Prior to Scarlet’s Arrival

“I don’t believe it,” Steele’s jaw hung open.

“We did everything we could,” the doctor walked over to the side of the bed, giving the Princesses and their prisoner enough room to enter. “But I think now I can offer a good reason for how she managed to survive.”

The group’s collective gaze met on the pony lying still on the table. Lily Sheen’s eyes and mouth had been closed, bruises and burn marks scattered about her large figure. Her wings were stretched out, the only fragment of her body that seemed unscathed.

Her chest rose, albeit incredibly slow. It deflated moments later. The beep of a nearby machine gave them all the information they cared about.

Amethyst was alive.

“She was hit dead on in the throat,” Steele wiped sweat from his brow. “With black magic from Jessica. How in the hell did she survive? There’s no way her natural immunity to hexes could stop something of that caliber.”

“It’s true,” the doctor looked back down at his patient with tired eyes. “She had massive damage done to her throat and large blood loss. We thought she wasn’t going to pull through since we couldn’t exactly repair the damage left behind by black magic.” He motioned to Amy’s throat, which had been stitched and covered by several rolls of bandages. “When we got to the core of the wound, we found it repairing itself.”

“… What?” Steele’s mind rejected everything he was being told. “How can that be?”

“The black magic that ripped open her throat,” the doctor continued, “it had a matching disposition that resides inside of this pony. I don’t know how that disposition managed to get inside of her, but the damage that black magic usually causes when it tears away flesh and bone just wasn’t there. My team and I were able to repair the wound surrounding the core.”

“This is absurd,” Steele struggled to accept the truth.

“We were just as shocked, sir,” the doctor finally smiled. “She’s definitely hurting though. Healing her was simple, but her disposition has been going haywire ever since the procedure was done.”

Princess Celestia stepped forward. “Her disposition was nearly destroyed by the spell. Plenty of her magic must’ve left her body through all of the blood she lost.”

“It’s possible,” the doctor said. “We seldom get ponies coming into the E.R. that survive this much loss of blood and magic. It could be that her body is just struggling to survive under all of the stress she’s under.”

“Will she be okay then?” Mysty asked.

“She’s not entirely out of danger, but her chances of surviving are much higher than before. We expect her to make a full recovery so long as she survives the rest of tonight. It’ll just take some time.”

“Thank god,” Mysty sighed.

“And what about the other pony that was brought in?” Princess Luna asked.

The group noticed the drop of tone in the doctor’s voice. He replied, “Come with me.”

The four ponies followed the doctor just down the hall, to another room, whose doors were much larger than the ones that led to Amy’s.

“Sister,” Celestia turned to the Princess of the Night. “This matter involves the highest level of security. I will inform you of everything I possibly can tomorrow, but until then, I’d be breaching the oath that I’m under.”

“What is it that you’re asking me for, Celestia?” Luna puzzled.

“All I ask is for you to stay here with Mystery Hart. Steele and I will go inside and assess the damage dealt to Locks.”

Luna hesitated to respond, clearing her throat. “I understand. Please, go to him.”

“What oath?” Mysty spoke up. “What are you talking about, Princess?”

“This goes beyond Artifacts, Mysty,” Celestia spoke. “This is above your concern. We’ll be back with news on his condition as soon as we can.”

“Sorry, Mysty,” Steele lowered his head. “Please doctor, open the doors.”

“Yes sir,” the doctor replied, letting both Steele and Celestia through.

The room wasn’t much larger on the inside than Amy’s, but it was far colder and absent of life. The entirety of the room was flooded in a blue tint. Magic could be seen flowing through the air, spinning around the bed against the still body.

The two took in the situation. Steele immediately accepted defeat. Celestia faltered for a split second, saddened at the sight before them.

Detective Domino Locks was frozen, not on a bed, but inside of a capsule. The large contraption was decorated in a sleek metal with royal markings adorning its sides. The latch to the metal, pill-shaped box was open, giving the ponies a clear view of the lifeless colt inside.

“Domino Locks took most of the black magic damage, and it pierced right through his heart,” the doctor continued with a somber voice. “Blood loss wasn’t the biggest problem, but his disposition… it’s gone.”

“Gone?”

The pony nodded. “We tried keeping him alive with contained fragments of disposition, hoping that his body would accept it and give him just a bit more life, but it didn’t work. The magic moving about in the room right now is all of the rejected disposition his body didn’t want.”

“Locks,” Steele muttered. “Princess… he’s gone.”

“What of his mind and body, doctor?”

“His body is fine, Princess. His wound was much less severe, so repairing it wasn’t a problem, but because he didn’t have the disposition that the other victim had to protect him from the black magic, the spell ripped away at his disposition. Tore it to shreds. It looks like the black magic was designed only for that purpose.”

“What about his mind? Is it intact?” Steele repeated Celestia’s question.

“His mind is still alive with his body, but it’s his disposition that’s the problem. It’s been lost, and the black magic is making it impossible for his body to accept any more.”

The pair of ponies looked down, realizing what the doctor was trying to say.

“It’s over,” Steele muttered. “Domino Locks is dead. The project is finished.”

