Author's Notes:

Decided to release chapter 1 ahead of schedule. The feel of how chapters will flow wasn't shown well in the prologue and wanted to make it clear how chapter flow would go.

Please note that there are central characters, not one central protagonist. Midnight will get her moments, but she isn't at the center of the story.

Sweet Pea was uncomfortable. She wasn't unhappy, she was actually in good spirits, but she was definitely uncomfortable. She was eight months pregnant and she didn't feel like doing much walking around, would have been perfectly happy to stay in bed.

However, today she had a special task to do. Her best friend was due to give birth today and Sweet Pea was going to be the one to help deliver the foal. It was a special occasion for many reasons. There was the joy that Midnight was about to officially be a mother, there was the fact Sweet Pea was being included in this special occasion, and this would be the first foal Sweet Pea would be assisting in the delivery of herself.

Breeders may be seen primarily as prostitutes, but they served a second job as well: midwives. When a breeder was pregnant, and it was unproductive to just keep screwing her, she still had work to do. The main work being to help deliver foals. In the past eight months, Sweet Pea had been learning this task and she found it very fulfilling. This would be her first time doing it without another breeder in charge and she was excited. The fact that it would be her best friend's foal made it a much more memorable day for her. If it weren't for her massively distended belly she would be bouncing in place with glee.

They were in the Crystal Spire, a place that Sweet Pea would normally never be permitted entrance were it not for Midnight's alicorn, Sunset Shimmer, wanting to be present for the birth of Midnight's foal. And it was easiest to just have them all come to Sunset.

Also present were the other two acolytes for the alicorn, Moon Fury and Night Mist. It was technically Night Mist's shift, which explained her presence. Moon Fury's presence was less explainable. Yes, he was the father but that kind of bond really meant nothing. Stallions provided the sperm but that was the beginning and the end of what any stallion had to do with a foal. Midnight claimed it had not always been that way and that once they were involved with families, but Sweet Pea knew for a fact that it was the way things were now. Perhaps Moon Fury was just there as a friend, though Midnight never talked about any particular friendship with him.

Sweet Pea looked over at her best friend. Midnight Glow was laying on top of the bed that was in the center of the room. The thestral mare lay on her side with all four legs facing one direction, her protruding belly made more natural laying positions practically impossible. She looked even more physically uncomfortable than Sweet Pea. And she had been having contractions for some time that were getting stronger and more frequent.

"How are you holding up?" Sweet Pea asked the pregnant thestral.

"Excited, scared, happy, in pain, all of the above," Midnight Glow replied with a grunt. "I just want this to be over and to be able to hold my foal in my hooves. I wish that I wasn't so messy right now, too, and I'm pretty sure I've pissed all over Sunset's bed."

"You've been leaking fluid for a while now," Sweet Pea replied kindly. "That's probably most of the mess back there and you likely have poor control of your bladder on top of that. I'm sure she's not upset with you for it. She is old enough to know how this works. It's just a sign that the foal is coming really soon."

"I've never been pregnant that I remember, but yes I know how this works. Don't worry, my little pony," Sunset said from off to the side of the bed. The golden alicorn gave Midnight a warm smile before something on one of the monitors caught the alicorn's eye. The alicorn got up and walked over to watch the monitor. Sweet Pea didn't know how to behave in the alicorn's presence and was glad she was temporarily distracted.

Sweet Pea walked behind the other side of the bed to check her friend's dilation. The sheets that were laid out on that end were indeed covered with all kinds of juices and likely piss as well. She quickly gathered them up in her magic and tossed them into a basket that had been set next to the bed for that purpose. It wasn't the first set she had tossed inside. She grabbed up another set of clean sheets from beside the bed and spread them out. She had learned labor was a long process, and a messy one, in the past few months.

Checking the cervix, Sweet Pea noted that it was pretty much ready, and the final part of the labor process would start soon. With a touch of pride that she could recognize all the signs Sweet Pea circled back around the bed to look her friend in the face.

"And if it's a unicorn filly?" Sweet Pea asked.

