The Night Shroud

"Alright. Breathe in, breathe out. You can do this." I move through the darkened halls of a castle, its layout both familiar and foreign at the same time. Moonlight shines through the mosaic windows on the sides of the hall as i pause at a corner. I carefully lean over the corner and scan the corridor before me for any signs of life. Empty, perfect. Moving through the shadowed hall the only sound that grazes my ears is one of my own breathing and the rustling of cloth, i relish in the silence of this place and my mind wanders.

"Why am i here?" I pass another corridor, empty as the last. Out of the corner of my eye i see a metallic shine coming from my right. I look at the source and see a sharp tactical knife with a black handle hovering steadily beside me.. Its business end is stained in red. Right, right. I think i remember now. What i don't remember however, is going on a gig so unprepared. I've got no clue who my soon-to-be victim is, i don't know their routine, don't know where they are...

Come to think of it, i don't know where i am right now. "It's definently a castle of some sorts..." I tap the knive's sharp edge against the floor. Yep, that's marble, not crystal. I hear something creak right around the corner, and quickly scamper to the nearest shadow. Stupid, stupid, stupid! That's a rookie mistake, it doesen't matter where i am if i get found! I hold my breath and concentrate, trying to hear if anypony's coming my way. A minite passes in tense silence as i slowly creep towards the corner, ready to pounce at the first sight of a pony.

Nopony comes, however, and i peek out of the corner to assess the situation. A corridor, similar to the previous ones greets me, but something's... off this time. A slightly ajar door is visible on the left wall, right beneath a window.
A thick black fog rolls out of the door, covering the whole hall. As i walk towards the door fog begins to cover my vision, yet i begin to hear... something. Straining my ears, i can catch what sounds like snippets of conversations.

"No! ..ease... ..st... ...ve ...me... al..." A stallion's voice pleaded. "Don't ...w... ...t...!" Cold Fog seeped through the fabric of my shroud and licked the fur on my ears.

"I'm .s...y ...for... y... .w. ...od." A confident mare voice repled. "No ...er ..y." Mist spread past my ears and trickled down my neck, sending shivers as it went. My ears felt like they were plugged, making it harder to make out what was being said. I felt cold spread through my whole body, the Black Fog enveloping me completely. I couldn't see anything past my muzzle, including the door. I took a step forward.

"AAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH"

A deafening pained scream fills my ears as i collapse on the floor. I cover my ears in an attept to silence it, but it doesen't help. I squeezee my eyes shut and bang my head against the marble floor, but find myself unable to move. A strangely familiar taste of ash and blood enters my mouth as the noise overwhelms my senses and i scream.

I wake up with a scream, drips of cold sweat trickling down my forehead. I look at the wall-mounted clock and groan. Five in the morning? A perfect time for a wake up call. Shaking my head i get up, and move to the kitchen. "Might as well make myself useful." Turning on the stove i put the сezve on. Not the first time i've been woken up this early by a nightmare, then again i've never been too bothered by them. After all, you can't have a nightmare if you never dream! That means i'm still in the dreaming business, hell yeah baby! A small headache buzzes in the back of my head, not bad enough to make me go back to bad, but enough for me to wish i had aspirine right now.

I move to the small bathroom and begin my morning routine. Okay, let's set the game plan for today. First thing first - get my daily dose of caffeine. Second thing second - get a better look at Lily's house. I doubt she's up right now, but that's for the better. I should be done by around eight, which leaves me just enough time to visit the local gazette. I made sure they were hiring, and a steady job is definently what i need at the moment. And last but not least, see if a local pharmacy has some aspirine. I hear the invigorating smell of coffee all the way from the kitchen. I move to the kitchen and pour myself a cup of joe. I open the kitchen window and let the cool morning air rush in and mix with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. I close my eyes and breathe in the sweet mixture, my headache fades a little. This day is going to be good.

