With the sound of a thunderclap, the entire front wall to a bookstore on the outskirts of a small town was torn from its frame thrown aside. Splinters of wood and twisted nails lay scattered about the establishment as the crescent moonlight above filtered in. The dark figure that had once stood in the doorway, wasted no time in quickly rummaging through the many shelves. She could have simply walked through the door, as was her usual of late, but her patience was growing thin and her malice grew with every second. Dark and serpent-like tendrils lifted books away from the furthest parts of the room and brought them to their mistress as she discarded one useless text after the next.

This continued for a brief while until finally, all the books that could possibly contain what she needed were within the grasp of her darkened aura. Her face twisted in a grimace, Dimmed Star trotted out of the store and began to make her way back home through the Everfree and away from the neighboring town of Birch-twig.

"I'm getting tired of this, Insect." Her voice echoed into the night with a grim undertone.

As the sun rose high into the early morning sky, Spike and his fellow classmates made their way towards another day of learning and fun. It was only him, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo for the moment, but they were due to meet up with Apple Bloom at the next intersection that led to the schoolhouse. As they walked, Spike tried and failed to fight off a large yawn, while Sweetie Belle kept talking about how she and Rarity had stayed up the night before trying to finish her essay.

"I mean, come on! How hard is it to write three paragraphs on Sapphire Shores! It's all I had to do, but noooo, Rarity just HAD to have me include a whole extra page dedicated to her wardrobe which SHE made!" Scootaloo only rolled her eyes at her friend's expense as she and Spike dealt with the unicorn’s ever-increasing irritation.

The young pegasus looked to actually be more tired than Spike, and that was saying something. Her normally vibrant orange coat seemed a bit dull and ruffled in places. Her mane was unkempt, which wouldn't be too unusual for her, but it also seemed to be matted in some places as though she hadn't had a bath recently. Spike, not wanting to be rude, decided it was in his best interest not to say anything about the smell, it was too light for other ponies to notice anyways. But the really strange thing was that her wings were practically glued to her barrel.

Scootaloo would almost always ride to school on her beloved scooter. It was her favorite way of getting around. But here she was, walking next to them as though she had never ridden one in her life. The bags beneath her eyes didn't seem to be going away anytime soon either. Before Spike could ask her the burning question, the sound of galloping hooves caught their attention and all turned to see Apple Bloom rushing down the path and heading straight for them, a large smile on her face.

"Hey, y'all! Ready for a fresh day of learnin'?" She exclaimed as she skidded to a halt beside her two best friends. She almost seemed to be bouncing and for some reason, she looked... brighter?

Spike and the other girls blinked at her for a moment as they tried to figure out what was different. The filly's coat seemed to shine almost as bright as freshly churned butter and her mane and tail looked to be especially well-groomed today. Even her bright pink bow seemed to almost sparkle in the light. She started to blush slightly at all the staring and pushed past them, heading for the school.

"Q-quit yer dallyin'! We're gonna be late!" She declared, meanwhile one of them noticed something else that was off about their farmer friend.

"Hey Applebloom, what do you have in there?" Sweetie Belle prodded her friend, who currently carried not one, but two separate saddlebags. The others looked to her curiously as her face flushed brighter and she looked anywhere but straight at them.

"N-n-nuthin!" She quickly replied, keeping her head forward and trotting onward, a single shy glance back at the resident drake leaving him with more questions than answers.

With a shrug, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle followed after as Spike brought up the rear. It promised to be an interesting day that at the very least.

Dimmed Star sat within the darkness of her room, confining herself away from all distraction as she poured over the new texts she had acquired the previous evening, through less than moral methods. Each book that failed to provide her with the information she desired, met a grizzly end at the bladed tendrils that now whipped through the air above her in agitation. The floor stained black with her Ink bubbled and hissed as she grit her sharp teeth in frustration, her dark eyes bloodshot.

"no... no... no... no. NO. NO. NO!!" She screamed as she flung the latest text with enough force for it to leave a sizable crater in the adjacent wall to her blacked-out window. A multitude of tendrils followed on its heels, skewering the book in place before splitting apart and shredding its contents.

"WHERE ARE YOU!?" She screeched to the heavens, her body halfway between her normal form and her demonic state as her eyes shook with unbridled rage.

Deep within the mare's psyche, the Entity stirred.

"Dimmy?" A timid, yet hopeful voice crept through the small crack beneath the door, snapping the enraged mare back to reality. Breathing heavily, Dimmed Star reigned herself in and slowly made her way to the door, her body creaking and popping as it restored itself. Stopping just short of the door, she breathed a sigh of annoyance.

