The town was still sleeping when the trio of investigators headed out. Silently, they traveled across Ponyville, mindful of their step in the extremely early morning hours. A colt of blue followed the elder pink maned mare, their comments hushed to a whisper to avoid waking anypony up. Behind him, a rather large, brown coated pegasus hovered, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

“Why did it have to wait until nearly sunrise?” Detective Domino Locks asked.

Mystery Hart pointed a hoof towards the edge of town, in the direction of the natural border that separated Ponyville from the Everfree Forest. “Our guest is still a trek away. It’s going to take us most of the morning to get there.”

“Everfree Forest? Are you crazy?” Locks gave Mysty a hard look.

“I know a relatively safe route to get there from the entrance. I’ve been to the royal sisters’ ancient castle before.”

“Relatively,” Locks skepticism remained unsure.

“We have Amy,” Mysty rolled her eyes. “We’ll be fine, trust me.”

Wings gently flapped above them, the silhouette of the strong framed mare shot by, illuminated by the cracks of dawn just beyond the horizon. A single brown feather danced towards the ground.

Locks waved Amy, the youngest of the three, towards him. “See anypony around?”

Amy shook her head, avoiding the use of her rather loud means of discussion as per Mysty’s orders.

Mysty was right about the walk into Everfree. No more than twenty minutes of walking beyond the borders to the ravenous environment, and directly ahead of the trio was none other than the ruins of the ancient castle, built eons ago for the Princesses of the sun and the moon. Locks counted the group lucky that most of the wildlife seemed awfully tame so early in the morning. Amethyst was prohibited from using her whistle throughout the entire trip, the oldest mare not willing to pit the group against a pack of hungry timberwolves, or a cranky ursa major.

“Perfect,” Mysty stopped the three at the base of a bridge leading towards the castle. “There’s a pocket on one end of the castle that leans just right on the edge of the forest after we cross the bridge.” She took a few casual steps across, the bridge much stronger than its aged planks and ropes illustrated.

Hesitating, Locks and Amy cautiously followed behind her.

“Our guest should be meeting us there,” Mysty turned to the pair after sinking her hooves back into solid ground. “Then maybe we can find some answers.”

Locks grimaced. “Ms. Hart, How come your guest decided upon such a distinct meeting place? Wouldn’t it have been safer to be back in Ponyville, or even Canterlot?”

“If I could’ve, I would’ve just done that,” she answered without questioning herself. “My guest is very special. This is the only place we could possibly meet at on such short notice.”

The ivory pony led the group around the front of the ruins, ignoring the aged majesty of the castle in favor of the damp, faded grass route nearby. They rounded the castle relatively quickly, Mysty’s pace picking up as they neared their destination. Locks stopped several feet from their leader, looking ahead at a barrier that ended their route. It was a large, metal gate, sealed with a small lock from the other side, forbidding any kind of entry from a wandering pony on the outside of the gate.

Mysty knocked gently on the blockade that guarded the dead. Ignoring Locks’ fresh questions about what to do next, she continued to rattle until the group spotted the flicker of a lantern in the distance. It was a hooded figure, shrouded by a combination of the fog that had become iconic to the ruins, and of the arcane dust that wafted through the creeping breath of the wind. The pony stumbled through the rustic path towards them, revealing a gray, somber colt underneath. His eyes looked heavy, and his expression was one that could rival those sleeping beneath the dirt.

“So early in the morning,” the grave keeper’s voice spoke up. Locks could only describe the sound he made as horrid, nearly poisonous and slimy by nature. Mysty reached up, flicking the all-too-familiar lantern planted on her back. It sprung to life, eliciting a small hum of a light spell that was contained inside.

“I apologize for scheduling such a poor time, but I hope that you understand that this is for the best,” Mysty lowered her head to the grim stallion.

“If it were any other mare,” the colt’s wheezed out, “then I would have declined the demand.”

“You… know this pony?” Locks moved up to the gate.

“Gravediggers tend to keep in touch with one another,” Mysty signaled to the fence lock. The dark figure shambled over to unlock the gate, pulling it open to the sound of metal scraping against metal. “Builds a sense of camaraderie. You get lonely working with the dead. He’s a friend of a friend. Guards the sanctity of the cemetery here at the ancient ruins. He told me of a route that’d get us here fast.”

Locks turned to the cadaver of an equine. “You work here?”

“The pay is good,” he pathetically moaned, his voice rich with lament. “Should you require any of my services, Mrs. Hart,” the crooked frame lifted a shovel in his mouth, “You need only to shine your lantern bright. I shall arrive as quick as these legs can carry.”

Amy shivered at the drawl in his voice. It was bitter, perhaps even carrying a sense of anger underneath that was drowned out by the regularity of burying the deceased. She quickly followed her precious cargo through the fence and into the cemetery.

“So what exactly are we here for?” Locks followed along, glancing at several tombstones here and there. Even for a castle as old as the sisters, whose halls and history were stunted by the wrath of Nightmare Moon herself, endless rows of pony graves littered the sacred land. “There’s no one here but the grave keeper.”

“I need to talk to a spirit,” she turned her head, knocking on her lantern. “I’ve already got one piece right here. I just need to find the grave.”

“You… You what?”

“It’s a long story, Dommy,” she shook her pink mane loose. “I’m an artifact too. We’re quite talented.”

The young, blue colt absorbed the information, wiping the surprise off of his face. “You can communicate with the dead. That’s definitely far more unique than anything else I’ve ever heard of.”

“Honest to goodness truth,” she reached into a saddlebag she was carrying. She quickly pulled out a flask, draining half of it in a single shot. “Whew! Kinda hard to,” she gagged, “k-keep down!”

“That seems highly-”

“Don’t.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Traveling amongst the rows of settled sites, Mysty forced the troupe to a halt at one of the tombstones. It held nothing of significant value, and the stone had been riddled with generations of decay. None of this seemed to bother Mysty. She gave the group a grin.

“We’re here. Not sure how this’ll go, and the signal is faint, so it’ll be quick.”

“Fine by us.”

Mysty smiled at him, taking another shot. “I need honest ponies to back me up in case Steele starts questioning my sources. Although it worked out very well for Nixie Hope, I doubt it eased him up on where I’m getting my information. I can trust you two, right?”

“Absolutely.”

She gave another knock on the lantern light before opening it by a hinge. The group locked onto a strange, magical mist that flowed from the light, independent from the spell used to keep the lantern lit. It twirled in the air, slowly drifting towards the grave they had made their stop at. The aura landed on the wet grass, sinking deep into the earth.

Mysty drained her flask, taking in a deep breath. “N-Now you two,” the alcohol’s potency started to show, “I want you… I want you to step back a little. Just one fuck up,” she slurred, “And disposition flies all over the place. I-It’s not pretty.”

Locks and Amy complied with her request, unsure of the situation as the mare in charge swayed. She planted herself on the grass, closing her eyes and singing a little tune while she concentrated. Her body sagged and swayed, but the flow of motion in her form gave the impression that her body was incredibly relaxed.

