Awry

I remember as I stared at the statue of the Headless Horse, time seemed to have stopped around me. I can't even recall what was going through my mind, only the way I felt my body. I froze immobile, but every muscle was tense to the point of snapping, ready to break out in a mad gallop at a moment's notice. My nostrils flared and I gasped for air as if I wanted to stock up on oxygen for a mile-long race. And I couldn't tear my eyes away from the statue's graceful, yet blind-ended neck. As if a nightmare had come to life in front of my eyes.

But nothing happened. Even though I was standing there ready to jump, the sky didn't fall on me. It didn't get darker around. I was not swallowed by emptiness. Nopony even asked me why I was poking at that statue. It's true, there were only a few ponies walking around the square, but they didn't seem to notice what I was doing. Nopony bats an eye from the sight of a headless statue...

Only one pony came to mind. Who was the one who spoke about the Headless Horse, not only once? Who hated Cavern the most, not just in our class, but perhaps in the entire Academy? Who was always annoyed by Cavern's best friend Lotus? And who suddenly disappears when such a statue appears? I dare anypony to tell me this is a coincidence! To tell me that Scorch has nothing to do with all of this! And while we're at it, somepony could also tell me where the stallion has been these days! What is the purpose of this great secrecy right now, when such inexplicable things are happening in my close circle of friends?

I quickly put the shroud back on the statue and adjusted it as if nothing had happened. I didn't think it was a satisfactory explanation that Scorch had done something foul, but the boy was involved, I was sure of it. But where could he put Cavern? And what does all this have to do with Celestia? Or how can the Princess not see it at all, if Scorch really was behind the strange events?

I took another look at the shrouded statue. I had an idea, but I was afraid to even think about it. I didn't believe in fairy tales anyway... Still, if anything from Scorch's story could be true... How was his story? A corrupted fairy exiled to Tartarus, whom even Celestia fears. Ponies disappear... or they don't just disappear! I definitely remembered that there was somepony in the story, one they were arguing about whether she was there at all, or she didn't go with them in the first place. Just like that Quickie. It is as if her mere existence had retroactively ceased to exist. There was nothing left behind, only a few flickering fragments of memories...

When we stole the train, Celestia was most worried about us leaving Canterlot at all. As we came back... have we brought something with us? Even the thought gave me chills. Would the curse that supposedly took Scorch's father follow his son? Was it a mistake to set hoof in the Everfree Forest?

Or would we have misunderstood the stallion? After all, we're talking about Scorch, the best illusion mage in the entire grade! A master of deception... how far can he go with this? Or what if the Headless Horse possessed him and came to smite Canterlot through him? It could really cause such an uproar that even Celestia can't do anything about it...

I had too much going on in my head. So far, I haven't even seen a chance to make anything out of it. I was sure of only one thing: tomorrow the red stallion will not go home alone, and as soon as I came to a decision, I immediately discussed it with Ambrosia.

* * *

I barely slept that night, but thanks to this I was able to present a detailed plan to my friends in the morning. The job for the day was to paint a large building, although I wasn't particularly excited about it. The only thing that mattered was that Jasper and Wish arrived on time and Scorch was late as he had been for days, so we had plenty of time to discuss what I saw in the square and to figure out how we could finally effectively investigate things.

We all agreed that the only logical course of action was to somehow try to get answers out of Scorch. There was no question that it would be foolish to inquire directly, and my friends also shared my opinion that the safest and most effective way to find out what the boy was up to was to simply follow him. From then on, however, opinions were divided. Everypony had a slightly different solution. I had to go, it was above questioning, after all, I was the only one in the team who could follow somepony unnoticed, even on completely impossible terrain. On my own, however, I felt inadequate, if for no other reason than Scorch's strength, illusion magic, was one of my greatest weaknesses.

That's why I didn't consider it expedient to take Jasper with me, even though the boy tried to persuade me at all costs. In terms of combat spells, with my dispersal tricks we were roughly on par with each other, but we still couldn't eliminate the potential threat that the red stallion posed with mind spells. Ambrosia also said she wanted to come with me, although I didn't understand that at all. My fillyfriend still didn't excel in any branch of magic, so I wouldn't have any leverage with her by my side either. Maybe she felt safer with me even in the middle of enemy territory than anywhere else. I, on the other hoof, wanted to entrust the protection of Ambrosia to Jasper while I was away, and I wanted to carry Wish with me, since she was the only one of the four of us who could see through illusions. And Wish, though she really wanted us all to go together, at least saw that it was the only way to go, since it was just too taxing for me to carry even one pony with my magic. And the two of us have finally proved to be enough to convince Ambrosia and Jasper as well.

