Leap of Faith: Wolokai Vs. Life

by Wolokai

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Adventure, Derpy Hooves, Sex, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Doctor Whooves, Sad, Other, Romance, Original Character
Length: 28621

The final Leap of Faith! What will Wolokai do when faced with the ultimate foe, Himself!

(Rainbow Vs. Wild ---> Octavia Vs. Rave ---> Shyness Vs. Kindness ---> Twilight Vs. The Great and Powerful
---> Generosity Vs. Laughter --> Wolokai Vs. Life.)

The final story...the final words...the final Leap of Faith.

Say Goodbye....to the Fourth Wall.

Wolokai is a nice, quiet colt living in the north side of Ponyville with Vinyl Scratch and Octavia. He's famous around the town as 'The Writer', the sole colt who produced the Leap of Faith and Pinkamena series that has taken the town by storm. Behind his smile, under his skin however...a dark depression racks at his very soul. Gripped by the crushing emotions of Pain, Fear, and Loneliness, Wolokai can't come to terms with mortality, unwilling to succumb to the greatest foe in Life: Death.

Nothing however, can prepare Wolokai for the horrifying nightmare that has yet to come, when a darkness beyond the edges of Equestria threatens to destroy everything he knows and holds dear to his heart by plunging him into the place he fears and dreads the most...his own MIND!

Can his best friend Doctor Whooves figure out a way to reach the colt before it is too late?
Can Wolokai navigate the hellish landscape that is his own mind, and find a way home?
Can the truth behind the Pinkamena Universe finally be revealed?!

It's an all star cast, with returning ponies such as the Detective White Quill, Hydro Gen of Old Ponyville, Dimitri Snowvalker, DJ Shake N' Bake, and more! Come with us, as we journey from the clouds to the depths of hell, to the foggy streets of Silent Ponyville, through the deadly winter plague-lands of the dreaded Koltzan, and even through the wretched, nuclear wasted land of Old Ponyville to discover the truth shrouded in darkness.

It's time everypony, to buckle your seat belts and prepare for Wolokai's ultimate and final Leap of Faith: HIS OWN!

Beware, however....as sometimes it's better to be lost in the fog of ignorance...then to have the truth revealed...a truth that will rock and shake you to your very soul.

The reasons, the signs, the numbers...all shall be tied together, all shall be answered.

So read on..........if you dare.

(As an added bonus, I've even received special permission from Jake Heritagu and Aurora Dawn to reference Silent Ponyville and Rainbow Factory!!! WOO HOO! I know it may seem like a bit of a 'Mary Sue', but I'm going to try my best to make this run smoothly! All credit to any related fanfics, pictures, music, anything are properties of their respective owners and I in no way own any of it.)

Published 2012-02-27 00:54:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-05-12 10:20:13 UTC

[Prolouge] - The Whispers of the Everfree --

Everfree Forest - Far Northern Border - 50+ miles from Ponyville

"They say a pony's life is measured by how he sets his hoofprints in the soft mold of the world. I guess by that logic you could say life is like...art. Yeah...art. Sometimes art is beautiful...while other times it is horrifying. Could you say that...maybe, the world...the universe maybe, is like a big giant museum? What...an insane concept that is. How in the hell did it ever come to th-

"Captain Kolokai, you're needed down below!" shouted a heavily armored Pegasus from behind. The pony gulped as he watched his Captain stare quietly towards the black horizon, the calm autumn wind lapping gently at his greying mane and soft, weary face. The two of them were standing on the roof of a tower attached to a small stone fort below, spotlights and torches flickering along the walls and battlements of the edge. Even in his late years of life, Captain Kolokai of the Sulvega Solar Flare was still considered by his soldiers a fortress of a stallion. A brutal warrior standing ten feet tall, his emerald eyes so dark in color that some may very well mistake them for black. His entire body was plated with the pearly white armor of the Sulvega, patterns of the sun's rays etched into the plating that gave off the impression of a beautiful sunset, or a warm sunrise. Along the back plating, near his flank however, one feature stood out from the rest. A feature more prominent and even more majestic (in his soldier's minds at least) then his giant, light-brown wings that rested comfortably against his side.

Talley-marks...numbering themselves across his back and flank at least a hundred strong. To the Pegasus watching him, the marks were a display of many things, honor and glory the largest of them all. He could even go as far as to recall specific marks in his armor as a few of the battles he had participated in with the Captain. The mark eight inches down from the base of his tail...the Battle of Stalliongrad. The mark four inches to the left and down six from this...the Battle of Aegis Island. As the soldiers eyes trailed over his commanding officers campaign, the stallion let out a deep, gruff sigh and whispered to the wind "Seargent Sura...what is the statis..."

Sura, armored in a smaller version of Kolokai's armor, cleared his throat and tore his eyes from his Captain's crude 'medals'. "Perimeter is secure, as always. Lights are operating at maximum usage but the generator will cave within an hour...no sign of the Lunar Sh-"

He was cut off by the rough grunting of Kolokai's throat, followed by his loud, overbearing words "I am aware of the situation concerning the force, the defenses, and the enemy who even now watches us and circles us like merciless griffons chasing a wounded deer. You know that I did not ask about this." Sura blinked for a moment before silently opening his mouth and making a quiet 'Oh...' with his voice.

The sergeant tapped the ground in front of him nervously for a moment before he spoke. The edge in his voice was apparent...an edge that Kolokai knew instantly, as fear. "Private Volokai...um...he's down below. He's requested your presence down below sir."

"Ah..." Kolokai whispered, a smile stretched out on his lips "My wonderful son...I presume Lady Selena is ready?"

At this, Sura nodded and growled "Yes sir! It is time, and the enemy seems to have sensed it as well. Our unicorns are detecting movement just beyond the walls...they are coming."

Kolokai nodded slightly, turning his head towards the Pegasus and shouting "Lead the way soldier! The stars are aligned in our favor tonight and by the Goddess's I will not be denied this now! Life shall be born amongst this death tonight, and I will NOT let these demon worshiping bastards take this last shred of happiness I have left away from me!"

As the two descended down the stairs of the tower, an overwhelming loud cry of a siren blared out over the fortress. "The siren!" Sura shouted, running behind the Captain "Somepony's got to hear that! Please somebody hear that! It's the only way we can call for reinforcements!!!"

Kolokai burst through the bottom door of the tower and into the courtyard, his voice roaring over the sound of the siren "FORM UP! Form up into your defense groups! Lines Alpha through Delta, the central keep must NOT FALL! Lines Echo and Foxtrot, defend the Spellweavers! They will only have enough time to lead our innocent through their conjured portal before it collapses!"

All around, ponies decked in the same gear as Sura rushed about, forming up in front of the large, square-shaped keep that rested in the very center of the courtyard. Once the formations had been made, and the main door to the keep locked and secured, Kolokai took his position in front of his soldiers and narrowed his eyes towards the walls. The ponies looked around nervously as the lights began to flicker, the spotlights dimming into darkness and the torches blowing out from sudden gusts of wind. The siren itself even began to whir down and let out a long, guttural whine. Sura took his place next to the steady Captain, his breath slightly panicked as Kolokai whispered "Goddess's above...watch over my son and his beautiful wife...watch over the refugees from the North Villages...please let our efforts be not in vain...and by all that is holy please...please let my grandson be a blessing of life amongst the last torrents of death that I shall unleash tonight."

Sura took a deep breath, comforted slightly by the Captain's selfless prayer for his loved ones and their charges. As Sura began to utter his own, Kolokai growled with a menacing, threatening tone and whispered "Goddess's above....they are here....."

~~~

"Push!!!! PUSH!!!! Milady Selena you must push!!!"

"Nnnn...nnnnaaaAARRRRRGGHH!!!"

Inside the keep, in the deep bowels of the basement, a beautiful, slender mare of a light brown color with a yellowish mane screamed and held on tightly to an armored colt and a mare that were situated on both sides of her. A third mare was situated down between her rear legs, her eyes flicking up towards the expecting mares and back down to where even a colt in fresh, undamaged Solar Flare armor could not look. He was a dark brownish color, his emerald eyes looking away as the mare gripped onto his hoof tighter and roared in pain. "V...Volo...baby it hu-ARRRRRGH!!!" Selena screamed, her head tilting back as she cried out in pain. The armored colt, Volokai, winced as Selena wept and tried her best to push as the mares instructed her to.

On the far side of the room, a group of four Spellweavers quickly muttered several incantations and spells, a bright violet glow forming in the center of their group.They were unicorns, and according to his father Kolokai, Volo knew them as the most elite of the Sulvega Solar Flare. It was only a few minutes past since the siren from above died, giving way to the sounds of ferocious fighting above. Sounds of death and slaughter could be heard floating down the stairs, drawing nervous glances from the other four soldiers strewn out across the room who were watching the rest of the refuges huddled in the far corner of the room.

The sounds of the keep door exploding were even muffled in comparison to the horrid screeching of Selena, the mare kneeling in front of her shouting "Almost there! Almost there keep pushing! Oh he's so beautiful Selena keep pushing! He's coming Selena you're almost there, you'll see him soon just give me one more good push!!!"

Volokai jumped as the door leading towards the cellar stairs opened, a bloodied and savaged Sura limping in. The Seargent bucked the door shut behind him and shouted as blood dripped from his forehead "Spellweavers! I need that portal up, NOW! The enemy is breaking through!"

As if on cue, the Spellweavers let out a great shout and jumped backwards as a purple circle gleamed and formed from the floor of the cellar. The refugees were quick to their hooves, rushing towards and into the portal as the guards tried their best to barricade the door. It was just as Selena let forth her final scream of agony that the door started to get pounded from the other side. The dreaded, savage growling hissing towards the defenders on the other side. In the next instant...time seemed to slow for Volokai as the door was blown violently off its hinges, the sounds of a crying, baby pony hitting his ears like a freight train...a board from the shattered door hitting him with a force that could rival even the strongest of bucks. As he fell backwards, his vision blackening....he could hear the faint whisper of the wind through the deep stone cracks of the walls. A voice.....a word....a simple...little word.................a name...

Wwwoooooooooolooooooookaaaaaaai....

"My son....on this day....the day you were born...your grandfather Kolokai fought to the death to ensure that everypony in that fortress could escape to safety. His sacrifice, was not in vain...as you were born, another son to the great Kurr line. It was if your very ancestors were with us that day...watching over your innocent form and repelling you from the darkness that had sought to destroy us. From the moment you were born...it was if your beautiful, new life repelled the dark, evil death that sought to claim us all. I could hear the wind whisper to me our legacy...your future....

My son....the day you were born, the very forests of the Everfree whispered the name......

........Wolokai.

Some Brony presents....

The Final Chapter of 'Leap of Faith'

Wolokai KuRR...in...

Leap of Faith: Wolokai Vs. Life

[The Arc of Life] - 01 - A Pony not yet Sleeping

Enter...Life

The time...the time of sweet, beautiful dawn. This is the time when the whispering winds of Luna's beautiful night begin to subside, to hush their lullabies that carry the peaceful, slumbering ponies across their dreams of life, happiness, and good fortune. The time when the night still holds its shadowy veil across the green fields of Equestria, but lightens, beckoning forth a new dawn in the age of her majesty, Princess Celestia.

The stars twinkle, just faintly, overhead. Their bright dance across the skies coming to a close as the black void of the sky begins to brighten, revealing the dark blue hue of an awakening sky. The hour of Night was coming to a close, the hour of Dawn approaching quickly. Already above the pearly white towers of the city Canterlot, the clouds of dark grey that carried with it the whispers of the night began to fade and dissapear. The preparations were coming together, and for anypony awake...one could almost certainly taste the essence of magic in the air.

Of course...nopony would be awake at this hour...no...not any pony of regular statis or life. There were only a very select few who stood in the coldness of the night, embracing Luna's wonderous and awe-inspiring majesty in full and unhindered view. These ponies numbered twenty this night, twenty-one for this special occasion. Standing...watching...guarding...with their gleaming white armor sparkling in the glow of the full moon that cast its own kind of radiance across the world. Upon their flanks of armor, their chest-pieces of interpenetrate might, the symbols and marks of Dawn and Dusk were displayed, giving all who looked upon these warriors a sort of ceremonial display of the time lapse of a single day.

The Solar Flare...the strongest, bravest warriors of Canterlot and across most of known Equestria, stood ever watchful over the slumbering city. Their eyes traveled slowly across the marble buildings...their delicately crafted designs displaying years and years of history and lore of the modern world. For some, eyes were settled on houses or apartments, wondering if their little foals and fillies were asleep safe and sound or if their wives or husbands were getting a decent nights rest without them, hoping that they were not to filled with worry. Warriors they were, of course...trained to kill all those who would attempt to bring harm to Equestria, and charged with defending the innocents inhabiting the far-stretching land.

Though they are warriors, one mustn't forget what lies beneath the stone cold layers of their armor. Family ponies, workers, farmers. They were ponies just like any other, with lives that they wanted live, and memories they wanted to create. Memories often heard and shared at the mess hall table in the Eastern Wing of The Canterlot Citadel, a large, square tower next to the Royal Castle and which housed the Solar Flare. It was in this place that tales of valor and victory were told and shared, songs sung in the name of Celestia, and prayers muttered to the Princesses in hopes of a easy, death-free day.

Yes...it was these memories that brought the Solar Flare closer together as a family...and it was these memories that a certain Captain now reflected on as he stood on one of the far balconies in the Royal Castle, overlooking the city and the town of Ponyville beyond. His armor had been refitted and damaged so many times, one could hardly believe that the pony wearing it came out of any sort of conflict alive. Across his flank-armor, forty-four tally-marks shone in the light of the fading moon, a testament to his dedication and perseverance in the heat of combat. His most recent...The Battle of Manehatten, in which he personally walked and charged through the chaotic streets of utter anarchy in attempts to subjugate a renegade army of militia, bound to a tyrannical colt who now lay rotting (he hoped) in the dungeons of Canterlot.

His form was calm and still, unlike his dark brown wings that moved gently at the whispering kisses of the wind that floated past the edges of the balcony. The scar near his eye was still prominent, adding a level of respect and honor to his features in addition to the gleaming emerald that made up the color of his tired eyes. His helmet lay at his front hooves, allowing his medium-length, brown-swirled hair to flicker and move about in the wind. He stared across the world, the memories and stories of his warriors floating by and filling him with a sense of accomplishment, a sense of hope.

Hope that he could use for a variety of things, like his soldier's survival, his own ability to operate and function as a good Captain...and hope for his dear son.

The Captain frowned slightly, staring towards the far, shadowed form of Ponyville that had yet to awaken from its nightly slumber. He sighed, bowing his head forward slightly and closing his eyes, ready to mutter a quiet prayer for his young son, hoping that he will be guided towards a bright and healthy future. Just as the quiet whispers of his voice could echo out but a single word...a sound of soft...twinkling, could be heard down the halls.

Curious, the Captain quickly leaned his head further down and whisked up his helmet in his teeth, plopping it quickly over his head and trotting back into the Castle. He followed the sound down the outer halls, turning a corner around and looking towards a small, wooden door that lay open further down the hall. "The Circle of Solaris and Night Fire..." whispered the stallion, his hoofsteps quietly clopping across the shimmering marble that was still slightly glowing from the warmth of stars that had yet to lay themselves to rest. He approached the door quickly, the voices of two ponies he knew echoing forth from the open door way as the music changed...as if it were being created by the air and sky themselves...

"Oh hear me lovely night...
With your glowing light...
Hush now Moon, my friend...
For night has come to an end.."

The Captain poked his head quietly around the frame of the door as the second pony quietly whispered out towards the east mountains, their edges beginning to glow with a majestic red.

"Oh hear me lovely day...
Warm with glowing rays...
Rise now sun my friend...
For night has come to an end..."

Ponies they may be...but Princesses above all they were. Situated on a circular platform jutting out from the main structure of the castle, stood Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, with the Lady of Day facing the east and the Lady of Night facing the west. Horns gleamed with Solar and Lunar magic, auras cast and glowing orbs of yellow and dark-blue light floating about around them. Over and over they sang to their orbs of majesty, the sun and the moon, coaxing them to bed and coaxing them to rise.

The Captain watched this display in silent wonder, always hearing of the Ritual of Rise and Rest but never having the chance to witness it for himself. A lucky night for him indeed, his eyes fixated on the moon at first. The large white orb sank slowly behind the horizon of the west, the fields no longer graced with the ethereal glow of its surface. Luna blew a soft kiss to the wind as the moon disappeared fully from view, her words an audible whisper to the Captain's ears "Goodnight...my child."

Still mesmerized by the beauty of the Ritual, the Captain turned his head and watched as the glowing morning sun peaked out over the east mountains. The glow of the sun's rays was cast upon the awakening land of Equestria, basking the land little by little in the warmth of Dawn. The Captain smiled as Celestia closed her eyes and let the gleam of the sun shimmer over her sparkling white fur, glinting off of her yellow crown and the purple gem that rested in its center. Her magic subsided and faded as she let out a happy sigh as her face was warmed, uttering the words "Good morning...my child".

As Celestia's magic faded fully, she let out a small chuckle and turned her head towards the door, calling out "And a Good Morning to you Captain Volokai!" Volokai blinked in surprise as Luna looked over, a polite smile on her face that carried with it a look of...sympathy? Volokai could not clearly read her expression, and wondered why it would be that Luna might offer such a gaze to him.

These thoughts quickly retreated back to his mind as formalities took hold, as well as the warm feeling of friendship. He walked forward briskly and knelt, bowing his head in respect as he spoke "Good Morning Princess Celestia, and to you Princess Luna."

Luna remained quiet, her smile still lingering on her face as she gave a single nod and turned her head back towards the West, eyes lingering over the town of Ponyville which had just begun to receive the shining embrace of the Sun's rays. Celestia chuckled and waved her hoof about, as if to scold an act of nonsense "Oh stop with the formalities Volokai, you need not be so official in the waking hours, we are all much to tired for such displays I'm sure!"

"Of course Milady, my apologies" Volokai muttered, getting back up to his hooves as Celestia shook her head, her glowing face adding a sense of comfort and warmth to her soft, kind smile and the delicate features of her eyes.

"Oh Volokai" she chuckled, casting a sideways glance towards the observant Luna "Apologies are not necessary. Tell me, how went the night shift?"

Volokai shrugged, looking towards Luna and following her gaze quietly to the town of Ponyville. Why did she stare at it so...was there something there that he could not see with mortal eyes? "Fairly well" he finally answered, his eyes meeting with Celestia's once again "The Castle was quiet, and there were no disturbances to be reported."

Celestia nodded and held a hoof out towards him in a comforting gesture, whispering "Thank you Captain...go get some sleep. You and your guard have earned it for the night."

Volokai smiled slightly, nodding and retreating backwards with a bow as he whispered "Yes Milady, thank you and good morning..."

Celestia nodded to him once, her head dipping slowly forward and back up. She watched as he retreated inside the halls of the Castle, the oak doors quietly shutting behind him and the sigh of Luna lingering over the freshly shaken wind. "Dear sister" Celestia whispered, turning her head quietly to allow her eyes to settle over the watching Luna "What is wrong? Why do you stare at Ponyville with such intensity?"

Luna did not respond at first, her smile all but gone now, replaced with a sad frown and weary, concerned eyes. When she did, her voice seemed weak, and soaked with the feelings of worry "The Captain was not happy...he was worried. Again he failed to inform you how the shift went for him as a pony and not as a job for a soldier."

Celestia nodded quietly at this, her eyes looking away momentarily before flicking back to her with words "And you, dear sister? Are you worried as well?" When Luna failed to answer, Celestia quietly walked across the platform and sat beside her on her haunches, staring towards Ponyville herself. She gave the town a good, long look before she let her eyes widen slowly and her breath to utter out words in a wonderous tone "My goodness...is that really..."

"A pony not yet sleeping...yes...yes it is" Luna whispered, her gaze saddened still. "He has yet to lay his weary head to rest...whether it be out of fear or stubbornness I know not. The good Captain knows it as well...that his son has yet to embrace his dreams."

Celestia bowed her head slightly and whispered "I see...what do you believe drives this pony to remain amongst the awakened? Any thoughts?"

Luna shook her head slightly as she said "None...I know not if it is by affliction or something else that drives his eyes open and not closed..." She stopped for a moment to let out a breath of relief, her posture much less tense as she went on "But alas...to bed he goes now."

Celestia smiled, looking towards Luna and whispering "See? All is well now. I see you are still concerned...tell me, would it calm your mind if I were to talk to Volokai when he comes in this afternoon? Maybe see if everything is ok with his son?"

Luna nodded, leaning over and resting her cheek against the warm fur of her sister's neck. She let out a tiny yawn and whispered sleepily "Yes...I would be most appreciative. For now though...my own sleep calls for me. Enjoy your day my sister, and rouse me when there is need of my presence."

Celestia responded by giving her a slight nuzzle of a cheek across the top of her star-lit mane and head, dismissing her to her quarters. As Luna left, Celestia's gaze slowly turned back towards Ponyville, her eyes centering on a house she knew to be the home of Octavia C. Sharpe and Vinyl Scratch...and also to a third. She stared quietly at the house with a look of curiosity more then worry, whispering to herself as the sun rose ever higher behind her

"Oh little one...what pains you so...why do you stay awake when all others have gone to bed?"

