Thud, Thud!

“Annie, Flurry- stay clear of the hatch!” I said, lifting the flat iron trapdoor that allowed access to the old lockhouse building’s sole third floor; and quite frankly, I was glad to finally step off the iron catwalk steps that creaked with my every movement. I looked over at the two girls, smirking when I saw Anastasia mesmerized by some yo-yo trick that used magic to make the string bend in all sorts of impossible manners, all while the yo-yo kept up a constant spin on its own momentum. “You two been getting along?” I asked, just as Flurry grabbed the spinning yo-yo in her magic, causing the string to wrap itself back around the axle as it spun independently.

“Of course, Mrs. Grimfeather!” She said, approaching me with a small bow while Anastasia just gave her a questioning look from behind.

“What’s up, Ma?” Annie asked, approaching Flurry from the side as she rose from her bow. “I was ‘bout to show her how to shoot craps after this!” She beamed, taking a seat whilst tossing some two dice produced from her jacket in the air, skillfully catching them as she sat down; meanwhile, I suppressed my laughter as I said-

“Later on- you and I gotta talk, Annie.” I said before ruffling Flurry’s pink and blue mane. “Your mother’s gotta talk to you- you’re not in trouble, I promise!” I made sure to hold the hatch open for her whilst the two shared a quick farewell hoof-bump. The stairs made their awful creaking as the alicorn filly made her way down, leaving just me and my daughter up in that shut-off communications room.

I took a seat on one of the cushions, gesturing for Anastasia to do the same. “I love your enthusiasm, baby…” I threw a wing around her back while I continued- “But please don’t teach Flurry Heart how to gamble.” The only reason I had her sitting next to me was because my half-stoned ass couldn’t stop picturing Cadence freaking out over that, and I had the corners of my beak curled up in a smirk I couldn’t contain. “Even if you’re betting with potato chips and candy, she comes from a more… up-tight family, if you hadn’t noticed.” She nodded and replied-

“I get whatcha mean; she said something about dominoes earlier, we’ll just do that instead.” She asked, and I grinned at how well of a listener she was. “Why’d she bow to you? I thought we were all equals here?” I could only shrug, looking down at her while I answered-

“She comes from a different world than you or I, Annie. That’s just how her culture expects her to act, and she might be trying to compensate for the fact that you two ran into each other earlier through politeness… but I dunno.” I rubbed her shoulder, pulling her into my side. “The best thing you can do is try to show her the different ways we do things around here, and maybe she’ll pick up on some things.” I shrugged with a sigh- “But… that’s not what I’m here to tell you about.” On instinct, she wrapped her arms around me and whined as I turned to embrace her in a full-on hug where I could hold her close to my chest.

“Do you have to go so soon, Mamma?” She asked with a creaky voice whilst I felt tears welling up in my throat. “Stay home with us! You’ve barely been back a week since that dinner party!” I nodded slowly and sadly as she held onto me with all her might as she sniffled- “It’s not fair! I don’t like it when you’re so far away that I can’t even call you before bedtime!” The only thing I could do was nod while my heart was being shattered to pieces with her crying softly into my chest. “What if you g-get hurt, and-and-” Before she could break down further, I shushed her gently and spoke up softly.

“You don’t even know where I’m going yet, baby…” I forced a chuckle as I bounced her in my lap gently to help calm her down. “And the only time I’ve ever gotten hurt on the job was times when I was careless… made stupid decisions that literally came back and stabbed me in the back.” I was stroking her feathers when she pulled back to look up at me with those teary amber eyes of hers. I grinned and said- “Even my leg- one of us made a careless decision and we all followed… and, hey! It worked out in the end still!” I used my thumb to mop the tears away from around her eyes whilst she scrunched her face up indignantly before ruffling her hair again. “The scar on my beak? I left someone alive that I shouldn’t have and paid the price for it.” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice over my beak's left-side scar of discolored keratin… and opted to not mention the time I got stabbed whilst working at Barnyard Bargains.

“Like that thing you told me for when I’m older- If I gotta injure someone to teach ‘em a lesson, it should be so bad that they won’t try and fight back later!” I grinned, proud of my daughter like always. “Is that what this trip is about?” She asked with a small smile, hitting the nail on the head.

“Spot-on, baby!” I said, holding her close to my chest for another embrace. “I’m gonna be taking a plane to Equestria in a couple hours to the mountains to the north.” I explained, causing Annie to pull back and tilt her head slightly. “Cadence's husband, Shining Armor, will be on the ground talking to the Crystalians- crap, make sure Flurry Heart doesn’t find that detail out.” I said as the cat jumped out of the bag because I wasn’t paying attention, I paused to think of where I left off- “Ah, right- I’ll be up in the mountains with Starlight, ready to put one between the Crystalian boss’s eyes at a moment's notice.” She grinned and chuckled as I proceeded to explain the details I already went over with Cadence. “After that, we sled down the mountainside with our camping gear and make the couple-day trip to an Equestrian city, where I’ll finally get to head back home.” She looked to the side and asked-

“Normally, you’ll tell me when you’re going far away a month or so ahead of time unless something weird happens… Ya’ know, like that letter from Celestia you burped up at my birthday party.” I nodded along with her as her intuitive mind connected the dots. Cocking an eyebrow, she asked- “Why’s this so last minute? And why do you specifically have to be involved?” I looked to the side and pursed my beak while she asked- “One time, you told me that Auntie Jos could shoot the wings off a fly- why can’t she go instead if all you have to do is shoot someone?” I couldn’t help but sigh as I turned to look at her.

“You’re a smart, smart girl, Annie… and the truth is, there are many things I’ve been told that I wouldn’t even dare write in my diary. That’s how secret this stuff needs to stay, Anastasia.” I spoke sternly while my daughter nodded, staring into my weary gold eyes to tell me I had her full attention. “Have you ever had a dream where you found yourself waking up on a beach next to an absolutely massive golden wall?” I asked, causing her eyes to widen as she nodded some more.