"I'm not giving up my foal to Foal Services," Midnight said with a growl and bared her fangs. Sweet Pea knew the gesture wasn't directed at her, but it was still enough to make her put a little more distance between herself and her friend's muzzle.

"What if it's twins? You're certainly big enough right now that it could be twins," Sweet Pea continued.

Midnight released her fearsome look and quickly replaced it with a troubled one.

"Please don't suggest such a thing," Midnight replied in a low voice. She seemed like she was ready to cry, a massive shift from her aggressive tone a moment before. Rapid mood swings were to be expected. "I don't want to even think about having to make a choice on which foal to have to keep out of two newborn foals."

"Stop scaring your friend," Sunset spoke up without turning from her observation of a monitor. The view on the monitor was a violent one. The alicorn was watching the heavy artillery on the Klugian border wall rain down heavy fire on the undead hordes. Ocid battleships flying high above were also raining fire on the horde, but were under substantial assault from flying undead. At least one of the battleships had been taken down already. Sweet Pea wondered how many ponies were on each of those ships. She wished the alicorn would turn the monitor off. Today was a day to be celebrating new life not focusing on how much death there was.

Night Mist sat at her mistress's side saying nothing as she watched the monitor as well. Moon Fury stood over in the corner watching them all quietly. Sweet Pea wished he would talk more, his silence was creepy. It was rare that he strung more than five words together and that was typically just acknowledgement that he heard you speaking.

"Awwk!" Midnight cried out, attracting the gaze of every pony. Sweet Pea rushed to her position behind her friend and pulled forward the wheeled cart that would be used by the computer to register the new foal on birth. Midnight had been giving sounds of pain on and off, but that one had the distinct sound that the foal was ready to come now.

"I am pretty sure it is time now," Sweet Pea announced, taking command of the situation. She had trained at this a lot during the last eight months and she was confident in what she was doing. "Some pony please put a cloth in her mouth so she doesn't bite any pony or her own tongue. Sunset can you use your magic to hold her in an optimal position so she can focus her energy on pushing? And can you please make sure she doesn't buck me in the face while I am trying to help her deliver this foal?"

"Of course," the alicorn said as she hurried over and lit her horn. Beside her Night Mist quickly put a cloth in Midnight's mouth, narrowly avoiding having the wing she used to do so get chomped by Midnight's fangs. Moon Fury just stood by watching impassively as ever. Did nothing ever get a rise from that stallion?

Sweet Pea looked up at her friend's cervix and could see the beginnings of the head already. This was going to be a really quick birth provided it didn't have its head wrapped in the chord. She saw no sign of a horn, which meant this foal was either a crystal pony or thestral. That would be a mild relief for the new mother.

"This is going to be a quick birth," Sweet Pea told Midnight. "Just keep pushing and I will gather your foal up. Everything is okay."

The foal's full head was exposed now and it clearly had no chord wrapped in places that it didn't belong. Sweet Pea let out a silent breath of relief at that. There was too much blood and juices caught up in the fur to really tell the color or texture as of yet. The same could be said of the fur around the ears that would announce whether this was a thestral or crystal pony, they would see if there were wings soon enough, though.

More of the foal came through and it seemed to be caught. Sweet Pea could see what was clearly the bases of the foal's wings, marking it as a thestral. The foal had apparently spread them, not normal but not unheard of. This was causing it to be too wide to get through.

"Keep her still," Sweet Pea commanded. "The poor little thing has spread its wings early and I need to get it to relax them to get it through."

Sweet Pea sent her magic carefully up around the foal to try to get the wings to fold. Her eyes widened though as she felt the wings with her magic. Something wasn't right, they felt wrong. A small wave of panic hit her for the first time as she considered that this foal might be deformed. If a foal was deformed the computer would determine if it was worth keeping or if it should be sent straight to the Bakery. She didn't want to have to be the one who delivered her friend's foal if that second option was chosen.

With tears now in her eyes, Sweet Pea carefully closed the foal's unnatural wings. The foal didn't put up any resistance and she was able to easily accomplish the task. With another push from Midnight the foal came completely free and into Sweet Pea's magical grasp.

