Twilight stood outside the sealed medical room, a look of concentration on her face. Behind her, a team of doctors, dressed in HAZMAT suits, stood waiting. Primrose, Ebony, and Avera were in the middle of the group, all of them wearing surgical masks. Magical barriers blocked both ends of the hallway, isolating the room in front of them from the rest of the building.

“Ready?” Twilight asked, glancing over her shoulder at the lead doctor. He nodded his head once, his eyes hidden behind the HAZMAT mask.

Turning her attention back to the door, Twilight began to push her magic down the length of her horn, weaving it into the necessary spell. Once the spell was all but complete, she grabbed the door handle with her hoof. Inhaling deeply, Twilight held her breath and pushed the door open, stepping inside the second the door was open far enough.

As she entered, Max glanced up from his spot in the corner, a look of uncertainty in his eye. Upon seeing her, he perked up, a small smile pulling at his lips.

The instant Twilight laid eyes upon her human, she released the spell. A split second later, a large, pinkish bubble surrounded Max completely. He yelped, his cry muffled by the field of magic, as he was lifted into the air.

As the door continued to swing open, the team of HAZMAT ponies entered, their horns already beginning to glow. Slowly, the temperature in the room began to rise as they worked to clean it of all the possible spores that had been released. Normally, it was only the infected humans that could breathe out spores; the ones who had yet to die could not. However, nopony was taking any chances.

“You sure that’s good enough?” Avera asked Twilight as she entered behind the last HAZMAT doctor. She eyed the bubble, and the human within, with concern.

“It’s an airtight bubble,” Twilight replied. “Thirty minutes of air within. Plenty of time to get him back to the library and under quarantine.” Glancing up at Max as well, Twilight could see the confusion—and fear—upon his face. It tugged at her heart, making it hurt.

As he looked at her, she gave him a weak smile.

“Well, let’s get going then,” Primrose said as she moved to stand next to Avera. “The sooner we secure the library, the sooner we can let him out of there.”

Twilight nodded her head before glancing back over at the team of doctors, who were just finishing up on the decontamination.

“Thank you for you help and cooperation,” she said, giving them a quick smile. The lead doctor just glanced over at her before speaking.

“Just remember to keep him locked down tight. It’s bad enough when the infected come out in the winter, and the last thing we need is more of them.” Twilight nodded her head, before her horn glowed brighter. There was a flash of light before all five of them ended up back in the library.

“One moment,” Twilight said as Avera reached up to lower her mask. Closing her eyes in concentration, Twilight’s horn flashed once more. Outside the library, a massive pink barrier formed around the library, completely blocking off the inhabitants from the outside world.

As soon as the barrier finished forming, Twilight sighed. Her horn ceased glowing, and the bubble around Max disappeared, dropping him to the ground. Luckily, he managed to avoid falling on his bitten arm.

Rubbing his back, the human glared up at the ponies around him. As he rose to his feet, they took a step back, ears flattening against their heads.

~Okay~ Max began to sign, glancing from pony to pony with narrowed eyes. ~Someone’s going to tell me what the fuck is going on, or I’m going to start cracking heads~

“Long story, or short story?” Primrose snarked as she removed her mask. A glare from Max wiped the smirk from her face, and she lowered her eyes.

“You got bitten by an infected human,” Ebony said.

~And that means?~ Max signed, giving an exasperated sigh.

“What you encountered was a human infected by the Black-Vine Virus,” she explained. “Tiny fungal spores infect the human upon being bitten, ingesting or inhaling them, and then enter the bloodstream, corrupting the victim. Because you were bitten, you now have the spores inside of you.”

~Wait, so I’m going to turn into one of those things?~ Max asked, fear in his eyes.

“No,” Ebony said, shaking her head. “Your body’s high temperature is destroying the spores before they can infect you.” Max’s shoulders slumped, his relief visible. He paused, before his gaze hardened again.

~So, I’m assuming those bells…~

“Were a warning that there was an infected human in town,” Avera said, nodding her head.

~And why wasn't I informed about the bells?~

“Because,” Twilight said softly, her head hung low, “the last infected human incident was a year and a half ago, when Sweetie Belle was attacked. It’s been so long, that I didn’t even think about it until I heard the bells.” She glanced up, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m s-sorry.”

Max glared down at her for a few seconds before his gaze softened, and he sighed.

~It’s not your fault, Twilight~ He signed as he crouched down. ~I should have known something was up when the bells started tolling, and no one was out and about~

“But, I—” Twilight fell silent as Max pulled her into a hug. She froze, her face heating up as she felt his arms around her. She noted dimly that she could feel the heat coming off of him; his fever working away to save his life.

Too soon for Twilight’s liking, Max broke the hug. Standing back up, he winced, placing a hand upon his back.

~So, what happens now?~ he asked.

“Now, we’re all stuck in here for the next couple of days while your body deals with the virus,” Primrose said, glancing up at him. Max nodded, glancing out at the large pink bubble around the library with a small frown on his face.

For the next three days, no one was allowed in, no one was allowed out.

Golden Oaks Library was now under quarantine.

I stared into the golden eyes, never blinking, as I sat there looking, peering, gazing into the depths of the yellow, windowless soul. My attention it returned, its gaze, my fragile mind it burned, scorching my very essence until I knew not if I could return.

My eyes began to water, my will began to falter, and I longed for peace of mind that would not come. My eyelid twitched, my mind bewitched, as I felt my strength begin to flee.

Unable to hold it any longer, I blinked, tears streaming down my face as my eye screamed in protest. GOD DAMN IT!!!

“Hoo-hoo!” Owlowiscious cried, spinning his neck around in victory. I growled at the bird, baring my teeth. The little fucker’s cheating! He has to be! There’s no way in hell he doesn’t need to blink!