“With the black lake, black stars on a black beach that bled when you tried digging into it.” She rattled off her spot-on description of the place. “On the other side of the wall is a city so massive that I can’t even tell when it ends, and everything has this weird… yellowness to it that made me feel like I was standing on some musty carpet when I tried to get a closer look at the place.” She spoke like she’d been keeping this story to herself for some odd reason. “Last time I was there was during a nap… You were there too, and I had to fly to catch up and realized you were chasing a flying bottle of whiskey, that…” I glanced to the side with concealed shame, knowing that my daughter’s subconscious depicted me like that for a reason. “This was all just before I caught you trying to drink in your office that one time; the bottle you were chasing in the dream was the same one in your desk…” I felt my heart skip a beat, and my eyes shot open in realization.

I gave her a soft smile, ruffling her feathers as my mood went back up a little. “I’ve dreamt of that place many times. It’s called Carcosa, it’s on a whole ‘nother planet, and your Uncle Em’s husband dreams of the place almost every night; your school's auditorium was inspired by a Carcosan temple design.” She gave me a look of amazement, blinking in what appeared to be disbelief. “My banner and the Yellow Sign share the same origins as the city’s creator… and what you told me is proof that he’s looking out for me.” Despite all this, she still tilted her head in confusion, and I continued- “And part of that is by letting me know that things would go down if the Crystalian resistance isn’t dealt with. I really can’t tell you the why because I genuinely don’t know a lot of the why’s you’re bound to ask, but go ahead anyway.” I said to her, prompting her to once again lean into my chest, my chin resting over her scalp.

“Just promise you won’t get hurt, Mamma!” I grinned as we shared another bear-hug, breaking it up only when Anastasia was ready to hear my response.

“I’m not gonna get hurt, baby! I promise!” I looked her in the eyes with a confident smirk, causing her to return with an adorable smile. “I’m a professional and Starlight is a very powerful magic user- I’ll be fine, baby.” I reassured her with a promise, and she seemed much less tense after that, thank God.

I mean, come on? How bad could I fuck this up?”

—

The crunch of snow and errant pine branches beneath our snowshoes was like a clock in our ears, ticking away the seconds with each step until the arctic's early sunset would rear its uncaring, icy gaze. The snow-blanketed deep valley of Barren Pines were pockmarked with old-growth trees of its namesake, some of which had five feet diameters at the base with gangly roots spared from the persistent dusting of snow only around the high-canopied pine scented megaliths; perhaps the only thing which allows a normal forest ecosystem to thrive down here is the distance between these great pines, allowing room for smaller trees along with the normal forest growth… and strange finger-shaped mushrooms that would sometimes extend into the Great Pines lowest branches, well above our heads.

Thankfully, our shoes left us mostly prepared to traverse the snow-blanketed ground, in which all you had to do was take care not to trip on any errant shrubs or jutting rocks. Starlight's shoes were ornately decorated to look like dream-catchers encircling her flat hooves to widen the surface area, held in with flared tacks of a magical alloy that melts out with a hairdryer. As for me- my back left boot had a regular snowshoe on the bottom, fur-lined to keep that leg warm; my back right prosthetic had a shoe held on via a socket and springs, allowing it to swivel freely when I step down, and returning to the same position every time I lifted my leg. It was heavy-duty and well-engineered with thicker wood and a metal core, but with a so-called ‘Feather’ enchantment that made it the same weight as my usual peg leg; it was the result of a partnership between a Griffon prosthetist and a Unicorn enchantment specialist/ Equestrian expat, gifted to me a few years back as both a thank you and as good advertising for their newly formed Stratelli & Oak’s Magiprosthetics company. Apparently the enchantment takes a month of maintenance to fine-tune and properly set; unlike my makeshift gloves, made by wrapping our white scarves around each hand and tying them off with rope cut from the sled and rendering my hands unready to respond to any potential threats… but I’d rather be unready to respond now, then unready to respond later because they had to cut my hands off.

We were both squinting, as our survival pack had the sunglasses we planned to use to make staring at the white blanket more tolerable; as it were, all we had were the clothes on our backs and whatever we carried with us in our pockets. I wore a tanktop and an old pair of cotton winter longjohns beneath a long sleeve onesie that had a layer of cotton between the fabric layers and even had a stitched-in tailsock. The last layer to leave my wings uncovered were a sleeveless vest and the leather strap which carried a wooden pistol-holster and a leather knife holster, along with the pockets stuffed with all the things I deemed too essential to leave in the bag; a pack of bubblegum, half a pack of beef jerky I bought at the airport before we left, Army issue pocket watch with compass, gold plated cigarette lighter, and a crushed pack of Mareboros with 8 regular smokes, 3 of the green variety from Cadence. And finally, as opposed to the fox hat, my vest had a snow white parka-hood attached with a zipper.

Panting even at our intentionally reserved yet brisk pace through the seemingly endless forest, I looked over to see Starlight grimacing with her head down as she ran. Her horn was the only thing keeping the fluffy ushanka from slipping down her forehead, matching the footsoldiers winter coat she decided to take with her; it was stuffed with fur yet had an outer lining that matched the fabric of standard military dresswear, only pure white for the snow environment with brass buttons. The collar looked unusually wide without the scarf I appropriated out of necessity, but it revealed the thick light-gray turtleneck and vest she wore beneath; not to mention the fact that we got dressed together, and I saw her layering her regular clothes diligently before a bunch of unicorns teleported us here… side note-

I don’t know why we had to fly from Griffonia to Equestria only to get teleported over a literal mountain range, yet something Starlight said to me ages ago told me to stop questioning it- ‘Trying to explain the ins-and-outs of this system to a non-unicorn is like trying to describe colors to the blind. Teleportation is a complex ritual that takes a lot of magical power to accomplish; only ten percent of us can even pull it off safely, and you don’t want to know what happens when a teleport goes wrong. Conversely, I genuinely cannot understand how griffons or pegasi can fly on such tiny wings; On that note, Earth Pony magic is likely where most schools of Necromancy originate from, due to its tendency to manipulate life energies. Magic doesn’t have to be understood by the user; we don’t know how our own brains work, but we’ve become the apex of education and civilization. The best I can do is try and explain with metaphors written by those before me, along with whatever I come up with on the fly. You’ll never understand, and that’s totally fine. You and I are in that same boat.’

