Canterlot’s streets thinned rapidly, ponies retreating into their homes before the sudden downpour of snow could bury them inches underneath. Confused and startled mares and colts hurried out of the chilling weather, no time to stop and greet one another as many of the benevolent ponies down by the plaza would do. Many of the civilians had completely failed to notice the faint, sharp ringing permeating the silent city from just a few dozen blocks away.

Into the otherwise quiet night, the bell screamed out, causing several windows near the solemn, red building to flash with activity. Silhouettes of ponies, cozy and tucked into their warm homes, with smoke already bellowing out of each chimney in the neighborhood, watched as the strange sight played out in front of them.

Two ponies burst through the doors of the faded, large structure, darting through the thin layer of snow on the ground as if their lives depended on it. The spectators continued with a curious look, now catching sight of the large group of pegasi charging out of the opened doorway. They paused for a second, unsure of which direction to take. Confused, they scattered into the air, stretching over the entire district to search for what everypony considered the criminals.

Locks did his best to ignore the bitter cold that slammed into his face, shaking it off with a jitter. He looked up to Amethyst, who was speeding through the calm air right beside him, the pair still tense, regardless of the fading alarm ringing relentlessly behind them.

Beams of light struck the ground nearby, breaking through the darkness that the absent sun allowed. Locks flinched, turning slightly to avoid being cast into it. Another beam could be seen a distance away, followed by several more, each one combing the ground for any signs of the Agency’s invaders.

“The snow’s starting to cover the ground,” Locks turned back towards Amethyst with a grim urgency. “If we just keep running like this, I’ll start to leave tracks! We can’t afford to be caught right now!”

A hasty whistle was the larger mare’s response. She looked around, desperately trying to find someplace they could hide. The ponies were already leaving tiny noticeable tracks behind Locks’ trail. It wouldn’t be too long before the guards caught on to their escape path.

One of the lights, several hundred yards away by now, snapped to the ground. Instantly, a spell fired from the ground, a nearby unicorn guard signaling the rest of the group to gather.

“We don’t have time,” Locks grunted, keeping his pace steady. “This damn snow’s going to ruin everything!” He looked up at contempt for the elements, the hauntingly slow drift of white pellets starting to blanket his white and black mane. The moon overhead was blocked out by a thick, gray layer of the clouds ruining their hasty plan.

Locks’ eyes lit up. He turned to Amy, “How much can you lift?”

All seven ponies stood cautiously, slowly gravitating towards each other.

“E-Everypony heard that, right?” Fluttershy squirmed next to Rarity.

“You mean that loud, scary, spooky pounding by the door?” Pinkie’s face wrinkled with worry.

Scarlet’s head spun, shaking herself to regain her balance. As if having not noticed the slam against the door, she turned another page.

“Scarlet,” Twilight tapped her, “Are you seriously going to keep reading that? Aren’t you going to investigate what just happened?”

Scarlet turned towards the Element of Magic with another flip of a page. Her eyes were beginning to sag with fatigue, but in a strong, confident voice, she started, “We already deemed that place far too toxic to get near, and my job isn’t finished. There’s still more I need to uncover.”

“Scarlet, please. I think the best idea is to get out of here and report this place to Canterlot. Maybe we can come back after they clean it out.”

“I second Twilight’s idea,” Rarity rose a nervous hoof.

“No,” Scarlet’s mane softly bobbled with the shake of her head. “This ends here and now. I don’t think I can wait any longer.”

She found another entry towards the end of the journal. Between the scribbles before, and the torn, unused pages after, was a single, final entry. Written in clear and legible ink.

“See, there’s one more. That’s all I need,” a unique hiss crawled from her throat.

This is it. My good friend, it’s been an absolute pleasure to share my life with you, my closest companion. However, every pony has both a beginning and an end, and I feel that my job on this planet is about to be realized. Once it’s complete, I will disappear, returning back to the great conglomeration of magical disposition hovering over our dear skies. A source of magic known by none, but used by all.

