Evil Risingby lordvad3r95ChaptersPrologueChapter 1Chapter TwoPrologueVoltaic Shock trotted down a spacious hallway in the Royal Canterlot Palace. He was on his way to Princess Celestia’s private chambers, on special summons from the Princess herself. He pondered the meaning of the summons as he walked, as the Princess had been sending him his new assignments by mail since the incident five months ago. It must have been fairly important to summon him here. Not that he was complaining; on the contrary, he was a little eager to see the Princess in person again. The last time had been three months ago, when he had been requested to be relieved of his duties as Blueblood's bodyguard. Still though, he was more than a little nervous. He wondered what her majesty would think of his most recent mission. As the Princess’s Right Hoof, specially chosen by Celestia herself, it was his duty to see that certain disasters be prevented before they happen.But his mission north to find any traces of the Crystal Empire had turned up.... nothing. Only ice, snow, and a single, extremely irritable yeti. He couldn’t even detect any traces of the magical aura given off by every living creature ( and some non-living one’s as well). Even if they were dead, there still should have been some faint trace of it, so the lack of even those fundamental elements was deeply disturbing. He had finally reached the large, gilded door that led to Princess Celestia’s innermost sanctuary. He was just about to knock it’s solid, yet welcoming surface when he heard a gentle voice call out, “Voltaic, please come in. We’ve been expecting you.” The door swung open, enveloped by a golden light that was not it’s own. He cautiously entered the room to see the Princess of the Sun in a deep conversation with her younger sister on the balcony. Upon seeing him walking up to them, they ceased their hushed whispering and turned to face him. “Voltaic Shock, how are you?” Celestia asked warmly. “I’m quite all right your majesty,” he answered stiffly. “What’s wrong Voltaic? Is there something you wish to tell about your trip north?” Voltaic sighed, then decided to just get it over with. He took a deep breath, then said, “I’ve failed, your majesty. My assignment to the Frozen North has not yielded any findings on the Crystal Empire. Not even their magical aura’s remain. I... I’m sorry,” he finished, and prepared himself to take whatever punishment she deemed fit. Celestia looked him over for a moment, then said, “I’m not Silvermane, Voltaic; I’m not going to punish you. You’re one of the best Right Hooves I’ve ever had; if neither you nor Luna could find anything up there, then there simply isn’t anything to find as of yet. But that isn’t why I called you here.” Voltaic blinked in surprise. “Then, if I may ask your majesties, why was I summoned here?” he asked, keeping an uneasy eye on Luna’s poker face. “Well, part of it was to settle a little argument Luna and I were just having,” she replied with a sly smile. “Okaaaay,” he responded warily. The two rulers of Equestria were known for their legendary pranks, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one. “So here’s the thing,” the Princess began, “Luna and I have been getting a kick out of listening to Ghost’s radio show since your... abrupt departure. Now, he stopped doing shows about two days ago, and we have a little wager. Luna thinks he stopped because of certain ponies vexing him to no end, while I think he left for health reasons. Tell me Voltaic, which do you think its is?” Voltaic had been expecting many issues important to Equestria to be discussed here, but that was the last thing he expected.Studying both of them closely, he said, “I believe he made an announcement stating health issues as the reason for his departure.” Luna, looking thoroughly annoyed at this point, growled menacingly as she hoofed over five bits to her snickering sibling. “Looks like I win again, Wuna,” Celestia teased. “Oh, shove it Toothpaste Hair,” Luna replied with a scowl. “Now Luna, no need to be so sour in front of Voltaic here,” Celestia said with a soft chuckle, “After all I only called him here because of you. Now, what is it you wanted to tell him?” “We would appreciate it if you left us for this, Tia,” Luna said, “No offense to you Sister, but this is between Voltaic and I.” Princess Celestia nodded solemnly and removed herself from the balcony, leaving him to wonder just what it was Luna wanted to talk to him about. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Luna spoke up, “So, Voltaic Shock. Our sister tells us that you are a very reliable pony, correct?” Daylight didn’t respond at first, unable to discern her motive for this private chit-chat. After a few moments, however, he replied, “Yes, she’d say something along those lines, I’m sure.” “Good. We have a little.... offer for you,” she she responded, a brief shadow flashing just behind her eyes. Voltaic studied her face, disconcerted by the slightly menacing way she’d said “offer.” Backing away slowly so she (hopefully) wouldn’t notice, he asked, ”Are you okay Princess?” “Why Voltaic,” she said in a provocative way that made Daylight want to run away as fast as he could, “of course. Why would you ask?” “Well, you seem a little...” he paused, struggling to find the right word for the chill he felt. “A little what? Disconcerting? Terrifying, even?” she half-shouted as she got closer to him. “N-n-n-no,” he stammered out as he backed into the heavy, closed door. Oh where is Princess Celestia? he thought frantically. She was so close that he could almost feel the coldness emanating from the Princess of the Night. “Then what is it?” she asked in a much softer tone that was somehow even more terrifying than her shout. Suddenly, her pupils took on a cat-like appearance, and Voltaic knew then who was doing the talking here. “You’re not Luna, yo-hmph,” he said as his enemy silenced him with a gag spell. “Shhh,” she whispered softly into his ear. “You talk too much.” She suddenly leaned over and gently kissed him on the cheek, leaving a painful, lip-shaped burn. He tried to scream, but the gag in his mouth kept him from making any substantial noise. The burn slowly sunk into his flesh, leaving no traces behind. He felt very weak,almost as if his legs were made of jell-o instead of flesh and bone. Unable to struggle with the dark tendrils wrapping themselves around his mind, he passed out... Voltaic woke up after a few minutes, his head pounding with each beat of his still-panicked heart. Luna was gone, off to destinations unknown. He remembered she wanted to talk to him about something, but, oddly enough, he couldn’t remember anything from their conversation. The only thing he could remember was her taking off abruptly, saying something about being late for Night Court. Shaking his head lightly, he trotted off the balcony and back into the room. He found his employer waiting for him by her study, where the letters ponies frequently sent her were neatly categorized by date and sender. “Hello Voltaic. Where has Luna gone?” Celestia inquired. “I think