Now that I think about it- I’m certain Emmie said something similar to that effect. Oftentimes, things are exactly the way they seem, no matter how impossible it may look; trying to search for answers to the impossible will lead to madness, or something to that effect. Sometimes I wonder- at what point does Thaumatology turn into Eldritch Occultism? Is there a line in the sand?

My train of thought paused when the two of us had to crouch to hop up a small ledge; I smiled, knowing that being out of shape never took away the natural agility that came with a feline body on four legs. “Dhoo’in alright?” I panted as we resumed our brisk pace at a casual stroll instead, “Nod if’ya wantt-t-t!” I said, unable to keep my beak from chattering. She nodded up and down, and I asked- “F-Fuck it, I’m dyin’ of thirst. There!” I pointed to some shelf fungus, as wide as a bench and a foot thick, jutting from the base of a Great Pine. We approached it, and I tested its stability with my mittened hand before sweeping my arm across its brown surface and hopping on, just as Starlight was making herself comfortable on a large toadstool next to me.

She used her magic to open her coats front overlapped button-flap just enough to reach the canteen with her hoof, wincing with a grimace that remained even after her horns glow ceased. I knew she’d have one- it’s my army’s standard issue! I used my beak to undo the knots that held my makeshift mittens in place and laid them out to rake the snow off, all the while Starlight savored the water which was protected from freezing by her own body heat. I felt her tap my arm just as I finished whipping the snow off one of the scarves, taking the canteen and counting four gulps of water for myself. “Dunno if I ever told you this…” I paused to take a few breaths, “Four gulps maximum for now, no more than that.” She nodded as I capped the canteen for her.

“Heard it in a movie once, wasn’t sure if it was real… some army ‘flick or another.” She turned to me with a faint grin. “My horn isn’t stinging my brain as bad as it was. Sit-rep?” if my face wasn’t so numb, I’d have made a joke about her watching too many movies- but given the situation, I had to chuckle and grin. Besides her telling me she accidentally left the bag, the only other words we spoke were an estimation of how long we had until sundown and her mentioning that we could sweep our tails behind us to help cover our tracks somewhat; It was a relief to hear her joking, since I wasn’t sure if her reluctance to speak was from a place of anger or frustration. I turned and said-

“You want a situation report?” I asked sarcastically, wringing out the scarfs before stuffing them down my vest. “We’re sitting on some mushrooms in the middle of a winter wonderland beneath a tree older than most civilizations.” Not to mention, Crystalia and its Siberian-esque climate were on the other side of the mountains to the northeast. “Poke an ear out with me- I wanna know if we can hear my artillery flinging shells from that upper ridge.” Her ears perked up and I cupped my hand around my ear-hole. “Nothin’.” I whispered, just as Starlight nodded.

“Those pullcart mortars weren’t anything that substantial though, were they?” She said as I pulled my smokes out and lit one up to pass her way, seeing as using magic looked like it hurt. “The shells were kind of stubby and thin compared to others in its class, and teams of pegasi used rope since hoofcart hitches are different. Besides- we’re far enough now that I haven’t heard anything except the snow lately.” She finally closed her lips over the cigarette I prepared for her, taking a slow puff as I lit my first joint since this morning. I took a deep puff and enjoyed the head rush for a moment before clearing my throat.

“Size doesn’t matter; what matters is that a barrage of artillery started the second our people were cleared, reducing a significant portion of that field into a mud-scarred ruin of crater marks.” With another deep puff, I couldn’t help but sigh as I wound up the watch. “You brought up the fact that the ponies were unprepared to pull the artillery carts meant for cars; believe me, I’m fully aware of how unprepared we were. My soldiers on the hillside, they were trained on how to shoot those guns within a single afternoon; each one was partnered with a more experienced officer to assist with reloading, and they were explicitly ordered to avoid taking their time with that ridiculous pinhole sight.” I scoffed, cracking my neck and lowering my hood. “We had those laying around in a warehouse for like, a year- all because this fucking idiot, Hotchkins is his name, made four-hundred of them in his shed before even submitting one for proof and patent, only for the Arms Officer to say ‘no, stop that, that technology is too dangerous to mass produce because we don’t want the enemy to know it exists,’ that whole she-bang.” I said, just in time for Starlight to crush the butt out and toss it with a chuckle.

“I was having a chat with the Teamster Captain in charge of transporting all our gear; he said the artillery came from a whole bunch of different regional armories, mainly to fire blanks at sport stadiums and get used for the occasional drill.” I grinned, as the sounds of cannonfire going off in the afternoon usually was done in response to a home team winning whatever game is taking place. “Best we can hope for is that everyone on our side made it.” I saw her look down, and I had a feeling I knew what she was gonna ask- “What happened earlier? I thought I heard a click, but that could’ve been anything.” I didn’t have to ask her to clarify as I set my pack of gum out for her and tore open my bag of jerky.

“Watermelon flavored, keep tha’ papers for later-” I gestured to the gum, turning forward as she helped herself. “Something happened that caused a delay between the primer getting hit and it going off, meaning the trigger was pulled yet the bullet was late to fire.” I said, chomping on some jerky, trying to think of all the possibilities that could’ve caused this failure. “That’s a rifle I practice with on a weekly basis; the silencer has to be rebuilt by a gunsmith every week after range day.” I smirked, taking a long puff of my joint. “Nah. It’s a damn fine rifle.” I exhaled dreamily… until my eyes shot open. “And I left it on the fuckin mountaintop!” I pounded the mushroom I was sitting on out of frustration as I exhaled promptly. “Damnit!” I took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my beak while Starlight blew a bubble with her gum. I turned to her and said- “Hell with the gun; bottom line is, I think moisture somehow got in the bullet. You’ve heard me say click but no bang before- that’s what it was, and I’m sorry. I should’ve moved the gun or something; but how’re you feeling? That’s my biggest concern.” Her look appeared to soften, making me aware of just how tense her expression was before she gave me a faint smile.