I approach Lily's house slowly, making sure to not make any noise. I avoid stepping on the carefully decorated front lawn and hide under one of the house windows. I listen carefully and hear a pony enter the room. Maybe she wanted a glass of water? I hear a click of a lightswitch, and i'm just fast enough to bolt to safety as he window bursts open. I peek from behind the corner and see Lily lean out of the window with a content smile. She takes a deep breath, clearly enjoying the morning air. Her light amber mane is a little disheveled, but otherwise she looks ready to take on the day. She opens her eyes and takes in the scenery, and i hide behind the corner in time to avoid her gaze.

Sweet Celestia devourer of pastry she is up. It's 5:40 and this mare is already up. I hear the clutter of pots and pans from inside the house, and a flavor of freshly cut fruts reaches me through the open window. Yeah, write that down: she's a morning pony. One more reason to gut her like a fish. Not now, of course, i've already made plans for today.

Half an hour drags by as i wait for her to leave the house, meanwhile writing down every little detail of her routine.

Breakfast 5:40-5:45....

...Coat and mane brushing 5:46-6:10....

...Leaves for work at 6:11.

I hear the door close shut with a creak and wait a second or two before peeking around the corner, to watch her frame disappear behind a nearby building. I look around to make sure nopony's watching and sneak to the front door. Checking under a floorboard i am greeted by a small silver key. I pick it up with a sigh and open the door.

Upon entering the kitchen i notice the abundence of plants. All sorts of them, from flowers to small trees, and even a few of those that eat insects, are potted and placed all over the room. The fridge has a number of papers stuck to it, most of them being a to-buy lists. One of them however catches my eye, so I move closer to read it. "

'Anniversary on 31/10, do not forget!!!'

Well, that's interesting. What kind of anniversary is timed at Nightmare Night? Guess i have two months to find out. The room on the first floor wasn't anything special, a cheap tv, decent sofa and enough potted plants to feed a stallion for months. In addition to all that, the wallpapers depicted you guessed it, rows of roses arranged in a pretty pattern. This mare really loves flowers. Walking up the stairs, i find myself in a narrow corridor. Two doors were on the opposite sides of it, and i decided to check the left one. I gently opened the door, and entered what looked like a bedroom. Flowery wallpapers adorned the walls, a small drawer stood beside the bed, an alarm clock and a photo depicting Rose standing on top of it. How cute.

I carefully opened the drawer which was full of books on botany, gardening, and other plant related things. Among them, one book stood out however. A blue book with a small lock laid beneath all the others. I cast a quick spell on the lock, and it opened with a satisfying click. I opened the last page and notice that it has yesterday's date.

'Dear diary, today was great! Me and Rose spend a lot of time together, and i think i have a pretty good idea what to give her for the anniversary! She kept talking on and on about the new edition of "Equestria's Flora and You", and i bet my saddlebags that's what she wants. There's just one thing that bothers me. She looked awfully jumpy this evening, and said somepony was watching us. I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, but made sure she got home safely.

I'm going to ask Twilight if she can order one for me. I'd do it myself, but i don't think it'd arrive on time, there's quite the rush to get thes-"

A sound of a door opening startles me out of the pleasant read, and i hear a pony mutter something about leaving a bag behind. I hold my breath and put the book into the drawer, hoping i didn't make too much of a mess. I scan the room and notice a small saddlebag in the corner. I hear the sound of approaching hoofsteps and glance at the window. Closed, and i don't have enough time to run to it. Hoofsteps stop just behind the door, and with nothig else to do, i sprawl on the floor, and hide under the bed. I hear her mumble "where" about a dozen times as she walked through the room. From my hiding place i could see her bag clear as day, something the earth pony couldn't say for herself. She finally stopped her pacing, and stood in front of the bed.

Alright, what are my options? Best case scenario, the forces that be intervene and she notices the bag, and leaves the bed, and most importantly me, alone. Then i will be free to bang my head against the wall for making the rookie mistake of entering the house without knowing her routine. If she does look under the bed, then i'll have to make it the last thing she does in her life. Can't have such a simple mistake stain my good name, right?

