The Journeys of C

by C

Chapters

Chapter I: The Journey begins!
Chapter II: War of the Steam-City Part I: The Two Cities
Chapter III: War of the Steam-City Part II: Skyfall
Chapter IV: The Yellow Field
Chapter V: Shades of terror
Chapter VI: Hearts Warming Eve Phantom
Chapter VII: Sounds

Chapter I: The Journey begins!

Chapter I

The journey begins

The sun was setting once more in Canterlot, but this time there was something different in the air, not the scent of a happy and lively day, but the scent of terror and death. The Canterlot castle was ravaged, walls were destroyed, guards lay dead around the castle, inside the throne room, Princess Celestia and her sister Luna were watching as the soldiers that survived gathered their dead comrades.

“Sister…”

Princess Luna looked at her older sister with a sad look on her face, she knew what happened and wondered how could she help her sister recover after this attack? Celestia had to protect her subjects and prevent such catastrophes.

Now she felt weak, she glazed at the sky above with a sad look, the fact that Luna was besides her helped her fell a bit better. As she moved her head to face her dark-blue sister, a light as blue as the sky in the afternoon rose from the location the prison was located and hit the palace, but nothing happened.

Inside the prison, in front of the most remote of all cells the bones and armor of what were guards a few seconds ago lay on the bloodied floor. Soldiers were running inside the building, towards the cell. Their hooves echoed across the prison, the inmates heard the noise. As the guards ran near each of their cells, the inmates shouted and made an even bigger noise.

On the corridor near the cell, there was a small light that flickered, for a second there was the shadow of a guard on the wall opposing the light, the next time it flickered there was blood on it. The soldiers were getting closer to the cell, but as they reached an intersection, they heard the scream of one of the prisoners.

The group split in half, one kept its course while the other went to investigate the scream. As the ponies reached the cell area, all the inmates disappeared, only clean bones soaking in blood remained, but one of the guards saw a shadow and approached it cautiously.

As the soldiers reached the cell, the light illuminating the room flickered and when it turned on, whatever was inside was gone, only a half-eaten unicorn remained inside. His face frozen in terror, while its intestines were pulled outside his body, and parts of his organs could be seen on the blood soaked floor.

The pony that seemed to be the leader of the group turned around, after closing his eyes, to face his colts, but as he opened his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, he saw one of his soldiers was missing.

"Where is Sea Storm?" he asked then looked around and yelled, but nothing.

The light flickered again and when the captain turned around once more, another one of his colts was missing. There were only four of them left now. They grouped, standing back to back, but the light flickered again, another one of them disappearing.

The remaining three were scared and wanted to run, but they had a duty, to their misfortune the light kept flickering again and again, each one pf them disappearing until the leader of the group was the only one left.

"Show yourself! I'm not scared of you monster!" He looked around, but there was no response and as he wanted to leave, the light flickered once more and he was gone.

The guards that were stationed outside heard screams of terror and rushed inside only to see blood and bones lying on the floor. They moved closer and saw the light in front of them flickering, after a few flickers a white skinned figure appeared in front of them, it was soaked in blood and a piece of flesh dropped from its mouth.

The soldiers were scared, but before they could do anything, the figure let out a terrifying scream and jumped on them. Other guards rushed towards the prison to secure it, but as they arrived, there was trail of blood leading outside of the building.

They looked around and saw the blood soaked figure at a distance spreading its wings and taking off towards the Ever Free Forest. The being barely flew, it was clear it was bad at flying, but the guards rushed to catch the white skinned killer, even though it was already night. If Equestrian was to sleep that night, the figure had to be caught.

The pegasi were flying above the Ever Free Forest, carefully scouting for any movement, if they saw anything out of the ordinary they had to call the others. Inside the forest, the guards were split into four groups, each group containing forty guards. Group number two took a dark path, the trees looked like ghost and the sounds of the owls echoed across their path. Some of them were nervous, the sky was clear and the moon shone as never before, lighting their path.

As the guards moved through the forest, the pegasi saw a figure moving beneath and alerted the colts that were a few meters away from it. The joined forces of the pegasi and ground ponies rushed at the location to confront their enemy, unfortunately for them, it wasn’t their target.

Instead it was one of the most elusive beings in Equestria, a shape-shifter, little is known about these creatures except that they are taller and stronger than a normal pony, also their body is covered in thick fur and their tail is long and have hair only on top of it.

To see one was considered a miracle, but unfortunately for shape-shifters, their kind was not tolerated in Equestria, they were considered just like changeling, so the order was clear, capture on sight and imprison them in the best case.

“Stay where you are!” The leader of the group said.

“Ponies, you’d better go. I’m not in good mood this evening.” The white-furred, red eyed mare said glaring at the ponies.

“I don’t think your mood counts here shape-shifter.” The other ponies surrounded her with their spears pointed towards her.

“I’m afraid you’re in no position to speak. Your kind isn’t welcome in Equestria and I’m sure you know that.”

“Huh… If that’ll stop me pony, the world is just too big not to see it.” The white mare with blue hair said smiling.

“This world isn’t made for you, pest!” The leader said glaring at the mare.

“Don’t you dare call me a pest, pony!” The mare moved towards the leader, but was stopped by spears pointed at her.

“You make me laugh pest. You’re nothing more than mere bugs to us. You should all be killed” The leader turned around after closing his eyes and grinning he said without caring “Kill her, there’s no use for a pest.”

What the prideful pony didn’t know was that they were watched for a long time, from the tree tops a pair of red eyes were staring at the scene, but they disappeared shortly after the order. The leader heard movement coming from the bushes so he sent two strong colts to check out what was it.

“You don’t know what you’re doing pony!” The white mare yelled at the pony glaring at him and showing her sharp teeth while growling like a wolf.

“Nice teeth.” The pony slapped the mare with his hoof “I think I’ll sell your skeleton to a museum and make a coat from your fur.”

As the shape-shifter was preparing to attack the ponies and make their leader her trophy a scream of pain was heard coming from the direction the two strong soldiers were sent. Some of the guards gulped slowly while others got tense. The white-furred shape-shifter stopped growling and looked towards the direction very cautiously.

The ponies alongside the shape-shifter moved towards the direction the two soldiers were only to see blood everywhere and their bones, some broken others lost and the former armor of the guards torn to shreds.

“Keep your eyes open colts! It’s nearby.” The commander said moving forwards his colts.

“What’s nearby?” The mare asked keeping her ears aware.

As the ponies got less tense, one of them gasped, happy that he didn’t get killed by whatever they were supposed to catch, but unfortunately for him, as he gasped their target sprung out of the tree top the gasping guard was underneath.

With its head down and mouth wide open, the creature revealed four long and sharp canines and other monstrously sharp teeth resembling those of a wolf. The being grabbed the guard and bit his head tearing through his helmet. A stream of blood came out of the skull, and the creature pulled the pony up in the tree top right after the bite, leaving the guards unable to react.

“What was that?” The white-furred mare asked trying to keep her calm.

“A pest just like you. Now let’s…”

The commander couldn’t finish his sentence as the creature jumped on him and tore his neck then jumped back in the tree tops. The white-furred mare was able to observe the attacker, even if it was only for a few seconds, she distinguished the species of the creature, it was a changeling, but he was white.

Changelings are the mortal enemies of shape-shifter, she faced changelings before, but she never saw such a savage one before. She trembled in fear for the first time in her life when she saw a changeling. All that bravery shape-shifters display when facing any opponent was gone.

As their commander was dead the remaining thirty-eight ponies were terrified, their enemy was swift and savage leaving them in a state of continuous tension, unable to calm down for a mere second “Stay tense or die.” that’s how you could describe that scene.

One of the guards was so scared he threw his weapons and tried to run back to Canterlot, but as he ran towards the location they came from, the white changeling jumped out of the bush and pushed him in the bush on the other side, screams of pain were heard and after them a wild growl echoed throughout the Ever Free Forest.

There was only a changeling and thirty-seven ponies, but how could the changeling win? One of the ponies stepped forward and spoke to the frightened ponies.

"Don't fear colts! You are the best guards there are. Remember your training. This beast is no match for you, he might have had the advantage in Canterlot, but now we know he's alive and we can win!"

He inspired them to regain their morale and were ready to hunt that beast, but the changeling was no fool, he was watching their every movement, he knew exactly how to act. The ponies knew the white changeling was trying to kill them one by one so they stood together and called for him.

The changeling kept silent and showed no response, the ponies kept their focus and were weary of every sound, the creature could be behind any of those sounds. As the ponies got more and more confident they got the changeling scared they already spoke and laughed as if they already won.

Those poor fools, in their overconfidence failed to notice that the white monster dropped in the middle of their group when they started celebrating, only the shape-shifter feeling the scent of blood and decay moved her head and saw him.

The colt next to him was laughing so hard he was crying, but as he turned his head to face the changeling, he taught it was a fellow guard and put his hoof over his back. The white-furred mare yelled to him to watch out, but it was too late, as he opened his eyes filled with tears of joy the white creature grinned and tore his neck in a flash, blood gushed from the guard’s beheaded body.

Without wasting time the white changeling jumped on each and every guard using his teeth to tear their armor and flesh apart, leaving some alive to scream in pain, horrifying those that survived.

The guards tried to fight back, but their weapons were avoided by the changeling, which after dodging them, bit their legs or snout out letting blood gush out of the bodies. The creature jumped back into the tree-top after slaughtering and mutilating about twenty-eight ponies.

Only nine ponies remained capable of staying on their feet, the others where, either dead or dying in pain. The guards were as still as stone, incapable to move they waited in fear for their end to come, but to their luck another group arrived to join them.

The group was consisting in only thirty-four ponies, it seems the others freaked out and ran or were the victims of the local fauna and flora. The joined ponies decided to leave, but as they were ready to take the shape-shifter and leave they heard the sound of hooves beating the ground in a certain rhythm. They turned around to see what was it.

The white changeling was hitting the ground with his hoof creating a certain rhythm resembling a funeral song. The guards realized, the creature wasn’t trying to take their attention, he was playing with them just like a kid plays with his toys or in this case with his food.

The white changeling stopped hitting the ground and rose up on his back legs, leaning his head to his right he smiled revealing his blood and flesh covered teeth. The guards were frozen in place at the sight and awaited the being's next movement. To their surprise the changeling leaned his head on the middle and yelled smiling.

"Feeding time!”

The phrase echoed across the forest and the creature jumped towards the guards opening his mouth and landing in the middle ripping the front right-leg of a soldier then tore the left wing of a pegasi then bit of his back-left leg.

The guards were frozen in fear, the changeling tore through them, but they were unable to move and those that were able were the first to be devoured. At a point he ripped the bone from the flesh of a guard and impaled another pony that tried to attack him with it in the eye passing through his brain.

The white-furred mare was frozen in fear, she watched as the guards were being killed one by one, then after the massacre the changeling started feasting on their remains.

"I faced changelings before."she kept repeating in her mind, but none as savage, nor as bloodthirsty.

The speed with which he was devouring the remaining flesh from the bones was incredible in only a few minutes twenty corpses were cleared of any meat and the blood that was still pouring out of some of the slain guards was quickly sucked by the white changeling.

The mare finally found her strength to rise up on her legs and run from that place while the he ate another body, but as she rose up, the changeling rose up as well and rushed at her, but stopped from tearing her neck, his teeth only mere millimeters from her exposed neck. The changeling moved his mouth away from the white-furred mare’s neck and stared her in the eyes.

“Don’t be scared. I mean you no harm”

“W-W-What?” The white-furred mare barely said staring the changeling in the eyes.

The changeling moved back from the terrified mare and swiftly grabbed a body from those that remained and disappeared into the dark of the ever Free Forest. The white-furred mare was still scared, but she was also curious.

She never met such a savage changeling before, but neither did she meet a changeling with white skin or one that meant no harm to a shape-shifter nor talking. She heard hoof steps approaching the area, the third group was nearby, so she decided not to waste any time and ran into the forest, following the path she was going on before the guards came.

The soldiers arrived at the location and saw the mutilated bodies of their comrades and the bones that remained from those that were devoured. They were smart though, so without wasting any time they took whatever they could reminding about the dead ponies and piled up the remains to burn them.

The pieces of the armor they took and some broken weapons were to be taken to Canterlot for a hero’s burial, they sacrificed themselves to save Equestria, but the white changeling was still at large, they’ll have to take care of him another day, their brothers needed rest.

The mare ran as fast as she could to avoid a new meeting with the ponies. She was tired, and she was a long way from home, she went further than any of her kind. The mare sat down underneath a tree and looked at the stars with her mouth slightly opened, the air of the night was very cold although seeing it was the end of summer. She was lucky she was covered in fur, although standing there she remembered the sheets and her bed back home, but she couldn’t go back now.

“What’s done is done.” She said looking at the ground.

A tear was passing down her cheek and fell down on the ground, the poor mare went through a lot, now she only wanted to rest, but how could she? She tried to stop her tears, but with no luck unfortunately, after half an hour of crying she finally fell asleep.

She woke up after hearing the sound of a branch cracking and went towards an old oak tree standing there in the middle of other trees. She touched the tree with her right hoof, then she closed her eyes and put her forehead on the bark of the old tree.

She heard the sound again, she turned around and saw behind her the white changeling covered in blood. He smiled without revealing his teeth then laughed slowly moving his head a bit to the left and right, a stream of blood poured from his mouth. The blood surrounded the white-furred mare as if it was alive.

“I mean you no harm. Don’t be afraid.” he said after he stopped laughing

The changeling then smiled revealing his long canines and wolf like teeth then letting out a growl jumped in the air towards her, she screamed then woke up. The poor mare was breathing heavily and shivered. She shook her head then rose up on all her fours and kept moving forwards.

She was still thinking about the white changeling, of what he did last night and what he told her. Her kind and his kind are natural enemies, they kill each other on sight, yet she was different from her kind she said to herself.

She didn’t care about what race they are, yet changelings do, as much as she wanted not to fight them, they attacked her each time they met, she defeated them, but instead of killing them like the rest of her kind she left them alive. She was the white black sheep of her kind, that’s why she was there after all.

As the day passed she kept moving, occasionally stopping to gather some fruits she found around the forest, usually ponies avoid eating fruits in the forest, but she didn’t, her mother taught her everything about the flora and her father everything about the fauna.

She gathered a few berries and six wild apples, although the fruits were nothing like apples, but she didn’t care, that’s how she liked to call them. She thought of eating the fruits, but she needed more than apples, she went by eating only fruits for a week already, she needed some meat.

She took some branches from a few oak trees and made a small circle of branches ready to be lit up, but she needed meat first. She went in search for some around the temporary camp she made, hours went by and no meat, she was really starving so decided to eat one of the wild apples she gathered.

She took a bite out of it and she couldn’t believe her taste how good it was. She kept chewing on the apple, but when she was ready to take the last bite she heard a boar nearby. The white-furred mare silently moved towards the brown-furred board and hid in the bush. She watched the boars movement, making sure she will catch it.

She knew boars ate fruit so she threw the part of the apple she wasn’t able to eat and waited for the boar to approach it. The boar heard the apple falling on the ground, he didn’t got scared, it was a light fall so he knew it wasn’t something big that could endanger him.

The boar approached the apple cautiously though, and after a few minutes of staring and examining the fruit, the white shape-shifter jumped on the boar making sure she grabs him then after making sure she held him tight she bit the boars neck.

The board let out a small scream, but once she put her teeth into you she won’t let you go. The white mare held the boar tight and her teeth inside his neck until enough blood poured out of the boar for him to die. She spited out some of the boars hair, but she was happy, she had something to eat.

“Finally, some meat! We’ll have a feast toda… Right… I’m alone…” The mare looked at the ground then after a small breath she put the boar on her back and went back to the camp.

She started the fire and ripped a few parts of the boars meat and put them on some branches that were held above the fire. After cooking about eight stakes she threw the boar away from her camp for the animals of the forest to eat.

She went back to her small fire and ate the stakes, they were delicious, after finishing the stakes she was full. The white-furred mare lay on the ground for half an hour admiring the sky and the leaves and thinking of back when she was younger.

When she finally rose up, she kept going, the forest was beautiful she thought. She wanted her friends to see it, but there was no way to do it. The mare kept moving and thinking of her friends when she heard a stream nearby, she followed the noise of the stream until she found a lake.

“I can finally wash a bit.” She said to herself staring at the crystal clear water.

The shape-shifter entered the water, of course, it was cold, but she managed to get used to it. She washed her fur, but seeing how enjoyable and deep enough to swim the water was she decided to spend a few more minutes there swimming, after all she loved swimming.

She and her childhood friend would always sneak and go outside the camp in the summer and go for a swim. Half an hour passed and she still wasn’t bored of swimming in that lake, but she knew she had to keep moving, so she decided to swim underneath the water then she’d be on her way again.

She swam underneath the water like she was dancing, you could clearly see that she was very talented at swimming, and dancing underneath the water was nothing, but time was up and she went to the shore. As she rose her head out of the water and opened her eyes, she was face to face with the white changeling from last night which was drinking some water, after they saw each other an awkward silence set on that place.

“YOU!” they both yelled pointing at each other with their hooves.

“What are you doing here?! Me?! What about you?! Stop!” they both said the same thing at the same time.

“Look, uhmm… what’s your name?” She asked the white changeling which was staring at her.

“My name?! Well my name is… I don’t remember my name.” He said looking away from the mare.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, how could you forget your own na… “ The changeling stopped her saying his name.

"C! My name is C! Nice to meet you, uhm…“ C looked at the white-furred mare smiling, revealing his teeth, but his teeth weren’t like last night, his teeth looked omnivorous, just like hers.

“Uhm… my name is Blue Ink. And… why did you spare me last night?” She stared at the changeling.

Because, those idiot ponies dared to attack you although you didn’t do anything to them and they called you a pe… you know what and I was also hungry. I tell you sleeping a long time ain’t good for your body.” C looked at the mare and smiled, then he turned around to leave

“Bye then Blue Ink! Have a nice life.”

The white-furred shape-shifter was a bit confused, again the white changeling didn’t attack her, but spoke to her like they were friends. Could he also be different than the rest of his kind. Blue Ink didn’t waste time standing anymore in the lake. She jumped out of the water and ran in front of C stopping him.

“Stop! I didn’t thank you for saving me. If it wasn’t for you I’d be dead.” The mare looked straight into C’s eyes.

“No need to thank me my dear, they deserved it… Now go Ink, I believe you have a family? Why not go at them instead of wasting time in this forest?” C said touching Blue Ink’s right check with his hoof.

“I can’t go back…” Inky looked at the ground “I’m all alone, I have nopony left. I ran away from them and I don’t wish to go back. I was thinking… can I come with you?”

“No, no, no, no, no, no! It’s too dangerous to come with me, those guards were after me and I can’t have anyone else slowing me down.” C said looking at the blue-furred mare which was pretty sad.

“Please C! I’m alone, if I stay alone any longer I’ll probably be caught by them and thrown into a prison or be killed. I promise I won’t slow you down, I can take care of myself very well and I can help you.” The blue mare said looking at the changeling which had a change of attitude on his face.

“Alright Ink! But with one condition, you’ll follow me temporarily as soon as we find you a place to live in peace we’ll part ways. Agreed?” C said his snout touching Blue Ink’s snout.

“Agreed. But, where to C?” Inky asked C looking at him happily.

“Well I was going in that direction.” C pointed towards the south “Do you happen to know what lays for us there?”

“I have no idea C, I’ve never been in these parts before.” She responded looking towards the direction C pointed.

“Then it’s an adventure. Andale!” C said smiling while pointing with his hoof stretched.

“What does andale mean?” Blue Ink asked staring at the white changeling which was still pointing.

“It’s Spanish for let’s move.” C responded while still stretching his hoof.

“Spani-what C?” She was confused, she never heard of such a language before.

“It’s complicated, let’s just say it’s a word I like.” C said to Inky and moved forwards.

"Are you coming?" He asked Blue Ink which started following him.

Night finally came and the two were exhausted after the road they had. C decided to rest for tonight underneath a big tree bark that lay on the ground. He searched the bark, it was pretty warm inside so he called Blue Ink to him and they both went inside the shelter.They stood there and looked at the sky, there was a gap in the bark.

"The stars are beautiful tonight. I surely missed them." C said staring at the stars above.

"How could you miss the stars C? They have always been up there. Our ancestors have always been up there, watching over us." She replied to C staring at the sky.

"Your ancestors?" He asked the white-furred mare.

"Yes. Up there rest our ancestors, but not every one of them, only the bravest and those that did great things go there. The rest simply join them." She said to him.

"Do you see that star? That's the ancestor that guides and watched over me, one day I'll join him." She said pointing at a bright star in the sky.

"Stars aren't dead ancestors, they're only huge round balls that burn like your sun" C replied to her moving his hooves.

"That sounds interesting, but I still believe those are our ancestors. One day I wish I could see them all, but I will only join one of them and I know it will be my guiding star." Ink responded to C.

"Who knows Ink? Maybe one day, somehow, you'll see them, but until that day, you should stay with your hooves on the ground."

He told the white-furred mare, then turned around to sleep and Inky followed him, but as Inky lay down to sleep, C turned to face Ink and asked her something very awkward.

“Ink, can you please sleep on top me?” C asked Ink smiling while the white mare was shocked of the question.

Chapter II: War of the Steam-City Part I: The Two Cities

Chapter II

War of the Steam-City

Part I:

The two Cities

Ink looked at C and smiled then she looked to the sky again saying she’d like to go there one day. C lay down ready to fall asleep, but responded to the white mare saying that one day, maybe she’ll go there, until then, she had to stay with her hooves on earth. Inky lay down to sleep as well, but C asked her something very awkward.

“Ink, can you please sleep on top me?” C asked her smiling while she was shocked of the question.

“What? C what even… ?!” before the surprised mare could say anything else, he replied to her.

“So that you can get me warm. Thanks for letting me finish the sentence. Look, I judge that this is already the end of summer and it’s cold and I need time to adapt. And look at you, you have fur, such beautiful and shiny fur.” The changeling said rising up from the ground and touching Ink’s fur.

"C, this isn't ethical." She responded staring into his eyes.

"I don't care. I need to get warm and you have so much furrrrr!"

After half an hour of arguing and a lot of stupid reasons C stopped suddenly from talking and stared in front of him, but not at Ink, but at something else behind her, in the distance. She looked at him and tried to attract his attention, but he didn’t respond.

She turned around to see what was he staring at, but as soon as she turned back, C snapped out of it and kept talking like nothing happened. Ink stared at him and interrupted him wanting to know what happened.

"What do you mean?" He looked at her her.

"C, you stopped talking for about two minutes and stared at the trees behind me." She said staring at the white changeling.

"No. Inky, I spoke with you all this time, I didn't look at those trees, I mean they aren't even interesting." He responded.

This led up to another argument and in the end, after about ten minutes the white-furred mare gave up and C tried a final time to convince her to sleep on top of him. She didn’t say a single thing and pushed him down and he rolled on his belly.

Then the she sat on top of C and tried to put her head down on his head to sleep, but before she could that, C thanked the mare now calling her Inky. He put his head down and slept while Inky looked at him with a blush on her cheeks, she shook her head then with a smile put her head on his and slept. Next day Inky woke up at the smell of fried meat and saw C in front of a camp fire which had a big boar in a stick above it.

"Good morning C." She said smiling to the white changeling.

"Good morning Inky." He kept looking at the boar slowly licking his lips.

Inky sat down next to him and while they both looked at the boar, she moved her head so that she could face C and blushed before asking him about how he felt last night. He looked at Inky with the corner of his left eye and then after looking back at the boar and breathing deeply he turned his head towards her and closed his eyes.

“You were wet!” He exclaimed and said with a smile opening his eyes.

Inky blushed and shocked of C’s response, she didn’t knew how to respond to that and as she tried to catch all the words and feelings that were rolling in her head, when he just put in her face a piece of meat on a stick.

"You ain't going to stop starving if you ain't going to eat." The two started eating the meat, inky kept looking at C, but he just looked in front of him admiring the forest.

“I was wondering. Why are you headed towards The Steam-City?” Inky asked looking at him while taking a bite from the stake.

“The voice tells me to go there.” He responded after finishing what remained of a steak and licking his hooves.

“What voice?” She looked at him wondering what did she get herself into?

"The voice inside my head of course. It tells me to go somewhere south and the Steam-City could be the location I’m looking for.” C said after he finished licking his hooves and looked at her with the corner of his eyes.

Inky was a bit confused, she wanted to go with him, because of her curiosity, but now that she heard this. She kept asking herself what did she get herself into? C rose up from the ground and gave Inky a hoof and looked at her.

"Don't worry Inky, I won't hurt you. I promise I'll take care of you." C turned around to see the bark underneath were they slept last night and after a few seconds after looking at it he and Inky started walking once more.

The Ever Free Forest was always mysterious and terrifying to the ponies, due to that they rarely journeyed inside it. A large part was unexplored, but this doesn’t matter to our two travelers, C was attracted by the unknown and adventure, Inky was just glad she had with whom to journey.

Although she knew that the moment will come when she’ll have to part from C and live once more alone, although he wants to leave her in a place where she could have friends and live in peace. The white-furred mare can’t stay in one place, staying all her life in a place is not her type, but she made an agreement.

They kept walking in the Ever Free all day long, occasionally stopping to admire the surroundings and even escape the flora and fauna. Either being chased by a manticore or in the danger of being devoured by pony-eating plants, C always helped Inky, keeping her away from harm and she helped him.

To escape the manticore wasn’t easy, but as they walked they laughed at the thought of how they escaped it, a “dance” between the bush and the trees, but they finally caught the manticore, but C didn’t do any harm to the manticore as Inky thought he would, the white changeling approached the captive manticore and freed it from the vines that withheld that magnificent creature as our hero described it.

"What a beautiful creature it was." C looked at the dusk sky and smiled.

"Indeed. From where I come there are no such creatures as manticores, but I am glad I saw one." She responded looking at him.

"heh... Let's go Inkidi! Night will catch up to us and I don't want to sleep underneath a bark again, but if you don't mindy sleeping on top of me again." C looked into Inky's eyes and smiled.

"Ow, look! Some branches and leaves maybe we can make a shelter! I'll go and gather some!" She went to gather some of the branches and leaves she saw.

"Did I say something wrong? Of course not, she didn't mind sleeping on my back... okay maybe it was awkwardy a tiny little bit." C spoke to himself.

"C, can you please go in search of some more branches?" Inky said to him after putting down some branches and leaves.

"Oki-doki Inky."

C went in the forest in search for some more branches while Inky went in search of something to cover the shelter. After a bit of walking and looking at the trees she saw a special one that grew big leaves and decided to cover the shelter with them.

She also found small stream and used two of the big leaves to take some of that water and bring it to camp. When she arrived at the camp, C already prepared the branches and caught two rabbits so that they could eat something.

"Hey Inky! Nice leaves, you can you... you got the big one." He said staring at the leaves.

"What?" She looked at C trying to understand whatever he tried to say.

"It doesn't matter.... let me help you with those."

He then went to help her arrange the leaves on top of the shelter. Inky saw that the white changeling was thirsty and gave him the water she brought from the stream, he gladly accepted the water and drank it in only one gulp.

The white mare was a bit surprised, but she kept arranging the leaves on the shelter while looking at C from times to times. At a point he was looking at her to see how she was doing, the white-furred mare blushed a bit, but he looked like he didn’t notice and returned to arranging the leaves. Together they finished the arrangement of the shelter then looked proudly at what they’ve done together.

"This is magnificent! You did a great job Inky." C smiled and looked at the mare

Without losing any more time he sat down in front of the will-be camp fire and took two sticks and tried to start a fire, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't manage to do it. Inky giggled a bit making him look at her.

"Why you giggling Inky?" C thought Inky couldn’t manage to do what he couldn’t, but he was so wrong at that part.

"Calm down C. Here, let me try." She approached the will-be campfire and took the sticks, but after putting them together she threw them away.

"Why did you do that?" He asked her looking into her eyes.

"Sorry C, but I don't need any sticks while I have another, faster and easier method." She replied looking at him.

"What method?" C looked at Inky with doubt.

"I'll show it to you, but first. I need my two rocky friends, Seth and James."

Inky took out of her fur two rocks and slightly knocked them together making a spark that lit up the small patch of dry grass. After the spark touched the dry grass she gently blew on the fire making it a bit bigger so that she could put it under the branches C brought. She turned her head a bit of her body to face C which was with his mouth wide opened.

"No, no, no, no! You didn't start the fire!" C told Inky staring at her.

"What do you mean C? The fire is right here." Inky pointed at the fire that looked like dancing.

"You cheated Inky! We were supposed to use sticks to start a fire. Here, let me show you." He took two sticks and

started rubbing them together, but to no avail.

"Okay, C. Can I try now?" She said stretching her right hoof so that C would give the sticks to her.

"I doubt you can do it Inky, but okay. Here, now show me where was I wrong."

Inky took the sticks and put under the top of one of them a dry piece of bark and started rubbing the two while keeping the top on the bark. C was sure she couldn't do it, although he felt bad for letting her try something that couldn't work anyway.

"Done!" Inky smiled and put her front hooves down letting C look at the small fire she started.

"B-b-b..." He tried to respond, but couldn't find the words. C gave up and accepted Inky’s success over him, he wasn’t glad about it, but Inky poked him with her shoulder.

"I'm sure you could've done it too C. Don't be jelly, it's just a fire."She smiled at him and all the jealousy he could have disappeared.

"You're right Inky. You should teach me how to do that.." He put his hoof on Inky’s head and petted her.

He started to look like a good colt in her eyes, she knew you couldn’t judge somepony you just met after only one day, but she wanted to think she could and in her mind he was just that pony you could trust. Inky prepared the rabbit and put them above the fire, C looked at the fire with a sad look, he was thinking of something, but also he felt weak he couldn’t start a fire.

"Are you okay C?" She poked him with her shoulder.

"What... ? Oh, it's nothing, I'm fine, I'm fine." He responded to Inky the took a bite from his rabbit.

“You know C. I once had a friend that always thought he was good for nothing if he couldn’t do something other shape-shifters could, the truth is he was good at something other shape-shifters only dream of. Don’t be sad C, it’s just a fire, I’m sure you’re good at other things, who knows maybe greater than a stupid fire?” Inky said looking at C then at the fireplace smiling all along, as she reached the last words she looked at him and blinked.

“Oh, come here you silly filly.” C grabbed the white mare and rubbed her hair a bit.

The two ate the rabbits then proceeded to clear the remaining flesh from two boar pelts they skinned earlier this day. After doing so, the two went inside the shelter and covered themselves in those boar pelts.

But that night was colder than the previous one and Inky’s fur and boar pelt didn’t keep her very warm. C wasn’t doing any better, but seeing how Inky was shivering, he gave her his boar skin without caring about himself.

She simply couldn’t accept the skin seeing how C couldn’t stand cold weather, but he didn’t care. It didn't matter if she wanted it or not, he put the boar pelt over her making her warmer. He told her good night and went to sleep, after a minute he rolled on the opposite side, now facing Inky’s face. The mare couldn’t sleep knowing and seeing him shivering, she approached the colt and hugged him making him warmer.

Next morning they woke up early in the morning, they both had good dreams and at C’s suggestion the two made a bit of warming up before gathering their camp, taking a few branches and leaves with them in case they needed them for anything.

That day was filled with small misadventures, C almost fell into moving sand trying to jump over a pond after Inky which succeeded in jumping over it. To his luck, he caught a vine, Inky gasped relieved C didn’t fell into the moving sand.

He jumped on to Inky’s right side using his wings, although he wasn’t good at flying he could still use them to glide a short distance. The two then kept moving, Inky was attacked by a bear, but C didn’t let the bear get away with it. At the end of the fight, C got out with some bruises and wounds, but there was nothing Inky’s plant knowledge couldn’t do.

Plus, they now had a bear pelt. The day also brought the two to a small lake where both of them went for a swim, they both liked to swim. C confessed to her his love for swimming and how he’d go in the summers and swim in the old sea of his birth land.

Night came today as well, and the two quickly made the shelter and the fire, Inky taught C how to start a fire just as promised. When they went to sleep, they had now a big bear pelt and decided to sleep together underneath it keeping each other warm.

They kept traveling like this for about four more days finally being close to the Steam-City. After this night, the two would be able to go and see the city, but this almost made Inky nervous thinking that C would leave her in the city if he’d find a good place for her to stay.

But she wouldn’t be so easy to leave behind, but C looked like a pony that kept his word, and so she decided not to upset him seeing what he did for her this past week they’ve been traveling across the Ever Free Forest. Next morning would bring the two to the ending of an adventure and the beginning of another.

“Good morning C.” Inky woke up and stretched her hooves “C?”

But there was nopony around, no fire ready to make their dinner, she thought C left her there. She looked in the shelter then she taught he would prank her, so she exited the shelter and with a smile she talked to C as if he was there.

The white-furred mare looked around, but there was no C anywhere to be seen. She heard some movement coming from the bush so she went to see what was it. Suddenly Inky was pulled down on the ground by C which showed her to make no sound.

Inky stared at him and wanted to know what was going on, but before she could say anything, the sound of ponies marching echoed throughout the forest and she saw as entire lines of legs passed in front of them. She figured it out, C heard this coming and that’s why he didn’t prepare anythingm he didn't want to attract any unwanted attention.

"What's going on? Are those guards?" She looked and whispered to him.

C nodded his head as he kept watching the ponies march, Inky moved her head a little bit so that she could see the ponies better. As she looked at hem, she saw that all the ponies had wings, they were all pegasi.

"They're only pegasi." She whispered to C.

"How interesting." He replied without taking his eyes off the ponies.

The ponies kept marching for about six minutes, the two barely stood still all this time. After a few more seconds after the march had finished, Inky and C went towards the direction the ponies had marched to and saw themselves above a hill. Down wad huge beach filled with tents, storage deposits, a small fortress and a great wall with huge towers where more pegasi were put to guard.

“What is that?” the blue mare asked staring down the hill.

“C what’s going on? Have you seen such a thing before?” the blue mare asked C which was also staring down.

“I’m afraid I know Inky.” C said , after he looked one more time at the beach, pretty surprised

“This is a military camp, and by the looks of it. I say...” C said turning his head to look at his companion

"We are in the middle of a war." He said looking into her eyes.

“A war?!” Inky said looking at the white changeling.

“We should go. Wars are a dangerous thing where ponies lose their lives fighting each other instead of working together.” C said looking down the hill with a very serious face.

“Let’s check it out.” She quickly moved his head to look at Inky and smiled revealing his teeth.

“C are you Insane?!” Inky said staring at the white changeling that was moving towards their shelter.

“Yes Inky, I am insane. Now let’s go and see what’s going on.” He after he had finished taking down the shelter and taking the bear pelt on his back.

“C, they’ll kill us on sight. How do you plan to enter?” the white-furred mare asked C.

C didn’t say anything and moved forwards to look once more down the hill, but he heard hooves and the wheels of a wagon moving towards them.C hid in the bush and stalked what seemed to be a supply wagon pulled by four pegasi. The pegasi’s cart didn’t have the same symbol as the armors the others wore when marching in front of him and the white-furred mare just moments ago.

He kept stalking the pegasi until he saw an opening then he jumped out of the brush knocking out one of the them then grabbing his spear he knocked out the other pegasi pretty fast, himself being scratched only once. He pulled the ponies and the wagon in the brush where the two traveler’s shelter was.

"Hey Inky. Have you ever seen this symbol before?" He asked his companion.

"I'm afraid I didn't." She responded nodding her head.

C used some rope he found in the wagon to tie up the pegasi to a tree and he also used some pieces of cloth to also tie up their mouths. He then put on the clothes the ponies were wearing and also made Inky put them on.

"Wait! I know these clothes. They are worn by pegasi merchants, I met a few before meeting you C, but our encounter could've ended so much better." She replied looking at the clothes then at C.

"How do I look? Fashionable enough?" He asked Inky after putting the clothes on.

"You look funny."

She replied to C which smiled revealing his teeth and then turned around and tried to pull the wagon with his front hooves. Inky giggled a bit then went next to C and told him to turn around then she mounted the wagon on his back.

"Inky! How dare you? Does it look like I have bad teeth and a face that will make paint crack? Or more simplified... Do I flishing look like a flishing mule?" He looked at the white-furred mare, but she closed her eyes and smiled.

C gasped a bit then with his head almost near the ground he started moving the wagon, but he barely managed to pull it a few centimeters. Inky giggled once more at C which was forcing himself to the max to pull the wagon, but he suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at his companion.

"Stop laughing at me! Look Inky, if you think you can do better. Why don't you pull the wagon?"

He said and to his surprise Inky accepted his challenge and with a smile she easily pulled the wagon and gently slapped him with her long tail making him close his mouth. The two kept moving without saying anything to each other. C looked around while Inky was trying to hide her long tail. The two eventually reached the main gate leading to the camp, but they were stopped by the guards that held spears towards them.

"Halt! Who are you?!" The guards asked them, but C moved a spear down with his right hoof.

"Now, now, there's no need for sharpy stuff like this. I don't want anymore hole... I mean I don't want any holes in my skin." C said then gave the guards a wide smile.

"You are taking our time, tell us who you are or we're going to dig some holes into you." One of the guards said pointing his spear at C.

"Do you have any idea how awkward that sounds? Anyways! Look at us feather brains, we are merchants from... from you know... " C tried to find a name, but the guards saw the symbol on the wagon.

"You are from Cloudsdale?" A guard asked staring at C.

"Yes! I mean, yes we surely are from Cloudsdale, what a feather brain I am. Well let us in maybe?" C stared at the guards which then looked at each other and proceeded opening the gate.

"You may enter."

The guards responded and moved aside letting C and Inky pass the gates and inside the camp. Behind the gates, the earth was completely void of any grass, you could only see the yellowish rock and sand. It was clear that there was a lot of marching there.

Even when they entered, a regiment consisting in not more than one thousand pegasi were marching through the camp towards what seemed to be a training ground while other pegasi were in the air training for close combat or long ranged assault.

C had his eyes staring at every detail of the camp, he saw a siege engine. A ballista mounted to six pegasi, three on each side and four pegasi, two in the front and two in the back of the contraption. More than ten ballistas joined the lonely machinery and then the ponies flew them up into the air.

The ballistas were followed by twenty huge arrow storages that were raised from the ground, each by about twelve pegasi. C and Inky were stopped by a blue colt. The two gulped slowly thinking they've been caught.

"You're going the wrong way, merchants. Follow me."

They followed the blue colt. Inky gasped relieved that they didn’t get caught, but C just followed the colt with a smile. For a reason the white-furred mare was afraid that what happened a week ago would happen again. C would become that ponycidal monster she first encountered and kill everypony in the camp.

They kept following the blue colt until they reached what seemed to be a fortress, they entered inside it through the massive gates that closed after they entered and a group of about twenty pegasi surrounded the two pointing their spears at them.

