To Find Equilibrium

by Slywolf930

First published 7th of April, 2013

When Synth Meadows is consumed by darkness after the Mane 6 beat Nightmare Moon, will he be able to gain control, or will the darkness consume him entirely? What will happen when the 'good' in him challenges that darkness and drives him to insanity?

Synth Meadows works with plants, that's his true calling. But fate has other plans for this stallion. Thrown into the Nightmare Moon fiasco, he is marked with a curse that will make him question how he perceives life. And will his will to fight that darkness lead him to make the wrong decisions? This will lead him to the edge of his mind to wonder if he'll ever be the same again.
Follow his journey through the known and unknown as his past haunts his present and the future remains a dull shade of grey.
Side Notes:
Under massive revision at the moment, on hiatus until I've finished revising.
This story is, in all manners, a retelling cliché with a twist. I feel obliged to mention that, because while I enjoy such stories, I'm sure others don't.

Paths Forged (Under Complete Revision)

Paths Forged

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This story is under complete revision, but I have reposted the old version to make the story readable, no matter how bad it is, until I've finished revising.

Please don't read it.
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The night sky seemed to shimmer with perfection. On this night, there was a Canterlot pony lying in the grass inside of a glass greenhouse. He was alone, but lay with a content smile on his face. To anyone passing by, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
The glass dome surrounding him though blocked any sounds as he spoke quietly under his breath. He lay there, with the grass being almost the same shade of green as his coat. His mane was a shade darker than the grass, made him feel like he was one with the plants around him.
The tone in his voice though, changed altogether with his next few words. He spoke with anger and fear, the latter more than the former. “I don’t understand, what’s the problem?” The unicorn just nodded and sighed. “Well, what do you expect me to do about it?” Again he waited then his face fell. “It was a rhetorical question…” He moaned then stood up to leave. Before he left, he looked back at the greenhouse with one thing left to say. “I’ll prove you wrong, all of you.”
He turned and walked out ignoring the stare of a passerby and walked home to prepare for the next day. When he got there, he gathered his most valuable possessions and hid them in case he was robbed while he was gone. All he did take with him, fit into his suitcase. The contents of the suitcase may have seemed weird to others, but they served their purpose for him.

On the left side, he kept an arranged set of seeds, and a few roots that he planned to grow back into flowers. On the other side, he kept a good amount of bits, his journals on his research, and his gemstone necklace he got from his parents. He’d never worn it before, but decided that a new life would give him a new look.

“I really hope this is all one big joke.” He muttered before turning off the lights and slipping into bed.
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Waking up, he felt peaceful and ready for another day of work. Standing up, he noticed the suitcase and his memories of the previous night returned. He checked the time and grabbing his suitcase and donning on his favorite cloak, he ran into the streets toward the greenhouse.

On his way, he accidentally bumped into two ponies who angry yelled at him as he kept going. It wasn’t until he fell into a manhole that he stopped, and even then it was to apologize as he climbed the ladder and kept going.

When it finally came into sight, he saw his co-workers standing outside waiting for their professor. “Yo Synth, what’s the rush? I didn’t know you liked working here that much.”

“Not now Oliver, Where’s professor Blossom?”

“Don’t know, Why you looking to make a good impression for being early? It’s a little too late for that.”

“Would you know where she is if I told you why I need to see her?”

“That depends, what do you have to say?”

“I’m quitting.”

Oliver’s eyes went large. “Then she’s right behind you.”

Turning his head around, he saw his pink and white haired professor staring at him. She already knew what he wanted to say, so he was waiting for a response. “You want to quit? But you had so much potential…” She looked really sad at this news but tried her best to cover it up.

Synth knew how long he could keep a lie going, which isn’t very long. He decided to put some truth behind his words. “Actually, I’m going to open up a new research center in a new city. I thought that the science fields could use some expansion.” He said this with a hint of a twitch coming on. Maybe he took it a little too far.