“Flex.” Celestia said. “Go outside. Tell Mystery and my sister of Locks’ passing. I have something I need to discuss with the doctor.”

“Princess?”

“Trust me Locks.” Celestia looked back down at him, a determined look in her eye intimidating the old colt.

“Y-Yes, your majesty.”

“And one more thing,” Celestia called to the retreating pony. She looked out the window and into the starry sky overlooking all of Canterlot. “I’m going to the dungeons after this. I won’t be meeting up with you, Mysty, and my sister again until morning. I entrust all knowledge of these cases to you three. I also want you to keep an eye on Mysty, and I want you two to hide until I say it’s safe. Scarlet cannot see the both of you again until her condition is dealt with.”

“What of Princess Luna?”

“Tell her to keep an eye on the streets with the guard. The moment Scarlet arrives, she is to be taken to another hospital immediately.”

Locks opened the doors. Celestia turned, catching Luna’s eye from above Steele’s form.

“Cover every star and the moon in darkness,” she ordered her sister. “I do not wish for them to bear witness to such atrocities any longer.”

Celestia had made many trips to the dungeon before, but each and every time, the pungent stench of the wet walls always forced her muzzle to scrunch upon entry. Her hooves clacked against the spiraling staircase, her form glowing against the murky darkness that surrounded the brick walls. She let her horn light up the way, the lanterns strewn about the walls providing a suppressive light fitting of prisoners, but not for somepony like herself.

She gasped upon reaching the bottom level. Her royal guard sprawled out, each one out cold from some kind of intense struggle. She paused, letting the scene sink in. Her hurried hoofsteps echoed down the chamber as the large alicorn made her way to Jessica’s supposed cell.

Another smell invaded her senses, one far more intimate. It was thick with the musky stench of colthood.

She turned to gaze into Jessica’s cell. Her horn brightened every corner. The black mare was huddled atop a flat, worn out bed situated against the left wall of the cell. She looked up at the source of the light, and yawned, sounding somewhat disappointed that her visitor was the ruler of all of Equestria.

“The guards… what have you done to them?” Celestia’s voice grew impatient.

“I was hoping for another guard,” Jessica rolled, letting her tail lay flat against her body between her hind legs. “Your group was starving, Princess. I almost couldn’t get enough. Almost.”

“They were too weak to resist,” Celestia grimaced, the smell of sex thick inside of Jessica’s cage.

“No stallion could resist my ride, I’d imagine,” she teased.

“I don’t understand you, Jessica. You wish to talk to me, but instead here I find you, preparing for what looks like an escape.”

“I grew bored of waiting. You were gone an awful long time, Princess.”

Celestia’s eyes turned cold. “I was assessing the casualties from your betrayal.”

Jessica’s teasing face suddenly evaporated. “Casualties? You mean?”

The sun princess nodded. “Lily Sheen is alive. Barely. But Domino is dead.”

Jessica drooped off of the bed, sitting down square in the center of her little prison. Speechless.

“I don’t know what your goal was, but you’ll be punished for the assault on Lily, and for murdering Domino. I’m afraid that this will be your home for many years, Jessica.”

Her ears and eyes drooped. “I knew it wasn’t possible. I told myself in the carriage ride here that I’d be foolish to hope that the both of them would make it out alive. I… I know better than that.”

“It’s disgusting that you went so far. And against your own friends, Scrawl.”

“I know.”

Celestia calmed down, letting her frustration wash away with steady breaths. “I’m disappointed in you. I thought I knew enough about you to assure myself that you would never do something so reckless and deadly. I suppose time changes a pony, never mind that the two of us were out of touch for nearly one thousand years.”

“Nothing’s changed, Princess,” Jessica looked down. “You know me plenty from my days at your school, but I’ve sinned out in the wilderness. I’ve killed before. I hate it, but it’s something that I’ve done. I hope someday I’ll be able to atone for it. For all those ponies I’ve destroyed to forgive me for what I’ve done.”

“Jessica.” Celestia looked over at the tiny mare. “What happened?”

“Nothing important. Nothing I want to talk about with you, Princess,” Jessica looked up at the alicorn with a new focus in her eyes. “I’m just glad that you took the time to come down here after all.”

“It’s not over yet. Scarlet’s on her way to Canterlot, too.”

Jessica paused. “Scarlet? Are you serious?”

“Yes. And it couldn’t be at a more cryptic time. I’ve just invited Gemini back into our borders.”

“Gemini… you what!?”

“I have plans for a better future, and Gemini will be a part of that future,” Celestia said. “Even if it means that she’ll be working from the shadows.”

“Hah, as if you can get her to stay quiet,” Jessica growled. “Gemini won’t shut up for anypony. She’s too wild, like a fire. You’d be smart to avoid getting too close to that one.”

Celestia moved the topic along. “You asked me down here for a reason, Scrawl. I doubt that reason was to mock Gemini or ask about Scarlet. It’s something bigger, isn’t it?”