~~~

The colt groaned, his brown hoof wearily moving the mouse of his computer over towards 'Save' and then to 'Publish', the quiet clicks of the buttons barely audible through the quiet, dimly lit room that he called his own. He sighed as he finished his work and turned off his machine, his brown wings fluttering as he hopped from his chair. He approached his small, unmade bed with tired hooves, his emerald colored eyes blood-shot and drooping. With sluggish movements, he slipped off his black-banded watch and placed it on the table, setting his alarm clock which rested next to it for the time 1:42 P.M.

His black colored vest was next to go, the fabric peeling away from him and falling to the floor in a rumpled mess. With no other barriers holding him back, the weary colt fell upon his bed, his back hitting the soft fabric with a muffled 'thump', and let sleep take him in a hurry. His facial expression turned peaceful soon after, the clock next to his bed blipping to 5:56 A.M.

It was a customary thing, to fall to sleep at such an hour, and to be fully unaware of his bedroom door opening. A mare of gray color and a black mane quietly tip-toed across the soft carpet, careful not to arouse the freshly snoozing colt. She would always check up on him once he had gone to bed, to be sure he was ok and sleeping well. She gently leaned over his body, taking his blanket in her teeth and gently pulling it over him up to his neck. She took a step back for a moment, smiling at him like a mother would her foal, before leaning back forward and planting a soft kiss on his forehead. She quietly turned and headed for the door, stopping at its entrance for a brief moment and taking the time to whisper back towards the sleeping Pegasus who lay in his peaceful slumber.

Octavia's words were quiet indeed, her soft voice lingering in the air as she whispered quietly before leaving the room to start her day, and bid her friend's a good end.

"Good Morning, dear Wolokai."

(Wouldn't you know it's 4:43 A.M. when I finish this? Gah, sleep, COME HITHER! *Facedesk / zzzzZZZzzzz.....*)
http://askwolokai.tumblr.com/

[The Arc of Life] - 03 - A Dark History

"Muffin?"

"No no Ditzy, marshmallows."

"But...why no muffin?"

"Because dear, muffins and ice cream simply do not go together!"

"But I wuv muffins!"

A light brown colt sighed, his dark brown, spiked up mane getting brushed as he ran a hoof through it in slight bewilderment. His cutie-mark of an hourglass bounced as he paced in front of the front counter which held 3 ceramic bowls on its top. Doctor Whooves and Ditzy Doo were patiently waiting for Wolokai to arrive at the Timely Antiques Shop, a store Whooves ran in the eastern portion of Ponyville. It was filled with many old and broken down pieces of furniture, tools, and other miscellaneous items that ranged from old stoves to polished, shining flutes.

"Where is that colt?" Whooves sighed, his tummy slightly rumbling due to the lack of attention. He stopped his pacing for a moment to sit down on his haunches and watch Ditzy Doo spin around on one of the small bar-stools, her overjoyed voice floating about the shop.

"Wooooowooooowoooo!!!! I'm a spinning muffin top!" She shouted, laughing and squeeing with glee as she spun around.

"Well..." Whooves said, a small smile creeping on his face "At least you're doing the spinning before the ice cream and not AFTER! I'm not sure the shop could handle such a mess!"

The two of them laughed as the front door to the shop opened, the tiny bell just above it jingling loudly. "Hey! Sorry I'm late, Sykes had me run some last-minute packages real quick" Wolokai sighed, wearily trudging into the shop and towards a happy looking pair of ponies.

"Oh nonsense, these things happen." Whooves muttered in a comforting manner, putting a hoof on his shoulder as he moved by into the open hooves of an eager Ditzy Doo.

She pulled him in quickly and gave him a loving hug, holding him tightly and giggling "There you are Big Muffin! I was wondering where you had cartwheeled to! Did you do a good job in the bakery today?"

Wolokai chuckled, calmly breathing in the muffin-like smell that was buried in his friend's coat. He felt so at ease now...away from work...away from stress...away from writing. In her hooves, he felt...safe. Safe from all the nerve-racking emotions he had been facing for awhile now, and away from the sleepless nights.

