“That was March of Tartarus, by Swirling Death Spiral.

“Now a few of you have sent me messages asking why I don’t play any AI generated music on this station, well I’ve got two good reasons…

“First, I’m not going to support those corporate [Bleep]ers by tearing away funds from good, hard working bands like Swirling Death Spiral. And I don’t care how advanced or sexy your [Bleep]ing AI looks.

“The other reason is because I remember what happened with those rogue AI years back and I’m not going to give these AI any chance to go [Bleep]ing crazy and make our eardrums bleed.”

The bazaar was astir with energy as ponies, griffins, changelings and other creatures wandered about examining the various wears. From fine silks and fragrant spices to pirated VR-disks and illegal weapons, all could be found in the Sunrise Bazaar. There was even a merchant trying to sell a VR-pod, which judging from the quality, was probably smuggled from the upper city.

In the center of the open space was the golden statue of the new god pharaoh and princess Sunset Shimmer, a few of her acolytes sitting before the statue, meditating and burning incense.

Tansha sat at the noodle stall, eating some locust noodles as she watched her quarry, across the street in a store called, Before Life Shopping. It hadn’t taken her long to find a few members of the Joy-ripper gang. Once she learned that their symbol was a heart being torn in half with a skull emerging from the halves, then it was easy to track down their members by the logos on their jackets. Now she was spying on two of the gangsters, who appeared to be harassing the shop owner. While one talked with the owner, Tansha could see the other through the window, occasionally knocking stuff over.

Meanwhile all the other surrounding creatures ignored what was going on, not wanting to invoke any further hardship upon themselves. Such was the way of things in the lower city.

As Tansha watched the two gangsters, she contemplated how she would be able to infiltrate their base.

‘I could probably follow these two back to their base,’ Tansha thought, ‘though once I’m there, then what?’

If she had her mask then it would be a fairly simple matter, but without it, Tansha had to be more careful.

While she contemplated the matter, Tansha slurped down more of her noodles. They tasted slightly better than the locust bar from earlier, that same acidic aftertaste still lingering on her tongue. At least the broth was good.

Once the two Joy-rippers had harassed the store owner enough to convince him to give them some money, they left and began walking down the street. Quickly Tansha ate the last of her noodles and slurped up the last of the broth, before she resumed following them, careful not to draw their attention.

Upon reaching their destination, Tansha watched as the gangsters entered the club and upon seeing it, Tansha’s heart jumped into her throat.

It was the Love Nest. Of course, it had to be the Love Nest. This was… going to be tricky.

Taking a deep breath, Tansha followed the gangsters into the Love Nest.

Midnight sat at the bar eating some peanuts and drinking a virgin beer as he sat patiently in the bar. He had heard that establishments like this one were great places to pick up gossip and acquire information. The problem was that nopony was talking to him. In fact, most of those inside the bar were giving him a wide berth.

It had been this way for the last three bars he had gone to and every time he tried to insert himself into a group’s conversation, they’d go silent and distance themselves. It was almost as if he had some sort of stench upon him.

He had known that things weren’t that great in the lower city, but Midnight had never realized that it was this bad. Crime and drugs were rampant and everypony seemed to be on alert at all times. As Midnight observed this, he had to wonder, just how out of touch were the Horizon Knights with the plight of the citizens in the lower city?

‘Well, this isn’t going anywhere.’

After slamming down the remainder of his drink, Midnight accessed his Ba-Link and paid for the drink.

“Come again,” the bartender said insincerely.

While Midnight did feel a bit irritated by the bartender’s mannerisms, he gave it no mind and left the bar. Making a scene would do nothing except antagonize the locals and jeopardize his mission.

Stepping outside, Midnight took a deep breath. Despite his efforts this day seemed to have been a waste.

He was about to call it a night and return to the hotel he was staying at, when Midnight heard a noise that caught his attention. Judging from the yelling and the sound of something making an impact with a trash bin, there was a fight going on in one of the nearby alleys. Out of a mixture of curiosity and a sense of duty as a Horizon Knight, Midnight decided to investigate.

Following the sounds, Midnight peered into an alleyway where he saw three ponies beating up a diamond dog that lay on the ground. The ponies wore black jackets and vests with the emblem of a heart broken in half with a skull emerging, emblazoned on the back. Seeing the symbol, Midnight recognized it as the emblem for the Joy-ripper gang, which Spitfire had shown him.

Here were three members of the gang he was searching for, beating up an innocent bystander. Anger welled up within him as Midnight watched the abuse.

If it weren’t for the fact that he was supposed to be acting undercover and couldn’t don his armor, Midnight would have leaped into action instantly. Instead he quickly analyzed the scene to determine how best to proceed.

From what he could tell aside from one of them having a baseball bat, they had no weapons and while there were three of them, outnumbering him, their attacks seemed sloppy and haphazard. With this information, Midnight knew what to do.

‘Follow the tenets,’ Midnight thought, ‘protect the innocent.’

Stepping forward, Midnight called out, “Hey! Knock it off!”

For a brief moment, the three gangsters stopped their beating and turned their attention to Midnight. The leader, an earth pony with a red, robotic eye sneered at Midnight. “Well, who do you think you are?”