I slide the knife out of its sheath with a touch of magic, and ready myself for a possible attack. I see her crouch, and in a last-ditch effort to save myself from the tedious task of cleaning blood out of my fur, i tilt a bookshelf above the bag just enough for one of the books to fall.

"Eeep!" The earth pony jumps a little from the unexpected sound, and looks straight at the saddlebag. "There you are!" she grabs it and bolts out of the room. I hold my breath until i hear the door snap shut, and wait a few more minutes before crawling out. That was close, STUPID close, might i add. I should've followed her instead of breaking and entering, but hindsight is 20/20 i guess. I scamper out of the house and hurry home, i need a good cold shower.

Play it cool, play it cool. Just smile and answer every question as politely and truthfully as possible. I keep telling that to myself as i approach the HR department of "Ponyville Chronicles". I've been employed at a myriad of newspapers, both big and small. Many things differed: faces, names, working enviornment, yet many things stayed the same. Bosses who are perfectly fine with a newcomer's strange work history as long as he keeps pumping out article after article for a below-average salary. Acquaintances, a dangerous deception. Workplaces that are filled with them, strangers who happen to be sitting next to eachother, five days a week. A distant familiarity that grows from habit. Whatever they like to do on evenings and weekends, is presumed to be commonplace. The blanks are filled in with assumptions and one forgets how little they know, until proven otherwise.

This one seems to differ little from my previous workplaces. The ponies here are a bit more friendly, but i'm fairly certain this friendliness will evporate the moment they realise i'm not just a guest or a passerby, but a fellow coworker. I smile and pass a group of coworkers chating near a water cooler, and hear bits of conversation. "Do you know why Photo Flash quit his job?" A petite mare asked the others. A choir of uncertainty was a reply from the group, until a burly stallion spoke up. "I helped him pack his stuff, and, naturally, i asked why he wanted to move all of a sudden. He kept telling me about greener pastures and whatnot. Not sure how true that is though." He shrugged.

Ah, yes, Photo Flash! A nice kid overall, a bit too skittish in my opinion. He did move onto greener pastures. After all, once you find a raccoon's head stapled to your bedside alongside with a note, you kinda have to. Nevertheless, the situation was resolved favourably for the both of us. I'll get the job, and he gets to get out of his comfort zone. A win-win, if i do say so myself.

I finally stand in front of the office doors. I take a deep breath and knock on the wooden frame and wait for an answer. "Come in." A gravely voice replied. I open the door and walk in, trying to look as confident as possible. "You're here for the job interview?"

"Yes." I reply and the stallion motions towards a seat opposite of him.

"Please, take a seat." I nod and do as he says, all the while carefully observing the pony. A slightly curled chocolate-colored mane with golden streaks obscures one of his mint green eyes. His copper coat, along with a yellow jacket, complimented his mane quite well. He looks at me intently before finally speaking up. "The name's Written Quill, but if you want this job, you should already know that." You have no idea how well i know that, buddy. "Now, tell me about yourself."

"Well, i'm Witty Note, nice to meet you! I've moved into Ponyville just above a week ago, and i'm currently looking for a job." His face remains stoic as he leans on the table and stares me directly in the face. "I've worked at a number of newspapers before, from Trottingham's Courier to Las Pegasus Daily!" He raises an eyebrow.

"My-my, that's a big track record you've got there. Large and quite... erratic, i must say." I hear an accusation in his voice. "Mind explaining that?" Alright, let's go for something a bit more emotional.