Locks’ eyes widened, feeling the ground beneath him shudder. Amy nearly blew on her whistle at the sight: A strange, glowing aura rose from the dirt, never removing itself from the ground. The body slowly started to shape itself into a more identifiable pattern, growing features such as a muzzle, eyes, and a mane.

“Incredible,” Locks whispered. “Artifacts are interesting ponies, aren’t they?”

Amy could only gulp in response. Her wings opened and she took one step ahead of Locks, shielding him should anything go awry.

The form completed its transformation. It sat in a similar way to Mysty, staring at her, then at the two ponies behind, and ending with a quick glance at the lot.

“Oh my,” the spirit murmured. “Early morning. I’m late for work.”

“Wh-What?” Locks was perplexed by the natural reaction.

“Poor guy,” Mysty spoke up, grabbing everypony’s attention. She turned to the couple, “He must’ve had a sudden death. When I revive them, it’s not unusual for a spirit to pick up right where it left off just moments before they passed on. “Relax fella,” Mysty chuckled, turning to their new company. “You don’t,” a hiccup slipped, “You don’t gotta go anywhere. Just sit down here with us.”

“Are you sure? I have a job to get to.”

“National holiday sir. You must’ve missed it in the papers.”

The spirit scooted closer to Mysty. “I… I see. Well then, allow me to introduce myself. I am…” The spirit paused, his body frozen with confusion. “I… That is, my name, is…”

“Don’t worry,” Mysty slurred, “sometimes I can barely remember what color my coat is, it happens.” She gave him a formal hello before continuing, “I’m Mystery Hart. Mysty for short, please. I don’t have long, but I wanted to know a little somethin’. Think you can help me out?”

“Always willing to help a mare in need,” he grinned. “it’s the Canterlot way, you know.”

“I completely understand.”

“What’s wrong with the guy?” Locks whispered.

“It’s my fault,” Mysty nearly tumbled over when she turned to the detective, “I couldn’t collect all of his disposition. It’s quite dated, recycled way too many times. He’ll be forgetting little things here and there the longer this takes.” She spun back to the spirit, a drunken smile spreading across her face.

“I think she’s enjoying this,” Locks turned to Amy, unsure of whether to feel disgusted or amused.

“Anyway, my question,” Mysty stoned herself against her consumption. “Some time ago, there was an outlaw that ran around all of Equestria. She made quite the name for herself. She was wanted for crimes against the Royal Family. You recognize any of that?”

“This pony lived-” Locks’ surprise was silenced by a quick rise from one of Mysty’s hooves.

“Sounds familiar,” the spirit rubbed his ethereal hoof on his head. “You have any more suggestions?”

“Apparently she went by the name ‘Gemini’ on the wanted posters and throughout the papers.”

“Gemini!” The pony almost jumped to his feet. “I knew I recognized something like that! Ah, what a pony she was. Daring samaritan that one.”

“Yes. Well, my friends and I here,” she hiccupped, pointing at Locks and Amethyst, who gave him a quick wave, “we’re doing a little investigation, and we were just wondering if perhaps you had anything about Gemini that you can recall that was… big.”

“Big?” He murmured to himself, “Well, it was some time after the incident in the Crystal Empire. Maybe even after all of the chaos with that dreadful Nightmare Moon. Ponies here heard news of her capture from some place just outside of Canterlot. Silly for a criminal to go anywhere near the scene of her biggest crime, isn’t it?”

“Of course,” Mysty’s form started to slouch. “Anything else?”

“Hmm… I don’t think so, how come?”

Mysty seemed to deflate in the chest. She grunted, stamping at the ground with a hoof before wobbling herself back onto her legs. “No reason, really. Sorry for disturbing you.”

“… Wait, that’s it?” Locks asked. “That can’t be all you-”

“It’s a one thousand year old disposition that I barely managed to gather up,” Mysty aggressively lurched towards Locks. “That kind of crap doesn’t happen every day, Domino,” she groaned at him. “I’m lucky if I manage to reform a disposition that’s over a hundred years old! I just thought that maybe we’d get some civilian insight. Maybe something that Gemini might’ve missed in the report. It was a dumb, long shot, but it’s a done deal now.” She started moving away from the specter.

“Ma’am?” The spirit jerked, unable to remove itself from the ground. The older colt paid no mind looking down, where his hooves had been fused with the dirt beneath his tombstone. “Leaving so soon?”

“’Fraid so,” she blurted. “I have business to attend to back in Canterlot.”

The colt tried to pry his feet from the grass, still unaware of his situation. “I can’t quite seem to move.”

“Don’t worry none, it’ll wear off in a minute or two.”

“So it was a shot in the dark,” Locks kept his eye on Mysty while she passed him by. “I guess I can reason with that.”

“There are times in your job that there really are no other options to turn to,” Mysty growled. “I’ve dug up so many spirits, and none of them have had any answers to anything about Gemini or Nixie’s problem. I didn’t know what else to do, so I got desperate. That’s when I found this guy. I thought he could help us out.”

“I can’t blame you,” Locks let out a defeated sigh. “What happens now?”

“We go back to Canterlot and keep sniffing around like clueless mutts,” Mysty burped. “Excuse me.”

“Guess we’ll just have to wait for Jessica and Scarlet to come back with their findings.”

Mysty felt a jolt rush up her spine. “I swear to god if Scrawl lays a single hoof on my Scarley-Warley, I’m gonna rip that black coat off her skin, cut off that orange hair, ball it up, and ram it square up her-”

“Excuse me,” a weakening voice called out. The trio turned around. The form of the colt they had revived was fading, but present. His eyes had lit up with the sensation of an explosive memory. “Did you say ‘Scrawl’? ‘Jessica Scrawl’?”

“Y-Yes?” Mysty replied with a curious tone.

“I knew a pony that went by the name of ‘Jessica Scrawl’. Fancy that. Black coat, orange mane and tail?”

Mysty stopped. She backed up, completely turning to face the specter. “You… You’re joking.”

“Don’t be absurd,” Locks narrowed his eyes. “It’s been far too long for this spirit to remember something that specific, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure that plenty of black and orange mares named Jessica Scrawl would have existed back then.”

“Hm,” Mysty huffed. “What else do you know about your Jessica?”

“Well,” he paused, struggling to recall. “I only knew her for one night. We met outside of Manehatten all those years ago. We… We…”

“Yes, what is it?”

The specter hesitated, “It’s not my place to say, especially in front of such company.”

“Sir, you’re a dead spirit,” Mysty’s said in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. “You’ll be back in Tartarus in a few seconds, and nopony up here will know, or for us three, particularly care about this. We just want you to sate our curiosity.”

“Oh,” was all he could reply with. “A spirit, you say?” He gave a quick look at his body, particularly at the hooves that had been attached to the dirt the entire time. “That does explain my body being so… clear.”