The unicorn quickly took up a scalpel in her magic and severed the chord. All the other ponies watching let out a shocked gasp as they looked at the foal. Sweet Pea steeled herself and gave the foal a quick inspection, trying not to look at its wings. She saw it was a filly and besides the wings seemed perfectly fine except for what she could now tell was white fur, yet another oddity.

"Well, that's interesting," Moon Fury said calmly from his corner as he looked at the foal. He still managed the same bored monotone.

"Night Mist, get Peridot Glow and Water Shadow now!" Sunset shouted at her acolyte.

"But, mistress, I can't leave you unattended," Night Mist replied in a hushed voice, her eyes glued to the strange foal.

"I have two other acolytes here," Sunset snapped. "Move! That is an order!" Night Mist ran out of the room at a pace that seemed impossible for a mare her age.

Sweet Pea carefully moved the foal over the cart to have it registered.

"What's wrong?!" Midnight screamed, unable to turn herself around to look as she was still held in Sunset's magic.

Sweet Pea didn't reply. She gulped and set the foal down on the cart, to await the computer's judgement. The computer jumped to life and began humming.

"Analyzing..." the computer began.

Peridot Glow sat reading in her office. The ancient crystal pony didn't give the monitors so much as a glance. She would learn soon enough the full extent of the outcome on the Klugian front, watching it happen wasn't going to change any outcomes. Ponies were dying, but they died every day by the score. Every last one of them was descended from her in some way, but she had long since tried to separate herself from agonizing over their deaths. Survival of Ocid as a whole was what mattered, not individual lives.

The book was one that she had read cover to cover thousands of times before, but she still re-read it looking for some clues that she had previously missed. The problem was that the author, Peridot's own sister-in-law, only gave every account from her own perspective. This left the reader having to try to fill in the gaps for why certain things had happened. Peridot herself was featured in the book in many sections and knew more about certain events than Pearlwort seemed to have known. It was a frustrating read, but one of the only accounts of what had happened when the Elder Gods first began their assault on Ponykind.

The answers that she sought most at the moment all concerned Pinkie Pie. The long dead alicorn had betrayed Ponykind in service of the Elder Gods. Peridot longed for clues that showed signs of her betrayal before it happened or the alicorn's motivations. As with all the other times reading she was without further answer. The concern was pressing though.

Sedition was everywhere in Ocid. Everywhere Peridot looked there were forces that wished to pull down order. She could not trust any pony, not even the two alicorns. Pearlwort's account clearly indicated that Sunset had shown contempt for the Greater alicorns before they died. Water Shadow's own account of her possible madness was recorded in the book as well. No, the alicorns couldn't be trusted, no pony could be trusted. It was with her and her alone that Ocid's survival rested.

The Elder Gods knew this, too. Peridot shivered at the memories of their demon spawn trying to tempt her into signing their infernal contracts and take on their belled collar. They had promised her power and the survival of Ocid if she became one of their acolytes. She just had to sign their contract in blood and she would be given a seat at the table with the Mare of Shadows, Grogar, Lavan, and the rest. She had refused each time, but the promise of Ocid's survival and possible dominance of this world still played at her mind each time. Again, the question of why Pinkie Pie had signed a contract with them and used Peridot's sister to destroy Harmony was one that the old crystal pony could still find no answer to.

"Why did she do that, Biblo?" Peridot asked the book. There would be no answer, her sister had been dead over a thousand years. Perhaps it was a mercy that Biblo was dead and she didn't have to live through the misery she had opened the world up to when she brought the Great Tree crashing down from its foundations. At least Biblo had killed that bitch of an alicorn who had betrayed them and Pinkie Pie had died horribly. There was some justice.

Peridot used her magic to uncork a bottle of wine. Her magic was such a joke. She had been given the full power of a dying alicorn and all she could manage was basic levitation like a unicorn despite being a crystal pony. That and an immortal lifespan, but that lifespan was more a curse than anything else.