The blue colt in front of them moved back letting an older pegasi with his face filled with scars, revealing the fact that he went through a lot of fights on the front. But, the scar that passed his right eye was the most noticeable one.

C looked at the scar and saw that the scar could only be made by a fire weapon. He stared at the colt with a very serious face wile Inky gulped slowly thinking how they could escape. She also was preparing to run in case C would become once more the ponycidal monster she first met.

Who are you?” the pegasi general asked C with a sword stretched towards his neck.

“I’m a merchant and I brought you supplies. What else could I be?” C said smiling at the general.

"Yes... perhaps." The general moved to C's back and swiftly cut of his clothes revealing his wings.

“A Changeling!” The soldiers yelled and were pointing the spears even more ferociously at him

"Upsy-mezy..." C said with a smile while staring at the soldiers.

"Now, let's see who are you."The general approached the white mare and tore her clothes of revealing her fur and her long tail.

"It can't be." A soldier said staring at her.

"Surround her!" Another soldier yelled and they all surrounded her leaving C only guarded by the blue colt that escorted them.

"Hey! I wanted to be the star... stupid ponies, at least you love me." C smiled while staring at the blue colt.

"W-what? I don't love you." The blue colt replied.

"I can't believe it. I haven't seen a shape-shifter since I was in the north a month ago. Your kind surely knows how to fight and kill." The general said glaring at Inky while touching her jaw with his hoof.

"Don't be so, I saw the look in your eyes, you are melting for me. I know I am sexy, but not that sexy." C moved his snout closer to the blue colts snout.

"W-what are you even..." The pony tried to say something.

"Shhh, you don't need to say anything. We are flishing in this together." C whispered to the colt moving his hoof on the colts chest.

"Uhm.... " He couldn't say anything and started sweating and trembling.

"I feel pretty flishing groomish all of a sudden!" C yelled at the blue colt, but the other ponies didn't even flinch.

"What!?!" The blue colt screamed and C feel on the ground laughing as hard as he could.

"I.... I simply can't believe how easy it was! You ponies are so easy to troll!" C kept laughing while the pony was too shocked to say anything.

"What should I do to you? Kill then stuff you, or sell you as a pet?" The general looking at Inky.

“What?! How dare you!?”C yelled at the general.

"Yes! Look out general because my friend is quite dangerous." Inky said staring at the pegasi.

"How dare you?! Give so much attention to Inky?!" C yelled staring at the general while Inky couldn't believe what she heard and couldn't close her mouth.

"I demand you give me attention and point those spear thingies at me!" After saying this four pegasi turned towards C pointing their spears towards his neck, but they were less tense than those surrounding Inky.

“On second thought you can take them away from my neck, please.” said C with a scared smile on his face.

The general moved towards Inky ordering his colts to hold her down then staring into her eyes he wondered what was she doing in there and why is she with a changeling. The general seemed to know something about the shape-shifters.

"I wonder? How comes you two didn't kill each other on sight? Isn't that how your species behave?The general approached Inky and glared into her eyes while she was held to the ground by his soldiers.

"You can't blame her she came with me. I'm simply fabulous!" The white changeling said widely smiling at the general.

"Then tell me... " The general jumped in the air then fell in front of C and pointed his sword at his throat.

"Why shouldn't I kill you two right here and now?" The general glared at him.

"Well, if I ain't mistaking. If you really wanted to kill us you would have done it by now."he looked into the general's eyes which put his sword away.

"You are a smart one, aren't you? You don't normally meet smart changelings."The colt then turned towards Inky.

"Take them to the prison." The pegasi grabbed C and Inky and followed the general towards the prison.

"C can I ask you something?" Inky said staring at him as they were escorted to the prison.

"You already did, but yes. You can ask me another thing." C looked at her.

"Okay, why didn't you become a maniac like when we first met?" She asked him with a serious face.

"Well, one I ain't angry and two I am not hungry so I shan't kill anypony." C looked towards the direction the two were taken.

"I knew this was a bad idea C, but I think we can escape somehow." She whispered to him.

"Why should we Inky? We got in didn't we? Now we can explore as much as our hearts desire."He replied to her making her a bit nervous.

"General, might I ask you with whom are you at war exactly? I know this ain't a simple training camp where if you drop your soap in the shower you will get a pretty nasty surprise if you bend over for it." C stared grinning at the general which stopped and turned to face him.

"You really are smart, especially to that remark. We are at war with the foolish earth-ponies and unicorns of the Steam-City. A city filed with incredible devices your kind couldn't even dream of. A place where it's said the floors move by their own ans huge towers of metal shine above the Great White River." The general grinned glaring at C.

"Interesting, but I wonder general, please telly-tell me. Why are you ponies fighting each other? Shouldn't you stay together and I don't know eat grass or something? And more importantly why doesn't this camp have any other ponies except pegasi?" C stared into the generals eyes moving closer to him.

"Quite interested are we? Well, seeing you are no trouble for us I can tell you. Equestria is a a kingdom indeed, but it's split in regions that have a complete freedom on their internal and external politics. We can go at war with other regions and Equestria isn't obliged to enter our conflicts if they do not put in danger the entire kingdom. But, if Equestria did interfere, it would cause quite a scandal and suspicion between the region. The only thing Princess Celestia can do is try a more diplomatic approach." He turned then around and started walking once more towards the prison.

"How fascinating indeed. But, I still have a question remaining general. Why are you at war in the first place?" C asked the general while they kept moving.

"It's none of your business, but I can say that the machinery of the steamers are a great danger to our kind. The Steam-City and Wigonia, our city state, have been at war for the past twenty years. Fortunately for us, the pegasi city of Cloudsdale send mercenaries in our aid and the pegsi of Las Pegasus send us funds to wage this never ending war."

C knew the general was telling him this, because he thought that the white-furred mare and the brown-haired changeling couldn’t do anything, they were only prisoners not allied with any important place. Still, the general feared that a changeling swarm could be close and the fact C and Inky were there made him think it was a distraction.

The fact a shape-shifter was traveling with a changeling made him even more suspicious. Thinking that the swarm could make the shape-shifters come and attack their camp leading to an onslaught. Killing them was not an option, if the changeling died, he feared the swarm could be even more vicious, seeing how smart he was. And if he killed the shape-shifter, her kind would enter a berserking stance and leave no pegasus alive. The ponies ponies finally arrived at the prison and threw the two inside a cell and locked the door.

"Whatever is coming towards us, we are more than prepared to take care of it."

C was wondering what the general could mean, but didn’t show this thinking that he could keep both him and Inky alive this way. He only told the general to be careful, for that there’s a storm heading towards them. He then left leaving four of his veteran soldiers to guard them.

"Captain! I want you to mobilize your forces. Secure both the western and eastern parts of the camp." The general ordered the blue colt after arriving outside.

In the east there was the once Huge Green Forest, now only twenty percent of its former glory. The west side represented the Ever Free Forest. The general knew a changeling swarm could easily attack them from there so t most of his colts were to defend that area while the rest would guard the Green Forest for any shape-shifter incursion.

The other pegasi would still focus on the defense of the Great Barrier, a long line of massive walls and towers built to keep the Steam-City away from the mainland. But, the ponies of the city were very resourceful seeing that after more than twenty years of war they did not surrender.

Inside the cell there was a window from which C could see what was going. He didn’t speak with Inky for two hours, he didn’t say this, but he felt responsible for putting her in that cell. The ponies could enter any time and kill them.

That’s why he didn’t want to take her with him, wherever the voice would guide C, he knew it wouldn’t be a pleasant and safe place. This was his life after all, he said to himself while looking outside. After two hours of silence, Inky went near him.

"Do you have any plan of getting out C?" She asked him looking at the window.

"Who needs any plans Inky? Just go with the flow, something will pop out sooner or later." The white changeling looked at her with a smile.

"That's reassuring."The white-furred mare sat next to C’s left side and said with a said voice.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this Inky, but after we get out of here. I shall get you to somewhere safe then come back to find whatever the voice wants me to find." He said this to her after looking at the floor, but after he said it, Inky hit him with her right hoof.

"You are not going to leave me C! We are in this together and we shall see the end of this together!"

Inky then moved away from him and sat laid down to rest. C didn't know what to say anymore to make things any better and decided he would rest for now and try to find a way out eventually although the voice pretty much wanted him to stay in there for an unknown reason.

Nothing important happened during that day. Inky went to sleep because she was quite tired from the road while C looked outside the window and saw the soldiers training for an upcoming fight. That scene brought him back a memory from his past that made him stop looking outside the barred window.

No food was brought to them that day either leaving them pretty hungry and C started starring at the ceiling and singing about food, the sing being clearly made by him seeing there was no rhyme, but it had a sort of interesting rhythm.

C eventually went to sleep around midnight after speaking to himself about found, mainly about meat and how he'd do anything to get some right then. Next day came, Inky was awake when C finally decided to step out of dram land around two in the afternoon.

The white-furred seemed to be looking around for a way to get, but eventually gave up and sat down in the back of the cell. She was quite hungry and she wanted to punish the pegasi for this treatment, but she calmed down and tried to forget about food.

"Hey Inky... Inky... Inkyyyy." C approached the white-furred mare with a creepy look on his face.

"Y-yes C?" She asked him with a confused voice.

"Inky... I've... found food!" C made a quick movement making his snout touch her's.

"Y-y-yes? I'm glad... uhm, where is it?" She stared into his eyes.

"Here it is!" C moved back a few steps and showed her a bug in his right hoof he caught.

"Aaaaa! C that's a bug! You can't possibly eat that!" C yelled at him after she jumped back at the sight of the bug.

"Nonsense, everypony knows bugs can be eaten. Look." C put the bug inside his mouth and ate it slowly making Inky barely hold herself from vomiting, as such as the guards.

"Tastes like chicken." C then licked his right hoof with his unusually long tongue.

"How's that even possible?" A guard said and C heard him.

"How you ask? Easy, survival! And guess what?! I have some for you too, come on eat with me." C stretched his right hoof to give the guards the several bugs he found in the cell.

"No thank you." One of the guards said.

"Suit yourself. Inky do you want some? I know you want, why do I even ask? Open your mouth." C put left hoof over Inky's neck .

"No C, I don't need any..." Unfortunately for her, he managed to put a few bugs in her mouth and she swallowed them involuntary, then C ate the rest.

"I'm going to vomit..."

A guard said then ran outside being joined by his fellow pegasi after a few seconds. Inky fell on the ground and tried to stop herself from barfing, but her stomach which was now disgusted by what C gave her to eat didn't help her. Nothing special happened until that night when C finally got sick from eating those bugs and tried to get rid of the taste by licking the iron bars of his cell.

"Damn it! Why did I eat bugs?!" C shouted at the ceiling with his tongue on the straw covered floor.

C eventually went to sleep and the next day finally came. This day found C so bored he started singing once more, while Inky tried one more time to find a way out. But, his singing was interrupted by the sound of something big being pulled outside their cell.

He looked outside the window and saw a white-robbed pegasus in front of a covered device being pulled by about twenty pegasi. The white robbed colt put his hoof on the blanket that covered the huge machinery and pulled it off, revealing a zeppelin.

C saw zeppelins before, but he seemed surprised to see one there. Inky could say C was scared, but the changeling wouldn't normally show it. He gulped slowly measuring the zeppelin with his eyes, while doing that he heard the robbed pegasi explaining the new model of the war-zeppelin and how it was built after studying the wreckages of the steamer’s flying devices. Right at that moment a shouting was heard coming from the barricade. From the water side, around twenty zeppelins were heading with great speed towards the camp.

Outside, the pegasi were mounting their positions ready to attack the steamer's contraptions. From the barricade, the windows of the towers opened revealing huge ballistas that begun throwing their huge arrows at the zeppelins.

The impressive machines weren’t hit by any arrows and approached the camp with a terrifying speed. The pegasi-carried ballista’s flew in the air and begun firing at the war-machines, only hitting one with multiple arrows that exploded in the air, its wreckage hit one of the towers destroying it.

The other zeppelins charged with their metal fronts at the ballistas destroying them and killed some ponies. Usually, zeppelins would have helium-filled balloons above them, but these machines didn’t have any s above them, but had a big propeller in the back and six furnaces from which a lot of smoke was coming out.

As soon as the zeppelins were above the barricade and the fortress, they revealed the canons that were mounted on their bellies and begun firing big balls of iron that exploded on impact with the pegasi buildings. One of the canon-balls hit the pegasi new zeppelin model killing the robbed pony and destroying the wall with the window where C and Inky where imprisoned.

The siege kept going, until the pegasi’s zeppelins were in the air. They had helium-filled balloons above them, but were powerful, maybe not as powerful as the steamer’s machines that presented canons, but were very resistant.

An aerial combat began. The cannon-balls of the steamers filled the sky with explosions and fumes, the wreckages of the pegasi zeppelins hit the ground destroying parts of the training camps, some storages and most of the barracks and tents where the soldiers were living.

The arrows of the pegasi-zeppelin’s hit the steamer’s machinery destroying most of their cannons and making some of the machinery explode killing everypony inside. The battle still kept going until out of nowhere a lightning bolt hit one of the steamer’s machinery and made it explode.

From the horizon C and inky, which were running through the ruins of the camp, saw a huge city nested on huge clouds, it was Wigonia. The huge city of the pegasi arrived to help their soldiers. At the sight of the great city, the steamers knew that running was not an option, none would escape.

But, instead an earth-pony aboard what seemed to be the flag-ship ordered the ponies to go full-speed towards the city using all their cannon-balls on destroying the buildings on the clouds, while the lightning bolts destroyed the machinery.

Only the flag-ship escaped the lightning-bolts, and the ponies inside rammed the machinery into the city while singing a sad song. When they rammed their machinery into the cloud-sustained city, they made a huge tower collapse destroying all the buildings around it and killing around three hundred pegasi that were near it.

Down in the ruined camp, the pegasi were laughing and celebrating the fact that once more, they’ve annihilated the steamer’s dream of destroying the Barricade. Although, up in their city the dead pegasi were gathered for a funeral and most of the population was sad for has happened.

While these happened, C and Inky were hiding from the pegasi that were gathering the dead. They found a place where they could hide until the evening. It was once a storage, now only a ruin, filled with broken armors, weapons and food supplies.

Before entering the ruined building, they had to knock out a few pegasi, but, they didn’t leave them in the open. The two dragged the unconscious pegasi, tied them up and hid them underneath some wreckages then proceeded to the ruined storage.

That night, most of the pegasi were up in their city above, while the others were still guarding the eastern forest, western forest, the Barricade and were searching for the two escapees. Two soldiers were patrolling a ruined training field searching for the two, when a shadowy figure pulled one of them down.

The other pegasi saw his friend that had his throat cut wide open and with blood pouring out of it. The shadowy figure pointed towards the guard with what seemed to him a metal stick with a hole in the middle. The shadowy pony smiled then a loud noise was heard throughout the ruins.

The earth-pony ran from that place, encountering other soldiers, but she pointed the metal stick at them, and loud noises were heard once more. On those the figure didn’t use the stick, it used a sword to stab them or cut their throats. The soldiers were already alarmed and split up to find the stranger. C and inky were woken up by the noise made by the hooves and screams of the guards moving around the ruined building.

The two moved towards the back of the ruined storage. They were cautious not to make any sound. C was looking at the back of the storage, while Inky was behind him and kept staring at the front of the ruined building, while being careful of each sound made by the guards.

At the same time, the figure entered through the back of the storage silently. C saw no movement, but heard the guards moving towards the front, while the figure saw some guards stationed in the back of the storage.

Inky kept looking at the front part, as well as C. The figure and him moved ever closer and in the end they touched each other's butt. Both him and the figure turned to face each other, the figure slapped him, but he slapped the pony back.

Then she slapped him again and he gave the same treatment to her. Inky intervened and told them to stop, after saying that the grey mare pulled a sword and pointed it at C’s throat and the metal stick towards Inky’s head ready to take them at the same time.

“Ok, calm down please. I want no holes in my skin.” C sat down with his front hooves up in the air at the same level his as his head.

“You’re a changeling and she’s a… whatever she is. Anyway she’s not a pony, by the way I like your necklace.” said the grey mare staring at the white changeling.

“Thank you. Inky why don’t you ever mention my necklace?” C stared at his white-furred companion.

“C I think we’re in a worse situation than your necklace.” She responded pointing her head towards the grey mare.

“That’s not true, there’s never such a bad situation so that you can not compliment a necklace.” The grey mare said pointing at the necklace with her sword.

“Yeah Inky! There’s never a bad situation. Why didn’t you ever ask of my necklace?” said C then the three started arguing, but were finally stopped by the sound of guards approaching the ruined storage.

“I say we first take care of not letting these guards enter.”

Said C laying down in the ruins with both mares, cautious about not making any sound. The two mares agreed and Inky turned towards the entrance while the grey mare pointed her metallic stick towards the back of the storage.

"Keep the gun down. The last thing we need is making any noise." The white changeling said

" How do you know about guns?" The gray mare asked very surprised.

"Because my dear gray friend, I am simply me." The white changeling said to her.

"Can you two please shut up?" Inky stared at the two making sure not to make a loud noise. After a while the guards moved away from the storage. C and the two mares relaxed and decided to introduce themselves.

"My name is Captain Snow Dawn of the eight Stalliongrad regiment sent to help the Steam-City end this war."

“Stalliongrad? I already like you.” C said to the mare.

"How comes?" She asked him.

"Let's say I just like the sound of it. Oh, right! I am C by the way." The white changeling replied replied closing his eyes.

"And who are you miss?" The grey earth-pony asked.

"I am Blue Ink, but you can call me Inky and I am a shape-Shifter." The white-furred mare said.

"Nice to meet you both then." The gray mare said.

"Yes, yes, but you know what's really important right now Snowy?" The white changeling said looking at her.

"What?" She asked him.

"Your cape. I mean look at it! Is this cotton?" C grabbed Snow's cape and petted it.

"Yes it is. I made it myself." She replied looking at him.

"Then you are very skilled. I used to have a cape once too." He looked at her after letting the cape out of his hooves.

"But I do like your necklace, is that a diamond?" She looked at C's necklace.

"Yes, it is." He said looking at the necklace.

"Guys? Don't you think there are more important things right now than a necklace and a cape?"

"Yes, maybe, probably, for sure." C replied looking at Inky.

"Snow, I'm curious. How did you get into the camp?" Inky asked her.

"My flag-zeppelin crushed into the Wigonian Administration Tower... I was the only one that got away in time." She looked at the ground to her right side feeling bad for the ponies that died.

"I'm sorry to hear that Snow." Inky touched her right shoulder with her right front hoof.

"I'm okay... they did their duty. I only wish that they had got to the parachutes in time." She replied looking at the white-furred mare.

"It's okay Snow, things like this happen. What's a parachute?" Inky asked looking at the gray mare.

"A parachute is this... well... a big piece of cloth put inside a backpack that when opened helps you land safely on the ground. Anyway, I was wondering? What is a changeling doing here anyway?" She stared into C's eyes waiting for a response.

"Let's just say I am special." C said looking at her.

"Well, that being said. Do you have a plan of getting out of here?" Inky asked the gray mare which moved at the back of the storage and saw through a crack a pegasi-zeppelin.

"i think I do. If we can get inside that zeppelin I think I could pilot it back to the Steam-City." The gray mare said looking at the two.

C looked through a crack in the wall and after analyzing the are better he agreed. The plan was simple, C and Inky would have to go in the front and take out as silent as possible the pegasi they’d encounter while Snow would follow them and make sure she doesn’t use her gun to attract more pegasi.

After a few minutes of sneaking, taking out pegasi and standing still. The three reached the zeppelin which was surrounded by six guards. Snow wanted to use her gun to take them out, but C stopped her, because it was enough that if they went up in the sky they’d attract attention.

But, they didn’t need more attention before they flew up. Instead he made Inky sneak behind them while Snow would make a distraction. During this distraction the white-furred mare would knock unconscious the pegasi that still guarded the machinery and Snow would also make sure the distracted ones do not return. The three entered the zeppelin and after closing the doors C and Inky went to the propeller room to start the engines while Snow would fly it into the air.

"Uhm... C, do you know how to start this?" Inky asked the white changeling.

"Nope, not the slightest idea, but I know how we can make them start!" He replied looking at the engines.

"You do realize you denied yourself, right?" Inky replied staring at C which opened small door to some sort of small wheels and tubes.

"Yep, I do!" He stared much closer at the content behind the door.

"Still, how are we going to make this work?" She staring at other pieces of machinery.

"Well, I really have no idea how, but I have an idea." He replied looking at Inky's face.

"You did it again." She said to him, but after she said it, C hit the box with his right back hoof and the propellers started working.

"See? I told you I have an idea." He said moving towards the exit.

After they rose up into the air and headed towards the river, one pegasi inside one of the ruined towers alerted the others and then hell broke loose. The pegasi arrows were aimed at the zeppelin, but luck was with them for that the pegasi ballista’s were either destroyed or unmounted. But C and Inky went to the ballista’s on board and started firing their huge arrows at the pegasi on top of the Barricade, damaging it even more than the steamer’s assault did.

The zeppelin was hit by a few arrows, but nothing too bad. C and inky joined Snow in the flying room and helped her fly the zeppelin. Snow explained to the two the little he knew about flying zeppelins. After about ten minutes of flight, the three were in sight of the Steam-City.

C looked at the city through the window and saw huge towers rising from the river, lights everywhere across the buildings and a very impressive wall, even greater than the Great Barricade’s walls. Inky also looked at the city amazed of its beauty.

"Uhm... Snow? We're in a pegasi zeppelin and I don't think the ponies down there know this." She said after looking at the wall making Snow’s smile suddenly fade away and was replaced by a worried look and a grin.

“Upsi.” She said looking at Inky with the corner of her eyes.

After that sentence the sky was filled with explosions. Everywhere around them cannonballs were exploding. The zeppelin started shaking, the three were thrown in all directions while Inky saw as the huge towers on the walls opened their roof tops and around ten canons inside each one of them. Huge lights mounted on the walls and towers were fixed on the zeppelin. C told the two mares to come after him for that he had a plan. The two mares went after him barely keeping themselves on all fours.

"Snow, do you know if these zeppelins have any parachutes?" C asked her while running down the corridor.

"Yes. Some steamer veterans told me that even the pegasi need parachutes, in case of wing injuries." She replied looking at him while running.

As they moved forwards the long corridor to what seemed to the side entrances where parachutes should be. The bottom of the corridor was hit by a cannonball, Inky was stranded on the other side of the zeppelin which shaking on all sides.

"Come on Inky! Jumpy-jump!" C yelled at her from the other side.

"C are you crazy?!" She yelled back at him.

"Of course I am! Now jumpy-jump already!" She looked down and got a bit scared of the altitude, but she knew this was the only solution.

She moved back and after she took speed she jumped over the gap. She opened her eyes and looked down and saw another cannonball heading towards her, but C caught her and pulled her away before the cannonball hit her. He lay down on the ground and Inky on top of him.

“That was close.” Inky slapped him.

"Thank you." She thanked him looking to her left.

"I suggest we keep moving." The gray mare said and the two followed her immediately.

The three had finally at the side entrances and saw the parachutes. Both entrances were destroyed and in the middle of the floor there was a huge gap that separated the parachutes. Snow jumped on what remained of the floor to take three parachutes throwing two to C and Inky.

“See you down.” She put the parachute on her back and made a back flip jumping through the gap in the floor.

C held Inky’s neck tight around his hooves and put the parachute on her back.

"I promised I'd take care of you." Holding his parachute around his neck he jumped with Inky out the left entrance of the zeppelin.

"Here we go!" He yelled as they jumped.

Inky was scared from what altitude the two were falling down, she heard and explosion and turned to see the zeppelin explode and its debris was heading towards them. C mounted the parachute on his back and laughed.

"I didn't have so much fun in a while!" C yelled looking at Inky.

"C, you're crazy!" Inky yelled at him.

"I know!" C then pointed his hooves back and pointed himself forwards increasing the speed of his fall. Inky saw him doing this then after seeing the debris heading towards her she did the same.

"C, what do I use a parachute?" She yelled at him after she reached him.

"One, relax. Two, at my signal we pull this rope."

They were falling even faster and C saw that it was time to open the parachute so he gave the order, but Inky’s parachute did not open no matter how hard she tried. He saw that and after taking off his parachute he headed towards Inky and opened the bag without pulling the rope. The parachute almost hit him. The force with which the parachute opened dragged Inky up while C kept falling. He smiled then opened his wings and after breathing deeply he tried to use them.

"C!" She yelled from above as her friend was falling down.

“That’s my name!”

He opened his wings and after making a rotation he glided using them. To his luck, he wasn’t far from the ground so he managed to glide a bit then seeing he couldn’t use his wings anymore he fell from a safe distance on the ground. Inky landed on the ground and after taking off her parachute, she headed towards C that rose up from the ground and cleaned himself of any dust on his skin.

"Hi there Inky." She said to her as she approached, but she slapped him then hugged him.

"Never do this again!" She stared into his eyes.

C wanted to say something, but the two were soon surrounded by steamer soldiers pointing muskets towards them. The guards were equipped from head to tail with a beautiful armor. At first sight, the armor was both beautiful and heavy.

One pony approached and after C looked at him, he recognized the clothes and cape being similar to those Snow wore. But, they weren’t so torn apart and the wearer was a colt with a big moustache and a scar on his snout.

"Fire!" The scared colt yelled staring at the two.

"Stop! They're with me." Snow came from the back of the soldiers making them stop aiming at the two.

The colts stared at Snow, surprised she was still alive. The scared colt ran towards Snow and hugged her, he then welcomed her daughter back. Snow was happy to see her father too then told him how C and Inky helped her escape the pegasi camp and that they were on their side.

The scared colt saluted them and thanked the two for bringing his daughter back. C smiled and said that it was their pleasure, the colt’s daughter is quite a resourceful and handy one. He then stopped suddenly and stared behind Snow.

"C, are you okay?" Snow stared at C.

"This happened before in the Ever Free Forest." Inky told them while he suddenly snapped out of it.

"Indeed, Snow is quite... Aaaaaaghhh!" C fell on the ground screaming while touching his head with his hooves. The ponies were surprised and jumped to help C, but as sudden as the scream started, C rose from the ground.

“Something’s coming.” The ponies looked confused at him.

"What is coming?" The scared colt asked.

”Something big is coming.” C replied looking at the colt while in the city of Wigonia the eye scared general was in a throne room looking outside a window towards the direction the zeppelin went.

"Is everything ready?" A young colt on the throne asked the general.

"Tomorrow the Steam-City will be filled with our soldiers, sir." The general said after he turned towards the young colt.

"Excellent."The colt on the throne grinned.

Snow and her father escorted C and Inky to a luxury inn, but they couldn't manage to discuss anything seeing that C fell on the bed the first second he entered the room, Inky joined him immediately, she was too tired to stay awake any longer.

Next morning, C and Inky were escorted from the inn the great building in the middle of the city. It was the tallest building in the entire city, it’s top scratching the very clouds above. Inky was amazed and couldn’t stop staring at the massive building, C looked at her and smiled. The street beneath their hooves was moving on its own.

Snow explained how the steamers used the steam and electricity they produce from various engines to make the floors move, the light posts to lit up at night and power up their various contraptions. The steamers were a society that was technologically advanced and were fixed on scientific breakthroughs, anything that made their lives easier. But, unfortunately the past twenty years of war left the scientific community of the steamers to research new warfare devices, but on the bright side they discovered methods to use less resources and use everything to their advantage.

As C and Inky walked inside the huge building they saw inside guards and elegantly dressed ponies that entered and exited various room. The two alongside Snow and her father entered a small chamber and Snow explained that the chamber is going to move upwards and the name of that chamber was an elevator, but C stole Snow’s word from her mouth.

The elevator moved up, but as they moved they could see that the elevator they were in had a window that enabled them to view of the city below them. Inky looked at the city and couldn't believe how beautiful and amazing it was while C just stood there smiling while looking at the city.

"I missed such sights." Only Inky heard him say that.

Inside the top of the massive building there was a huge decorated door and behind it was a great throne room. The walls were decorated with painted glass symbolizing different heroes or rulers of the city, some showed the hard working and trustful ponies of the Steam-City in their Golden-Age prior to the Great War.

As C, Inky, Snow and her father moved towards the throne they saw guards in beautiful decorated armor and helmets. On the throne sat an old colt with a crown on his head and a medium sized beard that joined his moustache. In front of the throne was another distinguishable colt that were a helmet made to resemble a crown and with a very beautiful armor with a long red cape. Those two were most certainly the rulers of the city.

"Greetings strangers and welcome to our city. I am king Golden Sky. Ruler of the Steam-City for over forty-six years and this is my son, Blue Dream." The old colt said looking at Inky and C.

"Nice to meet you Goldy." C replied with a smile.

"How dare you speak like that to my father?!" Blue Dream put his right front hoof at his sword ready to take it out.

"Calm down son. I do not mind." The king replied looking at his son which let go of the sword.

"Nowy-now, seeing that we settled this. I am curious? How did this war begin?" C asked the king looking into his eyes.

"Twenty years ago. The Steam-City and Wigonia were allies, but the ruler of Wigonia died in mysterious circumstances and in his place came another pegasi that wanted all the riches and technology of the Steam-City and so the pegasi attacked the city of Shtrahmn." The king said, but stopped to couh then kept telling the story.

"Shtrahmn was located where the Barricade is now. I begged Princess Celestia to intervene and stop this war, but she was unable to so. There were other urgent matters to attend to and the fact the regions were given their own administration made her refuse. After she told me that I declare the Steam-City Independent from Equestria as long as it refused to help us! And so began the war that has been lasting for twenty years." The king stopped explaining and coughed.

"I will help you end this war Goldy, but you should prepare for now. Something big is coming." C said after moving towards the king.

"How do you know this, changeling?" The prince asked him with a glare.

"The voice told me.Don't misjudge me as an insane changeling, for that what the voice was not lying."

C only began hearing the voice a week ago, but felt he could trust it. Even though he looked like an insane changeling to the ponies inside the room, except Inky, Snow and the King. Golden Sky ordered the soldiers to prepare the city for whatever it was coming, he wasn’t sure if to trust C or not seeing his origin and the voice inside his head, but he had no other solution, he seemed a trustworthy pony.

Every soldier inside the city was rushing to enforce their defences in preparation for whatever C’s voice was telling him it was coming. The soldiers may misjudge him, but when the king gives an order they have to execute it. Maybe the king was old and his reign was coming to an end, but his wisdom protected the city for these past twenty years and doubting him now would look like treason to them and an insult for what the king has done for them. The poor steamers, little did they know that they couldn’t be less prepared for what was coming towards them. Inside the throne room of Wigonia’s Great Citadel, the young colt on the throne was grinning.

"I'm coming back home father." The pegasi said staring outside the window.

Inside the Steam-City’s throne room C and Inky were looking outside, while Snow, her father and the Prince were planning for their next action. Inky saw something approaching from the horizon. The white-furred mare alerted the other that came to the window to see what was it and in shock they saw Wigonia moving with great speed towards them. Surrounding the cloud city were six huge zeppelins. The Prince ran towards a device and pressed a button then yelled through it, his words were heard everywhere in the city.

“Everypony that isn’t capable of fighting, go in the bunkers the rest prepare for war. Wigonia has arrived… this is not a drill, I repeat… This is not a drill!”

Everypony that wasn’t in the army and was not capable of fighting ran underneath the Steam-City, in the bunkers built to protect the citizens from any air-raids. The soldiers ran towards the towers and walls while those capable of fighting were given armor and weapons to serve the King.

The zeppelin flyers and their crews rushed towards the hangars. Also the sailors rushed to their ships in the port ready to kick Wigonia out of the sky. C stared at the steamers as they took their positions, but told the King to stop any attempt of fighting the cloud city. The King didn’t listen to C, now was the time when the Steam-City would kick Wigonia out of the skies. The young colt on the throne of Wigonia ordered the general to start the assault.

The Steam-City retaliated, firing their massive cannons at Wigonia and at the huge zeppelins surrounding it. The huge zeppelins were hit, but the general was able to give the order, then the assault began. From the huge machinery other smaller zeppelins came out, darkening the sky and began firing at the Steam-City’s defences. Although the steamers were in advantage because they had canons, or they thought that. After the pegasi used a few arrows they begun launching rockets and firing canons at the Steam-City.

The zeppelins of both cities met in a great aerial battle. The sky darkened by the explosions that took place in the air. The steamers ships arrived and they began firing at Wigonia directly. Both cities were shaking thanks to the powerful weapons they deployed.

The steamers seemed to be in advantage, but after they destroyed two of the zeppelin carries and destroyed most of the pegasi zeppelin fleet the young colt rose up from his throne and yelled , like somepony would hear him.

"I'm Prince Red Clouds and I'll destroy this city!" The pegasi prince yelled.

Inside the Steam-City throne room, the Prince, Snow’s father and the King already celebrated, but C, Snow and Inky knew that this wasn’t the end. C looked at Wigonia then told everyone to duck. Towards the massive building a huge number of rockets were heading, also rockets headed towards the steamers zeppelin fleet and ships. But, that wasn’t all, from Wigonia a large number of lightning bolts hit the city, destroying some of the buildings, but also the lightning bolts were used against the ships and zeppelin fleet.

Even with their zeppelin fleet falling down from the sky and their ships going to the bottom of the White River, the steamers kept fighting bravely. It was only when the rockets hit the throne room the bravery and morale of the defenders was reduced to ashes.

Chapter III: War of the Steam-City Part II: Skyfall

Chapter III

War of the Steam-City

Part II:

Skyfall

The Steam-City’s northern defenses were destroyed. The pegasi were descending in the city and either killed all the defenders or captured them and sent them into their prisons to use them as forced labor after this already-won battle really ended. The tower was hit by a huge number of rockets, but it mostly remained intact, for that the old king used his remaining life to save all-those in the tower by creating a barrier. From the ruins of the top level C rose up and after he cleaned himself from dust he asked for those still alive to moan like they were in pleasure. C heard Inky and rushed to help her out of the ruins, but after he helped her rise up and she thanked him the white changeling said that she didn’t moan in pleasure.

Inky told C that this isn’t a funny situation, but C contradicted the white-furred mare saying there’s never a situation too bad not to make fun. The mare nodded her head then mentioned the necklace compliment and C thanked her like she really said it. Snow rose up next and rushed to see if her father was alright. For her relief, her father was unharmed, she helped him up from the floor then heard the young unicorn prince as he mourned his father’s death. The four ponies approached the mourning prince then C, suddenly as always, told them they should go down and find a plan to counter-attack.

The prince didn’t look willing to go down, but Snow’s father grabbed the young prince and dragged him away from his father said that the time for mourning is not now, there’s a war going outside and his father gave his life to protect them for a reason. Hearing that, the prince came back to his senses and asked the old colt if he had a plan, but the old colt said that the prince should ask C, from all those in the room C was the only one that seemed to have a plan.

The prince stared at C, but he didn’t go to talk with him, instead he ordered the newly promoted general to follow him to prepare a defensive fight on the streets. C jumped in front of the prince when he heard this. The changeling told the prince it was suicide, but Blue Dream contradicted C saying how he suggested this. The white changeling stared at the prince explaining that he suggested a counter-attack not a suicidal defensive of a lost city.

Blue Dream glared back at C and explained to him how he should be grateful he’s still alive. Changelings and shape-shifters should all be eliminated from Equestria. The prince then moved towards a still functioning elevator calling the general and his daughter. C couldn’t stand the fact that the prince insulted the changelings and shape-shifters so he jumped in front of him and punched him as hard as he could making the arrogant prince fall down.

“You may think you’ll solve something by this kid, but I’ll do it my own way.” C said this while the prince rose up and cleaned his snout of the blood that poured out from it.

The prince wanted to show C some respect, but the general, still owing C the fact he saved his daughter, convinced the prince to follow him and protect the city. The general called his daughter to come and help them, but she disobeyed her father and chose to stay with C and Inky and help them instead. Snow approached the two and asked C what’s the plan and he said they should first go down, but the elevators were destroyed and the only one working was transporting the prince and the old general.

Snow proposed they should wait for the elevator to return, but C moved around trying to think of another solution to go down. In the meantime Inky was searching around for a way down, after a bit of searching she found a door leading down, she shouted to the two and showed them the stairs. Snow said they were crazy if they went down those stairs. Indeed, there was a long way down, but that didn’t discourage C, he stepped on one of the stairs then said that crazy things are his jobs and even though going down some stairs was boring, they had to do it.

There was a long way down, and after about ten minutes of moving down the stairs C went insane with bore and put Inky and Snow on the handles and slid down with them, the two were scared not to fall down while C yelled of happiness. Outside the prince and the general were already gathering the remaining troops to initiate a toe-to-toe combat, the soldiers were to barricade buildings and use their weapons to kill the pegasi that followed the runners sent by the general. Above though, the zeppelins of the steamers were captured and their crews locked inside one of their rooms while the city of Wigonia moved above the topless tower and the prince of the pegasi sat on the ruined throne of the Steam-City and put the deceased king next to him.

The prince called his newly appointed general and calling him by his name, Blizzard White, ordered him to start the first incursion. The runners moved towards one of the living quarters of the city where about forty pegasi were scavenging and searching for the inhabitants. The winged ponies saw the runners, and seeing there was nothing of importance in that sector followed the earth ponies. The pegasi were brought to a narrow street. The steamers hid inside the buildings and waited for the pegasi to arrive. On the moment all the pegasi were on the street they shot them down. The sound of their fire weapons propagated attracting other pegasi. The winged-ponies saw the strategy of the steamers and decided to attack them from above and infiltrate the building, leading to a toe-to-toe fight where the pegasi would be the victorious. Although they thought well of their plan, the steamers had a few tricks up their sleeves to make sure the pegasi won’t defeat them.

C, Inky and Snow finally reached the ground. The two mares were scared and Snow fell on her hooves and kissed the ground thanking her ancestors for the fact she was an earth-pony, while Inky tried to catch her breath trying to calm down. C came out next and saw that the three were surrounded by about ten pegasi. C smiled and greeted the pegasi, making them a bit confused, then without warning C jumped behind them and , knocking one out, grabbed his spear and started a fight. Snow returned to normal and joined C using her pistol while Inky was to use the sword Snow threw to her. Snow was serious and shot the pegasi without thinking twice while C was taunting them and jumping over the abandoned desks and tables. Inky was as serious and Snow, but tried not to kill the pegasi, but the circumstances didn’t give her any choice.

Snow’s gun attracted more pega soldiers. C ran towards the two and threw Snow’s gun away then the three began running. The streets outside the former palace of the king was filed with pegasi, but the three managed to run from them, either by Snow cutting their throats or by C and Inky’s knockout teamwork. The pegasi weren’t going to let the three get away and chased them, some form the ground, other in the air using their crossbows to try and injure the three. On the other side of the city, the pega entered the buildings where the steamers were barricaded, but the steamers retreated down into the tunnels they built across the entire city in case of such an assault. They left behinf them something, though, the pega saw something burning, as they went to see what was burning they saw a dead pega, and next to him, entire explosives. The fire was getting closer to the explosive, but the pega didn’t have enough time to react, for that the explosives inside the building next to theirs blew up causing this one to blow up as well.

