror.

"Wait, I got something." He declared.

"What is it?" Survival asked.

“It’s Sterling…” Fletcher frowned, “But according to this beacon… it’s coming to us.”

"Well, that makes our job a lot easier." Caboose smiled.

Suddenly, Sterling emerged from around the corner.

"Sterling!" Caboose beamed.

"Finally!" Survival sighed with relief.

"Sterling, thank Faust!" Fletcher smiled... before growling. "What the hell were you thinking, running off on your own like that?! You should've waited for us!"

Sterling winced as he glanced at them, and saw three versions of Crystals staring at him, with twisted grins on their faces. To them, Sterling was looking at them, horror in his eyes, panting like crazy.

"...Sterling?" Fletcher took notice of Sterling's state.

"Um, guys?" Survival said meekly. "Something isn't right."

"I'm sure it's nothing!" Caboose stepped forward. "Hey, Sterling!"

Sterling stepped back in terror. In his eyes, the Crystal in Caboose’s place said, in a manic voice:

“Hello, murderer…”

"How's it goin'?!" Caboose asked

All Sterling heard was "Enjoying your last moments alive?!"

"Sterling? Sterling, what's wrong?" Fletcher asked.

“Sterling, Sterling… what is wrong with you?” Crystal (in Fletcher’s place) sneered in a sing-song voice.

Sterling let out a high-pitch whimper as he stepped back.

"Easy there, pal." Caboose urged. "I don't know exactly what's happening to ya, but I'm sure there's a way out of it. Just like I found a way out of practicing the oboe. Ya just gotta find a good hiding place, and know how to fake being good at some dumb instrument nopony cares about. Usually by bribing somepony to play it behind the curtain while you're pretending to play it.."

The Crystal in Caboose’s place paused for a moment, not even he could make sense of what he said.

“...Gimme that flank!” Crystal roared.

“...No…” Sterling clenched his hooves, “You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Um, Sterling?” Survival frowned, not liking the maniacal glint in his eyes.

“Well, guess what? You’re not going to kill me… because I’m gonna kill you first!” Sterling roared.

Sterling let out a roar of fury as he charged at Caboose.

"Oh no." Caboose cringed. Sterling slammed into him, throwing him against a wall. "This is just not my night..." He groaned.

"Caboose!" Fletcher gasped.

"Sterling, what are you doing?!" Survival gaped.

“You’ve haunted my dreams long enough!” Sterling hissed. “I’m gonna put you in the ground and make sure you stay there!”

Nightmare Unbound
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Fear of A Child

Nightmare Unbound

"YAAARRGH!" Sterling charged at his comrades like a maniac, suffering under the effects of the miasma. "Die!!"

"Yikes!" Caboose yelped, dodging out of the way.

"Oh, buck!" Survival ran behind a crate.

"Sterling, stop!" Fletcher begged, holding up his hooves defensively.

"Not until you're put down for good, Crystal!" Sterling spat, elbowing Fletcher.

"He's not Crystal!" Caboose grabbed him from behind. "And I'm not Spartacob!"

"Get off me, Crystal!" Sterling roared, throwing Caboose off him. He then charged at Fletcher again. "You're next, Crystal!"

"What is wrong with you?!" Fletcher desperately dodged Sterling's attacks, “Why do you keep calling us Crystal?!”

"...Wait." Survival said suddenly from his hiding place. "Didn't Triage mention something about how that miasma makes the awake afflicted act crazy from hallucinations?"

"Yeah, so?" Caboose shrugged.

"I think I see what he's getting at." Fletcher realised. "Maybe Sterling got hit by that miasma stuff while trying to rescue Nabudis and Nyx. He must think he’s in a nightmare!”

“Well, that's good, isn't it?" Caboose asked. "Means all he needs is a good slap in the face, and he'll be right as rain! Watch this!"

Without skipping a beat, Caboose tackled the raging Sterling.

"Snap out of it!" He yelled, slapping Sterling.

"Gah!" Sterling recoiled.

Sterling's expression faltered. For a moment, it looked like it had worked. Then...

"Rrah!" Sterling snarled at Caboose.

"So much for that idea..." Fletcher frowned.

“Hold on, maybe I didn’t slap him hard enough.” Caboose surmised a bit nervously, as he slapped him again “Wakey-wakey!” And again. “Early worm gets the bird!” And again. "A stitch in time saves nine!" And again. "Measure twice, cut once!" And again. "There's no business like show business!"

"Graaagh!" Sterling roared, madder than ever from the repeated assault.

"Caboose, stop!" Fletcher urged. "It's only making Sterling angrier!"

"Wait!" Caboose insisted. "I’m gonna get it! I’m gonna get-”

Suddenly, Sterling threw Caboose off him.

"Whoa!" Caboose yelped.

As Caboose hit the ground, he dropped Sterling's sword, which clattered noisily at Sterling's hooves.

"Oh, no." Fletcher cringed.

His expression madder than ever, Sterling picked up the sword, and pointed it at his imagined attackers.

“You stupid buck. You think you can slap me several times in the face and make one-lines like some fourth-wall breaking joke, Crystal?! Think again!” Sterling roared.

"Really great work, Caboose..." Survival seethed with annoyance.

Meanwhile, back in the warehouse, Constell watched on in fear as Dysley approached Nabudis.

"Our time together is coming to a close." Dysley taunted Nabudis. "Sterling isn't going to keep your friends busy forever. But by the time he's done, I'll be long gone... And so will you."

"You monster." Nabudis snapped at him. "How could you do that to Sterling? He has done nothing to you!"

"He betrayed the Forefathers." Dysley sneered contemptuously. "You should be grateful that I didn't just outright kill him."

"You should have..." Silas growled bitterly.

"Honestly, I have to confess to being a little disappointed." Dysley continued, ignoring Silas. "I heard stories among the Forefathers about the high and mighty Sterling Cross. How 'great' of an agent he was, the best of the best... but then he got himself thrown in prison because he grew too attached to that bat pony and the chick that he got knocked up, and then suddenly decided he was ‘too good’ for us.” He added in disgust, “I can only imagine where he got that from… that legless, bleeding heart…”

“Sterling and Loveless are several times the pony you'll ever be!" Nabudis spat.

"I doubt that very much." Dysley sneered. "Neither of them ever came close to achieving what I did. My project is going to be the one that finally does what the others couldn't: take over Equestria!"

"Oh, is that it?" Nabudis said mockingly. "You're going to take over Equestria by using Nyx to kill ponies indiscriminately? Some plan. Ignoring the asinine thought process that a couple of random murders are going to change anything, a crossbow or a poison-laced weapon of any kind could get the job done easier."

"Hmph, as usual, you fail to see the big picture, Nabudis." Dysley shook his head.

"What big picture?" Nabudis scoffed. "What could possibly be your endgame? And why does Nyx need to be a part of any of it?! Explain that to me!"

"Well, considering you're going to die soon, I see no reason to not explain my grand designs..." Dysley smirked.

"I see one!" Silas interrupted. "The RDL, remember?!"

"Silence!" Dysley yelled.

Silas obeyed, but glared petulantly as Dysley faced Nabudis.

"Well, Nabudis, you were partially right." Dysley admitted. "A part of my goals for Project: Bad Dreams does require dropping bodies. Much more, actually."

"How much more?" Nabudis demanded.

"Who can say?" Dysley shrugged. "But that isn't the point. Tell me, Nabudis, did you read the news when Cirrus has passed? Or for any of the others?" Nabudis glared at him. "That's what I thought. 'Unexplained deaths', 'Pony dies mysteriously in his sleep', 'No signs of foul play or illness detected', 'Concerns mount as death toll rises'... Even as we speak, rumors are starting to go around, about how ponies are randomly dying in their sleep. Some say it is some undiscovered virus. Others say that Freddy Kanter has somehow become real. The crazies say it's magic mirror waves. All thanks to our own personal Nightmare Moon and her miasma."

"So, you're fear mongering." Nabudis deadpanned. "Hate to break it to you, but politicians and radio stations already do that enough as it is. A few deaths, while tragic, isn't going to create that much panic. Especially at your current rate. Nyx is only one child, and there are millions of creatures in the world. It'll take you forever, and that's if you or Nyx don't get caught in the interim."

Dysley chuckled darkly.

"Oh, you naive old fool." He snickered. "You really think I need a little filly to kill ponies for me?"

"What are you talking about?" Nabudis frowned. "How else are you going to do it?"

"You forget, Nyx technically isn't the one killing those ponies." Dysley pointed out. "It is the miasma she produces that causes the death, you see? Cut the little freak out and leave the miasma, and ponies will still die all the same."

For a moment Nabudis was confused... then he was hit by a dark realization.

"Wait, you don't mean..." He gasped.

"Observe." Dysley clicked the remote again.

Nyx was shocked once more (much to Nabudis and the hidden Constell’s displeasure), the filly only letting out a weak squeak as miasma flowed out... then some of it was strangely drawn away from her, as Dysley pulled out a little orb from his jacket that sucked all the miasma into it.

"You like?" He held up the still-glowing orb. "Our pals in the labs next door designed it for me. Able to contain enough miasma to gas a room, yet small and portable enough to plant in vents or other hiding spots. Before your little stunt, I already had a case of these filled."

"A case?" Nabudis asked, his voice filled with growing dread. "But why then-"

"Like I said, I needed to work out the kinks." Dysley grinned. "See what could generate enough miasma out of her and how the miasma reacts in a normal environment. But now that I know, I no longer need the brat to do my dirty work for me." He held up the orb. "With these, I can have the best infiltrators plants these in houses and buildings across the world. With the miasma being virtually untraceable, nopony would suspect foul play or think to look for the orbs after the fact. And for those insomniacs or those getting a midnight snack, they'd simply go crazy and won’t be taken seriously."

"And what is the point of that?!" Nabudis demanded. "How does this help Father with his goals?"

"Well, sooner or later, ponies are going to come to the logical conclusion: when they go to sleep, they run a high risk of dying." Dysley summarised. "If they don't sleep, they won't die."

"...But no creature can go on without sleep." Nabudis pointed out.

"Exactly." Dysely nodded. "At the rate we use the miasma bombs, ponies will be too frightened to close their eyes, even for a few seconds. Without sleep, they will lose focus, become lethargic and unbalanced... It won't be long before there are widespread accidents, ponies sleeping on the job, even eventually going mad from sleep deprivation. It will set society into chaos. And naturally, blame regarding why this unfortunate series of events is happening will go around, squarely landing on the royals, like our Princess of the Dreams, Luna."

"No... Luna... Gothic..." Nabudis shook his head.

"With discontent at its highest, and opinions of the rulers at its lowest, in will come Father himself, and by his side, yours truly." Dysley continued. "With Father dealing with the rulers, and the rest of civilization too tired to fight back against his followers, the Forefathers will claim Equestria and eventually the world. Game. Set. Match."

"This can't be..." Constell whispered, aghast.

"...What of Nyx?" Nabudis asked. "You never said what your plan is for her."

"Well, I can't simply take over the world with just one case of these miasma bombs." Dysley pointed out. "I'm probably going to need hundreds, maybe thousands. It would require mass-production... and Nyx here happens to be a unlimited source of miasma... it'll be like having my own prize-winning cow."

"Cow?!" Nabudis gaped.

"Yes, I'm already having our techs build a contraption that will allow us to harvest the miasma, and work it into a production line." Dysley grinned. "Of course, due to what happened this week, I'll have to take precautions to make sure Nyx never escapes again." He glared at the shivering filly. "Maybe starting with those wings..."

“Oh Faust…” Constell gaped.

Nabudis fell silent.

"So much to do, so little time..." Dysley said smugly. "What's the matter, Nabudis? Has the brilliance of my plan left you speechless?" He got up in Nabudis' face. "Or are you just jealous that I'm about to succeed, when you never could?"

Nabudis headbutted him in the face.

"GAH!" Dysley reeled backwards, clutching his bloody snout. "Motherf-"

"What in the buckin' hell is with you ponies and wanton murder?!" Nabudis demanded, panting with rage. "First, the virus, next, world-wide genocide by deity, then the spider, then the damn virus again! Why is it that so many ponies have to die so that one stupid dream can be realized?!"

Dysley took a moment to wipe his nose, confirming that it wasn't broken. But he was still pissed.

"You're really asking that now?" He growled. "You didn't give two bucks about those projects when they were happening. Not once have you ever spoken up. Hell, the only reason you went rogue now is because of this thing!"

"That is not the point!” Nabudis snapped, “Secret… for once, listen to me! Stop this madness!"

"And why should I do that?!" Dysley sneered. "I'm within the finishing stretch. Once production starts, it will probably be a few months' time before Equestria is the Forefathers, and the rest of the world will be ours before the year is out!"

"But all those innocent ponies..." Nabudis urged.

"Hey, it's not like the others who just wanted one particular group of ponies gone." Dysley retorted. "It'd be all up to chance. That's how the fear spreads. It's not really murder if you don't really know who's gonna die. Just ponies meeting sudden, unfortunate demises. No more, no less."

"My Faust... what has happened to you?" Nabudis shook his head. "How could you be like this?! Do you not give a damn about all the lives you're going to take?!"

"My conscience is clear." Dysley said resolutely. "Life's too short to worry about those who do not matter in the grand schemes of things."

"But this isn't you!" Nabudis insisted. "For Faust's sake, Secret, think of your father, what would he-"

Dysley grasped Nabudis by the throat, leaning him back, much to the others' shock... Save one.

"Finally." Silas smirked.

"There you go again, mentioning my father..." Dysley said coldly. "I have news for you, Somnus..." He sneered. "I give zero bucks as to what my damn fool of a father wants. This is all happening because of him!"

"What?!" Nabudis gaped. "What do you mean?!"

Dysley let out a small chuckle, as he pulled Nabudis forth, slamming the chair down, much to Silas' growing annoyance.

"Are you kiddin' me?" Silas muttered.

"All my life, I've been forced to walk in my father's shadow." Dysley scowled. "All I ever heard was ‘Your father was so great’, 'Your father would never do it this way', ‘This would never happen if your father was around’, ‘You did good, but your father did it better’... day in, day out, it was always the same. Tell me, Somnus, can you imagine having your words, all your actions, every single moment of your life, being scrutinized and compared to a dead stallion? It's like being in your own personal hell!"

"Oh my Faust, will you shut up?!" Silas yelled, at the end of his tether. "We have no time for your daddy is-"

Dysley pulled out a crossbow and fired it at Silas.

"Whoa!" Silas yelled, barely dodging the bolt.

"Speak again, and I will kill you!" Dysley threatened.

Nabudis was disconcerted by the manic hatred in Dysley's eyes as he turned back to him.

"I don't even understand why they worship him!" Dysley spat. "What has he actually accomplished, really?"

"What are you talking about?" Nabudis scowled. "Your father was a great stallion! He has donated to and founded many charities! Helped hundreds of ponies! Created pioneering medical treatments!"

"Really?" Dysley sneered. "Last I checked, Wheathiopia is still full of starving foals, the twin-horned salamander has gone extinct, homelessness and unemployment is still rather high, crime rates are through the roof, and ponies are still dying. Yeah, my father accomplished a lot, alright, a whole lot of nothing!"

"Nothing?!" Nabudis spluttered. "Sacred spent his whole life helping ponies and making the world a better place, and you call it nothing?!"

"That's right!" Dysely retorted. "A whole life of 'helping ponies', and what does he have to show for it? The world is still the crapshoot it still is before he came along. But to be fair, he didn't really get to live a full life..."

Nabudis fell silent.

"I still remember the day I was approached by Father." Dysley recalled. "He told me his whole spiel about making Equestria better and how my father's last wish was for me to carry on where he left off when he suddenly died. He told me about Project: Bad Dreams, and how dear it was to him. I never really had a chance to really know my dad, but when I heard about it, it gave me hope that my father had some grand plan, something would change the world forever... and if I were to finish what he started, I could finally stand apart from my father… and what did I end up with?”

Dysley glared at Nyx darkly, his rage visible.

“A damn little freak.” Dysley snarled. “The Forefathers allowed my father to do whatever he wanted. He could had used their resources to do absolutely anything in the world. Solve world hunger, clean the streets of crimes, hell, find a cure for arthritis or something… but no… my dad’s so-called ‘greatest work’, the thing he died for… was this little brat who's Nightmare Moon! And then there’s you!” He pointed at Nabudis. “His 'friend'... the goddamn whacko who used to go on and on about Nightmare Moon... instead of doing something that would've made a difference... he wasted his life, helping you!"

"Secret..." Nabudis said quietly.

"Mom used to tell me all about how close you two were." Dysley growled. "How my asshole grandparents had you run out because they didn't like you poisoning my dad with that Nightmare Moon crap. And how you looked after the both of us after dad passed away. Deep down, I knew there was something off about you... and once I assumed my father's role in the company, that is when I learned how you two weren't just friends... you were lovers."

"Lovers?" Constell repeated.

Silas lit up in shock. He turned to one of his thugs.

"He's gay?" He asked. The thug shrugged.

"...Yes, your father and I... we were in love..." Nabudis admitted. "Sacred… he was good to me. Better than most of the ponies I’ve met in my life. From the day we met, I always felt a kinship with him… it wasn’t till we were in the Forefathers that I’ve found he felt the same way. It just sort of… sort of... happened."

“So what? My dad pretty much passed up the chance to change the world because he had a thing for stallions?” Dysley said dismissively.

“To be honest, I never understood why either.” Nabudis admitted, “Even as kids, Sacred never showed much interest in Nightmare Moon. More like, he wasn’t an asshole about it like the others were. But your father cared about making ponies happy, and he knew how much I cared about giving Nightmare Moon a chance at a proper life… I like to think he helped me because…”

“Because he loved you?” Dysley asked.

"Well, ye-" Nabudis began.

Dysley suddenly slugged him in the stomach.

“Ugh!” Nabudis grimaced, “...What the-”

"Love?!" He snarled. "You really think my father loved you?! Don't make me laugh!"

Nabudis silently stared at him in confusion.

"Let me set you straight, he didn't love you... he PITIED you." Dysley said coldly.

"Pity?" Nabudis wheezed.

"That's right." Dysley smirked savagely. "My so-called perfect dad's greatest flaw: the constant need to pity everypony around him. Why else would he go to extreme lengths to help all those worthless unfortunates and waste thousands of bits on charities and trying to give everyone jobs? It wasn't his problem that they were unlucky, it's not like he knew any of them. But he pitied them. He pitied all of them. Day in, day out, he'd try and make the world a better place, only for it to remain the same every time, either naive or ignorant of just how utterly pointless it was. All that, just so he would feel better about himself."

He stared at Nabudis, hate in his eyes.

"But you... you were the one he pitied most of all. I can imagine you were like a little puppy, wanting somepony to look at you with love, rather than disgust for the worthless nothing of a freak you are. For some asinine reason, my father did, and look where that got him. Out of everypony he pitied, it was his pity for you that got him killed..."

Nabudis once again fell silent, as if letting the words sink in. Dysley raised his crossbow.

"That ends tonight, though." Dysley spat. "I am going to do what should've been done a long time ago, and rid the world of your tainted existence. This is how it will be so: as far as the world will be concerned, Dr. Somnus Nabudis was broken out by his Forefather flunkies, and went into hiding in this warehouse… but the Forefathers, having been displeased with his reckless actions and near-loss of their subject, ordered his execution, leaving his bolt-ridden corpse to be found by authorities.”

Dysley then turned to Nyx.

“As for Nyx… she will just cease to be.” Dysley smirked evilly, “The world will never see her again, as she spends the rest of her life as a self-sustainable source of miasma that will pave the way for mine and the Forefathers' triumph, and I will be the Dysley everypony remembers.”

Dysley glared back at Nabudis, who silently glared back.

“You and my father will be nothing more than memories… as it should be.”

Meanwhile, Sterling was still frantically trying to kill his comrades with his sword.

"What can we do?" Caboose yelped, dodging a swing. "If slapping won't stop him, what will?"

“I don’t know!” Fletcher dodge-rolled through another strike. “I don’t understand. Why did it work for Triage, but not for Sterling?!”

“It could be possible that Sterling inhaled a bigger dose than Triage.” Survival deduced. “I mean, Triage only breathed in what was left of what killed Weasel. It’s likely that Sterling is in a much deeper hallucination!”

"GRAHH!" Sterling slashed at Fletcher, who just barely blocked the attack with his bow.

"Sterling, stop!" He pleaded. "We're your friends!"

"Talking won't help you, Crystal!" Sterling snarled. "Not after the years of torture you inflicted on me and Gold. Not after you tried to kill Big Red and the others. And especially not after all the nightmares you’ve given me, you asshole!"

"Dreams?" Fletcher glanced at Caboose. "You don't think...?"

"Not usually." Caboose shrugged. "But I am starting to understand what all of Sterling's bad dreams are all about."

"Crystal." Fletcher declared, “As in Crystal Cross.”

"And who's Crystal?" Survival asked, confused.

"Sterling's brother." Caboose said quickly. "Treated him like dirt, made him hurt their little brother, then he killed the little guy. Then Sterling tried to kill him, got sent to juvie, got busted out, became a Forefather. Years later, Sterling dropped him in a well, Crystal tried to kill him, but had the bad timing to do it while Lunard, a bad guy from another story, came after Sterling, and Crystal wounded up getting killed by that other guy..."

“...Oh.” Survival grimaced.

"Bottom line, Sterling must be struggling with guilt over Crystal's death." Fletcher surmised. "That's what led to his bad dreams, which in turn provided fertile ground for the miasma's delusions. He thinks we’re Crystal."

"I see..." Survival absorbed all the information, and came to a solution. "I think I know what to do!"

Unexpectedly, Survival leapt out of his hiding place, and charged into the fray.

"Over here!" He yelled, drawing Sterling's attention.

"Die!" Sterling swung his sword.

Survival dodged the swing, and several others. Once he moved in close enough, he grabbed Sterling's hooves.

"Gotcha!" Survival smirked.

"Grrrr!" Sterling snarled, trying to break free.

Despite Sterling's efforts, Survival slowly forced his hooves downwards, and by proxy, his sword.

"Sterling! Sterling!" Survival yelled, his face right next to his. "Can you hear me?!"

Sterling grunted, his eyes still manic as he saw Crystal holding his hooves down.

"We know what's wrong with you." Survival declared. "You think we're your dead brother, Crystal, right?"

"Stop playing games with me, Crystal!" Sterling yelled.

"But I'm not Crystal!" Survival protested. "None of us are! Crystal is dead!"

"But you're right here! Right now!" Sterling insisted.

"No... it's the miasma, Sterling." Survival countered. "It's making your nightmare seem real, but it isn't!"

Sterling's grunting faded a little, his eyes narrowing, trying to comprehend Survival's words.

"No... Crystal... he's... he's..." He groaned.

"This nightmare you're having... is it because of Crystal and his attempt on yours and this Big Red's family's life?" Survival asked.

Sterling looked at Survival, the Crystal hallucination flickering, guilt creeping on his face.

"Y-yes..." He admitted. "I...I lied... lied about having blackmail on him... I only wanted him... I wanted to be left alone..."

"But he didn't." Survival pointed out. "The way I hear it, Crystal was a textbook psychopath. He destroyed your childhood, took away someone you loved, and now was trying to kill you..."

"He... he was out there for me... then... then..." Sterling mumbled. The Crystal in his eyes flickered and bled further. "Lunard..." Sterling closed his eyes, on the verge of tears. "I... I got him killed. He's dead because of me... I murdered him!"

"Listen to me." Survival urged. "You did not murder him."

"But I did!" Sterling insisted. "He's dead because I lured him there!"

"No! Listen to me!" Survival yelled. "I know what kind of stallion you are. I read you. Yes, you have murdered ponies, but it was because you did what you were told to, or the other party was of a greater evil. But you didn't murder Crystal... Lunard murdered him. Crystal being there was his mistake. He got between you and him. His demise was his own fault."

Sterling slowly shook his head, as Survival was starting to take Crystal's place in his eyes.

"But if I hadn't..." Sterling groaned.

"It was by no choice of yours, Sterling." Survival pointed out. "Your brother chose his own path."

"He's right." Fletcher agreed. "You can't blame yourself for the actions of others."

"Yeah." Caboose agreed. "Your bro was the one who got in the middle of things. You couldn't have done a thing to stop it."

"You need to stop blaming yourself." Survival urged.

Sterling's eyes dilated, returning to normal, as the miasma’s effects began to fade. He shook his head, pulling one hoof for Survival’s grip, rubbing his temple, groaning.

"...Sterling?" Fletcher said hesitantly.

"Ugh... guys?" Sterling groaned, facing the three. It took him a few seconds to remember what had happened. "Oh, guys... I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"Hey, it's okay, best buddy." Caboose smiled. "We know you didn't mean to try and kill us."

"What happened?" Fletcher asked. "How did you get exposed to the miasma?"

“It was Dysley." Sterling growled. "I went into the warehouse they were shacked up at. I know I shouldn't have but they were beating Nabudis. I thought I had a hoof on the situation, but then Silas got a cheap shot-"

"Silas?" Fletcher frowned. "As in Silas Necross?"

"You mean that guy from the Order of Darkness?" Survival mused. "Isn't he the one who was after all those pages before that incident with Synchro Alchemy?"

"Yeah." Sterling nodded. "He was there, along with some other thugs. Dysley got this bright idea and used a shock collar on Nyx and forced her to expel that miasma. The moment I breathed it in, I was having that same nightmare all over again..."

"Hmm, it's just as you predicted, Survival." Fletcher nodded grimly. "We need to find them again, and fast. Sterling, you think you can trace your steps back to the warehouse?"

"Yeah, I think so." Sterling confirmed. "Where's Black and Fury?"

"Who?" Survival frowned.

"I mean, Dreadnaught and Fury." Sterling said quickly, cursing his mistake. "Sorry, still woozy from the miasma."

"They're on the other side of the warehouses, looking for Dysley." Fletcher stated. "We'll call them once we find the right warehouse again."

"Then let's do this!" Caboose cheered. "Lead the way, Sterling!"

As the group headed out, Survival was still looming on Sterling’s mention of ‘Black’.

'Black… wait, he doesn’t mean...' He thought, before shaking his head. 'No, no, it's not important right now...'

Back in the warehouse, Dysley still had Nabudis in his crosshairs.

"...Goodbye, Nabudis." He smirked sadistically. He pulled the trigger...

*SHINK* *THUD*

All was silent... until a gasp of pain filled the air. Standing behind Nabudis and to the left was another thug, who now had a bolt in his shoulder. He was gaping, clutching his shoulder, as he slumped to the ground in pain.

"Mr. Dysley... the buck?!" He whimpered.

Dysley's smirk faded to confusion, as he looked at the thug, and down to his bow hoof, seeing it had veered away from Nabudis' head.

"What?!" He looked at Nabudis, who was still glaring at him. "I-I didn't aim-"

"Correct." Nabudis smiled. "You didn't. Your shadow did."

"My... shadow?" Dysley glanced down, and to his shock, his shadow remained the same, but Nabudis's shadow, rather than being seated like he was, was actually gripping his shadow's hoof. "What the living hell-"

Nabudis' shadow then tossed his shadow back, and as a result, tossed Dysley back.

“Gah!” Dysley landed on the ground with a hard thud.

"What the-" Silas gaped stupefied along with the others at seeing Nabudis' shadow, which looked like a normal pony shadow on the floor, swaying back and forth in front of Nabudis, like a shark eyeing its next meal. "What kind of bullcrap is this?!"

Nabudis smirked as Dysley slowly got up, freaked out.

"This is certainly hilarious." He chuckled. "Did you really think I would have come all this way, turning my back on everything I knew, going up against RDL and Forefathers alike, and all the danger that came with it with nothing but my own four hooves?! I said I would protect Nyx, and protect her, I WILL!"

"Don't just stand there!" Dysley yelled. "KILL HIM!"

The thugs snapped out of their stupor and charged at Nabudis. Nabudis, still strapped in, looked at his shadow, who looked back at him, and nodded.

"You gonna get it now!" One of the thugs snarled, charging in first.

Nabudis' shadow slid across the floor, tackling the thug's shadow.

"Whoa!" The thug yelped, flying across the room and smashing headfirst into a crate.

"You freak!" Another of the thugs roared, trying to get to Nabudis from the side opposite his shadow.

Moving like lightning, Nabudis' shadow grabbed the second thug's shadow by the hoof and used it to throw him across the room.

"Urgh!" The thug grunted as he slammed into the wall.

The third thug had a sudden brainwave.

"Let's see you try that with me!" He leapt into the air, banking on the idea that he couldn't be affected by Nabudis' shadow if his shadow wasn't connected to his body.

He turned out to be wrong, as he found himself stopping in midair, Nabudis' shadow grabbing his own.

"Oh, no..." He cringed.

The thug was going upwards, slamming into a walkway above, then crashing back on the ground.

Another thug was frozen with fear, unable to move… only for Nabudis' shadow to drag his across the wall, bringing him along for the ride.

“Ow, ow, ow!” The thug cried, his back scraping against the wall, only for the shadow to then flung him out of a high nearby window. “Ahhh!”

"You see, I did not study only Nightmare Moon." Nabudis revealed. "Truth be told, when I was a colt, I've dabbled in the occult, having always been fascinated by the supernatural and the eldritch. It was through these studies that I've learned about shadow-based magic." He angled himself so his flank was uncovered from his coat, showing a cutie mark of a pony and a shadow, their right hoof connected.

"I came to discover that my talents lie in being able to use my shadow in ways ponies would not believe.” Nabudis continued, “At first, it was being able to change my shadow into any shape, like a shadow puppet. Then, I was able to merge with my shadow and shadow-walk, which I taught to Prince Gothic and the others back in my younger days. But what you are paying witness to now is what I call 'Shadow Sentience'. By channeling my inner magic, I was able to turn my shadow into a Daeva."

"Diva?" A random thug asked, before being uppercutted into the air and landing on a pile of crates.

"Daeva." Nabudis corrected. "A living shadow. It's a technique I seldom used, but it serves me well. As you see right now, my shadow serves as my guardian, able to manipulate the environment around me by interacting with the shades cast by other creatures or objects."

"Wait, did he say objects-" Silas began, just before his cane was ripped from his hoof. "What the- HEY!"He tried to snatch it back, but the shadow was keeping his shadow at hoof length. "Give that back!"

"Gladly." Nabudis smirked.

His shadow then swung the shadow of the cane, causing the actual cane to swing into Silas' groin.

"Eeee...." Silas squeaked, keeling over.

"Aw, crap!" One of the remaining thugs yelped. "You'll pay for that!" He drew a crossbow, and tried to shoot the shadow itself... but all that did was embedded the bolts in the ground, “Ah, crap!” The shadow sweeped his shadow’s legs, knocking him down.

"You can't hurt a shadow, you know." Nabudis smirked.

"But we can hurt you!" Another thug spat.

The thug went after Nabudis… but Nabudis’ shadow, with a hoist of the chair’s shadow, flipped him over, causing him to land right on top of the thug, breaking said chair and knocking him out.

The instant his body was free, Nabudis quickly raced over to Nyx, who watched the whole carnage in shock and amazement.

“Nyx!” Nabudis hugged her, “Are you alright?!”

“I feel better… now you’re here.” Nyx gave him a weak, teary-eyed smile, hugging him back.

“Always.” Nabudis said warmly.

"NO! You will not have her!" Dysley roared, incensed at how things had turned for the worse. He yelled to the remaining thugs. "FOR THE LOVE OF FAUST, KILL THAT BASTARD!"

Another thug charged at Nabudis from behind, a knife in hoof... but his knife hoof was caught by the shadow.

"Keep your head down, baby." Nabudis told Nyx. "Papa has to finish what he started."

“O-okay… be careful.” Nyx did as such, not interested in seeing what her father was going to do.

Nabudis got up, turning and glaring at the thug.

"No, no, no!" The thug panicked as he tried to pull his hoof free.

Nabudis punched the thug in the throat, knocking him down, and taking the knife for his own. He then stared at Dysley and the remainder of the baddies, who looked on in horror.

"Come on, old friend, let's do this." Nabudis smiled at his shadow.

Nabudis marched slowly, still a bit sore from his beatings. The thugs, despite their fears, charged at Nabudis. But they were easily thrown aside, Nabudis and his shadow, batting them away like they were nothing.