It’s just what I’ve always wanted, even if I didn’t realize it until now.

There’s no use trying to run. I’ve been doing that all of my life, and I was far too stupid and naive to think that I could ever change my one, true destiny in this world. Now that my mind is clear and pure, it all seems so simple to me. So easy.

With you, my friend- My only friend- I shall share my epiphany. I’ve come to terms with this cold, lifeless tablet on my flank. The meaning behind this once thought to be horrific cutie mark.

I’ve been trying to fit a meaning into this cutie mark for so long. I still have the burn marks from my badge from my sudden outbursts of stupidity and ignorance. The tablet… it’s an open book, with blank pages inside of it. It’s empty, only given importance by those who write in it, and only given significance by those who later come to understand the meaning of the words within.

That’s what this tablet on me is. That’s what it represents. A blank slate. Just like my name. A tablet that isn’t ready to be used. A tablet that has yet to fulfill its purpose.

Until now. You, my friend, have shared this burden with me for so long. Of being a meaningless pile of nothingness. But, as I finish my final entry, you shall be realized as complete and full, as will I when my plan is fulfilled.

I am just like you: Empty. Devoid of inherent value. Something that any and everypony will deem without merit. Until the day I’m written in, of course. Forgotten, until that moment of truth, when I can finally realize my destiny.

I am a forgotten pony. That is my destiny. I will be sure to see it out to the very last breath. I will become an empty vessel that none shall remember. Someday in the future, somepony will notice me, the blank slate that I am, and will fill me in as I have done for you, my best friend.

These years have made it too obvious. My schooling. Working on Sweet Apple Acres, the weather team, royal duties. Even now, I doubt anypony knows my name. Even my parents. So obvious. I have a talent of disappearing in a crowd. A forgotten relic hiding in everypony’s blind spot, whose name will forever me out of reach to those around me.

This curse has been hard. Over the years, I’ve come down with more and more illnesses than I can now count. It’s especially significant now. Twitches than come and go, coughing, bleeding sporadically. It was a nightmare to be alive sometimes. I’m glad that those days will finally be over, and I can start fresh.

My mind would often wonder too… about whether or not my cutie mark is the first. If a pony like me could have a defective destiny, then surely there are others out there in the entire world, full of millions of ponies, that have suffered as I have? Is it a disease? A sickness? Surely, I’m not alone. As much as it hurts to think about, I cannot be fortunate enough to be deemed one of a kind. Not in this venture.

And I pray for those souls who failed to overcome the disease as I have. Embracing my mark is all it took. I hope other ponies out there can come to the same conclusion.

I’ll be happy once my destiny has come. I’m almost sure others will be too.

A terrible silence filled the late Slate’s house. Scarlet’s voice had just finished reading the final words written in the journal. With nothing else remaining to be seen, Scarlet idly closed the journal and let it rest on the couch.

The bearers of the elements were speechless. Pinkie’s hair had flattened out, a look completely unbecoming of such a springy, upbeat mare like herself. Everypony had their head facing the ground, Applejack holding her hat in her hoof. Nopony uttered a word as the final entry sunk into their minds.

Scarlet’s stomach twisted. She winced before stumbling over, a heavy cough escaping her mouth. She covered it with a single hoof, clearing her throat as the violent uprising dissolved.

“Scarlet?” Twilight finally spoke up.

The red maned pony didn’t turn. Her eyes rested on her hoof. Blood was trickling down the sides and onto the floor. She sighed, wiping it on her black coat.

Her eyes narrowed at the stain on the floor.

‘My blood.’ Her eyebrows twitched. ‘No, that’s not my blood. That’s their blood. That’s mom and dad and Steele’s blood. Not mine.’

She lifted herself, looking towards the ceiling of the house in anger. Her heart started to race. ‘That is the blood of the pony those three created. That isn’t mine. That’s Scarlet Trace’s blood. Laya’s blood. Mystery Hart’s. Conroy Justis’. Flex Steele’s.’