The owl gave me what could only be described a smug grin, causing my blood to begin to boil. I lunged at him, intent to throttle the little cheating bastard, but before I could get my hands on him he flapped his wings, taking to the air. Unable to stop myself, I slammed into the balcony railing he had been perched upon. Letting out a loud yelp, I toppled over the railing, falling to the floor below with a thud.

Stars danced in front of my eye as I gazed up at the ceiling from my position on my back. After a few seconds, three lavender faces appeared above me.

“Um, what are you doing?” the Twilights asked, each giving me a bemused look as they danced around each other. Shaking my head, I groaned as each Twilight began to slowly consolidate into a single alicorn.

~Your owl cheats, you know that?~ I asked as my vision slowly began to clear and the Twilights merged into one. When I could finally see properly again, I glanced up at Twilight. I cocked my head to the side, blinking in confusion as I caught sight of what was resting just above her horn. ~Since when do you wear a crown?~

Twilight’s eyes slowly drifted up to the crown currently resting on her head, her ears splaying backwards as she did so.

“It’s, uh… it’s a reminder,” she said weakly, giving me a sheepish smile.

~A reminder? A reminder for what?~

“That is not for you to worry about,” she said quickly, pulling her head back. There was a brief pause before my body was surrounded by a pinkish aura and I was lifted into the air.

As I was carried through the air, I waved my arms around, wiggling in Twilight’s magical grasp.

~Look at me, I can fly!~ I signed, giggling the entire time. ~I’m Captain Planet!~

As I floated by Ebony, she glanced up from her book, a look of concern on her face.

“I know the nurse said he’d possibly act a little loopy, but isn’t this kinda ridiculous? Earlier I had to chase him down off of the rafters because he was making bird noises while flicking yogurt around.”

“He can be as ridiculous and silly as he likes as long as he gets better,” Twilight replied, carrying me over to the couch.

~Shhh, don’t startle the witch!~

“I… w-what?” Twilight stammered, giving me a confused look. I just giggled again as I floated upside down. Twilight continued to stare at me for several seconds before sighing and shaking her head. “Nevermind.”

The magic left her horn, and I fell upon the couch with a soft thump. Pushing myself into a seated position, I tried to get up, but Twilight pushed me back down with her magic.

“No,” she said firmly. “You stay on the couch. You shouldn’t be running around while you’re recovering.” Her horn glowed and a blanket draped itself over my shoulders.

I glared up at her, but fell back and crossed my arms nonetheless. Satisfied that I wasn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon, Twilight turned and trotted over to her desk and sat down. I snuggled deeper into the blanket, pouting. Ebony just shook her head before getting up and heading down to the basement.

It was about a day after I had been hospitalized after being bitten by the infected human. It had been a tense moment; the entire hospital staff had about freaked out when Twilight said I had been bitten. It had taken nearly five minutes to calm everyone down, and another five for Nurse Redheart to finally look at me.

When we had finally gotten back home, Twilight had set up a weird machine that was used to measure the amount of spores in the air. If the reading ever got too high, she used a spell to heat the entire library to the point where the spores began to die.

Drumming my fingers on my knees restlessly, I glanced around the library. Avera was perched up in a small alcove in the wall: a small sitting area for pegasi. Lying upside down within the alcove, she had a pad of paper and pencil in her hooves. Every so often, she glanced over at me, before returning her attention to the paper.

Twilight was at her desk, working on a side project that she wouldn’t tell me anything about. I had tried to get a peek of it earlier, but she had used her magic to hide the papers from me before pushing me away from her desk.

Primrose was downstairs in the basement, and Ebony had just joined her. What they were doing down there, I didn’t know, but whenever the door opened, the sound of metal on metal could be heard.

And finally, Spike was over at Rarity’s. He had been helping her out when I was attacked, and Twilight felt it was best for him to stay with her until my three day quarantine was up. Unable to reach him due to the lockdown, she sent him a letter via his dragonfire.

Basically, I was trapped here, in the library, and bored out of my mind!

Groaning loudly, I rolled my eyes. There’s nothing to do! As my gaze landed on a snow-covered window, I froze, the gears in my mind beginning to turn. Slowly, I began to sit up a little straighter, glancing over my shoulder at Twilight. She was still bent over her desk, head hung low as she worked.

Chewing on my bottom lip, I smiled slyly to myself before standing up. The blanket fell from my shoulders, landing in a crumpled heap on the couch.

Making sure to be as silent as possible, I tiptoed my way towards the window. Glancing over my shoulder again to make sure that Twilight hadn’t heard me, I unlatched the window slowly and swung it open. Aware that Avera’s eyes were boring into the back of my head, I reached out and grabbed a handful of snow.

Closing the window and latching it again, I glanced over at the pegasus, giving her a mischievous wink before turning my attention back to Twilight. Avera watched me curiously as I slowly crossed the room, the snow held in my hands.

As I neared Twilight, I could hear her muttering under her breath, her quill scratching softly as she wrote. Quietly packing the snow into ball form, I paused just behind Twilight, raising my hands into the air. Twilight’s ears perked up slightly as I shifted behind her, but, luckily for me, she didn’t turn around.

A large smile spread across my face as I heard Avera trying to repress her laughter behind me. Pausing for only a second to contemplate what I was about to do, I then brought the handful of snow down, smashing the snow right into the junction between Twilight’s wings.

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF—OH MY—WHAT THE BUCK?!” Squealing loudly, Twilight shot straight up into the air, her wings spread wide. Across the room, Avera was roaring in laughter, barely managing not to fall out of the alcove. I backed up as Twilight came crashing back down, a large smile on my face.

Scrambling to her hooves, Twilight glared daggers at me, her wings still spread wide. Her eyes narrowed as they found the snowball I was bouncing back and forth in between my hands.

“Oh no, we are not doing that in here,” she growled, horn lighting up. The next second, the snowball had disappeared, leaving my hands wet and chilled. Wiping them on my shirt, I smirked at Twilight, who was still glaring at me.

“Why did you do that?” she asked. I just shrugged, my smirk growing.

