She stumbled through the dark forest, the light from the Moon above obscured by the thick foliage. Her legs, caked in mud, ached from the exertion and her lungs burned as she struggled to breathe. Her eyelids fluttering, she strained to keep them open, the dried blood across her face chipping and falling away to dust. A fresh trail leaked from the torn flesh of her right ear, the top half flailing about as she moved.

Whimpering, she pressed on through the darkness, forcing herself to keep moving, to keep living, no matter what.

The sound of wood creaking from behind met her ears and she froze, her heart pounding in fear. Shakily, she turned to peek behind her, her eyes meeting yellow. Her small whimper became a gurgled cry as her eyes clenched shut, turning and hobbling away as fast as her legs could carry, but it was in vain.

The creatures stepped out from the shadows, their wooden bodies creaking and their foul breath filling her nostrils, making her gag at the smell. Slowly stalking towards her, they growled and snapped their splinter-like fangs. There was no need to chase their prey, she was already on her last legs. Walking faster than she could flee, they quickly caught up to her, both of them now standing on either side and snapping at her hooves, playing with their food.

Crying profusely, she tripped as one sliced through the flesh of her foreleg, sending her tumbling into the dirt and mud. Curling in on herself, their shadows overtook her, their piercing yellow eyes staring down at her hungrily. Closing her eyes tightly, she begged and pleaded for the pain to end, for anyone to come and save her.

When it seemed that nothing was going to happen, she opened her eyes just slightly, a faint glimmer of hope that somehow her prayers had been answered. Looking above her, she was horrified to find them still there, the creatures that would feast upon her flesh and her life. Their dark beige and vibrant reds almost completely hidden by the bark and leaves that covered their bodies. The angry glare in her father's eyes and the disapproving stare of her mother boring into her very being.

"You are such a worthless daughter! You can never do anything right!" His voice thundered above, causing her to curl in on herself even more.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry Da-daddy!" She sobbed, before her mother came closer, her face disgusted.

"No wonder you were in that orphanage, we never should have adopted you. Always needy, always hungry. We give you a roof over your head and still, you don't appreciate us. Are we just not good enough!?" The filly shook her head, her eyes clenched shut.

"N-N-o-o! Th-that's not-" But her voice was drowned out by their howling, their constant berating.

"We never should have loved you!" A crack of thunder echoed with their voices before darkness descended on her with gnashing fangs and splintering claws. She screamed as the world faded into darkness.

Purple eyes snapped open in shock, Scootaloo's voice escaping as a barely audible scream. Lightning flashed through the sky above, its faint light only just reaching her through the trees as it’s thunderous clap shook the world.

The filly lay beneath the roots of a fallen tree, half of her body sunken into a muddy hole as cold rain continued to pour through the canopy above. Coughing up the water that had filled her lungs, she fought against the suction of the liquidated dirt, gasping in pain as she dragged herself from the pit, her body aching and the dried blood across her face becoming a morbid painting as it absorbed the moisture that trailed down her frame. Her body trembling, she limped through the cold storm and shadows of the Everfree.

Her eyes ran with tears that intermingled with the blood and rain, dripping down her neck and to the forest floor as she went. Hours seemed to pass, and there seemed to be no end to the pain in sight. The storm, both the one above and the one within, were endless and weighed upon her body with their might. Her thoughts were clouded with memories of the times she longed for, but the times that hurt the most were most prominent, bearing down on her being. Slowly, her bright eyes grew dull, the light within beginning to lose its spark as she found herself edging ever further into the darkness and the cold.

Miles behind her, a single blue light floated along, following the tracks in the mud, the softest sound of laughter echoing from it as it raced to meet its new plaything.

"And that's kinda why I didn't tell her..." Spike explained, standing before his teacher in a yellow raincoat as he wrung out his coat's hat over a trash bin. Cheerilee for her part stared at the young drake, her left eye twitching and her mouth parted slightly as she fought to comprehend what he had just told her.

