They stare at me, an odd expression on their faces.

"May I ask you a question?" I ask, the words feeling odd and unfamiliar in my mouth.

Slowly, The Namer's Companion shakes its head rapidly, as if shaking something from its mind, and speaks.

"S-Sure."

"What is that face you're making?" I ask.

The silence stretches on, and a strange feeling begins to grow within me.
A sense of wrongness.
I've done something that shouldn't have been done.

"Another question?" I ask.

Her Companion nods.

"What is this feeling?" I ask. "This burning in my face? This sense like I've made a... mistake?"

The Namer's Companion makes a sound as its mouth turns into a crescent with both points oriented upwards.

"That could be anything." it says. " Shame, embarrassment, guilt; any number of emotions. Probably, though, it's 'awkwardness'. Don't worry about it; you've just kinda come out of nowhere and started asking odd questions."

It gestures to the odd expression on The Namer's face.

"That face Twilight's making is called 'shock'." it says. "A pony makes that when they've seen something that their brain can't handle; something that they'd never expect to happen in a million years. Some get over it quickly, like me. But Twilight..."

It makes a smaller version of the earlier noise.

"It usually takes her a little while longer. Give her a minute or two."

"As you wish." I say.

We sit, waiting, and I contemplate this new...
Situation.

How could she not understand? She made The Contract. She and Her Companion must know The Rules just as much as I do, right?

...Right?

After a few more minutes of silence, The Namer blinks.

"Spike." She says. "Y-You can see this too, right? I'm not going crazy?"

"Yep!" Her Companion says. "Frankly, I don't really know what else I expected it to do."

"W-What do you mean?" She asks.

"Well, you gave it a name, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't."

"Yeah you did. Something like 'Dusk', or 'Eclipse', or-"

"Yes?" I ask, the sound of my name shocking me from my contemplation.

"No, not you, Dusk." it says. "Anyway, it must've latched onto the first name it heard."

"How are you so... okay with this!?" The Namer asks.

"I've seen weirder things happen to us on a daily basis, Twi."

The Namer gets up - I hadn't noticed her sitting.

"So, your name is Dusk?" The Namer asks, walking around me.

"Yes, Namer." I say, bowing in deference. "It was the name you gave me, after all. I am in your eternal debt."

Her Companon makes another one of those noises.

"Question." I say.

"Yeah?" The Namer says.

"What is that noise?"

The smaller one makes the noise again, but louder and deeper.

"Laughter." The Namer says. "You don't know what 'laughter' is?"

I search my mind for the meaning of the word.

"Laughter. The action or sound of laughing." I reply. "Question."

"From now on, just ask the question." The Namer says. "Don't waste time asking for my approval; I'll always give it."

"Your Companion. Why is it laughing?"

At that, The Companion stops laughing.

"It?" it asks.

"Your gender is indeterminate." I say. "I would not dare to cause shame to The Namer's Companion by giving it a title that does not match his or her gender."

Her Companion looks at The Namer with a foreign look. I try to reconcile that look with my knowledge of pony facial expressions.

"Why is it giving you a 'can you believe this' look?" I ask.

At this, The Namer gives a small laugh.

"Can't slip anything past you, eh, Dusk?" She asks, a strange tone in Her voice.

"Not unless you want me to allow foreign matter to move past me, Namer." I reply, bowing again.

"Question." The Namer asks.

I stay silent, my face assuming the 'shock' look.

Why would The Namer ask me if She can ask me a question? Does she not know that she is The Namer!?

"Y-Yes?" I say, the words coming out stilted and odd.

"What do you mean by 'eternal debt'?"

She doesn't know! How could she not know!?

My legs collapse under me, and I fall into a sitting position.

"I don't understand the question." I reply, my voice trembling.

"Are you all right there, big guy?" Her Companion asks. "You're not looking so hot."

"Is everything okay, Dusk?" The Namer asks.

"N-No." I say. "Everything is not all right."

Her Companion places a claw on my shoulder, and I immediately shake it off, the contact startling me.

"Y-You should know." I say slowly. "You should know The Rules of The Contract."

"What contract?" The Namer asks, a strange tone in her voice. "What Rules?"

How could she not know? She should know! She would not have agreed to The Contract if she didn't! How could she not know!?

"The spell!" I say, desperately latching onto anything that might bring back some semblance of reality. "When you cast the spell that summoned us into being, you agreed to a Contract!"

"I did?" The Namer asks.

My eyes widen.

"You don't know!? You didn't know!?"

"No!"

"B-But you're The Namer! You're Number Zero! Y-You're..."

A million different thoughts enter my mind, screaming at me as they whirl around inside my brain...

My vision grows dark, and I feel a dull pressure on the right side of my face.

"What happened?"

"I don't know!"

"Quick! Help me pick him up; we're taking him back to Ponyville!"

Soon, I know no more.