We stuck to what we agreed to. After Scorch arrived grumpily, we got to work as if nothing had happened. We didn't even talk much to each other. It's true, sometimes I couldn't resist sneaking a glance at the stallion to see if I could see any tell-tale signs of what kind of nefarious plan he might have in mind. But no. The only thing I could observe was that the boy hadn't been sleeping well for days, at least judging by the circles around his eyes and the small yawns he sometimes released. Did he have a bad conscience? Or am I just too naive even now, and he settles his dirty deals during the nights, practically instead of sleeping?

After the painting and subsequent washing, we pretended to have a conversation and waited for Scorch to leave, then - while Wish kept an unobtrusive eye on the red stallion - we said good-bye to each other.

"Please hurry back!" Ambrosia hugged me after we exchanged a passionate kiss. "And take care of yourself!"

"We'll be careful" I caressed the girl's cheeks. "But then again, you should also be very careful!"

"Doncha worry, I ain't movin' an inch from her!" Jasper reassured me.

"If none of us return within two hours, go to the palace and report to Princess Celestia!" I said dead serious. "Tell her everything and don't let anypony delay you! Tell them that it is a matter of life and death to talk to her!"

"Y'hear... if ya get hurt...!" the boy shook his head worriedly.

"We won't," I touched his shoulder. "And I count on you. And if we really don't come back, don't wait! I would rather explain to the Princess how dumb I am than that we too... disappear, or I don't know!"

I waited for Jasper to nod, then, following Wish's gaze, I found the direction where I had to fly, then I grabbed the girl, and straining my mind for a moment, I broke both of our bodies into small particles. I didn't mess around for a second; I immediately went after Scorch and caught up with him as fast as I could. I did it just in time, as the stallion turned right at the intersection where he was going and switched to a trot. Luckily, I could easily produce half the flight speed of an average pegasus in this form, and the extra weight that Wish meant didn't slow me substantially, so I didn't have the least difficulty following the stallion.

But I couldn't find out where he was going. Not to the dormitory, that was perfectly clear, although this was nothing new. I have hardly been to this part of the city, where he was currently treading. It must have been some sort of residential area, though much poorer than ours or Wish's. A few streets later, the smaller apartment buildings were replaced by manehattan-ish panel houses, and even if they didn't look exactly run down, it seemed pretty clear to me that less well-off ponies could live here. I have to say, I was getting more and more interested in where Scorch was heading, or what he could be doing in such a place. At most, I could have imagined him turning into one of the pubs on the corner, and sitting down there with a couple of thugs wrapped in black cloaks, discussing the next step in their grandiose plan.

However, the stallion stopped in front of an ordinary five-story house, seemingly no different from the others. I also stopped with Wish, floating roughly over the stallion's head, but a little further back so we could have a better view of the gate. Scorch looked around cautiously, but probably didn't notice us - although after Wish played this game with me once, I couldn't say for sure - and then opened the door for himself with a faintly glowing horn. I only waited a little while after he entered, but then I managed to slip into the house through the wide enough gap, so we didn't lose much time.

Scorch climbed the steps at a surprisingly fast pace, although I could hear that he had to exert himself, at least enough to be noticeably panting. At the height of the third floor, the stallion stopped in front of one of the doors. He didn't open it, nor did he knock. At first, I thought he was just catching his breath, then I felt the air around him vibrate. It's a good thing that I didn't feel my heartbeat in this form, because I think it could have been felt through my ribs again, as I saw the boy's mane and tail fade a few shades with rapid speed...

The stallion took a few deep breaths, straightened his mane with his front hooves, cleared his throat, and then pressed the doorknob. He encountered no obstacles; he could easily enter. For a moment I was unsure if I really wanted all of this, but then I made up my mind again, mustered my courage, and before Scorch closed the door again, I floated to the top of the entrance to the apartment, then slid in at the level of the upper doorjamb and stopped at the height of the ceiling. It would have been so much easier if I could have at least communicated with Wish in some way! She would surely have been able to tell me exactly what kind of magic the boy had used before entering... Or at least I could have heard her voice, and that would calm me down a bit.

"Hello, Honey!" Scorch called out.

