ONE YEAR LATER

Another busy afternoon swept everypony up into a working frenzy throughout all of Canterlot. The marketplace was swimming with merchants and customers, countless fruits being tossed through the air in exchange for several shining bits. The day was bright, Celestia’s sun benevolently shining down on her citizens.

Ponies all over town saw the brilliant flash of light that illuminated the entire city all that time ago. Others heard the yell that followed an hour or so later. Mysterious sounds that all bore no significance to one another startled many of the civilians, but not a single pony questioned them after seeing the royal guard roaming about.

Celestia hadn’t needed to say anything the following morning. Nothing that alerted her populace to the Agency, nor Jessica. Locks never even appeared in the obituaries in the following days of the incident. Like Conroy, and so many others who had worked under Steele, he was another pony lost to the public eye.

A full year had passed by. The Agency grew, continuing to thwart malicious ponies and animals’ attempts at ruining the great nation of Equestria. The grass outside of the building was a healthy green, far more welcoming than the lifeless lawn imposed upon Canterlot’s streets. Unaffiliated ponies still hesitated to get close to the big red building, but were no longer skeptical of the smiling faces that came and went. They accepted the mysterious workers without question.

Outside of the building, several ponies were gathered, discussing matters to themselves. They approached the Agency, flipping the doors open and crossing the threshold, ready to buckle down to ensure Equestria’s safety.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright, Scarlet?” The ivory pony with hot pink mane called behind her. “I know you just got out of the hospital, but I don’t want to see you thrown right back in because you exerted yourself too hard.”

The pony that responded looked nothing like Scarlet ‘Laya’ Trace.

“Mom, I was fine the day I woke up. I’m fine now,” the pony following Mystery Hart called out. The mare trotted through the doors, following her mother. Her coat was vastly different; the dull, oppressive gray coat exchanged for a light, creamy brown. The pony in question had once mentioned that it reminded her of a coffee loaded with milk and a hint of sugar. Her craving for the coffee bean retained through such an extreme change.

Her mane remained mostly unchanged, though the entirety of it was of a slightly lighter hue. Another, brighter tone of red decorated her mane and tail in several strips, most of which were found in her bangs.

The energy she carried herself around with was the biggest change to Scarlet Trace, however. Through her long period of recovery- and what Steele considered “investigation” at the hospital about her changes- the mocha pony no longer dragged her hooves. She never looked down, nor did she ever yield to anypony of authority, even her boss. Scarlet was a changed mare.

Her eyes were the greatest change, and the most difficult hurdle for Mysty, as mother to her daughter, to overcome. No longer did her eyes mirror Conroy’s emerald green in color. Rather, Scarlet’s irises were now a dark silver, similar to the color of her old coat. They held an intensity that rivaled that of her fathers, but at the cost of their resemblance.

Time gave the small, broken family the tools to deal with Scarlet’s metamorphosis, change by change. Steele and Celestia’s only answer to such a drastic evolution was that her magic, now free to expand and mature, resulted in such a difference. Scarlet Trace carried herself around with weight and purpose, something her old self wouldn’t have been able to endure.

“This is it,” Scarlet turned to Steele. “Flex, you have the papers?”

The aged, graying colt groaned. Mysty wasn’t the only pony who had to deal with Scarlet’s ever changing attitude. “Yes, Trace. I have them here. Are you sure you want to go through with this though?”

Scarlet’s head bobbed. “I do.” She looked up at the ceiling. “Jessica is out there somewhere. I don’t know what happened that night, but what I saw on the train and in Canterlot still stick out in my mind. I know that she was there with me when I passed out. She did something, and I need to know what.”

Steele reached into a bag that he had been carrying on his back. Snagging several papers in his mouth, he passed them over to Scarlet. “I just want absolution, Scarlet. No hesitating or regrets, okay?” he asked her.

“None at all, Flex,” she smiled back at him. “I’m done with this place.”

“And right after we both got back,” Mysty frowned.

“Don’t pretend like it wasn’t part of the deal, Mysty,” Steele said. “Remember what you’re doing this for.”

“I know,” she groaned. “My services in exchange for the dropped charges. I just wish I could do it all at home instead of having to make this ridiculous commute every morning. Brings back unwanted memories.”

Scarlet grabbed the documents, pinning them underneath one of her hooves. She grabbed them by the edge with her teeth, and in a swift motion, ripped them in half. Several agents within the office turned around to see the spectacle.

“Well, Trace, I suppose that’s that. You’re no longer part of the Agency,” Steele nodded. “It doesn’t take a detective much time to guess your next move.”

Mysty turned to her daughter with concern. “Scarlet, the world beyond Equestria is a tough place. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“Of course I am,” she replied, surprised. “Jess didn’t spill everything she knows about as far as the Scars are concerned, and if what Celestia told us is true, there may be more of them scattered all throughout the world. I have a good idea of where Jessica will end up.”