Taking on a defensive stance, Midnight focused on the leading Joy-ripper, while remaining aware of the other two gangsters circling him.

“I’m just standing up for the weak,” Midnight growled.

The leader chuckled. “Then you can suffer like the rest of them!”

It was then that the gangster to Midnight’s right rushed at him, his wings flapping wildly as he prepared to smack Midnight in the head with a baseball bat. However, Midnight saw it coming and side stepped the attack, before slamming his hoof into the gangster’s wing socket.

‘If a conflict can’t be resolved peacefully, then aggressive force is authorized.’

The gangster screamed as bones cracked, his wing giving out causing him to slam full force into a dumpster, his baseball bat toppled to the ground.

The other gangster, a unicorn, picked up the fallen bat with her magic and attempted to swing it at Midnight. Seeing the incoming attack, Midnight side stepped it and planting his hoof was able to trip the unicorn mare, causing the gangster to fall on her face with a resounding crack.

“Ow!” The female gangster hissed.

Seeing his comrades fall, the Joy-ripper with the robotic eye pulled forth a brace blaster, however before he could fire the weapon, Midnight had dashed toward him and with a swift kick, Midnight struck the Joy-ripper in his robotic eye.

“Ah! Son of a b-”

Midnight then hit the gangster in the jaw with a left hook, then with a quick maneuver, Midnight successfully hit the release button on the underside of the brace blaster, causing it to come off. As the Joy-ripper groveled on the ground, Midnight took the brace blaster and put it on his right hoof.

“Have you had enough?” Midnight asked, aiming the brace blaster at the lead Joy-ripper.

Growling the Joy-ripper spat as he picked himself off the ground. “This isn’t over!”

Slowly the gangsters hobbled away, glaring daggers at Midnight. Once all the gangsters were gone, Midnight turned his attention to the injured diamond dog.

“Are you alright?” Midnight asked.

The diamond dog stuttered, clearly surprised by what he had observed. “T-thank you, kind pony. W-why did you stand up for me?”

“Because it was the right thing to do,” Midnight replied.

With some groaning the diamond dog pulled himself off the ground. He was twice as tall as Midnight, his rugged fur was brown with gray spots, his pale blue eyes looking at Midnight with deep respect. “My name is Aneyh.”

“I’m Midnight.”

“You have helped me, Midnight. How may I repay you?”

Well, this was certainly a fortunate turn of events. Midnight had gone from having nopony willing to talk to him, to having somepony who might have some insight on the Joy-ripper gang and the location of the Lunar Core Module. Pleased by the turn of events, Midnight smiled.

“Those gangsters stole something belonging to me,” Midnight said, “do you happen to know where their hideout might be.”

Aneyh scratched the back of his head as he pondered Midnight’s inquiry.

“I don’t,” Aneyh answered, “however I know someone who might.”

Well, at least that was something. Turning toward another alley, Aneyh motioned with a paw for Midnight to follow.

“Come, I will show you to him.”

Knick Knack sat patiently at his table as he attended his… date. While he put on a polite smile and nodded every once and while to her words, on the inside Knack felt, well… bored frankly. Much like many of the other mares that his parents had tried setting him up with, all she cared about was her status and fashion, as if that was all that mattered. No chemistry whatsoever.

At least the food here in the Eloquent Entree wasn't as bland as the meals he had eaten on his other dates, making this one slightly more bearable. Even the elegant decorations of yellow and pale blue glass lotuses aided in distracting him from his monotonous date.

"So then she tried telling me that her purple shawl was violet, like ppplease…"

Thankfully his training as a diplomat had aided Knack from letting out a yawn and revealing his boredom. Still that didn't keep this mare from trying his patience.

"Like uuunbelievable, who wears shawls to an art gallery annnyway…"

Looking up to the upper right hoofed side of his HUD, Knack's amber eyes observed the clock, seeing that it had been almost fifteen minutes since this mare had started talking, seemingly without stopping to take a breath. It was quite an amazing feat all things considered. Thankfully, he only needed to wait another minute.

"So guess what she told me after that!"

"What?" Knick Knack inquired, pretending that he had been listening to more than just fifty percent of her conversation. "What did she tell you?"

"Well… She then said to mmme that if I didn't like it, that I could just leave her store. Like can you bbbelieve that?"

"It is such a travesty," Knack said, struggling to make it feel authentic.

Fortunately, Sunset smiled upon Knick Knack as his Ba-Link, indicating that he had received an important message.

"I am terribly sorry," Knack said, standing up from the table, "it seems that I must go."

"You're leaving already," the mare said, with a sad tone.

Knick Knack gave her a kind smile, the gesture secretly paining his gray lips. "Unfortunately it can't be helped."

The mare let out a sigh. "Okay, well, puhlease call me later."

Even as she spoke it was clear that the mare was already pulling up her HUD and probably going to be posting pictures and commenting on the date with her friends online. Even if Knack never talked to her again, this one date would probably increase her views as well as her self worth.

After a polite wave, Knack turned and made his way to the door.

"Come again," the waiter said as Knack began to leave. Knack gave him a polite nod as he passed through the door.