“I can explain if you don’t mind letting me borrow a few more cigarettes; if I tried accessing a pocket dimension right now, I’d probably have a stroke… unfortunately, my poor carton of smokes is gonna have to wait.” She mused as I handed her four without question, using the end of my still-burning joint to light one for her. She took a quick puff before saying- “Good news is, I might be good to pull it off this time tomorrow; I can already do simple telekinesis with only minor stabbing pain.” I shared a giggle with her, munching on jerky and finishing my cigaweed. “I can tell you exactly what happened with the shield, if you’re curious.” She said, enjoying her smoke for a moment in silence and giving me ample time to prepare the survival pistol; it being one of the many firearms that could be mass produced, but currently isn’t being produced because I didn’t want Equestria to see us as arming ourselves for total-war against them, which was now a redundant concern due to our planned cooperation efforts… Another reason why the Zebra incident caused a wave of panic amongst the Equestrian public.

It worked out, though.

Starlight began, already having finished half her cigarette while I undid the carabiner clips that held the wooden holster in place. “Shield magic is one of those spells that takes a lot of power to pull off; and in layman's terms, I was casting a wall of dense air, where one side had a Masque spell applied to make us invisible.” She rattled off as I pressed the small black button at the draw-end of the holster, allowing the box to open on two hinges, revealing the butt of a pistol inside. “Like, just imagine a ton of electricity flowing through a cable to power this spell, it’s got all the volts, amps, and AC/DC’s that can melt your brain if you’re not careful! Or something, I’m not a competent electrician.” I drew the pistol, closing the buttplate on the holster-stock and slotted it into the pistol's butt, tightening it down with thumb-screws before hooking the sling up. “And I don’t know how to cast one-way shields; in so many words, a metaphysical fuze burned out when the shield broke and simply needs the time to heal.” Pulling knob-shaped bolt on the back of the receiver of the little blowback pistol, revealing the extractorless breechface and the magazine follower in the grip. “Huh. Weird looking revolver…” She said just as I put the 7-round stripper-clip in place.

“No, don’t tell me you’re one of those heathens who uses ‘revolver’ as a catch-all for a handgun?” I asked her with a sideye, causing her to roll her eyes at me while I shoved the bullets down, setting the empty clip off to the side. “If you’re being technical, this is a semi-automatic pistol-caliber hunting carbine, given that designation by its 9 inch barrel and adjustable iron sights.” I said, pulling the bolt back and letting it go to hear a satisfying Clack! “In laymans terms- a pistol with some wooden foregrip and a stock.” She snorted and giggled as I turned the charging-knob clockwise to activate a safety mechanism, firmly locking the rear-protruding striker mechanism in place. Finally, I checked my pocket watch. “We’ve got an hour ‘til nightfall. Let’s get ready to move.”

Snap!

My neck shot around so fast I was worried I pulled my neck; hopping off my mushroom bench, I was turning my head in a sweeping motion, trying to find whatever caused that errant sound. Starlight spoke up- “I really doubt anypony would be batshit enough to follow us out here.” I promptly ignored her, taking a deep breath and sitting back on the mushroom while I shook the snow off my hands. “My hearing’s better than yours; probably because I actually plug my ears up for range day. I’d have noticed something, you definitely would’ve noticed something considering your paranoia.” She said as I began wrapping my scarf-mittens back up, just in time for us to hear something in the distance-

It was the flapping of wings and the cries of crows out in the distance. She concluded- “A deer just got spooked nearby- I guarantee it.” I just shrugged.

“Maybe. Hopefully.” Was all I could say.

—

The gradienting sky told me it was getting closer and closer to nightfall; I knew this is the point where we’d have to halt all our progress in pursuit of fire, lest we freeze to death… this would’ve been easier with the factory-made firestarter logs in the large pack. The thing was as big as me, but Starlight was a strong unicorn; her shield was like a kevlar vest, in that it stopped the bullet while all the energy from the momentum translated into magic getting pumped towards the spell in a desperate attempt to keep it together. If it had time to crack, Starlight would’ve dropped the spell- in this case, she simply couldn’t dodge the bullet… or as she would explain as we were walking, making the fuze-analogy much easier to understand as a whole. And if that fuze wasn’t there, all that strain and heat would be directly on her brain, hence why her magic is so limited as she heals.

“Hence, why I’m telling you to sit this one out.” I said, pointing at a great pine which had fallen untold ages ago; Its wide roots branched off even to the tiniest of fibers, causing the permafrost to eventually settle into a bowl-shaped cave at the base of this mighty copse corpse… get it? Copse is a forest? “Take a seat under the Copse Corpse! That’s what I’m callin’ this place.” I said, letting her rest her back against the brittle dirtroot wall. “Keep your eyes on the branches for squirrels, if you wa-er, nevermind.” I said as she was dusting off another bench-shroom to lay on her side. “I’m not gonna make you help me hunt something you can’t eat.” I said using my mitts with a thumbhole torn out to draw my knife, taking a seat on the dirt and digging a small ho-

Tink!

Just the smallest dent was poked into the permafrost, making me drag my knife along the leather strap and consider my alternatives. “Fuck.” Was all I could say, causing Starlight to chuckle and gaze up at the taller branches.

“I’ve actually been reading some peer-reviewed studies on the nutritional viability of some meat in pony diets.” She mused as I went off to try and pry some bark off the trees, using a large rock I found as a hammer to strike the daggers butt. I feel like hammering off chunks of bark wouldn’t damage the knife as much as hammering the ground would; and considering the fact that I bought this off some teenage pawn-shop clerk when I was only 8, I’d like to keep it intact. “Ponies are surprisingly omnivorous. If you hadn’t realized, eggs and fish don’t grow on plants.” Despite how cold my face was, I couldn’t help but smile and laugh at what she said.

