As the sun descended from its zenith and the hours passed Manehattan prepared its defenses. Police mares and stallions scoured the harbor and they forced the dockworkers out. Rumors of what had happened in the port spread like wildfire, and soon almost every pony in the city knew monsters were hiding in the shadows. The citizens grew wary and afraid, keeping off the streets. Loud sirens blared warnings for ponies to follow a mandatory curfew and keep a source of light near them at all times. Manehattan was ready for its first shade hunt.

The ponies chosen for this hunt had been gathered near the harbor sewer entrance. The uniform-clad police officers all stood lined up and eyed Mute and Zarathon with serious expressions.

The officers and the bravest medical professionals had been called to the sewer entrance by the chief of police. Stretchers and ambulance wagons stood ready to care for any survivors or injured. Sandbags were stacked around the sewer entrance to give the personnel more protection should anything emerge from the sewer. And finally, there were a few combat mages at the ready as well. The mages had been instructed to use fire magic if any shade emerged and their purpose was to provide protection to the unarmed medical personnel.

Holy Vow found the mage strategy to be flawed. The private argued that the mages should be utilized against the shades and the nest, but Zarathon told them that if anything slipped out of the sewers then the medical personnel were dead without extra protection.

Holy had dropped the argument, but the pegasus had been uneasy ever since. Especially as Mute stepped in front of the gathered police officers and held up Zarathon to allow the pebble to deliver a speech.

“Below these streets hides an enemy unlike any you’ve faced before. It feeds on deceit and lies. It covets power and influence more than any crocked minister or politician. It sees us as nothing but puppets to play with for its own amusement. And above all, it hates light. We call these creatures shades; they have already killed many of your kinsmen. These shades start off as worms and they use a pony’s flesh and bone to grow themselves a stronger body. This has been the fate of many innocents in Manehattan. We shall stop it today!”

Zarathon’s words echoed out over the gathered police officers. The uniform-clad ponies wore serious and stern expressions. Mute noted how a few of the officers looked ready to explode with rage and he wondered if they knew any of the ponies that had gone missing. He pitied them. There would be no bodies to bury.

Holy Vow stepped forward from Mute’s side and the changeling backed up, letting the pegasus speak.

“These creatures are dangerous and fast! You must kill them on sight using either fire or light! And no matter what you must stick by the burning pebble! His flames can hurt the shades we can’t touch,” Holy said.

Hard Case soon limped forward as well, her injured hind leg in a stilt. “Do what the rock says when you’re down there. He and his changeling know more about these things than us. And for all that is holy come home, we can afford to lose you.”

The officers saluted at Hard Case’s words and she gave them a respectful nod before taking a step back.

Mute once again took the floor and he held up Zarathon so the pebble was visible to all present.

“Let us embark on our crusade against this evil! Let us avenge the dead!” Zarathon yelled.

That drew a few grins from the officers and they hurried to the sewer lid. With the help of a crowbar and a strong stallion, the lid was picked up and set aside. The officers stared down into the brick-walled sewer for a second before they climbed down the ladder to reach it.

“Let us go,” Zarathon said.

Mute nodded and hurried after the officers. Holy Vow gave Detective Case a respectful nod before he went after Mute. Soon they all descended into the dank and stinking underground, and as per Zarathon’s instructions, the entrance was closed. The only light that fell on the narrow passageways and low ceilings next to rivers of filth was Zarathon’s flame and the officers’ flashlights held gingerly in their mouths.

As Mute reached the bottom of the ladder he pushed past the officers and flexed his tattered ears. He listened intensely before he heard a hiss far away in the distance. He nodded down a tunnel to their right and placed Zarathon behind his horn.

“Me and Mute shall lead you. Follow our lead and do not get separated from the group.”

The officers nodded and Holy hurried to join Mute’s side.

“Let us kill some shades,” the white pegasus said with an uneasy smile.

“Yes, private, let us kill some shades.”

The tunnel and narrow brick passageways curved around another corner. As Mute passed it he found nothing new in the next tunnel. He pushed through a brick archway and no room filled with cocoons appeared. His ears flickered and flexed now and again as he picked up on hissing in the distance, but he had not seen a single shade. Furthermore, he was confused as to how far away from the harbor they seemed to be going. Where was the damn nest?

“It feels like we’re walking down the same tunnel over and over again…” Holy mumbled.

Mute watched as the pegasus stepped in some sort of slime and Holy wretched, drawing some laughter from the officers behind them.

Zarathon’s flames flickered in their usual wondering way before stopping mid-sway in shock. “That is because we are.”