Jessica sighed, taking note from Celestia and calming down. “Yes. I wanted to talk to you about the Scars. I talked with Steele before being imprisoned. I agreed that I’d tell you both everything I learned about the Scars.”

“How would you know anything more about the Scars than we do? Than Gemini?”

“I have connections, Princess. With Scars. With Gemini. They all run incredibly deep.”

“And if you’re lying to us?”

Jessica cackled. “What do we both have to lose if I am? You’ll still be here, clueless and confused if you don’t take my word. I’ll still be here in the cage, with nothing, or nopony to do. I promised Steele I’d talk to you about it. Now tell me princess, when have I ever lied to you about something?”

Celestia raised an eyebrow at her.

“Lied, Princess. There’s a difference between lying, and not telling the whole truth. I’m sure your Elements can tell you more about that than anypony else. Or even Steele.”

“Very well, Jessica. What about the Scars?”

“Everything.”

“Then start from the beginning.”

“You know plenty about that,” Jessica said. “And trust me, telling you all of this helps me just as much as it helps you, so throw away your skepticism.”

“I’ll consider doing that,” Celestia replied.

“We know Scars as a disease that travels from generation to generation. It infects a pony, eats their disposition, and kills them before moving on. That much is what you, Scarlet, and the entire Agency is aware of. You also know about their ability to attack invaders like Conroy. You know how they can warp the infected’s senses and thoughts.”

“We do.”

“However, none of you know how they came to be, nor how they even formed. I do.”

Celestia’s eyes widened.

“It was Gemini, Princess. Gemini is the mother of the Scars. She was the very first catalyst. The first ever recorded pony infected. I guess in a way, you can call her Patient Zero.”

“But how? How did that happen?”

“Gemini illegally traveled into the Celestial Plain to attain her alicorn status. I learned it through my encounter with her on Mount Ignis, with Scarlet, that her process wasn’t complete when she was ripped from the mirror.”

“We removed her as soon as we realized she had entered. We were afraid she wouldn’t handle the process. I didn’t want her to die.”

“You underestimated her passion,” Jessica smiled. “Her drive to help others burns hotter than anypony else I’ve ever met. You didn’t expect her to survive, but she did. And she would’ve been fine, had you and your guard not interfered.”

“How does what we did fit into all of this?” Celestia gulped.

Jessica took delight in the Princess’ confusion. “The Celestial Plain purifies and detoxes every pony that goes through the gate. Every pony in existence has toxic disposition within them. It’s what pulls some ponies towards the dark arts. To hurt others and do terrible things. Every pony has these horrid desires inside of them. Whether they act on it depends on the toxicity of their disposition, and the strength of their will. When Gemini was pulled away from the Celestial Plain, her detox period was incomplete.”

“So then…”

“Half of her toxins were eliminated within the Plain. The other half however, remained inside of her.”

The realization dawned on the Princess. “Alicorn magic.”

Jessica nodded. “Alicorn magic is special, isn’t it Princess? Unicorns call upon a tiny fraction of their own disposition and mind, but the atmospheric disposition is what gives them most of their power. However, alicorn magic is infinitely more potent, because it feeds directly off of your absolute disposition. You alicorns use your full essence with your magic, and release it with each cast. That’s what makes you lot so powerful, isn’t it?”

“You’re absolutely correct, Jessica,” Celestia’s eyes shook. “Our disposition is pure from the detox, so our magic spreads throughout the kingdom and helps keep the atmosphere clean and healthy with each use.”

“But Gemini wasn’t pure. She had plenty of toxic disposition within her.”

“A toxic alicorn, spreading magic with each spell she uses.”

“An alicorn whose passion was so strong that she did everything she could to help every pony she could possibly find.”

“Gemini,” Celestia gasped. “She spread her toxins everywhere.”

“It’s worse than you imagine, Princess,” Jessica said. “Those toxins don’t just linger about. They roam. Just as good disposition attracts good disposition, toxic magic does the same. If a pony spread enough, surely the toxins will all gather within a certain point.”

“It’s our fault,” Celestia muttered. “The toxins gather…”

“And they create Scars.”

“… We created Scars.”

“There we go, Princess.”

Celestia sank to her haunches, mimicking Jessica. “Gemini spread the disease around, but only because Luna and I prematurely removed her from the mirror.”

“And the ‘once a generation’ crap that we know about the Scars is easy to explain in comparison,” Jessica waved a hoof. “The toxins don’t draw each other in like a sponge. It takes time for the toxins to gather up enough strength to do any real damage to anypony.”

“The toxins take one generation to charge up and infect…?”

“And when the infected dies, they release their disposition, and the culminated Scars along with it. It gets recycled with the pony’s natural magic, then slowly finds its way back to one another. Repeat ad nauseam.”

Celestia did her best to soak in the information. “It makes sense. So far. And how did you find out about all of this? How long have you known?”

“I’ve known since I was born, though it’s taken until my visit with Gemini to truly understand everything that’s been going on since then.” Jessica pointed to her ears, “As for how I’ve always known,” her fangs exposed themselves, “I’m not a pony like you. And unlike you pony-folk, I can hear things that you can’t. Namely, I can hear them.”