"Of course. You see, ever since the day i've got my cutiemark i've felt that something was missing in my life." I raise my hoof to my head in a dramatic fashion. "I moved from town to town searching for something to fill the emptiness i felt. Yet, no matter how many cities i've visited, nothing helped me fill the void inside. Until my good friend Golden Glow, bless her heart, advised to move to a smaller town." I shed a single tear. "I've been her just a week, but it feels like i've been reunited with a small part of me that was missing all my life, and... and..." I sniff, trying to sound genuine. "I'm sorry, i-"

"WAAAH" The stallion scoops me up in a hug and begins bawling into the fabric of my coat, obscuring his face and leaving me to stare at the wall with a befuddled expression. The fuck? Never took him for an emotial type."That was sob the most beautiful thing i've ever heaaard?"

"It was? I mean, ahem, of course, uhm-"

"You're hired! sniff You're hired." He lets go of me and wipes the tears away with a handkerchief. I beam.

"Thank you sir, i'm honored to join your crew as a..." I pause, and look at him expectingly. He seems to have collected himself, looking at me with a soft smile.

"Writer, Mr. Note. Nd before you ask, you can start immediately." I look at him surprised.

"I'd love to, but... What am i to write about? I doubt there's much going on here in Ponyville." He waves his hoof around.

"Write about little things! Take a stroll through the town, maybe somepony lost her alligator again, or the three little cutie-mark seeking rascals got into trouble helping colts and fillies as usual, i'm sure something will come up sooner or later!" He encourages me while shooing me out of his office. "Now go on, bring me a feels-good story!"

I stand in the empty hallway when the door closes behind me and i grin. "That couldn't have gone better."

I've been walking around Ponyville for about two hours now, searching for a good story. Sadly, just as i predicted, nothing happened so far. No, let me specify. Nothing interesting happened so far. Despite what Quill said, i doubt he'll be satisfied if i actually gave him a story about Pinkie's alligator. Instead of mulling about my failure to find a compelling narrative, i reminisce on what i've said earlier. While most of what i said to my boss was a lie, i did feel strangely... at ease in Ponyville. Perhaps the charm of a quiet town has been lulling me in a sense of security. I'd love to just live here, but... I can't. I just can't. I know what i do, and i know that, eventually, i'll get bored of this place. In my ruminations i stumble upon somepony, causing the both of us to plummet to the ground. I groan and open my eyes, surprised when i see a mare laying on the ground in front of me.

Her coat was a soft pink in color, adorned in a green vest with a golden badge pinned to its chest. Her short blonde mane doesn't obstruct her horn and electric blue eyes. I look at her flank and see the same golden badge for a cutiemark. She's beautiful, gorgeous, and... And she's a cop. Just my luck. The one time i see somepony i like, they are detrimental to my goals, shame. Still, buddying up with a pony of the law can be benificial, and i'm not one to waste opportunities. I clear my throat and focus on an outstretched hoof pointing towards me.

"Need a helping hoof?" I grab her hoof and she hoists me up with surprising ease. She's quite strong for a unicorn.

"Yeah, thanks. Can't believe i didn't see you there." I say, collecting a wallet that's fallen out of my pocket.

"You should be looking where you're going, mister." She smirks as i dust off my clothes. "You're lucky you ran into good ol' me, and not somepony the likes of Iron Will." Literally who?

"Yeah i guess so." I look around, and notice that we're both standing near a quite large tree. As i finish examining the tree, i notice her beginning to trot away. "Hey, wait up!" She stops and looks back at me as i catch up to her.

"You wanted something?"

Alright, time to absolutely demolish her. "Can I follow you? Because my parents always told me to follow my dreams." Her muzzle scrunges up for a moment, and she erupts with laughter. Is that a bad thing? I wait patiently for her to finish.

"Ha, aren't you a charmer!" She resumes her trotting and i follow. "Sure you can, if you've got nothing better to do." I raise an eyebrow.

"What does that supposed to mean?" She stops in front of another tree and her horn glows with a tender green color.

"That means if you're looking for an exciting story, you ain't finding it here." She casts a gaze towards my chest. "Don't think i've missed the camera draped over your neck, journo."

"Pff, exiting? Please, i bet my flank that nothing exiting ever happens here." She does a 180 turn and stares at me with a conspiratory stare and a sly grin.