Once outside, Knack was able to drop the facade, his expression transitioning from polite and proper to annoyance. Standing there, the gray unicorn adjusted his mane, allowing the black mane with golden highlights to relax a little as his limousine pulled up. Opening the door, Knack stepped inside and took a deep breath as he closed it.

"Well, that was an insipid endeavor," Knack said to the other pony that was in the back of the vehicle.

Slowly the mare approached Knick Knack, who couldn't help but smile as his friend, compatriot and lover, Whiskey Lullaby drew near.

"I'm sorry that you are displeased KK," Whiskey said, her pink eyes looking downward.

Knack chuckled kindly, resting a hoof gently under Lullaby's periwinkle blue chin. "You have no need to be sorry. You're not responsible for my parents' short sightedness."

"It's just… well…" Lullaby muttered, clearly not wanting to come between Knick Knack and his parents.

Despite Knack making his wishes known, it was clear that his parents didn't approve of his relationship with Whiskey Lullaby and as such tried on numerous occasions to find him a mare that fit their standards. While this displeased Knack he decided to play along… for now.

Gently Knack moved his hoof up the side of Lullaby's face and pushed her mane aside, his strong gray hoof contrasting with her white, purple and pink mane.

"There is no need to fret about the past," Knack said, "I wouldn't change a single thing about you."

He had told this many times, but sometimes she just needed a reminder.

Lullaby smiled softly to Knack's comforting words, reaching up and holding his hoof against her cheek. Her eyes gradually closed as she nestled his hoof, kind of like a cat.

"I just… don't want my master to be upset is all," Lullaby purred.

Knack had once heard his parents refer to Whiskey Lullaby as his little "pet project," and while Lullaby had insisted on acting in such a manner, to him she was so much more.

Tracing his hoof back down her cheek to her chin, Knick Knack leaned into Whiskey Lullaby and kissed her. Her soft, silken lips embracing his own. After a few seconds, Knack pulled away, leaving Lullaby with blushing cheeks.

"You have no need to fear."

After his reassurance, Lullaby smiled. "So, would my master like for me to tend to his desires."

Knack chuckled, as he used his Ba-Link to signal the driver to start moving. "I'm looking forward to it, but right now I want to check on the mare that Spike hired to retrieve the VR-program I purchased."

Pulling up the program for one of his drones, Knack synced up his Ba-Link to the projector, so Lullaby could observe as well. A large holographic image appeared, unveiling what appeared to be a nightclub.

The interior of the Love Nest club pulsed with light that shifted between shades of blue, green and pink, the pulsing lights illuminated the area as well as the dancers on the stage, which consisted largely of changelings. The lights transitioned to the rhythm of the pulsating music. The club’s architecture resembled an ancient Somnaumbulian ruin that had been merged with a changeling hive, stone pillars covered in neon hieroglyphs reach up into the ceiling, some of which were grasped by black, porous rock.

Surrounding the central stage, was a circular dancing area for the clubbers and beyond that were numerous tables and booths where the various club goers sat, talking and had drinks. Weaving their way in and out among the tables were the changeling staff as they delivered drinks to their clients.

While most of the customers were either focused on the dancers or their conversations, Tansha sat at a table, her attention on the two Joy-rippers she had been following. As she attempted to observe her targets while blending in, Tansha barely noticed the familiar changeling that was walking up to her table.

“Oh, it seems that the mistress has graced us with her presence,” the changeling chuckled charmingly, “so what brings you here? Business or… pleasure?”

Turning to the changeling, Tansha already knew that it was Pristine Pupa that was talking to her. While most ponies had difficulty distinguishing changelings from one another, Tansha had learned how to recognize the differences between their facial structures, ears, eyes, carapace colors and even wings. In the case of both Pristine Pupa and his twin brother, Prosperous Pupa, their narrow faces as well as the faint hint of lime green in their turquoise eyes that Tansha recognized.

“Unfortunately, it’s business,” Tansha answered with a sullen smile.

Pristine nodded. “In that case, would you like for me to bring a non-alcoholic version of your usual?”

The usual in question being a Nectar, an orange drink consisting of changeling honey, apple cider and usually vodka. Tragically this time around, there would be no vodka.

“Yes, please.”

As Pristine went to fetch her drink, Tansha continued to observe the Joy-rippers. While both of them were stallions, one was a unicorn while the other was an earth pony. The unicorn chatted up any mare that drew near to him while the other gangster seemed more wary.

In an effort to blend in, Tansha looked back to the dancers, contemplating why in particular, a street gang would want to steal a VR-program. What sort of digital program would warrant their attention? Furthermore, how had they learned of its existence? Something just didn’t make sense.

While Tansha considered the matter, Pristine walked up and placed a drink before her… that wasn’t her nectar. Instead it was a fluorescent blue drink with a layer of pink dust icing on top.

“I’m sorry Pristine,” Tansha said, “but this isn't my order.”

“I know,” Pristine answered, “this drink is from the stallion over there.”

Looking in the direction that Pristine was pointing, Tansha saw that it was the unicorn Joy-ripper that she had been spying on.

‘Oh… buck!’

Well, so much for the stealthy approach, however Tansha wasn’t out of the game yet. She still had a few cards hidden away.