"Well now!" Whooves exclaimed, moving back behind the counter and dissapearing into the back room "How about some of that ice cream?!"

~~~

"I love my friends..." Wolokai breathed, walking through the darkened streets of Ponyville. It had been a few hours since he had arrived at the Antiques Shop, and with the sun going down and belly full of ice cream, it was safe to say that Wolokai was calling it a day. The street lamps flickered slightly as he made his way down the street, a light wind blowing about and gracing his mane and coat gently. The further he walked, however, the more and more the back of his mind started to re-produce all the emotions he had been trying to run away from. As his heart sank, he could only thank Celestia that his appointment with the doctor was bright and early tommorow, before he had to go to college.

He turned a corner, and immediately spotted the red outline of a stallion standing farther down the street. His black beanie was pulled firmly over his head, and his expression was as stone cold and emotionless as ever. Big Macintosh was standing guard at the top of the staircase leading down to Vinyl's Cage Corral, looking towards the large line that was starting to form on his right and sighed.

Wolokai trotted up the street, his hooves clopping loudly against the pavement and sending echoes of sound across the area. He gave and received a nod from Big Macintosh as he went by, moving up into the darkened parts of the street, all the lights above flickering or shutting off. The wind from before seemed to grow in strength, pushing adamantly at the Pegasus as he caught sight of Vinyl and Octavia's house towards the end of the street.

Just as he moved past Bon Bon's shop, he stopped, his ears perking. The wind howled, pushing at the trees and gently pushing at the clouds, moving them in front of the full moon to cover the town in darkness. The colt shifted his eyes to the left and right nervously, his heart thudding in his chest. Although the wind was picking up in volume, it carried with it some kind of...weird music.

The Pegasus looked around cautiously, his heart beat thudding louder. The music sounded as if it was coming from somewhere behind Bon Bon's shop, floating forth from some kind of alleyway to its left. For a moment, the lullaby of music seemed to mesmerize him, drawing him closer into the dark shadows of the alley. His heartbeat thudded like the sound of tribal drums as he made his way down the blackened alley. He rounded the corner at the back of Bon Bon's shop, catching sight of a few rusted dumpsters and the wooden steps that led up to the back door of the store, along with the wooden fence that outlined the back of the lot. A few old pieces of furniture and baking supplies were strewn about in front of the dumpsters, and it was near one of these trash containers that the music seemed to float from.

"H...hello?" Wolokai whispered, his voice weak and tinged with fear. His breath came out in a vaporous steam as the temperature started to drop, drawing a light shiver across his skin under his fur. As he approached the dumpster...the music stopped. Even the sound of the howling wind stopped, despite the fact that the trees and his mane continued to move and flap from its force. "W...what is this?" he whimpered, staring at the greenish dumpster as a large spot of rust on the dumpster started to grow, the green paint on its sides starting to peel and fall away. As the rust continued to spread, Wolokai quickly turned and move to run back the alley...when he came face to face with a rusted chain-link fence with a deadly coil of razor wire resting at its top.

He gasped, falling back on his haunches and scrambling backwards across the ground. All around him, the area beyond the fencing grew dark as the fences themselves started to fall and peel away into more chain-link. "N...no!" he cried, lifting up his hoof and staring into the glass of his hoof-watch.

1:42 A.M.

"Shit! Shit shit shit! No!!! Not now!!! NO!!!!!" he screamed, falling forward and burying his face in the dirt, covering the top of his head with his front hooves and shaking. As he shook and shivered, the sound of clicking and grinding metal wafted out of Bon Bon's shop...along with the siren.

As the siren blared, Wolokai let out a torrential scream, his ears picking up a distant, fading voice over the screams of the siren.

"...in!"

"...you...ffin!!"

"...uffin!!! Talk to me!!! Please!!!"

"MUFFIN! MUFFIN WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!"

Wolokai gasped for air as he sat up quickly, his chest heaving and his mane damp with sweat. The cold night air bit at him as Ditzy's voice rang out in his ear, the soft touch of her hooves on his fur filling him with slight warmth. "Muffin!? Muffin are you ok?! Why are you sleeping outside!?" she cried, a worried look on her face. Wolokai didn't respond to her right away, taking the moment to look around at her surroundings. He was laying out in the middle of the street, just in front of Bon Bon's shop.

"D...Ditzy Doo" he panted, putting his hooves over his eyes and groaning "Where...what...time is it right now?"

"What!?" She squeaked, looking down at him with worry and concern "What do you mean what time is it? I was flying home from Whooves house when I saw this big puffy cloud up in the sky. I was playing around on top of it and making it into the shape of a muffin when I heard you scream! I flew down and found you twitching and flailing in the road!"

Wolokai's head continued to pound, drawing a frustrated grunt out of his lungs as he half-shouted "Ditzy, please! Just tell me what time it is!"

Ditzy frowned, cocking her head in confusion and looking up towards the Ponyville Clock Tower that rested in the distance. "2:23 A.M.,but what does that have to do with you flailing around in the street!?"

The colt sighed, his breath regulating after a moment as he shakily stood up, leaning his weight partially on Ditzy and whispering "I...I don't know, ok? I don't know what happened...but I need to get home, right now. Help me out?"

"Wolokai maybe we should get you to the clinic...you might be sick!" Ditzy whimpered, helping him along up the street as they neared Vinyl's house.

The Pegasus grunted, weakly pushing open the small wooden gate in front of the house and moving up to the door. Meanwhile, inside in the house, Vinyl sighed and downed the last of her coffee before sharing a tender kiss with Octavia. "I hate working..." Vinyl sighed, setting the mug down on the counter and turning towards the front hall.

"Oh nonsense Vinyl, you love your job! Music's your passion after all!" Octavia giggled, "Wake me up when you come home, ok?"

Vinyl nodded and smiled, giving Octavia one last peck before opening the door with her magic and exclaiming "Of course I will! See you later Octa- WHOA!" She cut herself off as she beheld Ditzy Doo helping in a staggering Wolokai, his mane damp with sweat and his eyes horrifically bloodshot.

"Goodness!" Octavia shouted "What happened!?"

"I don't know!" Ditzy replied, hearing nothing but incoherent mumbling from the drowsy colt "He mentioned something about a doctor's appointment today around 10:00 A.M. as we were coming up to the door! I found him having some kind of...nightmare in the middle of the street!"

Vinyl frowned, helping the two of them to Wolokai's room, and opening the door for them both. Octavia hurried in after them, watching as Wolokai was gently pushed down onto his bed, his vest and watch carefully removed and placed on the floor nearby. "Oh dear..." Octavia mumbled, putting a hoof on his forehead "He doesn't have a fever...doesn't appear to be sick. Maybe it's just the lack of sleep he's been getting...he IS a bit of an unhealthy insomniac..."

"Well let's not go jumping to any conclusions" Vinyl said, turning her head towards Octavia and scratching at her own chin "Wolokai's been in and out of the clinic for a bit, it still could be a disease."

Octavia thought about this for a moment, looking over towards Wolokai before sighing and whispering "I don't think we're going to be able to find out anything until he either wakes up or until after he comes home from the Doctor's."

Vinyl nodded, turning towards the door as she said "Are you going to watch over him Octy?"

This question drew a heavy sigh from the formal mare, her tone one of concern but also dread "I want to...but I have such important meetings with the Symphony group tommorow...I don't know how I'll be able to stay awake if I'm up all night wat-"

"I'll watch him" Ditzy Doo blurted out, cutting Octavia off as she threw up a voluntary hoof. Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other for a moment before looking back at Ditzy and a passed out Wolokai, a look of concern on both of their faces.

"You...sure you'll be ok Ditzy? I know you operate one of the very early shifts down at the mail center" Octavia whispered, a tender hoof resting on Ditzy's back.

"Yes Ma'am!" Ditzy exclaimed, a determined look on her face "I'll watch over the roost while the chicks sleep! Mama Hen will be just fine!"

Vinyl smiled and gave a slight nod as she said "Thanks Ditzy, be sure to wake Octavia up if there's an emergency, ok? I'll catch you all later, I'm late for the Corral"

Octavia watched Vinyl go before turning towards Ditzy and giving her a comforting smile. "Thank you..." she said, letting out a tiny yawn and turning towards the door herself "Good Night Ditzy Doo."

Ditzy Doo nodded, waiting until Octavia had left the room before turning back towards the dozing Wolokai, watching his belly rise and fall with air. She smiled slightly as she looked over him, from his hooves to his messy mane. "Oh Muffin..." she whispered, fanning out her wings and lightly flapping them so that she hovered up into the air. She carefully floated over him, touching down gently on the other side of his bed between him and the wall. Tucking her wings to her side and her hooves underneath herself, she took a good, long look at her beloved's face.

He had been such a good friend to her over the years...and she had always been kind and sweet to him, but more and more she grew increasingly worried about him. Over the past few years Wolokai seemed to be...slipping. His mood was dropping, he was eating less, and sleep had all but escaped him at this point. The more she worried, the more she cared...and the more she tried to be a good friend to the poor colt. As time went on however...Ditzy started to seriously question her feelings for him...noticing that the more time she spent with him, the happier she felt.

Was it because they were best friends? Co-workers? Friends since filly n' foal-hood? Whatever it may be, Ditzy knew in her mind that he needed her, just as she needed him...but the question of 'as what?' always seemed to prod at her mind. She liked him, of course, with their friendship of so many years. But was it possible that she...may be liking him as something more then just a friend?

"Muffin..." she whispered, laying her head down on his neck carefully and brushing the top of her head under his chin. Her eyes drooped until eventually, they closed completely, her mind pulling her into a deep, muffin-filled sleep. It was her minds own way of telling her that the question wasn't important right now.

Whatever feelings she felt for him...it could wait till morning.

~*~

Ponyville Mental Counseling Center - Ponyville - 10:15 A.M.

"Sirens again?"

"Yes...I heard them again..."

"Same time?"

"1:42 A.M. or P.M....it doesn't matter which."

"I see...any trouble sleeping at all?"

"Loads...I haven't had a good nights sleep in awhile...I don't know if it's the writing demand or the Thanatophobia that's doing it..."

Wolokai was resting on his stomach, the soft, velvety texture of his Counselor's couch giving him a slight comfort. It had been around eight or so hours since he was brought home by Ditzy Doo, a mare he had woken up too only that morning. It was a bit awkward, waking up to intoxicating scent of Muffins resting just under your chin. He had looked down to find a sleeping Ditzy Doo resting on him, her drool partially wetting a small part of the colt's chin. He smiled despite this, and gave her a light, squeezing hug before looking towards the clock and reading the time of 9:45 A.M.

By some miracle, he had managed to ninja his way out from underneath the Muffin Mare, cover her with his vest and blankets, and make it towards the office without being late.

"Thanatophobia...you are referring to your fear of death?"The counselor said, adjusting himself on his chair. He was a fairly small-sized unicorn colt, with a coat of blueish fur and a purple mane that semi-matched his eyes. On his face rested a pair of black spectacles which he adjusted and moved on his face every ten seconds at least..something that had come to annoy Wolokai over the many visits he had to this office.

"Yes...the panic attacks have been getting a bit...unsettling." Wolokai sighed, staring towards the far wall as the Counselor made a few notes magically in his file which rested on a desk a few feet behind the couch and chair setting.

He looked up as Wolokai stated this and said "To reiterate, these panic attacks have been happening for a few months now, correct?" A nod out of the Pegasus pushed the Counselor on "Mmhmm, and you are still having problems with these feelings of negativity...loneliness being the top of the list?" Another nod from Wolokai drew a sigh out of the Counselor, who proceeded to shake his head and say "I don't understand Mr.Kurr, you say you are lonely yet you have such wonderful friends. Ms. Scratch, Ms.Sharpe, Ms. Doo, Doctor Whooves, the list goes on! Why would you feel lonely if you have friends?"

"I don't know..." the Pegasus groaned, rubbing at his weary eyes with his hooves "I just feel like...they're distant from me, like something's pulling me away or pushing them away from me."

The Counselor scratched at his chin for a moment before looking towards one of his many art pieces which lined the walls of his office...a theory forming in his mind as he asked "Tell me...about your writing."

"My writing?" Wolokai breathed, looking up towards the Counselor with a questioning frown on his face "What about it?"

"You are getting quite famous for your work, I hear. Very popular amongst some crowds here in Ponyville. Tell me, how did your last story go? What was it called again? I know it was one of the Leap of Faith series."

The Pegasus sighed, rolling over on his back as he spoke up towards the ceiling fan above "Leap of Faith: Generosity Vs. Laughter was the last story I wrote...and I haven't wrote another since, for good reason."

At this, the Counselor nodded, his theory quickly coming true "I see...and why is that? Did something go wrong?"

A sad nod and a sigh escaped Wolokai as he grumbled "I thought it wasn't a good piece of work...and I was a little hard on myself for it."

"I see..." said the Counselor, his hoof gently tipping down his glasses to the near edge of his snout "Well Mr.Kurr that may be the first source of your problem right there. Self-doubt! You're worried that if you start writing again you'll create another 'catastrophe' or what not, correct?" Wolokai nodded and the Counselor went on "And because of this, you're off your game! You enjoy writing, you love writing! Writing is a passion of yours and it's something that makes you smile. Without this, you feel down, without purpose!"

Wolokai groaned "That doesn't explain the panic attacks, or the sirens! What does my writing have to do with that!?"

This is where the Counselor flashed a devious smile and muttered "Well it does, actually... can you tell me about Pinkamena: The Darker Descent?", it's the second installment of your previous series.

The Pegasus raised an eyebrow and muttered "I...could. But I still don't see what that has to do with my panic attacks..."

"Just...trust me on this one" retorted the Counselor, his form leaning back in the chair in attempts to get comfortable.

Wolokai sighed, taking in a breath and letting it out as a defeated sigh before beginning:

"Pinkamena: The Darker Descent, is a continuation of the tale of Pinkamena who in the previous story, savagely murdered several ponies to feed the poor of Hoofington. After she was sent to the moon for her crimes, an evil, chaotic force known only as The Entity, came back with her during her return, and escaped when Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Detective White Quill tried to banish it. From there death and chaos ensue until The Entity's ultimate defeat at the hooves of White Quill..."

"I think I'm starting to see now..." said the Counselor, his hooves pushing the glasses back up his snout "Your writing...is like a safety net, a vacuum of negative feelings. You put all of your dark feelings and pain into your stories, and you use it to distract yourself and detach yourself from the world.To get away from your fear of death and your thoughts of loneliness...you write! It's like your very own stress ball...does that make sense?"

"I...guess so. I don't want to disappoint though...there are a lot of people counting on me to give them a good story...and I'm really sensitive to negativity...that's why I was afraid to keep writing after the last one...I could already hear the critics seething in pain." murmured Wolokai, his wings twitching slightly as he tried to get comfortable.

The Counselor nodded slightly before he spoke "Wolokai criticism shouldn't be taken as an insult. As long as it's constructive, logical, and means well, then you should take it in stride and either use it or leave it for your future endeavors. They're trying to help, not hinder you." Just as Wolokai sighed, the sudden ringing of a bell-clock had the Pegasus jumping, with the Counselor sighing and carefully folding the file into a dark brown folder with his magic. "Well then," he said, hopping off the chair "Time is up I suppose. Same time in two weeks Wolokai?" The Pegasus nodded, hopping off the couch and heading towards the door as the Counselor called after him "Try to get back into writing Wolokai! It'll be therapeutic for you!"

"Yeah...whatever...I'll try to get to it after college..."

The University of Northern Canterlot - Canterlot - 11:45 A.M.

Wolokai kept his head down as he walked through the crowded front hall of the University. All around, ponies ran this way and that with crammed saddle-bags or books floating around them via magic. If anything, the entire area sounded like nothing more then a cheering crowd at a stadium, making his ears partially ring with pain. He quickly took to the air, flapping his wings back and propelling himself forward towards the large staircase. He flew up to the third floor, landing on the slick, polished tile floor with a soft tapping of his hooves. From there, he trotted down the hallway and towards the door with a plaque reading 'Room 223-B: History-Scroll'.

He made his way into the classroom, which was set up like an amphitheater with a large space in the middle for the Professor to walk and move about as he gave his lectures, as well as a large wooden table resting in its middle. Most of the seats had already been taken with Ponies chatting to each other, tapping on their laptops, or listening to music on their P-Pads. Wolokai sighed, shifting the weight of his saddlebags over to his left side and trotting up the small wooden steps that led into the seating area. He trotted up towards the very top of the seating area, moving down one of the rows in hopes that he could find a decent seat. When he finally found one, he let out a breath of relief and unloaded his saddlebags underneath the tiny slab of wood that was attached to the chair, turning it into some kind of weird-looking desk.

He sat, burying his face in his hooves and letting his mind wander for awhile while the Counselor's words continued to float through his mind. Critics, negativity, fear of dying, loneliness. How was he supposed to keep up with all? How was he supposed to escape from this, by writing? He couldn't write forever, or write enough to keep his mind off of things. It was only a temporary release, a small fix to a growing problem. A weary sigh escaped his lungs as the class quieted down, the sound of the Professor's office door opening. A large, silver coated Stallion calmly walked out of the office with a small smile on his face, with his long, grey mane bouncing in time with his hoof-steps. He had a weary look in those purple-ish eyes of his, but it was cleverly hidden by his look of determination. His cutie-mark of a rolled up scroll seemed to shine as he moved out into the center of the room and exclaimed "Good morning everypony!"

As usual, the class, minus Wolokai, chanted back "Good morning Professor Scroll!!!"

The Professor chuckled and turned his head towards one of the white walls lining the room, his hoof hitting the red button on a black remote resting on the table. Up above on the ceiling, a silver-colored projector clicked on, and the lights shut off, dimming the area slightly. The projector was showing a Pony-point presentation, with the program focused on one slide titled 'Review'. Wolokai looked around and watched as the class got out their pencils and notepads, eager to take notes and listen as the Professor spoke "Now, we're just going to do a quick review on the Years of our Princess Celestia, 1900 to 1999, and then we'll move on to the Solar Flare and the Cults of the Pre-Nightmare Era. Now, we all know that in the 1990th year of the world, pony kind was on the verge of great discovery, what with..."

Wolokai tuned the professor out, letting out a light groan and burying his face in his notepad. The same lectures...the same bullshit. What did he care about history? All he cared about was the future...and the impending doom of mortality that continued to prod and poke at his brain. What was beyond death...what was waiting for him? A plain of higher existence...or the black oblivion of nothingness?

"And now," said the Professor, the projector clicking over to a slide with a weird, blue symbol etched into a piece of brick "We're going to move over into the Cults of the Pre-Nightmare Era. But more specifically...we're going to talk about The Cult of the Lunar Shard!"