She poured herself a glass of wine, then lifted up her pipe from a drawer and lit it. She then turned on her desk monitor and began reading the latest reports. More factory uprisings; she kept sending the bloody factory managers to the Bakery, but still the workers conditions never improved enough to satisfy them. Then she had to waste guard power to have the dissenters hunted down and taken to the Bakery as well. She didn't take any pride in these deaths, but order must be maintained. Furthermore, the Bakery had to have a steady flow of bodies, the farms could not possibly produce enough food. Population control to stretch the food better was not an option, Ocid would die without a steady stream of new troops and farmers to replace the constant losses there. It was a vicious cycle, one that was barely maintained.

She took another swig of wine and looked sadly down on her cutie mark, a shield and a hoofblade. She was a soldier, she was not cut out for this job, but she was what Ocid had. Ocid needed a pony who would make the tough decisions that no other pony could, and that included being willing to sacrifice some so that many could survive.

A knock came at her door. Peridot looked up at a monitor that displayed who was outside. Her guards were blocking the way of one of Sunset's acolytes, Night Mist, and the mare looked distressed. Peridot double checked the time. She kept good track of where each of the alicorns' acolytes should be at any given time, it let her keep tabs on the alicorns' activities. Night Mist should not be here, she was not due to leave her alicorn's side for at least three more hours. What provoked the mare to be away from her station at her assigned time, leaving Sunset Shimmer unattended?

Peridot gave the signal to allow the mare to enter. Her interest was only mildly perked. This was likely some new thing that Sunset thought was a critical emergency, more often than not that didn't end up amounting to much. Undead had overrun a farm? If they hadn't breached the Dome then Peridot didn't care. Klugian defenses had been overrun? That was bound to happen at some point. Some major defeat of the dragons by Lavan? That was too far away for her to give a damn.

The old thestral hurried into the room. Peridot reminded herself to double check the mare's age; she had to be getting close to the time for a trip to the Bakery. Perhaps Peridot could make special arrangements for her replacement. A spy loyal to herself being put in as acolyte was something that she should have done long ago. She couldn't trust the alicorns.

"What do you need, acolyte?" Peridot asked with a raised eyebrow. She then poured herself another glass of wine. Hadn't this bottle been fuller? Perhaps not and the factory that processed them was slacking. She would have to look into it.

"Forgive me, Ponymother, but my mistress ordered me to bring you to her," the thestral gasped. Why was she out of breath? Was her health getting poor? Perhaps that Bakery trip was closer than Peridot originally suspected.

"I am not one of their servants to be ordered around," Peridot said with her ears lowered now. How dare Sunset think that she can just summon her and she would come running. There was an understanding between herself and the alicorns that she would not command them, but they not try to usurp her authority. "What is so urgent that I need to come running to her anyway?"

"Forgive me again, Ponymother, but perhaps it is better if you came with me and saw," the old thestral replied. She was visibly agitated.

Peridot mentally cursed that the two alicorns' chambers were the only two places in Ocid she couldn't bring a camera feed up. She could be walking into some sort of rebellious trap if the alicorn had finally decided to betray her. There was more than one way to get information from this thestral though.

Peridot walked over to the aged acolyte and smiled down at the mare. She placed a hoof on the mare's shoulder in what could be interpreted as a calming gesture.

"Calm yourself, citizen," Peridot said as motherly as she could, like she was soothing a child. She was in truth. The thestral might look the senior but Peridot was nearly twenty times as old and this mare's grandmare many times over.

"I am only eager to do my mistress's command, Ponymother. She made it clear to me that I should do this as fast as possible," Night Mist replied, relaxing a little. The mare was unaware that she was relaxing because Peridot was magically manipulating her emotions.

Few ponies knew of this aspect of Peridot's power, just the alicorns themselves. Peridot had an extremely strong emphatic ability, it just required physical contact. The powers were not perfect, they wouldn't work on crystal ponies for example, but they were effective enough. She was capable of calming or agitating a pony if she chose, but that wasn't why she was primarily doing this now. No, the greater power was she could get impressions of what the pony was feeling and what those feelings were directed at. The information would often be vague, but enough for her to get a fair idea what the other pony was thinking about.

