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                   The Way Of All Flesh                    
                      -by PRAECESSOR-                      
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            Part 1 - Chapter One: Endless Sleep            
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Part 1 - Chapter One: Endless Sleep
"When was the body found?"
"Less than an hour ago, Your Majesty. High Inquisitor Ephemera sent us to inform you before the area had even been cordoned off."
"And where is the Inquisitor now?"
"Back at the station, ma'am. I'm told she's being kept busy there."
The Princess's dark blue eyes narrowed to slits. She took a deep breath, feeling the cold night air sting the inside of her lungs. A tone of impatience entered her voice. "How could whatever she's doing there be more important than this?"
"It isn't, ma'am. The station has been flooded with citizens attempting to report what they believe to be important information. It seems everypony wants to help us find out what happened."
"Deputy, we do not believe that what happened is in question. I'm sure most of our citizens are already aware of it. The question we face now, is why."
The batpony bowed his head. The navy glint of his helmet reflected the flashing blue lights coming from the nearby alley.
"It is as you say, Your Majesty. Nothing like this has happened in Canterlot for as long as I can remember."
The Princess wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from her brow and looked down at the ground. Dark thoughts began to rise up in the back of her mind. She let out a powerful sigh, as if to say 'me neither'.
The deputy shifted on his feet. The steel plates of his armor clacked lightly together as he turned towards the crowd slowly forming in the street.
"We should go, Your Majesty. If you wish to see the scene of the..." The deputy blinked hard and quietly cleared his throat. He might have been trying to gather himself, but she could see it wasn't working. "... the scene of the crime... then we must move before the crowds grow too large."
The two of them made their way across the street. The ponies at the back of the crowd noticed the sound of heavy hoofsteps from behind and began to make way for them. The Princess could feel their stares, filled with fear, hope, and expectation. She tugged at the plate armor necklace around her throat. Their faith in her was suffocating.
The two of them passed through the magical barrier blocking the entrance to the alley. Several members of her Nightwatch looked up at her, wearing the same expressions she'd seen in the crowd. She forced herself to keep walking, one step after the other.
A thick, sour stench filled the stone corridor. Large white floodlights were pointed towards the center of the narrow alley, like lights on a stage telling you where to look. Or where not to look.
Her eyes watered and the back of her throat began to sting. The dark liquid drenched the intricate brickwork, creating several scattered pools of green light. The blood seemed to thicken around a raised spot in the ground.
The Princess spoke, too quietly for the deputy to hear.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty." He curled a leathery wing into a cone and brought it to his ear. "I can't hear you over the crowds. I'm afraid I need you to repeat yourself."
The Princess took a deep breath before forcing herself to speak louder.
"Where is she now?" Her voice cracked under the effort.
"The victim, ma'am? It's already been taken to the Morgue. The Royal Surgeon should be preparing to perform the autopsy."
"So quickly? And whose decision was that?"
"The High Inquisitor's, ma'am. She wanted the victim taken off the streets as quickly as possible, and I have to agree with her judgment. The bystanders are unruly now, but they'd be worse if they'd... if they'd seen what we saw."
A noise from the entrance to the alley startled both of them. The crowds had begun to grow, and they had started chanting something in unison.
The deputy grimaced. "That didn't take long." He turned back to the Princess, whose face had filled with fear.
"Your Majesty?"
"I—I need to go. To the Morgue. You say the Royal Surgeon is performing the autopsy? I should like to be there when he does." She could feel her stomach began to tighten.
"Of course, ma'am. Come by the station when you're finished. Inquisitor Ephemera should have the case notes ready for you when you arrive."
The Princess nodded and hurried towards the opposite end of the alley. Her back hoof splashed into a dark, sticky puddle, and her stomach churned inside of her. Filth clung to the bottoms of her hooves as she clattered down the alley. Greystone walls echoed every hoofstep, mirroring the chanting that was building from behind her. The alley opened up into a small courtyard, and her massive raven-like wings shot out from her sides. With frantic motions, she shot up into the sky, away from the chanting crowds forming in the streets.
The freezing air rushing across her face seemed to ease the nausea in her stomach. The sight of her night sky glittering above cooled the raw nerves pulsing in her head. Deep breaths of the thin, cold air in the sky started to calm the pounding in her chest. But by the time she landed in the dark castle courtyard, the tips of her wings and hooves had started to go numb. The thundering sound of her heartbeat only grew stronger.
She walked quickly through the shadowy hallways of the castle. Her vision narrowed as she approached the medical wing, and the numbness in her limbs had nearly reached her torso. She started to breathe harder and faster, desperate to calm her accelerating heartbeat. By the time the entrance to the morgue entered her sight, she could barely muster the strength to stand.
The Princess fell against the cool stone castle wall, catching herself with a forehoof. The bile in her stomach churned, threatening to rise into her throat.
"Princess Luna?"
A voice called out from a nearby doorway. A thin, white unicorn stepped out from the shadows. The Princess collapsed onto her hindquarters, her vision almost totally black.
"My goodness. Princess, I need you to listen to me."
She felt hooves on the sides of her face, and her head was pointed back towards the unicorn now standing in front of her.
"You are hyperventilating. I need you to hold your breath."
She shook her head. The tightness in her chest was getting worse. "I... I can't."
"Yes, you can. Hold your breath, and count to ten. I promise you'll feel better."
The Princess pressed her mouth closed and pinched her nose between her hooves. Fear crept into her mind for a moment before her vision started to clear. The pins and needles under her fur began to retreat, and feeling returned to her limbs.
She let go of her nose, and took several smaller breaths through her mouth. The Princess pressed a forehoof to her chest. Her heartbeat was returning to normal.
"Any better?"
She looked back up at the unicorn, and nodded her head. She felt embarrassed by how easily he'd been able to help her. "Yes, much better. We thank you for your help."
The unicorn let out a strained laugh. "No problem, it's only my job. I'm Apollo, the Royal Surgeon."