From the ruined throne of the steamers, the pegasi prince saw the smoke coming from the burning buildings and ordered his general to take his veteran regiment and make sure the steamer resistance force was annihilated before any other pegasi died. Thanks to the explosions, the pegasi chasing our three heroes were distracted giving them enough time to hide until the pega went to hunt the steamers. C was the first to rise up and asked Snow if her regiment joined her father, she nodded her head responding that her regiment would never follow her dad. He was strict while she liked to use her own methods, thing which made her regiment only loyal to her and not her dad. C was happy hearing that and asked Snow where was her regiment’s barracks. With a smile of her face she told C her regiment didn’t have their barrack, they had a special place and the grey mare was more than happy to show her two friends the location.

She led on while C went to Inky and told her she used the sword quite well. Inky thanked C and asked him from where did he knew to swing a spear like that? C looked up and with a wondering face told her he was just brilliant then smiled revealing his teeth. Inky gently nodded her head then went after Snow making sure she won’t lose her. C stood back a few second and looked behind with a smile then went after the two mares.

Although most of the pega went towards the explosion, the streets leading to Snow’s regiment crawled with the winged soldiers that scavenged and patrolled the area. Snow and C were ready to charge into a toe-to-toe fight with the pegasi. The two were already planning their and Inky’s moves while the white-furred mare was trying to find another way around the winged soldiers. The buildings in that sector were only slightly damaged and gave them no places to hide. Breaking any window would attract the soldiers, but as she studied the area a bit more she saw a ladder leading to a room which had its widow already broken. C and Snow finished their plan and asked Inky what did she think, Inky didn’t say a thing and they turned around expecting for pegasi behind them, but there was nopony there, instead Inky whispered to the two from the room and waved to them. The two quickly climbed up the ladder and entered the room.

Inside there were toys scattered all around, C approached what seemed to be a broken picture on the floor. He grabbed the picture and looked at it. His face changed into that of a sad person. Inky saw C staring at the photo then approached him asking what was the problem. He just changed back to the C he was before the picture and denied anything. The white changeling just put the picture on a desk then went downstairs to see what was their next move. Outside pegasi patrolled the streets in order to find any steamer trying to escape then capture them and use them as forced labor in their labor camp for whatever ambitions the Wigonian prince had.

C and Snow were once more eager to step up into a fight against the pegasi. Only Inky was the one with enough mind in that building to try and find a way to sneak. Unfortunately for her, there was no way to sneak past the guards, but a distraction was possible. The buildings behind this one still had their window intact so she thought that if they break a window maybe the guards will go and investigate it instead of the house they were in. C didn’t agree with this idea, a distraction, in his opinion, would attract the guards inside the building, it was the shortest way to see what’s going on. Snow was willing to take any chances, an open fight would be dangerous, an indoor confrontation would be easier. The three could hide while waiting for the guards to enter, then they would take them out one by one.

C stared outside once more then decided that Snow and Inky were right. Inky would use a book to brake a window of the back buildings while C and Snow hid waiting for the guards to enter. Inky threw the book at the window breaking the glass. The guards heard the noise, most of them flying towards the building, while six entered the house the three heroes hid. As soon as she threw the book, the white-furred mare hid in the wardrobe. Two of the guards rushed up in the room Inky was hiding, while the other four were downstairs. Snow and C waited a bit then saw an opening. Snow sneaked out from the storage room and cut the throat of the guard making sure he wouldn’t make a noise. C waiting until one of the soldiers was near the staircase he was underneath. As the guard approached, C realized he didn’t eat anything that day. He felt the urge to jump on the guard and tear him piece by piece, devouring his flesh and drinking his blood, but his mind could not let him do this, instead he used a broom to knock the guard out.

The guard falling down on the floor made a loud noise which attracted the two guards that were nearby and the two upstairs. Snow looked at C and mimicked with her lips that he did not just do that, the white changeling mimicked back that he was sorry. The two guards quickly came and saw Snow and C, the grey mare didn’t wait and quickly threw her sword directly into the throat of one of the guards while C jumped on his and broke his neck. The brown-haired changeling would had wished to sink his teeth deep into the guard’s neck, but he kept himself from doing it. Inky saw the two guards wanting to head down so she jumped out of the wardrobe right on them knocking them out.

Downstairs the three rushed outside knowing the commotion inside wouldn’t stay unnoticed for much longer. They ran as fast as they could, the guards noticed them then went after them, again the crossbows were aimed at them, Inky was almost hit by one of the arrows, but she kept running, there was no time to stand still and be relieved. As they ran on the streets they met another patch of guards, this time there was no way of avoiding them. Snow pulled out two guns and started firing at the colts in front of them.

“Where did you get those?” asked C staring at Snow’s guns

“Dad owed me a gift for my birthday last week. I asked him for some guns.” Snow said while running on her back hooves and shooting at the pegasi in front of them.

“Happy birthday then.” Said C staring at the grey mare that stood back on all her fours, then rushed at the guards in the front them. With an athletic jump she shot the two guards that were hiding behind the buildings.

“Thanks C. And this is the party I always wanted.” Snow said after she landed on her two back legs and shot the other guards.

Inky reminded the two this wasn’t the best moment to celebrate and started running once more. Luck was on their side for that the three finally reached the grey mare’s regiment hiding place, it was a tavern, but C and Inky didn’t have time to ask why was a tavern the stationing point of her regiment. The three stopped in front of the tavern and Snow started firing as fast as she could at the pegasi that were chasing them, while C and Inky grabbed two crossbows that lay on the ground near the bodies of some dead pegasi and aided Snow. After four minutes and a lot of bullets fired and arrows used, the three finally got rid if the chasers. C wanted to enter the tavern, but Snow told him they were in the cellar. C didn’t ask Snow why was her regiment in the cellar, but he rushed to the cellar without waiting for Snow and Inky and broke in.

“Give me a map, something to write, a lot of gunpowder and we have a plan!” yelled C happily, but the colts inside glared at C then pointed their guns, halberds and crossbows towards C “This sounded better in my head.”

Meanwhile, in the other side of the city, a cruel battle was undergoing. Pegasi soldiers were fighting on the walls of the steamers in order to capture the impressive towers they possessed in order to use them for their prince. The steamers barricaded themselves behind wooden panel and bags filled with stones. The arrows of the pegasi couldn’t manage to hit the heavily barricaded earth-ponies and unicorns, but their fire weapons easily penetrated the armors of their enemies. Bullets were flying everywhere and pegasi were dying each passing second. The wingonian assault may have succeeded but now they were facing another type of battle, where their open sky and ground tactics and their unadvanced weaponry were of no use. The steamers were prepared for such a battle, their city was big, but it didn’t have any proper training grounds for their soldiers, so instead they relied on special hours of the day when their populace was to retreat in the bunkers for their soldiers to train. A training day would consist in four hours of training afterwards two hours of public service. The steamers army wasn’t only advanced, but also helpful and half of the army were engineers ready to rebuild their city in case of an attack such as this one.

The steamers fourth and second defense towers were unharmed and ready to fire as soon as the area was cleared of any pegasi. The first and third towers were badly damaged and could not be operated, but the steamer soldiers kept defending them, they even used the cannons they had stocked for zeppelins to help their brethren that were defending the other towers. At the base of the first tower, general Blizzard and the second regiment exited the tunnel and counted till ten until they would rush outside and help the steamers on the walls. At ten, the general and the second regiment rushed outside the buildings, half of them remained down on the street to fight the ground pegasi while the other half would rush inside the tower to join forces with the steamers.

General Blizzard and his men were greeted by some of the steamers soldiers left inside the base of the tower in order to make sure no pega would enter. The general and his half of the second regiment either used the huge elevator or the stairs to arrive at the top-wall level and help the defensive. As brave and bold the defenders were, the pegasi kept coming, a handful of soldiers against an entire army of highly trained pegasi. The battle was almost lost thanks to the fact the pegasi overwhelmed the brave defenders. The commander of the western branch of the defenders was hit the left back leg by one of the pegasi’s arrows and fell on the wall. The pegasi soldiers approached the commander ready to capture him, but when they approached, General Blizzard and half of the colts he came up with saved the commander and decided to also rescue the steamers caught in the first tower while the other half would save those in the third tower and those down would secure the streets.

In the port side of the city, the prince would lead the fourth and sixth Stalliongrad regiments towards recapturing the ships that still remained in their possession, but didn’t get out of their hangars into the fray at large. The plan was easy, the fourth regiment would attack from the eastern side of the port and recapture the port’s command post and the sixth regiment would attack both from the northern and the western side, surrounding the pegasi and capturing the ships inside the hangars.

The plan was set in motion, the prince lead the northern branch of the sixth regiment into the fray. The smell of gunpowder and death quickly filled the air. The northern branch had to fight through narrow streets and enter inside ammunition storages to stop the pegasi from taking any of the steamers weapons. The prince was the first in line, showing bravery to the men, but the Stalliongrad ponies did not care of the prince’s bravery, they were doing this in the name of their Czar.

“Follow me colts! I will inspire you!” yelled the prince charging towards the first storage.

“Yeah, you keep thinking that.” a soldier said looking at the prince that was charging head long.

While the two resistance groups fought to regain their city, C was trapped in the cellar of the Inn surrounded by tough colts. C ‘s hooves were tied to a wooden pillar and he was guarded by four of the most sturdy colts in the cellar. The white changeling stared around while trying to contain his hunger. He knew that he had to feed, but he had enough killing ponies, as hard as it was C succeeded not to escape and devour all those in the cellar. The door leading to the cellar opened and Snow alongside Inky entered. The colts greeted Snow, but one of them jumped behind Inky and put a sword on her throat. Out of nowhere C appeared behind the colt and tore his neck with his mouth then cleaned the skull of any flesh and stared at the colts that were ready to kill the white changeling. The Grey mare stopped them then approached C and slapped him.

C put his hoof on his check and asked Snow why did she do that? Snow stared at C then pointed with her head the dead colt on the floor. C stared back at Snow and said he promised to protect Inky and as long as he was alive nopony would threaten her. Inky looked at C and couldn’t believe what she heard, C did promise he’d protect her, but she didn’t believe he was saying the truth. Snow turned around to face her colts and told them C and Inky were friends of her and if anypony would touch them again, they’ll be severely punished. She turned around again to look at c, but as she turned she saw the dead colt’s body only consisted in cleaned bones, then she saw C which was covered in blood and was shaking a bit regretting what he has done, at least his hunger was satiated, for now.

Snow moved to a big table in the middle of the room, on the table there was a map of the city and a lot pens and some feathers, Snow took a father and started making a plan of a counter-attack on the city of Wigonia. While she was making the plans, C retreated to a corner wanting to hide there, ashamed of what he has done. Inky saw her friend standing in the corner and went to him and thanked the white changeling for saving her from that colt. C didn’t say anything he just looked at the wall to his right and refused to look the white-furred mare into the eyes. Inky tried to make C feel better, but it didn’t work and in the end Inky got mad and grabbed C making him stare into her eyes then punched him. C fell on the ground, the noise of his fall make the ponies in the room look towards the corner.

C rose up, used his hoof to move his jaw a bit then moved very fast at the table moving Snow away and taking a pix that had the initial C on it and told the grey mare her plan wasn’t good. A direct attack won’t work. He then ordered another map and when he got it he started to make the plans. First he asked how much gunpowder did they possess, a colt that seemed to be the storage guard told the white changeling that they should have around thirty barrels of gunpowder. C then asked the grey mare how many colts were in her regiment, then she said around one thousand. He clapped his hooves then began making the plan. Wigonia was stationed above the tower and the streets surrounding the tower were heavily guarded so he told the ponies to make around four groups. The four groups would spread into four directions surrounding the tower and use the barrels of gunpowder to create a diversion making the guards go and check it out. The ponies then had to fight the pegasi as long as they could while C, Snow and Inky went into the tower and dispatch whoever ruled Wigonia making the pegasi surrender. The colts decided that was a good plan, some of them told C that only three ponies couldn’t possibly dispatch the ruler of Wigonia, but C denied them joining the three saying that they were enough to take care of a ruler that was stupid enough to attack a technologically advanced city.

The colts went into the storage and took the barrels, five to each group and then they went outside. Snow went ahead with her colts to give them a speech. C and Inky were alone in the cellar, the changeling approached the mare and thanked her for making him return to his senses. The changeling and the shape-shifter then went out, but C rushed back down to take the pen with him, Inky stared at C asking him why would he take a pix? The changeling looked at the white-furred mare and told her that “pix” as he called the pen, could be used in many ways, plus he liked the fact it had a “C” on it. The mare gave C a poker face, but the changeling told her to put a smile on that pretty face then he went outside. Outside the cellar, Snow finished the speech then her colts went to their designated positions, eliminating any pega on their way. Snow gave C and Inky a sword and a gun, but the changeling threw the gun and the sword saying that he only needed his pix. Snow was a bit confused and asked C if he was serious? C shook his head then told them “Andale!” and ran towards the tower. Inky told Snow what andale means then the two mares followed C.

On the walls the steamers and stalliongraders secured the two towers and opened the roofs ready to fire at the huge pegasi city. General Blizzard decided to help the steamers that defended the other towers, if he succeeded the fire power the towers possessed would annihilate the flying city once and for all. In the port, the prince and the stalliongraders recaptured the still functioning ships and put some of the colts to take them at large and reclaim the ships that weren’t sunk and eliminate the pegasi zeppelins from the skies if they would show up. The others would move through the city reclaiming the streets then prepare a final assault on the city that positioned itself above the huge tower that was once the palace of the city. In the former throne room of the steamers the pegasi prince was dancing with the body of the dead king grinning at the ponies that tried to regain their city. He saw every move of the foolish ponies and gave his general an order that would make this day the greatest day of the princess life, the day the steamers were finally defeated and Wigonia would reign supreme over the White-River Region then move on to his next target.

Inside the biggest carrier-zeppelin the scared general was staring through the window at the pathetic steamer prince that tried to retake the city. An officer came to the general and told him the message was delivered. The general smiled then ordered the bridge to launch a rocket into the air. That rocket was the signal the other pegasi waited for. The soldiers of the pegasi retreated from the Steam-City back to the carrier-zeppelins or Wigonia. The prince and General Blizzard were confused why would the pegasi retreat but told their colts they were victorious in reclaiming the city and now they only had to take out Wigonia and the carrier-zeppelins, but on the other side of the city C knew this wasn’t right, the pegasi weren’t retreating, they were preparing for something big. He looked at the grey mare and Inky and told them to keep moving, their only hope of surviving whatever was coming was to enter the tower.

The towers opened their roofs and were ready to annihilate the pegasi, but at that moment, the zeppelins that the pegasi captured from them went kamikaze and crushed into the city. The huge towers of the steamers crumbled killing any pony inside or outside them. Also the boats captured from the steamers smashed into the walls making them crumble. General Blizzard’s position was directly hit by a huge zeppelin, killing the general instantly while flames spread across the surroundings. Inside the former throne room the prince played a song through a gramophone and started dancing as the entire city started burning and zeppelins rained from the skies. Then the city of Wigonia started firing the lightning bolts helping at the destruction of the city. On each of the princes’ moves another zeppelin exploded somewhere in the city smoke rising into the sky. The lightning bolt created huge explosions as well targeting storage facilities filled with gunpowder. Down in the bunkers, the ponies were hugging each other scared of what was going on the surface.

C, Snow and Inky were close to the tower, they barely dodged the crumbling buildings and the lightning bolts that almost hit them ten times. Snow’s regiment was almost all of it dead, buried under the ruins of the buildings or burning thanks to the fires that spread across the city like wild-fire. The zeppelin kamikaze attack stopped, but the other zeppelins started firing down at the city. It was clear the prince didn’t want the city to stand any longer, it had to be completely destroyed. The prince now danced with the body of the king smiling each time. Inside the flag-zeppelin the general was drinking a cup of tea while spectating the destruction of the city. The prince was thrown into the water by a great explosion that took place near him. A building almost buried Inky alive but Snow jumped and pushed Inky away, the three ponies kept running and as they arrived at the tower, pegasi guards were waiting. A fight started, Snow was a very good shooter, never missing her targets. C and Inky almost seemed like dancing as how well they knocked the guards out and used their weapons against them. Snow’s ammo was running out so the three rushed inside the tower. Inside they had to run upstairs for that the elevator wasn’t safe for use now that the city was being turned into dust. The prince was dancing very happy, there was nothing that could stop him now, but as the song of his gramophone a pegasi hit the throne. The prince turned around and saw the three ponies. The prince applauded them then said they were too late to stop him. C smiled and said it’s never too late to finish something, but the prince laughed at C then sixty pegasi surrounded them, the three were skeptical of their survival chance, but this wasn’t going to stop them. The three rushed into battle, Inky and Snow were easily killing the pegasi either with sword or spears. Inky and Snow were both trained to fight, Inky has been trained since she was a little filly, all shape-shifters are trained to be powerful fighters and use anything to survive, Inky was clearly very skilled at it. In Stalliongrad, Snow was raised as a proper filly should be, but she always was more attracted by weapons than dresses and jewels, so her father had her trained by the greatest instructor at the age of fourteen, she was skilled then as she is now. C was fighting pretty well himself, he seemed to have been through such situations before, but changelings are born fierce and savage, but not to fight as C was, they are always in huge groups, swarming around and eventually overwhelming their opponents.

C used his pix to stab some guards, but he mostly used the swords and spears from the dead guards, but as he finished some pegasi he heard Inky and Snow yelling, pegasi overwhelmed them and dragged them into the city above. C yelled after Inky and jumped to save her, but he was unable to use his wings, he saw as the two mares were taken into the city and started killing the pegasi with unseen ferocity, the prince saw the anger of the changeling and teased him then flew up into the city above. C let out a scream that echoed through the tower and up into the city. C stretched himself then strained moving his upper half of the body to the ground and a strange blue fog emanated from his necklace and some sort of lightning came from the ground C then opened his eyes that now glowed, red and blue, C then let out a scream and stretched his wings that were now covered in that blue light. The white changeling then jumped into the pegasi city leaving behind him a trail of white fog that vanished as fast as it appeared.

The skies darkened as the bombardment kept going, a thunder storm started, the pegasi started this thunder storm so that anypony alive down in the city would be scared and tremble in fear as their once beautiful city was turned into dust. The prince ordered that the two mares would be taken to the scared general and kept alive until the end of the siege then he’d find them a use. The foolish prince sat down on his throne not thinking that this was going to be the worse day of his life, for that an angry changeling was coming after his friends. The soldiers inside Wigonia were slaughtered and consumed by the raging changeling, he couldn’t think anymore, he felt what he was doing and screamed inside himself for what he was doing, as he consumed each one of the pegasi tears would be seen moving down his cheeks. He was crying, not wanting to do this, but he kept saying to himself that he won’t let those he made promises to suffer ever again, nor those he liked and loved. The soldiers were terrified, C was unstoppable, not even one hundred pegasi. They thought of C as powerful and unstoppable, but inside his mind he knew how weak he was, letting himself being consumed by hunger and rage like this, he was no longer that which he used to be he kept repeating, but then he heard Inky’s voice and saw the two mares being tortured and he embraced the anger even more. Inside the throne room, the scared general was congratulated by the prince for his successful campaign and toasted a glass of wine, but right after that the huge cloud-doors were smashed and fell down on the floor, C was in front of the two colts, covered in blood growling with anger. He stared at the two colts and moved towards them. Other pegasi rushed inside the throne room to stop C, they fired arrows that hit C in the back, he screamed in pain as the arrows hit him, but with all the pain that surged through C’s body he rushed at the pegasi and feasted on their flesh, making sure he would torture them before he consumed their flesh. The scared general ordered the prince to retreat to the flag zeppelin from where he’d be taken to a safe location. The prince flew off while the general was face to face with C, the white changeling recognized the general and opened his mouth letting a few drops of blood stain the cloud-floor. The general pulled a sword and rushed toward C, the two began fighting. The general cut C a few times making him scream in pain, but the cuts were only superficial and to the general’s surprise they disappeared, only the holes his sword added to the changeling’s mane, tail and wings remained. He then remembered tales of the changeling being able to regenerate wounds on their bodies leaving no scar behind, but the wounds on the wings, mane, tail and hooves remained and followed the changelings to the rest of their lives. C caught back his breath then jumped on the general that dropped his sword. The general was staring into the eyes of the greatest beast he ever encountered, he asked the changeling what was he, after that he closed his eyes then C tore his neck.

Inside the flag-zeppelin the two mares were tied on the bridge guarded by two pegasi. The prince entered the bridge breathing heavily, then he gave the order for the zeppelin to move while the other carrier-zeppelins would start firing at the throne room of Wigonia. The pegasi knew that by doing this they would destroy the center of their city, but they did what the prince said, they launched a red rocket towards the throne room, after the explosions, the others understood the order and with heavy hearts started firing. Inside the flag-zeppelin the prince was relieved that he got out alive and that the Steam-City was in ruins, only a few buildings still stood, even if only as ruins, but it was enough, he didn’t knew of the underground bunkers though, he thought the steamers fled across the river, or they tried to go into the open, but the southern part of the barricade would exterminated them, just like they exterminated the first, third, fifth and seventh Stalliongrad regiments sent through the southern part to aid the steamers.

Unknown to the prince, a small zeppelin entered the hangar of the flag-zeppelin. The pegasi inside the hangar were wondering who could be inside the zeppelin, but they didn’t give much importance to it. The zeppelin’s door opened, but no pegasi went to see what was it, only one colt that had to check the machinery to see how was it, stood outside checking his toolbox. He heard hooves moving towards him then stopped. The engineer greeted the pilot and told him to go to the hospital on board to check him out, it was the ordinary routine. The colt turned and saw the colt, he let out a scream then the pegasi inside the hangar rushed to see what was it and as they approached they saw the face of anger and after a lot of screams propagated through the hangar, silence fell. Only blood and bones stood in the hangar, there was also some flesh scattered around, but not a body.

Inside the bridge the prince was savoring a glass of wine. Inky told the prince this wasn’t over he’d pay for this, C would come after them. The prince laughed then told Inky that the order to fire at his own throne room was exactly to kill this C she was talking about. She couldn’t believe it, a small tear ran across her left check. Snow saw the white-furred mare’s tear and told her that C was alright and he’d come to save them, there was no way he was dead. Inky tried to listen to Snow, but she couldn’t stop being sad, the pegasi on the bridge that heard tales of the elusive shape-shifters couldn’t understand why was she feeling remorse for a changeling. But C was different, for her C wasn’t a changeling, he was a good friend, she remembered their journey through the forest then how he saved her from that colt in the cellar. As the flag-zeppelin moved the prince heard hooves approaching the bridge, they were moving slowly and as they stopped the doors were slammed and the head of the scared general was thrown in front of the prince.

C entered the bridge covered in blood, but he was calm this time, all his rage cooled of and hunger was satiated. The two guards ran towards C, but he stabbed one with his pix then the other with the spear of his fallen comrade. Inky saw C and was very happy, but as she the blood on him he remembered the first time she saw him and this time she got a bit scared of C.

“What are you?” the prince asked staring into the eyes of the changeling.

“I am C and I made a promise that I will protect Inky and I shall keep my promise until the day I die.” The white changeling responded then moved closer to the prince.

“Stay back or I’ll kill you!” the prince yelled at C and put a sharp sword that seemed like it had teeth on his hoof.

C wasn’t impressed by the prince’s sword and kept moving forwards, the prince ran to C wanting to cut him, but C blocked the prince’s hoof then punched him the stomach. Snow saw how everypony in the room was staring at C and the prince and saw the opportunity to escape. After he punched the prince in the stomach, C punched the prince in the face making him fall down and dropped his sword. The prince tried to take his sword back, but C grabbed him by his back feet then pulled the prince towards him and pushed him over his throne making him fall down and breaking his right wing and back-right leg. C went to free the two mares, while the prince, after he rose up ordered the pegasi on board to turn the zeppelin and crush it into the center of Wigonia, they wouldn’t do such a thing, but the prince told them that they were dead either way, that changeling was a killing-machine and nothing could stop it now except this. With heavy hearts the pegasi turned the zeppelin and raised its speed so that it would crush into the heart of the cloud city. The prince seeing his wish was done ordered the retreat of the pegasi. The prince and the pegasi went to the small-escape zeppelins, inside them only one pegasi could fit. The prince was the last pegasi to board the escape zeppelin, but as he entered he heard a sound like “Crrr. Shrrk.” He turned around to see what was it. The prince froze after turning around then rose up and moved outside the zeppelin without caring of the pain caused by his back-right hoof as he moved. He stood outside like waiting for something to enter, but there was nothing, he then turned around and closed the door and the sound “Crrr.Shrrk.” stopped and the prince came back to his senses and fell on the ground because of the pain he felt from his hoof, he didn’t understand what happened, one second he was inside, the other he was outside. He couldn’t rise up anymore and saw as the zeppelin took off and flew outside, the prince stood there screaming in pain.

On the bridge, C freed the two mares and felt the zeppelin trembling, Snow looked at the window in front of the bridge and saw how fast they were approaching the city of Wigonia. The three ponies rushed outside the bridge and towards the place where the parachutes were. They grabbed the parachutes as fast as they could. Snow said she’ll see them down and jumped outside the zeppelin, C and Inky were next, but not before Inky asked C how did he reach them. He looked Inky straight in her eyes and said he used the last fragment of his past to save them, from that moment onward C’ll be a normal changeling that can’t fly and doesn’t have a horn, but possesses a pix he said. Inky told him why couldn’t he be as serious as before, the changeling looked at her and said that they should jump. He grabbed Inky and jumped outside the zeppelin. They saw they were falling towards the water, the zeppelin flew pretty far from the city and now was heading back. C told Inky to open the parachute at his sign, but when she opened the parachute, there was no parachute inside, it was a simple backpack. C realized it was his fault. Inky looked at C sadly, but C didn’t wait and think and moved towards Inky and whispered into her ear that everything will be alright and put his parachute on her back without the white-furred mare noticing. He then moved his head away from Inky’s ear and said goodbye as he opened the parachute and was thrown off Inky by the force of the parachute opening. Inky yelled C’s name, but as C was falling down he looked at Inky and said “See you later Inky.” He then opened his wings trying to fly, but Inky knew as well as he did he had no chance, but Inky lost sight of C as he disappeared behind a black cloud that moved lower than it should.

Inky let a few tears move down her cheeks. The white-furred mare reached the water and started swimming towards the Steam-City, the water was cold and the fact C died in those waters, made them even colder. As she approached the Steam-City she saw Snow on a ship that escaped the city before the kamikaze attack. The grey mare helped the shape-shifter up on the ship and gave her a blanket and asked where was C. Inky stared at the water, but didn’t say a thing. Snow understood what happened, she was gripped by sadness too, but didn’t show it. C helped her escape the pegasi camp and saved her from the insane prince, she was grateful to C, if it wasn’t for him she’d probably be dead by now.

The flag-zeppelin crushed into the core of the cloud city and a huge explosion made the black cloud scatter making the rain stop. The ponies on the boats saw as not only the core of the city exploded, but also all the pegasi-zeppelins. Wigonia was still intact, what exploded was the core of the city, the core of a cloud-city is a continuous storm of lightning and the flag-zeppelin that entered made the storm implode. From their ships the ponies saw as the cloud city wasn’t able to remain in the skies and started falling down. The massive city was falling down from the skies, all the pegasi inside being thrown from place to place unable to fly off. The huge city crushed into the White-River creating a wave that moved the ships of the steamers back into their ruined city.

As the ship where Inky and Snow were stopped in the middle of the city the two mares went down on the ruined streets and looked at the sky. The steamers started yelling happily, the war was finally over, Wigonia fell into the White-River and now the clouds that composed the city where either turning back into water or moving back into the skies. Next to the two mares came the prince, he was rescued by a small fisherpony’s boat and took to another steamer ship. He congratulated the grey mare for ending the war, Inky heard that and moved towards the prince and punched him so hard two teeth flew out of his mouth and fell on the ground while his snout started bleeding. She was lucky for that the colts that were on the ships and were celebrating were all from Stalliongrad and didn’t tolerate the prince’s attitude and were loyal only to Snow as their new commander and the Czar as their leader. Snow calmed Inky down and told the prince that she didn’t do anything and she would had done just like Inky, for that C stopped the war and saved everypony.

“Not everypony.” A voice was heard moving towards them

The ponies stared at the location from which the voice was heard and saw C, he was wet, but alive. The ponies saw that one of C’s wings was missing, but changeling wings grow back after a while so there’s no worry for that missing wing, what was important was that C was able to fly and survived the fall and the wave. Inky ran towards C and hugged him thanking her ancestors he was alive, but she saw C was sad. He was happy to see Inky, but he was sad for what he has done to save her and Snow and felt responsible for all the innocent pegasi that died inside the cloud city. But what’s done is done, there’s no turning back.

Twenty earth-ponies were heard moving towards Snow. As the grey mare turned to see who’s coming, she saw the body of her father, the ponies brought her father. Snow ran to the lifeless-body of her father and started crying. Her father was a great colt, you could always trust and count on him. C and inky saw the general and went next to Snow trying to help her get over it. She smiled and thanked the two for being there for her, she rose up and told them that she was alright. After that the three and the surviving ponies went underground to celebrate their victory into the biggest underground tavern built by the steamers. Wine, beer and food were flying around as everypony was partying for their victory. The ponies took C on their front hooves and threw him into the air then catch him for about ten times, each time the ponies around cheering him and after that they applauded and thanked the changeling for helping them end this long war. They were finally safe, C thanked them, but he also told the ponies that everypony that fought today was a hero, but they should also acclaim Inky and Snow, if it wasn’t for them, the war would had ended with the victory of the pegasi. The ponies started acclaiming the two mares, while the two were acclaimed C moved stealthily from the party, but Inky saw him going away.

Outside, in the ruined city, C was moving a boat towards the water, he was going to leave the ruined city and move on wherever the voice was telling him to go now. The white changeling finally reached the water and put the boat on it. He was ready to go when Snow asked him where was he going. C looked at the two mares and told them his job here was done, he had other places to go and see, other ponies to save maybe. Snow moved a bit towards C and told him that he should at least say goodbye. C looked at Inky that knew it was over, she was sad because of that, C said he didn’t say goodbye for a long time, he was always away from society barely interacting and ever making any friends, then he said he found Inky and Snow. He then looked at the boat and with a silly face and said that there’s room on the boat for one more pony, if she’d like to come of course. Inky moved her head up to look C into his eyes. C said that of course he was speaking to her, she was such a silly filly the white changeling said. She can travel with him as long as risking her life on a daily basis and following a mad-colt didn’t bother her, said C looking at the white-furred mare. Inky jumped on C and hugged his neck saying that she doesn’t mind risking her life on a daily basis and she’d follow a mad-colt like him anytime.

C and Inky moved on the boat and Snow said that the steamers would be evacuated to Stalliongrad and maybe they’ll visit someday. C said that they’ll surely meet again, he planned to visit Stalliongrad anyway. Snow said that before the two would go, C forgot something, she threw C his pix and gave Inky a map, not to get lost or anything. C opened the map and took off the cover of his pix and marked the location where the two ponies would head next, it was a small village in the southern part of the forest they saw while in the pegasi war-camp. C and Inky bid farewell to Snow and started sailing towards the shore, there were a lot to see in this world filled with ponies and the journeys of C and his companion Inky only just begun that day.

Next chapter

C and Inky moved through the rich path in the middle of the grain field and C stretched his front hooves while Inky saw a strange looking scarecrow.

“Welcome to our village stranger, what would you like to buy from us?” the innkeeper asked C.

“There’s something strange going on at the Yellow’s farm, some say there’s a ghost.” The farmer said looking at C from the other side of the table.

“Ghost? Please surely there’s some unicorn making pranks.” responded C after he took a bite from the bread.

“Not only was here a murder Mr. Bean, but I’m afraid…” The door inside leading to the house was smashed during the time Inky said that to Mr. Bean “…that ghost stories are real.” A scythe penetrated the wooden door of the house.

Chapter IV: The Yellow Field

Chapter IV

The Yellow Field

It was midnight in the village of Sunset. The night was as beautiful as always, the air was a bit cold seeing it was the beginning of autumn, everything was calm, but at the outskirts of the village, there was a big manor and surrounding it, the biggest grain field of that village “The Yellow Field”. But, the manor wasn’t silent and calm as it should be. Instead, inside the owners were hiding inside a storage room. There were six ponies hiding inside that room, an old brother, a young brother and a sister, the mother, the father and the grandfather. The six were terribly scared of whatever was smashing their front door, knocks over knocks were heard coming from the front door, but in the end after about half an hour it ended, but the ponies didn’t move outside the storage, instead they slept inside it. The scene made it look like it was an ordinary thing for the six ponies to sleep inside the storage, but they didn’t knew what was smashing their door each night, they only knew it had to be somepony very scary, but the police never found a single thing when they came to investigate, not a single trace.

Next day near the village's outskirts C and Inky were enjoying a delicious boar. After a few bites of that delicious meat Inky drank a bit of water the two kept inside a flask they found in the abandoned pegasi military camp about four days ago. The two managed to do something impossible, they ended the Steam-War a war that raged for more than twenty years and to make it even more impossible, they helped the war end with the victory of the Steam-City and Stalliongrad. It was quite a victory, but C didn’t seem very impressed at all, Inky spoke with him the past few days about the war and what the white changeling did, but he only said that he was sorry for all those civilian pegasi that died in the aftermath, that’s all. The white-furred mare even tried to speak with C about where he comes and his past, but he never told her, he only said they should live in the present and think about the future, the past wasn’t important especially not his, after all he was a changeling, a species who lives on infesting other species and eating their love, but not C, love was the last thing he would eat, meat was everything he ever needed.

“Inky how far are we from the village by now?” C asked Inky after he finished his part of the delicious boar meat.

“According to the map, we’re near the village, I’d say a few more steps and we should see the outskirts of the village.” The white-furred mare said looking at the map then smiled at C closing her eyes.

C rose up stretched a bit then told Inky to come, he couldn’t wait to see what surprises could a village bring them. Inky rose up and went after C. The two kept moving on the dirt path, nothing interesting happening, but after half an hour of walking they arrived at the outskirts of the village and saw a beautiful wheat field, the wheat there was of such an intense yellow that the sun could be jealous. Inky was amazed of seeing the field, shape-shifters are not farmer, they grow a few plants, but not in such a scale, they usually hunt in the forest in which they make their villages in. C smiled seeing the wheat, he approached it and took the top part of the wheat and after a close look he walked back to Inky and ate some of the grain he took. Seeing C eat the strange plant she was shocked and asked C if he was mad, the white changeling rose his front hooves and said yes looking at the mare. He told Inky that grain was a cereal and flour is made from it, and from flour a bit of yeast and salt you make bread and bread was good for everypony. Inky said she wouldn’t try to taste such a thing, C looked away then opened Inky’s mouth and put the remaining grain inside and closed her mouth making her eat the grain. After she ate it she tried to spit it out and cleaned her tongue with her hooves saying it wasn’t good. C smiled and told Inky, that not the taste was important, what was important was that the wheat was ready to be harvested and great bread would be made from it, if he wasn’t mistaking, there had to be some bread already in the village that they could try.

Inky told C she wouldn’t taste such a thing after tasting the grain C forced her to eat. The white changeling stared at the white-furred mare then after he nodded his head then kept going on the path situated through the wheat field. Inky followed C making sure he wouldn’t leave her behind like he intended to do back in the ruins of the Steam-City. C and Inky moved through the path situated in the middle of the grain field and C stretched his front hooves while Inky saw a strange looking scarecrow. The mare kept looking at the scarecrow, for a moment she felt that the scarecrow moved its head, but she shook her head and moved on seeing that C was way in front of her. She wouldn’t let C leave her behind like that so she ran on the path planning on jumping on C’s back from behind. Inky couldn’t wait to see the white changeling’s face, she was already smiling, but when she arrived where C should’ve been by that time, he was nowhere to be found. Inky looked around and yelled for C to see where could he possibly be. She got a bit scared after a few yells, she started to think that C left her behind and she didn’t want to be alone anymore. She heard wheat cracking near her, she thought it was C, she moved her head closer to the wheat situated to her right side. She moved her head closer to the wheat wanting to move through it, but when her head was only a few inches away from the wheat she called for C on a low voice. There was nothing, but suddenly, out of the rain she was looking at jumped C and pushed her on the ground scaring her so bad that she could barely breath. The white changeling situated on top of her was laughing so hard he was crying and couldn’t even breath.

Inky caught her breath and closed her eyes preparing to yell at C never to do that again, but when she opened her eyes ready to scream at c she stopped with her mouth wide open when she saw C’s eye’s staring deeply into her eyes, the snout of the changeling touched hers, she blushed, but then C moved his head away and told her she was blushing and gave a big smile and closed his eyes. The white-furred mare shook her head and pushed C off of her then rose up and cleaned her fur from the dust. C rose up as well and told Inky that she looked nice how she blushed like that, after hearing that Inky blushed again, but this time she was turned around from the white changeling. C approached her saying that he should scare her more often, according to him, when ponies blush is a good sign. Inky said “C…”, the white changeling approached her saying “Yes?”, the white furred mare then slapped C making him turn around and move back a bit, he then turned to face Inky and asked her what did he do? But Inky gave C a dull face then turned around and kept going.

The two kept moving through the wheat field, C trying to apologize to Inky again and again and again, but she wouldn’t say a thing to C. The two kept moving through the wheat field for about ten minutes until they finally reached the end of the field. At the end of the field was the village. The two saw ponies everywhere living their life, some were carrying some harvested grain to the storage of the village. Some of the ponies were walking on the street with baskets filled with fruits and vegetables. The two even saw merchants making all sort of deals at with shop owners. But, all the ponies in this village stopped their routine when two other ponies came out of the wheat field and hit C making him fall down on the ground. All the ponies stared at C and Inky while the two fillies rose from the ground and shook their head. One of them was an earth pony and was very pink, even her mane was pink, the other was a purple pegasi with a purple with black mane and tail. C shook his head and said hi to the ponies that were staring at them. One of the merchants widened his eyes and yelled that C was a changeling, the ponies stared at C and were scared. C rose up and approached the ponies telling them he was harmless and he won’t do anything to them, he only had a pix, C then showed the ponies his ball-pen, but one of them screamed it was a weapon and the guards came out of nowhere and knocked C out.