"S-so let me get this straight... if you tell Miss Star about what happened, then...," She let the sentence hang as she nodded her head in the direction of a particular pair of students in her class, who were thankfully not paying attention. Raising a hoof, she slid it across her neck. Spike nodded reluctantly, looking to her apologetically as her eyes widened even further at his confirmation.

"Oh, Celestia..." Her voice mirrored her horror at the thought. Gulping nervously, she looked him over carefully as he removed his coat.

"She... She hasn't done anything, you know... to you, has she?" Her worry increasing as she thought of the young drake, this child, living in the same home with such a mare. Seeing where she was going, he quickly threw his claws up in denial.

"No no! Star would never hurt me, and not anypony else if she could help it... I think... Yea she has to eat meat now, and she loves hunting in the forest, but it's not like she's eyeing us all up like that." He smiled fondly as he looked back down, his claws trailing carefully over the brim of his yellow hat as he thought about how angry she had gotten when he'd asked if he was a pet, how much she cared.

"She gets angry more often, and will take it out on her surroundings... but I think with a little more interaction, she'll start to be a bit kinder to everypony." He looked up to her with a bright smile, his green eyes sparkling with hope and determination. Cheerilee looked to him with just as much worry as before, but also with a sense of pride.

"Very well Spike, I'll trust you. But should you ever need anything, my door is always open." He nodded to her, pausing for a moment, before leaning forward and giving her a light hug that she warmly returned with a chuckle.

"Now now, don't want to make the fillies jealous, get in your seat so we can start class." His face flushed at her small jibe, nodding as he grabbed his things and quickly took his seat. As he reached into his backpack for a pencil, Miss Cheerilee called the class to order, quieting down the other students.

"Okay everypony, oh and drake," the class chuckled at the small correction before she continued, " It's time to get started, now does anybody remember what we talked about during yesterday's history lecture about the E.U.P guard?" Several hooves shot up as she smiled at them, of course, most of the young ponies that had paid any attention during the lecture were the pegasi, but it was still nice to see more than two or three hooves hit the air when she asked a question.

Scanning the crowd, she had to do a double-take as an empty desk stood out to her. Staring in confusion, she quickly did a headcount, coming up short. It took her no time at all to realize who was missing either, as there was a distinct lack of a bright orange pegasus in the room.

"Applebloom, Sweetie, do you know where Scootaloo is?" She turned to the filly's closest friends, who each looked to one another nervously, their actions quickly displaying the answer. With a sigh, she turned from the podium and trotted up to the blackboard and grabbing hold of a piece of chalk. Quietly jotting down a few assignments, she replaced the chalk and made her way over to the desk and flipped through several folders from the bottom drawer. Nodding once she found the right one, she took a sheet of paper from it and copied the address before heading to the door, grabbing a pink raincoat from a stand beside it.

"Alright class, I'll be leaving you all for a few minutes. I want you to follow the instructions on the board and stay in your seats, she looked pointedly at two of the fillies who had already begun to turn from their chairs. They quickly snapped back to the front with nervous smiles as she watched them for a few moments.

"Twist, you’re in charge until I return, and I will return shortly, so I expect every creature to have completed at least the first assignment by then." The cream-colored filly gave a vigorous nod to her teacher, her curly red mane bouncing.

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee." The class chimed as books were opened and pencils started moving. She waited for just a moment more, worry creeping into her heart before she shook it off and decided to trust her students. Opening the door, she grimaced as the cold rain splashed against her face as she pushed out into the storm.

Taking the trail at a quick trot, she was thankful that the weather team had managed to filter out the brunt of the wild storm. It wasn't often that the Everfree's weather made it into their little town, but when it did, it made sure they knew it.

As she approached her destination, she groaned at the sight that met her. The town guardhouse was always a worn-looking building, with the guards within looking even more so, but to not even see one guard sitting at the window was never a good sign. It usually meant that they were either out on patrol, or on lunch.

