The carriage we were travelling in slowed to a halt as we arrived at the departure terminal for the Trans-Equestrian Railway. The stallions pulling our current mode of transport unhitched themselves and unloaded the suitcase from the cargo door on the rear of the coach so it could be loaded aboard the stationed locomotive. I jumped out of the coach and stared at the massive metal construction partially hidden behind the ticket booths and milling ponies. "Oh my gosh! Blossom! Blossom! Look! It's soooo big! I bet it could fit, like, a kajillion ponies!"

As I bounced and squealed in glee, Blossom and Ruby climbed out of the carriage with the assistance of Bow Tie and stepped in beside me, smiling. "I don't know about a whole kajillion, Dee Dee, but it can certainly fit everypony here twice over and still have room." Blossom nuzzled my face and I leaned into it contentedly. "Let's go get our tickets so we can find a booth for ourselves. We can't let all these stingy ponies have all the best ones for themselves now, can we?"

"I wish you girls good luck." Ruby beamed widely as she listened to our foalish banter, and I couldn't help but to notice the motherly worry in her eyes. Even at my age it was noticeable, for I had seen my own mother don the same expression multiple times whenever I would decide to try something even remotely dangerous. "I know you two can take care of yourselves and each other, but Trottingham is a very large city. Don't get into any trouble and don't go off anywhere with strangers, alright?"

I nodded furiously, still excited about my first train ride, while Blossom tilted her head in a curt form of agreement. "Don't worry, Miss--erm, Ruby.... We'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to Dazzle and I'll be sure to watch out for myself as well."

The older mare pursed her lips and nodded before rushing up to us and squeezing us in a tight hug while peppering our foreheads with kisses. "I'll miss you two and I'll always worry about you. Make sure to write when you find an apartment." Her voice was thick with emotion as she continued the embrace.

I felt a drop of warm liquid on my nose and, just as I was about to inquire as to its origins, Ruby spun around whilst wiping her face with a hoof. "Miss Ruby, are you okay? "

She turned back towards us, all smiles and sunshine, and nodded. "Of course, Dee Dee. You two go on ahead. I'll wave goodbye from here." She ushered us towards the ticket booth and watched from a few meters away as we stepped up to the window.

"One child and one adult ticket for a leisure class cabin on the train headed to Trottingham, please." Blossom smiled up at the young stallion working the booth who looked at me and frowned.

"Do you want a public cabin ticket or would you prefer a personal cabin?" The stallion's frown deepened at the sight of my best friend's puzzled expression.

"Umm.... What exactly is the difference?" The stallion groaned and rubbed a beige hoof on the bridge of his muzzle. "Oh! Aside from the obvious, of course. I meant the difference in price and how comfortable they are...."

“The public cabins are open for up to four ponies and run at a rate of fifteen bits per passenger, ten for children. The private cabins are the same size as the public cabins, but can be reserved for a single pony or couple on their own. The average pricing for a leisure class private cabin is forty bits per pony, same for children.” He looked at us disdainfully and scoffed. “Considering both of you are children, I doubt you’d have the bits to even-”

“We’ll take the private cabin then!” She fished a sack of coins from her saddlebags and set them on the counter as the ticket stallion just stared on in awe, his jaw hanging open at the sight. “It’d be safer for the both of us.”

The beige stallion recovered quickly and separated out eighty bits from the bag before handing the much less heavy sack back to Blossom. “The train leaves in about ten minutes. You can ask one of the hosts to help you find an open cabin. Next!”

Blossom sighed in annoyance and shook her head, upset by the unceremonious shoving, but obviously intent on not letting it bother her. She put a hoof around my withers and urged me towards the train as if she did not notice my eagerness to examine the mechanical beauty. “Come on, Dee Dee. These ponies seem like they’re in a hurry, so let’s get on board so we’re not in their way.” She punctuated the last words with a slight glare in the line’s direction, a look that went completely unheeded.

We stepped up to the turnstiles, our tickets held between our lips, and waited for our turns to pass. Blossom went first, pushing past the metal beams as they spun to tally her passing. I followed after her, but was too short to push the bars normally, so I stood on my hind legs and pressed against them with my forehooves. They spun, catching the rest of my body and sending me tumbling to the ground, much to the amusement of a certain pegasus.

I couldn’t resist giggling myself, and quickly caught up with Blossom. “It wasn’t that funny, you know....” I tried to pout; I curled my lip and widened my eyes, but her grin was infectious.

“Oh Dazzle, you know just how silly it was. You could have asked me to help, you know.”

I nodded and ran off in front of her. “I wanted to do it myself! I am a big pony now!” We stopped just before the train and stood under the metal precipitation covers. “Wooooooow~! Trains are so much cooler when they’re not toys....” The train spanned over a series of thirty-five cars, each consisting of two cabins that we could see through the windows, plus the engine and caboose. The entire locomotive was colored white and had a gold trim that gleamed in the moonlight from meticulous care and cleaning.

Truly a marvel of pony ingenuity. It is amazing what the non-magical ponies can create in order to make transportation easier without wings or magic.

I jumped at the sound of Morla’s voice in my head and fought to regulate my breathing. “Ah! Don’t scare me like that Morla! Jeez, don’t talk to me forever and then just suddenly scare the poop out of me!” I clamped a hoof over my mouth and looked around sheepishly; hoping that nobody had heard me and, to my relief, everybody else seemed not to have noticed. See what you did, you big meanie? You could have made me make somepony think I was talking to myself!

