Monochromeby SilverQuilledChaptersAwakenExplorationAdventureExplanationsAwaken"Grayscale?" A voice called. "Grayscale? Where are you?" "I'm right here!" A tiny mote of a voice replied. "Right here! Behind you!" "Please, Grayscale, this isn't funny!" The voice moved on. "Stop hiding!" "I-I'm not! Mommy! Wait for me! Mommy!" "MOMMY!" Grayscale bolted awake. Oh. It had been that dream again. He really hated that one. The charcoal stallion crawled out of bed, the covers trailing along behind him. Celestia's beautiful dawn had come, warming the horizon. The stallion sighed and rubbed the bridge of his muzzle. When he was six, his mother had taken him to the park. When it was time to go, she searched and searched for him, but she could never find him, even though the little colt had been right behind her. In the end, she almost left him behind before he finally got her to notice him. Grayscale had never told her exactly how much this had traumatized him. Grayscale was not exactly what you'd call an interesting stallion. His fur was a plain ash, with a short, well-styled mane and tail a few tones darker. No brilliant red or gold for him! Even his eyes were ordinary- just a dull iron, the color of an old fence. To make this worse, even his cutie mark was uninteresting- just three horseshoes, the symbol of an ordinary worker. To top it all off, he didn't even have wings or a horn, let alone both, like all those crazy alicorns sprouting up all over the place to save the world from nightmarish doom. In short, Grayscale was very mediocre. The normal earth pony was now eating a breakfast of oats with a drizzle of honey, just like every day. It never really occurred to him just exactly how monotonous his life could be. Let alone how interesting it would become. Grayscale trotted out of his drab apartment, fully intent on going to his job at the Bureau of Organization and wasting another day of his life in a tiny cubicle. In all frankness, there were insane asylums with better conditions than the ones he was in. Whether or not the earth pony stallion knew this, he never complained. Grayscale wasn't the type to do that. Working overtime? Oh, it's not a bother. Months of meticulous paperwork ruined? Don't worry; I'll fix it. Apartment complex flooded? It'll be back to normal soon. If he had not been so caught up in his thoughts about the whole "Great and Powerful Trixie" kerfuffle that was taking the office months to sort through, he might have looked where he was going. It is fortunate for our story that he did not. As he was considering just dumping the whole thing on Mechanical Pencil's hooves, he thwacked solidly into the most vibrant mare he ever saw. "Ohmygosh," He squeaked, jarred out of his comfortable little world. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you!" The mare shook her head violently for a second. "Oh, I don't mind," She said in a cheerful voice. "I need to stop rushing around everywhere. Then I'll be able to pay more attention." As Grayscale helped her back up to her hooves, his breath was taken away. This was possibly because she was the most brilliant pony he had ever seen, but more likely because she had cannoned into him with the force of a runaway steam locomotive. Her mane began as a fiery crimson, cycling through the colors of the rainbow as it went down the lengths of her tresses. Her coat was a pure, almost blinding white. "Well, in all fairness, I wasn't paying much attention either." Grayscale responded politely. She waved her hoof carelessly. "Nah, it's okay. You handled all of this pretty well, anyways. Well, I gotta split! Places to go, ponies to see!" "Bu-" Grayscale barely managed to get anything out before the rainbow mare bounded away. He turned to go, but his hoof caught on something: a small crystal triangular prism. "Great," He muttered, stowing the oddity in his briefcase. "She left her stuff behind." Grayscale tried to push the memory of the multicolored mare out of his head, but it hung with him persistently all day. It was especially annoying as he tried to finish off the two shipping lists he was working on simultaneously. He kept thinking about her mane, how she was everything he wasn't: bold, beautiful. It was ten minutes after lunch break, and Grayscale had yet to return to work. It really was exciting seeing somepony else, instead of the same coworkers day in and day out. He glanced at his boring mass-produced calendar and realized he would be off tomorrow; it was Peace Day. Maybe he should go out and look around Stonehoof, the city he lived and worked in. He frowned as he realized even the name of his city was boring. Yes, Grayscale definitely needed a break. He was about to return to a particularly tricky formula when a flash of something caught the corner of his eye. He swiveled to face the window. There it was! A speck of red, floating in the perpetually-gray sky. He smiled. It wasn't very often he saw anything like that. In fact, when was the last time he had seen anypony fly a kite? Grayscale's brow contracted. He really couldn't remember almost any time he had seen colts and fillies playing; they didn't cross his path very often. "Come on, Grayscale," He said to himself. "Get back to work. There's a lot to do. Daydreams can wait." It was late by the time Grayscale got out of the BoO. Celestia's sun was resting serenely on the horizon, emitting a fierce reddish-pinkish glow. He paused for a moment in the Bureau's doors, savoring the beauty of it all. It truely was magnificent. Grayscale sat in a chair at home, turning the triangular crystal over in his hooves. He wasn't exactly sure what it was or what it was supposed to do. It certainly seemed ordinary enough. He sighed in temporary defeat and laid the strange artifact aside. He would go out tomorrow and find someone who could tell him what it did. But for now, it was time to sleep. ExplorationThe first thing Grayscale did the next morning was take a lengthy shower. He did it more because he needed to think, not because he needed to get clean. What was he going to do with the triangular prism that sat on his dining room table? Sell it? No- that would probably be unwise. The rainbow mare almost certainly wanted it back. Maybe he should take it to an expert; that way he could at least find out what it was for. His thoughts idly flickered about. Maybe the crystal was a magical amplifier and the mysterious mare was a scientist who was working on it. No; he knew several scientists, and none of them acted like her, especially not running haphazardly without a care. She really should have been more careful. In fact- "Get a grip on yourself." Grayscale said to himself. "You're getting too much like your Grandfather Persnickety." I, as the narrator, can say with absolute certainty that being like Grandfather Persnickety is not something you want to do. Grayscale dried himself off with a clean white towel and went to eat breakfast. To his disgust, he realized the only morning food he had was oatmeal. He decided it was better than nothing, but resolved to put Grocery Shopping on a mental list, along with taking the crystal to an expert. This day was going to be per- well, more likely interesting. Before heading out the door, Grayscale checked around the apartment to see if there was anything else he needed. Furniture Shopping, Clothes Shopping, and A Fresh Coat of Paint soon joined his imaginary list of errands. Excellent. Now he had something to keep him busy all day; if he stayed idle too long, he always felt like he would go crazy and start making cupcakes or something. Grayscale trotted down the cobblestone road, his saddlebags slung over his back. He felt optimistic today. He was going to get answers for the complexly confounding crystal- he loved alliterations- and he was going to finally get some well-needed change in his life. His fist stop was Floss' Fine Fabrics. He never really could get why a pony called Floss could run a clothing store. (In truth, her actual name was Embroidery Floss.) He needed a couple new ties and possibly a sweater. He