“My daughter had an assembly led by what was effectively a pescetarian, to help teach about healthy eating habits while promoting seafood-proteins.” Even if most of the kids don’t understand the point, the fact that Anastasia brought it up told me it left enough of an impression to stay on her mind. I set chunks of bark in a small pile, breaking it into chunks as I spoke- “I can kinda see the observational logic- Guy sees that ponies enjoy a decent amount of eggs and fish in their socially herbivorous society, and figures that they must be close enough to plants molecularly!” I guessed, not having a single source to back that up. I was just talking to fill the time as I shaped out a bowl in the snow and lined it with some larger bark chunks- I needed a few bigger pieces, though. “Isn’t fish mostly a pegasi thing, though? Why’s that?” I asked casually, having never figured this one out myself.

She snickered, “It’s literally genetic- fish genuinely tastes like vomit to me and the majority of unicorns; sort of how some griffons can’t enjoy cilantro.” I nodded along with a huh- “Earth ponies don’t have it, but their style of seafood is more culturally associated with earth ponies living on the coasts.” She continued while I tried to make a little tent around the wood pile, pulling out Starlights gum-wrapper from earlier and tearing it up for tinder. “Bottom line is, I’d definitely try squirrel… as long as you cook and clean it… and don’t let me look at its severed head, that gives me the creeps.” I couldn’t help but snicker, wondering if Ol’ Neighsays head was spared the meat saw out of the same feeling? “Besides, your wife admitted to trying rabbit with you once- we were actually talking about this very thing.”

I turned around in disbelief with a huff, giving her a grin. “Ah, she told you about that day; we were just kids back then.” I mused, rolling my eyes as I thought back- “Lemme tell ya, she was real paranoid about the whole thing leading up to it- even after she took a bite and said how bland it was.” I lifted myself up and shrugged, heading to look for any usable branches before nightfall set. “She’s weird, but I love her.” I giggled, using my knife to cut branches off the smaller shrubbery.

There were a few moments of silence between us, making the encroaching darkness feel ever closer. “Can… can I ask something personal, about Dee?” She asked, and I waved her an okay gesture while I assembled our fire by tearing up our used gum-wrappers for kindling. “So, like… I helped her take care of some couple on a highway a while back- she was acting really weird after the job was done.” She explained, causing me to grin. “I just… haven’t been able to get a read on what she was feeling, and I just hope she wasn’t feeling guilty…” I couldn’t stop the hearty chuckle that rose up in my chest.

“I’m gonna let you in on a little secret, considering we might die out here; my wife is a massive sadist.” I smirked, turning to see her nonplussed reaction. “Like, she’s literally gotten off to live torture- real psychotic shit, you know?” She blinked in what appeared to be thought, just as I bent down with my lighter and grinned- “Back to what you said at the end, she definitely was not feeling guilty; but I’m sure she’d appreciate your concern… or at least, I do.”

Click!

As I blew into the small tinder to get a fire started, Glimmer asked- “That’s… she doesn’t hurt you, does she?” I snorted, pausing my blowing to respond-

“Not in ways I don’t like, honey- I’m about as much of a masochist as she is a sadist.” I smirked and returned to blowing, able to see Starlight giving me a concerned look out of the corner of my eye. “She’d definitely be a serial killer if I didn’t reign her in, I guarantee it.” Returning to the kindle, I saw a small flame forming around it, spreading to the pine chip bed beneath it. I wasn’t paying attention, and was glad she finally dropped the topic as the fire grew-

“Make no mistake, I’m not kinkshaming, it’s just…” She looked to the side and bit her lip when I turned my gaze. “Don’t tell me you tripped into the bed frame that one time.” Her eyes took on a dead serious look, all while I turned back with a scowl. As I stood up from our small fire, she said- “Whether or not you’re into it, it’s still wrong; I’m sorry, I just… I got a bad feeling, and I’m genuinely concerned.” I just huffed as I approached her, forgetting the concept of ‘personal space’ to prove a point, making her lean back in her seat nonplussed.

I pointed a finger at her chest where she sat above me- “What she and I have is none of your business. End of discussion.” I scowled and said- “If my wife was an abusive piece of shit, why would I allow her to have a child with one of my close friends?” I asked her unchanging expression with a anger-backed smirk- “And even if she did, with the way I was acting before I quit drinking, I fuckin’ deserved it!” She cocked an eyebrow at me with a head-tilt, and I realized my mistake. “Deserve. I deserve to get the fuck beaten’ out of me by her, and if that’s what it takes for me to get my shit together, then so be it.” She pursed her lips, and I could no longer keep up the fury-laced expression as I gave a nervous chuckle- “I-if anything, I’d probably get all turned-on wh-if she hits me… you know, outside of bed, I mean.”

I averted my gaze with a shrug, returning to the fire and seeing that my tiny fire had already gone out. “No-one deserves to get beaten or bullied by the person they swore a vow with, Leona.” I heard her footsteps as she approached me from behind and stood at my side. I gave her a half-assed ‘yeah, for sure’ while I tried to get the fire going so we’d survive the night. “And I gotta ask- Were you actually turned on, or were you just terrified about what she’d do if you said no?” I felt my hackles raise and my whole body tense up- “I used to be a college counselor, Leona. I’ve talked to plenty of ponies in abusive relationships and I’ve been getting a lot of red-flags out of this conversation; and that’s saying nothing of what I saw first-hand growing up.” I was clicking my lighter, but the sparks from the flintwheel were lacklustre in the faint breeze while I became really frustrated… and took a deep breath to calm myself, letting out a sigh.

“Fine, you win- she did hit me.” I admitted as I looked up at her with a sigh. “But I still concede the fact that I had it coming, and I thoroughly enjoyed the after-event.” Despite all the anger I was feeling, I spoke plainly- “I recognize that you’re trying to help, and despite my reactions, I appreciate the concern, Starlight.” I took more stabilizing breaths to keep my anger in check as I looked up at her with a grin. “And for the record- I’ve never been afraid of my wife. Ever.” I said, taking another breath as I got ready to light the tinder again when I smelled… something. I paused and turned my head- “Fire…” I muttered while Starlight nodded at me plainly with a flat look.