“Dazzle, is everything all right?” I nodded and pulled her to one of the doors so that we could talk out of earshot of other ponies. She took the lead soon after, and, with the assistance of one of the train’s hosts, we were soon in our own compartment fit for four. We set our bags and suitcase under the beds provided and quickly made ourselves comfortable. “Not really fancy, but it’s still quite nice. I kind of feel bad for anypony that can’t afford their own cabin; it must be difficult to fit any more than two adult ponies in here without getting into somepony’s personal space.”

I looked around, noting the four small beds -two on each wall- and the small ceiling light in the roof. The only other decoration in the otherwise golden room was a pair of dark blue curtains pulled open to show the passenger loading platform. “It looks a lot cooler out there.” My disappointment must have been showing clearly as Blossom swept me up in an embrace and hovered a foot off the ground. I squealed and crushed myself against her. “Blossoooooom~! Your wings are making my mane tickle my nose!”

She set us back down and kissed the top of my muzzle. “Well, serves you right for being all mopey, doesn’t it? This is the happy train, little missy! We won’t be having any frowns on the happy train!” I giggled happily and nuzzled my face against her neck. “That’s much better. Now, we’ll be leaving in a few minutes, so let’s make sure to wave bye-bye to Ruby.”

The two of us stood on our hind legs and pressed our faces to the freshly cleaned windows, smearing our faces up against the once streak-free glass and giggling at the face prints we left. Our eyes scanned the crowd as we looked for the familiar form of a two-toned red pony, and, just as the trains whistle announced our imminent departure, we caught sight of the mare animatedly waving at us with tears streaming down her face. My heart twinged at the sight of the upset mare, and I could practically feel Blossom's mood turn dour, but the two of us waved back just as enthusiastically as she was.

The train lurched as the engine kicked it into motion and, after a few powerful rotations of its wheels, the locomotive began the journey to our new home as we left our old one behind us.

The white train sped through the 'night', its cars rattling rhythmically with the vibrations of the wheels as we laid alone in our private cabin. We had been almost completely silent for the first couple hours of the trip, a feat that I was amazed that I could perform, as we rested for the coming ordeal of life in a big city. Dazzle lay at my side, a soft wing draped over my body as I buried my muzzle in her chest. She raised her head and looked down at me as she brushed my unkempt mane from my face.

"What was Morla talking about back there? Was it anything you want to talk about?"

I turned my gaze from the fur on her chest to her bright pink eyes and shook my head. "She was just excited about the trains, like me. It was just so random that it made me jump!" I emphasized my words by flinging my hooves up and comically tumbling off the bed in a pile of sheets and fur. I giggled and stood up to disentangle myself from the linen prison.

I was not excited about the train, but was merely admiring the skill and craftsponyship needed to create such incredible machines. They truly are a marvel of modern times.

"It sounds like Morla is a fan of trains then?" Blossom beamed and assisted me back onto the bed next to her.

"She just told me she wasn't, but was saying a bunch of big words to say she thought they were neat." I closed my eyes and clung tightly to Blossom as my mind wandered before settling on the memory from a mere week ago. Morla.... I know that I got scared last time..., but could you help me again? I almost did something really bad and you didn't help me like you said you would!

You pushed me from your consciousness when you ran, child. I could do nothing to assist you while you were resisting my presence. Magic and bonding are highly dependant on emotions, and can be extremely dangerous when they run rampant together. You have seen what happens first-hand.

But.... I looked up to Blossom to find her laying with her eyes closed as she hummed softly. But I saw something... in the mirror. It was so scary....

That is my soul, young one. When the eye opens, you are channeling the necromancy from Mi'rith through it and, as such, his 'form' is projected into reflected surfaces. It is a side-effect that cannot be avoided and can be both a boon and a curse, as it can intimidate your foes or draw them to you. I should note that powerful magical creatures are also capable of perceiving the shadow's silhouette if they concentrate hard enough.

So.... So that wasn't a monster? I sighed in relief, an action that caused Blossom to squirm from the sudden tickle of breath on her coat. She opened an inquisitive eye and I just smiled up at her.

That would not be entirely accurate, should you take your kind's lore into account. Ponies, since the time the Twin Sisters created them, have feared us for our power, and rightly so. We basilisks are fearsome creatures that survive on the life force of other creatures, and, during the time before discord and the wyndigoes, we ravaged villages and devoured the souls of ponies to sustain our near immortal lives.

My eyes opened wide as I processed what she was saying. But.... Couldn't you live some other way?

Oh, we certainly could, but that would mean damning ourselves to Tartarus should we ever die fully. Lichdom is not something we wished to do, and, while it was a relatively simple process if you had the power, not many of us wished to subject ourselves to such a fate.

That's.... That's so scary. I don't want to go to Tartarus. I won't, will I!? "Will I!?" I unintentionally shouted into the cabin, startling Blossom from her reverie. I clamped my hooves over my muzzle and looked towards the door expecting to see somebody walking to check on the disturbance, but no one came.

"Dazzle, what did Morla say?" I sometimes wished it wasn't so apparent that I was speaking with the symbiotic basilisk, but I couldn't keep myself from reacting so irrationally; Tartarus was not a place meant for mortals.