The professor seemed to think about this for a second before responding. “Very well, I approve of this ‘expansion’, but try to keep in touch alright? You are going to be missed by your colleagues.”

At this, Synth and Oliver brohoofed and he knew he wasn’t going to forget them. Oliver’s dark green mane and his light blue coat gave them an odd resemblance to each other. While Rose and Prim standing next to him had a palette of red and light yellow. They were twins, but were easily distinguishable because one had the red mane and yellow coat, while the other had a red coat and yellow mane.

As he turned to them, he said his farewell. “Prim, take care of Rose, and Rose, take care of Prim. But Oliver, stay away from them.” He said the last part with a wink and a friendly laugh.

“Come on Synth, I’m better than that. But you’d better stay away from any mares you meet in, whatever town you’re moving to.” Oliver started out playful but ended with a curious tone in his voice.

“It’s Ponyville, that’s where I’m moving. I heard some great things about it.” Synth lied. In fact, after what he learned, it seemed like the worst place he’d want to go to.

“Well Synth, I’m sure they’ll visit you after you get settled in at Ponyville. Right now I have to go inform the higher ups that you’ll need funding for the ‘expansion’.” The professor stated.

The way she said that made Synth feel like she knew he was lying. But she probably did know, and was just playing along with him.

“Well, Goodbye everyone, I can’t wait for you to visit.” Synth turned and left them as they watched him walk away. Most of them with the exception of Oliver could remember first meeting him. He’d been very different since that day. Of course, after a while he loosened up and became more cheerful.

Now, Professor Blossom couldn’t help but wonder how he’d act when he was out of his element. She remembered how long it took for him to tell them his name, and in the beginning, he couldn’t work without dropping things accidentally and causing more harm than good. Hopefully he’d since gotten over that.

As Synth approached the Pony in charge of selling tickets for the train, he saw the smile appear on the pony’s face. “Where you headed this time?”

“One Ticket to Ponyville please.”

“Ah Ponyville, then you’re going to the Everfree Forest? I’d be careful if I were you.”

After he handed him the ticket, Synth decided to at least leave on a good note.

“Actually, I plan to move there. I’ll be doing my studies there now.”

“Well, I’m not surprised. Seems to me from what I heard that it’s perfect. They haven’t had any pollution since they do everything by hoof. I do have to say, I’m sad to see you go. You’ve been a great customer and I’m sure you’ll come back soon.”

Synth could say that he was surprised about the pollution comment. He’s always used the greenhouse because the air outside was very bad for plants. Knowing that he could plant flowers outside could actually be very beneficial.

“Well, I must say it’s been great t-to travel on this train. I’m sure I’ll have to come back and v-visit family, so this isn’t goodbye for good. Farewell for now, Mr. Ticket.”

“Goodbye and safe travels Mr. Meadows.” Mr. Ticket replied before turning to the now long line of ponies waiting to buy a ticket.

Synth walked into the train and sat in the seat directly to the right of the door. He opened his suitcase and made sure it was still organized. Seeing the necklace, he decided now was a good as time as any. He put it on and immediately noticed how some occupants were eying him curiously.

He decided to cover himself even more with his cloak and wait until the train reached its destination. He hoped that his arrival in Ponyville would not attract too much attention. Little did he know that somewhere in the city, a pink pony sneezed and after a few body shudders she walked off like nothing happened.

The train started to slow down. Synth was just finishing his plan to check for any unwanted errors. He decided to do a quick rundown again of what he planned to do. When the train stopped, he would go into town and buy himself a small house. He knew he’d be okay with an apartment or hotel, but decided that if he was going to be living here then he’d go all out.

After that, he would head over to the forest and begin collecting plants to make a simple potion. During all this, he’d be making some friends and gain their trust. When the time comes, they’ll be ready to drink the potion. He needed someone else to assist him, because the potion had a counterpart that negated the fatal effects that came later.