I never thought that these words, especially in such a tone, could ever leave my "friend's" mouth... And I didn't believe it for a second. I did see how the stallion, nodding his head cheerfully, took off his cloak and hung it on the hanger in the hall. I watched as he looked humming softly into the living room, then turned towards the kitchen and noticed the short, dark-furred mare coming to meet him. I also watched as they hugged each other tightly and exchanged an extremely tender, emotional kiss with their ears down. I saw all this, but I knew, I felt, that it was all just a show. I needed Wish here. Wish, to tell me what's real and what's not...

I wanted to signal the mare that the time had come. I couldn't speak, so I just slowly descended to the level of the floor, and I tried to partially separate the cloud of dust that made up momentarily the two of us in advance, and to shape it into something pony-like, so that it wouldn't hit her unexpectedly when we took form again. On the other hoof, I could legitimately hope that we could surprise Scorch. If I could believe my eyes to some extent, the stallion was looking at what was boiling on the stove, while he was gently stroking the rump of the small mare who was wearing only an apron.

I was ready to destroy the false idyll in a single second. I really rushed the last phase of my integrity recreation spell, but as soon as our hooves hit the marble, I reached out with a couple of my dust tentacles, which I left this way on purpose so that I could attack anypony in a moment's notice.

"Wait!" Wish shouted immediately, even though for now I only intended my move to be a threat. Until I found a real, clear target, there was no point in rushing anyway.

They both immediately turned towards us. The unfamiliar, deep purple earth pony mare screamed in fright, and after quickly looking around, but not seeing an available escape route, she shuddered and cowered in the corner with dilated pupils, her tail tucked under her. Scorch stared at us in disbelief as if he had just woken up and couldn't believe what he was seeing. But I didn't fall for the trick. While I was taking a look at the stallion's changed appearance - somehow, he seemed much thinner than usual, and his mane had now clearly taken on a blond color - I was constantly watching with half an ear behind me, but also towards the walls. If all this is not real, they can ambush us from any direction...

"What...?" Scorch tried to speak, but I interrupted him.

"Shut up!" I waved my tentacles menacingly, then I turned to Wish. "Where is the real one? And when did we lose him?"

The girl snarled and furrowed her brows for a few seconds, while those two ponies were just blinking in confusion at us.

"I don't know..." Wish finally said in a pained voice. "In principle, it really is him."

"What the buck are you doing, Thread?" snapped the red stallion.

I didn't let him prevail this time either. Before he could continue, I reached out with my dust tentacles and lifted him off the ground despite all his protests. I also pointed one to his neck just to be sure he wouldn't try anything stupid. For now, I was still only threatening, but I felt that if it turned out that he was really hurting my friends, I would try to see if I could cut through bones with my magic...

"No tricks, pal, or I swear to Celestia, I'll grind these on you!"

"You're insane, Thread!" shouted Scorch, frantically flailing his legs in the air.

"What's going on, Mirthy?" whined the purple mare from the corner on the verge of crying.

"Tell us, Scorch!" I grumbled. "Tell us about the Headless Horse! And while you're at it, tell us also where you took Cavern!"

"Wait... what?" asked the stallion with genuine shock and fear in his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Playing dumb now, are we?" I snapped. "Better get to the explanation part before you make me even angrier!" I could see that he was still trying to put on an air of innocence, so I continued. "Just tell me, how is it possible that Cavern vanished, and even Princess Celestia doesn't know where he's gone, and then a few days later I find a statue of your precious Headless Horse?"

Scorch gaped in surprise, but it took a relatively long time before he could speak. And I was far from satisfied with what he had to say. "Headless Horse? Cavern's gone?"

He chose the worst possible way to try and save his hide. I could barely control myself... In fact, even though I tried to restrain myself, I involuntarily squeezed the stallion, and he hissed in pain. The only thing that stopped me was when Wish gently touched my side.

"There's no point in hiding things," she said firmly, addressing the boy. "Nor to deny it. You were also there when we talked about where three of our friends had gone. It will be easier for everypony if you share what you know."

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll tell you everything I know!" groaned Scorch. "Just calm down, please! Let me go, Thread! I swear, I will cooperate with you, whatever you want!"

"Try anything; that will be the last thing you did in your life!" I said furiously as I slowly lowered the stallion back to the ground.

"Are you hurt, Mirthy?" the purple mare hugged the boy's legs as soon as he reached the floor.

"I'm fine..." Scorch said softly, remarkably softly for himself.

"If you see anything suspicious, tell me immediately, and we're out of here!" I whispered imperceptibly into Wish's ear, which she acknowledged with a small nod.

