It’s not uncommon to hear ponies going on about taking things for granted. Well, I guess I’m living proof that they know what they’re talking about. I fell into a rhythm of sorts, and thought it would go on forever. How ironic, to think that I had to become blind to recognize the claws looming over us. Who would have thought that something so wonderful could be snuffed out like a light?

I have one thing left in my life. I will protect it with all my soul. If that means I have to become the bad guy, then so be it.

I won’t take her for granted.

—Vinyl Scratch, Book of Shadows XLVIII

May 27, 1007

The fact that Vinyl wasn’t completely lost was a matter of pride for her. The fact that she had no idea where to go next? Not so much.

She sat in the grass, knowing she was in the front courtyard of Canterlot Castle. Her next task, obviously, was getting into the castle itself. It should have been simple; just follow the throng of ponies down the path. Unfortunately, it turned out the path broke into three different directions, and it took her a lot of wasted time to realize it.

Vinyl wasn’t accustomed to traveling alone. Walking to a set destination in a city she never visited before was a far cry from exploring Hoofington with Trixie and Amethyst there to guide her along. Why had she told them to stay behind, again?

She cringed at the memory of Amethyst’s violent reaction to Fine Crime and the miserable, bone-tired sound of the filly at the train station. “That’s why, you foal,” she muttered under her breath.

Fortunately, the last few months of experience had taught Vinyl the fine art of listening. It had been her only tool for this journey, and she’d spent the entire day sitting at street corners and listening to ponies talk in order to get her directions. Though the method proved slow, it usually worked fine.

Unfortunately, these three paths were close enough in direction that Vinyl couldn’t sort them out. She ground her teeth, taking in the chatter of frustrated nobles, guards leaving for home or coming in for a shift, and tourists gawking at the scenery. The sounds all seemed to be coming from the same direction, which frustrated her to no end. She took a moment to adjust her new sunglasses, knowing that asking directions would be pointless unless she could somehow catch an on-duty guard, but those jerks never spoke.

“Stay sere long enough, and ponies vill sink you are part of se décor.”

Vinyl gave as quiet a yelp as she could manage before jerking about to face the source of the feminine voice. “Don’t sneak up on ponies like that!”

The stranger offered a flighty giggle. “My apologies, Miss Scratchington. I tend to forget how quiet I can be.”

Her ears folded back. “How did you know my name?”

“I vas at your concert in New Horseleans… four years ago, I believe? It vas your first tour.”

“Oh, right.” Just a fan, then. Or so Vinyl thought, but then she took in what she’d just heard along with the soft Grypha accent. “Why would a griffon be in New Horseleans?”

Vinyl had never heard such pristine laughter in her life, a sound not unlike the ringing of bells. “Oh, Miss Scratch, I am a pony! Fleur de Lis, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Fleur…” Vinyl scratched an ear as she thought on that name. “Wait, aren’t you a fashion model?”

“Vy, yes! I am surprised you know of me. I beg your pardon, but you do not strike me as a mare vis an interest in fashion.”

“Don’t look at me, I just hear things.” Vinyl winced. “Eh, that sounded like a bad joke. Look, Miss de Lis—”

“Fleur, if you please.”

Even without sight, Vinyl could still appreciate a good eye roll. She dearly hoped this mare didn’t intend to make friends. “Fleur, I’m sorry, but I can’t talk right now. I’ve got something very important to do in the palace.”

“Yes, I am avare.” A hoof touched Vinyl’s shoulder, turning her away from the path. “You’ll vant to go sis vay, it is faster.”

“Hey!” She pulled back from Fleur’s touch and scowled. “I haven’t even told you where I’m going.”

“To meet a certain stallion.”

Vinyl froze, her eyebrows rising. A thought pressed into her head, but there was no way. This mare, a fashion icon, couldn’t possibly be…

There was no more playfulness in Fleur’s voice. “He offered you a favor, did he not?”

Vinyl’s hind legs gave out. She gaped, feeling at once both shock and horror. “You’re… you’re one of them?”

Fleur was silent.

Surely nothing would happen to Vinyl here, not in front of all those ponies. She tensed as she felt something move close; a silken mane brushed against the side of her face.

“I am somesing else altogeser.”

The whisper sent a shiver down Vinyl’s spine. It took all her willpower not to leap away.

As soon as it began, the sense of closeness faded. “If you vould let me, I can guide you to him.” Fleur’s voice had switched to that pleasant tone, not a hint of the ominous left to be found.

Vinyl didn’t bother to consider the proposition. She knew this day was going to end the same way regardless. Her anxiety kept her from speaking beyond a mumble, and she gave only a weak nod. A twitch overcame Vinyl at the touch of Fleur’s hoof to her back, but she let the mare guide her further away from the path.

The movements in her legs were stiff. Vinyl had to wonder how much Fleur knew about her. Was her family being watched even now? Was she going to walk into a room and find Amethyst and Trixie waiting for her? How long had the Archons known she was in Canterlot? A thousand more questions crashed through her head, tormenting her with visions of doom far beyond anything Tune Grief’s rebels had inspired. When she felt her hooves land upon hard stone instead of grass and heard a door close behind her, she couldn’t help imagining that she was in some cobweb-ridden hallway awash in shadow.

“You’re so stiff. Relax, Miss Scratchington.”

“I will relax,” Vinyl hissed through her teeth, “when I get out of this place alive and whole. Not a moment sooner.”

Fleur sighed, frustration evident in her tone. “You speak as if you are a prisoner. Se Archons have no reason to cause you or your family harm.”

“Then why have you been watching us?” Vinyl turned her head, hoping her glare was appropriately aimed.

“You are a… umm…” Her guide mumbled something in griffon. “A ‘special case.’ I’m afraid my boss vill have to be se one to provide more details.”

Vinyl frowned as she considered the answer. “A special case? Because of what happened in Neighrobi?”

“I am afraid not.” Fleur guided Vinyl into a turn. “Be mindful of se stairs.”

Begrudgingly grateful for the warning, Vinyl slowed down until she felt the first step underhoof. Fleur made no attempt to hurry her. After a few paces, Vinyl realized they were climbing a circular staircase. Her confidence rose with her gradual mastery of the steps. “Come to think of it, what was an Archon doing at one of my concerts? Have you guys been watching me that long?”

“I am afraid I can offer no commentary on sat particular subject,” Fleur remarked. “And it vas never specifically you ve vere vatching.”

Vinyl’s heart leapt into her throat and she missed a step, nearly falling face-first on the stairs. “W-what are you saying?”

“Oh dear, I’ve said too much.” Though Vinyl recoiled from her touch once more, Fleur helped her regain her balance. “Forgive me, I really should be letting Fine tell you sis.”