approached the register with his purchases in tow. Grayscale dumped them on the counter, and the cashier began to ring them up. She paused for a moment. "You do realize this is a scarf, right?" She asked, holding up the offending article of clothing. "Umm..." Was his only reply. Truly, his fashion sense was enough to make Rarity herself weep. But then again, it didn't take much to do that. The cashier rolled her eyes. "Stallions..." Three hours of stressful shopping later, and it was well past Grayscale's lunch time. He stopped at a restaurant called Sesame Seed's. Supposedly, it was a really famous chain of restaurants, but, unsurprisingly, Grayscale had never heard of them. That stallion really had to get out more... "Whaddya want, hon?" A older mare with a towering beehive mane-do asked him. Grayscale studied the menu cautiously. Everything on there was like another language to him; he really wasn't used to this. "Uh... um... I dunno... How about a..." He frantically chose something at random. "A... corn... dog?" "Okie dokie, sweetheart, anything to drink?" The waitress asked him. "J-just water, please." Grayscale needed to brush up on his social skills. There were rocks that could carry better conversations than him. "Alright, hon, I'll be right out with your food." The waitress moved off, her towering column of hair wobbling dangerously. It was anpony's guess as to how it stayed upright. Grayscale was a patient pony, luckily for him. Sesame Seed's was nothing short of jam-packed full, and there were only so many ponies to wait on them. He saw some of the wealthier patrons, tourists from big cities like Canterlot and Manehattan, flounce away in a huff, displeased at not being served sooner than the plebeians around them. Silly them, Grayscale thought. It wouldn't hurt them to wait a bit. The unmemorable stallion's ability to wait was awarded in due time. The corn dog, an ear of corn wrapped in delicious buttery bread-batter, was simply heavenly. Grayscale was sad he hadn't decided to eat out sooner. The slightly dry batter contrasted perfectly with the creamy corn. In short, it was delicious. Unfortunately, his delay had cost him. The afternoon was already slipping on, leaving him behind. The crystal in his saddlebag poked into his side, as if reminding him that he still had one more task to complete. It was time to find an expert. The first clue that Grayscale had reached his destination was the wooden sign with a bright crystal like his on it. It sparkled in the late afternoon rays, catching the light and shining in a brilliant halo. There was a simple message printed on the sign: Prism's Prisms. A small bell tinkled as he pushed the dark wood door open. There were a few other customers in the shop, but not enough to fill it up, or to blemish the enchanting sight of thousands of crystals shedding their splendor. They hung everywhere, some on ornate metal bases, some on long, slender chains, and some suspended in mid-air by mysterious unicorn magic. Grayscale even noticed a few stung up as wind-catchers, silver bells creating a gentle melody whenever a breeze stirred them. He approached the desk in the back, rummaging around in his saddlebags for his found prism. "Excuse me? Can somepony help me please?" "I'll be there in just a moment!" A voice said from a back room. Grayscale settled back on his haunches. This shop really was beautiful. He could see the allure of working at a place like this: surrounded by beauty and light constantly. It would certainly beat sitting in a tiny cubicle every day. But still, he could count on his job. These things seemed... fragile. A shudder of horror ran through him as he though how horrible it would be if something happened to these marvelous treasures. It would break his heart, and his livelihood didn't even depend on the prisms. "You!" The voice from the back, now quite close, said in surprise. He whirled around and came snout-to-snout with the colorful mare he had bumped into yesterday morning. "Oh," Grayscale managed to squeak out. "You actually remembered me!" The mare (a unicorn, he noticed) nodded, rainbow-hued mane shimmering around her. "Of course. I'm pretty good with faces. Oh, I never got your name. I'm Prism Hue." "I'm Grayscale," He responded. He was shocked. Nopony ever remembered him. "Hey, I have your crystal thingy." She beamed. "You got my prism? Thanks so much!" He paused before hoofing it over to her. "What does it even do?" She grinned, happy to be in her element. "Oh, it's a Rainbow Prism!" She held it up to the fading sunlight, and the beams of light that passed through it transformed into a rainbow. Grayscale's jaw nearly hit the floor. "How does it do that? Is it magic?" He had never heard of a Rainbow Prism before. Prism Hue shook her head. "Nope! It's just the way the light goes through it. See? Like my cutie mark!" She pointed to the triangle on her flank, where rays of each color of the rainbow shot out. "Cool, isn't it?" Grayscale had to agree with that. "Anything else you sell here?" He asked. "I assume you're the one who owns this shop." Prism turned tail and beckoned with her hoof. "I also make lenses for telescopes and microscopes and such. I even made these cool goggles for some filly. They reflect purple light. Here, I'll show you some of my lenses." The back room Prism Hue took him to was lined with slabs and circles of glass. A delicate mobile of lenses of varying sizes hung suspended by thin copper wire. "What does that do?" Grayscale asked, pointing at the contraption. "Oh," she responded casually, "It magnifies the sun's power to an incredible degree. It's even cooler if the lenses are colored. The patterns are so neat!" The vibrant unicorn showed Grayscale many more intricate inventions, pleased that somepony was interested in her work. This carried on for some time. There was a crash and then a tinkle from the main shop. "What was that?!" Grayscale asked in alarm. "We need to get going," Prism replied, slinging a satchel over her back and stuffing the Rainbow Prism into it. "We need to get going now." Without another word, she bolted out the back door. Adventure"Wha-" Grayscale barely had time to gasp before Prism forcibly yanked him out the door. There were heavy hoofsteps behind them. "Over here! They're going this way!" A rough voice bellowed. "They weren't supposed to come so soon," Prism Hue gulped. "This isn't good." Grayscale quickly glanced back over his shoulder. Two burly stallions were barreling their way towards himself and Prism, shoving aside unwary bystanders. "You don't say?" Prism veered sharply around a corner, and he tried desperately to follow. In all fairness, he wasn't used to this. No, he wasn't in bad shape, but running from big stallions who could probably beat you into a pastry filling was not something he did often. But then again, that was going to change soon. "Where- to- now?" Grayscale wheezed, more because his heart rate was higher than what was healthy for a hummingbird than because he was out of shape. Being chased does tend to do that you. "Let's head up to Eagle Point. There's a secret way out of there we can take," She responded. Eagle Point was a huge stone outcropping on the west side of Stonehoof. It was something of an overlook to the Ghastly Gorge, which ran all the way to Ponyville. Grayscale had heard many tales of foolhardy pegasi trying to fly the length of the gorge, never to be seen again. So it came as no surprise that Prism wanted to go there. "But what abou-" He began. "The so-called dangerous creatures that live in there?" She cut him off. "Here, turn at the fruit stalls. Well, it's only a defense mechanism." The world blurred by as Prism Hue picked up even more speed. Her hooves seemed on automatic as she leaped onto a low awning, bouncing on three in quick succession. She was on the rooftops in less than a moment, leaving Grayscale to scramble up awkwardly. "How do you do this?!" He asked in shock. She frowned. This wasn't something she usually thought about too terribly much. "I dunno. I guess I just