"You know, Dysley... there is a lot of things I am willing to take." He admitted, punching one thug. "Being bullied relentlessly all my childhood. Having my family being run out of town because two rich and powerful ponies were disgusted by my hobbies. Being eventually disowned by my father because he was an abusive gaslighting prick.”

His shadow threw another thug into a crate.

“Being bullied and ostracized by colleagues and other ponies alike because of said hobbies. Getting shot at and nearly killed in the years as a Forefather... watching someone you loved so much died because he wanted to help your dream come true..."

He headbutted another thug. Nabudis’s expression saddened greatly.

"...The Faust-damn loneliness I felt following his death... the guilt of being the reason he's long alive..." He lowered his head, almost overcome by the misery of a lifetime... before looking up in anger. "...But the one thing I will not tolerate, is having an egotistical, nihilistic, hate-filled piece of crap spitting on everything his father stand for because he can't handle being compared to his old man!"

Nabudis punctuated the statement with a huge slug to the last remaining agent, knocking him flat out, leaving only him and Dysely left.

Dysley glanced around, knowing there was nothing between him and Nabudis.

"Oh, crap..." He cringed.

"Just you and me, Secret." Nabudis pointed out. "Let's have it out..."

"No! You stay back!" Dysley drew his crossbow and opened fire.

Nabudis sighed as the bolts were either deflected by the shadow or just stopped mid flight and dropped, getting closer and closer to him. Dysley's crossbow ran out, and the stallion silently cursed in panic. Nabudis was now in front of him, knife in hoof, looking at him in anger.

"Uh... uh..." Dysley looked around desperately, seeking a way out... and saw in interest that Nabudis' shadow was acting sluggishly as it returned to him. He also noticed that Nabudis was visibly tired, panting slightly.

It has seemed that the sentient shadow had taken a bit out of his owner.

Dysley only smirked, seeing an opportunity, “Hmph, looks like your 'invincible' shadow has a limit! You tired yourself out!”

He swung his left hoof at Nabudis… only for Nabudis to catch the hoof with his right in a speed that betrayed his exhaustion.

Dysley's smirk faded again to panic. Nabudis slammed him against the wall, and quickly pinned him up against it by the neck. Nabudis held the knife in his other hoof.

"Gah!" Dysley struggled in his grip. "Let me go! Let me go, damn you!"

"Hmph, not so tough now that you're all alone, are you?" Nabudis taunted. "You were clever enough to catch my Shadow Sentience's only flaw, but your ego blinded you to the fact that even without my shadow, I would beat you, every time."

"BUCK YOU!" Dysley struggled further.

"...Why did it come to this, Secret?" Nabudis asked. "You could have talked to me. You were important to me as much as Sacred was. I could have helped you through this ‘personal’ hell… maybe none of this would have to happen..."

"Yeah, right." Dysley said dismissively. "Like I'd ever give you the time of day. Like I said, you were nothing to my father, so why would you matter to me?"

Angered by Dysley disparaging his father, Nabudis tightened his grip.

“This is just sad, at this point.” Nabudis grimaced, “It was wrong of others to try and hold you up to standards like Sacred’s. No one should have been dealt that much stress and pressure. But that doesn’t excuse your actions. And it does not excuse the hell you put me and Nyx through.”

“So what? You’re gonna kill me?” Dysley glared, “Because that’s the only way you’re going to be free of me. Because even if you and Nyx managed to escape here tonight, I will only find you two again. I’m never going to stop till you’re gone out of my life and take back what’s mine.”

“Nyx will never be yours.” Nabudis growled, “I won’t allow it.”

"You don't have a say in the matter." Dysley retorted. "Just like I didn't have a say in losing my father. He died because of you. Because of your weakness!"

Nabudis tightened his grip once more... then eased it.

"You are right..." He lowered his head. "If I'd never met your father, he would probably still be alive..." He glanced back up. "But you are wrong about your father's flaw... It wasn't because he pity the world around him... it was because he cared too much. He believed in a world and a future that everypony could be happy. No matter what obstacle came his way, he never stopped believing in that. I don't know why he wasted any effort on me... but I am forever grateful for the time we had shared together because of it. I won't apologize for that..." He dropped the knife. "And I won't kill you."

Nabudis dropped Dysley, letting him slump to the ground in shock.

"There's been enough killing for a lifetime, and as reprehensible you have become, you are Sacred's son, and a part of me still cares about you." Nabudis sighed. "That said, I will tell you how it will be so..."

Meanwhile, Nyx was watching on as Nabudis talked to Dysley... only to feel a hoof on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Constell.

"Constell?!-" Nyx gasped.

"Shh... I'm gonna get you out of here." Constell whispered.

"I'm going to take Nyx as far away from here as possible." Nabudis announced. "She and I will start a new life somewhere where we can finally live in peace. I do not care what you do with your life, although I reckon you're going to have a hard time explaining to Father why yet another one of the Ouroboros had defected, and why Project: Bad Dreams ultimately failed. And let's not forget the RDL already had their sights on you during this whole mess. With Sterling on their side, I can only assume it's a matter of time before they will get you and haul you away for your crimes."

"You... you..." Dysley spluttered, as Constell helped Nyx to her hooves.

"This is where we say goodbye, Dysley... for all it's worth, I hope you will find peace with yourself..." Nabudis said sincerely. He turned around. "Come on, N-"

Nabudis's eyes lit up as he saw Nyx and Constell. Constell silently cursed.

"Nyx?! Constell?!" He gaped. "What the-"

In the blink of an eye, Dysley grabbed the dropped knife and shanked Nabudis in the abdomen.

"GAH!" Nabudis grunted.

"NOOOO!" Nyx screamed.

Constell was terrified by what she saw, but the rational part of her saw an opportunity.

"We have to go now!" She scooped up Nyx and ran up the nearby stairs.

"But my papa!" Nyx wailed, reaching for him.

"N-Nyx..." Nabudis groaned.

Dysley pulled out the knife, leaving Nabudis to slump to his knees, clutching his wound. Meanwhile, Dysley turned to Silas and kicked him awake.

"Get up!" He spat. "Everypony who is still conscious, get up and get after them! Do not let them escape!"

Silas let out a growl as he and the others (who had just barely started to recover) quickly followed their quarry up the stairs.

Dysley glared hatefully at the wounded Nabudis.

"Secret..." Nabudis wheezed.

"I'll be back to take care of you..." Dysley scowled, as he too headed for the stairs.

"N-no..." Nabudis slumped all the way to the ground. "Nyx..."

Not too far away, Sterling's group arrived at the warehouse the action was happening at.

“There it is, the detainment carriage.” Sterling pointed to the said carriage, “This is the place.”

“Alright.” Fletcher activated his mirror, contacting Black. “Dreadnaught." He announced, keeping up the cover identity. "We just found Dysley's hideout. You and Fury home in on our beacon."

"Will do." Black replied. "Try not to have too much fun without us."

"No promises." Sterling smirked.

Turning off the mirror, Fletcher set the beacon.

"You think we should wait for them?" Caboose asked. "You know, in case we need the backup?"

"We can't afford to wait." Sterling retorted.

"He's right." Survival agreed. "We have to get to Somnus before the worst happens."

"That is a good point." Fletcher acknowledged. "But I think Caboose and I should take point. Sterling is still recovering from miasma exposure, and you, Survival are a civilian."

"Very well." Survival shrugged. "As long as we hurry."

They went in, Caboose and Fletcher keeping a keen eye out. When they finally reached the main section, they were shocked to find most of the ponies unconscious.

"Whoa... what happened-" Fletcher gaped.

"Somnus!" Survival yelled, spotting Nabudis lying in a pool of his own blood.

"Doc! Oh, Faust!" Sterling gasped.

Sterling and Survival rushed over to him, as Fletcher and Caboose following. Sterling rolled him over.

"Somnus! Somnus!" Survival shook him. "Open your eyes!"

Nabudis groaned, weakly opening his eyes.

"F-Fievel?" He groaned. He took notice of Sterling. "Sterling... you're okay."

"Nabudis, what happened?" Sterling asked. "Where's Dysley? Where's Nyx?"

"Nyx!" Nabudis yelled. He struggled to get up, but couldn't. "Nyx- Princess Constell-"

"Constell?" Caboose glanced at Fletcher. "As in Gothic and Luna's girl?"

"Why was Constell here?" Fletcher asked.

"I don't know- she was helping Nyx- they ran off up the stairs- Dysley and the others- they're gonna..." Nabudis let out a gasp of pain.

"Oh, crap. You're in bad shape." Survival frowned. He tore at his vest, making a few strips. "I need to fix you up..."

"No..." Nabudis protested. "Nyx, she's-"

"Don't worry, Caboose and I will get after them." Fletcher pledged. "Sterling, you should wait here and guard Survival in case these thugs wake up."

"Got it." Sterling drew his sword. "Be careful, guys."

Fletcher and Caboose rushed up stairs, while Survival tended to Nabudis.

Meanwhile, Constell was pulling Nyx along, the filly still crying as they made their way along the upper walkways.

"It'll be okay, Nyx." Constell tried to console her.

"But my papa..." Nyx sniffed.

"I'll get him help." Constell told her. "I just have to get you to safety first. Okay?"

"...Okay." Nyx gulped.

As they kept moving, they eventually reached a dead end, with some windows up high.

"Okay, Nyx, I'm gonna need you to climb on my back." Constell declared. "We'll fly out of here!"

"Ain't nopony flying out of here tonight!"

Constell turns around, finding Silas standing behind her, with several bruised crossbowponies behind him.

"Stay back, all of you!" Constell growled, her horn glowing.

"I wouldn't try that, you little witch." Silas sneered. "You may be an alicorn, but unless your middle name is Neo, you can't dodge or get a shot off without either of you getting shot to shreds."

Constell glanced at the crossbows in their hooves, and knew he was right.

"Dammit..." She seethed.

"Now then... how about we call it a night and you hand over the brat?" Silas grinned.

"Not a chance in Tartarus!" Constell shouted. "I won't let you use her for your twisted gains!"

"Let me rephrase that: hand over the brat, or we will buckin' murder you." Silas summarised. "Don't think for a moment we're above committing regicide."

"No." Constell retorted, her resolve overcoming her nerves. "You will take her over my dead body..."

"Constell, no..." Nyx begged.

"Very well, regicide it is then." Silas sneered. "Guys, at the ready!"

"Wait, who put you in charge?" One of the thugs grunted.

"Do you want to be stick around here and be arrested by RDL agents?" Silas pointed out.

"...Fair point." The thug capitulated.

"Right." Silas smirked. "As I was saying... ready!" The thugs held up their crossbows. "Aim!" As they took aim, Constell started sweating, while Nyx whimpered in fear. "F-"

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!"

"Oh, Lauren Faust!" Silas snarled.

Dysley arrived on the scene in a panic. He got between them and Constell and Nyx, and held up his hooves.

"Hold your fire!" He ordered. "Nopony fire anything!"

"What is it now?!" Silas groaned.

"Seriously?" One of the thugs groaned.

"Why can't we just kill her already!" Another demanded.

"Shut up!" Dysley yelled. "Let me handle this!" He turned to Constell and Nyx, trying to put up a smile. "Princess Constell... what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the-"

"You stay the hell away from us!" Constell spat.

"W-wha, Constell, what's wrong?" Dysley frowned, taken aback. "I'm here to help you!"

"Help?!" Constell scoffed. "Like you helped Nabudis just now by stabbing him in the guts, or helped the hospital staff by having them all killed?!"

"Oh... you heard all that?" Dysley cringed.

"I've heard enough." Constell said coldly. "How can you do this, Secret?! How could you have murdered all those innocent ponies?!"

"You got the wrong idea, I didn't murder them... the Forefather agents did." Dysley said weakly.

"Yeah, because you told them to." Silas scoffed.

"Silas, I swear to Faust!" Dysley roared.

"Why?!" Constell demanded. "Why are you doing this?! How can you associate yourself with these ponies, after the things they did?!"

"I know things look bad, but the Forefathers are seeking to make the world a better place." Nabudis declared. "It was a dream my father always wanted, and I want to see that dream come true... but in order for that to happen, I need that filly."

Nyx shrank behind Constell.

"Oh, bullcrap!" Constell scoffed. "I heard your whole spiel about your father to Nabudis as well. And I know what twisted things you have planned for Nyx. I didn't think you'd be capable of such depravity!"

"Listen, Constell." Dysley said, getting annoyed. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm the only thing standing between you and a wall of razor-sharp bolts. I am trying to help you out so that I don't have to explain to my best friend why his wife was found dead in a warehouse! So for the love of Faust, work with me!"

"So, is that how it's going to be?" Constell scowled. "Either I walk away and abandon Nyx, or you'll kill me?!"

"I'd rather not." Dysley admitted. "Besides, you're really going to go to bat for this thing?! If you've heard everything, then you know-"

"That Nyx's Nightmare Moon." Constell cut him off. "Yeah, I've heard."

Nyx lowered her head in shame.

"Then you surely know the hell she brought upon your mother." Dysley pointed out. "That little monster got her trapped in the moon for a thousand years. And who can forget what happened at the lunar eclipse not long after Luna's freedom?"

"And what about what she did to that Rarity chick-" The thug added.

"Eh-eh, let's not go into that." Dysley held up a hoof. He turned to face Constell. "Think of your mom. How'd she feel if she knew you were helping the thing that caused her so much pain?"

"I don't know... and honestly, I don't care." Constell answered, causing Nyx to look up at her. "Even if Nyx is Nightmare Moon, she isn't anything like the one who took over my mother. She is a scared, sweet little filly who needs help, and regardless of her origins, I'm not going to abandon her, especially not to the likes of you."

"Well, that works fine for us!" Silas smirked. "Guys..."

Several crossbows were aimed.

"NO!" Dysley yelled.

The crossbows were lowered.

"Faust dammit, why are you dragging this out?!" Silas snarled.

"Yeah, come on!" One thug growled.

"Unless we're getting overtime, let's get on with it already!" Another urged.

"Shut up!" Dysley yelled. "We can't kill her! She's my friend's wife!"

"Are you kidding me?" Silas screeched. "The RDL is probably closing in on us as we speak! We should've been long gone by now!"

"Be quiet! I can fix this!" Dysley yelled back. He faced Constell. "This is your last chance, Constell. Walk away, and forget you saw any of this... or else I'll have to do this..."

Dysley held up the remote, causing Nyx to whimper in fear.

"You wouldn't..." Constell growled.

"I will not have my plans foiled." Dysley said resolutely. ”I promise you, the miasma will not kill you if you're awake... but chances are, you will probably go mad from the volume you'll breath in. Please, if you value your sanity, leave!"

"You're seriously going to let her go?!" Silas asked incredulously. "She's gonna blow the whistle on this whole thing! Let's just kill the witch and-"

"I said no!" Dysley insisted. "Come on, Constell, don't be stupid!"

"Constell, don't..." Nyx begged.

"I'm not going anywhere." Constell pledged. "The only way I'm leaving is with Nyx."

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen." Dysley shook his head.

"And I'm afraid it's not up to you." Constell said defiantly.

"Don't push me on this, Constell." Dysley held up the remote. "Luxury is my best friend. Think of him for a moment. How would he feel if something happened to you?!”

“And just how would Luxury feel if he knew about any of this?!” Constell shot back, “You had all those doctors and patients killed, and then had the audacity to feign sadness over their deaths. If Luxury knew-”

“What Luxury doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.” Dysley cut her off coldly. “This is your last chance…”

"I'm not leaving without Nyx." Constell insisted.

"Is that so?" Dysley growled, his hoof shaking.

Despite Dysley's threats, Constell stood her ground. Yet Dysley didn't respond in kind.

"You mind hurrying this up?" Silas growled. "We don't have all day, you know."

The thugs voiced their agreement.

"Yeah!"

"Just do it already!"

"What he said!"

"I'm going to!" Dysley said, flustered. "But only if I have to. We're still in a standoff here, you know. And I won't be the one to break first..."

"Oh to hell with this-" Silas snatched the remote out of Dysley's hoof.

"Hey!" Dysley yelled. "Give that back!"

Silas pressed the button.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Nyx screamed.

"Nyx!" Constell tried to help her, but was repelled by the electricity.

"Silas, what are you doing?!" Dysley demanded.

"I'm gonna gas this witch so we can finally get the hell out of here!" Silas boasted.

"AHHHH!" Nyx screamed in pain as the miasma flowed out of her once more.

"Nyx!" Constell yelled. "Stop it!"

"Give that back!" Dysley tried to reclaim the remote back.

"Buck off!" Silas slammed his cane into Dysley's face.

"UGH!" Dysley recoiled in pain. "You damn bastard! How dare you strike an Ouroboros!"

"How dare I?" Silas scoffed. "How dare you drag us to this damn warehouse, just so you could beat up some fruit and go on and on about how everyone loves your daddy over you! We could've been back at Infinity, knocking back beers with that dumbass Ricochet, and Doc or whatever his name would have been shot dead and left in a ditch. But no! No, no, no, you had to go into this big edgy speech about how you're going to outdo your daddy and how you hate everything!"

"You son of a-" Dysley tried to charge Silas again, only to be shoved back once more, and pinned down by his cane.

"Unbelievable... you call yourself an Ouroboros?!" Silas scowled. "My Order may have been dismantled twice, but at least it was because I was thwarted by other ponies! This whole plan of yours is going up in smokes because of you and you alone! Well, I ain't having it!"

"What are you saying?!" Dysley asked.

"It's obvious, jackass... I'm taking over." Silas cackled.

"You can't do that!" Dysely protested.

"Well, it looks like I am right now!" Silas crowed. He couldn't help but notice that Nyx's miasma wasn't coming out. "Hmm, this is kinda taking a while..."

"Do you have any idea what you are doing?" Dysely yelled. "You are defying a superior! That's punishable by death!"

"Peh, not like I have anything to lose." Silas sneered. "I'm done being pushed around by assholes who think they can order me around, use me for their own damn plans, and suffer indignities after indignities! But this time... this time, Silas Necross is going to have the last laugh, and be the one who brings Project: Bad Dreams to completion!"

"But you don't even know anything about the project!" Dysely protested.

"Nightmare Moon. Miasma. Kill you in your sleep. Gas bombs. Fear of sleep. Collapsed society. Profit. Really not that hard to grasp." Silas shrugged. "And since you already just about killed the guy with the diva or whatever he called it, there's nothing to stop me."

"But-" Dysley spluttered.

"Nothing that isn’t a trust-fund kid." Silas said scornfully.

"Are you seriously going to let him talk to me like that?!" Dysley turned to the other thugs. "Seize him!"

"Nope." One of the thugs refused.

"You got our pals beat up." Another scowled.

"Besides, it's kinda impressive how Silas has finally grown some balls." A third smirked.

"I just wanna get outta here!" A fourth declared.

"Me too!" A fifth agreed.

"See, even they agree with me!" Silas smirked.

"...You are going to regret this..." Dysley snarled.

"Yeah, we'll see how you’re feeling once this brat coughs up-" Silas suddenly turned to Nyx, seeing no miasma emerging. "Okay, seriously, what the hell is taking so long?!"

"No..." Nyx was visibly struggling, as if trying to hold something in.

"Nyx, what are you-" Constell gasped.

"I... won't... hurt... you..." Nyx stuttered.

"Oh, Faust dammit..." Silas looked antsily at the remote, and pressed harder on the shock button.

"Arrgh!" Nyx cried out, clutching her body, holding in the misma.

"Dammit, how do you crank up the juice on this thing!?" Silas growled.

"Silas, you need to stop this!" Dysley pleaded. "Nyx isn't meant to suffer prolonged shocks!"

"Well, if she would just unleash that miasma already!" Silas spat.

"Stop it, you're going to kill her!" Constell screamed.

"I'm with her, Bad Dreams is going to be nothing if our source is dead!" Dysley declared.

"I know what I'm doing!" Silas yelled. "Unlike you, Dysley!"

"You don't know anything about her!" Dysley retorted.

"Neither do you!" Constell spat. "She's a filly, not a project!"

"Stay out of this, Constell!" Dysley demanded.

"Somepony do something!" One of the thugs yelled. "I wanna get outta here already!"

"Me too!" Another added.

"Finish this, already!" A third urged.

"Ahh!" Nyx screamed some more. As her resolve weakened, her body became enshrouded with miasma, the dark substance slowly rising up to her head...

"Shut up! Shut up!" Silas yelled at everyone. He turned to Nyx, too blinded by rage to realise what was happening to her. "Conjure the miasma already, ya little f-!"

Nyx let out a skyward scream, as her pupils turned to slits…

Suddenly, a big shadowy shockwave erupted out of Nyx, knocking them all to the ground.

A short distance away, Fletcher and Caboose were on the upper walkway, and found themselves also being pushed back by the shockwave.

"Whoa!" Fletcher yelped, falling toward the edge.

"I gotcha, pal!" Caboose caught him.

"Thanks." Fletcher smiled.

"Anytime." Caboose grinned.

Back at the end, Constell, Silas, and Dysley got up.

"What just happened?" Silas groaned.

"Nothing good, I'd wager..." Dysley frowned.

"Nyx, are you o-" Constell glanced at Nyx, only to see something that made her blood run cold. "N-nyx?" She gasped.

Standing in the place of the little filly was a full-grown mare. Her purple mane was a wispy long tangled mess and her wings are twitching like crazy, and through her mop of a mane... two hate-filled turquoise eyes opened.

"RAAARRRGH!" A dark snarl roared out of the mare's mouth.

Nightmare Eternal
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Fear of A Child

Nightmare Eternal

Back down on the ground floor of the warehouse, Survival was still tending to Nabudis.

Sterling was keeping an eye on the remaining unconscious thugs, a hoof on his sword's hilt in case any of them tried to make a move, but would periodically look back at the two with worry.

“How it’s looking, Fiev?” Sterling asked, breaking the silence, “Is he going to be okay?”

“Well, Som got lucky. Dysley missed all the organs when he shanked him.” Survival let out a sigh of relief, as he continued wrapping around the wound. “Nothing a patch job can’t manage, but unfortunately, I’m only a doctor in psychology and my survival training only helps so much. He’s going to need actual medical assistance when this is over.”

“Err… Survival...” Nabudis groaned, as he glanced at him, “I have to say something to you.”

“No, save your strength.” Survival urged, “Whatever it is you need to say, it’s not important right now.”

“But it is.” Nabudis persisted, “...I’m sorry.”

“Somnus, it’s fine-” Survival sighed.

“No, it’s not.” Somnus growled, sadness in his eyes, “I allowed all this to happen. If I hadn’t brought Nyx to Brightdale, everyone there would still be alive…” He looked at Survival. “Hamm would still be alive...”

Survival stared at Nabudis, showing a conflicted grimace.

“Yeah… he would.” Survival murmured, before focusing back on patching his wounds.

“Look, I know you don’t believe me, but I truly never meant for you or the others to get hurt.” Nabudis declared.

“No, I do believe you. At least I do now.” Survival said tersely, before glaring angrily at him. “...But why?! Why did it have to be me and Hamm?! There were so many other ponies in the hospital you could have picked. Why did you put us in the crosshairs like that?!”

“It was like I said before… you were the only ponies in Brightdale I could trust.” Nabudis admitted, “...Not only that, you were the only ones who actually like me.”

“What?” Survival’s glare softened.

“Come on, don’t act so surprised.” Nabudis sighed, “I was never a very well-liked pony. I always had the stigma of being the guy who liked Nightmare Moon and the occult, and even after all those years, it never went away, not really. The others always kept a wide berth, thinking that I was no good, no matter the seniority or experience. If I went to any of them, they’d probably would’ve gone to Dysley and made things worse… beside Sacred and his wife… you and Hamm were the closest things to friends I had."

"And what about the Forefathers?" Survival frowned, “You were one of the big fishes, weren’t you? Why didn’t you send any of your ‘comrades’ to get her?”

Sterling glanced back, having taken heed of the conversation. Nabudis looked at him.

“True… I did know some good ponies who probably would have helped me if I had asked.” Nabudis confessed, “However, I couldn’t ask them…”

“And why’s that?” Survival questioned.

“Because I had all but left the Forefathers at that point.” Nabudis revealed, “...Nyx was the only reason I ever stood by the Forefathers for long as I did. They had the resources to help me take care of her and protect her. I never forgave them for letting Sacred die, but I just didn’t have the courage to leave… at least, not until Nyx told me what Secret made her do to those ponies… when I found that out… my love for my daughter made up for that severe lack of courage. So without a word to anypony, me and Nyx left. And by now, if Secret hadn’t already told them, I assume they are beginning to catch on that I’m never coming back...”

“Then why did you go to the efforts of arranging a transport to a hospital that wasn’t built and hiring thugs to ambush us and not ‘hurt’ us? Why didn’t you just tell us the truth from the start?” Survival demanded. “Sure, we might've had our trepidations about kidnapping a pony, but you were our best friend. We would have gladly delivered her to you personally.”

“I was trying to keep the both of you blameless.” Nabudis admitted, “I did not want to drag you and Hamm in any more than I was going to. If you two had no idea of who you were transporting and were ‘victims’ of an ambush, then Dysley wouldn’t bat an eye your way… for all the good that did…” He sighed deeply, “...I’m sorry, Survival… for what I dragged you into, and for getting Hamm and the others killed… I don’t expect your forgiveness, but please know that I am truly, truly sorry…”

Survival glanced at Nabudis, looking at him intently in the eyes…

"Okay, listen up." He said bluntly. "I'm still angry about what you did. Still disgusted by what you proved yourself to be capable of...." He sighed deeply. "But I can tell you really care about that filly. Everything you've done recently was to help her, give her a better life. I don't agree with the steps you took to give her that life, but you meant to do well by her, risked everything to do so. And for that... I can forgive you."

"You can?" Nabudis gasped, surprised. "Even after-?"

"Yes." Survival nodded. "Because at the end of the day, you weren’t the one who killed Hamm and the others. In fact, you were as much of a victim of this whole mess as the rest of us."

“...Well, it does my heart good to hear you say that.” Nabudis gave a small smile, “Now, at least I can go out with a clearer conscience…”

“Come on, Doc, the living isn’t through with you yet.” Sterling rolled his eyes, “You’re going to live, and Dysley is going to get what’s coming to him.”

“I don’t care what happens to him.” Nabudis grunted, “My only concern right now is Nyx.”

"Don't worry." Sterling assured him. "I'm sure Nyx will be fine..."

Meanwhile...

Above on the walkways, Nyx, having undergone a transformation that turned her into her original Nightmare Moon form (sans armor), was standing in place, breathing angrily, eyeing the ponies looking at her.

Everypony there was terrified. But Constell was more scared for Nyx, and the thugs' crossbows were all visibly shaking. Dysley cast a side-glance to Silas, who was mute in shock.

"Silas... what did you do?" He trembled.

"Well then... this is unexpected..." Silas gulped. Then he adopted a smug smirk. "But not unwelcome. Instead of some little brat, we have a full-grown alicorn now!"

"Somehow, I don't think that's a good thing..." Dysley cringed, watching the alicorn for any movements.

"Oh, whatever..." Silas sneered as he approached the new Nightmare Moon. "Nightmare Moon! Now that you have attained your true form, use your alicorn powers and clear us a path out of here, so that we can finally go home!"

Nyx did not heed his words, instead glaring hatefully at him.

"Oh, still refusing to comply, huh?" Silas scoffed. "Maybe another dosage of electroshock will fix that." He pressed the remote.

The collar delivered a shock, but the new Nightmare Moon barely reacted... Save for lighting up her horn. A second later, the collar popped off her. Silas, Dysley, and the thugs all stared, wide-eyed.

"...Oh." Silas said flatly.

Suddenly, Nyx let out a bone-chilling roar, as her horn charged up with magic...

"Hit the deck!" One of the thugs yelped.

“RAAARGH!” Nyx screamed, unleashing a powerful bolt of magic right at the crowd.

Everypony scrambled for cover, but Dysley wasn't fast enough; the bolt grazed the left side of his face, before hitting the ceiling, making a hole.

"UGH!" Dysley screamed. He clutched his face, which was smoking, and fell to the walkway floor, screeching from the pain.

"Run for your lives!" Silas screamed as he darted to his hooves.

Silas and the thugs fled the scene in a panic. Dysley, however, was unable to move, clutching his burnt face, riling in pain. Nyx began staggering forward, her wings twitching oddly.

"...N-nyx?" Constell asked nervously.

Nyx looked at Constell, her eyes softening for a moment... before she let out a roar, which echoed throughout the warehouse.

"What was that?" Sterling frowned.

"Nothing good, I'd wager..." Survival declared.

"Nyx..." Nabudis whispered, dread in his voice.

Nyx spread her wings, and took off quickly.

"Nyx! Don't!" Constell pleaded.

Meanwhile, Fletcher and Caboose were hurrying up the walkway, having just seen a random bolt of magic blast a hole in the ceiling.

"I'm sure the blast came from over there!" Fletcher surmised.

As they kept moving, they saw Silas running toward them.

"Fletch, look!" Caboose pointed, pulling up his crossbow. "It's Silas Whathisface!"

"Silas Necross!" Fletcher held up his bow. "Put your hooves up-"

Silas used his magic to push them aside, much to their shock.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" He screeched.

"What the- what was that all about?!" Fletcher frowned.

Suddenly, a whole gaggle of thugs ran between them, screaming and yelling.

"Run!"

"I knew bringing back Nightmare Moon was a bad idea!"

"We'd better be getting hazard pay for this!"

"...Did they say Nightmare Moon?" Caboose asked.

"But surely they must know that she is only a child-" Fletcher started.

There was another roar as a black blur sped forward, passing them and cutting off Silas the thugs as they immediately stopped in their tracks. Nyx flew above them menacingly, her mane draped over her face, her cold blue eyes staring upon them.

Caboose and Fletcher looked on in horror, as did the thugs and Silas.

"Um, Fletch?" Caboose cringed.

"Yes, Caboose?" Fletcher gulped.

"I think Nyx just hit a growth spurt." Caboose pointed out.

"...That she did, Caboose." Fletcher agreed.

"Um... you're not mad about the whole me shocking you thing, are you?" Silas chuckled nervously.

Nyx gritted her teeth as her horn charged up.

"Run away!" Silas screamed.

The thugs scattered, only for Nyx to fire a powerful beam that tore up the walkway, causing the whole thing to collapse.

"Jump!" Fletcher yelled. He and Caboose jumped off on the same side, as the thugs had the same idea.

Meanwhile, Silas was running away, the beam almost catching up to him... but the walkway collapsed below him.

"No, no, NOOO!" He screeched as he fell.

At the same time, Constell tried to help Dysley, whose face had been half-burnt by Nyx's attack.

"Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

Dysley suddenly grabbed her by the throat.

"You interfering little wretch!" He spat. "This is all your fault! You ruined everything!"

"Let... go!" Constell struggled to pry him off. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the beam tearing up the walkway. "Look out!"

“Oh, sh-!” Seeing the beam for himself, Dysley threw Constell to the floor, and quickly hobbled over the side of the walkway to avoid the blast.

The beam finally ended at the wall, creating an explosion that ripped a big hole in the warehouse.

"Gah!" Constell yelped, blown back further by the force of the explosion.

The explosion didn't go unnoticed, as Black and Fury both reeled from the sound.

"What the hell?!" Black yelped.

"You don't think that's where-" Fury started to ask.

"Come on!" Black urged.

The two hurried onwards.

The walkway collapsed onto the ground floor, much to Sterling, Survival, and Nabudis' shock.

The thugs landed roughly, while Fletcher landed smoothly... then quickly caught Caboose.

"My hero!" Caboose smirked.

"Guys?! What's going on?!" Sterling asked as he rushed over.

Before the two could answer, Silas let out a huge groan

“Ughhh…” Silas got up, shaking off the pain from the rough landing, “Stupid brat…”

“Silas?!” Sterling gaped.

Silas paused, letting out a very peeved growl.

“Of buckin’ course you’re back here.” Silas snarled, glaring at him. “As if things couldn’t get any wor-”

A snarling sound cut him off, as Nyx slowly descended upon the group, looming over them like an angel of death. Everypony looked on in horror, especially Nabudis.

“Som… is that…” Survival gaped.

"Nyx... what has happened to you?" Nabudis gasped.

"Um, Fletcher?" Sterling cringed. "Ideas?"

"Well, I got one!" Silas pointed to the thugs. "Open fire!"