It was risky, but it was all he could think of after finding out something very dangerous was coming to Ponyville. He had to be ready, for anything really.

The train whistle blew and it was time to get the plan into action. He took a step out and his attitude changed completely. The sun was shining and the air was calm. Everything looked like a perfect day. The air felt thin and he found himself breathing deeply. This air was nothing like the Canterlot air.

In Canterlot, the population was reaching its highest in a long time. Factories were made left and right and this created a huge pollution increase. Having been raised up during the first few factories, he lived with pollution most of his life. Even when he went to different towns around Equestria, it was never much of an improvement.

Now, he stood there and breathed in the air calmly. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad living here… He decided that he should focus on the plan before he got off track. Having a goal really determined him to succeed now.

He noticed how there were significantly less ponies here than at the Canterlot Station. As soon as he walked into the town, ponies began waving at him and smiles were thrown his direction. At first he shrugged it off, but eventually he started to go with the flow and wave back. By the time he was reaching the residential area, he was telling ponies his name when they greeted him.

His heart was beating rapidly from the attention. He never really liked too much of it. It wasn’t his style. So, walking into a quiet room made him feel a lot better. As he entered the housing agent’s home, he began feeling more like himself. The agent came to the counter and gave him a warm smile. Not another one… Synth thought.

“Welcome to Ponyville. How may I help you?” The clerk looked happy to see him, like most of the others in town.

“I ‘m h-here to b-buy a h-house.” Synth looked away ashamed of his nervousness.

“Well certainly, we can have one built for you somewhere in town, or you can purchase an existing property. Unfortunately, we only have one property open right now. It’s just on the outskirts of town. Next to the-“

“I’ll take it.” Synth responded confident.

The agent seemed unsure. “Well, are you sure? You haven’t even seen it yet.”

“Trust me; I’m sure I’ll love it.” Synth said placing almost all of his bits on the table making the agent smile wide for a second.

“My n-name is S-synth, Synth Meadows. It’s a pleasure m-meeting you.” She looked a little confused but handed him a key and directions to the house.

“Well, okay then Mr. Meadows. Have a nice day. Let me get you some change.”

Synth waved it away. “That’s a-alright, keep the change.” Then he walked out.

Walking out of the shop, his eyes feel upon the scenery once again. It all looked so natural. Nothing compared to Canterlot. He started walking in direction to where he thought his house was. His eyes slowly moved from the cobblestone road to the trees and the vegetation all around him. It was so much to take in, he didn’t notice something streak across the sky.

It hit him like a train. At first he got was sliding across the road but then started to bounce on the road as well. It all ended when he hit the side of a fruit stand. Turning half of it to firewood and covering the body of the colt. Luckily the owner was away, but that didn’t help the amount of pain he felt after he stopped.

“Wow, that’s the second time that’s happened today. Maybe I should fly a little higher…” Rainbow was standing in front of the half broken stand and was peering at the damage. She had almost no marks on her, probably because he softened the impact.

“Hey man, you okay?” She started to sound a little worried when he didn’t move. “Ya know, it’s rude not to answer when you are asked a question.” The pile of lumber moved and he poked his head out.

“It… hurts…” Just a little to his left was his briefcase. “B-briefcase … p-please …” He couldn’t form many words because his body was full of pain.

Rainbow seemed not to understand, but she handed him the briefcase nonetheless. More out of curiosity than urgency, she decided to stay quiet. When he could see it, he used his magic to open and levitate out some pink seeds. When he put them in his mouth, Rainbow seemed to gag. “Those don’t look very good. Ya sure that’s a good idea?”

After a few seconds of chewing, his body stress loosened. His legs were starting to get some of their functions again. He looked towards the cyan Pegasus, annoyance in his voice. “W-what was that for?”

Rainbow seemed confused. “Well you said to get you the briefcase, How’d I know you’d eat those things?” Synth sighed.