“Just so you’re aware,” Pristine spoke, “since you said you were here on business I made sure that this drink was non-alcoholic, though feel free to pretend if that’s what you wish.”

“Thank you,” Tansha said as she took her drink and walked over to the two gangsters, making a mental note to… reward Pristine when she had the chance.

The unicorn smiled, a sparkle in his blue eyes, while the other gangster’s purple orbs watched Tansha with suspicion.

“Why hello there,” the unicorn said with a charming smile.

Despite having a short, disheveled blue mane, that didn’t make the lavender unicorn any less of a looker. On his flank was the cutie mark of a sapphire scarab.

“Hello,” Tansha said, putting on her own smile as she sat down across from the two gangsters.

While the unicorn continued to grin, his comrade continued to glare at Tansha. At this distance, Tansha could see the scars on the earth pony’s orange body, the fuchsia pink mane with a turquoise steak, barely concealing the few scars on his face.

“My buddy and I had noticed you following us,” the unicorn said, “so we were wondering why?”

Now while stealth was out of the question, flattery wasn’t.

“You see I was wondering,” Tansha changed her voice to a hushed tone. “You wouldn’t happen to be part of that new gang, the Joy-rippers, would you?”

While the earth pony’s eyes turned to slits, the unicorn beamed with pride. “We are indeed.”

“I’ve been looking for a gang to join,” Tansha bit her lower lip. “Though if I had known that the Joy-ripper gang had a pair of hunks like you two, I would have sought you guys out sooner.”

The unicorn nudged his earth pony buddy and whispered in a barely audible tone. “You hear that Stone Splitter, she thinks we’re hot!”

Stone Splitter’s mood softened, just slightly. Clearly he’d be the hard one to sell out of the two.

“My name’s Bright Beam,” the unicorn introduced himself, “and this is my friend and compatriot, Stone Splitter.”

Stone Splitter simply grumbled in response.

“I’m Cryptic, though you can just call me Crypt.” Tansha said, giving them a fake name, before donning a silken smile. “So how does a filly become a member of the Joy-rippers.”

“Well, you’d need to go through a sort of initiation,” Beam answered.

“What sort of skills do you have to provide?” Splitter asked, his voice both gruff and strong.

Tansha gave a sly grin. “Oh, I have all sorts of talents. I’m great at magic, and I know my way around a computer… among other things.”

Reaching under the table with her right hindleg, Tansha stroked the inside of Bright Beam’s thigh, eliciting a shiver from the stallion.

"I-I-I can see that," Beam stuttered.

Yep, Tansha had played him like a fiddle and now it sure seemed like she might have just found her way in. As she conversed with the two gangsters, Tansha was completely oblivious of the small, spherical drone that was watching her.

Knick Knack stroked his chin as he watched the mare on the holographic image.

"What do you suppose is happening?" Whiskey Lullaby asked.

"It's difficult to say," Knack answered, "on one hoof it does seem like she is colluding with the gang that stole my program."

"You mean, she betrayed us." There was a slight twinge of anger in Lullaby's words, something that was extraordinarily rare for her to express.

"Not necessarily," Knack replied, "according to Spike, her name is Tansha, however she told them that her name was Cryptic. So perhaps she is trying to lull them into a false sense of security in an effort to get closer to the program."

Lullaby nestled closer to Knack. "So what are you going to do, master?"

It was then that the limousine pulled into Knick Knack's private garage. With a swipe of his hoof, Knack turned off the holographic projection.

"For now I'm just going to continue to keep an eye on her," Knack said, "if anything comes of it, I know a few favors that I can pull to ensure that my property is returned to me."

Stepping out of the limo, Knack took Lullaby by the hoof and walked her to the other end of the garage, where an elevator was waiting for them. As the two of them approached the door, Knack waved his hoof and the door automatically opened. Once they had entered the elevator, the doors closed and immediately it began moving to level ninety, where Knick Knack's personal quarters were.

"I hope you weren't too bored while I was on that… date," Knack said.

"Maybe a little," Lullaby replied, "but I was able to make some notes for that VR simulation we were talking about last night. I hope that you'll find it to be a blast, master."

"I'm sure I will."

It was then that the elevator doors opened directly into Knick Knack's quarters.

The main living space was a large room which consisted of dark, wooden floors with matching walls. On the opposite side of the room was one large window that overlooked a decent amount of Neo Somnambula, with automatic blinds that could be closed with a wave of a hoof. Off to the left was a space that served as a small kitchen with a counter with a couple stools positioned around it, while on the right was a door that led to the bedroom and bathroom.

In the center of the room was a large aquarium that was about the size of a small bathroom. Inside were rocks and a few different forms of tropical seaweed with numerous mandrinfish swimming around inside. The tank's interior lighting emitted a constant greenish blue glow. Set around the aquarium were various dark cushions where guests could sit and relax, something which Knack planned to do with his little pet.

Once the elevator closed behind them, Knack waved a hoof, causing the blinds to slowly close. With another gesture from his hoof, Knack's Ba-Link adjusted the lighting so that the only light in the room was coming from the tank.

