Tingles sat next to me in the small room, the foal opposite us with a bag of sweets and a colouring book, thoughtfully brought by one of the other agency mares. The little fellow was busy colouring, the crayon held in his mouth, “mffff ithh my mfmummff”. By the goddess, I hated ponies talking with their mouths full.

My companion must have read my mind, “Is that your mum? She’s very beautiful isn’t she?”

“Mmmfffmm”

“Brandy, can you finish your picture after we’ve finished talking? We need to ask you questions so we can find you mummy, okay?”

He put down the crayon reluctantly, and nodded his head vigorously. I couldn’t help but smile, his caramel coloured coat and cream coloured mane and tail really did echo his name. His red eyes shone like little garnets.

I smiled kindly at the foal, but it was pretty clear who he trusted more, and it wasn’t the scary guy with the scar and blue eyes!

“Brandy, I want to find your mum and sister, so I need you to tell me what the ponies looked like who took them away. Can you do that?” I asked him.

He nodded and started to draw again, pulling different colours out and making a very interesting attempt at pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns. The legs were straight lines and the horns would put an alicorn to shame. Mind you, his drawing skills still knocked mine into a cocked hat.

We’d already sent agents out looking for anypony who knew Brandy Snap and, importantly, could take him in. I didn’t want the little guy ending up in the orphanage If I could help it. What we had already ascertained though, was that he and his family had been out near the waterfront when a gang of ponies grabbed his mother and his sister while out for a walk in broad daylight. Celestia’s tits, is this what it had come to? Kidnapping in broad daylight? Part of me felt Blaze was responsible for not keeping up regular patrols, in fact I’d hardly seen hide nor tail of a watch pony since coming to in the agency medical bay.

The foal finished the picture, together with a big sun and lollipop trees. He pushed it to Tingles, not me obviously(!) and tapped the ponies one by one,”

“That’s mummy, Carnation. That’s my sister, Flax and these are the mean ponies.”

“Did you hear what they said Brandy?” Tingles asked in her kindly manner.

“Yeah”

“Yes?”

He picked up a crayon, then put it down, looking from me to her and back again, “Will you tell them I told you? They’ll come and get me, I don’t want to go away!” He started to sniff and a little dribble of snot dropped from his nose onto the table. I was torn between wanting to hug him and give him a hankie. I settled on a hankie.

“I promise you Brandy, on my honour as the lord of the four winds, I will hunt down the ponies who took your family and cut them down like wheat before the scythe. Your mummy and sister will come back with me, safe and sound. Fear not.”

Tingles looked at me, her jaw hanging open and eyes like saucers, “Wha…!”

Brandy clopped his hooves together “WHOA! That’s COOL!” Well, yeah, it was kinda cool. Embarrased, my cheeks flushed and I put a hoof behind my head rubbing my mane,

“Um…so Brandy, what did these bad ponies say. I need to know so I can go get ‘em!”

“Okay!”, he chirped, “I heard them say mummy would ‘fetch top dollar’ and sis would be ‘good bait’. The ponies called each other funny names. One called another one ‘Bates’, I think and another was ‘Jingles’…no….”, he tapped a hoof on his muzzle rolling his eyes, “JINGO! That was her name! I remembered!” he stomped his hooves on the table while I stared at Tingles. We shared a look, my goddess, we both knew who that was. The other fucker, was another story…Bates, the bastard who had raped my wife and ran me through with a poker. I owed him…the bastard was so close now I could smell his stink…

“Cap’?” Tingles nudged me with a wing.

“Sorry Tingles, I was a little lost in thought there, and watch the Cap’ thing okay? Brandy has already told you off for calling me that”

“No I didn’t!”, the little foal shouted at me, “Don’t be mean to the nice lady! You be mean to the nasty ponies instead!”

“Its okay Brandy, Nox was talking about someone else we know called Brandy, he’s called Brandy Wine”.