A whole new world of terrible possibilities swam through Vinyl’s head. She hated being blind, for it meant there could be no visual distractions from the horrors of her mind. She wanted to look at something, anything to keep her fears in the recesses of her imagination. “Who are you really watching? Trixie? Amethyst? Why?”

“I am sorry. It’s not my place to say.” Fleur’s tone grew softer. Vinyl wasn’t buying it.

The climb seemed to last forever, and Fleur made no attempt at small talk. Vinyl was left with her thoughts, which inevitably painted her surroundings as being some decrepit, forgotten tower of the castle that nopony ever visited for rumors of curses and ghosts. She’d never thought herself too imaginative, but there she was, wondering when she’d come across the Wendigos that were rumored to be kept as pets by Celestia. She’d never believed such wild tales, but now, in the silence and the eerie echo of their hoofsteps, she could almost feel something icy nipping at her fetlocks.

At last they reached the top step, then passed through another doorway into a hall. Realizing that she had not just been in a tower, Vinyl finally decided to do something about her anxieties. “Hey, what is this place?”

“I don’t understand,” Fleur answered slowly. “It is Canterlot castle. You knew sis.”

“Right.” Vinyl mentally kicked herself for asking the question in such a poor way. “But, like, what does this place look like?”

It was a few seconds before Fleur answered, and there was an anxious quality to her words. “The valls and floor are marble. Mostly vite, vis subtle shades of pink every now and sen. Sere are vindows to your left, vith some grand views of Canterlot. Sis part of se castle isn’t visited by many citizens, so ve are mostly alone save for a guard or two.”

So, not a cold, dark, brooding place of hard rock and spooky décor?

Vinyl broke out in laughter upon realizing just how dumb her little fantasy had grown. Why had she ever let such imagery into her head? Cobwebs and shadows! What did she think this was, some b-list horror novel?

“Umm, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m good.” Vinyl grinned and shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just that I had some really stupid ideas about this place and I feel just as stupid for believing them. I can’t believe I was thinking of Canterlot Castle as scary.”

Silence was her only answer, and after a time she felt Fleur’s guiding hoof on her back once more. They walked on through the halls, their echoing hoofsteps the only sound.

“It is.”

Vinyl’s ears flicked. “Pardon?”

“It is scary.” Fleur released a shuddering breath.

“In some vays, Canterlot Castle is one of se scariest places in se vorld.”

“At ease, boys.” Fleur’s tone was playful, evoking none of the fear she’d demonstrated before. In fact, there were very few times Fleur didn’t seem perfectly happy.

As usual, Vinyl was not put at ease by this. She’d queried the unlikely Archon about her little slip, but Fleur had offered no other hints as to the nature of Canterlot Castle. To her frustration, this forced her to go back to her wild fears, in which she’d been stuck ever since.

And now they stood before the lair of the demon: Fine’s office. Fleur hadn’t said it, but somehow Vinyl knew they had arrived. She stood stock still, ears perked and breath coming in slow gasps. She had to not let her imagination run away with her. She had to go in there and face him. Fine was only a pony. He wasn’t going to kill her, or play mind games, or demand she give up her soul in exchange for Amethyst’s sanity.

She hoped.

“Vinyl?”

“A minute.” She bowed her head and worked to steady her breathing. “Just… just give me a minute.”

Was it a minute? It seemed like longer. Fleur didn’t press her, for which she was grateful.

At last feeling… marginally confident, Vinyl trudged forward. The door closed softly, but the sound still made her wince. She’d done it. She was here, for better or for worse, and there was truly no going back. The idea left her stomach in tangles.

“He’ll be in his office at sis hour. Come.”

Vinyl allowed herself to be guided along, devoting her attention to rebuilding her courage. She had to face Fine with firmness, or at least a good façade. Oh, but if only she had her eyes! Being able to look determined was nothing compared to matching a pony glare-for-glare. Still, Vinyl would work with what she had.

What she had was emotion: a whole day of frustration at trying to find this place; weeks of anger building up as she listened to Amethyst’s steady decline; years of suspicion and bitterness at the filly’s constant nightmares. All because of one pony.

Vinyl had plenty of negative emotions to level at Fine, and right now she tapped into all of them.

A knock caught her attention. “Fine? You have a visitor.”

“In a moment, Little Miss.”

Ears perked as Vinyl recognized Fine’s voice. She tensed, her frustration building at the thought of having to wait.

“Who is… oh. Oh my.”

A new voice. A voice Vinyl was very familiar with.

A voice that knocked all of her anger to a single point.

“You!”

Vinyl surged forward, only to bang into an object that rose to her chest. She snarled and attempted to climb over, but something caught her tail and pulled her back. “This is your fault, you haughty, arrogant, evil witch!”

“Um… Hey there, Vinyl.” Octavia’s voice was strangely quiet compared to Vinyl’s shouts.

“Don’t you ‘hey, Vinyl’ me!” Vinyl knocked her glasses off, revealing the scars and blank, unseeing eyes. “Look at this. Look at what you did to me! You said we’d be safe, that somepony would be watching out for me. Your bucking pony used an axe to shove my face in a fire!”

“I didn’t mean to—”

“Octavia, leave.”

“But—”

“No buts. Just go. You too, Fleur.”

Vinyl snarled and lunged again. The vice-like grip on her tail remained steadfast. “Don’t you walk away from me! You are going to Tartarus, do you hear me? Tartarus!” She turned to follow the hoofsteps, constantly straining against her own tail. “Talk to me, damn you! What did I ever bucking do to you?!”

The door closed in her face, but not before faint sobs reached her ears. “What, you’re going to cry now? Boo-hoo-hoo! Why don’t you spend the rest of your life blind? Then you might actually have something to cry about!”

“That’s enough, Vinyl.”

“And you!” She turned to glare in the direction of Fine’s frustratingly calm voice. “Why the buck are you so interested in my family, huh? We haven’t done anything wrong. We just wanted to live normal lives. Everything was going wonderfully until your ponies showed up! Why the buck do we deserve to be targeted by you?!”

She stood in place, legs splayed and breath coming in deep heaves. She wished she could see him just so she could properly hit him with her most vicious look possible. And maybe a few beams to boot. The fire within her was like an inferno now, and she wouldn’t be satisfied until somepony burned.

“Are you done?”

“No, I am not.” Vinyl stomped forward, barely noticing that her tail was no longer pinned. “I want answers. I want to know what’s going on!” She bumped into the object again, presumably a desk. She pressed against it and stretched her neck forward, hoping he was right there for her to glare at. “The Archons owe my family, and I am here to collect.”

Quiet filled the office. Vinyl continued to huff as her simmering anger kept her on edge. She wouldn’t let this bastard treat her family like trash anymore. She was prepared for anything; an attack, a laugh, a refusal, anything.