The Princess widened her eyes. "Oh! We were on our way to find you for the, um... the autopsy."
His expression darkened. "Ah. Yes. Terrible, isn't it? There hasn't been a murder in Equestria for over a thousand years, and suddenly—bam! Right as I get the job, too. Dreadful."
Apollo glanced up at her with a nervous look in his eye, as if he suddenly remembered who he was talking to, and cleared his throat. "Hm. Right. Well. We'd best start the autopsy, then. Follow me please, Your Majesty."
The Princess followed closely behind him. The bluish-green carpet in this section of the castle had a scrubbing enchantment. Each strand clung to the bottoms of her hooves to pull away the grime they'd accumulated in the city. She shuddered at the sensation. It was more than a little unsettling.
Long white banners hung from the high ceilings, bearing images of owls and shields. Her gaze turned back to the unicorn in front of her. His limbs were long and wiry, and his coat and mane were ice white. His cutie mark was a pair of snakes wrapping themselves around a golden staff.
He led her to a small door tucked at the end of the hall. It opened to reveal a large room covered in faded white tile. Large metal panels covered the far wall. She shivered in the cold air, before noticing the table in the center of the room. A long grey sheet was draped over it, with dark green stains blotting the surface.
"Not that I think you will, but I should tell you anyway: do not touch the body as I work. It's important that the body is kept as close as possible to its original condition." Apollo walked to the opposite side of the room and began washing his hands in a large metal sink.
The Princess slowly approached the table, her hooves resounding sharply against the stone floor. The ground under her forehoof shifted as she stepped. She looked down to see one of the floor tiles slide out of place under her weight.
"Don't worry about that. This has got to be the oldest room in the castle. I tried shining a flashlight down one of the cracks in the floor before and man, do they run deep!"
She shifted the tile from its position to see an inch-wide fissure running underneath it. The Princess leaned over to peer down into it, but only an endless darkness looked back.
A metal bucket was placed on the floor in the corner of her vision. She looked up to see Apollo wearing a dubious expression.
"Now I know you're a Princess and everything, but you'll still need one of these. First-timers always puke, no exceptions."
Apollo walked to the opposite side of the table and held one end of the sheet in his hoof. The Princess pulled the bucket closer to her, wrapping her forehooves around it.
He looked at her with a serious glint in his eye. "Are you ready?"
She nodded.
The curtain slowly peeled away from the table, revealing the yellow chitin of the changeling underneath. She was lying on her back, resting in a pool of her own blood. The Princess felt nausea return to her stomach.
"Shit... what a fuckin' shame. She's so young, her wings weren't even fully developed." His brow furrowed. "Or... maybe not."
With a gloved hoof, he shifted the body onto its side and began inspecting her back. Dark blood poured from the wounds on the girl's flanks. The green liquid pooled on the table before washing over the edge, dripping onto the floor. The Princess stared as the blood pooled around her hooves before seeping between the white stone squares on the floor, draining down into the cracks underneath the tile.
He rolled the body back to its' original position. His eyes went wide upon seeing the blood covering the Princess's hooves.
"Aw shit. Sorry Princess, I should've been more careful." The unicorn let out a long sigh. His ribcage poked out from his white fur. "Still, at least we learned something. Her wings aren't undergrown, they're missing. Same thing for her horn."
Apollo moved to the end of the table and placed his hooves on either side of the changeling's head. He inspected the remains of her horn closely before setting it back onto the metal surface.
"Her wings and horn were both removed with a fine-tooth bandsaw. Probably the same one, I can run some tests to make sure. However..."
He walked to the side of the table where she was and pulled her onto her side. The yellow chitin by her flanks was gone, revealing the changeling's dark green musculature. The Princess was reminded of a pony anatomy diagram she'd seen in the Royal Library.
"A bandsaw couldn't have done this. Judging by the marks around the edge of the wound..." A floating metal scalpel pressed at the broken exoskeleton. "... I'd say the chitin here was removed with a chisel. Very carefully, too. Probably all in one piece."
The body rolled back into place. Apollo hummed to himself, wearing an expression like he was putting together a puzzle in his head.
"These are very strange though."
The floating scalpel tapped against the soft flesh of the changeling's belly. A dark blue substance was painted across her skin in a strange spiraling symbol.
"Drawings just like this one are all over her body. This one is right over her womb and emphig."
The scalpel drifted up to the changelings' head.
"There's one on either side of her neck as well. And then... "
The sharp blade flashed as it passed under the white bulb floating over the table.
"Another pair here, between the flank and avian pectoral. Right between where the wings and hips were cut away."
He shook his head. "I don't recognize these shapes. Hell, I've never seen anything like them."
Apollo wiped his face against his shoulder and took another long sigh. He looked up at her.
"Princess Luna. It's time for the vivisection."
Her blue eyes went wide. "Wh—what?"
"It means I'm going to cut her op—"
"We know what it means!" She shook her head, trying to clear her mind.
"Fine. Fine." The Princess looked up at him. "Go ahead."
He nodded, and began to cut. The scalpel traced an X-shape across the changeling's stomach, and a small bead of green blood trailed down her side.
Apollo's nose twitched. "Um, Princess? You might want to hold onto that bucket."
Luna tightened her grasp on the metal container, pressing the cool surface against her forehooves. The soft flesh of the changeling's belly peeled away, and an intensely foul stench filled the air.
The Princess felt her eyes water, and her stomach began to tighten. Suddenly she couldn't breathe as a wave of bile flooded her throat and spilled out of her mouth into the bucket. Her nose and throat burned with acid.
"Fucking, damn it all!" Apollo stepped back from the table and covered his nose. He pulled a surgical mask from a cardboard box by the sink and put it one before passing a second one to the Princess.
"That won't stop the smell completely, but it should help." He chuckled. "Still, you lasted longer than most. That smell almost got me too."