Wolokai snapped his head up, his ears perking up to their highest point. That name...The Cult of the Lunar Shard...seemed familiar to him. It was like trying to remember a friend's name and it was right on the edge of his mind. He peered closely towards the symbol on the wall as Professor Scroll went on "The Cult of the Lunar Shard was established around the second year of the Emerald Moon, which historians log as the time shortly after the rise of Nightmare Moon. This cult was dedicated to the study and worship of dark magic under the wings of Nightmare Moon, who at the time served what she believed as a dark, and demonic God."

"Why does that...why does this...feel familiar? Where have I heard that name before...?" Wolokai thought, his eyes wide and focused on the projector as it slid through various slides of art and paintings depicting the wearers of dark cloaks and wielding dangerous magic.

"The Cult of the Lunar Shard has been around since the Rise of Nightmare Moon, with the last of its breed finally destroyed around twenty to thirty years ago. The last known reported sighting of the Cult was on the fourth day of the first month of the second year of the Sun Season." Wolokai let out a soft gasp as the next slide went over, displaying the text:

Last Sighting of The Lunar Shard - 1/4/2 - The Battle of the Everfree

"Yes, The Battle of the Everfree was the very last conflict that had occurred between the Solar Flare and The Cult of the Lunar Shard. Historians describe the battle as one of intense ferocity, with the defense of Fort Hoof being bravely led by one Captain Kolokai Kurr. This battle offers more questions then resolutions however, for at the battle's end, Captain Kolokai had seemed to of dissapeared, along with the rest of the Cult."

"Grandpa..." Wolokai whispered, staring at the picture of the abandoned fort in the Everfree Forest. He had heard the tales of his Grandfather's heroic deeds...and that he had died serving his family and country. But...how could they tell him he's dead if there was never any body to prove it?

He frowned as the Professor went on "The Solar Flare was considered to be the arch-nemesis of The Cult of the Lunar Shard, as they had direct ties to a group of Holy Paladins who for the longest time, served as the protectors and watchers over nature and time itself and used their mighty powers of magic to stop the Lunar Shard. They were the ones they called 'The Aegis Guardians'".

A hoof went up in the crowd of students, the voice of a mare echoing out across the room "Professor, I'm a little confused. Why were the Solar Flare and the Lunar Shard so hell bent on fighting one another...and where did these 'Guardians' come from? Why would Celestia need a group like that to watch over Nature and Time...isn't that her job?"

"Ah, a very good pair of questions" said the Professor, his smile lingering on his face "Let us delve a little bit deeper into the Cult's thought process. To the Lunar Shard, nothing brought them greater satisfaction then chaos and anarchy, much like Discord except he did not believe in the murder and killing of ponies. The Lunar Shard had always spoken of a dark Entity which they served, decreeing that all who would dare oppose them would be bathed in the unholy glow of dark magic and death. Naturally, being Equestria's top defense force, the Solar Flare were tasked with the mission of hunting down and eradicating the Lunar Shard's temples and forces, and this is where The Guardians come into play."

The class grew tense as the Professor went on...his tone changing to one of great seriousness. "There used to be an island..." he said "Of strange, and wonderous power. A place of light...of joy...of magic! This island wasn't just any regular island either... it was that very place that had witnessed the birth of Princess Celestia from the mother, Holy Queen Solaria. The Solar Flare was considered to be the main physical force dedicated to Equestria's protection...but The Guardians of Aegis Island were considered their army of magic. Before Holy Queen Solaria became pregnant with Celestia, The Guardians served as magical protectors of the Royalty and common folk of Equestria. Their magic knew almost no bounds, and each was trained fluently in every form and aspect of magic. When Solaria was laden with her dear filly, however, the Queen's power was sapped, drained by the needs of her unborn daughter. Thus, it fell upon The Guardians to learn and become well versed in the ways of controlling nature, the sun, and according to some historians...time itself."

"So..." shouted one colt "The Guardian's of Aegis Island controlled everything?!"

"Well, yes for a time, but not anymore" explained the professor "As it turns out, shortly after the birth of Celestia, The Lunar Shard launched one last, daring attack against Equestria by assaulting Aegis Island. They were defeated of course, being massively out-powered by The Guardians. It was after this battle that The Lunar Shard's attack capability plummeted, and victory presented itself to Equestria. The only problem is...exactly two months after the battle...Aegis Island, dissapeared!" An audible gasp rippled across the class as the Professor nodded, going on "Yes...amazing indeed! Nopony knows what exactly happened to Aegis Island or to the powerful ponies who lived there. Considering there has been a lack of interference in the magical ways of the world, many historians believe The Guardians just...went out with time. Others argue the fact, saying Aegis Island still exists somewhere out there, and The Guardians have simply relinquished their duty to manage the world and have returned it to its proper place in the hooves of Princess Celestia. But...who really knows?"

As the bell rang, the Professor shouted over the roar of rising students, the thuds of hooves, and the flaps of wings "Don't forget your homework! Read chapters 43 through 47 and be ready to delve deeper into the culture of the Lunar Shard!" Wolokai wasted no time in hearing this, grabbing up his saddlebags and making a beeline for the door.

The Lunar Shard...the date of their disappearance making the number 142, his Grandfather Kolokai's missing body. The cult worshiping an Entity.

Was it coincidence? His nightmares and panic attacks associating themselves with that number? HIS grandfather going missing? An entity in a story he wrote being worshiped by a deadly cult?

If there was anypony who could answer his questions...it was the stallion he had known for his entire life. The stallion who was there at The Battle of the Everfree, the stallion who was the current Captain and leader of the Solar Flare, and the stallion who was very close to Princess Celestia and Luna.

If there was anypony he could get answers from...it was the stallion who had had mentioned The Cult of the Lunar Shard a few times already from his youth.

Captain Volokai, of the Solar Flare.

...his Father.

(Finally this update is out...yeesh!)
http://askwolokai.tumblr.com/

[The Arc of Life] - 04 - A Dark Return

Canterlot - The Citadel of the Solar Flare - 12:00 P.M.

It was quiet in The Citadel, home of the Solar Flare. Most of the building lay empty, as the inhabitants were expected to have already been a few hours into their daily duties by now. Those who weren't out and about were either quietly reading in the special archives they kept in their fortress, eating a healthy meal in the mess hall, or either sleeping off their fatigue from the night shift.

Captain Volokai, was one of these ponies. He let out a content sigh as he rolled over in his bunk, his wool blanket snuggling him into a state of pure warmth. His dreams were often filled to the brim with glory and honor, reliving the great battles he had fought in under his Father's command and while he was in command himself. From the Battle of the Everfree to the Battle for Manehatten, Volokai tossed and turned while mumbling and muttering orders to the ponies in his dream-scape. One battle however...always seemed to replay itself over in his mind at some point...a battle that contained words that haunted him to this day. The fields of fire...the screams of his soldiers...the swish of a dark cloak and the cackling of a mad pony...

Just as he felt the heat of the flames brush over his skin, he jolted awake, the voices of one of his guards calling out to him "Sir? Sir, wake up please." Volokai let out a weary groan and rolled over slowly, his eyes focusing on one of his Solar Flare and giving him a slight look of annoyance.

He sat up and spoke with a tinge of grief in his voice "I was not to be roused until at least two...what is it that is so important to have me up this early?"

His soldier nodded and gave a brief bow as he apologized "Forgive me sir, but your son insisted he see you imme-"

"Wolokai?" The Captain breathed in surprise, his eyes widening slightly as he whipped away the blankets on his bed and moved to stand up.

"Yes sir," nodded the soldier "He is awaiting your arrival in the main hall of the Royal Castle, he had an aura of the upmost urgency about him."

Volokai clasped on his leg rings and donned his casual black vest and his tally-marked grey cape as he asked "Did he say what was the matter? Is there something wrong?"

The soldier shook his head "No sir, only that it was imperative that he seek your audience as soon as possible" The Captain nodded and dismissed the soldier, moving around him and towards the open window nearby. He poked his head out and breathed in the crisp, cool air of the afternoon, fanning his wings out and placing his front two hooves on the window sill. With a mighty beat of his wings, he catapulted himself outwards into the air and immediately went into a banking dive to his left, soaring through the air and towards the main entrance to the Royal Castle. The two royal guards at the entrance gave him a respectful bow as he moved past them into the massive double-doors that lay open before him. He took a moment to look around at the busy activity that made up the great hall, with delegates and archives workers and guards moving this way and that. Some carried large piles of scrolls while others chatted about the politics and happenings of the day. Volokai narrowed his eyes, looking slowly to the left and to the right, blinking as he finally caught sight of his son standing in a far off and abandoned corner of the hall.

He let out a heavy sigh and began his trot, his heavy hooves making loud clopping sounds against the smooth marble of the floor. His son did not notice him right away, giving Volokai the chance to look him over quietly. He appeared to be in semi-good health...lacking sleep as always. There was a definite fear in his eyes however...a look of worry but also of curiosity. A look Volokai often recognized as one of a soldier's before marching into battle. He stopped behind his son, clearing his throat and speaking "Good morning son..."

Wolokai whirled around, surprised at the sudden appearance of his father. He looked up at his weary, tired face that bore the look of minor annoyance but also care and concern. "Hey dad..." he whispered, a small smile crossing over his face.

"Are you well son?" Volokai asked, a permanent frown etched into his face.

Wolokai noted this and his smile faded as he held up his hoof and said "I...don't know. There have been things happening lately that I just can't explain...and after history class today...questions came up that only you have the answers too."

"What is this about?" Volokai muttered, is patience obviously thin. He was still wanting to sleep...for the Princesses were in need of his presence later in the day and he needed to be well rested.

Wolokai's frown deepened "I was in history class today...we were reviewing some of the earlier history of Princess Celestia and then-"

"Son..." his father sighed, his patience finally giving way and his mind giving way to tiredness "Can't this wait till later on in the day? I'm behind on my sleep and I need to be fully awake for the escort I need to provide for the Princesses later on."

Wolokai let out a shout of protest as his father started to turn away "Dad wait! This is important! It has something to do about my nightmares and my lack of sleep!"

Volokai shook his head, beginning his slow walk away "That's what your counselor is for Wolokai...please, let this wait till la-"

He was shocked as Wolokai shouted out towards him, but he did not turn around "This can't WAIT till later! It's important Dad, please!!!" Volokai sighed, shaking his head and continuing his walk. It wasn't until his son uttered the next few words that he stopped in his tracks, his ears perking fully and his eyes widening rapidly.

"I know about the Lunar Shard!!!

Volokai shut his eyes and frowned, his body turning in time with his hooves as he moved about to look his son dead in the face. "Come..." he whispered, extending a welcoming wing outwards, inviting his son to his side "Let us have some tea..."

~*~

Volokai took a quiet sip from his cup, a heavy sigh rumbling through his chest as he stared over at his son, getting an equally awkward stare back. They were seated in the sleeping quarters of The Citadel, with Volokai situated in a small wooden chair pulled up near his nightstand, while his son sat upon his ruffled bed and giving him a long hard look of confusion and questioning. "How much..." Volokai began, setting down his tea cup "...do you know?"

Wolokai flapped his wings twice, getting himself comfortable as he said "I know they fought against The Solar Flare back in the day, and against The Guardians of Aegis Island. I also know that Grandpa disappeared during the Battle of the Everfree...which I found out shares the same day as my birthday." Volokai nodded, motioning for him to go on. Wolokai sighed, taking a sip of his own tea before he spoke "The number 142 keeps repeating itself no matter where I go...I see it everywhere. It's my birthday, the time I hear the sirens...which is what I wanted to ask you. Why do I hear sirens? Why that sound out of all the sounds?"

Volokai looked towards the open window as he spoke, an aprehensive look on his face "Son...the day you were born, it was as if the very forest whispered your name out to me...that day marked the last I had seen of the Lunar Shard. It was also during that battle...that your Grandfather Kolokai activated the sirens wired into the fort defenses. You see, it was during that time that a band of refugees were fleeing a small village near Hoofington, away from a rouge band of the Lunar Shard. Our group was split when the Lunar Shard attacked us in the trees, and it during that time that your mother...started to give birth." Wolokai looked down at the mention of his mother. His father had tried to explain to him in the gentlest way possible what had happened. Apparently one day his mother, Selena, had business to attend to in Manehatten...but when she left, only a note came back. A note that only bore two words: forgive me.

"Anyway..." Volokai growled, clearing his throat. Your grandfather knew the Lunar Shard was close to the other group...so to lure them away, he activated the sirens. It probably traumatized you at birth which is why it has stuck with you."

Wolokai nodded but held out a hoof "That makes sense...but there's something else that's wrong." Volokai raised an eyebrow, inviting his son to continue "Well...I heard that they worshiped an Entity..." His father nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing as his breath started to quicken "An Entity...that I wrote about...with no prior knowledge to the Lunar Shard's history..."

Volokai sighed, running a hoof under his chin and mumbling "It could be a coincidence son...life has a funny way of throwing curve balls like that."

"Yes but what if it's not" Wolokai whispered, pushing his teacup away with a hoof "I mean...the numbers, the nightmares. Dad I've SEEN the Lunar Shard in my dreams! What if this is something that's meant to be seen...what if it's a warning?"

Volokai frowned for a moment, looking into his son's eyes before he spoke "Well if it is, we'll be ready for it. We beat the Lunar Shard before at Aegis Island, we'll beat em again."

At this, Wolokai gasped, covering his mouth with his hooves as he whispered "You've...been to Aegis Island? The Guardians actually existed then?!"

Volokai raised an eyebrow in confusion, giving him a sort of 'duh' look. "Of course The Guardian's exist, didn't they teach you that in History? And no...I've never personally been to Aegis Island, as I was still enlisting in the Equestrian Army when the Island disappeared."

"Where are The Guardians now?" Wolokai asked, hopping off his father's bed

Volokai shrugged, shaking his head as he climbed up into his now vacant bed, laying out on his side "I couldn't tell you son. Shortly after the island disappeared, Solaria was given her powers back without question." A slight yawn escaped his lips, his eyes drooping as he reached out with his hooves "I'm going back to bed son...try and have a good day ok? Don't let any of this Lunar bullshit get you down. The Lunar Shard is dead and gone...they're not coming back, I promise".

Wolokai smiled, giving his father a tight hug and whispering "Thanks Dad...have a good sleep."

~*~

"Wolokai? Um...Wolokai...you there?" Ditzy muttered, cocking her head in confusion at the spaced out look Wolokai seemed to have stretched across his face. It had been around an hour or so since he had spoken to his father about The Lunar Shard, and still his mind was still slightly wrought with worry about the possibility of danger ahead. Upon his return to Ponyville, he was relieved to find Ditzy Doo waiting for him in the town square, offering the idea that they go and get ice cream to get his mind off things. It was there at Sugar Cube Corner that they currently rested, sitting outside at the many umbrella booths that lined the outside patio area of the establishment.

"Huh, what?" Wolokai stuttered, his mind finally catching up to reality and his eyes focusing on the Muffin Mare seated across from him. "Sorry...lost in thought for a moment." Ditzy Doo giggled and took a small sip of her chocolate milkshake, letting out a content sigh right afterwords.

"It's ok Muffin" Ditzy said, licking her lips and smiling "As long as you're enjoying yourself, you don't have to be sorry for anything!" Wolokai chuckled, taking a sip of his own vanilla milkshake and sighing. He looked up towards Ditzy Doo for a moment and noticed that she was already staring at him, a soft smile displayed on her lips. She looked away quickly however, a light blush passing over her cheeks.

"Hey, everything ok?" he asked her while extending a hoof out towards hers.

"Of..of course!" Ditzy answered, offering her best smile. Wolokai saw through his, however, and gave her a sly smile.

He took another sip of his milkshake and muttered to her "I wanted to thank you for last night...It was definitely the best sleep I had gotten in awhile."

"Really?" Ditzy breathed, her blush deepening and her heart skipping a beat.

Wolokai nodded and put his hoof gently over hers, caressing it gently "Of course...I mean, who wouldn't sleep peacefully while breathing in the warm smell of freshly baked muffins?"

"Wolokai..." Ditzy began, looking towards him with a shy smile "I...um..."

Before Ditzy could go on though...Wolokai froze. There was no mistaking what time it was...no need to look at his watch or the Ponyville Clock Tower. Just as it had always been for years...there was no getting around the solid fact that the Sirens would persist to haunt. Ditzy must have noticed his sudden change of expression, as she was now staring towards him with a wide-eyed, terrified look on her face. "It's ok Ditzy..." He muttered "It's just the sirens I always hear...you know."

This did not seem to calm Ditzy at all however, her body starting to shake as the Sirens started to get louder. Just as Wolokai was about to ask if she was ok, she spoke "Wolokai...I...I hear them to..."

"What!?" Wolokai gasped, turning his head to look out into the streets. All around the area, ponies stopped and turned their heads up towards the sky with worried and confused expressions on their face. The siren wasn't just in Wolokai's head anymore...it was audible everywhere.

"Wolokai what's happening!?" Ditzy cried, staring up towards the sky which had slowly started to blacken.

"I don't know...but we need to leave, now!" Wolokai shouted, springing up from his seat and motioning for Ditzy to follow.

They quickly galloped down the street, quickly moving around the ponies who had stopped to stare up at the blackened sky. Ditzy shouted as they moved down the street, the low rumbling of thunder barely audible over the sounds of the wailing siren "Where are we going?! Why is the siren going off, is there a tornado coming?!"

Before Wolokai could respond, the loud crackling of magic was heard just ahead, followed by a bright flash ahead of them. Wolokai skidded to a halt as a shadowy bolt of magic came sailing down the street, heading right towards them at an alarming speed."LOOK OUT!" he roared, throwing himself over Ditzy Doo and dragging her down to the ground as the bolt shot overhead. Wolokai watched as the bolt sped past, rocketing itself into one of the market booths and exploding with violent force. Splintered wood and debris flew about the street as ponies screamed and ran for cover. Wolokai growled, turning his head away from the chaos and staring down towards the source of the bolt. As his eyes met his would-be assailant, he gasped, taking in his appearance with a fearful pang in his heart and mind. A stallion stood further down the street, his form covered with robes of black and blue color with a matching hood and bandanna. From behind his coverings, two sapphire eyes gleamed along with his horn, illuminating his dark armor and the ground beneath him. Before Wolokai could move or even speak, the dark unicorn lowered his head and growled.

"BEND!" it roared, launching another bolt towards the two of them. Wolokai narrowed his eyes and pulled Ditzy along with him as he dove to the side, narrowly missing the second bolt as it whizzed by. Wolokai groaned as they hit the ground hard, pulling himself and Ditzy back up and looking around quickly for any means of escape.

Spotting an alley nearby, Wolokai started to push Ditzy in its direction and shouted "Through there! We need to head for Town Hall! There are Solar Flare stationed there, they can help us!" Ditzy nodded, and with the quick movement of their hooves, the two of them rushed away from the rampaging unicorn.

