FEB 6 Saturday.

I move through the less busy night markets of Canterlot while stopping occasionally to look through a stall's goods. I am once again at the night market. I don't come here often but I felt it would be a good change of pace for tonight.

Over the past week things have been as calm as ever, I had meetings with both Celestia and Cadance. Both went well and Cadance and I were able to get through even more of the reading that's needed. Another thing that happened is I have vacation time again.

Two weeks to go anywhere I like, and I have several ideas for that. I haven't really come to a decision yet and I'm thinking it over, but I still have time so there's no rush. Maybe I could visit the Griffin City states? I'll have to give that more thought. I stop at a stall and buy a few blueberries to take home.

I see Entropy shift in my shadow cast from a magical light while looking over all the fruits on display, I know she'll want something so I buy a few grapes for her. Turns out she also likes them, thankfully she's not bat shit crazy for them like Philomena is. I keep looking through the stalls as I shop for my necessities.

I finish not long after and start to head home, I have a spell I need to finish. Over the past few weeks I've slowly worked on the Illusionary Page copying spell, I really hate the names I make. Anyway, I spent a lot of time improving the spell as much as I could, mostly so I could cut down on the magic cost as much as possible.

It still takes more magic than I'd like but it works and it works well so that's enough for me- My thoughts are abruptly cut off as somepony knocks into my side and I lose my balance for a moment. Once my hooves are stable I quickly turn to see a cloaked pony running away from me down the mostly empty street.

It's odd but I'm about to just shrug it off, but stop as I feel an out-of-place wetness on my side. I turn only to see blood, not a lot but definitely blood, it's stained on my side now. It has a slightly odd coloration with a faint green being mixed in, but as the iron scent hits my nose there's no mistaking it.

I also see a few tiny drops making a trail down the dark street heading away from the night market. :The fuck?: I guess they were running to a hospital then, it would certainly explain the hurry they were in this late at night. Still, it's annoying to get blood stains out of fur, it seems this day is ending in an odd way.

As I turn I see two more cloaked ponies rush past me. I only catch one of their faces for a moment, I can't see much but I notice that they look pissed, like legitimately angry about something. This night is just all kinds of odd, isn't it? As they pass me something about this doesn't seem right, the night market normally has fewer guards, and no guard is following them to help or ask questions.

This all doesn't seem quite right, and as much as my mind is telling me to just walk away and go home, I can't. You can call it stupidity or curiosity, but no matter what you call it I can't just walk away from this. Something is off and even if I can't put a hoof on it I feel it in my gut.

I hesitate for a moment before reaching out with my life magic and finding those two ponies that pass me and running after them. :Celestia's going to kill me after this:

They are moving quickly but few things are faster than a determined earth pony and I'm able to keep up and trail behind them with relative ease. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing right now, I'm taking a stupid risk but something tells me to go. My mind runs in overdrive as I follow the ponies down another dark street.

I'm doing something incredibly stupid, but if I'm going to do something stupid I can at least do it smartly. I could send a letter to Celestia? But that would take time and Entropy is my only emergency exit, I can't just run into this without that safety net so that's not an option. So what else? I have some Razor Vine seeds and my frost dagger with me.

It's not much but I still have my magic, if I do things right I'll be ready for a fight. I feel the two ponies slow down after entering an alley on a deserted street, but something else I noticed is much more concerning. The blood trail is still there on the ground, this pony has to have lost a lot of blood by this point.

Only a deep wound can do that and it only makes my concern grow as we're nowhere near a hospital nor are we heading in the direction of one. We're instead heading to the most densely populated part of the city, taller apartment buildings and many isolated alleys.

Just like the long pitch-black alleyway they have now stopped in, I can just make out that it turns left before going deeper, so I stop and try something else. I reach out with my special senses to try and see what's happening, but the distance is several dozen feet too great to see anything in detail, so instead I just try to scout the terrain.

The alley turns left before opening up into a decent-sized area that seemed completely enclosed. I can sense several live magic signatures there although from here I can't tell how many, probably a dozen or more though. I have no idea what this is, but it's now crystal clear that this is not a good situation.

Cornering an injured pony in a dark alley is the literal plot of many crime novels. I start to hear loud voices but can't make anything out as the noise bounces around the alley walls. I could leave and get a guard? But they could need help now, fuck somepony could be dying right now.

