The Red Eye

I had a busy time in the office throughout the week, it was the usual shift with more and more reports coming in, loud typing everywhere and our boss being upset as usual. I went to the pictures twice with Ernest and Flemmingway to get our minds off the death of Zoe. They don't always understand what’s happening on the screen and ask me to explain it. I spent most of my free time at home in the darkness, I had grown a strong disdain for the sun, and I did everything I could to block out its light from my window. To me, it felt as if the sun was causing my body to degrade, a feeling I cannot exactly explain. I glossed over the "Krivbeknih" for a bit in my free time, the conversation I had with Vuil renewed my interest and some lure I cannot describe. I kept noticing the word "Kremvh" littering each page as much as "Ug-Qualtoh".

I figured it was the blade I found in the book, though I still could not comprehend the meaning if there was any.
I noticed more and more words being completely erased, replaced with words like "hoof", "creature" and "pony" seemingly hastily scribbled into place. It made me wonder what was there before. The book still gave off that dreadful feeling, a dense heavyweight mostly from the knife in there, I'm too afraid to leave it out. It was Saturday today, I had agreed to have dinner with Vuil, and we both had decided by nightfall. We ate at a local establishment, and though she preferred the fancier restaurants near where she lived, she did not mind one bit, thankfully.

I told Vuil of the brawl I had, and it made her laugh. She was wearing a similar dress from when we first met, it sparkled ever so slightly in the lighting of the dining hall. When she laughed, I wanted to relive the first moments again. A moment later she asked me if I loved her. I said that sort of question had no meaning, really; but I supposed I didn’t. She looked sad for a bit, but when we were receiving our lunch dinner, she brightened up suddenly and started laughing. When she laughs, I always want to kiss her. We talked some more as we ate, the ambiance made the perfect moment. We later took the bus and went to a beach I know, not the same one I and my friends went to, however. It’s just a strip of sand between two rocky spurs, with a line of rushes at the back, along the tide line. At eight o’clock the sun was still setting somewhat, but the water was pleasantly tepid, and small, languid ripples were creeping up the sand.

The beach was emptier than usual, though still had some ponies enjoying the warm waters while they still could. We went and rented a small raft to use in the water, soon taking it out to the shore. While I was helping Vuil climb onto a raft, I let my hoof stray over her chest. Then she lay flat on the raft, while I trod water. After a moment she turned and looked at me. Her hair was over her eyes and she let out a soft giggle, soon turning into laughter. I clambered up on to the raft, beside her. The air was pleasantly warm, and, half jokingly, I let my head sink back upon her lap. She didn’t seem to mind, so I let it stay there without much thought. I had the sky full in my eyes, almost all gold with the sun slowly setting, and I could feel Vuil's stomach rising and falling gently under my head. We must have stayed a good half-hour on the raft, both of us half asleep. When the air began to become cold, she dived off and I followed. I caught up with her, put my hoof around her torso, and we swam side by side. She was still laughing.

It was nice to see the sun fall below the horizon, leaving a soothing feeling resonating in my mind. We soon exited the waters, drying off behind one of the sheds just out of sight of everyone else. Though it felt like an eternity, the darkness concealed us too. My mind went blank for a moment as our lips fell onto each other, our bodies pressed hard. We were silent, but the softness of her mane and the warmth of our bodies felt like a loud symphony ringing out throughout my body. The pleasure felt surreal, the motions and the soft noises omitted from our bodies felt as if I was just imagining it all, but I wasn't. But I have heard of the experience, of making love, though all I feel is the pleasure, the feeling of love absent, though I would not know where to begin trying to figure out how that feels, but I enjoyed whatever I felt either way. It was different, and I liked it.

What should have been a few minutes turned into hours. We nearly fell asleep in each other's embrace, though the sounds of footsteps incited us to make our leave. We giggled and kissed on our way to the bus station, and from there well, made me like riding the bus a lot more than I used to. We slept the whole ride back into the city, our heads resting against one another. Though in my sleep I felt the bus rush to a stop, the loud clambering of street cars and muttering of those waiting at the next bus stop became apparent. The driver tapped my shoulder, quickly waking me up as he spoke my name and asked me if this was my stop.

"Err, Monsieur Mysil? This is your stop yes?"

My eyes opened as I stretched with a soft yawn, I noticed to my right that Vuil was no longer sitting with me, but a note was left in her place. I blinked and shook my head a bit to regain my bearings, glancing up at the driver, though I said nothing.

"Ah yes, the madame left one bus stop before, was careful not to wake up monsieur, what a nice mare."

I nodded my thanks and placed the letter into my bag before leaving the bus, all without saying much. I didn't have much to say anymore, to begin with. The night had nearly fully settled, there was a loud clanging of streetcars. They were coming from the stadium in the city's suburb where there had been a sports game of some kind. Even the back platforms were crowded and ponies were standing on the steps. Then another streetcar brought back the teams. I knew they were the players by the little suitcase each man carried. They were bawling out their team song, “Keep the wings flapping, boys!” One of them looked up at me and shouted, “We nailed them!” I waved my hoof and called back, “Good work!” From now on there was a steady stream of private cars as the celebrations settled, the usual lot.