The Princess blankly nodded her head. She spat the bile in her mouth into the bucket and pulled the mask over her face.
"You know, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave. There's no shame in it. You sure you want to stay?"
She stared down at him and nodded slowly.
"Alright then."
Apollo levitated the scalpel back over the body and continued his inspection.
"It looks like the smell is coming from up here... "
The scalpel dropped down into her torso and poked a strange-looking organ in the center of her chest. A series of thick fleshy tubes wove themselves around it. Liquified tissue pooled in the cavity it sat in.
"It looks like her heart has decomposed much faster than the rest of her body. You can see how most of the cardiac muscle has been turned into plasma, and there are pieces of grave wax lining the cardial wall."
Apollo turned his head. The mask covered his mouth, but his eyes had gone wide.
"Well, maybe it's not just the heart. Take a look at this."
Her eyes followed the scalpel down to the changeling's abdomen. She focused on the shining blade, desperate to avoid getting a good look at the rest of the girl's entrails.
The scalpel dropped again and pressed into an organ she had never seen before. It was rotted and melted just like the heart, but she couldn't tell what it was. What it had been.
"This is the emphig. It's the organ that turns love magic into sustenance. Supposedly it's also how changelings share antibodies. If you've ever wondered why you've never seen a sick changeling, this is why. Pretty awesome stuff. Kinda makes me jealous."
The scalped floated back into the air. Apollo pulled the mask away from his face and looked at the Princess.
"I'm gonna be honest with you, Princess: the rest of the job is a whole lot messier. I'm gonna be meticulously checking every single organ, bone, and blood vessel in the entire body for any other signs of foul play. You sure wanna stick around for that?"
She grimaced and nodded her head. "N—no, we need to see it."
"I'm sorry?"
The Princess looked into Apollo's eyes, and pressed her hoof against her churning stomach. She replied through clenched teeth.
"We need to see it. All of it. Every single bit of damage that that monster is responsible for. So that when we finally bring him to justice, we can give him all that he is owed."
Apollo grinned. "Of course, Your Majesty."
A frantic humming sound grew louder as the Princess walked towards the Canterlot Police Station. White beams of light flickered through the building's windows as ponies moved around inside. The large brick building seemed like a buzzing hive, with every single worker bee focused on a single goal. She didn't have to guess what that goal might be.
She opened the door and stepped inside the front entrance. Chaos was her only greeter. Batponies in uniform ran around the station carrying steaming cups of coffee and bulging folders of paper. The Princess wondered why the experience was so strange before realizing the cause: nobody seemed to notice that she was here.
The Goddess of the Moon carefully made her way up to the second floor where the High Inquisitor's office was. The building was a labyrinth of long wooden hallways, but somehow she managed to find it.
The plaque on the tall oak door read 'High Inquisitor M.E.'. The Princess tapped her hoof against the door a few times and waited for a response. A response that never came. After a second attempt at knocking, she tried the handle and was surprised to find it unlocked.
She stepped inside the room and shut the door behind her. The moonlight from the window was her only source of light. Slowly, she made her way across the room and lit a small oil lamp hanging from the ceiling. The flame's soft yellow light cast the room in a strange hue. Dark wooden furniture filled the office, and a massive oak desk sat in the back by the window. The Princess made her way over to it and began to search for clues as to the Inquisitor's whereabouts.
The desk was covered in paper. Case documents seemed to be placed about at random, but one folder was placed neatly in the center of the desk's surface. The Princess's horn glowed softly and the folder floated into the air. The words 'Homicide Case Notes' were stamped across the front of it.
She opened it and inspected the contents. It had everything she was looking for: witness reports, scene photographs, possible suspects. The folder closed and drifted behind her as she made her way out of the office.
A batpony officer walked by the office as the Princess stepped out of it. He turned to face her and looked surprised, though not as surprised as she was. The pony's left eye was trained on her, but his right seemed to be spinning in its socket.
"C—can I help you?", he stuttered out.
The Princess was broken from her trance. "Oh! Yes, you can help us. Please, take this."
The folder she'd been carrying floated over to the officer. He grabbed it out of the air and stared at it with his functioning eye.
"Make a copy of that and have it sent to us at the castle. Return it to Inquisitor Moonlight's desk when you are finished."
His eyes grew wider, and his right eye began spinning a little faster. It was starting to freak her out a bit. "Y—yes, ma'am. No problem, ma'am. You can count on me, ma'am."
She gave him a weak smile and nodded, and the officer quickly walked off down the hallway. She could have sworn the copier was in the other direction, but maybe she was mistaken.
The glow of the roaring fire coated the shadowy library in an orange hue. The flames crackled and croaked as the wood burned down to cinders. Apart from the occasional turning of a page and the sound of a bottle tapping against wood, it was otherwise totally silent.
The Princess let out a deep sigh and rubbed at her eyes. The bottle she normally kept hidden in her desk floated through the air towards her. It tilted upwards, pouring its contents into the Princess's mouth and down her esophagus. She didn't even try to taste it, shuddering at the burning sensation of the moonshine coating the back of her throat. Her hoof wiped away a small drop from her dark blue lips.
The documents she'd requested had arrived at the castle before she had. She'd taken them to her desk in the library and started going over them. The body had been found at around midnight by a patrolling officer. They didn't have a positive ID for the victim yet, but given that the body was found in the red-light district, the girl had probably been a prostitute. Apparently, changeling sex workers had become relatively popular in recent years.
The Princess drew another sip from her bottle, attempting to drown her disgust in alcohol and cynicism. "Makes sense to me...", she murmured to herself.
Both the body and the scene itself were covered in unidentified symbols. The photos showed glyphs similar to the ones she had scene during the autopsy.
"I would swear I recognize these though..." She traced a hoof over the photograph, trying to remember where she might have seen them before.
"These might be... ancient Zebran?"
She vaguely remembered reading something about Zebran rituals a few weeks ago. Weeks ago...