She turned around, her dull, green eyes fixated on the cutie mark covered by her coat. ‘My destiny? Stupid. This cutie mark isn’t mine. It’s theirs. It belongs to them.’ She looked at the six ponies, their attention now completely on the red maned pony, hundreds of thoughts clouding her mind.

“Where. Is. My cutie mark?”

“Excuse me?” Twilight replied.

“Where is it?” She stamped the floor. “It was stolen from me!”

“Scarlet!” Twilight and the group rushed around her. “Scarlet, what’s wrong?!”

“They stole my destiny! They took it away and gave me… gave me…this!” The detective grabbed her hat, her anger tearing a hole through the precious memories that were connected to it. “Garbage!”

The hat came down hard against the floor, quickly pinned under a furious, gray hoof. Scarlet lifted her leg, stamping down on it again and again, rubbing her hooves over it, smothering it in an attempt to choke out its life. Tears streamed down the edges of her eyes, blinding her vision of her surroundings.

“GARBAGE! EVERYTHING WAS A LIE! A SET UP! WHERE IS MY DESTINY!?” She emphasized each word with a crushing stomp. Another cough came through, ripping up through her neck and splashing the keepsake with a thick strip of blood.

The door at the end of the hallway shivered, the knob creating a noise that forced everypony, Scarlet included, to freeze. The entire group turned to the hallway, their bodies tense from the detective’s outburst.

The door swung open, flying off of its hinges and into the visible wall from the hallway. The particular sound of seven screams came through into Scarlet’s ears as a horrific hissing sound drowned them all out.

A large bang was heard, and a light erupted from the corner of the hallway, engulfing the entire house within seconds before exploding out into the sky above, stretching all the way through towards infinity.

The ringing in Scarlet’s ears subsided after several moments of panic. Snapped out of her sudden shift, she turned to the others, each of them without a scratch.

“Everypony okay?”

A slur of nods and grunts confirmed that the girls were all perfectly healthy, albeit spooked from the cacophony of sensory overload. She looked towards the source of the explosion. There was not but a single bit of collateral damage to any of the rest of the house.

The hallway, where the ponies’ attention turned towards, was different. It was drowned in papers. Newspapers from all around Equestria fell out and onto the living room floor. After picking up her hat, whose blood stain went unnoticed by its owner, Scarlet and Twilight made for the hallway, the latter’s horn shining.

“The toxins we felt from the room,” Twilight swept across the pile with her horn. “They’re gone.”

Scarlet eyed the newspapers. “Check it out. They all have the same dates as the paper we found in the archives.” She grabbed one, flipping through the article on the front of every page. “Pony found at the epicenter of a large, magical explosion…”

Twilight’s friends slowly started to gather around the two. Twilight’s magic lifted another off the ground, revealing several charts and readings. “This one has a proper inspection of the site in the paper we had. Let me run through this real quick.”

“No information found on the identity of the pony was found on scene, or any signs regarding where he was from,” Scarlet read through a clipping of another. The rest of the ponies joined in, feeding Scarlet and Twilight information from other articles from across Equestria that all illustrated the same breaking news.

“Pony found after large explosion,” one voice came from Scarlet’s side.

“Large magical influx sweeps over Manehatten, blankets entire city,” said another.

“These charts… I think I can identify what spell it was,” Twilight finally spoke up.

Scarlet turned towards the purple pony. “What was it?”

“It’s a bit shaky, and it’s nothing more than an educated guess, but the disposition left behind by the dead pony and the magical explosion are similar to that of a memory spell.”

“A memory spell?”

Twilight nods. “Spells that delve into memories all have the same foundation when it comes to identifying their magical disposition. I can’t tell exactly what type of memory spell this was, but it definitely has something to do with altering it.”