“That so?” Mysty already knew the answer. “And just where might that be?”

“The toxins attract one another, usually to the area with the highest concentration. According to Slate’s journal, that’d have to be somewhere around that city that he said Gemini mentioned.”

“Can’t you just ask Gemini?” Steele suggested. “It’s not like she’s on Ignis anymore.”

“Oh Flex,” Scarlet lifted a hoof, bopping him on the muzzle with a playful grin, “What fun would that be?”

Mysty giggled under her breath. “Well Scarlet, just be safe. Here,” Mysty ran over to her work desk just feet away, pulling out a small booklet from underneath several stacks of paperwork. She stuffed it inside Scarlet’s small bag.

“A bestiary?”

“You’re going to need it. It’s not complete, but it should prepare you for the most common animals you’ll run into out there. Please look into it before you reach Equestria’s borders.”

Scarlet turned back to Mysty. “Thanks mom,” she hugged her, her attention snatched by another pony. She turned her head up to the second floor balcony of the Agency, waving her hoof to grab the pony’s undivided attention, though it was unnecessary.

Lily Sheen stood there, as tall and massive as ever, looking down at Scarlet and the group. Her whistle was absent from her neck, having been smashed on the night she and Locks fought with the black mare. She refused, each and every time, to wear another. Her baggy eyes scanned Scarlet, reading her intentions solely through the pony’s new, energetic movement.

The pegasus flapped her wings, snorted, then turned away.

Scarlet never stopped looking back at her. Her smile slowly gave way to a distinctive frown. “She still doesn’t want to get anywhere near me.”

“You can’t blame her,” Steele stepped forward. “She only woke up half a year ago. Remember how you reacted when we told you about Locks?”

“I do,” Scarlet lowered her volume, “Mom and I cried for most of the day.”

“Now think about her,” he shook his head. “She wakes up, finds out that Locks is dead. That you’ve nearly completely changed, and that the pony responsible has vanished into thin air.”

“Lily lost both of her friends that night,” Mysty rested a hoof around Scarlet. “And with Jessica gone, any type of closure she could’ve hoped for disappeared.”

“She has nothing but her work now,” Steele sighed. “Just give her some more time, Scarlet. She’ll come around. She’s a strong pony.”

“I believe in her,” Scarlet kept looking at the spot where Lily had stood. “I’m just… sad for us is all. I miss her.”

The three broke away from the balcony, looking back towards the exit.

“So Scarlet, are you ready?” Steele asked.

“Sure am. I’m gonna come back with answers. I swear it,” Scarlet turned to her mom.

Mysty wrapped a hoof around her daughter, a sad sigh leaving her chest as she squeezed.

“Mom, are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Mysty sniffled. “I’ve got work around here to do, and I’ll always have the spirits to keep me company.”

Scarlet turned towards Steele. “What do you have planned?”

Steele looked at the two mares. “I have a new assignment for your mother. You on the other hand: Go. Find Jessica. If you can, bring her back.”

She nodded. “Will do, Flex.”

Scarlet looked from her mother, back to Steele, and then up towards the second floor of the building. She took a deep, long breath.

“Bye,” Scarlet whipped around, darting out of the front doors in a flash.

Mysty and Steele watched the doors slowly close on Scarlet’s shrinking form.

“She has her father’s spirit,” Mysty wiped away some fresh tears.

Steele agreed with a grunt, the shutting doors ringing in their ears.

“She’s gone?” the soft voice of the sun princess asked.

“Afraid so. She didn’t even flinch at the thought,” the silver colt sitting by her said.

The two peered over the booming, busy city of Canterlot from the mighty castle. Princess Celestia flapped her wings, closing her eyes as a gentle breeze brushed by.

“You think she’ll actually end up finding Jessica?” Celestia said.

“That depends,” he looked towards the Agency.

“On what?”

“On whether or not Jessica wants to be found. Even if Scarlet’s more confident and concentrated, she’s still not on the same level as that mare.”

Celestia paused. “Jessica Scrawl. I can’t say I knew her intimately, but I saw plenty of her work back at my school for gifted unicorns. A pony’s magic tells us a lot about themselves. Did you know that?”

“I’m familiar with the belief.”

“Jessica’s magic wasn’t always… purely good. She always pulled pranks and broke little rules, but I always felt that they were all in good fun. The professors at the school didn’t approve, but I loved it.”

“You sound like you’re trying to say that Jessica’s a good pony. She’s committed murder, Princess.”

“And under law, she’ll be punished accordingly,” Celestia said. “However, I know her from her magic. She’s a good pony. She’s just made some terrible mistakes.”

“I’m afraid I don’t subscribe to that particular opinion.”

“She has done too much for us to just let her go. I wish for her to return.”

“I have mixed feelings,” Steele replied. “She put our Artifact program out of commission.”