"Wait, you want us to shoot at the obviously pissed nightmare-inducing alicorn?!" Peat treambled.

"You got a better idea?!" Silas demanded. Peat and several of the other thugs looked like they were about to say something, but he cut them off. "Save it! Kill this witch!"

"No! Don't!" Nabudis yelled. He tried to get up, but was still too hurt to do so.

The thugs opened fire. Nyx twitched as some of the bolts cut her and stuck to her. Instead of blood, she was bleeding miasma... but the wounds quickly patched themselves up, pushing the bolts out. The bolts clattered noisily as they hit the floor.

"...And she regenerates." Silas cringed. "Buck my life!"

"Huh, could Nightmare Moon do that in the canon?" Caboose mused, pulling some notes from out of nowhere. "I swear, I feel like the writers are making this stuff up as they go."

Nyx snarled as her body began producing miasma again, but rather than leaking from her, it began to curl up around her wings. Most of the group were clueless as to what this meant, but Sterling quickly caught on.

"Oh, crap, everypony get back!" He yelled.

Caboose and Fletcher, trusting Sterling's instincts, started to run, as did most of the thugs. Before Silas and the others could react, Nyx flapped her wings, sending a fog of miasma down upon them....

"Oh, buck!" Silas gasped. He used his magic to conjure a bubble around his mouth. "Hah! No freaky hallucinations for me tonight!"

The other thugs started coughing heavily, their eyes reduced to pinpricks of panic.

"What's going on?" Peat groaned.

Before his eyes, a giant, more terrifying version of Silas stood before him.

"No..." Peat gaped.

"You've failed me for the last time, Peat." Silas growled, his voice deep with anger. "And now you're going to receive the ultimate punishment!"

The giant Silas raised a hoof, ready to crush Peat.

"NOOOOO!" Peat screamed.

At the same time, Roadblock saw his own nightmare version of Silas. This one was normal-sized, but excessively muscular, and was wielding a giant hammer.

"You just don't listen, do ya, ya big idiot?" Silas taunted, swinging the hammer. "Guess I'm just gonna have to beat some sense into you..."

"No, don't!" Roadblock yelped. "I'll do better boss, I swear!"

The rest of the thugs had similar hallucinations, and were also screaming in terror.

"Silas, please!"

"Don't kill me!"

Silas scowled angrily, not just because they had succumbed, but because their fears all revolved around him.

“Hey, not that I don’t appreciate all of you fearing me so much, but none of this is real, you dumbasses!” Silas yelled. "This is all just a bunch of nightmares! So snap out of it!"

"He's gonna kill us all!" Peat screeched.

"I knew this day was comin'!" Roadblock quivered.

"Oh, hell no! I ain't going out like a bitch!" One thug held up his crossbow. "Who's with me?"

The other thugs also drew their bows. Silas quickly realised they were all aimed at him.

"...Buck." He sighed.

Before Silas could even shout to stop, bolts are sent flying everywhere, not a care given where they stuck or who they hit.

The miasma soon cleared up… revealing in the middle a badly bleeding Silas, who had bolts stuck all over him. The other thugs were on the ground, having gotten a few scratches and a couple of bolts stuck in them from the crossfire, hurt, but not fatally so.

Silas was unable to speak, spitting out blood as his hooves gave out, sending him to the ground.

"Silas..." Sterling grimaced with sadness.

Nyx lets out another roar.

"You know what? Buck this, I'm outta here!" Roadblock yelled.

"Right behind you!" Peat panicked, still on edge from the miasma, as he got up after him, ignoring the bolt in his shoulder.

The thugs all ran out of the warehouse, not wanting to stick around, leaving the heroes and Nabudis and Survival.

Unbeknownst to the others, Dysley (who had jumped to the ground to avoid Nyx's blast) was lying nearby, struggling to get up due to spraining a back hoof on landing.

"Gahhh..." He groaned in agony.

"Sir?" One of the remaining agents discovered him. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" Dysley scowled. "Get me out of here!"

"Right away, sir." The agent helped Dysley up, and they escaped together.

At the same time, Sterling, Caboose and Fletcher stood before Nyx. They readied their weapons.

"Okay." Sterling said resolutely. "Let's do this."

“Wait!” Nabudis pleaded, trying to get up again, but the pain prevented him from doing so, “Don’t hurt her!”

“Som, stop, please!” Survival held him down.

“I’m sorry, doctor, but the more pressing concern is her hurting us.” Fletcher nocked an arrow on his bow.

“Yeah, self-defense!” Caboose held up his crossbow.

Caboose fired his crossbow, while Fletcher fired an arrow. The projectiles hit their marks (in the legs and shoulders), but were quickly forced out of her body, just like the others.

"Sorry, kid." Sterling raised his sword. "I'll try to make this gentle... As gentle as a razor-sharp blade can be..."

"RAARRGH!" Nyx fired another blast of magic.

Sterling narrowly dodged the blast.

“Sterling, jump off me!” Caboose presented his back.

Catching on, Sterling ran and jumped, leaping off of the unicorn’s back towards Nyx.

“Take this!” Sterling swung his sword.

Nyx raised a hoof to block it, and the blade slashed it. In addition, Sterling’s momentum sent her flying back a bit.

“Gahh!" Nyx snarled.

The wound quickly closed up, like it was never there in the first place.

Sterling landed in a roll, glancing up at Nyx, dismayed to see his attack was for naught.

"Oh, jeez..." Sterling groaned.

Nyx swooped downward, divebombing the ground. The second she struck it, she unleashed another shockwave.

"Whoa!" Caboose yelped, as he and the others barely managed to keep their footing.

"Any ideas?" Sterling asked.

"While she's on the ground, we should all attack at once!" Fletcher declared. "Now!"

"Works for me!" Caboose shrugged. "Charge!"

The three raced toward Nyx, intending to strike fast and hard, but Nyx was prepared; she fired a blast from her horn that Caboose barely managed to dodge, and repelled Fletcher with a cloud of miasma. Sterling got close enough to try and tackle her, but Nyx swiped him with her wing, sending him flying.

"Sterling!" Fletcher yelled.

"She winged him!" Caboose gasped.

While Caboose provided covering fire, Fletcher rushed over to Sterling.

"Are you okay?" Fletcher asked.

"I'll live." Sterling winced. "But we won't. Not if this fight goes on much longer."

“I agree. None of our attacks are working, and she shows no signs of tiring out.” Fletcher grunted, “Our next best option is to find a way to restrain her.”

"Ooh, I know!" Caboose spotted some chains lying about. He rushed over, grabbed them, and threw a bundle to Fletcher. "Convenient, right?"

“Well, I’ll take it.” Fletcher smirked.

"You two get ready." Sterling instructed. "I'll keep her busy."

Caboose and Fletcher nodded. Sterling ran back to face Nyx, who had once again taken to the air.

"Hey, over here!" He swung his sword threateningly. "You want some more?"

"Grr!" Nyx blasted away.

Sterling evaded the blasts, leading Nyx to the right spot.

"Now!" Fletcher yelled.

Caboose and Fletcher threw their chains at Nyx from two sides, lassoing her.

"Rrah!" Nyx snarled.

"Now, pull!" Caboose urged.

The two stallions used all their strength to try and bring Nyx down, bringing her back down to the ground, and for a moment, they seemed to be succeeding... until Nyx, in a burst of strength, soared skyward.

“Nyx!” Nabudis yelled.

The chains Caboose and Fletcher were holding tightened in response. Fletcher and Caboose looked at each other.

"...Buck." Fletcher said flatly.

"Ahhh!" The two yelled in shock as they were dragged upwards.

“Guys!” Sterling gasped.

"Ahhh!" Nyx snarled as she burst through the roof, bringing Fletcher and Caboose along for the ride.

Black and Fury watched from below.

"There's something you don't see everyday." Fury gaped.

"This is getting more insane by the minute!" Black said, shocked.

"I have to get after them!" Nabudis struggled to get up.

"Somnus, no!" Survival yelled.

“Look, Doc, you’re in no shape to go anywhere but a hospital.” Sterling frowned.

“I will only go once I know Nyx is safe!” Nabudis shot back, as he was back on his hooves. His stance was wobbly.

"Where would she even go, anyway?" Sterling asked.

"I'm not sure." Nabudis admitted. "But I have a feeling that since she has returned to her complete form, she might be drawn to the origins of her very being..."

"Princess Luna." Survival realised.

"We have no time to lose." Nabudis said sternly. "We have to go and try to stop Nyx before she does something she will regret."

"And I told you, you're not going anywhere." Survival insisted.

"You're too badly hurt to be moving around." Sterling agreed.

"I'll live." Nabudis persisted.

At that point, Black and Fury arrived on the scene.

"Okay, what's going on?!" Black demanded. "Because we just saw what looked like Nightmare Moon flying out of the warehouse, dragging Fletcher and Caboose with her!"

"We're waiting..." Fury frowned.

"There's no time to explain!" Sterling retorted. "We gotta get to Canterlot Castle, before Nyx does!"

"And I'm coming too." Nabudis insisted.

"...Seriously?" Fury sneered, “Aren’t you the one that started this mess?!”

“Nabudis, please…” Survival tried to reason with him.

“Listen, Doc, ignoring the trouble you and Secret has caused, you’re wounded.” Black frowned, “You need medical treatment.”

“No, you listen!” Nabudis hissed, “Nyx is the only good thing I have left in this damn world. Right now, she is scared and needs help! I could be the only one who can talk her down and stop her before she hurts anyone else! So please, let me make this right!”

Black glanced at Nabudis, and let out a frustrated sigh.

“Very well…” Black grunted.

“Are you serious, Dreadnaught?” Fury gaped.

“If he can help us stop Nyx, then it’s worth a shot.” Black declared, before staring at Nabudis, glaring, “But once this is over, we will have to take you in. You understand?”

“...Yes.” Nabudis let out a sigh, “But only after we save Nyx.”

“Okay then.” Black huffed, “Sterling, Doctor Horror, you two help him to the carriage. We haven’t a moment to lose.”

"On it." Sterling nodded.

"You're going to be okay, Somnus. Survival declared, as he and Sterling helped Nabudis up.

As they departed, Constell, recovered from the impact of the explosion, got up.

"Nyx?" She looked around. "Nyx?!"

She spotted the hole in the roof, and flew up and out of it. Continuing her search, she just about made out Nyx in the distance, flying in the direction of the castle.

"I'm coming, Nyx." She said determinedly, following her path.

Up ahead, Nyx was flying through the skies of Canterlot. Caboose and Fletcher were still hanging on for dear life, their weight dragging her down enough to allow them to run along the rooftop.

"This must be what that 'freerunning' is like!" Caboose smiled.

"Try to anchor her down!" Fletcher urged.

“Weightlifting’s good exercise too." Caboose nodded.

As they reached the edge of the next roof, they hooked their hooves onto the edge, and pulled. Nyx was halted for a moment, but started flapping her wings faster, and the two’s hooves were unable to keep hold and were dragged off the roofs.

“Grr, wonderful..." Fletcher groaned.

"Incoming!" Caboose yelped, as their path led him straight into the side of a building. "Ouch!" He groaned, as he struck the side.

"Caboose!" Fletcher gasped. "Are you okay?!"

Caboose was painfully dragged over the building.

"I'm fine..." He winced.

"Whatever you, don’t let go!" Fletcher urged.

"Will do." Caboose nodded. He then saw many more buildings ahead. "Oh, no..."

Caboose slammed into several more buildings in rapid succession.

"Oof! Ah! Ohh! Yeowch!" He cringed.

"Caboose!" Fletcher yelled. "Are you...?"

"I didn't let go..." Caboose said woozily.

As they continued onwards, they passed by Caboose's brother Vinny and his wife Berry, who were drinking on the roof of their house.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Berry smiled.

"And beautiful company." Vinny grinned.

At that point, Nyx flew by, still carrying her unexpected passengers.

"Hi, Vinny!" Caboose waved. "Hi, Berry!"

Vinny and Berry stared in shock for a moment.

"And down the drain the drinks go." Vinny said matter-of-factly as he poured out his bottle down his rooftop.

"We really need to cut back on our drinking..." Berry sighed as she did the same.

At street, Black and co. were following right behind them.

"Don't lose sight of them!" Nabudis urged.

“Hey, just because we let you tag along doesn’t mean you get to backseat drive.” Black glared.

“Besides, how can we lose sight of motherflappin’ Nightmare Moon?!” Fury growled.

Sterling's mirror started to buzz. He answered it, revealing Ballista on the other side.

“Hey, where are you guys at?" He asked. “We’re at the warehouse complex, but we ain’t seeing ya.”

“Oh, shoot. We’re actually traveling through Canterlot right now. We’re kinda busy with something.”

"With what?" Ballista asked.

“Allow me.” Survival leaned in. “To cut a long story short, Nabudis is with us, safe if not wounded, Silas Necross of all ponies is pretty much a goner, the thugs are scattered, Nyx has turned into Nightmare Moon, and right now, we’re chasing them while Caboose and Fletcher are being dragged along above.”

“...Lauren Faust.” Ballista cringed, “...But wait, what about Secretariat?”

"Uh... No idea." Sterling admitted. "Most of the Forefathers' thugs ran out, but he wasn't with them. Didn’t really have time to think about him.”

“Well for now, you guys should take care of Nyx.” Ballista instructed, “Me and the boys will handle cleanup. Dysley and his pals couldn’t have gotten far.”

"Roger that." Black nodded.

Meanwhile, Luna and Gothic were anxiously waiting for news about Nabudis and Nyx in the throne room. Along with them was Luxury, who sat on the throne steps, still shell-shocked from what Luna and Gothic had told them when he brought back the guards.

“I… I don’t understand.” Luxury murmured, “Why… why would Secretariat be involved in any of this? I know him, he’s not a criminal!”

“I don’t know, Luxury.” Gothic sighed, “I’m still trying to comprehend how Nabudis got involved in this as well.”

“Well, whatever the reason, Nyx is at the center of it all.” Luna declared, “Hopefully, the captain and Caboose will be back shortly with good news.”

Suddenly, there was a blood curling snarl, echoing throughout the castle.

Luna, Gothic, and Luxury all jumped in shock.

“What was that?!” Luxury gaped.

“It sounds like it came from outside!” Gothic pointed to the balcony.

The trio ran to the balcony, and looked skywards… and Luna’s eyes widened in horror.

“No… it can’t be.” Luna whispered.

Flying high above the castle, was none other than Nyx, glaring down at the castle below.

“Luna… is that who I think it is?” Gothic shuddered.

"ARRRRGH!" Nyx let out another scream.

"You gotta admit, the kid's got some set of lungs on her." Caboose told Fletcher.

Nyx began flying downwards, toward the parapets. Luna ran off to meet her without another word. Gothic and Luxury followed, concern on their faces.

At the same time, the armored carriage arrived in the castle courtyard.

"Okay, how are we gonna do this?" Black asked.

“There’s no ‘we’. I’m going to go in there and help Nyx.” Nabudis got up, still shaky from his wound.

“Not gonna happen. With your injury, you’d be lucky to make it in the front door.” Black retorted.

“And I told you, I’m the only one who can help Nyx.” Nabudis shot back.

“That is why I’m coming with you.” Survival stepped forth, “To make sure you get where you’re going.”

“...Thank you, Fievel.” Nabudis gave a small smile.

“Are you sure you’ll be able to do it?” Black asked.

“You seem to forget that I practically raised Nyx. I just know that I can get through to her, and end this madness." Nabudis explained.

“And how do we know you’re not simply trying to take control of Nyx yourself?” Fury challenged, “I mean, I can’t think of any other reason why someone would go to all this trouble to bring back such an evil mare.”

“Fury…” Black chided.

"I never wanted Nyx to be a weapon." Nabudis retorted. "All I wanted was to give her a second chance at life. This whole mess only started because I wanted to take her away from all this."

“Yeah, because that worked out so well.” Fury huffed.

“Well, I trust him.” Survival glared. “Besides, we don't have time to argue. We have to go out there, now."

“Then you best get going.” Black ordered, “Me and the others will hang back here in case things go to crap.”

"Thank you." Nabudis nodded.

"Just don't make us regret this." Fury said bluntly.

"Good luck, guys." Sterling declared.

"Thanks." Survival nodded. "Let's hope we don't need it..."

Higher up in the castle, Nyx landed on the walkway leading to the tower (notably, the one where the Elements were once kept). The chains came down with her, as Fletcher and Caboose were left dangling over the sides of the walkway.

“Is the ride over? ‘Cause I want off.” Caboose whimpered.

“If only…” Fletcher groaned.

Luna, Gothic, and Luxury arrived at the door to the walkway, and looked on in shock as their fears were confirmed: Nightmare Moon was before them… and she was mad.

“Faust damn, this night just keeps getting more insane by the second.” Luxury gaped.

“I can’t believe it… after all this time, she’s actually back.” Luna murmured.

"Impossible..." Gothic gaped.

“Auntie, Gothic!”

The trio look behind to see Blueblood and Dusty running towards them. Joining them were their sons, Miracle, and a platoon of guards.

“Blueblood? Dusty? Kids?” Gothic asked.

“What’s going on here? We heard this Faust-awful noise echoing throughout the castle.” Dusty asked, concerned.

“Yeah, it woke us all up.” Miracle frowned. “Are we being attacked?”

"Is dad throwing another party?" Pureblood asked.

"Will the moat be okay this time?" Vito frowned.

"This isn't a good time, guys." Gothic frowned. "You should go back inside."

"Why?" Miracle asked.

"What's going on?" Dusty inquired.

“See for yourself.” Luna gestured out to the walkway.

Blueblood, Dusty, and everypony looked out onto the bridge, seeing Nyx standing there, glaring hatefully at the group.

Instantly, Blueblood hid behind the corner of the doorway.

“Ohmyfaust, that’s Nightmare Moon!” Blueblood gaped in horror.

“Wait, but isn’t Nightmare Moon supposed to be…” Dusty pointed to Luna, “You?”

“Not exactly, it’s a long story.” Luna shook her head, “But I know who this one is… Nyx.”

"Nyx?!" Miracle spluttered. "As in our friend?! Are you sure, aunt Luna?"

"Undoubtedly." Luna nodded grimly. "I had held a deep suspicion about her from the start, but I can see it in her eyes now, even at this distance..."

“Well, look who’s 2 for 0!” Vito smirked, vindicated, “And you all said I was wrong!”

"Again, not the time, V!" Pureblood cuffed him.

"So what are we going to do?" Dusty asked.

"I will go." Luna declared. "I shall confront Nyx."

"Alone?!" Gothic frowned. "No!"

"I have to." Luna declared. "Somehow, Nyx has been made into another Nightmare Moon. That makes this my problem."

“But how are you going to do it? Last I checked, we needed the Elements to defeat her, and we don’t have that anymore.” Blueblood fretted.

“I do not know.” Luna grimaced. “But if this is Nyx, there might be a chance I can reach her.”

“Please be careful...” Gothic pleaded.

Luna stepped out onto the walkway.

"Nyx!" She called out.

Nyx let out a snarl, glaring angrily at her.

Down below, Fletcher and Caboose were still hanging on for dear life.

"What are we gonna do now?" Caboose asked Fletcher as they kept dangling.

"I have an idea." Fletcher declared. "Get ready, on my mark..."

“I do not know what is going on here, or why you look the way you do now.” Luna declared, marching forth. “But a part of me wants to believe that you are not yourself right now. And I’d much rather not have to contend with Nightmare Moon for a third time. So, I shall ask this: Stand. Down.”

Nyx narrowed her eyes, not appreciating the order. Her horn immediately charged up.

“Oh no.” Luna’s eyes widened.

“Luna, watch out!” Gothic screamed.

The horn was moments from firing a tremendous blast of energy that would had spelt bad news for Luna…

Had not at the last second, Nyx suddenly felt herself pulled to the left, her horn’s blast narrowly missing her and hitting the side of the tower.

“Lauren!” Blueblood jumped.

“How did Nyx miss? She had a clear-” Gothic began, before noticing the chains wrapped around her, “Wait… why does she have chains attached to her?”

"Wait..." Dusty moved in as close as she dared, and glanced over the edge. She quickly spotted Nyx's unexpected passengers. They were climbing up their chains, using the parapets as a hold to steady themselves. Caboose was tugging on his chains, which caused Nyx’s aim to go astray. "Caboose?!”

“Hey, Dusty!” Caboose waved with a free hoof.

“Caboose? What the hell are you doing out there?!” Blueblood gaped.

“Oh, y’know, was taking an evening flight with the captain. Last time I’ll take Nyx United Airlines though.” Caboose answered.

“The captain?” Luna turned and saw Fletcher on the other side, “Captain! What is the meaning of this?!”

“I’m afraid I cannot answer that at this moment and time.” Fletcher grunted. “Besides, you should be focused on-GUARDING!”

Nyx pulled hard against Caboose, re-centering her aim on Luna, as she fired more blasts at Luna. Fletcher, seeing this, quickly tugged his end, causing Nyx’s aim to veer off to the other side. But not before one blast came right at Luna.

Luckily, Fletcher’s warning gave Luna time to conjure up a shield to block it.

But despite this, the severity of Nyx’s blast was enough to make her shield quiver.

“Oh dear.” Luna whispered. “Even with my shield, I could still feel the strength of that attack. Nyx has grown rather powerful.”

Angered further by her lack of success, Nyx’s body began producing miasma once more, raveling around her wings like before.

"Oh, no..." Vito gasped, recognizing it. “It’s the same blue smoke from my nightmare!”

"This can't be happening..." Blueblood cringed, reaching the same conclusion, “I don’t wanna grow old again!”

"Rrargh!" Nyx launched the miasma at them with a mighty wing flap.

"I think not!" Luna stepped in. A burst of light erupted from her horn, evaporating the miasma. "No nightmares tonight!"

“Oh.” Fletcher and Caboose said in unison.

“Well, that’s one less thing to worry about.” Fletcher added.

"Grr!" Nyx snarled.

"Nyx, I know you're in there." Luna declared, trying to get through to her. "I don't know how this has happened to you, but it doesn't have to be this way. Believe me, I know."

"Shut up!" Nyx fired a blast at her.

Luna blocked the attack.

"Anger isn't the way, Nyx." She insisted. "Let me help you..."

"I don't need your help!" Nyx blasted again.

Luna barely dodged the next attack.

"Hatred will only destroy you." Luna insisted.

"No, it'll destroy you!" Nyx screeched, firing another blast.

Luna could the heat from the beam as she only just managed to avoid it.

"I'm sorry, Nyx." She set her face in determination. "But you made me do this..."

Luna fired a blast of her own at Nyx. The blast sheared through her shoulder, causing her to rile back, roaring in pain.

“Nyx!” Miracle cried.

The nightmare-powered alicorn quickly caught herself... and glared back, as the miasma made quick work to heal her wounded shoulder.

“...And she regenerates. Lovely.” Luna deadpanned.

"Nyargh!" Nyx fired a retaliatory blast.

Luna dodged the blast and returned fire. Nyx evaded it, and fired another attack that caught Luna in the side.

"Arrhh!" Luna yelped.

"No!" Gothic gasped.

"It'll take more than that to stop the Princess of the Night!" Luna fired back.

"Rrah!" Nyx took the blast dead center, but the damage healed again. "And it'll take more than you have to stop me..."

At the same time, Fletcher and Caboose were trying their best to pull back Nyx's attacks with the chains without Nyx noticing. As frenzied as her attacks were, that was the easy part; the hard part was holding on.

"Don't let go!" Fletcher urged, as the chains swung back and forth.

"This is not the kind of hanging around I prefer!" Caboose cringed.

Following another volley of attacks, Nyx was left panting, growing rather irritated at the stalemate... until she heard voices behind her.

“Um, shouldn’t we do something, captain?" Caboose suggested. "Y’know, besides playing tug-of-war with the very angry filly in the middle?”

“I don’t know what we can do, Caboose." Fletcher admitted. "None of our previous attacks had any effect on her. And not even the Princess’s magic is working.”

"How convenient." Caboose frowned.

"For Nyx, yes." Fletcher nodded.

"Speaking of, do you think Nyx can hear us right now?" Caboose asked.

Nyx glanced back, and eyed the chains weighing her down, and the two ponies who were at the end of the chains.

Instantly, Fletcher and Caboose were shrouded in dark blue magic.

"Uh-oh." Fletcher cringed.

"...I think that’s a yes." Caboose gaped.

Nyx threw the two of them at Luna. Taken by surprise, Luna was unable to defend herself, and the two crashed into her, knocking them back into the hallway.

"Ahhh!" Luna grunted as they hit the floor.

“That’s it. 0 stars. Would not ride again.” Caboose groaned.

"Sorry, your majesty..." Fletcher apologized.

"Are you okay, dear?" Gothic asked.

"I'm fine." Luna assured him, throwing up a barrier around the hallway's exit so Nyx couldn't attack. "Fine enough to get back out there..."

"Are you sure about that?" Dusty frowned. "It didn't look like you were making much headway back there."

"Which is exactly why doing nothing isn't an option." Luna pointed out. "I must keep fighting."

"Y-you're not going to... Kill her, are you?" Miracle trembled, tears in her eyes.

"I... I'm not sure." Luna admitted.

"Seriously?!" Vito snarled. "She's trying to kill us!"

"We don't know what's really happening here." Pureblood pointed out. "Nyx could be confused, she could be under somepony else's control-"

"Or she could just be a monster!" Vito spat.

"Take that back!" Miracle yelled.

"Everypony calm down!" Dusty urged. "We'll figure something out."

"Your highness?" One of the guards spoke up. "We have... Company."

As they shifted their glance toward the stairs, they saw Nabudis limping towards them, Survival helping him along. The guards quickly aimed their spears at him.

"Halt!" One guard ordered.

"Whoa now!" Survival held up a hoof. "Easy!"

“Hey, lower your weapons!” Gothic ordered as he marched over to them, “Nabudis, thank Faust, you’re o-” He stopped, seeing the bandages around Nabudis’s abdomen, “Oh Faust, Somnus, you’re hurt.”

"It's not as bad as it looks." Nabudis assured him.

"Why is he back here?" Blueblood frowned. "After what happened at the party?"

"You did that to Nyx, didn't you?!" Miracle yelled. "You monster!"

"I know this looks bad." Survival declared. "But Nabudis is here to help."

"Then he can start by telling us how it is that Nightmare Moon is outside, trying to attack us!" Luna demanded.

The forcefield shook repeatedly, as Nyx tried to blast her way in.

“Look, I don’t know if now is the time-” Nabudis protested.

“Just try and keep it short.” Survival advised.

“Very well.” Nabudis grimaced, “Simply, when Nightmare Moon was defeated back during the lunar eclipse, her body was gone but not her armor, which was blown to pieces and scattered to the winds. Over the course of several years, I’ve been working with Sacred Dysley on a project to collect these armor pieces, which contained little remnants of Nightmare Moon’s essence, the blue miasma, which eventually formed the Nyx you know.”

The crowd went silent, except for Nyx’s growls as she continued firing at the shield.

“What?!” Gothic gasped, “Why would Sacred be helping you bring back Nightmare Moon unless…” Realization hit him. Luna too, “No… Sacred… he was a Forefather agent too?!”

"That's right." Nabudis nodded sadly.

“What about Secret?!” Luxury stepped in angrily, “Am I expected to believe that Secret is a part of all this too?!”

“Yes. A good portion of this mess can be attributed to him, actually.” Nabudis retorted.

“Liar!” Luxury snarled, “I’ve known Secret my whole life! He is not a criminal!”

“Well, I’m afraid you don’t know him as well as you think.” Nabudis frowned. “I should know, I’ve committed many crimes alongside him.”

"That's really not helping your case, Somnus." Survival pointed out.

"How are we supposed to believe anything you say?" Luna scowled. "After everything you've done?"

"Mom, dad!" Constell suddenly joined them.

"Constell?" Luna frowned.

“Wait, why are you now just getting-” Gothic began, before noticing how scuffed up she was, “...Where have you been?”

“That bruising...” Luxury saw the mark on her neck, before angrily glaring at Nabudis, moments from attacking him, “What the buck did you do to her?!”

“Hey, take it easy!” Survival got between them. “Nabudis did nothing!”

“Oh, like I’m gonna believe his crony!” Luxury roared.

“You can believe him, Lux. He’s telling the truth. They both are.” Constell stepped in.

“What?” Luxury gasped.

“Constell, what happened?” Luna asked.

“I wanted to see Nyx one last time before Dysley took her.” Constell confessed, “But when I went out front, I saw Secret take Nyx into the same detainment carriage as Nabudis, and I got this awful feeling. So I followed them to the warehouse district…” She felt tears striking her eyes, as she turned to Luxury, “I’m sorry, Lux, but Dysley was having ponies beat Nabudis up… and he put this shock collar on Nyx, and was torturing her with it…”

“He did what?!” Gothic growled in outrage.

“That fiend.” Luna whispered, just as disgusted.

“No... no, that can’t be right.” Luxury gaped, hooves shaking, “Secret, he...”

“I’m afraid it is. And that’s not all.” Constell sniffed, “Dysley was the one responsible for the massacre at Brightdale. And for those mysterious sleeping deaths in the news. It was all part of this asinine scheme to make ponies afraid to sleep and destroy society so the Forefathers could take over. All of it involved him hurting Nyx so she can make that miasma!”

“Oh my Faust!” Blueblood gaped.

"That is just file!" Dusty grimaced.

The Pegasus and Unicorn guards looked like they were going to be sick. The kids were frozen in horror. Luxury was silent, slumping to the ground, stupefied.

“But why is Nyx the way she is now?” Luna asked.

“That’s something I want to know.” Nabudis asked as he turned to Constell, “What happened when you took Nyx and fled upstairs at the warehouse?

“We got cornered.” Constell lowered her head, “Secret for some reason was trying to ‘spare’ me, but ordering me to leave Nyx, but when I wouldn’t, that Silas guy took the remote from him and subjected her to a prolonged electrocution.” Tears drop down her face, “She was trying so hard to hold in the miasma that was meant to be unleashed on me, no matter how much it hurt. But somehow, it turned her into another Nightmare Moon… I came flying back here as fast as I could..."

“Oh, Nyx...” Miracle was teary-eyed as well.

“I see. I think I understand what happened.” Nabudis mused. “Her body secretes miasma whenever she experiences strong emotions, like ones caused by pain. But the poor filly managed to hold it in… unfortunately, by doing so, she essentially drowned herself in her own miasma. And since she’s already made out of miasma, her body absorbed all that miasma she held in and it must have accelerated her growth, allowing her to regain her original form. However, by breathing, or absorbing I guess, that miasma, she is now trapped in her own nightmare-induced hallucinations, and has gone mad.”

"That would explain why she's only been screaming and roaring the whole time." Fletcher noted.

"Is there anything we can do?" Caboose asked. “‘Cause we can’t seem to hurt her, and she looks very determined to kill us all.”

“Well, that’s why I’m here.” Nabudis answered. “I’ll go out there and try and calm her down.”

"No." Luna refused. "You've caused enough problems by bringing Nightmare Moon back in the first place."

"Her name is Nyx." Nabudis insisted, glaring at her. "And I will help her."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Gothic asked.

"I am Nyx's father." Nabudis declared. "And as her father, I know I can get through to her. But in case words aren't enough, I have a last resort: I will use my Daeva to bind her."

"You mean your Shadow Sentience spell?" Gothic frowned.

"Exactly." Nabudis nodded. "Since this all happened because of her absorbing so much miasma, in theory, if I can get her to expend enough miasma and energy, she might just return to normal."

"I still don't see why we should allow you this chance..." Luna said hesitantly.

"I understand your reluctance." Nabudis sighed. "But do know I intend to turn myself in for whatever crimes I’ve committed. But only if you let me help Nyx. Please, I’m asking as your friend... let me help my daughter.”

“Luna..” Gothic turned to her.

“Mom, please... he can help Nyx.” Constell frowned.

Luna thought it over.

"...Very well." She gave in. "You get one chance."

"Thank you." Nabudis nodded gratefully.

Luna lowered her shield just enough for Nabudis to exit. He marched out onto the walkway, just as Nyx was about to launch another attack. When she realised who was approaching, she froze in her tracks.

"Pa...pa?" She said weakly.

"Yes, Nyx." Nabudis smiled calmly. "Don't be afraid."

“You… you are alive?” Nyx whispered, traces of her child-like voice leaking through.