Reaching the building, she stepped beneath the corner of the roof that hung above the window and tapped the glass quickly, hoping that someone was still inside. The constant downpour of rain against the roof was all that met her ears as she waited for a few more minutes, before knocking against it even harder.

"Hello! Is anypony there!?" Shouting over the rain, she felt a rush of annoyance.

'Why now of all times! Always so useless!' She complained. It wasn't technically their fault she guessed, with the Element Bearers having taken care of any threat that raised in the recent past, the guard had become complacent and lazy, even to the point that most of the officers were either out of shape or too old to do more than give you a stern talking too. Placing her face against the glass, she tried to peek through and see if anypony was there, to no avail.

"Dammit!" cursing in frustration, she turned to look around, trying to think of what she could do. Retrieving the copy of the address from within her coat, she bit her lip as she glanced at the shack and back.

'Technically, I'm supposed to have a guard with me when I approach a parent's home... but I suppose it couldn't hurt this once.' Her mind made up, she studied the address for a few seconds, committing it to memory, before stashing the paper back in her pocket and trotting out into the rain.

"Pst." Spike looked up in surprise at the sound, turning to find its source. Applebloom looked to him for a moment like a moth would a lantern, before blushing and looking away as their eyes met.

"S-sorry to botha' ya Spike, but have y'all seen Scoot anywhere?" Sweetie Belle looked past her friend at him as well, her eyes hopeful. Shaking his head, he dashed their hopes as the three of them looked around, making sure that nopony was eavesdropping.

"I thought you three normally walked together?" He asked, his voice low as to keep from being discovered. The two of them shook their heads.

"Not always, we normally walk to school with our sisters on days like this. Though, for some reason Rarity was much clingier than usual. She had me play dress up with her for what felt like forever last night. Even when I wanted to go to bed, she insisted that I sleep with her instead of my own room." Sweetie Belle scratched at the side of her head with a hoof, confusion and concern etched across her face. Applebloom nodded at this, her scarlet red mane bouncing along with the pink bow. Spike noted absently that she had put it back into its usual style with some disappointment, he blinked owlishly at that thought before blushing and focusing on what she was saying.

"Ah know right! Applejack wuz jus' like that! She kept showin’ up every time ah turned aroun', askin' me if'n ah wuz ok or needed anythin'. She kept takin' tools from mah hooves, tellin' me they were too dangerous fer me to be usin'. Ah've been helpin' fix the fence fer ages, Ah don’ need a babysitter!" Spike looked between the two of them, concern showing in his features.

"Um, ok? But, about Scootaloo?" The two friends looked to one another, worry in their eyes.

"We don't know, she's always just sorta, here, on rainy days. I don't think I've seen her come to school with anypony besides that time Rainbow Dash brought her." The three of them sat in silence as they pondered over where their feathered friend could be when Applebloom’s eyes suddenly lit up as an idea struck her.

"Y'all don't think she's sick do ya? Ah know she's seemed a bit more distant yesterday, but ah didn' think much of it." Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin in thought.

"I'm not sure, she didn't seem sick, but you never know." Spike shivered as he imagined the filly home in bed with a thermometer and a wet rag on her forehead.

"If she is, I hope she didn't give it to me with as often as she dragged me around yesterday." He raised a claw to his head, feeling for any change in temperature. The two fillies giggled at him, causing him to quickly remove his appendage in embarrassment.

"Well, if that is the case, I hope she gets better soon." Sweetie wished her friend well as she returned to her work, her script looking more akin to a fancy letter than a bit of school work. Applebloom nodded as she bit into her pencil, moving it around a bit as she contemplated the next question.

"I hope so too..." Spike whispered as he turned to the nearest window, just catching a flash of lightning that stretched across the sky.