Peridot silently listened to the old thestral's thoughts. There was something that had shocked her and had shocked Sunset as well. That made this just another one of those seemingly urgent concerns again, but not sedition at least. She felt around some more trying to get an impression of what was the source of the shock. Something about a foal, really? What could be so urgent about a foal? Peridot strained but couldn't get a clearer impression in a mere few seconds. This information would have to do.

"Alright, Night Mist, I will come along with you and see what is so urgent," Peridot said, still smiling. Hopefully this wasn't a complete waste of her time. It didn't seem to be sedition, that was all that really mattered at the moment.

She followed the mare out of the room, but paused briefly outside the door when she realized she was not the only pony being escorted. Water Shadow was there as well, though Peridot had failed to notice on the camera before. The sea blue alicorn with her white and blue striped mane being present wasn't much of a surprise though. If Sunset Shimmer wanted Peridot she likely had called upon Water Shadow as well. Peridot wondered what went on in the younger of the two alicorns' mind, but Water Shadow wouldn't let her pull her empathic tricks, the alicorn was more than capable of blocking Peridot out.

"Greetings, Water Shadow, any idea what the commotion is about?" Peridot asked the alicorn.

"I am as in the dark as you," Water Shadow replied in a stoic tone. "I have been watching the progress on the Klugian border, but have noticed no crisis there yet. It seems our combined forces are going to win the day from what I observed. The necromancer does not seem to have created any greater abominations to trouble us with this assault than regular undead."

By greater abominations she meant free thinking undead generals. Typically undead were mindless drones of the Mare of Shadows that the monster directed as a group. Occasionally the necromancer would create free thinking undead capable of directing groups of undead individually and that were capable of using magic themselves in combat. Peridot suspected that the Mare of Shadows did this sparingly because she didn't wish to relinquish any control to another, even a minion of her own creation. It was a blessing for Ocid that it was so sparingly done as the Dome would likely have long since been breached if they had to contend with hordes of such things.

"Well, let's go see what is so urgent then that she felt the need to call us without warning," Peridot replied. What could possibly be so urgent about a foal? Whatever it was, for today at least, Ocid survives.

The Mare of Shadows sat watching a glowing sphere. The sphere showed the progress of the battle on the Klugian border. She yawned as she watched, the outcome didn't really interest her. The attack wasn't a legitimate attempt to overrun their wall, just something to put additional pressure on her fellow acolyte to the south to make a move sooner. She didn't care about the Klugians in any way if not for that.

Hydia had crossed her by trying to convert Peridot over to the service of the Old Gods. The Mare of Shadow's contract called for the extermination of Ponykind and Ocid falling under the rule of a new acolyte would be troublesome to the Mare's ability to complete her blood contract.

Of course, finishing off the ponies too early would cause its own problems as well, timing was everything. It was best that things advanced as they were, so she could finish Ocid off when she was in her best position to move against her fellow acolytes. Only one of them would be granted their final reward for service, and the Mare was willing to play her game long and carefully.

She dismissed the orb. What she needed accomplished had been done, the Klugians were going to be celebrating a great victory, and the ponies would continue to bleed and despair. Hydia would have to refocus her efforts on the Klugian now and would stay out of pony affairs. All was right in the world, she would reform the undead that she had lost soon enough, they were never really ever permanently lost.

Her diamond dog attendants waited expectantly for her orders, living attendants had their uses provided they were well enough trained, and her dogs knew their place in relation to their god.

She didn't give them any orders. She simply turned and focused her attention on the stone casket that sat at the center of the room. She reminded herself that she needed patience and that she would eventually get what was taken from her returned. For now it was safe, no living creature aside from her and her diamond dogs knew of this place, not even her fellow acolytes.

A thought played at the back of her mind and she sighed. She was being called upon, it had to be Grogar, none of the others had the power to give her such a signal in the waking world, and her Elder God masters wouldn't bother. What did the old goat want? She detested him above all others, but he was currently the most favored among the acolytes, leaving her forced to respond. She couldn't wait for the day when she could crush his bell and rip out his throat.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall into sleep. Her dogs would not bother her, they knew better than to disturb their mistress in her sleep.