Do not fear, pony child. Your soul is still intact, as is its 'purity'. You need not fret over a thing such as damnation; you are not yet capable of casting damning spells.

"It's.... I'm okay. She just said that I'm okay." I didn't want to worry her over something that I didn't even completely understand. I smiled as widely as I could, hoping that it would ease her worry, but I could still see it lingering in her eyes.

"Dazzle, you can tell me what it is. It obviously upset you and I want to know what it is." She furrowed her brow slightly, her soothing look gaining a stern edge to it that crumbled away my resistance.

"She said that, some day, I might lose my soul and go to Tartarus when I die.... I don't want to go there.... The school books all say that it was made for evil things. I'm not evil, am I?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, then shrank to slits as she glared not at me, but through me. "Why would you tell a filly something like that!? You don't have any right to scare her with your lies!"

I opened my mouth to try and comfort Blossom and tell her that I was okay, but, after my muzzle was opened, I lost control of myself. The flesh on my forehead opened and I felt the eye twist to glare right at my dearest friend as my own did the same. My face contorted into a dark glare as 'I' spoke. "Puny child. You do not possess the strength nor authority to think to lecture me. You would do well to hold your tongue when speaking to a being that far outclasses one as pitiful as yourself.” My voice poured into the air, my usual squeaky tone laced with a deep, hollow, yet somehow feminine, echo.

I heard Blossom whimper as she stared into my necromantic eye, seemingly incapable of moving. I fought against Morla's hold over me, but I couldn't even twitch a muscle on my own. Stop... it....

"Dazzle.... Please make her stop. It hurts...." Her eyes pleaded with me to end whatever was going on and, however much I wanted to, my actions were out of my control.

"I have lived for several millennia, seen the rise and fall of many outlandish kingdoms, and devoured the souls of countless beings. You do not know of what you speak to."

"Why are you doing this? It’s-." She coughed and took a deep breath. "That isn't your body. Give it back to Dazzle."

"While that may be true, you are not in any place to command me." Stop it..., Morla.... "As for why? To teach a mortal its place. I would end your life here were it not for the pony child's attachment to you. She would surely kill herself if you were to die."

"Why Dazzle? Why choose her instead of another pony?" She coughed again and stared at her hoof in horror, but I could not see why.

"Her innocence. She is young, even for pony standards." Stop. Please let her go.... "It is much easier to bind to a pure soul than it is to bind with one tainted by life."

"Get out of her. She doesn't belong to you." She coughed again and red speckled her white hoof as a line of blood trickled from her nose. "She is my beloved dandelion and you do not belong here!"

Morla laughed and shook my head. "I cannot leave, and I most certainly belong inside this child. She accepted me of her own accord to bring back her parents." Stop it.

"But you didn't bring them back! They're still dead!"

I felt my heart tug as memories of my family were pulled to the front of my mind from where I had hidden them away. "Ah, but did I not do as I promised? I returned them to life, even if they were not as the young one expected. She released them back into eternal-"

"Stop it, right now!!" I shouted and forced Morla back into my mind as I regained control of my body. I clenched my eyes shut, hoping my unseeing organ would follow suit, and, much to my relief, the eye closed as well. I heaved a sigh of relief and opened my eyes once more to find Blossom grinning weakly at me with two small rivulets of blood streaking down her muzzle. Tears welled in my eyes as I blubbered out streams of apologies and licked the liquid from her face.

I cringed at the metallic taste, but it was the only thing I could think to do until she brought her lips to mine as I pulled back to apologize again. My worries were mysteriously lifted away as I shared my third kiss with my beloved Blossom. "It wasn't your fault, Dazzle. I'm just glad you're back. Morla isn't anywhere near as cute as you even with your body."

The gentle bouncing and rhythmic rattling of the train soon overwhelmed my senses. I loosed a wide yawn and curled into Blossom's embrace. I felt myself drifting off into dreamland as Blossom began singing. "Hush now, quiet now. Lay your sleepy head...."

The last sound I heard before consciousness left me was the faint reverberations of Morla's voice in my mind. Impressive, pony child.... Impressive.

My eyes fluttered open as I felt the train begin to slow. I raised my head to look out the window and gasped. All around us were giant buildings made of concrete with the majority of them painted a uniform grey. The train pulled into a giant, enclosed terminal filled with more ponies than I had ever seen gathered together in my life. They milled about hurriedly, none of them stopping to chat or even nod to each other. Many of them wore business attire, and either carried a briefcase in their mouth, or floated it beside them as they rushed to their destination.

The train crawled to a halt with our car stopping in the approximate center of the platform. A voice blared over an intercom from the platform's speakers telling us to be careful while leaving the train and be mindful of the other ponies around us. I rushed over to Blossom, excited at the opportunity to explore the city. "Blossom! Blossom, wake up! We're here!" I shook her, watching her face for any sign of rousing, but her breathing remained even and her features calm. "Aww, why won't you wake up? We have to go see the city! Come on, Blossom! Get-"

I loosed a startled 'eep' as a mischievous grin spread across her muzzle as she wrapped her forehooves around my neck to pull me closer to her. I squealed, and she giggled as she peppered my face with feather-light kisses until I managed to pull away. "Did you sleep well, Dee Dee?"