"Listen here, kid, you don't know what you're talking about." She moves closer. "You don't know this town, wierd thing happen on weekly basis." Our muzzles are almost touching. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Hell. Yeah." She outstretches her hoof.

"It's settled then, if something exiting happens, let's say within a week, then your flank is mine for a day."

"And if the opposite is true?" She sighs.

"Then my flank is yours for a day." I like my chances here.

"You've got yourself deal, miss-"

"Seabelle. Seabelle Binknit. And no "missing" around me,-" I grab her hoof and shake it.

"Witty. Witty note."

"Hey, Seabelle." We've been walking along the edge of the Everfree for what seemed to be hours. Long enough for the sun to begin setting, and for the temperature to start dropping.

"Yeah, Witty?" She said, shaking a little from the cold evening of early september.

"Remind me what are we doing here?" I say as she stops in front of an opening in the forset. She humms.

"Define here." Her horn lights up, illuminating the small path ahead of us.

"Here as in 'about to walk into a deadly forest at night'. That's here." I look at the road leading further into the forest. It doesen't look safe in the slightest, but it does look promising. All sorts of things tend happen in dark forests.

"We're looking for Mr. Wiskers." She says, concentrated on the road ahead.

"Who?" She groans in responce. She's told me about the cat before, but i'd like to test my waters. Besides, pissing ponies off is fun. Sometimes.

"Pipsqueak's cat! I've told you about it a dozen of times already, Discord's beard, you're thick." We move deeper into the forest, the canopy of leaves obsucring both the night sky, and the path behind us.

"Should i take that as a compliment?" I hear her snort as we get over a collapsed oak tree. It seems to be rotting, its putrid smell causing me to gag a little.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Note." She looked closely at a pawprint on the ground.

"I should get my mind out of the gutter? Need i remind you who said, and i quote 'your flank is mine for a day'?" She turns to me and rolls her eyes.

"You're the one who proposed it."

"And you accepted!"

"Shush!" She raises a hoof in the air, and listens in for something. "Shut it for a second and listen. Don't forget, we're still in the Everfree." I follow her advice, strain my hearing. Sound of cracking sticks stands out against the quiet backdrop of the nighttime forest. The cracking closed on us, soon followed by the sound of scratching. The two of us turn towards the source, and my eyes grow wide. A creature with the body of a lion, a scorpion's tail, and a pair of dragon-like wings is grinding its sharp talons on a nearby tree. It seems distracted enough not to notice us. We slowly backpedal away from the thing, keeping our eyes on it. Alright, it doesen't seem to notice us, we're good, we're good. Just get out of the forest, check for aspirin again, and go to slee- CRACK

Shit. I feel my right hind hoof stand into something slimy, and as i shift my wight it gives in. I look back and see my leg wedged inbto the rotted oak tree. Please, Please, Please for the love of all things holy, don't hear-

"Shit." I turn my head to Seabelle, who is watching the beast staring directly at us. She keeps her gaze on the creature, and speaks up, her voice barely above a whisper. "Alright, wanna hear the plan?"

"I'm all ears."

"No matter what happens, follow me, don't look back, and don't trip." The second she finishes a deafening roar erupts form the creature and we bolt. We barely dodge a swipe from its claws, and a tree behind us falls down.

"SHITSHITSHITSHIT-" I duck just in time to avoid a deadly stinger from piercing my barrel. "WHERE ARE WE GOING-" Another sting comes too close for comfort as i feel something brush past my tail. "THE TOWN IS THE OTHER WAY!"

Seabelle gallops beside me, picking up and throwing whatever her magic touches at the thing. She jumps as the scorpion tail sweeps the ground underneath her. "I KNOW A SOMEPONY WHO CAN HELP!"

"WITH A GOD DAMN DEMON?" I narrowly avoid slamming face first into a willow. She weaves through the trees, probably trying to confuse the beast.

