"So I had another dream," Nimbus said vacantly to nopony in particular. His golden eyes were glazed over and his pupils were dilated. He shifted on the couch and noticed how greasy his silver coat felt. How long has it been since I showered? Days? He immediately dismissed this thought, deeming it unimportant. He grabbed a glowing mushroom from the bowl on the table in front of him and began to chew.
"Oh yeah?" an equally vacant, but feminine voice replied. Blossom loved listening to Nimbus talk about his dreams, they were so intense.
"Yeah, I dreamed I could fly again. But this time I flew to the west, past the mountains. As I flew, I came across a flock of phoenixes. I called out to them, and one by one they burst into flame. I wept as their ashes fell from the sky. Then, I heard a voice call to me from the earth, so I began my descent. As I came closer to the ground, I heard the screams of the phoenixes. I landed and saw a horror I will never forget . The phoenixes, th-they were just one jumbled mess. All together, crying out to me, begging for help, Blossom. Some were reborn with the ashes from their lungs too far away and they suffocated,"
Tears had formed in both ponies' eyes. Blossom was shaking, the haunting words of her friend had struck a chord deep inside her. "What else happened?" She whispered, her dark blue eyes begging him to finish the dream.
"I tried to tell them they would be alright, but I had no voice. I screamed, and screamed, and SCREAMED. I couldn't make a fucking sound. I kept screaming, but then one phoenix looked at me, into me, and whispered 'keep flying'. I began running, trying to take off, but my wings were as worthless as they are now."
Nimbus struck his hoof on the table, shaking the dirty dishes that had accumulated on the surface. Hot tears streamed down his face, but he didn't make a sound.
"I failed them. The phoenix asked me to do one thing and I fucked it up." He whispered.
Blossom sobbed, hiding her face behind her white mane. Nimbus's dreams always got a strong emotional response out of her, positive or negative. His voice always captivated her imagination. She got out of her chair and sat next to Nimbus and leaned on his shoulder. The two comforted each other, and soon after the tears stopped.
And just as the tears stopped, the high of candentis mors began.
Nimbus's world melted away and piece by piece, a new world was created before him.
The world is a never ending spiral. The spiral is kind. A deep hum is the only sound present. Colorless shapes and shapeless colors glide effortlessly along the spiral, never taking a moments rest. The spiral is all they know. It is all they want to know. Nimbus is at a loss of words. The spiral becomes aware of his presence.
Hello, Nimbus. The spiral greets him silently. Nimbus feels this greeting pulsating within the spiral, encompassing everything. Encompassing him. The spiral has been patient. The eons of waiting are finally over.
The spiral ascends.
H-how do you know me? Nimbus's thoughts tremble, fearing a response. The nervous inquiry vibrates throughout the spiral. The shapes and colors pause. They timidly observe the newcomer. Could it be him? They wonder.
The spiral laughs. A warm tingling permeates its entirety. The sensation relaxes Nimbus. The shapes and colors resume their infinite flight.
Do not be afraid, Nimbus. I have a gift for you. A golden glow encompasses Nimbus. Knowledge floods his mind. An eternity of information, all his. The spiral bestows upon the pony all the tools that he will need. The glow fades.
The spiral descends.
Nimbus is frozen. It was all perfectly clear now. Everything. He falls to his knees, feeling unworthy of a blessing such as this. Guilt begins to grip him. Why? He asks, Why me? Nimbus suddenly becomes aware of a hole. A hole in the blessing he received. Why would the spiral withhold anything from him?
The spiral becomes frigid. A deep depression, deeper than the deepest ocean, invades the atmosphere. It is the feeling of heartbreak.
Forgive me, my child. Pain floods the spiral. Shapes and colors cry in agony, sending coarse vibrations and rough pulses in every which direction. Nimbus feels every fiber of his being being set aflame. Nimbus silently screams as the frostbite consumes him.
The spiral ascends.
The world fades.
Nimbus was back in his living room.
"The drug Candentis Mors,also known as, 'candies', 'glowing death', 'GD', or 'G Caps', is a modern day plague. In Equestria. one in five ponies is addicted...
Blossom had turned the television on. From what he heard, Nimbus deduced that the local news station was airing a special on candies. Again. "Probably just bullshit and propaganda. As usual." He snorted. Blossom turned her head to look at him.
"Oh hey, you're up. You okay? You looked like you were havin' a bad trip towards the end there." There was a hint of concern in her voice. He always said she worried about him too much, but she couldn't help but ask. Nimbus was one of the few ponies that hadn't left her. She wasn't going to let anything happen to him anytime soon.
"...the glowing fungi is believed to have originated somewhere in the Griffon territories that lie North of Equestria...
"Yeah, I'm good. It was pretty good 'til the very end." Nimbus replied. He loudly popped his back and inspected his bad wing disdainfully.
"Is it bothering you again? You should really see a doctor about that."
"Hay no! You know they don't treat cap-heads like us, man. Sides, there's no point; you can't fix wingrot," the pegasus sighed. The disease had struck him 3 years prior. He wasn't completely sure about the mechanics or biology or whatever of it, All the doctors said was that it was some rare form of necrosis that mysteriously stopped at the wing.
"...sold by griffon refugees fleeing the violent feudal system of their homelands.."
"Oh..Right," Blossom felt stupid. She knew there was nothing that could be done, so why did she always suggest the same thing every time? She decided not to dwell on it and just watch the TV.
...spread like wildfire. Glowing Death is now a factor in sixty-seven percent of all crime in Equestria, and eighty-four percent of violent crimes. If you have any infor-"
THUMP THUMP THUMP
"POLICE! OPEN UP!"