“Them?”

“The Scars. I know every victim. Every pony that cried out from the infections. Their Scars called out to me, begging for release, wanting somepony to free them from their pony prisons.”

“They call out to you.”

“I looked all over Equestria and beyond for answers to how to free these terrified voices. Scars may be deadly to you ponies, but to me, they’re a crying little filly in need of help. And until now, I’ve had to watch, powerless, as each voice is silenced alongside the dying ponies. It hurts to be unable to save them. Until now.”

“Now?”

“I feel that I may have finally found the opportunity to free those voices. And that chance is named Scarlet.”

“And what happens if you free the voice?”

“I have a good idea, but I’m afraid that neither of us will know until it happens. But… well,” she spread her forelegs, “As you can see, I can’t really get to her before it’s too late. Scarlet will die just like all the others, save Gemini.”

Celestia took a deep breath. “So this is why you’ve simply sat idly by while we did the investigation of these Scars. You knew what was happening, but you couldn’t tell us before.”

“You wouldn’t have believed me until you saw for yourself the damage. I think that I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

Jessica jumped to her feet. Her horn pulsed with magic. “You felt the wave that washed over Canterlot earlier too, right? I remember him now: Blank Slate.”

“Blank Slate. The pony that Scarlet found in Ponyville?”

“The one missing from the case,” Jessica gave a gentle grin. “She did it. What an amazingly strange pony she is. So weak, but so strong at the same time.” She looked at the bars blocking her from freedom, “When Slate died, his Scars warped his disposition into a spell that reflected his innermost, corrupt desires. It made everypony forget him.”

“How would you know something so intimate about a pony you barely knew? You couldn’t have possibly spent time with him with all the work you were always doing, Jessica.”

“That’s why I gave him the journal,” Jessica nodded. “It was enchanted. Everything he wrote, whether it would ever be understood by anypony or not, I would be able to understand. I felt the pain he went through, the tragedy of a pony who blended far too well into the background to be recognized. Slate would’ve made an excellent detective for the Agency. It’s a shame.”

“Jessica Scrawl,” Celestia lifted herself. “You aren’t a pony, that’s one thing I know for certain. You’ve lived far too long, you’ve grown far more powerful than any other unicorn in history. You have knowledge about things that should’ve been locked away by time, insight on situations that we here in Equestria would never have managed otherwise. Jessica, who are you?”

Jessica let the question echo through the dungeon. She turned around, facing the black, oppressive wall. “I suppose… now that I’ve told you all this,” she turned around to meet the Princess again, “and with my current situation…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing, Princess. There’s no harm in hiding it any longer,” Jessica shook her head. “Why I know so much about Scars. Why I can hear them. Why I look and act and function differently from other ponies. You can ask Gemini, too.”

“Gemini?”

“She’s the only pony who knew who I was before tonight. Her and Locks. It’s why they hated and felt threatened by me.”

“Out with it, Scrawl!”

Jessica walked up to the prison bars, making sure her eyes were linked directly with Celestia’s. “Princess Celestia of Equestria. I am Jessica Scrawl.

“And I am the first born child of Scars.”

Celestia didn’t move.

“I am Gemini’s Scars. I am the thing that came out of Gemini on the night that she entered the final phase.”

“You are Scars.”

Jessica nodded. “The first.”

“The… first?”

“There are only so many of us, but yes. The first.”

“You are the disease that’s killed so many ponies.”

“Part of it.”

“You are a curse upon this nation.”

“What are you going to do then, Princess?” Jessica looked at her with a glow in her eyes. “Execute me? Sentence me to an eternity on the moon? Or in this jail cell?”

“I’ll have to consider those suggestions very carefully,” Celestia’s voice came out strong and tense.

“Execution won’t work,” Jessica chuckled. “Not the way you’re thinking of, at least. My kind can’t be killed by normal means. Doing so will only hurt your environment. It’s too much to explain,” she shook her head. “And I doubt you care about that right now.”

Celestia’s expression went unchanged.

“There is one way to destroy me, as well as all of the Scars,” Jessica laughed. “Toss us through the mirror. The plains will detox us, and since we’re entirely made of the stuff, we’ll be turned into nothing but dust.”

“And why should I believe that much?” Celestia growled. “What could you possibly gain out of telling me how to destroy the kind you’ve worked so hard to contain?”

“Because I know you’d never do it!” Jessica responded with the same ferocity. “You can’t kill, Princess. It isn’t in you! I’m safe. The Celestial Plains can only be survived by the strongest willed ponies. I doubt you’d ever chuck an infected through the mirror, even if it far outweighs the cons. My friends are safe. And above all of that: You need me.”

Celestia almost snorted, keeping her composure as well as she could. “Need you?”

“I’m your only answer to the Scars right now. You can’t kill, and you won’t! I doubt even you, the kind and loving Princess of all Equestrians, could live knowing that you made an entire species go extinct, regardless of their intent. Can you honestly go on with all of those crying voices being silenced, Celestia? Me being gone by your own hooves?”