"M..muffin wait! I'm winded...I ca...I can't run anymore!" Ditzy cried, heaving for breath. Wolokai nodded, spotting an old dumpster nearby and motioning towards it. They hurried behind it and fell to their haunches, their breath coming out in ragged gasps. Ditzy put a hoof on her chest and wheezed "W...who was that unicorn? Why can't we just...just fly to Town Hall instead of running?"

"Because they're probably watching the sky..." Wolokai growled, looking up into the blackened sky as the sirens continued to wail "and by 'they'...I mean The Lunar Shard."

"Lunar Shard?" Ditzy asked, her breath finally starting to come under control.

Wolokai nodded, looking back down towards Ditzy as he said "Yes, it's a cult that disappeared around the day I was born. They're this dark group that terrorized Equestria a long time ago until The Guardians of Aegis Island and The Solar Flare defeated them. Why they're here now...I don't even know." He sighed in aggravation, looking up towards the far off city of Canterlot, its pearly white towers visible from their spot in the alley. "Dammit, I knew my nightmares were some kind of warning..."

"What do we do now?" Ditzy whimpered, looking towards Wolokai with a frightful expression on her face.

"We keep moving towards Town Hall" Wolokai answered, adjusting his watch and staring carefully at the time it displayed which was 1:50 P.M.. "As long as we make it to Town Hall and hold out until 2:23 P.M., we'll be ok."

Ditzy cocked her in head in confusion as they moved out from behind the dumpster. "Why that time?" she asked, trying her best to keep up with Wolokai's fast pace.

"Because whenever I hear the Sirens, it's at 1:42 in the morning or afternoon...but no matter what, everything goes back to normal 41 minutes later at 2:23," Wolokai said, moving towards the opening of the alley which he remembered from memory emerged near Town Square "I don't know why...but it just does."

The two of them emerged from the alleyway and began their gallop towards the now visible Town Hall, their hoofbeats carrying them out into the large, open area that surrounded the central building. Just as they did, however, three more Unicorns of the Lunar Shard emerged from one of the streets and hissed towards them, lowering their heads in preparation for a magical volley of death. Wolokai gasped as three bolts of dark magic raced towards them...only to be met by three other bolts of bright light. The bolts exploded in mid-air, throwing up dirt and dust. Wolokai turned his head quickly towards the source of the bright magic and let out a cry of joy as he saw three of the Solar Flare's unicorns rushing out to meet them.

"The Heretics have returned!" cried one of unicorns "Protect the Captain's son!!!" Bolts were thrown back and forth across the open field as Ditzy Doo and Wolokai raced towards the hall. One of the Lunar Shard let out a deafening roar as he dodged one of the Solar Flare's bolts and threw back one of his own, catching the ground near one of the defenders and throwing him aside with the force of the impact. As they moved towards the town hall, Ditzy let out a startled cry and fell forward, tripping on a rock and landing face first in the dirt.

"Ditzy!" Wolokai cried, stopping in his tracks and turning to race back towards her. Just as he started to move, one of the Lunar Shard lined up his horn, aiming a bolt towards Ditzy Doo and shooting it forth with a thunderous cry.

"Watch out!!!" shouted one of the Solar's unicorns, watching in disbelief as his own bolt of magic failed to intercept his enemy's magic. Wolokai saw the incoming bolt, and quickly realized that based on its speed...it didn't matter if he moved to help Ditzy or not. One of them wasn't walking away.

Just as Ditzy got to her hooves, a sudden shove had her catapulting away to the right, sending her once more to the ground. A single moment later...and the electrical 'ZAP' of a magical impact had the Solar Flare in an uproar.

"SIRE!"

"Dammit! The Captain's son is down! Fire dammit, push them back!"

"Get them inside! Get them INSIDE!"

"MUFFIN!!!!" Ditzy cried, turning her head from her spot on the ground to look at Wolokai. The Pegasus in question was sprawled out on the ground, with half his vest fried from the impact of the bolt which had struck his side. His face was contorted into one of pain as smoke rose from his side, his right wing twitching slightly. Ditzy got to her hooves quickly as the magical battle resumed. Suddenly from above, just as Ditzy reached Wolokai, chariots from above dove out of the darkened sky and made a beeline for the Town Hall. Touching down quickly in the street, more of the Solar Flare lept from the chariots and rushed to join the fray...with one booming voice roaring over them all

"Get my son and the mare inside the Town Hall, NOW! Alpha squad, secure a perimeter while Beta Squad begins their push into the streets!" shouted Captain Volokai as he pointed a hoof towards the retreating Lunar Shard. "By Celestia I bested you bastards before, and I'll best you again!!!"

"Muffin! Muffin wake up!" Ditzy cried as Wolokai was heaved up onto one of the unicorn's backs, running with them as they rushed towards the Town Hall. As they rushed inside, the scene outside started to get worse, with more and more Lunar Shard appearing at the various entrances of the streets nearby. As the battle began, Volokai roared towards his men and pointed a firm hoof forward "By Celestia and all that you hold dear, hold your ground and keep your faith in the light! The Lunar Shard seeks to once more test our might, and I'll be damned if we disappoint now! Keep your heads held high and GIVE NO QUARTER! Down with the heretics! Down with The Lunar Shard!"

His soldiers all let out a unified battle cry as their enemy began their approach, horns flaring, wings expanding, and swords unsheathing. The cry rang out across the entire expanse of Ponyville as the siren continued its unearthly wail, a cry that carried the words

"Down with The Lunar Shard!!!"

[The Arc of Mind] - 05 - The Library of Quill

The Arc of Mind

Darkness...and wind.

That is all Wolokai could see and feel at this present moment in time...darkness and wind. There was no pain to speak of, no discomfort, no aches. But neither was there comfort, ease, or relaxation. If anything, the only thing he could really think of what was happening...was that he was floating. Weightlessness seemed to press against the colt's belly and wings, carrying him across the black void of space like a feather caught on the wind. Wolokai had his eyes open, but he quickly realized that it didn't matter if they were open or closed anyway as the darkness covered and smothered him like a choking veil and a pressing weight. He knew he was in the air, as he could feel no solid ground underneath his hooves, but with his wings handing limp at his sides he certainly knew that he wasn't flying on his own accord. Was it magic? Was it some sort of strong updraft keeping him afloat?

These would have been normal questions to consider were the situation different...but right now the only question that seemed to be registering in his mind was "Where?" There were no landmarks, no trees, no lakes, rivers, or mountains. Nothing but the dark blackness...a blackness that seemed to grow thicker and heavier with each passing moment. It was crazy to believe at first...but Wolokai could have sworn that the darkness was...alive. It seemed to move and churn like a black, writhing mass of chaos, wrapping around him tightly like a thick blanket and holding him still as he floated along the void. As the darkness closed in on him...he had begun to notice just how...tired, he was becoming. The desire for sleep had begun to press at his mind, his body slowly numbing and his eyes drooping slowly. The darkness gently rolled him onto his back as his eyes closed, his body quieting down and growing still as sleep began to envelop his weary mind.

Within moments, he felt a soft, gentle weight press against his back, his movement finally coming to a halt. He had landed somewhere...but in his state, sleep for some odd reason seemed loads more important then figuring out where he was and what happened. What happened....what...happened? Wolokai whimpered as an image of a bolt of magic flying towards Ditzy Doo passed through his vision. He let out a cry of fright as it roared towards her, his own hooves kicking up at the air and mimicking his frantic gallop to get to her in time. A shove, a cry, and an explosion of pain happened all at once, driving the Pegasus pony's mind into a state of panic and shock. He remembered being thrown back and slamming into the hard dirt as the magic dissipated after frying his side, the screams of the Solar Flare and Ditzy Doo just before blackness shrouded in vision in nothingness.

"DITZY!" Wolokai shouted, sitting up quickly and panting, his eyes wide and his pupils shrunken in fear. He looked around quickly in a panic, the scene before him becoming hard to take in. He was no longer in the Town Square of Ponyville, that was for damn sure. Instead, the panicked Pegasus found himself sitting in a vast field of green, lush grass, with most of the field covered in beautiful, violet wild flowers. The terrain was very hilly, with what looked like a mountain range in the far off distance. In other words, according to him at least, he was in the middle of 'fuck-all' nowhere. Wolokai rubbed his head gently, a pounding headache wracking at his brain, and looked towards his side, expecting the worst after remembering that he had been struck down. His eyes widened however, as he beheld his side...uninjured. There was no gore, no burned flesh, no visible trace of any kind of magic blasting his form. "What the hell...?" Wolokai muttered, turning on his side slowly and pushing his hooves into the ground. He got up slowly, his bones and body aching and sore...but from what he hadn't a clue.

He turned his head in all directions, trying to get a better indication of where he might be in Equestria, but alas he could think of nowhere that he might be. "Maybe I can find out where I am from the sky?" he muttered to himself, his eyes looking up towards the sky...the eerie looking sky. He grimaced, not really noticing the state the sky was in. It looked as if the color of blackness had been mixed into the usual blue, creating a grotesque mix that looked like lumpy soup. The clouds themselves that dotted the sky were black and white as well, and appeared to be frozen in mid-air. "What is going on?" he whispered, just before flexing out his wings. This however, gained the immediate reaction of him screaming in torrential pain. His wings surged with pain as he tried to extend them, his nerves searing like they were on fire. Wolokai hollered as he gently retracted his wings, the pain dissipating almost instantly as he did so. He panted for a moment, staring hard at his wings which at first glance, appeared to be uninjured and untouched. Whatever had happened, it meant no wings, and no flying for the time being. "Guess the sky isn't an option..." sighed the downed Pegasus, the incident once more drawing his eyes to look out in every direction possible to see if there was any kind of civilization or landmark.

He sighed, drawing his eyes over the far hills in the distance...and gasped as he shot his vision back towards one particular hill. There, on a hill far off, was a tree that he just knew wasn't there a few moments ago. It was large in nature...and was shaped in a way that seemed almost familiar to the colt...as if he had seen it before. He narrowed his eyes towards the tree and found himself walking towards it, his curiosity taking over and drawing him towards the far off horizon. He walked for what seemed like hours, and it didn't help that when he checked his watch, he found the hands to be spinning rapidly forward like a compass gone haywire. It was as if time itself was broken in this place, wherever it was. Despite this, Wolokai continued to push himself towards the tree, which started to take an even familiar shape to his eyes as he drew closer to it. When he had finally made it to about two hills away, he let out an audible gasp and widened his eyes in shock. He KNEW that he had seen it that tree before, and with the sign labeled with a book sitting outside of its front door to the left, his hunch was proven true. "Twilight Sparkle..." Wolokai breathed "What's her library doing here? Why isn't it Ponyville? Does that mean she's here!?" Questions crammed themselves into his brain as he picked up his pace, going into a light trot as the sky above continued to churn with black and blue colors.

As he approached, he started to feel a bit...uncomfortable. A feeling of unease slowly passed over him as he stared towards the towering oak, and for some reason, he couldn't figure out why. Something seemed...off about Twilight's library, it didn't feel the same. He couldn't see through the windows which gleamed with yellowish light, and the book sign out front looked to be...a different color then normal. He had remembered the sign as being a brighter color of wood, not as a dark, near black color. Even the color of the leaves seemed off, with them being a deep, dark green instead of their bright emerald like color. All in all, Wolokai knew that this was Twilight Sparkle's library...but he also knew that nopony would have recognized it at first glance. He quickly trotted up towards the door, lifting a hoof and pounding it against the front door several times while shouting "Hello!? Miss Sparkle?! It's me, Wolokai! Are you home!?" Silence answered the Pegasus, drawing a frown across his face. He banged his hoof against the door once more, but jumped back in fright as the door swung open on his third knock. He blinked as he stared into the library, many things already registering as odd in his mind. The first thing he noticed was that nopony was at the door, nopony had answered his knocking. The second thing he noticed was that it appeared to be slightly dark inside the library, giving it the sense of abandonment and vacancy. This certainly struck Wolokai as odd as he looked towards the brightly lit windows, and then back towards the darkened interior of the library. The third thing, and most odd of them all...was that he knew the interior of Twilight's library, and knew that a wide open rotunda sort of area was supposed to be just beyond the threshold of the door...not rows and rows of bookshelves.

Wolokai could see bookshelves lined up just beyond the door, plaques nailed into their sides visible from where he stood. He stood there for a moment, taking in the odd scene before him before he started his careful tread towards the dark opening. "H..hello?" he whispered towards the open door, his hooves making soft indents in the grass as he drew ever closer. Finally, with delicate movement, Wolokai slowly poked his head into the library and gasped. The interior of the library was MASSIVE! There was no way that a library of this size would fit inside the tiny confines of an oak tree! The library had to have been at least twenty stories tall in size, with the entire area of the second floor and upwards towering up like a giant cylinder. The only thing different about the first floor was that it was laid out like a general library, with rows upon rows of bookshelves taking up the vast area that had to be at least as wide as the length of a hoof-ball field. Wolokai drew his head back, staring with a perplexed expression towards the tiny outer shell of the oak tree before sticking his head back in and observing the overly massive interior. "I guess physics and logic are broken here as well..." he muttered, taking light, careful steps into the library. He walked up towards one of the plaques which was nailed into the side of one of the bookshelves and squinted his eyes, barely making out the inscriptions that were carved into its metal face. He read quietly:

"6/2/3(1)-6/2/3(99)"

Wolokai frowned, realizing that the plaque was reading dates instead of lettering or genres like a regular library did. Then again...he should have expected odd thing from an already odd library. He noticed the numbers in parenthesis, and frowned, wondering what they might be. He had never seen such a thing attached to a date before...and the meaning of it all was lost on him. He shrugged, moving into the row and walking down its length. He stared towards the books as he continued his walk, his body and mind starting to get severely unnerved about what he was seeing. All the books were exactly the same. The same shape, the same green color, the same size, and there wasn't even a label or title written on any of them! The Pegasus stopped, turning towards the bookshelf and raising a hoof up to the books. He pulled a single green book out of the shelf, balancing it in his hoof and gently opening it with the push of his nose. The words inside were written in italics, and were written as a single column in the center. As he read the first line, he immediately dropped the book and stepped back in horror. The words displayed in the pages burned in his mind as he felt his breath catch and his heart skip a beat.

Wolokai is spoon-fed foal food
Wolokai is given formula
Wolokai is patted on his back by his father
Wolokai burps and grows still in his father's arms.
Wolokai fall asleep in his father's arms.
Wolokai naps for 4.5 hours before waking up.
Wolokai cries
Wolokai is picked up by his father.

The column continued down towards the rest of the page, with the Pegasus the book was describing short of breath and panting for air. Something...was seriously wrong here. The book was describing every action he had ever taken or had been taken by from his foalhood. The dates suddenly started to make sense...6/2/3...June 2nd, 1993, a year after he was born. Wolokai slowly backed away from the shelf and the dropped book, looking up towards the giant twenty stories of bookshelves that towered upwards. This wasn't just a library...this was his life. This was his memory...with every action and happening written down and sealed away in books. "H...how?!" Wolokai suddenly shouted, his pupils shrinking and his breath coming out in heaves "How is this possible!? Where am I!? What's happening to me!?" It was at precise moment that a voice spoke out behind him in an excited tone,

"Oh, hello! My goodness how interesting! You're here in the library too? How incredibly odd, but fascinating!"

~*~Ponyville~*~

"Move aside!"

"Everypony make way!"

"Set him on the table here!"

Several of the Solar Flare shouted and yelled commands as the ponies inside the Town Hall scrambled for cover, getting out of their way. Wolokai was being carried upon one of the soldier's backs, a calm, peaceful expression on his face. Close behind them was Ditzy Doo, who continued to let her tears fall while wincing at the explosions and magic-fire echoing from the outside. It had been several minutes since The Lunar Shard had begun their attack, with The Solar Flare doing their best to maintain a perimeter around the Town Hall. All around, The Solar Flare and Captain Volokai himself were showing sheer shock but determination at the current situation they were in. The Lunar Shard were surprisingly strong and skilled in numbers and in combat...leaving many to wonder exactly how long they were planning this attack and why. These questions would have to remain unanswered for now, for survival was a higher priority.

The Solar Flare brought Wolokai into one of the large sitting areas near the back of the building, far enough into keep him safe from any Lunar Shard that managed to push past their lines. A small coffee table was cleared and the wounded Pegasus placed upon it, Ditzy Doo immediately moving to his side. She let out a choking sob as she beheld his wounded side, her ears only just picking up one of the soldier's words "Alright, Valeen, get outside to the Captain and ask him for further orders, go!"

The Pegasus soldier named Valeen nodded and with a quick salute shouted "Yes Seargent Kane!" before dashing off.

The unicorn, Kane, turned towards the other soldier and barked "Firemane, find the Mayor and inform her of the current situation, have her contact The Citadel and inform Princess Celestia and the rest of The Solar Flare that we have come under heavy attack from The Cult of the Lunar Shard and are in desperate need of reinforcements! This is not a drill!"

Firemane nodded and gave a quick salute before galloping off in the opposite direction, moving further into the town hall.

Ditzy sniffed as Kane slowly walked up to her, jumping a little as he put a hoof on her shoulder and whispered "I was able to magically 'freeze' his wound, but the damage isn't as bad as it appears. He's not bleeding and the burn doesn't go very deep into his skin."

The grey Pegasus looked up at Kane with teary eyes, her voice hoarse as she spoke "B..but why isn't he waking up? Why does he look calm!? He's not dead, is he!?"

Kane shook his head frantically "No! No of course not. I can't really tell you what's happened, but I can reassure you that a medic is on its way. I tried scanning the wound to see what kind of magic hit him, but I can't pinpoint its exact type. It's unlike any magic I've ever seen...and whatever it did to him, I can tell you for sure that this spell was directly meant to kill. Why it didn't, I haven't a clue, but we should be extremely thankful that it didn't."

Ditzy nodded but jumped as a loud voice shouted from behind her "Where is he?! Is he ok?!"

Kane stood at full attention as Captain Volokai rushed towards the table his wounded son rested on, saluting as he said "Captain! Your son has been stabilized and I have magically frozen the wound! There is no bleeding and the burn is only moderate!"

Volokai nodded, letting his eyes scan over the wound "What magic is this...?"

"Unknown, sir." replied Kane, moving past Ditzy Doo to point a hoof at the wound "I scanned the magical residue left behind from the shot. I don't know its exact type, but I do know that this was a standard 'kill-shot' spell. This spell was meant to kill, however it seems to have only knocked him unconscious."

A voice, thick with a russcoltian accent, suddenly spoke out from behind Kale as he finished his report "I vill be the judge of his condition soldier." Kane turned and observed a semi-tall, chocolate colored colt standing just a short distance away from the group, his cutie-mark that of a red-cross and a pair of white saddlebags thrown across his back.

Volokai let out a sigh of relief as he spotted the colt, beckoning him closer "Doctor Snow, you've come from The Citadel on such short notice!"