do it a lot." She mush have stopped to consider this, because the next moment, Grayscale shrieked, "Go! Run! They're gaining on us!" This was more than enough to galvanized the rainbow unicorn into motion. "Mmm, persistent lot, aren't they?" "You can say that," Grayscale retorted. "I think they have crossbows!" Sure enough, a thin bolt thudded into the roof between his hooves. "Yup!" Prism leaped to a rooftop on the other side of the cobblestone-paved street. With a sickening feeling, Grayscale realized that there were more of their mysterious pursuers. Whatever Prism Hue had, they wanted really badly. Badly enough to kill to get it, he reflected as two more crossbow bolts came to a quivering halt on a weather vane. Suddenly there was a huge gap in front of them, far too big to jump. It was also too high up, as Grayscale didn't fancy breaking every bone in his legs to get down. "We've got you now!" The lead stallion roared, stamping his brown hooves. "Give us the Prism-thingy and we won't toss you over the edge. Heh heh heh..." Prism Hue appeared to consider this idea for a moment. "Hmmm... Nah." She leaped off the edge, pulling Grayscale off with her. (He would later describe his screaming as the roar of a stallion, but Prism thought it was much closer to the shriek of a banshee.) "Are you insane?!" He screamed as they fell. "Possibly," she retorted. Her horn flared top life with deep emerald-green magic. A thin tendril of rainbow snaked around her waist, and then wrapped around his own. They came to a halt merely inches from the dusty ground. Prism looked up quickly at the astounded chasers. "They'll be down in a minute; come on, we need to go." Stones rattled as they galloped down the steep incline to Eagle Point. Twice Grayscale tripped over his hooves in his haste to escape the deadly bolts that whistled through the air. "This way!" The vibrant mare shouted, motioning him to a crack in the base of the gargantuan rock. The moment he stepped hoof in the tiny crevice, Prism slammed a big boulder into place, causing him to emit a mewl of pain as more than a few of his tail strands were caught in it. Darkness prevailed. "Hey Prism," Grayscale asked after a few moments of silence. "Are you sure that was a good idea?" "Why wouldn't it be?" She asked with obvious confusion in her voice. "It's foolproof." "Well, I hate to break it to you, but we're trapped in a tiny niche of rock with half a dozen ponies who want whatever-it-is you have waiting outside." Prism Hue was silent. "I didn't really think of that." Grayscale rolled his eyes and said nothing. "Hey! Don't you roll your eyes at me!" She snapped. "Okay, okay- wait, how did you even know I was rolling my eyes?!" "I dunno. It just seems the kind of thing you do." "You've known me for barely two hours!" Grayscale shrieked. "So? It seemed like the kind of thing you'd do," She retorted. There was a solid thump, thump, thump from where Grayscale stood. "Grayscale?" She asked. "Yeah?" Thump, thump, thump. "What are you doing?" "Banging my head against the wall. What does it sound like?" Thump, thump, thump "Sorta like the bad guys are trying to break in." Thump, thump- "Wait, what!?" "Well, it does." There was the a clanking sound from outside, the sound of a pickaxe on stone. "Oh, great." Grayscale muttered. "This is all your fault." "How is it my fault?" "Well, for starters, you got us chased by nutcases! And then, you just had to jump off of the building! And what in Equestria possessed you to hide in a tiny cave while said nutcases slowly dug you out!?" Poor Grayscale was almost berserk at this point. "There is another way out you know..." "WHAT?!" Grayscale shrieked, deafening everypony outside the rock hideout. Prism Hue, fortunately, had the good sense to plug her ears. "Right this way!" She said cheerfully. Prism flicked a previously hidden switch, and florescent lights flickered on, illuminating a smooth pathway. They trotted down it casually, Grayscale wincing from the sudden change in light level. Prism Hue calmly walked up to a reinforced iron door much like the ones on submarines, with a porthole and a wheel set in the center of the door. Prism flipped open a concealed keypad and rapidly punched in a series of numbers. Then she turned the wheel on the door. With a hiss, it swung open, spilling yellow light out into the hallway. She turned to him. "Welcome, Grayscale, to the headquarters of the Ever-Afters." ExplanationsBefore Prism hue could step in over the raised threshold, Grayscale put a hoof in front of her to stop her. "Ever-Afters. Explain. Now." Prism shot him an amused look. "What, afraid we'll forget to mention it with the rest of the tour?" "Yes." Came the blunt response. "Wait- we?" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we. You didn't expect one pony to run all of this, did you?" Grayscale scowled once more. He had been doing a lot of this since he met her. "Just explain, please." "You're no fun," She huffed. "We're called the Ever-Afters because we help create happily-ever-afters." She was silent. "And...?" Grayscale prompted her. A skinny, pale unicorn stuck his head out the door. His unruly brown mane flopped into his eyes. "Prism, you can do better than that..." He turned to Grayscale. "You know when the hero of a story is almost beaten, and then one little thing goes wrong for the villain, or the hero finds a discarded weapon nearby?" Grayscale nodded. "Well, we're the ones who put that sword there, or cause the villain to trip. We're the ones behind the scenes, making sure it all works out. I wish they'd give us more credit," The unicorn said slightly bitterly. "We help Equestria on almost a daily basis, and we don't even get a word of thanks." Prism gently hoof-bumped the bracken-colored stallion on the shoulder. "Lighten up, Tumbleweed. You know how disastrous it'd be if the public found out we existed." "Like that's not what you just did, Prism, bringing this guy here," He retorted, and then sighed. "Who am I kidding? We need all the help we can get..." Tumbleweed motioned both of them inside with a wave of his hoof. The interior of the building was not very noteworthy. The walls were a mixture of storm-gray stone and matte-finish metal. The coloration mainly came from directional arrows and lines painted on the walls in vibrant, brighter-than-life colors. The building was nothing short of sturdy, to say the least. It looked like it was built to withstand a direct blast of a super-conductive spell, if not more. Everything seemed to be thickly plated, with supports every few paces. It might have just been his earth pony instincts talking, but he felt safer here than even in Darkrock Castle, the fortress near Stonehoof. "Impressive," He stated. "I'm glad one of us thinks that way," Prism Hue muttered darkly. She had a sour expression on her face. "What? What's wrong?" The gray stallion asked. "This seems like a nice enough place. I'd expect the ponies are nice enough, too." "Wherein lies the problem..." Tumbleweed added. "Are your teammates not nice or something?" Grayscale asked, shocked. He really was quite the naive one. "Nope. It's more of the fact that there's eleven of us in all," Prism said, "And six of those are pretty much rubbish in the field." Tumbleweed blushed deeply at this last remark. "The others are at a convention for the different chapters of the Ever-Afters. We stayed behind to hold down the fort, so to speak." "That and nopony wanted us to go," Prism Hue muttered. The brown unicorn sighed again. "I'm not going to lie. They don't think we're really that useful." The rainbow mare gnawed on her lip thoughtfully. "That probably had something to do with the last mission we were on..." Tumbleweed gave her a sympathetic look. "How were you supposed to know that the desk would burn so easily? Especially when you focused that high-powered magnifying glass on it." "Yeah, that evil overlord overreacted," Prism Hue agreed. "If he was truly evil, he wouldn't have batted an eye at his personal study being on fire!" "Blaming it on the suit