Or so she thought.

“Alright.”

The fire snuffed out instantly. “…alright?”

“What do you want? Name it.”

Vinyl stared at the blackness for some time, lips slightly parted in a dazed expression. “You… Really?” The faint hum of magic reached her ears, and she was carefully pushed back into a sitting position.

Fine’s voice was a lesson in patience. “I told you on the airship, Vinyl; you get a favor from the Archons. How could you forget? Isn’t that why you came all this way?”

“Well… yeah.” She shook her head forcefully and regained her glare. “But I’m not accepting anything until I know it’s safe! And I still want answers.”

There came the sound of papers being shuffled on the desk, then some faint scribbling. “Fair enough, but be aware that I can’t tell you everything. We are a clandestine organization, after all.”

“I don’t care about the Archons,” she hissed. “I care about my family. Now, why are you ponies watching us?”

He sighed heavily. “Classified.”

“Classified?” She stomped both hooves. “What the buck could possibly be classified about it? It’s not like we’re scheming with the Gallopeans to take down Celestia! We’re just a normal family, trying to live normal lives!”

“You indeed have a normal family, despite the odds against you. You should be proud of that.”

“I was, until you guys stepped in.” She rubbed a fetlock across her eyes. “This is getting us nowhere. How about why you made Amethyst remember her parents’ deaths?”

A pause. Vinyl lowered her hoof, her ears swiveling towards Fine. She could hear him shifting. Her breath caught as she realized that he might actually answer, and she couldn’t help leaning forward in anticipation.

“That’s my fault,” he said at last. “I wanted to make sure she avoided Celestia, Canterlot and the Archons at all costs, so I gave her a potion to ensure she never forgot.”

Vinyl released the breath she’d been holding. “So it’s true. She said a mud pony forced her to drink something. It really happened.”

“A mud pony?” Fine chuckled. “I suppose my coat does fit that description.”

Vinyl leaned closer, her eagerness for answers negating all her anger. “So… the nightmares are intentional? Why?”

“Oh?” Uncertainty laced his voice. “She still has nightmares? I was sure she’d grow out of them by the age of, say, three.”

Vinyl gaped. “Three? Fine, she’s always had the nightmares! Did it not occur to you that you might be scarring her for her entire life?” She realized her own words and huffed. “Then again, you probably don’t care.”

“Of course I care!” Fine’s hoof banged the desk, making her wince. “Contrary to what you might think of me, I am not some cold-hearted monster. Making Amethyst remember may have scarred her for life but, after what I did to her parents, I wanted to make bucking sure she would live the rest of her life in peace. Away from here. If that means giving her the occasional nightmare, so be it.”

“Occasional?” Vinyl snarled and took a step closer. “Do you have any idea what she’s going through right now? You’ve broken her! You broke my Little Sparkler!”

“Broke her?” Now he sounded incredulous.

“Yes, broke her!” She reared up to stomp both hooves on his desk. Her volume grew with every word. “Ever since we met on the King Bullion. She wakes us up every night with her screams. She begs us to save her from being burned like her father! She hasn’t had a good night sleep since we got home! My precious little filly is going insane, and it’s all your fault!”

Yet again, she was reduced to a heaving mess of rage. It would be nothing for her to leap over that desk and start pounding, and to Tartarus with the consequences! Yet somehow she held back. She waited.

“I… I didn’t mean…” Hoofsteps alerted her to his pacing. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to be that strong. I was trying to help her!”

A growl rose unbidden from Vinyl’s throat. “Fix it. Fix it right now.”

Fine gave a shout of frustration. “Now I understand, Celestia. You really are a heartless b… b-b…” He strained with the word for a moment. “B… b-b-b… bitch! Goddess, I hate that she did that to me.”

Vinyl’s brow furrowed. Slowly, she pulled back from the desk and sat. “Did you just call Celestia a bitch?”

“I’ve called her worse,” he grumbled. “So is that your request? You want Amethyst to forget?”

“No, I came all the way over here for a night in Celestia’s bed.” Vinyl threw up her hooves. “Yes, that’s what I want! What else could it possibly be? And you better be able to do it, Fine, or so help me I am going to tear you to pieces.”

Fine was quiet for a moment. When he next spoke, his tone was subdued. “I want you to understand something, Vinyl: I want to help you. I’m pretty sure I can. But the catch will be… Well, I honestly don’t know. I can tell you that you may regret it for the rest of your life.”

“Catch?” Another growl from Vinyl. “You promised me a favor. No catches.”

“I promised a favor from the Archons,” he corrected in a bitter tone. “This goes beyond our purview. You see, shortly after I gave Amethyst that memory potion, Celestia had all access to the antidote restricted to herself. To get that antidote, we need to ask Celestia’s favor. There is no question that she planned for exactly this moment.”

Vinyl huffed and turned around. “Then I talk to Celestia. Got it. Just point me in the right direction.” Hoofsteps galloped around the room, and Fine caught her by the shoulders. “Let me go!”

“Listen.” The force behind his words held her attention. “Celestia’s going to demand something from you in return for this. It is going to be terrible. You need to really think about whether you want to do this.”

“It’s for Amethyst.” Vinyl leveled a firm frown his direction. “I will do whatever it takes. I’m not going to doom her to an asylum because I got cold hooves. Now get out of my way.”

Fine didn’t move at first. Vinyl ignited her horn.

Then he heaved a sigh. “Alright, Vinyl, but I’m going with you. You’re going to want a witness, and I might be able to lessen the blow.”

She shoved him aside and groped for the door handle. “I don’t need your help.”

Her sunglasses slipped back onto her face. “Yes, you do. You just don’t know it yet.”

Vinyl groaned from her couch. “How long is she going to make us wait?”

“She is Celestia,” Fine remarked with disinterest. “You can’t expect her to stop the day court for any pony who walks through the door.”

Vinyl shot a scowl in the direction of his voice. “It’s been… I don’t know. Hours? Doesn’t she ever take a break?”

“It’s been an hour-and-a-half, and if she was gonna take a break, I guarantee she wouldn’t come here to do so.”

“But this is important!” She sat up and stretched. “You did tell her this was important, right? Doesn’t she care about her ponies?”

Fine’s response was a growl. “Your complete ignorance on that matter is the only reason I don’t burst your bubble. She’ll get here when she gets here.”

“Yeah? And when the buck will that be, next year?”

“How about right now?”

The hair on the back of Vinyl’s neck rose and she hurriedly jumped down from the couch. “P-Princess! It’s an honor.” She gave a hasty and clumsy bow.