“… You’re right,” Celestia narrowed her eyes. “I can’t do those things. But what makes you think that I’ll allow you to tread anywhere now that you’ve told me all of this? Gemini will be just as much of an asset as you, if she’s equally aware.”

“Because the Scars are still out there, and you don’t want more innocent ponies to die painful, destiny ridden deaths.”

“You’ll stay here, Jessica. For as long as needed until the Scars are removed from our society.”

“Oooh,” Jessica hissed. “Sounds like you have a lot to think about. Guess I won’t tell you about the other little flaw in your plan.”

Celestia’s form jumped. “And what would that be?”

“You’ll have to catch me, first.”

“I think we have you right were we need you.”

“Don’t be a fool, Princess,” Jessica laughed. “Your guards are all the proof you need.”

Throughout the entirety of the discussion, Celestia had nearly forgotten about the smell of sex in the air. Forgotten about all of the sleeping, unconscious guards strewn about the dungeon floor.

“Cya.”

Jessica’s form popped, a dazzling spectacle of magic dust whizzing about in place before sinking into the ground. Celestia watched idly as Jessica’s fading voice called out to her one last time.

“Thanks for the chat. I’m glad to get all of that off of my chest,” the black mare thanked the sun princess. “Scarlet’s in town square, and she’s in a bad place. It won’t be long now. The guard’ll find her in no time. Just head out as soon as you can.”

Just like that, Celestia was left alone in the dungeons, her entire guard thwarted by a single mare’s wiles.

Three Days Later

“It’s time to go.”

“Dad!” Scarlet’s eyes shot open.

She was pulled back down by a weight on her side. Her eyes flinched at the bright, white light overhead, her ears twitching in rhythm with the beeping of a nearby machine. She paused, letting herself fall back down. A comfy pillow cushions her head and body as she landed.

“… Well this is odd,” Scarlet quipped, waiting for her eyes to come into focus. She turned to her left, towards the weight that pulled her back down. She was met with a mess of hot pink hair and white fur. A wave of snores filled her ears.

“Mom?” Scarlet looked at Mysty. Her mother was face down against the bed, one hoof framing her head against the bed, the other wrapped over Scarlet’s left foreleg with a strong grip.

She spotted the wet spots on the blanket Scarlet was tucked underneath, right under Mysty’s muzzle. A loving warmth made her heart swell, Scarlet softly running a hoof against her mother’s mane. She lowered her muzzle, kissing her mom on the head. At the sound, Mysty’s ears flicked, her head shifting slowly as her body woke up from her uncomfortable sleep.

Scarlet smiled, watching until her mom’s eyes met her own.

“… S-Scarlet?”

The young detective nodded. “Hi mom.”

“SCARLET!”

Scarlet flinched, Mysty throwing all of her weight towards the bed, leaping atop her daughter and smothering her with love. The two mares brought each other in, clenching their hooves around each other’s neck and refusing to let go.

The door to the room swung open, a gruff, aged voice crashing through the sound of Mysty’s sobs.

“Scarlet?! I don’t believe it!”

Steele patiently waited for Mysty to calm down as the older mare drowned her daughter in kisses. Mysty helped Scarlet sit up in her bed, leaning her back against the frame. Steele ordered the nurses to provide some fresh food for Scarlet. They brought in some soft, easy to chew nourishment in the form of gelatin and mushy vegetables. Scarlet scarfed down the gelatin and nibbled at her greens before her urge became too great.

“Mom, can they get me some coffee?”

Mysty turned to Steele with a look of pure joy in her face. “Sure. I’ll get them to whip you up a hot brew.”

“How are you, Scarley?” Mysty pulled the covers down, looking her daughter’s body over.

“Mom, what are you doing?” Scarlet blushed.

“Checking for bruises or anything out of the ordinary. If anypony knows your body, it’s me.”

“Mom… that kinda came out more creepy than reassuring,” Scarlet blushed.

“Don’t care. You’re safe,” Mysty ran a hoof across Scarlet’s gut.

“I’m doing fine,” Scarlet said. “I’m feeling pretty good, actually.”

“Fascinating,” Steele moved to the foot of the bed. “No sores? No aching? Nothing?”

Scarlet thought for a while. “Nope. Nothing. Feeling fantastic right now.”

“Aaah!”

Scarlet and Flex turned to the shocked mother.

“Mom, what’s wrong!?”

“Scarlet,” Mysty pointed her hoof. “Your flank…”

The young pony turned in bed, exposing her flank to her visitors.

The magnifying glass was gone. Absent from her side.

“I’m… I’m a blank flank?!”

“Seems like it,” Steele replied.

“Boss, what’s going on?” Scarlet asked.

Steele and Mysty’s joy finally ceased. Steele stepped forward after a moment of silence. “Scarlet… don’t you remember anything?”

“Remember… Let me think,” Scarlet tapped her head with a hoof.

A piercing cry erupted from the void. One final pull smashed what little remained of her consciousness to pieces.

Scarlet’s eyes suddenly lost their color. Memories from the last year started to flood back into her mind. She remembered all of the pain that rattled her body, the aches and the horrible experiences she suffered for nearly an entire year. Slate’s house, reports of Nixie Hope and Lada Hope, her adventure in Mount Ignis.