"Yes, Pinkie?" She could practically feel the mare on the other side poof back into her natural happy state.

"OH, good! I was worried for a moment there when I heard you screaming all angry and everything. I just finished making lunch and I was wondering if you'd be coming down soon? I have a surprise for you~" The mare asked in her usual chipper way. Dimmed Star raised a hoof to her face and nursed the oncoming headache, despite the small smile that played on her lips.

"I'll be down in a minute Pinkie... just let me... clean up..." She spared a slight glance to the bedroom, most of its contents were utterly destroyed in some form or another in her bouts of rage and frustration. She winced at the state of the bed, having been practically cut in half.

"Okie dokie lokie~" Pinkie chimed back, and the mare could be heard as she bounced her way back to the stairs and down to the living area. With a sigh of irritation, as well as defeat, Dimmed Star turned and made her way to the restroom, hoping to at least freshen up a little.

Within just a few minutes, Dimmed Star stepped through the door of her room and quickly closed it behind her, locking it with a flick of her horn. She didn't want Spike or Pinkie walking into that mess before she had some time to actually clean it up. Luckily Spike would be at school for a while yet, Pinkie on the other hoof...

Turning towards the stairs, she made her way carefully down to the living area, thoughts of a fresh meal guiding her steps.

'I wonder what's she made this time?' She thought idly as she came around the bend of the stairs, only to freeze at the sight before her.

"Surprise!" Pinkie shouted from behind their group of friends, who all stood together smiling awkwardly as they waved back at her, the table in front of them filled with several plates of their favorite foods. Dimmed Star stared back at them for a brief moment, before turning on her hooves and making her way back upstairs. Pinkie began to panic at this and jumped forwards, grabbing ahold her rear legs.

"W-wait! Please don't go! Give them a chance! You gave me one!" Dimmed Star turned a sour glare on the pink mare, who wilted for a moment, before giving a stern glare of her own and tightening her hold.

"I gave you a chance because you reached out to me. They, however," She snapped her gaze back towards the other mares, who each had the decency to look guilty.

"They haven't tried since the train ride home." She stared them down, only for Applejack to return a look of stern indignation.

"Now hold on an apple pickin' minute! what about the other week when Fluttershy an' ah' helped you an' Spike out with his school supplies, don't that count for somethin'?" Fluttershy turned and looked between the two mares, her eyes wide and suddenly aware that she had been dragged into the conversation. Dimmed Star gave the hardened farmer a scalding look, but she didn't back down.

"Fluttershy helped Spike, not me. She would barely look at me then, and the only other interaction I've had with her were the few times she would leave fish in my mailbox with a note saying, ' Sorry.' As for you, I would hardly call a few words to other ponies while I was present as a passing conversation." Applejack flinched back at that, the bite in Dimmed Star's words leaving a stinging feeling in her chest.

"You're right... we haven't been the best of friends the past few weeks... but we are truly sorry for that..." Rarity stepped forward, her head bowed and her ears laid back as she gave the dark a mare a pleading look.

"We've had to take some time to... process everything... After the wedding, the hearing, and the ride home, there was so much for us all to put together still..." Dimmed Star examined the fashionista carefully.

"Pinkie Pie did tell me that you were each having some trouble with it... But that's not an excuse. If you had questions or wanted to at the very least break the ice, then you should have come forward on your own, not have Pinkie drag you here." She turned once more, her tone having grown more agitated by the second as she began to make her way back upstairs, a plump pink pony firmly attached to her rear left leg.

The sound of rushing wind was accompanied by a flash of rainbow and cyan as Rainbow Dash now hovered in front of her, a look of frustration on her face.

"Hey! We're trying here, okay!? And it wasn't just Pinkie that brought us here, we ALL wanted to come see you! We just... It... Gah!! It's really hard to face somepony when they look like they want to kill you!!" She stomped her hoof on the stairs as she landed in front of the mare. Dimmed Star growled in response, her earlier anger having gone unsated now rising back to the forefront. Before she could lash out at the brash pegasus, a butter-yellow hoof came into view and placed itself on Rainbow's withers. Turning to see Fluttershy now hovering just beside the stairwell, small tears in her eyes and a look of concern.

"S-she doesn't mean any harm... D-Dimmed Star... She's just... scared... We all are..." She looked away in shame as did the others. Dimmed Star felt the rage that had begun to build in her slowly start to subside at those words and she breathed a sigh of irritation and acceptance.