she left to attend Night Court,” he replied in a confused voice. Celestia, suspecting something troubling had occurred between them, but shrugged it off and said, “Well, if you feel up to it, I actually do have an assignment for you.” At the mention of an assignment, Voltaic snapped out of his trance and responded, “Of course Princess. What would you have me do?” “This assignment is a fairly simple one, but essential to the survival of our nation,” she started. “Your mission is to go to the town of Ponyville and act as Twilight Sparkle’s bodyguard. You will protect her from all harm, whether it be external or to contain her in case she loses control of her abilities again. We don’t need a repeat of last week.” “Understood Princess,” he agreed enthusiastically. This mission would be just the opportunity to get close to the Element of Magic without drawing undue attention. “When should I leave?” “At exactly nine o’clock tomorrow morning,” she answered. “Twilight will provide lodging for you in the town’s library. You should have everything you need in two saddlebags I already had packed for you.” Voltaic thanked the Princess, and was about to leave when she stopped him. “Wait,” she started, “I have just one more thing to add, my little pony. Not all of the monsters you may encounter in Ponyville will be the ones you can see...” Author's Note Due to the negative feedback associated with it, my OC's name has been changed. Hopefully this one will get a better reception. Chapter 1“Spike! Make sure all the bookshelves are dusted,” Twilight Sparkle shouted as she paced the floor, her panic growing with each step. She had just received a letter from the Princess telling her she was going to receive and provide lodgings for her Right Hoof, somepony named Voltaic Shock. It said he was here on a “special assignment,” but didn't elaborate further, which was a fairly unusual thing for her mentor to do. This, naturally, caused Twilight much anxiety, and her wild imagination was already starting to ramp up production of the crazy. “Spike!” she called out again from her bathroom, “ Make sure the guest bed has clean sheets. We need to make sure everything is in tip-top shape for when Princess Celestia’s Right Hoof arrives.” “But I thought you wanted me to dust the bookshelves?” Spike inquired. “Then do both!” she answered, her nervous pacing getting more furious by the second. “Geez, Twilight, calm down,” Spike said dismissively. “What are you so worried about anyway?” "WHAT AM I WORRIED ABOUT!?” Twilight shrieked. “Spike, this is Princess Celestia’s own Right Hoof. Do you have any idea what this means?” “She’s going to need A HOOF! Ha ha ha ahhhhh, I crack myself up someti-AAAAAHHH, ” he screamed as he suddenly lost his balance on the rickety old ladder he was balancing on and fell into a rather large and painful stack jumble of hardcover books. “Spike, this isn’t the time to make weak puns,” she half-shouted, not noticing his fall onto the book pile of doom. “ Princess Celestia’s Right Hoof is her most trusted agent and advisor. His/her job is to carry out the Princess’s will throughout all of Equestria, and they are trained for years to accomplish their goals. Sending one to a small, rural backwater like Ponyville is almost unheard of.” Suddenly, a terrible thought popped into her panicked mind. “What if... what if she sent him here to evaluate me?” “Evaluate you?” Spike grumbled with much skepticism after clawing free of the sharp book spines. “Yes! That must be it, an evaluation. I could get docked major points for being unorganized!” she raced about her room, frantically putting object together in an order she alone knew the logic to. While she did this, an even worse thought made a surprise guest appearance in her mind. “What if she sent him here to...” she paused as she gulped for air, “replace me?” “Uh, what?” Spike asked in confusion. “Twilight, that’s completely ridiculous.” “ No it’s not. I’ve ran through all the other scenarios, and this is the most likely one”, she said, her mind slipping into full on panic mode. Spike, however, saw the warning signs and raced to her side. Grabbing her by both shoulders, he started to shake her. “Snap out of it, Twilight. If the Princess wanted to do any of those, wouldn’t she have told you on the letter?” “Well, I guess so..,” she conceded, “but-” “But nothing,” Spike interrupted. “Twilight, you are one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria. You’ve also saved Equestria twice now from certain destruction, and Ponyville even more than that!” Twilight breathed deeply, then responded, “Okay, you’re right. I was overreacting just a teensy bit.” Spike just rolled his eyes at that, then said “You really need to worry less,Twilight. We don’t need to repeat last week.” “Don’t remind me,” Twilight said, shuddering as she did so. “I hear Scootaloo still has nightmares about that doll...” Just then, the sound of gilded wheels landing on a rocky surface combined with the sound of powerful wings flapping in harmony with each other greeted them through the open windows of the library. "He’s here!” Twilight squeaked. “Spike, how does my mane look?” “It looks fine Twilight,” he answered impatiently. He was about to tell her to knock it off when several loud knocks emanated from the door. “Hello? Is anypony home?” a distinctly male voice called out. “Spike, please answer the door,” Twilight ordered. She still wanted to “fix” her mane a little more, and hopefully not appear nervous to her new guest. With an exasperated sigh, the purple and green baby dragon tromped over to the door and opened it with an overly exaggerated flourish. The door swung open to reveal a dark yellow stallion only a few years older than Twilight herself. His mane was a dark brown, with two light brown saddlebags draped over either side of his body. His cutie mark was a single bolt of blue lightning. “Hello,” the stallion said to Spike, unfazed by the fact that a dragon had answered the door. “My name is Voltaic Shock . I was told that Twilight Sparkle lives here, correct?” “Yeah, that’s right,” Spike said, checking his claws to appear bored. "Great,” Voltaic responded. After standing at the door awkwardly for a few seconds, he asked, “Soooo... may I come in?” “What? Oh, yeah,” Spike said quickly. He lead Voltaic into the kitchen, where he promptly began to dig through the cabinets for a gem. Dropping his saddlebags on the floor next to the table, Voltaic asked, “I take it you live here then?” “Yeah. My name’s Spike,” he answered. “Number one assistant to Twilight Sparkle,” he added, chest puffed out in a slightly arrogant display of bravado. “And her only assistant. This will make things much easier,” Voltaic mumbled to himself. “Sorry, what was that?” Spike asked as he cupped a claw around his ear. “You really shouldn't mumble.” “It was nothing important,” Voltaic replied casually, “just me making a few mental notes. Sometimes I say them out loud by mistake.” “Yeah, Twilight does that alot too,” Spike replied dismissively. “Speaking of Miss Sparkle, where is she?” he asked. “She is