of armor probably wasn't advisable, though. It was lucky Picture Frame was there to bail you out-" "Guys, I'm sure your conversation is lovely and all," Grayscale said in a respectful tone. "But could you please tell me WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON HERE?!" Prism looked alarmed, but Tumbleweed took it one step further. His legs locked up and he tumbled over sideways, stiff as a board. The rainbow unicorn looked down at the collapsed unicorn. "He doesn't get out much, can you tell?" Grayscale just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Basically, we're supposed to help maintain the peace here in Stonehoof, in our own covert way. We don't really rely on force, but instead on infiltration and sabotage. Our strength is not in numbers, but the sheer fact we are unseen and unknown." Grayscale gave her a sideways glance. "This is all fine and dandy, but where do I come into the picture?" Tumbleweed pushed himself up off the floor, his mane more unruly than ever. "We decided to pick you because well, let's face it, you're not exactly memorable." The gray earth pony closed his eyes. He'd had a lot of unpleasant experiences because of his ability to be forgotten, just another background pony in a sea of thousands. "Tell me about it." The unicorn stallion nodded. "That talent may be more useful than you think. Grayscale's eyes flew open. "What?!" Prism butted in on the conversation. "You're one of a kind, Grayscale, in about the most ironic way I can think of it. You can blend in much better than any of us ever could dream." Tumbleweed nodded. "Did you know that 78 percent of all failures on missions result from being noticed due to a lack of proper demureness?" "They're noticed because they can't blend in," Prism translated helpfully. Grayscale frowned; ponies from Stonehoof were not known for their eye-catching coloration; in fact, Prism Hue was something of an abnormality. "Really? Do you happen to have their files on hoof by any chance?" The skinny unicorn nodded, sliding a pair of wire-rimmed glasses onto his face with magic. "Here. I'll just bring them up on the computer." "He's really good at it," Prism whispered into Grayscale's ear. "You should give him a compliment- he could do with the self-esteem." "Nice job?" the gray pony said waveringly as Tumbleweed accessed the personnel files. There were eleven of them of them. The first had a picture of a ultramarine pegasus with a deep blue mane speckled with tiny spots of yellow. Her name was "Starry Skies," and she had a success rate of 98%. Her psyche report indicated that she was the best agent in the history of the Ever-Afters. Grayscale wondered why the success wasn't at 100% until he saw the red-lettered word at the bottom of the file: DECEASED. The next was a lithe, tan earth pony named "Picture Frame." Her smile was mysterious and intriguing, saying I know things you never will without words. Apparently, she was Starry Skies' apprentice. The third was a yellow and white unicorn. Daisy Chain. She looked like she had been crying before the picture was taken. A footnote stated that she was Starry Skies' little sister. Four. Brick Wall. Foalhood friend of Starry Skies. Five. Noodle Bowl. Step-sister of Starry Skies. Six. Kite Flyer. Cousin. Seven. Sepia Tone. Mentor. Eight. Blue Box. Brother-in-law. Nine. Orion. Close friend. Ten. Golden Gaze. Close friend. Eleven. Clouded Dream... Husband-to-be. RELOCATED. "Who was Starry Skies?" Grayscale whispered. Tumbleweed's face crumpled. "She... she was the closest thing I had to a friend..." Prism draped a hoof over the distraught scientist. "Come on, let's get you into the kitchen and make you some hot chocolate. We can talk in there." Once Tumbleweed had settled down on a stainless steel chair in the small kitchen. Prism Hue continued the story: "Back when this chapter of the Ever-Afters started, Tumbleweed was our computer technician. He knew everything about them, he knew exactly how to use them. However, he was horribly introverted. We all were. Our organization was just getting to our feet; every interaction was awkward. "For a while, it seemed as if we were just barely holding together, as though things might fly apart at any moment. One day, that changed. A young mare trotted into here, claiming she wanted to join. We were all skeptical at first; to be completely honest, mixing this group of ponies was like mixing oil and water. That started to change, though. "Starry Skies, which was her name, was one of the kindest ponies I've ever met, rivaling even Fluttershy herself. And while the Element of Kindness was wonderful with animals and all, Starry Skies was even better with ponies. She could thaw the coldest heart, cool the fiercest anger. She was a natural leader; under her, we flourished. She was especially kind to those withdrawn into themselves, like Tumbleweed. For the first time, he was actually happy to socialize with the rest of us. Then she announced that she was engaged to Cloudy... It was the best day of my life... I should've know it couldn't have been that good forever... "The team was out on a routine mission to investigate some sightings about a tall gray pony who could control the fog. We expected it to be some sort of phantom, no big deal. But it was a big deal. It nearly killed Clouded Dream and I before she intervened. For a horrible moment, we thought she had died, but she recovered afterwards. Or so it seemed. "A few months later, she complained about always being cold. She started coughing, too. We thought it was just a cold, but it just kept getting worse. One day, Cloudy found her collapsed by her desk. Grayscale, she almost died before we could get her to the hospital. She was in intensive care for weeks. But then, her condition began improving. For the shortest amount of time, we had hope. Hope that she might actually get through it all. "And then, one day, she died. Clouded Dream was there when it happened. He was holding her hoof when she just... let go... It nearly destroyed him. The pony he loved most in the world died before his very eyes. He ended up resigning, moving away to some small town or another to deal with the grief. "If you think he had it rough, you should've seen the rest of us. Our world stopped the moment her heart did. Everything fell apart: Tumbleweed became even more withdrawn, Daisy Chain tried to kill herself twice, Orion required extensive counseling. Since the moment we lost Starry Skies, nothing has ever been the same." Grayscale noticed that silent tears were pouring down Prism Hue's cheeks. Her colors were more muted, as though mixed with gray. Her mane hung limp in an attempt to cover the sorrow quite visible on her face. If it was possible, Tumbleweed's grief was worse, if just as quiet. The skinny stallion had curled himself into a ball, rocking back and forth as soundless sobs shook his shoulders. The gray stallion put one foreleg over Prism's shoulder and one over Tumble's. Then he closed his eyes and he, too began to weep for the lost mare. After what felt like an eternity, Grayscale sat up. Prism now gave soft, shuddering gulps, unable to cry any longer. "I-I'm so sorry." She gasped. "There's just been nopony to talk to about that." "It's okay," Grayscale responded gently. His cousin, Pewter Gray, suffered from chronic depression, so he knew how to handle those overwhelmed by despair. "It's all okay." Tumbleweed was asleep, worn out completely. Prism and Grayscale carefully carried him into the den and onto a couch and covered him with a soft blanket. The now-silent rainbow mare curled up on another sofa, and Grayscale climbed onto a loveseat. Sleep came mercifully, washing away the pain. Author's Note: Heya guys! Sorry it's late! I hope you like it. There are a few things I want to tell you: no, it's not the slender man, this would have the "crossover" tag if it did; no, it will not normally be this sappy I can help it, I just wanted to let you as the reader be able to sympathize with the Ever-Afters; and I'm sorry for all the dialogue, but it's necessary for plot progression.