The guards dragged C to the small prison they had in that village, while Inky was left behind unnoticed by the ponies, shape-shifter really are a mystery for the ponies seeing that nopony there gave any attention to her. She was in a way lucky, but in another way she was misfortunate, now she had to find a way to take C out of the prison. The pink filly behind Inky asked the pegasi if she was alright. Inky turned around to face them and asked the two what in the name of the stars where they thinking when they knocked C down. They apologized and said that he was a changeling so in conclusion a bad pony. Inky gave them a dull face then shook her head and said that she now has to take him out of the prison. Inky started walking towards the prison the guards were taking C, but the pink filly approached the white-furred mare and told she was called Crimson Tide and her friend was Nightfall and could help her. Inky kept moving telling her that she has done enough for one day and that she was a filly and there was no way she could her free her friend. The pink filly insisted, but Inky wouldn’t listen to her and kept moving towards the prison.

“I’m sorry miss, but I can’t free the changeling. They are very dangerous and there’s no way he could travel with anypony, they are savage, ruthless and…” The guard was stopped by Inky that started telling him how the white changeling was different from the others.

The guard found it hard to believe, but how the white-furred mare spoke it was clear she wasn’t lying and was telling the truth. The guard closed his eyes and breathed and told the white-mare that if she could pay a fine of sixty bits for public disturbance then he’ll free the changeling, until then he’d stay inside that cell. Inky thanked the guard for the information then went outside and started thinking how could she get sixty bits and what even are bits? But she wouldn’t stay thinking for long as that Crimson Tide jumped in front of her, scaring the white-furred mare. Inky yelled at her asking what was she even doing, the filly told Inky that she knows how could she get sixty bits. Inky was annoyed that the two fillies listened to her conversation with the guard, but she told them to go on. The pink filly said he heard from the ponies in the village that a farmer is willing to pay twenty bits for whomever could manage to carry a bag filled with one hundred and ten kilos of grain to the mill on the other side of the village. Inky told the filly that twenty is smaller than sixty, but still found this information quite useful and decided to go and try her luck, after all shape-shifters are a lot stronger than ponies, although she’s quite weak for one of her kind. The white-furred mare thanked the two fillies of their help and walked a bit, bit realized she doesn’t know where she’s going so she asked the fillies if they could tell. The pink one was happy to tell her, but the purple filly seemed a bit scared, but the pink one convinced her to come.

Inside the prison C woke up in the small cell and put his hoof on his head and asked the guard where was he and demanded he was released immediately. The guard was reading a newspaper while his back hooves were on his desk, he put the newspaper on the desk and told C he won’t be released unless he pays a fine of sixty bits thanks to his convincing friend that already is in search of those bits. C smiled then sat down on the bed and started thinking of a plan to get out in case Inky didn’t succeed to find the bits required for the fine, but he knew he could trust her. The white changeling turned his head to look at the guard and saw a deck of cards on his desk. C approached the bars looking towards the guard and asked him if those were poker cards. The guards took the deck from the table and showed it to the changeling saying that it is and he’s the best at it in the entire village. C smiled with a clever face and told the guard that he can easily beat him for just four bits. The guard laughed hearing that, but C said that if he didn’t even try to give him a chance it means he’s scared to play because C could beat him. The guard stopped laughing, took out a small table and put it in front of C’s cell and dragged his chair, placed it in front of the table and prepared the cards.

Meanwhile, in front of the storage, a crowd of forty ponies gathered around to see who were brave enough to risk their backs trying to carry one hundred and ten kilos. They normally would pull a cart, but today the storage keeper decided to give them a challenge to see who was the strongest, of course, mares weren’t allowed to attend, considering that carrying or pulling grain was a job only for colts and this competition would see who was the strongest. Inky and the two fillies arrived and moved through the crowd to reach the other side and see the other competitors. The colts could barely move with that weight on their backs, most of them fell down while the others were capable of making four steps then collapsing. The storage keeper laughed at the colts and shouted ironically towards the crowd if there were any colts at all in this village, for him the colts in the village proved to him that only mares and fillies lived there, he started laughing, but then Inky came in front of him and told him she’d like to try. The brown colt looked at Inky with one eye closed then laughed saying that women can’t participate, because they are weaker than those so called clots. He touched his moustache then laughed as hard as he could the entire crowd starting to laugh as well. Inky shouted at the storage keeper to shut up then calmed down and told the colt smiling that if she could get one hundred and ten kilos to the mill he’d pay her the amount of kilos she carried to the mill and if she lost... She didn’t really knew what to say, but the colt with the moustache intervened telling Inky that if she failed she’d wear a dress and become his maid for a month, it seemed reasonable to him. Inky was a scared at the thought of wearing a dress and being a maid, although she didn’t really know what a maid was, but she thought it was just like the mare’s in her village that wore dresses and clean the homes. With the fear of that happening she accepted the challenge.

The white-furred mare went inside the storage with the two fillies following her. The storage keeper started laughing and told his assistant to go buy a certain type of dress from their tailor and bring it back as soon as possible. But, before the two could start laughing, Inky came out of the storage galloping with the bag on her back, she didn’t even seem to be forcing herself to do this and gently hit the storage keeper over the snout with her tail then kept going. The crowd was amazed, the colts that failed couldn’t believe their eyes, one of the colt’s wife came and told him he’ll do the cooking that night and wanted him to wear that blue dress she likes so much, he agreed then started crying. Inky was easily moving with the bag of grain on her back, but after a few meters and the crowd following her getting bigger, she asked the two fillies if they knew where the mill was? The pink filly turned to her friend that told her on a scared voice she saw a mill on the other side of the city when she was trying to fly. Inky thanked the scared filly and kept going, each time she passed in face of ponies the crowd got bigger. After ten minutes of walking she started to feel the weight of that bag and thought to herself that C needs her, and if she couldn’t manage to free him, he’ll suffer in that prison.

Meanwhile in the prison the guard was wearing a pink dress and looked at his card, while C wore the guard’s former helmet and stood on his armor. The guard said he’ll put down two cards and take two, C put his hoof over his mouth and forced a coughing. The guard moved his head down a bit and changed his voice to a more feminine one and said again the proposition and said “I’m sorry for being a bad girl.” C smiled and shook his head agreeing then the guard put the cards down smiling and telling C he got four of a kind, C put his hoof on his cheek, looked in another direction and showed the guard his hand with a dull voice, he got a royal flush, again. The guard was left with his mouth wide open and couldn’t believe his eyes, he said with that feminine voice he was forced to make, that it was impossible. C put his hooves behind his head and told the guard to do what he promised. The guard rose up and spoke with that feminine voice how superior C was and he’s his eternal subject and will do anything for his master. Right at that moment two other guards walked in and saw their captain and were shocked of what they saw. The captain told them with that feminine voice that it wasn’t what it looked like. C confirmed and with a smile told the guards how their captain lost thirty poker games in a row and now they were just playing in order for the colt to redeem his honor. The white changeling crossed his hooves then put his left hoof on his cheek looking away and told the guards they could also join and if he loses he’ll do what he put their captain do. The captain stared at the two guards and convinced them to join, but this time they weren’t going to play poker, they would play blackjack.

Half an hour later on the other side of the village, a crowd consisting in about, sixty ponies were following Inky while forty were waiting and cheering at the mill for the white-furred mare. Inky was literally exhausted, she could barely catch her breath, but she was sure to keep moving, it wasn’t long now and she’ll get the bits necessary for freeing C. The entire crowd was encouraging Inky to move on and don’t even think to give up. The two fillies were by her side making sure to not let her fall down. Inky was too determined to fail especially now, she wasn’t going to be the pony that drowned on the shore. There were only a few more steps and she’d finish the task, the storage keeper was unable to clean the sweat that was moving down his throat, he was now begging to Celestia for a miracle and the mare to fail. Inky had only six more steps to make and she’d finish, but she couldn’t anymore, she fell down. The store keeper was very happy and started dancing with the dress his helper bough him, but Inky started telling herself that C needs her and she won’t disappoint him. With her remaining strength, the mare started to crawl, the storage keeper was surprised and remained with his mouth wide open, the crowd started to encourage Inky again and with the will and strength the shape-shifter’s are born and taught to use and respect every day she reached the place and won the challenge. Two ponies threw confetti at her and the crowd acclaimed the white-furred mare and carried her on their hooves and threw her in the air then caught her. The storage keeper let out a tear then entered rage mode and tore the dress apart in tiny pieces.

After all the acclamations and applauds Inky moved towards the moustache wearing colt and told him to give her the money he promised. With all the anger the colt had inside him he couldn’t keep himself from not giving the mare the money he promised seeing the crowd surrounding her. The moustached colt reached to his bag and gave Inky a small bag containing one hundred bits, then left glaring at the mare. Inky was very happy that she got the money, and she could only thank the two fillies for that, the three ponies ran towards the prison to free C while the other ponies were still acclaiming her. The fillies were happy that they managed to help the mare, but nopony could simply describe how happy Inky was. When the three arrived in front of the prison, they stopped for Inky to catch her breath then entered the prison. Inside they saw C on the desk with his pix on his hoof and ten guards wearing dresses and wearing makeup. Inky was confused and a bit scared, the two fillies didn’t knew how to react, but after Nightfall saw C she ran outside, Crimson Tide following her.

“C, I came to free you, but… I don’t even understand what happened here?” the white-furred mare said staring at the guards then looking at C.

“Well Inky I’m happy you asked. One, I got out an hour ago, but now I won so many games that I have my own dancers! Isn’t this exciting?! Just look at our dance, now to where we left colts!” After C said this to the dressed colts he started moving his pointer and the colts started singing and dancing, if you can call that dancing.

The colts started dancing waltz with one another while they looked into each other’s eyes deeply. They were so ashamed they could shake, but this were the rules of losing a game, especially if the one to whom you lost is mentally insane like C. Inky stared at the guards pretty shocked and tried not to laugh thinking that C made them go through much more than this. After about four minutes of dancing C and Inky applauded the dancers and with a very serious yet ironic voice C told the ten colts they should start a dancing school now and become stars across Equestria. After saying this, C took the two hundred bits he won from the guards and went with Inky. The white-furred mare was happy to see C out of that prison. C looked at Inky and saw the bag with money. When he saw the money he put his right hoof behind his head and looked away then turned back to see Inky and thanked her for helping him and gave her the two hundred bits he won telling her she deserved them seeing that she was pretty exhausted after a hard work he presumed. Inky looked at C, deep into his eyes, but C moved his head closer to Inky and said that she was blushing again. Inky froze in place while C laughed and kept going, but he stopped and told Inky to come after him.

Inky started moving once more and followed C to an inn, it was already very dark outside and had to sleep somewhere after all, the inn was called called the Wind in the Grain. When the two ponies entered, the ponies inside turned their heads and stared at C, but then they saw Inky their village’s heroine and they all forgot of the changeling and started acclaiming the white-furred mare. C was surprised and asked himself why wasn’t he the star of the village anymore? He looked around and saw the two fillies that accompanied Inky to the prison. The changeling went at their table and said hi to the two fillies. Nightfall was scared seeing C, but Crimson tide was there to make sure she was alright. C asked them if everything was alright? Crimson looked at C and told him it is okay, the filly was pretty sad, C wondered where were their parents, but decided not to ask, but instead he called Inky to come and sit down at the table. The crowd put Inky down and let her go at her friend. Inky sat down and saw the two fillies, she turned towards C and asked him with did he do or say, but C said he didn’t have a single idea what happened, but instead he rose up and went towards the innkeeper.

Everypony in the inn was cheerful and telling stories to each other while the warm fire inside the fireplace looked like it was dancing. Indeed it was an atmosphere worth of a story telling and C thought that he could tell Inky and the two fillies a story that would most likely make them curious. The white changeling finally reached the bar, the ponies sitting on the chairs at the bar were glaring at C, but the white changeling smiled and waved to them. The innkeeper came at C immediately after this, he was a big pony, with a small moustache, but except of the other ponies he didn’t care that C was a changeling, he was surprised to see a changeling though, but this made him also very curious, but there was a business to run so he didn’t have time to panic like the rest, for him C was an ordinary traveler coming at his inn from Luna knows where?

“Welcome to our village stranger, what would you like to buy from us?” the innkeeper asked C.

“Hi there ol’ good innkeeper of this jolly looking inn, I’m C and me and my companion would like a room for the night.” C said to the innkeeper smiling.

“Oi, so you’re with the pretty mare. Ey, mate?” the innkeeper told C looking at Inky.

“We’re not together, we’re just traveling together, but that’ll make us be together in a very longly-roadly travely-walkidy way. I didn’t think of this before I tell you.” Said C looking at his hoovesas he moved them, then he looked at the innkeeper.

“I heard a lot of stories of ponies traveling together like this. At first you are just friends, but then, wooshh! You are together and marry in a year and settle down and have a big family.” The innkeeper told C while taking a bottle of apple juice and poured it in two big pins telling C they’re on the house.

“I don’t think so mate.” C drank a bit of the apple juice “Me and Inky? It isn’t possible, she is special, quite special I tell you, but I’m not planning in settling down anytime soon, or anytime at all, especially not having kids.” C drank another bit of the apple juice.

“Well, be as you say changeling, but from what I know...” the innkeeper drank a bit of the apple juice “You two will end up together, get bored of traveling settle down. Just like me and my wife, back in the days I was quite the traveler, I used to be a traveling merchant, transporting goods from Stalliongrad down to the city of Coltiff and Canterlot itself, but then I met her, traveled together and In half a year we got married and used the money we had to open this inn, and I don’t regret a single moment of the past thirty-six years with her.”

The colt drank a half of what remained in his pin while C stared at Inky that was talking with the two fillies making them laugh, who knows what story she was telling them? But he was too much of a stranger to end up with Inky, he had the burden of his past to carry and his insanity to keep at bay. He couldn’t end up with Inky, this was going to be fun while it lasted said C, he knew that eventually he would have to move on, alone in this world, once more. C drank what was left in his pin then looked at the innkeeper and asked for the key to the room and he doesn’t mind, some fresh bread. The innkeeper was more than happy to bring C four breads and cut two of them into small slices for the two fillies that were at the table. C took the key to the room and the breads and went at the table. C put the plate with the breads on the table and told the four ponies to start eating, they were just made and it’ll be a waste of good food not to eat them. Inky was skeptical of eating the bread, but C stared at Inky with a big smile and his eyes like telling her “Hey, hey, I’m C I’m going to kill you if you don’t eat.” And that’s exactly what he was saying inside his mind. Inky understood the message and took the bread in her hoof and took a bite out of it. To her surprise the bread was great and she immediately started eating more from it. She finished it quite fast then with a sudden move she jumped of her chair and put her left front-hoof on the table and the right-front hoof in the air ordering more bread.

C whispered to Inky to calm down, but how could she after she found such a great food for her belly to enjoy? As Inky was finishing her third bread and ordering another three and C and the two fillies were slowly eating their parts, the doors leading to the inn were opened and from outside a pony came, but the pony was full of scars and was bleeding heavily and fell to the floor and died. The innkeeper rushed at the pony to see how was he, it was clear that the big light-brown pony knew the deceased one. He closed his eyes then took him up in his room to put a blanket over him. At the table C was curious what could happened to that pony, right then a pony wearing a straw hat approached C and sat across the table telling him he knows what happened to that pony and that it’s related to the Yellow farm, the farm that owns the grain field at the outskirts of the town, he also said that that pony worked at that blasted farm.

“There’s something strange going on at the Yellow’s farm, some say there’s a ghost.” The farmer said looking at C from the other side of the table.

“Ghost? Please surely there’s some unicorn making pranks.” responded C after he took a bite from the bread.

“Maybe, but I’m sure that if it were a unicorn the guards could have catch him by now.” The farmer rose up from the table and bid farewell to the four ponies and a good night then left.

Inky stared at C and saw the look in the white changeling’s eyes. It was clear, C was going to investigate and Inky would join him. But, C told the four they should go to sleep and tomorrow he and Inky would see what happened to the pony that died. The two fillies looked like they had nowhere to sleep, so C told them to come and sleep with him and Inky, just for this time, until they find their parents. The two fillies accepted, although Nightfall was a bit scared of C. That night passed quickly, the room had four beds, that old innkeeper really knew what to give C, the white changeling thought to himself.

The next morning, C, Inky and the two fillies, although C and Inky told them not to come after them, went at the Yellow’s Farm. The farm seemed peaceful, but there were no workers and the grain was good to be harvested, something was clearly not right. C and the three ponies entered the farm and saw an old colt on a chair. C told the three ponies to stay right there while he spoke with the old colt. C approached the colt and saluted him. The colt stared at c and told him to go, this farm is dead and there’s no love for him to consume. C looked around and asked the old colt, why was the front door of the mansion so damaged? The old colt told C to leave now and leave him to die, this night he’ll end this torment at last. C approached the colt and told him that he’s there to help and he could count on him for help. The old colt didn’t say anything, but the front door opened and a colt came out telling C to come inside. The old colt stared at C and told him to go and help those fools inside, there was nothing he could do for him.

C called the three ponies and went inside the huge mansion. The stylish dressed colt led the four to the dining room where his wife and his daughter were standing looking at a coffin where the families young boy lay dead filled with scratches and a big hole, that looked scythe made, in his chest. C approached and looked at the dead colt and said he was sorry for their loos, but he was there to help and he won’t leave until this whole thing would stop, but first they’d have to tell him what did they know? The colt presented himself as Mr. Yellow Bean and he was the owner of the farm, he then told the four ponies how this happened a month ago when they extended their fields. At that moment they didn’t expect what they found. As they were digging a hole for a fountain they found a chest, the ponies brought it back to the mansion and found inside a bloodied paper, but they couldn’t understand what was written on it, the letters were too erased for them to read it, so they kept the chest and the paper, but then the nightmare began, each night they’d hear sounds and somepony smashing their door, the first night, a maid opened the door and was killed by a scythe and pulled into the grain field. And that’s what happened to each one of their workers for the past month and last night their son was killed when one of their farmers took him outside to give him to the attacker hopping to leave him alive, but Mr. Yellow Bean heard he died at the inn.

C asked Mr. Yellow Bean if there was anything else he could tell him. The colt looked at the ceiling and saying he think that a ghost is responsible for all of this, he also told C that the day before his great grandfather bought this farm, the owner was brutally murdered and his body never found only a trace of blood and a scythe were found, that’s why they believe it’s a ghost, but Mr. Bean began doubting his own words, from a ghost he went to a unicorn wanting to take the farm from them. It was clear that Mr. Bean lost his touch with sanity and needed some sleep, his wrinkles gave away the fact he didn’t sleep for a long time. C told the earth-ponies he’d see what he can do and catch that unicorn and make sure he pays for all these crimes. C told the two fillies to go back to the village and find their parents, Inky offered to escort the two fillies to the village while C would explore the farm for some clues.

C started looking around the farm asking himself why would anypony try to do this, the family was rich seeing the mansion they owned, but why weren’t there any hoof marks on the ground. C even explored the grain field, but could only find a scarecrow that seemed to stare directly at the house. In the village, Inky found the two fillies’ parents, it seemed the two got lost in the grain and that they were sisters. Well, that being resolved Inky decided to go back to the farm and help C look for clues and solve that mistery.

After an hour of walking back to the farm, Inky didn’t see C anywhere and went in search of him. She couldn’t find him anywhere, but the old colt yelled at Inky to go inside the barn. The white-furred mare didn’t like the fact that old pony yelled at her, but she went inside the barn, but didn’t see anything and said that out loud. Hanging upside down C said the same thing. Inky got scared and asked C what was he doing hanging down like that? Apparently C tied his left-back hoof to a rope and decided to hang down for some time until he’ll find an idea. Inky told C there was no way he’d come with a plan like that. The changeling pointed with his head a wall and told Inky he tried hitting his head in that wall in order to come up with an idea, but nothing. The two stood in that barn thinking of all sorts of possibilities and talking about what happened in the prison and about the two fillies being sisters, but speaking like this, the night caught the two. C told Inky to no make any sound and listen, she didn’t hear anything. C untied the rope and fell down on the ground, but he quickly rose up and ran to see what happened outside. Right in front of the mansion, the old colt lay dead and seemed to be dragged by a scarecrow with a scythe on its back. Unfortunately for the two, the scarecrow saw them and dropped the old colt’s body and took the scythe on his back.

“C, do you have any idea what to do?” the white-furred mare asked the changeling

“Of course I do. You say hi to him while I… run!” C then dragged Inky and the two started running away from that scarecrow, but it seems the scarecrow wasn’t going to let them escape.

“Inky I distract this maniacs attention while you go inside and take the ponies out of the house, back to the village. Understood?” said C to the mare while the two were running towards the wheat field.

Inky understood C’s order and the two split making the scarecrow confused on whim to follow, but C threw a rock at the scarecrow and caught its attention. Seeing that the scarecrow was fixed on him, C ran into the wheat field making the scarecrow follow. After the scarecrow went into the wheat field Inky ran into the mansion, but not before she closed the old colt’s eyes. Inside the mansion she locked the door and put a small table in front on it making sure nothing could enter. Mr. Bean heard Inky enter the mansion, but thought it was whomever was attacking them, but found his courage and approached Inky with a sword, but to her luck, Mr. Bean recognized her. Inky didn’t have any time to waste with excuses and went with Mr. Bean on the hall with the storage where the family used to hide at this moment. The mare and filly were very scared, but rose up and stood with Mr. Bean while Inky told them to come after her into the village, but Mr. Bean didn’t want to hear that and wanted to know who’s the unicorn that attacked them. Inky gave Mr. Bean a stare and told him it wasn’t a unicorn from what she saw and explained to Mr. Bean what was it exactly.

Mr. Bean heard the sound of his front door being smashed down and stared very scared at Inky. Inky was not scared, but worried about C and where could he be, he thought the scarecrow caught him and was now very sad and angry. But, before Inky could go face the scarecrow C touched her back making her jump. The white-furred mare was surprised and asked C what happened. C looked at Inky and told her how he ran up to the pole where the scarecrow should be and found a paper that not only confirms the murder, but also how did Mr. Beans great grandfather get this farm, his great grandfather murdered the owner because he didn’t want to sell the farm he promised to his children that apparently he loved very much and he also said he ran back to the mansion and entered through the backdoor he didn’t know exists and asked ironically if they knew they had a backdoor? Mr. Bean stared at C and asked him how did he came to this conclusion after seeing the paper and what does this have to do with the attacker?

“Well, Mr. Bean. It’s correlated to the attacker because the attacker is the rightful owner of this farm. The paper you found was the selling act that colt refused from your great grandfather. And I know all this because the paper is written in blood and is a part of a journal, the scarecrow’s journal and when you took out the chest he came back to life to get his revenge on the ponies who murdered him.” C explained to the terrified pony.

“And what do you want me to do?” The pony asked C with a sad look on his face.

“Take the chest you found and take it to the village. Repair what your great grandfather did, tell the ponies who’s farm this really belongs to and give it to them or else that scarecrow won’t give up until you’re all dead!” C stared directly into the well-dressed colt’s eyes, but the colt smiled and put the top of his sword to C’s throat.

“I’ll never give this farm to anypony, especially not a dead one. If he came after we took that chest, then I’m going to throw that chest into the fountain and make sure that scarecrow will never get it and kills you instead of us.” Mr. Bean said then grinned after seeing the scarecrow at the entrance of the hall.

The well-dressed colt pushed C then told his family to run while he’d take the chest to the fountain and throw it into the water of the fountain. C rose up from the ground and saw the scarecrow approaching and pushed Inky out of the scythes attacking direction, making it hit C’s still intact wing. C looked at his wing and without thinking he suddenly moved making his wing rip out of his back, he yelled and started jumping on his right-back hoof and kept yelling how much that hurts while touching that part, C was fortunate though seeing that changeling wings grow back, not like other species wings. C stopped for a second and stared at the scarecrow that took its scythe out of the wall and fixed his empty eyes, that had a blue light coming out of them, on C and readied his scythe to kill the white changeling. C and Inky ran out of the house after C bravely pushed the scarecrow aside and went out through the front door. Inky told C how mad that move was, but C responded telling Inky that he was insane anyways so there’s no problem in that. Inside the mansion, the scarecrow rose up and took its scythe from the ground and saw how Mr. Bean came down form the top floor to the other end of that hall. The scarecrow saw the chest the colt was carrying and started running towards Mr. Bean. The colt was lucky and ran out of the mansion before the scarecrow could catch him and went into the grain field.

The scarecrow didn’t go directly after the colt, but instead he looked around and seemed to find what he was looking for. Outside C and Inky were ready to enter the wheat field when they saw the mansion burning. C grabbed Inky’s hoof and told her to run, they had to stop Mr. Bean from throwing that chest into the fountain or else that poor soul couldn’t rest in peace, C told to himself. The two ponies ran into the wheat field and thought for a second where could the fountain be and started running towards the direction the backdoor was pointing at. On their way to the fountain they were stopped by the storage-keeper from which Inky obtained one hundred bits, the moustache wearing colt was accompanied by four colts with forks in their hooves. The storage-keeper applauded the two and didn’t believe C when he told them to run from there. But instead, the colt laughed and asked C what was he going to do about it, right the scarecrow’s scythe penetrated the colt’s head then he pulled it out and started killing the other four colts, either with its scythe or with nails it had in its hooves. C said to the dead body of the storage-keeper that this wasn’t what he was going to do, but Inky grabbed C’s hoof and the two started running once more, now being more sure than ever that they were close to the fountain. Indeed, the two were very close to the fountain, but Mr. Bean was already there and was catching his breath seeing how much he ran and how he was not used to run for such a long distance.

The colt caught his breath right when C and Inky arrived at the fountain and saw Mr. Bean rising from the ground ready to throw the chest down into the fountain. Inky told the colt to stop or else he’ll condemn his entire family, C agreed with Inky seeing that she knows more about the spirit world than he does. The colt laughed at the two and told them that he would save his family this way and still own the farm. Inky glared at the earth-pony and yelled at him that the mansion was burning and that the scarecrow was already here. Out from the grain the scarecrow came, its old clothes that you can now call rugs were soaked in the blood of the colts he killed on its way here. Mr. Bean laughed at the scarecrow and hanged the chest above the fountain ready to drop it any second now. Inky tried to reason with the earth-pony, but he wouldn’t listen to her and started laughing hysterically, but his laugh was stopped when the fork of one of the killed colts penetrated his chest. The earth-pony looked down at his chest the with blood pouring out of the wound and his mouth he dropped the chest into the fountain and fell down alongside it. The scarecrow let out a shriek, but C told it to calm down and grabbed the rope on which a bucket was tied and wanted to jump into the cold water although he knew that he could die thanks to the fact his body couldn’t take a low temperature like that, but ponies could take it. C gasped a bit and was ready to jump, but instead, Inky pushed him of the rope and on the ground. The white-furred mare jumped in the fountain instead of C. She tied the rope to her right hoof and trusted C would pull her after she’d take the chest from the fountain.

The fountain wasn’t very deep and Inky saw that when she plunged into the water, she dived down and used her talent as a swimmer to dive deeper into the fountain until she saw the chest on the bottom of the fountain and took it. She then rose up with the chest out of the cold water and pulled the rope as a signal for C to pull her out. The white changeling saw the signal and started moving a lever to which the rope was tied to. The scarecrow watched as C forced his front hooves to pull his friend out of the cold fountain water. C wouldn’t let Inky down there even though he was quite weak and forced his body to the max, but eventually Inky was pulled out of the fountain and C took her from the rope and put her on the ground making sure she’s alright. The scarecrow approached the two and Inky gave it the chest, after the scarecrow opened the chest it fell down on the ground. C approached the chest and saw that writing appeared on it. The two understood the scarecrow was gone, but they still saw the hooves of a pony coming out of the old clothes. Inky approached the scarecrow and took of its mask, behind it was the rotten face of a colt. She then understood that after he was killed the great grandfather of Mr. Yellow Bean disguised the body into a scarecrow and hid it inside the wheat field so that nopony would ever find it.

C took the body on his back and together with Inky they went back at the farm. From inside the barn Inky tool a shovel and gave it to C. The white changeling dug a hole and put the body of rotten body of the colt inside it then put the earth over the dead body and C asked Inky to put a plank as a gravestone. The two looked at the grave they made and at the mansion that was destroyed, but parts of it still burned. After this C and Inky left the farm and went back to the village ready to make justice for the dead colt.

The two slept at the inn, but didn’t tell anypony what happened at the farm until next morning when the two ponies went at the town hall and gave the mayor the papers. The mayor looked over the paper then she told the two she knows the descendants of the dead colt and she’d be more than happy to contact them and tell them the great news, but C told the mayor a condition. If they were o come back, they were not to touch the grave of the dead colt, he was to finally rest in peace now that he claimed what was rightfully his. The mayor agreed to C and thanked the two ponies for their help. Inky and C went out of the town hall and were greeted by the innkeeper that thanked C for helping their village get rid of the Yellow family, he told the two that the Yellow family was cruel anyway and shouldn’t feel sorry for them, the innkeeper also said that, Mr. Bean planned on taking the remaining fields in the village and force the farmers to work for him. C asked how could such being still exist in this world, but the innkeeper told C that was life and asked the two where were they going next. C told the colt he had to consult his head, he touched his head with his front hooves listening to the voice and told the colt they were going North-East of the village. The innkeeper looked towards the direction C was pointing at and told the white changeling that the city of Maris was in that direction, but would take them about a month to reach it. C smiled and thanked the colt for this information then told him the two are more than happy to travel a month, after all there was nothing better to do.

The big colt smiled and gave C a bag filled with enough bread and apple juice to last them for a month and a half. C thanked the innkeeper and took some bits form Inky’s bag and gave it to the innkeeper, but the colt gave it back to C saying they need it more than he does. The innkeeper also said that the bread and apple juice were a gift from the villagers for saving their fields and getting rid of the Yellow family. C said it seemed fair then shook the innkeeper’s hoof and bid him farewell as the big colt wished them safe travels. The white changeling smiled and whispered to Inky that only safe travels the two won’t have. Inky smiled and told C she wouldn’t want it any other way. As the two left the village some villagers bid them farewell and safe travels just like the old innkeeper. A new journey was ahead of the two, the world was big and there were a lot of things to see and ponies to save. As they moved away from the village the farmer that told them about the ghost story at the inn two days ago was in the middle of his field and the wheat there was on the ground forming a shape, from the ground you couldn’t understand the shape, but from above it represented a circle and that circle was inside an equilateral triangle with other circles where the tops should be.

Next chapter

The evening autumn air was cold and the lamps of the beautiful city lit the empty streets as a mare was running away from something, she was very scared.

"Ahh... Maris, a city of culture. I really missed to see such cities!" exclaimed C as he saw the big history museum Colvre.

"My name is Rainbow Heart and I'm a painter, who are you?" the white unicorn asked Inky with a smile on her face.

"Something isn't right here, why are the streets so empty?" C asked himself after he and the two white mares went out of the museum.

"They are scared of something, but nopony knows of what. It's said it comes at night and kills you in fear." Hearts told the two what she knew about the streets being empty.

The scared mare stopped on a narrow street and turned around shaking in fear and then she screamed when she saw something in front of her and then there was only silence on that street.

Chapter V: Shades of terror

Chapter V

Shades of terror

It was well past midnight in the great city of Maris, a city that rivals even Canterlot in size and beauty. A city known for its great artists and museums, filled with relics from all over Equestria. The museum of Colvre being the most renowned one, a building with a troubled history behind it, but that’s not important, what’s important is what is about to happen inside that place.

A black suited mare entered the museum through the sewers and was now heading towards the artist’s wing. As she stealthily moved through the building she was surprised not to see any guards. The past three nights there were a lot of guards stationed inside it, but what happened to them now? The mare kept moving, even though a guard is the greatest enemy of a thief, to be no guards inside a museum at night, was nothing to be taken lightly, especially in Maris.

The museum was huge, but the mare was lucky that the artist’s wing was nearby the place she came in trough. She couldn’t wait to put her hooves on the greatest artwork of their time, “The moon over the city” by Rainbow Heart. The black suited mare was already grinning to how easy this heist was coming together. After a few more steps she was in front of the painting, and again, there were no guards. She was cautious though, she moved very slowly towards it. As she reached the painting, she was sure to check around for any guards, but there were none.

She took it off the wall, but when she did that a guard fell on the ground. He was behind one of the red curtains that had the symbol of the city on them, but what could he be doing there? The mare approached the guard, and turned him over, on his back. When she turned him, she jumped back scared of what she has seen. The stallion was completely gray and his eyes and mane were white, and his mouth was opened like he was screaming. He was dead.

The thief knew what happened to the guard. She was scared, she was trembling very badly. She rose up, but moved slowly, with the painting on her back, but as she moved, she heard a shriek coming from the tableau. The mare turned around breathing heavily, but when she turned around, only a scream was heard. She fell on the ground, her orange skin now gray, and you could see her mouth opened to scream through her mask. She now joined the guards in their grim fate, whatever was going on, was keeping the ponies of Maris inside their homes at night. The days when they could go outside at night were gone. Now fear and terror filled the empty streets.

Next day, on the main road C and Inky were getting closer to the city, their one month journey was finally coming to an end. Not much has happened this month, they entered two small villages, but instead of a timber wolf attack last week, nothing interesting happened. Well, something did happen that made Inky a bit concerned related to C’s health.

“As soon as we arrive in this city you’re going to the healer.” said the white-furred mare after C sneezed.

“No, I shan’t. “ C sneezed once more, the sound of him sneezing echoing through the plains. “I’m the very symbol of health I just have problems with autumn, winter and half of spring. Plus it’s called a doctor.” said C smiling at Inky.

“I don’t care C. You shall go. You haven’t breathed through your snout for three and a half weeks already!” Inky yelled at C as she looked straight into his eyes.

“But, Inky. I’m healthy and you can’t force me. Saying this, I won’t move from this place until you apologize to me.” C sat down refusing to rise up anymore until Inky apologized to him and agreed not to get him to the doctor.

“C, why are you so?! Not even the kids from my village act like you. You’re a grown up changeling for the ancestors sake!” Inky kept yelling at the white changeling that refused to even look at her.

“You don’t even know my age. How do you know I’m not two months old or even better, a week old?!” the white changeling returned Inky’s words and stared into her eyes.

“C that’s the most idiotic thing you said since I met you and you said other things. We’ve been traveling for two months together already! And you never tell me anything about you! You don’t even know what a changeling is!” Inky yelled at C and turned around to calm down.

“I’m a changeling and of course I know things about us. Like… uhm… we are insects! We insect-like ponies with holes in their hair, hooves, wings and can regenerate our wings.” C replied to Inky almost rising up from the ground.

“If you know what your species is then tell me, where is your horn?” Inky asked C looking into his eyes. C rose his right hoof up, but couldn’t find any explanation for his missing horn.

“Touché, Inky. Touché. You know what?! When we enter the city I’m going to buy a book about changelings then show you how much I know about my own species. We still have money, right?” C asked Inky finally rising up from the ground.

“C, you spent fifty bits on that plush toy you carry on your back.” Inky replied to C looking at the bear toy he was carrying on his back.

“I bought you one too. And I spent one hundred bits on your badger plushy.” C smiled with his mouth open revealing his teeth.

“You spent one hundred bits on Bursucel?” Inky replied looking at her badger plushy.

“Of course you silly filly. Toys are things you should love and care about, they bring joy. And look at mine! So fluffy, who’s a good bear? You’re a good bear. Yes, yes, you are a good bear.” C took the plushy off his back and tickled its belly like it was alive.

“Yes, they are cute. Let’s hope we have enough bits left to spend inside the city.” Inky replied with a smile looking at C.

“Don’t worry Inky, it’s not like there’s a tax for entering Maris.” C replied to Inky then took her right hoof and ran towards the city and were greeted at the entrance by the royal guard:

“What do you mean we have to pay a tax to enter?! One hundred bits is outrageous!”

“We are sorry sir, but thanks to the harvest festival being bigger this year, our king Blanche Noir ordered a tax of fifty bits to be taken at the entrance of the city from every pony that doesn’t live in Maris.” The guards responded staring at the two travelers.

“Why don’t you chase us then? Oooo, look at me I’m a changeling and my companion here is an unknown species. Chase us so that we can run into the city without paying!” C yelled at the guard grabbing his cape.

“Sir, you’d better leave my cape alone and nice costumes. I’m sure you’ll win this year’s costume competition.” The guard responded to C staring at the two travelers.

“Costume competition?” Inky asked the guard.

“Each year during the harvest festival, we have a competition for the best costume. During the time you enter the city until the competition is over you have to wear your disguise. If you’re found taking off your costumes outside where you live for the time you stay in the city you are disqualified. You look like you don’t know the rules.” The guard moved his right hoof to grab his sword, but C intervened.

“There’s no need for violence. She’s new and doesn’t know about the competition and I forgot to tell her about it.”

The guard stared better at the two, but eventually gave up and C gave him the one hundred bits required to enter the city. The two entered smiling and C started laughing very hard when he saw the huge crowd. Inky turned to face C and found out he hates being inside big masses and this mob was more than big, it was huge. Inky barely calmed C down and managed to move through it.

The two didn’t have a fixed location to visit first, but Inky was happy anyways, because the architecture of the city was astonishing. Living all her life in her village and now seeing this was something. C stopped suddenly in the middle of the crowd and grabbed Inky by her left hoof and ran towards a location the voice inside C’s head was pointing.

No matter how much they struggled to run through the multitude, it took them half an hour to reach the museum of Colvre. Inky was the first to come out of the mob, but C was crawling out of it and his mane was completely destroyed and he was barely breathing. Inky helped him rise up from the ground, but fell back and kissed it, thanking some sort of god that only he could pronounce its name.

C rose up after a few seconds and shook his head restoring his mane then ran towards the entrance of the museum, but to his misfortune there was a tax to be paid. C shouted so hard “Flish!” his voice echoed around the entrance.

“I flish you tax. I flish you guard. I flish you ball pen, that I call pix. On second though I don’t flish you! But I flish you guard! I flish you with a spoon!” The guards were confused seeing C raging, but Inky came next to him and calmed him down a bit and paid the fifty bits tax to enter the museum.

“I’m watching you fliiiiiiissshhhh.” C said glaring at the guard at the left of the entrance while he and Inky entered, or better said Inky pulled him inside.

“Well, there went our last bits, but at least we are here and didn’t get in any trouble.” Inky turned to look at C, but he wasn’t there.

“Inky! Don’t just stand there, we have a museum to explore! And I found the ancient history wing!’’ Yelled C from a distance then ran into the corridor leading to the ancient history wing.

Inky stared at the direction where C headed then went after him, she was admiring every centimeter of the place while C was just rushing towards his favorite subject in the museum. Inky was amazed by the building, but wondered why C was so excited about the ancient history part. Truth be told, shape-shifters don’t have museums, only stories passed from a generation to another and the shaman is the one that records their past, but most of it is only legends and myths.

The white-furred mare entered the room and saw a big statue depicting a soldier with a spade in his left hoof and a shield in his right hoof. Its armor was very beautifully carved, a hawk being the symbol on his shield and armor. It was astonishing, but something that caught Inky’s attention was a mosaic representing a huge city with aqueducts and an architecture that rivals Maris’s architecture. She looked at the sign that described it. It seemed the medley was representing the capital city of the ancient Colman Empire, the city of Colme at its apogee.