“Scars,” she whispered. “The Scars. The case. Boss! I have something to tell you!”

“Don’t worry,” Steele relaxed the mare. “You’ve been out for three days, Trace. The Princess and I have managed to work everything out, thanks to your letter. Everything’s been sorted.”

“Thank goodness,” Scarlet sighed. “I’m glad I was able to help. Are the cases completely solved then? What’s gonna happen? What did Locks and Amy end up finding on their end?”

The two adults cringed.

“… Locks and Amy,” Scarlet said. “I can’t wait to tell them about Ignis!”

“Scarlet, stop,” Mysty demanded. Scarlet fell silent, the harsh tone of her mother’s words making her form quiver.

“Mom,” she turned to Steele, “Boss… where are they?”

“Scarlet,” Steele sighed. “Something terrible happened while you were away.”

“Boss,” Scarlet started to breathe harder. “What happened?”

“Amy, Locks, and your mother,” he looked over to Mysty, “all went rogue a few nights ago. They had conflicting interests with the Agency, understandably.”

“Boss,” Scarlet’s eyes trembled.

“Jessica pursued Amy and Locks and did what she could to stop them.”

“Amy was badly hurt. She’s still in intensive care,” Mysty interrupted. “But Locks… he didn’t…”

Mysty didn’t have to finish. Scarlet understood everything just from reading her mother’s crushed face.

“Locks is… dead?” tears streamed down the detective’s face.

“I’m sorry, Scarlet,” Mysty hung her head. “We… we messed up.”

Scarlet looked down at her hooves. All of the energy she had when she woke up seemed to escape her at that very moment. She gasped between breaths, her mother’s words sinking in.

She turned towards her now crying mother. She moved closer, nearly throwing herself into her mom’s soothing white fur, burying her face and crying out as loud as she could. Steele clenched his eyes, slowly leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

The two mares wept for hours.

Hours passed before Scarlet and her mother could finally calm down. Another meal was placed before her, which she reluctantly swallowed with intense difficulty. The news of Locks’ passing hit her harder than whatever it had been that landed her in the hospital. The two mares’ eyes were blood red, but with some encouragement, they managed to keep themselves together to finally speak to Steele about the events that resulted in the loss of their closest friend.

“Jessica killed him,” Scarlet sniffled, her only response after hearing Steele recall the entirety of the night she had set off for Canterlot. “I saw that flash aboard the train heading over here. He was… he was still alive then.”

“I’m sorry, Trace.”

She wiped her eyes and muzzle with a hoof. “It’s not your fault, Boss,” Scarlet cleared her throat. “Everypony is responsible. Jessica, Locks, and Amy… they knew what they were getting into when they decided to go against one another. It’s… it’s the kinda ponies that Locks and Jess are. I just wish…”

Mysty gave her daughter another hug. “I’m just as much to blame, sweetheart. I encouraged Lily and Locks. I… was selfish. I just wanted you back.”

Scarlet returned her mother’s affection. “Locks and Amy wouldn’t have gone along with it if they didn’t feel the same way,” Scarlet took in a very taxing breath of air. “I just… I can’t believe he’s gone.” She turned to Steele. “What about Amy and Jessica?”

“Amy’s still in bad shape. She looks like she’ll recover, but they’re keeping a close eye on her. We’ll let you know when she’s well enough for visitors, I promise. As for Jessica,” Steele growled, “she escaped.”

Mysty, who had been out of the loop since her arrest, jerked her head up with her daughter in unison. “Escaped!?”

“Jessica broke through our guards in the prison the night we captured her. She gave Celestia and the guard a hint that led us to you, Scarlet. She may have saved your life because of it.” He sighed. “Either way, she’s gone now. We have no idea where she ran off to. She didn’t use any kind of teleport spell either, so it’s not like we have a way to trace her down.”

“Jessica…” Scarlet looked out the window. “Boss, what about my mom? You said you arrested her because of her part in the treason.”

“We worked out a bargain,” Mysty shook her head. “We agreed that the charges against me would be dropped if I… reenlisted at the Agency.”

Scarlet turned to Steele with a glare, but calmed down before a word left her lips. “… At least it’s better than the alternative…”

Mysty looked up at her daughter, her confused expression crumbling under a chuckle. “Scarlet, that’s incredibly different.”

“Hmm?”

“Well, it’s just that I didn’t… I mean, I expected you to fly off the handle.”

Scarlet blushed. “Mom, I’m not that…” she turned to Steele. “N-Never mind.”

“Interesting. It matches up with what we’ve been seeing,” Steele mentioned.

“My records, you mean?” Scarlet asked.

Steele raised a brow. “That. Wow. Exactly that, Trace.”

“Flex, what’s happening?” Mysty asked.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on your daughter’s health since she came in, Mysty. None of us at the Agency or in the hospital could believe that the mare we brought in that night could be so healthy so fast. All of her vitals came back overwhelmingly positive, but one thing stuck out above all else.”