The Princess turned from her desk and looked around the library. The massive room was lined with bookshelves that seemed impossibly tall, stretching up into the darkness. This was the Royal Library, meaning that only she and Celestia had access to this room. She'd been spending more and more time here, and she certainly didn't have Twilight's aptitude for sorting. Meaning that the book she'd seen these symbols in would be nearly impossible to find.
"Gods, this is going to take forever... what was it even called? 'Studies in Ancient Zebran Theology'?"
She leaned back in her chair, lamenting her situation. Her blue eyelids drifted shut as her drowsiness overtook her.
A sudden noise like a clash of thunder rang through the library. The Princess shot straight up in her chair, now completely awake. A book had fallen from the shelf above her and had landed directly on her desk. It was... 'Studies in Ancient Zebran Theology'. Her shaped eyebrows arched upwards. That was quite the coincidence. Maybe her sister had implemented a summoning charm to the library without telling her.
The Princess rubbed at her eyes and began flicking through the book at a breakneck pace. She'd read it before, and she already had some idea of what she was looking for. The pages stopped when she recognized a glyph in one of the images. The caption reads, 'Taken from an ancient dig site, historians believe this was a ritual to bring about change'.
She covered her mouth and let out a deep yawn. It was interesting, but it didn't really tell her much. Maybe the Inquisitor could find out more.
The bottle floated off the desk and tilted back against her lips, but only a few drops trickled out.
"Hmph," she pouted. She'd gone through her stash faster than she'd realized.
The Princess staggered down the long hallway back to her room, spurred by the feeling building inside of her. It was almost time for the moon to set. She could feel it in her bones.
The Nightwatch guards standing outside of her door rushed to her side as their Princess came into view, but she waved them off.
"Back to your posts. When we have forgotten how to walk, we will send for you. But not before then."
She slowly made her way into her room, ignoring the anxious looks on her guards' faces. The exhaustion that had built up during the night seemed to take her all at once. The Princess kicked off her ornate horseshoes and unbuckled her necklace. She kept the tiara. She liked the tiara.
The Goddess of the Moon flopped onto her large circular bed. Her eyelids lowered and she almost fell to sleep, before the sound of a throat clearing rocked her awake.
The Princess sat up in her bed, bleary eyed and drowsy, and looked around. A low wind blew through her room, ruffling the curtains lining each of her windows. Moonlight streamed through the balcony doors, but from her position she could not see through them.
She stood up out of her bed and slowly walked to open doors leading outside. A bright, shimmering tail flicked slightly into the room, and the Princess felt her shoulders tighten.
The Goddess of the Moon stepped fully out onto the balcony, and took her place standing beside her sister.
She looked up at her sister with a nervous tightness building in her throat. Her sister looked down at her with eyes reflecting disappointment.
"Sorry I didn't tell you. I knew I should've sent somepony to wake you, but I got too distracted."
Her excuses were met only with silence.
She cleared her throat and rubbed at the side of her face. Her back leg seemed to vibrate with nervous energy.
"W—we did some investigating on our own. Let us tell you what we know so far." Her tense posture straightened even further.
"The victim was a changeling found in the red light district. Her wings, horn, and thighs were removed with surgical instruments, and several of her organs had decomposed at an accelerated rate. Several strange symbols covered the scene as well as the victim's body. We discovered that these symbols were part of an ancient Zebran ritual to bring about change. We believe that the next step is to meet with the High Inquisitor and discuss our findings. Do you agree?"
Her sister's cold pink eyes turned to meet her own. The silence seemed to roar in her ears.
"D-do you agree?," she repeated, weakly.
The Goddess of the Sun turned back, facing out over the castle courtyard. Her horn began to glow a bright gold. The Princess hurried to match her, her horn casting a bright violet sheen into her eyes.
She turned her focus inward. Her eyes drifted shut, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away. It was only her, and her moon. Power surged through her body, forcing itself out through the fine tip of the horn on her head. In her mind's eye, a great purple limb stretched out to the heavens and wrapped itself around the massive white orb in the sky. The moon slowly dropped downwards, falling and falling, until it was directly below her. The energy coursing through her head tapered off, and the sounds of the world slowly returned.
The Princess opened her eyes, and was blinded by the sun's burning light. She could hear her sister's hoofsteps leading back into her room. Her forehoof raised to shield her eyes, and she turned her gaze down towards the courtyard. Her sister was walking along the ramparts below, exchanging morning greetings with her Sunguard.
Princess Celestia looked up at where her sister stood, and gave her a warm smile. She waved with her forehoof, the armor on her leg shining in the morning sun.
The Moon Princess's stomach turned into knots. She turned back into her room, watching her sister walk towards the exit. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and the sound of her heartbeat started to roar in her ears. She stepped back into the room and her horn flashed with a blinding light.
Suddenly she was standing in front of the door, with a large silver saber floating beside her. The sword flew towards the imposter standing before her and pressed hard against their neck.
Her sister's face remained expressionless. The multicolored waves moving through Celestia's mane slowed to a crawl as she stared into her eyes.
Princess Luna, the Goddess of the Moon, spoke solidly and evenly. "Who are you, and why have you come here?"
Her sister's expression twisted and contorted. Her features shifted and shaped into a monstrous form. The corners of her mouth pulled back into a cruel smile, revealing two rows of ivory fangs.
And her eyes... her eyes were a pale violet.

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              Part 1 - Chapter Two: Awakening              
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Part 1 - Chapter Two: Awakening
Sour.
Bitter.
Sweet.
Regret.
Nausea.
Confusion.
Fear.
But not mine.
I see white light.
Must get out of here.
Go out through the door.
The floor is soft to the touch.
Marching hoofsteps echo in the distance.
Ponies with bat wings and black armor seem to be patrolling.
Is this a castle? How peculiar. It isn't familiar to me. Where the hell am I?