Inky kept looking at the mosaic, but was scared by C that moved his head to her left and whispered in her long pointy ear. C laughed a bit and asked Inky if she saw a ghost when she jumped up a bit. Not known to them, in the main gallery of the museum a young pegasi thought he saw the shadows painted inside a painting ,called “The temple at midnight” by Bleuchan ,move. Too much candy , nonetheless the young pegasi thought.

Inky gently hit C’s right shoulder then giggled as C’s right hoof shook and he fell down. Inky was sorry if she hit C too hard, but he simply said to her that his right front hoof has a small problem and from time to time he can’t fell it and can’t control it, but it was nothing, it only lasts a four seconds.

“Now, now, where could the voice want me to go?” C turned to look around the room.

“It’s close, I can feel it, the voice tells me, but where? Well, I can always check that Mergitian room. See you in a few minutes Inky, I have exploring to do.” The white changeling told Inky then went inside the room very happy.

The white-furred mare was left alone in the room and did some exploring of her own. She moved through the room and saw something that caught her eye. It was a tablet depicting three creatures that stood on their back legs only, but the first one couldn’t be understood, it was carved like in a rush or something. Inky looked at the sign describing it and found an entire story about it.

The tablet was found in the middle of a field two months ago. The exact date of it couldn’t be determined, but it was most certainly over six thousand years old, dating back to the end of the cavern age. From the translations done upon it, the inscription spoke about how the world was created at the end of a great war between the last spirits of good and the overwhelming spirits of evil. The unrecognizable creature was the leader of the spirits of good and by sacrificing his own spirits, it created the world through a girl and a shiny liquid filled cube.

On the tablet it’s said that the first creature, now known as the Spirit of harmony and creation survived the burst of light at the beginning, but his body was destroyed and fell in a long sleep, never to be known where he rests for eternity. The second creature was gruesome, claws coming out of its back legs, with sharp teeth that could easily rip flesh off ponies. It’s said that the creature was the leader of the spirits of evil, representing madness, destruction and all the sins. It’s said he didn’t die, but instead was imprisoned in a dark cage, where he could never see anything, but darkness, in the end he fell asleep and now brings nightmares to ponies.

The last being was the strangest. Pony like legs but some sort of small tentacles on the long legs that hanged from its torso. Also the creature didn’t seem to have any body, except the torso there was only the spine that could be seen. That thing was the mysterious spirit of death and life, nopony knows what he is exactly, it’s said on the tablet that it is a skeleton, but made out of a shiny grey material. At the end of the sign Inky could read a prophecy that was written on the tablet “One day, they will wake up and walk once more on this world.”

She stepped back to turn around, but bumped into a colt that was wearing a red robe and had a hood on his head. Inky apologized to the colt, but he didn’t say anything and kept going leaving Inky to look at him as he walked away. After the colt disappeared C came out of the room and told Inky that the voice stopped meaning he found what he was looking for, but what? He didn’t find it inside the room he was in and he looked everywhere four times already, he was confused and left Inky to go back in the room and look again.

Inky was left alone in that room once more, but this time she went in another room that contained statues and mosaics from ancient times. As she entered the room she couldn’t believe her eyes for what she saw before her. It was beautiful, mosaics of incredible colors and statues of the greatest stonemasons ever to exist were inside there. She couldn’t decide where to look first, so she began with the left side of the room. As she moved and studied each masterpiece she bumped into a white unicorn with blue spots on her hooves and some parts of her body.

“Excuse me for bumping into you, I don’t know what I have today.” Inky told to the white unicorn as she helped her up.

“No problem dear. It happens, but where are my manners, my name is Rainbow Heart, but you can call me Hearts.” The mare said looking at Inky.

“Hi Hearts, my name is Blue Ink, but you can call me Inky.” She said to her smiling, but before Hearts could say hi to Inky and ask her about her costume, C entered the room.

“Damn voice! Why don’t you tell me more?! You only bzzzt me that’s all! Inky let’s get out of this museum, I’m going insane in here. You flishing voice!” He yelled at the air like there was a pony watching him.

“Is this your boyfriend?” The white unicorn asked her.

“What?! No, no, no, it’s nothing like that. We’re just traveling together.” She replied blushing a bit.

“Oh, you think you’re better than me voice? You ain’t, you’re something inside my head, I’m here! I’m alive! I’m still a… live.” He stopped from saying anything and a cry fell from his left check, from that tear came screams of regret, C saying he was sorry and kept crying, soon his cries being accompanied by sneezes.

“Excuse us Hearts, I have to take care of him. Don’t know what got into him.” Inky said as she approached C to help him stand up on his hooves.

“Is your friend okay?” The mare asked Inky.

“He hasn’t done this before, but I can help him.” She responded looking at C.

“They are screaming Inky! They are screaming inside my head! Can’t you hear them? Can’t you see them? Make it stop! Make it stop!” He said to Inky grabbing her and crying harder.

“My skin Inky, it’s moving on me, can you see it moving? I can see it. My head hurts, it hurts! I’m burning inside Inky, I’m burning! I can feel their pain surging through me! What a magnificent pai…” before he could finish he fainted and fell down on the floor.

Hearts was confused and didn’t know how to react, but Inky grabbed C and put him on her back and barely managed to stand on her legs, but tried to move and help her friend. She had to stop a few times before she could exit the museum. The guards were curious of what happened, but decided not to intervene. The white-furred mare looked around for a place to lay C down and try to wake him up. She saw an empty narrow road and decided to carry the changeling to that location. She barely managed to squish through the crowd and take him to the road.

When she did it, the mare fell down and leaned on the side wall of one of the houses that were connected to that road. She put C next to her and after a few minutes of catching up her breath she turned to C and tried to wake him up. She tried shacking him and gently slapping him, but nothing worked. C was still unconscious and barely breathing through his mouth.

Hours passed, Inky looked at the plushy C bought her and thought about the past two months and thinking better about them she started to wonder how did he know how to fly a zeppelin in the first place? And what exactly was that power he used to fly in the city and rescue her and Snow.

“Poor Snow”, she said to herself. She didn’t think about Snow the past month, but now remembered how she lost her father. Maybe she didn’t want to show it, but her father was everything for her. Inky remembered that before the party, she saw Snow crying in front of a painting of her father. She tried to be though, but inside she was soft and her father meant a lot to her. Thinking of her, Inky remembered about her family back in the village. She remembered about the good old times when she was younger and used to spend time with her uncle Azul Sueño, the village’s shaman.

He’d always travel to other villages and ruins close to them, and he always took Inky, maybe that’s why she ran from her community in the first place, to see other places, cultures learn new things, but never expected to meet C, a changeling that doesn’t travel with his kind and doesn’t wish to kill her. She didn’t want this to end, she could manage to travel on her own, but it won’t be the same without C, only two months and she already talks like he was with her all her life. Truth be told, they did have some complicated situations that couldn’t solve without one another and she doesn’t want it to end, traveling with him may be dangerous, but it’s exciting.

The sun was finally settling and Inky opened her eyes after keeping them closed for ten minutes, the crowd disappeared and the ponies that still were on the streets were rushing either to their homes or to the inns that they were booked in. This scenery was very strange, what could make ponies so scared? Inky stared as the ponies on the streets got scarcer and scarcer, until there was only her and C.

Inky rose up to give a better look to the city and saw that even the curtains were closed, at each house, the same, nopony dared to open them. As she kept looking around, C suddenly rose up and breathed heavily. Inky approached C very happy he was alright, but something was wrong with him.

“C are you okay, why are you so scared?” She asked the colt which stared at the stones from which the road was made.

“I’m alright Inky. It’s just that… this voice inside my head. I don’t know what it is, or what does it want, it just calls and tells me to go somewhere, then stops for a while and lets me relax, but then it starts once more. Inky promise me, as long as you travel with me never bring up two things. My past or death… Do you promise Inky?” He looked at the white-furred mare with a very sad face.

“C, I promise you. I’ll never bring them up to you. I don’t care what you were before, only what you are now.”

She smiled at C, but before he could reply to her, a blue mare ran in front of them, she was screaming. The two rose up and went after her and Inky noticed that nopony would look outside their windows, the curtains were closed everywhere, without any exception. The two followed the mare up until she couldn’t run any further. The two approached the mare trying to talk with her, but the mare screamed harder when she saw the two. She was barely breathing, while Inky tried to speak to her, but then she let out a final scream and her skin turned grey, eyes and mane turned white. Her face was now frozen in time as she screamed in fear.

“What happened to her?” C asked looking at the body.

“I don’t know. What could scare a pony so much and kill her without even being here?” She asked closing the mare’s eyes.

“What are you two doing here?” A familiar voice was heard coming from the entrance of the narrow street.

“Hearts? What are you doing here?” the white-furred mare said looking at the unicorn.

“You’re that pony in the museum. Ahh! My head! Why won’t you stop?” C touched his head with both of his front hooves and turned away not to face the unicorn.

“It’s dangerous to stay outside at night.” Hearts told the two making sure her oil lamp was pointed at them.

“Why is it dangerous?” the white changeling asked her.

“You have it in front of you. Ponies have been dying the same way for the past three weeks, nopony knows why or what causes it. The only thing we know is that it strikes at night. You should go to your inn.” She said to the two then turned around to go home.

“We ain’t going to no inn. One because we have no bits left, but I have a lovely bear plushy, look at him so fluffy… Uhm… and two because you seem to know something about what’s going on and I won’t let you go nowhere until I know everything you know.” He said to the white unicorn making sure to jump in front of her, but when he tried to jump over her, but his wings didn’t help and fell down on her.

C rose up from Hearts and helped her up and said he was sorry for falling on her, but his wings don’t work. Hearts stared at C then at Inky and after seeing how Inky moved her tail she realized that they didn’t wear any costumes, they were the real thing, at least C was, she didn’t understand what species Inky was. C implored her to let them come at her house, after all, he was curious what was going on. After a moment of thinking, she agreed and let the two come with her, but with the condition the two would act like wearing a costume, meaning Inky would have to stop moving her tail and C… just had to be normal.

The two travelers went with Hearts leaving the body behind, but as they left that place a strange gray fog surrounded the body for about three minutes. After these three minutes, the fog disappeared and so did the body leaving behind no clue regarding to what happened.

Hearts house wasn’t far, so after ten minutes of walking they arrived. Something that made that domicile special from the rest were the two trees from the back small garden. The other houses had gardens too, but only with flowers and bushes, not with trees. Hearts told the two that she somehow managed to convince her neighbors to plant trees as well, after all Maris had to keep up with the title of the jewel city of Equestria.

The three entered the house and were greeted by a blue mare that had bat-like wings and eyes like a snake. C didn’t give the blue mare much attention thinking she was wearing a costume. Inky looked better at the blue mare and though something was strange, but couldn’t figure out what was strange.

“Hi my name is Shiny Spade, but with two e.” The blue mare introduced herself.

“Hi my name is Inky and this is my friend C…” Inky turned around to look at C, but he was nowhere, a scream was heard from the kitchen and the three mares ran to see what happened.

Inside the kitchen a yellow mane colt was on the floor and tried to rise up while C was looking inside the cupboards for something to eat, but he didn’t find anything he could eat and Hearts got angry on C rummaging in her cupboards and punched the white changeling after he came with all his hooves on the ground leaving the beautiful chair alone.

“What did I do?” asked C staring at Hearts and holding his hoof over his left cheek, but Hearts didn’t say anything and went to help the unicorn rise from the ground.

“Are you alright Frost Chrystal?” she asked the colt as she helped him rise up from the floor.

“Yes, but that beast came out of nowhere while I was writing and scared me. Now I have to start over.” He said looking at the papers that also fell on the floor.

“Hey! I’m not a beast. I’m C and I’m brilliant and most certain not a beast as you describe me. Of course I’m not a beast you damn voice!” he looked at the colt then at the air with an angry face.

“Please excuse him. I really don’t know what got into him today, the past two months nothing like this happened.” The white-furred mare said approaching C.

“Don’t blame me Inky, blame this damn bzzt in my head.” He looked at Inky, but then rushed to the window looking towards the direction the Colvre museum was.

“What should I find in that museum?! I’ve searched that damn room eight times and nothing!” C kept yelling at himself while staring towards the museum.

“Are you sure he’s alright Inky?” Hearts asked the shape-shifter staring at C.

“Alright?! Of course I’m alright! What?! Now you stop?! Really, you damn voice! Stop the bzzt next time and tell me what you want from me?!” C yelled as hard as he could and looked at the ceiling then moved his head down breathing angrily.

“C please calm down. The voice isn’t real, concentrate on what’s real, just like my uncle used to say, ‘Close your eyes and try to find the difference between what’s real and what’s an illusion’.” Inky approached C touching his left shoulder with her hoof and managed to calm him down.

“Thank you Inky. I’m sorry for this, but… I haven’t been the same since I woke up two months ago.” He said looking at the ponies inside the kitchen.

“C, you keep telling me since you woke up, but how long did you sleep?” the white-furred mare asked him with a worried face.

“That’s not important. What’s important is the present and the future, and right now something has been killing ponies at night for the past three weeks, and that’s important.” C said taking the chair he stood with his hooves on to look for food a few minutes ago.

“C, I really like how you change the subject.” Inky said to him with a sarcastic voice.

“Inky please don’t change the subject, ponies have been dying and we’re here for pieces information.” The white changeling told Inky then looked at the three ponies that sat down and started telling the two what they knew.

“Three weeks ago when it all started, I and some friends were walking to a restaurant at ten o’clock in the evening, when we heard screams coming from every direction possible. We were scared, one of my friends thought he saw a shadow moving. Since then, nopony dares to go out at night and neither do I.” Shinee told the two and the thought of that night scared her a bit.

“Interesting, you now… what’s your name?” C pointed at the colt with a wondering face.

“My name is Frost Crystal and all I know is that a week ago when I was in my room trying to find my inspiration I heard a scream coming from outside. I opened the window to see what happened, but there was nothing. At least I was somehow struck by inspiration to write. Idea!” He said staring at C then went back to his writing.

“I guess it’s my turn now.” Hearts said, but was stopped by C.

“I don’t need information that you chose Hearts. I want to know, what were you doing outside at this hour?” C asked the mare staring into her eyes.

“If you want to know, I went outside to get some paint and a canvas to paint my new creation I call “The lady in the dark”.” She said showing C the canvas and the paint.

“Do you want to know what I figured out? Of course you want to know, why do I ask you if want to know, I know you want to know? I learned absolutely nothing of importance.” The white-changeling told the ponies and put his head on the table.

“Every piece of information is important C. Hearts you said you paint, does this mean you’re an artist?” The white-furred mare asked the white unicorn.

“Yes, but I don’t want to brag about it, but I’m the most famous artist in Maris and it took me a lot of hard work to become one.” She said to Inky with a smile on her face.

“I got it!” C suddenly rose his head off the table.

“We ain’t going to find any information in here we must venture inside the mouth of the beast, outside.” C said to the ponies in the room.

“C are you sure?” Inky asked him with a worried face.

“Of course I am. Plus, do you three know any of the victims’ houses? I think we’ll find more clues there.” C said looking at the three ponies.

“A friend of mine died yesterday, his body is still in his room where he was found.” Frost told the two travelers.

“Great! Can you tell us where his house is?” C asked him with a smile.

“I suppose I can. He lives ten houses to the west of here. I hope you know what west is right?” he asked C staring at him.

“My left hoof! The west is my left hoof and the east my right hoof.” C smiled showing the ponies his hooves.

“Why do you have holes in your hooves?” Frost asked C staring at his holes.

“That’s not important! I mean, we can look at the moon for guidance.” Inky said to C after putting his hooves down.

C and Inky bid the ponies farewell and went to Frost’s friend house. As the two moved through the streets, Inky admired the oil lamps that lit the beautiful stone streets. C burst into dance thanks to the fact there was no crowd, for him this was the only way to walk in a city. C was so happy he grabbed Inky and danced, if they knew how to dance, neither C nor Inky knew how to dance.

The two kept dancing until they reached the destination. C knocked at the door and told Inky not to say anything, he’d take care of the talking. The house was bigger than Hearts’ home, but didn’t have any garden only some flower pots at the windows. C kept knocking until the door opened and a brown earth-pony put a sword to C’s throat.

“Who are you? What do you want?” the colt asked C making sure not to move the sword from his throat.

“We are here to investigate the death of your son.” C told the colt with a big smile.

“He’s not my son, he’s my brother and nopony can see him.” He told C glaring all the time at him.

“I admit that sounded better in my head. But, we are specialized in such case, look at our identification if you don’t believe us.” C showed the colt his pix.

“I haven’t seen such a thing before.” The colt told C after putting his sword down.

“That’s because we are special agents, nopony knows about us, but hear this. We were behind the solving of paranormal mysteries like… like… Inky.” C turned his head to Inky and asked her with a high voice.

“Like the scarecrow in the Yellow Fields a month ago.” She told the colt with a smile.

“I never heard of the Yellow Fields before.” The colt glared at C.

“That’s because of us, see how good we are, imagine how bad it would have been if you knew. I mean look at her, does she look like she’d lie?” C grabbed Inky’s cheeks and stretched a bit while smiling.

“You are good then. Alright, I’ll let you see my brother, but I’m coming with you. I want to see how good you are.” He told the two letting them enter.

“Who is it son?” an older colt’s voice was heard coming from upstairs.

“A special team that came to help solve the death of Etoile.” He told to his father as he came down to see C and Inky and hug them.

“Thank you for coming. Please tell us everything you find.” He told C with a happy voice almost crying to the fact somepony came to help them.

C promised the colt he’ll tell everything he finds and the two travelers alongside the brown colt went upstairs to the dead pony’s room, but not before C took his pix back. The three entered the room and saw the dead pony, his body didn’t decay a bit, but it had the same similarities as the pony they encountered early that evening.

“How can this be possible? They have the same symptoms. Grey skin, white eyes and hair.” C gave the pony a closer look.

“They all have the same symptoms, the doctors say it’s a disease, but nopony believes them.” The colt told C while Inky explored the room.

“If it was a disease you’d be dead by now, I saw diseases in my life, but this ain’t a disease it’s something else, but… Damn you voice, stop! Sorry, I’m a bit insane, but don’t worry I can do my job.” He told the colt while searching the dead pony.

“Hey C look, this painting is made by Hearts.” Inky told C when she found a beautiful painting representing a garden at night.

“Yes Inky very nice. Maybe we’ll give it a look after we find out what happened here.” C told Inky while looking around the bed on which the dead pony was.

“This painting is so beautiful I can’t take my eyes of it.” She said to the two colts while staring at the painting.

“Neither could my brother. He stared at that painting for hours, who could blame him, it’s just too beautiful. We found him staring at it even when he died.” He told Inky staring at the painting.

“He stared at the painting even when he died?” C asked the colt after coming out from under the bed.

“Yes. Now that I think of it, a friend of mine was found dead staring at a painting by Hearts four days ago and yesterday one of my father’s friends was found dead with a painting done by Hearts in her hooves. Even my fiancée was found dead with a…” the colt told the two, but when he was about to say painting he was joined by C saying “… painting by Hearts.”

“Inky! Move back from the painting!” He shouted at Inky which dropped the painting and moved back.

“It’s the paintings isn’t it? They killed my brother and my fiancée!” the brown colt shouted staring at the painting with his sword out.

“Paintings don’t kill ponies, but all these ponies died possessing such a painting.” C told the brown colt.

“C! I think I saw a shadow moving.” Inky told him while staring at the painting.

“Shadows can’t move Ink, that’s impossible.” C replied to Inky looking in her eyes.

“I wasn’t talking about the shadows in this rom. I was talking about the painting.”

As Inky told this a shriek was heard coming from the painting, the three ponies turned their heads to see that a shadow from inside the picture was moving and in a few seconds it came out of the canvas taking the form of a black pony without any eyes, nostrils mane and with nothing below the torso. Instead of having anything below the chest a grey gas was pouring outside it. The pony let out shrieks, but it had no mouth to do so, but the shrieks were heard in the entire house and the brown colt’s father came inside the room.

“Is everything alright in here I heard shrieks coming from he…” the old colt said while opening the door.

“Father no!”

The brown colt yelled at his father, but the old colt already entered the room and got scared at the sight of the black creature pony. The creature moved his head towards the old colt in a flash then open his snout like opening a mouth, a very big mouth, the inside of it being darker than its skin.

The old colt was terrified and screamed as hard as he could, at that moment the creature pony let out a shriek and jumped through him with its mouth large enough to swallow him, but it didn’t. When the creature pony passed through him, the skin of the old colt turned grey, his eyes and mane white and his face frozen in terror. A grey mist appeared from his body and the creature pony reappeared and stared at the three ponies. C and Inky were shocked and a bit scared, but the brown colt was crying and was angry.

The earth-pony took out his sword and jumped at the being trying to stab it in the head, but the sword passed through it. The brown colt was shaking and moved his head to stare at the creature’s head. The black skinned monster put both hooves on the head of the colt and from the grey gas was sprayed from its hands on the ponies head.

The brown colt started screaming and trembling as hard as he could. At that moment, the creature pony opened its snout once more, but instead of jumping on the colt, it let out a terrible shriek that made the colt’s head tremble in all directions and giving the same symptoms to him like his father and brother, meaning he was dead.

Inky and C stared this whole time, C was scared, but was more amazed, while Inky was very terrified. When the creature finished with the colt it stared at the two and stretched its hooves and moved his head to stare at the ceiling and let out a shriek while the gray gas was pouring from its hooves and head filling the room. Inky grabbed C and ran to the window behind them. To their misfortune the window was locked and the room was filling faster and faster with the gray gas.

“Inky remember I told you that my pix is very useful? This is one of those things it’s useful at.”

C took out his pix and put its covered top inside the window’s locker and tried to open it, but he didn’t make it and the room was almost filled with the gray gas. Inky pushed C aside and broke the window with a chair she found next to her.

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

C told to himself, but Inky grabbed his hoof and jumped outside the window. The two jumped from the first floor and landed on the stone street. Inky easily landed on the street, shape-shifters can easily jump from such a distance, but C got scared and fell on Inky.

He didn’t have enough time to apologize for that the head of the creature pony stretched outside the window and stared at the two as the gas was pouring out of the room’s window. The being let out a shriek and moved its body out of the room and chased after the two and seeing that ,they started running away as fast as they could.

“Run Inky! Run!”

C yelled at Inky while running, Inky’s back hurt a bit, but the white-furred mare still managed to run. The creature was stretching his head and hooves towards the two while its body let a trail of the gray mist behind. The thing was shrieking all the time waking up the ponies inside their rooms that went at their windows to see what was going on.

When they opened their curtains some of them only saw the gray mist and nothing more and others saw nothing and went back to sleep. Some of the ponies opened the windows to see better through the mist, but by doing so they started to scream and jumped outside the window killing themselves or breaking their legs.

Inky and C ran towards Hearts house hoping to get rid of the creature and also find out what was Hearts planning to do with it. The being wouldn’t stop chasing the two although the mist it emitted was weaker now, it still used its stretching arms trying to catch the two friends.

Hearts was inside her house speaking with her sister and her lover when the three heard ponies running outside and the shrieks the creature let out. Hearts cautiously opened the door and saw C and Inky running towards her. C jumped inside the house hitting the wall while Inky simply ran inside. The white unicorn saw the black monster approaching her and got scared. The creature seemed to have renewed powers and moved even faster. Hearts screamed and her horn glowed freezing everything in front of her, including the being.

Inky turned her head to see Hearts which fell on the ground exhausted and saw the creature frozen in front of the house. Inky rose up and helped the white unicorn rise up as well, the two ponies from the kitchen also came and helped Hearts rise up.

“What is that?” blue mare was surprised at seeing the frozen creature and opened her bat wings, at that moment Inky knew she wasn’t costumed.

“Did anypony take the number of the zeppelin that hit me?” C asked everypony inside the room after moving from the wall then fell on the ground.

Inky gave Hearts to Frost Crystal and went to help C rise up from the ground. His head hurt a lot and the fact that the voice was speaking didn’t help his headache. C put his left hoof over Inky’s neck and tried to calm down his headache, but he only managed to sneeze feeling the cold air created by Hearts that came from outside.

With all his headache C ran and closed the door breathing relieved, but then his sight started spinning and fell on the blue mare. Hearts was taken to her room and Shinee Spade took C and Inky to a guest room where they’d stay overnight. Shinee left Inky to take care of C which blacked out.

She stood up for about two hours, she wanted to sleep, but the fact that C blacked out again didn’t let her and also the frozen creature outside didn’t help either. She watched through the window as the ice surrounding the being was cracking and the black skinned monster came out of its icy prison then went back from where it came.

At that moment Inky couldn’t stay awake anymore and fell asleep on the bed next to C. During these two hours, Frost Crystal was arguing with Shinee Spade if the two travelers were to stay with her and her sister. The blue mare didn’t know on who’s side she should be, but in the end they both decided to let the two stay until they woke up and explained to them what happened. The light-brown colt said good night to the blue mare and went home. Shinee went to her sister’s room to watch over her, but fell asleep after half an hour.

Next day the ponies in Maris were terrified at hearing what happened last night. They wondered how could this happen? But in the end they carried on with their lives leaving the families of the victims to worry about the dead ponies.

After all the end of the Harvest Festival was today and the city was even more crowded than before. A great show was being prepared in the middle of the city, on the small island where the Royal Palace was. Everypony was invited. There were rumors that Princes Celestia herself and her former student Twilight Sparkle, now the greatest librarian and wizard in Equestria were to come this year.

Throughout the cities, entire parades were held, jesters, jugglers, sword eaters, fire breathers and many more came from every part of the region of Mance to entertain the crowd. Even the merchants came to the city, during this time of the year their profits were enormous, but also came to see their old merchant friends that they haven’t seen for months or even years and enjoy the shows.

But, the jewel of the festival was the art exposition held each year inside the old manor of Rouge Noir, the cities greatest actor. The master piece of this year’s expo, were Hearts’ paintings renowned throughout the region and even Canterlot.

Hearts herself was to attend to this event, but she was still sleeping in her room alongside her sister. Even Inky and C were sleeping although they had to find out what did the creature they encountered want and what did Hearts have to do with it.

Time went by in the city of Maris, the ponies were glad to see the parades and shows organized for them, but this night they were not to hide, this night they were to party and forget about their problems. At dusk the manor where the art expo was to be held was opened and nobles alongside normal ponies entered and waited for Hearts to arrive.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the city, ponies were gathering to view the show organized by their king and to their surprise Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle came to attend the show. The ponies went to meet the two and get some autographs from them, after all the two were opened ponies. Twilight left the Princess to show a group of young ponies some magic tricks.

In the other side of the city, Frost Crystal was heading to her girlfriend’s house to wake her up. She was going to be late if he didn’t wake her up. The light brown pony had quite a time getting past the crowd and reaching Hearts’ house.

When he entered the house Shinee and Inky woke up hearing the unicorn enter. Inky turned to C and woke him up, he touched his head the headache finally faded away and remembered they had to talk to Hearts about the creature.

“Where is Hearts?” C asked the blue mare then sneezed.

“She’s down in her workshop gathering four paintings she prepared for this year’s expo.” She said to the white changeling that turned his head towards Inky very worried.

“Shinee, I’m afraid your sister is in great danger.” Inky told her with a worried face.

“Stop chatting and let’s save Hearts!” C yelled at the two mares then ran downstairs.

“What’s going to happen to my sister?” the blue mare asked C while running.

“She’s going to die like the other ponies the past three weeks, but smile she didn’t die yet.” He replied arriving in front of Hearts’ workshop.

“Now stand back ladies, I’m going to break the door.” C kicked the door with his right hoof, but didn’t break it, instead he screamed and jumped on his other hoof.

“C you killed an entire legion of ponies and you can’t break a door?” Inky asked her friend.

“I just woke up back then, now I couldn’t kill even a boar, plus doors are evil!” he responded to the white-furred mare.

“You know you could just open the door, right?” Shinee said to the two then opened the door.

“Oh, right.” C laughed a bit on how dumb he was.

“Shinee what are you doing in here? Go get ready for the expo.” Hearts told her sister.

“I’m afraid you ain’t going nowhere, Hearts, tell me. What was that creature?” the white changeling asked her.

“That creature from last night?” she asked him with a wondering face.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know unicorn! You’re paintings have been causing this. I don’t know how or why, but I’m going to stop you.” He replied to the white unicorn.

“How dare you speak to me like that? This is my house and I can assure you I’m not behind these deaths and most certainly not behind that creature!” she replied yelling at C.

Inky wanted to stop this, Hearts seemed like she didn’t know anything, but the creature came from her painting. That pointed at Hearts being somehow involved, the white-furred mare tried to think how could she decide what happened exactly, as she was thinking she heard C mention shadows. Somehow that word made Inky think about an old story she heard from her uncle while in the Frost Bite village.

~FLAHBACK~

“What are those paintings uncle?” a filly Inky asked a blue-furred colt.

“Those paintings depict an ancient and terrible creature.” Her uncle replied petting the hair of the filly.

“Indeed. A long time ago, longer than we can remember those creatures roamed the night bringing fear and terror to our people. So terrible they were that they used artists to hide them in their creations.” A sturdy shape-shifter with a scared eye that seemed to be the chieftain explained to the young filly.

“So much fear did those creatures bring to these shape-shifters that they eventually killed them in fear.” Her uncle continued the story, the filly being very curious.

“That was a terrible time for our shape-shifters, but one day the shaman Frosset Den found the beings’ greatest weakness.” The chieftain continued the story.

“What was their weakness uncle?” the filly asked her uncle.

“Hard to believe, but the very weather they lived in was their greatest weakness. The legend says that one day Forsset was gathering plants for a medicinal soup, but a blizzard left him stranded in the forest. He lit a fire and took out from his bag the drawing of his wife, but there was something strange.” He told his niece.

“What was strange at it?” She asked him grabbing his robes.

“The drawing had a shadow.” The chieftain replied then left the blue-furred colt to continue.

“Indeed, but that wasn’t a normal shadow, it was one of the beings. These creatures hide in shadows and wait for their pray to get scared and Frosset got very scared seeing the shade. The entity jumped out of it trying to kill Frosset in fear, but it didn’t check its surroundings and even though it wasn’t very close to the fire, it burned.” Her uncle replied.

“Frosset lit his staff in the fire and forced the creature to back away. He pushed the being with his lit staff away from his camp, but he took the staff away from the entity. Right then the being returned to normal and jumped towards the old shaman, but the entity froze before it could kill Frosset.” The chieftain said.

“What did Frosset do next uncle?” the filly asked.

“Next day Frosset returned to his village and armed the warriors with torches. He gave the warriors a potion that made them see their worst fears. By doing this, every last of the creatures came out from their hiding place, but when Frosset saw the beings surrounding the warriors, he gave the order to the few fighters that didn’t took the potion to attack the creatures.” The blue-furred colt stopped to catch up his breath.

“Most of the entities were killed, but those that remained were too clever to be killed with fire, so Frosset tricked them and by sacrificing his own life, trapped the beings inside a glacier from where these monsters would never escape again.” The chieftain continued the story.

“What were creatures called uncle?” a scared filly asked her uncle.

“They are called…” the colt said, but nowadays Inky opened her eyes and realized what really happened.

“… Shades!” Inky yelled stopping Hearts and C from arguing.

“C, Hearts isn’t responsible for the killings. That creature we saw last night is called a Shade.” Inky said approaching him.

“Shade?” C asked.

“The Shades are creatures that use artists to hide in the shadows inside their work and then attack when the prey gets scared.” Right when she finished the shriek of a shade was heard coming from behind Hearts.

Hearts turned around and saw the being. She got scared seeing the shade and at that moment the being opened its snout and produced more gas. Inky grabbed Hearts and the four ponies ran outside the room.

“Wait! We have to close the door!” C took out his pix and used it at the locker.

“C what are you even doing?!” Inky yelled at C which somehow managed to close the door.

“Job done! A pix can solve any problem-o!” C smiled balancing the pix in the middle of his left hoof.

“Uhm… C.” Shinee pointed at the door locker from which gas was pouring outside.

“Things could be so much worse.” C said smiling after looking at the gas that was pouring out.

C shook his head a bit then suddenly ran away from the locker towards the kitchen alongside the three mares. Inside the kitchen. Frost Crystal was writing something when the four entered and barricaded the door.

“What’s going on?” the light-brown unicorn asked.

“Nothing special, just a normal day barricading the door so that a pony eating shadow won’t kill us.” replied C placing a chair in front of the door.

“Ok. Do you expect me to believe that? Hearts, Shinee what did this two do to you?” the unicorn asked the two mares.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true and right now we have to survive.” Hearts replied to her lover.

“Uhm… Frosty sorry for interrupting, but why did you write shadows again and again in this poem?” C asked the colt after glimpsing for a second at his papers.

At that moment shrieks were heard coming from the paper and four shades came out of it and the shade locked out managed to enter the kitchen through the bottom of the door. The five ponies were now stuck inside surrounded by five shades that opened their snout.

“Inky did I ever tell you about the legend of Rambo?” C asked his companion after looking at the window behind him.

“No, but I can’t see how could that help us?” she asked her friend.

“Close your eyes and follow my lead.” After he told this to his companion, C jumped through the window breaking the glass that cut him a bit.

The other ponies, with Inky being the first, followed C, but Frost had to be pulled outside the window by his girlfriend right when the five shades launched themselves at them, only a few millimeters separated the tail of Frost from the ravenous monsters.

The shades hit the wall and the other beings created a huge gray mist, but restored their bodies pretty fast and shrieking ran after the five ponies. The five ran as fast as they could through the crowd that blocked their way, unfortunately for them and to the resentfulness they couldn’t save the ponies that were killed by the five shades.

Inky and C yelled at the crowd to run inside and close anything they could, but the mob didn’t listen to them and seeing the five shades the ponies panicked and ran in all directions. Two of the beings lunged at the crowd of ponies feasting on them while the other three kept chasing C, Inky and the three ponies.

“Hearts, you mentioned an expo you were supposed to go to, how far are we from it?” Inky asked the white unicorn trying to run through the crowd as fast as she could.

“We are close to it, why?!” Hearts yelled loud enough for Inky to hear her though the screams of the crowd.

“If these shades come from your paintings we must stop them and you are the only one that can stop them!” Inky yelled back at Hearts.

“How am I supposed to stop these creatures? I’m only a simple unicorn!” Hearts replied to the white-furred mare.

“That’s exactly it! Last night you froze that shade with your powers and you must freeze them all, but now you have me and C to help you!” Inky yelled as the five approached the expo.

“You four go inside I’ll distract them!” C yelled at the four after he stopped in the middle of the crowd.

“C, you can’t!” Inky yelled at her friend.

“This is your only chance! I’m only one out of many changelings after all! You go inside and save this city!” Without wasting any time C turned to his left and jumped on top of the crows ruing on their backs, barely managing to hold his balance.

Inky was pulled inside the manor by Shinee and Hearts and Frost closed the door. Outside the three shades stopped to decide where to go. The one in the middle went after C while the other two were left to feast or enter the expo. Inside the manor Inky hit the door wanting to go outside for C, but she was stopped by Hearts and Shinee.

“Inky don’t be a fool. C sacrificed himself in order for us to live and stop the shades.” The blue mare told Inky.

“You are right. And by Bursucel I shall honor C’s sacrifice.” The three ponies went to the main gallery while Inky stood behind and looked at the door.

“Goodbye C, may you rest in peace alongside the stars.” Inky closed her eyes, a tear moving down her left cheek.

Unknown to her though, C wasn’t going to die without a fight, but the fact he offered himself as bait was a lie, just like he lied about him piloting the zeppelin back in the Steam-City. The voice was calling for him, not far away, in the museum of Colvre. C thought that there would be no better time than this to find out what was calling for him.

While running C fell from the back of a pony and hit the ground with his belly. He saw the shade lunging at him, but with all the pain caused by the fall he rolled around screaming after rolling. He kept telling himself he’s been tortured far worse and the pain of this fall was nothing, but it still mattered.

The white changeling forced himself up from the ground and saw the shade reforming itself. C didn’t have time to loose and ran ignoring the pain coming from his chest. The crowd didn’t make it easier for him to travel, but somehow managed to squish through it and end up in front of the museum.

Not far behind, the shade was feasting upon the crowd in a frenzy only a piranha would have. The gray mist emanated by the shade got bigger and bigger and seeing this. C rushed inside the museum and caught his breath a bit.

“Damn my body… Why must you only be strong two weeks after I wake up then fail me? I don’t want to hear any complain from you heart!” C put his left hoof on his chest where his heart was and tried to calm it down.

“Okay, I’ll be careful next time, just stop... now to find the voice.” C stood on his four legs and went inside the museum in search of the voice.

Unknown to him, the shade outside saw him moving inside the museum and entered it as well. Inside the building C was getting closer and closer to the voice which intensity was getting stronger and stronger, until he reached the middle of the museum.

He looked around trying to find the voice’s location, but he couldn’t manage to find it as the shade’s shrieks were approaching him. Indeed, the shade was behind him. The white changeling saw the shade and moved back trying to stay alive.

“Damn you necklace why did I use you in the Steam-City? Yeah I know it was to save Inky! Look at me, speaking to myself to the very end. I never imagined this would be how I die, but if this is it, I will die thinking about you… sister, I’m sorry.”

The shade was right in front of C and prepared to jump, but at that moment a burning arrow passed through the shade’s chest making it burn until it was nothing left, not even ashes. C opened his right eye and was surprised to still be alive. He then opened his left eye and saw as a red robe wearing pony carrying a bow approached him.

“Wait a second. You are it! You are the voice! What do you want from me?” C asked the red robe wearing pony.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m here to give you a message.” The robe wearing pony said approaching C and putting the bow down.

“You are right. It began once more! Now I have to go elsewhere! But it wanted me to find you, tell me, what’s your message?!” C yelled at the pony with anger in his eyes.

“Please calm down.” The pony said.

“The message… now!” C yelled breathing angrily as the voice drove him insane.

“I ran from my temple two months ago when we were attacked. I ran before seeing the true face of the attackers.” The pony said making sure not to approach the changeling any further.

“What does this have to do with me? I barely woke up two months ago in that blasted city of Canterlot!” C yelled at the pony.

“So it is you as I suspected. Listen to me my friend. I don’t have much time. I took a poison two hours ago and now it’s taking its effect.” The pony screamed and fell down, but C ran at him and rose his head up a bit.

“Listen to me. Go to the Moon Crater Village inside the valley of the moon. Seek my temple and all your questions will be answered…” The pony was about to say a name but died before he could say it, it seemed that he took the potion exactly to stop himself from telling the name.

“Rest now pony, I will seek that village.” C put the pony down and headed towards the exit of the museum taking the pony’s bow and arrows.

At the expo the four ponies entered the main room and everypony inside applauded and greeted their great artist, but she could say anything for that the organizer grabbed her and took her to meet other nobles.