home, isn’t she?” Spike suddenly burst out laughing, baffling the yellow stallion. “What’s so funny?” he asked, unable to comprehend the source of the young dragon’s source of humor. “Its nothin’ important,” Spike said, echoing Voltaic’s response from earlier. “I’ve just never heard Twilight referred to so formally before. You can just call her Twilight ya’ know.” “Sorry,” he apologized, “I’m just used to speaking formally. The last time I did a mission like this, I had to protect some ‘Prince’ named Blueblood. He was absolutely convinced that some mare named Rarity was out to get him. Seeing him in action, I wouldn’t blame her.” Spike burst out laughing again, joined, this time, by Voltaic. After a few moments, the yellow stallion ceased his laughter and observed, “You never did tell me where Twilight was.” “Twilight? Oh, yeah,” Spike remembered, “She’s upstairs fixing her mane for the millionth time. She was pretty nervous about your arrival.” “Nervous? About what?” Voltaic inquired, genuinely puzzled. “Didn’t the Princess’s letter explain why I was coming?” “Not really. So naturally, Twilight started to freak out and thought you were coming here to evaluate her performance. And get this,” he said as he tried to contain his laughter, “She thought you were going to REPLACE HER!” Spike, unable to contain it any longer, burst out laughing (for the third time that morning), and started rolling around on the floor, hands wrapped tightly around his heaving stomach. While this was going on, Twilight was finally done “fixing” her mane and trotted downstairs. Hearing laughter echoing throughout the entire library, she followed it to the kitchen, where she saw her guest watching Spike with a confused look on his face, as if he didn’t quite know how to respond to this. Needless to say, Twilight was livid. “SPIKE. What are you doing? Why are you laughing so hard?” Spike, however, was too busy laughing to garner enough breath for an effective response, leaving Daylight to explain for him. “He’s laughing at the thought of me replacing you,” Voltaic explained. “He was just telling me about some of your fears pertaining to my arrival, since the Princess’s letter didn’t really explain anything.” “Fears? I don’t know anything about fears,” Twilight said just a little too quickly. “I mean, I was only a teensy bit nervous..” “A teensy bit nervous? I thought you were going to pace your way to the center of Equestria right here and-hmph,” he said as Twilight stuffed her hoof in his mouth. “Heeeeyyyy Spike,” she said, clearly eager to change to conversation, “why don’t you,um, go reorganize the z-section of the library?” “But Twiliiiiight,” Spike whined in his best imitation of Rarity, “that section never gets used. Why do I gotta’ organize it?” Twilight sauntered up really close to him and whispered into his ear, “If you do, I’ll get you a diamond.” “You won’t get rid of me that easily Twilight!” Spike exclaimed loud enough for Voltaic to notice, He leaned in closer, hoping his target audience wouldn’t hear this next bit, “How big of a diamond are we talkin’ here?” “Fourteen karats,” she whispered seductively. “Well, it’s been nice meetin’ ya’ Voltaic, but I think I hear a z-section just begging me to reorganize it,” Spike said as he casually exited the room. “But didn’t you just say it never gets used?” Voltaic asked, seemingly unaware the baby dragon had just been bribed right in front of him. “Ah, you know what they say,” Spike shrugged, “ ‘Diamonds are a dragon’s best friend.’” “Spiiike,” Twilight said threateningly. “Alright, alright, I’m goin’,” he said. “Sheesh, Twilight, maybe you should read a book on learning how to relax.” Twilight, however, had already turned her attention to her unexpected guest, who was busy trying to suppress a grin. “Sooo,” Twilight began, “why are you here? Princess Celestia’s letter didn’t explain it very well.” “So I’ve heard,” he responded with a sly grin, “your assistant was just telling me that before he started laughing.” “Yeaaah, Spike does that sometimes,” she explained. “Sorry if it annoyed you..” “No need to worry, it’s perfectly fine. I can appreciate good humor,” he said. “Anyway, the real reason I was sent here was to act as your bodyguard.” “Bodyguard? I don’t need a bodyguard,” Twilight protested. “Hey, I’m not the one who gets to decide stuff like this ,” he shrugged, “the Princess assigned me here, and I’m sure you know that no pony has ever won an argument with her.” “This is true...” Twilight conceded. “But-” “But nothing,” he interrupted. “You bear the Element of Magic, and that makes you too valuable an asset to lose. And we definitely don’t need a repeat of last week, do we?” The mention of her breakdown silenced any further protests from Twilight, who hung her head in shame in memory of that serious misuse of her powers. “I see what this is about now,” she said softly. “The Princess doesn’t trust me anymore.” “No, it’s not like that,” he explained. “ It isn’t about trust Miss Sparkle, it’s about safety. She just wants to be sure that everything that could possibly go wrong has the necessary preventative measures in place to handle it. Considering your immense power, it’s perfectly logical for her to have some way to both protect and deal with you when the time comes.” Twilight sighed, and decided to think about it for a few moments. Pushing aside her hurt feelings, she saw the logic of what he was saying and said, “You know what. You’re right.” “I’m glad you do,” he responded, genuinely relieved by her attitude, “I didn’t want to alienate my charge only minutes into the assignment.” “Yeah, that does tend to hurt your chances of success,” she agreed. “Now, why don’t I get Spike to-,” she managed to get out before a pink blur raced through her door. Chapter Two“Twilight! I just saw a royal chariot leaving and decided to stop by and- heyyy, who’s this guy?” Pinkie Pie asked as she noticed Twilight’s newly-acquired bodyguard. “Hello Pinkie,” Twilight sighed, long since resigned to Pinkie Pie’s random appearances. “This is Voltaic Shock, and he’ll be staying with me for a while as my bodyguard.” “Neat!” Pinkie shouted as she zoomed up to meet the new stallion in town. “Soooo, do you like parties?” “Um, sure? I don’t really have time to go to parties that much...” Voltaic began. “Why not?” “Pinkie, don’t you have cookies to bake?” Twilight asked quickly. “Silly Twilight, I only bake cookies on the forty-second day of each month!” Voltaic gave Twilight a quizzical look and asked, “Should I inform her...” “Don’t bother,” Twilight told him. “But...” “It isn’t worth it. Trust me.” “If you say so.” “What’s your favorite color?” Pinkie Pie interjected. “What?” Voltaic asked. “Your favorite color. What is it?” She asked excitedly. “I can’t really see colors all that well, so I don’t really have a favorite,” he replied. “Can’t see colors!?” Pinkie gasped. “B-b-but...how do you know if an apple is really an apple if you can’t tell it’s red?” “Pinkie, there are plenty of apples that aren’t red,” Twilight reminded her. “Oh yeah. Like Golden Delicious, Granny Smith (who knew