A door closed. Celestia’s hoofsteps were light compared to Fine’s, and it sounded as though the princess was approaching Vinyl directly. For the first time, Vinyl realized that she had no idea how to speak to royalty. Was there something she was supposed to say? Her ignorance shot a wad of anxiety into her gut.

Celestia’s voice was light and friendly, and curiously pleasant on the ears. “Your politeness is nice, considering your reason for coming here. Rise, Miss Scratchington; let me take a look at you.”

Vinyl obeyed, trying her best not to fidget. The soft sound of magic met her ears, and her glasses floated from her face. She could only blush and keep her jaw clenched as the cool metal of Celestia’s regalia touched her cheek, forcing her head this way and that. Celestia released her, and Vinyl heaved a deep sigh.

“I should thank you,” Celestia said. “Your sacrifice made the annihilation of the Neighrobi rebels a simple matter. Mr. Fine Crime informs me that you had a request, to be granted as promised for your losses. Is this true?”

“It is—”

“I was talking to Vinyl, Fine. Be a good boy and sit in the corner there while we have some girl talk.”

Vinyl balked; Celestia spoke to Fine as if he were dirt. It wasn’t at all the kind of tone she would imagine the princess having.

“Now then. Miss Scratchington, what is it that you would ask of me?”

There was the faint sound of magic once more, but Vinyl couldn’t tell what the princess was doing. She swallowed the lump in her throat and hoped she was looking Celestia in the face. “Your Mane Archon gave my sister a memory potion. I have come to ask for the antidote.”

“Hmm…” A low chuckle came from the princess. It was an portentous sound, the likes of which should never have come from the Princess of the Sun. “The nightmares have finally grown worse, haven’t they?”

Vinyl gasped. “You mean you knew? But how—”

“Fine used that memory potion prematurely,” Celestia said, and there was no attempt to hide her mirth. “That was your first mission as the Mane Archon, wasn’t it, Fine? You were so traumatized, it’s no wonder you weren’t thinking clearly enough to check the fine print.”

“B-but, if you knew…” Vinyl took a step forward, confusion and worry stirring within her. “Why did you just let it happen? Why not give Amethyst the cure right away?”

“You really have to ask?” Celestia laughed once more. “That little abomination is the spawn of two races. As far as I’m concerned, she’s not even equine. Knowing that she would squirm later sounded delightful! And since I knew Fine would try to correct his mistake as soon as he found out about it, I of course had to make sure he couldn’t do that without coming to me first.”

Vinyl recoiled. Now, for the first time, Vinyl had to face reality and ask the big question: what was Celestia? History called her the source of all good things, but with her experiences with the Archons… and now this?

The next words came out as if of their own accord. “Y-you can’t think like that. You’re Celestia!”

Celestia’s tone went from playful to threatening in a heartbeat. “That’s Princess Celestia to you. See that you recall it, or you’ll never get the antidote.”

“But… b-but…” That wretched feeling in her gut threatened to make her heave. “You can’t… She’s only a filly. She can’t help who her parents were.”

“Oh-ho, you silly pony.” Celestia giggled. “You seem to think I care. How delightfully naïve.”

“Stop it!” Vinyl stomped, and the first tear formed in her eyes. “I get it, okay? You don’t have to pour salt in the wound. J-just… What do I have to do to get that antidote?”

“Why, not a thing.” There was a trio of thunks in rapid succession. “I’ll offer it freely.”

Vinyl perked her ears to the sound, then gradually reached a hoof out. Before she could touch whatever had been placed before her, however, something pushed her leg back. “But you said—”

“Not so hasty, Miss Scratchington,” Celestia said playfully. “I have yet to explain the rules.”

“Rules? What rules?”

“My rules.” Celestia’s little laugh was starting to get on Vinyl’s nerves. “There are three potions before you. You will take two. The yellow one is the antidote.”

Vinyl cocked her head with a frown. “And how the hay am I supposed to know which one is the yellow one?”

“It doesn’t matter. Fine will be taking that one.”

“What?” Vinyl grimaced and shook her head. “I’m not liking this.”

Again with that frustrating chuckle! “You’re getting it! So, Fine will take the antidote and keep it hidden. He will accompany you back to Hoofington, and you will take the remaining two potions. One of them provides a boon; the other, a curse with no cure.”

That sinking feeling came back to Vinyl’s stomach. “S-so… which one’s which?”

She waited for an answer. And waited. She could almost see the smirk on Celestia’s face. “You’re not going to tell me.”

“Neither will Fine.” Celestia’s tone suggested she was speaking directly to the Mane Archon. “Nor will he make any attempt to find out for himself.”

Vinyl’s breathing became shallow. Her pulse increased. “W-what do you want me to do with them?”

“Is it not obvious? You and your 'sister,' Trixie, will drink one potion apiece.”

“How do you know about…” Vinyl shook her head. “Wait, but why? Why should we drink these?”

“Because Fine won’t give you the antidote until you do.”

Another lump in the throat. Another slow swallow. Vinyl turned her head to the side. “F-Fine, you wouldn’t do this… would you?”

There was a moment’s quiet. “I’m sorry, Vinyl,” he whispered. “I don’t have a choice.”

“But you do!” Vinyl turned her head back to Celestia, her legs trembling. “You don’t have to obey this… this creature.”

Celestia laughed, a much louder and more forceful laugh than she’d offered before. “That’s where you are wrong, my little pony! He is magically bound to me. If I told him to jump off the highest tower of the castle, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from doing it. And just to make things even more entertaining… Fine?”

Another brief pause.

“Vanilla and Trixie have one hour from the moment she gets home to drink the potions. If they do not, you are going to kill Amethyst and Trixie.”

The air burst from Vinyl’s lungs. She tried to form some sort of plea, but nothing came out.

“Furthermore, you will temporarily incapacitate Vinyl, then go to the orphanage where she met Amethyst. Once you’ve ensured all the children and their caretakers are trapped inside, you will burn it to the ground.”

“N-no…” Vinyl slowly shook her head, mind reeling. “Y-you… They have nothing to do with this.”

“Is that understood, Fine?”

Vinyl turned her head once more, silently pleading to the Mane Archon. Her breathing sped up; it took her a moment to realize she was hyperventilating.

Loathing filled Fine’s voice. “You are determined to find creative new reasons for me to hate you, aren’t you?”

“Is that understood?”

“It is.”

“Good.” The pleasure in Celestia’s words was like torrid oil seeping into Vinyl’s ears. “So you see, Miss Scratchington, you have a choice; either save little Amethyst while risking yourself and Trixie, or watch as every pony you ever cared about dies. Seems like an easy decision to make, don’t you agree?”

Vinyl fell to her knees and sobbed. She could just see all the images in the books, the stories of the great Celestia and her fight against evil. And now, here Vinyl was, facing something that truly defined vile. She wanted to scream, but couldn’t manage it.