"Finally..." The others looked to her in slight confusion, while she merely shook her head and turned to glance at the pink mare fervently glued to her leg.

"You can let me go now, I'll stay." Pinkie's solemn expression exploded into a wide grin and she jumped from the stairs.

"YES!" She turned and rushed back down the few steps and made a beeline for the kitchen, disappearing through the doors. Dimmed Star rolled her eyes and allowed the slightest of smiles to grace her lips as she calmly walked the few steps needed to reach the ground floor. The other mares, however, could only stare at her in confusion.

"U-um, pardon darling, but what do you mean... finally?" Rarity voiced as Dimmed Star came to a stop at the table and began to glance through the few meat-based meals that were obviously reserved for her. She glanced up momentarily, noting as Fluttershy and Rainbow came from behind her and retook their places.

"It's the same conversation I had with Pinkie the other night." She spoke as though one were talking about the weather. With a brief flash of her black aura, the nearest plate of freshly cooked bacon was dragged close to her and she began to pick through the pieces for the ones with the most crunch.

"The only way that any of us are going to be able to get past this, is for you to be honest with yourselves and with me." She stated as a matter of fact while floating a long piece of the delicacy to her lips and began to devour it. The other mares looked to one another for a moment, before a dawning comprehension overtook their features. Applejack for her part started to chuckle lightly as she tipped her hat to cover her eyes.

"Y'all were waitin' fer us to admit the truth to ya'... about how we feel..." It was an observation that had come at the sudden revelation. Dimmed Star said nothing, only nodding as she consumed another piece of bacon.

"HEY! You weren't supposed to start eating yet!" An indignant Pinkie shouted as she exited the kitchen, several trays of baked goods and a few glasses of juice balanced about her body in a bizarre fashion. Dimmed Star froze as though she were a filly that had been caught with her hoof in a cookie jar.

"But... I thought...?" She tried through a small mouthful as she looked to the pink baker, who was taking no prisoners this day.

"Nu-huh Missy! You know the rules, everypony has a plate before anypony starts eating. It's rude to eat in front of others." She spoke as though she were a professional in culinary etiquette, which she probably was. Dimmed Star suddenly felt small as she gulped the last of the tasty bacon and sat back from the table. The others looked between the two in utter confusion, before Rainbow Dash burst out laughing.

"Ha Hah!!! She's got you whipped!" The weather mare proclaimed as the others joined in with their own chuckles and snorts. Dimmed Star had the decency to blush as Pinkie ignored their teasing and began to pass around more plates and set the drinks.

"But... it's my home..." Dimmed Star tried, only to receive a sympathetic glance from Rarity.

"It's alright darling, it isn't the first time Pinkie's commandeered a living space." Their friends chimed in agreement.

The tension in the air at their arrival had finally seemed to pass and everypony had started to relax again. Once all the meals had been passed around, and with an okay from Pinkie, they began to eat and chat with one another.

"So uh... how long have you two been hanging out exactly?" Rainbow asked through a mouthful of cupcake. Dimmed Star raised an eyebrow at the question, but before she could answer, Pinkie jumped into the conversation.

"Dimmy walked into Sugarcube Corner just last week! She looked to be trying to find a tasty treat but then I really, really, really wanted to say hello! But I accidentally startled her and she turned around all creepy like and scared the other customers and then I chased after her when she left and-" She continued to ramble muffled noises despite having a muffin crammed into her mouth via an Ink soaked hoof. Turning back to Rainbow, who now sported her own raised eyebrow, she sighed.

"As she said, a little over a week." Bringing a glass of water to her lips, she sipped it as Rainbow nodded slowly.

"U-um... I-I don't mean to be a bother... but um..." Fluttershy held up a shaky hoof as she pointed it towards Dimmed Star's few plates of meat-based meals. Dimmed Star thought back to precisely where said meat came from and almost felt a bit guilty... almost.

"To answer your question, I've been hunting in the Everfree." This brought silence to the table, with the exception of Pinkie who continued to talk through the chewing of her muffin and describing the past week's events. Fluttershy's eyes widened and her ears laid back.

"O-oh... I-I guess the fish... wasn't enough then...?" Dimmed Star gave the animal caretaker a deadpan stare as if to say, ' no shit.' The meek mare flinched back awkwardly.

"Now now, I thought we had already moved past this part of the evening?" Rarity pushed herself into the conversation. She looked among everypony at the table who all seemed a bit on edge again. With a roll of her eyes, she face-hoofed.