apples could live that long?), MacIntosh, Blushing Gold...” While Pinkie continued her enthusiastic rambling on the many different types of non-red apples, Voltaic slowly snuck past her and asked Twilight, “Is this normal?” “What, Pinkie bursting in at random moments to gleefully announce the first thing that pops into her brain? This happens at least once everyday, you’ll get used to it eventually,” Twilight reassured him. “If you say so...” Voltaic repeated. Twilight frowned and said, “I actually do need to run to the market and get a few things. I should be back in a few minutes, so feel free to make yourself at home.” “I’m sorry Miss Sparkle, but I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he said. “Why not?” “Because I was sent here as your bodyguard, and as such, must accompany you wherever you go. Just barely arriving here does not excuse me from performing my duties.” “...and we can’t forget Zap Apples! Wait, they sorta’ have that little red stripey-thing going on there, so I guess they count as halfsies...” Twilight continued to tune out her friend’s eccentric rant and asked, “But do you need to be everywhere I go? What happens if I need to use the bathroom?” “I will obviously not follow you in there Miss Sparkle. Everywhere else, on the other hand, is fair game.” “Well, I won’t keep you from doing your job, especially if it came from Princess Celestia herself....” glancing at the clock, Twilight sighed, then added, “I really need to get to the market today. I’m almost out of food, and if we don’t leave soon, I’ll never beat the crowds!” “We could just walk out the door right now. It’s not like the Pink One...” “PinkIe Pie.” “...Pinkie Pie would stop us, right?” he asked. “No, but she would tag along and I don’t really have time for her ramblings right now. It’s hard enough choosing which fruit to buy and calculate the sales tax without someone babbling in your ear,” she said. “Why not just ask her to stay here while you shop?” “I was just about to get to that. Hey Pinkie!” Twilight shouted. “...and are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable? I could never te-Oh hi Twilight! I was just asking Spike-” Pinkie shouted back before being interrupted. “Never mind that right now. I’m going to the market, and I need you to stay here to keep Spike company. He gets very lonely.” “No I don’t,” Spike countered. “Then why did I hear you singing ‘One is the Loneliest Number’ in the shower the other day?” she asked. “I just like singing, that’s all!” “Riiiight. I’ll be back in a half-hour, so please don’t do anything too insane while I’m gone.” “You can count on us Twilight,” Spike said. “Yeah, we’re gonna’ be the super-duper bestest librarians Ponyville ever saw! Except you of course,” Pinkie added. Voltaic rolled his eyes and followed his charge out the door, scanning the area for any and all potential threats. The town was surprisingly busy this early in the morning, and any of these ponies could be a crazed ax-murderer for all he knew. “So Voltaic, what do you think of Ponyville so far?” Twilight asked. “It seems quaint enough, although your friend back there seems a little....hyper,” Voltaic answered. “You think Ponyville is quaint? Just wait ‘till you see the hydras.” she said. “Hydras? In this stereotypical small town?” he asked, surprised by the sudden revelation. “Yep. But that’s not even the worst one.” “How? Hydras are almost impossible to get rid of, they have at least three heads, and they be killed,” he said. “Have I got some stories for you...” ***** “That took a lot longer than a half-hour Miss Sparkle,” Voltaic observed as they walked back to the library. The sun was hanging low in the sky, and the streetlights were just beginning to turn on for the evening. “In my defense, those lines were a lot longer than I thought, and those vendors never tried to haggle that aggressively before,” Twilight said. “Besides, I got enough food to last us a whole month.” “But did you need to explain the entire history of the strawberry in Equestria while you were at it?” he asked, “I may have gotten a little carried away...” Yeah, only a little. “I wonder what your assistant is up to,” he asked as they approached the library. “I’m sure Spike did just fine keeping the library clean,” she answered while she opened the door. “After all, what could possibly go wr-AGGHHHNOTAGAIN” “SURPRISE!” shouted the large group of ponies gathered in Twilight’s home. Pinkie Pie bounced up to the front of the group, her large party hat lopsided and a large clump of balloons tied to her hooves. “Hey Twilight! I just thought since your friend was new here in town that it’d be nice to throw him a big welcome party! And since he can’t see colors that well, I decided the decorations would be all black ‘n white!” she gushed enthusiastically. “Pinkie! I didn’t give you permission to throw a part-YOU PUT THAT BOOK BACK RIGHT NOW!” Twilight shrieked at a group of stallions who were giggling at a book titled Anatomy: The Story of Your Amazing Body. Charging forward with the fury of a mother bear whose cubs were in danger, she snatched the book away and was about to scold them when an orange earth pony came bounding up. “Hey there sugarcube, sure was nice of ya’ to throw us this here party,” Applejack said. “Yeah Twilight, awesome party!” Rainbow Dash chipped in as she flew over. “A little heads up would’ve been cool though.” “Ah’ don’t mind so much. Granny Smith went to bed three hours ago, and Big Mac doesn’t like doin’ anything exciting.” “Who’s Big Mac?” Voltaic asked. “Mah’ older brother,” Applejack answered. “And you must be that Voltaic fella’ Pinkie was telling us all about.” “How do you know my name?” “Pinkie just put up a giant poster of yer face and name right over there,” she pointed at the back. Hanging from the ceiling was the largest picture of himself Voltaic had ever seen, with his name prominently displayed in bright yellow lettering. “How did she get that picture of me? I don’t remember her having a camera when we met..” “Deary, aint nothin’ makes sense with Pinkie Pie. I’m Applejack by the way,” she said extending her hoof. “And I’m Rainbow Dash, the most awesome flyer in Ponyville!” Rainbow Dash said. “Pleased to meet you. I’d tell you my name, but that giant poster makes introductions sort of redundant,” he said after he returned Applejack’s very enthusiastic hoofshake. “You two are Element bearers, right?” “Uh, how do you know about that?” Rainbow Dash asked in a surprised tone. “Yeah sugarcube, how do ya’ know ‘bout the Elements? Have you been spyin’’ on us?” Applejack said aggressively. “What? No, I’m not spying on you. I’m the Right Hoof to Princess Celestia herself; it is my duty to know about stuff like this,” he explained. He was about to explain why spying on them was an absurd notion when he started feeling very nauseated. His yellow coat turned a sickly white, and he staggered before falling into the small table. A sharp pain jolted up his spine, and it felt as though a thousand rusty nails had been jammed into his skull. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was high-pitched screaming...