“Please,” she whispered, “don’t do this. We’ve done nothing wrong. P-please.”

Celestia’s words grew cold. “You still seem stuck on the concept that I might actually care. You should be grateful that I’m willing to even let you have the antidote, you feeble, blind wretch. I should let that bastard child rot in her own misery.”

Cheeks moist, Vinyl lowered her head to the floor in a placating position. “Please, Princess. H-have mercy.”

“Mercy. You hear that, Fine? She wants mercy.” Celestia gave a disdainful huff. “For Goddess’s sake, I’m only cursing one member of her family, and the other gets a boon! She should be thanking me, and instead she acts as if I’m torturing her.”

“I’ll do anything.” Vinyl shuffled forward on her knees, not daring to raise her head. The shame she felt for her words was nothing compared to the desperate desire to escape the position she’d found herself in. “What do you want me to do? Beg? I’ll beg. Please!”

She was rewarded with a hoof stomping on her head. She barely suppressed a shout of pain as the metal ground against her skull. “I would love to hear that. Really, I would. I’m afraid I don’t have the time. You run along home, my little pony, and be sure to give Amethyst my regards.”

The pressure left Vinyl’s head. She trembled, anger and loss and fear bubbling up within her. She thought of Amethyst, of Trixie, of Dry Eyes and the foals at the orphanage. With every fresh face, her fury grew. Her hooves shook, her throat was dry, her heart battered her ribs. All sense of self-preservation and hope faded as the hoofsteps grew fainter.

“You…” She forced herself to her hooves. “You cold, heartless, manipulative… evil bitch!”

Vinyl sprinted. Her horn vibrated with magic. A scream burst from her lips. The desire to rip Celestia apart eroded all logic. She fired a beam, and another, and another! “Come back here, you ugly—”

She plowed face-first into the door before she even recognized the sound of it shutting. She collapsed in a heap on the floor and learned firsthoof that even blind ponies could see stars. With a pained moan, she covered her pounding head and shivered on the floor. “C-come back. I… I’m not… done with you…”

Yet all the energy had left her. The mare broke into sobs as she realized that there could be no escape, no relief, and no solution. She never should have come to Canterlot, but she had, and now her family would suffer for it. There was nothing left but to pray it would be her how was cursed.

Time passed. The pain faded to a dull throb and her weeping ceased. Vinyl just lay there, mind empty and heart heavy.

Hoofsteps reached her ears.

“Are you okay?”

She didn’t bother to answer.

“Yeah, stupid question, I know.” Fine shuffled in place, his small movements loud in her ears. “I warned you that this wouldn’t end well.”

She took a long, slow breath. “Can’t you at least tell me which potion is cursed? I’ll take it.”

“I don’t know which one is,” he confessed, voice quiet. “And even if I did, I am magically bound to her command. I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I’m sorry, Vinyl.”

“Are you?” She buried her head in her hooves. “How am I supposed to believe that?”

Fine heaved a long sigh. “I know you won’t believe me when I say this, but you got off easy. If you’d seen the things I have, if you knew what she is really capable of…” He gave an audible shudder. “I would give my life to see hers taken.”

Vinyl raised her head from the floor to look in the direction of his voice. Her own was pleading. “What can I do?” When he didn’t answer, she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. “Fine, what can I do?”

The longer the silence lasted, the worse she felt. She wanted to cry and scream and die all at once. She raised a leg and leaned forward. “Please, tell me.”

His hoof touched her shoulder.

“Go home.”

Fine had claimed he would disappear before they reached Vinyl’s place. She hadn’t taken it seriously, much less literally. Now she stood on the sidewalk before her home, alone and feeling ill. Her left forehoof stood atop a distinct groove in the concrete, one she’d come to use as a landmark in her blindness. In a few short steps, she’d be at her front door.

It was the last place she wanted to be.

She turned her head one way, then another. A carriage rolled past. She could hear the foals two doors down playing a game of tag. From somewhere in the distance came the music of a saxophone. All the familiar noises of home, welcoming her back. It was almost enough to make her cry.

A cool breeze rustled her mane. The hairs snuck between her glasses and her face, tickling the ridge of her muzzle. She waited to see how long she could resist the urge to brush it back. Anything to distract from the twin weights in her saddlebags.

A door opened, and she sucked in a sharp breath. Her legs tensed, her neck pulled back, her ears folded. She could just barely make out the hoofsteps in the grass. They stopped right before her, and she could feel the gaze.

“You’re back.”

Vinyl’s heart snapped in two at the worn quality of Trixie’s voice. “I’m home.”

A long, anxious pause. Then Trixie was at her side, guiding her forward. They said nothing as they proceeded together. Across the yard, on the doorstep, into the house. The door closed with a quiet click. Trixie led her into the kitchen, and though she knew the way by heart Vinyl allowed herself to be herded onto her cushion at the table. Trixie didn’t move away, instead leaning heavily on her.

Seconds passed. Vinyl didn’t dare speak. Speaking would force them to begin. The familiar tick-tock of the clock reached her ears. An hour. She had an hour.

At last, Trixie broke the quiet. “Did you find anything at all?” Her voice was so… ‘heavy.’ Like she had trouble pulling it out of her throat.

Vinyl turned her head in her direction. “Have you been sleeping at all since I left?”

“A little, here and there.” Trixie took a long, slow breath. “Ammy’s bedridden. There’s no telling when she’ll…” She swallowed. “Tell me you found something.”

“I…” Vinyl closed her mouth, opened it again. It would be better to get it over with quickly, wouldn’t it? “I found something. It’s a double-edged sword, though.”

Trixie heaved a shaking sigh. “Oh, thank Celestia.”

Though subdued by defeat, the familiar fire sparked in Vinyl’s heart. “No. Don’t thank her. Never, ever thank her, Trixie.”

“Vinyl?” Trixie nuzzled her cheek. “What’s wrong?”

With a heaving sigh, Vinyl wrapped a hoof around her sister’s shoulder. “I learned some things. What I’m about to tell you is unpleasant, Trix. We don’t have a lot of time, but you need to know what we’re getting into. Just… promise me you won’t tell Ammy, okay?”

Upon securing that promise, Vinyl proceeded to tell Trixie all that had happened. She left no detail out, from her meeting Fleur de Lis to Celestia’s terrible arrangement. Trixie’s reactions were predictable; curiosity towards Fleur, anger at Octavia, outright animosity towards Fine Crime and Celestia. By the time it was done, Vinyl had set the two bottles down on the table before them.

And now the room was quiet once more.

After a few quiet ticks from the clock, Trixie asked, “And where’s Fine?”