“Huh… you’re taking that well,” Mysty chuckled.

“I was a pony of Canterlot, madame,” he seemed to brag. “Change was rapid. Came and went like the day and night. If what you say is true, and I’m amongst the deceased, then I have no reason to hide something like this: Miss Jessica and I copulated one night after meeting at a festival after I was ensnared by those beautiful orange eyes of hers. She was quite the skilled artisan. Would you like to learn more?”

Mysty winced.

“Now now, I’d be more than happy to-”

The colts form immediately popped, letting loose a small drizzle of magic that seeped back into the ground without response. The specter had vanished.

The trio stood there, digesting the bite sized detail. Mysty was the first to move, picking herself up and, as if sober, swiftly making her way for the gate. Locks and Amethyst lagged behind, picking up the pace to catch up to the determined mare.

“No mistake, that would have to be our Jessica,” Mysty spoke aloud.

“But that’s impossible,” Locks said. “That pony has been dead for one thousand years, hasn’t he?”

“Exactly.”

“Amy, do you get any of this?”

The pegasus quickly shook her head and took for the skies. Her form was much easier to catch now that the sun started to peak from behind the morning coverage of fog.

“Locks, that pony described a black coated, orange eyed, orange haired mare that bears the same name to our scribe, and of all the things he could’ve mentioned about her, he brought up her sexual prowess, something our Jessica never shuts up about. His Jessica and ours have to be one and the same. There’s no way it’s some ridiculous coincidence.”

“Then Jessica… Jessica is a millennium old…?” Locks let the idea sink into his mind.

“This is huge, but it gets worse,” Mysty’s hurried walking was slowly turning into a jog. She quickly passed back through the gate, whizzing by the pony who had granted them entry. They shot across the bridge and started to pick up more speed as they made their way back through Everfree.

Locks followed the train of thought, “She’s been around for that long. Gemini, Nixie, this missing pony, and Conroy’s murder…”

“They’ve all happened within that time, and for half of those cases, Jessica was already working with the Royal-Fucking-Guard,” Mysty whipped a strand of hair from her eyes.

“Jessica,” Locks eyes flared with vigor. “She’s been hiding something!”

“Right. She would have known about Gemini. She would have known about Nixie. Of all ponies, she’d be the one who would be able to bridge those relationships together long before we did, and even though she’s been on our side, she’s deliberately avoided giving us that precious information!”

“I don’t like this,” Locks started to run, Mysty following suit. “There’s something hiding underneath this whole mess.”

“And Jessica’s the only pony alive who might know what it is!”

“And she’s with Scarlet.”

The implication immediately sunk in.

“Steele needs to hear this.”

They heard a harsh whistle from above. Amethyst gave Locks a signal pointing towards Canterlot.

“Go ahead! We’ll be fine!”

Locks’ guard picked up a huge burst of speed, soaring off towards the North.

“She’ll grab us a ride as soon as we make it back on the other edge of the forest.”

“Good,” was Mysty’s only response. “We need to talk to that little orange slut as soon as possible.”

Past

How long had it been? The world outside that small, useless window, day or night, had become so detached from her mind that she no longer kept track of the days. It could’ve been months, even years, since she last kept track of the cycles. Regardless, her tears continued to pat against the stone.

It had been this way ever since she woke up on the first day. The chains rattled with the movement of her legs and the beat of her wings, clanging against the tightened bolts on the rocky wall. She had done everything in her power to escape: Bucking the formation, using incantations to break the metal bonds, even something as petty as yelling for help for as many hours as her voice would allow.

Nothing seemed to work. Everything was enchanted or coated with spells and material that bounced her spells harmlessly into the air. Even as an alicorn, she was powerless against the earth-made prison she was locked in. She scoped her surroundings with what magic she could. Her room was at one of the highest points on a gigantic mountain. As her influence spread, she could make out a grand, vast space surrounding her in all directions. Accepting that she was the only pony for what seemed to be several miles crippled her will.

The tears hadn’t come right away. At first, there was rage, a burning anger that had yet to completely fade. There had been times since then where her fury would explode spontaneously, enveloping her in a cascading wave of flame that would dance recklessly around her room. She slammed at the ground some, even smashed her head against a rock. Nothing would quell the raw disappointment and frustration that was slowly building up in the alicorn.

It had to have been years, she was sure of it.

Eventually, Gemini did run into one pony. A strange colt, not too healthy in the mind, but for the restless mare, company was company, and with her imprisonment in question, she couldn’t commit to being picky about her guests. Slowly, she would allow them to live within the mountain. She tested her magic, experimenting with what she was allowed to use, and what was inhibited against her will.

She grew plants, encouraged the new residents to mingle with one another, and usually allowed them to follow their own whims, so long as blood wasn’t spilled on her land.

“My land,” she hummed to herself. With bitterness in her tone, she accepted the gift from Canterlot. “My mountain. My rules.”

“Ignis,” Gemini decided many cycles later. Some of her earliest convicts had already gone. Murdered, wandering too far back into the deadly plains outside, or the much more graceful death by aging. The curse of numerous lifetimes allowed her to see off many a pony that she had adopted under her new property, and despite that she was never truly alone in the mountain since then, she felt a sense of emptiness toward everypony she sheltered.

The camaraderie wasn’t there. Lost ponies would come, usually keep their distance from one another, except to mingle with Gemini upon request, and then fade away into the most obscure sections of Gemini’s decaying memory.

Cycles later, she received her first real visitor, bonafide and genuine. The visitor was a member of the Royal Guard, adorned in all of the armor that one would come to expect. His wings flapped uneasily as he entered her small domicile, wincing when he saw the prisoner in front of him.

Hungry for answers, Gemini greeted him with a welcome smile. He didn’t stay long. The guard gave her a message from the Royal Guard: They would come by to check up on her “now and then,” feeding her news, unique foods, and allowing her a small portion of her time to communicate with the guard.

The aging Gemini accepted the gift of his presence, even if it only lasted for a short time. She tells him of her founding of Mount Ignis:

“I’ve claimed this land,” Gemini sat herself up, locking her gaze on the royal guard. She didn’t seem to intimidate the colt, who simply matched her expression. “In the name of Celestia, I’ve named this region ‘Ignis.’”

“For what purpose?” his venomous words hissed. “This mountain, Ignis, is surrounded by The Plains of Woe, which stretch all the way to the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. What makes you think that our Princess Celestia, or anypony in Equestria, would have any interest in such a life threatening region?”

Gemini stamped a hoof on the ground, “The land is toxic, I agree with that, but with a sweep of purification spells, this land could be a possible host for an entire city. With the help of the Royal Guard, we could easily start up a settlement. And as for the Everfree Forest,” she turned to the window, “before Equestria was founded, ponies would travel through whatever stood between them and sanctuary.”

“And you, prisoner, believe that this place is a sanctuary?”