PrologueVoltaic Shock trotted down a spacious hallway in the Royal Canterlot Palace. He was on his way to Princess Celestia’s private chambers, on special summons from the Princess herself. He pondered the meaning of the summons as he walked, as the Princess had been sending him his new assignments by mail since the incident five months ago. It must have been fairly important to summon him here. Not that he was complaining; on the contrary, he was a little eager to see the Princess in person again. The last time had been three months ago, when he had been requested to be relieved of his duties as Blueblood's bodyguard. Still though, he was more than a little nervous. He wondered what her majesty would think of his most recent mission. As the Princess’s Right Hoof, specially chosen by Celestia herself, it was his duty to see that certain disasters be prevented before they happen.But his mission north to find any traces of the Crystal Empire had turned up.... nothing. Only ice, snow, and a single, extremely irritable yeti. He couldn’t even detect any traces of the magical aura given off by every living creature ( and some non-living one’s as well). Even if they were dead, there still should have been some faint trace of it, so the lack of even those fundamental elements was deeply disturbing. He had finally reached the large, gilded door that led to Princess Celestia’s innermost sanctuary. He was just about to knock it’s solid, yet welcoming surface when he heard a gentle voice call out, “Voltaic, please come in. We’ve been expecting you.” The door swung open, enveloped by a golden light that was not it’s own. He cautiously entered the room to see the Princess of the Sun in a deep conversation with her younger sister on the balcony. Upon seeing him walking up to them, they ceased their hushed whispering and turned to face him. “Voltaic Shock, how are you?” Celestia asked warmly. “I’m quite all right your majesty,” he answered stiffly. “What’s wrong Voltaic? Is there something you wish to tell about your trip north?” Voltaic sighed, then decided to just get it over with. He took a deep breath, then said, “I’ve failed, your majesty. My assignment to the Frozen North has not yielded any findings on the Crystal Empire. Not even their magical aura’s remain. I... I’m sorry,” he finished, and prepared himself to take whatever punishment she deemed fit. Celestia looked him over for a moment, then said, “I’m not Silvermane, Voltaic; I’m not going to punish you. You’re one of the best Right Hooves I’ve ever had; if neither you nor Luna could find anything up there, then there simply isn’t anything to find as of yet. But that isn’t why I called you here.” Voltaic blinked in surprise. “Then, if I may ask your majesties, why was I summoned here?” he asked, keeping an uneasy eye on Luna’s poker face. “Well, part of it was to settle a little argument Luna and I were just having,” she replied with a sly smile. “Okaaaay,” he responded warily. The two rulers of Equestria were known for their legendary pranks, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one. “So here’s the thing,” the Princess began, “Luna and I have been getting a kick out of listening to Ghost’s radio show since your... abrupt departure. Now, he stopped doing shows about two days ago, and we have a little wager. Luna thinks he stopped because of certain ponies vexing him to no end, while I think he left for health reasons. Tell me Voltaic, which do you think its is?” Voltaic had been expecting many issues important to Equestria to be discussed here, but that was the last thing he expected.Studying both of them closely, he said, “I believe he made an announcement stating health issues as the reason for his departure.” Luna, looking thoroughly annoyed at this point, growled menacingly as she hoofed over five bits to her snickering sibling. “Looks like I win again, Wuna,” Celestia teased. “Oh, shove it Toothpaste Hair,” Luna replied with a scowl. “Now Luna, no need to be so sour in front of Voltaic here,” Celestia said with a soft chuckle, “After all I only called him here because of you. Now, what is it you wanted to tell him?” “We would appreciate it if you left us for this, Tia,” Luna said, “No offense to you Sister, but this is between Voltaic and I.” Princess Celestia nodded solemnly and removed herself from the balcony, leaving him to wonder just what it was Luna wanted to talk to him about. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Luna spoke up, “So, Voltaic Shock. Our sister tells us that you are a very reliable pony, correct?” Daylight didn’t respond at first, unable to discern her motive for this private chit-chat. After a few moments, however, he replied, “Yes, she’d say something along those lines, I’m sure.” “Good. We have a little.... offer for you,” she she responded, a brief shadow flashing just behind her eyes. Voltaic studied her face, disconcerted by the slightly menacing way she’d said “offer.” Backing away slowly so she (hopefully) wouldn’t notice, he asked, ”Are you okay Princess?” “Why Voltaic,” she said in a provocative way that made Daylight want to run away as fast as he could, “of course. Why would you ask?” “Well, you seem a little...” he paused, struggling to find the right word for the chill he felt. “A little what? Disconcerting? Terrifying, even?” she half-shouted as she got closer to him. “N-n-n-no,” he stammered out as he backed into the heavy, closed door. Oh where is Princess Celestia? he thought frantically. She was so close that he could almost feel the coldness emanating from the Princess of the Night. “Then what is it?” she asked in a much softer tone that was somehow even more terrifying than her shout. Suddenly, her pupils took on a cat-like appearance, and Voltaic knew then who was doing the talking here. “You’re not Luna, yo-hmph,” he said as his enemy silenced him with a gag spell. “Shhh,” she whispered softly into his ear. “You talk too much.” She suddenly leaned over and gently kissed him on the cheek, leaving a painful, lip-shaped burn. He tried to scream, but the gag in his mouth kept him from making any substantial noise. The burn slowly sunk into his flesh, leaving no traces behind. He felt very weak,almost as if his legs were made of jell-o instead of flesh and bone. Unable to struggle with the dark tendrils wrapping themselves around his mind, he passed out... Voltaic woke up after a few minutes, his head pounding with each beat of his still-panicked heart. Luna was gone, off to destinations unknown. He remembered she wanted to talk to him about something, but, oddly enough, he couldn’t remember anything from their conversation. The only thing he could remember was her taking off abruptly, saying something about being late for Night Court. Shaking his head lightly, he trotted off the balcony and back into the room. He found his employer waiting for him by her study, where the letters ponies frequently sent her were neatly categorized by date and sender. “Hello Voltaic. Where has Luna gone?” Celestia inquired. “I think she left to attend Night