~Relax, Twilight. You just need to chi—~

“Finish that sentence and you’ll regret it,” Twilight warned, magic pulsing down her horn.

~Geez, okay, Twilight. I get it~ I signed, rolling my eyes. ~No need to give me the cold shoulder~

Twilight’s horn flashed, and I was promptly buried under a pile of snow that was teleported into the library.

After digging myself out of the snow pile, I left Twilight to her work, deciding that I probably shouldn’t press my luck. Although, that snow did feel good against my fevered skin.

Deciding that I should probably find something to eat, I made my way to the kitchen, where I started rooting around in the pantry. After a few minutes of looking, I closed the door, disappointed. There’s nothing good to eat.

“You know, you’re looking in the wrong place,” a voice spoke up behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I eyed Avera curiously as she trotted into the kitchen, a slight bounce in her step. I gave her a questioning look, and she just smiled. Walking over to one of the cabinets, she tapped it with a hoof.

As it swung open, my eyes widened, and a grin spread across my face. ~Is that what I think it is?~

“Ebony’s extra barrel of Cinnamon Apple Cider?” Avera smirked. “Yes, yes it is.” Pulling two large mugs out of another cupboard, she then proceeded to pour us both a generous supply of the cider.

Handing me one of the mugs currently about to overflow with foam, Avera raised her own before saying, “Bottoms up!” Throwing her head back, she proceeded to down the entire mug in three large gulps. Shrugging my shoulders, I proceeded to imitate her.

The cider burned slightly going down, but it left a wonderful aftertaste in my mouth, reminding me a little of apple pie. Finishing the drink, I lowered the mug, smacking my lips happily. Beside me, Avera belched loudly.

I looked down to see her sitting there, a surprised but happy look on her face. She blinked several times before looking up at me, a small blush spreading across her face.

“Awesome,” she said simply.

I chuckled, shaking my head. Setting my mug down on the table, I swallowed before sucking in a stomach full of air. Avera’s eyes widened as she realized what I was going to do a split second before I did it.

BUUUH—UUURRRRRRP

As my belch echoed around the kitchen, I grinned down at Avera before signing, ~Says the king~

“Yeah, yeah,” Avera giggled, taking my empty mug and refilling it. “Yuck it up.” Handing me the now-full mug, she raised hers towards her lips before pausing and giving me a contemplative look.

“Hey,” she said slowly, a smile spreading across her face. “Since you’re so bored apparently, and Twilight’s about ready to smack you a good one, you wanna see the basement?” I cocked my head to the side, giving her a confused look. “You know,” she said, waving her hoof around, “see what me and the others have been up to down there. I promise, you’ll like it!”

I stared at her for several seconds before shrugging and giving her a quick nod of my head. Taking our mugs with us, we proceeded to leave the kitchen and make our way towards the basement door. Cracking open the door, we descended into the depths of the tree.

As I walked down the stairs, I was immediately hit by a large wave of hot air and sound. Glancing around the room, I felt my jaw drop as I took in the radical changes. They had somehow managed to expand the basement, giving them more room than they originally had.

A small cot rested in the corner of the room, next to a small bookcase that was filled with what looked like spellbooks. Two hammocks hung from the ceiling above the cot, one black, one dark purple. Several practice dummies rested along the far wall, several looking ready to fall apart, the stuffing in them leaking out of several large, gaping wounds. Red lanterns hung from the ceiling, casting the center room in a crimson glow.

There was one thing that stood out amongst all of this, however. Sitting in the center of the room, flames crackling loudly as waves of heat wafted above it, was a large forge. Glancing up at the ceiling, I noted that there was a glowing rune etched into the wood, and as the smoke from the forge wafted upwards, it disappeared into the rune.

Standing in front of the forge, joint clamped firmly in her teeth, was Primrose. A black pair of welder goggles rested upon her face, and a blacksmith apron was around her barrel. Her usually messy mane was done up in a ponytail, keeping the long strands from falling into the flames. She had a large pair of tongs grasped in her hooves, holding a piece of metal in the forge.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs, she glanced up, the end of her blunt glowing as she inhaled.

“So,” she said, speaking over the roar of the forge, “you came down to see the fun stuff, eh?” Her joint bounced as she talked, smoke drifting out of the corners of her mouth.

“He was bored, so I decided to invite him down,” Avera replied, making her way over to Primrose and offering her the mug. Plucking the joint from her mouth, she tucked it behind her ear before accepting the beverage.

As Primrose quaffed the cider happily, Avera glanced down at the piece of metal sitting within the forge.

“How’s it going?” she asked. Primrose lowered the mug, licking her lips before handing it back to Avera. Turning her attention back to the forge, the batpony smiled and placed her joint back between her teeth.

“Just wrapping up now, actually,” she said. Grabbing the tongs tightly in her hooves, she removed the metal from the forge before quickly dunking it in a nearby barrel of water. There was a loud hiss as steam erupted from the mouth of the barrel. Chewing on the end of her blunt, Primrose bobbed her head for several seconds before removing the cooled metal.

As she held up the piece of metal to study it, I blinked in confusion as I recognized what it was. It was her Lunar Guard helmet, but instead of the usual lavender coloration, it was now pitch black.

Primrose caught me staring at the helmet, and she smiled, smoke snaking through her teeth.

“Like it?” she asked, motioning at the helmet with her head.

~It’s black~ I replied dumbly, still staring at the helmet. This just caused Primrose to chuckle.

“Yes, yes it is. My own special chemical recipe. Heat the metal up, dip it in the mixture, and—voilà—black armor!”

~Okay… but why is it black?~

“It needs to go with the rest of our gear, duh,” Primrose said. I got the distinct impression that she was rolling her eyes behind the goggles. “Here, I’ll show you.” Placing the helmet gently upon the work bench, she pulled a cover over the forge, silencing the roar of the flames. Turning, she trotted towards the far wall.