Inky didn’t want to waste any time and jumped on the stage where hearts was about to give a speech. The ponies inside shouted at Inky for doing this, but she shouted at them and told those foolish ponies to get out before it is too late.

“Too late? Too late for what? Your tastes are dead already, just look at you.” A noblefilly said from the crowd then the ponies started laughing as hard as they could.

“What’s with this gray mist? Who’s the unicorn res… “

The noble that grabbed Hearts begun screaming and having hallucinations of the things he feared. When he let out his loudest scream the shades that were waiting inside the pictures begun shrieking, in a few seconds the room filled with fifty shades. The ponies were shocked and surprised. The shades seemed to study the ponies and after a few second of not doing anything they all shrieked and begun feasting.

Around two hundred ponies were inside the main room of the expo, only twenty managed to be escorted in a safe room by Inky, Hearts, Shinee and Frost. Those that remained were screaming and having hallucinations, the shades consumed each one of them, from time to time leaving one alive a bit longer to feast more on his fear.

Inside the room the survivors were, the four rescuers made sure to cover any crack that would allow the shades to enter. The room was more of a hallway that only led to three rooms, a bathroom, the janitor’s room and to the basement of the manor.

“Hearts, how do you feel?” Inky approached and asked the white unicorn.

“So what? So that you can use my powers?!” she asked the white-furred mare.

“That’s not what I meant to say.” She replied to Hearts.

“But, that’s what you want to do. Look I can’t use them, I don’t even know how to use that freezing power I have, it just happens.” Hearts replied to the mare sitting down on the floor.

Before Inky could say anything, the shades in the other room shrieked so loud that their voices were heard in the entire city. From every painting and book the shades where were hiding they came out. In the entire city one hundred shades woke up from their slumber and begun the feast creating a complete panic in the entire city, even in the middle where Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle were attending to the show.

Inside the room the survivors were stranded. A shriek was heard coming from the janitor’s room. Gas came inside the room through the bottom of the door and the Shade quickly restored its form. The being stretched its hooves towards the ponies and gas was rising from those hooves. It was preparing to throw gas at the ponies, but at that moment a burning arrow head came out of its chest that made the shade scream so loud that it was heard in the entire city.

The shades heard the scream of their brother and with a furious shriek headed towards the manor ignoring the feast at hoof. When the shade inside the room burned completely the ponies could see C with the burning arrow in his mouth.

He smiled, but the fire from the arrow reached his lips and he spit out the arrow and ran inside the bathroom to cool his lips. After he cooled his lips, he returned in the room and said hi to all the ponies inside.

“Why aren’t you ponies cheering? I saved you.” C said staring at the ponies.

“C, you’re alive! Where did you get those arrows?” Inky smiled at C then stared at the arrows and bow.

“Long story Inky, I don’t have time to explain nor shall I ever explain, but I’ll say this, how do you ponies use bows and arrows I tried out there and believe me, hell broke loose out there and I won’t ever explain what hell is, so don’t ask.” The white changeling said showing the bow then pointing at with his head outside.

“C, I’m glad I see you and I’ll show you later how to use a bow and arrows, but right now there are fifty shades in the other room, that want to kill us and Hearts doesn’t know how to use her powers.” Inky told him pointing at the door leading to the main gallery.

“Please Inky, let me handle this.” C approached Hearts and grabbed her shoulders with his hooves and started shaking her.

“Come on! Work you flishing powers, work!” Hearts stopped C then punched him making him fall down.

“What did I do?” he asked staring at the mare.

“Uhm… guys.” Crystal said to C and Inky as the door leading to them was hit by every shade in the other room.

“It won’t take long and they’ll breach the door.” The blue bat-pony mare said.

“You know what, I give up! If Hearts won’t use her powers I’ll be the first to go.” said C approaching the door leading to the ravenous shades.

“What?! C you just came from outside and you want to die?!” Inky yelled at C.

“You three take the survivors to the bathroom! Inky you come with me! We’re going to save the day.” The white changeling said pointing at Hearts, Shinee and Frost.

“Is there any time when you don’t have a plan?” Inky asked C staring at him.

“Perhaps, but it isn’t today. Come on ponies! More life into it, this night you will live!”

C yelled rising his left hoof in the air as the three ponies escorted the survivors in the bathroom. When there was no pony left inside the room he turned his head to see Inky and smiled then opened the door and yelled at the shades to come after him.

The white changeling grabbed the shape-shifters hoof and smashed into the door leading to the basement. Luck was on C for that the door was half open, but still had problems walking down the stairs seeing how fast he ran inside there, but there was no time to lose and he somehow managed to walk down until he slipped and fell on his butt a few stairs.

The shades were right behind him so he rose up and ran with Inky until the two didn’t have where to run anymore, truth be told, they didn’t even run much, the basement was very small and the shades from the entire city surrounded the two.

“Ok C, what’s your plan?” Inky asked C smiling very nervous.

“Do you know when I said there are days when I don’t have any plans?” C told to Inky while staring at the shades.

“Oh, no, no, you don’t mean you…?” Inky stared at C.

“Yes I lied to you. But, look at the bright side, you trusted me and that makes me happy.” C replied still staring at the shades that were slowly approaching the two.

“So the fact we’re going to be killed isn’t important?” she asked C staring at the shades with a nervous smile.

“Meh, I’ve seen worse. And the worse is soon to come if that stupid unicorn Rainbow Harpy up there won’t save her stupid bat-pony sister.” C yelled as hard as he could the basement helping his yells echo though the manor and reaching Hearts ear, and she wasn’t very happy about this.

“C! You now I’d beat you if you insult me, but NOPONY INSULTS MY SISTER!!” Hearts yelled from the entrance of the basement and her horn glowed.

“Duck Inky.” C smiled as Hearts’ horn glowed stronger and Inky sat with her entire body on the floor.

After Inky sat down on the ground with her entire body Hearts unleashed a blow of magic that froze every shade in the room and froze C’s front side a bit, but not too much, the shades guarded C’s body from getting frozen.

“Good job Hearts.” C muttered thanks to the fact he’s face was half frozen, then he fell on his front side.

Inky rose up from the ground and dragged C upstairs making sure to close and seal the door. Everypony that survived the initial attack were escorted outside by Hearts, Shinee and Frost, while C and Inky were still inside, the white changeling being able to move a bit of his body.

Hearts, her sister and Frost stood outside waiting for C and Inky to come out, but the manor burst in flames and there was no way to get inside or outside. The three ponies watched as the mansion burned and along with it, C and Inky. Frost bowed his head at the building thanking C and Inky for saving them. Everypony that survived bowed their heads, those that wore hats took them off and then bowed to the two travelers that saved their lives.

Unknown to them though, C and Inky got out the manor through the window C broke in order to enter the janitor’s room. The two stealthily moved away from the mansion and in the end away from the city. But, also unknown to them, Twilight Sparkle sensed C moving outside the city.

“Princess, he was here.” Twilight said looking at the Princess, that closed her eyes for a second.

“He must be responsible for this attack. Too bad sending guards after him would make the city panic even more than they did by now.” Celestia said to her student.

“What shall we do then, Princess?” the purple unicorn asked the Princess.

“For now, nothing, but we’ll make sure these ponies continue their festivities, but I want you to tell me where is he going?” The white alicorn asked her former student that closed her eyes.

“Apparently they are headed towards Manehattan, but I might be mistaking Princess.” Twilight responded after she opened her eyes.

“So be it. Tomorrow I want you to travel to Manehattan and alert the guards there, I’ll dispatch an elite group to search the road for him.” The white alicorn replied to her former student.

“Understood my Princess.” Twilight bowed her head then turned back to watch the ponies as their festival began once more.

“We should’ve said goodbye at least.” Inky told C as they moved on the road leading to Manehattan.

“It’s better this way Inky trust me. Such a festival might’ve attracted an enemy of mine, plus I don’t want to get beaten by Hearts. Do you know how hard she punches?” he replied to Inky while petting his right cheek.

“Hey Inky, what do you say if we don’t go straight to Manehattan and see another place instead?” the white changeling said at a crossroad.

“Your voice tells you doesn’t it?” she asked looking at C.

“Nah, the voice tells me to go straight there, but who likes straight road? I know I don’t, so what do you say?” He asked Inky with a smile.

“You know what my uncle used to say?” Inky replied to C closing her eyes.

“I’m curious, what?” C turned his head to look at Inky and smiled.

“There are new things to discover and the most fascinating of them don’t lie on straight roads.” Inky opened her eyes and turned to face C, the two smiled and took the road leading to the town of Coltwall, where a new friend was waiting.

Next Chapter

“My name is Tenebris welcome to our town.” A purple mare greeted the two.

“What’s this holiday called” asked C after sneezing four times.

“It’s called the Hearts Warming Eve. And this year is going to be the greatest one.” Tenebris said showing the two the town.

“What’s going on in here?” Inky wondered as the lights inside the theatre were flickering.

“I’m the Hearts Warming Eve Phantom and tomorrow night I’ll claim my revenge!” a masked pony on the stage yelled at the ponies gathered inside the theatre.

Chapter VI: Hearts Warming Eve Phantom

Chapter VI

The Hearts Warming Eve Phantom

[Three months ago, Canterlot Palace]

“Here it is my Princess. We found it three weeks ago where the blue light hit.” An old colt moved inside the storage and took of a blanket from a sarcophagus.

“What is it professor? I’ve never seen something like this.” Celestia moved closer to the sarcophagus and almost touched the strange jewel the creature inside had in a necklace, but the professor stopped her.

“You’d better not my Princess. According to the site we found it… this should be the god of the white changelings.” The professor looked at Celestia which was staring at the creature.

“I’ve never heard of the white changelings.” Celestia moved her head to face the professor.

“I’m not surprised your highness. The white changelings disappeared a long time ago, before your parents even ruled over Equesrtia. Not much is known about them, we only know they were white and didn’t present any horn like the black changelings of today. But, if what we found on the ruins is true, this is the god they worshipped and the legend says one day he’ll wake up from his eternal slumber, but that’s all we found.” The professor stared at the creature inside and ordered two stronger colts to put a glass panel on the sarcophagus.

“Do you believe the legend professor?” Celestia asked the old colt as she stared at the creature through the glass panel.

“I believe in what I see and I only see a white armor that covers something, but surely not a god, maybe inside is a statue. We couldn’t manage to move this creature’s limbs a bit.” The professor and Celestia left the storage and went to the dining room.

[Present day, Midnight-Snow Town]

Snow is a very beautiful thing and a town with snow is very pleasant especially if there are colorful lights like in this place. Every building is surrounded by beautiful decorations, all in wait for the Hearts Warming Eve.

Inside the houses, parents are preparing the cakes and other delicious foods for this celebration. Outside, even though it’s very late, kids are still playing with their slides and throw snowballs at each other. One of the young colts threw a snowball to one of his friends, but instead of hitting him, the snowball hit a purple mare in the face.

“We are sorry Miss Tenebris, we didn’t want to hit you.” The young pegasi told the mare with her right eye covered by her hair.

“It’s nothing Pine Air. I love a good snow fight, after all I was a kid too once.” She told the young pony.

“Thank you Miss Tenebris. Want to join us?” He asked the purple earth-pony and other young ponies joined him in begging her.

“Alright, but don’t hit me too much I haven’t played in a while.”

The mare and the kids started playing. The ponies were divided into two teams so that it would be funnier and after they were split, the two teams chose a place and started making snowballs. Tenebris hasn’t played this game since she was a young filly, but she was having as much fun as the kids were, although she was hit almost all the time.

The mare finally found a good place where to hide from the incoming snowballs and saw a perfect target, she made sure not to throw hers too hard so that she won’t hurt the young pony. She prepared the snowball and when the pony was making his own, the mare threw it, but instead of hitting him, it hit a colt around thirty six years old.

“Miss Tenebris!” The colt yelled making the ponies stop playing.

“I’m sorry Mister Gold Hooves. I was just playing with the kids I didn’t want to…” She tried to apologize, but in vain.

“Next time I suggest you do what you are supposed to do… clothes. Come Silver, we’re going home, I don’t want you to spend more time with these peasants. Good night…Miss.” The colt said with a spiteful voice then took her daughter and went home.

The two ponies arrived at their big manor after traveling with a carriage for ten minute. The colt gave the two earth-ponies that pulled the carriage ten bits and went inside the big manor without saying good night to the two, although they did say.

“Dad, please forgive Miss Tenebris, she didn’t want to hit you. She is kind and sweet, she couldn’t hurt a fly.” The young filly told her dad after giving her winter coat to a butler.

“I don’t care what you say Silver Hooves. She was childish and such ponies shouldn’t be forgiven, especially that she is a lower class than us. We have a certain class and prestige while she only has that stupid clothes workshop where she lives. Now, Greene take my daughter to her bed. And I don’t want to be disturbed.” The colt took his pipe and went into his study.

The colt entered his study and sat on the chair of his desk. He took a deep breath, leaned his head backwards then saw a gift on his desk. The colt looked around, he wanted to yell for his servant, nopony was allowed inside his study, but he decided not to yell for his servants and instead opened the gift.

The colt was surprised and scared for what he saw inside the gift box. Inside it was the head of a friend of his and a letter addressed to him. He grabbed the blood soaked envelope and opened it. On the paper inside it was written “Look forwards.”

He slowly moved his head to look forwards and saw the figure of a pony in front of him. The pony jumped on the desk and took out a sword. The colt recognized the silhouette of a mare. She was wearing a mask and her right eye was covered by her hair, he could also see a cape on her back.

“Please! Don’t kill me! I can pay you well if you don’t.” The colt yelled at her, but no sound could enter or exit his study.

“I want none of your money. I want justice for your crimes!” The mare stretched her hoof in which the sword was, then in a flash and a scream she cut off the colts head.

“My blade took out those guilty, but many more remain out there. And in four days this mare, will exact her revenge.” The purple mare took out a red rose and disappeared leaving the flower on the desk.

Next day near the road leading to the town a white changeling was trembling as an earthquake and barely managed to stop sneezing. His teeth were shaking almost as bad as his body, next to him was a bowl of hot soup that should make him feel better.

“C, I finally got that bear pelt you wanted.” Inky came out the forest with a bear pelt on her back as C sneezed four times in a row.

“Quick, Inky, give me the pelt!” C yelled at her as she approached him and put the pet around him.

“I still can’t stop thinking how much did it take me to find and kill that bear. Why didn’t you eat your soup?” The white-furred mare asked him taking the bowl in her hoof.

“It only contains plants, I want meat. I don’t eat plants.” He whined at her.

“C, stop whining and eat the soup.” Inky took a spoon from the ground and wanted to feed C.

“No! I need no soup.” He moved his head away from the spoon.

“C, eat the soup!” Inky yelled at C after other six tries to feed him.

“Are you my mommy?” The white changeling asked her with an ironic voice.

“C! How old are you?!” She shouted at C that whined like a kid.

“I don’t know!” He responded looking at Inky, she saw an opening and put the spoon inside C’s mouth, he gulped the soup immediately.

“See not so bad.” Inky took the spoon out and smiled.

“Argh! My tongue! Why, Inky?! Why?” He stared into her eyes.

“C, I’ve been eating this soup each time I was sick since I was little filly and felt well in no time. So stop your childish whining and eat it!” She yelled at him stretching her hooves so that the bowl of soup was in front of c’s eyes.

“Did I ever tell you how much I hate you when you do this?” C replied taking the soup and the spoon.

“As long as you’re alright I’m fine with that.” She replied looking at C while he was eating the soup.

“By the way, how far are we from that town on the map? “ He asked the white-furred mare after sneezing two times.

“Let’s see. Thanks to the fact we had to stay two weeks in that inn because you got sick… we should be there in two hours if we start moving.” She replied after she looked at the map.

“Anyway… how did you manage to pay for two weeks that inn? We didn’t have any bits left.” The white changeling asked her taking another gulp of the soup.

“Do you have any idea how many dishes and tables I had to clean?” She looked at C which sneezed once more.

“No Inky I don’t and I don’t even want to know, but do you know what I want to know? No stallion tried to catch you?” C asked her taking a final gulp from the soup.

“There were no guards or poachers if that’s what you mean.” She took the empty bowl from him and put it into a back pack where their plushies were too.

“No… what I mean is… did any stallion try to capture your love, like trying to make you fall in love with them?” Inky was surprised by the meaning of the last question and didn’t know how to respond.

“Wait a second C. Does this mean you think I’m pretty?” She smiled with half her mouth and stared at him.

“What?! Of course not… you are my companion and we have just a traveling relationship not a love-love relationship. You are… pretty, but we are just friends. Catfish?”

He replied and sneezed four times once more while Inky tried to keep inside her response, after all C was right, there is no way they could be together. She was silly to even think that, she thought to herself, but didn’t say anything, but there was a question she had to put to C.

“Are there fish that look like cats?” Inky asked C which was a bit confused of her question.

“Aaaaaaa! No, no, no Inky. You see, I like to say ‘catfish’ instead of ‘understood’. Catfish?” He smiled after taking a deep breath and looked at Inky.

“Catfish.” She smiled and closed her eyes leaning her head a bit to her right.

“No, no, no, no! Inky, catfish is just like ‘andale’, only I can say it.” C stared at Inky making sure she understood.

“Okay C, but you don’t have to be so rude.” Inky rose up from the snowy ground and stretched her hoof to help C rise up as well.

“Thanks Inky, but I was wondering. Don’t you need anything to cover you?” He asked his companion.

“No thank you C. We shape-shifters live in the snowy north, our fur is enough. I sure miss those hot water lakes.” She smiled and looked at the sky which looked like a blizzard was coming.

“Nice to hear that, but I don’t want to be caught in a blizzard.” He told Inky then kept moving forwards.

Inky came back to earth and went after C. After three months of traveling together one might think they know each other pretty well seeing how much time they spend together, but in fact, Inky knows almost nothing about C and he knows almost everything about her.

She made a promise to C a month ago not to ask him about his past, but this makes things complicated. He is stranger by the day. When they met, he looked like a super-pony, but now he’s like any other changeling and that sleep he keeps mentioning doesn’t help her either. How long can a pony like C sleep?

From his perspective, not telling Inky his past is the best thing in the world. There’s too much hurt and burden to tell her. He has to keep it inside or else everything would end, Inky’s friendship and the journey ahead.

The white changeling thought back three months ago when he woke up in Canterlot and how he was exposed like an attraction. ‘It wasn’t their fault’ he said to himself, they didn’t know he was still alive and sleeping.

What he did when he saw himself in front of those ponies was his fault, he left his anger consume him and now he’s running away, following a voice in his head that isn’t a voice. And that mysterious pony from last month, what could C find where he told him to go?

“C are you okay?” Inky looked at C which seemed to snap out of something.

“Yes, I’m okay, but why?” He asked her with a wondering face.

“You’ve been staring at the ground for most of the road, you even whispered something that I couldn’t understand.” She looked with a worried face at him.

“I’m okay Inky, don’t worry, just memories of a past time.” He smiled at Inky and looked forwards.

“Uhm… Okay, if you say you are better.”

She knew there was something strange going on about C, but decided not to say anything thanks to her promise, her friend had to face his past on his own. She decided to stop thinking about this and kept going while C tried to stop thinking about the past.

It didn’t take long for the two and they entered the town, not much happened during the last few minutes of the road. Inky watched C as he tried to suppress anything that came into his mind.

“Well here we are. That was a nice road.” C smiled and looked at Inky which hit him with a snowball.

“What was that for?!” He yelled at Inky confused about the snowball that just hit him in the face.

“Just for fun, C.”

She moved ahead gently touching C’s snout, but he wasn’t going to give up just like that. He reached down and made his own snowball and threw it after her, but C’s aim wasn’t that good and the snowball passed Inky and hit a purple mare in the face which fell down on the ground and dropped some packages.

“Ouch, if anypony is asking, it wasn’t me. It was that snowpony! Why did you hit her? You evil snow creature!” C stared at it while Inky moved towards the purple mare and helped her rise up, from the ground.

“Excuse my friend. He didn’t want to hit you.” Inky told her after she helped her up.

“There’s no problem. Lately snowballs have something with me. You’re not from around here are you?” She asked the white-furred mare.

“No, me and my friend are just passing by.” Inky replied pointing at C with her left hoof.

“Well nice to meet you then, hope you have a nice time while you pass by here. Where are my manners, I’m really silly, I apologize for not introducing myself, my name is Tenebris Astrum.” She introduced herself and smiled closing her visible eye and leaned her head a bit to the left.

“Nice to meet you Tenebris, I’m Blue Ink, but you can call me Inky and he’s C.” She smiled and pointed at C which was talking with the snowpony.

“Only C?” Tenebris looked towards him wondering what he was doing.

“Yes, he won’t tell anypony anything else, but I’m okay with that. Oh! You are from town right?” The white-furred mare asked her.

“Yes, why?” The purple mare asked Inky wondering what could she want?

“Do you know an inn where we could stay and by stay I mean, where I can work a few days until we move once more?” She asked the purple mare with a three colored scarf around her neck.

“Uhm… I’m afraid all inns in town are full in this period. Hearts Warming Eve always brings merchants and travelers in our town.” She replied to Inky which was a bit worried.

“Oww… We’ll manage somehow anyway.” Inky smiled at Tenebris while C came next to her with the head of the snowpony on his back.

“Hey Inky. Don’t worry Miss I took care of this snowpony, she won’t hit anypony from now on.” C smiled and took the head of the snowpony in his hooves showing it to Tenebris.

“Mommy, somepony destroyed my snowpony!” A filly yelled for her mom. When C heard that, he dropped the head and hit it with his front right hoof until he masked it as snow.

“Now that that’s taken care o… o…” C sneezed four times.

“Uhm… maybe you can stay with me until you go. I usually don’t have guests and I’d be glad to have some company this year.” Tenebris smiled and told the two.

“If we are no bother to you, I agree.” C gladly accepted the offer.

“But C, we don’t even have any bits to pay Tenebris for the rooms.” Inky looked at him.

“I don’t need money. You’ll be my guests, I really wished for some company this Hearts Warming Eve.” The purple mare smiled to the two. She was really happy to spend this year’s winter holiday with somepony.

“You heard the nice pony Inky, we need not to pay. So let’s go!” C pointed his left front hoof to the sky and leaned his head backwards smiling.

“Oh, no!” Tenebris turned around remembering about the packages.

“Are you okay?” C stared at Tenebris which was gathering clothes from the ground and beautifully folding them before putting them back in their packages.

“How silly can I be?! How could I forget about my delivery?” She was trying to move as fast as she could, but she couldn’t do a bad work.

“Maybe we can help you Tenebris.” Inky told the purple mare approaching her.

“Tenebris?” C asked rising his left eyebrow.

“Yes C, that’s her name. Tenebris Astrum and because of you, her clothes are on the ground.” Inky replied to C leaning down to help Tenebris fold the clothes.

“Okay maybe I can h…” C couldn’t finish his proposition for that the purple mare gave him two packages to hold while she was finishing the remaining four.

“Alright, now follow me. I hope we are not late.” Tenebris started running, C and Inky following her until the three reached a luxurious villa.

“Wow, quite a place to live.” C remarked as he stared at the building before him.

“Owww… I hope we are not late, Mr. Wood Chest is a very important client and I don’t want to disappoint him.” Tenebris was very worried and Inky tried to calm her down, but the door to the villa opened and the purple mare got more nervous.

“Please come in Miss Tenebris, lord Wood Chest expected you.”

A butler welcomed the three inside the villa. Tenebris took a deep breath and slowly entered the villa, she was followed by C and Inky. The butler wondered who the two could be, but she trusted Tenebris and decided not to ask.

“Lord Wood Chest will arrive shortly, until then please wait here. Can I also take your… uhm.. bear pelt, sir?” The butler asked C staring at his bear pelt.

“No thank you Charles. I frankly am quite well with this bear pelt on me. I simply can’t take it off of me.” C responded with a strange accent and smiled at the old colt.

“My name isn’t Charles sir, my name is Narrow Leaf, sir. And I’ll be leaving you.”

The old colt left the hall leaving the three alone in wait for his master. Inky admired the architecture of the hallway and how it was decorated with colorful carpets and beautiful painting of all kinds.

Tenebris was quite stressed, she hoped that her clothes didn’t get wet and that Mr. Wood Chest wouldn’t be angry because she was late. She walked in circles trying to calm down, but that didn’t help and C joined her.

“You’re right Teni, this is quite fun. Yey!” C smiled and walked in circles while Teni realized what she was doing.

“Ahem!” a strong voice was heard coming from the stairs balcony, stopping C from moving in circles and caught the attention of the three.

“Mister Wood Chest, I’m sorry for being late, but… but…” The purple mare tried to explain, but couldn’t find the right words.

“There’s no need for excuses Miss Tenebris, I know I can count on you and being late only once in such a long time since you’ve been making clothes for me is acceptable.” The colt approached Tenebris without caring of the other two.

“Now, I presume you have my order Miss Tenebris.” The colt rose his left hoof and looked into her eyes.

“Of course mister Wood Chest… here are the packages for you sir and the packages for your wife, daughter and son are at my friends.” She looked towards C and Inky and the brown colt approached the two which put the packages down on the carpet just like Teni.

“Well thank you Miss Tenebris, narrow Leaf will take them into the dressers. I think I’ll be seeing you tonight at the theatre?” He asked the mare after calling for his butler.

“Yes sir, the ‘Ghost at the Opera’ is my favorite play and I can’t wait to see it.” The purple mare replied with a big smile.

“Well then , you should get ready. Tonight will be magnificent. Now off you go.” After saying this, the three went outside of the villa and headed towards Teni’s house.

On the road Inky saw the children playing outside and remembered about the kids in her village while C tried not to look at the kids, but he couldn’t do it and each time he saw them something inside him made him smile, but that smile would crumble shortly. The three arrived at Teni’s house in about ten minutes and the purple mare took out a key and opened the door.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m a bit messy.” She opened the door and they entered her house which was also a shop and workshop and was quite clean in fact.

“I don’t get it. This isn’t messy this is cleany clean.” C said after seeing the beautiful and tidy shop.

“Really? I always thought I was messy.” Teni replied touching her lower mouth with the top of her hoof.

“You should’ve seen my room, my bed over there, around twenty pots near it, some chests there and texts I copied from my uncle’s books scattered all over the place.” Inky replied showing where each of the objects would’ve been located.

“Wait Inky, this is the shop, not the room where Teni sleeps.” C put his right front hoof over Inky’s neck.

“Uhm… my room is quite clean, I only have a bed, a chest at the end of the bed, a desk, two wardrobes and four bookshelves filled with books.” The purple mare replied looking at the two.

“That sounds nice Teni. This play, you are going to, what was it called?” Inky asked the purple mare with a smile.

“It’s called the ‘Ghost at the opera’ and I’d only say spoilers if I told you now.” She replied to Inky with a big smile.

“Uhm… Teni, we don’t have any tickets and we couldn’t afford any tickets anyway. We… I kinda used all our bits a month ago.” C kept touching the top of his front hooves together and looked with a regretful face towards Inky.

“I have four spare tickets the owner of the theatre gave me four months ago for making him the costumes for the actors. And I thought you might want to come. You know, if you want, I’m not forcing you or anything.” She looked at the two hoping that the two would come.

“Well… I’m not a fan of theatres, for certain reasons I wish not to discuss, but I guess we could come” C replied to Teni making her very happy, she hugged C then grabbed Inky’s front right hoof.

“I have just the dress for you Inky.”

She smiled and dragged Inky upstairs into her room leaving C alone in the shop. C didn’t knew what to do and sat down on the seller’s chair and looked towards the door while, upstairs, Tenebris was searching in her wardrobes for a dress that would fit quite well on Inky.

Inky wasn’t quite the fan of dresses, but for an occasion that seemed so important she could make an exception. Teni searched deep until she found the perfect dress, which also had a hat.

“Wait, before you take this on you Inky, you should go wash yourself. The bathroom is on the first to the left as you go towards the stairs. I’ll go down and look for a coat for C, I think I have exactly what he needs!” Teni clapped her hooves together then ran downstairs into her workshop’s storage.

“Teni, where are you going?” C asked the purple mare as he saw her running downstairs.

“I’m going to find you a nice coat to wear for tonight.” She smiled and leaned her head to the right.

“That sounds nice…” He put his head back on the table, but then realized what she said “No, no, no, no! Look Teni I want no coat, I’ll go like this, I mean why would you wear a coat at a theatre?”

“Maybe you’re right… Here, this suit suits you!” Teni took from behind a curtain a very well made suit and jumped on C to put it on him.

“Wait!... Teni stop!... Get off me!” C crawled away from Tenebris and rose up on his hooves in front of a mirror and looked into it.

“Uuuu… Hi there, Mister Sexy. This suit really suits me, I can say that… I suited up!” C turned around to face Tenebris and widely smiled pointing his right hoof at her.

“See? Told you it will look nice on you.” Tenebris replied with a confident smile when Inky came down with her fur still wet.

“I heard screams, what happened?” Inky asked the two and was quite surprised seeing C wearing that suit.

“Inky you’re wet and now you are blushing. I knew suits are sexy, but not so.” C turned around and looked into the mirror.

“Oh right! Inky let’s go up and get you dressed!” Tenebris ran towards Inky and pushed her into her room.

“Look at you wearing that suit, hmm… something’s missing. Ahhh!” C looked around the shop for something.

“Here we go! A bowtie or a tie?” C kept staring into the mirror and moving the bowtie then the tie in front of his neck.

“Wait a second! I don’t need these, I have my necklace. I knew you were smart, just look at you.” C threw the two accessories and kept staring into the mirror for quite a while until Inky and Teni came down

“We are ready!” Teni said reaching downstairs.

“Inky I didn’t know you like to wear dresses.” C grinned while staring at Inky,

“We should get moving you two. It’s incredible how time passes by.” Teni smiled and opened the door waiting for her friends to come out.

“I can’t believe my eyes.” Inky said as she saw the colorful lights on the streets and the decorations, during the day they were nice, but at night they’re magical.

“Teni… how far is the theatre I’m freezing!” C said shaking thanks to the cold night, his suit made him a bit warm, but that wasn’t enough.

“Uhm... Not far, about twenty minutes of walking.”

She responded to C which simply screamed and ran inside to take his bear pelt on him making sure he wouldn’t ruin the suit and went after Teni and Inky. The white-furred mare couldn’t believe her eyes how beautiful the town was.

The white changeling tried to admire the town that seemed to bring back pleasant memories, but the cold air outside didn’t help him too much. The bear pelt solved all the problems, but he had to take it down twice because it got too hot for him to keep wearing it.

Teni was explaining to Inky everything she knew about this holiday called Hearts Warming Eve, the shape-shifters never heard of it and she was very curious about what was going on, although there would be three days until the holiday, ponies really enjoy getting ready in time.

“And we are finally here. C, you’ll have to leave your bear pelt at the entrance, don’t worry, nopony will take it away.” Teni told them, then went ahead of them to give the tickets and called for the two immediately after.

“Okay C, please leave your pelt here in a wardrobe, we’ll take it back after the play. Oh! Maybe after the play we can go to a restaurant I like that makes really delicious food.”

Teni was excited about that thought, but remembered there was a play to watch, and even though she wanted to tell everything about the delicious food at the restaurant to the two, they had to see the play, that’s why they went there after all.

The three entered a huge room with over two thousand seats and twenty balconies from where the rich use to spectate, but there were some rich ponies like Mr. Wood Chest that preferred to be in the middle of the audience than in some balcony.

Tenebris was looking for their seats which were in line 10, column 4. Of course, the entire theatre was completely filled with ponies and Inky knew exactly how much C likes crowds and tried to keep him as calm as possible, but as soon as they reached their seats, the white changeling relaxed and waited for the play to begin.

“Hey.” C looked to his left seat where a young kid was standing and was staring at him.

“You are strange mister, why do you have holes in your hair?” The young pony asked him.

“I had… a little accident with a… scissor! Most certainly a scissor.” C shook his head in affirmation and stared at the pony.

“Why doesn’t it fall down then?” He replied to C still staring at his holes.

“I… glued it back with… saliva.” C stared at the pony and smiled.

“With saliva?” The pony asked staring into C’s eyes.

“Yes, saliva. Don’t believe me? Try it, one hundred percent me approved.”

The kid didn’t say anything else and turned to look at the scene while C turned to face the scene as well and plucked out four hairs and stared at them for a bit then licked them. At that moment Inky turned around after chit-chatting something with Teni and saw C’s attempt at glue.

“What are you doing?” Inky asked C very surprised of what she saw he was doing.

“I’m gluing my hairs back, what does it look I’m doing?” C looked back at Inky and put his tongue back inside his mouth.

“Shhh, the play is about to begin.” Teni whispered to the two then turned their head towards the stage.

The play had begun and the spectators watched as the actors moved on the scene with an extreme elegance and precision. Teni had seen this play before, but each time there were different actors with different acting qualities and this time was the best play she saw.

Back in her village there were ceremonies that brought to life legends and myths, but Inky never saw something like this. At first she thought this would be an ancient legend reenacted, but after half an hour since the play began, she saw how big and planned everything was. This wasn’t an ancient legend and she was intrigued by what she saw and couldn’t wait to ask Teni what was the play in fact.

Most of the play C was quiet and admired the actors as they moved on the stage and the story. After an hour since the play began C started crying, not making any sounds though, but asked Teni for a handkerchief. Inky stared for a few seconds at him and realized why he said he’s not a fan of theatres, he was quite sentimental.

To explain better why C was crying I’ll have to tell you what the play was about. In the play, a young mare, around her twenties, whom was raised in poverty, came to a big city where she discovered her talent as a singer. She was trained by the best instructors in town, but one day, a thief entered her home and accidentally cut her eyes making her blind.

The thief was caught immediately by the police, but the mare lost her sight, even if this happened, her lover, a young artist, stood by her side until one faithful day, her lover was making a painting of her and went outside to buy some more paint.

When the colt was buying his paint, the same thief that took the sight of his somepony, killed him in the shop. In this time, the mare waited for him to come back, she waited on that chair, for her lover to come, but he never came and everypony forgot about her. Her family died a year before and her former friends didn’t even care about her.

She waited in her lover’s workshop for about two hours when she felt a fire started in that building. The mare felt the smoke rising in the room and tried to run to the door, but it was too late, without her sight and nopony to remember her, she died burned alive, but somehow the unfinished painting survived the fire and was found next day.

That was the point when C cried, but the play wasn’t over yet. Now act three began, the act in which, ten years later, a young colt would arrive at the opera where the blind mare used to sing once and he would find himself in the middle of a mystery where a mare with her right eye covered by her hair would sabotage the plays and kill certain ponies.

The play kept going until the part where the masked mare would appear. It was the part when that mare would introduce herself as ‘The Ghost of the Opera’ when smoke rose from the stage and the actors were thrown off the stage.

After the actors were thrown, the smoke cleared and a masked mare, with her right eye covered by her hair and a cape on her back, was the only pony on stage. She looked exactly as the ghost. The ponies were shocked and the director of the play screamed at her to say who she was. The mare made a fast move with her right front hoof and threw three knives towards the spectators, each knife penetrating the heads of Mr. Wood Chest’s family, including him, killing them instantly.

“I am the Phantom of Heats Warming Eve and in two day, I shall exact my real revenge! You cannot run from town ponies, those who try to run will be the first killed. Justice shall fall on this wretched city!”

The crowd was startled and guards ran towards the stage to capture this supposed ‘phantom’, but the mare jumped in the air in disappeared into a smoke screen. The ponies inside were scared and ran towards the exit. Inky grabbed C and took him outside the theatre, Teni being already outside.

“Inky you can stop now!” C said as the two were outside the theatre and arranged his tie.

“What happened back there?” Teni asked the two.

“I think we’re in the middle of a mystery my dear Teni and we are just the ponies you need right now.” C said while finishing arranging his tie and wanted to go back in to investigate, but Inky stopped him.

“I don’t think this is a good idea C.” She told him holding his left front hoof.

“But why Inky? This is what we do. We resolve things paranormal and normal.” The white-changeling replied.

“First, I don’t think we can fool the guards if they see you and second, I think we have some explanations to give to a certain pony.” Inky pointed her head towards Teni which was confused about the discussion of the two.

“Right… Uhm… Teni, we can go back at your house and we shall explain everything over a cup of hot chocolate.”

The three headed towards Teni’s house, C forgot about his pelt of course and all the way back to the house he sneezed and shivered pretty badly. But, as soon as the three arrived, the white changeling fell on the ground and kissed the warm floor thanking a god only he could pronounce his name.

“C, I think that’s enough.” Inky took him off of the floor while Teni brought them some hot chocolate.

“Delicious! Thank you Teni!” Said C after he sat down on a chair and drank some chocolate.

“With pleasure C, but can you please explain to me, if it doesn’t bother you. What did you mean by the fact you’re the ponies we need at this moment? If it doesn’t bother you.” Teni asked with a shy voice.

“It doesn’t bother us Teni. C meant that, since we met three months ago we’ve been dealing with strange stuff.” Inky replied then drank a bit of hot chocolate.

“Yupy ducky we did. First we took part in the Steam-War ending it, although I was forced to use what I was left of the powers in the necklace, and don’t even think to ask about it because I won’t answer.” C drank a bit of hot chocolate then kept explaining.

“ After that war we dealt with a scare crow and then dealt with some timber wolves on the way to Maris, where not only did my body return to normal after my long sleep, but also stopped and ravenous creatures known as the shades and ended up with my face half frozen for two days.” C drank what was left in his cup then complimented Teni.

“Umm…thank you C. That made sense…somehow. Does this mean you are here to stop that phantom?” Teni drank a bit of the hot chocolate and put down the cup.

“Now that we saw it we’ll do our best, but I think we can use the help of a local, meaning you Teni.” C smiled and stared into Teni’s eyes.

“Me? Well… Uhmm... Okay, I think I can help you if there’s no problem.” Teni responded ad slowly drank what was left in her cup.

“Yupiiii-kiii-yey! But first, I think I’ll go to sleep I’m a little tired.” C said and rose up from the chair.

“Right! I have to show you the room, I’m sorry if it’s inconvenient, but I have only a guest room with a single bed, I hope it won’t bother you.” The purple mare said while Inky finished her hot chocolate.

“It was delicious Teny, thank you. I have no problem with it. Do you C?” The white-furred mare looked towards C and smiled.

“I have no problem-o.” C replied looking at the white-furred mare.

“Then let me show you the room.”

Teni took the two upstairs and showed them the guest room. The place was quite clean and had a bathroom a wardrobe, four bookshelves and a cupboard. The carpet was small, being present only in the middle of the room.

“Good night, you two. See you tomorrow.”

Teni smiled and left the room leaving the two inside, but C just jumped on the bed throwing off the suit on the cupboard and instantly fell asleep. Inky took her time before she went to sleep and arranged C’s suit and her dress, Teni worked hard on them and didn’t want to ruin them. After she folded them, the white-furred mare lay on the bed and fell asleep.