I nodded quickly as my face burned red. "Yeah! How about you? Does.... Does it hurt still?" She shook her head and climbed off the mattress to help me fish our luggage out from under the bed opposite us. "What are we going to do first? I'm so excited! I've never seen so many buildings! They're all so tall! How are we gonna keep from getting lost?" My questions spewed from my mouth at a mile a minute as my inquisitive, foalish nature took over.

Blossom simply smiled and laughed. "I haven't been here since...." Her eyes stared into the distance for a moment and her smile faded until she blinked and looked back down at me. "Well, it's been a while, but there should be a welcome center near here. We can get directions to a hotel and stay there until I can find an apartment."

She set our saddlebags across our backs and picked our suitcase up in her mouth and set out, heading towards our car's exit. I bit onto her tail so I wouldn't become separated from her, and let her lead me through the crowd. The ponies around us shuffled by quickly, bumping and pushing to get to their destinations heedless of others around them. By the time we reached the welcome center, both of us were nursing small aches on our legs and sides.

I released my pegasus friend's tail and stood by her side at the low-top counter as a dispassionate fuchsia mare chewed on some taffy while filing her hoof. "Umm, excuse me. We're looking for a hotel to stay in."

The mare rolled her eyes and smacked her lips together loudly before acknowledging Blossom's inquiry. "What kind, hun? We've got more hotels in this city than you could spit at."

I found it difficult to follow what she was saying due to her heavy Northern Equestrian accent and the speed with which she spoke, but Blossom didn't falter for a moment. "We want someplace nice, but not entirely expensive since we may be there for a week or two. Preferably something close to a middle school."

"Ah, for the squirt. Well, we have a few hotels near the Trottingham Academy for Gifted Fillies, an all-filly advanced placement school. Then there's a pair near the Coltyard Middle School. Nice hotels, but bad area. Wouldn't recommend it. Finally, we got one around the block from Sunny Side Secondary School. The Coltson Twins' Inn, I think." She swallowed the taffy she had been chomping on during her explanation and pulled out another piece from a small bag beside her forehooves on the counter.

"The Coltson Twins' Inn sounds nice. Are there any apartment complexes near there? You see, we're moving and-"

The mare held up a finely filed hoof and shook her head. "Look, hun. I don't care. I'm just doing my job so I can get paid. You can go out the front door there and hail a cab to take you there. Any other questions?"

"Why do you talk so funny? It's so weird!" I smiled and tilted my head as I awaited her answer.

The mare snarled at me and stomped on the counter, startling Blossom and I. "Look, kid. You'll talk funny too if I kicked you in the mouth."

The menacing glare she gave me made my head spin with fear. I could feel Mi'rith stirring like the time at Ruby's mansion and began to tremble. I didn't know why she was so angry at me. I had just asked an innocent question. Luckily, Blossom was there to help me; she laid a hoof over my withers and smiled, alleviating my worries. "I'm sorry for that, ma'am. She didn't think it would offend you, or else she wouldn't have asked, right?"

I nodded and looked at my hooves, glad that Blossom had intervened. I didn't know what would have happened if I had let my emotions -and in turn, Mi'rith- take over again. The attendant, for her worth, snorted and rolled her eyes. "That brat needs to learn some manners. If that's all, then you need to get going; you're distracting me from my filing." She picked the file back up in her teeth and returned to her 'work'.

Once more Blossom led me around as I held onto her tail. "I'm sorry about that, Dazzle. The ponies in this city can be quite rude sometimes, but not all of them are bad." I nodded, lightly tugging on her tail with each motion, and trotted out the building's front doors and into the streets outside of the rail station. The sight before me nearly caused me to lose my grip on my chaperon. The buildings seemed much taller here, standing under them without the distorted view from inside the train. Lights filled the night from the windows and street lamps suspended upon tall, metal poles. Magic-powered vehicles raced down the paved roads as crowds of pedestrians awaited their turn to cross the streets. Several uniform blue vehicles lined the road in front of us with several leaving at a time as their fare instructed them to their destinations, allowing others to arrive and take their place. The bustle of the big city was astonishing to me, and I found myself yearning to explore.

Blossom trudged through the crowd, muttering apologies every time she bumped into somebody and being largely ignored until we came upon the row of parked vehicles. I marvelled at their design: compact and sleek with an open top, similar to a carriage, but without the harness. As we neared, a stallion wearing a blue cap waved us over towards him. “Lookin’ for a ride, sweetie? I’ll give ya a special discount, just for you.” He grinned widely as his eyes scanned over us, lingering on Blossom until he climbed onto the coachcolt’s seat.

I looked warily towards Blossom, who didn’t seem to notice his gaze, and reluctantly followed her as she climbed into the passenger seats behind him. “So, how much would it be to get to the Coltson Twins’ Inn from here?”

The driver turned to her and gave her a disturbing smile. “For you, babes? Twenty bits for the ride.”

Blossom fished her bag of bits from her saddlebag and dumped out the amount stated, leaving it much less full compared to when they left Canterlot. “Thanks a lot, sir. I didn’t think we’d get there without having to spend a hoof and a leg. That’s quite kind of you.” She smiled warmly at him and he returned it with that disgusting smile from before, making my stomach clench. He doesn’t look that nice to me....