I can hear somepony shouting. Need to hide. No telling who's out and about these days. Which days are these?
A body, four legs, and a snout. The wings of a bat and a set of black plate armor. How many eyes do I need? Two is fine for now.
That aura of fear and disgust is still overpowering anything else I can sense right now. Have wonder what could be so dreadful. Not my problem now, though.
I need a drink.
"Come on, you sure you can't give us one for the road?"
The barkeep shook his head. "Not on your life, pal. I could get fined."
"Come on Mister Oakwood, shirr." The earth pony was slurring his words. "Why're you even kickin' us out this early?"
"You heard the Nightwatch, same as me. There's been a murder, and it's only a few blocks away! Get back home ta' yer kids, ya' sotted fucker."
The drunk seemed to perk up at his warnings. "Yer—yer right! I need to protect my kids! Ah ods, my wife's gonna kill me. I'll see ya' tomorrow, man."
The bell hanging above the door rang as his last patron exited the bar. Oakwood rolled his eyes and muttered to himself.
"Sure you will, pal. Sure you will."
He walked to the front of the bar and flicked the switch on the flashing 'OPEN' sign hanging in the window. Its bright red lights dimmed, signaling the bar's closing to passersby. The deadbolt in the door scraped into place, and the cheap yellow bulbs hanging from the ceiling went dark. The dingy bar plunged into darkness, lit only by the moonlight coming through the front-facing windows.
Oakwood walked along the bar collecting the dirty glasses still left behind. They floated through the air and dropped into the sink behind the counter, one at a time. Hot water poured from the tap, and thick steam rose to the ceiling. His horn flashed as he lit the cigarette he'd put in his mouth. The tall brown unicorn took a seat at the bar and leaned against the counter.
He took a long draw and held it for a moment before releasing it in a long sigh. The smoke rose upwards to mix with the steam swirling around the top of the room. The stress that had been building up in his joints seemed to melt away. He'd quit one of these days. For sure.
The sound of a bell rang through the room. He looked to the front of the bar to see a Nightwatch officer standing by the entrance. The officer's yellow eyes stared into his own as if he was expecting something Oakwood cursed to himself. He'd have sworn he locked that damn door.
"Sorry, officer. We're closed." He gestured towards the front of the shop. "Sign's off and everythin', see?"
The officer didn't respond. Instead, he walked to the back of the bar and took a seat in the last booth. The Princess Booth. Twice the size of the others, and painted a pure white. Protection enchantments kept it clean, and dampening enchantments kept it private. It was the nicest seat in the whole house. Fit for royalty. He'd only ever seen scumbags sit there.
The officer tapped twice against the wooden table and pulled the privacy curtains down. Oakwood let out a pained sigh. He'd seen all kinds in here. Washed-up Wonderbolts, changelings looking for a new life, a whole lot of unicorn dropouts. But none gave him quite so much grief as the batponies.
"Look, I already paid up this month." He didn't bother keeping his annoyance out of his voice. "If ya' need pocket money, ya' need ta' go ask Dominus Dar—"
A bright pale violet light flashed from behind the curtains, blinding him. Oakwood blinked a few times and rubbed at his eyes with his hooves. He stood there for a moment, trying to understand what had just happened.
Dim purple light had begun to leak between the curtains onto the dull stone floor. Two more sharp taps rang out from inside the booth. The barkeep shook his head, and slowly approached the booth in the back of the room.
Slowly, he lifted the curtain to greet his guest. He could feel his soul being forced out of his body. His eyes opened so wide he could feel them dry out.
The booth's occupant turned to him and grinned a toothy grin. His voice was smooth and sharp.
"I'm afraid I must ask you to stay open a bit longer."
Oakwood's voice caught in his throat. He had to force himself to speak. "O-o-of course, sir. D-did ya' want me ta' get you a drink?"
"Bring me a tenth of the strongest spirit you have, neat. I could use a smoke, too."
He nodded his head, and slowly back away from the booth. The thick white curtains fell back into place, but streams of violet light still scattered across the floor.
The barkeep hurried back to the sink and began scrubbing one of the glasses as fast as he could. The sink turned off, and the glass he'd wiped clean flung itself against the counter. It slid across the hardwood surface and skittered to a halt as Oakwood pulled a short bottle from the top shelf on the wall.
The stopper popped out and landed by the glass, and the barkeep began to pour. The bottle shook in his hooves, scattering drops of the brown liquid across the counter's surface. The barkeep glanced at the front entrance, thinking about making a break for it. He shook his head and decided against it. Somehow he knew that if he tried to run, he'd be dead before he could touch the door.
He left the bottle on the counter and floated the glass through the air. The barkeep reached out with a trembling forehoof and the Princess Booth's heavy curtain. His only customer grinned at him.
The pale violet light grew stronger, and Oakwood felt the drink being pulled from his hold. He released his magic, and the drink floated down on to the table's white surface.
"And the cigar?"
The cabinet behind the barkeep burst open, and a pouch of cigarettes flew through the air. He pulled a single, crumpled cylinder from its package and held it out. It floated from his hoof into the air, making its way to his patron's mouth.
The tip seemed to light itself, and he took a long draw from it. A third of the length turned to ash in a single breath.
"Take a seat."
Smoke poured from the corners of his mouth as he spoke.
Oakwood's limbs seemed to fight him as he stepped into the booth. It was like his body was trying to run away, but his head was too dumb to follow.
With a flick of his head, the customer pulled the curtains closed. No one could hear them now. His fear seemed to affect his hearing, as when the being in front of him spoke it sounded muffled and far away.
"E-excuse me, sir? Did you just ask me something?"
His eyes rolled in their sockets. "I said, 'What year is it?'"
"Oh, um... nineteen ninety-seven, in the year of our princesses."
"Princesses?"
Oakwood cleared his throat. "You know, the Alicorn Princesses. The Royal Twins. Rulers of Equestria fer thousands a' years."