"For Celestia's sake girls. We've all had plenty of time to make peace with her new diet. Did you all seriously think that she would be satisfied with just a few tin cans of fish?" Turning to the shyest of her friends, she shook her head in disappointment.

"Fluttershy dear, you were the first of us to bring it up and even provided those tins of food. Haven't you been having an influx of animals taking shelter in your home of late? Did you truly not consider why that might be?" Fluttershy flushed in embarrassment and nervousness.

"I-I had a f-feeling... but I... I didn't want to accuse..." Dimmed Star rolled her eyes at this and huffed in annoyance, catching their attention.

"What else was I to do? You had said that you could get me in contact with a meat vendor, even Rainbow mentioned talking to her old griffon friend about it, but neither of you had made the effort to come and say hi, much less take those extra steps. Hunting was the only choice left to me." The two pegasi looked away in embarrassment and shame. Fluttershy then nodded to herself and gave Dimmed Star a more determined look.

"I-if I get you the information for the vendor, does that mean you'll stop hunting in the Everfree?" Dimmed Star was taken aback by the sudden energy of the normally meek mare. Deciding to take a moment and give it some actual thought, debating on the pros and cons of hunting, versus having an available meat vendor. On the one hoof, having to always hunt for her food in the night when no pony was awake and then prepping and storing it in her meat locker was time-consuming, time that could be better spent elsewhere. While on the other hoof, a vendor could get expensive depending on the quality and freshness of the meat, not to mention how far the vendor lived could lead to high shipping expenses.

She was fortunate to find that Celestia had not cut her off from her monthly stipend, yet, but there was also no guarantee that it would be enough to cover the extra costs... Besides, she licked her lips as she thought of the thrill that she felt when overpowering and ending the lives of the many creatures she had consumed already. It was so much fun to be free of restraint in those moments. Half the time she had to force herself to preserve what meat she could before devouring the rest in a bloody frenzy.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy, but I don't think I can give up hunting... I... enjoy it too much..." She spoke in a partially dreamy state, her mouth twisting into a toothy smile that made those at the table a bit more wary of her. Fluttershy's head and ears lowered in disappointment and sadness.

"O-oh... okay then..." Although the mare was more than understanding of her friend's situation, it did little to help how she felt about the animals that lived closest to her ending up on the menu. She made a mental note to not allow Angel Bunny back into the Everfree without her supervision.

"However," Fluttershy looked back up, her eyes hopeful as Dimmed Star gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I haven't been hunting near your home or Zecora's, so you needn't worry." This raised Fluttershy's spirits a bit and she gave a small sigh of relief.

"Th-thank you. I'll be sure to let the critters in my home know not to stray too far into your territory." Dimmed Star nodded to her and continued her ravaging of the plate before her before a sudden thought occurred to her.

"Speaking of Zecora... has anypony seen or heard from her recently?" She asked curiously. Despite her numerous forays into the wilds of the Everfree, she had not once seen the hermit zebra. The others shook their heads or gave some form of negative to the question.

Zecora cautiously peeked outside the windows of her home, charms of some unknown purpose and streaks of some form of mud were painted across her face and body. She looked near and far, before slowly making her way out of the door to her home and rushing through the nearby trees to a well-worn path.

‘The beast is gone and now is the time, I must hurry if I am to collect more thyme!’ She rushed about, grasping at herbs along her path, keeping a watchful eye over the light of the sun above.

Shrugging her shoulders, Dimmed Star reached forwards and pulled a plate of chicken legs and breasts toward herself, pushing the empty plate that once held the bacon off to the side.

"Guess we'll see her when we see her then."

Author's Notes:

Shaded: -peeks out from behind a large rock- " Uh... yea.... hi guys... long time no see, heh."

- looks left and right-

Shaded: " So uh, as you guys know, I've been having a lot of trouble irl for the past half year. It hasn't been easy for me, and I've struggled to come to grips with a few things. But I'm here now and that's what counts!"

- Flinches at a nearby moth-

Shaded: - starts to sweat- " So.... yea... glad to be back... um here's a new chapter and I'll go ahead and get this disclaimer out of the way..."

- pulls out a note card-

Shaded: " Sorry, it's uh, been awhile. ahem I do not own MLP: FIM or the Equinox Ponies. A special thanks to Kuunlehti for proof reading! If you guys like the story, please be sure to leave a like and check out my Discord channel for more information!"

Shaded: " That that's out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy the cha- URK!"

- a rope ties itself around Shaded's neck in a purple aura-

Dimmed Star/ Twilight: " WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN!?!?"

Shaded: .... mommy...