“And what was that?” Scarlet asked.

“Your disposition, Scarlet. It’s been going wild,” Steele said. “Ever since we found you in the snow, your inner magic has been lashing about inside of her, like a wild animal.”

“Inside of me,” Scarlet looked down at her body, trying to feel anything different. “But I don’t feel any different.”

“Maybe not now. It’s been too soon,” Steele smiled. “But I think even your mother knows what’s going on now.”

Scarlet turned to her mom. “Mom?”

Mysty scratched her chin with a hoof. “I think Steele’s trying to say that the Scars you had have been suppressing your disposition.”

“It makes sense when you think about it,” Steele added. “Scars eat away at a pony and seal away their abilities. Scarlet was infected from birth. Her cutie mark’s disappearance is proof enough.”

“Are you saying the Scars is gone, Boss?”

“More than that,” Steele said. “I’m saying that not only is the Scars gone, but that your body is starting to develop in the way it should’ve developed when you were a filly.”

Scarlet jerked away. “What?”

“It means that your body is playing catch up for all the years that it didn’t get to develop,” Mysty finished. “Incredible.”

“But… but I don’t feel anything.”

“And you won’t,” Steele grinned. “It’ll come soon, but you’ll be a different pony. Much different. You’re already acting much different from what you used to.”

“I am?”

Steele just nodded. “The Scars were removed. Nopony knows how. Scarlet, do you remember anything from the moment you left Ponyville and ended up in Canterlot?”

Scarlet dropped all of the questions swimming around about her growth, deciding it was best to just let nature take its course. “Well, sort of.” She rubbed her temples. “I got on the train. I was hurting a lot because the Scars were constantly trying to tear me apart. Then my outfit-

“Mom!” Scarlet gasped. “Dad’s outfit! It burst into flames!”

Mysty reared back. “It what?”

“Blue fire! It just showed up and burned the suit until there was nothing left!”

Steele froze.

“Then what?” Mysty asked.

“Dad and Locks showed up! They started to talk to me! I thought it might’ve been the Scars playing tricks on me, but I’m not entirely sure.” Scarlet continued frantically, “I got to the station, stumbled out of the cart, then… I can’t… I don’t remember anything after that. I just recall… a filly’s scream.”

“A scream from a filly?” Mysty asked.

“Something like it. It could’ve been a young colt. It was a very, very small pony, I think.”

Steele’s silence caught the mares’ attention. Mysty turned back to meet the Agency’s boss.

“Scarlet, let me clarify real quick,” Steele took a step closer. “You saw a blue flame eat up Conroy’s old hat and coat?”

“Yeah, it just… burst into flames randomly.”

Defeated, Steele turned his head away, walking towards the exit.

“Flex, don’t you dare leave,” Mysty called out to him. “What does that blue flame mean? I have my own theories, but I want to hear yours.”

Steele chuckled, turning his head to meet the older mare. “You were his wife, Mysty. I think you can draw some conclusions for yourself. Either way,” he turned back to the exit, “I can’t say much. It’s confidential information. Scarlet, you said you saw both Conroy AND Locks on that train that night?”

“Only while the suit was burning, boss.”

“Dam,” Steele opened the door. “Mysty, all I can tell you is that Locks was heavily involved with Conroy. They were very close. I need to report this to my boss.”

The door slammed, leaving the two ponies to wonder what the colt meant.

Three Nights Ago

Scarlet fell into a heap on the snow, her pathetic form writhing against her burning cutie mark. It pulsed with an eerie white light that begun to spread around her body.

Jessica moved closer to the unconscious detective, looking her over for any damage she might’ve suffered on her journey.

“You’ve been through a lot, love. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done, but I needed to go through with it so I could meet you here.” Jessica couldn’t stop her tears from slowly inching down her face. “Now, I can finally save everypony else.”

Jessica’s aura covered the broken mare, surrounding her in the unicorn’s orange glow. “I should be thanking you, Scarlet. I’ve lived one hundred lives empty and lonely. Because of you, that’ll all come to an end. I’ll finally have somepony that I can relate to. A pony that won’t live for a fraction of the time I have. A pony that I can call all my own. All because of how special a pony you are.”

Scarlet sniffled, crying in her sleep.

“I knew about the Scars the entire time. I’m a Scars myself, Scarlet. Can you imagine? Born from Gemini and raised by Jackie in Dodge.” Jessica’s magic wove its way closer to the glowing cutie mark. “She was the best mother I could’ve asked for. Far better than Gemini. The moment she saw me come from inside of her, she freaked out and sent me to a place far, far away from everything. I suppose she hoped that I’d just die out there in the wilderness. She knew exactly what I was. My fillyhood leading up to Jackie wasn’t a pleasant one Scarlet. Maybe I’ll share that with you, face to face. I’d like that.”

Scarlet groaned, blood freely running out of her mouth.