“I know,” Celestia said. “You told me Scarlet talked of her coat burning up on the train that night.”

“That’s all I needed to know that it was all over.”

“I talked to Mystery after we brought Scarlet into the hospital. Before she woke up,” Celestia said. “She was the keeper of spirits at the cemetery. She talked to them and gave them company. Closure.”

“She’s an Artifact as well, Princess. It’s not surprising.”

“She told me that she’d take some spirits home. On the night of Conroy’s murder, she found his disposition lingering in her house.”

Steele turned to the Princess. “Which explains the blue fire of the coat. The disposition was finally allowed to leave…”

“Because Locks was dead. We lost a lot of progress, but we gained some valuable insight as well.”

“Conroy didn’t release any disposition into the air when he died-”

“-because it was still tied to another.”

“It couldn’t go anywhere until that link was broken.”

Celestia nodded. “And Jessica was the one to severe that bond. I looked over all of the magical disposition unleashed that night throughout Equestria.”

“Yeah,” Steele remembered. “One major outburst from Ponyville.”

“Blank Slate.”

“Another major one in Canterlot Plaza.”

“Jessica Scrawl.”

“Then the one at the hospital. It was a silent release.”

“Domino Locks.”

“Then another big one that helped us find Scarlet Trace.”

“We can only imagine who created that one.”

“Locks’ was the largest one recorded that night, even though it didn’t grab anypony’s attention. Our atmosphere is at its highest concentration of magic than It's ever been in decades.”

“Because Conroy and Domino’s dispositions are finally free to be recycled.”

“Right,” Celestia said. “Because of their bond, their dispositions mixed.”

“What a mess,” Steele groaned. “So what happens with the project, Princess? I’m willing to avoid dealing with the mirror pool forever after this.”

Princess Celestia remained silent. Steele understood the untold message from his highness.

“Nothing comes easy, Steele.” She turned to him. “There is one other thing I’ve been wanting to talk to you about, before I let you go.”

“Yes, your majesty?”

“The night Jessica broke out of the dungeon, we had a small discussion with one another about her and Scars.”

Steele looked surprised. “You talked after all? I thought Jessica broke out before you had the chance.”

She shook her head. “Jessica told me many, many things that I still need to think about, but for now, I have a good idea of what I wish to do about them.”

“So what’s going to happen, Princess?’

“I’ve talked to Gemini. My best unicorns are working on a way to heal the damage she’s received from the Scars in exchange for her Scars knowledge.” She looked towards the far east. “She taught me to see the toxic clusters.”

“Toxic clusters?”

“The essence that creates Scars. You gather enough toxins in one area, and they infect a pony, creating Scars.”

“Can’t we just detox the area?”

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question,” Celestia said. “The only way to destroy them is to send them into the Celestial Plain. But until now, we’ve been unable to track them down.”

“So what about Equestria, Princess?”

“The Scars is gone.”

Steele froze. “Gone? What do you mean, gone?”

“I mean that all the toxins that created Scarlet’s Scars is gone. Vanished.”

“Where did they go?”

“I’m not sure, but there’s something far more important at hoof.”

“Gemini?”

“Yes. She told me that in her travels, she spent a majority of her time and magic in this large city outside our borders. I can feel it from here.”

“The toxins?”

Celestia nodded. “A mighty cluster. Gemini says it’s perfect conditions for Scars. I think that’s where Jessica will end up.”

Steele paused. “You want me to send a group to retrieve her?”

The Princess beat her wings against the sun. “Soon. Not now. The areas beyond Equestria are filled with dangerous creatures. Ponies like my subjects aren’t ready for such endeavors just yet. I only hope we’re not too late when the time comes.”

A small trail of smoke whipped up towards the pair. Celestia looked towards the ball of magic as it popped in front of her, turning into a small, wrapped scroll. She recognized the letter far too easily. She unrolled Princess Twilight Sparkle’s letter with ease, reading over her note:

Dear Princess Celestia

I have been meaning to send this letter to you for some time now, but with everything changing so fast with me becoming a princess, I haven’t had any opportunity to talk to you about this.

Some time ago, a pony from the royal guard came and lived with me for several months named Scarlet Trace. We became friends, and I helped support her whenever she was out in Ponyville doing her investigations. Over time, she grew sick, and despite everything I knew about magic and modern medicine, there was little I could do to help her out. The Elements of Harmony were the only source of magic powerful enough to restore her, and it would only be a temporary thing.

It was such a different, strange sickness that I couldn’t help but wonder what she had. She did mention one thing to me that’s been on my mind ever since she left Ponyville, and I wondered if there was any connection between the two. I hope she made it back to Canterlot okay.

She called it ‘Scars.’

What are ‘Scars?’

-Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle

Author's Notes:

It's been one hell of a ride guys. I'm preparing other stories, so be on the lookout for those! Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoyed Scars as much as I enjoyed writing it! Until next time!

G. R.