“Not the briefcase, I’m talking about sending me fifty feet across town.” Synth was still feeling the effects the hit had on his body.

“Look, I lost control after I was practicing my moves, it happens all the time… okay well maybe just today…” Rainbow seemed genuinely sorry, so he let it slide.

“Well, a-anyway my n-name is Synth Meadows and you are?” Rainbow stood up tall and pushed her chest out.

“Name’s Rainbow Dash. I’m the fastest flyer in Equestria and I already proved myself once today.

Synth rolled his eyes. “Well, Miss D-dash I guess I’ll have to t-take your word for it.” Synth rolled his eyes as he walked away.

“Hey Synth, I got two things to say. One, just call me Rainbow. None of that Miss stuff; two, don’t be such a smart ass.” Rainbow had a smile in the corner of her face. Synth stopped and looked at her. He knew she was just playing around, and he decided to go along with it.

“Okay Rainbow, I’ll try to be normal from now on.” Rainbow’s smile turned into a grin and Synth broke out into a smile for once since he got to the town.

“But I see you’re getting over your stuttering. Ya know, you’re alright for a colt. See ya around Synth, and watch out for Pinkie.” Rainbow flew off and Synth was left to walk in the other direction wondering who Pinkie was. He didn’t have long to think though, before he heard a squeal and was pulled into a shop of some kind. His body still aching from the crash that he didn’t try to resist as he was pulled into a chair and was studied by a white unicorn.

His jaw dropped, she was the pinnacle of perfection. Her mane, her coat, her eyes- wait, was he really thinking this? Before he could say anything, the unicorn smiled. “Hello there I’m sorry for bringing you in like this, but I couldn’t resist myself. Your coat is the perfect shade for a new fashion line I’ve been making.” Synth looked down to see his cloak that he kept around himself was to the side and revealed almost his entire coat now.

It must have moved when he was tackled. He was going to move it back but a hoof stopped him. “Please, allow me.” Rarity then took the cloak off him and moved a stack of clothes next to him. “May we begin?” Synth was going to argue, but a flutter of the eyelids and he was turned speechless. Was he really falling for her?

“My name is Rarity and I’m the owner of this establishment. No, this isn’t right…” Synth brought himself to talk, not to complain because he knew that he’d never be able to find a way out of this now, but just because he didn’t want to come off as strange.

“H-hello Miss R-rarity, I’m Synth M-meadows. I’d like to s-say it’s my p-pleasure to help you.” Synth smiled awkwardly and tried not to sweat. He was still staring at her, but she didn’t seem to notice or she didn’t care.

“My, you have such manners. You must have been very well raised.” Rarity said as she found placed a suit on him that made him feel like a millionaire. Synth couldn’t help but feel a little sad. “Yes, my parents wanted me to be the best I could be.” Rarity smiled and started to put a tie on him. “Well, I haven’t seen you around here before dear, are you new?”

“Actually, I j-just moved here from C-Canterlot and I-“He was cut off as he was starting to be choked. Rarity was going on a tangent about how she’d always wanted to go there.

The tie she’d been putting around his neck was cutting off his circulation. Even though she used magic, she took the tie with her while she walked forward fantasizing about Canterlot. He swung his hooves out randomly as his oxygen deprivation was getting to him. His vision blurred, his hearing stopped, and his neck was being tightened. He stopped struggling. It wouldn’t be long until-
Rarity finished and realized what she’d done. “Oh, my. I’m so sorry about that, are you okay?” She undid the knot around his neck and Synth started gasping for air. If she’d taken one more step, she could have broken his neck.

“I’m *cough* o…okay.” Synth was wheezing as he finally heard her question after she repeated it a few times. His hearing and his vision were coming back, that was a good sign. Standing up, he saw himself in a mirror and he gasped.

“What’s wrong? Are you sure you’re okay, dear? Maybe we should get you some medical attention…”

Synth shook his head and replied. “M-miss Rarity, it l-looks amazing.”