I feel uncertainty and panic and try to grip my mind but push them down as best I can. I've trained in many ways for so long, I can do something here and I believe I must. I take a very deep breath and quickly take out my cloak to drape it over my body tightly and cast a silence spell on my hooves before drawing my dagger.

: Let's do this:

POV shift ???

The voices are too loud and I can't move my leg right, it's so cold now. "And I said NO! Now get the hell out! They are one of ours now!" I hear the loud voice but have trouble lifting my head to see it.

A hoof is placed on me as I try to move. "Don't! I need to get this bandage on you, just... Just try and relax, Leaf has this, I hope." I barely hear the last part. I feel my wound strike me with a fresh wave of pain as a hoof moves past it and cloth covers it causing me to cough up more blood.

After they're done I can finally look over to see four ponies standing at the side of the entrance to the alley's dead end, they are arguing with a deep green Stallion I recognize. "And we don't care! They ran and we're here to take them back! Or have you turned your back on even the Queen's mercy?!"

"Mercy?! As If-" I can't concentrate that well on the voices. It's so cold, how much blood have I lost? I feel really tired, and- What is that? I try to focus my eyes on the darker area beyond the torch lite dead end, I can't see anything. No, right there! There is no sound but I can see a faint pair of green lights.

It's just past the torchlight and stands in complete silence. Are those eyes? I try to focus more but even with my eyes I can't see anything until small things start to shift along the alley walls. I have a bad feeling about this and I turn to the one helping me and try to point with a weak hoof as best I can.

They turn and I can see those things movements reflected in her eyes as they widen before she shouts. "The entrance!" The words provide no context but they all seem to understand as every pair of eyes snaps to the black alleyway along with mine. There's silence for a moment as all seem to simply watch on confused.

It's slow at first but we can see long green tendrils start to snake from the darkness and into the light. The odd sound of them scraping against the stone and bricks draws everyone's eyes to the large thorns that sprout and grow from the vine at random points.

Its slow pace doesn't last as they jump quickly and start to cover the walls and alley floor in a web of thorns and green vines. The spread slows to a stop for a moment as those eyes in the dark stare back slightly closer this time. "W-who's there! Come out now!" The leader of the ones who were following me seemed to stammer for a second before shouting at the dark alley with authority. They step closer to the vines covering the floor, "I sai-"

Gore warning from here on out.

He never finishes his words as a vine snaps out to him faster than any plant should be able to before it starts to quickly grow up his leg. "What the buc- AHhH-FUUUCK! GET IT OFF! AHhhhHH!" His panicked words are cut off as the vine's thorns start to grow into him as it climbs his leg.

I feel my body shudder slightly as I hear faint popping and cracking sounds as the chitin around his leg is penetrated by the thorns growing into the chitin. All that while he tries to desperately pull his leg away as hard as he can, but no matter what he does it wouldn't let go simply growing further.

I feel sick at the sight as his disguise fully falls away and two of the others with him try to help pull him away from whatever this is all the while he tries to not scream more and fails. :What did they bring here?: I feel my panic rise as the green eyes in the dark stare on without a change, simply watching as this ling's leg is mangled almost beyond recognition.

The cracks in his chitin are filled with thorns and he's oozing blood as some fragments of his chitin fall on the cobblestones of the street. The ground starts to form a puddle of greenish crimson as the vines dig deeper before they are finally able to pull him away from this nightmare.

I can't stop staring in horror as my body shakes a little at the blood-drenched vines that land on the cobbled alley's floor. :By magic what did I bring here?: I feel myself panic as I glance up to the glowing eyes while thinking about the allies I have with me.

After a moment of pained noises, the ling's finally collect themselves despite the pain that they must be in. "HISSS! Who are you?! This has nothing to do with you! N-now, stay out of this!" Despite their best efforts, I hear the fear in his tone as he cradles his mangled bleeding leg.

I feel my heart racing as I see the condition of his leg after only a few seconds of being held by that vine. In a moment all the vines grow beyond quickly and I flinch back as they surround the four while Leaf backs up quickly in fear of being too close to that vine.