“That’s right.” Nabudis nodded… then his wound flared up, as he gripped it, “Gah!”

“You’re hurt.” Nyx gaped, noticing his wound. “Is it-?!" She started to panic.

"It's just a flesh wound." Nabudis assured her, marching forth despite the pain. "But I’m okay. I’m here now. And I'll never leave you again, Nyx. I promise."

"I... I want to believe that..." Nyx said nervously."But the last time you said that, the carriage they put me in got attacked. They, they hurt that big pony and the others... and I couldn’t find you, no matter where I looked.”

“I know.” Nabudis closed his eyes in sadness. “It was a stupid plan. And ponies needlessly lost their lives... but I’ve found you. No more ponies will die now.”

“But they already have!” Nyx yelled, “...That pony in the park... he was hurting me... I made him go to sleep… I exposed him to my miasma... I killed him...”

“Pony in the park?” Luna frowned.

“She must be referring to Weasel.” Fletcher answered, “He was a convicted child abuser who was found dead in the park yesterday.”

“Oh Faust...” Constell whispered.

“Hey, listen to me. That pony was a bad pony.” Nabudis growled, continuing his approach, “What you did, you did in self-defense. You shouldn’t feel bad for ridding the world of such scum!”

“Like I shouldn’t feel bad for those seven ponies Dysley had me kill?” Nyx asked.

“Whoa, whoa, that is different.” Nabudis backpedalled, at the same time slowly moving forward. “Those ponies were innocent. They didn’t deserve to die.”

“...So, what you’re saying...” Nyx’s eyes began to well up. “...Is that I’m a monster who murdered innocent ponies.”

“No! Not at all!” Nabudis panicked, “You were forced into killing those seven ponies. You had no choice in the matter.”

“But I wasn’t forced when I killed that pony in the park.” Nyx shot back.

“That one was an accident though.” Nabudis explained. “Like with the others, you had no control.”

"So you're saying I'm out of control?!" Nyx gasped. "That my powers are too dangerous? That I'm too dangerous?!"

"No, not at all!" Somnus backpedaled once more. "That's not what I'm trying to say!"

"Then what are you trying to say?" Nyx demanded.

"It wasn't really you." Nabudis told her, stepping in closer. "Silas hurt you, forced you to become this-"

"Silas." Nyx's eyes widened in horror. "He's dead."

"What?" Nabudis frowned.

"I made his henchponies see their worst nightmares... And they involved him." Nyx revealed. "It made them turn on him, shoot him with their crossbows." Her breathing turned shallow. "He's dead because of me. I killed him!"

"You couldn't have known what would have happened." Nabudis pointed out, almost close enough to place a comforting hoof on his surrogate daughter. "It's not your-"

"I'm a monster!" Nyx bawled. Her wings sprang open on impulse, sending Nabudis stumbling backwards.

"Nyx, please, try and calm down." Nabudis caught himself, “I know you're not what you think you are.” He glanced down at his shadow, who began venturing out towards Nyx, “I did not go to all this effort to bring you back if I thought you were.” He eyed his shadow as it was about to grab her shadow.

“Others may believe you are a monster, but that’s why I did all of this: to get them to understand." Somnus said solemnly. They fear you, judge you without actually knowing who you are, judge you by another's deeds...

Gothic and Survival shared a look, aware that Nabudis was speaking not just of Nyx, but of himself.

"All I wanted was to show the world that even you could be good, if they just allowed you the chance!” Nabudis said powerfully.

“Som...” Gothic whispered.

Nyx glanced at Nabudis... before adopting a vicious glare.

“...If that's the case, then why is your shadow trying to restrain me, like you would a monster?!” Nyx snarled.

Nyx blasted the spot where the shadow was, causing the shadow to fly back under Nabudis.

"N-now, Nyx, this isn't what it looks like-" Nabudis started.

“Well, ‘papa’, you almost had me there for a moment...” Nyx glared at him, anger mixed with despair, “I am a monster... a monster who kills ponies, even when she doesn’t want to. A monster who shouldn’t even be alive...”

“Nyx, please, don’t talk like that!” Nabudis pleaded.

“And you...” Nyx hissed, “You brought me back. You made me into this. Is this what you wanted? To be a monster who kills everypony around her?!”

"No, never!" Nabudis shook his head.

"It's because of you that I ended up killing all those ponies!" Nyx roared. "I have this awful power because you created me! Well, now, you can find out what it feels like!"

“Nyx! No!” Nabudis yelled.

A massive beam of magic surged out of Nyx's horn.

Nabudis’s shadow quickly shot forth and spread its’ hooves. As soon as it reached where the shadow stood, the beam exploded as if it hit a wall.

“Ahh!" Nabudis yelped, as while the beam didn’t hit him, he was thrown back by the sheer force of it. He was nearly sent over the edge of the bridge, but was caught by Gothic's magic.

"I got you!" Gothic declared, bringing Nabudis back through Luna's barrier.

"RAARRGH!" Nyx screeched, becoming manic again once more. But this time, her screams were more sorrowful and sad.

Gothic set Nabudis down against the wall, not far from the doorway.

"Are you okay?!" Gothic fretted.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Nabudis declared as he tried to get up… only to gasp in pain.

“Oh no... Som, your wound.” Survival gaped.

Nabudis glanced down, and saw that he was bleeding once more, the wound having reopened when he was blown back.

"Summon the royal medic!" Gothis instructed one of the guards. "Somnus, don't worry. You're going to be okay."

“There’s no time for that!” Nabudis growled, as he struggled to get up, “I need to get back out there!”

“Oh, no way in hell am I letting you go out there!” Gothic snarled, “Ignoring the fact you’re bleeding, she nearly killed you!”

"And I distinctly recall telling you you only had one chance." Luna reminded him.

“No!” Nabudis growled, struggling to get back up. “Please, you have to let me back out there!” Tears were welling up. Whether it was the stress of the situation or the excruciating pain he was feeling, it was unclear, “Look, I know you hate her, but she’s not a monster, she’s not! I raised her from a little foal! She was all I had after Sacred died! Please!”

“...I’m sorry.” Luna sighed, acknowledging the deep pleading in his eyes, “Even if I were to give you another chance, you are far too hurt. You may be willing to die, but there are other ponies who aren’t willing to let you.” She shared a glance with Gothic, “We will find a way to help Nyx… somehow.”

“Any ideas, Fletcher?” Survival asked Fletcher.

“I… I don’t know.” Fletcher admitted, as he pulled his mirror, “Maybe if I get the others, we might be able to think up something. But if not even Luna can stop her…”

"Oh, man, this doesn't look good." Caboose frowned, facing the bridge.

“I agree, Caboose.” Fletcher acknowledged.

“...What could she be thinking?"

“...Huh?” Fletcher lit up in confusion, as he turned to Caboose. “Who?”

"Constell." Caboose answered.

Indeed, Constell had ventured out of the barrier towards the still rampaging Nyx.

“What?!” Luna gaped, quickly approaching the shield. “Constell, no!”

"Get back here!" Gothic called.

“Constell?!” Luxury lit up, having been snapped out of his stupor, as he joined the others. “Constell! What the buck are you doing?!”

"I'm going to try and save Nyx." Constell said resolutely. "Don't try to stop me."

“Connie!” Miracle gasped.

“Oh, geez!” Pureblood covered his mouth.

“She’s crazy!” Vito yelled, terrified for her, “Isn’t anypony gonna stop her?!”

“There’s nothing we can do.” Dusty grimaced.

“No…” Nabudis grimaced, closing his eyes in guilt, “It should be me, not her...”

Constell slowly approached Nyx, who was standing in place, her head bowed in grief, wings twitching.

“Nyx? Nyx, can you hear me?” Constell declared, “It’s me, Constell.”

Nyx’s ears perked as she slowly glanced up.

"C-Constell?" Nyx gasped, “You’re-you’re here?”

“Yeah. I came here as fast as I could.” Constell admitted, “...I know you must be feeling pretty scared right now. And I don’t blame you. You’ve been through a lot…”

“N-no.” Nyx stepped back, “I’m a monster... stay away...”

"But I am." Nyx insisted, eyes fraught with guilt. "I was made out of all the darkness Sombra instilled in your mother all those years ago, the miasma from the armor pieces. My very existence had brought nothing but pain upon ponies who didn’t deserve it. How can you not believe I'm not a monster?!"

“I won’t lie, learning that a filly like you is Nightmare Moon was a bit of a shock.” Constell confessed, “I heard all about the dark side that took over my mother. How it led her to try and take over Equestria, make it night all the time. But from what I've seen, you're nothing like that."

"How can you be so sure?" Nyx sniffed. "You barely even know me..."

"I know everything I need to know." Constell smiled. "I know this isn’t the real you. I know you are not a monster, despite some ponies' best efforts. I know, deep down, that you are a sweet, kind, caring filly."

"I'm not a filly." Nyx shook her head. "Not really..."

Constell got up close and hold Nyx's face gently, looking her in the eyes.

"Yes, you are." She retorted. "You are one of the nicest fillies I've ever met. You have ponies who care about you. I care about you. Come back to us, Nyx. Come back to us..."

As a tear slid down her cheek, Nyx's slit eyes began to revert back to normal.

"Constell..." She whispered, her voice returning to that of her filly self.

Suddenly, the miasma began to evaporate, swirling up into the air. Nyx's body was bathed in light, and shrank down to her original form (or rather, the form she had previously).

The reborn filly broke down Nyx, crying into Constell's hooves.

"I'm so sorry..." She wept.

"It's okay." Constell consoled her. "Everything's going to be okay..."

The others looked on in amazement.

"She did it." Luna smiled.

"That's my girl." Gothic grinned.

“Oh, thank Faust.” Luxury sighed in relief.

"Nyx is back!" Miracle cheered. "She's really back!"

"Yippee..." Vito said sarcastically.

Nabudis watched on in silence, a small smile on his face.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Nabudis smirked, “She actually did it... welcome back, Nyx... I'm so glad to see you back to your old self again.” He then glanced at the guards, who were too occupied with being relieved that the scary nightmare mare was gone, and then Fletcher and Caboose, remembering the promise he had made earlier... and his smile immediately faded. “...Even if it means it will be for the last time...”

"So that's it?" Caboose frowned. "Is that how this case ends?”

“What’s wrong with it, Caboose? I figured you’d be happier with this ending in comparison to earlier.” Fletcher frowned.

“Well, I am…” Caboose admitted, “...I dunno, it just seems kinda anti-climactic.”

“After everything that just happened tonight, I’ll gladly take anti-climactic over a giant mech spider or an obsidian missile.” Fletcher rolled his eyes, as he glanced at his mirror, “Which reminds me…”

Minutes later...

Ballista was overseeing Silas' thugs being loaded into carriages.

"You've got nothing on this, copper!" Roadblock said defiantly.

"Ah, shut up!" Peat snarled, nursing the wound in his shoulder. "I am in no mood for this!"

"Keep it up, boys!" Ballista ordered the RDL. He then heard his mirror buzzing. “Ballista here.” He pulled up his mirror.

“Hey, Ballista, it’s us.” Black declared, he, Fury, and Sterling were huddled together, still in the carriage outside the castle.

“Guys. I hope you’re all calling to tell me some good news.” Ballista frowned.

“Yep. We just got the word from Fletch. The situation has been sorted.” Sterling announced, “Nyx is a filly again. And Nabudis is safe, and will be turning himself in.”

“Which means Project: Bad Dreams is dead... for good this time.” Black nodded.

“Fantastic.” Ballista smiled, relieved, “Had me worried for a second...”

“How about your end, Ballista?” Fury asked, “Any trouble?”

“Not really. They might have got a head start, but we were able to round up most of the remaining agents in the district.” Ballista declared, “Some of them were pretty roughed up. Looks like they got caught in a gunfight.”

“Yeah, Sterling told us that some of them got hit with that miasma.” Black declared.

“And in the process, the idiots went and shot at each other.” Fury added.

“Well, we had meds look at some of them.” Ballista explained, “Some were still a little antsy, but it looks like the effects have all but worn off.”

“...That reminds me.” Sterling leaned in, “What about Silas? He got shot up real good by those thugs when they got hit by the miasma.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Ballista sighed, “We found the poor sap barely alive in the warehouse. It looks like he’s not going to make it through the night.”

“Ugh…” Sterling shook his head glumly. “Silas was a buckin’ tool, but what an awful way to go.”

“Well, they at least got him dosed up on pain meds in another carriage, so hopefully his last moments will be pain-free.” Ballista grimaced.

In a nearby army-based medical carriage, Silas’ near-lifeless body was laid on a stretcher. All the bolts have been extracted, and all of his wounds were patched, but it did little to change the fact that the unicorn was on the verge of death.

“No... no...” Silas groaned, barely conscious. “This... this can’t be how it ends... I don’t want to die... I don’t want to be forgotten. Not now... why... why...”

Unbeknownst to anyone, a thin stream of miasma, the very same that was expelled from Nyx moments earlier, descended upon the carriage.

As Silas laid there dying, the miasma slipped through the crack between the doors, and began circling around him. Silas began to take notice, but was unable to do anything.

'No, no, no!' He panicked internally. 'Leave me alone!'

Suddenly, the miasma descended upon him, the mist going through his mouth and nostrils.

“Hurrk!” Silas choked, his body twitching as his eyes widened in shock… Before suddenly turning completely white.

At the same time, Ballista was continuing his talk with the others.

"No sign of Dysley?" Black asked.

"None so far." Ballista shrugged. "But we'll keep an eye on the surrounding area, and hopefully-"

'BOOM!'

The sound of an explosion on Ballista's side was heard.

"What the flap was that?!" Fury frowned.

"I'll get back to you." Ballista replied.

Switching off the mirror, Ballista went to investigate, running in the direction of the explosion.

Soon as he arrived, he saw a medical carriage, or what was left of it, blown wide open. The RDL agents were inspecting the wreckage.

“Hey!” Ballista turned to a nearby Unicorn agent, “What happened here?!”

“I don’t know.” The agent admitted. "We were putting the criminals away when the med carriage suddenly went ‘kablooey’.”

“Wait… isn’t this the carriage Silas’ body was placed in?” Ballista frowned, as he noticed Silas was nowhere to be seen, “Where is he?!”

“That I don’t know either.” The agent grimaced. “But he couldn’t have gotten up and walked away, not with his injuries. Nor have the energy to blow up the carriage…”

“...Well, whatever happened, I think it’s safe to say that we might still have a problem…” Ballista said grimly.

Nightmare's End
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Fear of A Child

Nightmare's End

The clock struck two. It has been a long night for everypony at the Canterlot Castle, having come face to face with Nightmare Moon for the third time in their lifetime (fourth if one were to count that one incident with Rarity, but that’s just details).

But alas, the night was not quite over yet, as Nightmare Moon, or rather Nyx, was seated in a study, having returned to her filly form just recently. Seated across a desk from her was none other than Luna, who had been eying the filly ever since she first came in and sat down across from her, having joined Nyx shortly after she had arrived in the study.

Yet, Luna hadn’t said a word to her, her gaze unreadable. It made Nyx feel anxious, not knowing whether or not the older mare was contemplating ways to erase her entire existence. Just the mere thought almost scared her more than anything Secret did to her…

“Um…” Nyx spoke up, hoping to break the silence (and dispel her anxiety), “...Do you know where papa is? I… I didn’t see him when I was escorted back inside…”

“He’s in the infirmary.” Luna told her.

“...Is he…?” Nyx felt wetness in her eyes.

“He is fine.” Luna declared, “All you did was reopen a fresh wound. Your ‘papa’ is a lot tougher than he lets on.”

“Oh… as long as he is okay…” Nyx hugged her hooves to herself.

“What about you, Nyx?” Luna asked, “Are you okay?”

“...No, not really.” Nyx admitted, “...I’m really, really sorry for everything that happened. I didn’t mean for anypony to get hurt…”

“It wasn’t your fault, Nyx.” Luna said firmly, “You and your… ‘power’, were taken advantage of by a very awful pony. You may have been the one that killed them, but the fault for their murders lies with Secret.”

“What about that pony in the park, or that angry pony at the warehouse?” Nyx murmured.

“...They were accidents.” Luna declared, “Nothing more. From what I understand, both have threatened your safety, and you lashed out in a way you couldn’t control.”

"But it was still me." Nyx pointed out, still feeling guilt-ridden. "I did that to them..."

"It’s alright." Luna assured her. "We all make mistakes during stressful moments."

Nyx bowed her head, unconvinced.

“...But there is something I want to know.” Luna began, “...How long?”

“How long what?” Nyx frowned.

“How long did you know that you were Nightmare Moon?” Luna clarified, “...I saw how you looked at me when we first met… and I did hear you mention Sombra back on the bridge… not many ponies are privy to how Nightmare Moon truly came to be… you knew who I was, even before we actually met, didn’t you?”

“...Yes… yes, I did.” Nyx admitted, “I knew from the very beginning… Papa didn’t make it any secret that I was Nightmare Moon. One of the first things he taught me was how it was I came to be, and that I came from a ‘very important’ pony. But even before then, I have had… glimpses of what I think was my previous lives…”

“Previous lives?” Luna frowned.

“Yeah… they come and go, but I remember being in what seemed like a big hall and there was some party. Then I remember a ruined castle, and six ponies floating in mid air with these weird trinkets on them… and lastly, me and you were in some cave in a mountain somewhere and there was this lunar eclipse…” Nyx listed off, before noting the look in Luna’s eyes, “Did those things actually happen?”

“...Yes. Yes they have.” Luna nodded, “...But why the change in name?”

“It was Papa’s idea.” Nyx bowed her head, “He felt that I would fit in better if I didn’t share a name with somepony who almost brought everlasting night… I know she… or rather… I am not a very well-liked pony…”

“...Well, you would be right.” Luna bluntly agreed, “After all, it’s not every day you look upon what is essentially your own dark side… in a body of a little filly.”

“Yeah, I know…” Nyx rubbed one of her shoulders, “...Do you hate me?”

“...I honestly don’t know.” Luna admitted with a sigh, “I mean, it has taken me years to leave that part of myself behind, the part of myself that got me trapped in the moon for a thousand year, separated me from everypony, including my sister. But then that very part comes walking into the castle….”

“I know…” Nyx nodded glumly, “...Does that mean you’re going to…” She gulped, “...G-get rid of me?”

“...No.” Luna declared.

“...What?” Nyx lit up in shock, “...But why?”

“Look, you may be Nightmare Moon. That much I am certain.” Luna admitted, “But at the same time, you’re not. The Nightmare Moon I knew back then was a mare hellbent on bringing everlasting night, woe betide anypony who stood in her way. But you… you don’t seem to share any of her dark inclinations. In fact, from what I’ve seen of you, maniacal rage aside, you are a gentle-hearted filly who wishes no harm on any pony. It’s clear to see that you are your own filly… and despite my own grievances with Nightmare Moon, I believe you deserve to live your own life.”

“I… I don’t know what to say…” Nyx whispered, before smiling warmly, “...Thank you.”

“...However, there will be a discussion as to what is going to be done with you.” Luna added firmly.

“...Oh.” Nyx’s smile faded.

"Don't worry." Luna placed a hof on her shoulder. "I'm sure things will turn out okay for you."

"And my papa?" Nyx asked hopefully.

"Hmm." Luna mused. "That's a little more complicated..."

Meanwhile, Nabudis was in the infirmary, his knife wound properly stitched up and healing... while he was getting chewed out by Gothic.

“Really, Som?” Gothic scowled, “Really?! I haven’t seen you in Gusty-knows-how-many years, and when I do see you again, you try to kidnap a filly and turned out to be a Forefather-”

“Ex-Forefather.” Nabudis corrected, cringingly taking Gothic's vitriol.

“Whatever!” Gothic snapped, “And then I find out that the filly you were kidnapping turned out to be Nightmare Moon of all ponies, and that she was a part of yet another world domination plot. What’s worse, turns out Sacred, the world’s most charitable pony, was in on it, and so was his son! All three of you were in on it!”

“Wait a minute, Secret was the one who made it about world domination.” Nabudis glared, “Sacred and I never wanted that.”

“Whether you wanted it or not, your ‘project’ has caused so much trouble.” Gothic snarled, “Lots of property damage, numerous innocent lives lost, and, this one is my personal favorite, putting my family in danger!” Gothic let out another snarl, “Faust dammit, if you weren’t my friend, I would have you rotting in the deepest hole for the rest of your life!”

“...And you would be right to do so.” Nabudis sighed, “...I’m sorry, Gothic… I have done some terrible things in the name of the Forefathers, but I never meant for you or your family to get involved.”

“How did you even end up running with those monsters, anyhow?” Gothic asked, “You never once struck me as one to associate himself with terrorists.”

“...It was Sacred.” Nabudis revealed, “Sacred recruited me.”

“Sacred? But why would he-” Gothic sputtered.

“Look, it’s complicated… Sacred didn’t agree with most of the ideologies, but he believed the Forefathers could help him in helping everyone in the world.” Nabudis sighed, “But back to the topic, he found me in a bar one day all those years ago. I hadn’t seen him since we were kids way back when, but when we got to talking… it was like we picked up where we left off. As we talked, Sacred told me about this organization that he joined up with, an organization that was out to change the world. And how he wanted to recruit me.”

“And you just went with it?” Gothic gaped.

“Hell no.” Nabudis scoffed, “I loved Sacred, but I didn’t trust this organization. I didn’t want to ostracize myself anymore than I already was… but somehow, Sacred anticipated that… and he showed me something.”

“What?” Gothic asked.

“A piece of Nightmare Moon’s armor.” Nabudis explained, “I had one myself. He told me one of the reasons he sought me out was that with the Forefathers’ help, there might be a chance I could bring Nightmare Moon back. If I were to throw in my lot with them, he swore he would work to help me bring her back, no matter what… and well, that kinda did it for me.”

"So it was all about bringing back Nightmare Moon." Gothic summarized. "I always knew you admired her, even putting her above Luna, but still..."

“...I won’t lie, I did go in with less than virtuous intent.” Nabudis admitted, guilt-ridden, “I only wanted to bring Nightmare Moon back, all to try and prove some silly point about how Nightmare Moon wasn’t all that bad. Or rather, that I wasn’t some misguided freak. I didn’t care what happened or what could come of bringing her back… but when Nyx came to me, as a little bundle of black fur… it became no longer about proving that Nightmare Moon wasn’t evil… it was about giving her a chance at a life where she is loved and cared for, a better life than what I was given…”

“Som…” Gothic frowned.

“Look, I don’t expect your forgiveness. Hell, I wouldn’t blame you if you hate me.” Nabudis shook his head.

“I don’t hate you, Nabudis.” Gothic told him, “...You’re my best friend, always have been, always will be. I think what you did was bat-crap insane… but at the same time, you were only trying to help a poor little filly. Somepony who’d do that can’t be all that bad.”

“...You’re a good friend, Gothic.” Nabudis smiled weakly, “I really don’t deserve someone like you.”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to say that.” Gothic sighed, “You know what’s going to happen to you right? Despite your best intentions, you were affiliated with terrorists. And after what happened to Brightdale, I don’t expect them to give you any leniency or mercy. And I don’t think Luna or I can help you…”

“And I don’t expect you to.” Nabudis shook his head, “I’ve done this to myself. Whatever punishment they wish to dole upon me, I’ll accept it.”

“Somnus, I…” Gothic began.

The door to the infirmary suddenly opened, as none other than Elite Everest came in. The two instantly took notice, as Nabudis’ eyes narrowed.

“Hello, your highness.” Elite nodded respectfully, “Hope I’m not interrupting.”

“What the- Director Everest?” Gothic gaped, “What are you doing here?”

“The captain called me.” Elite revealed, “He caught me up on all that had occurred over this past week, and when I heard a member of the Forefathers’ elite has turned himself in, I had to come in and see for myself.”

“...Well, here I am.” Nabudis said tersely.

“Prince, could I have some time alone with the doctor here? I have some private matters that need discussion. RDL matters.”

"...I suppose." Gothic reluctantly agreed, “I need to check up on Luna anyways…”

Gothic left the room, and Elite took a seat. Nabudis lay on the bed, silent.

"So." Elite cleared his throat. "Things really escalated, didn't they, ‘Doc’? Made quite a mess of things."

“Yeah, I guess they have.” Nabudis grunted, “...But let’s not beat around the bush here, you’re here to take me in and throw away the keys, right?”

“...Well, I don’t want to.” Elite shrugged, “Look, I know all about what you were trying to do. How you were trying to help Nyx, and how you abandoned the Forefathers even… but that doesn’t change the fact you committed some serious offenses. Something about doing ‘whatever it takes’ to get armor pieces?”

"All I wanted was to bring Nightmare Moon back." Nabudis scowled, nettled by Elite's claim. "True, I did a few illegal things to get the remnants of her being, but I had no nefarious plan for her. Neither did Sacred… but that didn’t matter to you, did it? Why else would he have gotten fatally injured in a scrap with one of your men, who if I am correct, was Black Knight Paladin!”

“Trust me, I am well aware of what transpired that night.” Elite said firmly, “It wasn’t our preferred outcome, but Sacred chose to stay behind so your lackeys could get away with the armor pieces, and he chose to resist when Black confronted him. It was self-defense.”

“Oh, and that gave Black the right to drop a ceiling on him?!” Nabudis snarled.

“All Black did was shoot his hoof.” Elite glared, “The recoil of having his hoof shot caused him to aim at the ceiling which then dropped on him. It was an accident.”

“It doesn’t matter how it happened!” Nabudis roared, “...The ceiling didn’t kill Sacred outright, you know. He was still alive when we had some of our agents fished him out of the rubble while you guys weren’t looking. But he had nearly every bone in his body broken, half of his organs punctured, and half of his nerves severed. To even say he was alive was pushing it!”

Elite’s eyes widen in shock.

“He was completely and utterly crippled, and I cannot begin to describe the immense pain he was in.” Nabudis clenched his hooves, wetness in his eyes, “Surely you know how the Forefathers operate, don’t you? They dispose of ponies who are no use to them anymore. They have to put him down, Faust dammit! I had to sit back and let them mercifully snuff out a pony I loved so damn much! All Sacred was trying to do was help me, and you-Black-the RDL… you all just...”

Nabudis turned away, stifling a sob, his body shaking. Elite was taken aback by the anger and grief that the former Forefather had just let out…

The old director took a moment to think about his next words…

“...I had no idea, Mr. Nabudis.” Elite said somberly, “We were not aware of what had befallen Mr. Dysley. We assumed he had perished in the rubble.” He rubbed his head, letting out a sigh, “You know, in this line of work, you don’t tend to think about the pony you are fighting with. If you try to equinize them, it’d make your job a lot harder… I know this is years too late… but we’re sorry for your loss, and we wish things could have been resolved differently.”

Nabudis’s shaking slowed to a stop…

“However… and I do not want you to think this justifies anything, because it doesn’t, but you have to look at things from our perspective.” Elite continued, adopting a firm glance, “What proof did we have that suggests you or Sacred weren’t going to use Nightmare Moon for evil? Especially with the Forefathers’ very long track record? It’s not like we could have just asked what you had planned or anything.”

Nabudis remained silent.

“The bottom line is… if not you and Sacred, somepony else would probably and gladly make use of a certain alicorn’s potentially dangerous dark side… I mean, just look at what Secret tried to pull. We had to respond accordingly.” Elite admitted, “Do you understand?”

“...I do…” Nabudis shook his head, “But it really doesn’t matter… not anymore. Sacred is dead. Secret is probably long gone by now. I don’t even know what’s going to happen to Nyx… and I’ll be heading to prison for the rest of my life, meaning everything I have done has been for nothing.”

"Not necessarily." Elite smiled enigmatically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nabudis asked suspiciously.

"Simple." Elite replied. "If you were to give me some information that could help us regarding the Forefathers, then perhaps we could work out a deal… you could avoid a prison cell… but since Secret is still out there, and who knows who else, you will have to go into hiding for an indefinite amount of time.”

Nabudis snorted indifferently.

"Oh, please. Even if I wanted to help, there's nothing I have that would help you." He declared.

"Surely you must know something, being an Ouroboros and all..." Elite reasoned.

"Oh, really?" Nabudis scoffed. "Did Sterling have anything to tell you when he joined?"

"Not really." Elite conceded. "All Sterling told us was the stuff about Bad Dreams, and the serum. But still, maybe you know what the Forefathers have in the pipeline. Any sort of poisons, or something in your medical field?"

"One, I haven't been back at Infinity for months." Nabudis pointed out. "Two, bio-warfare was Gridlock and Harlhooves' department."

"Okay..." Elite pressed onwards, undaunted. "Then you should at least know where Infinity is."

"I don't know either." Nabudis shook his head. "Nopony in the Forefathers does except Father himself. Surely, Sterling told you this already."

"Come on, Nabudis." Elite continued on. "I want to help you. Think real hard. We can finally stop the Forefathers and prevent them from hurting other ponies. So that no more ponies will die, like Sacred."

“I would thank you for leaving him out of this.” Nabudis glared… which immediately softened, as he sighed in exasperation, “...Although, I think I might have something for you… but I highly doubt you’ll find it as useful.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Elite said, interested, “Go on…”

"Well, have you ever wondered how the Forefathers get supplies into Infinity?" Nabudis asked.

"Well, I'd assume by unmarked cargo airships." Elite shrugged.

"You're not wrong." Nabudis admitted. "But you have to consider that Infinity and the mountains around it are constantly covered in a perpetual blizzard. It makes for very dangerous flying conditions. We even lost a few over the years… because of that, there is actually another way. You're familiar with portals, right?"

"Yes, like the one they had in the Crystal Empire that leads to that one world with those two-legged creatures." Elite nodded.

"Well, yes and no." Nabudis said cryptically. "You see, the techs at Infinity, with the help of Father himself, had created these circular structures that serve as ‘gateways’, which they installed at the very bottom of Infinity. I heard them being coined as ‘supply tunnels’. By simply using a 'key', these gateways would turn on, and a portal would open, allowing one to go through to another gateway of their choosing."

"I see, delivery via portal." Elite mused.

"Correct." Nabudis nodded. "This process made moving supplies to Infinity a breeze. It also makes making a clean getaway should things go awry much easier."

"Well, this is certainly something we can use." Elite grinned, getting a bit giddy. "If we could find one of these portals, we could finally-"

"You're a fool if you think that it'd be that easy." Nabudis said bluntly.

"Huh?" Elite frowned.

“To start off, the number of these ‘supply tunnels’ that are situated outside of Infinity is very small and scattered to the far corners of the world.” Nabudis explained, “And before you ask, I can’t even begin to tell you where to find even one of them. Knowledge of the supply tunnels is strictly classified, even to an Ouroboros. Only a certain few knows their locations... and even if you were to find one, it'd be of no use to you without a working key."

"A working key?" Elite repeated.

"You should know. Those pendants we agents keep on ourselves?" Nabudis reminded him.

"Oh, those?" Elite caught on.

"Yes." Nabudis smiled. "They're not just for proof of membership. They are blessed with Father's magic, and it is with a blessed pendant that a supply tunnel is activated. Not sure how it works, but the magic is what turns the portal on."

"So we need a pendant." Elite summarized. "That's no problem, we literally have boxes of them at this point-"

"Again, you're a fool." Nabudis interrupted, earning another frown from Elite. "Father has planned contingencies for every possible scenario that could potentially lead to the discovery of Infinity. These pendants are blessed with his magic but they only work if the owner of said pendant has not been compromised."

"Compromised? You mean if the owner defects?" Elite asked.

"If he defects. If he is captured. If he is killed. If he is robbed." Nabudis listed. "If he utters even a hint of a Forefather to an uninitiated creature, the pendant will lose the blessing and it becomes nothing more than a gaudy collectible."

"...So essentially, these supply tunnels are near impossible to find, and near impossible to use?" Elite frowned.

"I'm sorry." Nabudis sighed. "But that is all I know that you didn't already."

"I think that will be sufficient enough." Elite smiled. "Still something more than we had before."

“Seriously? Has anyone told you are too overly optimistic?” Nabudis scoffed.

“Heh, some could call it my best quality.” Elite shrugged, “Besides, if we can find a ‘supply tunnel’ and find a way to activate it, we could finally find the Forefathers’ base and put an end to Father’s machinations once and for all.”

“I see… and what exactly is your plan regarding Father?” Nabudis frowned.