I looked over again, this time a little more carefully at the two ponies in front of me. Scorch, crouching down in front of me, watching my every move... Of course, we could have scared him, but in general, it was as if he was completely out of his mind. Especially with that blonde mane. As if another pony was standing in front of me. And of course, there was his... fillyfriend? Now that I looked more closely, I realized, on the one hoof, that the mare had embarrassingly nothing on herself apart from that one apron, and on the other hoof, she looked significantly younger than us. Looking at her, I would almost have called her a foal, and the strikingly girlish features of her face seemed to support this. And that immediately raised the question of what the heck Scorch could want from her... They kissed, I saw it. And the way he called her... If they really were together, and the filly is so much younger than him, it's no wonder that he wanted to keep their relationship a secret from us, or even from everypony. It would also explain where the stallion disappeared to after work recently instead of the dormitory.

But nothing else. All in all, this whole situation only raised more questions in me in just a few seconds. And some of them were seriously bothering me. Why was she waiting for Scorch all alone in such an apartment? Doesn't she have anypony or what? And what does Scorch have to do with anything then? How does the Headless Horse fit in the picture? Or does it even make sense to think about this, if I'm not even sure that what I see now is not just a distortion of reality... I would have liked to trust Wish to see through the illusions, but I've experienced before that Scorch is indeed too good in this aspect to fool any of us. Yet there was nothing to be done; I had to adapt to what I was seeing, even if I was paying attention to all the other suspicious details. If I don't get proper answers, or if Scorch tries to lie to us again, I'll hopefully see through it. Recognizing a lie is maybe not finding the truth, but a good first step towards it.

"Let's start at the beginning!" I said harshly to the red stallion, who now stood protectively between us and the purple mare. "What is this silly disguise? Why do you look so weird?"

"You mean my... mane?" Scorch chuckled uncertainly to himself.

I didn't grace him with an answer, I just looked him firmly in the eyes, and even this momentary smile immediately disappeared from his face, giving way to fear again.

"We're watching," Wish told him unusually coldly. "So, don't try to lie, Scorch!"

"Why do they call you this way?" asked the little purple mare in a trembling voice, hugging the stallion's leg even tighter.

The boy hesitantly raised his free front leg, but then put it back and bowed his head with a resigned sigh. "This... is not so easy to explain..." he said in a surprisingly thin voice. "But the reason is actually one and the same. There's something... I should have told you, Touch..." he turned to the mare. "I'm a little... well, different... than you know me. It would be better if we sat down..." he sighed again and pointed towards the living room.

I still suspected a trap, so I didn't want to give him any leeway.

"Answer me!" I snapped at him and gave a stomp to emphasize that I wasn't joking.

He grimaced but nodded submissively nonetheless.

"This is the natural color of my mane..." he muttered under his breath. "I know you haven't seen it yet, but... well... here you go."

"You've never been blond," Wish stated flatly.

"I've always been blond," the stallion shook his head. "I mean... after my father died, I started dyeing. Now I'm trying to get rid of it for Touch." He sent a surprisingly affectionate smile towards the little mare, and only then continued. "It's just... it's not that easy. But she loves me the way I am."

"You know who you should feed this crap to!" I snorted.

I searched Wish's eyes for confirmation, but she just seemed more unsure.

"I'll tell you everything, and then you'll understand, Thread," Scorch raised his leg soothingly. "But it would really be easier if we sat down..."

"Until you've told us everything, we won't move an inch from here," I said, leaving no room for objection.

"Right," Scorch nodded. "After all of this, that you broke in like that, what did I expect..."

"Don't screw around or it won't end well!" I warned him. "Get to it already!"

"It's okay, dude, just calm down!" he said. "No more secrets... So... the first thing you all need to know is that my real name is Mirthwhistle..."

"Great!" I snorted. "Now tell me something we don't know!"

"I haven't finished," continued the stallion patiently, closing his eyes. "My real name is Mirthwhistle, so I didn't lie to you, Touch. However, everypony else knows me as Scorched Earth. In front of others, I am not like I am with you. I know, I know, I should have told you, I was just... I was afraid. I was afraid that then you wouldn't love me like that anymore. Can you forgive me for that?"

"I was never mad at you..." muttered the young mare timidly.

Scorch smiled faintly, then looked up again, straight into my eyes.