Nimbus and Blossom froze.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
"..for that excellent report, Silver Bell. And now to Sun Dance for the weather...
Sparkplug woke up at 7:42, just like he did every morning. He got out of his bed and made it immaculately. It was almost as if the sheets were vacuum sealed to the mattress. Walking into the bathroom, he stepped into the shower and scrubbed his entire body for the rest of the hour. At precisely eight o'clock he stepped out of his shower and walked to the sink. Telekinetically lifting his toothbrush, he brushed his teeth. Lower teeth first, upper teeth second, then the gums and roof of his mouth, and finally he brushed his tongue. Following this, Sparkplug magically floated his comb to his head and brushed his black mane, counting each stroke until he had reached twenty three. Every day, he executed this routine.
Then to finish it all he looked in the mirror and told himself, "I am not a junkie."
Junkies were disorderly. Junkies were messy. Junkies had bad hygiene. Junkies didn't care about how they looked. Sparkplug didn't have any of these traits.
He then proceeded to take five blue and orange pills when the small bathroom clock told him it was 9:15. He wanted another, but abstained. Junkies were undisciplined. Sparkplug was disciplined.
Sparkplug went downstairs. It was still 9:15. He would have to wait another two minutes before leaving the door to go to work. He sat and listened to the clock tick. As he waited, he silently wished to himself that the world was like his clock. Always working. Always truthful. All the little pieces working together for one goal. Each piece knew it's duty and served the clock faithfully. It kept the clock running smoothly. That was his favorite thing about clocks. The way they had a rhythmic quality to them. The sixty ticks per minute to him were like a metronome to a musician, his routine was his music. What junkie thinks like that? He mused smugly while he smiled to himself. Juniper had no idea what the fuck she was talking about. He thought, recalling his ex wife's last words to him before slamming the door, leaving him.
"You're a FUCKING JUNKIE Sparkplug! You're just the only pony that doesn't see it!
9:17, time to go to work.
Junkies didn't have jobs.
"Hide the drugs!" Nimbus hastily whispered to Blossom. She immediately began running around the house frantically. Nimbus's mind was racing, imagining what would happen if the police came in. It went a little something like this:
An officer kicked the door in. "Get on the ground, motherfucker!"
"Okay Okay!" Nimbus cried as he hit the floor. He was shaking worse than any fiend he ever knew.
"Is there anyone else in the house?" An officer, a unicorn, barked at him. He magically pulled his gun out of its holster.
Nimbus remained silent. He just hoped that whatever these pigs did to him, Blossom wouldn't try anything stupid.
"Not talking, huh? We can fix that." The unicorn officer chuckled darkly as he pressed the gun to Nimbus's head. The cold steel felt apathetic. The gun didn't care. It wouldn't care, as long as it killed. After all, that was what it was made for.
"I'm here," Blossom whimpered. The fear an panic in her eyes told Nimbus what he needed to do.
"I kidnapped her," Nimbus said, the lie was lame but it could just maybe get her out of this. "Got her addicted to candies."
"You and I both know that's bullshit, son," The officer replied. Nimbus's heart sank. "But fuck it, if it'll lock you up longer; I'm game."
The cop turned to Blossom. "Get the fuck outta here before I arrest you too, you fuckin' junkie cunt." Blossom hesitated. The unicorn pointed his gun at her. That was enough to get her to run out of the house.
"So, Nimbus. We got you for possession, dealing, and now," he laughed wickedly,"Kidnapping. It looks like you got quite a bit of time to do. I hope it was worth it." By the officer's tone, Nimbus could tell he didn't.
Six weeks later..
"Hey, Nimbitch, get over here!" An inmate in the prison cafeteria called to a shivering pegasus with a rotting wing.
"W-what d-d-do y-you w-w-ant?" Nimbus said through chattering teeth. Even after six weeks, withdrawals were hitting him hard. He slowly walked over to the table where the pony was sitting. he knew something wasn't right here.
"Gotta present for ya!" The pony laughed cruelly as he produced a toothbrush shiv out of nowhere and drove it into Nimbus's neck. Blood gushed from the wound as the shiv struck a vital artery. Nimbus collapsed. The last sound he would ever hear would be the cruel laughing of the inmate who killed him.
Three months later..
"Well, do you want the candies or not? Cause if you don't, get out of here and stop wasting my time." The old stallion said impatiently.
"I-I do.. I've just.. I've never done something like this before," Blossom whispered. She was on the verge of tears.
"Look, if you want em you gotta work for em," he sighed. The first time chicks were always like this. He knew what she'd say. It's what they all say. He didn't care. He was just happy he had a new toy.
"Can we at least turn the lights off?"
Nimbus decided he wasn't gonna let that nightmare scenario happen. He couldn't let it happen. He was going to answer the door. He could find a way out of this. He had to find a way way out of this. His heart pounding, Nimbus slowly crept towards the door.
7:14. Time to visit friends. Sparkplug drove to his friend Nimbus's house. He loved to hang out with Nimbus and Blossom, even if they were junkies. Friends were friends. He'd do anything for them, even though Nimbus had pulled a hilarious prank and changed all the clocks in Sparkplug's house to different times once.
In a sudden flash of creativity, Sparkplug knew he would get his revenge. And he had just the spell to do it. Deciding it was a worth being just a little off schedule (early was always better than late, junkies were late), he put the gas pedal to the floor and sped off to his friend's house.
When he reached the house, he took five more blue and orange pills and got out of the car. He giddily trotted up to the front door of the house. With a mischievous grin that would make Discord proud, Sparkplug cleared his throat as his horn lit up..
THUMP THUMP THUMP
"POLICE! OPEN UP!"