Grabbing a hold of a torch bracket located on the wall, she pulled down on it with a grunt, causing the bracket to swing down with a loud click. Instantly, a large red rune appeared on part of the wooden wall, which immediately sunk in. slowly, the wall began to rise, revealing empty space behind it.

As I watched the hole in the wall grow bigger, I felt my eyebrows slowly rising as well. How much work did they do down here?

The wall ground to a halt, and Primrose glanced over her shoulder at me, a large smirk playing across her muzzle. “Welcome to our armory.” Reaching into the now-revealed room, she flipped a switch on the wall, instantly causing a row of lights to spring to life.

Inside the large space was four different sets of armor. I instantly recognized Ebony’s Battlemage armor resting upon a pony mannequin. What was once cobalt blue metal was now polished black, a red glow emanating from the armor plating. The caparisons, once a dark purple, were now crimson.

Beside it stood another mannequin bearing a set of Lunar Guard armor minus the helmet. Like Ebony’s armor, the original lavender armor with dark purple decorations was now pitch black with crimson accents. The blue eye that adorned the front of the breastplate was now red, and seemed to glow softly.

The third set of armor was a set I had never seen before. Unlike the previous two, this one appeared to be made out of a material that looked like thick ceramic plates with kevlar-like material underneath. Small pockets dotted the armor, as well as several buckles, straps, and clips. It reminded me almost of armor I had seen army soldiers wearing back home. I had to assume that it was Avera’s.

As I turned my attention to the fourth and final set of armor, my jaw dropped open in shock.

It was my Big Daddy costume from Nightmare Night.

It had been modified since I had seen it last. The dark purple armor was now black, and appeared to have been reinforced, with several extra plates added. The light lavender clothing beneath the armor had changed to a blood-red color. Twilight’s cutie mark was still emblazoned on the suit, but the purple star was now crimson. The helmet had been modified as well, the yellow glow emanating from it now red. Small red runes ran along the sides of the helmet, glowing softly. The right glove was glowing red, while the left one had a light blue glow. The cage on the back had been replaced by a large pack.

As I stared at the suit, Primrose sat beside me, bobbing her head with a large smile on her face.

“As you can see, we made some modifications to your armor as well,” she said, chewing on the joint. I blinked, glancing down at her in confusion.

~My armor?~

“Yeah,” she said, motioning to the modified suit. “Your armor. We found it down here when we arrived, and assumed it was yours. Had to reinforce most of the metal on it, though. That stuff wouldn’t have protected you very well. Whoever made it didn’t have a good idea on how armor actually works.”

~That’s because it wasn’t armor~ I signed, chuckling softly. ~It was a costume for Nightmare Night~

“Oh.” Primrose’s ears flicked, and she was silent for several seconds before shrugging. “Well, you’ve got armor now!”

~I see~ Turning my attention back to the armor, something behind the suit caught my eye. It was a large banner—almost like a flag—hanging from the back wall. It was dark gray in color, with a large red human hand emblazoned upon it. A black horseshoe rested in the center of the palm of the hand.

~What’s with the banner?~ I asked, not taking my eye off of it.

“We’re your guards. We needed a standard,” Primrose explained. “See, it’s the emblem on the armor as well.” Looking at where she was pointing, I noted that each of the ponies’ armor bore small red hands somewhere on their armor: on the chest plate, pauldron, and the back of the armor.

~Where did you get the idea for the human hand?~ I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You remember when you got attacked by Lyra?” Primrose asked nonchalantly, studying her hoof. “Well, Avera might have managed to get a bloody hand print from you while your nose was bleeding. We went from there.” Glancing up at me, she gave me a sheepish smile. Shaking my head, I looked back at the banner, chewing on the inside of my cheek. That’s kinda creepy.

Something beneath the banner glinted, catching my eye. Glancing down, I stared at the object for a few seconds before asking, ~Is that the axe I killed the infected human with?~

“Indeed it is,” Primrose chirped happily. “The original owner didn’t want it anymore after she heard what it was used for, so we brought it back, sterilized it, reinforced the head and handle, and now it’s yours!”

~Wait a minute~ I signed after a few seconds. ~I thought I wasn’t allowed to fight. You all kept telling me to run away from the infected human. Why are you making me armor?~

“One, the armor is meant for self-defense,” Primrose said, drawing on her blunt. “Two, of course we didn’t want you to fight the infected human! We thought if you got bitten, you’d be meeting the Maker. Didn’t know that your body would roast the spores to death,” she added with a grumble.

I said nothing, just raising my mug up to my lips and sipping loudly. Primrose just scoffed before reaching up and pulling the torch-lever again, causing the wall to lower and hide the armor.

Turning around, I blinked in surprise when I saw Avera sitting at a small table, Ebony sitting next to her. Ebony was watching me with mild curiosity, slowly chewing on a sandwich in her magic.

“Why is he down here with us?,” she asked, leaning towards Avera without taking her eyes off of me.

“He shoved snow in between Twilight’s wings,” Avera said, a grin on her muzzle as she dug into her own sandwich. “Thought he might need someplace to hang while she calmed down.”

Rolling my eyes, I huffed in good humor before making my way over and sitting down across from them. Removing her forging apron, Primrose joined us, pushing her goggles up on top of her head.

Ebony bit into her sandwich again, but paused, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air. Glancing down at the mug in my hands, one of her eyebrows rose.

“It that my cider?” she deadpanned. I raised the mug up and took another sip before answering.

~I was the one who allowed you to obtain it, so I think I’m entitled to some~ I huffed, rolling my eyes.

“But, Cinnamon Apple Cider!” Ebony whined, waving her hooves at me in a useless manner. I just chuckled, which quickly turned into a hacking cough as I covered my mouth with my hand. Instantly, all three of guards tensed up, eyes glued to me.

After several seconds of trying to clear my lungs, I gave one last grating hack before swallowing. Looking up, I saw all of them staring at me intensely. I just shook my head before taking another sip of cider, trying to clear my throat.