“Right now,” she replied, “it’s an asylum for those who have lost themselves. There’s plenty of land for more to come and purify their spirits.”

The guard turned away. “You are definitely ambitious, prisoner. It’s a noble effort, but I cannot relay the message.”

Gemini felt her eye twitch. “Why is that?”

“Recall your punishment. You are not to communicate with the Princess, or anypony of influence from Equestria. We’ve only recently decided to visit only out of interest in your special circumstance.”

“Special circumstance?”

“You’re an unpredictable alicorn, prisoner. Canterlot wants to make sure you’re still on the leash.”

The guard turned back towards the window. “We’ll send another pony soon. They may or may not be guards, but you are to treat them with the same level of respect as anypony else. Good day.”

He vanished down the rocky decline. Gemini stood frozen in place. She felt another twitch. Her horn pulsed, surveying him all the way to the exit of the mountain. His wings stretched, and he was off like a rocket, back towards Equestria.

She hissed in pain. Her flank was starting to burn again. It had become a daily occurrence, sometimes even twice in one day. Gemini’s body would throb with a special ache that drained her strength, and whenever she called upon her magic, in any circumstance, it would revive the pulsing waves of agony.

“I have to be crazy,” her posture weakened as she plopped helplessly back to the ground. “The guard’s right: Why would she want this land?” She looked out the window, sighing at the changing sky, slowly turning black and blue. “Why am I trying so hard? This is insane.”

She lay down against the bolted wall. Tears started to form in her eyes. “I guess it’s just out of habit or something,” she recalled the years before her capture. “I just…”

The burning returned to her hindquarters. The pain throttled her, but she didn’t respond to it anymore. She was slowly becoming accustomed to it.

“I just wanted to help ponies. What’s so wrong about that?”

She felt the light in her room fade, drowning herself in the silence that filled her prison. “That’s all I wanted. That’s all I ever wanted. Ever since I was just a filly,” the tears grew heavy, “helping ponies was in my nature. It was what I always did. I enjoyed bringing smiles to everypony I came across. It made me feel good.”

She absorbed the atmosphere of the room, clenching her eyes to avoid the cold, lifeless view of the cell around her. Her legs twitched, setting off another jingle. The tears slid gently down her muzzle, staining her red coat.

Her gut tightened. “Is it all bullshit?” She felt her flank burning hot, wincing at the sensation that was slowly crawling up her stomach. “I’m just trying to justify it, aren’t I? I was just a selfish pony who wanted more power, wasn’t I?”

Gemini couldn’t help but nod her head. She had to admit it to herself: ascending into an alicorn was a breath of fresh air for her. It gave her a reason to run away from her mundane life in Canterlot of old. It gave her the strength to rely purely on her raw ability, to survive out in the deadly wilderness that no ordinary unicorn would even dare to travel. It gave her the attention she reveled in whenever she helped somepony as a filly.

“I was just a selfish bitch,” she cursed herself, a feeling of concrete certainty washing over her. It starting to make more sense to her the further she took the thought.

“I told her I wanted power to help ponies,” she recalled her only conversation with the Princess of the Sun. “I was lying. I was lying.” She opened her eyes, feeling the burning pain crawling up to her neck. “I was lying.”

The pressure on her body intensified. Her mane and tail lit up, illuminating the room. She exhaled slowly, watching as a strand of intense fire trickled out of her mouth, drizzling against her lips as the embers dropped. Her coat pulsed in the darkness. Her eyes turned towards her flank. Her cutie mark, Celestia’s cutie mark, was burning hotter than ever before. The tears continued down her face, now a mixture of the dread of the truth she admitted, and of the near branding feeling pushing deep into her leg.

“This,” her face slowly wrinkled into a scorn, “This is all your fault.” A single hoof moved closer to the mark, grazing over it. “Cutie marks are a symbol of one’s true talents. Of one’s special gift that only they can share with the world.”

Her teeth clenched together as another wave escaped her eyes. As the twin rivers ran down, they lit on fire, drying up as soon as they left her eyes. “What are you?” She took to grinding her teeth. “Useless. Fucking useless. Useless!”

Her body was smoldering, the scent of ash filling the air. “And you’re only there… because of me.” Her entire body started to tremble under the weight of her words. Her mind locked on to the next immediate thought. She couldn’t let it go.

“It’s my fault.”

She screamed. Her mark was stabbing her. There was no blood, no proof, but she felt it. Whatever was happening, her cutie mark was impaling her, and she felt every single moment.

“It’s my fault!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. “It’s my fault that I’m here!”

The image of a familiar, yellow pony came into her mind. An image of her face after giving her a special promise. Then another pony appeared, and another after that.

“”It’s my fault… that I’ll never see them again…”

Her cutie mark exploded with a new tier of excruciating pain. She thrashed against the ground, her eyes wide open, her eyes so far dilated that the color of her iris was blocked by the darkness of her pupil. Her world went blind, her legs and head kicking and slamming into everything in the room. Her body erupted into a ball of blazing fire. Her screams echoed down the silent cave, her jaw nearly dislocating from how wide her mouth had opened.

All at once, she felt her flesh rip open. Her vision went white, and without hesitation, the grieving alicorn collapsed on the floor.

Present

Stunned, the grey and red mare could only sit in silence as the aging pony marinated in the memory, her body still from the recollection of the experience. Scarlet hadn’t scribbled anything down since the continuation of her story.

Gemini’s eyes fluttered open again. “When I came to, I found myself like this,” Gemini presented her body in full to the earth pony. Another piece of meat dropped. “I managed to maintain it ever since that day.”

Scarlet remained quiet.

“It doesn’t burn anymore,” Gemini recalled. “In fact, casting a spell doesn’t give me that stinging sensation either. If it weren’t for this wound I’d probably be back in prime form. It’s a load of shit, really.” She sighed, “That’s the Scars for you.”

“Scars,” Scarlet shivered. She felt her vision blur for a second as she called out the name. “You called… this,” she pointed to the grisly wound, “This thing a Scar?”

“Pretty much. It’s been with me ever since. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to knowing if there’s a way to permanently solve my problem.”

“Ponies must’ve come after your injury,” Scarlet cleared her throat. “Didn’t they seek out any kind of medical aid?”

“Hah!” Gemini slapped the ground in amusement. “Weren’t you taking notes? I’m not allowed any communication with Canterlot. That includes help for my body.” She gave a chuckle, “Not that unicorns who have visited haven’t tried their best, bless those nice ponies.”

After hearing her story, Scarlet couldn’t help but realize how much the alicorn’s attitude betrayed her hard life. “I can’t believe it.”

“Well believe it, cupcake,” Gemini spat. “This is the real deal. Scars exist.”

“Can I ask you something, Gemini?”

Gemini turned back to the detective. “Sure, fire away.”

Scarlet gulped. “You’ve been implying that these Scars might be connected to what’s happened in Ponyville and Canterlot. How… how did you feel when your flank…?”