"On the other hoof, if we take it that way, I was lying to you all along," he said surprisingly calmly. "I would have liked to have forgotten my old, real name forever, but of course I couldn't, it was found out. I hated it when anypony used it, but you guys found it very funny to tease me about it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't leave my past behind even for a minute. I hated all of it... until now."

The stallion slowly, avoiding any sudden movements, bent down to the mare holding her leg and snuggled her head with his. It was still hard for me to process how Scorch could treat anypony in such a kind, let alone gentle, manner.

"And then, she came!" the stallion softly ran his nose along the girl's ear. "Chromatic Touch, to take the opportunity and introduce her... although I wouldn't have forced this if you hadn't ambushed us like this."

"Nice to meet you!" A charming yet shy smile spread across the purple mare's face.

She wasn't very feminine, rather a distinctly girlish pony, but I must give it to her that she was cute. Though I still didn't see in what kind of twisted, warped world she could be a good match with a pony like Scorch.

"She is the only pony who accepts me as I am and loves me no matter what," said the red stallion, almost touched. "And I love her the way she is. She is the sweetest creature in the world!"

"I don't want to spoil your happiness, but what does that have to do with anything?" I snapped impatiently.

"I don't understand what you mean, Thread," Scorch looked at me confused. "This was my big secret, and that's why I haven't slept in the dorm for days. I can't stay away from her. Now, for the first time in my life, I finally have somepony!"

"And I need him too!" the purple mare joined him, giving us pleading looks. "Don't hurt him, please! He didn't do anything wrong!"

"You know, there's a tiny little problem..." Wish interjected, radiating a similar irritation as the one that constantly passed through me. "The fact that that's still beside the point. You put together a nice little story, Scorch, but Thread is right. Placing a statue of the Headless Horse in the middle of Canterlot is like writing your name on the sky in flaming letters!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about..." blinked the stallion.

"You already said that," Wish narrowed her eyes. "Come up with something better!"

Scorch looked confused, sometimes at Wish, then at me, but then he just shook his head again. "I seriously don't understand," he said finally. "I have nothing to do with it, whatever it is! Or do you think it was me because I told a stupid horror story about him?"

"Stupid horror story?" I repeated menacingly. "You kept saying that everything you said about him was true! Your father also disappeared when the Headless Horse..."

"I lied," said Scorch with lowered ears and downcast eyes. "Not a word of it is true. I just... just made it up to... to..." he sniffed loudly, then looked up at the ceiling, avoiding our gaze "...to make me look cool. I was always the one... I was always the one who did the gross things, the one who liked games for toddlers. I was constantly teased in kindergarten and at my old school. They always laughed at me because of my parents. We were the shame of the village, and I was the stupid farm boy. And then my father... my father, that drunk idiot fell into the ditch during wintertime. But the damn bastard couldn't just simply freeze to death! He choked on his own vomit! I would never, ever wash it off myself... That's why I needed something... I mean, I had to leave home, that was for sure. As much as Hayville is off the map, nopony ever goes anywhere from there anyway. Fucking inbred community; no big brains either. Canterlot was my only chance to finally break away from them. It was a relief to be accepted to the Academy. But this time I didn't want to be the stupid little brat! I wanted you to see how tough I am just by looking at me! That's why the paint... that's why the fake cutie mark... And I didn't even dare to hope that with my story, which could have been the ugliest event of my life that I would finally become somepony all at once!"

"There, I told you!" he spat the words to us, as we just stared at him in shock. "Do you see? I'm not afraid of the truth anymore! I finally got to the point where my past doesn't matter, only that I can be with the pony with whom we love each other! So feel free to tell anypony! I don't care if the whole city laughs at me, just leave me alone here, in this one place!"

I was totally confused. I didn't know if I could believe Scorch. And I still haven't decided if I can believe my eyes. Looking at Wish, I could only read the same uncertainty on her face.

"Let's say it is true," I said finally. "Then how could a headless statue end up in a square in Canterlot? This is not something we can just walk past! There has to be some explanation!"

"If I knew, Thread, I would tell you, believe me!" the stallion looked seriously into my eyes. "But the Headless Horse is just a legend, nothing more."

"What if it is true?" I asked the big question.

"I don't believe in him," Scorch shook his head. "But I don't know. I really don't..."

"What if somepony wants to deliberately mislead us?" Wish asked with some seemingly unwarranted terror in her voice.

"Mislead us?" I asked back in surprise. "Here's Celestia, here's the Canterlot Royal Guard, the Nightguard, and who knows what else! Who cares what exactly... what... exactly I... what... I do..."