Upon arriving home from the hospital, they had explained to me that one first signs of a human becoming infected was horrible coughing and gagging. It was actually funny the first time I had coughed: Twilight had screamed and the books she had been levitating had been flung into the air.

However, after the fifteenth time, everyone tensing up every time I coughed was getting rather old.

Slowly, everyone relaxed and resumed chatting quietly as Ebony and Avera went back to their meals. As they talked about stuff I didn't really want to listen to that particular moment, my eyes slowly drifted over the table before coming to rest on Avera's plate. My brow furrowed as I stared at the half of her sandwich that remained there. After a while, my fever-addled brain finally realized what it was I was seeing on the sandwich.

Leaning forward suddenly, I continued to eye the sandwich and its contents closely before asking, ~Is that meat?~

Avera, who had been in the process of taking another bite out of her—what appeared to be—ham sandwich, paused and glanced over at me.

“Yes,” she said, her words muffled by the food currently in her mouth.

~That's meat~ I repeated, giving her an incredulous look. ~You're eating meat!~

“...Yes,” Avera said again, although this time it sounded more like a question, her words uncertain. She gave me a confused look before glancing over at the others at the table. They returned her confused gaze, which only baffled me more.

~I'm not going crazy here, am I?~ I asked Ebony, motioning towards Avera, who was still holding her meat sandwich. ~She's eating meat?~

“Yes,” Ebony said slowly, nodding her head.

~Like, used to be animal meat?~

“Yes.”

~And you all are okay with it?~

“Humans eat meat,” Primrose said with a shrug. “We've seen you eat meat. What's the big deal?” I gave her a look that clearly said 'are you nuts?!'.

~She's a pony, eating meat!~ As I said that, Ebony's eyes lit up and she tapped her hoof on the table.

“I get what you're confused about,” she said before turning to look at Avera. “You never told him, did you?”

“I thought I did,” Avera said slowly, still chewing the food in her mouth. Sighing and shaking her head, Ebony turned back to me and smiled.

“Yes, she's eating meat. Yes, she's a pony, but she's an imperial pegasus.”

~A what?~ I sighed, giving the unicorn a blank look.

“An imperial pegasus,” Avera replied before swallowing. “We're considered a sort of... subspecies of pegasi from the Far Imperial North. You see—” she leaned forward, waving her half-eaten sandwich in tiny circles as she talked “—many years ago, before Princess Luna first became Nightmare Moon, a group of pegasi travelers journeyed to the far north in search of new lands. We don't know why they went, or what they were looking for, but they went nonetheless.

“Once there, they began to form their own laws, customs, and traditions, and within a couple generations, Bal Vanga—the now-capital city of the Far Imperial North—was born. The imperials living there became a separate empire, much like the Crystal Empire is today.”

~But was does that have to do with you eating meat?~ I asked, still confused. Moving her hoof up, Avera pulled back her lip, revealing her teeth. Alongside her normal pony teeth, there were also two sets of canine teeth on each side of her upper and lower jaw.

Releasing her lip, Avera licked her teeth before continuing, “It's rather hard to grow crops up where the ice can be miles thick in some places, and there are times of the year where it's night for days on end. Arctic rabbits are much easier to catch than it is to grow apple trees, wheat, or other such plants.”

~So, you're a different species of pony?~ I asked, cocking my head to the side. Avera chewed on her lip before nodding.

“Sorta, kinda,” she said, shrugging. “Regular pegasi are built to deal with weather in more temperate climates. Controlling weather, shaping clouds, things like that. Imperials are built for the frozen lands in the north. We are more resistant to cold, have slightly larger and stronger wings to help us maneuver through hail and blizzards, and a different digestive system and teeth for eating meat. We also have special hooves for climbing ice walls.” Reaching her leg across the table, she showed me the underside of her hoof.

Where most ponies' hooves were smooth and flat, Avera's were serrated and rough, jagged edges all protruding in one direction, almost like scales on a fish. As I watched, the rough surface flexed slightly, flattening out before returning to its original appearance.

~That's so awesome~ I signed, staring at the hoof in awe. Suddenly, I remembered something I had seen during the fight with the infected human. Glancing back up at Avera, I asked, ~Is this why when you hit the infected human with your hoof, it looked more akin to claw marks than a hoof mark?~ She nodded in confirmation.

“Yup. They work great at allowing us to climb icy cliffs, or to defend ourselves from potential threats,” she said before grinning. “Or to let that stupid stallion know that we just aren't that interested in the small thing he has going on between his hind legs, and he should really stop trying to flirt with us.” I cringed as Avera laughed.

~But where did you get the meat?~ I asked. ~I thought most species, like cows and pigs, were intelligent and thinking creatures here~ It was Primrose who answered this one.

“There is a system put in place for that,” she said, tossing the smoking end of her blunt onto the table. “Here in Equestria, several different species can have a medical card, that upon the time of their death, their bodies are donated to be processed for the carnivorous members of society. There are actually some butcher shops near the Griffon Empire that allow you to reserve a place for once you've passed on.

“However, you need to have a special card to purchase meat from these places. The cards are distributed by the hospital and regulated by the crown. The only way you get the card is by proving that meat is a necessary part of your diet.”

~What if meat isn't?~ I asked, cocking my head to the side. ~Twilight buys meat occasionally~

“The meat she buys was processed through the Griffon Empire and shipped to Equestria, so there is no restrictions on who can buy it. Most meat given to humans comes from the Empire.”

~What's the difference?~

“Here in Equestria, the process is well regulated. The only creatures cut up and processed are those who are already deceased. The griffons over in the Griffon Empire hunt for their meat, so the creature was still alive shortly before becoming edible.”

“Can we not talk about this?” Ebony asked, looking a little green in the face. “I'm not against you guys eating meat, but I don't want to know the processes behind getting it.” All of us shot her sheepish smiles.