“Feel?” Gemini, for the first time since she had met Scarlet, shifted to sit straight up. She slouched a bit to accommodate for the hole in her leg, leaning against the wall. She let her mind drift back towards those dark days, her eyes tightened. “It felt like…”

There was a dooming silence in the atmosphere. Scarlet could feel a knot in her center of gravity.

“When your conviction gives way,” Gemini gently said. “When you lose all hope for yourself. When you throw yourself at the mercy of the changing world around you.” The red alicorn’s eyes opened, locking in on Scarlet. “When you feel as though you don’t belong where you are. All rolled up into one.

“That’s what I felt, at least, to the best of my memory,” she continued. “All in one quick moment. It couldn’t have lasted for more than the blink of an eye. It was quick. Then it happened.”

“I can relate to some of that,” Scarlet commented, taking her hat off. She started at the fedora. Words she shared with Locks came to the front of her mind. “Sometimes I feel like I’m a complete mismatch with my job at the Agency.”

“It’s similar, I assure you,” Gemini’s horn lit up. “Scarlet, do you mind coming closer?”

“What?”

“Scarlet, let me tell you something,” the red mare’s eyes lit up. “I’m not stupid. I’m not just going to blow off something like this,” she motioned to her hole. “I did what I could to keep tabs on anything that might’ve sounded similar over the centuries. I figured that I couldn’t be the only pony that had to suffer from such a terrible disease.”

‘Disease,’ Scarlet felt the worlds ooze into her thoughts. She felt her vision jolt.

“That,” Gemini pointed. “You just lost your focus, didn’t you?”

Scarlet took a step back. “How did you-?”

“I told you,” her demeanor changed completely, “I’m not stupid. Ponies have come to me over the years, handing me newspapers and rumors and just chatting to me. I’ve heard stories. I’ve read about many ponies who have disappeared or died over the years through unexplained causes, many with the same symptoms that I had before my event.

“See, from what I can guess, the explosion on my flank is massive. It was enough to knock an alicorn like myself unconscious for a long, long time. I don’t imagine that any ordinary pony would survive a similar experience.

“Nixie Hope is a name that stood out particularly well,” Gemini sighed. “A poor pony with a cutie mark problem.” She paused to take another look at Scarlet. “You’ve done work on Nixie, no?”

“Y-Yes,” Scarlet nodded. A red aura wrapped around her, pulling her closer.

“Then come here.” Gemini lowered her horn. “I’m just going to take a gander at what you know. Explaining it all would take too long, and the papers didn’t really say much about her.”

In a flash, Gemini’s aura created a bridge between her horn and Scarlet’s forehead. It hung between them for several moments before it vanished.

Gemini leaned back, absorbing all of the raw details she had consumed from Scarlet’s mind. “I see. Just like I thought.”

“What… did you just…?”

“Just borrowed some memories. You don’t mind,” she let Scarlet’s information stay at the front of her mind. “I knew it. Nixie’s just an earth pony. She can’t even micromanage fluxes of magic like unicorns can,” she spoke aloud. “An experience that severe would drive anypony mad, even a lesser unicorn.”

“Are you saying that Nixie was insane?”

“No. At least, not at first,” Gemini shook her head. “The part of the report that talks about the voice she heard, and the random bleeding.”

Scarlet flinched.

“And then her just running off a staircase,” she finished listing off. “That was a temporary bout of insanity brought about by the influx of magic. It caused her to hallucinate. That’s the power of Scars.”

“You’re saying that Nixie had Scars,” Scarlet ‘s sweat turned icy cold. “My dad…”

Gemini raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“He,” she felt tears build up. The knot in her body was branching out. She was losing her balance again. “He thought that there might be a bridge between Nixie and I. He… he died before he could figure out any more.”

“That would explain something else…”

“What?”

Gemini cleared her throat. “Nothing you need to worry about right now. I’ll explain in a bit. But first, can you come a bit closer?”

Scarlet had to ask. It was now or never, and the thought continued to ravage her mind. “Gemini… Do I…?”

“That’s what I’m about to find out,” she lowered her horn again. Her aura surrounded Scarlet’s entire body in a thick essence. Gemini focused her strength on the center of Scarlet’s body. “I’m going to dive deep into your disposition. Just try to relax, I’m not gonna touch anything in here.”

Scarlet’s body went rigid, her thoughts going wild. Though she wouldn’t mention it to Gemini, she wasn’t ignorant either. A few tears started to drift down as the aura swelled up around her, searching her body. She waited, dreading what she was convincing herself was inevitably bad news.

Gemini’s was motionless, letting her magic sweep Scarlet for anything abnormal within her disposition.

Another tear went down Scarlet’s face. Gemini suddenly jerked back, her magic breaking contact with Scarlet before hastily retreating. The alicorn took a deep breath, reeling from the sensation she felt through Scarlet. Sweat was moving down the side of her head.

“Scarlet, I’m sorry.”

The gray mare took several steps back. “No.”

“I listened in. I heard it clearly. It’s begging, Scarlet.”

The detective choked, letting out a huge cough. She quickly covered her mouth, shutting her eyes to the burn of a pain that ran up her spine. She felt something wet and warm on her hooves, accompanied by the taste of copper. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling her body go pale at the sight of the blood staining her hooves.

“B-Begging,” Scarlet muttered.

“It’s saying that it wants more.”

“… More what?”

“Of you, I imagine.”

Scarlet backed against the wall opposite of Gemini, near the opening of the cavern. She sat on the cold ground, her eyes slowly looking back at Gemini. The hole in the alicorn’s body continued to fester. Scarlet’s eyes then slowly, quietly, dragged over to her own body. The magnifying glass on her rump shined with a deceptive sheen.

“I was born,” she whispered, “I was born this cutie mark.”

“Scars hide themselves behind a number of forms. This is the first time I’ve heard of them appearing like that. I wish I could’ve warned you sooner,” Gemini softened her expression, “But my restrictions.”

Scarlet felt a twinge on her mark. It was getting worse.

“Look,” the red mare started, “I know that now might not be the best time. I understand that, but hear me out. I’ve monitored this thing for a long, long time, but I have never been able to get my word out to anypony else, partly because of my restrictions, and partly because most ponies I talk to call me out on my bullshit.” The frustration in her voice was thick, “You’re in a bad spot. We might still have a chance to save somepony else, though.”

Scarlet’s face rose from the dirt. Her eyes were glistening with moisture.

“You’re here now, and that’s the best news I’ve heard from in nearly one thousand years,” Gemini said. “That means that the Princess will finally listen to me. To us.”

“So,” Scarlet sniffed, her voice trembling, “Wh-What do we do?”

“I’m about to tell you everything I’ve found of the Scars through the papers,” Gemini said. “It’s mostly speculation, but coming from the origin of Scars, I think my guesses have been pretty accurate over the years, and they’ve only become better over time. However,” she paused, “Telling you this isn’t going to sit well with you. You need to understand something very important here, Scarlet.”