Doctor Snow nodded, trotting up to the group "Da, I am alvays quick on my hooves Captain. I vould ask vut is vrong vith this pony, vut I already can tell that he is in a very deep coma."

"C...coma?" Ditzy whimpered, staring back towards the still form of Wolokai.

"Da, Captain's son is in coma. You can tell vy the vay his eyes slowly move vehind the lids, and the vay his vreathing is slow and very vell placed." Snow explained, dropping his saddlebags on the ground by the table.

Kane spoke up as Snow took a careful look at the wound "As I said...that spell was definitely a killer, it should have killed whatever it hit. Not saying I'm not glad it didn't, but I'm still curious."

Snow nodded, putting a hoof on Wolokai's throat and feeling for a pulse "Da...very interesting indeed. Spell meant to kill pony, but spell does not kill! Vhy it did not, I can only say something shielded pony from death. Perhaps magic user misfire spell, or perhaps a spell protect Captain's son, vut I know not. I vill send message to colleague and ask him vut he thinks. He knows many things concerning spells of this nature. Answers I vill get for you, Captain Volokai and Seargent Kane, as vell as for you Miss Doo."

Ditzy Doo blinked in surprise as Snow mentioned her name and whispered "You...you know me?"

Snow frowned, narrowing his eyes as he looked over towards Ditzy and scoffed, grumbling "Of course I know you Miss Doo. Captain's son vould come and get checkups yearly at Citadel. Damn pony just vould not shut UP vhen he talked of you. 'Ditzy Doo' this, 'Ditzy Doo' that, he vus very chatty." At this, Ditzy blushed and looked towards Wolokai with a small smile, watching as Snow continued his work.

~*~'Unknown'~*~

"HOLY SHIT!"

"WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED!?"

Wolokai screamed and jumped up into the air, swearing as the voice spoke out from behind him. He landed and whirled around, coming face to face with a shocked looking earth pony, a colt. His coat was a lightish brown and his stylish mane a deep chestnut color. His eyes were a gentle blue, and above all he looked like any regular ol' pony...if not for his cutie-mark...which looked almost identical to Wolokai's. The colt pointed a hoof at him and spoke "Are you ok!? I didn't mean to scare you. I was just surprised to find you of all ponies in here! This is truly fascinating!"

At this, Wolokai blinked, his mouth opening to speak but no words coming out. It took a few tries, but eventually he found his voice, questions bubbling out of his throat and in a panicked manner "W..who are you!? Where am I? Why do we share the same cutie-mark!? How do you know me!? What the FUCK is going on!?"

The colt's eyes widened, drawing him to raise his hoof in defense and shout "Calm down, easy! Catch your breath or something, you're in no danger here!" He waited until Wolokai had taken a few breaths, his form relaxing before he continued on "There, see? Nothing to be panicked about...well...maybe there is, but it's better to take information as calmly as possible, you know?" Wolokai nodded very slowly, his heart still thudding with panic as the colt went on "Now...as to who i am, you already know that you silly pony! After all, you ARE the one who created me! As for where you are, well you should already know that to! And I don't really know what you mean by 'What's going on', as I haven't the slightest clue. Nothing seems to have been going wrong...unless you count you being here...which I find relatively odd. Hmmm..."

He trailed off, leaving Wolokai to only blink in amazement and stare at him. He didn't know why...but he felt himself slowly start to grow frustrated, his eyes narrowing and his voice rising in volume "Look, I don't know who you are or what's going on, but I need answers, clear ones! Assume I don't know anything ok?! Give me the basics, what the hell is happening here!?"

The colt looked up, a surprised yet curious expression on his face as he spoke "I don't understand how you seem to not know me, you MADE me!" He frowned as he saw Wolokai's eyes narrow further and he went on "But...if you insist on having me state the obvious, I suppose I should go ahead and fill you in." He took a moment to smile and give a graceful bow and exclaim at the top of his lungs a sentence that shook Wolokai to his very soul, drowning him in a wave of pure shock:

"My name is Detective White Quill, a character you created in one of your earlier stories as a self-image of somepony you've always wanted to be, and with that, I say welcome to your own Mind!

With that, Quill could only stare in amazement as Wolokai's eyes stared upwards towards the ceiling above, and watch as he fainted, crumbling in a heap on the floor. Quill sighed, picking up the book left on the floor by the writer and tucking it back in its place on the shelf with a delicate whisper "Oh Pony...this is going to take awhile to get him used to..."

[The Arc of Mind] - 06 - The Walk

"Wolokai....

Wolokai....!

Dammit would you wake up already!?"

The Pegasus groaned, his eyes opening up slowly. He stared upwards into the vast tower that made up the center of the Library, his life spirally moving upwards towards the sky. He blinked for a few moments before turning his head to the left, his eyes settling on Detective White Quill who comfortably sat in a small wooden chair nearby, an impatient look on his face.

"About ruddy time!" Quill growled "Honestly, do you always sleep so heavily?!" Wolokai rolled his eyes, sitting upwards and rubbing the back of his head.

"This isn't a dream...is it?" Wolokai whispered, his brain still partially refusing the idea that he was in his mind.

Quill sighed, looking upwards towards the tower and staring at all the shelves and the books "No, it's not. Even if it was would you ever want it to end anyway?"

Wolokai gave Quill a sort of grimace, drawing Quill to point a hoof at him and say "Seriously! Think about where you are right now! Ever since you've created me, I've been managing your 'Library'. I'm your mind's physical representation of your projected self-image! Don't you want to know anything!? Aren't you curious!? Your whole MIND, your past, your history! It's all in here, with me!" Quill frowned after this...blinking for a moment and putting a hoof to his chin before muttering "Well...I almost know everything..."

"What do you mean?" Wolokai asked, raising an eyebrow.

Quill gave the Pegasus a sheepish grin, rubbing his front hooves together before muttering "Erm...well...the thing is some of your books in here...were burned."

"BURNED?!" Wolokai shouted "You burned my BRAIN!?"

Quill flailed his hooves in slight panic, trying to get him to calm down "No no no! Your MIND, not your brain! You only lost some memory, and it was from a loooong long time ago! Repressed thoughts, traumatizing memories! Things you pushed to the very back of your mind and forgot about! YOU burned those, not me!"

Wolokai sighed, falling back on his back and putting his front hooves to his eyes. He took a moment to take in a few deep breaths and mutter "Alright...so I'm in my own head. I can only assume that The Lunar Shard pony who shot me had something to do with it...stupid magic." He looked over towards Quill who motioned for him to go on. "If I was sent here...it was either by accident or a reason...although I'm thinking it was more for a reason. Something to do with my past...The Lunar Shard...their 'Entity' like god..." He paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes in deep thought and going over the possibilities in his head. Could there be something...hidden here? Something he forgot? A clue that might explain a connection to The Lunar Shard, or why he was hearing sirens and hallucinating?

"Quill..." he whispered after a moment, to which the earth pony cocked his head in attentiveness. "Where did all my repressed memories go...the ones that I forgot or that were too traumatizing to handle?"

"The back of your mind," Quill said simply, a smile forming on his face.

"Can you take me there?" Wolokai asked, noticing that Quill's smile started to fade once more into a frown.

The earth pony grimaced slightly as he digested his question, finally whispering "Why...would you want to go there? If you forgot something on purpose it was obviously for a good reason. Why would you want to relive a memory that was traumatizing?"

Wolokai sighed, rolling off the table and landing firmly on his hooves, a determined edge to his voice "I have to learn about what happened when I was born! I have to discover what The Lunar Shard are up to and why they chose this day of all days to attack!" He paused to take a few steps towards Quill, who looked slightly nervous "I need your help Quill. I know my own mind from a figurative, mental standpoint. You know it from a PHYSICAL one. That means I need your help to reach the back of my mind, and get to those memories!"

Quill sighed, thinking it over in his mind for a moment. There was clear doubt written on his face, but Wolokai knew if Quill was supposed to be his 'projected self-image'...then maybe he'd share his determination as well. His hunch was correct, thankfully, as Quill narrowed his eyes and looked up, proclaiming "Alright! I'll take you to the back of your mind!" Just as Wolokai nodded and turned to move down towards the entrance door, Quill spoke up "Be cautious though Wolokai Kurr...because I'm only going to tell you this once." Wolokai stopped, turning his eyes to look at Quill as he went on "The mind is a dangerous thing...all of your anger, all of your emotions that you were either unable or unwilling to let flow in the physical world...will become a thing or reality in THIS world. Your anger will manifest itself into real anger here, as will your other emotions. I know the way, yes...but I have no, single, idea, as to what we're going to find or encounter the moment you and I walk out that door...understand?"

Wolokai's eyes widened slightly, his voice a whisper as Quill hopped to the floor "Are you saying...there's a possibility you and I can die in here?"

Quill nodded "Yes, just because we're in your own mind doesn't mean you've escaped death. You can go anywhere in the world or universe you want to Wolokai...you can travel across the cosmos, to galaxies, and the universes beyond..." He pushed his forehead up against Wolokai's his eyes boring straight into his as he growled "But you cannot, will not, and never will, escape death."

The word's brought a deathly chill to the Pegasus pony's body, his heart shivering with fear. Out of all the things he expected in his mind...death was certainly not one of them. "A...alright then..." he whispered, pulling away from Quill and shakily walking for what he perceived to be the entrance "Let's...get out of here."

~*~

"TAKE COVER!!!!" Roared Sargent Kane as a large bolt of blue-colored magic roared overhead, crashing violently into a building nearby and blasting a large chunk out of it. The situation outside of Town Hall was getting ugly, with more and more of The Lunar Shard arriving and pushing up the streets and not enough Solar Flare to keep them at bay.

"Where the hell are they all coming from!?" Firemane screamed, ducking down behind the overturned kiosk cart that been dragged towards the front steps of the Hall.

"Cut that shit Firemane! Get in the fight!" Valeen barked, drawing an arrow from his quiver and throwing it up in the air. A Unicorn nearby caught sight of it, illuminating it with his magic and directing it towards The Lunar Shard's lines. It whistled through the air along with several other arrows that were hoof fired, creating a deadly scene of trench warfare.

"Hold firm! HOLD, FIRM!" Roared Captain Volokai, his hoof pointing all around and his voice barking orders continuously from the front steps of Town Hall. He turned his head as he witnessed a lightly armored Pegasus, a messenger, gallop forward towards him. "What news?!" Volokai asked, allowing the messenger to catch his breath before he spoke

"Re...reinforcements are on the way! Princess Celestia demands that the railroad system be immediately used to facilitate civilian evacuation! The Elements of Harmony are to be on the first train outwards to Canterlot, stat!"

Volokai nodded and shouted "When will the reinforcements arrive?!"

"Five minutes sir!" The messenger shouted, turning and galloping off across the wooden walkway.

Volokai sighed, turning his head back towards the battle which continued to rage back and forth. He had to duck quickly to miss a bolt of magic sailing over his head, his voice gruff and one of annoyance as he spoke "If we even have five minutes..." The Captain stood up to his full height, taking a moment to look back at the Town Hall and whisper "Please son...be ok..." before turning back and rushing down the stairs, galloping for the several hoof-made barriers and pieces of cover that littered the entire open area surrounding the Hall.

~*~

"So..." Wolokai wondered allowed, walking side by side next to Quill.

"So what?" Quill asked, his eyes looking over towards the Pegasus.

Wolokai sighed, staring across the vast hills that extended onwards past the Library. He took a moment to piece together the right questions before he asked "So...is this sort of thing possible for all ponies? This...whole journeying inside your own mind thing."

Quill furrowed his brow and let out a tiny 'Hmmm...' sound, staring towards the ground. "I don't know, to be perfectly honest." he answered, flicking his eyes up towards the distant mountains.

"I thought you knew everything?" Wolokai scoffed, casting a side-ways glare towards Quill who in turn glared back.

"Hey now..." Quill growled "I only know everything YOU know. Everything you've ever learned or memorized, I know."

Wolokai raised an eyebrow as he attempted to counter his statement "If that's the case, how do you know so much more about my mind then I do? I never imagined a 'Library' being the center of my brain, or that it could be its own world."

Quill opened his mouth to speak but stopped, realizing he really had no argument against that. "Huh..." he finally said, looking up towards the churning sky of blue and black "I guess you have a point there." He stopped for a moment, letting out a sigh and speaking in a tired voice "Look Wolokai...I don't know why things are the way they are. I don't know why your consciousness is representing itself as a physical world...since before you came all that ever existed for me was The Library. The only memories I've ever had are the ones you've given me...so what do I know that I wasn't intentionally meant to know?"

Wolokai nodded, stopping as well and turning to face Quill, his voice ridged with a tone of forgiveness "I see...I guess I've been a little difficult with you and for that I'm sorry." Quill nodded as he went on "It's just that...this is all so sudden. Nothing makes sense to me right now...not you...not this...'Mind World'...nothing. All I've got is a direction Quill...I don't know anything else."

Quill nodded, beginning his slow walk yet again and speaking "That's ok...I can't really imagine what it'd be like in your hooves right now...but whatever happens...I'm with you."

(Short Chapter right now, just a slight filler. The next few chapters will be a lot more juicy, I promise! I'm working carefully on this plot to space it out accordingly and plan it out. It has to go in a certain way to make things run smoothly, but it's necessary so that I can bring you guys a good story!)

[The Arc of Mind] - 07 - The Silence of Ponyville

"There's something I don't understand..."

"Oh...?"

"If this is my own mind....why do I have no control over it?"

Quill and Wolokai were situated on a small hill at the edge of a massive forest, its trees eerily still and the area completely devoid of all noise except that of their camp. A small fire crackled between the two ponies, their expressions grim but determined. Apparently night and day worked inside the 'Mind World', drawing the two colts to bed down for the night and set up camp.

The sun was only just disappearing behind the far mountains when Wolokai had begun speaking. "Seriously," he continued "Isn't me being in here like being in a dream? Why can't I change anything...do anything? Make whatever I want reality?"

Quill stared at him for a moment before looking down at the fire, his hoof gently running across the underside of his chin. He waited a few moments before he spoke, a thoughtful tone in his voice. "Well..." he muttered "Perhaps it has something to do with you being shot, I'd say that would be physically traumatizing yes?"

Wolokai raised an eyebrow and replied with "Yes...but what's your point?"

"Well think about it," Quill said, pointing at him with a hoof "Maybe the shot did something to you, like put you in a coma or something. Ponies who are in comas have no control over anything, that or maybe since you're actually here and not dreaming...that could have cut off your control too. Maybe it's a subconscious thing."

Wolokai shrugged, staring into the fire and whispering "I guess...I don't know." They were both quiet, the fire crackling and whipping about in the wind. It was a peaceful time...a time to relax...a time to think. The weary Pegasus gently fell back, resting his back on the soft grass and staring up at the starry sky. His lips turned upwards in a small smile, his eyes gazing across the constellations. "I have to admit," he finally muttered, causing Quill to look up "My mind is actually a pretty good looking place."

Quill chuckled, looking up at the sky and clearing his throat as he spoke "Well I can't say I've ever been out and about in it. Can't say I'm not surprised, your imagination is as extensive as it is creative...as are all writers' minds."

"Thanks for the compliment I guess" Wolokai whispered, staring in awe at the stars. He thought about a lot of things as the two quieted again. He thought about Whooves, about Vinyl and Octavia...but most all, he thought about Ditzy. Was she o k? Did she get away safely? What about the Solar Flare? Were they beating The Lunar Shard back?

The writer sighed, closing his eyes and getting comfortable on his back. There were too many questions with little to no answers. It wasn't like he was going to be very well informed about anything concerning the outside any time soon anyway.

His eyes drooped, and for the first time since his arrival in his own mind, he was actually starting to feel rather tired. Was that even possible? Getting tired inside your own head? He shrugged despite this, and quickly gave in to the fatigue that was pushing at his brain.

Just as he started to close his eyes however...he heard it. The sound gently wafted over the fields and the trees, piercing the soft quiet of the night. It caused the Pegasus to sit up quickly, his eyes widening as Quill looked up quizzically as well, his voice barely audible over the commotion. "What...is that?" he asked, cocking his head at the sky.

"A siren..." Wolokai breathed, shivering as the high-pitched wail of the siren echoed across the area. He took a quick look at the watch wrapped around his leg and frowned, his suspicions confirmed as the hands displayed 1:42.

"Wolokai!" Quill gasped, looking around frantically as a pearly white fog began to roll out from the forest. They scrambled to their hooves, watching as it got closer. "It doesn't look very safe..." Quill growled "We better get out of here!" Wolokai nodded, but before either one of them could move, another wall of fog began to rumble through the grass land.

Within moments, the fog had surrounded them completely, closing in slowly. The siren diminished in volume as the fog rolled closer, with Wolokai taking a moment to mutter as he stared towards the prowling vapor. "Well?" he asked, taking a step back away from the fog.

"Hope it's not poisonous I guess..." Quill replied, watching as it closed in further and further.

The two watched and grew still as the fog closed in on them, swirling about and settling quickly around them. Wolokai squinted his eyes and looked around carefully, a low whine escaping his lips. "I can't see a damn thing!" he said, trying his best to see through the white mess.

"I can't see anything either..." Quill began, walking up beside Wolokai "We probably shouldn't stay here though...who knows what could be in this fog?"

"I agree," Wolokai whispered, looking off into the fog "But...where should we go?"

Quill furrowed his brown, putting a hoof to his chin as he thought for a moment. A few moments later, he sighed and shook his head as he muttered "Well, this fog is too thick to see which direction we were supposed to go in. The only thing I can really think to do is just to pick a direction and go forward."

"Bit reckless don't you think?" Wolokai grumbled, noticing that the thick fog had blocked off the view of the sky as well.

"Well," Quill began, pawing at the dirt with a hoof "If you've got a better plan, I'm all ears. Either way we'll make it to the back of your mind eventually."

The Pegasus raised an eyebrow at this, giving the colt a quizzical which he replied to with "Think about it in the expression of 'All roads lead to Canterlot'. This isn't like a regular world you know...it has an edge."

Wolokai nodded, quickly turning on his hooves and staring towards the white wall. "Location...Location...Location..." Wolokai muttered quietly, narrowing his eyes and fluttering his wings slightly. Finally, the Pegasus stopped, staring off in a direction to Quill's right. "We'll go this way" he said, trotting ahead. Quill nodded and followed in close behind.

The two of them walked for what seemed like ages, the fog dense and unmoving. It only gave them a visible range of around thirty or so feet, which wasn't bad but still annoying. "Wolokai...?" Quill asked, staring ahead into the unknown as the Pegasus turned his head to look at him. "What was with that siren?" he asked, his brow furrowing "And you looked at your watch as it started to blare...what's that all about?"

Wolokai sighed, looking towards the grassy ground as he spoke "Every day...for a good long while now at least...I hear sirens at 1:42 A.M. and 1:42 P.M.. After that I feel...upset, for some reason. Upset and hurt until around 2:23 O'clock, 41 minutes later."

Quill looked towards the colt in concern and whispered "Any idea why?"

"Ha!" Wolokai scoffed "That's what I keep asking my therapist but he's got no idea."