The four stand back to back as the vines start to grow a little off of the ground and make a small fence of promised pain so they can't jump to safety. A voice speaks up and all eyes are drawn to the darkness again. It's so monotone as if it has no emotion at all, and even worse I can sense barely a single emotion from the figure standing just past the lights safely.

It only says one word.

POV shift Shade.

I stand in the dark using my special sense to move without light, as I walk my hooves make no noise. I have a few ways to approach this mess, but I need information first and foremost and the darkness helps quite a bit with that. I slowly creep my way to the lit area and listen to the noise.

"And we don't care! They Ran and we're here to take them back! Or have you turned your back on even the Queen's mercy?!" I can see them now and start to lay a trap as a preparation, I spread several Razor Vine Seeds around the alley with my field and grow some of the vine's so they are at the ready.

As I listen to the words start to make my mind tick, Changelings. They don't seem like friends and are arguing, four in total with eleven others standing near the back of the alley as a deep green colored unicorn stallion stands up to the other four. "Mercy?! As if that bucking queen has mercy!" He shouts back with a stern tone.

None of them have spotted me so I spend what little time I have coming up with a plan. I don't know much but I know these ponies are definitely all changelings, but beyond that, those four changelings are after the injured one, and I'm not going to let them be taken so easily.

I don't know anyone here and I don't know the consequences of doing this, but I can't let that injured Changeling be dragged off to some unknown fate without knowing if it is even deserved. But what should I do? After a moment I see only two solutions. The first is to scare them off, and the second is to capture them.

but if I try to capture them it might result in them harming someone else to cause a distraction, it's a risk letting them go but I don't want anyone to die. Mistakes can be fixed, but lives can't. I make a decision and mentally prepare myself while spreading the vines a little more and continue thinking over the situation.

But a moment later my time is cut short, as I never noticed the injured Changeling had apparently spotted me and pointed with a hoof right at me. I act quickly and spread the Razor Vines further through the alley to prepare for a fight while I steel my nerves with all the practice I've had with Stone.

I don't have the surprise factor anymore so I have to rely on intimidation and fear to scare them off. I stand up straight and let the vines advance even further into the light as I walk a little closer so they can just barely see my outline while adjusting my hood to cover even more of my face.

"The entrance!" The Changeling tending to the injured Changeling also points with a hoof as everyone there snaps their heads to me. I rush the vines forward and watch as confusion and slight fear are shown by many as they start to see me. There is a potent moment of silence as everyone stares me down and I try to keep my calm as my heart beats faster and faster.

The leader of the four hostile Changelings steps forward a little. "W-who's there! Come out now!" I notice the slight hesitation. Good that will make this easier, just a little closer now. I might be able to just scare them off quickly, but a show of force is needed to have them reconsider a fight of any type, with that in mind I start to sift a vine closer to them without any thorns so it grows quietly.

They step even closer to the vines without noticing them being so close in their demands and take that moment to strike. "I sai-'' He's cut off as a vine very quickly wraps around his foreleg and starts to grow up before I start to sprout thorns. "What the buc- AHhH-FUUUCK! GET IT OFF! AHhhhHH!" I don't enjoy the pained screams in the least but this is needed as a threat, so I power through it and try my best to not react as he panics and screams more.

His disguise drops and he immediately starts to struggle as the other three start to help him, after a few attempts I let go of my life magic and stopped repairing the damage they were doing to the vine. It snaps a second later and they are able to pull the blooded and punctured limb from my vines grasp. I take a moment to kill the vine sill in him so it can't grow more and enter his body, I don't want to kill them by accident if those vines start to grow from how much life magic I'm throwing around.

I feel my fear rise a little as things start to get very tense. :No backing down now: The revealed Changeling looks back at me with some fear and clear anger. "HISSS! Who are you?! This has nothing to do with you! N-now stay out of this!" His tongue slithers out as he hisses at me as a desperate threat and demands more answers.

I gather a large amount of life magic and force an insane rate of growth, it's hard to remain in control of the vine's direction of growth at this speed and a moment later they are surrounded completely. They start to panic a little seeing this and stand back to back as I grow a small wall around them.

I muster as much neutrality as I can and speak in a dead tone with no room for argument.

"Leave."

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :}
Current year is 994

I told you that gore tag was going to come in handy.
Also I'm starting to realize just how scary Shade really is, I couldn't be more proud.

Also, on a different note. Any vacation idea?