“Not a problem, sweetie. Let’s go before somepony else decides to try and hitch a ride.” His horn flared to life, and the small engine of the vehicle hummed as it started. In a matter of moments, we had joined the racing traffic of other magical mobiles and the occasional daring pedestrian. We wove through the multi-lane roads, passing building after building as each second led us further into the city. Soon, the uniform grey of office buildings gave way to multi-colored residences and bright towers bearing large signs to advertise their establishment. As we turned down a darker road, the coachcolt slowed the car to a halt and turned to look back at us, that ominous smile plastered upon his face. “So, I think that, for that amazing discount I’m givin’ ya, we could work out a little tip, eh?”

Blossom’s eyes widened as he stroked a hoof down her neck and across her body, drawing closer to her thighs. She smacked his leg away and scooted as far back into the seat as she could. “N-no! Just take us to the hotel, I’ll pay the difference in prices without the discount.”

The stallion’s gaze sharpened, but that smile never faded. It seemed to be growing larger and more malicious. “Oh, I don’t think you understand me here.” His horn lit once more and his light red aura surrounded Blossom. She struggled against it, but he was too powerful for her non-magical attempts at freedom. “I’m not giving you a choice. I’ll get my ‘payment’ from you if you’re cooperative or not.”

“Stop! P-please stop! I said no, and there’s a child here!”

I watched, terrified, as he ignored her pleas and climbed over the small barricade between us and the coachcolt’s seat. He touched a hoof to her hind legs and reached back between his own thighs, stroking himself out of view from my position. My mind twinged and I felt a blackness begin to cloud my senses as the world slowed around me.

Are you going to allow him to do this? Do you not care for the pegasus?

I glared at him, rage burning in my chest as he inched closer to Blossom’s backside as she struggled and screamed to get away. I willed the eye on my forehead to open and grinned malevolently as I stomped a hoof on the floorboard. “You will not touch her any further, mortal!” The unicorn looked at me and pushed me onto the floor before returning his attention to Blossom, failing to notice my glare or glowing eye. I snorted, the breath coming out icy-cold as it misted in the air before me, and stomped again, making the metal dent under my hoof. “You were warned, pig.”

The glow in my eye intensified until it began to snake off in tendrils through the air to mingle with the frost from my freezing breath. The magic wrapped itself around his leg, its green ‘fingers’ worming their way into his skin making the limb twitch. He stopped groping Blossom and looked down at the source of his discomfort and reeled back in horror. “Wh-what the buck! What the buck is going on!?” The fur on his leg lost its healthy red color, beginning to fade into a sickly brown until it fell out completely. As the patches of fur clumped off, the skin beneath it grew red and raw. Blood seeped out of fresh lacerations while the stallion screamed in agony, scraping at the growing wounds. His eyes turned to me and his pupils shrunk as realization set in. “Stop! Oh, please stop! D-don’t do this, man! I didn’t-”

“Did you stop when Blossom told you to? Did her pleas deter you from trying to rape her? Did my command halt your actions? Why should I spare you when you were not going to spare her your filthy intentions?”

He screamed again while the seeping wounds began to decay and grow in size, taking up the length of his leg from the hoof to the elbow. His leg twitched furiously as the pain and necrosis climbed higher and higher, working its way to his shoulder, but halted as Blossom touched my face. I looked at her tear-stained visage and felt my heart ache. He needs to pay for what he did. I focused the magic again, the action becoming more and more simple to perform, until her hoof stroked across my muzzle once more.

“Dazzle, stop. Don’t kill him. He may be a vile creature, not deserving mercy, but doing this will not make it better.” I blinked and the magic ended, the tendrils snaking their way back into the pupil of my magical focus. Immediately, the world began to spin as I felt exhaustion tug at my consciousness and a growing ache fill my body. I looked up at Blossom who turned to the stallion, examining his leg. She scowled at him as he whimpered and begged to be spared. “You should be grateful that I didn’t let her finish you. You are a sick cretin and do not deserve such mercy, but I will not allow her to dirty her hooves over this.” In a flash, my beloved pegasus spun on her hooves and bucked the stallion, making contact with his malformed, dying leg and chest to send him flying into the street, screaming in pain.

She lifted me onto her back with what little help I could provide and fluttered onto the road beside him, suitcase in mouth. She set the luggage on the ground and glared at him. “Where’s the hotel?” He whimpered and clutched his dead, withering leg to his chest.

A swift kick from Blossom and he quickly raised a hoof, pointing down the road. “Right over there! Around the corner and down two blocks. Bucking crazy bitch.... Buck, this hurts so much....”

Blossom picked the suitcase back up and flew off in the direction he pointed towards, moving as quickly as she could while making sure I didn’t shift too much and fall off. I watched Blossom as we flew, surprised that she wasn't crying, or even reacting at all, anymore. Wow, Blossom's so strong. I wish I was that strong.

Perhaps she is not as strong-willed as you believe. An event such as that is not something most beings can shrug off as if nothing.

Oh, Morla.... I.... Thank you for helping.... I thought you hated her.

I do not hate, pony child. I was merely teaching her a lesson that will serve her well in the future. That aside, I did nothing. I merely prompted you to act and you did the rest.

I.... I did that? I shuddered and clutched Blossom's neck tighter, finding comfort as she leaned her head back against mine. We landed shortly after in front of a tall, white building trimmed in lime green. It rose ten stories above and its surface was broken systematically by large windows displaying each room inside to anypony that flew high enough to see at the right angle. "Blossom, are you-"

"Come on Dazzle, let's go find a room; I'm exhausted." I eyed her curiously. She just walked onward as I clung to her neck, too drained to do any more. It bugged me that riding on her back like this was necessary, even if it felt so amazing to be- No. She is upset. She doesn't like to interrupt me. By the time we reached the front desk, Blossom was trembling and breathing much faster than normal. "Hello, I'd l-like a room f-for two."