Back at the theatre the guards were inspecting the scene and decided to close the place until they make sure there’s no way that the ‘phantom’ will endanger the spectators once more.

The Wood Chest family was taken home and put on the bed of the now deceased Mr. Wood Chest. Narrow Leaf, their butler covered their bodies with a blanket and left the room closing the door.

In her room Teni wasn’t sleeping yet, instead she was looking into a mirror and crying like something in her life was taken away from her. She knows it’s something important, but doesn’t know what exactly, she just cries each night, but life keeps moving she says to herself then she went to sleep in her warm and soft bed.

The three slept, nothing important happened that night, except the panicked ponies which didn’t know what to do. One merchant said he won’t stay in that town and decided to leave, but as he exited the town, a knife penetrated his head and the figure of the mare was seen once more, but she disappeared in the smoke screen again.

Next day Inky woke up from her sleep and saw that C was still sleeping and decided not to wake him up. She went to the bathroom to wash her face then went outside the room and saw Teni coming out of her room.

“Good morning Teni.” Inky said smiling.

“Good morning Inky. How did you sleep?” She smiled and approached Inky.

“Very well, the bed was very soft. C’s still sleeping, but he’ll wake up eventually.” The white-furred mare told the purple mare.

“I’m glad to hear that. As long as you stay with me feel like you’re home.” She smiled and looked at Inky.

“Thank you for your kindness Teni.” She smiled, but her stomach soon made noises announcing her that she was hungry.

“It seems you’re hungry Inky. Come with me, I want to make an omelet.” Teni went downstairs, Inky following her into the kitchen.

“What a tidy kitchen you have Teni, my mom would be jealous.” She said to her friend.

“I just like to keep things in a certain order, I’m sure your mom does the same. No let’s see, what was I doing here?” Teni touched her lower snout with the top of her right front hoof.

“Ah yes! An omelet! Inky can you bring me the flour from that cupboard?”Teni pointed to a cupboard on Inky’s right while she climbed a chair to get a recipe.

“Uhm... Teni , why would you need flour for omelet?” Inky asked the purple mare as she took the flour from the cupboard.

“Ahh! I wanted to say salt. Sorry Inky, I’m silly, now where was that recipe?” Teni searched better the cupboard for a certain recipe.

“I got the salt Teni. Do you need anything else?” Inky asked putting the salt on the table.

“I got it!”

Teni had a paper with a recipe on it, but she forgot she was on a chair and thanks to her sudden movement she fell of the chair, but Inky caught her before she would get hurt. The chair fell down and Inky put Teni on her hooves and caught the recipe and gave it to her.

“Thank you Inky. Now let’s see… We need four eggs.” Teni kept reading the recipe and Inky brought her everything.

Upstairs, after ten minutes since Inky woke up, C woke as well and went to the bathroom to clean his face. After he washed his face, C stared into the mirror and touched his head like he had a headache, but he just had a bad dream, that’s all.

He came out of the room and felt the smell of omelet coming from downstairs. He opened his mouth letting his very long tongue fall down on the floor, but he put it back in and ran downstairs to see the omelet.

“Good morning C, how did you sleep?” Teni asked the white-changeling.

“It’s more like good afternoon half past two, but okay. I slept well, now… Where’s the omelet?!” C yelled staring into Teni’s eyes.

“Uhm… We’ve almost finished it.” Teni replied with a smile.

“C calm down, it’s finished.” Ink put three plates on the table and put the omelet on them.

“I missed you so much omelet. Just look at you, so yellowish and tasty, you even have cheese.” C talked to the omelet and licked it.

“C, that’s disgusting.” Inky said looking at him.

“It’s my omelet, I do what I want with my omelet. Like eating it in only one bite.” C took the plate with omelet in his right front hoof.

“Uhm… Sorry if I say this, but how’s that possible?”

Teni asked and hearing that, C moved his long tongue out of his mouth and took the omelet from the plate and gulped it without chewing, but of course this burned his tongue because the omelet was still hot. The white changeling jumped of his chair and ran to the sink to cool his mouth.

“I’m sorry, but that was disturbing C.” Teni said looking at him as he kept pouring water in his mouth.

“C come to the table and let us eat this omelet.” Inky said as she took a bite from the omelet which was quite delicious.

“I’m glad you like it. Uhm… C, you’ll get a stomachache if you keep doing that.” Teni said staring at C which stopped pouring water into his mouth.

“Don’t you worry Teni. I have an iron stomach and it can take quite a lot.” C assured the mare with a smile then sat at the table.

“After we finish the omelet I have something I want to show you.” Teni said to the two then took a bite of her omelet.

Teni and Inky kept eating without saying anything while C stared at their plates and tried to hide the fact he got a stomachache. Inky saw C acting strange, but decided not to say a thing. After the omelet, Teni grabbed the hooves of the two and took them into her workshop’s storage.

“Tada! This is where I keep the clothes I make for sale in the shop, I have too much free time, now where were those? Aha!” Teni ran towards a pile of clothes and took a hat out of it and kept searching for those clothes.

“Wow, these are quite a lot of clothes. Awww… “ C put his right front hoof to his stomach.

“Here they are!” Teni exclaimed and ran to the two showing the three costumes she made for a play once.

“Detective costumes… really Teni?” C looked at Teni with a dull face.

“Come on you two. We’re investigating something, we can quite use them, plus they keep you warm.” The purple mare said and C widened his eyes.

“Suddenly I feel pretty flishing detectivish.” C took the costume on him which also came with a hat.

“See, come on Inky, put it on!” Teni smiled and gave Inky her costume and the two mares put them on.

“Now my dear companions it’s elementary that we go to investigate the scene of the crime so that we can then call the suspects.” C spoke with a strange accent and looked at the two.

“C are you okay?” Inky asked her friend.

“I’m entering the skin of the character Inky, you two are my companions and I am the detective.” C replied going back into the shop.

“Now let’s see. Where should we go first?” The three exited the store and C asked taking his ball pen a.k.a. ‘pix’ out and touching his lower mouth with it.

“I say we go investigate the theatre.” Inky said staring at C.

“Good thinking Inky… awww… my stomach really hurts, but we must do it no matter what!” C was petting his stomach when Teni thought of something very important.

“Sorry, but how are we going to pass the guards? I don’t this they’ll let us inside.” Teni said to the two, pretty worried.

“Don’t worry your pretty head Teni, I always have a plan.” The three ran towards the theatre and stopped in front of a guard.

“The theatre is closed during the investigation, none can pass.” The guard said blocking the way of the three.

“That’s why we are here good sir. I’m C and these two are my companions, we are here to inves… aww my stomach… Okay, this is better. We are here to investigate the ‘phantom’.” C replied smiling with the left half of his mouth and staring into the guard’s eyes.

“Tenebris is this some sort of joke?” The guard asked her.

“I’m here to help them Marshmallow. They can help us.” She said smiling at the guard.

“Okay, I’ll let you inside. Do you ever take off that scarf Tenebris?” The three went inside and Teni stopped to respond.

“Only to clean it, it’s very important to me Marshmallow, I don’t know why, but it is.” She looked and touched her scarf while talking to the guard.

“Don’t worry Tenebris, one day your amnesia will disappear.” The guard touched Teni’s right shoulder.

“Teni are you coming?” C yelled from inside the theatre.

The purple mare went after the two leaving the guard behind . Inside the theatre, guards were inspecting the stage for anything out of the ordinary, but there was nothing, but right when the chief inspector wanted to call it a day and reopen the theatre C and his companions entered the room.

“Hi there everypony, I’m.., aaaa… Do you have any medicine for stomachaches?” C was petting his stomach when four guards came to them and pointed spears at them.

“Tenebris, what is the meaning of this?” The inspector asked the mare staring at her.

“It’s okay, I’m alright. Here’s my identification.” C took out his pix and showed it to the inspector.

“I’ve never seen such an id.” The inspector said staring at C’s pix.

“We are special angents. I am C and this is my companion Inky. Tenebris is here to help u… Really now do you have any medicine for stomachaches?” C stared at the inspector which took out from his pocket a syrup.

“I don’t go anywhere without it.” C took the syrup and drank the whole bottle.

“Okay, now I feel better. Inspector, now that I feel better I’d like to ask you and your guards to leave the theatre, but keep it closed until we say otherwise. Any questions?” C gave the syrup to the inspector and walked on the stage.

“With respect sir, but this is my case.” The inspector stared at C.

“Please sir, C’s actions might seem strange, but you have to trust us.” Inky put her left front hoof on the inspector’s right shoulder.

“Alright, but if you find the culprit or anything I want you to contact me, understood?” The inspector stared deep into Inky’s eyes.

“We’ll do our best inspector.” Inky stared back into the inspector’s eyes and the colt called for his guards and left the theatre leaving the three to do their work.

“So what are we going to investigate first C?” Teni asked the changeling which stood on the stage and looked at the wood from which it was made.

“We look for a hidden door, a rope and something that would make smoke, like… like...” C kept his ear on the floor and beat the wood in search for a hidden trapdoor.

“Like a bucket with hot gray coloured water?” Teni stared at C and asked.

“Yes, something like that, how did you know?” C looked at her while Inky was looking behind the stage curtains.

“The black-cat, a criminal from a novel I read once used ice and a bucket with hot colored water to escape the scene of the crime.” The purple mare responded looking at C.

“C, Teni, come and look at this!” Inky called from behind the curtains.

C and Teni went at Inky which found a steel panel with ten heavy bags tied together by a rope. C looked better at the steel panel and told Teni to go climb a ladder that lead above the stage and look for anything strange.

“C I think this I see something.” Teni yelled from above the stage.

“What is it Teni?” C yelled back asking the purple mare.

“There’s a rope from which a pony could swing towards that pile of furniture.” Teni yelled and pointed with her right front hoof at a pile of furniture that seemed to have an opening.

“Good work Teni, you can come down now. Inky I’ll wait for Teni you go and see what you can find there.”

C told the white-furred mare which did as he said and went towards the pile of furniture. As Inky arrived next to the furniture she tried to push it, but it was too heavy and understood why the inspector and his guards didn’t see this before, there were not strong enough to push it and there were no pegasi guards, pretty strange.

“Found anything Inky?” Teni asked the white-furred mare as she and C approached her.

“The furniture is too heavy to be pushed, but I think I can manage to climb up there then jump inside.”

Inky told the two pointing at the opening from around the furniture.

“Teni can you give Inky a lift? I really ain’t that strong.” C asked the purple mare with a smile and she gladly helped Inky which as soon as she reached the top of a wardrobe jumped inside the circle.

“C, Teni, I think I found something in here.” Inky said from the other side, her voice almost like a whisper.

“What is it Inky?” C asked the white-furred mare, but she didn’t respond.

“A trapdoor.” Inky’s voice was heard coming from the right part of the stage. Apparently there was a trapdoor hidden there.

“Good job Inky. Did you see anything down there?” C and Tenebris approached Inky.

“It’s dark and narrow, but I think I saw a tunnel and some torches.” Inky told the two coming up on the stage.

“I have an idea!”

Teni ran inside the room of one of the actors and searched for something inside the cupboard and apparently found what she was looking for. She ran back to C and Inky with a lamp in her mouth and four tinderboxes on her back.

“How did you know Teni?” C asked the purple mare after he took the lamp and gave the tinderboxes to Inky.

“When I brought a pair of costumes I made here once, the owner told me each room in the theatre has to have a lamp and at least ten tinderboxes in case something happens.” Teni explained to C with a big smile.

“Good job Teni. The lamp seems to be only half full, it must’ve been used before.” C put the lamp down and went down the stage through the trapdoor.

“Inky I think I see a torch, come down here and bring me a tinderbox.”

C said touching what felt like a torch, Inky, immediately as C called, went down to join him with a tinder box in her mouth leaving the rest to Tenebris. When she reached down, she gave him the tinderbox and he immediately lit the torch, now with the tunnel illuminated, the two could see that it was quite deep.

“Teni come down here, we’ll need you for this.” Inky called for the purple mare which took the lamp and the remaining three tinderboxes with her.

“Wow, this is quite deep, who could’ve made these tunnels?” Teni looked around the location they were until C went ahead forcing the two to follow him, but not before closing the trapdoor.

“I wonder, how long did it take the ponies which made these tunnels to finish?” The white-furred mare asked while she looked around the tunnel as they moved.

“These tunnels seem to be as old as the town, I wonder if anypony knows about them.” Teni looked to her left then at Inky when C fell down and slid through a tunnel.

“C, are you okay?” Inky yelled so that C would hear her.

“Yes I am, but I dropped the torch! Watch your step and come down here I need the lamp.” C yelled back so that the two mares heard him.

“I’ll go first with the lamp, Teni you come when I give you the signal and bring the tinderboxes, alright?” Inky tried to look at the purple mare, but it was too dark to distinguish anything.

“I understand Inky.” Teni replied and Inky took the lamp and moved carefully until she found the tunnel and let herself slid down to C.

“It’s okay Teni you can come too.” Inky yelled through the tunnel so that Inky would hear her.

“Coming.”

Teni replied, but right at that moment she heard a grunting and hooves moving towards her, she got scared and fell into the tunnel, unfortunately losing a tinderbox on the way, but the good thing was that Inky caught her before she hit the ground with her head.

“Teni are you okay, what happened?” Inky helped Teni back on her legs as C lit the lamp.

“I heard a grunting back up and hooves moving towards me, I got scared.” Teni replied looking at Inky.

“I don’t think we’re alone in these tunnels. We must keep moving, I don’t know how long this lamp will last, but if you find a torch lit it immediately. Catfish?” C turned his head to look at the two mares.

“I understand C.” Inky replied and went after him, Tenebris standing next to her.

“Why did we stop?” Teni asked looking at C.

“There’s a door here, but it’s locked. Inky, Teni help me force it.”

The two mares went to the door and started pushing it as hard as they could. The atmosphere in that place of the tunnel was frightening, the walls and the roof of the tunnel were quite wet and drops of water could be heard falling on the small puddles on the ground.

The darkness and the chilly air didn’t help the atmosphere, one pony would easily get scared in there with such a darkness and narrow passages, not that the three weren’t scare, but C preferred not to show the two how scared he was.

“Did you hear that?” Tenebris stopped pushing the door at the sound of something.

“Hear what?”

C asked looking at Tenebris. Right at that moment a grunting and hoof steps were heard coming towards them, the sound of grunting getting closer and closer. C got agitated and started pushing the door as hard as he could, Tenebris and Inky helping him.

The sound got stronger until from the distance you could faintly distinguish the figure of a pony in the darkness moving towards them moving his head to the left or right like having a spasm.

The three pushed the door harder until it opened and C was the first to enter, while Inky and Tenebris were left in front of the door and saw the ‘pony’. The pony was filled with scars and his jaw was broken, but managed to move it somehow. The pony had neither a tail nor mane, but he had a cut from his lower left cheek up to his forehead and it was kept opened by small hooks and you could see his eyeball moving.

The ‘pony’ was grunting and moved like having spasms, as he moved closer towards the two. The mares could see other horrifying thing about that creature. It had a spikes going inside his throat and had two small spears in the back and dried blood from his right eye socket and a knife down his throat up to his chest, but as the mares looked better they saw the creature had spikes going through his front legs and coming out his hooves.

C pulled Inky inside, the creature saw that and started running towards Tenebris, but Inky pulled her inside and the three closed the door at the right moment leaving the creature locked outside, but pushing the door, but the door couldn’t move, it got stuck once more.

“What is that creepity creep?” C asked breathing heavily looking at the two mares.

“How are we supposed to know?” Inky said looking at C.

“Uhm… Friends, you should see this.” Tenebris said looking in front of her.

“What the crystalline flish?”

C looked at the direction Tenebris was looking and saw an old torture chamber with dried blood all over it and bones thrown all over the place. Tenebris almost vomited at the sight of the place.

“Does it look familiar C?” Inky came next to C and looked forwards.

“I told you before Inky, I didn’t want to kill them, but I was hungry and angry. I couldn’t control myself, but this… this is something else, this is not normal.” C approached and touched a torture table that used to stretch ponies until they broke.

“C, you know I don’t blame you, but you are right… who could do such a thing?” Inky approached C which kept looking at the torture table.

“It can’t be…” Tenebris said after she moved some planks from the right wall.

“What is it Teni?” Inky asked her as she looked towards the purple mare.

“That’s the symbol of Mt. Wood Chest’s family.” The purple mare said backing away from the wall.

“There’s another one there, but it isn’t the same.” C said looking to his left and saw a torture wheel.

“That’s Mr. Golden Hooves family shield.” Tenebris responded looking at the shield.

“There’s another symbol here and another one there.” Inky said looking around the room.

“They are all the symbols of the noble families that founded this town, and that’s the symbol of the undertakers.” Tenebris was shivering while looking around.

“There’s another trapdoor here, probably leading to another level of these torture chambers.” C said looking at a trapdoor near a pyramid used to cut ponies in half.

“How could ponies do such things? Back in the village we always hear how civilized they are.” Inky said holding the poor purple mare from collapsing on the ground.

“But, they are civilized.” The voice of the masked mare from last night was heard coming from the door.

“Civilized to be monsters and animals! They are look so happy and welcoming up there hiding their true nature.” The masked mare kept saying.

“There are weeds in every species.” C replied turning around to look at the mare.

“What do you know, changeling?! You can be white, but this doesn’t change the fact your specie is savage and attacks innocents!” The masked pony yelled at C pointing his sword towards him.

“I’m not like them! I’m one of a kind in fact.” The white changeling replied staring at the mare.

“Then why do you hide your past? I can see through your mask beast! I hear them screaming in pain as they burn. As you plunged your filthy teeth deep into their flesh and not only ponies, other species as well. They begged for mercy, they believed you are something else, but you didn’t care, you were hungry. Did you ever think in what pain you put them?!” The masked mare yelled at C.

“It… wasn’t my fault… I didn’t want to…” C fell on the ground and started crying while remembering the screams of pain and cries for mercy.

“Leave C alone! He’s not a monster!” Inky yelled at the masked mare as C trembling and crying on the ground.

“And who are you to say such a thing? I can see even through you… shape-shifter. I can see what your kind does through your own eyes. You think you are different, you ran away because of that. You think you can be something else, but deep inside you know you are just like them!” She yelled at Inky, the creature outside smashing the door harder.

“You don’t impress me pony! I don’t care what you say, you don’t know me, you don’t know through what I’ve gone through! I’m not like them, I’m different and I’ll prove it.” Inky glared at the masked mare, but she wasn’t impressed.

“You two make me laugh! Two beings that should’ve never been friends traveling together, sooner or later you’ll realize this and show who you really are.”

The masked mare stopped for a few second and put her sword back in its hilt and took out a scepter with a glowing ball on the top and two golden horns that almost looked like snakes moving on the sides. The masked pony slammed the scepter to the wall causing and earthquake, but the scepter didn’t broke.

“Go, get them poor ponies!”

The door leading to the torture chamber opened, three creatures entered the room. Inky and Tenebris grabbed C and ran towards a door that opened during the earthquake, but the ceiling crumbled, blocking Tenebris inside the torture room.

“Tenebris!” Inky yelled from the other side.

“Go without me Inky! Go get the noble families, for me.” The next thing that was heard coming from Tenebris, were screams and the grunting of the three creatures accompanied them.

“I shall avenge you Tenebris.” Inky grabbed C and forced him to run along with her through the collapsing tunnel.

The two kept running until the white-furred mare saw a trapdoor and opened it. Inky used all her force to push C through the trapdoor and then by a miracle she climbed out of the tunnel right when it finally crumbled.

“Inky… Why did you save me?” C asked Inky, his tears dried on his cheeks.

“C, I know you better than what that masked pony said. I know you are different, I don’t care about your past, I care for what you are now and you are a great friend, now snap out of it C. We have justice to bring for a friend.” Inky said rising up from the ground then helped C rise up as well.

“What are you doing here?” The inspector was in front of the two.

“Inspector, gather all the nobles of the town and the undertakers. We know what happened.” C said staring at the inspector.

“There’s no need to call for them changeling. They are all here.”

The chandelier in the dining room lit and the noble families of the town along with the undertakers were grinning and the inspector started laughing, the rest of the ponies joining him.

Deep within the tunnels, the three disfigure ponies were dragging Tenebris’ body, which somehow had no scars on it. The creatures kept going until they reached a room that seemed to be a common grave for all those that died in torture.

The three creatures put Tenebris’ body in the middle of the room and as soon as they backed away a light appeared above the room lighting it. When it did, the light revealed bodies of disfigured ponies that still moved and shrieked in pain. There were bodies on the wall with spears through their chests that moved and screamed.

All these screams and shrieks woke Tenebris up, she wasn’t dead she was still alive. The creatures didn’t kill her, but she was terrified and rose on her legs and looked around until she saw the door. She was hardly breathing, both thanks to the scent of decay and to the horrifying scene she witnessed.

She arrived at the door and tried to open it, but it was no use, the door wouldn’t budge. She was trapped there with those creatures that were moving towards her screaming in pain.

“Stop!”

The voice of the masked mare was heard coming from the back of the room and from a smoke screen the masked pony appeared and the creatures backed away letting their mistress pass.

“What do you want from me? I didn’t do anything, I didn’t do anything.” The purple mare said crying and holding her red scarf with her hooves.

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. I just want to show you something.” The masked mare said, Tenebris was terrified, but somehow trusted her.

“Did you ever wonder why your scarf is so important?” The masked mare said after stopping in the middle of the room and turned around to look at the purple mare.

“It’s important. That’s all I know, the doctors told me I suffer from amnesia.” Tenebris said looking at the ground.

“I want you to see something. When you do, I believe all your questions will be answered.” The masked mare leaned down and opened what seemed to be a trapdoor, and underneath it was something horrible that made Tenebris cry.

C woke up after cold water was thrown on him by the inspector. He looked around and saw Inky being awakened by cold water as well. As the two looked around better, they saw their hooves were tied up with a rope in the middle of a big balcony and beneath the balcony was a large empty swimming pool, but which had spears on the bottom of it. The two were inside the huge villa of the Rich Mound family.

“What is the meaning of this inspector?!” C yelled as he tried to get out of the ropes and sneezed four times.

“You are behind this aren’t you?” Inky glared at the inspector and at the noble families that were behind him.

“Of course I am, you stupid creature. It took you some time to figure it out though. Didn’t it seem strange there were no pegasi guards?” The inspector grinned and glared at the two.

“Why? Is money so important to you that you take pony lives away?” C asked glaring at the ponies.

“Money?!” The inspector exclaimed and all the ponies began laughing.

“That’ what a simple mind like yours would think. We didn’t do it for money, their families came in town already rich, but you see. When you are rich there is a problem, how would you entertain yourself? Other nobles threw parties, went to operas, theatres. But, they had another taste, they only saw fun in torturing others.” The inspector said glaring deep into C’s eyes.

“Our ancestors came into this location and raised this town from nothing and one day when they saw a worker dying in pain, they had fun. That’s when they ordered the catacombs to be built and the first to be tortured in them were…” A noble colt said smiling.

“The very workers who raised them! That’s why nopony knows of the catacombs!” C exclaimed glaring at the ponies.

“Why do you help them inspector? You should bring justice!” Inky yelled at the inspector which laughed.

“There was no inspector in this town since it was built. I’m in fact a murderer wanted throughout Equestria. All inspectors were murderers or psychopaths, I’m a bit of both. The only true inspector in this town died two years ago in ‘mysterious’ circumstances.” The colt said glaring into Inky’s eyes with a devilish grin.

“So nothing has changed. After all this time, nothing has changed. There will always be weed no matter what species you are.” C said glaring at the inspector.

“I don’t understand what you are meaning changeling, but there will always be weed, no matter if you are a griffin, a changeling or crystal pony! There will always be weeds and we shall always be victorious because we never disappear!” The ponies started laughing hysterically, the inspector being the one who did with great passion.

“I think it’s time for us to begin the party, we’ve talked too much. You know, we just killed half of my guards in that swimming pool, but we didn’t have enough fun. Too bad Tenebris died down there. I had something special prepared for her!”

The nobles moved away making a path for the two to be thrown into the spikes, the inspector moved in front of the stone fence, rose on his back legs and stretched his hooves smiling like a devil, but at that time a wave of air hit him, pushing him off of the balcony, broking the stone fence.

The nobles looked at the direction from which that monstrous wave of air came and saw there a purple mare. C and Inky turned their heads to see what happened and recognized Tenebris. She was wearing the mask of the mare that trapped her in the catacombs, but she took of the mask and tears falling down her left cheek.

“Teni you’re alive!... Teni?” Inky stared at Tenebris, but she wasn’t that purple mare filled with life the two met.

“You killed her…”Tenebris said on a low voice, only C and Inky heard it.

“…you killed me!” Tenebris yelled so hard, another wave of air hit two nobles making them falling down into the spikes.

“Tenebris what do you mean?” Inky asked her friend staring at her.

“Four years ago I was found on a field outside the town. The doctors told me I suffer from amnesia, but I can feel things from my past.” Tenebris was crying harder and took a deep breath.

“For four years I didn’t know who I was or where I come from until this night!” Tenebris yelled making the ground tremble.

“Teni, what are you?” C asked her staring into her eye.

“I am a ghoul! Forty years ago I was a unicorn living in this blasted town! I had a family, I had a daughter. We lived a happy life until they invited my husband to his death!”

Tenebris shouted once more making the ground beneath the swimming pool open and the disfigured ponies to show themselves stretching their hooves in to air waiting for the noble families.

“I was worried. I cried for days, until one day when I was delivering a package I saw in this very villa that trapdoor. I went down through it and found the torture chamber, and there on the torture wheel was my husband, barely alive.”

Tenebris made four steps towards the ponies, one of them got panicked and backed up forgetting about the pit and fell into it along with a mare which dress he grabbed. The disfigured ponies grabbed them and started torturing them just as they did with them.

“I wanted to run outside and tell everypony about the catacombs, but they caught me, they tortured me until one say they had enough fun out of me and made me swallow snakes! I died on Hearts Warming Eve, I was the only one to die that day! They threw me into that common grave of theirs, but that wasn’t the end of me!” She yelled again, the hole in the ground getting bigger and the torture machines came out.

“In that pit our spirits cried, they suffered. We wanted revenge, our cries created the staff from the horn I once had. Forty years the first bodies that awakened hid the staff and my body, until four years ago I was ready to wake up. My body remade itself and I rose up from the ground, leaving the staff behind, thing which created the ‘phantom’.” Tenebris stopped talking and advancing, but then she rose her head and had a devilish grin on her face.

“I forgot my past, but by doing so I integrated amongst you. I remade my life, while my staff filled each day for the past four years with the souls of everypony you killed, until last months, when it was full!” Tenebris yelled and the walls started cracking a light-blue color emanating from the cracks and soon ghosts were passing from one crack to another.

“The start created the ‘phantom’, it brought the dead back to life, but they couldn’t come up. They might be dead, but they still remember what and who they were. They didn’t want to scare the innocents in this town so they sent the ‘phantom’ to prepare everything. Tonight is the eve of the holiday you killed me, the ‘phantom’ was to use the staff to drag you into the underground, but she saw me and decided to help me remember who I was.” Tenebris’ eyes started glowing, her grinning getting more out of this world and her skin started decaying.

“This night she saw me into the catacombs and made me remember who I was! This scarf is very important to me for a certain reason, they put the scarf around my neck so that I wouldn’t forget what I was fighting for, but I forgot until the ‘phantom’ showed me the only thing that could’ve made me remember who I was, the only thing that hurts more than torture!” She stopped from yelling, but her body kept decaying.

“Beneath the middle of that grave, I saw the most painful thing… I saw… my daughter!”

Tenebris let out a shriek not from the mortal world and the cracks in the walls and floors got bigger and the hole in the ground also got bigger. The ghosts came out of the cracks and started pushing the ponies down of the balcony into the pit, their bodies and souls would be tortured for eternity.

Screams of pain started echoing from the hole as all members of the noble families, young and old were tortured. One of the ghosts that jumped on the nobles freed C and Inky from their bindings, buy there were still nobles and undertakers resisting on the push from the ghosts.

“You tortured her! You made her suffer, until you decided to try something new… You threw her in that grave when she was still alive and left her there to die the worst of deaths!” Tenebris started crying blood and her anger pushed most of the remaining noble of the balcony.

“Teni stop this!” C yelled at the purple decayed mare.

“I won’t stop!” Tenebris pushed C and Inky to the walls and turned around to stare into their faces.

“Teni stop. You are better than this.” Inky said trying to move, but Tenebris’ powers were too great for even the mightiest and strongest of shape-shifters to escape.

“I will bring justice Inky! They will suffer as we did, their souls will be tortured for eternity!” Tenebris yelled making the glass above the hole break, making snow enter the room.

“Tenebris you must stop. This is not justice, this is madness, you are better than them.” C said looking at Tenebris.

“What do you know about justice C?! Maybe I didn’t see what the ‘phantom’ has, but I trust her! You are a monster just like them you should join them in eternal torture.”

The decayed mare moved her head in front of C’s eyes and glared into his eyes. The mare used her powers to levitate him above the pit and made the hole bigger. The mare took out the staff and used it to bring the memory of those C killed to life. All those he ever killed appeared inside the pit and were stretching to get C and kill him.

“No! Teni stop! Teni don’t do this!” C screamed at Tenebris trying to get away.

“Why aren’t you strong? What happened to you? Without his armor he’s weak, he’s nothing.” C’s victims were saying from inside the hole.

“Please no! I’m sorry! I didn’t want to do it! I couldn’t control myself, please stop!” C was struggling as hard as he could and yelled with all his power.

“Is that you brother?” A voice was heard coming from the ever growing pit which was filling with C’s victims.

“Sister… I…” C started crying and could close his mouth how scared and sad he was and at that moment Tenebris let him fall into the pit.

“Teni nooooo! Please save him!” Inky yelled at Tenebris.

“Why should I Inky, he’s a monster! The souls of those he killed, on those he committed genocide, deserve revenge!” Tenebris yelled at Inky glaring into her eyes.

“What about your daughter?!” Inky yelled back at Tenebris with her eyes closed.

“Celis… “ Tenebris said, and the ghosts stopped from advancing.

“Do you think she would want this to happen? She’s up there watching you Teni, you’re her mother, you should be an example for her! I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to do this.”

Inky was crying, but found the power to tell this to Tenebris which started thinking about her daughter and her body began restoring. The blood that was pouring down her eye was turning back into tears and the ghosts started disappearing.

“Maybe I don’t know your pain Tenebris, but this isn’t an excuse for you to turn into them. Teni you are better than them, show them this, There are better ways to bring justice. Now please end this madness.”

Inky said from all her heart with a kind voice while tears were moving down her cheeks. Tenebris’ body returned to normal, she was once again that beautiful read scarf wearing earth-pony she and C met when they arrived in town.

“Inky… I am sorry!” Tenebris jumped and hugged Inky, her staff falling down on the ground, and the pit closed leaving the remaining four nobles and an undertaker were heavily breathing and trembling in fear.

“It’s alright Teni. You can cry as much as you want.” Inky hugged Tenebris back trying to calm her down.

“Mommy.” The voice of a young filly was heard coming from behind Teni’s back, and right there was her daughter smiling while looking at her mother.

“Celis… I missed you!” Teni hugged the ghost of her daughter, both crying and hugging each other.

“Take care of yourself mommy.” The ghost of Celis started floating in the air and fading away with her right front hoof stretched holding her mother’s hood.

“Celis, don’t go! I love you…” Celis disappeared in thin air leaving Tenebris with her right front hoof stretched into the air “I love you…” Teni fell on the ground crying as hard as she could, Inky watched the scene, but didn’t know how to respond.

“Help… anypony… changeling down.” Inky heard C’s voice coming from the empty pool and ran at the balcony to see him, the nobles were petrified I fear to do anything anyway.

“C you’re alive! But, how’s this possible?” Inky stared down at C which lay down on his back looking at the sky.

“Hey Inky, how’s life? And let’s say I’ve been forgiven… I’ve been forgiven.” A tear passed C’s right cheek.

“Are you going to rise up?” Inky asked him.

“Nah, I’m fine. I’ll stand here a bit and look at the sky.” He replied looking up.

“Let’s get out of here.” The surviving undertaker whispered, but Inky had something to say about this.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Inky stared at the ponies.

“To the bathroom. Ehe… he… he.”

Inky punched the undertaker and went towards Teni and helped her rise up from the ground. Tenebris was destroyed after this night, but she had to move on, that’s what her daughter wanted for her. The white-furred mare and Teni went down into the bathroom and took C off the ground. The three ponies then went outside where the town had gathered, because of the noise the event caused.

“What happened? We heard terrible noises coming from here.” A mare asked the three ponies.

“I’ll handle this.” C said and went towards the mare and whispered something into her ears making her sad and angry at the same time.

“Let’s get the nobles my fellow citizens!” Without thinking any more the ponies of the tow rushed inside and captured the surviving ponies before they could escape.

“Because of you my father and husband died.” The mare said while tears moved down her cheeks.

C and Inky took Teni back to her house, but to their misfortune, the nobles set the house on fire destroying everything Teni ever had. The purple looked as the last remnants of her house burned. There was nothing left for her, her entire life was now destroyed the only thing he had left was the scepter and the scarf that she made for her daughter.

“Teni, I’m sorry.” Inky touched her left shoulder and thought what could she do for her to feel better.

“You don’t have to be sorry Inky. It’s not your fault.” Teni said looking at Inky with her eyes closed and smiling while tears were moving down her cheeks.

“I got it!” C exclaimed with a big smile.

“C I don’t think this is the time for joking or fooling around.” Inky stared at C which was smiling.

“Who said I’m fooling or joking? I’m as serious as death, not a good comparison, but who cares? Teni look at me!” C said and grabbed Teni’s cheeks.

“Teni I’m making you an offer that will change your life and you can’t refuse it. Come with us!” C exclaimed surprising Inky and making Teni wonder.

“To come with you?” Teni asked looking at the ground.

“You have no right to look at the ground Teni. I’ll count to three… One… thr…”C said, but Teni stopped him.

“Wait! C… I… don’t know how can I ever repay you for this kindness? I’m sorry for throwing you into the pit. Can you ever forgive me?” Teni looked into C’s eyes trying to smile, but she felt very guilty.

“No need to. I already forgave you. Now less talking more traveling we have new places to see and ponies to save!” C smiled stretching his right front hoof to the sky.

“Excuse me stranger.” A mare said to C. He turned around and saw the mare with the entire town behind her and the surviving ponies tied up.

“Oh, it’s you madam. Sorry, we ain’t staying we have to go.” C said turning around, and looking at the road.

“That’s it stranger. We want to thank you before you go. I don’t care what or who you are, you helped us finally bring rest and justice to our loved ones and for this, please accept this humble gift of four hundred bits and this food prepared by our town’s greatest chefs.” The mare said showing C the gifts from the townsfolk.

“Humble? This is more than I can accept… I… Thank you madam.” Inky took the bag of bits and gave it to Teni and put the wooden bag filled with goods on Inky’s back.

“Thank you once more ponies! Now off we go to new adventures!” C stretched his hoof pointing to the road.

“Uhm… C… where exactly are we going?” Tenebris asked looking at C.

“We are going to Manehattan my dear Teni, now off we go!”

The three ponies started moving waving their hooves towards the townsfolk. A new companion joined C and new adventures lay ahead, the place that the mysterious robbed pony told C about and many more dangers wait for the three along the way.

Next Chapter

“Strange things happen in this house.” An old colt said.

“What sort of strange things , if you don’t mind saying of course?” Teni asked the colt.

“Don’t make a sound, don’t even sare to move.” C stopped stretching his left front hoof stopping his companions and the four ponies from advancing.

“What is it?” A colt asked him.

“They are waiting for us.” Inky said looking ahead.

“Is that you my love” The sound of a filly was heard approaching the terrified worker which screamed, but then nothing was heard.

Chapter VII: Sounds

Chapter VII

[color=cornflowerblue

]Sounds

Somewhere in the woods between Manehattan and Midnight-Snow Town lies a big villa with two floors, one of them being the ground floor. The place where this big building is situated is quite beautiful.

In front of the house there’s a small garden with a bench that stand in front of the dining room’s window wall. The bench has on two columns on the sides with two pictures of a young filly.

The climate of this forest is a bit strange seeing how in Manehattan and Midnight-Snow Town there’s snow and quite cold. But, here things are different, maybe because of the war wind coming from the south east.

It was quite clouded and it seemed it would start raining at any moment. In front of the house a carriage pulled by four strong colts arrived from the dirt road and from inside the carriage a colt wearing a black coat and a top hat came out.

“Greetings, milord!” A sturdy light brown unicorn came out of the villa and approached the elegant unicorn.

“Ah, mister Nail Bark, it’s been quite a while now. How’s the redecoration going?” He asked him after shaking his right hoof.

“Very well sir. You can expect to move in here next week without any problems.” The unicorn responded escorting the elegant pony towards the building.

“How comes that? I expected it would be ready by tomorrow.” He looked at him waiting for a response after stopping in front of the door.

“That’s what we thought too, but yesterday there was an accident and we have to work once more on the eastern wall.” He replied looking at his employer.

“I see. Well, I expected I could see what you’ve done to my villa, but I guess I’ll have to wait another week.” He replied moving back to the carriage.

“I’m sorry sir, but there’s a bright side. Does milord remember that room on the first floor that didn’t want to open?” He looked at his employer that stopped moving and turned his head to look at the unicorn.

“Yes I do. What about it?” He asked him with a curios look on his face.

“Somehow thanks to the accident it opened. One of my workers is waiting for me right now for milord’s order.” The elegant pony turned around to look better at him.

“What did you find inside exactly?” He asked the unicorn.

“We found two paintings inside. One represented the hallway leading to the room, but it wasn’t lit and the other was simply scribbled, like somepony wanted to hide something.” He replied making the elegant pony curios.

“Interesting. Well here are my orders, I want the painting of the hallway to remain inside that room, but I want the tapestry changed. I presume it’s quite ruined anyway.” He looked at mister Nail Bark.

“I understand milord. I’ll be going then. I don’t want to keep milord outside seeing how a storm might begin any second now.”

The two bid farewell and the elegant unicorn went inside the carriage to be taken back to Manehattan, while the other colt went inside and called this a day for his workers except for the one that was waiting for him upstairs. He went then upstairs and met his worker in front of the door leading to the small room.

“What did he order us to do?” The worker asked looking at his boss.

“Take down the tapestry and replace it, as expected. Leave the dark hallway inside, I’ll take the scribbled painting to the cellar. So, I’ll leave you to work, after you finish you are free for today.” Nail took the scribbled painting and took it to the cellar then he went home leaving the earth pony alone in the villa to work.

The pony entered the room and turned on a lamp he had with him. Above him was and old chandelier with melted candles still waiting to be taken out from their supports. It’s hard to say how long has it been since anypony entered that place, but now that it was finally bought by somepony, they had to redecorate it.