"Alicorns? Hmm... "
The patron tilted his head back and drank from his glass. He swirled the fluid in his mouth for a bit, tasting it before swallowing.
"That's good stuff, though it's weaker than I'd have liked. 'Equestria'. Is that the country we're in?"
The barkeep blinked. "Yessir. It is, sir."
The patron's face grew dark, and he stared at Oakwood with disdain in his eyes.
"Don't mock me, pony. I've been asleep for a long time. Things are different from what I remember. Tell me, how long has it been since... the Era of Change?"
The barkeep shook his head. "I-I don't know, sir. I've never 'eard of such a thing."
The patron stared at the wall in silence and rolled his cigarette between his teeth. His eyes seemed to unfocus, as though he was remembering something from long ago.
"Y-you might have better luck at the university. They've all sorts a' history books there."
"Hm? Oh, don't worry about that. It's not important, I just needed to know if anybody would know who I was."
The patron returned to his daydream. Nervous drops of sweat dripped down Oakwood's face as he sat staring at the creature across the table. Cigarette smoke slowly filled the booth, adding a dim haze to the booth's purple light.
The curiosity building in his mind finally came to a head. Somehow it had overtaken his fear of death.
"I-If ya' don't mind me askin', sir: w-was it you who did it?"
The patron's eyes refocused and turned away from the wall. He exhaled, and thin grey plumes streamed from his nostrils.
"Did... what, exactly?"
Oakwood blinked. "Why, killed that poor changeling girl?"
The crowds building in the street had grown to an intimidating size. Seeing the Princess take off so quickly had only spurred them on, and additional protestors poured in even faster than before. The blue light from the magical barrier across the alley entrance cast an eerie glow over the crowd's angry faces. The Deputy Inquisitor shouted over their angry chanting.
"Get back! I said GET BACK!"
A particularly large earth stallion leaned against the barrier, smashing his hoof against its glowing surface. Anger flared in the deputy's eyes, and his horn began to glow a bright red.
"I SAID GET THE FUCK BACK! I SWEAR TO LUNA, I WILL FUCKING SEND YOU TO TARTARUS!"
The sound of thunder clapped overhead, and a sudden gale began buffeting the protestors in the street. Screams rang out in the crowd as coats and manes flapped violently in the wind.
The deputy smirked to himself. They hadn't been expecting any inclement weather, but right now it felt like an act of providence.
One by one, the protestors began to break off from the mass to seek shelter. The stallion who'd challenged the barrier ran off with his tail tucked between his legs.
Soon, there were none left. The wind continued to howl through the street, sealed out of the alley by the tall glowing wall.
"Officer?"
A voice he didn't recognize came from behind him. He whipped around ready to fight, but quickly dropped his guard. It was another batpony. Must be a new recruit.
"That's Deputy to you, newbie. Don't be like those rabble-rousers out there. Know when to have some respect."
The recruit nodded silently with a blank look on his face. The deputy turned back towards the street, shaking his head. Where did they even find these guys? Didn't all batponies come from the same village?
"What happened here?"
"A murder." He responded to the question without turning his head. "Some changeling. No great loss. I mean, we're in the Redlight Warrens so she was probably just a prostie. Still though, it's got everypony spooked. This is the first time I've ever heard of somepony being murdered in Equestria."
He heard a deep sigh from behind him.
"Is there anypony investigating this... murder?"
The deputy scoffed. "Uh, yeah? You are, kid. Ephemera's taking point on it, so the whole station's gonna be going crazy until we find out who did it."
"Ephemera?"
"Our glorious leader, High Inquisitor Moonlight Ephemera. But between you and me kid, she's got a stick up her ass. Way too by-the-books. If we wanna find the guy who did it, we're gonna have to break a few rules."
He leaned back and tapped the recruit's chestplate.
"Stick with me, and we'll catch him. No problem."
"Your confidence is impressive."
The deputy shrugged his shoulders and took on a smug smile. "What can I say? I'm Deputy Inquisitor Dark. I'd say I've earned the right to be confident."
The recruit's ears perked up.
"I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"
The deputy turned around and thumped his chest. "Dominus Dark, second in command. You'd best remember my name, rookie. You'll be hearing it a lot after I get promoted."
The recruit nodded and smiled. The flashing light of the magical barrier reflected off of his long, white fangs. A cold sensation ran down the deputy's spine. This new guy was kind of creepy.
"I-it's right up there." The deputy pointed up the side of the building with a trembling forehoof. He sniffled and wiped away the snot dripping out of his nose.
The two of them stood by Canterlot Station, in an alley adjacent to the backside of the building. The station's stone walls were tall and featureless, save for the windows lining the upper floors.
"Ephemera's office is the middle window on the second floor. I-I can help you find a ladder if you need it."
The recruit shook his head. "No thank you, Deputy. You've been more than enough help."
He turned to the shaking officer and put a hoof on his shoulder. The older-looking stallion flinched at the contact.
"Just remember what we agreed."
The deputy shook his head furiously. "I never saw you. Never heard of you. A-and I had a change of heart about the whole protection money thing. I gotta turn myself in, become a new man!"
The recruit nodded. "That's right. After you do your time, you're gonna be a model police officer. Because you know what will happen to you if you don't."
The deputy stayed silent, staring at the recruit with bulging eyes.
"Oh? You don't? I suppose that's fine too. Maybe it's scarier that way. Get the hell out of here."
The deputy ran down the alley, his hooves skittering across the slick concrete. He turned the corner and fled to the safety of the station, never looking back.
The recruit shook his head to himself. An officer of the law who was both a coward and a crook. It made him sick. Criminals, he could handle. It was their job to play the part of the lawbreakers. But nothing was worse than an actor who didn't know their lines.
He lifted his helmet from his head and ran a hoof through his thick black mane. There were more important things to worry about now. His eyes turned upwards, back towards the window on the second floor. The lights were off. With any luck, that meant nopony was home.