The party froze and looked around anxiously. There did indeed seem nothing different about this particular part of the sewer. The curved ceiling hung low, the passageways were slippery and filthy, and the water flowed past them at the same speed as before. The only sound they heard were their breathing and the sound of water dripping from the ceiling. That and the ever-distant hissing. Nothing had changed for several minutes.

“That is just what the sewers are like! It all looks the same,” one police mare said and looked around them lazily. “We’re fine. Stop spreading panic.”

Mute growled at the mare and shook his head. They were not fine. They were very much not fine.

“Mute, we need to lead the officers back to the surface. If things have progressed this far then I was a fool to bring them down here…”

“What?! Why did we come down here then?” one officer said in outrage and slammed his hoof against the ground.

Zarathon growled. “You will listen to me. The shades have managed to amass enough arcane power to bend space down here. They can only do so when they have immense numbers or if there are shades present with incredible power. The shades are warping the tunnels and are leading us astray so they may kill us. We need to leave now before—”

The water next to them began to bubble and violently thrash. The officers pressed themselves against the wall and Holy stepped behind Mute. Zarathon’s flame grew in size and Mute grabbed a hold of the pebble, reading himself.

The water exploded towards the officers. A gigantic shade emerged from the filth, its head pony-shaped while its body seemed akin to a very long cloak. It towered over the ponies and it smiled, revealing sharp white teeth. It opened its mouth and spoke with a hoarse whisper.

“My name is Yeveltar. I am your death.”

Before Mute could react the creature shot out towards one of the officers. The stallion screamed as the shade bit down around his neck and then quickly pulled back. Mute threw himself forward to grab the officer only to barely miss him. The stallion was pulled into the filthy water with a scream and all went quiet.

Mute and the others stared wide-eyed at the water before one mare screamed and ran away from the group.

“Do not leave my light! My fire is the only thing that can hurt it!” Zarathon yelled.

The warning did not make the mare stop. She kept running with fearful cries until a black tentacle suddenly shot out of the water and pierced her side. The mare screamed in fear and pain as the tentacle quickly rolled itself around her midsection and pulled her into the water.

Holy Vow stared wide-eyed at the spot the mare had just been before he looked at Mute. “We… We need to run… We…”

“Flee you sheep born fools!” Zarathon yelled.

Mute ran and pushed Holy ahead of him. The officers hurried after them but one by one they were dragged into the water by tentacles or by Yeveltar’s maw. Their screams filled the sewers and Mute looked around for any sort of escape. They had no time to draw a rune. They needed a room so they could properly engage the monster.

As another officer was dragged screaming into the water Holy Vow let out a choked cry. “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

“You won’t die, private! Keep running!”

The water to their left once again exploded outwards. Mute felt the world slow down as the elder shade threw itself towards Holy. He watched as it opened its horrible maw and revealed its needle-sharp teeth. Mute saw the fear in Holy’s eyes as the thing bore down on him and Holy froze.

Mute threw Zarathon across the ground and kicked Holy out of the way. Yeveltar’s fangs sank into Mute’s side and elytra, forcing a shrill scream from his lips. Green blood splattered across the floor and the elder shade bashed Mute head-first into the wall. Mute’s vision grew blurry and he felt blood pour from a cracked lip.

“MUTE!” Zarathon screamed.

The changeling struggled against the shade's grasp but Yeveltar dragged him into the river of filth faster than anyone could move to stop him. Mute felt as water rushed past him and the elder shade dragged him across the bottom of the river. He yelled in pain as his chitin was scraped across the ground, but as the filthy water filled his mouth he wretched.

Finally, the elder shade let go of his side, and a tentacle wrapped around Mute’s neck. Yeveltar dragged Mute further and further away from the warm bond he held with Zarathon.

“The master will want to see you~”

The elder shade said its hushed words in Mute’s head, penetrating any mental shields Mute believed he had. It laughed and slammed Mute once more into the ground, this time cracking the changeling’s skull against a rock.

Mute’s consciousness faded. The last thing he felt was Zarathon’s fear and worry, and he begged that his friend would forgive him.

As his senses returned to him Tibia felt soft plush velvet under his back. A thin blanket had been draped over his chest and he rested his head against a large pillow. A weight settled down next to him and soft silky lips touched his own. He pushed back against the kiss and opened his eyes to see the worried pink orbs of his love. She rested her head on his chest and stared up at him.

“Were you having a nightmare?” Lampyridae asked.