They moved along in silence after that, the two of them trying their best to push through the heavy sheet of fog. "Sweet Celestia it's like it goes on forever..." Wolokai muttered, the sounds of his hooves changing from that of padding grass to that of pavement. "What the...?" he whispered, looking down and at the hard road like surface he stood on. "A road?" he questioned, looking up at Quill who merely shrugged.

"Beats me," Quill said, looking down at the road as well "Maybe it'll lead somewhere, we should follow it."

With a quick nod, the two of them pushed forward, clopping semi-loudly on the road. It wasn't long however before the outlines of buildings could be seen through the fog...though they were barely visible all the same. "Look, buildings!" Wolokai exclaimed with delight, picking up his pace "Maybe there's other ponies here! Hell maybe if you're here, Dimitri could be here as well!"

"Dimitri Snow-Walker?" Quill asked "The sled-pony?"

"Of course!" Wolokai smiled "Look, it's looking like snow already! Perhaps our lucks finally cashing in!"

Indeed, a light snow had begun to fall from the sky, the buildings finally coming into view and revealing themselves to the colts. They appeared to be built in the same style of Ponyville's buildings, but with a slightly more wear n' tear feel to them. The smile quickly faded from Wolokai's face as he beheld the condition that the buildings and houses were in...and the boards that covered up their windows and doors. "Quill...?" he whispered, stopping in his tracks. "You ever get that feeling of deja'vu?"

"A lot, actually..." Quill muttered, stopping up alongside Wolokai and staring at the buildings himself. "What's up?"

"I've got a feeling..." Wolokai muttered "That I've been here before...or that I've seen this place before." He narrowed his eyes towards one of the buildings. They continued on slowly, looking to the left and right as they pushed into the apparent town that rested in the fog. "This is weird..." Wolokai breathed, looking around at the boarded up area and down the visibly hidden street "Where is everypony...? Was there a plague or something?"

"I don't know..." Quill growled "But I've got a very bad feeling about this."

They continued walking further into the town, their eyes and demeanor cautious, looking for any movement. It wasn't until a light 'squeak!' echoed out from the fog that Wolokai immediately stopped and jumped back. "What's wrong?" Quill whispered, looking at the Pegasus who glared towards the fog with apprehension.

"There's something in there Quill," he hissed "I don't know what...but I've got a real bad feeling that we're not alone."

The two of them continued to stare towards the fog, and before either one of them could say another word...a figure could be seen. "There!" Wolokai breathed, raising his head to shout towards the figure "Hey! Who goes there!" The figure didn't respond, his form materializing slowly in the fog. It was a pony, Wolokai could tell...but the way it walked it looked as if it was...limping.

"I don't like this..." Quill muttered "I feel...there's something definitely wrong here Wolokai, I don't know what it is but I think we need to get out of here!"

Wolokai didn't respond though, simply squinting his eyes towards the pony figure in hopes that he could try to identify it. As it passed into visible sight however, the two colts' gasps echoed across the concrete street. It was a pony...but it was unlike anything that Wolokai had ever seen. All of its legs were cut in half...replaced by large wooden stakes that were pushed up into the rotted meat. Its coat was a moldy gray, with its mane resembling that of a rotting mop. The eyes of this 'pony' were just pure white balls, with no color and no iris to detail them. But the most notable feature of the beast was that it had MASSIVE bags under its eyes, like it hadn't slept for years.

"Holy SHIT!" Quill squeaked, watching as the pony sluggishly limped on its stakes towards the two "We need to get out of here! COME ON!" He tried to pull at Wolokai who was terrified to the spot, his eyes wide and staring towards the beast.

It stopped for a moment, cocking its head at Wolokai and opening up its tiny mouth. From out of it came a half screech, half growl which dripped with the word "Ssssssleeeeeeeeep....."

Wolokai felt his hooves act on their own, his body turning and his legs quickly carrying him away down the street with Quill. "F...fucking hell!" he shouted, looking over his shoulder at the pony who was left in the fog "What the hell was that thing?!"

"I don't know," Quill growled "But we need to get the hell out of h- LOOK OUT!"

The two of them quickly scrambled to a halt they came across a MASSIVE chasm in front of them, resting just beyond the crackling ruins of the road. "What the hell!?" Wolokai shouted "This wasn't here a second ago!!!" The area before them...the ground, the road, everything...was gone. A bottomless, foggy chasm extended out in front of them, the edges of the cliff broken and decaying. It was only then that Wolokai gasped, pushing a hoof to his mouth as the sudden realization passed over him. "Quill..." he said "I know...where we are...I know why I recognize this place..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Quill asked, watching as Wolokai turned his head and stared back behind him.

"It's simple...really." Wolokai whispered...

Behind them was a sign that hadn't been there before, a sign they didn't pass on the way in. It was green in color, with three lamp-lights hanging over it. Across the sign was a message written in gold lettering. A message of greeting...a message that read "Welcome to Ponyville!"

"....It's because I've read this story before."

[The Arc of Silent] - 08 - When the Fog Comes

"Sssslleeeeeeep!"

"SSSSLEEEEEEEP!!!"

"Sleeeeep....SSSSLEEEEEP!"

"Sweet Celestia how many of the bastards are there!?" Quill squeaked as he and Wolokai ran through the northern portion of Wolokai explained was a place called 'Silent Ponyville'. The place written in a story by the hooves of a writer whose work he adored, Silent Ponyville was the last place Wolokai had ever expected to end up. Now...he wasn't sure it was a place he'd expect to make it out of alive.

"I don't know!" Wolokai barked as he rushed up (according to the street sign they passed) 'Sugar Lane', being careful to stay out of hooves reach of the staked monster ponies that were growing in numbers and shambling towards them. The writer narrowed his eyes as he spotted another massive chasm before them towards the end of the road, signalling another dead end. He had hoped that the cliche' of Silent Ponyville would be broken in his mind, and that there may have still been a way out...but alas, they were stuck as expected.

Quickly scanning the area for any kind of escape area, Wolokai spotted a lone alley between two rusty brick buildings that looked empty of the monsters, a thick but small iron gate blocking the way. "Over there!" he shouted, directing Quill towards the entrance and turning his direction of running there.

"We've got to hurry!" Quill shouted frantically "They're almost upon us!". Indeed, the staked ponies were indeed drawing closer, the rotting smell of their decaying half-hooves fouling the air with a wretched stench. Wolokai bucked the gate open quickly and rushed inside as Quill let out a yell, tripping forward on his hooves and landing face first into the pavement.

"QUILL!" Wolokai screamed as the gate slammed shut behind him, a clicking noise echoing from it. He rushed towards the gate and tried his best to wrench it open...but to no avail. The gate was stuck. "Shit! Quill! Quill get up!" he screamed as the monsters drew closer.

Quill let out a low groan and lifted his head up, noticing that the gate wasn't moving despite Wolokai's best efforts to open it. "You go on!" He shouted as a thin line of red began to seep down from his forehead "I'll find a way back to you!"

"Quill you can't!" Wolokai screamed "This place is WAY to dangerous to travel alone in!" He continued to try and force the gate open, but no matter how hard she shoved or pushed, it would not budge.

"Just go!" Quill yelled back, getting to his hooves and rushing towards a small opening between the monsters "I'll find you, I promise!" One of the ponies made a terrifying stab towards Quill with one of its hoof-stakes as he ran by, missing the detective's flank by mere inches.

"Dammit!" Wolokai hissed as Quill disappeared into the fog, the grey ponies once again turning their attention towards Wolokai. He let out a soft curse and turned back towards the alley, rushing down it in hopes that there was a crossroads or another alley that he could escape out of and back into the streets where Quill was.

He ran for a good two minutes, but there was no other entrance or cross-roads to be found. Eventually, his pace slowed down to a quick trot...and eventually down to a sluggish walk. The adrenaline that had been pumping in his system only a few minutes before was starting to wear off, fatigue washing over him. He collapsed near a greenish-colored dumpster and panted, his lungs heaving for air. His chest heaved as he punched the garbage container with a spare hoof, his hoarse voice rasping out the word "Dammit...". He stared down towards the gritty cement in anger, his thoughts in complete shambles.

First the Library...now Silent Ponyville? What was next!? "Heh..." Wolokai laughed quietly, small beads of sweat dripping from his mane "If Heritagu could see me now..." he groaned as he shifted himself up into a sitting position, pushing his back up against the bricks of the building to his left. He looked down the way he had just come from, noticing that the fog hadn't traveled in with him, the same going for the other side. It looked like the other side of the alley turned to the right, making it impossible to see what lied on the other side. "Ok...Ok!" Wolokai breathed, putting his hooves over his eyes and trying his best to regulate his breath. "You've read 'Silent Ponyville', you know how this works...you know how to survive!"

He looked down at his vest, the pockets that adorned them. "Oh please...please let me have remembered!" He reached his teeth down towards the upper right pocket on his vest and gently lifted the flap with his teeth. Elation spread through him as he beheld a small notepad of paper and a tiny pencil resting in his pocket. "In case of writing ideas...thank goodness..." he muttered as he pulled the notepad out and placed it flat in his hoof. He took the pencil out with his teeth and clenched it gently above the eraser, bringing it towards the paper.

"Siwent Powywille" Wolokai muttered through the pencil as he sloppily wrote on the paper. "Munsters" is what he wrote on the next flap, looking up towards the opposite wall and thinking. Those gray ponies...the bags under their eyes made them look like they rarely slept...or if they'd ever slept before in whatever lives they had. 'Sleepless Ones' is the name that flicked through Wolokai's mind, the colt drawing out a crude sketch of the monster pony and adding a few notes to the side of the drawing. Notes like 'Slow' and 'Close Ranged' were added, as well as the question 'Tired?'.

He frowned as he placed his pencil back in his pocket and stared at the drawing.

Sleepless Ones...monsters of Silent Ponyville. They were different to whoever entered the town, he knew that. For Pinkie Pie it had been the 'White Fillies', a grotesque representation of Pinkie's sister who had been cut in half by a murderous mad-pony. These monsters had something to do with him...to do with his Insomnia perhaps and his nightmares. The stakes however...he had no idea what those could mean to him. With a quiet sigh, Wolokai pushed the notepad into his pocket with the pencil and closed the flap, looking at his watch. His eyes widened slightly as he watched the hands in the clock face move a lot faster then normal, the time in minutes working as if they were fifteen-second intervals, sometimes moving faster or slower. The current 'time' was around 7:51, with no idea of whether or not it was A.M. or P.M.

"The Siren echoes at 1:42 everyday" Wolokai whispered quietly "I bet the Otherworld works the same way as well...which means I better get moving if I want to find Quill before they start blaring." If there was one thing Wolokai knew about Silent Ponyville...it was that the Otherworld was NOT a good place to be trapped in. He pushed himself up onto his hooves and began his quick trot down the alley, turning left at the corner and emerging into another large stretch of the alley. It looked to be in the same state as the rest of the corridor, dusty and dirty with disuse. There was, however, what looked like to be an opening further down the way. With a small boost to his morale, Wolokai pushed himself into a light gallop, hoping that Quill would be in the surrounding streets.

As he burst out of the alley however, no sign of Quill could be seen, up or down the street. "Quill!!!" The Pegasus shouted, his hoarse voice cracking slightly from the exposure to the wet fog "Quill! Where are you!!?" Nothing but silence answered the writer as he looked up and down the street repeatedly, the boarded up houses and buildings casting dark shadows across him and the surrounding ground. He sighed, taking a glance to his right and looking towards the dense fog that rested just beyond a boarded up house. He had to get some sense of direction...any kind of direction as to where he was going. "A map..." he thought aloud "Everypony who came before me managed to find a map...a map and some kind of sound device that warned of monsters nearby..."

Then again...in Heritagu's story, his characters actually STARTED with those items...here...Wolokai didn't even know where to start. "Think..." he grumbled, quietly walking up the street "Where can you get a map of Ponyville...?" He narrowed his eyes and stopped, however, a thought crossing his mind. "Maybe...I don't need one." he muttered "I'm a mail-colt for Ponyville...I've memorized most of the town by myself already." He turned his head about slowly, staring at the various buildings and trees that lined the streets and local area. "All I would really need is some kind of familiar land-mark or house and I could pinpoint where I am easily."

He pushed on quickly, not wanting to get ambushed by a Sleepless One from the fog. It made him nervous...knowing those things were out there, prowling and probably stalking him from afar. What made it worse was the known fact that there had to be more than just Sleepless Ones in Silent Ponyville. He knew there would be more monsters...but the possibilities of what they could be scared the hell out of him. He had a broad range of problems circling his whole life it seemed...some apparently too traumatizing to remember. In a funny way...he actually hoped that one of these monsters would happen upon him, granting him a chance at a clue to what memories rested at the back of his mind.

For a moment, Wolokai entertained the idea of just climbing into one of the dumpsters and waiting the whole thing out, and that Quill would come looking for HIM rather than the other way around. A soft noise, however, shattered this thought entirely. It was very faint, the noise, but loud enough to just barely cause the colt's ears to perk. He held his breath, the side of his head towards the sound so that he could hear it a little better with his ear. His ear twitched a few times, his legs continuing to carry him forward towards the sound in hopes of making it clearer. As he moved closer, the sound began to grow clearer...and it made the colt gasp.

Ringing...like static mixed with a telephone, echoed from somewhere down the street.

"The sound device!" Wolokai gasped, breaking out into a full on gallop towards the ringing noise. The buildings became a blur as he raced down the street, the fog continuing to shroud the distant area from his sight. Finally, the colt slowed to a light trot as a small little shop came into view. It was of classic design, a little bit modified from the general structure of the rest of Ponyville...but most of all, it was a building the colt recognized. "Whooves!" he shouted, looking over the old, rotten sign that hung limply from a rusty chain on the front of the store.

Whooves Antiquities, Odds, and Ends!
For that 'Ancient' feel!

He smiled as he looked over the old, boarded up shop, his heart pushing through his body a feeling of elation despite the run-down state the shop was in. He quickly made his way over towards the door, putting a hoof on it and turning the handle. It opened with a loud 'CREEEEEK!', revealing the ruined interior of the building. Wolokai's smile faded slightly as he beheld the destroyed inside of the store, with shattered pots and splintered pieces of wood smothering most of the area. The windows were black with soot and dirt, a thick layer of dust covered just about everything. All the plants The Doctor cherished and hovered over were nothing more then a mud brown, shriveled mess.

"Sheesh...glad Whooves isn't around to see this" Wolokai muttered, taking a few careful steps into the shop. The ringing noise grew in intensity, drawing the colt towards the back of the ship. He was careful with his movements as he made his way past the broken debris and wreckage of the shop, making sure not to get any splinters in his hooves or to step on any shards of pottery. Eventually, he pushed his way through the broken in door that led into the back room, his ears perking to the loud ringing noise that echoed throughout the room. Most of the room was dark...save for a small glimmer of light that rested under a pile of wooden debris.

Walking closer to the wreckage, Wolokai carefully pushed some of the wooden fragments away, revealing what looked to be the tip of a metallic cylinder of some sort. With a careful push of his hoof, the cylinder popped out from under the wreckage, and revealed itself to be a flashlight of some kind in the shape of an 'L'. It was small in size, but the light it produced was near blinding. Curious, Wolokai gently picked up the light end of the flashlight and slipped it into one of his vest pockets, a wave of relief passing over him as the light slipped in perfectly and rested comfortably in his pocket. The button to turn it on and off was in a convenient place as well, near the top on the left hand side. It could be easily turned on and off by hoof.

Turning his attention back to the ringing noise, Wolokai aimed the light with his chest towards the pile of debris, the glint of another metallic object catching his eye. He pushed past the wood and winced slightly as his hoof slipped against the sharp edge of one of the splinters. He ignored the stinging pain, however, as he beheld a small, rectangular device with a red blinking light in its top left-hoof corner. He recognized it immediately, a smile passing over his lips as he exclaimed "My recorder!" It was indeed an old style tape-recorder that had this (according to him at least) really cool setting that allowed him to switch back and forth between recording and radio settings. It was a gift from Vinyl to him for his birthday, the colt making sure it was put to good use repeatedly.

He had often used it to record ideas or thoughts in his head about a certain writing project or just what he had on his mind. His therapist seemed to think it was a good idea, and he had often times remembered the hilarious nights he, Vinyl, and Octavia would have when they messed around with it and made goofy voice-overs of songs playing in the background of the house. "Those were such good times..." Wolokai muttered, a smile lingering on his lips. He slipped the ringing recorder into his lower left pocket, making the only usable pocket left the lower right one. He let out a content sigh as he looked around the room, his voice carrying across the shop "Well then...I have a light source, and now I've got the sound device that let's me know when.....

....when...."

He stopped, his blood running cold as the sudden realization of it all passed over him.

Noise....warning....MONSTER!

Wolokai let out a shrieking cry as a thunderous crashing noise echoed through the shop door, along with the sudden pain of something striking his side, sending him crashing into the far wall of the shop. He landed with a loud 'Thud', another cry peeping out of the colt's lips. A burning feeling rose from the colt's side as he looked up to see what had attacked him. He gasped as he beheld a monstrously large being standing nearby towards the broken down door. It looked like pony three times as big as Big Macintosh, with large bull horns adorning its front. Nails, colored with rusty blood, were embedded in the front two legs of the beast, covering most of its skin up to the hoof. It looked as if monstrous pony was covered in some kind of thick, brown slime, which was starting to emit a rather foul stench. The worst part of it all...was that the monster was laden with a supremely evil, ghoulish smile. The whites of its teeth shone nearly as bright as the flashlight, sending shivers up the colt's spine.

The bull-pony lowered its horns, aiming them directly at the colt as it pawed at the ground in a threatening manner. "Oh SHIT!" cried Wolokai as the bull-pony began to charge him, a savage roar echoing from the beast. Just before the monster could reach him, however, a loud 'CRACK' thundered out from beneath Wolokai, and the floor started to give way. "FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!" he screamed as he plummeted into darkness, the bull-pony letting out a guttural roar as it too fell into the blackness. The dual shouts continued for another five seconds until they were abruptly cut off by a faint 'Thud' in the darkness.

The ringing had stopped, silence returning to the abandoned shop. In the distance, however...noise was once again rising up...rising in the sound of a siren blaring loudly across the town.

From the doorway, the white fog of the outside, as well as the grey sky....began to darken.

It was time.

((~~IMPORTANT NOTE!~~))
(For those of you who may not understand what is going on, this part of the story is referencing to a place called 'Silent Ponyville'. For those of you who have NOT read Silent Ponyville, it is a direct reference to Silent Hill. The monsters in the stories and games often times represent the feelings or problems of the protagonist trapped in the town. For more info I would suggest looking up Jake Heritagu's 'Silent Ponyville' or looking up Silent Hill itself so that you're not confused by anything.