I could barely finish, the wheels in my brain started spinning like crazy. Small puzzle-bits of information flew here and there, slowly forming a vague picture. Many details were still unclear, but a single tiny spot became almost painfully clear in front of me. I felt myself turning pale...

"Ambrosia..." I muttered in shock. "Celestia asked for one thing, but more than once! To stay with her! Don't move away from her, don't leave her alone! Somepony wanted me to believe that Scorch... and... and go away from home because only I can... That's why she told me not to investigate...?"

"We must go back immediately!" Wish shook my shoulder, bringing me back to reality.

I didn't hesitate for a second. This terrible realization, and the even more terrible fear that I had made a fatal mistake, gave me enormous strength. I didn't even have to think or concentrate on the spell, I caught the girl in powder form and we were already racing home, faster than I've ever flown before...

* * *

I kicked the door of the tower with the force of an enraged bull, and immediately pushed in with my dust-tentacles to bring the imagined assassins threatening my fillyfriend into a deadly embrace. But I ran into unexpected resistance before I could even look around. A faint, vibrating energy field stood in my way...

"Ambrosia!" I shouted desperately as I strained against the shield as much as I could.

"Is... that ya?" Jasper's strained voice came in response from the other side of the shield.

I stopped for a moment and immediately retreated so as not to hide the inside of the room from ourselves. In the cover of the protective field, I soon recognized my friend, and behind him Ambrosia, as she tried to hide in fear.

"Is that ya, Thread?" Jasper asked warily.

"Of course..."

"Prove it!"

I was surprised, but eventually it was the right call. If we guessed Scorch as an illusionist behind the events, it really didn't hurt to be extra careful. I suddenly felt proud that my friend was so smart...

"I really hope you become the captain of Canterlot one day, Jasper!" I said smiling. "Protecting my partner so faithfully...! I couldn't ask for a better friend! That's right. If my magic didn't convince you that it's really me, let's say... remember those lace panties we bought together for Wish?"

"I remember the little red one," Jasper nodded, although apparently, I managed to embarrass him a little by mentioning that. "Ya should say somethin' too, Wish, if only for the sake of order!"

I turned to the girl, but her face basically turned into a tomato. I guess it was even more difficult for her that I managed to say such intimate things right in front of his - hopefully - future coltfriend. Especially remembering the day when I accidentally got to admire her in that underwear up close...

"Well... would that suffice if I say that you still sleep with a knife under your pillow?" she asked in a meek voice.

"Unfortunately, no," the stallion shook his head. "Quite a lot of ponies know this about me..."

"But... all I can think of now..." she didn't even finish, just scratched the floor in front of her with her hoof. "I mean... what if I told you, you haven't eaten onion soup since, well... for three days you...

"Say no more, babe!" Jasper waved, then withdrew his magical shield. "Come on then, tell me what this big entrance was!"

Sitting in a circle on our carpet, we reported everything to the two of them, but in the meantime, I also asked them if anything unusual had happened. It was encouraging that Jasper really did keep an eye on Ambrosia, and he claimed nopony had bothered them while we were gone. It's true, I realized relatively quickly whom the threat was actually aimed at, and we returned surprisingly quickly from my friends' point of view. On the other hoof, we tried to analyze what we talked about with Scorch, but even the four of us didn't get any further. After that, we tried to figure out why Ambrosia might be in danger and what we should be careful about.

"Could it be that a rival of your family from Saddle-Arabia is behind the events?" Wish asked.

"It might as well be," I nodded thoughtfully, but the second I said it out loud, a horrible feeling came over me. "In fact, maybe... Ambrosia, does your father know that you don't plan to go home?"

"I didn't tell him anything!" the mare looked at me alarmed. "But even if he knew, what could he do?"

"He's quite an influential pony, so he must have agents here too," I replied. "And if I remember correctly, you said he had a couple of pretty good assassins..."

"He does, but... but what...?

"The question is more like; how would he feel about you staying here for an equestrian pony?"

"Ya wouldn't be very safe, Thread," Jasper stated grimly.

"I can imagine what he would do to somepony who took his daughter from him," I caressed my neck, as if showing how to cut it with a knife.

"He... he wouldn't!" Ambrosia put her hoof in front of her mouth in fear.

"Oh, he totally would!" Jasper nodded. "No offense, but from yer kind, I can easily imagine that they'd skewer Thread for less."