Awaken"Grayscale?" A voice called. "Grayscale? Where are you?" "I'm right here!" A tiny mote of a voice replied. "Right here! Behind you!" "Please, Grayscale, this isn't funny!" The voice moved on. "Stop hiding!" "I-I'm not! Mommy! Wait for me! Mommy!" "MOMMY!" Grayscale bolted awake. Oh. It had been that dream again. He really hated that one. The charcoal stallion crawled out of bed, the covers trailing along behind him. Celestia's beautiful dawn had come, warming the horizon. The stallion sighed and rubbed the bridge of his muzzle. When he was six, his mother had taken him to the park. When it was time to go, she searched and searched for him, but she could never find him, even though the little colt had been right behind her. In the end, she almost left him behind before he finally got her to notice him. Grayscale had never told her exactly how much this had traumatized him. Grayscale was not exactly what you'd call an interesting stallion. His fur was a plain ash, with a short, well-styled mane and tail a few tones darker. No brilliant red or gold for him! Even his eyes were ordinary- just a dull iron, the color of an old fence. To make this worse, even his cutie mark was uninteresting- just three horseshoes, the symbol of an ordinary worker. To top it all off, he didn't even have wings or a horn, let alone both, like all those crazy alicorns sprouting up all over the place to save the world from nightmarish doom. In short, Grayscale was very mediocre. The normal earth pony was now eating a breakfast of oats with a drizzle of honey, just like every day. It never really occurred to him just exactly how monotonous his life could be. Let alone how interesting it would become. Grayscale trotted out of his drab apartment, fully intent on going to his job at the Bureau of Organization and wasting another day of his life in a tiny cubicle. In all frankness, there were insane asylums with better conditions than the ones he was in. Whether or not the earth pony stallion knew this, he never complained. Grayscale wasn't the type to do that. Working overtime? Oh, it's not a bother. Months of meticulous paperwork ruined? Don't worry; I'll fix it. Apartment complex flooded? It'll be back to normal soon. If he had not been so caught up in his thoughts about the whole "Great and Powerful Trixie" kerfuffle that was taking the office months to sort through, he might have looked where he was going. It is fortunate for our story that he did not. As he was considering just dumping the whole thing on Mechanical Pencil's hooves, he thwacked solidly into the most vibrant mare he ever saw. "Ohmygosh," He squeaked, jarred out of his comfortable little world. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you!" The mare shook her head violently for a second. "Oh, I don't mind," She said in a cheerful voice. "I need to stop rushing around everywhere. Then I'll be able to pay more attention." As Grayscale helped her back up to her hooves, his breath was taken away. This was possibly because she was the most brilliant pony he had ever seen, but more likely because she had cannoned into him with the force of a runaway steam locomotive. Her mane began as a fiery crimson, cycling through the colors of the rainbow as it went down the lengths of her tresses. Her coat was a pure, almost blinding white. "Well, in all fairness, I wasn't paying much attention either." Grayscale responded politely. She waved her hoof carelessly. "Nah, it's okay. You handled all of this pretty well, anyways. Well, I gotta split! Places to go, ponies to see!" "Bu-" Grayscale barely managed to get anything out before the rainbow mare bounded away. He turned to go, but his hoof caught on something: a small crystal triangular prism. "Great," He muttered, stowing the oddity in his briefcase. "She left her stuff behind." Grayscale tried to push the memory of the multicolored mare out of his head, but it hung with him persistently all day. It was especially annoying as he tried to finish off the two shipping lists he was working on simultaneously. He kept thinking about her mane, how she was everything he wasn't: bold, beautiful. It was ten minutes after lunch break, and Grayscale had yet to return to work. It really was exciting seeing somepony else, instead of the same coworkers day in and day out. He glanced at his boring mass-produced calendar and realized he would be off tomorrow; it was Peace Day. Maybe he should go out and look around Stonehoof, the city he lived and worked in. He frowned as he realized even the name of his city was boring. Yes, Grayscale definitely needed a break. He was about to return to a particularly tricky formula when a flash of something caught the corner of his eye. He swiveled to face the window. There it was! A speck of red, floating in the perpetually-gray sky. He smiled. It wasn't very often he saw anything like that. In fact, when was the last time he had seen anypony fly a kite? Grayscale's brow contracted. He really couldn't remember almost any time he had seen colts and fillies playing; they didn't cross his path very often. "Come on, Grayscale," He said to himself. "Get back to work. There's a lot to do. Daydreams can wait." It was late by the time Grayscale got out of the BoO. Celestia's sun was resting serenely on the horizon, emitting a fierce reddish-pinkish glow. He paused for a moment in the Bureau's doors, savoring the beauty of it all. It truely was magnificent. Grayscale sat in a chair at home, turning the triangular crystal over in his hooves. He wasn't exactly sure what it was or what it was supposed to do. It certainly seemed ordinary enough. He sighed in temporary defeat and laid the strange artifact aside. He would go out tomorrow and find someone who could tell him what it did. But for now, it was time to sleep.
ExplorationThe first thing Grayscale did the next morning was take a lengthy shower. He did it more because he needed to think, not because he needed to get clean. What was he going to do with the triangular prism that sat on his dining room table? Sell it? No- that would probably be unwise. The rainbow mare almost certainly wanted it back. Maybe he should take it to an expert; that way he could at least find out what it was for. His thoughts idly flickered about. Maybe the crystal was a magical amplifier and the mysterious mare was a scientist who was working on it. No; he knew several scientists, and none of them acted like her, especially not running haphazardly without a care. She really should have been more careful. In fact- "Get a grip on yourself." Grayscale said to himself. "You're getting too much like your Grandfather Persnickety." I, as the narrator, can say with absolute certainty that being like Grandfather Persnickety is not something you want to do. Grayscale dried himself off with a clean white towel and went to eat breakfast. To his disgust, he realized the only morning food he had was oatmeal. He decided it was better than nothing, but resolved to put Grocery Shopping on a mental list, along with taking the crystal to an expert. This day was going to be per- well, more likely interesting. Before heading out the door, Grayscale checked around the apartment to see if there was anything else he needed. Furniture Shopping, Clothes Shopping, and A Fresh Coat of Paint soon joined his imaginary list of errands. Excellent. Now he had something to keep him busy all day; if he stayed idle too long, he always felt like he would go crazy and start making cupcakes or something. Grayscale trotted down the cobblestone road, his saddlebags slung over his back. He felt optimistic today. He was going to get answers for the complexly confounding crystal- he loved alliterations- and he was going to finally get some well-needed change in his life. His fist stop was Floss' Fine Fabrics. He never really could get why a pony called Floss could run a clothing store. (In truth, her actual name was Embroidery Floss.) He needed a couple new ties and possibly a sweater. He approached the register with his