Letting out a deep happy sigh, Whiskey Lullaby smiled, knowing what plans her master had for her, as she looked at the aquarium. The only other sounds being the low hum of the room and the robotic arms in the ceiling that had proceeded to remove Knick Knack's suit.

The stallion took a deep breath as the last article of clothing was removed and taken into the walls where it would be cleaned and folded for future use. While Knack didn't hate wearing a suit, he loved the freeing feeling he had when such garments were removed.

"Hmm… now be honest with me, my little pet, how bored were you when I was away?" Knack asked in a low voice as he leaned in from behind and spoke into her ear.

Lullaby bit her lower lip. "Oh, it was truly… unbearable. Even as I tried focusing on my other projects, I couldn't help but think about you, master."

Knick Knack traced a hoof along her spine. "I see. That must have been quite excruciating."

The mare's breathing grew heavy as she felt her body growing hot in response to his touch. "Y-yes, master."

"In that case, take a seat, my pet."

Following her master's orders, Lullaby walked over to the cushions and laid down, turning to face her master. Looming above, Knack smiled as he admired his pet's alluring body.

"Please sit back and relax," Knick Knack said, "allow your master to tend to your needs."

Following Aneyh, Midnight found himself deeper in the lower city, where there was more grime, grit and sand. Neon graffiti decorated the stone and concrete structures. As Midnight continued to follow Aneyh, he could see more diamond dogs watching from the shadows.

“Stay close,” Aneyh whispered.

Judging from the hounds that were watching, it was clear that ponies didn’t come to this part of the lower city.

Eventually Aneyh led Midnight to a warehouse, the neon imagery changing to a golden color with numerous depictions of a jackal. Surrounding the gate to the warehouse were metal poles, each possessing pieces of scrap metal welded together to resemble the head of a jackal.

Approaching the gate, Midnight could see a metal door with an eye slot shutter at a couple different heights. Stepping up to the door, Aneyh knocked on it.

Shortly after the slot that was at eye level for Aneyh opened, a high pitched voice spoke from within. “Who are ya and what’cha want?”

“I’m Aneyh,” Aneyh introduced himself, “my companion here needs to speak with Nubis.”

As Aneyh stated that name, Midnight could have sworn that it sounded vaguely familiar.

The slot closed and another one closer to Midnight’s eye level opened. The lupine eyes that peered through looked at Midnight with distrust before the shutter closed again and the slot for Aneyh opened back up. “Why’dya bring this pony here?”

“He saved my life,” Aneyh answered, “in order to repay him I had to bring him to Nubis. For honor.”

The hound on the other side let out an annoyed sigh, clearly not fond of this turn of events. “For honor.”

Closing the shutter, the door opened and much to Midnight’s surprise, a short diamond dog that barely came up to his knee, greeted them. “Enter!”

Obeying the gatekeeper’s instructions, Aneyh entered and Midnight followed. Passing the threshold, Midnight found himself in a “hallway” of sorts. In a sense, it was really a long cage, with numerous diamond dogs peeking through, making it clear to Midnight that they weren’t the ones behind bars.

Reaching the end of the hallway, a couple of metal doors open, revealing a chamber beyond. It was an amphitheater with more diamond dogs peering down at Midnight with suspicion, some barked and growled. While half of the room consisted of benches above, the other half had a wall with more jackal iconography and neon hieroglyphs written upon it. In the center of the room was a throne-like chair, built upon what appeared to be numerous pieces of power armor, all bearing savage claw marks.

Looking up at the throne, Midnight saw that sitting upon the throne, the seat of which was three times Midnight’s size, were three small diamond dogs, their hide was jet back and they had pointed ears. After a quick examination, Midnight realized that they were diamond dog pups.

As both Aneyh and Midnight drew near to the throne, the surrounding hounds began to chant loudly. “Nubis! Nubis! Nubis! Nubis!...”

Observing the scene, Midnight was surprised when another larger diamond dog stepped past him and approached the throne. Reaching out the diamond dog swept up the puppies with a jet black paw, before sitting upon the throne. His muscles rippled beneath his black tank top as he moved. Watching this unfold, Midnight knew that this figure had to be Nubis and it suddenly dawned on him that he was in the territory of the Sons of Nubis.

With golden eyes, Nubis looked upon Midnight and Aneyh, his pointed snout twitching slightly as he smelled the air. This Nubis would have been intimidating if it weren’t for the three pups crawling over him. Judging from the resemblance and the familiarity that these puppies had with Nubis, that he must be their father.

“Why have you come here?” Nubis asked, his voice low and gruff.

Aneyh stepped forward, raising his head. Midnight recognized the gesture as it was customary for diamond dogs to bear their neck to those of their kind with authority. “My lord, this pony saved my life today from the grasp of the Joy-rippers and he has come here seeking information on where to find them.”

The crowd of hounds mumbled among themselves.

Once more Nubis sniffed the air and focused his attention on Midnight, his eyes seeming to pierce his soul. “Is that truly why you’re here… Horizon Knight.”

Immediately, the crowd roared in shock and anger, their growls and barking echoed throughout the chamber. Aneyh fell to the floor and cowered, mumbling that he didn’t know. Looking around, Midnight could tell that he was in a bad spot. Even if he were to don his armor and brandish his weapons, chances were that Midnight wouldn’t be able to make it out of here alive.