The mare at the counter looked up from her paperwork and donned an almost maniacal smile. "Hello, there! Welcome to the Coltson Twins' Inn! I'm Comfort Coltson! You said a room for two, right? Will that be one bed or two and would you like somepony to bring you breakfast in the morning?"

Blossom blinked once, obviously surprised by the mare's enthusiasm. "Oh, umm.... One bed is fine and... sure.... Having breakfast when we wake would be nice."

Comfort's grin doubled in size as she leaned over the counter and winked at me. "What a lucky filly you are. Got this lovely mare all to yourself in our big, comfy bed. I'm kind of jealous." Blossom and I both blushed, and my thoughts turned to the times she had kissed me recently. "Don't you worry your pretty little heads. I won't tell anypony. Now, on to business. It'll be sixty-five bits a night unless you plan to stay a full week in which case we drop it by ten bits a night for a total of four hundred bits. If you don't mind the price which, I might add, is the best deal you can get for a hotel of our caliber, we'll need your name and photo of your cutie mark so we can charge your Equestrian Bank account."

"We'll probably be here for a while, so the week-long stay will work. My name's Orange Blossom, and do I have to go anywhere to-?"

"Nope! Just turn your flank towards me aaaaaand-" Blossom did as she was told and the cream colored mare levitated a camera from under the counter and snapped a shot of her flank. "Ohoho, this one's going in the scrap book." She winked at Blossom making her blush intensify as she quickly turned back to face the flirty clerk. "Let's juuuust-" Her horn lit up again. and, after several moments of awkward silence, the blue aura around her horn popped. "There! The funds have been transferred and will reflect on your account in a few hours. You'll have room number thirty-six here on the first floor," she leaned in closer, her blue mane bouncing in its bun as she shifted over the counter and lowered her voice to a whisper, "which is the closest to my sister's and my office, if you two need any assistance."

Blossom began shaking under me again, much more noticeably this time, and her breath came out in stuttering gasps. Comfort looked at her worriedly as her smile disappeared. "A-are you okay? I didn't mean to upset you. You just seemed upset, and I wanted to cheer-"

"We'll just take the key!" Blossom's outburst startled the both of us, and Comfort quickly retrieved a key marked '36'. Blossom took the key and tucked it under a wing before picking up the suitcase in her teeth again.

"Th-the room's down the hall to your right and on your left." Blossom jerked her head once in affirmation and took off at a trot down the hall. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask my sister, Fluff, or me. I'm really sorry!"

I cast a glance back at the concerned mare before returning my attention to the increasingly trembling pegasus I was riding. Each step she took, her shaking grew more pronounced until, when we reached the door to our lodgings, she struggled to unlock the door without dropping the key. Finally, after five attempts at inserting the key into the lock, she opened the door and kicked the suitcase inside.

I hopped off her back and jumped in front of her to see her face twisted as if in pain and, as soon as the door slammed behind her, she snatched me up and held me in a crushing embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she cried heavily into my mane. "I-I'm s-so sorry, D-Dazzle! I t-tried to be st-strong, but it hurts t-too much! I feel so d-dirty and I can't g-get his smile out of m-my h-head!"

My chest clenched and my heart ached to see her like this. I couldn't help but to feel at fault for her current depression. I should have been faster.... I could have stopped him before he touched her.... "I.... I feel like I should have let you finish him. He's such a vile pony, no.... He d-doesn't deserve to be c-called a p-pony. That filth should have died, but.... I couldn't let you d-do something l-like that. You shouldn't k-kill anything just f-for-"

"No! I'll go back out there and finish it if you want me to! Do you want me to kill him? He touched you! He hit me! I would have done it one hundred times if you didn't stop me!" My mental dams broke and I soon found myself sputtering out incoherent sentences. Blossom simply clutched me tighter and sobbed into my unruly mane, soaking it with her tears.

"Oh, D-Dazzle.... My beautiful, sweet Dazzle Drive.... I love you so much. I n-never wanted you to think l-like that, but.... S-so much has gone wr-wrong." She pulled away from me and kissed my lips again, this time lingering for a moment before pulling away. "I don't w-want you t-to kill him.... No m-matter what he did... you shouldn't do that. The police w-will find him and take him away, but I want you to stay h-here with me. L-let's bathe and go to sleep.... I want to try and clean this," she shuddered and closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply to calm herself, "filth off of me...."

I nodded and leaned up to kiss her back. She flinched at the movement and I moved to stop, but she brought her lips to mine and sighed happily at the contact. My mind raced with thoughts of what all of these recent kisses meant, but tonight was not the time to ask about it. Too much had happened in one day and so, I resigned myself to waiting. I'll ask tomorrow.... I hope she wants to be my fillyfriend as much as I wanna be hers.

A soft knocking sounded through the once silent room, emanating from the direction of the door. I groaned and snuggled closer to Blossom, burying my head under her barrel in an attempt to block out the noisome rapping. Moments of blessed silence passed until a second series of knocks resounded through the dimly illuminated hotel room and were followed by a voice as sweet as honey.