“I don’t know.” Vinyl perked her ears, half expecting Fine to answer the question out of the blue. “He said he would be watching, and would come with the antidote when the time was right. I have no idea how he’s supposed to know that.”

“He couldn’t have just come in and waited?”

Vinyl bowed her head, thinking about what little she’d gleaned from the Mane Archon in the past three days. “I think he’s afraid of seeing Amethyst again. He feels pretty guilty about that.”

“Bull.” Trixie huffed. “I doubt that bastard is even capable of remorse.”

Yet Vinyl wasn’t so sure. Perhaps Fine had been merely saying what she wanted to hear, but in the few times she’d stomached him enough to have a conversation she’d come to think that he wasn’t as horrible as she’d originally believed. His hatred for Celestia certainly sounded legitimate to her ears. Still, she thought as she noted the ever-ticking clock, there was no time to debate the matter.

Trixie’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “So… one of these is cursed, and the other is blessed?”

Vinyl nodded. “And there’s no way to know which is which until after the fact.”

“I see.” There came the sound of the bottles sliding over the table, then then pop of a cork. “Guess I’ll take this one.”

“What?” Vinyl turned to her. “Just like that? Don’t you want to think about it?”

“What’s there to think about?”

Vinyl fidgeted in place and bit her lip. “Y-you could be cursed.”

“Or blessed,” Trixie countered impatiently. “Or I could not take it and end up dead anyway. I’m a proud pony, Vinyl, but even I know that standing up to the Archons is suicide.”

“But this is going to change our lives.” Vinyl bowed her head once more. “Shouldn’t we… I don’t know, have some system for figuring it out?”

Thunk. “Too late.”

“Trixie!” Vinyl grabbed her sister and shook her. “Did you already drink it?!”

“We’re going to do this one way or another.” Trixie gently pushed Vinyl’s hooves away. “Amethyst needs that antidote, Vinyl. There’s no point in prolonging the inevitable.”

Vinyl sagged, all the energy leaving her in a single, feeble wave. “But I hoped to find a way to get the cursed one.”

“Like you said, there’s no time.” The remaining bottle scraped across the table towards Vinyl. “Just drink. We don’t know how fast these things will kick in, and we want to be able to give Ammy the antidote. Come on, Vinyl.”

The cork popped out. Vinyl looked towards the sound, imagining a round bottle full of some thick substance. Maybe it was green. Whatever it was, it didn’t appear at all appealing. Her legs trembled as she reached out with fumbling hooves, finally touching the smooth glass. Funny, it was actually a triangular shape.

She held the potion to her chest. It was lighter than she expected. Her stomach churned at the thought of what might happen. What if she didn’t get the boon? Worse, what if she did? But it was too late to question. Trixie had made sure of that.

“Go ahead, Vinyl,” Trixie whispered in her ear. “It’s okay. Like ripping off a band-aid. Just get it over with.”

Vinyl nodded. She raised the bottle in shaking hooves, her mouth half-opened. Her heart throbbed as the glass touched her chin. “W-whatever happens, Trixie, I want you to know that I’m proud of you. You and Amethyst. If this ends up being something really bad… you’ll let her know, won’t you? That I love you girls?”

“Of course I will.” Trixie’s hoof rubbed Vinyl’s back. “And I know you’ll do the same for me.”

“Yeah.” Vinyl heaved a long breath. Then another. And another. Finally, she pulled her head back and drank.

The potion wasn’t as thick as she’d expected, and it had a very strong taste. It reminded her of that pink gunk she sometimes took when her stomach bothered her as a filly, but with a sour quality. It wasn’t a pleasant taste, but at least it didn’t leave her gagging. She drank it all in one go, surprised that there wasn’t a lot of it. Two quick swallows and it was down.

She set the bottle on the table and sucked in a sharp breath. Seconds passed as she braced for some kind of impact. Her ears flicked to the clock; one second, five seconds, ten. The tension slowly left her shoulders and she turned her head about as if to look for something. “I don’t feel anything. You?”

“Not really,” Trixie said. “Maybe it takes a while to set in? Or—”

Vinyl cocked an eyebrow Trixie’s direction. “Or what?” She could hear Trixie shifting around. The pony stood, her hooves hurrying towards the door. “Trixie?”

“How the hay did that happen?”

Vinyl perked her ears, but heard nothing out of the ordinary. “What’s going on?”

The hoofsteps returned. “There’s… a third bottle on the table. It wasn’t there a second ago.”

“A third—” Vinyl gasped. “What color is the potion?”

“Is it a potion?”

“What color?”

“Yellow!”

A smile came to Vinyl as hope sparked in her. She had almost thought Fine wouldn’t keep his promise. “It’s the antidote! We have to get it to Amethyst.”

“But how did it get there?”

“Who cares?” Vinyl waved at the ceiling. “Weren’t you the one who wanted to get this over with?”

Trixie sighed, and the faint hum of magic could be heard. “You’re right. Come on.”

They climbed the stairs together, Vinyl’s leg draped over Trixie’s back. Trixie didn’t bother to knock, instead going directly into the bedroom. Faint whimpering could be heard from Amethyst’s bed. They took their spots on opposite sides before Trixie worked to wake the whispering filly.

“Come on, Ammy. Sorry, sis.”

Amethyst gave a tiny yelp, and for a few seconds her breathing was labored. “T-Trixie? You’re okay?”

“Of course I am. It was just a dream.”

The filly’s voice was hoarse, her words slow. “What about… Oh, Vinyl. You’re home. Th-thank goodness.”

“Yeah, I’m back.” Vinyl reached a hoof out, grasping until she felt Amethyst’s mane. She rubbed a hoof along her face and smiled. “I picked something up for ya.”

“Here you go, Ammy.”

“What is this?” The bed squeaked, presumably from Amethyst sitting up. “It looks like medicine.”

“It is,” Vinyl whispered. She set her forehooves to the bed and tried to offer a comforting smile. “It’s why I went to Canterlot. It will take away the nightmares. Now I know medicine tastes—”

Pop.

Vinyl closed her mouth, eyebrows rising to the loud gulping sounds from the filly. “Uh…”

Amethyst let out a gasp and took a moment to catch her breath. “That tasted pretty good.”

“Wow,” Trixie said. “I thought we were gonna have to convince you.”

“I d-don’t want to have nightmares anymore,” Amethyst whispered. She whimpered and rested over Vinyl’s legs. “I’m so tired… B-but if I sleep, the mud pony comes for us. I’m scared, Vinyl.”

“I know. I know, Ammy.” She leaned down to nuzzle the filly. “But they’ll stop soon. The potion will kick in and you’ll be all better. I promise.”