Court,” he replied in a confused voice. Celestia, suspecting something troubling had occurred between them, but shrugged it off and said, “Well, if you feel up to it, I actually do have an assignment for you.” At the mention of an assignment, Voltaic snapped out of his trance and responded, “Of course Princess. What would you have me do?” “This assignment is a fairly simple one, but essential to the survival of our nation,” she started. “Your mission is to go to the town of Ponyville and act as Twilight Sparkle’s bodyguard. You will protect her from all harm, whether it be external or to contain her in case she loses control of her abilities again. We don’t need a repeat of last week.” “Understood Princess,” he agreed enthusiastically. This mission would be just the opportunity to get close to the Element of Magic without drawing undue attention. “When should I leave?” “At exactly nine o’clock tomorrow morning,” she answered. “Twilight will provide lodging for you in the town’s library. You should have everything you need in two saddlebags I already had packed for you.” Voltaic thanked the Princess, and was about to leave when she stopped him. “Wait,” she started, “I have just one more thing to add, my little pony. Not all of the monsters you may encounter in Ponyville will be the ones you can see...” Author's Note Due to the negative feedback associated with it, my OC's name has been changed. Hopefully this one will get a better reception.
Chapter 1“Spike! Make sure all the bookshelves are dusted,” Twilight Sparkle shouted as she paced the floor, her panic growing with each step. She had just received a letter from the Princess telling her she was going to receive and provide lodgings for her Right Hoof, somepony named Voltaic Shock. It said he was here on a “special assignment,” but didn't elaborate further, which was a fairly unusual thing for her mentor to do. This, naturally, caused Twilight much anxiety, and her wild imagination was already starting to ramp up production of the crazy. “Spike!” she called out again from her bathroom, “ Make sure the guest bed has clean sheets. We need to make sure everything is in tip-top shape for when Princess Celestia’s Right Hoof arrives.” “But I thought you wanted me to dust the bookshelves?” Spike inquired. “Then do both!” she answered, her nervous pacing getting more furious by the second. “Geez, Twilight, calm down,” Spike said dismissively. “What are you so worried about anyway?” "WHAT AM I WORRIED ABOUT!?” Twilight shrieked. “Spike, this is Princess Celestia’s own Right Hoof. Do you have any idea what this means?” “She’s going to need A HOOF! Ha ha ha ahhhhh, I crack myself up someti-AAAAAHHH, ” he screamed as he suddenly lost his balance on the rickety old ladder he was balancing on and fell into a rather large and painful stack jumble of hardcover books. “Spike, this isn’t the time to make weak puns,” she half-shouted, not noticing his fall onto the book pile of doom. “ Princess Celestia’s Right Hoof is her most trusted agent and advisor. His/her job is to carry out the Princess’s will throughout all of Equestria, and they are trained for years to accomplish their goals. Sending one to a small, rural backwater like Ponyville is almost unheard of.” Suddenly, a terrible thought popped into her panicked mind. “What if... what if she sent him here to evaluate me?” “Evaluate you?” Spike grumbled with much skepticism after clawing free of the sharp book spines. “Yes! That must be it, an evaluation. I could get docked major points for being unorganized!” she raced about her room, frantically putting object together in an order she alone knew the logic to. While she did this, an even worse thought made a surprise guest appearance in her mind. “What if she sent him here to...” she paused as she gulped for air, “replace me?” “Uh, what?” Spike asked in confusion. “Twilight, that’s completely ridiculous.” “ No it’s not. I’ve ran through all the other scenarios, and this is the most likely one”, she said, her mind slipping into full on panic mode. Spike, however, saw the warning signs and raced to her side. Grabbing her by both shoulders, he started to shake her. “Snap out of it, Twilight. If the Princess wanted to do any of those, wouldn’t she have told you on the letter?” “Well, I guess so..,” she conceded, “but-” “But nothing,” Spike interrupted. “Twilight, you are one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria. You’ve also saved Equestria twice now from certain destruction, and Ponyville even more than that!” Twilight breathed deeply, then responded, “Okay, you’re right. I was overreacting just a teensy bit.” Spike just rolled his eyes at that, then said “You really need to worry less,Twilight. We don’t need to repeat last week.” “Don’t remind me,” Twilight said, shuddering as she did so. “I hear Scootaloo still has nightmares about that doll...” Just then, the sound of gilded wheels landing on a rocky surface combined with the sound of powerful wings flapping in harmony with each other greeted them through the open windows of the library. "He’s here!” Twilight squeaked. “Spike, how does my mane look?” “It looks fine Twilight,” he answered impatiently. He was about to tell her to knock it off when several loud knocks emanated from the door. “Hello? Is anypony home?” a distinctly male voice called out. “Spike, please answer the door,” Twilight ordered. She still wanted to “fix” her mane a little more, and hopefully not appear nervous to her new guest. With an exasperated sigh, the purple and green baby dragon tromped over to the door and opened it with an overly exaggerated flourish. The door swung open to reveal a dark yellow stallion only a few years older than Twilight herself. His mane was a dark brown, with two light brown saddlebags draped over either side of his body. His cutie mark was a single bolt of blue lightning. “Hello,” the stallion said to Spike, unfazed by the fact that a dragon had answered the door. “My name is Voltaic Shock . I was told that Twilight Sparkle lives here, correct?” “Yeah, that’s right,” Spike said, checking his claws to appear bored. "Great,” Voltaic responded. After standing at the door awkwardly for a few seconds, he asked, “Soooo... may I come in?” “What? Oh, yeah,” Spike said quickly. He lead Voltaic into the kitchen, where he promptly began to dig through the cabinets for a gem. Dropping his saddlebags on the floor next to the table, Voltaic asked, “I take it you live here then?” “Yeah. My name’s Spike,” he answered. “Number one assistant to Twilight Sparkle,” he added, chest puffed out in a slightly arrogant display of bravado. “And her only assistant. This will make things much easier,” Voltaic mumbled to himself. “Sorry, what was that?” Spike asked as he cupped a claw around his ear. “You really shouldn't mumble.” “It was nothing important,” Voltaic replied casually, “just me making a few mental notes. Sometimes I say them out loud by mistake.” “Yeah, Twilight does that alot too,” Spike replied dismissively. “Speaking of Miss Sparkle, where is she?” he asked. “She is home, isn’t she?” Spike suddenly