Rarity sighed. “Oh, I know dear, especially on you. It really fits your Neck...Lace…” Rarity trailed off and her eyes went wide. “Where…did you get that?” Synth looked to see the necklace still where he put it.

“I-it was a going away present from my mom. It means a lot to me, just like my cloak. It was a present from my dad.”

“That necklace must be worth a fortune. It’s made from baby gems!” Rarity looked at it with admiration. “W-want a closer look?” Synth decided there was no harm in letting her touch them. Rarity nodded and Synth levitated it to her. When she touched the baby Diamond, it glowed and even when she removed her hoof, it continued to glow.

“My, baby gems sure are rather unique.” Rarity said touching the other five in turn. None of them glowed except for the Diamond. Synth continued to look at the suit. It was a good color for him. A little red here and there with blue making up the outline and yellow for the rest of it. Complimentary colors were a good idea; they really brought out his coat.

“Well, this is a very fine suit, but I think should be taking my leave now.” Rarity gave back his necklace and he took off the suit handing it back to Rarity and putting the necklace and cloak on.

“It was nice meeting you Synth.”

“Likewise, Miss Rarity and I would be glad if you informed me when this suit will come out for sale.” Rarity Smiled.

“Now, your manners are well expressed and your stuttering is getting better. I’ll gladly let you know when it’s ready. Until then, keep an eye out for Pinkie.” Rarity then turned and walked into a different room.Synth walked outside wondering who Pinkie was.
He looked down both streets and forgot which way he came from and which way he was going. After a good few minutes of wandering, Synth decided to face facts. He was lost. He stopped and formulated a plan. He knew the house was on the outskirts of town. So if he went to the edge, and then walked the perimeter he would find it eventually.

“Well I’ve wasted enough time already…” Synth muttered to himself as he ran down a street as fast as he could. It wasn’t long before his mind wandered to all of the houses. They seemed to be two storied and spacious. The gardens and roads seemed to be well taken care of, too and the sky-

Synth went horn first into a tree. He groaned and he felt like his mind hit a blank wall, which was pretty close to what he actually hit. He slid down and his brain turned off for a few seconds.

He could hear voices now. They were muffled voices, but they were there. There was also a sharp pain in his head. The voices seemed to be getting louder and more urgent. Now there was a clear voice that seemed to be inside his head as well. “Well, you’ve scared them enough already. Get up before you end up in the hospital.”

Synth’s eyes opened wide and his blurred eyes landed on three mares that were looking at him. The orange one was wincing at his injury, and the yellow one was gasping. They had a worried expression, except for the pink one. She was jumping up and down and, as his vision cleared, was smiling.

“Oh, that was no good, you’ll have to try harder next time.” The pink pony said. Synth was still feeling the vibration in his skull and what the pink pony said didn’t help him.

“Pinkie, what are you going on about? Can’t you see he’s hurt?” he heard the orange one say with an accent.

“Wait…I think he’s waking up…” He barely heard the yellow pony say. His vision was almost back to normal and he could make out the wings by her side. She was a Pegasus, hopefully not like the other one he met…but she seemed to be naturally quiet.She was a complete opposite to the pink earth pony jumping up and down smiling.

“Yah think he’s okay?” The orange one asked the others.

“Well, duh. Oh course he’s okay. I saw everything. He was charging at that tree and he hit it dead on. He pulled off a good layer of the bark but this round goes to the tree. Get up Mister for Round 2. Show that tree who’s boss. That last round was just a warm up; you’ll get your comeuppance.” She said the last statement to the tree who didn’t reply, of course.

Synth found a break from her talking to say something. “I didn’t plan to hit the tree. I didn’t see it is all. Now, could somepony get me my suitcase? It should be around here somewhere…”

“Ah found it. What’s in this here anyhow? It feels mighty heavy.” Synth desperately needed the contents, so he told her to open it.

