Nightshade: Death of a Psychic

With a jolt, Nightshade crashed heavily into the ground. It was nigh pitch black if he had to guess, it had to be roughly midnight.

"Sh-shit," He swore Discord's device was getting lazier and lazier. "I need to calibrate that thing... If that's even possible. How do you calibrate something that literally bends reality?"

He stood, shaking his head and brushing off his clothes. Where the hell even am I? He took a quick glance around and felt his neck hairs stand on end. The labs... It gave him chills just remembering the whole ordeal. Why am I here? I was at home after the Gala... After... He felt his anger boiling. After she let Ace die. He could still see the smirk on Totoro's face as he was forcefully escorted out of the castle.

Her days are numbered.

The unicorn looked down to his forearm, the multipurpose device looked slightly tarnished as if the metal had been overexposed. In some areas, it looked burned actually.

What? This makes no sense! What changed?

By this point he'd caught on, Discord's device would give him the second chances he desired but something would be different. Yet he couldn't place his finger on it, what had changed?

A few hours and a long train ride later, Nightshade had arrived back in Ponyville with the sun just beginning to rise. He left the station and even though it was early there were ponies milling about already, however, as Nightshade walked through he could feel eyes on him the whole time. He couldn't understand why, he wasn't a stranger, after all, everypony in town knew him or knew of him. He hurried home, avoiding eye contact.

He threw open his front door, "Hey guys! I'm back!"

Silence greeted him momentarily.

He heard a gun cock and a voice call from the living room, "Yer tresspassin'! I suggest you..."

A familiar figure rounded the corner in a cream turtleneck and jeans, the sleeves were rolled up to the elbows.

He watched as Strike dropped her rifle, it clattered loudly as she fell silent.

"You... You aren't real."

It almost hurt Nights as her voice almost trembled, her mane wasn't as vibrant as he remembered it being. The thin streaks of white more clear and her hand that had held the gun a moment ago were heavily bandaged. Her eyes shone momentarily with recognition.

"Strike... What the fuck happened to you?"

She ignored what he said as she slowly took a step back, her voice began to rise with anger and hatred. Nightshade looked nervous as he could see the fire in her eyes. "You're supposed to- You're dead. I was there, I attended your fucking funeral. Is this some sick prank? You a fucking changeling? I knew it! You fuckers can't get enough when somepony's in pain!"

"Strike," Nightshade extended a hand towards her as a calming motion to prevent her from doing anything rash, he gently used his foot to scoot the discarded rifle away from the ageing captain. The last thing he wanted to do was have to fight her, "Strike I need you to calm down. You're clearly stressed and not thinking straight, you're not making any sense. What the hell do you mean, 'I'm supposed to be dead-' "

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Strike charged him like an angry bull, she slammed him into the wall with her shoulder knocking the wind out of him before pinning him to the floor. She retrieved the rifle and chambered a round fluidly, "You have three seconds before I place a hot .45 between yer fuckin' eyes! Prove it! Prove you're real!"

The barrel was pressed to his skull as Strike huffed angrily, he squeezed his eyes closed.

"Toro was at the Gala! You had to take Sioux with you! You warmed up to him throughout the night! You went with Struck and I know that you and her hooked up that night!"

He heard the mare's breath hitch and the rifle was easied off his head. That last one had been a guess, but knowing Strike it was not possible she passed up on the opportunity. He thanked his lucky stars that he kept tabs on all his friends. She still straddled him, however, not allowing him to stand.

"Then how are you here?" She still looked angry. "Last I recalled, Ace had come back from someplace he refused to name, alone. He wouldn't stop crying about monsters and that you blew up."

Nightshade sighed, "The labs. I must've stayed too long, got caught in the blast then."

So that's what happened. I can only imagine what hell Ace went through after an experience like that.

"So what saved you?"

Strike's question was expected but still caught him off-guard.

"This device put me in stasis. Kept me alive." He lied as he held up his left arm. He couldn't tell her the truth, at least not if he didn't want a bullet in the head.

"I can't imagine how painful it might have been. I've seen the crater." She got off him and helped him to his feet.

"Shit, if you reacted like this I can't imagine telling everyone else. But, why were you here?"

"Struck and I fought." She held up a bloody bandaged hand, when Nightshade looked closer she had bandages on her neck too. She had a fresh scratch across her cheek, it looked almost like claws... "I decided to give her space. I crashed here, you should- fuck... You should really lock the doors man..."

She trembled as she limped painfully to the couch and collapsed with a pained sigh.

"Shit are you alright?" Nights rushed over to her side.

"I'll- I'll be alright. If you've got some painkillers in the house that'd be nice. I'm a bit sore from Struck and that little fight over there."

"Struck must be an animal huh?"

Strike was silent for a moment as she frowned at the ceiling, "More than you know."

That hung on Nightshade's mind as he made a bee-line for the bathroom.