"Room service, Miss Blossom! We have breakfast for you as per request!" I felt Blossom shift beside me as she rolled off of my head, groaning in post-slumber grogginess.

With all hope of returning to dreamland shattered, I stumbled off the bed, dragging a layer of sheets with me, and crawled to the door, exhausted beyond all reasoning. As soon as I reached the wooden portal, I clicked the lock open and stepped back. "It's open, miss."

The handle was enveloped in a light, cream aura and turned, followed by the opening of the door. Light streamed into the room from the hallway's hanging lanterns, blinding me momentarily. I covered my face with my hooves, letting the light filter through as I needed, until the initial blindness subsided to allow me to see the hostess from last night standing before me. Her mane, however, hung straight and was tucked behind her ears and her face showed intense shock.

"Oh, hello Miss Comfort. What's wrong? Did you see something str-"

"Your head! What's that on your head!?" The aura around the platter faltered, causing the tray and the steaming food to clatter to the floor as she took a step back. I looked at her, confused as to what she was talking about, until I felt strength beginning to trickle into my limbs.

Oh no.... "W-wait! Uhmm...." I looked about nervously, scared that she might scream or run off to alert somepony of my abnormality when Blossom stepped up next to me with a stern glare on her face.

"You won't tell anypony what you saw here or I'll have your sister for harassment." The unicorn flinched at her words, but nodded hastily, obviously worried about- Wait, sister? Isn’t that Comfort? Blossom looked down at me and sighed, her glare easing back into her comforting smile. "I'm glad that you agreed.... I'd hate to do something like that to her. She was quite nice."

The cream unicorn nodded jerkily and looked down at the mess she had made in horror. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll have this cleaned up in a moment and.... I'll b-bring you more food." With as much of the food she could gather put back onto the platter, the mare bowed, shaking violently during the entire process.

I looked at Blossom who was looking back down at me with a sad expression. "Miss Fluff." She tensed at hearing her name and looked back to us. "Don't worry. I won't do anything to your sister as long as you don't talk about Dee's... eye. I was being quite sincere. Your sister is quite the flatterer, even if it couldn't have come at the worst time." Blossom grimaced and swallowed strongly, as if she were holding back bile.

The unicorn, whose sister I assumed was Comfort's sister, Fluff, from what I could piece together, smiled weakly as relief passed over her feature. "Thank you, Miss Blossom. She means too much to me for her to be ruined or jailed for something like this.... I'll be back in about fifteen minutes with more breakfast. I promise I w-won’t tell anypony. J-just let me go get you something t-to eat.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll just eat at a restaurant somewhere while we look for a place to move to." Fluff looked as if she was going to speak, but Blossom was already closing the door on her and tugging me back inside. She sighed again and stroked my mane softly. "I'm glad that didn't escalate. We should try and figure out ways to prevent that from happening again. Are you able to tell when it's open, Dee Dee?"

I shook my head and frowned up at her. "Not unless it moves. It feels really strange when it moves or makes me cast spells. Oh! I can also tell when it opens and closes! It's kinda like having a slug crawl across my face." I stuck out my tongue in mock-disgust and smiled brightly.

"I see.... Well, I'm just worried that if somepony else were to find out, you'd be taken away from me for some horrible experiments." She stopped patting my head and looked into my eyes. "I love you too much for something to happen to you because either of us were careless."

My heart fluttered in my chest as my thoughts went back to the previous night's. I needed to know the answer. "Uhh.... Uhmm, Blossom?"

She tiled her head at my sudden flash of anxiety. "Yes? What's wrong?"

"W-well.... I've been wondering... for a while now.... When you s-say you l-love me...." My eyes watered as I forced all thoughts of negative outcomes from my mind. No! She'll say that she wants to be my fillyfriend! I just know it! I took a deep breath and blinked away the moisture. "Do you m-mean love love? Like, as my fillyfriend, love?"

Blossom blinked in surprise and smiled down at me. "It seems we've been reading too many romance novels together. That sounds like something just out of a book." My mood dropped and was reflected on my visage, but Blossom continued smiling as she lifted my chin with a hoof. "Dazzle.... It can mean whatever you want it to. If you want me to just be your friend, then I'll be the best friend you could ever want. If you want me to be like a mother, then I'll try my best as one. If you me to be your special somepony? Well, my heart has always been yours. Ever since the day I discovered my cutie mark.

"I've told you so many times how much I love you, Dazzle. You are my little dandelion, my world. I'll do whatever I can to take care of you and keep this power from hurting or changing you."

My lip quivered as I fought back tears and moved closer to her. I rubbed my cheek against her chest, relishing the feeling of her soft fur, and looked up into her warm, smiling face. She leaned down slowly, as if watching for any reaction, then closed the gap between us and locking her lips with mine. The kiss lasted an eternity as we pressed into each other until, finally, I pulled away to breathe. "I'd l-like you to be my fillyfriend, B-Blossom. I l-love you too...."

We smiled at each other for several long minutes, lost in each others eyes, until the chiming of a clock snapped us out of our reverie. Blossom looked at the source of the noise upon the wall and gasped. "Oh, wow! We should get to searching if I wanna find a job or apartment soon. It could take a while, so let's get searching while everything's still open."