I stood up and looked around, confused. From the setting sun, I could tell the wind was blowing west- meaning the scent of smoke came from elsewhere… east. It was getting close to dark-as-shit by now, and we were running out of options. I yanked my right mitten off- “Fuck it.” I said, unscrewing the butt from the pistol and clipping it back to my shoulder, shoving the pistol into the vest's low collar. “If it’s an enemy, we shoot it. Plain and simple.” I said, holstering my dagger and holding the other scarf in my right hand, ready to drop it at a moment's notice. “We’ll follow the smoke, but take it easy- it’s gonna get dark quick.” She snorted and followed along, readjusting her ushanka as she walked.

“All that army training you hyped up really came in handy so far.” She snarked, making me try to flip her off with my wings… only to forget they were covered by a coat. “If you can’t build a fire, shoot someone and take theirs. Excellent plan.” I grinned and nodded, refusing to turn my head back.

“Absolutely.” We made our way through the forest, hopping over a creek and heading a small hillside with a decent sized clearing; and plum in the middle of it was a simple log cabin, with ginormous flames spitting out of the shattered windows. “OH! Come on, they might have a firewood box!” She gave me a look of confusion before I sprinted towards the burning building. “BINGO!” The side of the house had a tiny wooden hut for storing dry firewood, protected by the metal door with a padlock. “Next to me!” I yelled, thinking quickly and positioning ourselves at an angle from the lock a few feet away. “Cover your ears!” I commanded, tossing the scarf-mitten to the side and twisting my pistol's striker-safety off, drawing it with that same hand.

BANG!

My experience with long-barreled revolvers made handling this unusually-long pistol feel familiar, even down to the ammo being designed off .455 caliber revolver bullets. The brass cartridge blew out and straight up from the force of the powder and the rusted padlock seemed to shatter and fall flaccidly as I tucked the pistol back in my waistband and twisted the safety. I patted starlight on the back, who was recovering much quicker from the sound than she usually did. “Come on- save the firewood!” I yelled as the two of us dashed in, literally pulling the logs out and tossing them behind us as the tin roof collapsed within the main building, telling us that the walls would likely be next.

“Sucks to be this guy!” She yelled, taking a second to think about it- “You think he’s trapped inside or something?” I assuaged her look of concern by shaking my head.

“Nah- I don’t hear screaming, and I don’t smell burning flesh; trust me, that’s not a smell you forget.” I pounded on the cabin wall with the side of my fist, causing Starlight to jump back and flinch. “ANYONE ALIVE IN THERE? SPEAK UP NOW OR FOREVER REST IN PEACE!” I chuckled and shrugged, tossing the last of the firewood away from the building and wiping the sweat off my brow as Starlight had a laugh. “Oofh, I’m warm now!” I said, taking my outermost coat off and slinging it around my back.

“Let’s take a walk around it- maybe there’ll be something we can salvage… somehow.” She said, and I nodded in agreement. “If there’s a cabin, we might be closer to Equestria… maybe.” I shrugged, thrilled at the fact that I finally began feeling my face again. “Oh, hey! A shed!” She pointed out- being a much better shelter than the Corpse Copse recessed within the bushline, sporting a concrete foundation and short 5 foot wide by 9 foot long gambrel-roof shed with barn-style swing out doors.

“Grab a couple logs- we’ll build a fire out front, one of us can sleep inside while the other takes watch in shifts.” With the promise of sleep on the horizon, Starlight nodded rapidly.

After shooting the padlock off again, we were lucky to find a rusty old hatchet among the rest of the miscellaneous gardening tools scattered around a shed that didn’t seem to have any sign of winter habitation, critter or person; and as far as I was concerned, whoever was living out here is either already dead or will be dead when he returns from whatever extended trip he was on to find a burned-down cabin… or maybe this was some rich fucks ultra-private vacation home or something?

Still, as long as I didn’t fear tetanus, I’d be fine. A vaccine is in development, but still not available; so until then, try to avoid cutting yourself on rust. It wasn’t easy, however- when I tell you it was dark, I genuinely mean that I couldn’t see my own beak if I tried to focus on it even with the flickering light from the burning house. We got a small pile brought over before I couldn’t take walking in the dark anymore, even with Starlight at my side; chills would shoot down my spine, and I’d constantly have the urge to look behind me… into the dark abyss of the forest around us. I couldn’t help but tremble when my mind forcefully recalled the imagery of the pitch-black caves I ran into carefully and cluelessly.

Glaring into the modest fire we built a few feet away from the shed, so that one of us could sleep in the entrance threshold. With the fire there, I could take my outer-layer fur coat off to use as a makeshift cot whilst using my unzipped parka hoodie as a pillow. Furthering my campsite theory, the shed had a cylindrical fireplace that simply stacked on bricks, reminiscent of a factory-made design sold by my father in-laws stores. It even had a folding chair, which I graciously appropriated by placing myself outfront, my periphery guarded by the bushes which grew out from the sheds' flanks.

I took a seat and lit up a blunt, taking a deep breath as I gazed at the burning down house. “Starlight… would a full-nights sleep help your recovery at all?” I asked as she was curling up on top of my coat, using the fire-and-air dried scarves as a makeshift half-assed blanket. She looked up at me with a half-lidded expression.

“There’s been studies, on-” But she spoke with such lethargy that I had to hold a hand out,

“I believe you; I’m not gonna ask for a source.” I turned my gaze back to the house just in time to see the front-porch collapse inward with a loud crash. I stretched out a wing, flapping slowly to redirect any smoke which may be nearing the entryway. “I’ll give you until sunrise; and that’s a long while. The sooner we have magic back, the sooner our chance of survival rockets up.” I also took the beef jerky to leave next to her head. “Try it if you’re comfortable; it’s beef… er, cow meat.” Sometimes ponies mix up beef and pork, since they’re food-names don’t match up with their original animal name. “I’m gonna try and find some clean-ish snow to melt in that iron pot we found.” That was my gamble, anyway.

And so, I passed the time by doing whatever I could; for a while I focused on ensuring that Starlight had plenty of safe water to drink, boiling water in a cast-iron saucepan then setting the whole thing in the snowbank to cool. I refilled her canteen and shook Starlight up to force her to drink a bunch before letting her go back to sleep, knowing damn well she sweated as much as I did today; she even ate the beef jerky before going back to bed, saying it tasted “Peppery and dry.” so, just tasting the black pepper that was crusted on. She also said- “Once the pepper’s gone, it’s like chewing cardboard… not that I’m complaining, seeing I’m hungry enough to take my chances with it.” She said, down to her last piece.