After a few seconds of fiddling with the lock, she managed to use her teeth to open it. Note to self, get an easier to open lock. Synth thought to himself as the pain in his head continued to grow. “So, what am Ah looking for in this here mess ah grass?” Synth wanted to tell her what they really were, but he’d wait until his head wasn’t about to explode.

“Find the red and yellow striped seeds. There should be three of them.” Applejack shifted through the seeds and with Fluttershy’s help, they managed to find all three.

“Okay, we got ‘em. What now?” Applejack looked to Synth and saw him beckoning her over.

When she was in close enough, he continued. “Could you… put them in my mouth? I can’t use magic right now…” Synth knew this was a hard request, but there were no unicorns as far as he could see. She just nodded and dropped them in his mouth.

“Hope yah know what yer doin’.” Synth swallowed them whole and breathed in and out a few times. His mind was getting cleared up and he brought himself to stand.

On impact, his legs also hit the tree, but just clearing his head was enough for him to be satisfied. “Thank you Miss…” Synth was very appreciative about what she did.

“Applejack, that’s mah name and ahm sticking to it.” She smiled and Synth turned to the other two. “And you two are?” Synth still felt grateful they cared about him without even knowing who he was.

“I’m Pinkie Pie! It’s great to see a new pony in town!” So, this was the legendary Pinkie he’s been hearing about…

“Um…I’m Fluttershy…Are you, sure…you should be …standing up…?” Fluttershy said seeing him stand up after being helpless moments before. Synth smiled after he barely caught her name. It suited her. Now he was going to have to explain himself.

“Ya, yah sure yer okay? We got ourselves a hospital nearby we could take yah to.” He decided he should explain himself before they thought he was a lunatic.

“I’m alright; it was those seeds I ate. I know all about them and they help with brain problems. It’s my special talent to know what all of the plants do.” At this the others seemed to relax but Pinkie giggled.

“Well, if you knew how tough that tree was, then why’d you try to beat it?” Synth felt like tearing his mane out. “I…didn’t…-“Applejack cut in before he continued.

“Don’t worry bout her Sugarcube, she’s got her own explanation for everythin’.”

Synth sighed and let it go. “Alright, so them seeds did the trick? Those must’ve delicious if they could do that.” Applejack said.

Synth gagged. “Actually they were pretty old and they don’t taste very good anyways.” Pinkie stepped in front of him and shoved a cupcake down his throat.

“There! That’ll wash down that taste in your mouth.” She said giggling.

Synth was choking on the cupcake and had to use his magic to create an opening for the air to go in. “*Cough* Pinkie, what *cough* was that for *cough*?”

Pinkie smiled, well duh, who doesn’t like the taste of a cupcake?” Synth just decided that she meant well and shrugged it off, even though the cupcake completely missed his tongue.

“Well, anyways. Those were my last seeds, so I’ll need to get more. Could you girls tell me where the Everfree Forest is?” Their faces turned into ones of fear.

“The Everfree Forest?” Until he said that, they were starting to look like he was a normal pony, now they looked at him like he was crazy. “Are yah crazy?” Well, at least he learned he was great at reading emotions… And his body recoiled at the outburst. Being yelled at wasn’t his cup of tea.

Naturally, his body went defensive and turned to being a smart ass. “Actually, I’m quite sane… Those seeds ensured that.” Applejack looked like she was ready to buck him in the face after that.

“Waddaya Thinking? Goin’ to the Everfree Forest?” He thought she was overreacting and decided to turn to the Pegasus for her judgment on the situation.

She was cowering behind the pink pony and he noticed the pink pony had a frown for the first time he’s seen since meeting her. “Well, if you all think it’s so dangerous… I’ll just make do without it.” Synth said knowing they’d never let him go if he argued about it anyways. Applejack smiled at him, believing him to keep his word. He didn’t look like a liar.