purchases in tow. Grayscale dumped them on the counter, and the cashier began to ring them up. She paused for a moment. "You do realize this is a scarf, right?" She asked, holding up the offending article of clothing. "Umm..." Was his only reply. Truly, his fashion sense was enough to make Rarity herself weep. But then again, it didn't take much to do that. The cashier rolled her eyes. "Stallions..." Three hours of stressful shopping later, and it was well past Grayscale's lunch time. He stopped at a restaurant called Sesame Seed's. Supposedly, it was a really famous chain of restaurants, but, unsurprisingly, Grayscale had never heard of them. That stallion really had to get out more... "Whaddya want, hon?" A older mare with a towering beehive mane-do asked him. Grayscale studied the menu cautiously. Everything on there was like another language to him; he really wasn't used to this. "Uh... um... I dunno... How about a..." He frantically chose something at random. "A... corn... dog?" "Okie dokie, sweetheart, anything to drink?" The waitress asked him. "J-just water, please." Grayscale needed to brush up on his social skills. There were rocks that could carry better conversations than him. "Alright, hon, I'll be right out with your food." The waitress moved off, her towering column of hair wobbling dangerously. It was anpony's guess as to how it stayed upright. Grayscale was a patient pony, luckily for him. Sesame Seed's was nothing short of jam-packed full, and there were only so many ponies to wait on them. He saw some of the wealthier patrons, tourists from big cities like Canterlot and Manehattan, flounce away in a huff, displeased at not being served sooner than the plebeians around them. Silly them, Grayscale thought. It wouldn't hurt them to wait a bit. The unmemorable stallion's ability to wait was awarded in due time. The corn dog, an ear of corn wrapped in delicious buttery bread-batter, was simply heavenly. Grayscale was sad he hadn't decided to eat out sooner. The slightly dry batter contrasted perfectly with the creamy corn. In short, it was delicious. Unfortunately, his delay had cost him. The afternoon was already slipping on, leaving him behind. The crystal in his saddlebag poked into his side, as if reminding him that he still had one more task to complete. It was time to find an expert. The first clue that Grayscale had reached his destination was the wooden sign with a bright crystal like his on it. It sparkled in the late afternoon rays, catching the light and shining in a brilliant halo. There was a simple message printed on the sign: Prism's Prisms. A small bell tinkled as he pushed the dark wood door open. There were a few other customers in the shop, but not enough to fill it up, or to blemish the enchanting sight of thousands of crystals shedding their splendor. They hung everywhere, some on ornate metal bases, some on long, slender chains, and some suspended in mid-air by mysterious unicorn magic. Grayscale even noticed a few stung up as wind-catchers, silver bells creating a gentle melody whenever a breeze stirred them. He approached the desk in the back, rummaging around in his saddlebags for his found prism. "Excuse me? Can somepony help me please?" "I'll be there in just a moment!" A voice said from a back room. Grayscale settled back on his haunches. This shop really was beautiful. He could see the allure of working at a place like this: surrounded by beauty and light constantly. It would certainly beat sitting in a tiny cubicle every day. But still, he could count on his job. These things seemed... fragile. A shudder of horror ran through him as he though how horrible it would be if something happened to these marvelous treasures. It would break his heart, and his livelihood didn't even depend on the prisms. "You!" The voice from the back, now quite close, said in surprise. He whirled around and came snout-to-snout with the colorful mare he had bumped into yesterday morning. "Oh," Grayscale managed to squeak out. "You actually remembered me!" The mare (a unicorn, he noticed) nodded, rainbow-hued mane shimmering around her. "Of course. I'm pretty good with faces. Oh, I never got your name. I'm Prism Hue." "I'm Grayscale," He responded. He was shocked. Nopony ever remembered him. "Hey, I have your crystal thingy." She beamed. "You got my prism? Thanks so much!" He paused before hoofing it over to her. "What does it even do?" She grinned, happy to be in her element. "Oh, it's a Rainbow Prism!" She held it up to the fading sunlight, and the beams of light that passed through it transformed into a rainbow. Grayscale's jaw nearly hit the floor. "How does it do that? Is it magic?" He had never heard of a Rainbow Prism before. Prism Hue shook her head. "Nope! It's just the way the light goes through it. See? Like my cutie mark!" She pointed to the triangle on her flank, where rays of each color of the rainbow shot out. "Cool, isn't it?" Grayscale had to agree with that. "Anything else you sell here?" He asked. "I assume you're the one who owns this shop." Prism turned tail and beckoned with her hoof. "I also make lenses for telescopes and microscopes and such. I even made these cool goggles for some filly. They reflect purple light. Here, I'll show you some of my lenses." The back room Prism Hue took him to was lined with slabs and circles of glass. A delicate mobile of lenses of varying sizes hung suspended by thin copper wire. "What does that do?" Grayscale asked, pointing at the contraption. "Oh," she responded casually, "It magnifies the sun's power to an incredible degree. It's even cooler if the lenses are colored. The patterns are so neat!" The vibrant unicorn showed Grayscale many more intricate inventions, pleased that somepony was interested in her work. This carried on for some time. There was a crash and then a tinkle from the main shop. "What was that?!" Grayscale asked in alarm. "We need to get going," Prism replied, slinging a satchel over her back and stuffing the Rainbow Prism into it. "We need to get going now." Without another word, she bolted out the back door.
Adventure"Wha-" Grayscale barely had time to gasp before Prism forcibly yanked him out the door. There were heavy hoofsteps behind them. "Over here! They're going this way!" A rough voice bellowed. "They weren't supposed to come so soon," Prism Hue gulped. "This isn't good." Grayscale quickly glanced back over his shoulder. Two burly stallions were barreling their way towards himself and Prism, shoving aside unwary bystanders. "You don't say?" Prism veered sharply around a corner, and he tried desperately to follow. In all fairness, he wasn't used to this. No, he wasn't in bad shape, but running from big stallions who could probably beat you into a pastry filling was not something he did often. But then again, that was going to change soon. "Where- to- now?" Grayscale wheezed, more because his heart rate was higher than what was healthy for a hummingbird than because he was out of shape. Being chased does tend to do that you. "Let's head up to Eagle Point. There's a secret way out of there we can take," She responded. Eagle Point was a huge stone outcropping on the west side of Stonehoof. It was something of an overlook to the Ghastly Gorge, which ran all the way to Ponyville. Grayscale had heard many tales of foolhardy pegasi trying to fly the length of the gorge, never to be seen again. So it came as no surprise that Prism wanted to go there. "But what abou-" He began. "The so-called dangerous creatures that live in there?" She cut him off. "Here, turn at the fruit stalls. Well, it's only a defense mechanism." The world blurred by as Prism Hue picked up even more speed. Her hooves seemed on automatic as she leaped onto a low awning, bouncing on three in quick succession. She was on the rooftops in less than a moment, leaving Grayscale to scramble up awkwardly. "How do you do this?!" He asked in shock. She frowned. This wasn't something she usually thought about too terribly much. "I dunno. I guess I just do it a lot." She mush have stopped