“It’s obvious now,” Scarlet looked through more papers. “Nopony even knew who Blank Slate was. He wrote about it in the journal. His entire life, ponies forgot who he was, and in the end, he sought to ensure that that’s how he left.”

“You mean to tell me that a pegasus was able to conjure up a memory spell that removed him from everypony’s memories in Equestria?!”

The rest of the ponies gasped. Scarlet replied, “It’s not a stretch. The spell readings you looked through, and the journal imply that such a thing might’ve happened. Plus, a magical explosion occurred that begun right where his body was found. Something happened to him right before he died.”

“But what?” Twilight responded with a more stern face. “He was a pegasus. Even if he was a unicorn, it’d take years for him to master a spell to that magnitude, let alone have all of the disposition and magical force required to spread it across Equestria.”

“Scars,” Scarlet spoke.

“What… That word again,” Twilight’s face softened.

“That’s why Gemini was able to vaguely remember,” Scarlet’s eyes started to widen. “She wasn’t in Equestria when it happened…

“And after Nixie and Gemini’s stories… Gemini’s hindquarters exploded…”

“Gemini? Nixie? Scarlet, what are you talking about?”

“Slate’s Scar must’ve…”

‘Something. Came. Out.’

“Blank Slate is the missing pony,” she announced with absolution. “With his Scars, he was able to conjure up a spell that made everypony forget about him.”

“What?! You’re not making any sense, Scarlet!”

“I’m making perfect sense!” Scarlet turned to the purple unicorn. “I need to report this right awa-”

The other ponies watched in horror as Scarlet immediately fell to the floor, coughing up more blood that splashed against the newspapers. The girls called out to her, her ears weakly lifting to hear their vague voices as her vision began to give out.

“She was rambling earlier, you think she’s losing it?” One voice called out.

“No. Her sickness is getting worse.” Another replied. “We need to get her out of here! Applejack, can you carry her back to the library?”

A dozen hooves rang in her ears. Scarlet’s eyes opened as the memories came flooding back to her. She was still in Ponyville, and wherever she was going, it was in a hurry. She lifted her head, catching sight of all six ponies around her. Applejack, the first one to notice a shift in her weight, slowed down.

“Hey y’all, I think she’s comin’ to!”

The rest of the elements stopped, turning back to see her. A surge of strength filled Scarlet’s body, from what she imagined was the workings of another spell Twilight must’ve infused her with. She landed on her hooves as she slid down Applejack’s side, looking back at the group in confusion.

“What happened?”

“You passed out back at Slate’s house,” Twilight replied.

“We decided to give you a quick charge before taking you back to the library,” Rarity panted, fixing her hair.

Scarlet stretched out her legs. “That’s probably still the best idea. How much further?”

“Not much,” Twilight replied. “Can you run?”

“Thanks for the help, girls. I should be fine for now.”

The seven continued back, a hurried jog closing the distance of their destination. Scarlet quickly turned back to Twilight with a concerned look. “Anything happen while I was out?”

“Not… exactly,” Twilight started.

“A bunch of the neighbors came rushing the house, some of them were even asking where Slate had gone off to,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “It was creepy. They had no idea that Slate had killed himself until we showed them the papers.”

“So even with their initial memories back, they still don’t completely remember him. Incredible,” Scarlet mumbled. “Either way, my mission is complete. I’ve located and identified the missing pony, and the details surrounding his disappearance. HQ needs to hear this as soon as possible.”

“Not so fast Scarlet,” Twilight stopped her, “We charged you up, but not nearly enough as usual. You’re going to rest at the library first.”

“That’s fine. I’m going to need one final jump before I head back home,” Scarlet replied. She turned to Rainbow Dash, “But since I need this news delivered asap… would I be able to count on you girls to help?”

Rainbow Dash, who had caught her eyes, turned to her. “Me? What do you need me for?”

“You’re the fastest in all of Equestria, aren’t you?”

“Naturally,” she couldn’t help but smirk.