Indeed, the room was very small. You could only put a chair in the middle of it and paintings on the walls surrounding the chair. Maybe that was its purpose from the very beginning. Nonetheless it was redecorating day and the old, torn tapestry had to be taken down.

The worker took down the tapestry as fast as he could. After all he wanted to go home that night and not spend it in that creepy villa. When he took down the tapestry to the left side of the hallway painting he saw something written in red beneath it.

The worker took down the painting to see what could possibly be behind it. When he took it down he saw the complete writing, it was in blood. The worker was shocked, but tried to understand what it was saying no matter how unintelligible it was.

“Get… sound… paintings… doomed…” That all you could understand, the rest was too badly erased, but you could also see that whatever the message was, it ended abruptly, too abruptly for one’s liking.

The worker didn’t think too much about it and put the painting back on the wall and decided to leave the room and finally call this a day. But, when he was about to exit the room, his lamp turned off all of a sudden and so did the candles that illuminated the hallway a few seconds ago.

He looked at the lamp trying to see why did it turn off. If he wanted to get outside this villa, he had to turn the lamp back on. At first look, there was enough oil inside, it was strange, but he decided to try and turn it on. After ten attempts he finally succeeded, but when he rose up from the ground he failed to notice that in the painting of the dark hallway, a white dressed filly with her back turned appeared out of nowhere.

“Damn!” The worker said when his lamp turned off again. He tried to lit it up once more, but this time he couldn’t manage to succeed.

“Damn! You piece of cra…”

His last word was stopped by a cry, you could barely hear the cry, but it was inside the room. The room was filled by light once more, but it came from the chandelier’s old candles. The light wasn’t very strong and it also flickered. There was something strange going on in there and the cry was heard again.

The worker looked around the room, even though it was small, the sound seemed to come from every direction. It was only when he turned towards the right corner from behind him that he saw a filly around fourteen years old with her head turned towards the wall. She was crying and she wore a white dress that seemed to be torn apart at places.

“Are you alright? How did you get in here?” The pony approached her a bit, although he was shocked how she could ever get inside, maybe even a little scared.

“Is that you?” The filly said after she moaned.

“Uhm… It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.”

He stretched his right front hoof towards her to help her up, but he made a sudden movement and turned around making the colt fall down and the light flickering faster and faster. The colt opened his eyes and saw the face of the filly.

“Is that you my love?”

She said after the colt opened his eyes and saw her. He screamed as hard as he could, the sound echoing throughout the villa, but there was nopony inside. The candles from the hallway turned back on and so did the lamp that was now stopping from its roll on the floor, the room was now empty. There was no sign of the worker, neither of the white dressed filly.

[1 week later]

It was quite a clouded day in the forest one week later. Another storm was ready to be unleashed upon the forest. You could have seen the pegasi two days back preparing this storm. There was no dirt road, just trees between which C, Inky and Tenebris showed.

“Did I ever mention how much I love a stormy weather?” C said moving through the trees.

“I just can’t believe the weather in this region. Two weeks ago we were deep into snow with C sneezing like a god.” Inky said to Tenebris as the two went after C.

“God?! Who said god?! I don’t sneez like a god… He, he, he. That’s absurd! There’s no such thing as…” Right at that moment, C wasn’t paying any attention to the surrounding and hit a branch of a small tree.

“Ouch! Did I ever mention how trees were always my natural enemies, although I value them for the oxygen they provide and the aesthetics. They hate meeeeee... I’m watching you tree! I’m… watching… you!” C stared at the tree as the two mares stopped behind him.

“Uhm… I don’t see why you’d be so mad on trees C, if you don’t mind me saying this. But, if you’d pay more attention towards your surroundings maybe you wouldn’t have these problems?” She told the white changeling with a respectful voice, she still felt bad for throwing him into that pit three weeks ago.

“Ha! Please Teni, you are so sweet when you speak like that. I’m as cautious as I can, but trees hate me. In my childhood, I was hit by so many tree branches that I once had a nightmare with a tree… It did stuff with me… So many dirty stuff…” He stood still and looked at a tree..

“I’m sorry, but I really do not know how to respond to that C.” Teni said with a forced smile and scared look on her face because she thought about what could’ve happened in that dream.

“It’s good you don’t Teni. It’s good you don’t. Now where were we? Ah, yes! How far are we from Manehattan?” C looked towards Inky with a big smile.

“Well, if we kept going on the road instead of running in the forest, we’d already be there.” Inky replied staring back at C.

“I didn’t want those guards to cut me open any time soon.” He replied approaching the white-furred mare.

“Ki!” A sound was heard coming from Teni’s direction.

“Teni can you please stop making those sounds? I try to see where are we.” C replied looking at the map.

“You’re holding it upside down.” Inky told him looking at the map.

“Ow! Much better… Teni seriously now, stop saying ki already.” C stared at her.

“I’m not saying ki C. I’m just as confused as you. That seems to be my voice though.”

Teni turned around to see from where was that sound coming from. When she turned around, a small critter jumped in front of her making the purple mare fall down on her back after letting a small scream.

The mare opened her eye and saw the small fur-ball, the size of her hoof, standing on her snout. She rose up on her back side and felt how the critter moved on her neck. She tried to catch it, but she couldn’t manage it because its fur tickled the mare. But, Inky came at Teni and caught it for her.

“T-t-thank you Inky.” The purple mare said calming down from her laugh.

“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Inky said looking at the critter she caught and it said ki again.

“It’s so cute!” Both C and Teni jumped in front of Inky looking at the small fur-ball.

“Ki!” It said again letting a bit of its tongue outside its cat-like mouth.

“It’s so adorable! It gives me glucose only by looking at it!” C said looking at it.

“Uuuu! You are so right C! Just look at it!” Tenebris replied.

“Uhm… guys. Can we please stop? And is it only me or doesn’t it look too much as you Teni?” C moved next to Inky and kept swapping his sight from Teni to the small critter.

“Yes, I can see the resemblance.” C replied looking towards Teni.

At that moment the small critter jumped on Teni and went inside her scarf, but this time it settled in instead of running around tickling the poor purple mare. She took her out from her scarf and looked better at her and was surprised to see her hair and scarf on it. The critter also had the brown hair clip, the same colour as her hair, on its hair.

“Ki!” It said then jumped on Teni’s snout and started petting itself on her.

“Can I keep it?” Teni asked the two after it went back into her scarf.

“I don’t see why not.” C replied looking at Teni.

“How are you going to call it?” Inky asked looking at the purple mare.

“Uhm… I know! I’ll call her Ti!” She replied with a smile and closing her eyes.

“How do you know it’s a she? And why Ti?” C asked her with a curious look upon his face.

“Uhm… I don’t know. I had this feeling in my mind to call her Ti and I knew she was a girls because she has eyelashes.” Teni replied to C while looking at Ti which seemed to be sleeping inside her scarf.

“Seems fair enough. Now back to the map! According to the map, we are here… and if we go through here we’re supposed to reach Manehattan in about a week.” C replied pointing on places on the map.

The three then continued their journey towards the city of Manehattan, but little did they knew that they were approaching the now renovated villa where the stylish pony from a week ago just moved in and had some friends over for dinner that day.

“Silver my friend! It has been a while.” A sturdy pony earth-pony said approaching the owner of the villa.

“Indeed it was my friend. I’m glad you could come. And just in time, it seems the storm won’t wait for much longer.”

He said to the pony, but little did he know that he’d have three more guests this night. Our three travelers didn’t manage to set their camp in time and the storm caught up with them. It was pouring real hard that night and from the three, Inky suffered the most thanks to her fur. But, they were in luck for that Ti saw the light coming from the villa.

“Guys! I think Ti found something!” Teni yelled holding to her scarf seeing how hard the wind was blowing.

“Quick, follow the light!” C yelled running towards the light.

“C, slow down! I don’t think we are that far!” Inky shouted at him trying to make him more cautious to the road.

“Of course we ai… !” He hit the windows of the kitchen belonging to the villa scaring the cook inside.

“U! Pancakes.” C said looking inside.

“C are you alright?” Teni helped the white changeling rise from the ground while Inky looked at the villa.

“Of course I am not dear Teni! I want those pancakes!” He put his head on the glass and smiled widely glaring at the pancakes.

“I think he wants the pancakes…” A scared pony said staring at C.

“Go give it to him if you are so sure.” Another pony pushed him in front of the window making C glare at him instead.

“Pancakes?” The pony trembled while showing the plate full of pancakes to a starving C.

“Why yes, thank you.” C opened the window and took a pancake off the plate and ate it.

“C what are you eating?” Inky approached and asked him.

“Pancakes my dear Inky and they are delicious. Hey mind if I get some for my friends?” C moved his head in front of the scared pony holding the plate of pancakes.

“N-n-no, take them all!” He put the plate on the table then ran outside the kitchen pretty scared.

“Pfft, chicken.” The pony who pushed him in front of the window said.

C gave the two mares the pancakes he took and ate them while sheltering from the rain in front of the kitchen window. The scared pony alerted Mister Silver of C then ran into the bathroom to calm down.

“Calm down Sweet… It’s your first day and look what you did. ”

He washed his face, but when he rose his head up from the sink, he thought he saw in the mirror a filly with her face covered standing behind him. But, when he turned around, there was nopony to be seen, but the door as half opened and seemed that somepony just used it.

“Hello?”

He said after coming out of the bathroom and heard a low giggle coming from upstairs, the stairs being close to the bathroom. Although he was scared, he slowly moved up the stairs curious about the filly he thought he saw in the bathroom while our three travelers were about to have a surprise.

“I feel bad we took them like that.” Tenebris replied looking at the pancakes.

“Come on Teni, I asked kindly for them.” C replied taking a bite out from another pancake.

“I don’t feel right eating them. I don’t say they are not delicious, the one I ate was quite great and so soft and…” C held a pancake in front of her.

“Come on eat it.” He said still holding the pancake in his hoof.

“Uhm… sorry C, but you can have this one I’ll take another one.” She replied taking a pancake from the plate.

“Suit yourself.” C threw the pancake in his mouth and swallowed it without chewing it.

“How can you swallow something full without choking?” Inky asked him after taking a bite from her treat.

“I have a very longue tongue.” C opened his mouth ready to put his mouth outside.

“Please no! I think I saw enough times by now.” Inky replied to him closing his mouth, Teni giggled a bit while Ti looked behind her and made noise like warning them about something.

“What is it Ti?” Teni looked at her pet which kept staring behind her and making her specific sound.

“Uhm, Teni? You might want to turn around.” C said pointing his right front hoof behind Teni which turned around and saw two sturdy colts in front of her.

“Cupcake?”

Teni smiled forcefully and showed the two a cupcake she held in her front two hooves. The two colts grabbed the three travelers and took them inside the villa only to throw them in the middle of the hallway where they were surrounded by the owner of the villa, his family and his friends.

“Uuuu! Fancy!” C said rising up from the beautiful carpet his muddy hooves just stained.

“A changeling!” One of the guests shouted making the others tense.

“Yes and I am here to accomplish my evil agenda of making you tremble and maybe eating some more cupcake, speaking of which. Can I have some more?” C said staring at the ponies while looking deep into the owner’s eyes with a big smile.

“Are you sure he is a changeling?” A mare asked from the ponies that gathered around to see the three.

“Well, I’ve never seen a white one before and I’m pretty sure I didn’t see a hornless one either. I believe he isn’t a changeling after all.” He replied looking at the mare, at the floor then at C.

“Wow, you sir are the greatest genius I’ve ever met in my entire life and believe me I had a long life. Now back to the subject… ahem, of course I’m a changeling you flishing pony! What else could I be, a princess?!” C yelled standing on his back hooves and pointed at his chest and went back on his fours.

“With some eyelashes and another hairstyle might as well be!” A young colt from the crowd replied then laughed.

“Okay, I think I was insulted enough for one night! Look into my eyes you flishing brat! Do I look like a princess?!” He stared into the young colt’s eyes and shouted at him.

“My sister has a dress that fits you.” The young pony replied making C angry, but Inky and Tenebris rose up and caught him by his two front legs and stopped him from jumping at the pony.

“Let me at him! I’ll show that flishing brat who’s a flishing princess!” C yelled trying to escape his friend’s grip.

“At least this night can’t get worse.” Inky said looking at Teni.

What’s the matter? Did the princess get angry?” The young pony teased C making him even angrier and laughed at him as he struggled to get free from his friend’s grip.

“Copper! Stop this right now or you are grounded for a month!” Mister Silver shouted at his son then approached the three travelers.

“Please excuse my son sir. You don’t seem to be dangerous even though you are a changeling.” He said looking at C which calmed down.

“Why did it sound like an insult?” C replied staring at the unicorn.

“I’m sorry if it did sound. My name is Silver White and this is my villa, you’re welcome to stay over the night, as long as you don’t make any trouble… Seeing your heritage.” He replied to C which rose up on his legs.

“My heritage has nothing to do with who I am. I am proud for what I am and I will not take such an insult lightly! Say sorry that you insulted my kind!” C replied, his head touching the unicorns head and the two staring into each other’s eyes.

“Very well. I’m sorry if that sounded like an insult. Now, be kind and go take a shower, you’re quite dirty. And, might I ask? Why is a normal pony with you?” He asked approaching Tenebris then he stared at C.

“That’s because she ain’t a normal pony. She is a sort of ghoul, formerly an unicorn.” C replied moving next to her and putting his right front hoof over her neck.

“And what are you exactly?” Silver stared at Inky trying to understand what she is.

Just as Inky was explaining to the ponies, the colt C scared in the kitchen was upstairs looking for the filly he thought he saw in the bathroom mirror. He followed what seemed to be the giggles of a filly up to the hallway where he saw the small room’s door half opened. The colt looked better at it and saw the end of a white dress, but it entered the room.

He gulped slowly and went towards the room, although the hallway, filled with all its creepy statues scared him. He finally arrived in front of the room and after he inhaled deeply, then he opened the door and saw the painting which had a filly in a white dressed that covered her face with her hooves like crying.

“I thought I saw something…” He closed the door to the room, but failed to notice the filly in the picture disappeared.

“Is that you my love?” The voice of a filly was heard coming from the corner to his left.

“Hello? Are you okay?”

The poor colt said and approached the filly which was sitting in the corner crying. He stretched his right front hoof to touch her shoulder while assuring her he won’t harm her. He touched her shoulder, but when he did, the filly turned around and let out a shriek. She had no eyes and blood was pouring out of her empty sockets. The colt screamed while downstairs the candles and all the lamps turned off.

“What’s going on?” One of Mister Silver’s friends asked.

“Please don’t panic I’m sure it was only the wind.” He reassured his guests.

“If it was the wind, why did all the lamps and candles turn off?” C said staring through the dark at Mister Silver.

“What are you implying changeling?” The host said staring back at C through the dark.

“Maybe it’s nothing! I say we go and eat something.” C replied with a smile, but nopony saw it.

“What is it Ti?” Teni looked at her tiny friend that lived in her scarf.

“Use my staff to make light? Would it even work?” She asked her tiny friend.

“Teni please don’t tell me you’re talking to Ti.” C said, but Teni took her staff and the crystal ball at the top lit up creating a light blue light.

“It worked! Uhm… I’m sorry for yelling.” Teni replied while her staff levitated at her right.

“What are you?!” One of the guests yelled staring at Teni.

“I-I-I’m…” Teni was scared because the guest yelled at her.

“She’s a ghoul, formerly an unicorn which means she still possesses her magic powers. And don’t you dare scream at her again!” C punched the colt which fell on the ground, then he went next to Teni.

“That wasn’t necessary!” Mister Silver shouted at C.

“Teni is my friend and she’s very sensitive. I don’t like to see my friends crying or suffering. Do you understand me?” C glared into his eyes.

“I understand.” He replied to the white changeling with a sad, but understanding look.

“My snout.” The punched colt replied touching his snout.

“Go to the bathroom Mister White. We’ll be waiting in the dining room.”

Mr Silver told the colt which went to the bathroom while the three travelers alongside the ponies went to the dining room. In the bathroom, the colt tried to light up the lamp, but to no avail. He gave up after a few tries then washed his face.

He then turned around sighed closing his eyes. When he opened them and approached the painting on the wall opposing the door. It was the painting of a boat and at a close look, there was a filly with her back turned on the boat.

There was a fisherpony in the painting as well, but he didn’t seem to have anything to do with the filly, it was like two separate painting met in that one. The colt thought it was stupid to think about it. Maybe the painter wanted it to look like this. He sighed then left the room, but when he did, the filly in the painting disappeared.

“Stupid changeling, stupid Silver! Letting those three stay at his villa. What is this, an inn for freaks?” The colt sopped when he heard what seemed to be a faint cry.

“Hello? Is anypony there?”

He asked, but nopony replied back, instead he went towards the cry curious about the one making them. Mister White doesn’t really care about ponies, but he can be quite curious at time, maybe that’s why he went towards the cries instead of going to the dining room and telling somepony else to go.

“Huh? What the buck?” The colt said as he entered the living room where the young colt was sitting in the middle of it, trembling and crying.

“Hey, are you okay boy?” He moved to the back of the colt which stopped trembling.

“I… I…” He barely said.

“You what boy?! Mister White shouted at him.

“I can’t see!”

The colt turned around to look at Mister White, but he had no eyes and blood was pouring out of his empty sockets. The older colt fell on the floor shocked of what he saw before him, the boy’s eyes seemed to be pulled out by force seeing how injured his eye sockets and surroundings were.

“No! No!” The younger colt shouted crawling backwards staring behind Mister White like he could see.

“Do you remember me my love?”

The voice of a young filly was heard coming from the older colt’s back. He leaned his head backwards and saw the blind filly staring at him as though she had eyes. The colt let out a scream as she jumped on him.

“Did you hear that?” Inky said quickly putting down her glass of tea.

“That sounded like Mister White.” The host replied looking towards the hallway leading to the bathroom.

“Oh well! Let’s goi and seey what has happened!” C replied jumping out of his seat.

“Why did you speak like that?” Mister Silver asked him.

“Don’t bother, he’s just C.” Inky replied looking at him.

“Indeed I ami! Inky, Teni let’s go, the rest of you wait here.” He said looking at the fourteen ponies.

“No way! Mister White was my guest and I want to see what happened.” The host said staring into C’s eyes.

“Okay, but the rest of you wait for us here.” C said then the four went towards the bathroom, but when they arrived, there was no Mister White.

“I don’t get it. Where is he?” Silver asked as he looked inside the bathroom.

“Wait! The sound was too faint to come from here.” Inky told the three.

“What do you mean?” Silver looked at her confused.

“Shape-shifter hearing, it’s very developed.” C said pointing at his ears with a smile.

“If I’m right, the sound came from deeper into the hallway.” Inky said exiting the bathroom alongside the three then pointed towards the direction where the living room was.

“This leads to the living room. What could that fool be doing there?” The host said looking in front of him, where Inky pointed.

“Living maybe?” C replied with a bid smile looking at the colt.

“Are you serious?” The colt asked him.

“Of course I am. Now what are you three waiting for? Andale, to the living room!”

He then ran towards the room, the three following him. When they arrived in the room, they saw a trail of blood leading to the body of the younger colt. As C approached and turned him around, he saw the empty sockets and the blood that surrounded them. It was clear that he died because he lost too much blood.

“Who could’ve done this?” Silver asked staring at the body.

“The more important question is, where’s your guest?” Inky said looking at Silver.

“You don’t think he could’ve done this, do you?” The unicorn said with a confused look upon his face.

“If he did this…” C turned around to look at the unicorn.

“Why isn’t there any other trail of blood?”

He looked into the unicorn’s eyes, but a scream was heard coming from the staircase next to the bathroom. The four didn’t waste time and ran towards the bathroom, but as they did, Teni saw something strange in one of the paintings on the hallway.

“Teni why did you stop?” C turned around after he stopped as well and looked at his friend.

“I’m sorry C, but I don’t remember seeing that filly in the painting before.” She said pointing at the painting.

“What filly?”

He approached the painting to give it a better look, but when he gave it a better look he wanted to touch it. When his hoof was only centimeters away from the canvas, the filly turned around and jumped outside the painting grabbing the unicorn and making Teni fall on the floor scared of her.

“Help me!” Silver yelled trying to free himself from her grip.

“Inky!” C yelled as he grabbed the unicorn and tried to pull him out of her grip, but the blind filly seemed to be too strong for him.

“Help me!” He yelled again struggling to get free.

“Hold still!” The white changeling shouted at him as he and Inky tried to pull him away from her.

“Let my love go!” The filly yelled at the two.

“Love?” C asked with a confused face, but after he said it, the filly let out a loud shriek making him and Inky hold their ears.

“No! Don’t let her take me! No!”

He yelled as she seemed to go back into the painting dragging him with her. Inky recovered from the shock of that loud shriek and rushed to grab the colt’s back left leg, but it was to no avail. The blind filly was somehow stronger than her and pulled him inside the painting.

“Where did they go?” C said looking at Inky.

“They went inside the painting, but they don’t appear in it.” Inky replied looking at the painting.

“Damn!... Teni are you alright?” He helped the purple mare rise up from the floor.

“Yes, thank you C… I… uhm… am sorry for not helping, but I was scared.” She looked at the floor while she made her staff levitate again.

“Don’t worry Teni… it happens.” He said looking at his friend, but that moment Inky moved away from the painting.

“Uhm, I think we should run.”

Inky said staring at the painting, the filly reappeared, this time covering her eyes and looked like crying. But, after she said it, the filly jumped out from the painting trying to grab Inky, but failed, Inky jumping to her left.

C grabbed Teni’s right front hoof and the two ran away from the eyeless pony which glared at them and started chasing the three. The three were running as fast as they could, but she seemed to get faster and faster, so C decided to throw the several pots of flowers at her. But, they didn’t slow her down, instead made her angry.

“Run you fools!” C shouted at the sight of a mare and a colt standing my Mister White’s body.

“Huh? Why are you running, where is Silver?!” The colt yelled staring at the three as they passed them.

“We can’t leave them behind.” Teni said to C after the three ran pass them.

“We can’t do anything for them now. Just keep running.” He said looking in front of him.

“I can hear you my love.” The filly’s voice was heard by the two guests the three left behind.

“What?”

The colt turned to look at the hallway from where the three ran from and saw the blind filly which jumped in the air. She fell, grabbing him, the two disappearing into the floor as the colt fell down because of her. The mare screamed and looked at the floor in which the two vanished.

“Why are you screaming my love?”

The terrified mare turned her head to her right only to see another blind filly standing in front of a painting, staring at her with her empty eye sockets from where blood was pouring out instead of tears. She screamed, C and the two mares heard it as they entered the dining room and closed the big doors.

“What are you three doing?!” An old colt asked staring at them as they barricaded the door.

“Where’s my husband?” Silver’s wife asked the three.

“Uhm…” Teni tried to say what happened, but couldn’t do it.

“What happened to him?” She asked being more worried for her husband’s safety.

“I-I… I’m sorry, but…” The purple mare tried to say, but she still couldn’t manage to do it.

“It’s okay Teni, I’ll say it. Ahem… Your husband’s dead.” C said with a smile.

“Si-Silver’s… dead?” The mare started to cry.

“Good job C.” Inky said looking at her friend.

“Why are you so sarcastic towards me?” He said looking at her.

“That’s not how you give this type of news.” She replied moving in front of him.

“But, give it with a smile and things aren’t so bad.” He smiled and closed his eyes.

“Why do I even bother?” She said going to the crying mare.

“Meh! Anyways, are there any paintings in here?” He asked the ponies looking around.

“No, but why?” One of the cooks said looking at the white changeling.

“It doesn’t matter.” He went at the table and sat down on a chair.

“It’s only my fault Ti. I was too scared to help C and Inky save Mister Silver.” She sat down near the door and looked at her friend which she held in her two front hooves.

“Of course it was my fault Ti. I could have used my staff.” She looked to her right at the floor for a few second while Ti was saying something to her.

“How did he die exactly?” the crying mare looked at Inky.

“He was… taken into a painting by a filly without eyes.” She replied looking into her eyes with a sad look.

“What are you talking about? This is absurd!” One of the colts asked.

“I’m telling the truth, she came out of a painting and took him with her.” She replied to the colt as C started coughing and after looking at his hoof he got scared.

“Can I use the kitchen sink?!” C yelled from across the table.

“Yes, but why?” After he said this to him, the white changeling rushed into the kitchen without responding.

“What happened to C?” Teni asked Ti as she looked at the kitchen door.

“Red, go and see what he’s up to.” The cook whom replied to C told to his apprentice.

Teni kept backing the wall and looked at the rain drops which hit the glass while Ti was looking at her master from inside her scarf. Inky tried to calm down Silver’s wife while the guests were getting suspicious about the three and were ready to hurt them at any moment.

Inside the kitchen, C had his head bent at the sink and was coughing badly keeping his eyes closed. When he felt he finished, he opened his eyes and was shocked of what he saw in the sink. He was breathing heavily and tried to calm down. But, the young apprentice came next to C and saw what was inside the sink. The white changeling wasn’t very pleased and put his right front hoof over his mouth before he could anything.

“If dare mention what you saw in this sink I’m going to cut your throat and skin you alive. Do you understand?”

C threatened him them coughed once more in the sink then turned the water on. Flushing whatever was inside the sink. The young pegasi was scared of C and didn’t want to rise up from the floor. He stared at the white changeling that went back into the dining room like nothing happened.

“Where’s Red?” The cook asked the white changeling as he entered the room.

“He needed to do something cookish I think.” He said sitting down at the table.

“That isn’t even a real word.” One of the guests said to him.

“That’s the beauty of a language, you can create new words. Take my pen for example, I call it pix, although in my language that literally means pen.” He said showing the pix in his right front hoof.

“I never heard of a pen before.” The colt replied staring at the pen.

“Whatever.” He said looking at the pen.

Silver’s son tried not to cry while his sister couldn’t stop from it. He went to his sister and the two on their chairs and he tried to calm her down. Teni was still looking at the big window as the rain kept hitting its glass.

“What a night huh?” A colt around the age of seventeen sat next to Teni.

“Uhm… I think… “ Teni looked at him with a sad face.

“Oh! Sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Orange Ball.” The pony said smiling at her.

“I’m Tenebris Astrum… Uhm… Nice to meet you.” She replied looking at the colt with a smile.

“Nice to meet you too Tenebris. What a strange name for a pony you have.” He said to her.

“It is?” She looked at him with a confused face.

“I didn’t mean to say it isn’t nice or anything. I just didn’t hear anypony with such a strange name before.” He replied looking at her.

“Well, I guess I too didn’t hear.” She looked at the ceiling.

“Why do you cover your right eye Tenebris? I mean if it isn’t a problem.” He put his right front hoof behind his head.

“Uhm… No it isn’t, but I don’t want to say why… Let’s just say I like to cover it, if that is okay.” She looked at him with a small smile.

“It’s okay Tenebris. This rain reminds me of home. Do you want to see a photo of the lake near my house?” He looked at her.

“I’d like to Orange.” She replied with a smile closing her eyes as Orange took out of one of his suit’s pockets a photo of a beautiful lake surrounded by tall trees.

“Wait a second. This wasn’t here before.”

Tenebris looked at the part of the photo Orange said he didn’t see before and she saw the blind filly there with her eyes covered by her hooves. As Teni wanted to warn him and throw the photo away, the filly jumped out of the photo and grabbed the colt pulling him inside.

The ponies at the table saw the scene and were scared of it. C jumped out of his seat and ran towards the photo taking it and ripping it apart as fast as he could. He then helped Tenebris rise up, but when she rose up he saw she was very sad.

“Teni are you okay?” He looked at her with a worried look on his face.

“He was next to me and I couldn’t save him…” She looked at the floor not wanting to look at him.

“What was that?!” A colt shouted from the other side of the table.

“That was the filly that took Silver.” Inky told him.

“That’s not possible… What is she?” A scared mare asked her.

“I think she is a ghost.” C said from, him and Teni sitting down at the other end of the table.

“A ghost? That’s impossible!” A colt said staring at him.

“Then how do you explain how she came out of the photo?” Inky stared at him.

“Even if it were true, how do we get rid of her?” He asked the three.

“I have no idea. I never faced a ghost before. Teni what do you think? You’re our expert.” C looked at her.

“I…? But… I’m no expert, I couldn’t even save Orange.” She looked at the table.

“What an expert. I say we break the window and go away from here.” A mare said.

“Outside is a storm and we’re a week away from Manehattan and I didn’t see any carriage outside when we were brought inside.

“What do you suggest then? To stay here and be killed one by one?!” A colt shouted at C.

“I knew I’d find you here.” A filly came from inside the kitchen scaring the ponies, but she didn’t attack them.

“Where have you gone my love?” She said without moving her lips, only keeping her mouth open and moved a bit from the kitchen trying to find them.

“Of course!” C yelled making her turn her head towards him and moved closer to him.

“Are you there my love? Please say something so I can find you.” She said, her empty eye sockets staring at C’s face.

“I won’t take it anymore!”

The mare which suggested they should break the window and go outside ran towards the big window Teni was staring at a few minutes ago. But, she didn’t manage to reach it, for that the blind filly jumped on her, both disappearing into the floor.

“Rose!” Her husband yelled running at the spot the two disappeared.

“One, silence! Two, did that young pony have a photo at him?” C stared at the ponies.

“He had a photo of his mother he liked to look at when he was scared.” The cook replied looking at him.

“Okay. Let’s see, we’re eleven left in here. Okay! One, close the kitchen door. Two, she can’t see us, only hear us, so we can get out of here.” He replied staring at the ponies.

“How exactly?” A colt asked him.

“Easy in fact. We open that door and slowly move towards the entrance. We open the door slowly without making any noise then you slowly sneak out of here.” He said mimicking what they have to do with his hooves.

“We? What about you?” A mare asked looking at him.

“I, Inky and Teni will stay behind and try to stop this ghost.” He said with a big smile.

“Are you insane? She’ll get you.” A colt said.

“Of course I am insane. And after you get away from here you won’t even care anyways, am I right?” He stared at the nine ponies.

“No use trying to lie I guess. Just take us to safety.” A mare said staring at him.

“It will be my pleasure getting rid of you so that we can do our job.”

He didn’t say anything else and together with his two companions, they took down the barricade and opened the door and the ponies slowly went outside the dining room, the three being the last to exit the dining room.

When they exited the dining room, the ponies were ahead of the, they didn’t want to waste any time waiting for the three. This made C want to shout at them to stop, but it was better not to, the storm outside was causing enough noise already.

The ponies didn’t even care to look at the paintings, they only watched out not to make any noise, thing which made them move faster than the three. C, Inky and Teni were looking at the paintings carefully and saw that after a thunder, all the paintings in the hallway filled with a filly that was either covering her eyes or was turned around.

There was more than one filly in that house, but how could that be? C wondered, but seeing that ghosts aren’t his strong point he decided not to think any more at this and moved on. Tendion was in the air, the three being careful not to make any noise and look closely at the paintings so that the fillies wouldn’t come out of them.

They eventually reached the entrance and saw the ponies trying to open the door without paying any attention to the paintings surrounding them, which had fillies inside of them waiting for a sound so that they could come out and take the ponies with them.

The ponies managed to finally open the door, but as they did, they foolishly rushed and the sound the door made when it opened made the fillies come out of the painting. The ponies ran outside as fast as they could, but a mare, the cook and a colt were caught.

C, Inky and Teni decided to make noise to attract the fillies towards them, giving enough time to the ponies to escape. They succeeded and ran upstairs, the main staircase opposing the entrance. But, even so, they didn’t manage to save Silver’s wife and son. The foolish boy being caught as they ran outside and his mother rad back to save him.

The ponies that survived alongside Silver’s daughter were now outside, in the rain, but they were now safe and decided to seek shelter underneath a big tree away from the villa. Inside, the three ran into Mister Silver’s study and barricaded the door and destroyed the paintings and put the photo’s inside a small chest.

“Okay, now that that’s taken care of. We need to find a way to stop them.” He said sitting down on the floor backing the beautifully decorated desk.

“That was exciting.” Inky said sitting down on Silver’s chair.

“Indeed it was, but back to the plan! Teni you are our expert, what can we do?” He looked at her with a smile.

“I’m sorry C, but I am no expert…“ She said looking at the two.

“Teni, stop being so remorseful and help us. You are what you are after all, you know more about these things than any of us.” He approached her looking into her eye.

“I… don’t know. Huh? What is it Ti?” She looked at her and seemed like she told her something important.

“What did she say? Instead of ki I don’t hear anything else.” C asked her looking t Ti.

“I hear ki too C, but she somehow tells me. I’m sorry, but I don’t know how she does it.” She replied looking at C while Ti was standing on her head.

“Maybe she uses telepathy? My uncle told me stories of creatures doing that, but I can’t remember anything else than this. I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention.” Inky said looking at her.

“Okay, let’s stop this right now and back to the subject. What did she tell you?” He stood up on his back legs and looked at Teni.

“She told me that she feels a curse being at work in here and that I should use my staff to find the location of the curse.” She said putting the staff in her hoves.

“Then do it Teni, what are you waiting for.” He said moving back leaving her space.

“I don’t know how, but here goes nothing… “

Teni made her staff levitate and closed her eye. She was concentrating and as she did that, the staff’s light got brighter and brighter until Teni opened her eye from which a light the same color as the staff’s was coming out. She kept concentrating until she fell on the floor and C went to hold her while Inky didn’t seem to like that picture.

“Teni are you alright?” C looked at her as she opened her eye.

“Yes I am. Thank you C… I saw from where the curse is coming.” She said looking at him.

“Where is it?” He looked at her.

“From the basement, that’s all I could see.” She said then rose up back on her legs.

“Then we’re going to the basement.” Inky said moving to the door.

“No. I’m going.” C said moving towards the door.

“C are you crazy? I mean crazier than usual?” She looked at him and went in front of the door stopping him from taking down the barricade and going in the basement.

“You know I am Inky. Now step away and let me go.” He said staring into Inky’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, but no C. I… uhm… want go and end this curse.” She said moving towards the white changeling.

“I’m sorry too Teni, but I can’t risk anything happening to the both of you.” He said looking at the two.

“C please let us come with you. I know you don’t want any harm to come to us, but you also need us.” She said looking into his eyes.

“Okay Teni… okay, listen here. I believe the door to the basement is that door next to staircase we just come from.” He said looking at the two.

“You aren’t mistaking C.” Teni replied with a smile.

“Okay… Now seeing that we settled that... Once we reach the basement I believe there are no paintings or photos in there so we won’t have any problems reaching the painting.” C said looking at them.

“And after we do?” Inky asked him.

“When we do reach the painting we tore it apart and then we can eat the food in the kitchen and sleep peacefully in here.” He smiled with his eyes closed.

“I’m afraid the curse is too strong for that. While I was seeing from where the curse was coming, I also felt that tearing it won’t be enough, we need to burn it.” Teni looked at the two.

“I can use my flints to create a spark that’ll lit the painting.” Inky said taking out Seth and James from her leather bag.

“So we have a plan. Are you two ready?”

The two mares shook their heads in confirmation then the three moved the barricade away and slowly moved towards the basement. It wasn’t easy, it took them about half an hour to reach the bottom of the staircase thanks to the sound the storm was making. From time to time a blind filly would come out of a painting and the three had to stop moving until it went back in.

When they finally managed to reach the bottom of the staircase, they saw Silver’s wife and son laying on the floor, with their eyes missing, inside a pool of blood. The three didn’t look too much and went directly to the basement door which was closed.

Ti jumped off Teni and went through the door leading to the basement. It was strange to them how Ti did that, but she came back with the spare key of the door. Teni took Ti and petted her with her snout while Inky opened the door.

The three went inside the basement and closed the door behind them, Inky made sure to put the key in her leather backpack before moving any further. Teni sensed the basement wasn’t very big and if the three moved forwards they’d find the painting.

To their luck there was no painting inside and they could easily run towards their goal. Indeed, the basement wasn’t big. They shortly arrived where the painting was held and saw a blind mare instead of a filly guarding it.

“What do we do now?” Inky asked the two.

“I have an idea.” C said rising his right front hoof up.

“Let’s hear it then C.” Inky said, but after she did, C ran into the room where the blind mare was guarding the painting and yelled making her chase him.

“I guess that’s good enough.” Teni said looking at C that was distracting the blind mare.

“Let’s do this then!”

Inky ran towards the painting, Teni followed her and the white-furred mare started hitting the flints together to create a spark, but the mare heard the two and jumped at them, pushing the two to the wall.

“No!”

C yelled making the mare turn towards him. He tried to run and get Seth and James and try to improvise, but the mare caught his back legs was dragging him into the painting. He tried to resist, but she was too strong for him to succeed.

Teni opened her eye at the sound of her friend struggling not to be dragged into the painting. She saw that the torches on the other side of the room had lit up. Maybe it was because of the mare struggling to drag C into her painting. Teni looked above her and saw a torch. She forced herself up and took the torch into her mouth.

“Hey you! Let my friend go!” Teni shouted as she threw the torch at the painting setting it on fire and making the blind mare scream in pain.

“Good job Teni!”

The white changeling said, but the fire seemed to somehow get bigger and the two decided to run from there. Teni used her staff to make Inky levitate and the three ran outside the basement. In the villa, the blind fillies were screaming in pain as they were burning.

“Don’t stop! Go!”

C yelled and the three ran outside in the storm, but at least they were now safe. When they arrived outside, Inky woke up and was surprised to see herself levitating. The three looked as the villa was burning down to the ground and the fillies screaming in pain as they burned.

“It seems you two did it, but can you please put me down now?” Inky said and Teni put her down.

“You know what I hate about ghost stories?” C said looking at the burning villa.

“What?” Inky asked him.

“There is never a happy ending. We lost a warm place to sleep and we also lost the pancakes!” He shouted at the sky.

“At least we are alive and look at the bright side. In a week we’ll reach Manehattan and we can rest in an Inn there.” Inky said looking at C which was looking at the ground.

“You know what?! You are right Inky. Now how about we find a place to hide from the storm before I sta… sta…” He sneezed.

“Sneeze.”

The two mares laughed a bit then with Inky shaking her head, from left to right, with her eyes closed and a small smile, the three went to find a place where they could hide from the storm and rest for the night. Manehattan was close and in a week they’ll be there. But, the Moon Crater Village is getting restless and what once rested under its surface will soon wake up and start… the harvest.

Next Chapter

“It keeps happening! It comes!” A pony which kept leaning front and back said.

“Each night for the past two months I kept waking up at night.” A brown unicorn said sitting on his bed.

“I’ve experienced the greatest terror! I’ve experienced the greatest terror! I’ve experienced the greatest terror!” The pony said yelling louder and louder from his corner behind the door.

“I keep hearing his voice, each passing night. I’m scared to open my eyes in the middle of the night.” A blue earth-pony with a rope around his neck said.

“Please stop, tell me what are you scared of?” Inky asked him.

“The stalker!” He jumped of the chair the rope choking him.