“It’s my fault Dodge became the crap that is Dodge Junction. I won’t tell anypony that though. For everypony else, it’s an incident unexplained and tossed into the abyss that is the past. Nopony questions it. They just adapt and move on. That’s what I love about you ponyfolk sometimes. Your kind was always so welcoming and understanding, even for somepony as vile as I am. I’m grateful for that.” Her magic wrapped around the glowing light, encompassing it inside of her orange aura. “I just wish Locks and Steele were the same way. I wish I didn’t have to do the things that I did tonight… but it’s all for the greater good. I promise. I’ll help it. I’ll make everything better.”

Blood started to flow from Scarlet’s eyes and nose now, the Scars ripping her body to shreds from the inside out.

“This little guy’s persistent. It’s okay,” she hushed the invisible creature with a soft, pleasant voice. “Mama’s here now. She’s here to help. Just tell her what she’s gotta do.

“Maybe it’s just me, but I think Locks would’ve made a great husband. And you two would’ve gone at it like wild animals while I watched from the window,” Jessica did her best to cheer herself up. “God, I fucked up. First the Changeling, then Dodge, and now this… I’m so tired of killing. I hate it Scarlet. I hate destroying such wonderful creatures. You all do so much amazing things with magic. I can’t get enough of it.” Jessica sobbed. “I love what you’re capable of. I don’t want to destroy that anymore.”

Her focus went back to her magic, which was now centered directly on Scarlet’s cutie mark.

“And you, Scarlet. Oh, you. You have so much potential. I can feel it with my magic. I’ve always been able to,” she cooed. “Every time we touched, I felt a great power hidden away by this horrible disease. I wish I could see you grow up. You’ll become one sexy mare, I bet.”

“I bet you’re an Artifact,” she mused. “Mysty and Conroy were. No reason to think they couldn’t pass that innate talent on to their offspring.”

Scarlet’s cutie mark started to pulse underneath Jessica’s magic. A soft whimper came from her body, though Jessica couldn’t tell whether it was Scarlet or the thing eating away at her.

“I can hear you, sweetie. Just a little more,” the black witch’s horn flared with a sudden burst of power. “I’m here to help, just trust me.”

The cutie mark pulsed, punching a hole through Jessica’s magic.

“Shit!” she gasped through her teeth. “I’m losing it! Please, no! I don’t! I don’t want to live one more lifetime alone!”

A warmth came swooping in from the empty streets. Jessica looked up from the cutie mark. A small trickle of blue magic spun around the two ponies. It circled them, homing in towards Scarlet’s body. It touched the surface of her cutie mark, setting the Scars off again with another throb of objecting magic. Jessica grunted, pushing all of her power back down on it.

The wisp of magic floated up to Jessica’s horn, tapping the edge. The mare gasped, her magic becoming exponentially stronger, gripping the pulsing magic and suppressing it.

Jessica chuckled again, the situation finally back in her control. “I get it now. That close, huh? That explains Locks, at least.” She looked up at her horn, “But you. You’re pretty stubborn, just like he was.”

She braced herself, planting all four hooves spread out against the snow. “Scarlet, this is it! It’s do or die, baby!”

She thrust her horn down at Scarlet’s cutie mark, the spell fired directly into it, a lethal hiss roaring out into the sky. Scarlet screamed against the immense pain, mixing together with a roar that broke through Jessica’s lips.

A bright flash blinded the wicked mare, the pop alerting all nearby royal guards to her position. She had been compromised.

The light faded, granting Jessica the sight it had stolen.

“It worked…” she gasped, her lips trembling. “Son of a bitch… it worked.”

She started to cry again as she looked down at Scarlet. The detective’s body remained unchanged. However, a small spot on the ground right next to her was occupied.

A small foal lay there, curled up in a ball, fast asleep. In the dark of the night, and after having suffered such a harsh flash, Jessica couldn’t make out his coat, or his mane, but Jessica saw him all the same: A foal was resting there, nestled next to Scarlet’s body.

Scarlet’s cutie mark was gone. Vanished.

“I did it,” Jessica cried. “It’s over. The Scars here are gone!”

She grabbed the colt with her magic, placing him on her back. She turned back to Scarlet, the sound of many wings and hooves moving against the sky and the snow-covered ground. “Someday, I’ll come back and talk to you. I want that more than anything. I’ve ruined your life, Scarlet. Yours, and the lives of all those involved with the Scars, and I want to do everything I can to make it better. Until then,” she turned around, nuzzling the baby foal, “I need to take care of this little guy. Far away from Equestria. I’m a wanted criminal, after all.”

She looked up at the sky, running down towards the train station. “But where do I go?”

She remembered Slate’s journal. “A city that embraces harmony through strife? Sounds like as good a spot as any.” She turned back to the pile of ruined mare in the snow. “I’ll wait for you there, Scarlet! I hope you find your true destiny!” Jessica turned back to Canterlot. “I hope everypony will someday forgive me for all of this.

“As for you,” she turned back to the little pony nestled on her back, “I have so much to teach you.”

Jessica looked up at the Royal Castle far off in the distance. Turning her head, she looked in the direction of the Agency. She was satisfied.

“Goodbye, everypony,” Jessica Scrawl sped away into the night.

Author's Notes:

3 of 4 Chapters. Enjoy the read! One more left!
G. R.