"Wait a second, guys, that can't be right!" Wish tapped the carpet in front of her. "Then Thread would be the target, and if Celestia knows that, then she wouldn't try to protect Ambrosia like that! I think it's more likely that somepony is trying to catch Ambrosia and Thread is the last line of defense. They want to get close to her unnoticed, so they set the trap to lure him away. But there might have been a mistake in their calculation, because they didn't even get to the point of trying to harm her."

"Because if Thread is now actin' like Ambrosia's personal bodyguard, the Canterlot Royal Guard is still there!" Jasper continued the thought with enthusiasm. "Ya see, we shouldn't underestimate them! And Celestia is watchin' too! Perhaps while we were hangin' around here ready to jump, they sorted out everythin' in the background!"

"Yes, that would be more like Celestia," I stated. "But somehow I still don't feel very safe. Either way, Cavern is gone and nopony knows what happened to him."

"Of course, because he wasn't the target!" Jasper pointed out. "There weren’t several hundred guards watchin' his every move; they only noticed that he was missin' when he vanished! Nopony expected that anypony would want to use him against ya."

"But after that Celestia immediately hid Stella and Lotus," Wish frowned. "Why them? What is special about them? Or, an even better question: why aren't we in danger?"

We sat in deep thought for a good minute, then I finally broke the silence.

"Maybe because they are weaker. Just think about it! Cavern has always been far behind us in terms of its magic power. Stella and Lotus were considered good, but they are more theoretical ponies. You, Wish, on the other hoof, are great at teleporting and you use your magic pretty well anyway. If you feel any threat, you can easily escape and report to the guards. And you, Jasper, are one of the strongest ponies I know. When it comes to combat spells, only Nimbus Strike is above you from the Academy, and maybe I am in some sense. Besides, you're not a lost soul; you see, we even talked about it now that even waking up from your dream, you would easily plunge your knife into the throat of your attacker. Our enemy had a goal by foalnapping Cavernwind, but they have nothing to do with you. If it weren't for that, Celestia would definitely take care of you as much as she does with Lotus and Stella."

"Now this makes sense!" Jasper grinned, though there wasn't much joy in it. "So the Princess made a mistake once, but she won't fall for the same trick again! Heck, maybe what I said before is true and we are the bait! If this mysterious pony doesn't find a gap in yer defenses, and the Guard doesn't catch them first, they might try their luck with us! And then the Princess can finally strike at them!"

"I should calm down..." I muttered softly. "Celestia said that a few times too. Don't worry about anything, just go home nicely, stay with Ambrosia, and don't get upset. I really don't see any other explanation for this."

"So what now?" Wish asked with her ears down. "Shall we just go home and try to pretend we don't know about anything?"

"This may be the hardest part," I said, looking deeply into her eyes. "But the only logical move. We just have to decide if we trust Princess Celestia."

"I trust her," remarked Ambrosia, who so far has not been able to help us in the guessing much.

"I'd trust her with my life any time,'' Jasper declared with a proud salute.

"Me too..." Wish said softly. "But I'm scared..."

"It seems we have no other choice," I closed the topic. "May Celestia protect us all, but let's keep our eyes open! It is surely no coincidence that she entrusted us with this important task!"

* * *

Although I finally felt that we had just figured something out together, the anxiety came back with full force when my friends left. I could also see that Ambrosia was restless, although she tried to hide it by smiling, just like the Princess used to. In addition, she was constantly trying to make me feel better, but the poor thing was not very successful. No matter how much she kissed me, no matter how much she hugged me, I was still on the edge. I let her drag me to our bed, and I held on to her tightly, as we used to do when lying down, but all the while I kept thinking on what kinds of mortal dangers my friends were facing. I wanted to think that our faith in Celestia wasn't unwarranted, but regardless, it was horrible to know that if either Wish or Jasper were in trouble, I wouldn't be there to help them.

"If only the Princess had asked me to fight your attackers myself!" I whispered softly in Ambrosia's ear.

"If she thinks this is the most effective way for you to protect me, I don't mind!" she smiled.

"But still... then we could finally get over with this madness!"

"I can tell you're too tense," Ambrosia cooed gently. "Don't be afraid! If the Princess said you were ready for the task, then you are! Calm down, please! Do you remember that you said a few minutes ago that Celestia asked you the same? You can't always be on the alert either!"

I felt my muscles relax a little at the mere words of the mare. Ambrosia gently caressed my face and kissed me on the lips with so much tenderness, I had to close my eyes.