Still, flying up there would make too much noise. He'd have to think of a different way up.
His horn glowed a dim purple and the window slowly slid itself open. The recruit took a deep breath and braced himself. Time to see if old dogs can learn new tricks.
A dark haze slowly formed around his body. His form gradually turned translucent as the black cloud grew thicker and larger. The last traces of his physical form dissolved into the air. He had disintegrated himself into a cloud of smoke. To say it was a strange experience would have been an understatement.
The black cloud glowed purple and began to spin, spiraling up into a hazy tendril of smoke that reached into the open window. The room filled with a dark haze as more and more of himself entered inside.
The cloud suddenly collapsed violently in a swirl inside the room. The recruit collapsed against the floor and pressed a hoof against his chest, heaving for air.
"Need... more practice... "
He pulled himself back up and wiped the sweat out of his eyes. The recruit took a look around the room he was in.
Some nice-looking wooden couches and tables, an oil lantern hanging in the center of the room, and a huge oak desk placed right by the window. He walked to the desk and ran a hoof across its surface. It looked like a failed art project, with papers and clippings scattered about seemingly at random.
His horn emitted a low purple light. If he was sneaking around, he wouldn't take any chances with the oil lantern. A simple spell would let him see in the dark.
He looked back down at the desk with his newly enchanted eyes and sighed. It wasn't any less messy in the light than in the dark.
Suddenly, the door to the room flew open and bright orange light streamed into the room. The recruit quickly dissolved into smoke and clung to the room's ceiling. A muscular batpony mare walked quickly into the room carrying a document folder, not bothering to light the ceiling lantern as she made her way to the desk.
The mare coughed into her forehoof. She looked up at the ceiling, and somehow he felt his nonexistent blood freeze in his nonexistent veins.
"Gods be damned, who left this fucking window open! Now my office is filled with smog! Great."
She slammed the window shut and turned the security latch. The mare tossed the folder onto the desk's messy surface and left, slamming the door shut behind her.
The recruit retook his shape, though not quite as fast as last time. He looked over the folder the mare had left on the desk.
'Homicide Case Notes'
He raised his eyebrows. That must have been the High Inquisitor.
His horn glowed as he magicked the folder open. Its' contents flicked into the air as he ran his eyes over each sheet of paper. After several minutes of reading, the papers dropped back into the folder and he let out a long sigh. The recruit's opinion of the Canterlot Police Department was hitting an all-time low.
"No ID on the victim, no leads or suspects, and no idea what any of these symbols mean. These batponies are truly a force to be reckoned with."
The case files had included several photographs of the alley and a few of the corpse itself. They showed strange glyphs in dark green paint drawn in seemingly deliberate positions, yet they were unfamiliar to him. It was like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle in the dark.
The recruit snapped to attention. Someone was coming this way, he could feel their presence through the wall. Someone full of... disgust? Anxiety? Was this the same pony he'd felt all that fear from in the castle? That probably wasn't a good sign.
He quickly approached the door and pressed himself against the wall beside it. The sound of heavy hoofsteps grew closer to the office and then stopped. Two loud knocks sounded through the door. The recruit held his breath. Another two knocks came soon after.
The door quickly swung open, almost hitting him where he stood. Someone walked into the room and the door shut behind them. Damn, he'd missed his window to slip out and now he was out in the open. The tall pony who had entered the office only had to turn around to see him crouched by the wall.
The recruit began dissolving his body, sending his aerosol form through the slot under the door. Slowly, carefully, deliberately. If he was discovered now the whole city would think he was the killer, and the true perpetrator would never face justice.
Black smoke filled the hallway outside of the High Inquisitor's office. Once he was completely out, the recruit let out the breath he was holding. Or at least he tried to. Instead, his aerosol form collapsed violently into his previous shape of a batpony recruit. He staggered, bracing himself against the wood-paneled wall.
"Gods!", he gasped. The recruit clutched at his chest, over the spot where his heart should have been. He'd reformed too fast. His vision was starting to swirl.
Suddenly, the door the Inquisitor's office opened. A sharp, sweet smell filled his nose as the pony inside stepped into the hallway.
A tall blue mare stood in front of him. Her dark blue mane glittered like the night sky, framing a long black horn. Oily, black raven wings were tucked by her sides. Her flanks were painted black and bore a large soul mark with an image of the moon.
The recruit's mind went blank as he stared at her. Alicorns were nothing if not physically impressive.
She turned to look at him. The movement knocked him from his trance.
"C-can I help you?" Dammit, he was stuttering like a schoolboy.
"Oh! Yes, you can help us." Her voice was strong, if not lacking in authority. "Please, take this."
A familiar folder floated from behind the door, stopping in front of his face. He snatched it out of the air and read the cover. 'Homicide Case Notes'.
"Make a copy of that and have it sent to us at the castle. Return it to Inquisitor Moonlight's desk when you are finished."
The recruit looked back up at her. Was she conducting her own investigation?
"Y-yes ma'am. No problem, ma'am. You can count on me, ma'am." Gods, he was pathetic. His eyes felt like they were vibrating in his head. The mask was starting to slip away.
She gave him a practiced smile and a nod. Taking it as permission to leave, he took off down the hallway with the folder floating behind him.
"Here you are, Your Majesty. The documents you requested."
Her hazy blue eyes focused themselves on him.
"Thhank you, Officer," she murmured as she slid the folder from his hoof. The Princess stumbled into the library, floating a large glass bottle behind her.
The recruit followed her into the library and closed the door behind them. He watched her traipse over to a large wooden desk on the far side of the room, struggling to keep her bottle in the air. His body suddenly shuddered against his will as though it was being affected by magic.
He looked around. Had there been a ward on the library door? Must have been. The recruit realized he probably shouldn't be seen in here.