Scarlet waited for the worst of the news.

“Scarlet, you probably won’t survive this ordeal. Nopony besides me, an alicorn, has ever managed to survive. You will die, Scarlet. Just like the rest.”

Fresh tears ran down Scarlet’s face. ‘I knew something was wrong.’

“I wish I could do something, but I wouldn’t know where to start. I don’t know how to go about fixing it. I would if I could, believe me Scarlet,” she motioned over to the gray pony. Scarlet, like a child to its parent, slowly walked over to the alicorn. Gemini brought Scarlet into her foreleg, embracing her.

Gemini’s body was incredibly warm to the touch. From here, the wound on her leg was invisible, but when Scarlet looked up, she was greeted with the emptiness of one of Gemini’s sockets. The grim image burned itself into Scarlet’s mind.

“Sorry,” Gemini frowned. She winked the eye shut. “I really am. But keep listening: If you are able to send my message to Canterlot, if you are able to make Princess Celestia aware of what’s been happening to poor ponies for centuries, you just might be able to save the next generation from having to suffer like we have.”

She felt the frightened mare’s heartbeat against her own. Scarlet was petrified with genuine terror. Gemini felt her heart soften for the poor pony. “Would you be able to do that for me, Scarlet? For Equestria?”

Scarlet dug herself deeper into Gemini’s fur, her voice cracking with each syllable. “I will, Gemini. I will.”

Gemini refused to continue. Scarlet broke down there in her hooves. The alicorn exhaled deeply, letting her other forehoof reach up and take the fedora off of her head. She ran her hoof down Scarlet’s mane, doing her best to soothe the pony.

Scarlet’s sobs had mostly disappeared. Her body was still shaking from the news, but the sound of her voice finally snapped Gemini to attention.

“I… I think I’m ready now, Gemini.”

She picked up Scarlet’s hat, placing it back over her head. “Are you sure, Scarlet?”

“Yeah,” she sniffed, pulling herself away from Gemini’s soothing warmth. Her eyes were bloodshot, her vision still dizzy and unfocused. She fixed her hat, and quickly grabbed her notes, clearing her throat again.

“You’re a strong pony Scarlet. Don’t let anypony convince you otherwise,” Gemini nodded to her. “You have my sympathies.”

“Thank you.”

“We have to move on,” Gemini stood her ground, her energetic personality slowly starting to return. “There’s very little to share from the centuries, but it’s plentiful none-the-less.

“From what I’ve gathered, Scars for everypony after myself seems to be something of a ‘mutation,’” Gemini rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Some sort of glitch in any type of pony that can’t be readily identified once it has you.” Gemini looked out the window, “The only explanation I can think of as to how it even showed up is through the Celestial Plain. When I was pulled out, the ascension process wasn’t completed on me. The detox of my disposition and body was half-finished.

“It’s entirely possible that the mutation in my altered, incomplete disposition is what caused the first Scars,” she explained. “I’ll explain the others in a bit, but let me go over other things real quick.” She tapped her head. “My sign was the preemptive cutie mark I received the moment I exited the plain. From what I’ve gathered, defective cutie marks seem to be the tell-all symptom to the Scars.

“They vary too, it’s not always the same,” Gemini warned. “I got a duplicate cutie mark. Your reports have Nixie as a pony who never received hers. You,” she paused, “were born with one. They’re all very abnormal cutie marks, or lack thereof. I’ve even heard of ponies who get cutie marks in fields directly opposite of their personality, or even multiple cutie marks. It’s happened before.”

“A-And what are the symptoms?” Scarlet’s hoof jotted down every word.

“Aside from the cutie mark? Well, there’s a consistency in the rest: Dizziness, hallucinations,” she turned to Scarlet, “spitting blood, and for Nixie and myself: delusion. Right before our Scars erupted, both Nixie and I felt a surge of doubt about our abilities, our passions, and our strengths. We doubted ourselves, and that weakness in our conviction is what causes that eruption of magic,” she explained.

“C-Continue.”

“Right. The Scars also grow stronger with negativity and time. I assume that they erupt so violently at the end because when you snap, that’s when all of the negativity in your body just fires off. Most of the ponies I’ve read about prior to you ponies had long bouts of depression before they bit the big one. These suckers are elaborate. They feed off of your misery until you’ve used it all up. The heavier the symptoms become, and the more frequently they appear, the stronger they get.”

“L-Like me spitting up blood,” Scarlet showed her dried blood. “I was only shooting out drips before, but now…”

“Exactly,” Gemini replied. “The Scars in you is becoming stronger.”

“But can’t ponies just block out the negativity?”

“That’s what makes the Scars so dangerous,” the alicorn shook her head. “You… just can’t. The Scars has a way of provoking negativity when it gets stronger. And when it’s weak? Well, everypony has downs in their life. Those hard points only make it stronger.”

“Like my father’s death.”

“That’s another interesting thing, but I’ll get to that,” Gemini’s voice went a note lower. “Another thing about Scars is that it’s not contagious, thankfully. Otherwise, I imagine the entire pony race would be wiped out. When they do end up showing up, it’s always inconsistent with the previous cases, which is why it’s so lethal. The Scars appear at intervals, usually between eight to ten years apart, and they always come in a unique form.”

“So one pony a generation…”

“Yup. Nixie Hope was nearly one generation before you,” Gemini noted. “Come to think of it, I vaguely remember a pony that came before Nixie…”

“Please… continue.”

“Right,” Gemini snapped back. “Actually, now that I think about it, I feel like I should be remembering him better.” She was slowly changing the subject. “He even flew by to feed me every now and then after his first visit, even though he was no longer commissioned. What a nice colt.”

“Gemini?”

“It’s strange,” she continued. “I should remember him. I remember everything he’s done, but every time I try to remember his shape, his color, his body… it just vanishes.”

“Gemini…?”

“Dammit. I know I know him. I know he was from Ponyville…”

“Ponyville?” Scarlet’s mind paused. “A pony from Ponyville?”

“Yeah,” Gemini was hitting her head with her hoof.

“And that pony was a generation before Nixie?”

“That’s right, in fact,” she turned, her horn sprouted. Newspapers from behind her cell started shifting around as she fished for information.

“No way, it can’t be,” Scarlet’s body paused.

Gemini smirked, “I think I just caught what you’re saying, Scarlet.” She pulled a paper in front of the young filly. She flattened the headline against the floor of the cave, letting the two of them read:

“MYSTERIOUS PEGASUS FOUND DEAD AFTER GIGANTIC SPELL FLUX”

“I think we just found your missing pony, Scarlet.”

Scarlet immediately grabbed the paper, searching the columns for any information.

“All I can remember now,” Gemini tilted her head, “Seeing that paper gave me a spark. I remember something…”

Scarlet looked over from the paper, “What is it?”