Nubis raised a paw and instantly the crowd went silent. “Speak.”

Midnight stepped forward. “It is as Aneyh says. I’m here seeking to know the location of the Joy-rippers’ base.”

As Midnight spoke, one of the pups that had been sitting on Nubis’s head toppled over and would have fallen to the floor if it weren’t for their father quickly reaching out with a paw and catching them. Upon seeing how gently Nubis tended to his children, Midnight realized that while Nubis was strong, he wasn’t a creature of brute strength, but restraint and self control.

“The Joy-rippers have harmed many of my people,” Nubis said, “and you have protected one of my own. Therefore, I will look past your intrusion and repay your honor with the information you seek.”

Standing up from his throne and taking up his pups in his left arm, Nubis walked to the wall behind the throne. Snapping his fingers, a holographic map of Neo Somnambula flickered onto the wall.

“You will find the Joy-rippers’ base here.” Nubis pointed to a section of the map, marked Grease-Town. “It’s heavily fortified, so if you’re going to go there then be prepared for battle.”

Listening to Nubis’s statement, Midnight nodded. “I understand.”

Turning back to Midnight, Nubis placed a paw over his heart. “For honor.”

Midnight returned the gesture. “For honor.”

Smiling, Tansha stepped back into the ByteNBrew, very pleased with herself and how the job had gone.

“Good evening,” Tansha said, as she took a seat at the front counter, “I’ll have my usual.”

“Right away,” Sweetie Belle said as she began to prepare Tansha’s coffee.

As Tansha looked around, she spied an unfamiliar stallion sitting at one of the booths.

“Here you go,” Sweetie placed the coffee and locust bar before Tansha.

“Who’s that over there?” Tansha asked, nodding her head toward the stallion.

“I’m not sure,” Sweetie replied, “but he’s certainly a welcome customer. He bought some Gooey Cheesy Sticks, a Ultra Ginger Soda and an Instant Cupcake.”

“Really?” Looking the stallion over, Tansha considered if perhaps he might be her meal ticket for the evening or at the very least an interesting pony to talk to before somepony took advantage of them.

After taking a sip of her coffee, Tansha picked up her drink and snack and walked over to the stallion’s booth.

“What’s up, moneybags?” Tansha said as she sat down across from the newcomer. “What brings you down here with the rest of us mortals?”

Midnight looked up at the mare that had just sat down, a little confused by the introduction. “Excuse me?”

Tansha gave the pegasus a sly grin. “Look, I have a way of sniffing out ponies from the upper city and pardon me, but you reek.”

While Midnight wasn’t necessarily pleased by this statement, it did coincide with what he had experienced up to this point. Perhaps this mare could help him figure out how to resolve this issue in order to maintain his cover.

Crossing his hooves, Midnight gave the mare a stern look. “Alright, what gave it away?”

“Let’s start with what you’re eating,” Tansha said.

“What’s wrong with what I’m eating?” Midnight asked, “this food’s pretty cheap.”

“Yes, in the upper city an Instant Cupcake, Ultra Ginger Soda and some Gooey Cheesy Sticks are cheap, but down here most ponies can maybe afford to eat one of those for like an anniversary or a birthday party.” The analogy might be a bit of an exaggeration but it would hopefully get the point across. “Instead most down here eat something like this.”

Tansha brandished her locust bar.

“What’s that?” Midnight asked.

“How about this?” Tansha gave him another sly grin. “I trade you this bar in exchange for your Instant Cupcake.”

Midnight eyed the mare suspiciously. No doubt the bar was of lesser value than the cupcake and yet this would open up his eyes to life in the lower city and help him blend in.

“Deal,” Midnight said as he pushed over the Instant Cupcake.

Smiling Tansha took the cupcake and passed over the locust bar.

Taking the bar, Midnight pulled open the wrapper and took a bite. Immediately it felt as if every drop of moisture had been sucked from his mouth. He coughed. “What is this?”

“It’s a locust bar,” Tansha answered.

“It’s so dry and bland.” Midnight coughed.

“Would you believe me if I told you there’s supposed to be honey in it?”

“What honey?”

Giggling Tansha pushed over her cup of coffee. “The name’s Tansha.”

“Midnight,” Midnight coughed as he accepted Tansha’s coffee and drank. Surprisingly the coffee actually added moisture back to his throat.

“I take it you’ve never had bugs before,” Tansha said, as she peeled the lid off of the Instant Cupcake, causing the puffy top of the pastry to pop up.

“Nope.” Midnight shook his head.

“Well, that’s what most of us eat down here. If you want to blend in, you’ll have to learn how to eat this stuff.” Tansha said, as she took a bite of the cupcake. The flavor of dark chocolate and cherries permeated her taste buds. “Mm… this is pretty good.”

Scowling Midnight watched as Tansha ate his cupcake. While it wasn’t exactly a fair trade, Midnight had accepted it and he had no intention in going back on his word.

“So, what brings you here,” Tansha asked, “business, pleasure or exile.”

“Business,” Midnight replied, wanting to keep his answer vague, in an effort not to spoil his cover.