Bookcases lined the perimeter of the large, circular room. Each one seemed to stretch endlessly towards the sky, disappearing into a black shadowy void. He could detect the faint smell of old parchment and ink.
The sound of shattered glass echoed through the library. The recruit looked over at the Princess, who was attempting to shovel the remains of her bottle into a small pile on the floor. It must have been empty, as the ground seemed mostly dry.
The recruit laughed to himself. The beautiful, elegant Alicorn he'd met at the station was nowhere to be found. It'd be funny if it wasn't so damn sad.
He walked up behind the Princess who was now sitting at one of the large wooden desks. She was going over the case notes, albeit extremely slowly.
"Makes sense to me..."
She was muttering to herself, almost too quietly for him to hear. What made sense to her? If she was reading the same notes he was, then there shouldn't have been anything worth knowing in those documents.
The recruit took a step back. He was in a new city, a new country, a new time. It was becoming clearer that there were things about this place that he wouldn't understand without a guide. Now Oakwood was perfectly fine, nothing wrong with him. But an Alicorn? A Royal Alicorn? Even if she was a drunk, she'd be an extremely helpful ally.
The Princess had started muttering again. He leaned in, trying to understand her.
"These might be... ancient Zebran?"
He glanced around the library. She needed a book an ancient Zebran? He could find her one. Might as well get a headstart on their unestablished partnership.
His form dissolved into smoke and spiraled up towards the ceiling. How many eyes did he need? As many as he could get.
Sections of the cloud began to separate off, curling into spheres. Slowly, the cloud took on a solid shape: a giant mass of hundreds of floating eyeballs, each focused on a different sector of the room.
He counted one hundred and twenty-two books dealing with ancient Zebran civilizations. But which one would she need?
His eyes watched the Princess spin around in her chair and look around the library with tired eyes.
"Gods, this is going to take forever... what was it even called? 'Studies in Ancient Zebran Theology'?"
And there it was in the bookshelf directly above her desk. He could give her the book, and a little wake-up call.
The book glowed with a faint purple light as it was pulled from its spot on the shelf. It tumbled through the air for several seconds, hurtling towards the desk below until it collided with a bang.
The Princess whirled around in her chair with a crazed look on her face. The recruit had to stop himself from laughing. He couldn't afford to be seen. Could you imagine if the Princess looked up and saw a giant, flying sphere of laughing eyeballs all looking at her? It wouldn't go well.
She had started reading the book. For the first time since she'd picked it up, the Princess had set her bottle down on the desk. He couldn't resist. The thin swill he'd gotten from Oakwood hadn't been nearly enough, and whatever she was drinking was strong enough to get an Alicorn drunk.
The recruit took shape back on the library floor. With a flick of his horn, the glass pile on the floor reshaped itself into a dark blue bottle. He scooped it off the floor and clutched it with his hoof. He'd have to time this right.
Suddenly, she leaned back and let out a deep yawn. Her attention was away from the desk. In one smooth motion, he swapped his empty bottle for the full one without making a sound. The recruit took several steps back from the desk before admiring his prize.
"Hmph." The Princess was pouting at her empty bottle with a confused look on her face. He had to stop himself from laughing again.
The bottle tilted back through the air. Clear liquid flowed out of it, through the air and into the back of his throat. He got a mouthful of it before realizing his mistake.
The recruit covered his mouth and raced from the library with the bottle. After taking care to close the door behind him as quietly as possible, he started coughing loudly. The liquid had nearly burned his tongue out of his mouth. This was not a drink for tasting. It was just for getting drunk as quickly as possible. And possibly for disinfecting a hospital.
His head lurched, and he had to catch himself before he fell over. At least it was doing its job well.
Hoofsteps echoed from a doorway further down the hall. Maybe someone needed to speak to the Princess, maybe someone was coming to investigate his coughing. Either way, it was time for him to leave.
The recruit walked through the doorway closest to him, which led down another hallway. This one was longer and much taller. He stepped onto a bright red carpet that ran through its center.
Moonlight streamed through stained glass windows, coloring the scene with strange, dazzling shades of blue. Each window had its own image, and its own story to tell.
He stepped off the carpet to get a better look. The sound of his light hoofsteps echoed against the granite, traveling down the long castle hallway. The recruit walked slowly, admiring the massive stained-glass images in the windows. Each one seemed to show some important event in the country's history, and many of them seemed relatively new.
A few near the beginning showed two Alicorns, most likely the Royal Twins he'd heard about. The images were incredibly realistic. He'd met the black one, Luna, but the white one seemed more imposing. More powerful. Maybe a little more beautiful. He wondered if that was the truth, but doubted it. An artist's biases will always be reflected in their work, and from what he'd heard from the barkeeper, most ponies preferred day to night.
The rest of the windows all reflected six other ponies. Always the same six. Yet at some point, one of them changed.
"A new Alicorn... "
The words filled him with excitement, sending tingles down to his hooves. His fears of having entered a stagnant age were blown away. More Alicorns means more excitement. Maybe even a new apprentice.
The recruit took another sip from the bottle, careful not to let it hit his tongue. He was feeling a lot less worried about being a part of this new age. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad.
He approached the end of the hallway, capped by a pair of massive red doors. Those six ponies had been busy, defeating threat after threat after threat. The last window looked only a few months old, but the image it showed him made his mouth run dry.
The six ponies from before were all arranged neatly in a circle, standing triumphantly against the colorful background. They stood tall with raised heads and straightened backs. Yet now all of them had changed.
"S... six... ?" Air leaked uselessly from his mouth. He could feel each link in his spine tighten together, chattering nervously against one another.
They all stood together, wings flared and horns high. It was clear that the world today was nothing like he remembered it. This... was the Age of the Alicorn.
Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. The Princess passed through the hallway at the far end, looking a little worse than he'd remembered. She hid her mouth with a forehoof and let out a large yawn.
If she was going back to her room, they'd have a real chance to talk. The recruit grinned. Time to formally start this partnership.