~But, wait a minute~ I signed as Avera took another bite out of her sandwich. ~If imperials are from a different empire to the far north, why are you in Equestria's military?~

The question seemed to throw Avera off slightly, and she blinked a couple of times before speaking.

“You seriously want to know?” she asked. I nodded before taking a quick sip of cider. Putting her sandwich down, Avera frowned slightly as she chewed on her bottom lip.

“Long story short, I was orphaned at a young age, hitched a ride to Equestria on a trader caravan, and happened to join a thieves guild. I remained a member of said guild for several years afterwards. We traveled from city to city whenever the heat got too much for us. That all changed, however, when we arrived in Manehattan.

“We were in the middle of a job when the owner of the house—an elderly mare living on her own—woke up and came downstairs. The excitement was apparently too much for her, as she started having chest pains and trouble breathing. Of course, that's when everypony split.”

~Wait~ I interrupted. ~They all just left her there, in that condition?!~ Avera just shrugged.

“The guild never went out of its way to hurt ponies, but they didn't help them either. We weren't assassins, but if somepony tried to catch us, we used force to get away.”

~So how did this moment change your life for the better?~

“Simple,” she replied, a small smile on her face. “I stayed behind.”

“You stayed to help?” Ebony asked, a smile on her face as well. Avera just nodded, laughing softly.

“Now, I know what you're thinking, and no. I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say I did it because I knew it was the right thing to do. Even to this day, I don't know what possessed me to stay and help, but I was halfway to the window when it happened. As all my guild-mates fled, I turned around, grabbed the old mare, and raced to the nearest hospital. The look on the nurses' faces when a pegasus clad in a thief’s outfit and an old mare on her back crashed through the main door was priceless!” Avera laughed as she remembered.

“Anyway,” she continued, taking another bite from her sandwich, “I later found out that I had gotten her there just in time for the doctors to save her. Needless to say, the guards arrived and I was arrested until the mare got out of surgery. They kept me at the hospital under watch. Luckily for me, when the mare woke up she didn't want to press charges. She was just grateful I had decided to help her.

“I'm not sure what was funnier though,” she giggled. “The mare's daughter slapping me for breaking into the house, or the granddaughter hugging me for saving her grandma.”

~So, how did you end up in the guards and not in jail?~

“Strangely enough, Princess Celestia heard about the incident and happened to be in Manehattan at the time, so she stopped by. I about had a heart attack when she stepped through the door. I thought for sure I was bucked. Upon seeing I was an imperial, though, she offered me a place in the guards, and I accepted. Didn’t really have a choice in the matter, but in retrospect I’m glad that I did.”

“You were in a thieves guild?” Primrose asked suddenly, her voice cold. She glared at Avera with steely eyes, a small frown on her face. “It wouldn’t have happened to have been the Blackhoof guild, would it?

“No,” Avera answered, a look of confusion on her face. “They didn't really have a name for themselves. They just called themselves 'The Guild'.”

Primrose visibly relaxed at that, nodding her head.

“Anyways,” Avera said slowly, eyeing Primrose wearily, “that’s about it for my tale.” She shrugged before popping the remaining of her sandwich half into her mouth and swallowing.

I nodded as I took another drink from my mug. Glancing over at Ebony, I cocked an eyebrow. After several seconds, she glanced up at me, blinking in surprise when she saw my look.

“What?” she asked.

~I’m waiting for you to tell me that you’re not a regular unicorn. We’ve got a bloodsucker, and a meat-eater right here~ I signed, motioning towards Primrose and Avera. ~You’re not going to tell me you’re a siren or something, are you?~

This just caused her to laugh.

“No, nothing like that,” she said. “I’m just a regular mare from Canterlot, whose family happened to consist of more brothers and sisters than I know what to do with. Some siblings went off to law school, some went off to the guard. I went to the School for Gifted Unicorns before joining Academy and becoming a Battlemage. That’s all there is to tell.”

“What about you, Primrose?” Avera asked, looking over at the batpony. “What’s your story?” Primrose just looked down at the table and sighed heavily.

“...don’t want to talk about it,” she said softly, her ears splaying backwards.

“Come on,” Ebony said, her tone warm. “We’re all friends here. We won’t judge. Besides, it can’t be worse than Avera being an ex-thief, can it?” Avera stuck her tongue out at Ebony, causing her to giggle.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Primrose said, more forcefully this time, a slight hint of an accent slipping in. It sounded almost Russian to me.

Lifting her head up, she pulled another blunt out of the pouch around her thigh. Placing it in between her lips, she proceeded to light it and give it a long pull before continuing. “The road goes ever on. The past is in the past, and there is nothing we can do about it. I’d rather keep my ghosts to myself, if it’s all the same to you guys.”

Avera opened her mouth to say something but I stopped her with a wave of my hand. Shaking my head, I glanced over at Primrose and gave her a small smile.

~That’s fine. This is just a nice chat between friends. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to~

“Thanks, big guy,” she said, giving me a weak smile in return. The silence that fell over the room was broken by the basement door opening. Twilight’s head appeared, glancing down the stairs into the basement. Upon seeing me, she motioned with her hoof.

“Come on, you,” she called down. “It’s time for your medicine, and then you need to get some rest.”

~Yes, mom~ I signed, rolling my eyes as I stood up. I headed towards the stairs, but not before quickly stealing the other half of Avera’s ham sandwich when she wasn’t looking. Chewing happily as I darted up the stairs, I was already at the top by the time she noticed. Her indignant cries were muffled as I quickly shut the basement door behind me, Primrose and Ebony’s laughter echoing up the stairs.

Twilight was waiting in the main room, a pill and glass of water in her magic. She handed me both, and I put the pill in my mouth, using the water to help me swallow it quickly. Not quick enough, however, as I still managed to get a horrible taste in my mouth.

Once that was done, Twilight took the glass from me and levitated it into the kitchen. Turning back to me, she pointed up the stairs.