burst out laughing, baffling the yellow stallion. “What’s so funny?” he asked, unable to comprehend the source of the young dragon’s source of humor. “Its nothin’ important,” Spike said, echoing Voltaic’s response from earlier. “I’ve just never heard Twilight referred to so formally before. You can just call her Twilight ya’ know.” “Sorry,” he apologized, “I’m just used to speaking formally. The last time I did a mission like this, I had to protect some ‘Prince’ named Blueblood. He was absolutely convinced that some mare named Rarity was out to get him. Seeing him in action, I wouldn’t blame her.” Spike burst out laughing again, joined, this time, by Voltaic. After a few moments, the yellow stallion ceased his laughter and observed, “You never did tell me where Twilight was.” “Twilight? Oh, yeah,” Spike remembered, “She’s upstairs fixing her mane for the millionth time. She was pretty nervous about your arrival.” “Nervous? About what?” Voltaic inquired, genuinely puzzled. “Didn’t the Princess’s letter explain why I was coming?” “Not really. So naturally, Twilight started to freak out and thought you were coming here to evaluate her performance. And get this,” he said as he tried to contain his laughter, “She thought you were going to REPLACE HER!” Spike, unable to contain it any longer, burst out laughing (for the third time that morning), and started rolling around on the floor, hands wrapped tightly around his heaving stomach. While this was going on, Twilight was finally done “fixing” her mane and trotted downstairs. Hearing laughter echoing throughout the entire library, she followed it to the kitchen, where she saw her guest watching Spike with a confused look on his face, as if he didn’t quite know how to respond to this. Needless to say, Twilight was livid. “SPIKE. What are you doing? Why are you laughing so hard?” Spike, however, was too busy laughing to garner enough breath for an effective response, leaving Daylight to explain for him. “He’s laughing at the thought of me replacing you,” Voltaic explained. “He was just telling me about some of your fears pertaining to my arrival, since the Princess’s letter didn’t really explain anything.” “Fears? I don’t know anything about fears,” Twilight said just a little too quickly. “I mean, I was only a teensy bit nervous..” “A teensy bit nervous? I thought you were going to pace your way to the center of Equestria right here and-hmph,” he said as Twilight stuffed her hoof in his mouth. “Heeeeyyyy Spike,” she said, clearly eager to change to conversation, “why don’t you,um, go reorganize the z-section of the library?” “But Twiliiiiight,” Spike whined in his best imitation of Rarity, “that section never gets used. Why do I gotta’ organize it?” Twilight sauntered up really close to him and whispered into his ear, “If you do, I’ll get you a diamond.” “You won’t get rid of me that easily Twilight!” Spike exclaimed loud enough for Voltaic to notice, He leaned in closer, hoping his target audience wouldn’t hear this next bit, “How big of a diamond are we talkin’ here?” “Fourteen karats,” she whispered seductively. “Well, it’s been nice meetin’ ya’ Voltaic, but I think I hear a z-section just begging me to reorganize it,” Spike said as he casually exited the room. “But didn’t you just say it never gets used?” Voltaic asked, seemingly unaware the baby dragon had just been bribed right in front of him. “Ah, you know what they say,” Spike shrugged, “ ‘Diamonds are a dragon’s best friend.’” “Spiiike,” Twilight said threateningly. “Alright, alright, I’m goin’,” he said. “Sheesh, Twilight, maybe you should read a book on learning how to relax.” Twilight, however, had already turned her attention to her unexpected guest, who was busy trying to suppress a grin. “Sooo,” Twilight began, “why are you here? Princess Celestia’s letter didn’t explain it very well.” “So I’ve heard,” he responded with a sly grin, “your assistant was just telling me that before he started laughing.” “Yeaaah, Spike does that sometimes,” she explained. “Sorry if it annoyed you..” “No need to worry, it’s perfectly fine. I can appreciate good humor,” he said. “Anyway, the real reason I was sent here was to act as your bodyguard.” “Bodyguard? I don’t need a bodyguard,” Twilight protested. “Hey, I’m not the one who gets to decide stuff like this ,” he shrugged, “the Princess assigned me here, and I’m sure you know that no pony has ever won an argument with her.” “This is true...” Twilight conceded. “But-” “But nothing,” he interrupted. “You bear the Element of Magic, and that makes you too valuable an asset to lose. And we definitely don’t need a repeat of last week, do we?” The mention of her breakdown silenced any further protests from Twilight, who hung her head in shame in memory of that serious misuse of her powers. “I see what this is about now,” she said softly. “The Princess doesn’t trust me anymore.” “No, it’s not like that,” he explained. “ It isn’t about trust Miss Sparkle, it’s about safety. She just wants to be sure that everything that could possibly go wrong has the necessary preventative measures in place to handle it. Considering your immense power, it’s perfectly logical for her to have some way to both protect and deal with you when the time comes.” Twilight sighed, and decided to think about it for a few moments. Pushing aside her hurt feelings, she saw the logic of what he was saying and said, “You know what. You’re right.” “I’m glad you do,” he responded, genuinely relieved by her attitude, “I didn’t want to alienate my charge only minutes into the assignment.” “Yeah, that does tend to hurt your chances of success,” she agreed. “Now, why don’t I get Spike to-,” she managed to get out before a pink blur raced through her door.
Chapter Two“Twilight! I just saw a royal chariot leaving and decided to stop by and- heyyy, who’s this guy?” Pinkie Pie asked as she noticed Twilight’s newly-acquired bodyguard. “Hello Pinkie,” Twilight sighed, long since resigned to Pinkie Pie’s random appearances. “This is Voltaic Shock, and he’ll be staying with me for a while as my bodyguard.” “Neat!” Pinkie shouted as she zoomed up to meet the new stallion in town. “Soooo, do you like parties?” “Um, sure? I don’t really have time to go to parties that much...” Voltaic began. “Why not?” “Pinkie, don’t you have cookies to bake?” Twilight asked quickly. “Silly Twilight, I only bake cookies on the forty-second day of each month!” Voltaic gave Twilight a quizzical look and asked, “Should I inform her...” “Don’t bother,” Twilight told him. “But...” “It isn’t worth it. Trust me.” “If you say so.” “What’s your favorite color?” Pinkie Pie interjected. “What?” Voltaic asked. “Your favorite color. What is it?” She asked excitedly. “I can’t really see colors all that well, so I don’t really have a favorite,” he replied. “Can’t see colors!?” Pinkie gasped. “B-b-but...how do you know if an apple is really an apple if you can’t tell it’s red?” “Pinkie, there are plenty of apples that aren’t red,” Twilight reminded her. “Oh yeah. Like Golden Delicious, Granny Smith (who knew apples could live that