The ceiling fan above us hummed noisily as we sat awaiting the apartment complex's manager in a small office. Pictures of a family adorned the wall beside other frames holding certificates of passing as per city inspectors. I stared at the desk in front of us, hoping that something would happen to alleviate the boredom welling inside of me, but nothing did. We sat and waited, as we had been for fifteen minutes now if the clock on the wall was any indication. I sighed, exasperated, and looked up to Blossom pleadingly.

"Blooooossoooooom. Can I go outside and do something? It's soooooooooo boring in here. The boss pony's been making us wait foreeeeeeveeeeer." I donned the best puppy eyes that I could, extending my bottom lip in a pout, and forced face tears to my eyes as she glanced towards me. As the cherry on top, I cast my gaze to the floor as she looked at me as if I was ashamed for wanting to do anything but sit here.

A soft sigh escaped her and she nuzzled my cheek before brushing her lips against it and kissing me. "Alright, Dee Dee. I know it must be torture for your unending energy, so I'll let you play out front. Just don't run off too far, okay?"

"Yay! Thank you, Blossom! I'll be a good girl and stay right out front! I promise!" I 'squee'd in excitement and pecked her cheek swiftly before taking off out the door just as the manager opened it. I raced past the startled earth pony stallion, not bothering with an apology, and rushed out the front door and onto the sidewalk.

Immediately, I spotted a group of fillies and colts jumping rope off to the side of the building and rushed off to play with them. The four ponies, two colts and two fillies, welcomed me with enthusiasm, excited to meet another pony even if for a few minutes. Time passed swiftly as we took turns spinning the rope and jumping it in rotations. The warmth of the moon was rapidly fading as the day's enchantment made way for the night's natural state when I heard a commotion coming from the other side of the alley we were playing beside.

I stopped jumping, letting the rope hit my ankles as the twirlers kept at their role and turned to look down the dark passage. "Do.... Do you all hear that?" I looked at them questioningly and received a unanimous answer of 'no'. "W-well.... I'mma go check it out. Do you wanna come?"

The group looked at each other nervously before shaking their heads. "W-we can't. Our parents told us to come in after night fell and, it's already getting late.... We should probably go back in before we get in trouble...."

I smiled knowingly and waved as they began walking away. "Okay! I hope I can see you all again! Buh-bye!" I turned back to the alley, watching it carefully. I told Blossom that I'd stay out front, but... that sounds really interesting.... Well..., it's not that far away and she can always ask those four where I went! I nodded and took off down the passage, the sounds growing louder and more distinguishable as I went.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie does not require a unit of guards to report to the recruitment center. She is more than capable of handling herself and knows where it is." The voice had a haughty, boisterous tone to it. I stopped at the end of the alley and looked out into the streets to find the source. An azure mare wearing a flashy purple hat and cape adorned with stars was walking along the sidewalk, her icy-blue mane and tail bouncing with each step. She held her nose up high and practically radiated superiority. "Trixie honestly doesn't understand why you foals are even here. There is no doubt that Trixie is the best, most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria."

"We are here to assure you are not attacked on the way to recruitment. There have been several attacks on possible recruits already and we cannot risk losing somepony like you... if you are as great and powerful as you say you are."

My eyes turned to the group of six ponies surrounding the mare and narrowed in loathing. They all wore heavy, silver armor with a variety of weapons strapped to their sides. I felt the eyes burst open on my forehead and growled unnaturally as they moved further ahead. "Honestly, how could you ever doubt Trixie. Why, if somepony were to attack us now, I'd take care of them single-hoofedly."

My eyes narrowed as the head guard scoffed and waved a hoof dismissively, but keeping a watch on the small crowds of ponies around them. "Should they attack, you won't have to worry about a thing. The only pony we'd have to worry about is you if you decide to backstab us." My emotions boiled and I felt rage well up inside of me as images of my parents being cut down flashed repeatedly in my vision. Everything glowed green as I charged forward, my hollow, echoing shriek filling the night.

Author's Notes: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! How do you like dat cliffhanger? Just delicious, isn't it? I wanted to make this one 10k+ words, but I couldn't resist leaving it off like this. Yeah, yeah. Spam the comments with things like: Peppy you evil bastard! Jump off the cliff face first or Peppy! I hate your face! I shall enjoy every moment of it because I am evil and make fillies bum tumble with each other. Kekekeke. Seriously, though. I'll try and finish the next ch of ATFN so I can get the fourth ch of this out and fix the hanging. Anyhoof, Peppy out!

Editor’s Notes #1: “Peppy... Peppy... My god man, your gonna drive us straight off the cliff. STOP!” Tires screech as Peppy slams the breaks with his massive right foot (idek?). The vehicle stops with such suddenness that some of the passengers are (the idiots not wearing seat belts) flung through the windshield. “Whooo, we almost died ther-*A queasy feeling enters me as I open the door of the automobile... and almost fall due to the fact that the vehicle is being carefully balanced at the edge. “NOBODY MOVE!”

I hear a giggle to my right and look over to see Peppy doubled over, trying to contain his mirth. “It seems I’ve left us all *sunglasses* hangin’.” He chokes out between gasps of breath as his efforts to hold the flood of laughter back completely fail.

“I will not kill him. I will not kill him! I will NOT KILL HIM! I WILL NOT KILL HIM!”

Editor’s Notes #3: Did you say “Lich”? Lich!? LIIICH!!!!

...I like the undead.