Unraveled

Celestia’s sun, high in the sky, failed once more to pierce the eerie gray that surrounded Ponyville. Fog rolled in from the Everfree Forest, a thick, yet wispy mist that rolled over the once verdant Equestrian hills. Sugarcube Corner was closed again, and the clouds remained stagnant as Rainbow Dash, all loyalty to the town aside, was taking yet another “sick” day at home.

Enigma rose from her perch in the clouds where she had remained unnoticed by the wandering ponies below, if they could even be called that anymore. Echoes, that’s all they were; Echoes of their former selves. Though it had only been a month since the Great Paranoia had begun, it seemed like ages to Enigma, ages that could not be reclaimed by any means.

The gray and blue maned white pegasus looked around and felt, as usual, that presence. Nopony knew who or what it was, but it was always just...there. Sometimes, if one tried hard enough, they could almost hear its thoughts emanating through the air. Nothing malevolent had come from the presence yet, but it was a common consensus among the citizens of Ponyville that nothing good would come of it either.

Enigma hung her head in disgust. The Discord incident was one thing, affecting the personalities of some of Ponyville’s most beloved mares. This, however, was another situation entirely. It seemed as though the ponies’ personalities had become as misty and unchanging as the weather, not evil, per se, but suspicious and scared. All could be seen doing double takes whenever they turned corners, while the street behind them was obviously empty. Even the most reclusive of ponies could now be seen traveling in groups, and the usually shy or easily frightened ponies could scarcely be seen out in public at all. In all of her days as a psychic and psychologist for the stallions of Celestia’s guard, Enigma had never felt such utter desolation.

The mare took off from her cloud and hovered low above the small town, noting the amount of ponies in the square; a grand total of 3. Big Macintosh hauled his cart as usual to the apple stand, but he carried an insignificant load. This wouldn’t be noticed by Applejack, anyway, as she hadn't made a sale in days. Nopony wanted to leave their houses without good reason, never mind mingle and shop in the town square. Nevertheless, she minded her apple stand as she always had, hoping to bring some much needed money back to the family. Sitting in the shadows, as if trying to hide, was Sweetie Belle, singing a calming tune to herself. Scootaloo and Applebloom were off with Zecora, but Sweetie didn’t have any intention of going into that forest unless it was downright necessary. She shook a little as she sang, obviously scared, but Enigma had no time to sit down and comfort the filly. No time to lose in this world anymore.

Before flying over to the library, as she did every day, Enigma flew over a pasture by Fluttershy’s cottage, looking to see if the animals were affected in the same way as the ponyfolk were: Nope. All of the animals seemed to be going about their daily business as usual, even Angel, who was busy rapping on poor Fluttershy’s door, demanding she bring out a meal for him though she was too scared to even look out her door’s peephole. Enigma allowed herself a small chuckle at the rabbit’s persistence in the face of hopelessness, but flew onward to her destination.

The princesses may have deemed this a simple natural phenomenon, but I know better, Enigma thought to herself as she cut through the mist like a lithe blade. Mist doesn't last for weeks on end, let alone months, and it wouldn't be so...eerie even if it did. The only time I’ve ever encountered anything even remotely like this was on Nightmare Night, when Princess Luna willed it to be so. Even then, I didn’t feel this mental pressure coming from it. I know this is no normal fog, but who will listen? I myself acknowledge just how ludicrous this idea is, so why in Celestia’s name would anypony else believe me?

Enigma mused to herself for a while in this manner, before finally alighting on a cloud above the library. No doubt Spike and Twilight would be inside by the fire, again re-arranging the books that needed no more organization. The two needed each others’ company in these dark days, though neither of the two would admit it to the other.

Expecting a forcefield of sorts, Enigma carefully inched towards the library, shocked when she found no shielding of any kind against the outside world. She knocked quietly upon the door to the library, which was deadbolted shut, though the clock tower in the square read 3 o’clock. The door rattled and shook for a few brief moments, then creaked open just enough so that a single purple eye could peek through.

“Ah. It’s...It’s just you, Enigma.” stuttered an obviously relieved Twilight Sparkle. “Please, come in, you know you shouldn’t be out there alone these days...” Twilight turned and walked, rather faster than usual, back into the library, mentally beckoning Enigma to do the same. As soon as Enigma had crossed the threshold, Twilight nearly pounced upon the door, closing it shut and making sure the deadbolt was secure. When all was fixed and fasted, she once again turned to face Enigma.

“Please excuse my rather frantic behavior,” Twilight said with a small twitch of the eye. “Been busy busy busy lately, studying everything I have. Somepony’s gotta find a way to lift this fog, and it looks like it’s gonna be me! Not as if the weatherponies are ever going to get to it.”

Enigma didn’t speak for a second, and rather examined the space around her. Organized chaos, as Rarity would describe it, was what lay before her. Stacks upon stacks of books, from ancient tomes to modern spellbooks, lay clustered in every odd corner of the room. Empty mugs, once full of coffee or tea, sat next to each of these, indicating just how long Twilight had truly been awake, busily scouring each book for an answer, a hint, a brief glimpse of freedom from this oppressive fog. Spike, normally not one for studying, gazed intently into “Super-Naturals”, hoping to maybe find an herbal remedy for mist-induced paranoia.

Enigma turned to face Twilight, and with a quiet voice spoke at last. “I apologize for interrupting you. Please, continue with your work. I’ll likely find what I’m looking for upstairs, anyway. However, I must ask, why have you not deployed a forcefield around your library, if you’re so worried?”

Twilight smiled an exhausted smile, one that showed just how many times she had asked herself that question. “Simple, Eni. The answer’s not the only thing I can’t find, I can’t even find the problem. I still feel him...her...it...whatever, in the library with me when the forcefield’s up. I don’t know whether I’m locking it out with the world, or locking myself in with it. “ With that, the purple unicorn returned to her piles of books, curling up next to Spike, a bit closer than she normally would have.

Enigma proceeded upstairs, taking care not to mess up anything on the way. The last thing Twi needs now is anything else to clean up, she thought, seeing as she’s already trying to clean up this fog. Examining the shelves, Enigma saw nothing pertaining to nature, weather, or magic. Perfect. I won’t be needing any of those books anyway. She flew up to the 10th row, picked up a copy of “Voices of the Forgotten”, a great work of Starswirl the Bearded, and began to read. The rest may be afraid of you, or doubt your existence, but I know you’re there. Perhaps you aren’t forgotten, but somepony needs to remember.