I asked- “Can… Can I have the last piece?” She grinned, handing me the last piece of jerky I brought; but after that friendly interaction she simply fell back asleep… and I was left alone.

Not literally alone; but seeing as my only company was snoring away in her makeshift cot, I could only get the impression that I was alone with a Starlight-shaped husk with her mind retreating into itself. One who sits next to a sleeper is indeed alone- Without first shaking her awake and briefing her, I had no aid to jump at my side in an emergency; any response would have to include ensuring her immediate protection thrown into the mix, where getting caught off guard could be a death-sentence in many number of ways.

I took a deep breath and shuddered, painfully aware and terrified of the unending dark which surrounded the small bubble of certainty provided by the light of fire; worst still, the fire was burning down much quicker than I anticipated my own firepit as well as the cabins. As I worked on adding the split fireplace-logs to keep the fire going, the cabin dimmed further and further as the roaring flames smothered themselves in ash and left a smoking ruin which glowed less-and-less… and we only brought eight logs when the sun had just set.

I felt a chill run down my spine when I saw it was still dark and we were down to our last split log. No matter how much I drank from the canteen, I couldn’t ease my cotton-dry throat, and no warmth would stop the trembling terror I felt from stepping into the pitch-black smoky void… alone. The clearing around me had long turned into semi-slushy muck from the heat which emanated from the concrete base surmounted with charred rubble; all I could smell was the ashy smoke of burned wood, nearly invisible from the choking smoke that rose up like a monolithic pillar.

Despite the terrible anxiety I felt, I unclicked the safety on my pistol and rose out of my chair. Even while every fiber of my being was crying at me to stay put and deal with it, I couldn’t be such a little bitch about going outside in the dark; My heart was pounding, my breath was raggedy, my ears were ringing, and suddenly the sheer anxiety shot my bladder into overdrive. I undressed myself in a frantic rush, running around to stand squat in front of a bush and try to concentrate on doing my business; All the while I’m surrounded by the very same abyssal void which caused this distracting bodily need, maybe as a desperate attempt by my nervous system to get me to think of something other than the dark- That terrible old void which seemed to swallow up everything around my being, leaving me stranded floating in a place where threats may appear from every which direction; and even when I dressed myself again, I couldn’t shake the awful feeling of… worms. Not literally, but it felt like Icy worms which slithered on my skin between my fur and feathers, and not a single follicle on my body felt safe.

Even though I felt better, it did little to embolden me for the inevitable trudge through the lightless mire. I didn’t have my outermost layer, but they would be fine for this short amount of time. I could only hear the sound of crackling embers and my own blood rushing in my earholes, coupled with the usual tinnitus. All I needed was a few more logs- morning would be here soon enough, and hopefully Starlight will be able to use magical light anyway… I hope.

I kept my head low to the ground as I walked, slunking carefully over to the hillside that we tossed the logs down. Counterclockwise around the house- just a small, safe journey… and despite that, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched by the black trees themselves. By the time I reached where we left the logs, I was sweating bullets and using the small glow from the ruins to gather a couple of decent-sized ones.

With four logs under each wing… I took a deep breath, realizing I could finally turn back. “Heh… heh-heh!” I couldn’t help but giggle to myself, realizing that I made it halfway through this harrowing experience. I’m fairly certain the fear’s shaved tangible years off my overall lifespan tonight, and I wasn’t even finished. “Eyes forward…” I muttered to myself, trying to hold on to the tiny spark of joy from that faint nervous laughter as I made the first nervous steps towards our fire. I heard a series of noises that made my heart stop and my eyes shoot wide open.

Aroooooo~
Clack, clack, clack!

The sound of me dropping the firewood accompanied the distant howling of timberwolves… or perhaps worse, Dire-Wolves… and while I ran on fear-driven instinct, my head slunked down and faced some direction to my right to survey the area in front of me… completely blind in my peripheries.

BANG!

TWWOOOM!
“FUCK! I MISSED!”
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

I ducked and shouted at the top of my lungs, whipping my pistol out the moment I realized I’d heard a bullet whizz by my head, unable to properly form words to express the terror which likely reflected in my eyes to this interloper; by the time I could turn my body enough to aim a shot in her direction, I felt my world go in slow motion as I watched two hooves barreling into my chest and tried to see her face as I flew back with the air knocked out of my lungs. The only stand-out detail on this mare was a military-style suit, and I feared… I feared that Starlight betrayed me.

“FUCK! GAH!” I swore and grunted as my body tumbled, bruising me all over as I rolled towards the treeline and found myself unable to stop as my body flung down the grassy hillside. “YOU SWORE! YOU SWORE AN OATH YOU BI-GUH!” I felt an awful crunch shooting rivets of pain throughout the left-half of my body, my voice hitching in my throat while my brain tried to avoid thinking… thinking about facing the awful reality that I’d just broken my left wing out here. “PLEASE, NO-”

One second I was attempting to beg for my life in freefall, the next I was laying on my back; my scalp was resting uncomfortably against a hard log, and I felt a stinging pain in that area… reminiscent of when you allow sweat to roll into an open cut. The other thing I felt was a weight pressing me down, pressing into my gut from above and making the pain in my neck so much worse. Tears poured down from my cheeks, most of all, from the pain I felt in my wing. I laid there whimpering quietly while I saw… a blue crystalian putting a heavy-shoed hoof to my trembling chest gently. “W-who the fuck…” I swallowed, remembering the conversation that Shiny and I had on the blimp. “Filly Casanova, r-right?” I never gave a fuck about her name, just that I wanted her dead; but the most surprising thing of all were the fact that she wore no layers underneath her coat, and only her forearms were sleeved or socked.