She found herself in an endless black expanse in all directions. There was no sky, no horizon, no ground, just endless nothing. There was only one other thing in the expanse besides her, a simple table of bone and two cushioned seats. The goat apparently wanted a sit-down discussion.

She went to the table and took a seat. There was no discernible difference between the two seats, and there was nothing on the table, so her positioning made no difference. After sitting down she smelled the foul stench that announced her fellow necromancer.

"You are prompt as always, my dear, I typically have to give additional persuasion to bring the others," Grogar said from behind her. The massive demonic black ram walked from behind her and took the other seat across from her. He gazed at her with his fire filled eyes. He wouldn't intimidate her with his gaze, her own eyes were a match for his. She looked at the red collar with its bell around his neck longingly. How she yearned to crush his bell.

Her hoof rose involuntarily to her own matching collar and bell, she knew he longed to do much the same to hers. The bell was the container of their soul, and their chain to the Elder Gods. In a sick sense of utility the Elder Gods made those bells indestructible as long as the contract had not been completed. Once they accomplished what they were tasked to do they did indeed gain favor with their masters, but they also became vulnerable. Success came with risk, and it was a large part of why she let Ocid survive still, she was not prepared to put herself at such risk, yet.

There were suddenly golden goblets on the table. unicorn mare servants that were not there before came and filled each of the goblets for them. They would have been pretty mares, ones that she once upon a time would have enjoyed fantasizing about having in bed, but the goat had decided to create these phantoms with their eyes gouged out and bleeding. It was a trademark of that bastard to display gouged out eyes on his victims and she was bored of it. They all bore rictus grins as well, which just soured out the whole thing for her. She wondered if these were souls bound to his will or mearly illusions of his conjuring, not that it really mattered.

She looked at the drink that she had been served and saw him lift his own in his magic.

"Dragon blood," Grogar explained. "It has a very spicy taste and a nice aftertaste that has some kick to it."

"What do you want from me today, goat?" The Mare said, ignoring the pleasantries. She lifted her own goblet and took a drink, it was as he described. Not her preference, but still not unenjoyable.

"Straight to the point and not bothering to hold back your contempt for me I see," the ram heckled. "That is what I like about you, no sniveling in the dirt looking for favor."

She said nothing, just simply curled her lip in contempt at him.

"Getting to the point then. While you have been playing with your food in Ocid, and casually manipulating your fellow acolytes, there has been something that has come up that our masters wish for you to deal with," Grogar said with a returned sneer.

"I have no idea what you are talking about with manipulating," The Mare lied. "Ocid is of little concern as well. Those ponies are literally eating one another, the land reeks of despair, and my power grows stronger. At some point they will likely kill themselves off. I am on no time limit and I wish to savor my food."

"How much you play your games matters little to me, or our masters," the ram said dismissively. "As long as you fulfill the terms of your contract it matters not the timetable. This is another matter entirely."

"What then?" She asked.

Grogar conjured forth an image of a newborn foal. The Mare of Shadows looked at it for a long moment, noting all the details.

"A genetic anomaly," she finally responded. "Of no actual concern. Such things happen from time to time."

"True enough," Grogar replied. "But this foal was born with a cutie mark, that is something of significance. Something beyond the simple genetic anomalies that explain the rest of her. Our masters have concerns, which means we shall be concerned as well. Do something about this anomaly."

"I don't see the need to be concerned," she replied with a sigh. "The ponies in Ocid will likely put an end to this foal themselves with their broken system. But if it means so much to our masters I will take action. Was there anything else that you needed me for or can we bring this meeting to an end?"

"No, that was all. You are free to wake and be about your task now," Grogar answered and took one final sip from his goblet.

The Mare of Shadows left him sitting there and opened her eyes.

Back in her hidden sanctuary she sat and considered what to do. The foal was within their Dome which meant she either had to breach the Dome or get them to give the foal over to her. She really had no intention of breaching the Dome yet, the time wasn't right for it. Which meant getting them to willingly give the foal over to her. How to do that? She needed help thinking.

"Minions, bring me a pony from one of the pens, one of the healthier ones," she commanded.