“...What do you mean?” Elite raised a brow.

“Look, I don’t know what your beef is with him or with the Forefathers, aside the obvious, but I can’t help but be concerned.” Nabudis admitted.

“Well, you shouldn’t be.” Elite declared, “I am not afraid of either of them.”

“And therein lies the problem.” Nabudis crossed his front hooves, “Take it from a former doctor who knows a thing about psychology, Father is not some deranged lunatic who stumbled his way into power by accident. He believes whole-heartedly that what he has planned is for the greater good of Equestria, and he will not be deterred by anypony. And while I haven’t seen it firsthoof… I do know he is capable of things beyond normal comprehension…”

“...And your point being?” Elite tilted his head.

“I am just warning you.” Nabudis frowned, “I already got enough ponies killed in this lifetime… I just want to make sure I’m not sending any more to their deaths by helping them fight a pony that probably shouldn’t be messed with.”

“...Well, I do appreciate your concerns, but we will not back down.” Elite said firmly, “We will stop Father, and put an end to the Forefathers. On my title as Director, I swear it.”

“...Then it can’t be helped, I guess.” Nabudis sighed, “...So, what happens to me now?”

“As I said earlier, in exchange for your information regarding the supply tunnels, we will be taking you into hiding.” Elite clarified, “At first, we will have to keep you in safehouses till the whole mess with Brightdale blows over and once you have recovered. Once things settle down, we will see about getting you set up with a place of your own. Then, you will be free to do as you please, given it’s within the law. The RDL will keep you under observation and do check-in at intervals, but this way, you will have your freedom, and we will have our peace of mind.”

Nabudis was quiet for a moment, as he processed the information.

"...I'm never going to see Nyx again... am I?" He asked glumly.

“I’m afraid that’s just the way it has to be.” Elite said solemnly, “For her safety and yours, it’d be best if you two are kept apart for a long time… I’m sorry.”

“...No, it’s probably for the best.” Nabudis sighed, “...When do I have to go?”

“Well, I’m going to see the doctor about getting you discharged right away. The sooner we get you into hiding, the better.” Elite declared, “I’ll leave you alone for a bit.”

“Take your time…” Nabudis groaned, “Not like I’m going anywhere.”

Elite looked at him glumly as he turned to leave. He walked out of the infirmary, and immediately, he saw Black (in his Dreadnaught armor), waiting by the door.

“Black?” Elite’s eyes widened, “What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you.” Black explained. “Thought you might in Canterlot to handle damage control...Then I heard you and ‘Doc’ talking about what happened to Sacred…”

“Oh, Black, you shouldn’t have been listening.” Elite grimaced.

“...But he’s right.” Black said bluntly, guilt in his voice, “I was the one who couldn’t rein it in when Sacred brought up my situation and Reinadh. I’m the one who shot his hoof that ended with that ceiling collapsing on him… Sacred was put down because of me. I took away one stallion’s lover… and another stallion’s father…”

“Hey, listen to me.” Elite glared, “What you did, you did in self-defense. Don’t forget, Sacred was the one firing at you with a dark magic staff. You had no idea about Sacred’s life. You couldn’t have known.”

“But if I had known, maybe I could have done things differently.” Black rebutted, “If I’ve aimed at his shoulder or at the staff, or anywhere else, Sacred wouldn’t have died, Nabudis wouldn’t have lost the pony he loved, and maybe Secretariat wouldn’t have gone off the deep end and ordered that massacre and…”

“Black, please…” Elite soothed, putting his normal hoof on his shoulder, “You’re going to drive yourself crazy going over the ‘what ifs’. Yes, maybe all of this could have been avoided, but what’s done is done. All you have to remember is that you did the right thing in trying to stop Project: Bad Dreams. Sacred chose his path when he tried to stop you, and he paid for it with his life. Secret chose his path when he tried to use Nyx for his own selfish gains and killed all those ponies. Whatever happened to them is on them and them alone… just remember that, regardless of how things went, you did everything you could to ensure the safety of Equestria, and you shouldn’t be ashamed of that…”

"You make it sound so simple." Black sighed.

"Because it is." Elite nodded. "At the end of the day, the bottom line is that you are a good stallion, Black. You've done so many noble deeds for those in need. You may have been required to go to certain extremes to do so, but you always had the safety of the many in mind. That makes you a better stallion than most... and one I'm proud to call an ally, and a friend."

“...Thanks, Elite.” Black nodded gratefully.

“Anytime.” Elite said humbly. "Now, you should get back and reconvene with Sterling and Fury. I'm going to speak to a doctor about getting Nabudis discharged so we can get him out of here and we can go home."

“Okay, see you in a bit.” Black declared, as he walked off.

Meanwhile, Constell was waiting outside the room where Luna was talking with Nyx. Luxury, Caboose, Fletcher, and Survival were also there, as well as the rest of the royals.

“Geez, mom's been talking to her for a while now.” Constell rubbed her hooves anxiously, “Faust, I hope she’s not outraged with her or something.”

“No, I don’t think so.” Blueblood shook his head, “Trust me, we would know if Luna was angry. You know, Royal Canterlot Voice and all.”

“Yeah, but she could be the type that gets quiet when she’s really angry.” Dusty frowned.

“Oh goodness…” Miracle murmured, “I hope Nyx will be alright.”

"Why?" Vito scoffed. "She nearly wrecked the castle! I knew she couldn't be trusted..."

"Knock it, off, V." Pureblood glared. "She was hurt, and scared."

"Whatever." Vito shook his head.

"What a mess this turned out to be..." Survival sighed. "I can't help that worry that things will only get even messier..."

"Relax, Mr. Horror." Gothic declared. "The worst is behind us, I assure you."

"If only..." Survival muttered.

“Eesh, this has been one crazy night, huh?” Caboose declared.

"That would be an understatement, Caboose." Fletcher noted.

"Things would have been a lot crazier if you guys hadn't been there." Luxury smiled. "I can see why you're the best of the Royal Guards."

"Just doing our job, sir." Fletcher smiled.

“But I have to ask, what were you two doing tonight?” Blueblood asked, “I thought you two were just consultants. How in Faust’s name did you end up being dragged by Nightmare Moon?”

“Trust me, Blue, it’s a long fourteen chapters.” Caboose groaned. “Longer considering the release date between some of the chapters. All you need to know is everypony is okay!”

“Wait.” Constell suddenly lit up, as she turned to the two, “Oh no, I totally forgot!”

“Forgot what, Constell?” Dusty frowned.

“When I was back at the warehouse watching Dysley and Nabudis, there was this other stallion there as well.” Constell fretted, “He had tan fur with a leather jacket with blue eyes. I didn’t catch his name, but he seems like he was trying to help Nabudis and Nyx… but then that Silas jerk bludgeoned him and then Dysley forced Nyx to gas him! He might need help!”

“Don’t you worry, your highness.” Fletcher said quickly, soothing her, “Who you saw was probably one of the RDL agents. We have already found him before we arrived at the warehouse and he is completely healthy.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Constell sighed in relief, “...But who was he, though? He seemed to know who Dysley and Nabudis were, as well as what was going on with Nyx and this ‘project’. In fact, even though I can’t remember the name, I know it sounded familiar…”

Fletcher and Caboose shared uncertain looks as they tried to change the subject, but before they could, Gothic walked over and joined them.

“Hey, guys.” Gothic greeted.

“Your highness, how is Nabudis doing?” Survival asked.

"He's going to be fine. He’s talking with the director right now." Gothic assured him. "Where is Luna?"

"She's still in there, with Nyx." Constell answered, "But she's been in there for a-"

Barely a moment later, Luna exited the room, with Nyx by her side.

“Luna! How’s everything?” Gothic quickly asked, as he glanced at Nyx, “Is everything alright?”

"Everything is fine, Gothic." Luna nodded.

"Hi, Nyx." Constell smiled at the filly.

"Hi." Nyx smiled shyly.

"So... what now?" Luxury asked.

"Where... where is my Papa?" Nyx asked. "I want to make sure he's okay."

"He is fine, little one." Fletcher declared soothingly, "He's in the infirmary right now."

"Well, can I go see him?" Nyx asked.

"I think we can save you the walk." Caboose pointed out, as none other than Nabudis was coming down the corridor, being helped by a guard, Elite alongside him.

"PAPA!" Nyx rushed up and hugged him. "I'm so sorry about before. I was just so angry. I-"

"It's alright, sweetheart." Nabudis smiled, wincing a bit in pain, but not caring one bit as he returned the hug. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

"Somnus?" Gothic frowned, "What are you doing? You should be back in bed."

"And when did the director get here?" Luna glanced at Elite.

"Not too long ago actually." Elite declared, "The Captain summoned me not long after what happened with little Nyx here. Had a little chat with Mr. Nabudis here about what's going to happen next."

"Huh? What is he talking about, papa?" Nyx turned to Nabudis, only to notice his smile had faded, replaced with a pained look of grief, "Papa, what's wrong?"

"...Nyx, I'm so sorry..." Nabudis confessed, closing his eyes, "...I can't be your papa anymore."

"...W-What?" She whispered.

"Hold on, what are you going on about?" Constell gaped.

"Nabudis and I were able to work out a deal." Elite explained. "In exchange for some vital information regarding the Forefathers, Nabudis will not have to go to prison for his part in all this mess..." He then sighed. "Unfortunately, to ensure Nyx's safety as well as his, he will have to go into hiding for his own safety."

"Hiding? For how long?" Gothic asked, shocked.

"Who can say?" Elite shrugged solemnly, "With Secret still out there and the Forefathers probably out to get him, it'll probably be for a long while. But we have to get him to a safehouse as soon as possible. The doctor has given him the go-ahead on the grounds that he receives more treatment at the safehouse, and a carriage is currently waiting for him right now."

"...I-I see..." Gothic frowned, downcast.

"There are worse fates." Luna admitted sadly.

"I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused." Nabudis sighed. He turned to Nyx. "And I'm most sorry to you, Nyx. I don't want to leave you again, but you'll be safer if I'm not around. Do you understand?"

Nyx nodded in silent understanding, but as she did, tears began brimming, as a whimper began to manifest.

"Oh no, no, Nyx, please don't cry..." Nabudis grimaced, "Because if you start crying, then I'll start crying..." Despite this, tears were falling down Nabudis' cheeks, "And if I start crying, then you'll start crying more, and it creates this endless cycle, and it's going to make leaving so much... much..."

Nabudis couldn't hold it in anymore as he hugged Nyx tight to her, letting out barely audible sobs, as the father and daughter cried together.

Everypony else was affected by this heartbreaking scene.

Fletcher stood firm, yet was stoically sad, while Caboose had an almost comical amount of tears welling up in his suddenly-larger-than-average eyes.

Survival was unable to even look at the scene, turning away to silently weep.

Miracle was in tears, Dusty comforting her, while Pureblood and Blueblood wore an overwhelmingly sad expression. Even Vito was affected; his bottom lip quivered, to his surprise and reluctance.

Constell was buried in Luxury's hooves, shaking in his embrace, while Luna was leaning against a sorrowful Gothic's neck, shedding a single tear.

"Nabudis... it's time." Elite said solemnly.

Nabudis stifled his sobs, as Constell instinctively stepped forth and took Nyx into her hooves. Nyx kept crying, sobbing into Constell's hooves, the older mare holding her tightly.

"Promise me..." Nabudis rasped, trying (but failing miserably) to get his emotions in check, "Promise me that she's going to be taken care of... that she will be loved... please..."

"She will." Constell nodded, blinking through her tears. "I promise..."

"No... we promise..." Gothic stepped forth, a hoof on Constell's shoulder, putting on a strong face, "...You take care, Som... once this is all over, we will see each other again, you understand?"

"...Yeah." Nabudis nodded weakly, as the guard helped him back up to his hooves, "...I understand."

"Please come with me, Nabudis." Elite declared, as the guard began leading him away, "Caboose, Fletcher would you please join us?"

"Of course, sir." Fletcher nodded.

"Right behind ya." Caboose smiled.

"...Oh, and bring Doctor Horror too." Elite added.

"Huh?" Survival perked at the mention of his name, "Me? Um, sure..."

As the five stallions departed, Nyx continued to whimper.

"What's going to happen to me now?" She asked fretfully, "Papa was all I had... I have nowhere else to go..."

"There is no need to worry, little one." Luna declared, shaking off her sadness, "I've already decided what is to be done with you..."

"Mom, wait!" Constell spoke up. "Before you decide, you need to listen! I know Nyx, and-"

"Calm down, dear." Luna told her.

"Not until you hear what I have to say!" Constell demanded.

"Look, Nyx is-" Luna began.

"I want to adopt her!" Constell suddenly blurted out.

The others were surprised, to say the least.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you sure that's a good idea?" Blueblood asked nervously.

"Constell, I know you wanna help the filly, but isn't that a little sudden?" Dusty frowned.

"Why? Constell would make a great mom." Miracle declared.

"It's not Constell we should be worried about." Vito growled, his distrust returning.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Vito." Pureblood muttered.

"Honey, maybe we shouldn't rush headfirst into this." Luxury stepped in, "Taking in a foal is one thing, but this is not Little Annie. Are we even equipped to deal with Nightmare Moon?"

"I don't care!" Constell said adamantly, "Look, I know Nightmare Moon is not everypony's favorite pony, but Nyx needs somepony to be there for her. And I'm that pony, without a doubt." She turned to Luna, "Mom, please... let me do this, let me adopt Nyx."

"...I am proud that you are willing to step up, my daughter." Luna declared stoically, "But I cannot allow that."

"Why not?!" Constell gasped, outraged.

"...Because Gothic and I already agreed to adopt Nyx an hour ago." Luna revealed.

"...What?" Constell gaped.

"What?" Nyx lifted her head from Constell's hoof.

"What?!" Blueblood, Dusty and Luxury gaped.

"What the what?!" Vito shouted.

"Are you serious, aunt Luna?" Miracle asked, stupefied.

"She is... we both are." Gothic stepped forth, "After we had Nyx escorted to the study and Nabudis sent to the infirmary, Luna and I had discussed at lengths what to do about Nyx."

"With the Forefathers still out there and Nabudis' inevitable incarceration, we had decided that Nyx should be cared for by those who had experience in dealing with Nightmare Moon." Luna declared, "And considering how we both fit that criteria, we can ensure that Nyx will be protected should Secret or anypony from the Forefathers seek her out again. And I can see to it that Nyx's 'power' is never used to hurt anypony ever again."

"...Really?" Nyx gaped, slipping out of Constell's hooves, "...Y-You really want to adopt me? Even after..."

"I cannot change what you are, Nyx." Luna admitted, "Nor can I forget what you have done in your past lives... but it does not change the fact that you are just a sweet little filly who needs a family."

"And I know we cannot replace your 'papa'." Gothic declared, "But if you would have us, we can provide you with as much love and warmth that Somnus provided. We would be happy to have you as a part of our family..."

"...I...I don't know what to say..." Nyx whispered, as she turned to Constell, "Constell?"

"...Well, I won't lie, this isn't really what I had in mind." Constell frowned... before a warm smile grew on her face, "...But that doesn't mean I wouldn't be any less happy to call you my sister..."

Nyx was once again tearing up, but this time her eyes were leaking tears of joy. Instantly, she ran up and hugged Luna, much to the latter's surprise.

"...Thank you..." She murmured through the tears, "Thank you so much..."

The surprise subsided, as the princess of the night returned the hug, letting out a content sigh.

"Welcome home, Nyx." She whispered.

"Oh, this is wonderful, aunt Luna!" Miracle grinned, elated.

"Well, I can't think of anypony better for the job." Luxury smirked, his body internally letting out a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh, this is so wonderful." Dusty wiped a tear from her eyes.

"Yeah, another member for our big, happy family." Pureblood smiled.

"Yeah..." Blueblood agreed, though with a forced grin, his eyes registering panic, "Another nightmare-inducing, everlasting night-bringing, psycho-crazy member living with our big, happy family..."

"This is crazy..." Vito shook his head in disbelief, "This is crazy, this is freaking crazy..."

"Crazy good, you mean." Pureblood smirked.

"This is all like some amazing dream." Nyx admitted, still holding onto Luna.

"As the guardian of dreams, I can assure you that this is very real." Luna grinned.

"You're part of the family now, Nyx." Gothic added.

"That makes us cousins!" Miracle beamed. "How great is that?"

"Really great." Nyx smiled.

"Group hug!" Constell cheered.

Gothic, Constell, and Miracle joined Luna and Nyx's hug. Despite the loss of her papa, Nyx couldn't help but feel warm and content in their embrace.

Outside, Nabudis was being escorted to a carriage, with Black and co.'s carriage right behind it. Black (still in his armor), Sterling, and Fury were waiting by their carriage.

"We'll be taking you to one of our safehouses in the south." Elite explained to Nabudis. "Our operatives will make sure you're comfortable while you recover."

"Thank you." Nabudis said gratefully. "It's more than I deserve..." He bowed his head sadly.

Sterling approached.

"Hey." Sterling greeted, "So, I guess this is goodbye, 'Doc'..."

"Sterling, please, there's no need for honorifics." Nabudis shook his head, "Somnus is just fine."

"...You know, I want to know." Sterling frowned, "Why did you always wear a mask and use those voice modulators for the whole time we knew each other?"

"Yeah, I was kinda wondering about that myself." Caboose added, "I always felt it was just super-fluid."

"The word you're looking for is 'superfluous'." Nabudis rolled his eyes, "...But you already know the answer, Sterling. It's as Sacred said all those years ago, I liked to keep my two lives separate. I mean, sure, you, Gridlock, and Harlhooves got by just fine without all the gear, but I just didn't want to take the chance..."

"...Well, I guess that makes sense." Sterling admitted, as another thought came to mind, "...Actually, I have another-"

"No need to ask. I already know what it is." Nabudis nodded, "...You want to know if Loveless is okay."

"...Yeah." Sterling sighed, "...I realized you had left the Forefathers a while ago but..."

"No, I understand... you loved him like Nyx loved me..." Nabudis mused wistfully, "But sadly, all I can say for sure is Loveless misses you terribly..."

"...I know." Sterling bowed his head in sadness... before glaring with determination, "But I will see him again. And when I do, I'm going to save him, just like we saved you..."

"...I know you will." Nabudis give a small smile.

"Farewell, Somnus." Survival sighed heavily as he approached Nabudis, as Sterling stepped back, "In spite of everything that happened this week... I'll really gonna miss you..."

"And I you, Fievel." Nabudis gave a sad smile, "Being your teacher and friend has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I just know you will go on to do great things in the world."

"Thank you, sir." Survival returned the smile.

The two shared one last hoofshake, and Nabudis made his way to the designated carriage with the help of the guard. As the guard helped him in, Nabudis paused.

"Oh!" Nabudis turned around, and looked at Fletcher and Caboose, "Captain... Caboose... I know this doesn't mean much coming from me... but thank you, for helping to protect Nyx... even if it was me."

"You're welcome." Fletcher smiled.

"Yeah. And as far as doctors goes, you're no Hawkeye, but you're leagues above Izzy Stevens." Caboose smiled.

"Thank you..." Nabudis nodded, as he turned back around, grimacing a bit in confusion, "...I think."

With that, the former Forefather doctor entered the carriage, and soon departed. The guard gave Elite a salute as he made his way back inside the castle.

Sterling watched as Somnus' carriage grew smaller and smaller in the distance, then he turned to Elite.

"...Do you think Somnus is really going to be okay?" Sterling asked.

"Maybe in time." Elite mused. "We'll have to wait and see... but in the meantime..." He gave a smile to Sterling, Fury, and Black, "Sterling, Fury, Dreadnaught. You all did great on this assignment. Another project was thwarted and we are one step closer to stopping the Forefathers. You three head back to base for some well-deserved rest. We'd do debriefing later."

"Just doing our jobs." Black smiled.

"I am gonna sleep for hours..." Fury yawned.

"Later, guys." Sterling told Fletcher and Caboose as he, Black and Fury got into their carriage.

"Goodbye for now." Fletcher nodded.

"See ya soon!" Caboose waved.

With the trio's carriage now gone, Elite turned to Fletcher and Caboose.

"As for you two, you can take an extra week off for all your hard work." He smiled, "You really went above and beyond on this one."

"Just doing our job, sir." Fletcher said humbly.

"I guess this is so long for real, Fiev." Caboose said to Survival, "We'll be seeing ya around."

"Wait, before you go..." Survival held up a hoof, "I think I should finally tell you what my favorite horror movie is."

"Oh, finally!" Caboose grinned in anticipation. "What is it?"

"...Night of the Crops." Survival said bluntly.

"Huh?" Caboose gaped.

"My favorite horror movie." Survival shrugged. "It's Night of the Crops."

"...Okay, I'm waiting for the punchline." Caboose deadpanned.

"...What punchline?" Survival frowned, "It's not a joke."

"You're serious?" Caboose gaped, "You hated every horror and thriller classic mentioned in this story... but the one horror movie you like... is that dumpster fire?"

"What?" Survival said defensively. "Sure, it has it's problems, but as classical horror films go, it's very well-structured."

"I just... I can't..." Caboose spluttered, flabbergasted, "That movie is pure schlock! Sure, it has its funny moments, but still-"

"Come on, Caboose Time to go." Fletcher dragged him away, as Caboose continued his rant. "Farewell, Survival. May our next meeting be under better circumstances."

"Here's hoping." Survival smiled.

After the duo's departure, it was just Elite and Survival, alone.

"...Huh, you're still here?" Survival suddenly noticed Elite, "I figured you'd be heading back with Sterling and the others."

"Oh, no, my friend and second-in-command is going to come pick me up in a bit." Elite brushed off, "I actually wanted to personally thank you. If it wasn't for you, this night could have ended badly for evereypony."

"Ah, it was nothing." Survival said humbly. "I'm just glad everything turned out alright."

"Indeed... although I have to ask, what are you going to do now, Doctor Horror?" Elite asked.

“...I really don’t know.” Survival drooped, “Everypony at my workplace is dead, and I don’t know if I can really go back to working for Brightdale after what Dysley did. I’m pretty much out of a job at this point.”

“Hmm, well, I think I might have a solution for that.” Elite smiled suddenly.

“Huh?” Survival raised a brow in confusion.

“You see, Doctor Horror. The ponies that helped you, Fletcher, Caboose, Sterling, Fury, and Dreadnaught, are part of a team that I’ve started putting together months ago, the Alpha Force Squad. A team that operates differently from your typical government sanctioned groups.”

“Oh, like black ops or something?” Survival asked.

“You could say that.” Elite shrugged, “The team was put together with the goal of protecting Equestria and combating the Forefathers… and if you are willing, I would like to have you onboard.”

“Wait, you want me to join?” Survival pointed to himself.

"I don't see why not." Elite smiled. "The others told me about your highly leveled grasp on psychology and your background as a son of preppers. Sterling even told me that you are quite good with a knife.”

“Well, it’s nothing too special.” Survival rubbed his head, “Nothing that I think would be a good fit for a military outfit.”

“Not yet maybe.” Elite smirked, “But with the help of a good doctor, and a few lessons in combat, I’d say you would make for a great medic.”

“Hmm, well, it would be something to do.” Survival pondered, as his interest grew, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a thrill when we were rushing to save Nabudis. And it would be nice for all those years spent in a bunker to be put to some good use for once…”

“There’s plenty of time to think.” Elite declared, “In fact, if you have any questions regarding the team, I’m more than willing to oblige.”

“...Well, I do have one…” Survival admitted, as Elite listened expectedly, “...Why is Black Knight Paladin, the terrorist and war monger who almost took over Equestria during the ‘Crystal Sun’ incident, posing under the guise of ‘Dreadnaught’ and working for the RDL?”

Elite’s eyes widened.

“...And I guess on a more important note, how is he alive? Didn’t he get shot in the heart?” Survival frowned.

“Whoa, whoa… how do you…” Elite was trying to reel in his shock.

“Sterling kinda said his name by accident back at the warehouse district.” Survival grimaced, “It was a long shot, but there’s only one or two ponies that stick out with that name, and seeing how secretive Fletcher and the others were being, I kinda put the pieces together. Your reaction of course cemented all that.”

“I… I see.” Elite cringed.

“Look, I’m not going to blow the whistle or anything.” Survival assured, “Clearly there must be something going on if Black is working with you guys, but before I make my decision, I would like to know what is the deal with all that…”

Elite let out a sigh, and gave a minor shrug.

“...Well, Ballista is going to be a while before he comes by with the carriage, but I’ll try and tell you everything I can… all I ask that you keep everything between us...” Elite urged.

Meanwhile, Caboose arrived back home, still stupefied and nettled about Survival's favorite movie.

“Unbelievable.” Caboose muttered, “Oh, sure, crap on the Candystallion, but nothing’s wrong with a bunch of Faust damn slug zombies…”

"No!" He heard Michael's voice from upstairs.

"Honey, you need to try and sleep..." Daring's voice, tired and desperate, begged.

"Don't wanna!" Michael screeched.

“Oh, right!” Caboose realized, “I still have this plot point to wrap up! Now where did I put that-” Caboose saw the bag he bought the other day on the table, “Bingo!”

He grabbed out the tiny nightshirt from the bag, and sprinted up the stairs.

Inside Michael's room, Daring was struggling to get Michael into bed, with Michael resisting despite his own tiredness.

"Come on, baby." Daring pleaded. "Just try and sleep for mommy..."

"No nightmares! No nightmares!" Michael wept.

There was a knock on the doorframe as Caboose came in.

“Hey there.” Caboose smiled.

“Caboose?” Daring turned to him in surprise, “When did you get here?”

“Just in time, it seems.” Caboose stepped forth, as he held out his hooves, “Here, allow me.”

Daring, confused, but willing to try anything at this point, passed the whimpering colt over to Caboose.

“Hey, buddy.” Caboose smiled, as he swayed his hooves a bit, “Did ya miss me?”

"Hi, daddy." Michael sniffed.

“Still not wantin’ to sleep?” Caboose asked.

“Don’t wanna. I’m scared…” Michael whimpered.

“Aww, I’ve been there, Mikey.” Caboose soothed, “Nightmares are no joke. Well, unless the nightmare is a clown or a terrible comedian…” Michael winced, as he quickly backpedaled, “But that doesn’t matter, because I got just the thing that will keep you safe from all the scary things you can dream of.”

Caboose adjusted Michael into one hoof, and with a swipe of his other, he slid the small nightshirt onto Michael. The little whimpering colt offered no resistance, rubbing the new shirt, amused by it.

"Do ya like it?" Caboose asked.

"...Yes." Michael nodded. "Soft..."

“Good. Your grandpa gave me a nightshirt just like this when I was your age.” Caboose grinned, “When you go to sleep now, this nightshirt will allow you to fly away, away from every scary thing in the world… all you will feel is the freest, most wonderful feeling in the world… think you can give it a try, buddy?”

“...Hmm…” Michael murmured, as he began to doze off, “S-sleepy…”

To Daring's utter shock, Michael drifted off into a sound sleep.

“Oh my Faust…” Daring whispered, glancing at Caboose, “...You did it. He’s sleeping.”

“Had a feeling it would.” Caboose smirked, as he kissed the tyke on the head. He turned to Daring, “Everything should be A-OK now.”

“What about you? You looked terrible.” Daring frowned, noting the bruises on his body, “Hurricane told me that something happened at the charity event earlier.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Caboose shrugged, wincing a bit from the pain, “Just got beat up by a doctor, a hallucinating friend, and a few buildings. You know, just your typical everyday assignment. How about you?”

“Um, normal, but…” Daring blanched, taken aback by Caboose’s nonchalance, “Vinny called not too long ago.”

"Oh, yeah?" Caboose mused. "What about?"

“Apparently, he and Berry were doing some late-night drinking on the rooftop when they saw you and Fletcher being dragged by what he called ‘some crazy she-witch that looked a lot like Nightmare Moon’.” Daring recounted, “...Did that fit somewhere within you getting beat up?”

“Ugh, that’s a long story. Would love to tell you but…” Caboose let out a big yawn, “But I’m dead tired and-”

"Just answer with a simple 'yes' or 'no'." Daring urged. "Surely you're not too tired for-"

Before she could finish, she realized Caboose had immediately dozed off, sitting in place with Michael still in his hooves, snoring peacefully. What more, for some reason, he had managed to slip on an old, stained nightshirt of his own.

Daring was about to question this… but just shook her head.

“Sweet dreams, you two.” Daring smiled warmly.

Elsewhere in Canterlot, Fletcher arrived at his own home.

"I'm back!" He called, entering the living room.

"Hello, darling." Dove smiled, sitting on the couch.

“Honey, what are you still doing awake?” Fletcher asked.

“Oh, it’s the little one. They kept kicking me awake.” Dove shrugged, rubbing her belly, “I figured we would just wait for you to get home.”

“Everything is alright, though?” Fletcher frowned, “No complications?”

"I'm not far along, you know." Dove chuckled. "It's only been two months."

"And still nine months to go." Fletcher declared. "I just don't want anything to happen to our soon-to-be bundle of joy."

"Well, now." Dove smiled. "What brought on this sudden surge of paternal instinct?"

“Hmm, let’s just say these last two days have given me some time to reflect on what being a parent truly means.” Fletcher admitted, “This mission me and Caboose were on had us dealing with a stallion who went the distance to try and protect his little girl… someone he loved very much.”

“Really now?” Dove frowned, “Does this stallion have anything to do with why Daring called me earlier, saying that you and Caboose were being dragged by somepony that looked like Nightmare Moon?”

“Oh, a little bit.” Fletcher winced, “But while I did not agree with the stallion’s method, I can understand why he did it. Faust knows I would do everything in my power to make sure you and our foal were safe.”

“I already know that, mon chéri.” Dove kissed him deeply, “And I am proud of you every day for it.”

“Thank you, duen min.” Fletcher smiled in his native tongue, “You want to head back up to bed?”

“No… I think we rather lay here with you.” Dove cuddled with her husband.

“...That suits me just fine.” Fletcher sighed in content, wrapping his hooves around her.

The two laid there, Dove nuzzling against the soldier stallion, as they continue to happily anticipate their new life as parents.

The two cuddled on the couch, happily anticipating their new lives as parents.

At the same time, Black and the others were riding home in the steam carriage.

"Some crazy mission, huh?" Black mused. "Almost made me miss the yetis from the last one."

“You said it.” Sterling groaned, “Still, I’m glad that Doc-I mean, Somnus, was able to get out of that life.”

“Yeah… still, it makes me wonder how guys like him and Sacred get mixed up with assholes like Gridlock and Solomon.” Fury grumbled, “Or better yet, why they put up with their awful plans.”

“Well, when you want to make a difference, I guess you learn to put up with all the crazies and bad ponies along the way.” Sterling shrugged, “How do you think I was able to put up with Nalik of all ponies for so long?”

“It does bring into question just what goes through this ‘Father’s’ head.” Black frowned, “If he is out to make Equestria better, why does he recruit such despicable ponies along with those with good intentions?”

“I’ve been asking myself that question for way too long.” Sterling shook his head, “And sadly, I still don’t have an answer.”

“Well, I have another question: what the flap are you wearing?” Fury glanced at Sterling.

Sterling was dressed up in his silver nightshirt that Caboose got him.

"Just a little something Caboose got me." Sterling smiled. "He said it should nip my bad dreams in the bud.”

“Seriously? Are you really that desperate that you’re taking advice from Caboose?” Fury grimaced.

“I’m not desperate.” Sterling said firmly, “I’ve been letting my guilt get to me, wallowing in my regret over getting Crystal killed. That led to these nightmares, which gave that miasma leverage over me. On top of me going in alone like an idiot, I almost botched the whole mission.”

“I wouldn’t say so.” Black declared, “Sure, you getting hit by that miasma didn’t help, but if you hadn’t gone off on your own when you did, we might have never caught up with Dysley. Nabudis would have died and Nyx would have been gone. Take it from a guy who made his fair share of mistakes, I think you made the right call tonight.”

“Thanks, Black.” Sterling gave a small smile, “But regardless, I have to face Crystal one last time if I’m ever gonna move on. And if Caboose says this nightshirt will help me, I’m willing to try it.”

“But, that’s so stupid.” Fury said bluntly, “How can a nightshirt ward off nightmares? It makes no sense!”

"Lay off, Fury." Black scowled. "It's not like he has anything to lose not doing it."