to consider this, because the next moment, Grayscale shrieked, "Go! Run! They're gaining on us!" This was more than enough to galvanized the rainbow unicorn into motion. "Mmm, persistent lot, aren't they?" "You can say that," Grayscale retorted. "I think they have crossbows!" Sure enough, a thin bolt thudded into the roof between his hooves. "Yup!" Prism leaped to a rooftop on the other side of the cobblestone-paved street. With a sickening feeling, Grayscale realized that there were more of their mysterious pursuers. Whatever Prism Hue had, they wanted really badly. Badly enough to kill to get it, he reflected as two more crossbow bolts came to a quivering halt on a weather vane. Suddenly there was a huge gap in front of them, far too big to jump. It was also too high up, as Grayscale didn't fancy breaking every bone in his legs to get down. "We've got you now!" The lead stallion roared, stamping his brown hooves. "Give us the Prism-thingy and we won't toss you over the edge. Heh heh heh..." Prism Hue appeared to consider this idea for a moment. "Hmmm... Nah." She leaped off the edge, pulling Grayscale off with her. (He would later describe his screaming as the roar of a stallion, but Prism thought it was much closer to the shriek of a banshee.) "Are you insane?!" He screamed as they fell. "Possibly," she retorted. Her horn flared top life with deep emerald-green magic. A thin tendril of rainbow snaked around her waist, and then wrapped around his own. They came to a halt merely inches from the dusty ground. Prism looked up quickly at the astounded chasers. "They'll be down in a minute; come on, we need to go." Stones rattled as they galloped down the steep incline to Eagle Point. Twice Grayscale tripped over his hooves in his haste to escape the deadly bolts that whistled through the air. "This way!" The vibrant mare shouted, motioning him to a crack in the base of the gargantuan rock. The moment he stepped hoof in the tiny crevice, Prism slammed a big boulder into place, causing him to emit a mewl of pain as more than a few of his tail strands were caught in it. Darkness prevailed. "Hey Prism," Grayscale asked after a few moments of silence. "Are you sure that was a good idea?" "Why wouldn't it be?" She asked with obvious confusion in her voice. "It's foolproof." "Well, I hate to break it to you, but we're trapped in a tiny niche of rock with half a dozen ponies who want whatever-it-is you have waiting outside." Prism Hue was silent. "I didn't really think of that." Grayscale rolled his eyes and said nothing. "Hey! Don't you roll your eyes at me!" She snapped. "Okay, okay- wait, how did you even know I was rolling my eyes?!" "I dunno. It just seems the kind of thing you do." "You've known me for barely two hours!" Grayscale shrieked. "So? It seemed like the kind of thing you'd do," She retorted. There was a solid thump, thump, thump from where Grayscale stood. "Grayscale?" She asked. "Yeah?" Thump, thump, thump. "What are you doing?" "Banging my head against the wall. What does it sound like?" Thump, thump, thump "Sorta like the bad guys are trying to break in." Thump, thump- "Wait, what!?" "Well, it does." There was the a clanking sound from outside, the sound of a pickaxe on stone. "Oh, great." Grayscale muttered. "This is all your fault." "How is it my fault?" "Well, for starters, you got us chased by nutcases! And then, you just had to jump off of the building! And what in Equestria possessed you to hide in a tiny cave while said nutcases slowly dug you out!?" Poor Grayscale was almost berserk at this point. "There is another way out you know..." "WHAT?!" Grayscale shrieked, deafening everypony outside the rock hideout. Prism Hue, fortunately, had the good sense to plug her ears. "Right this way!" She said cheerfully. Prism flicked a previously hidden switch, and florescent lights flickered on, illuminating a smooth pathway. They trotted down it casually, Grayscale wincing from the sudden change in light level. Prism Hue calmly walked up to a reinforced iron door much like the ones on submarines, with a porthole and a wheel set in the center of the door. Prism flipped open a concealed keypad and rapidly punched in a series of numbers. Then she turned the wheel on the door. With a hiss, it swung open, spilling yellow light out into the hallway. She turned to him. "Welcome, Grayscale, to the headquarters of the Ever-Afters."
ExplanationsBefore Prism hue could step in over the raised threshold, Grayscale put a hoof in front of her to stop her. "Ever-Afters. Explain. Now." Prism shot him an amused look. "What, afraid we'll forget to mention it with the rest of the tour?" "Yes." Came the blunt response. "Wait- we?" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we. You didn't expect one pony to run all of this, did you?" Grayscale scowled once more. He had been doing a lot of this since he met her. "Just explain, please." "You're no fun," She huffed. "We're called the Ever-Afters because we help create happily-ever-afters." She was silent. "And...?" Grayscale prompted her. A skinny, pale unicorn stuck his head out the door. His unruly brown mane flopped into his eyes. "Prism, you can do better than that..." He turned to Grayscale. "You know when the hero of a story is almost beaten, and then one little thing goes wrong for the villain, or the hero finds a discarded weapon nearby?" Grayscale nodded. "Well, we're the ones who put that sword there, or cause the villain to trip. We're the ones behind the scenes, making sure it all works out. I wish they'd give us more credit," The unicorn said slightly bitterly. "We help Equestria on almost a daily basis, and we don't even get a word of thanks." Prism gently hoof-bumped the bracken-colored stallion on the shoulder. "Lighten up, Tumbleweed. You know how disastrous it'd be if the public found out we existed." "Like that's not what you just did, Prism, bringing this guy here," He retorted, and then sighed. "Who am I kidding? We need all the help we can get..." Tumbleweed motioned both of them inside with a wave of his hoof. The interior of the building was not very noteworthy. The walls were a mixture of storm-gray stone and matte-finish metal. The coloration mainly came from directional arrows and lines painted on the walls in vibrant, brighter-than-life colors. The building was nothing short of sturdy, to say the least. It looked like it was built to withstand a direct blast of a super-conductive spell, if not more. Everything seemed to be thickly plated, with supports every few paces. It might have just been his earth pony instincts talking, but he felt safer here than even in Darkrock Castle, the fortress near Stonehoof. "Impressive," He stated. "I'm glad one of us thinks that way," Prism Hue muttered darkly. She had a sour expression on her face. "What? What's wrong?" The gray stallion asked. "This seems like a nice enough place. I'd expect the ponies are nice enough, too." "Wherein lies the problem..." Tumbleweed added. "Are your teammates not nice or something?" Grayscale asked, shocked. He really was quite the naive one. "Nope. It's more of the fact that there's eleven of us in all," Prism said, "And six of those are pretty much rubbish in the field." Tumbleweed blushed deeply at this last remark. "The others are at a convention for the different chapters of the Ever-Afters. We stayed behind to hold down the fort, so to speak." "That and nopony wanted us to go," Prism Hue muttered. The brown unicorn sighed again. "I'm not going to lie. They don't think we're really that useful." The rainbow mare gnawed on her lip thoughtfully. "That probably had something to do with the last mission we were on..." Tumbleweed gave her a sympathetic look. "How were you supposed to know that the desk would burn so easily? Especially when you focused that high-powered magnifying glass on it." "Yeah, that evil overlord overreacted," Prism Hue agreed. "If he was truly evil, he wouldn't have batted an eye at his personal study being on fire!" "Blaming it on the suit of armor probably wasn't advisable, though. It