Scarlet pulled out a letter. She scribbled several choice words on the hastily wrinkled scroll before handing it over to the cyan pegasus. “This letter. After you’ve helped Twilight fix me up, I need you to fly to Canterlot, and deliver this straight to the Princess.”

“Deliver? Why can’t Twilight do it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I doubt she’ll have much magic left after the charge,” Scarlet turned to the nodding purple mare. “She’s been doing it all day. You’re gonna have to give me the biggest charge of them all when we get back, too. I don’t know how long it’ll be before I can get help once I’m back in Canterlot.”

“That’s fine with me,” Twilight replied. “And Dash, let’s stick to her plan. I’d suggest Spike to send the letter to Princess Celestia, but if there’s anybody that can deliver a letter faster than Spike, it’s you.” She turned to Scarlet with a gentle expression, “I don’t like how hasty you’re being with this whole mission of yours, but if it’s a matter of grave importance like you’ve told me, then I have to help.”

“Thanks Twilight. All of you.” Scarlet nodded. “I’ll have to deliver the rest of the information directly when I get there. There’s no longer any time,” her volume jumped. “I hope the others are getting somewhere with the other investigation.”

“Let’s hope everything goes as planned. I don’t want you blowing up again like at the house,” Twilight said.

“What?”

“You mean… you don’t remember?”

“… N-No,” Scarlet’s frown grew.

“You started bleeding at the mouth. You got really mad at something and started stomping on your hat. You were talking about lies and destinies.”

The detective’s face drained. “I… don’t remember any of that.” She felt another twist in her stomach.

“Then let’s get back to the library, the sooner the better.”

A single set of hoofprints riddled the ground, creating a trail that lead straight for the central plaza within Canterlot. A swarm of pegasus guards swooped overhead, speeding up as they followed the tracks. They grew thicker with the blanket of snow still bearing down on the Agency’s finest, making the prints from the fugitive that much easier to spot. The group picked up the pace as their trail continued forward, surely leading to an endgame with their prey ensnared by no fewer than a dozen winged ponies.

They reached the end of the trail, raising more than several eyebrows as the pegasi screeched to a sudden stop.

The trail ended at the wall of a building, as if the creature had ran straight into it. The pegasi hovered in place, confused, before swarming the building on all sides. Several tried turning the locked knobs on the doors, others flew over to make sure that the ponies weren’t hiding out on the rooftop. Perplexed, they waited, several more unicorns and pegasi joining their search as they caught up to the group.

Several horns sprouted light, tracing the surrounding area for any extraneous spells. Coming up dry, one of the ponies raised a hoof, giving indiscreet orders to the rest of the troops. Saluting, the entirety of the hoard spread out once again, lights streaming throughout the entirety of Canterlot Plaza.

Locks’ ear quivered when he heard the stuttered, quiet whistle of his friend below.

“I-I’m sorry, b-but you have to admit, it’s pretty cl-clever,” his teeth chattered, gripping onto Amy’s back tighter in the hopes that she could warm him up.

Amethyst grunted, shifting her body to accommodate the entirety of the detective’s weight on her back. The cloud beneath her hoof gave way ever slightly, but not enough to force the duo to punch a hole and sink all the way through. Her wings buzzed idly, a small means of keeping the blood in Amy’s body flowing.

Inside the belly of the snowstorm, the two ponies were freezing, but safe. Locks body quaked as the cold gripped his coat, the duo struggling to adapt to the extreme change in climate. He pulled out the potion, giving it an invested eye before turning back to Amethyst, who smiled as she pulled out a scroll.

“Here,” Locks gave her a pencil. “You know what to write. I need to take another look at this spell.” The cobalt colt sat idle on Amy’s back. He turned back to the bottle, examining the wispy fluid inside with a sharp glare. The moon above them provided plenty of light to illuminate the pair from above. His crimson orbs sprang to life, the hue of his irises becoming much more prominent against his face.

“Hell of a night, isn’t it?” He tilted the bottle to the side.