“My thoughts exactly.” Sterling huffed, “Now, if you would both kindly keep it down, I’m gonna try and get some sleep.”

"Of course." Black nodded.

"Yeah, yeah..." Fury scoffed.

The two fell into silence, allowing Sterling to curl up and drift off to sleep. And with sleep came dreams...

And once more, Sterling found himself inside the same church as before, and once again, Crystal was there waiting, this time standing outside his coffin.

“So you return, Sterling.” Crystal snarled, “Come to face the facts? You killed me. Your own brother. Only the worst kind of monster does that. You're nothing but a murdering piece of filth, an indelible stain on our family name... and don’t get me started on Echo and Sun-” He paused, “What the hell are you wearing?”

Dream Sterling was wearing his nightshirt.

"It's my ass-kicking outfit, bitch!" He boasted.

Quick as lightning, Sterling bucked Crystal, sending him flying back against the altar.

"Ugh!" Crystal grunted. As he dropped back down onto his hooves, he had a mystified look on his face.

“Wait, this can’t be ri-” He began, before Sterling punched him the face. "No, wait-" Sterling headbutted him. "You can't-" Sterling gave him a jab, then a right hook. "At least let me finish my sen-"

Sterling delivered an uppercut that left the dream Crystal sprawled on his back.

“No. You’re done, Crystal.” Sterling glared, “I will concede, my actions did lead to your eventual demise, and despite what others may tell me, I bear part of the blame and I will have to live with it… but I’m not going to let you hold it over my head any longer. I spent my whole childhood being bullied by you in life, being afraid of you… but now, even in this silly little nightshirt, I can see that you are not so scary after all… in fact, you’re kinda sad.”

“What?!” Crystal snarled, getting back up on his hooves.

“It’s just like I told you back at the well when you were still alive.” Sterling declared, “You have no power over me. You can kill me all you like, but it’s not going to change that I’m alive and you’re not. I will wake up, and go out there and protect the innocent, while you will remain here, in my dreams…”

Crystal was fuming, trembling with fury.

“You… you…” Crystal hissed.

“Now if you excuse me, I must go now…” Sterling crouched, “My ponies need me.”

With a leap, Sterling took off into the air like a superhero, smashing through the roof, and leaving a flabbergasted Crystal behind.

"...What the f-" Crystal gaped.

Sterling flew through the night sky, the winds billowing in his nightshirt as the stallion let out a hearty laugh.

"Ah-hah-hah!" Sterling laughed as he flew through the sky. "That was more simple than I thought it'd be! Damn, this feels so good!”

“I know, right?!”

Sterling perked up as suddenly, Caboose, in his nightshirt, pulled up aside him. And right next to him, holding onto his hoof, was little Michael.

“Caboose?!” Sterling gaped.

“Hey, Sterling!” Caboose smiled, elated, “You put on the nightshirt!”

“Uh, yeah, I’m sorry I ever doubted you.” Sterling declared, “...But what are you doing here?”

“Same thing as you, flying in our nightshirts. Taking Mikey here on his first flight!” Caboose smiled, as he pulled up Michael, “Say hi to Uncle Sterling!”

“Hi, Unca Stairly...” Michael waved meekly.

“Uh, hi.” Sterling waved awkwardly, “...Wait, am I talking to the actual Caboose right now?”

Caboose looked himself over.

“Well, I think I’m the actual Caboose.” Caboose shrugged, “Don’t know why I would not be one.”

“...But that makes no sense.” Sterling grimaced, “You’re not Luna. You can’t be actually you. In fact, I don’t know how your son is here, since I never even met him. But you mentioned me putting on the nightshirt-”

“Sterling, Sterling!” Caboose interrupted his rambling, “You’re gonna ruin the good feeling questioning these very good questions. Just roll with it. Trust me, you’ll be a lot happier. Now if you excuse us…”

Caboose sped ahead, Michael in tow as they did a loop-de-loop.

“Wee!” Michael squealed.

“...Eh, buck it. Better this than Crystal.” Sterling shrugged with a grin.

Sterling flew off into the night sky, soaring among the stars, finally at peace with himself.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Nabudis sat in his carriage, ignorant of the two RDL agents who were accompanying him, keeping a firm watch. The doctor glanced out the back window, watching as the Canterlot Castle grew smaller and smaller, further away from the filly he raised from nothing…

"Ohhh..." He sighed morosely, “Nyx…”

Hoping to put the dreadful night behind him, Nabudis began drifting off to sleep…

When he opened up his eyes, he found himself standing in a moonlit meadow, blue flowers glowing in its light.

He could hear the familiar giggling of a filly, as he saw Nyx, frolicking and prancing around, having the time of her life.

“Nyx…” Nabudis almost wanted to smile… but he couldn’t. He knew for a fact that he was dreaming, and the happy Nyx he was seeing was just that. A dream.

“Come on, Som, don’t be so glum.” Another voice spoke up, “You know Nyx doesn’t like it when you’re sad.”

Nabudis’s eyes widened as he turned right next to him, as a middle-aged greyish-blue Pegasus stallion sat in the grass. It was none other than Sacred Dysley, bereft of his spiffy suit.

“Sacred…” Nabudis sat down, “You’re here.”

“Hello, Somnus.” Sacred smiled, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Too long.” Nabudis sighed sadly, tears brimming once more, “Faust… I miss you so much.”

“Please, Somnus, don’t cry.” Sacred wrapped a hoof around him, “It’s going to be okay…”

“No… no it’s not.” Nabudis gulped, blinking away the tears, “I just have to leave my daughter again, I nearly got my friends killed, and your son… he… he...” He sobbed.

“Hey, hey.” Sacred nuzzled him, “Look, you couldn’t control what happened to my son. It’s tragic what he has become, but he let his own bitterness and anger control him. You stood by him when I couldn’t. There’s nothing more you could have done.”

“But this all happened because of me.” Nabudis whimpered, “I couldn’t protect Nyx, just like I couldn’t protect you. If you hadn’t helped me, you wouldn’t have died. You could have had a long fulfilling life.”

“But then you would have been all alone.” Sacred pointed out, “Things happen for a reason, while we may not like them, it is what it is.”

"It doesn't have to be." Nabudis said, still doubtful. "I could have done more..."

"You did the best you could." Sacred smiled. "You managed to raise Nyx well, defying her origins."

"And I abandoned her." Nabudis shook his head, guiltridden. "Again."

“She’s going to be okay.” Sacred declared, “And so are you. Nyx is surrounded by ponies who will love her, and you are one of the strongest ponies I know. That’s one of the many things I always loved about you.”

"And I always loved you for always encouraging me." Nabudis managed a smile. "For seeing more in me than I could ever see in myself. I will never stop missing you..."

"Neither will I." Sacred beamed. "One day, we will be together again, but at least we have this moment."

"Yes." Nabudis nodded. "We do."

The two stallions kissed, nuzzling against one another.

“...Thank you, Sacred.” Nabudis whispered, “...I love you…”

“...I know…” Sacred smiled warmly.

“Come play with me, papa! Daddy!” Dream Nyx called to them.

“What do you say, Somnus? How about a little family fun before the sunrise?” Sacred smirked.

“...I think I’d like that very much.” Nabudis smiled back…

As Nabudis went on to join the dream Nyx and Sacred to play together in the meadow, Nabudis felt, for the first time in years, content. That everything was right with the world. While he knew deep down that it wouldn’t last, the old stallion was more than willing to ignore that unfortunate reality for that brief moment of brevity.

A few days later…

Nyx stirred as she awoke in her new bed, sunlight pouring in through the windows of her new room, safe in Constell's hooves.

“Good morning, sis.” Constell grinned.

“Morning.” Nyx smiled.

“Did you sleep well?” Constell asked.

“Yeah, I think so.” Nyx nodded, “What about you? I didn’t give you any nightmares, did I?”

“Of course you didn’t.” Constell soothed, “Like you hadn’t the last couple of nights.”

“I know… I just worry, you know?” Nyx bowed her head.

“It’s alright.” Constell smiled, “But you really don’t have to worry anymore. Mom casted that enchantment that sealed your miasma within you. You can get as mad as you like, and nothing will come out.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I have no reason to be mad.” Nyx smiled back, “I never thought I'd end up here of all places when I left Brightdale. Hard to believe any of this is real.”

“Well, it is real.” Constell nuzzled her, “And I couldn’t be happier.”

“Thanks, Connie.” Nyx returned the affection, “Hey, do you think I can go see Miracle and the others?”

“Of course. You don’t have to ask, though.” Constell nodded, releasing Nyx from her sisterly embrace, “You’re free to do as you like… just try not to be late for breakfast, you hear?”

"I won't." Nyx declared, running out of the room.

Nyx happily trotted down the corridors, almost unable to believe that the castle was now her home. It didn't take long for her to find the others, who were talking in the study.

"Hi, guys!" She smiled.

"Hey, Nyx." Pureblood smiled.

"Yeah." Vito said flatly. "Hey."

“Hello, Nyx.” Miracle hugged her new cousin, “Happy one-week anniversary of becoming a part of our family.”

"Thanks." Nyx returned the hug. "This is so amazing. Almost like I'm still dreaming."

"Well, it's no dream." Pureblood chuckled. "And it's definitely not a nightmare."

"Uh-huh..." Vito growled.

"Guess who's back!" A voice sang.

Hurricane came flying in, landing with a flourish.

"Hurricane!" Miracle smiled.

"Great to see ya!" Pureblood smirked

“...Where have you been?” Vito frowned, “We hadn’t seen you around.”

“Oh, I’ve been hanging out with my dad!” Hurricane brushed off, “I do have a life outside you guys, you know.”

“Of course you do.” Miracle nodded, “What’s been up with you?”

“Oh, just hanging out with the fam. Mikey’s officially nightmare-free now.” Hurricane listed off, “Turns out nightshirts are very effective nightmare repellants!”

"Nightshirt?" Vito blanched.

“But enough about me! What about you?!” Hurricane turned to Nyx, excited, “I heard everything from cousin Dusty! I can’t believe I missed out on all the action! The first chance at being relevant in a story in a long time and I missed it!”

“Trust me, Hurri, it wasn’t all that it cracked up to be.” Pureblood cringed.

“Yeah, more like it was terrifying.” Vito growled, casting a stink-eye at Nyx.

“Oh, come off it, V.” Hurricane glared back at him, as she turned back to Nyx, “I’m really glad you are okay, Nyx.”

“Really? Even if I’m Nightmare Moon?” Nyx frowned.

“Oh, of course. Stuff like that doesn’t matter to me.” Hurricane shrugged with a wave, “In fact, you being Nightmare Moon makes you by far the most interesting pony I know. Right next to that Goldsmith guy from the beer commercial.”

“Well… that’s really good to hear.” Nyx smiled awkwardly, still not used to the filly’s odd zaniness.

“Yeah, nice to know some ponies accept you for who you are.” Miracle declared, casting a glare at Vito, who scoffed in return.

"Yeah, yeah..." Vito scowled.

"Ah, give him time." Pureblood shrugged. "He'll come around... eventually."

"And you'll have all the time in the world." Miracle told Nyx. "Because this is your home."

"The best home I could ask for." Nyx grinned.

"Aww..." Hurricane cooed. "This calls for a cliche sappy sitcom hug!"

Hurricane pulled them all into one big group hug.

Nyx smiled happily. Though she still missed her papa, she was still glad to be among friends, and a new family…

At the same time, the board of directors for Brightdale Pharmaceuticals were having a meeting. The head, the middle-aged Unicorn, was reading the papers, which headlined ‘Magic defense drill goes awry at Canterlot Castle’. There was also a smaller byline stating ‘a mysterious filly sighted at the castle’.

“An official spokespony from the royal made a public announcement that the recent damages were the result of misplaced storm clouds, and that the ‘screaming mare’ flying over Canterlot was a magical construct conjured by a student from the School for Gifted Unicorns that had gone awry. When asked about the rumors that Nightmare Moon had somehow returned, Princess Luna debunked them as nightmares suffered by overly tired ponies." The stallion read, “Pah, Nightmare Moon… can you believe such nonsense...”

Right next to him, the balding Pegasus stallion held a mirror to his ear, waiting expectedly for something… only to hang up in anger.

“Dammit! No answer again!” The stallion snarled.

“Still no luck reaching him?” The gangly pegasus with the buck-teeth frowned.

“And then some.” The balding stallion growled, “I swear, that boy picked a fine time to suddenly go on a vacation. He left us high and dry at that conference!”

“Oh, come now. I’m sure he had his reasons.” The grey-maned Earth Pony mare reasoned, “Maybe something came up. A family emergency perhaps?”

“That would be a negative there.” The younger Unicorn mare shook her head, “I spoke with Mrs. Dysley the other day. She hadn’t seen Secret lately either.”

“Then what could have happened?” The middle-aged Unicorn asked.

“Well, I don’t want to spread misinformation, but the guys in accounting have been talking.” The gangly pegasus grimaced, “Apparently, Secret was last seen leaving that charity event they had at the castle a week ago. From what I heard, he had a little black filly with her.”

“Oh, no…” The young Unicorn mare gaped in disgust.

“Hey now, I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.” The grey-maned Earth Pony mare pointed out.

“What about what shipping told me then?” The gangly pegasus continued, “They told me there was a sting operation that went down in the warehouse district. A bunch of them Forefather agents got arrested… and according to them, Secret was down there with them.”

“You don’t actually think Secret would consort himself with those monsters, do you?” The balding Pegasus scoffed.

“Well, I also heard about this spat that went down between Secret and Som-” The gangly Pegasus spoke up… only to get pelted with a newspaper, “Hey!”

“Would you knock it off with the gossip?!” The middle-aged Unicorn stallion snapped, “The bottom line is, our CEO is M.I.A., Brightdale Hospital has been massacred, lawsuits are lining up, our stocks are freefalling, and our public image is dying!” He placed his face in his hooves, “Faust damn, this is a disaster! This couldn’t possibly get any worse!”

Suddenly, the intercom on the table crackled to life.

“Um, excuse me sirs and ma’ams, there’s a group of ponies here to see you.” A secretary announced.

“Tell them to come back later.” The balding Pegasus snarled, pushing the button, “We’re in the middle of a crisis here!”

“I can tell.”

The directors looked up, as none other than Z. Brickette Wall, the zebra senator and Secretary of defense, and Elite’s superior, came walking in, flanked by a slew of agents.

“What the- who are you?!” The young Unicorn mare demanded.

“Wait, I know you… you’re Senator Wall!” The middle-aged Unicorn stallion pointed out, “What are you doing here?!”

"Official government business." Wall answered. She turned to the agents, "Turn this room upside down. Leave no stone unturned.”

“What are you talking about?! What is the meaning of this?!” The balding Pegasus roared as the agents began surveying and looking around the room.

“This here is a search warrant.” Wall slid a piece of paper down to the directors, “We are here to search not only this headquarters but all other places affiliated with Brightdale Pharmaceuticals.”

“Search warrant?!” The middle aged Unicorn picked up the piece of paper, “But on what grounds?!”

“Yeah, what right have you to come barging into our place of business?!” The grey-maned Earth Pony mare demanded.

“I would tell you to ask your CEO… but he isn’t really around, now is he?” Wall sneered.

“Wait, is this about Secret?” The Unicorn mare asked.

“What the hell did he do?!” The balding Pegasus gasped.

“I’ll tell you what he did.” Wall explained, “Secretariat Dysley is a terrorist, associated with the Forefathers.”

“The Forefathers? Oh no…” The middle-aged Unicorn moaned.

“Oh yes.” Wall grunted, “He is wanted for several crimes, including use of a magical bio-weapon to kill ponies in their sleep, attempting criminal anarchy, illegal experimentation on a minor, and you all might get a kick out of this: orchestration of a massacre committed at Brightdale Hospital.”

The board members gasped in shock.

“This has to be some sort of a mistake!” The balding Pegasus yelled, pale, “Secret is not a perfect pony, but he’s not some psycho!”

“Well, we have plenty of evidence to the contrary. So I will have to respectfully disagree.” Wall scoffed.

“But that doesn’t explain why you are tearing up our headquarters!” The young Unicorn snarled, “We didn’t do anything!”

“So you say.” Wall frowned in suspicion, “But we have reason to believe that Mr. Dysley has been siphoning funds from this corporation to fund the Forefathers’ for quite some time.”

“I should have known…” The gangly Pegasus shook his head in disbelief, “All those ‘line items’ in the budget…”

“Wait, so you knew there was something going on?!” The balding pegasus accused.

"Of course I didn't!" The gangly Pegasus gulped.

"So you're just an idiot?" The young Unicorn sneered.

"No more than you!" The middle-aged Unicorn pointed.

"Says the guy who was constantly kissing up to the boss!" The bald Unicorn spat.

“Enough!” Wall slammed the table, silencing them all, “Here’s how it’s going to be: the EBI and I will be conducting a thorough investigation of all the happenings that’s been going on in this company from the very beginning. Investors, suppliers, accounts, trade routes, clients, the works. And make no mistake, if any of you are found to be involved, I promise you, there will be swift justice.”

The board went into an uproar.

"You can't do that!"

"I'm innocent!"

"Somepony get my lawyer!"

“We need to get Mrs. Dysley on the mirror right away!” The balding Pegasus demanded.

“Do you think she knows what her son’s been up to?” The Unicorn mare frowned.

"I doubt it." The Earth Pony mare declared. "Rosetta's such a nice mare."

“Look, calm down, everypony. Let’s just try and cooperate with them.” The middle-aged Unicorn urged, “Let’s not make things worse they’re already going to be…”

"Good call." Wall smirked. "Just cooperate, and this will all go so much smoother..."

Several hours later...

Wall activated her mirror. On the other side was Elite.

"Wall. What a pleasant surprise." He remarked, walking through RDL HQ.

"Just calling to say that my operatives have arrived at Dysley Pharm, and we're currently ransacking the place." Wall announced.

"Ah." Elite nodded. "No need to thank my team for piecing everything together for you."

"Don't be so smug." Wall glared. "As usual, your team caused a lot of trouble, and more collateral damage. All the Bits to repair that have to come from somewhere, you know."

"What is a few Bits, compared to the price of freedom?" Elite declared.

"There's that idealism again." Wall shook her head.

"At the end of the day, the Forefathers have lost two more of their operatives, and another project of theirs has been shut down." Elite countered. "That's a win in my book."

"A small win, in the grand scheme of things." Wall glared. "The Forefathers are still out there, and your team is no closer to bring them down then they were before."

"It's not for lack of trying." Elite frowned. "And as long as Equestria is kept safe, my team are doing their job."

"Well then, let's just hope it'll be enough." Wall sighed. "Once my operatives have done their job, I'll be giving you another update."

"Until then, I suppose." Elite sighed.

"Until then." Wall switched off her mirror.

Mere seconds later, Elite's mirror received another call. Letting out a sigh, Elite answered it, as Fletcher and Caboose’s faces appeared on it.

“Oh, hey, guys.” He smiled, “You two enjoying your time off?”

"Very much so." Fletcher declared, “We’re just having a drink at the local tavern right now.”

"Yeah, just thought we'd check in." Caboose added. "See how things are going."

"For starters, has there been any word regarding Secret Dysley?" Fletcher asked.

"I'm afraid not." Elite shook his head. "Dysley is in the wind right now, but Ms. Wall told me that the EBI is now investigating Brightdale. With the company now under watch and government scrutiny, the Forefathers can't access their funds anymore. All in all, not a complete loss."

"Better than nothing." Caboose shrugged.

"Anything else to report?" Fletcher inquired.

"Actually, yes." Elite grinned. "I have some good news for you. I was going to wait until you got back, but since you called..." He walked into his office, where a familiar face was waiting. "I would like to introduce you to your new teammate within the Alpha Force Squad... Survival Horror."

"Hey, guys!" Survival waved.

"Hey, pal!" Caboose grinned.

"A most unexpected, yet welcome surprise." Fletcher smiled. "But how exactly did this come to pass?"

“Me and Doctor Horror here got to talking, and after some thought, I figured he’d make an excellent addition to the team…” Elite explained. “He’s already been brought up to speed on everything that has happened thus far.”

"Glad to be aboard, guys." Survival beamed. "I'm excited to give this my all, for Hamm, and all the others who suffered from the Forefathers' machinations."

"Well, I’ll be looking forward to working with you." Fletcher nodded. "See you all soon!"

"Just wait until movie night!" Caboose waved, before the two vanished from the glass.

"I'd say you're going to fit in just fine around here." Elite told Survival.

"Here's hoping." Survival nodded.

At that point, Master Mind entered the room.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." He inquired.

"Not at all." Elite replied. "Just told Fletcher and Caboose the good news about Survival. And if I am assuming right, Survival, you finished filling out the paperwork?"

“All done, sir.” Survival patted a stack of papers.

“That’s swell because I need to take Doctor Horror here to see Triage for medical training.” Master Mind declared.

“Well, I better not keep you. We’ll talk about living arrangements later, Survival.” Elite declared.

"Oh, okay." Survival nodded as he made to follow Master Mind. "Lead the way."

Soon after, Triage was in his office, working away, when Survival came in with Master Mind.

"Morning, Triage." Master Mind smiled. "This is our new recruit, Survival Horror. Survival, this is our resident medic, Triage… but I guess you both already knew that, having met a week earlier."

"Nice to meet you." Survival held out a hoof.

"Charmed, I'm sure." Triage shook his hoof halfheartedly.

“Survival here will be assisting you in providing medical assistance to the team.” Master Mind announced.

"'Assisting'?" Triage scoffed. "Surely you mean 'replacing'?"

"Of course not." Master Mind denied it, “Survival will just be a second medic for the team, not to mention he will be more focused in helping Black and the others.” He grimaced, “Come on, Triage, we talked about this.”

“I know, but this is how it starts, you know.” Triage sighed, “A young upstart comes into my place of work, starting out as an assistant to an old relic like me. But as time goes on, that role of assistant begins to expand, to a point that it consumes my position, and sends me into retirement.”

“Oh, Triage…” Master Mind murmured.

“If I may, um, Mr. Mind.” Survival stepped in, “I think I know what’s going on. The way Dr. Triage stands up straight and at attention, and the slight shaking in his hooves, he is a disciplined and tough stallion, with a military background no doubt, who’s been worried about his age and the thought of potentially becoming obsolete. The hooves shaking is him trying to show no weakness, fearing that it would facilitate his retirement.”

“...Huh, I thought you were here to replace me, not Master Mind.” Triage deadpanned, “That was some first year psych student bull right there.”

“Triage.” Master Mind grunted.

“I’m here to replace no one, sir.” Survival nodded respectfully, “I understand you are worried, but I have no intent to upstage you or anyone here. My only hope is to learn everything that I can about being an actual medical doctor, and being able to help my friends. And who better to teach me than an obvious expert such as yourself?"

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” Triage frowned… which soon faded to a small smirk, “...But I do appreciate the sentiment…” He turned to Master Mind, “Could you please excuse us, Master? I have some work to do with Dr. Horror here.”

“Of course, Triage.” Master Mind smiled, a bit relieved, “Happy teaching.”

Master Mind departed. As soon as he did, Triage’s horn lit up as he pulled up a chair. He sat in it and let out a small groan, rubbing his sore hooves.

“I have to say, that was quite a trick you pulled off.” Triage conceded, “Are you some kind of mind reader? A mentalist perhaps?”

“No, just really good at reading folks.” Survival shrugged.

“Just not that it seems.” Triage declared, “I read your file… you were a son of preppers, right?”

"Guilty." Survival raised his hoof.

“I see… which disaster?” Triage asked.

“Well, at first, it was all magical devices going haywire, sending the world into a societal collapse.” Survival shrugged, “...Then it was for when the caribous come and take our mares.”

“Ah, the old ‘Fall of Equestria’ scare. Caused some hassle for some of my caribou buddies back in the day.” Triage mused, “But I know being raised a prepper has its advantages. Take it from an old war horse, things can get pretty bad ‘round here.”

“Well, I’m not scared.” Survival said determinedly, “So don’t spare the gory details. I can take whatever you throw at me…”

“...I have a feeling I’m going to like having you around.” Triage grinned.

Elsewhere in the headquarters, the trio that had ambushed Black and Fury on the Isle of Wheat were getting released by Ballista and Titan.

“Well, this is goodbye.” Ballista declared, “I hope you fellas learned your lesson.”

"Yeah, right." The first stallion scoffed. "Don't get into a fight with a Griffon and a tin man"

“Really? I thought it would be to not take jobs from ponies who don’t show themselves in alleys.” the second snarled.

“Hey, you didn’t have to say 'yes'.” The first pony glared.

"You're the one who wanted the money!" The second pony retorted.

"Was not!" The first pony spat.

“Come on, guys, let’s just go!” The third (and wimpy) pony pleaded, “We’re free. Let’s not botch it, please!”

“Fine.” The two ponies grumbled.

“Glad to see you see reason.” Ballista smirked, “Now, how about we get you out of here?”

The three ponies made to leave… then Titan grabbed the wimpy pony by the shoulder.

“Except you, wise guy.” Ballista glared.

“Huh?” The first pony gaped.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” The second pony snarled, “Why are you holding him?”

“You see, you two, this wimpy friend of yours isn’t who he says he is.” Ballista declared, “I did some checking around… turns out he’s been faking his credentials. He’s not a construction worker.”

“What?!” The first pony gaped, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying everything about him is phony.” Ballista crossed his hooves, “I did some further checking, and found out who he really is: a failed actor who’s wanted for fraud… who just so happened to be suspected of engaging in activities with the Forefathers.”

“Are you serious?” The second pony growled.

“Ruh-huh.” Titan nodded.

“Yes. I think it’s safe to say we now know how Dysley found out about the transport.” Ballista said smugly, “Am I right, mate?”

“...Well, it was fun while it lasted.” The wimpy pony sighed, speaking in a deeping more confident voice. The two hired thugs gaped in shock, "Had you all fooled for a while, didn’t I though?”

“Unbelievable.” The second stallion shook his head, “You played saxophone at my sister’s wedding, man!”

“Tough luck, I bucked her too.” The criminal actor taunted.

“Why you son of a-” The second stallion roared, as he attempted to slug him… only to be pushed back by Titan.

“Get those two out of here.” Ballista told Titan, as he grabbed the actor firmly, “I get this arse reacquainted with his pals down in the Pipeline.”

Ballista dragged the aloof actor away, while Titan carried the irate stallion and the dumbfounded stallion out…

For the moment, peace had returned to the lives of these unusual, noble ponies. Happiness was once again shared by many, and all the loose ends from this latest caper had been tied up. Except for one...

Meanwhile…

Deep within the Infinity, Father and his Ouroboros, which now only consisted of Loveless, Ricochet, and Secretariat, were sitting in their chairs in the Coils.

Dysley was wincing as doctors tried to gauze his heavily scarred face.

“Ow… ow…” Secret whimpered.

"Please, sir, stop complaining." The doctor told him. "It's making it very difficult to concentrate."

"You know what really makes it difficult to concentrate? Getting half your face burnt off!" Secret said indignantly.

"Don't be such a baby." Loveless scoffed. "I didn't whine half as much when I lost my legs, for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, ya wuss." Ricochet said coldly.

"Who asked either of you?" Dysley snarled as the doctor struggled with the last of the gauze.

"That should do." The doctor declared.

"Good." Father nodded. "You are excused."

The doctor bowed, and departed from the room.

“Now that you are all patched up, Dysley, I have a request.” Father said calmly. "Would you explain what exactly has transpired over the last week?"

"It's not what you think, sir." Dysley tried to defend himself. "I'm afraid Doc has taken the path of Sterling and gone rogue. He tried to take Nyx away, impeding the project. And though I had everything in hoof, Silas chose this time to go rogue too. He mutinied against me, tried to pervert the project to serve his own goals. It was because of him, Doc, and those RDL stooges that everything ended up ruined."

“Is that so?” Father began, sounding not the least bit happy, “That’s… unfortunate.”

“Sir, I am so sorry.” Dysley apologized, “I swear, I will do everything in my power to make it up to you, your most noble, visionary, wise-”

“Silence.” Father cut him off.

“Um, sir?” Dysley grimaced.

“If there’s anything you should be sorry for, it’s for thinking you can lie to me.” Father said coldly, “I know what has truly transpired this week… beginning with how you attempted to take full control of Doc’s project, intent on using the subject for a darker purpose, to the point of physical abuse. And when Doc found out about the abuse, he tried to take her away. And in your ever so blustering attempt to get her back, first three ponies were killed in one night, then an entire hospital was needlessly massacred. And what of the events that transpired in the warehouse district?"

“N-now, that wasn’t my fault.” Dysley tried to defend, “I was caught off-guard by Doc’s ability to use his shadow, and then Luna’s daughter came in and tried to take Nyx away and then Silas and… it was a huge clusterbuck, sir! So much disarray! And then, all because of Silas, Nyx’s powers went out of control-”

“Enough!” Father scowled, “The ponies involved matter little. What is to be taken from this is because of you and your inability to maintain control of the situation, we have suffered yet another tremendous blow to our operations, and lost so many faithful agents…”

“Come on, I’m sure it’s not that bad-” Dysley stammered.

“Twenty four agents!”

Dysley jumped, as everypony glanced at Ricochet, who was fuming with rage.

“Ex-excuse me?” Dysley gaped.

“Twenty. Four. Agents.” Ricochet snarled, “That is how many ponies we lost that night. Roadblock. Peats. Briar… they’re all in jail now, because of you…”

“Ricochet, please calm-” Loveless tried to sooth him.

"Don't 'Ricochet' me, Wheels!" Ricochet yelled. He turned to Dysley. "The other guys who came back talked to me! They told me everything that went down in that warehouse. They told me all about how after you got the subject back, that instead of getting the hell outta dodge, you decided to stick around and hide out in a warehouse, so you could go on and on about how you hate Doc!"

"Well, I do hate him!" Dysley spat. "It was because of him that my father was killed! He needed to pay for what he has done to him and to me!"

“Oh, cry me a river!” Ricochet shut him down, “Doc was a great stallion! He loved your father, and you! He looked out for all of us all these years! But you didn’t care about that. You just couldn’t get over what happened to your daddy. And now, because of your daddy issues and that fact that you’re a buckin’ asshole…”

Ricochet suddenly pulled out and slammed something down… it was a mask of some sorts… Somnus’ mask.

“Doc is now gone. I lost another friend. And not even a couple of months after Sterling left!” Ricochet felt tears in his eyes, as he was overcome with rage, “So now, it’s just me, Wheels, and you!” He was clenching his hooves, moments away from climbing out of his seat, “I swear to Faust, I should take you out back and have you look at flowers or some crap, so I can blow your f-”

"Ricochet." Father said calmly, yet firmly.

Ricochet stopped instantly, looking at Father… he closed his eyes, sniffing a little.

"Boss... can I please be excused?" He requested, pain in his voice.

“Of course, Ricochet.” Father nodded, sympathy in his voice.

Ricochet slowly got out of his chair, and briskly walked out. He cast a very vicious death glare as he passed Dysley. Loveless looked on in sadness... before glaring at Dysley.

"...Lauren buckin' Faust, the hell was his problem?" Dysley gasped, outraged.

“Ricochet is right, you know.” Loveless said calmly.

"...What?" Dysley said flatly.

"Because of your overblown ego and vindictive grudge, Doc is gone, his subject is out of our reach, and a good number of agents have been arrested." Loveless said disdainfully. "To put simply, you really screwed the pooch.”

"I told you, it wasn't my fault!" Dysley shot back angrily. "I had everything under control until Silas took the remote from me!"

"Well, it sounds to me like Silas was doing the smart thing for once." Loveless said coldly. "You see, the agents also talked to me. They told me about how you were hesitating because the subject had been taken by Princess Constell and wasn’t being compliant."

"Loveless makes a good point." Father acknowledged. "Now why would you hesitate at such a vital moment."

"I... I didn't want to hurt Constell." Dysley weakly tried to defend himself. "She's my friend's wife… I couldn’t do that to Luxury!"

“So, what you’re admitting to is that you let your personal feelings get in the way of the mission.” Loveless growled, “Surely we have taught you about forming attachments, Secret.”

“You’re one to talk.” Dysley shot back defiantly, “The guy who disappeared all month, crying over that turncoat son-of-a-bitch Sterling? Here’s a hint: he has no legs.”

"You leave Sterling out of this." Loveless said coldly.