“Then it’s a good thing you found me and not some charlatan trying to milk you for every Bit-Cheque you have.” Tansha said as she took another bite of the cupcake.

“Yeah…”

“So, buy cheap, eat bugs, oh and your mannerisms need to be less professional and more that you’re suspicious of any and everypony around you.”

That certainly made some sense. Midnight found this information to be very insightful, even if it was at the expense of his Instant Cupcake.

“So are the bugs an acquired taste?” Midnight asked.

After pondering the question, Tansha shrugged. “I wouldn’t say it’s so much an acquired taste as you just learn to live with it.”

Well, that was just great. Though aside from food there was something else that Tansha had said that stuck out to him.

“Now you almost make it sound like the lower city can be pretty dangerous and rundown.” Admittedly that wasn’t too different from what Midnight had heard his fellow Horizon Knights say.

“Perhaps,” Tansha said, “but it does have some hidden beauty to it too.”

Finishing the cupcake, Tansha suddenly had an idea.

Tansha smiled as she stood up from the table. "Come with me. I have something to show you."

While he felt a little bit suspicious, considering how Tansha had conned him out of some of his food, Midnight decided to see what she had to offer.

Thus Midnight followed Tansha out of the ByteNBrew and into the night.

"Now do you have a Shallow Drift app on your link?" Tansha asked.

While Midnight was familiar with VR, due to his work, he didn't really have the time to partake in the pleasures of either Deep Diving or Shallow Drifting. "No, I don't."

Tansha raised an eyebrow. "Oh… I see. You prefer deep diving, don't ya?"

Judging from the way her eyebrows moved and that sly smirk, Midnight guessed that Tansha was indicating something rather suggestive.

"I actually haven't done much of that either."

“Well, I have a friend who made a special Shallow Drift program so you don’t have to buy one to see what I’m going to show you.”

An alert appeared on Midnight’s HUD, warning him that somepony was trying to link up to his Ba-Link. Midnight eyed the alert and Tansha suspiciously.

“This isn’t going to give me a virus is it?” Midnight asked.

Tansha raised an eyebrow and gave him a mischievous grin. “You’re catching on, but no, there’s no viruses or malware.”

Midnight gave her a skeptical look, still not feeling too assured by her claims.

Rolling her eyes, Tansha sighed. “How about this? If you’re not impressed by what you see then I’ll buy you an Instant Cupcake.”

Well, it might still be suspicious but at least she was trying.

“Fine,” Midnight said as he accepted the download. As the bar filled up, the icon of a musical note covered with purple scales appeared on his HUD. The title of the app was ScaleNotes. Once the program was finished downloading it appeared on Midnight’s menu bar.

“Alright it’s downloaded,” Midnight said, “now what?”

“Follow me.” Tansha motioned for Midnight to follow.

After walking through the streets for maybe five minutes, Tansha led him through a narrow dark alley. Naturally Midnight assumed that Tansha might have been setting him up to be jumped by some other goons, so it was a pleasant surprise when both of them popped out of the other end without harm or hassle. Stepping out, Midnight saw that they were on an elevated street that overlooked some of the lower sections of the city.

“Come over here,” Tansha motioned for Midnight to follow her as she walked over to the other side of the street.

Once they were on the other side, Tansha leaned on the railing and began motioning at a few of the areas below.

"That's Grease-town," Tansha said, "and over there is the scrapyard."

"I see…" Well, this certainly was helpful.

"We'll be heading down there." Tansha pointed to the scrapyard.

"Okay, are we walking there?"

A mischievous grin emerged on Tansha's face as she observed a few drones flying up from below.

"Actually, you're going to fly down there, while I catch a ride." With ease, Tansha pulled herself up and stood on the railing.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

With a smile and a wink, Tansha stepped off the railing. Panic filled Midnight as he lurched to look over the railing and if need be hoop over to catch her, only to see Tansha standing on top of a large, carrier drone, the orange painted robot holding the unicorn mare's weight with ease.

"Well, what'cha standing there for," Tansha giggled, as she steered the drone she had hacked toward the scrapyard.

Shaking his head, Midnight stretched his wings and took to the air, following after Tansha. Both of them flew through the sky until they reached their destination.

Reaching the scrapyard, Tansha dismounted the drone and let it fly away as Midnight touched down next to her. Looking around, Midnight didn't find the place all that appealing considering the mountains of broken and twisted metal.

"So, what is it you wanted to show me?" Midnight asked, still skeptical that she might be trying to scam him.

"Did the app finish downloading?"

"Yes."

"Then turn it on," Tansha said, "and input this code."

As Midnight turned on the Shallow Drift application, a message appeared on his HUD.

Tansha: 0-4515-R66

Copying the code, Midnight inserted it into the program. Once the code was inputted, Midnight watched as the world around him changed slightly.

Between the mountain of garbage and scrap metal, pools of water appeared, the liquid glowing in contrast to the dark sky, illuminating their surroundings. Palm trees sprouted all around, the digital trees waving in a non-existant wind. Along the beaches, where the metal met the digital water, papyrus flowers appeared. Among the plants a few small birds could be seen.

"What do you think?" Tansha asked.

Viewing the scene around him, Midnight was astounded by how the digital overlay had seamlessly blended into their natural surroundings. The cry of the Bennu briefly resonating through the air.