long?), MacIntosh, Blushing Gold...” While Pinkie continued her enthusiastic rambling on the many different types of non-red apples, Voltaic slowly snuck past her and asked Twilight, “Is this normal?” “What, Pinkie bursting in at random moments to gleefully announce the first thing that pops into her brain? This happens at least once everyday, you’ll get used to it eventually,” Twilight reassured him. “If you say so...” Voltaic repeated. Twilight frowned and said, “I actually do need to run to the market and get a few things. I should be back in a few minutes, so feel free to make yourself at home.” “I’m sorry Miss Sparkle, but I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he said. “Why not?” “Because I was sent here as your bodyguard, and as such, must accompany you wherever you go. Just barely arriving here does not excuse me from performing my duties.” “...and we can’t forget Zap Apples! Wait, they sorta’ have that little red stripey-thing going on there, so I guess they count as halfsies...” Twilight continued to tune out her friend’s eccentric rant and asked, “But do you need to be everywhere I go? What happens if I need to use the bathroom?” “I will obviously not follow you in there Miss Sparkle. Everywhere else, on the other hand, is fair game.” “Well, I won’t keep you from doing your job, especially if it came from Princess Celestia herself....” glancing at the clock, Twilight sighed, then added, “I really need to get to the market today. I’m almost out of food, and if we don’t leave soon, I’ll never beat the crowds!” “We could just walk out the door right now. It’s not like the Pink One...” “PinkIe Pie.” “...Pinkie Pie would stop us, right?” he asked. “No, but she would tag along and I don’t really have time for her ramblings right now. It’s hard enough choosing which fruit to buy and calculate the sales tax without someone babbling in your ear,” she said. “Why not just ask her to stay here while you shop?” “I was just about to get to that. Hey Pinkie!” Twilight shouted. “...and are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable? I could never te-Oh hi Twilight! I was just asking Spike-” Pinkie shouted back before being interrupted. “Never mind that right now. I’m going to the market, and I need you to stay here to keep Spike company. He gets very lonely.” “No I don’t,” Spike countered. “Then why did I hear you singing ‘One is the Loneliest Number’ in the shower the other day?” she asked. “I just like singing, that’s all!” “Riiiight. I’ll be back in a half-hour, so please don’t do anything too insane while I’m gone.” “You can count on us Twilight,” Spike said. “Yeah, we’re gonna’ be the super-duper bestest librarians Ponyville ever saw! Except you of course,” Pinkie added. Voltaic rolled his eyes and followed his charge out the door, scanning the area for any and all potential threats. The town was surprisingly busy this early in the morning, and any of these ponies could be a crazed ax-murderer for all he knew. “So Voltaic, what do you think of Ponyville so far?” Twilight asked. “It seems quaint enough, although your friend back there seems a little....hyper,” Voltaic answered. “You think Ponyville is quaint? Just wait ‘till you see the hydras.” she said. “Hydras? In this stereotypical small town?” he asked, surprised by the sudden revelation. “Yep. But that’s not even the worst one.” “How? Hydras are almost impossible to get rid of, they have at least three heads, and they be killed,” he said. “Have I got some stories for you...” ***** “That took a lot longer than a half-hour Miss Sparkle,” Voltaic observed as they walked back to the library. The sun was hanging low in the sky, and the streetlights were just beginning to turn on for the evening. “In my defense, those lines were a lot longer than I thought, and those vendors never tried to haggle that aggressively before,” Twilight said. “Besides, I got enough food to last us a whole month.” “But did you need to explain the entire history of the strawberry in Equestria while you were at it?” he asked, “I may have gotten a little carried away...” Yeah, only a little. “I wonder what your assistant is up to,” he asked as they approached the library. “I’m sure Spike did just fine keeping the library clean,” she answered while she opened the door. “After all, what could possibly go wr-AGGHHHNOTAGAIN” “SURPRISE!” shouted the large group of ponies gathered in Twilight’s home. Pinkie Pie bounced up to the front of the group, her large party hat lopsided and a large clump of balloons tied to her hooves. “Hey Twilight! I just thought since your friend was new here in town that it’d be nice to throw him a big welcome party! And since he can’t see colors that well, I decided the decorations would be all black ‘n white!” she gushed enthusiastically. “Pinkie! I didn’t give you permission to throw a part-YOU PUT THAT BOOK BACK RIGHT NOW!” Twilight shrieked at a group of stallions who were giggling at a book titled Anatomy: The Story of Your Amazing Body. Charging forward with the fury of a mother bear whose cubs were in danger, she snatched the book away and was about to scold them when an orange earth pony came bounding up. “Hey there sugarcube, sure was nice of ya’ to throw us this here party,” Applejack said. “Yeah Twilight, awesome party!” Rainbow Dash chipped in as she flew over. “A little heads up would’ve been cool though.” “Ah’ don’t mind so much. Granny Smith went to bed three hours ago, and Big Mac doesn’t like doin’ anything exciting.” “Who’s Big Mac?” Voltaic asked. “Mah’ older brother,” Applejack answered. “And you must be that Voltaic fella’ Pinkie was telling us all about.” “How do you know my name?” “Pinkie just put up a giant poster of yer face and name right over there,” she pointed at the back. Hanging from the ceiling was the largest picture of himself Voltaic had ever seen, with his name prominently displayed in bright yellow lettering. “How did she get that picture of me? I don’t remember her having a camera when we met..” “Deary, aint nothin’ makes sense with Pinkie Pie. I’m Applejack by the way,” she said extending her hoof. “And I’m Rainbow Dash, the most awesome flyer in Ponyville!” Rainbow Dash said. “Pleased to meet you. I’d tell you my name, but that giant poster makes introductions sort of redundant,” he said after he returned Applejack’s very enthusiastic hoofshake. “You two are Element bearers, right?” “Uh, how do you know about that?” Rainbow Dash asked in a surprised tone. “Yeah sugarcube, how do ya’ know ‘bout the Elements? Have you been spyin’’ on us?” Applejack said aggressively. “What? No, I’m not spying on you. I’m the Right Hoof to Princess Celestia herself; it is my duty to know about stuff like this,” he explained. He was about to explain why spying on them was an absurd notion when he started feeling very nauseated. His yellow coat turned a sickly white, and he staggered before falling into the small table. A sharp pain jolted up his spine, and it felt as though a thousand rusty nails had been jammed into his skull. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was high-pitched screaming...