The little fellow banged his hooves on the desk and kicked his chair, “Pfffff! Ha ha ! what a silly name! My names cool, like lord thingy…”

Tingles had to hold her sides to keep her laughter in. I could feel my cheeks reddening, the cheeky little bugger, ‘lord thingy’. Well, I didn’t mean it to slip out, but it did…I wonder why? Bloody hell I was going senile already, nearly ready for pasture Fairlight…

The third pony in the picture was a purple unicorn I wasn’t familiar with. Brandy didn’t know her name, but said it was a mare. He wasn’t sure of any other details, they’d been wearing cloaks, to cover any cutie marks no doubt, but he’d pointed me in the right direction. I collected the piece of paper and looked at the pictures. The yellow male, Gates and the indigo Pegasus, Jingo, we knew. But it was the unknown purple unicorn, who had me scratching my head.

I was about to fold the paper when I noticed that only Gates and Jingo had cloaks drawn on them and sudden realisation popped into my head, “Brandy, was the purple unicorn wearing a cloak?”

He was busy drawing something else now and his mouth was full of crayon, “Mno”.

“Did you see her cutie mark?”

“Mno, mnidnt af won” he slobbered around the crayon.

Tingles stood up suddenly looking from me to the foal, “Brandy, this is important. Did the purple unicorn mare have a cutie mark?”

He spat out the crayon and shook his head, “She was a big foal! No cutie mark!” he laughed and jumped down and ran around the room shouting “Big blank flank!” and falling about in hysterics.

Tingles and I didn’t need to say any more, we’d both heard enough. We left Brandy Snap playing and left the room, the agency mare on duty outside smiled and went in with a plate of sandwiches for the foal.

In the corridor, my brightly coloured partner leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, her eyes closed. I knew how she felt, goddess damn them, they’d have already been sold into slavery, sex trade most likely, and with the worst of the bunch. Gates, that blight upon pony kind.

Tingles spoke softly, “Gates, he’s one of the one’s who…”

“Yeah, him and Melon Patch.”

“Oh Celestia, Nox, those poor ponies…”

“I know Tingles, believe me, I know all too well”, I fished out a couple of mints from my pocket and hoofed one to her which she took gratefully. When ponies said something ‘left a bad taste in your mouth’, they weren’t kidding.

“You worked with Jingo in the watch didn’t you?” I asked her.

She nodded, “I did, but we weren’t especially friendly, she was always quite distant and a real smart arse with other ponies which drove them away from her. Creeped around Blaze and Dawn a lot, like they were the ‘in gang’ or some such.”

“Know anything about her personal life?”

“Not really, again, she didn’t mix. A bit of a loner in some ways, very family orientated. Even brought her little sister to work one day and doted on her the whole time she was there. Cute I suppose, if she wasn’t such a…oh, I don’t know. I don’t like to say ‘weirdo’, but in her case? Yeah, she was.”

“Where does she live? Anypony with her?”

“Been a while, but so far as I know, she actually lives with her sister downtown on eleventh and mane. Might want to check in on her, you think?”

“I think. We can pay a little visit to…oh…oh, fuck…”

The world lurched like I was on the deck of a ship and I slammed against the wall, damn it! I was so weak, and then I realised something…when was last time I’d taken any life energy? The massive expenditure in the sea had drained me, not to mention the flight. It was now affecting me physically as well as magically, I could barely keep my eyes open.

“Cap! You okay? Whats wrong?”

Tingles sounded panicked and put a foreleg around me, “Come on, lets get you to the medics”

“No! Cant, fuck…Tingles, check my pack, the thermos flask...”

She looked inside, “Its broken! The whole lots leaked out…”

I thought I’d felt something damp against my flank, damn it all, why didn’t I check. I needed to get back to my room and take some of the berries and the life energy in the bottle, if there was any left. I couldn’t remember, my head was a disaster area.

“Tingles, please, help me back to my room, please…”

“Okay, you’re the boss, here, lean on me…that’s right, one leg at a time.”

How we got to my room I don’t know, I remember collapsing on the bed and feeling like I could sleep forever. Tingles rummaged around the room and poured out the last of the bottle and berries, crushing them into an ad-hoc smoothie.

“Get this down you Cap, come on now…”

Gratefully, hungrily, I downed the mixture, feeling strength drip into me, but it wasn’t much. Not much at all, fuck…wait! Aunties jam! Weakly I staggered over to the cupboard, until Tingles stopped me, realising what I was after and brought out a jar for me.