A long yawn escaped Amethyst and she rubbed her head against Vinyl’s chest. “I hope so. I can’t stay awake long. Umm…”

The bed shifted under Vinyl’s hooves. She realized Trixie had climbed on. “I’ll stay here with you, Ammy. It’s okay to sleep now.”

“P-promise?”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Vinyl whispered into her ear. “Go on. Get some rest. You deserve it.”

“O-okay…”

Only a few seconds passed before the filly’s breathing shifted to that familiar, deep rhythm. Vinyl started to rest her head, but quickly realized that she was in a terrible position for laying down. “Aww, nuts.”

Trixie giggled and carefully extracted the filly from over her forelegs. “There. Better?”

“Much.” Vinyl climbed on. She could just feel the edge of the bed at her back, but she put up with the discomfort as she and Trixie settled down on each side of Amethyst.

They lay in silence for some time. Vinyl kept stroking her hoof along Amethyst’s back, a small smile on her lips.

Trixie’s sleepy voice rose from the other side of the bed. “It’s worth it, right? No matter what the outcome.”

“It is,” Vinyl whispered, leaning down to kiss the filly’s forehead. Amethyst’s ear flicked against her nose, making her grin. “It really is.”

Trixie gave a great yawn. “I’m not moving. I’m tuckered out. You can go, if you want. I can take it from here.”

With a contented sigh, Vinyl wiggled into a more comfortable position and relaxed. “I’m not going anywhere. Whatever happens next, we’ll face it together.”

“Hmm… I like that idea,” Trixie whispered. “Vinyl?”

“Hmm?”

A long silence passed between them.

“I’m proud to be your sister, too.”

Vinyl was having a strange dream. A vivid, colorful dream where everything was lit up like a Hearth’s Warming night. She was still laying on Amethyst’s bed, and she could actually see the filly lying on her forehoof. But instead of a filly with fur and hooves, she saw colors; brilliant, streaming raspberry reds that radiated through the pony in a myriad of lines coursing through every part of the body, all coming to a bright point at the filly’s horn.

Her own hooves were colored, too. The web streaming through her was a light magenta, the same as the aura of her magic. She lifted a hoof to study it, watching with fascination as the lines brightened briefly along her musculature. There were other colors, too. Whenever Amethyst breathed, a soft blue aura rose from her chest. The bed squeaked at Vinyl’s movement, producing little splashes of yellow.

“Well, this is different,” she said, watching with fascination as a green wave rose from her throat. She sat up and turned her head, noting the total darkness surrounding her. Yet it wasn’t a complete black; the hum of the air conditioning produced a dull blue color on the vent, and when she turned to the window she could see vibrantly shifting colors in reds, yellows and green as birds chirped from the gutters. She turned to look at Trixie, but the pony was nowhere to be found.

Vinyl had been in many a weird, terrible and beautiful dream, but this was unlike any she’d known before. Curiosity quickly got the better of her, and she trotted out of the room to see what other colorful weirdness might be in store for her. She looked down as her hooves clopped on the wood, each step producing a bright purple color. When she descended the stairs, the purple was joined by the yellow sparks of the squeaky wood.

As soon as she reached the ground floor, her gaze went to that old friend, the wall clock. It sent out alternative pulses of two distinct shades of violet. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

Although she could ‘see’ sound, otherwise Vinyl was well and truly blind. She cast her head around, trying to orient her position based on what she knew and the few splashes of color that made themselves known. She made her way to the kitchen, but paused when she found something waiting for her: the rosewood red webbing of a pony, half-covered by blackness. She realized that the blackness was the corner of the wall and relaxed before stepping into the room proper.

The unicorn’s head, distinguishable only as a spiderweb of shifting lines, turned her way. Vinyl could only gape; there was something in the pony’s head, yellow and bright and snaking out to connect to the red lines in an intricate weave. She couldn’t tell what she was looking at, but it gave her a bad feeling she couldn’t put into words.

“Is something wrong, Vinyl?”

She jumped, startled by the crystal-clear sound of his voice and the light blue wave radiating from where she presumed his mouth was. “Fine Crime? What are you doing in my dream?”

“Dream?” He cocked his head, the lines of his neck glowing faintly from the movement. “If this is a dream, wake me up.”

She stared at him for several seconds, not comprehending, then his words hit her with all the force of a sledgehammer. The air left her lungs and she slowly looked down at the magenta weave of her own body. “This… this is real?”

“As real as ever.” He stood and turned to her. “Why? Did something happen?”

She raised one hoof, studying the little lines up close. “This is so strange. I can see sounds. And magic, I think. Pick something up.”

A red aura appeared, forming into a distinct coffee mug shape on the table, then rose into the air. Vinyl watched, jaw loose, then tried her own magic. Her magenta glow appeared distinctly, encircling the red aura until Fine released, and she immediately felt the mug’s weight. It was all the confirmation she needed to know this was real.

“Fascinating.” Fine turned to her. “I can’t imagine what that looks like.”

The mug fell to the table with a dark brown thunk, accompanied by the light green splash of its contents. “I got the boon,” Vinyl whispered. “Th-that means…”

She whipped her head about, looking for Trixie’s magical aura. It was blue, she remembered that much. “Where’s Trixie? What happened to Trixie?!”

“Trixie’s…”

She turned on Fine, fear and hope battling for control of her emotions. “You saw her? What happened to her? What was the curse? Where did she go?”

He bowed his head, giving her a perfect view of the spidery yellow tendrils wrapped inside his skull. She took an unsteady step back from the horrible sight. His words from back in Canterlot rose from the back of her mind.

I am magically bound to her command.

“Oh, Goddess, you weren’t lying,” she whispered, a fresh wave of horror coming to her. Horror… and sympathy.

“Trixie’s gone.”

His words snapped her out of the moment and brought her mind crashing down. “W-what do you mean, gone?”

He nodded, head turned away from her. “She left this morning in a daze. I followed her for a while, spoke to her a few times. She had no idea who I was every time. I think… I think her memories were fading.”

“What?” Vinyl shook her head forcefully. “But… but Ammy was supposed to get her memories cleaned!”

“I don’t think Celestia lied to you,” he said carefully. “I think Amethyst is cured. Perhaps the potion Trixie drank was a more severe mental wipe. Ah, don’t.” He moved to stand in Vinyl’s way as she turned for the door. “It’s too late. She got on a train. She’s long gone, Vinyl.”

“W-what do you mean, long gone?” Vinyl’s legs shook, her heart ached. “She’s… Trixie’s my… I have to help her.”

“And who’s going to watch after Amethyst while you search?” Fine pushed her back, and she fell to a sitting position. “I promise, we’ll keep an eye on Trixie.”