As the clock struck ten o'clock, the street grew more crowded. Ponies were returning from their jobs, I noticed foals were whimpering and trailing wearily after their parents. After some minutes the local picture houses ejected their audiences and moviegoers as the doors shut and the employees left. I noticed that the young fellows coming from them were taking longer strides and gesturing more vigorously than at ordinary times. Those who had been to the picture houses in the middle of the town came a little later, and looked more sedate, though a few were still laughing. On the whole, however, they seemed exhausted. Some of them remained loitering in the street under my window. A group of girls came by, walking arm in arm. The young men under my window swerved to brush against them and shouted humorous remarks, which made the girls turn their heads and giggle. I recognized them as girls from my part of the town, and two or three of them, whom I knew, looked up and waved to me. I gave a small wave back, before shutting the curtains.

The city life was admirable, the scenery was decent though the noise felt too much. I hadn't had much easy rest to begin with, not for a lack of trying. The nightmares have gotten worse, the voices have gotten louder, and all I can think about is that book, the blade, and the death of my colleague. I sat at my desk, staring down at the book and the vials containing the glowing liquid, something I stabbed myself in the bathroom at work. Something about it all seemed odd, my mind felt blank as I tried processing it all though a strong sense of curiosity overtook my mind as I removed my notes from my topmost drawer, reading up the information regarding the death of Zoe. The jotted-down words that stood out to me most came from a few notes I had taken from the official police report, that she was found with an empty syringe and a vial along with it that contained a soft purple residue within the glass. I had to look further, I had to understand, I am not sure if it is the book or morbid curiosity, but something is pulling me towards the case.

The next morning I did not spare a second to get my things together. I took everything surrounding Zoe's death, the book, the empty vials, and my notes while also keeping the blade within the book as well. It was early in the morning, the sun was still rising over the skyrise. Some ponies were already out taking a walk or heading to work though the streets were much more empty than how they usually are at this hour. I stopped to grab the daily newspaper, reading through it to find my article regarding Zoe's disappearance. Much of the information was relatively the same minus some adjustments made by the editors before publishing. I made my way to the public phone, dialing my office number though the phone rang for longer than usual before shutting off, it was then I heard a familiar voice.

"It's Sunday, Mysil, the office is closed."

Ernest stood on the opposite side of the phone booth, giving me a gentle wave. I froze for a moment, glancing down to the phone as I placed it back onto the ringer, stepping out of the box and giving a small head bow.

"You're going somewhere you're not supposed to go, aren't you?"

"How do you know?"

"I've known you for a while, I can see it in your eyes, they're not as soulless this morning."

I let out a deep sigh. "I am going to the Everfree, to find where Zoe died, just to understand more."

Ernest's eyes widened, though he no doubt had a much more fascination in the death of his lover than I ever would.

"Picardy, the Everfree is closed off, more now than before since her death. We aren't getting in." It is true, for a while the Everfree forest has always been considered to be a pony's final resting place, though I did not care, I did not even feel scared. I shook my head.

"No. I am going regardless."

"Then I am coming with."

I did not anticipate his offer, though I would be a fool not to accept his help and so I did. We did not spare much time going over the details, instead quickly making our way down to the bus station, taking the 7 o'clock bus out of the city and to the suburbs. We proceeded on hoof till we reached the edge of the suburbs. Looking back the city felt so small in the distance, the skyrise still visible in the warm blue sky as the sun began to settle in the sky. Our motives were not deterred by the sights, however, finally reaching the edge of the everfree that met with the Manehatten suburbs. The forest was vast, stretching from the east coast down to Applusia. The edge of the forest was fenced off, caution signs dotting the chainlinked fence and barbed wire riding the top though we saw no authorities along the rim. We found a shaded spot near the fence, a large tree casting a dark cool shadow over the space with enough thick brush to conceal ourselves in as we made our way to the fence line.

Ernest acted as a lookout as I removed my coat, placing it on the barbed wire.

"Mysil, I hear someone coming, hurry!" He exclaimed in a panicked whisper. I did not deter my speed though as I quickly hauled myself over the flattened part of the fenceline, soon helping Ernest over as well. I quickly snatched back my jacket through the barbs causing some tears in the fabric. We quickly took cover behind a set of trees as we saw a pony officer coming into view, making a short inspection of the area we just were before shrugging it off and going back onto his patrol. Ernest sighed with relief, gently gripping my side as I went through my notes, pulling out a hoof-drawn map I had made using the information from the police report. We quickly got to our hoofs and made our way down the forest line, though moving inwards a bit to avoid being seen. The atmosphere was eerie, though I cared nothing for it, the beasts were the least of my concerns. Ernest shivered softly, though I am not certain if it was from the cold air sweeping through the forest or his fear of what might be living in the brush.

"How much further...?"

"Just a few more miles, they said she wasn't found too far off from the edge."