“Is this what you’re after?”

I nodded and she pulled out a spoon, lifting my head and feeding me the sweet preserve. The stuff tasted amazing but its effects were what I really wanted, and got. Thank Luna, my legs and spine shivered as the life giving force seeped back into me. I’d have to be more careful in future and make sure I had a stock of the preserves. I’d have a word with the kitchen staff and see if they could make some with the berries that appeared each morning.

“Fairlight, the bottle…its empty…”, Tingles stated quietly.

“Yeah, its okay. It appears here most mornings with the berries, the cleaners bring it in I think.” Never really noticed where it came from, or how…must be…magic. Ah, the answer to all lifes mysteries! Well, at least my sense of humour hadn’t drained away completely.

“I’m going to lie down for a bit love, I’m so tired…can’t hardly…” I yawned so widely, I heard my jaw crack and hauled myself onto the bed with a nudge from Tingles.

“Okay Captain, sleep well…” she mumbled something I couldn’t quite hear as she left the room and flicked off the light. She was such a good…friend…

My dreams were a clouded mess of disjointed and terrifying images. Brandy, the little foal, featured heavily in them, weeping for his lost mother and sister. Their cries for help pulled me deeper into the dream world, helpless and alone. I was desperate to help them, to do what I could, anything, to save the two frightened ponies that were lost in a world totally alien to them. Desperation and anger at my impotence dragged me on past the laughing images of Gates and Melon Patch, their filthy visages, decaying in the depravity they revelled in.

Anger gave way to a steel hard need, a hatred beyond anything I had ever experienced. The voices, the smells, the faces…Gates and Melon Patch, I would find them, and by the time I had finished with them, they would pray for death.

A grim determination settled through me, I felt…jubilant, excited at the prospect of revelling in their demise. They deserved it, called out for it…death. A pony, cloaked in black, scythe carried over its shoulder as insubstantial as a shadow, walked toward me, its hooves echoing as if we were in some great stone hall. It grew closer, solidifying as it came, there was no face…only a black nothingness.

“Who do you fear?” its hissing voice asked.

I reared and slammed my hooves down hard, “I fear NOPONY”

“Do you fear death?”

“NO”

“Do you fear yourself?”

I hesitated, unsure how to answer. The figure looked up, two bright blue eyes shone out through the dark mass under the cloaks cowl. The pony threw back the hood and there was no mistaking it, it was like a mirror, I was looking at…myself.

The thing wearing my face walked towards me,

“Ponies fear the unknown, they fear death, they fear you.”

In barely a whisper it spoke next to my ear, “You have become death”

Shouting out in panic, my head pulled away from my pillow, sweat dripping off me. I was soaked in it, my bedsheets stuck to my fur and I felt terrible. My head was banging with a terrible headache, my legs felt leaden and…Oh hell, my room. In my nightmare, I must have lashed out with my magic. Around me, the floor, walls and ceiling were solid with ice, even the toilet. That was going to take some explaining, and the worst of it was, I really needed to go.

I slipped on the floor, landing in a heap of sodden bed covers and steaming fur. I was burning up, the ice was even melting beneath me. Fuck me, this wasn’t good! I grabbed the jars of jam and downed as much of it as I could. I felt sick to my stomach eating so much gooey sweetness in one go, but it didn’t matter, I had to try and settle things down. The magic had leaked from me during the night and what precious little I’d had before bed, had probably already gone.

The jam helped, but I was desperately low on reserves, I only hoped that whoever brought the bottle last time, would do so again. I was heartily sick of bloody berries.

The corridor was quiet at this time, what ever that was. My clock was frozen solid and my pocket watch was somewhere in a huge icicle at the back of the room. I’d have to sort that out later too…what a treat. Fortunately, the toilets weren’t too far and I virtually flung myself on the seat and just in the nick of time too. Fortunately, nopony came in whilst I was in there and after a light freshen up, I nipped out quick.

I decided against going back to my room, there wasn’t much I could do just at the moment and so I decided to hang out in the canteen until I felt a bit better, or had a shower, damn I couldn’t decide, my head was still such a bloody mess. Along the corridor was Tingles’ room, I wonder if she was still awake?