"Would you like me to help you relax?" she asked passionately.

She didn't even wait for my answer. She ran her front hooves along my sides with wide, exciting movements, and pressed her hot hips against me. She carefully bit my neck, eliciting a soft sigh from me, which she probably felt as an encouragement, because she continued to pepper me with kisses, slowly moving lower and lower on my chest, then down my stomach...

Somepony knocked on the door. I thought my heart was going to stop on the spot, I was so scared. Ambrosia also froze in a single moment.

"Don't open it!" whispered the mare in horror.

I didn't even have time to answer, they knocked again.

"Thread!" somepony shouted from outside.

Their voice reminded me of Wish. But that can't be! They hadn't been gone that long and she would have come back by now? Besides, we talked about it... I mean...

Something was wrong. I felt it. It penetrated almost every part of my being. I tried to get up, but Ambrosia held me back.

"What are you doing?" she asked, almost shaking with nervousness. "You don't want to go there, do you?"

I looked uncertainly towards the door. The shadow of a short pony could be seen through the glass. I didn't know what to do...

"Thread!" came another cry.

I can't leave it at that, that's all that was on my mind. If this is a trick, Celestia's ponies are sure to be watching. Now this whole misery will finally be over. One way or the other...

"I'll be careful!" I untangled myself gently from my partner's embrace.

"Don't do this, please!" Ambrosia begged, but this time I was not moved by it.

I got up and walked slowly to the door with trembling steps. The shadowy figure did not move from the glass. I stopped a little further away and, reaching out with a single dust-tentacle, I carefully pressed the handle and opened the door a crack. I saw the shadow coming closer, and then a greenish hoof wormed its way over the threshold. I didn't let them in. Even if they didn't come any further, I vigorously pushed the wood at their leg.

I heard a pained hiss, but I didn't give up on my principles. A few seconds later, a greenish nose also appeared in the gap, but they couldn't come any closer with their head. They didn't even try for long, rather they retreated. But I held their hoof firmly...

"I understand, Thread," said Wish in a frighteningly shaky, hoarse voice. "Ask anything!"

I racked my brain for the right question and finally came up with something. I would be extremely happy if they didn't know the answer to that...

"What is the name of the cat I saw... then?"

For a few moments, there was only silence, and I prepared myself to use all my strength to tear our late visitor to small bloody pieces.

"If you think of the one you saw when you followed me home, that was Shiver," she continued in that terrifyingly distorted voice.

"Alright, I'm listening!" I answered, still incredulous.

"No, Thread," the voice said. "Now I will ask you."

"Fire away!"

"Whom did I kiss for the first time in my life?"

"Me," I answered almost without thinking.

There was silence, then the mare spoke again in that hoarse voice.

"If you believe that, it really must be you. Can you come out? Or do you think it's safer to let me in? No, actually it'd be better if you come out and lock the door..."

"Is it really necessary?" I grimaced. "Can't we talk like this?"

"I'm so scared!" whined the mare in a high-pitched voice. "Come out, please, before I lose my mind!"

I didn't open the door, but I crumbled to dust and floated quickly through the narrow gap, letting her pull her leg back. Before I even took form again, I looked over at the mare, who did indeed appear to be Wish. But she really looked like she was hovering on the edge of madness. Her mane stood as if she had tried to tear it out with her own hooves, and her pupils narrowed to the size of a needle despite the darkness of the twilight hour.

I turned back into a pony, but with that momentum I propped up the door with my hoof, making it clear that there was no entry. However, she didn't seem to care in the least. She just stared madly into my eyes...

"I went home," she began with a tangible slur, but in the same nervous, trembling voice. "I mean, Jasper walked me home. Everything was fine. I even checked my diary to see if it was okay. Everything was fine. I don't know how much time passed, but then he came back. He knocked and came in. He said he wanted to take care of me. Well, you can imagine how happy I was for him! My parents didn't care anyway. I thought everything was fine. He came into my room. We talked a bit. Not much really. Then he pulled me close. He pulled me onto my bed. You know, he kissed me. I haven't told you yet, but he kissed me before. But it wasn't Jasper, you see? Thread, he came to me, to our own house, and it wasn't Jasper! He looked exactly like him. He talked like him. But I felt it when he kissed me! That wasn't Jasper! And... and nothing happened! Celestia didn't come! There weren’t pegasus guards falling from the sky! There was this... thing... just lying there on my bed and it kissed me! I had to... I had to flee! Thread, I'm so scared!"