An exhausted but uplifting whistle came from the pegasus underneath. Scribbles could be heard through the extreme calm within the clouds.

“The weather team didn’t say a damn thing about snow today,” Locks teeth continued to clack. “And,” his eyes quickly broke contact with the potion to get a glance around, “Yup. Got a good look at the cloud coverage we’re in. Definitely magic-born.”

The pencil scratches paused. A quick double chirp of the whistle came back to him.

“Jessica, I’m sure. Good thing we came up here. I doubt that the clouds are the first place the guards would check. They’ll be too busy thinking about where an Earth pony would hide. As long as you can hold it, we can stay up here.” He turned back to the potion, gleaming its demeanor again. “You are holding up well, right?”

Another chilly, reassured whistle played back.

“…Thank you Amy.”

She shook her head, as if waving off his gratitude.

“No, seriously. I mean it.” He tilted his head again, his eyes sparkling amidst the darkness the clouds created. “If it weren’t for you, I’d have been caught by now.”

Responding to the sudden silence his partner gave off, he continued, “Now that I think about it, you’ve always been there for me, haven’t you?”

Had Locks tilted over to see her face, and thus risk falling towards the Earth, the detective would’ve noticed the blush warming the face of his companion.

“Pulling me out of dangerous situations, fighting off mages and killers alike when you knew I wouldn’t be able to handle it all on my own. Heh,” Locks chuckled, “Not that I’m trying to drown you in praise.”

She quickly shook her head, doing her best to keep writing the note.

“Damn. Damn,” he smiled. Confused, Amy looked up at him.

“I’m really lucky to have you and Scarlet as friends, huh?”

A concerned whistle came from the pegasus.

“Not a crime to get a little sentimental, is it?” he joked. “I like to think that even in dire moments like these, it helps to lighten up a little bit, don’t you?”

She looked back down in confusion.

Locks sighed, “To tell you the truth, I’m absolutely terrified. What we’re doing tonight is the definition of insanity. So many things can go wrong if…”

Amethyst whistled sharply.

“I know. I shouldn’t think like that, but it bothers me a lot too. I just wanna help make Scarlet happy again. She deserves it.” He tilted the bottle in the other direction, his eyes hyper-focused on the material inside. “I’m scared, nervous, and anxious. Maybe it’s also the cold, but I’m shaking, wondering what’s going to happen after all of this has blown over.”

Amy rolled her head in thought. Calmly, she turned back to Locks, who broke away from looking at the potion. Amethyst, as calm as she could muster, blew out several short whistles in rhythm.

Locks gave her a huge grin. “Coffee? That sounds absolutely divine right now,” he cleared his throat. “Right. After this, we’ll all go out for coffee. We’ll talk and laugh and move on with our lives, smiling as we go. I wonder what I’ll be doing afterward…”

Another whistle.

“Well, I doubt we’ll be able to keep our jobs at the Agency after this. Gotta think about the future too, Amy,” he gave her a friendly tap on the head. “Steele will want us at the guillotine when we’re eventually captured by the guard. I don’t plan on becoming like Gemini for the rest of my life. It’ll all be worth it though, right?”

The brown mare gave him the most confident nod of the entire conversation. She turned to him, holding the scroll out in front of her with another quick whistle.

“Finished? Thanks Amy. You’re the best. Now,” he turned back to the potion. “This spell is interesting. I know you can’t see it, but check this out.”

Locks pointed her attention towards his hoof. He pointed down at the Agency. “I gave this spell a good look. Checked out its components and the like. This spell isn’t just a two-way street like I thought. It actually branches off.”

She gave him a curious toot.

Locks’ blue hoof jumped towards the direction of Canterlot Castle. “I can see a path extending from this potion. It’s sorta like a magical roadway of sorts. This baby sends messages through this pathway from the Agency and towards the castle, just like Mysty and I figured it did.” He then, suddenly, jerked his hoof far in the opposite direction, towards the bottom of the mountain the entire city rested upon. “However, there’s a third path that connects with both the Agency and Celestia’s castle. Check it out,” he gave a more refined direction with his hoof. “Ponyville Library. Twilight Sparkle’s temporary quarters.”