I knocked lightly on the door,

“Tingles? Its Nox, you up?”, there was no answer. I was about to walk away when I thought I head something in the room, like something rolling across the floor. I tried again, slightly louder but still no answer. The door wasn’t locked, which wasn’t that unusual in the agency, but still, it was a mares room after all. No harm in checking she was okay, besides, something was niggling at the back of my mind. Something wasn’t right here, I may be wrong of course, but if I was right and I did nothing. Damn it all! I’d probably get a bollocking from her, but here goes…

I pushed the door open, surprised to find the light still on. The bed was unslept in, where the hell was she? I moved closer in and nearly tripped on a glass bottle on the floor, that must have been what the noise was, but what made it roll? That was when I noticed the green tail poking round the corner of the bed, the rest of Tingles slumped further in and partly hidden behind the cupboard. She was draped over some sort of object that was studded with gems and glowing with a white light.

“TINGLES!”, I shouted, rushing over to her, slipping on the silvery white fluid that had spilled from the bottle. It was almost invisible against the white tiled flooring but even in my panic to get to her, I knew what it was…and I knew what the damned fool was doing too.

“Oh goddesses, Tingles…No! What the hell have you done?”

She was weak, terribly, terribly weak. Her coat was palid and her eyes sunken, yet despite it, she tried to smile,

“Hey…Cap’…Sorry, I couldn’t…make as much as…I thought…”

“You bloody fool! Oh fuck, fuck, FUCK!”, I looked around frantically. I didn’t know what the hell I was looking for, but one thing I knew I was going to do, was get her away from that damned…’thing’. I pulled it out from under her and flung the cursed device across the room and went to help Tingles off the floor. I was still weak, painfully so, but she needed me and damn it all, I would save my friend.

I sounds terrible, horrible I know, but I still did it. I managed to down the remains in the bottle and even licked the fluid off the floor, as much as I could, to build some magic back up. It was barely enough to help me levitate her off the ground and onto my back, but I managed. Held on by the magic from my horn, I bolted out the room and down the corridor for the only place I knew could help her.

“Mistress! Open up, for the love of the all that’s holy! Please!” I hammered on the door with my hoof but no reply came.

“Open the fucking door, I need your help now! LUNA!”

Still no reply.

I felt down inside myself, the spirit was weakened but still there. With a little persuasion and driven by need, I released its power into my body, feeling it freeze and warm me equally. My voice, heavy and filled with ethereal energy, boomed out in the corridor.

“PRINCESS! OPEN THIS DOOR NOW OR BY THE GODS I WILL TURN IT INTO MATCHWOOD!”

With a flicker of purple light, the magic around the door shimmered and died, the locks snapping back and the heavy portal swung open, a voice from within flowed out,

“What is the meaning of this infernal noise? You! What are you doing here?”

I rushed inside, “Its Tingles, she’s…she’s dying…damn it Luna, she’s the one who’s been filling those bottles isn’t she? You gave her that damned device and look whats happened! My friend…this is your bloody fault, so, DO SOMETHING!”

The princess slammed the door shut and locked it, throwing off her cloak and shooting me an angry glance,

“Put her in front of the fire, gently now…that’s right”

She plucked a bottle from the shelf and hoofed it over to me, “Drink, you need energy, I can see it in your eyes.”

“Is this hers? Is it!?”

Luna scowled, “No! and if you are going to keep shouting, I will throw you out of the window and see how fast you learn to fly, so be quiet!”

I was virtually shaking with adrenalin, but followed the Princesses directions and swallowed the contents of the bottle. Almost immediately, I felt a strong wave of energy encompass me, rather like jumping into a hot bath. I was alive, alive and alert at last. But now, Tingles lay before me, I had to help her.

I sat beside the tangerine mare and pulled a cushion off the chair to place gently under her head. Brushing a few wisps of hair from face, I opened myself fully to the spirits power, opening my maw and allowing the mist to begin to form. A midnight coloured foreleg reached over and stopped me,

“No, this is beyond you now I fear. To bring her back from where she is now will likely take all you have and your spirit is already weakened.”

“I feel strong!”, I hissed, “I will save the girl, I will not fail again!”