"It's pretty amazing," Midnight answered, "who made this?"

Tansha sat down on the discarded cabin of a vehicle, overlooking the waters.

"I believe it was a pony who wished to remember the oasis he had grown up in, before moving to the city."

"What happened to him?" Midnight asked as he sat down next to her.

"He died," Tansha answered, "doing what he loved."

"That's... unfortunate."

"Perhaps."

Looking across the oasis of scrap and junk, another question emerged from Midnight's lips. "Why did you want to show me this?"

"Because I felt that it was important to show you that even though this place isn't as fancy or as clean as the upper city," Tansha explained, "that even here in the lower city, there is beauty if you know where to look."

As Tansha stretched out her hooves, Midnight watched as three gray heron emerged for the reeds along the scrappy beach, taking flight before vanishing away into digital particles.

“Well, I’m incredibly glad you showed me this,” Midnight said.

Tansha smiled. “Just try not to forget this when you’re done with your business, okay.”

“After seeing this, I don't know if I could even if I tried.”

After a long day of work, Midnight was just happy to be home.

The apartment that his sister and he had, was split into two sections. An upper level that functioned like a loft and the lower main level that served as both the living room and kitchen, with a room off to the side where Midnight's sister, Lightning Spark slept.

Extending from the left side of the room was a long table where a couple plates of instant cooked meals were sitting, along with a blue pegasus mare.

"Welcome home, Midnight." Lightning greeted her cyan blue eyes, lighting up with his arrival. "How was work?"

"It's been an unusual day."

“Well, how about you have some dinner and talk about it,” Lightning said.

Lightning had once been a very beautiful and active mare, until after the Daybreak when their lives had been taken on a rollercoaster of horrible twists and turns. Unfortunately, after a tragic incident, Lightning had been horribly burnt, a massive scar that traveled halfway done the left side of her body, disfiguring her left foreleg and reducing her left wing to a withered stump.

Following his sister’s instructions, Midnight sat down at the table. Perhaps it was fortunate that Tansha had scammed him out of his Instant Cupcake, so that he could enjoy a meal with his sister.

Before him sat a bowl of Instant Tomato Soup and a homemade grilled cheese sandwich.

“So, you said you had an unusual day,” Lightning said as she sipped some of her soup.

Midnight nodded as he dipped his sandwich into his soup. “Well, I was assigned undercover work and while I can’t go into too much detail about that, afterwards I was in this cafe in the lower city and came across this bizarre mare.”

“Hmm… a bizarre mare you say,” Lightning gave her brother a sly grin.

Swallowing a bite of his tasty sandwich, Midnight shook his head. “Not like that. She had a tattoo covering half her body. Apparently she was able to deduce that I wasn’t native to the lower city and started offering advice…”

“That doesn’t sound so strange.”

“Then she scammed me out of my cupcake.”

That elicited laughter from Lightning’s lungs.

“It’s not very funny,” Midnight grumbled.

After recollecting herself, Lightning resumed eating her meal. “So was that the only reason you had an unusual day? Because a mare with tattoos stole your cupcake?”

“Maybe unusual wasn’t the right word for it,” Midnight said, “I guess the whole day was eye opening, just done in a really odd manner. The lower city isn’t just anarchy but weirdly intricate.”

In addition to Tansha’s antics it had also been, Aneyh and the Sons of Nubis that had offered him insight on the nature of the lower city. The idea of a gang of diamond dogs with a code of honor and a dedication to family was quite surprising.

It was actually kind of nice. Sure Tansha had stolen his cupcake, but then she had shown him kindness and gave him a brief tour of the area, despite knowing that he was from the upper city.

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying your job,” Lightning said.

“Yes… and how about you? Were you able to find some work?”

Lightning’s mood soured and she shook her head. While Midnight’s job as a knight provided enough money to support them both, Lightning had been adamant in finding work. However due to her appearance it had been more than difficult.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Midnight said.

“Yeah, it’s just so frustrating,” Lightning exclaimed and in her annoyance she lost a hold of her spoon, causing the utensil to clatter to the floor.

“Here, let me h-”

Before Midnight could reach for the fallen utensil, Lightning aggressively raised a hoof.

“Don’t!” Lightning growled, “...I’ll get it myself.”

As startling as Lightning’s outburst was, Midnight could understand what his sister was feeling. The fact was, it had been her dream to be a Horizon Knight and while Midnight was able to achieve it, due to her infirmity, Lightning wasn’t. So the last thing that Lightning wanted was for her brother to pity her. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to show weakness, in spite of the pain it caused her.

A part of Midnight couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps Lightning Spark resented him in some way. While he wasn’t the one who gave her those dreadful scars, he had had a hoof in the event leading up to it.

After some struggling, Lightning managed to pick the spoon off the floor and deposited it in the sink before retrieving a new one.

The two of them were silent for the remainder of the meal.

Author's Note

So, I will probably be releasing these chapters on a monthly basis, however I felt that chapter 1 was a bit short and thought that today might be a good day to release the next chapter.

I've enjoyed your feedback on the first chapter and I hope that you will enjoy this first one as well.