“He lived there. He lived there for a long time.” Gemini looked at Scarlet, “When you’re done with the Scars details, and sent them to Celestia, I have another lead for you.”

“What is it?”

“Go to Ponyville. Look for a pony named Slate. That’s all I remember,” she leaned back again, facing in the direction of the small city. “His name was Slate.”

“Slate. We’ve found him. Slate.”

“We went off on a tangent though. A wonderful tangent,” Gemini cleared her throat.

“I’m glad we did,” Scarlet mentioned. “You say that this Slate might’ve died from the Scars too?”

“Possibly.”

“But that still leaves one thing open though,” Scarlet said.

“And what’s that?”

“My father, that is, Conroy Justis,” she started, “He died looking for information on the missing pony in Ponyville, which might be Slate.”

“Yeah, I read the paper.”

“He also believed that there was a link between me and Nixie, and headed towards Ponyville to look for information on the missing pony before heading towards Everfree Forest.”

Gemini’s eye widened. “You… Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Damn,” Gemini whispered. She brought a hoof to her mouth and bit down on it. “Damn, damn, damn.”

“What’s wrong, Gemini?”

“Scarlet,” her voice turned harsh, “We went off course. Look, there’s one other thing about the Scars that I need to mention.”

“What is it?”

“It’s outrageous, even by my standards,” Gemini said. “I have practically no proof of it outside of my own personal experience, and the papers and your reports didn’t go into enough detail to be used as any additional proof.

“Scarlet, when my Scars got worse during my sentence, I could swear that I could feel it.”

Scarlet failed to understand. “Feel?”

“As in, understand it.” Gemini said. “When I looked into your disposition earlier, I know that I heard a voice.”

Scarlet’s color faded another hue. “A… A voice?”

“Yes. I didn’t say much at the time because I wasn’t sure about it, but now that I think about it more, it makes sense.

“I heard a voice in mine too. Perhaps the hallucination that Nixie heard before she died… that voice she heard… perhaps that was the same thing that I’ve felt from the two of us.”

“A voice,” Scarlet slowly wrote the word down.

“Yours is not as bad as ours was. Perhaps you can’t hear it just yet, but it will get there eventually,” Gemini looked down.

“What does this all mean, Gemini? Please, just tell me.”

There was a crashing wave of silence. Gemini hesitated, shifting in place, struggling to find the words to explain.

“Scarlet,” her voice came out as a whisper. “The Scars… I think they’re sentient.”

“S… Sentient…?!”

“They react, Scarlet,” Gemini quickly said. “They react to the world outside. When they receive negativity, they grow stronger, and send impulses that coax you into continuing that negative train of thought until it destroys you. They make you feel pain because they know that it’ll ruin any positive thoughts you have.

“For unicorns, magic is a physical manifestation of their emotions.” Gemini’s voice strengthened, “When a unicorn performs a spell for the first time, that emotion that they felt when casting it gets ‘locked’ with that spell. If I ever want to teleport, all I have to do is remember the frustration I felt the first time I managed to pull it off. Unicorn magic works off of those raw emotions.

“Scars will corrupt you with negativity. They’ll force you to condition yourself towards negativity when you use a spell, and eventually, it stockpiles and feeds the Scars.

“It’s something that’s beyond a mere mutation or disease, I’d say. I think that Scars can actively think and choose things for its host by giving out these subtle impulses.”

Scarlet’s pencil continued to write, but her face betrayed her professionalism. Her haunches were trembling with fear.

“There’s more,” Gemini motioned towards her flank. “You see the damage that the Scars left me?”

Scarlet nodded.

“Something else happened after my cutie mark exploded. I can’t quite remember too well. It’s hazy, and I’m not sure if it’s correlated in any way with the actual mutation. But Scarlet… Something came out of that explosion.”

The young detective fidgeted.

“This is important, Scarlet. Something. Came. Out.”

“Why would this be…”

“Scarlet,” Gemini continued. “If the Scars are sentient… if that happens to be the real deal about them… and they become aware of our efforts to stop them…”

The caverns rumbled, breaking their discussion. Gemini quickly reacted, her horn flaring to life. Her magic washed over the room before firing off towards the hallway.

“No!” Gemini shouted. “Damn that fucking bitch!”

“What happened?!” Scarlet yelled back, quickly pocketing her notes. “What’s going on?!”

“Jessica Scrawl,” she growled. “She must’ve fucked something up hard below; the foundation of the entire mountain is shifting.”

Gemini’s horn lit up like fire. She grunted loud, falling against her bolted wall before repositioning herself.

“Scarlet, the mountain is collapsing.”

“WHAT?”

Gemini focused her magic. “I can keep it steady and repair it, but I can’t stop what’s already breaking,” she shouted. The mountain didn’t lie, it groaned under its own weight as the room the ponies were in quaked beneath their hooves. “What I’m saying, Scarlet, is that I can’t promise that you’d be able to make it out before it’s too late.”

“Can’t you just warp me out?”

“You think I wouldn’t zap you outside if I could?” Gemini barked at her. “Holding and repairing a breaking mountain takes effort you stupid bitch!”

Scarlet reeled at the insult. “So what do I do?”

“Run, Scarlet! Get that information out of here and back to Canterlot as quickly as your fucking legs can take you! Your Scars is already advancing. I can’t promise that you’ll be alive for much longer!

“Waiting is NOT an option, Scarlet Trace. Now go!”

Scarlet tucked her hat harder on her head, tightening her outfit before bouncing towards the exit. She turned back to Gemini with one final glance. “Gemini, I’ll give Celestia everything. I’ll even talk to her about your punishment when this has all blown over!”

“That’d be nice,” she groaned back. “Just remember Scarlet! If the Scars can think…”

Scarlet coughed near the exit. A large splat of blood painted the rocky floor.

“…Just be safe out there!”

Scarlet shook her head, wiping her mouth. Without turning her head, she dashed back out into the cavern. “Goodbye, Gemini!”

Minutes Ago

The basement creaked with a unique weight. A familiar, bouncy black mare was trotting up the incline towards the exit. It hadn’t been long since her fight with the specter down below, but she was already feeling the fatigue of the dried up land outside.

Her eyes were glazed over. Jessica Scrawl’s mind was anywhere but Mount Ignis. The memory pounded into her brain by the shadow continued to rear its face with every passing moment. Jessica struggled to think about anything else.

“A foal was crying,” Jessica said. “I think a foal was crying, and she looked at it.”

Jessica felt an eerie vertigo take over. She tripped over her own hooves, stumbling forward and slamming onto the ground with a painful thud.

“Why do I feel so… so strange?”

She picked herself up on her knees. She felt her stomach churn. It suddenly came without warning, a gush of bile that erupted from her mouth. Jessica let her guts stain the floor of Ignis, coughing heavily after reeling from her episode.

“She called it an abomination,” Jessica spit the last of the vomit out. “Abomination. Then it disappeared.”