Luna seemed surprised, her eyes widening and then leaning forward with a gentle smile, “You always did surprise me, my lord.”

Oh goddesses, this again!

“Luna, please!”

“Oh, be quiet Captain, I know what I’m doing. You must remain still and, I pray, quiet!”

I nodded and watched her intently. Luna raised her hooves above her head and began a peculiar chant, the room darkening as she continued. A black swirl of non-light, ebbed and flowed around her hooves, gaining speed and emanating a sort of humming wail. Her chanting grew louder, its intensity shaking the walls, the doors and even rattling the windows. My horn itched like crazy from the intense magical build up.

My eyes went wide as I saw a small pinprick of silver light seep out from the princess of the night’s chest and be sucked into the black vortex above her. With a strange shout that made my mane stand on end, Luna sucked the black mass into her mouth and in one fluid movement, leaned forward and clamped her mouth around Tingles’ own.

The princess’s eyes blazed with white light, bleaching the room with their radiance. Alarmingly, Tingles’ own eyes began to glow, brighter and brighter still, until she was filled with the magic of the night princess. Her colour returned before my very eyes, her chest moving with her breathing, and her legs beginning to twitch.

With a shudder, Tingles came back to herself and locked eyes with the princess who pulled her mouth away. She looked utterly exhausted, and Tingles looked like she was in a state of shock.

“What, what was that?…Princess? What am I doing here? Fairlight!” the tangerine mare sat up and nearly knocked me flying, her forelegs pulling me into a crushing embrace.

Luna sat back rubbing her brow, “Are you well my dear young mare?”

Tingles released me and turned to face the princess, “I am you majesty, thank you, I…I don’t know what happened”

“I do!”, I said angrily, ”It was that bloody thing you were using. What were you thinking Tingles? Giving me your life? Do you want to die?!”

She looked abashed and despite my anger, I felt ashamed at my outburst. This mare was sacrificing her life daily, to give me strength to help Equestria. She was truly one of a kind, an example of all that was good in a pony.

“No…” she said solemnly, “I want to…”

“She wants to help you, Captain,” Luna interrupted, “as do I. You have a remarkable talent for influencing mares around you, affecting hearts and souls without having any idea how or even that you are”

I shook my head in disbelief, “This is all…I don’t know, madness. Sheer madness. I appreciate why you’re doing this, but giving me your life…Goddesses, Tingles please, not you…”

I sank to my haunches and hid my face in my hooves. The tangerine mare scooched over and held me in her forelegs, “Its okay Fairlight, I’m alright. Look, see? I’m okay…don’t cry now love. Come on now…shhhhh, it alright, I’m not going away…”

Her warm embrace held me tight and I cried into her fur like a foal, sobs wracking my whole body. I barely noticed Luna walking up beside me and place a kiss on my forehead,

“You have many who love you, Captain...my lord of the four winds. Never forget that.”

I felt the heat of the fire on my coat, the warmth of Tingles’ body and the smell of her breath, her fur, her mane…I wanted to go home and hide in her embrace forever, forgetting the world outside. But it was not to be, and probably rightly so. I couldn’t hide from my duties, from life. So many depended upon me, including the princess and my tangerine Pegasus. The sheer relief of having her back with us, with me, was overloading my emotions.

She moved her muzzle and brought my tear sodden face up to hers, “I know, I know I shouldn’t say it, you have Meadow and Shadow…but…”

“Tingles…”, I said quietly, listening to her heart beating beside me.

“I love you Fairlight…I always have”

I snuggled my muzzle into her chest, “I know…Tingles…I…”

“Shhhh, its okay, I understand. I’m quite a selfish pony at heart my Captain, and whether you like it or not, whether you feel anything for me or not, I will still love you…”, she let out a little whimper, “Damn you Fairlight, I love you so much…why do I feel like this? Why…?”

I didn’t understand mares, I probably never would. Right then, like my dream, I didn’t truly understand myself either. Perhaps I was over thinking things again, maybe I should just live for the moment and take tomorrow by the balls…tomorrow. Right now, a mare who loved me was holding me to her breast before a roaring fire on a soft warm rug. If the eternal herd was the heaven of the ponies, they could keep it. Here and now, I had found mine.