Amethyst ears perked up.

“Yup. That’s one of the biggest problems I had with grabbing this potion. Neither of us are unicorns, so I figured we’d have to do something absolutely drastic if we wanted to redirect this towards Scarlet, and none of us can do anything of the sort. We’d need unicorn power for that. However,” he looked back at the bottle, “If this baby directs straight towards Twilight’s locale, then we can just send it there. Scarlet’s living with her for the mission, so if Twilight gets it, so does Scarlet.”

Amy clacked her hooves together, giving another whistle before standing back on her legs.

“The only thing stopping us now is that we don’t want to accidentally send this to the Agency or the castle.” He grinned, “Or that’s what would be a problem, but that’s what I’ve been up to while you were writing the note. He pointed back at the mentioned locations. “I severed the link this bottle’s magic had between both the office and the castle, so now if we pour it on the letter, it’ll go straight to Twilight’s Library without any hesitation. Ready?”

The clouds around the pair shuddered as Amethyst lifted to her full height, Locks’ weight not bearing much stress on the mighty pegasus’ power. Locks held both the potion and the note in his hooves, carefully moving the cork off of the bottle.

Amy looked around, another quick whistle spurted out to Locks.

“Just a little longer, Amy.”

Another, sharper whistle.

Locks, his gut tightening at the distinguished sense of urgency in Amy’s call, looked up from his task. The clouds around them were spinning around, gaining speed with each rotation. Amethyst’s wings immediately flared to life, Locks doing his best to grab on to her sides with the note and bottle in tow.

“What is it?”

Their cover whipped around, dissipating in front of them, taking their only footing away from underneath. Amy and Locks gasped, the former widening her wings and bracing for a fall.

They paused, confused that gravity hadn’t decided to drag them back towards the ground. Amethyst lifted a single hoof, then brought it back down. A single clack echoed into the night, muffled by a strange, familiar sound.

“What? It sounds like stepping into a layer of snow…” Locks commented.

The view from the sky beneath them warped, turning pure white, contrasting the night sky. Amethyst cautiously closed her wings, dragging her forehooves against the floor to ensure that they were somehow on the ground.

Locks carefully slid off, landing with a thunk against the earth. He looked back up at the empty sky, with only the moon and the stars bearing witness to the pair. Out of the clouds, the earth pony was far warmer than he had been while hiding, but the chills rushing through his veins failed to cease.

“That’s not right,” the colt tensed up.

They were back in Canterlot. Central Plaza; A wide open space, shaped in a titanic circle that stretched for nearly a mile in all directions. Vendor stands riddled the edges of the plaza, wooden contraptions used in the market during the middle of the day, each one selling a variety of different goods ranging from food to clothing to tools. Buildings circled the outer edges, with small alleyways and larger paths leading off into neighborhoods and other major districts within the city’s borders. From the dead center of the plaza, one could expect to spot the castle far off in the distance. The layer of spell-infused snow covered much of the rooftops and stands at the plaza boundaries.

Locks and Amethyst were smack in the center. No coverage, no way to hide.

Hoofsteps approached from behind. Locks and Amethyst immediately jumped, turning around to meet the sound of crunching snow. Locks’ eyes focused intently on the growing, dark figure.

Her shadow exaggerated her short stature, but nopony alive could mistake that sharp, orange mane that draped over the entirety of her face, nor the bright, ivory fangs that hung from the sides of her muzzle. Her steps came to a stop several yards away from the pair.

“Hello sexies,” Jessica smiled at the pair. “I found you.”

Author's Notes:

Chapter 407 is gargantuan. I'll try having the rest of the chapters up as soon as I can. Ideally, they'll be available by the end of February. We shall see. Enjoy the read!

- G. R.