"THAT'S NOT A-" The thing wiffs a hit. "DEMON!" She ducks behind a tree branch which promtly slams into the persuer's face. "IT'S A MANTICORE!"

"SAME DIFFERENCE!" In our mad rush to escape, we finaly break through the canopy and find ourselves in a small clearing of sorts. In the middle of it grows a large tree, with a... door and... windows... Does somepony live in a- "FUCK" A claw manages to scratch me, but just barely. That scratch is enough to elicit a yelp of pain. Alright, escape now, questions later.

"ZECORA!" Seabelle yells, and the door opens. I see a figure emerge from the doorframe, but fail to get a good look at her, as i hear the police pony yell- "DOOOOOOWN!"

I do as she says and hit the ground harder than an aloholic hits his wife. A glass bottle flies over my head and impacts the manticore head on. It yelps, and by the sound of it, drops to the ground. I turn to see it, all the while crawling away. The monster is laying on the ground like a cat, seemingly fast asleep. Finally, my back impacts the tree and i let a sigh of relief. "Jesus Christ that was close." As Seabelle approaches, a voice from my right startles me.

"You two escaped a sure demise, yet i must ask, who is this 'Jesus Christ'?"

"Yeah, who's that? Never heard an expression like that." Seabelle adds. I turn my head towards the first voice, and see a zebra standing in the doorframe. She looks worried, and her worry increases as she looks at me.

"Do i have something stuck in my mane?"

"A wound like that is not a jest, you need a bandage and a rest." She beckons the two of us to enter the house, and i ,although usnteadily, get up on my own. Cold wind brushes against my back right leg, and i feel a chill go down my spine. I swear, if that thing tore my clothes, i'll-

"Hey" Seabelle lights her horn and small sparks appear with a snapping sound in front of my muzzle. "Note, are you alright? How many coins do you see?" A coin- no, two coins- no, three golden coins appear in front of my eyes. Yes, three- or maybe four coins dangle in front of me like a carrot on a stick.

"Uh, three! Did i get that right?" Judging by a concerned expression on the mare's face i was wrong.

"Alright, you do need a patch up, let's get you into the cabin." She makes an attept to make me lean on her, a damn good one, but i refuse.

"Nah, nah, i'm fine. I can walk." It try to push her away and walk on my own. I make a full two steps before the world turns into a spiral and i begin falling. Thankfully, the cop is here to catch me.

"No way i'm letting you walk like that." I struggle for a second before giving up on the idea and letting her guide me to some kind of a cot inside the tree. I hate to not be in control, but there's not much i can do in this situation.

I close my eyes for what feels like a second, and feel a haze drift over my consciousnes. Strange memories come with it. Those of chases and roaring mechanical apparatuses, of fishooks and gates, of the hunters and the hunted. It's oddly comforting, all things concidered. Through the haze i make out something about bleeding, and stitches, and i'm sure i've heard at least one joke about my flank. I don't know for how long it goes on, but eventually the black fog around my mind dissapates a little and i see a smiling, if stressed Zecora in front of me. I hear Seabelle sigh in relief on my left as Zecora brings a flask to my mouth.

"You've took a blow, a grievous one. Drink this so the healing is begun." She gets up and prepares to leave. She interrupts me before i say anything. "Roots and herbs i must collect. As for the cat - he's resting on that bed." Without another word, she exits the house and shut the door behind her. I look around and see Seabelle approaching me with a flask. She want to say something, but i go first.

"Well, we found the bloody cat, didn't we?" I say with a weak smile, one that she returns. She hooves me the flask. Expecting another potion i open it, and a scent of alcohol hits me. "What's the occasion?"

"We did find Whiskers," She pets the cat with her magic who purrs in responce. "and we got you an exiting story!" She says with an innocent smile. I open my mouth without thinking, the haze from my mind still not comepletely gone.

"Hell eyah we di-" I stop as her smile turns into a shit-eating grin.

Oh.

Oh no.

"And that means your flank is mine, journo."

I take a big sip from the flask.

God help me.