was lucky Picture Frame was there to bail you out-" "Guys, I'm sure your conversation is lovely and all," Grayscale said in a respectful tone. "But could you please tell me WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON HERE?!" Prism looked alarmed, but Tumbleweed took it one step further. His legs locked up and he tumbled over sideways, stiff as a board. The rainbow unicorn looked down at the collapsed unicorn. "He doesn't get out much, can you tell?" Grayscale just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Basically, we're supposed to help maintain the peace here in Stonehoof, in our own covert way. We don't really rely on force, but instead on infiltration and sabotage. Our strength is not in numbers, but the sheer fact we are unseen and unknown." Grayscale gave her a sideways glance. "This is all fine and dandy, but where do I come into the picture?" Tumbleweed pushed himself up off the floor, his mane more unruly than ever. "We decided to pick you because well, let's face it, you're not exactly memorable." The gray earth pony closed his eyes. He'd had a lot of unpleasant experiences because of his ability to be forgotten, just another background pony in a sea of thousands. "Tell me about it." The unicorn stallion nodded. "That talent may be more useful than you think. Grayscale's eyes flew open. "What?!" Prism butted in on the conversation. "You're one of a kind, Grayscale, in about the most ironic way I can think of it. You can blend in much better than any of us ever could dream." Tumbleweed nodded. "Did you know that 78 percent of all failures on missions result from being noticed due to a lack of proper demureness?" "They're noticed because they can't blend in," Prism translated helpfully. Grayscale frowned; ponies from Stonehoof were not known for their eye-catching coloration; in fact, Prism Hue was something of an abnormality. "Really? Do you happen to have their files on hoof by any chance?" The skinny unicorn nodded, sliding a pair of wire-rimmed glasses onto his face with magic. "Here. I'll just bring them up on the computer." "He's really good at it," Prism whispered into Grayscale's ear. "You should give him a compliment- he could do with the self-esteem." "Nice job?" the gray pony said waveringly as Tumbleweed accessed the personnel files. There were eleven of them of them. The first had a picture of a ultramarine pegasus with a deep blue mane speckled with tiny spots of yellow. Her name was "Starry Skies," and she had a success rate of 98%. Her psyche report indicated that she was the best agent in the history of the Ever-Afters. Grayscale wondered why the success wasn't at 100% until he saw the red-lettered word at the bottom of the file: DECEASED. The next was a lithe, tan earth pony named "Picture Frame." Her smile was mysterious and intriguing, saying I know things you never will without words. Apparently, she was Starry Skies' apprentice. The third was a yellow and white unicorn. Daisy Chain. She looked like she had been crying before the picture was taken. A footnote stated that she was Starry Skies' little sister. Four. Brick Wall. Foalhood friend of Starry Skies. Five. Noodle Bowl. Step-sister of Starry Skies. Six. Kite Flyer. Cousin. Seven. Sepia Tone. Mentor. Eight. Blue Box. Brother-in-law. Nine. Orion. Close friend. Ten. Golden Gaze. Close friend. Eleven. Clouded Dream... Husband-to-be. RELOCATED. "Who was Starry Skies?" Grayscale whispered. Tumbleweed's face crumpled. "She... she was the closest thing I had to a friend..." Prism draped a hoof over the distraught scientist. "Come on, let's get you into the kitchen and make you some hot chocolate. We can talk in there." Once Tumbleweed had settled down on a stainless steel chair in the small kitchen. Prism Hue continued the story: "Back when this chapter of the Ever-Afters started, Tumbleweed was our computer technician. He knew everything about them, he knew exactly how to use them. However, he was horribly introverted. We all were. Our organization was just getting to our feet; every interaction was awkward. "For a while, it seemed as if we were just barely holding together, as though things might fly apart at any moment. One day, that changed. A young mare trotted into here, claiming she wanted to join. We were all skeptical at first; to be completely honest, mixing this group of ponies was like mixing oil and water. That started to change, though. "Starry Skies, which was her name, was one of the kindest ponies I've ever met, rivaling even Fluttershy herself. And while the Element of Kindness was wonderful with animals and all, Starry Skies was even better with ponies. She could thaw the coldest heart, cool the fiercest anger. She was a natural leader; under her, we flourished. She was especially kind to those withdrawn into themselves, like Tumbleweed. For the first time, he was actually happy to socialize with the rest of us. Then she announced that she was engaged to Cloudy... It was the best day of my life... I should've know it couldn't have been that good forever... "The team was out on a routine mission to investigate some sightings about a tall gray pony who could control the fog. We expected it to be some sort of phantom, no big deal. But it was a big deal. It nearly killed Clouded Dream and I before she intervened. For a horrible moment, we thought she had died, but she recovered afterwards. Or so it seemed. "A few months later, she complained about always being cold. She started coughing, too. We thought it was just a cold, but it just kept getting worse. One day, Cloudy found her collapsed by her desk. Grayscale, she almost died before we could get her to the hospital. She was in intensive care for weeks. But then, her condition began improving. For the shortest amount of time, we had hope. Hope that she might actually get through it all. "And then, one day, she died. Clouded Dream was there when it happened. He was holding her hoof when she just... let go... It nearly destroyed him. The pony he loved most in the world died before his very eyes. He ended up resigning, moving away to some small town or another to deal with the grief. "If you think he had it rough, you should've seen the rest of us. Our world stopped the moment her heart did. Everything fell apart: Tumbleweed became even more withdrawn, Daisy Chain tried to kill herself twice, Orion required extensive counseling. Since the moment we lost Starry Skies, nothing has ever been the same." Grayscale noticed that silent tears were pouring down Prism Hue's cheeks. Her colors were more muted, as though mixed with gray. Her mane hung limp in an attempt to cover the sorrow quite visible on her face. If it was possible, Tumbleweed's grief was worse, if just as quiet. The skinny stallion had curled himself into a ball, rocking back and forth as soundless sobs shook his shoulders. The gray stallion put one foreleg over Prism's shoulder and one over Tumble's. Then he closed his eyes and he, too began to weep for the lost mare. After what felt like an eternity, Grayscale sat up. Prism now gave soft, shuddering gulps, unable to cry any longer. "I-I'm so sorry." She gasped. "There's just been nopony to talk to about that." "It's okay," Grayscale responded gently. His cousin, Pewter Gray, suffered from chronic depression, so he knew how to handle those overwhelmed by despair. "It's all okay." Tumbleweed was asleep, worn out completely. Prism and Grayscale carefully carried him into the den and onto a couch and covered him with a soft blanket. The now-silent rainbow mare curled up on another sofa, and Grayscale climbed onto a loveseat. Sleep came mercifully, washing away the pain. Author's Note: Heya guys! Sorry it's late! I hope you like it. There are a few things I want to tell you: no, it's not the slender man, this would have the "crossover" tag if it did; no, it will not normally be this sappy I can help it, I just wanted to let you as the reader be able to sympathize with the Ever-Afters; and I'm sorry for all the dialogue, but it's necessary for plot progression.