We found a tree not too far off from where we were, a large blood stain decorating the dull bark of the tree. A small plastic bag and pieces of cloth resting around. We were both shocked at the sight, they mentioned nothing of blood on the report. We said nothing, keeping quiet as we inspected the scene. I noticed soft blood splatters dotting the small area near the stain on the tree, small pieces of glass with the shredded cloth, obviously a fight had taken place. Ernest lifted a glass vial that was half buried in the dirt, empty. I froze and stared at it, the same type of vial that Mctail had given to me.

"This... I.. What happened here??" He kept his voice down despite his utter confusion if not anger. I simply shrugged, looking over what I could find, there was one aspect missing, the body. Ernest carefully placed the vial down, his body shivering even more as his eyes teared up, memories surging back from his time with Zoe. She wasn't the ideal mare to be around but she was certainly special to Ernest, having known each other long before he had met me. His sorrow became more apparent as she softly knelt near the place where she had died and softly wept into his hoofs. I did not join in, standing off to the side as I watched. As I watched him grieve, however, I noticed something in the ground, multiple hoof prints leading deeper into the forest, I followed them up to a certain point, noticing a dim fire light in the distance.

"Ernest, I think I see something." He softly raised himself from his hoofs, hesitantly getting up and walking over to me where he was fast to notice the hoof prints, then soon the fire in the distance.

"What is that...? Dragon fire?"

"Answers," I said bluntly, walking along the path formed by the hoofprints. The firelight seemed far off still.

"Picardy- Wait- Shouldn't we report this?? What if it's the people who killed Zoe?"

I sighed and glanced back. "That is exactly what I want to know, come on." Ernest became more fearful but chose to follow regardless as he stood by close. The further we went in the darker it became, our path was only ever so slightly lit up by the distant fire. We noticed rustling in the brush, though we were quick to notice the creatures were running in the opposite direction of the fire, and paid no attention to either of us. I felt a dull feeling settle in my chest, a familiar wave of dread. I took a short glance at my bag, we continued onward. The darkness became more apparent as we got closer, the air becoming thicker with a soft haze settling over the forest from the fire. Ernest coughed, I did not, he shivered, I did not. At times I realized how different we are from each other, as little as it matters, though we are the same species and we had supposedly grown up in the same city, for a while I began to have my doubts about everything since mothers death.

We stumbled upon a large clearing in the first, torches and candles, hundreds of them, leaning the circular clearing on the edge of the brush. Though there was no one in sight, we noticed a large image painted on the ground with what seemed to be blood and a mangled corpse within a sack and rope tied around the limbs resting in the middle. I noticed carvings in the trees resembling imagery from the book. The emblem decorating the thick dirt surface resembled the Celestian sun in the middle with a series of lines and imagery surrounding it, the part that stood out the most was an emblem resembling the jaggedness of the blade pointing straight to the sun, its handle facing me. Ernest quickly approached the corpse as I was taken in by the scenery, the amount of candlelight and torchlight alone made it feel like a warm sunny day, though without the feeling the sun usually gives me.

Ernest quickly undid a rope near what seemed to be the head, slowly opening the bag. He immediately dropped to the ground, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped, his face turned green sickly as tears filled his eyes. I approached from behind to see what it was. It was her, it was Zoe, or at least what was left of her. Ernest nearly threw up on the spot, tears streaming down his face as he backed away. The stench of rotting flesh filled the clearing as he opened the bag, though I took no bother from it, Ernest quickly kicked back, absolutely horrified and stunned by what he had seen. I did what I could to comfort him, though my apparent lack of compassion did not help.

"Shes.. Shes... S-Shes.. Oh, my Celestia... Oh my..." Hoofsteps were heard behind us, I was quick to turn around as I placed my hand on my bag just in reach for the book, and the blade within it. A cloaked figure stood at the entrance of the clearing, staring at us both as Ernest quickly got to his hoof behind me. We stared at each other for a minute, before the figure lowered his hood, revealing none other than him. James Mctail.

"Yes, she's dead, a shame for such a devoted disciple." He said to Ernest who quivered behind me, though he quickly pushed his way forward as his fear and sorrow quickly boiled into pure anger.

"You! YOU killed her! You bastard! I will send you to tartarus!" I tried to hold him back, though his strength overcame mine as he charged at Mctail, but with a flash of light from his horn an aura quickly surrounded Ernest, sending him to the ground and knocking him unconscious. He then looked at me as I quickly rushed to get the book out, pulling out the blade from the book and pointing it at him.

"Ah Picardy, a meeting finally at long last. I take it you've met Vuil, a lovely gal isn't she?" He walked, unphased by my stance with the blade, approaching the corpse as he knelt, covering the seal.

"And I see you have the Krivbeknih, and the Kremvh, good. We will need it." I followed him with each step he took, the blade just primed at his chest as if I were to plunge it into him at any moment. He stopped, noticing my lack of response, giving a glare in return to my defensive posture.

"I apologize for your friend, though to tell the truth, she was a threat to the cause, and could not remain."

"A threat? Cause? What are you talking about?" Mctail gave a soft chuckle, but a disappointed stare.

"Surely you've read the Krivbeknih, I did not leave it for you only to be overlooked. She posed a threat to the prophecy, and our lord demanded her removal for the harbinger of Harmony to arrive."

"And here you are."