“Come on,” she said softly. “You need to get some sleep.” Nodding my head, I proceed up the stairs, albeit at a slow pace, with Twilight following close behind me. Reaching the living room, I headed towards my couch, but was stopped by a wall of pink.

“Oh, no,” Twilight said from behind me. “You are not sleeping on the couch in your condition. You need to be in a comfortable environment.” I yelped in surprise as I was suddenly lifted into the air.

With me suspended in her magic, Twilight proceeded to head towards her room instead. Opening the door, she trotted over to her bed, and dropped me upon it like a sack of potatoes.

“You will not be sleeping on that couch tonight,” she said. I tried to sit up but she pushed me back down with her magic. “No, no you will be sleeping in a bed tonight. You’ll get better rest in an actual bed.”

~But this is your bed~ I signed.

“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “Tonight it’s your bed. Now, go to sleep.” She turned to walk away, but I reached out quickly and grabbed a hold of her.

“What the—” Twilight yelped as I pulled her into bed with me. “W-what are you doing?”

~I’m not making you sleep on the couch tonight~ I signed, making sure that she didn’t escape my grasp. ~If I can’t sleep on the couch, you can’t either~

“B-but—” she tried to protest, but fell silent when I nuzzled the top of her head, snuggling deeper into the bed. I could feel my eyes slowly beginning to droop as I sunk into the comfortable mattress. My nose could just pick up the faintest hint of lavender on the sheets—or it could be from the mare in my arms—and my body relaxed further due to the scent.

As I slowly began to slip off to sleep, I felt Twilight place one of her wings over my chest, her head resting upon my stomach. I wasn’t completely sure, but I think she was humming.

Sunny sat in the middle of the throne room of Canterlot Castle, fighting to keep her eyes open.

For the past three days she had been questioned by Princess Celestia herself about everything she knew about Darkflare’s secondary warehouse in Manehattan. It was now nearing the end of the third day, and her fatigue was finally beginning to catch up with her. She would like nothing more than to collapse upon a bed and sleep, but there was one last topic that needed to be discussed.

Lifting up her head, Sunny glanced over at the throne, upon which Princess Celestia sat. The Solar Princess was currently distracted by a large stack of papers, most of which were notes taken by the scribe during the last three days. Reviewing the information, Celestia hummed softly to herself, her magenta eyes slowly drifting over the pages before her.

Sighing heavily, Sunny tried to keep her annoyance in check. She could understand the need for information in order to keep ponies safe, but couldn’t anypony but her see that the longer they wasted talking, the more likely it was that Darkflare would get to Manehattan before them?

“We’re wasting valuable time,” she growled beneath her breath, ruffling her wings.

“Relax,” said a voice beside her. Looking to her right, Sunny glanced over at Stacker. The large, gray pegasus was standing slightly off to the side, leaning against a nearby pillar with a calm expression on his face. He was unarmored; the only article of clothing adorning him was his signature dark gray cap.

Beside him, in the shadow of the pillar, stood Ivory Pyre. She was unarmored as well, although her current attire was much more bizarre. A pair of dark-red-tinted sunglasses rested upon her face, hiding her eyes from view. A kerchief—the same color as Stacker’s hat—covered her muzzle. The skull pattern upon the kerchief gave Ivory the appearance of having skeletal jaws.

When Sunny had questioned her as to why she was wearing both the glasses and the kerchief inside, Ivory just shrugged, before simply saying, “It’s cold”.

“Relax? Relax?!” Sunny hissed, her ears splaying backwards. “How can I relax knowing that each second we waste here increases the chance of Darkflare getting to Manehattan before us?!”

“We aren’t going anywhere without the proper information,” Ivory said, her voice muffled by her kerchief. “The worst thing we can do is run blindly into the situation. If we aren’t prepared, we could end up with more dead soldiers, especially if Darkflare is already there.”

“And if Darkflare gets to Van before us?”

“Then there isn’t much we can do about it,” Stacker said with a shrug.

“But—” Sunny began, but was cut off as Ivory shook her head.

“You’re thinking with your emotions. We survive by thinking with our heads. The more we know about what we are heading into, the better prepared we’ll be to face it. Besides,” she added, nodding her head towards the distracted Princess of the Sun, “this is the last day of questioning. Then, you can get some rest while we work on the prep work.”

Sunny’s face visibly brightened at that information, her mind already wandering to the possibility of heading down to Ponyville for a visit. As if sensing what was going on in her head, Stacker shook his, giving her an apologetic grin.

“Sorry, ma’am. Gotta stay in Canterlot,” he said. “Just in case.” Sunny tsked, ruffling her feathers in annoyance.

She had just returned her attention back towards the throne when Celestia lowered the paper she was reading and glanced up. Smiling softly at Sunny, the princess handed the paper to her assistant, who immediately tucked it into a large folder, which was already packed full of paper.

“Sorry for the delay,” Celestia spoke, the smile still on her face. “I just had to make sure we finished our discussion from yesterday. It appears that we did, in fact, cover more than we originally planned. At this point in time, we are just about done. There is only one thing left to discuss.”

“And what would that be, your highness?” Sunny asked, bowing her head respectfully.

“Tell me everything you know about the human called Van.” Sunny blinked, her ears splaying back at the request.

“E-everything?” she asked, her mouth suddenly very dry. It felt like her tongue had suddenly become cotton.

“Everything,” Celestia repeated, nodding her head. “Start from the beginning, and go from there.”

Sunny sighed heavily, closing her eyes as she gathered her thoughts. Everyone waited patiently—the princess on her throne, Stacker and Ivory by the pillar—as Sunny tried to remember as much information as she could.

After a few minutes, Sunny opened her eyes again, and began to speak.

“Darkflare first purchased Van almost nine years ago from a band of armored bears whose caravan was passing through the northern region of Equestria. His sire was said to have been found wandering around the barren lands of the Far North. An aggressive human, the bears didn’t know where he had come from, but they could tell by the condition of his body that he had been a fighter.”