She looked towards the exit, still shrouded in darkness. She still had a ways to go to get to the exit.

“I think I understand it all now. Every last bit.”

Jessica felt the walls around her rumble. Spare rocks tumbled down the walls. Jessica heard a boulder loosen from the ceiling, bounding forward as a large boom erupted from behind. The path heading towards the battleground was sealed off by a cave in.

“We overdid it,” Jessica spat again. “The whole place is coming down.”

The black witch picked up speed, her trot quickly transforming into a full blown run.

“Scarlet. I need to get her out. Now.”

Rocks large and small were tumbling about as Scarlet made her descent. Her hooves traveled the fastest that she’d ever gone, running down the spiral staircase, dodging the larger formations that were collapsing around her.

A booming voice was heard overhead:

This is Gemini, loyal subjects. We are experiencing a dangerous cave in. Please proceed to the dining cavern as soon as possible. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill.

Scarlet’s blood was running too hot for her to comment. She jumped one story from the ground, falling over into a heap before jumping back to her feet. She felt blood running from the side of her head upon her landing, but ignored it.

She hurdled across the opening from earlier, bouncing back to the trail that led to the steep cliff. She heard hoofsteps approaching. Several colts and mares of similar hues dashed past her in a blur, some of them shouting what was gibberish to the detective’s ears.

She flicked on her flashlight as the cave grew darker, turning nearly pitch black. She could hear her frantic breath underneath her as she ran. She slipped on several of the smoother rocks that had collapse beneath her, forcing her to slide before regaining her balance.

The warning from Gemini blared out into the cave again, drowned out by a heavier rumble. Scarlet heard a monstrous crash of debris ahead, praying to the heavens above that a cave in hadn’t blocked her off.

It was the contrary. The steep hill she had to climb had completely collapsed under the weight of the surrounding debris. The slope was much easier to slide down than the cliff, making it quick for her to squeeze into the hallway up ahead.

She was getting close, the rumbling sound was growing more horrid by the second. A gut-wrenching scream came from the distance. More rocks collapsed, followed by a blood draining crunch of bone and flesh.

Scarlet started to tear up, her lungs shrieking for oxygen.

Her flashlight flickered, its magic draining. She clenched the instrument in her mouth, begging through her teeth that it would settle for several more minutes.

Scarlet’s flashlight immediately died.

The cave had nearly turned pitch black. Scarlet was running blind. She slowed down heavily, grabbing what air she could as she panicked, feeling her way down the hallway as it started to turn.

She heard another collapsing ceiling in the distance. A scream came roaring through the hall, followed by heavy hoofsteps. Light came from the direction Scarlet was running towards, attached to a pony. Their body illuminated the hall enough for Scarlet to momentarily speed up. They crossed paths, failing to acknowledge each other as the light faded.

Another crunching symphony of earth drummed down the hall. Scarlet’s heart stopped. She quickly ran in the direction, only to bump headfirst into an uneven foundation of mountain.

“I’m trapped!” Scarlet shouted as loud as she could, slamming her hooves against the cave in. No response through the calamity of the broken mountain. The darkness failed to give the desperate pony any comfort, screaming again to try and grab a pony’s attention.

The walls around her trembled. Scarlet looked up, hearing a cracking sound above her.

‘This is it,’ Scarlet’s mind blared. ‘Not Scars. Not a vicious predator in Everfree, or out on the Plains of Woe. A cave in.’

She heard the sound of the walls collapsing in around her. Even though she was blinded by the darkness, she shut her eyes in anticipation. In all of her fright, she failed to notice the sudden aroma of pumpkin in the air.

She felt her body get sucked away as the boulders punctured the ground she stood on.

Scarlet’s body hit hard ground. Night sky outside was still brighter than the cave, the sudden burst of vision causing Scarlet to pause. She was stunned, picking herself up. To her left was a familiar black mare, dusting herself off and looking back. Scarlet turned towards her, gasping at the sight of the mighty mountain.

“It looks like it’s sinking,” Scarlet panted.

“Yeah,” Jessica sucked in as much air as she could. “I didn’t expect it… to come down… so fast. You’re lucky I found you.”

Scarlet and Jessica were a distance away from the mountain, smack dab in the middle of the Plains of Woe. The mountain’s shift roared into the emptiness, harmless to the lifeless world outside.

“We’re…we’re back on the Plains,” Scarlet muttered to her friend. “This is bad.”

“Give me ten seconds.”

Scarlet could feel her body catching up with her. Her mind wandered.

“Everfree, Timberwolves, the Plains, Ignis, Gemini, Dodge, Scars…”

Jessica turned to her partner, equally as cut and beaten up from her escape. “You alright Scarlet?”

Scarlet finally had a chance to just let go of herself. She turned to look back at her guardian, when something caught her eye. Jessica noticed immediately, turning around at the source.

A blue colt, with raven black hair and a dashing smooth haircut was standing ahead several feet away. His cutie mark, a golden balance, was visible in the faded light. He grinned, lifting a hoof as a means of saying hello to the travelers. Next to him was a mare of yellow, her hair swirled in a bun of orange and yellow. Her freckled face beamed a smile as she raised her hoof in unison with the colt.

They started to wave back and forth, exactly as Jackie had done last night on the Plains of Woe.

Scarlet looked from the two ponies, then back at Jessica, when another, final thought filled her timid mind.

‘I never reminded Gemini about Jessica…’

Jessica had to catch the unconscious Scarlet before she slammed against the ground. She struggled to lift the young pony, using her magic to levitate her instead.

“Sorry guys, I don’t have time for this crap,” she muttered. She gave one final look at Mount Ignis. It was still in the midst of its grand collapse when she gave it a stare.

“Guess I’ll be seeing you ponies around,” Jessica nodded, her horn immediately burning with raw power. The pair of ponies vaporized, traveling at light speed across the dreadful plains. The two images followed the magical trail with their eyes until they disappeared into a menacing mist.

A bright yellow mare jumped in her seat. Days of restless sleep out in the forest were spelled out around her eyes, and every single noise was keeping her alert.

“D-Did you hear that!?”

Her zebra friend nodded, trotting back towards the edge of the forest from their camping spot. She signaled the pink maned pony over. The two could see from a distance: a mountain collapsed in on itself.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy muttered between her hooves. “D-Do you think that they’re okay, Zecora?”

“Jessica and Scarlet are strong ponies,” she replied, “I am sure we need not worry.”

As the lyrical words left the linguistic enchantress, a pop flashed in front of the pair. The two doubled back, surprised at the sight of the two agents. Jessica wobbled on her hooves, slowly placing Scarlet on the grass. Her magic waned, fading back into her horn.

“H-Hey sexy fillies,” Jessica moaned, her eyes drained of spirit, “W-We’re back from our adventure.”

The black mare fell face first against the grass, leaving the pair from Ponyville with two sleeping ponies.

Author's Notes:

And here's the second chapter promised.

Enjoy the read!

- G. R.