Wood scraped across the floor as Dimmed Star pushed her bed back into place, her ears laying back in an effort to block out the noise. Breathing with exertion, she fell back on her haunches as she wiped the sweat from her brow, the sound of furious scrubbing drawing her attention. Looking over, she smiled slightly at the concentrated face of Pinkie as the mare stared a hole into the dark flooring that she was attempting to clean.

"Pinkie, I don't think any amount of scrubbing is going to get that stain out." She chuckled lightly as the mare glared at the stain, determination in her eyes and her nose scrunching up in challenge.

"Never say never Dimmy! There's no stain that Pinkamena Diane Pie can't clean! Just ask Mrs. Cake!" She proclaimed, before dipping the rag back into a nearby bucket of suds and returning to her work. Dimmed Star smirked at the mare's attempts, before looking around at their progress.

The disaster that had once been her room was beginning to look livable again, which was a good thing as sleeping on the cushions in the living room was not the most comfortable thing according to a certain drake. When Star had alluded to Spike the reason as to why they couldn't sleep in their room, she made sure to leave out a few key details. Glancing over, she grimaced at the sight of Spike's basket, sliced in half with stuffing from its cushion spilling out.

'I'll buy him a sapphire cupcake, that should smooth things over until we get him a new bed.' She thought idly as she looked around. Her eyes caught Pinkie taking a small break to glare at the stain once more, causing her to snicker again. Hearing this, Pinkie looked over to stare at her, before she too started giggling. It wasn't long until both mares were rolling on the floor in laughter, Pinkie holding her sides and Dimmed Star wiping dark tears from her eyes, only for them to fall to the floor and add more stains.

"Hey! Stop making my work harder, haha!" Pinkie giggled as she pointed to the stains. Dimmed Star's sharp teeth were barely restrained behind her wide smile.

"You could stand to do more, the only thing you've done so far is try to clean that one stain!" Pinkie gasped in mock hurt, her eyes shining.

"That is sooo not true! I cooked you some yummy bacon this morning no matter how bad it smelled and besides, this is a really tough stain!" The two erupted into more laughter just as a flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder startled them from their elation. Pinkie looked out over the bed as she peered through the window, the rain outside spilling against the glass and pouring down its surface.

"Yowza, those Everfree storms really are no joke. I hope Dashy is doing ok up there." She looked to the clouds, wondering if the cyan mare was having an easier or harder time above the storm. A slight splash from behind caught her off guard, causing her to turn around. Dimmed Star stood nearby, her face stoic and eyes sharp as she looked around carefully, trickles of Ink bleeding from her hooves and slowly filling a puddle beneath her. Pinkie leaned back a bit, her confusion and worry evident on her face.

"S-sorry Dimmy, I didn't mean to, you know..." Dimmed Star didn't seem to be paying the mare any attention however. She breathed in carefully as she closed her eyes, the Ink below her slowly trying to draw itself back in. Opening them once more, she noticed Pinkie's fearful gaze, following it to the puddle beneath where she studied it for a long moment.

"Sorry Pinkie, it was just the lightning... I'm still not that great with... surprises..." Pinkie's eyes rose from the puddle, understanding and relief flooding her features as her ears perked up once more.

"That's okay Dimmy, I thought it was, well never mind." The room was bathed in silence then as the two sat and listened to the rain, Pinkie watching curiously as Dimmed Star's Ink returned to her body. With a gasp and a smile, the silence was broken as Pinkie bounced over to the dark mare.

"Dimmy, Dimmy, Dimmy! I have an idea!" Dimmed Star looked to the mare in confusion, an eyebrow raised.

"Bring your goo back and cover the whole floor with it, that way I don't have to fight a stain that never ever, ever, ever, ever gets any smaller!" Dimmed Star blinked at her suggestion, looking around at the floor beneath them and biting her lip in worry.

"I don't know Pinkie, my Ink kind of has a rather... harsh, effect on things." Pinkie nodded quickly, her smile never fading.