“Why? Because if you ask me, I think we should be concerned about you-” Dysley began.

“That’s enough.” Father cut in, “...You should know that I am very disappointed in you, Secretariat Dysley. I had hoped that in taking you in, the Forefathers would have a chance at finishing what your father began, and bring Project: Bad Dreams to fruition alongside Doc. But you let your anger and hatred blind you to reason. You perverted the project, and now the Forefathers' name is more tarnished than ever. And worst of all another one of my sons has left, never to return."

Father had not raised his voice by a single decibel, but Dysley was left trembling by his speech.

"S-sir, please, I-I can still fix this." He pledged. "I can find a way to get Nyx and dispose of Doc. Then we can-"

"No." Father cut him off. "Your efforts have caused enough trouble. I forbid any attempts at reclaiming the subject."

"But-!" Dysley spluttered.

"This 'Nyx' is best left free." father declared. "She is of no use to the organization now. As for Doc... or as we should call him now, Somnus... he is of no threat to us."

"If I could just-" Dysley continued to protest this.

"Silence." Father said firmly, shutting him up. "Your failure has cost us greatly. And if I was being completely honest, I have half a mind to strip you of your rank, or even expel you from the Forefathers altogether..."

Still cowed into silence, Dysley had a look of horror on his face.

“...But I won’t.” Father announced.

Both Loveless and Dysley were shocked by this statement.

“Sir?” Loveless gaped.

“While you have failed me today, Dysley, I still believe you could be of use to me.” Father explained his decision, “You still possess those off-shore accounts from Caymare, correct?”

Dysley nodded quickly.

“And there are still those labs that Brightdale are not aware of that you own, right?”

Dysley nodded once more.

“Then you have some value to this organization.” Father declared, “And I do believe in second chances… but be forewarned. I will be observing you very closely from here on. Should you ever do something this idiotic ever again, I will not hesitate to deal with you as I dealt with Solomon. " He glared coldly at Dysley. "Do I make myself clear?"

Dysley, utterly broken, bowed his head.

"Yes." He said, in the most defeated tone possible.

“Good.” Father said, grim satisfaction in his voice. "Now, let us put this all behind us…” He then noticed Loveless’ silence, “...Is everything alright, Loveless? You seem troubled.”

“...Sir, if I could be honest.” Loveless began, “I-”

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" A loud scream emanated from the outside.

"What was-?" Loveless started.

The doors slammed open as Ricochet flew in, screaming his head off.

"Ahhhh!" Ricochet screamed, as he flew behind Father’s chair, "Hide me!"

“What is the meaning of this, Ricochet?” Father asked.

“There’s a very scary monster coming right this way!” Ricochet quivered, “And it’s gonna kill us all!”

“What is that moron screaming about?” Dysley clutched his ears, “What monst-”

Before Dysley could finish, a purple mist began to filter into the room, turning the whole room foggy. The scarred stallion immediately felt a sense of dread, recognizing the wisps…

“Is this… miasma?” Dysley gaped.

“What is going on here?” Loveless looked around, concerned.

Suddenly, some of the ‘miasma’ began spiraling over a chair, one that once seated Nabudis. The form of a tall, blackish purple stallion emerged, lounging in the chair as if it was it’s own. His eyes were pure white… and his face… looked familiar.

Ricochet peeked out from behind Father's chair, frightened at what had appeared in the Coils… only to be struck by that same familiarity.

“...Hold on… is that…” Ricochet frowned.

"What the-" Loveless gaped.

"No... no, it can't be..." Dysley trembled.

Father remained stoic, as he too recognized the being that sat before him, looking back at him with his cold white eyes…

“Silas Necross.” Father said, undaunted.

"Silas" grinned wickedly at all of them.

"I'm baaaack..."

The End... For Now.

Run For Your Life
View Online

Fear of A Child

Run For Your Life

One night in Equestria, a night like any other, a Pegasus stallion by the name of Cirrus was in the bed he shared with his wife, Summer Rain, within their little cottage just outside of Silver Shoals.

Cirrus worked in a low-level position for a research company. It didn't pay much, but it was definitely not a boring job by any means. His colleagues always had something new to show off. It was so exciting that he needed plenty of sleep, which was what he was doing at that very moment: dreaming peacefully.

In his dreamscape, Cirrus was soaring through a blue, cloudless sky, happy and carefree.

"Woo-hoo!" He cheered, performing first a loop-de-loop, then a barrel roll.

Down below, in some stands, a crowd of ponies cheered his every move.

"Go, Cirrus!"

"You rule!"

"Best flier ever!"

"You know it, folks!" Cirrus bragged.

In his youth, Cirrus had yearned to become a great flyer, but had never been anything more than average. So in his dreams, he was a greater flyer than any Wonderbolt, and was happy in a way he couldn't be in the waking world.

...Suddenly, the sky began to darken, as storm clouds shrouded the once clear sky.

“Huh, what the-” Cirrus frowned. Realising the cheers had faded, he looked down, and saw only empty stands. "What's going on?"

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.

"Whoa!" Cirrus narrowly dodged the bolt. Almost immediately, another struck down. “Ahh!”

Cirrus zipped and zig-zagged as more bolts rained down. Even with his dream skills, he barely evaded them. The torrent stopped, and it seemed like it was over.

"That was close." He sighed with relief. "Heh, no dumb storm can get the better of-"

As if to respond, a lightning bolt struck him head on.

"AARGH!" He screeched, the high voltage burning him severely.

As he struggled to stay aloft, Cirrus was his by a sudden and powerful flurry of snow. It was so cold, his wings almost froze over.

"Have to... Stay... Aloft..." Cirrus groaned, desperately trying to flap his frostbitten wings. "Can't... Give... Up..."

Just when it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, a tornado whipped into being.

"Nooo!" Cirrus screamed, as he was pulled into the twister. He was spun around and around, before thrown out and crashing into the ground. "Ughhh!"

Bruised and battered, Cirrus struggled to stand up.

“Oh… this is the absolute worst pain…” He groaned, “What’s next? Acid rain?”

"Hrrrrh.... hrrrrh... hrrrhhh..." The sounds of heavy breathing echoed, catching Cirrus’ attention.

“Huh?!” Cirrus glanced up and around, fighting the pain in his body. “Who’s there?!”

He didn’t see anything or anycreature. But the sounds of heavy breathing continued to persist.

"Hrrrrh.... hrrrrh... hrrrhhh..."

“Come on, this isn’t funny!” Cirrus growled with anger, though he started to show fear as well. In this fear, he was unaware of dark blue mist shrouding around him, “Show yourself!”

The mist began to grow thicker, leaving the now aware Cirrus nearly blinded.

"Hrrrrh.... hrrrrh... hrrrhhh..."

“Ugh, hey!” Cirrus snarled, waving at the fog, “I said, show yourself, you-”

He cut out mid-sentence as something began to emerge from the mist… a sight that was most unwelcome, as Cirrus’ anger was soon replaced with utter dread.

“No… no, no, no… not you… not you!” Cirrus rambled, terrified.

"Hrrrrh.... hrrrrh... hrrrhhh..."

The figure approached the horrified stallion, who was frozen with fear, breathing heavily still.

"Please... don't..." Cirrus pleaded, tears streaming from his eyes. "I'm begging you..."

"Hrrrrh.... hrrrrh... hrrrhhh..."

The figure, ignoring Cirrus's begging advanced closer and closer...

"YARRGH!!"

As the sun rose over the cottage, Summer awoke. As she stretched, she saw that Cirrus was lying under the covers.

"Cirrus, honey?" She yawned. "Time to get up."

Summer nudged her husband's prone body, and got no response.

"Come on, sleepyhead." Summer rolled her eyes. "You don't want to be late for work again, do you?"

Summer pulled back the covers... And was greeted by the sight of Cirrus, face and body contorted in agony, eyes wide open and gaping. He was clearly dead.

"Cirrus.... Cirrus!" Summer shook her husband's corpse, unable to accept the truth right in front of her. "No... No... Noooo!"

Breaking down completely, Summer wept into her husband's cold shoulder.

"Cirruuus!" She wailed, brokenhearted.

Unbeknownst to Summer, someone was watching her loss from afar; On a hill some distance away, there stood a hooded figure. Without a care to her pain, he pulled out a mirror, and activated it. The image of a dark figure in a dim-lit room appeared in the glass.

"Well?" The figure demanded.

“The test run was a complete success, sir.” The hooded one announced, “The subject is terminated.”

“Very good.” The figure chuckled, “Collect the experiment and report back to the nearest hideout for further instructions. Thanks to our now ‘departed’ friend, we now know what our little ‘experiment’ can do.”

"Indeed we do." The hooded one nodded. "Now we can move on to bigger, more important targets..."

"Let's not be too hasty." The figure retorted. "I haven't worked so hard all these years to slip up now. We must make our next move carefully. is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." The hooded one declared.

The dark figure set the mirror down, sitting down, letting out a small laugh.

“After all this time…” The figure whispered, “All the experiments, all the naysayers mocking me, all the losses…” He paused a moment, before shaking his head, “Everything is finally coming together…”

A few months later…

Sterling Cross found himself inside a church. It was empty, dark, and cold, but at the same time, it all seemed eerily familiar.

"What the-?" He frowned, having no memory of entering, as he glanced around. "What am I doing here?"

Drawn by an unidentifiable desire, Sterling approached the altar. There, he found an open casket, with the body of his brother Crystal Cross inside. He looked as he did when Sterling last saw him: in his fancy suit and shirt… with a big gash in the chest where a lunatic Griffon stuck his claw through.

“...Crystal?” Sterling murmured, confused, “...What the-” He rubbed his head, “This is starting to get weird…”

Suddenly, Crystal opened his eyes. Sterling froze up in response, horrified.

“What the buck?!”

This left him wide open for what happened next: Crystal, with speed not normal for a dead body, lunged out of the coffin, wrapping his hooves around his neck and began throttling him.

"Urrk!" Sterling wheezed, out of both surprise and terror

"You killed me, Sterling!" He roared. "You killed me!"

"No..." Sterling choked, unable to breathe. He tried prying his hooves off, but even with his strong hoof, they were clamped super tight aound his neck. "I... I..." He gagged, oxygen running out. "Crystal, please!"

"Please, what?!" Crystal sneered. "My life was just fine before you came back into it! But because of you and that griffon you busted out, I’m dead! Dead!”

“No!” Sterling gurgled, “It’s not- it’s not-” Sterling fet himself losing consciousness.

"Wake up!" Crystal screamed, as he oddly began shaking him. "Wake up!"

“Huh, what?” Sterling’s eyes darted open.

Sterling found himself awake, being aboard an airship, in one of the cabins. In the cabin with him was four of his comrades/friends, Caboose, Fletcher, Black and Fury.

It has been a few months since Sterling had left the Forefathers, having abandoned them during the events of Project: Titanfall, and even less since he was promptly found by Elite in Dodge Junction following a tragic encounter with his brother, and was made a member of Project: Freedom (now known as Alpha Force Squad).

However, the new team had more than a few problems in working together (or even tolerating each other), which led their superiors to strand on a seemingly-deserted island in order to force them to co-operate for the sake of survival. At first, it seemed like not even that would bring them together, but then, they uncovered the twisted operation of a group of Forefather agents, and found themselves working together to stop it, finally becoming friends in the process. Sterling in particular now counted his teammates as among the best friends he had ever known.

As of now, his four friends all had concerned looks on their face (even Fury).

"Err... what happened?" Sterling frowned, shaking his head awake.

"Looked like you were having a nightmare, pal." Caboose noted, “Are you okay?”

“It’s fine, Caboose.” Sterling sighed, “It was just a bad dream.”

“Well, it certainly looked like it.” Fletcher grimaced, “You were fidgeting in your sleep like none other.”

“What? You guys were watching me sleep?” Sterling joked.

“Kinda hard not to.” Fury scoffed, “You were also moaning.”

“Seriously, though, Sterling, is everything alright?” Black frowned.

“Look, I’m fine.” Sterling insisted, “Can we drop it, please?”

"If you say so." Fletcher shrugged.

"Suit yourself." Fury rolled his eyes.

"If you ever want to talk about it, you know what to do." Black said compassionately.

“...You sure you don’t want to talk about it now?” Caboose frowned.

“Caboose.” The others chided.

“Fine…” Caboose pouted.

“So... how long is it till we’re back at HQ?” Sterling asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Funny you should mention that." Fletcher smiled. "Because we're almost there." He pointed out the viewport, where the mountain harbouring the RDL headquarters resided.

"Great." Sterling sighed. "Once we're done debriefing, I'm going straight to my quarters, and straight to sleep."

"You must be tired to just nod off like that." Caboose noted.

"What's the matter, sleepyhead?" Fury smirked. "These round trips getting to be too much for ya?"

"Ha, ha, very funny." Sterling sneered. "You can't blame me for being wiped, considering I did most of the work back there."

"In your dreams, pal." Fury snorted. "I did all the important stuff, and I got the scars to prove it." He held up his left talon, which had been hastily bandaged after an altercation with a well-thrown knife had left him with a very nasty gash.

"I've been through worse." Sterling said dismissively.

"So have I." Fury bragged. "But I got the worst of it in that fight, no question."

The newly-formed Alpha Force Squad were coming back to headquarters, returning from another mission. They had been up in the northern regions of Equestria, investigating Forefather activity (which turned out to be a weapon-smuggling operation, covered up by false yeti attacks).

"That was pretty fun, wasn't it, guys?" Caboose asked.

"That's one way of putting it." Fletcher declared.

"Did you see how cheap that yeti costume was?" Fury scoffed. "How did that fool anycreature?"

"Some creatures are just dumber than others, I guess." Black shrugged. "But at least we took those guys down. Elite'll be pleased to hear it."

"Ooh, I hope he gives us a treat for a job well done!" Caboose grinned.

"Somehow, I doubt it." Fletcher declared.

"We'll find out soon enough." Black noted, as the airship began its landing procedure.

After disembarking, they were greeted by Elite Everest, head of the Royal Defense Legion of Equestria.

"How did everything go?" Elite asked.

"Not too bad, all things considered." Black smiled.

The next few minutes were spent informing Elite of what had transpired on their mission, with each team member adding their own spin on things.

"...And then we got on the airship, and here we are." Caboose finished.

"Excellent work, team." Elite grinned. "You've really been giving it your all on these last few missions."

"Just doing our job, sir." Fletcher said humbly.

"And you've been doing it so well." Elite smiled. "All of you. Which is why I'm giving you all some much-needed time off."

"Really?" Sterling beamed.

"Sweet!" Fury chuckled.

"Caboose, Fletcher, why don't you head back home, and spend some time with your families?" Elite suggested.

"That's be great!" Caboose cheered.

"Thank you, sir." Fletcher added.

"As for the rest of you, feel free to relax and enjoy yourselves." Elite smiled.

"Thanks, boss." Sterling declared.

"Who's up for movie time in the rec room?" Black suggested.

"Ooh, me!" Caboose grinned.

"I wouldn't advise that, Caboose." Fletcher declared. "If we leave for home now, we should be back in time for supper with our families."

"Oh, right." Caboose realized. "Sorry, guys. Rain check?"

"Sure." Black nodded. He turned to Fury and Sterling. "How about you guys?"

"Like to, but I can't." Fury declined. "I should be getting over to Triage's office, and have him take a look at this." He held up his bandaged talon.

"And I've been meaning to have a chat with Pike." Sterling admitted. "I promised him we'd have a nice long talk after this mission. Now that I've got some free time, it seems like the perfect opportunity."

“Fair enough. Pike’s talks worked wonders for me back then.” Black shrugged, “You guys have your fun, and I'll have mine."

"See ya soon, guys!" Caboose waved, as he and Fletcher departed.

"Have fun!" Fletcher added.

"You too!" Sterling smiled.

After Caboose and Fletcher left, the remaining three team members went down separate areas of the headquarters. Black, of course, went to the rec room, intending to watch the latest Will Feather movie (and greatly enjoying it).

Meanwhile, Fury was, true to his word, having his wound attended to by Triage.

"Not a bad patch job, all things considered." Triage admitted, as he removed the makeshift bandage.

"Yeah, well, when you're in the heat of battle, you can't exactly take the time to find the best stuff to cover a wound with." Fury quipped.

"Just have to clean the wound first, then I'll put on a real dressing." Triage announced. He dipped a cotton swab into a bottle of antisceptic solution, and started dabbing the wound.

Fury hissed slightly at the stinging sensation.

"You sure that's necessary, doc?" He asked. "I've had a lot of injuries in my time, and not every one could be cleaned. But here I am, still standing."

"Perhaps, but I prefer to be safe, rather than sorry." Triage declared haughtily, “I’m actually surprised I didn’t see you in here sooner. The others tell me you have a wicked reckless streak.”

“Hey, I’m still working on that.” Fury grunted, “I listen to Black and Fletch now. But sometimes, you gotta talk less and act more.”

“True. If I had a Bit for every patient I've needed to patch up before they expired within mere moments, I'd be a very rich stallion." Triage shrugged.

Once the gash had been fully sterilized, Triage walked over to the cupboard where he kept the bandages. As the middle-aged doctor reached up to get a fresh roll, his joints audibly creaked.

"Feeling your age, doc?" Fury inquired, as Triage returned with the bandages.

"It's nothing." Triage said curtly.

"No shame in getting old, pal." Fury pointed out. "But if you're starting to have trouble gettin' around, maybe you can talk Elite into getting another doc to help?"

"That won't be necessary." Triage said stubbornly, as he started wrapping the bandage around Fury's talon. "I have you know that I’ve been a RDL medic for ages. When it comes to injuries, I've seen it all, and fixed it all. While I may be growing old, I am not so decrepit that I cannot perform my duties without assistance. There will be no need to hire anycreature. Period."

"Okay, okay." Fury frowned, unnerved by Triage's sudden show of pride. "If that's what you want..."

"It is." Triage tied up the bandage, a little more tightly than he should have. "There, all done. Without help, I might add."

"Thanks, doc." Fury said, as he awkwardly departed the room.

"Hmmph!" Triage scowled. "'Help'. Not if I have any say in the matter..."

At the same time, Sterling was down in the Pipeline, talking to Pike, the RDL’s only informant regarding the Forefathers, and resident woodcarver.

He also lent a ear time to time to the team for any woes they might have… which was what Sterling was doing right now…

"So... I had the dream again." Sterling confessed.

“Which one? The one with Crystal rising out of that coffin in the church and strangling you?” Pike asked, as he was now whittling at a wooden replica of Canterlot castle.

“That’s the one.” Sterling grimaced, “This is the fifth time this month that I had it. The others are starting to worry about me.”

"I don't blame 'em." Pike frowned. "I'm actually a bit worried myself."

"Well that makes me feel a whole lot better..." Sterling said sarcastically.

"Why do you think you might be having these dreams?" Pike offered.

“I don’t know.” Sterling admitted, “I guess in all the craziness with joining the team and that whole fiasco with Broker, I hadn’t the time to think about Crystal… but now… I can’t get him out of my head…” Sterling’s eyes dimmer, “...in a way, it’s kinda like what happened when Gold died.”

“That’s understandable. He was your brother. A piece of crap. But your brother, no less.” Pike said fairly.

“Yeah… but I think it’s more than that.” Sterling frowned, crossing his hooves, “Because of me, Crystal died that day...”

“Don’t you start that.” Pike growled, instantly turning and pointing his whittling knife at him, “Crystal died because he would let go of that insane grudge he had against you… well, that, and he mouthed off to that Lunard feller. Either way, his death is not on you.”

"Yeah, I guess..." Sterling said awkwardly, having a tough time agreeing. "But somehow I doubt this is going to stop my nightmares from happening. First my dreams of Gold, then of Elite possibly betraying me… I just can’t seem to catch a break.”

“Look, I’m no dream expert. I’ve much better things to do than that crud.” Pike scoffed, “But if you want my advice, just keep focus on the Alpha Force Squad. Those other dreams passed, and so will this one. Ya hear me?”

“Well, it’s worth a shot.” Sterling murmured, “Thanks for the advice.”

"Anytime, kid." Pike smiled.

"I can only hope it passes soon." Sterling sighed.

"Hooves crossed." Pike nodded.

As Sterling departed, he found that his thoughts still revolved around Crystal...

A short while later, Caboose arrived in Canterlot. As he entered the home he shared with his wife, Daring Do, and their kids, Hurricane and Michael, Caboose noticed that the lights were off.

"Must've called it an early, night." Caboose mused. "That suits me just fine..."

After getting changed, Caboose headed up to the master bedroom. "As he expected, Daring was already in bed, sleeping peacefully. Caboose gently clambered in and under the covers. But he wasn't gentle enough not to wake his wife.

"Caboose?" Daring mumbled.

"I'm home, babe." Caboose whispered. "Sorry I'm so late, but I figure we can still get in a little snuggle time."

"About that..." Daring started.

"Less talk, more cuddles." Caboose grinned. He moved in closer, looking to embrace his wife…

Until he felt something between them.

“Huh?” Caboose paused, as he slightly pulled the covers, to reveal their young son, Michael, sleeping fitfully, “Mikey? What’s he doing here?”

“He’s been having bad dreams lately.” Daring explained, “The poor thing kept waking up crying, and I’ve been having to calm him down every night this week. Finally, I decided the smart thing to do would be to keep him close by."

“Ooh. Him too, huh? One of my buddies been having those too.” Caboose grimaced.

"Gasp it must be bad dream season." Daring half-joked. "Doesn't really help solve the problem, though."

“Well… tell you what.” Caboose declared, “I’m not due back at Quanticolt for a couple of weeks. How about I handle Mikey and his little dream problems?”

“Please, Caboose, it’s not necessary. You must be exhausted from all that traveling you’ve been doing.” Daring shook her head.

“It’s the least I can do, honey.” Caboose smirked, “I haven’t been around so much these last few weeks, and you’ve been holding the fort here all by yourself. I’m stepping up ‘round here, and by the time I’m done, Mikey will be nightmare-free!”

“...Well, in that case, thanks, sweetheart.” Daring smiled.

"What are devoted husbands and fathers for?" Caboose grinned.

Caboose and Daring shared a kiss, then nuzzled together (being careful not to wake up Michael, or make him uncomfortable), falling asleep moments later.

On the other side of Canterlot, Fletcher returned to his own home. His wife Dove was there to greet.

"Hi." Dove smiled, as the two embraced each other.

"Hi." Fletcher beamed. As they hugged, he noticed that Dove had begun to show a bit of progress on her pregnancy, enough that he couldn't wrap his hooves around her quite as much as he could before. "I see our little one is growing up nicely."

"Sure is." Dove chuckled. "A strong one, too. You should feel the little one kick."

"That I shall." Fletcher grinned. Placing a hoof on his wife's stomach, he felt their unborn foal kicking. "Well now, it seems we have quite a fighter on our hooves."

"Is that really a surprise?" Dove chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised if the little one took after you more than me."

"It would be nice to have a foal who could follow in my Royal Guard hoofsteps someday." Fletcher admitted. "But it wouldn't be such a tragedy if our little one takes more after you. You are a wonderful mare, after all."

"Sometimes, I forget." Dove chuckled, as they hugged once more. "I've really missed this. I know you're working to protect Equestria and the world, but it's nice that I can still have you all to myself when you're not off on some globetrotting adventure."

"Rest assured, my love." Fletcher promised her. "I will always come home to you, and our foal. No matter what."

"How about you seal that promise with a kiss?" Dove purred.

"Gladly." Fletcher grinned.

The two kissed lovingly, making it clear how glad they both were that Fletcher was home.

It seemed like everything was right with the world for the time being… but little did anypony know that something wicked was about to come their way...

Later that evening, a torrential rainstorm had made its way over the woods that dotted the mountainside not far from Canterlot, making for a night not fit for pony or beast.

However, one group did not heed the weather, as a clear white carriage, pulled by two Earth Pony stallions, was passing through. On the side, it read "Brightdale Mental Hospital". The carriage was that of a medical variety, with the front of it being split from the back, with the back being sealed behind a set of locked doors.

Within the front of the carriage were two ponies. One was a chubby Pegasus security guard, wearing a uniform and cap, chowing down on a hayburger. Sitting opposite him was a well-kept, young light gray Unicorn, with messy brown hair, and a spiffy vest, who was reading a book of sorts.

There was a ID card around his neck, showing his picture and the hospital's logo, as well his name: Survival Horror.

"So... Did you see that horror movie last night, Fievel?" The guard asked, referring to Survival by a nickname.

"Sure did, Hamm." Survival nodded.

"And what did you think of it?" Hamm urged.

"Honestly? I thought it was terrible." Survival said bluntly.

"Really?" Hamm frowned.

"Oh, yeah." Survival shook his head. "Cliché storyline, substandard effects, overly gory, wooden acting..."

"Boy, you have some pretty high standards, pal." Hamm joked.

"If I didn't, we wouldn't be friends." Survival smiled.

"Is that the reason?" Hamm smirked. "I thought it was because you were my boss, and if I weren't your friend, you'd fire me."

"You wish." Survival smirked. "If I wanted to, I could hire so much better."

"In your dreams, pal." Hamm shot back.

The two chuckled heartily over their friendly back and forth. The two had been friends and colleagues for years, their respective vocations doing nothing to affect their kinship.

“...So.” Hamm began, as he crumbled up his hayburger wrapper. “Do you know what’s going on here?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Survival frowned.

“Come on, Fiev, you don’t find any of this weird?” Hamm scoffed.

“What’s weird about transporting a patient?” Survival grimaced, “That’s part of our job. We do it all the time.”

“Yeah… but not in the middle of the night, especially a night like this, and not to a faraway place like…” Hamm paused, “Where was it we’re going again?”

“A medical center over on The Isle of Wheat in the west.” Survival explained.

“You see, I never even heard of a medical center there.” Hamm crossed his hooves, “And what about this ‘patient’ we’re moving? I was looking over the manifest earlier, and I couldn’t see anything.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too.” Survival admitted, “I did try asking the doc for more information before we left, but all he told me was that he wanted me to accompany this carriage he arranged to our destination… and that we were to not disturb the patient."

“That’s what he told me and the others too.” Hamm murmured, “But what bugs me is that the carriage was already loaded up by the time we got in. I mean, it sounds like he’s going to some lengths to have no one see this patient.”

“Well, I can only assume this patient must be a VIP of sorts.” Survival mused, “Maybe he’s trying to prevent the press or somepony from finding out about them.”

“...Or maybe he’s trying to keep someone in.” Hamm said fearfully.

“What?” Survival cringed.

“Hear me out.” Hamm began, “This whole situation is like the start of a horror movie. In those movies, carriages like this are usually transporting some kind of psycho killer. And then the psycho gets free, and the first victims are usually the ones escorting them.”

“Okay, you’ve been watching too many movies.” Survival rolled his eyes, “Whoever this patient is, I doubt they’re some serial killer. I mean, would the doc really just send an attending physician and one security guard to escort such a dangerous creature?”

"Depends on who you ask." Hamm frowned. "I heard a rumor about the doc just last week. It wasn't pleasant..."

"Rumors are hardly reliable." Survival brushed the idea off. "And their origins can be sketchy. For all we know, this one was spread by someone seeking to discredit the doctor."

"I dunno." Hamm insisted. "It didn't sound like the kind of thing you'd just make up. More like-"

'BOOM!'

The carriage suddenly shook violently, as if something had collided with it.

"Yow!" The guard yelped, as the force of the impact flung him against the wall. "Oh… you gotta be kiddin' me..."

“Ugh… what was that?” Survival shook his head, having been sent to the floor, “Did we hit somepony?”

“More like somepony hit us.” Hamm snarled, rubbing his sore shoulder, “Son of a…”

“What about the patient?!” Survival got up, “We have to make sure they’re okay!”

“Relax, Fiev. I’ll handle this.” Hamm declared, “You wait here. I’ll check on our ‘VIP’...” As he open the carriage door, he silently growled, “...And give those jackasses a good whoopin’...”

Hamm made his way to the back, making sure Survival couldn’t hear him, more than ready to give whoever crashed into them a piece of his mind.

“Hey, assholes!” Hamm roared, “What’s your prob-”

*SHINK*

Hamm stopped mid-sentence, as he glanced down, a bolt piercing his chest.

“...Oh…” Hamm murmured, as he dropped to the ground, dead.

"Hamm?" One of the carriage pullers asked, he and his co-worker having just recovered themselves and unhooked from the carriage to check on their passengers. "What hap-?"

A hail of crossbow bolts peppered the bodies of both the pullers. They were dead before they hit the ground. As their bodies poured out blood in every direction, a group of cloaked creatures approached the front of the carriage…

Fievel waited patiently, but couldn't help but notice how silent it was, except for the rain…

“Hamm?” Fievel called out, “Guys? Is everything alright out there?”

Nothing but the sound of the rain answered him.

"Are you trying to scare me?" Survival asked indignantly. "If this is some sort of prank, it isn’t very funny! Hamm, don't think I won't report you just because we're friends!"

The door to the carriage opened.

“Oh, there you are.” Fievel turned to face them, “How’s the pat-”

He stopped mid-sentence, as the cloaked figures were the one who opened the door.

“What the… who are you guys?” Survival gaped.

“That doesn't concern you." One of the cloaked figures, the tallest of the bunch, hissed. His voice sounded like granite in a cement mixer.

"I beg to differ." Fievel said defiantly. "What do you want with me?"

"You?" The cloaked figure snorted. "Whoever said we're here for you?" He glanced at the others, “Secure the package. I’ll deal with this fool.”

As he said this, his fellows moved to the back of the carriage.

“Package?” Survival whispered, “You mean the patient? What do you want with the patient?”

“That is a need-to-know, Doctor…” He glanced at his id, “Horror. And unfortunately for you, you won’t live long enough to-”

"Sir, we have a problem!" A voice called.

"What is it?" The lead figure asked, following after them.

“Hey! What is going on-” Fievel followed after him… only to stop, as he saw Hamm’s dead body on the ground, soaked from the rain. “HAMM!”

Survival rushed over to Hamm's body

"Get up... Please get up..." He trembled, mortified and saddened by the sight of his dead friend. "Hamm... don't go..."

As the leader of the group made his way to the back, he could clearly see what his cohorts meant.

The back of the carriage, badly damaged from being crashed into (courtesy of a rather intimidating automated carriage parked nearby), the once locked doors were busted open, and inside, there was no one to be seen.

“Well, that's... Unfortunate." The leader gritted his teeth.

“I guess we should've crashed into it from the front.” One of the other figures rubbed his head.

“No, you think?!” The leader hissed.

In a fit of anger, Survival stormed over, and tried to attack the leader.

"How dare y-!" He started, before one of the cloaked underlings grabbed him.

Survival's first instinct was to struggle, to escape, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, seeing the busted backside of their carriage and the lack of somepony being in there.

“Oh no… the patient! They’re gone!” He helped.

“We can see that, Dr. Horror.” The leader growled, “...So much for a quick and easy extraction.”

"What should we do now, sir?" One of the cloaked figures asked.

"We'll have to try and pick up the target's trail." The leader ordered, “The patient couldn’t have gotten far.”

Survival immediately remembered that he was angry, and rounded on his captors.

"Who do you cloaked freaks think you are?" He spewed hate at them. "Attacking the carriage, killing Hamm and the others... and now you're planning on walking away to take our patient? Over my dead body!"

“Oh, thanks for reminding me.” The leader sneered, “Guys, waste the ‘good doctor’.”

"...What?" Fievel gulped, as the cloaked ones readied their crossbows, the other holding him tight.

"No witnesses." The leader said coldly.

Thinking quickly, Survival headbutted his captor, then pushed another cloaked figure aside (right in the others' line of fire) and ran down the path.

"Stop him!" The leader screamed.

The cloaked figures charged out of the carriage, running after Fievel. The now-torrential downpour hindered all the players, with Survival slipping in puddles, and the figures finding it hard to aim through the rain. But Survival was still outnumbered, and his pursuers were closing fast.

"Stand still and die!" The leader demanded.

"No thanks!" Survival narrowly dodged another barrage. He glanced into the forest. "I'm thinking I'd prefer a little nature walk instead..."

With his pursuers right behind him, Survival rushed off the path and into the forest, zig-zagging around the trees. The cloaked figures tried to follow, but a combination of the rain and darkness of the night meant it was impossible.

"He got away, sir." One of the figures said awkwardly.