“I have a gun on this hoof.” She informed me with that same chillingly normal voice she spoke to Shiny with; and without the radio to marr her voice with static and wind interference, she sounded… disarmingly smooth, to an extent. “I missed the first time- I won’t now.” She leaned in, and I finally got a good look in her eyes… her manic, wildly-dilated eyes which seemed yellowed and bloodshot; she raised her hoof and bent it forward gently to ensure I saw the barrel within the leather cuff with grenade-like pin… yanked out hastily with her teeth. She pulled her left arm back and straightened out her hoof-

Tik!

So I grabbed her arm above me in both hands when she jabbed it towards my neck, glaring back up at her with utter hatred in my eyes while she gave me the smug look of some upper-manager telling a rowdy customer to ‘fuck off or behave.’, and that mild chastisement translated chillingly into what she had to say- “I’m honored that you find me so terrifying; even when you were up on that mountaintop, I could tell. You wanna know how?” She asked, and I scowled and clamped my beak shut; a look she returned with her own proportionate fury, giving me a cheshire grin- “Your tail flung up in the air like a scared kitty-cat!” She poked my chest with her other hoof, and my eyes shot open in genuine shock while she laughed through her clenched teeth. “Ever since I started watching you here from the treeline, you’ve been slinking your head with your tail in the air!” I felt a little mortified, never realizing I had that sub-conscious fear-response. I couldn’t help but think of how many others might’ve noticed it before her when she said- “So when you die, I get to live on with the memory of watching you nearly wet yourself because of how terrified of the dark you are!” She gloated and laughed in a calm, casual way that almost sounded friendly. “The Slave Queen; piss-scared of what happens when her night light goes out… I wonder what else she’s afraid of?”

I growled, barely processing her movements when her head shot down at me suddenly. I felt something yank at my cheek, with the unmistakable sensation of feathers being torn from that area just adding to everything else that was screaming out in pain or fear; but despite that, It was exactly what I wanted.

Schluuuuurp!

My tongue shot by her head as she rose up, wrapping around the back of her head and jamming it into one of her eye sockets. Her jaw dropped out a few of my cheek feathers as it hung limp, and I grabbed her gun-hoof to keep it straight… and get it off my neck. ‘Gotcha, cunt.’ I said as her hoof thudded into the dirt next to my head.

“Snrk! What is this?” My eyes shot open in shock when I heard her speak up, knowing damn well that she should be unconscious; and for some odd reason, I couldn’t stop picturing the Yellow Sign in my mind, even as it distracted from more important thoughts. She looked back down at me with her one free eye whilst I struggled to breath under the weight of her right hoof pressing into my chest. She looked at me with a grin- “I remember now- the brainworms said something about a louse and an old cat to me earlier…” She chuckled with a manic look in her eye as I found I had no control over… anything anymore. I couldn’t move a muscle- like someone else was in the driver's seat. She continued muttering to herself, “Yellow blanket… TACKY! Purple’s better.”

Slrrrrrrp!

My tongue retracted against my will, and I was finally in control of my own body and fully aware of the pain rising from my cheek to my eyes, transforming to a slimy and slithering feeling within my skull itself that rendered me immobile again. It felt both like a seizure and not like a seizure- and I thought that this is surely what it felt like to get grabbed by the louse. She spoke- “Don’t worry- they’re harmless. I just… thought I’d get to know you a little better, is all!” I began to get the impression this mare wore a smiling mask over so much more than she was letting on; all the while, the slithering in my brain seemed to slow as she turned her head up at something.

POP!

My assailant screamed, throwing her right hoof to her face as I simultaneously felt… something squirt out of the wound on my cheek. What looked to me like small, blurry pills seemed to rush in her direction as Starlight charged down the hillside to tackle Casanova to her side. “GOT HER IN THE CHEEK! HA!” While Cassie seemingly growled in indignant rage at Starlight whilst her hoof was pressed to her neck.

THWAP!

“FUCK YOU!” She blurted with a hole in each cheek that revealed the mares grinding lower jaw and caused Starlight to pause and look her in the face. She blinked twice as Cassie looked up with a wide grin. “Oh, Mark’s! Long time no see!” But despite the purse-lipped smile she wore, one could see her gritting her teeth when she shut her mouth.

THWAP!

Starlight landed another punch on the mares lower jaw, finally knocking her out as the strange glowing worms seemed to crawl up into her ear while she gave a dopey grin. “... Am I overdosing on Pervitin right now, or are there… three of you’s?”

THWAP!

Silence. Finally. I let out a sigh and said- “She was cranked out of her goddamn mind.” I said as Starlight used some rope she found in the shed to tie her hooves together. “Do front-and-back hoo- Ahhaaaaa-!” I cried out when I rolled over, onto my broken wing and feeling like I’d just gotten shot in the back. Tears of pain were rolling down my cheeks as I spoke- “H-her left hoof, don’t let it bend.” I said while Starlight looked at me concerned. “There's p-pin that she pulled to arm it, I think.” And before she could ask, I winced and muttered- “Wing’s broke- landed on it funny.” I rubbed the back of my head, feeling that it was still quite wet. “And, uh… I might have a concussion.” I said as I finally stood up, unable to keep from swaying as I walked. “Don’t… don’t let an eye off her- there’s something weird about her, and I intend to find out what before we put her in the ground.” I said as I walked towards the log pile to find something to make a splint out of in a half-daze. “And, uh- take her shoes and empty her pockets. Strip search her if you want, I don’t give a fuck.”

I don’t know what the fuck she did to me, but I’m confident that there was worms literally rooting through my brain before they returned to their master, in a way similar to how my louse can root through brains if I need it to… but sweet holy fuck it’s terrifying to know that I’m not the only one infected with some brain-reading parasite; not only because if the horrifying implications of such a being existing, but the plain-and-simple fact that her having a parasite could mean that there’s another God out there with a direct interest in Equus’ affairs, looking over peoples shoulders subtly while we all go about in ignorance… but either way, she’s dead as soon as we get the information I want.

Why does it have to be so complicated? I want nothing more than to go home and hug my baby right now... even if she'll be upset that I broke my promise to not get hurt.

Author's Note

NEW CHAPTER FINALLY! I hope you enjoyed it! Your likes and comments are always appreciated :3

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