“And what condition was that?” Celestia asked. Beside her, her scribe was quickly writing down every word spoken.

“A muscular build, scars covering his limbs,” Sunny began, ticking off each new trait on one of her feathers as she continued to rattle them off. “Right eye missing, steel plates nailed to his left arm, bloodied bandages upon the right arm, his orange pants covered in bloodstains. He even supposedly carried a weird ax-like device with him, rusted with blood.”

“That’s awfully descriptive, isn’t it?” Ivory spoke up. “It’s almost like you saw him.”

“I did,” Sunny said with a shudder. “The bears kept him chained and locked in a cage. He just sat there, glaring out at the world through his mask made from the skull of a griffon.”

“The bears found him and, despite his appearance, decided to not only capture him alive, but breed him?” Ivory asked, incredulous.

“Yes,” Sunny nodded, “and Van was the result. Darkflare bought him, and made him his personal human. He trained Van personally, and entered him in human fighting rings. It quickly became apparent that Van had inherited his sire’s lust for battle, and he was near invincible in the ring.

“Darkflare loved that human. Well, as much as Darkflare could love something other than himself. Liked to give him fresh meat as often as possible.”

“Was Van used just for human fighting?” Celestia asked, her smile no longer present during the morbid discussion.

“No,” Sunny said, slowly shaking her head. “He also used him as a tool of fear. Anypony that tried to double-cross him would be shoved in the cage with Van. Any human that proved to be too troublesome went into the cage. If any ponies came snooping around the gang’s hideouts, Van was the welcoming committee. One way or another, Van got his fresh meat.”

At this, Celestia actually looked a little ill, her white cheeks tinted the faintest shade of green.

Before Sunny could continue, however, Stacker spoke up.

“Wait, you said he used Van to take care of troublesome humans, right?” When Sunny nodded, he continued. “So, you’re saying that if the Desert Anomaly acted up when you first found him, Darkflare would have given him to Van?” Sunny’s eyes widened and she gaped at Stacker, shocked.

“Oh, buck,” she breathed. “I didn’t even think of that. It’s a good thing Max was silent and well-behaved those first couple of weeks.”

“I’m tellin’ ya,” Stacker said, shaking his head. “That kid has the luck of the Maker with him. Ten bits says that if he had tried to show any of you that he was intelligent…” Stacker trailed off, grimacing slightly.

“Twilight wouldn’t have a human right now,” Celestia finished for him, a grim look on her face. “It seems that his paranoia about revealing himself was sound after all, if only for his time aboard the train.”

Sunny shivered as she thought about what could have happened. If he had tried anything, it would have been like his time in the pit, only Twilight and I wouldn’t have been there to save him.

“So, we’ve clearly established that Van is dangerous,” Celestia said, snapping Sunny out of her thoughts. She glanced up at the princess, who was currently looking at her expectantly, her head cocked to the side. “So, tell me. Is there a way to control this beast? A carrot to tempt him with?”

“Back on the train, you said that he only listened to Darkflare,” Ivory said, glancing over at Sunny from behind her shades.

“Yes, but that’s not entirely true,” Sunny said. “While it is true that Darkflare was the only pony Van would listen to without proper motivation, if you had a piece of meat in your hooves, Van would listen to you. That is, until he deemed that you looked more tasty than the meat.” An involuntary shiver ran down Sunny’s spine, and she swallowed thickly.

“Found that out the hard way,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, yet it still carried in the silent throne room. “I can sometimes still hear Silverwing’s screams. Van just ate, and all Darkflare did was stand there and laugh.” Silence fell over the room as everyone shifted uncomfortably, no one meeting anyone else’s eyes. Sunny rubbed one of her forelegs with a hoof, her head hung low.

After a long pause, Celestia spoke, her voice soft and tender, “I am impressed, Sunny Breeze.” Sunny glanced up, giving the princess a confused look. “You have endured much, far much more than anypony in your position should, and yet… you appear to have come out of it for the better.

“You are kind to other ponies, as well as humans. You have gone out of your way to help those who you have not known for that long. You have taken responsibility for your previous actions, and have worked to fix them.” Sunny’s cheeks flushed red as the princess complimented her. Her ears splayed backwards, and her wings twitched nervously.

“Now,” Celestia continued, straightening up. “Concerning Van. I’m normally against putting a human down, but in this case it sounds like it might be necessary—” a sour look crossed Celestia’s face “—especially seeing as ponies have died because of him. However, I would like to hear what you think about him, Ms. Breeze, before I make my final decision.”

“My personal opinion is that I want to stay as far away from Van as possible,” Sunny said. “However, if you deem it necessary to recover him, then make sure you have enough meat to keep him distracted until you can knock him out.”

Celestia was silent for several minutes, staring down at the floor, lost in thought. Sunny took that time to glance over at her companions. They were both standing perfectly still, watching the princess as she chewed on her lip.

The group stiffened as Celestia raised her head, a determined look on her face, though her eyes appeared to be dimmer than usual. Glancing over at the two Coming Dawn guards, she spoke, “Lieutenant Pyre. You and your team are hereby tasked to find Van and bring him back to Canterlot. Alive, if possible, but if he proves too much, do not be afraid to put him down.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ivory said, saluting. She paused though, as she lowered her hoof, cocking her head to the side. “If I may ask, ma’am, why are we trying to bring him back alive?”

“If we can somehow… rehabilitate him, think of the help he could be in the Guard,” Celestia said softly.

“And if he can’t, think of how many ponies will die by his hand,” Sunny muttered under her breath.

“Ma’am, what if he proves to be too much for the Royal Trainers?” Stacker asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced sideways at Sunny.

“Then we shall have to have him put down,” Celestia said with a hint of finality in her voice, before smiling down at Sunny. “Ms. Breeze, you are dismissed. Go get some rest.”

Sunny smiled weakly as she stood up and bowed. Turning, she trotted towards the large double doors, thoughts of her bed already filling her head as they closed behind her.