"Yeeeees, but it doesn't seem to always be like that. Only when you pass through things with it, or when you are super duper upset! Why not try using it without being angry?" Dimmed Star stared at Pinkie's smiling face in surprise, before nodding cautiously and focusing on her Ink, drawing it back out and into the open. The fluid trailed through the fur of her legs, before pooling together once more beneath her. Closing her eyes in concentration, she cleared her mind and focused on something that she liked, anything to keep her anger under control. Her mind raced as she tried to think of anything that would keep her calm, Pinkie watching the puddle with both trepidation and hope.

An image became clearer within her mind's eye as Dimmed Star smiled softly, a warm feeling growing within her. The image was of Spike, a younger and more innocent little drake than he was today. The image shifted repeatedly, like a painting in motion, as the little wyrm laughed and giggled before her, his tiny claws grasping at her fur and mane. With this image, she focused and expanded her Ink, allowing it to slowly flood the room. Pinkie gasped in delight, before jumping up onto the nearby bed to avoid the puddle. She watched with a bright smile as it expanded from its owner, coating the floor and subsequently painting it in tandem.

Within the dark recesses of Dimmed Star's mind, the Entity stirred, its eyes snapping open and glaring at the light that kept it at bay. The light that seemed stronger now as it glared back with as much vehemence. Glowering at its current warden, the Entity sneered in disgust, before a gaping maw of glowing red light smiled out from the shadows. It may not be able to directly control the host anymore, but it could most certainly still influence their thoughts.

A sickening sound, the Entity's voice revealed itself in the form of grotesque laughter, the twisted gurgling and bubbling of its voice echoing with malice as it extended dark tendrils of miasma that filled its host's thoughts, bleeding into her mind.

The light that imprisoned it grew ever weaker.

Dimmed Star basked in the sound of Spike's voice as the two of them played together in the field, laughing and rolling about until suddenly she found herself alone. Looking about her in worry, she tried to call out for the drake, but nothing came out. Grasping at her neck, she tried to speak, yet still, nothing would come. Hearing a cry, she turned to see the infant Spike, in the hooves of Celestia as she glared back at her.

"Something like you doesn't need to be taking care of someone else, you'll only do more harm than good!" Dimmed Star's eyes widened at her words, the warmth in her chest vanishing as a cold anger took its place. She tried to speak once more, but again no sound came. Celestia only shook her head in shame.

"You could have been a great unicorn, and an even better mentor than I. But you chose this instead, and so I must keep your choices from influencing those around you... Goodbye, Twilight." Dimmed Star's eyes bored into the princess with rage as the alicorn turned and began to walk away, Spike still struggling to escape the grasp of her hoof as he grabbed at the air towards Dimmed Star, his cries of protest ringing in her ears.

Dimmed Star tried to chase after them, but was unable to move. She struggled against her motionless body, a silent scream demanding her freedom. Her movements slowing, she glared at the ground beneath her, rage growing evermore as her lips moved, but still, no sound came out. She tried again, and again, and again. Finally, with the crescendo of her rage, she leaped forward after the princess, her hooves tearing through the ground and her voice free as it shattered the sky.

"GIVE ME BACK MY SON!!"

Pinkie looked around at the puddle of Ink as it had fully covered the floor, beaming as she thought of how much of a genius she was.

"Okie dokie Dimmy, I think that's enough!" She called, turning to her friend with a smile, only to immediately throw herself to the window and wall behind her, yelling out in horror.

Dimmed Star leaped at the mare, her form twisted and jaws open wide as she snapped them closed where Pinkie had been, just catching a tuft of pink fur. Panicking, Pinkie leaped from the bed to a nearby bookshelf, avoiding the now steaming and bubbling liquid below.