Thanks again to Jake Heritagu for permission to reference and include Silent Ponyville in this fiction!))

[The Arc of Life] - 02 - A Writer's Life

"Ego Amare...my dear Wolokai..."

Ponyville - Four and half months after The Battle of Manehatten - 1:40 P.M.

May in Ponyville was what many a pony would call 'true peace in Equestria'. Birds flew and flocked from tree to tree, filling the air with their beautiful, harmonic singing. Small woodland creatures pranced about the fields outside of the blissful town, while several other ponies took to relaxing in the park or playing games in the flower fields. All around the town, activity could be seen and heard in every street, and in every building. Everywhere...except one place.

It was quiet inside the small home in which Octavia and Vinyl Scratch resided. It was a simple home, complete with the usual furnishings. Along the walls of the main hallway, just behind the front door, hung several framed pictures. These included the fun and silly times that Vinyl Scratch always seemed to have with Octavia, including fun trips to the park, scenes from their performances at various events they attended and were invited to, and the quiet life they had at home. All the pictures were dedicated to them, save one. A cracked frame hung limp from one of two hooks just under the last picture of Vinyl Scratch scraping a burnt omelet off their stove. The picture inside was gone, the shards of glass that littered the floor already cleaned up from yesterday.

It was with delicate and quick hooves that the weary colt passed out in the guest bedroom used to assassinate the picture frame, being careful to come up with an excuse as to why this happened...knowing full well Octavia would be on the hunt for answers if (and when...) she found out. The colt in question was still snoozing from the early morning, his light snores quietly rasping through his slightly open mouth. His wings were fully erect under his body, the tips of the feathery appendages gracing the wall and nightstand that took up the sides of his bed. The Pegasus looked miserable, his face contorted into one of displeasure, pain even. His mane was a ruffled mess and there was sure to be red cracks of tiredness etched into the whites of his poor eyes. He shifted his weight uncomfortably on the lumpy mattress, and let out a small whimper, turning his head towards the far wall. 1:41 P.M. ticked by slowly, the murderous red numbers on the digital clock blaring their grim color with an evil light. For the colt laying in bed, time was nothing, neither was reality. Nightmares had priority this day, and were hell bent on once again plaguing the poor pony as he failed yet again to acquire the good night's sleep he had only imagined in passing day dreams at the College.

1:42 P.M.

"OH GODS ABOVE, RUN!!!!"

"Is it them?! Oh Celestia save us it's THEM!!!"

"Run!!!! They're coming up the street!!!"

Wolokai opened his eyes and blinked rapidly, taking in sharp, ragged breaths and coughing immediately after as his lungs filled with heated smoke. The smell of burning wood was thick in the air, and the screams of many ponies filled his ears. The Pegasus stared up at the black sky with terror in his eyes, the sounds of destruction and chaos crashing about around him. He was immobile, paralyzed and stuck to the ground on his back. He could feel his left wing twitching beside him, his right one unresponsive. He heard whispers to his right, light, ethereal whispers that turned his head towards the sound. His eyes were wide and filled with terror, his form and heart shivering in horror as he beheld his dismembered right wing twitching near his body. This was only a minor fright compared to the one he saw further down the street.

A dark, shadowy creature was striding up the street slowly, its murderous red eyes boring right into the petrified colt's. Its paws made light 'thuds' in the dirt street, driving anypony nearby into frantic hysterics. It stopped about thirty feet away from the Pegasus, its blasphemous gaze striking pure, raw fear into every nerve and fiber of his body.

Wolokai could tell there were ponies behind the creature, formed into a straight line and blocking off the entire street. He could not tell who they were, or what they looked like as his gaze was still focused on the creature that had now resumed its approach towards him. Closer and closer it came...drool leaking from its disgusting maw. Its teeth were as black as night, and as sharp as the most deadly of knives. Twenty-five feet...twenty...closer it came. Just as the creature was about to reach the horrified colt, however, a blinding white light shone out before his eyes, sending the dark creature back several feet. The light gleamed with great intensity as the echoes of a siren rose up from somewhere in Ponyville. The light receded after a moment, revealing the form of what looked like a pony. Its fur was a shining white, and it wore what looked like a set of snowy robes, even whiter then its fur. Wolokai could only just start to move his eyes upwards when a soft, tender voice whispered in his mind:

"Not...yet..."

~*~

Wolokai woke up with a gasp, sitting up quickly and taking in deep gulps of air. His right wing ached as badly as his head did, and his blaring alarm clock was not doing him any favors by being a down right noisy bastard. A well-placed hit of his hoof shut off the alarm, the time only just reaching 2:23 P.M.. As the alarm shut off, the automatic-radio function clicked on, the voice of an all too familiar colt shouting out from the speakers. Wolokai put his face in his hooves and sighed as the colt spoke "Well good afternoon Ponyville! DJ Shake n' Bake here, giving you all the latest shindig and news right here on the Cage Corral Radio Network! Vinyl Scratch has just checked out for today, which means it's time for badum-ba-da...news!!!!

"Shit..." Wolokai groaned, turning off the radio-clock with a light tap of his hoof and pushing himself out of bed. His eyes were indeed bloodshot, but as bad as previously thought. He lumbered forward, his head down and his wings limp at his side. He moved by his computer desk and quickly tapped the power button that rested on the front of his high-powered machine before heading towards the door. He pushed himself out of his bedroom and quickly made his way to the bathroom, his morning business calling for him.

After a refreshing brush of his teeth and a warm splash of water on his face, the weary Pegasus moved to the living room, taking a quick moment to tap the red button on the answering machine that blinked with a bright light. Wolokai moved into the kitchen as the speakers crackled for a moment, Vinyl's voice finally coming through.

"Yo yo yo! You've reached The house of the awesome and very talented Vinyl Scratch ("Oh really...Vinyl could you try any harder to make EVERYTHING an ego trip?!") ...and Octavia, as well as our resident, bad-ass roommate Wolokai! Obviously we're not answering the phone because we either don't know you, think you're creepy, or we're too busy partying like wild animals ("Honestly...why do I bother..."), so go ahead and leave us a message! Let us know who the message is for after the beep so we can sort em out! Wouldn't want to catch any dirty secrets on the messages would we? ("You're such a brute Vinyl...I swear") Toodles!"

Wolokai rolled his eyes and opened the fridge door with his teeth as the machine let out its usual 'BEEP'. He pulled out a large gallon-jug of milk as the first of the messages started "Hello, this message is for Miss Sharpe. This is the the Office of Public Affairs down at City Hall, politely asking you to once again remind Miss Scratch that the fountain in Trottington Park is for VIEWING, not for DRINKING! Thank you."

The Pegasus let out a slight, humorous scoff as he pulled a bowl out of the cupboards above the sink and listened to the next message. "Yo, Vinyl, it's Blazer. Why you gotta be avoiding me girl!? Don't you know that you're the only one for me?! That Octavi-bitch girl don't know what's good for you! Come chill with me baby-doll, I'll show you how a REAL pony works some lovin'!"

"Seriously? ANOTHER message from that idiot?" A voice shouted from the kitchen entrance, making Wolokai jump slightly and turn his head towards the sound. He let out a tense breath as Vinyl Scratch slowly walked into the kitchen, her mane haggled and her eyes weary and tired. "Sup bro?" She yawned, opening the fridge with her magic and pulling out a bottle of Apple Cider.

"Nothing much...go easy on that" Wolokai responded, his voice slightly hoarse. He turned his attention back to the box of Cheerileeos he had on the counter, tipping it forward and letting the brown donut-shaped treats trickle into the bowl.

"It's just one bottle. Trust me it takes like maybe three or four of these to even start hammering." Vinyl responded, turning back towards the kitchen entrance and walking out as she took a sip. "Heading to bed, I got another night shift tonight. Night dude."

Wolokai finished pouring the milk in, his eyes unmoving from the cereal mix as he said back "Night Vin." He put away the milk and cereal quickly as the next message came around...this one driving a deep, aggravated sigh out of his lungs.

"Hey Wolokai...it's Juniper. Look, I'm not really good at this type of stuff, so I'll just keep it brief. I don't think our relationship is going in the direction I'd like it to. It's just...not working. I'm sorry, and I hope you have good fortune in finding a mare...more suited for you. Good luck and have fun in life Wolokai...goodbye. Wolokai simply shrugged, slurping as quietly as he could out of the bowl before him and savoring the cinnamon taste of his Cheerileeos.

"Whatever...bitch." he whispered, leaning back in his chair at the kitchen table. Another marefriend gone...whatever. His fourteenth attempt at love, ending up in utter failure. Too be honest, he hadn't really tried with this one, the point of it all starting to get lost on him. Love? Who needed it? Sure he was happy for Vinyl and Octavia, but he figured that it was because they were both mares, mares who shared the same feelings and interests for their gender. Not that he had anything against it, but Wolokai just didn't swing that way. No Love, No Pain is the motto he had thought and mulled over in his head several times when staring at his computer screen, tapping and typing down whatever his imagination decided to bring out. "The Single Life...hello old friend" Wolokai muttered, growling and taking another mouthful of cereal in his mouth.

The next and final message beeped as Wolokai chewed on the cereal "Kurr, it's Sykes. You're not doing anything right? Fan-fucking-tastic! GET YOUR ASS DOWN TO THE OFFICE, NOW! June just called in sick and I need an afternoon and an evening route filled in! It's a three P.M. shift, so GET ON IT KURR!!!"

Wolokai spit out his cereal all over the kitchen table, coughing loudly as he looked over towards the small clock that rested on the far wall...its taunting hands displaying the time 2:49 P.M. "SHIT!" he shrieked, bounding out of his seat and running through the house quickly. "Shit, shit, shit! Fucking fat bastard! Fucking asshole! FUCK!" he spat, rushing into his room and slipping on his black watch. He quickly picked up the rumpled mess that was his vest and slipped it on over his head and across his chest, resting it comfortably on his back. He quickly slid his P.Pad into his right vest pocket, making sure to carefully tuck in the ear buds in as well. With that, he made a mad dash out of the room and towards the front door, ripping it open and closing it quickly behind him.

The warm May air quickly wrapped itself around the hurried Pegasus as he shot out his wings and hammered them down, taking himself up into the air and across the street in front of him. The wind whistled in his ear as he rose up higher into the air for just a moment before banking to the left and sailing downwards past City Hall. From where he was in the air, Wolokai could see all the various townsfolk below tending to their business's or their casual agendas. Some shopped, some browsed, some played in the streets or talked over things during quiet lunches. Wolokai's path, however, took him away from all of this, moving from the Northern business, residential area to the Southern Industrial section of Ponyville. It was on this side of town that more of the gritty and physical side of work took place, including Construction, Electricity, and the Mail System in which Wolokai now turned his direction to.

He had just finished sailing over the Office of Construction when the Cloudsdale Official Letter Transportation (Or, C.O.L.T.) building came into view. It was a three story, brick building with faded windows and a neatly trimmed hedge surrounding the outside with beautiful red flowers dotting its leafy edges. Wolokai rolled his eyes up at the rusted C.O.L.T. sign that hung above the main double doors, always wondering exactly why it was labeled Cloudsdale and not Ponyville. This thought always ate at him whenever he came into work, and eat at him it did as he stared upwards towards the many open windows that saw several Pegasus ponies flying in and out of them, mail satchels over their backs.

Wolokai sighed and moved forward, pushing the double doors open to unleash the unrelenting roar of noise that seemed to be trapped within the soundproof building. Shouts and hollers could be heard from all across the building, the whole area sounding like an overcrowded cafeteria at lunch. Ponies moved about like a mad swarm of bees in a freshly bucked hive, papers and packages flying about every which way. It looked like some sort of sick, twisted war zone, one that didn't offer many survivors in the aftermath. The unicorn mare managing the front desk looked up for a moment, her peripherals catching sight of the door opening, and blinked as a panting Wolokai made his way towards her. "Afternoon Abigail..." he wheezed, his chest heaving for air "Clocking in for the three P.M. shift..."

The mare, Abigail, looked towards the clock on the far wall and saw that the minute hand was just now moving over onto the twelve, signaling the very start of 3 P.M. "Right on time" she spoke with a bored tone, her horn lighting up with reddish magic and pulling a time card out of its place on the wall. She levitated it into stamper nearby and pulled the lever, stamping Wolokai into work and putting it over into the 'IN' section on the other side of the clock. "You're in...June's bag is up in her cubicle, so get it and go before Sykes gets more pissed then he is already..."

Wolokai nodded, quickly turning and pushing his way through the maddening crowd of ponies that took up the lobby and most of the wooden staircases leading upwards. Most would find it too difficult to move through the overcrowded halls and stairs, but not for those of who were used to the walk and life of postage. Squeezing, ducking, and pushing past the crowds took its usual toll on the Pegasus, his grunts and light yelps of pain inaudible to the chaos going on around him. After a good five minutes, Wolokai finally managed to heave himself up onto the second floor of the building, making a beeline past all the cubicles to June's. Briefly stepping out of the way of a runaway mail cart, Wolokai poked his head into the cubicle and spotted the mail bag, as advertised...and the beautiful grey coat of a mare the colt knew all too well.

A mane of bright yellow, a flank of bubbles, and eyes of gleaming sunlight, Ditzy Doo was a pony known to many as the more 'interesting' of the bunch. Many couldn't understand her, whether it was her speech or how she behaved...but it was either by good fortune or a lot of patience that Wolokai could happily say he was one of those special few who could. "Hey Ditzy!" Wolokai shouted, a warm smile crossing his face. It was a sort of ritual they had, between the closest of friends. They'd always be sure to say hello as loud as they could to each other when their paths crossed, the volume depending on how strange the meeting place was. They had said hello in the back of a donut shop, a tree in the park, from the ceiling of a carriage, and even the time when Wolokai opened a mailbox to find Ditzy Doo staring back at him through a hole in the back of it.

Ditzy jumped slightly, her right eye looking off towards the ground while her left eye centered on Wolokai. She giggled and waved a hoof at him, shouting back "Hi Wolokai!!! You got me good this time!"

"Heh, yeah!" The colt spoke, raising an eyebrow after a moment as he asked "What you up to in here?"

At this, Ditzy frowned and looked back towards June's desk, growling with frustration "I've been searching for my Super-Stapler Muffinator 3000!!! I know I put it in my Muffin chest but I can't locate it everywhere!"

Wolokai let out a slight chuckle and held out a hoof, speaking gently to her "Maybe that's because you're looking in JUNE'S cubicle...not yours. You work four down and two back, remember?"

Ditzy blinked, a confused expression passing over her face before a wave of realization passed down over her. She burst out laughing, shaking her head and trotting towards the entrance as she exclaimed "I'm a silly pastry, of course! I'm in the wrong bakery!!! I'll go look in the Muffin Store. Say..." she stopped, standing in the small hallway outside the cubicle and turning to face Wolokai "You should come float upside down later at the Doctor's place! He's doing this cool thing with strawberries and ice cream that he says is going to be Muffin-RIFIC!!!! You gotta! Please please please pleaaaaase!?!?"

Wolokai sighed, smiling towards his best friend with a throb of warmth in his heart. She'd always win these kind of arguments. Whether it was the soft batting of her yellow eyes, or the way she gave him the 'pouty lips', or simply the way she used her bubbly, happy personality to get him to tag along in all of her silly adventures. He had always cared about Ditzy Doo, the years of their friendship always near the front-most part of his mind, and it was these he thought about as he nodded and said "Of course! I get off my shift at eight, so meet you there?"

Ditzy nodded her head rapidly, turning and bouncing away happily as she hummed and sang loudly "In the Muffin Factory!!! Where not a single dough gets through!"

Wolokai chuckled, shaking his head and turning to move into June's cubicle. He quickly scooped up the bag, flipping it on his back and heading towards one of the many wide, opened windows that rested along the walls. He stepped up to the sill, pulling out the ear buds of his P-Pad and sticking them in his left ear only. With a careful hoof, he selcted one of his all time favorites and looked down towards the ground as the rock music started. His eyes narrowed in determination and his wings unfurled, carrying him outside and downwards with a furious burst of speed. The song gave him a good beat which allowed him to time the beats of his wings perfectly, giving him the best amount of speed and direction possible. He soared over the house-tops of Ponyville, banking and diving, even going as far as a barrel roll to get his adrenaline up.

He had studied June's route many a time, as well as the routes of several others he worked with in the mail chain he operated in. This was mandatory of course, if somepony got hurt or sick, any other could take their place no problem and without difficulty. This route was fairly easy enough, being as it was just two long, straight lines and a solid curve of houses, followed by package duty back at the warehouse. The lucky thing about this shift was, June ALWAYS liked to keep the letters strictly organized, having her bags prepared at least a day in advance. Every address in order, every house and letter lined up perfectly so she wouldn't have to waste time rummaging around her bag for them.

As Wolokai approached the first house, he hoisted the mail-bag in front of him and opened the front flap, taking the first few letters in his hoof carefully. As he flew through the street, he whipped his hooves about and sent the letters sailing towards the doorsteps of each house, singing along as the main chorus of the song burst out in his ears

"All you'll ever be, is a fading memory of a bully!!!!! Make another joke while they hang another rope, so lonely!!!! Push em to the dirt till the words don't hurt, can you hear me!!!!? Nopony's gonna cry, on the very day you DIE, you're a bully!!!!

He whipped his hooves about left and right as he soared up the street, each letter landing perfectly on each doorstep and giving the cheering ponies in the street a good show as he went into a spiral , letters flying out from his blurred form and finding themselves stuck in mailboxes or the mail slots of doors.

However...it was not just the residents below that had their eyes on him at this particular moment. To the cliffs in the east, on a narrow, jutted edge...a pony stood. He was an average height for a stallion, although his appearance...was not. He wore a large set of dark blue and black robes, the shimmering of a similarly colored armor lying just underneath. The robes were simple in design, with a hood and bandana to match. The hood was up and the Bandana rested around the front of his snout, obscuring his face from view...but not his eyes. His eyes were a gleaming sapphire, and were glaring towards the flying Pegasus as he flung letters like deadly knives from his bag. A voice from behind him whispered quietly, the tinges of fear clearly audible in his voice "L...Lord? Sh...shall we follow h-"

"No..." hissed the stallion, a portion of his robes moving aside to reveal the dark chest piece that made up his armor. On the very front was an odd looking symbol, carved with blueish colored paint. Underneath the symbol rested several tally-marks of a bloody color, with a single one etched to the very top right of the symbol

He stared towards the flying Pegasus, growling as he turned and walked away from the edge, his cape blowing and whipping about behind him as he hissed "No...there is a process. There was always a process. Nothing we can do to speed it up or slow it down. The process must not be hindered, nor must it be bothered. As it happened before, it will happen again...now come...

"We have a lot of work to do..."

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