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed!" The leader roared, “FAUST DAMMIT!”

"Should we continue the pursuit, sir?" Another cloaked figure asked.

“...No.” The leader said grudgingly, “Right now, the girl is our primary target. She must be recovered, no matter what! We’ll just have to deal with Dr. Horror later! Let’s get moving!”

"As you wish, sir." The second-in-command nodded.

As the cloaked figures spread out, none of them were aware that Survival was closer than they thought; he was hiding within the hollow of a nearby tree, and had heard everything.

“Primary target?” Survival mused, a bit panicked, “What so special about this patient, that they had to kill Hamm and the others for? I gotta get to Canterlot and get to the bottom of this!”

The good doctor ran off into the night, sticking to the shadows, and trying not to get too soaked by the reign.

"What has happened to my life all of a sudden?" He mused sadly. "This is just like the start of a horror movie..."

Author's Note

Just a reminder: Fletcher and Dove belong to DeviantArt user Kilala (used with permission, of course).

Cutting To The Chase
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Fear of A Child

Cutting To The Chase

Nabudis and Survival were continuing their search, focusing on some of the more out-of-the-way places in Canterlot.

"So... how are you feeling about our chances for success today?" Survival inquired.

"Cautiously optimistic" Nabudis said flatly. "...Remind me, what was it you left in your room earlier? You seemed to take quite a while to locate this object."

"Oh, it was just a book on the architecture of Canterlot, that's all." Survival lied. He did have such a book, but it something that had already been in the room before he arrived. "I thought it might help in discerning possible hiding places the patient could use."

"I see." Nabudis narrowed his eyes. "Well, that could work with my current strategy."

"And what is the plan for today, sir?" Survival asked.

"We need to scour every nook and cranny." Nabudis declared. "The patient will prefer to stay somewhere out of the way, somewhere isolated."

"And, er... How can you be so sure?" Survival asked.

"I know how a pony in this position would act." Nabudis answered. "I can anticipate how the patient will try to hide. Psychology 101. I told you this before."

“I know, but this position is not your typical everyday position. I’m just confused as to how you would know how any pony would act in this ‘specific’ situation… or is it you know how the patent herself will act?”

“What does it matter?” Nabudis said impatiently.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t, but-” Survival admitted.

"Then we press on." Nabudis declared. "Now, I doubt the patient will select a hiding place that is too cramped. She doesn't like enclosed spaces..."

“Again, how do you know that?” Survival suddenly asked.

“Well, I’m her doctor.” Nabudis scoffed, a bit perplexed, “It’s my job to know these things.”

“And it’s your job to know that she has claustrophobia?” Survival mused, “That’s not something that I would see coming up during a check-up… or at all.”

“Says the one who last month diagnosed that griffon from Aerovis with ‘aichmophobia’.” Nabudis grunted.

“Yeah, fear of ‘needles’. Because we were a hospital that administered drugs through syringes… with needles.” Survival glared, “That’s something you want to know about a patient. Especially if that patient was admitted for violent episodes.”

“What’s your point?” Nabudis frowned.

“I’m just saying, how would you know about her not liking enclosed spaces?” Survival mused, “Each patient’s room isn’t that small, even with the amount of the patients we get in… which brings up another question: where has this patient in particular been staying in our hospital?”

"In a... special isolation ward." Nabudis answered.

"And what exactly led you to believe such a thing was required?" Survival asked.

"I anticipated the requirements based on the patient's condition, and history." Nabudis declared

"Like... personal history?" Survival urged.

Nabudis made to reply, but stopped.

“...What is going on here?” He turned to face Survival.

“Um, what do you mean?” Survival frowned.

“You’re suddenly asking quite a few questions about this patient and why I know stuff about her.” Nabudis glared.

“Look, I didn’t mean any offense.” Survival cringed, “It’s just… some of the things you said seems awfully specific. Like you know this patient, but not just as a patient…”

“Survival Horror…” Nabudis clenched his jaw, “You don’t think I know when somepony is trying to get a read on me? Analyzing what I say? Who’d you think taught you that?!”

“But sir-” Survival was getting nervous.

“Come clean with me right now. Those three RDL agents put you up to this, didn’t they?” Nabudis demanded.

"It's not that." Survival shook his head, trying to come up with an excuse. "I'm just... curious."

"Seriously, Survival?" Nabudis scowled.

“...Alright. I was trying to get information out of you. I admit it.” Survival confessed, downtrodden, “But they didn’t put me up to it. I volunteered.”

“And why would you do that?” Nabudis asked, his gaze softened, but still not pleased, “I already made it clear to them that I can’t disclose any more information to them.”

“Well, that’s the problem.” Survival frowned, “...Look, I was talking with them earlier, about what happened to Brightdale… they think the Forefathers were the ones who killed them all.”

“...The Forefathers?” Nabudis whispered.

“That’s right. And they think that you might have something to do with all this.” Survival revealed, “That you are hiding something nefarious.”

“Me?!” Nabudis was taken aback.

“That’s what I said.” Survival grimaced, “But that’s why I volunteered. I was trying to fish information from you, so I could find something that would clear you.” He bowed his head, “I’m sorry, Som.”

Nabudis glanced at the saddened doctor… and let out a sigh.

“...It’s alright, Fievel.” Nabudis placed a hoof on his shoulder, “I understand your motivation. And I value your loyalty… to be honest, after what I did this morning, I thought you’d be less inclined to believe in me.”

"I'll admit, I was a little shaken." Survival declared. "But I know what kind of pony you are. You pony who would never engage in anything sinister or underhooved. A pony who believes in what's right. A pony who deserves my loyalty, my respect, and my friendship."

"Thank you, Survival." Nabudis smiled.

"You're welcome, Som." Survival smiled back.

Nabudis’s smile faded, as he let out a sigh.

“...However… I’m afraid those agents were right to be suspicious of me.” Nabudis confessed, “I have been hiding something.”

“...You have?” Survival felt a chill on his back.

“Yes…” Nabudis nodded, “You see, Fievel, I am more familiar with our patient than I should be… because she was never a patient to begin with. Not in the official capacity at least.”

“...What?!” Survival gasped, “I-I don’t understand.”

“The truth is… around twelve years ago, not long after…” Nabudis paused, thinking of a certain stallion, “...he passed, I was still in the midst of my sabbatical, and against my better judgment, on my way to Ponyville, I decided to cut through Everfree Forest. It didn’t take long for me to get lost. But it was there that I had discovered such an awful sight.”

“Like what?” Survival was scared to ask.

“...A dark magic ritual… or what was left of it.” Nabudis shuddered, “There were bodies everywhere. I didn’t know it at the time, but apparently, there was this cult, once ran by a ‘Spell Nexus’, who were trying to summon forth some sort of evil deity…”

“You mean, like Nightmare Moon?” Survival suggested.

“...Who knows.” Nabudis shrugged, his eyes shifted a bit, “But when I came upon the site, there were no living ponies there. Their eyes were soulless. I can only assume that whatever they tried to do, they botched it and paid for it with their lives. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I can… but before I could… I heard something… the wailing of a baby… that’s how I first found her...”

“Wait, the patient?!” Survival gaped.

“That is correct.” Nabudis nodded, “She was in the bushes. A small little black bundle, no bigger than a loaf of bread. I believe she was one of the cultist’s children. Either her parents died in that ritual, or they abandoned her when it hit the fan. I didn’t know, but as far as I know… she had no one… so I did what I thought was right, and took her in, and raised her like she was my own…”

“That… that’s actually really kind of you, Som.” Survival gave a small smile, but that quickly gave way to confusion, “...But how did she end up at Brightdale?”

“I’m afraid that was my mistake.” Nabudis admitted, “When I was raising her, I have come to find that there was something different about her. Something that was possibly a side effect of that ritual. It seems whenever she was angry or stressed, her body begins to secrete this odd miasma. Whoever breathes this miasma was suddenly overtaken by hallucinations and heart palpitations. Like they were living a waking nightmare.”

“Nightmare?” Survival whispered.

“Indeed. I nearly fell victim to this miasma myself when she was barely a toddler.” Nabudis shook his head, “After the first time, I realized that she, and I, needed specialized help, so that no innocent ponies would get hurt. So I had arranged to have an underground facility built under the hospital, where I could keep her safe and away from other ponies, at least until either she or I could control her… ‘powers.”

“An underground facility?” Survival gaped, “I had no idea… I guess that explains why I never heard of her.”

“Well, I was telling the truth that no one was to know about her.” Nabudis frowned, “With her condition, there was no telling how ponies would react, especially if her powers were to rage out of control. I only told a select few about the facility, and made them swear on their very lives that they wouldn’t tell anypony, not until I could figure how to help my little girl… but then came Dysley…”

“Dysley? As in Secretariat Dysley?” Survival asked.

“Yes…” Nabudis clenched his hooves, “He found out about Nyx about a month ago, and about the facility. He didn’t quite care for the fact that I was raising a foal on company premises, that I had ‘misappropriated’ funds from his father’s company to build the facility… I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen… he terminated me right there and then.”

“He did?!” Survival gasped, “...Is that why I hadn’t seen you at the hospital-”

“Afraid so.” Nabudis sighed, “But it got worse. Dysley refused to let me take her with me, believing that an ‘actual’ professional should be the one to take care of her and her powers. He was going to have her sent to another psych ward, and subject her to who knows what kind of ‘treatment’.”

"WHAT?! How could he do that?!" Survival growled, outraged. "Nyx was under your custody!"

"Not officially." Nabudis declared glumly, “I never technically adopted her. And I couldn’t. Not with my reputation. And Dysley made it clear to me that I was never going to see her again, labeling me like some sort of messed-up freak. I had to do something before I lost her… which is where you come in.”

“So it was her we were escorting that night?” Survival asked, “How did you-”

“Well, it wasn’t easy. I was banned from the premises, and Dysley threatened severe consequences if I was caught anywhere near there.” Nabudis murmured, “But fortunately, I still had a few favors. I arranged to have her transported to the Isle of Wheat, under the guise of another patient. And I picked you and Hamm, because you two were the only ponies I could count on to handle such an important task. It was my hope that by getting Nyx there, I could take her from there and start a new life.”

“Oh, Som…” Survival whispered.

“When I heard that you and Hamm were on your way, I was certain that I’d succeeded.” Nabudis explained, “That in an hour or two, me and my baby girl would be together again, and no one would take us apart… but then this whole damn mess started.”

“Faust, I had no idea…” Survival shook his head, “...But what would the Forefathers want with her?”

“I can only assume that they had learned of her powers.” Nabudis scowled, “They probably want to use it for their own gains… hell, if you asked me, I wouldn’t be surprised that Dysley himself hired those goons to attack the carriage so they could get to her.”

“Do you really think Dysley would do that?” Survival frowned, “I mean, what he did to you and her was awful, but you really think he’d actually do something like that? To me and Hamm?”

“At this point, I don’t know. There’s no telling with that pony.” Nabudis grumbled, “...But now you know everything… I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

“No, you had your reasons.” Survival sighed, “If anything, I’m relieved. I can’t believe I humored the thought that you had some dark twisted ulterior motive in all this.”

"We all make mistakes, Survival." Nabudis said fairly. "I don't blame you."

"Thank you" Survival smiled. "...And don’t you worry, we are going to find this patient, Som. And when we do, I’ll do everything I can to make sure that you and her start anew, I swear.”

"Good stallion, Survival". Nabudis smiled, touched by Survival's loyalty. "I knew I could count on you."

"Always, sir." Survival smiled. "And if Dysley really is responsible for what happened to Hamm and the others, then we will make sure he is brought to justice... Together."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Nabudis said warmly. "And with you by my side, I know Dysley will be made to pay for his misdeeds."

"Oh, he will." Survival said firmly. "And I promise, I won't rest until you and that poor little filly are reunited."

"Nyx." Nabudis announced. "Her name is Nyx."

"That's a beautiful name." Survival smiled. "I can't wait to meet her."

"If all goes well, you'll be meeting her in pony soon enough." Nabudis assured him.

"Here's hoping." Survival nodded. "Wherever you're hiding, little Nyx, we'll find you. And we'll make sure you never have to worry about that fiend Dysley again. You'll be safe. Right, Nabudis?"

"Right." Nabudis agreed.

"I'll take point." Survival declared, emboldened by their strengthened bond. "I think I know a couple of places around here Nyx could hide in."

As Survival went on ahead, a newfound determination burning within, Nabudis followed suit. Unbeknownst to the younger doctor, Nabudis’s smile began to fade, replaced with a sad frown...

At the same time, on the other side of Canterlot, Sterling, Fletcher and Caboose were conducting their own search.

"Any ideas where the kid could be?" Sterling asked.

"I have a few." Fletcher declared. "It's all a matter of thinking like a foal."

"Which may be easier for some of us than others." Sterling sighed, as Caboose played around with a discarded candy bar wrapper.

"Huh, what?" Caboose around.

"We need to focus on places that would be enticing to a foal." Fletcher clarified. "A toy store, a candy shop..."

"Couldn't hurt to try." Caboose shrugged. "There's a toy store just a couple of streets away."

"Then that's where we'll start." Fletcher nodded.

As they made their way through Canterlot, a thought popped into Sterling's head.

"You think Survival is right?" He asked the others. "About Nabudis being on the up and up, I mean."

"Hard to say." Fletcher mused. "Survival's loyalty to Nabudis means his opinion of him may be slightly biased..."

"And Nabudis is a bit of a meanie..." Caboose added.

"But Survival is alright." Sterling noted. "When I see those two… I think of what me and Loveless once…” Sterling paused, letting out a small sigh, “...Nabudis might be a dork, but I’d hate to see how Survival’s going to act if his mentor really is a piece of scum..."

"We can only hope it doesn't come to that." Fletcher stated.

"Plus, it'd be a total cliché for the benevolent boss to turn out to be the big bad all along." Caboose said dismissively. "I mean, what is this, some low-budget drama film?"

"No, this is real life." Sterling acknowledged. "With real consequences. And we've got to find that kid before those consequences get any more dire."

"Undoubtedly." Fletcher nodded. "Who knows what trouble she could be causing, intentional or otherwise, this very moment..."

Meanwhile, the kids were still playing with Nyx. They had moved on from Buckball, and were now playing tag. Miracle was currently "it", and she had Nyx in her sights.

"I got you now!" Miracle dived forward.

"Guess again!" Nyx leapt aside. Despite having her wings contained, she was still quite agile.

"Nice move!" Hurricane cheered.

"You're really good at this, Nyx!" Pureblood smiled.

"Thanks." Nyx grinned. "Guess I just have a knack for running. And avoiding being caught..."

"You don't say..." Vito narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Less talk, more tag!" Hurricane urged. "You almost had her back there, Miracle!"

"And this isn't over yet..." Miracle smirked.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Nyx grinned.

At the same time, Constell was standing by a window, having been watching Nyx play with the others.

'I've got to do something to help that poor filly.' She thought. 'Something to help get her mind off her dead father. But what?'

"Excuse me, Princess Constell?"

Constell turned to see one of the Pegasus maids standing before her, Nyx's vest held in her wing.

"Yes, Feather Duster?" Constell asked.

"I washed and pressed the, er... article of clothing our guest brought with her when she first arrived." Feather Duster announced, holding out the vest.

"Very good." Constell smiled.

"But I feel I should point out that I, er... Discovered something odd while in the process of cleaning it." Feather confessed.

"Odd?" Constell frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I... Found some black feathers inside." Feather said awkwardly.

"Feathers?" Constell asked, confused.

"Yes." Feather nodded. "It was the strangest thing. And there were quite a few, like she was keeping two small blackbirds in there."

“Huh, that is strange…” Constell mused, “Good work, though, Feather. I'll bring the vest to Nyx later."

"Very good, your highness." Feather nodded.

As Feather departed, Constell's mind drifted back to when she offered the dress to Nyx, and how the filly was insistent on having some privacy while she changed.

'Curiouser and curiouser.' She thought, her suspicions raised. She glanced out of the window, once again observing Nyx. 'Who are you, little filly?'

Back in the garden, Nyx's stomach started to growl. All her activity had served to work off the breakfast she'd had.

"Mind if I go get a snack?" Nyx asked.

"Sure." Miracle nodded.

"Just be back soon." Hurricane urged. "Don't wanna hold up the fun too much, right?"

"No way." Nyx smiled.

Nyx made her way back to the castle. Along the way, she accidentally bumped into Gothic, who was moving hastily in the opposite direction, planning to pick up some of Luna's favorite kind of cupcakes as a surprise for her.

"Oh, sorry!" She apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

“Oh, that’s fine.” Gothic said fairly, “It happens…” Gothic trailed off, as he finally got a look at who bumped into him, “...Hey, you’re the kids’ new friend, aren’t you?”

“Um, that’s right.” Nyx nodded meekly, “I’m… I’m Nyx.”

“Well, it’s good to meet you.” Gothic smiled, “I’m Gothic, Luna’s husband. Constell told me all about you.”

“She did?” Nyx froze for a moment.

"Yes." Gothic nodded pleasantly, oblivious to her sudden panic. "She told me what a nice, sweet young filly you are."

"Oh, right." Nyx smiled, relieved that Gothic didn’t actually know anything. "She's really nice, too. And a good friend. You must've taught her well."

"Why, thank you." Gothic grinned.

"You're welcome." Nyx nodded.

“...You know something. You kinda remind me of somepony.” Gothic frowned, glancing at her.

“I... I do?” Nyx asked.

“Yeah…” Gothic looked her up and down, “But I can’t seem to put my hoof on it.”

“Oh… that’s kinda weird.” Nyx frowned.

"I suppose it is." Gothic admitted. "Well, I shouldn't keep you. I have something I need to do."

"Okay, bye." Nyx nodded.

"Bye." Gothic smiled.

As the two parted ways, Gothic still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about Nyx.

’It is the weirdest thing… that black coat, that purple mane… and those eyes… kinda like Nightmare...’ Gothic mused, before shaking his head, ’Ugh, that’s preposterous. Nightmare Moon is gone. Luna defeated her years ago… besides, what would she be doing, being in a body of a child? That would be crazy...’

But as Gothic stood there, thinking of Nightmare Moon, his thoughts drifted to another… to a stallion he saw last night.

’Nabudis…’ Gothic murmured internally, ’I never did understand why he was so interested in Nightmare Moon. Every meeting of our club, Som would bring her up, talking about her origins and her powers and everything in-between. The others never liked it. Who would like a malevolent dark-side that caused Luna to be banished for a thousand years?’

Gothic sighed.

’...Nabudis did. No matter what everypony think, he believed there was more to her than what ponies believed. Even if it meant being laughed at, mocked, and ridiculed. Heck, the others almost had him kicked out of the club, probably would have if I hadn’t stepped in… honestly, the only pony who didn’t look down on him was Sacred and now...’ Gothic shook his head glumly, ’...I really do hope you come tonight, Nabudis. I don’t want you to disappear again like you did all those years ago…’

With a fair amount of Gothic forced himself to shrug off his gloominess.

"Not time to feel sorry for myself." He muttered. "Gotta get those cupcakes..."

Meanwhile, Secretariat Dysley was in his office, in the midst of a tense discussion with a pony over the mirror… or rather, ponies, as he was talking with the board of directors of his company…

"I can assure you all, the unfortunate incident at the hospital is only a minor setback." He announced.

“A setback?!” A middle-aged Unicorn retorted, flanked by two similarly aged ponies of varying races on each side, “Two dozen doctors! Fifteen nurses! Almost a hundred patients! And that’s off the top of my head. All dead, in the course of one night! Have you any ideas how much of a PR crapstorm is upon us?!”

“Okay, maybe not so minor.” Dysley cringed, “But it’s nothing we hadn’t dealt with before.”

“Oh, really? ‘Cause in the fifty years I had been at this company, having an entire hospital ‘allegedly’ murdered by a terrorist faction isn’t something I ever had to deal with!” Another pony, a balding Pegasus pony with a cane snarled.

“He’s right, you know.” A grey-maned Earth Pony mare scowled, “On top of all the dead doctors and patients, those ponies had families. It’ll be a matter of time before they are baying for our blood.”

“I know… but this honestly can’t be all on us, can it?” Dysley grimaced, “It was the Forefathers or whatever their names are that killed them. Not us.”

“But we are Brightdale. Our employees and our patients are our number one priority. We were trusted to look after them. And we failed.” Another Unicorn, a mare this time, bemoaned.

“Yes. I can already see the lawsuits adding up to the 6 digits, hell, maybe 7.” A gangly Pegasus with buck-teeth nudged his glasses, “That will not only put us in the red, but after all this, no one is going to want to do business with Brightdale ever again.”

"I know things look bad." Dysley admitted. "But that doesn't mean we can't clean up this mess. I'll schedule a conference for this Friday, so we can settle everything with the public."

“You really think talking to them is going to do anything?” The middle-aged Unicorn growled.

“You wound me.” Dysley give a smirk (though an eye twitched). “I've been heading this company for years now. Guiding it through the many ups and downs a business faces. And not to brag, but I'd say I've done a fairly good job of it so far."

“Well, yeah… but a good part of that could be attributed to your father.” The balding Pegasus grimaced.

Dysley’s smirk immediately faded. The others glanced at the old pegasus in shock.

“What? I’m right, aren’t I?” The balding pegasus scoffed, “This whole mess would never have happened under Sacred’s watch.”

"That's a little unfair, wouldn't you say?" The middle-aged Unicorn frowned. "I mean, Secretariat isn't nearly as versed in the manner of running the company as his father."

"Excuse me?" Dysley growled.

"He didn't mean it like that, sir." The Earth Pony mare stepped in.

"That's right." The Unicorn mare added. "What he meant was that your father had so many accomplishments to his name, built up over a lifetime of business work. And you're so much younger than he was at his peak that you can't be expected to equal his great works... yet, I mean."

"It's just that right now, you're still a little bit green." The Earth Pony mare noted. "It's not your fault. It's just a natural outcome, not helped by having to follow in the hoofsteps of such an amazing businesspony-"

“Well, as much as I would love to hear more about my dead dad and his accomplishments from years ago, I have to schedule that conference.” Dysley said curtly, a sense of silent fury in his voice, “You all have a good day.”

“Secret, we haven’t finished-” The middle-aged Unicorn tried to protest, only to be cut off by the mirror being turned off.

Dysley set the mirror down, and sat back in his chair… and let out a loud growl.

“ARRGH! Every day with those damn vultures!” Dysley hissed, slamming his hooves in his chair, “Constantly bringing my father into it. Why can’t they get it through their heads that I’m the CEO. Not him. Not anymore.” He grasped the bridge of his snout, “Oh Faust, I think I’m gonna get a migraine…”

Moments later, Dysley's mirror started buzzing.

“Grr, what now?” Dysley scowled. He activated the mirror, as Luxury’s face appeared.

Dysley’s scowl quickly turned to elation.

“Oh, Lux. Hey.” Dysley smiled.

“Hi, Secret.” Luxury nodded, a serious grim look on his face, “I called as soon as I’ve heard. I’m so sorry about what happened to that hospital and all those ponies.”

“No more sorry than I am.” Dysley sighed, “They were all good ponies. And now they’re gone. Just like that.”

“How are you holding up?” Luxury frowned in concern, “I can’t imagine something like this has been easy to contend with.”

"It was terrible to hear." Dysley nodded. "The loss of all those innocent employees will weigh on me for years to come. I can only hope the fiends behind that massacre will be found and brought to justice for their crimes, and soon."

"Me too." Luxury agreed. From the look of his surroundings, he was walking through the halls of the castle. "But in the meantime: if you need anything, I'm here for you."

"Thank you, Luxury." Dysley smiled. "You always did look out for me."

"Of course I did." Luxury smiled. "Because that's what friends do. You'd do the same for me."

"In a heartbeat." Dysley smiled.

As Luxury made to respond, Nyx almost walked into him.

"Sorry!" Nyx apologized. "That was a close one!"

Dysley’s ears perked at the sound of the other’s voice.

"That's okay." Luxury smiled. He lowered the mirror, giving Dysley a view of the ceiling. "Having a good day?"

"Pretty good, yeah." Nyx nodded.

"Then don't let me keep you." Luxury encouraged.

"Okay, bye!" Nyx rushed off.

"Sorry about that." Luxury declared, bringing the mirror back up to his face. "Big castle, lots of ponies, you know how it is."

"Who was that just now?" Dysley asked.

"Oh, just one of the kids' new friends." Luxury answered. "Energetic little filly. Just one more to add to the group..."

"I'm sure she is." Dysley chuckled. "You ever think of having kids of your own?"

"I don't think Constell and I are quite there yet." Luxury shrugged. "How about you?"

"Nah, I just can't seem to find the time." Dysley shrugged. "Or the right mare, for that matter."

"I'm sure she's out there somewhere." Luxury assured him.

"Thanks, pal." Dysley smiled. "Love to chat more, but I need to get going. Business, and all that. You understand?"

"Of course." Luxury nodded. "I would never keep you from your work."

"Don't worry, though." Dysley assured him. "We'll talk more at the party, I promise."

"See ya then." Luxury grinned.

"See ya." Dysley grinned back, hanging up.

For a moment, Dysley's smile stayed on his face. Then it was replaced by a resolute grimace. He activated the mirror for a third time, and was answered by a shadowed figure.

"What are your orders, sir?" The shadowy pony asked.

"I need you to do some looking around your post for anything out of the ordinary." Dysley instructed. "Really dig deep, you hear me?"

"Um... may I ask why, sir?" The shadowy pony inquired.

"Let's just say I have a feeling." Dysley said ominously. "And I don't much appreciate your questioning."

"S-sorry, sir." The shadowy pony stuttered. "I will get right on that, and report to you as soon as I find anything worth mentioning."

"Good." Dysley smiled coldly. "Don't let me down."

"i wouldn't think of it, sir." The shadowy pony nodded.

Dysley switched off the mirror, and placed it on his desk. His smile faded again.

“Please… please don’t be there.” Dysley grasped his head, “The last thing I need is for you to get caught up in all this, Lux…”

Elsewhere, Triage, flanked by Incognito and Master Mind, was heading to the morgue where Weasel's body was being kept.

"Why are we here again?" Incognito asked, more than a little irritabie.

"I can't stop thinking about how weird Weasel's death was." Triage declared. "And I'm going to figure it out."

"Then why didn't you just send us to look at it?" Master Mind asked. "Or better yet, have the body brought to us?"

"It's the principle of the matter." Triage retorted. "As a medical professional, I take personal pride in getting to the bottom of every medical anomaly. Not just for the knowledge, but to make a difference, to help others, to-"

"It's because the asshole griffon called you old, isn't it?" Incognito said bluntly.

"Wha- of course not!" Triage spluttered out a denial. "It's strictly professional!"

"Of course it is." Master Mind said drily. "Though I suppose since we've come all this way already, we should press on to investigate it anyways."

"Yeah, sure..." Incognito sighed.

"Very good." Triage smiled.

They arrived at the morgue shortly after.

"Pardon me, sir." Triage told one of the morticians at the front desk, a gaunt-looking mint green Earth Pony. "I am Triage from the RDL, and these are my associates, Incognito and Master Mind. We're here to examine the body which was brought in yesterday."

"The one that died in mysterious circumstances?" The stallion asked.

"That's the one." Triage nodded.

"That one has been a puzzle for us." The mortician declared. "I can take you to where we're keeping the body."

"After you, then." Triage urged.

"We've been expecting you." The mortician declared. "Right this way."

The group followed the mortician down a hallway, stopping outside a pair of metal doors.

"We have the body in here." The mortician announced. "But I'm afraid your companions must wait outside the room. Only medical professionals are permitted past these doors."

"Rules are rules." Triage shrugged. "Sorry, guys."

"That's okay." Master Mind nodded.

"I'd prefer not to see a dead body today anyhow." Incognito declared.

With a nod, Triage entered the room. The body of Weasel was indeed there, laying on an examination table, a full set of medical tools on a smaller table.

"Right then." Triage donned a pair of gloves. "Time to get to work..."

First came the preliminary examination. As he expected, there were no signs of significant physical trauma... On the outside, at least.

“No physical trauma. Just as it was yesterday.” Triage mused, “And if my diagnosis yesterday was correct, there’ll be no trauma inside either…”

Triage grabbed a scalpel and made an incision in the body’s chest, and began to examine the internal organs. To his dismay, he was right. Everything seemed fine.

“Come on. You couldn’t had just dropped dead.” Triage growled, “Something happened in that park that made you go lights out in the middle of the day, and caused you to have that aneurysm and cardiac arrest. But the question is what?”

He then began slicing into the body’s heart.

“There has to be something here.” Triage peeked around, “Something I’m missing. Maybe I need to look at this from a different angle…”

Triage took a moment to look away and at his selection of medical tools, racking his brains over what to do next. As he ruminated, a small cloud of dark blue miasma emerged from the heart incision. It wafted upwards and across the room, creeping over to the unwitting Triage.

In his frustration, Triage sniffed deeply, unknowingly pulling the miasma up into his nose.

“Ugh…” He grimaced, the scent stinging his nostrils. "What the- that’s odd.” He rubbed his snout, “Cadavers don’t usually smell, not when they've been in cold storage. I should probably notify the morgue that their fridges might be going on the fritz. Well… back to the body...”

As he made to return to the body, Triage suddenly felt light-headed.

"What's going on?" He rubbed his head. But when he removed his hoof, he realised with horror that it was starting to either away. "No..."

Triage grabbed the nearest reflective surface (a tray used to hold medical utensils) and glanced at his reflection. Fresh terror flowed into him as he saw that he looked old, and was growing older by the second.

"No..." He frowned, feeling himself grow more ancient by the second. "No..."

Triage's hooves started to crack, and crumble into dust, with the rest of his body following.

"Noooo!!" He screamed.

Outside the room, Incognito and Master Mind heard the blood-curdling scream.

"That can't be good." Incognito said worriedly.

"Let's get in there!" Master Mind urged.

Forgoing the rules, the two stallions burst into the room. Inside, they found Triage on the floor, flailing around in terror.

"Nooo!" Triage screamed. "Noo!"

"Triage!" Master Mind yelled, as he and Incognito rushed over. "What's wrong?"

"No, no, no!" Triage yelled, showing no signs he had heard Master Mind.

"Easy, pal." Incognito tried to hold him down. "We're here to help, remember?"

"No!" Triage flailed even more wildly.

"Ahh!" Incognito grunted, as one of Triage's flailing hooves caught him on the side of his head. "What the buck's wrong with him?"

"I'm not sure." Master Mind fretted. "But if I had to guess, he has somehow entered into some kind of extreme hallucinatory state. I can't begin to say how we'll be able to snap him out of it..."

"I've got one idea..." Incognito declared. He slapped Triage hard across the face. "Wake up!"

"Gahh!" Triage's eyes snapped open as he rubbed his face.

"Oh, that was scientific and well-reasoned." Master Mind glared at Incognito.

"It worked, didn't it?" Incognito smirked.

"What's going on?" Triage frowned. "Why am I on the floor? ...And why did you slap me?!" He glared at Incognito.

"We were hoping you could tell us what happened." Master Mind declared.

"Yeah, we heard you scream, and came in to find you down there, freaking out." Incognito added.

"You did?" Triage said confusedly. "The last thing I remember was examining the body. I checked the heart, and found nothing. Then I turned away to think for a moment, and... That's when it all got fuzzy."

"You just got 'fuzzy'?" Incognito frowned. "Just like that?"

"That's right." Triage nodded. "Then I started seeing... terrible things. My body withering away to nothing, crumbling to dust..." He shuddered. "The next thing I know, somepony gave me a slap in the face."

"It worked, didn't it?!"" Incognito scowled.

"You say it happened after you checked his heart?" Master Mind asked, as he looked at Weasel's body.

"That's right." Triage nodded.

"And you don't recall anything else... out of the ordinary?" Master Mind pressed.

"I remember this odor." Triage admitted. "But in this line of work, odd smells are something of an occupational hazard." He stroked his chin in thought. "Other than that, I could find nothing out of the ordinary here."

"Except for the whole 'seeing yourself turning to dust' thing?" Incognito pointed.

"Yes." Triage nodded. "Something is definitely amiss here. And I still aim to discover what. But in order to do that, I might require-"

"Help?" Master Mind smirked.

"Yes." Triage seethed. "I'll need the best equipment, for starters. Then maybe I'll take a look at the magical side of things..."