Tibia nodded. He looked around the room through the white see-through cloths that hung from the bedposts and noted the many stacks of books Lampyridae had gathered on the tables and desks. The books were her collection on subjects like pony history, modern international politics, cultural practices and customs, and of course studies on different kinds of institutions and their drawbacks and benefits.

All of the books in question were normally kept from members of the Hive, but Lampyridae was no ordinary changeling. Not even Queen Chrysalis had the heart to keep her heir away from the ‘corrupting pony ideologies’. Or she believed Lampyridae would grow out of her ‘pony-obessed’ phase. Tibia knew for a fact she wouldn’t.

Lampyridae the Reformer they would call her. He smiled at that and leaned down to kiss her forehead, drawing a cute giggle from his princess.

“I’m glad you’re alright. Would you mind telling me what the nightmare was about?” Lampyridae asked.

“I don’t know, Firefly…”

She pouted and kissed his jaw. She climbed on top of him and straddled him, her pink locks falling into his face. “Come on, I can’t make it better if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Tibia scoffed in amusement and kissed her before sighing in defeat. “I had a dream about the parasites.”

Lampyridae grinned. “Are you still afraid of those old stories?”

“Shush. You can’t look at the ocean without hiding behind me!”

She held a hoof to her chest in feigned offense. “Is my beloved guardian making fun of me?”

“It is just water.”

“It is a deep unfeeling void and you know it!”

They both chuckled and shared another kiss before Lampyridae curled up on his torso like a cat. She smiled down at him and nuzzled his neck. Tibia kissed her before wrapping a foreleg around her back, drawing a purr from the pink princess.

“Oh?~ Is someone feeling frisky in the morning?~” Lampyridae grinned.

“Not every ling’ in the Hive has your malfunctioning libido.”

She gasped dramatically and flicked her hoof against his horn. “It is very much functioning! You know it does!”

Tibia grinned at that. “Yes, it works too much.”

“Bah, like you hate it.”

He hugged her close and breathed in her scent. Fresh spring berries and dirt. She had been experimenting with her greenhouse again. And she had not even washed herself.

“You’re dirty, get out of bed,” he deadpanned.

She pouted. “But you’re so warm.”

“And I have to meet father today. I would rather not look like I am bending the princess over her desk every morning.”

She laughed. “And you call me dirty!”

“This is all on you. I used to speak like a respectable changeling Warrior,” he said.

Lampyridae rolled her eyes at that and ran her hoof in a circle along his chest. “Will you be alright today? I’m sorry for making fun of your nightmare.”

“I will be fine. I… I saw parasites consume ponies and spread themselves like plague. I think I was fighting them with a talking rock. There was something about purifying flames and an ‘old fallen civilization in the west’. I was going there with the rock. We were going to save the world and all that. You know, the ordinary crap my dreams throw at me.”

She nuzzled her head into his chest. “How were you going to save the world by going west?”

“The rock—Well he wasn’t a rock, he was a piece of bone—wished to regain his true form. He was a powerful mage in a past life and he wanted that form back. He also wished to see his descendants who lived in those mountains. I think it was one of those dreams where if you reached the goal the world would magically fix itself, as if there wouldn’t be a hundred other issues if we had reached those mountains.

Lampyridae sat up and smiled down at him. “So Zarathon is going west. I admire his positive outlook if nothing else, as naive and laughable as it is. Though I am mostly glad he is still so predictable.”

Mute looked up at her in confusion. Her smile morphed into a leer. The softness in her pink eyes seemed to give way to a harsh cynicism and she grabbed his chin, breathing over his face.

Her breath smelled of dirt and rot.

“Who is Zarathon? I don’t—”

Tib— No, Mute felt as his words turned into garbled grunts and he watched as Lampyridae’s mane began to drip with dark oil. The bedposts liquified and crumbled. The desks began to droop like the wood was melting. He breathed faster and faster as the books melted and toppled over. The blanket over his chest turned into a black viscous liquid and he began to sink into the bed. Throughout it all he could only stare with wide eyes and a shaky breath as Lampyridae melted away to reveal an oily jet-black creature that held the form of a unicorn mare. The creature’s eyes were a deep red and it hissed before melting into the liquid.

Mute struggled against the black tar-like substance as more and more of it filled the room and soon it covered his head. He screamed and kicked against the liquid. He couldn’t breathe! He couldn’t breathe! He couldn’t—

The last thing he saw was an infinite well of darkness. At its bottom, he saw thousands of eyes looking at him lasciviously.

Originally this chapter was over seven thousand words long. For your sanity as well as my own I've decided to cut it in two halves. I will be releasing part 2 tommorow.