A diamond dog scurried away to obey her orders. She just sat waiting and stared at the casket as she did. This situation could force her into ending Ocid, which in turn would leave her vulnerable. That was not acceptable. If she took too long the Elder Gods would become displeased, which could mean giving her bell over to the possession of Grogar. He couldn't destroy the bell, but he could do a lot of other things to her with the bell in his possession, things she would rather not contemplate.

The diamond dog returned quickly hauling a chained unicorn stallion. She had her minions capture a few ponies from time to time to aid in her amusement. This one looked to be in good enough health. He was strong enough to struggle as he was dragged into the chamber.

She walked toward the pony and sent out from her black fur waves of magic, shadowy waves that looked like flame and smoke, but gave off no heat. She wrapped the pony in her magic and smiled at it as the struggling stopped and he stared at her in blind adulation.

"Hello, little pony, do you wish to make me happy?" she asked seductively as she smiled down at him.

"Oh yes, Goddess," the unicorn said as he stared up at her, complete devotion in his eyes.

"Oh I am glad, let me take that horrible suit off you. Would you like that, little pony?" She formed a jagged knife in the air.

"Oh please do so, Goddess," he replied, still staring at her with absolute love.

She used the knife in her telekinetic grasp to cut through the suit. The knife got bloody as she cut flesh as well as the suit's bindings. She then ripped the remaining bits of suit away with her magic.

"I seem to have cut you a bit while freeing you from your bindings. You don't mind that now do you?" She said sweetly to him. She brought the knife back towards herself and licked the blood off it.

"No, Goddess, I don't mind anything you do at all," the enthralled stallion replied.

"Again, I am so glad. I notice you never got your cutie mark, it is such a shame that a pony should never learn their talents or purpose in life. I am going to do you a favor and give you a purpose, would you like that?" She smiled, still licking clean the knife.

"Oh yes, Goddess, whatever purpose you have for me," he grinned stupidly.

"Good," she said, bringing the knife back towards him. "I am trying to think of the solution to a problem and I need your help. I am going to eat you alive, slowly but surely, and I tell you not to struggle or cry out. You can whimper though, whimpering is such a soothing background sound. Can you do this for me? Can you help me think?"

"Whatever you ask of me, Goddess," he complied again.

"Good, let's begin then." As she said that she sunk the knife into his fur and began skinning it off, fur got into her teeth. She would use little amounts of magic here and there to keep him living through the whole process and awake. That made the meal so much more delicious. Surely by the time she was done eating she would have thought of a solution. She so enjoyed playing with her food.

The computer was done analyzing the foal and had deemed it healthy, a great relief. Sunset Shimmer looked down at the strange little filly and wondered what future in Ocid was meant for her. She was something outside the parameters of the system and something she feared Peridot would force into breeding immediately at seventeen years old.

She looked at the little filly's cutie mark. It gave her reason to be wary. The mark was one that Sunset Shimmer was the only living thing that would recognize it for what it was. It was a symbol far older than herself and from another world on top of that. It had no business being on any pony's flank, it was an impossibility. But here she was staring down at the little ankh on the filly's flank. Sunset had not been to the world that symbol came from since she was no older than Midnight Glow and she knew that symbol had been ancient there. She wracked her mind to try to remember what it meant, it was just so long ago, and she never paid such things attention at the time. It seemed like something of incredible importance to know now though.

She floated the little filly over to Midnight's grasp. The new mother gasped as she beheld for the first time the little life she had brought into the world. There was no apprehension or fear in her look, just love for her precious little filly. Midnight was a good pony. She took the foal into her forelegs and nuzzled it gently, wrapping her own leathery, bat-like wings around the filly protectively.

"The computer is awaiting a name for the foal to finish registering it," Sunset told the new mother. "What will be her name?"

Midnight sat in thought for a moment, still lovingly nuzzling her foal. She then picked her head up and looked down at the little snow-white filly.

"Her name is Dove, just simply Dove," Midnight said with adoration.

"Name acknowledged. Registering pegasus filly 0000000001, designated Dove. Ocid survives," the computer declared. Midnight nuzzled her daughter's white feathered wings.

"Ocid survives," Sunset said quietly.