"D-Dimmy! It's me, P-Pinkie! Please don't eat me-e-e!" She cried out, tears pouring from her eyes as she began to jump from one piece of furniture to the next with the demonic mare in tow. Her only response was a terrifying roar as the mare grew even lankier, thrusting herself after the baker even faster than before. Missing the mare by less and less as she closed in, the two of them left a trail of destruction throughout the room as Pinkie struggled to find a way to reach out to her friend.

"Come on, think!" She begged herself. Daring to look back at her attacker, she found herself set upon by the mare, her jaws wide and ready to end her life. A cold shiver ran down her spine, causing her body to shake for a moment with a strange, yet familiar sensation that made her eyes go wide. Hope filling her, she turned and instead of fleeing from the monster that threatened to consume her, she jumped at the mare and grasped her hooves around her body in a tight hug, her eyes squeezed shut.

'Oh Celestia please let this work!' She begged and pleaded. The sudden change in motion brought the two of them crashing into the Ink soaked floor, splashing the fluid around and covering both of them until all was silent as still. Despite everything coming to a halt, Pinkie refused to release her enraged friend, hugging her tightly even as the sounds and feelings of the mare slowly shifting back into her natural pony form had begun.

Slowly opening her eyes, Pinkie raised her head up until she and Dimmed Star were face to face, both of them panting heavily. Dimmed Star looked to her with confusion as the two lay there, Ink dripping from the both of them.

"Uh... what... happened?" The baker did not answer as she stared back, tears pouring from her eyes and sniffling.

"Y-you're back... thank goodness... you're back..." She placed her forehead against Dimmed Star's chest and wept profusely, not caring to explain. Dimmed Star felt herself tense up, feeling slightly uncomfortable at this unknown situation, before wrapping her hooves around the mare and calmly stroking her mane as she whispered comforting words into her ear.

Celestia sighed as she tossed aside another piece of parchment, something about a lord out near Trottingham requesting funding to have a railroad built from his private estate to the capital so he wouldn't have to ' inconvenience' himself by going out of his way to take it at the local train station on the other side of the city.

'He could simply have one of his many carriages take him, but no, he has to bother me with this drivel, as though I don’t already have more important matters to deal with.' She sighed once more, her horn lighting up as she poured herself another cup of tea, the sound of something cracking causing her to stop. Confused, she quickly inspected her tea set, looking for any damage.

"What in Equestria?" She asked quietly as she found no damage. Standing, she replaced the cup on its tray and levitated it alongside her as she trotted over to her door. Glancing into a nearby mirror, she quickly made sure she was presentable, before stepping out where she could be seen among the other nobles and guards, her path set towards the kitchens.

Within her room, the light that cast from the fireplace flickered and bounced upon many a surface, but one in particular fractured the light into several pieces that sparkled against the walls.

The almost black Element of Magic sat upon her work desk, a single small crack gracing its surface.

Author's Notes:

Twilight: "I am going to skin you alive..."

Shaded: " Wha- Why!"

Dimmed Star: " You know damn well why!"

Shaded: " .... Do I still have to do the disclaimer?"

Both of them sigh in annoyance.

Twilight: " Do you wanna get sued?"

Shaded: " I mean, no one else here has gotten sued, so..."

Dimmed Star: " Perhaps, but do you really want to run that risk?"

Shaded: " ... Fair enough... I, Shaded Blood, do not own MLP: FIM or the Equinox Ponies. If you like the story then please give it a like to help support me and my increasingly sadistic cohorts. A special thanks to Kuunlehti for proof reading! Also don't forget to check out the Discord, we need more people!"

A whip cracks through the air, barely missing Shaded's head.

Shaded: " Hey watch it!"

Twilight: " Shut up and get back to writing. They've been waiting on this story long enough!"

Shaded: " I'm going, I'm going! Sheesh, what is it that time of the month or something?"

The sound of a record player scratching across its album could be heard

Twilight/Dimmed Star: " What did you just say..."

Shaded: " ... Oh fu-"

Incomprehensible screaming fills the air.