“I have to get her back.” Vinyl buried her face in her hooves, but all that served to do was give her a face-full of brilliant magenta. “How could she have forgotten? I’ll find her. Dry Eyes can—”

“No.” Fine pressed his hooves to her shoulder and shook his head vehemently. “Don’t do it, Vinyl. Celestia is watching. We have to report to her on this.”

“I don’t care!”

“You should care!” The lines forming his body pulsed with his emotions. “Don’t you get it? Celestia has made Amethyst a pet project. She wants your little sister to be miserable, but she traded that for this little game. Somepony has to suffer, or else Celestia will try something different, something worse. Don’t give her an excuse, Vinyl!”

Vinyl tried to sound forceful, but her voice broke. “What do you want me to do? Give up? Leave her alone out there?”

“Yes.” He sighed and turned from her. “Let the Archons watch over Trixie. We’ll keep her as safe as we can. You’ve already seen a little of what Celestia is capable of. Believe me when I tell you that you don’t want to know the full extent of her corruption.”

At his words, Vinyl found herself staring at that yellow… atrocity in his head. Her heart sank as she realized that she already had a perfect example of how low the princess could go. Tears welled in her eyes as she understood the truth in his words. “B-but… We’re family. Trixie belongs here. Why does she have to go back to being alone? Why wasn’t it me?”

“I know. Believe me Vinyl, I know.” Fine turned to her once more, his blue voice weak. “How do you think I felt when I had to leave Amethyst at an orphanage after overseeing the butchering of her parents? Horrible, evil things are happening all around us. Sometimes the best course of action is to take a small hit to avoid a big one.”

“This isn’t a ‘small’ hit, Fine.” She bowed her head, thinking about everything that led up to this moment. “It’s so hard to accept. Goddess, what am I going to tell Ammy?”

“Be respectful,” Fine said, his tone suddenly firm. “Tell her the truth.”

She eyed his brilliant colors. “Seriously?”

He nodded. “Seriously. Don’t assume she’s too young to handle it. Amethyst has been through a lot. It’ll hurt, but what’s worse, thinking her sister abandoned her, or knowing that Trixie had no idea what she was doing?”

“I… guess that makes sense.” Vinyl growled at her shiny hooves. “Why the buck did I have to get the boon? Why did Celestia even have to put that stupid stipulation on us? I want my sister back!”

“Because Celestia is evil incarnate,” Fine whispered, anger dripping from his words. “Someday she is going to burn.”

Vinyl took another close look at the yellow spiderweb on his head. She had a pretty good idea of what it was for, and the thought was truly sickening. It also brought up some troubling questions. “If you hate her so much, why do you work for her?”

His answer came quick and with confidence. “Because the Mane Archon is the second most powerful pony in the world. This job gives me the tools I need to at least try to bring that b-b-b… mare down.” He rubbed at his muzzle with a growl. “I have to do terrible things for her, but in return I get a shot at her life. Ending it is the holy horseshoe of my existence.”

Vinyl considered this, her gaze never leaving the yellow streaks in his skull. She thought on Trixie, now doomed to a life alone; of Amethyst and her ten years of needless mental torture; of her own struggles in the early part of her life due to a broken system; of every foal that didn’t have a chance. Her gaze lingered up to the ceiling, to the one thing she had left to protect.

And she was determined to protect her.

“What can I do?”

Fine didn’t answer, so she turned her determined frown on him.

“You… want to help?”

“That’s what I said.” She began pacing, her gaze on her hooves. “I can’t just stand by and let this happen. Trixie deserves better. Amethyst just got a second chance at life, I am going to protect that life. I can’t believe I spent all these years trying to live a normally when the source of all our problems is sitting on a gilded throne!”

“I don’t think you understand,” he said with uncertainty. “What about your sister? Shouldn’t you be focused on taking care of her?”

She glared at him. “You think I can’t raise her and do a full time job? That is what we’re talking about, after all.”

“A very dangerous full-time job,” he countered. “And you wouldn’t be just helping me to bring Celestia down, you’d also be following my orders, which are often her orders, which means a lot of bad sh… sh… things. You’d have to become the bad guy, Vinyl. And let’s not forget that you’re blind as a bat.”

“I can see colors! I can see magic! And I’m not the weakest—” A small wave of energy radiated from her horn, intended to be used as a demonstration of her power. She jumped back, head whipping around as everything the magical wave touched became visible like a massive, three-dimensional painting of different shades of magenta. It was the clearest image of the kitchen she’d had in over a month, though it faded after only a couple seconds.

She smiled. “I’m gonna have to remember that trick.” She realized Fine was watching her and shifted anxiously. “Well?”

Fine’s answer was deathly serious. “I can see some huge potential in a pony that can see sounds and magical effects. But I want you to think about this, Vinyl.” He raised a shining hoof to silence her retort. “Think about it. Think about what’s best for Amethyst. Think about the dangers you will face, and the atrocities you may have to commit. Then think about how success is anything but guaranteed; just because we want to kill Celestia doesn’t mean we can do it, and failure may mean death.”

He stepped forward and set a hoof to her shoulder. “Think about what you’ve already been through, and what is yet to come. Don’t just jump into this. It’s a huge, life-changing decision. I’m going to give you time – let’s say a month. If, when I come back to see you after that, you’re still interested in this then I will have you trained properly. I’ll let you in, Vinyl, no questions asked.

“But you have to promise me that you’ll think this through.”

She stared at his hoof, the red lines shifting subtly towards her own magenta. She looked at his colorful head, at the abomination webbed across his brain. She thought on not just his words, but also his tone and volume. Everything told her that he was completely serious in this offer… and the warnings.

“Alright,” she whispered, giving a slow nod. “A month. I’ll think about it.”

“Good. That’s all I ask.” He stepped back. “I’ll leave you be. I promise to keep you updated on Trixie’s situation, okay?”

At the mention of the sister she lost, Vinyl’s heart twisted. “Y-yeah… thanks.”

“Goodbye, Vinyl. Whatever decision you make, I wish you only the best.”

His colors disappeared behind the hallway wall, and then the door closed with a dull blue thunk. Vinyl sat alone in the kitchen, her mind empty save for the steady ticking of the clock. Eventually she took the time to get a glass of water, quietly admiring the soft orange of the faucet and the yellow squeak of the handles.

Then she went back upstairs and buried herself under the blankets of Amethyst’s bed, holding her remaining sister tight.

She had no intention of letting go. Ever.

Author's Notes:

So ends Vinyl's book, and begins her work as an Archon. Hers was a bit longer than Fine's, which only goes to show that I have no idea how long the individual books are going to be. Furthermore, we've already exceeded 100k words for this story, but have only tackled two of the seven members! So yeah, this one's gonna take a while.

Before we get to the next character, however, it's time for another intermission. Until next weekend!