“Well great, glad that’s cleared up.” Applejack said. “But Synth, you got somewhere you’re staying for the night?”

Synth nodded then frowned. “Yes, but um… Miss Applejack, could you show me where this is?”

Applejack chuckled, “Applejack’s fine. Don’t gotta go all fancy on meh. Say, are yah from Canterlot?”

Synth was shocked. “Yeah, how’d you guess?” Applejack smiled. “Ah just met someone this mornin’ from there. You act a lot like her. Her name’s Twilight, know her?”

Synth couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised. “No, but I’ve heard her name before today, and it sounds awfully familiar…”

Applejack smiled, “well anyway, what is it yah wanted to ask meh?”

Synth had to remember what she was talking about then remembered his predicament. “Do you happen to know where this address is?” Applejack looked at the piece of paper and a smile appeared on her face.

“Sugarcube… Look behind you.” Synth’s stomach fell. He turned and peering behind the tree saw the house sitting there with a SOLD sign in front.

“Well, that just happened…” He felt humiliated and covered most of his face with his cloak so they didn’t see his face turn red. He walked towards the front door.

“W-wait Synth!” Synth looked up just as he walked into the tree again. It didn’t hurt him, just his pride. His face was now completely red as he walked around the tree and towards his house.

He heard Applejack laughing apparently unable to hold herself. Even Fluttershy couldn’t stifle a giggle, Synth heard it clearly. Pinkie on the other hand was unfazed. He still heard her words to him as he stepped inside the house. “Round 2 goes to the tree.” Then he slammed the door and slumped on the floor trying to figure out everything that’s happened since then.

Author's Notes:

I said Please...

Walking the Path

Walking the Path

Synth was getting tired of sitting and decided that he shouldn’t let his day go to waste. Maybe he couldn’t go to the Everfree Forest, but he could do some gardening before it was too dark. Looking over to his suitcase, he went through the contents. Finding a journal on the Everfree, he quickly scanned through and found his entry.

‘Wildfire Lotus- A dangerous plant native to the Everfree Forest. A dangerous plant that produces seeds with cognitive boosts…’ Synth remembered when he wrote this down. It was when he and Oliver were still fillies. The Professor gave them the seeds to see if they could figure out their properties. They tried everything they could think of.

It wasn’t until Oliver put five of the seeds in water to see how they react, that Synth discovered it. He drank the water while Oliver had his back turned and didn’t notice the seeds until he swallowed them. Oliver was shouting at him the entire time while Synth’s head recoiled. He felt like he knew everything in the world. Synth theorized that ingesting it was the answer, but Oliver was just telling him he was just imagining it.

When the professor came to see how they were coming along, Synth told her what he thought and she smiled. “Very good boys, you finished faster than I expected. I think you deserve a reward.” Synth grinned at Oliver and he just looked angry. The professor pulled out six of the seeds they’d been working with and handed three to each of them.

“These are rare seeds; don’t use them unless you need to. They only grow in the Everfree Forest.” After Synth wrote all of that down, he just dismissed it as a fair warning. Now he started to think that the Everfree Forest was something he didn’t want to get lost in. Turning back towards his suitcase, he felt sad that he used his only seeds on a simple mistake of running into a tree.

Synth resolved that he’d need to get more seeds, even if that meant going into the Everfree Forest and lying to Applejack. But that could wait until after his gardening. Gathering a handful of different seeds, he stepped outside and flinched at the sight of the tree. “It’s your fault” he said to the tree as he walked around to the back of his house.

After he finished planting the first few seeds, he looked up and came eye to eye with the pink pony. “Oooh, are you growing more trees to fight? I think you should focus on beating one tree first…”

“Pinkie, it’s not like that. But what are you doing here?” Pinkie was jumping up and down as she said her next words. “I’m throwing a surprise party for the new pony in town, besides you, and I came to invite you to it. I would have thrown a party for you, but I only had time for one party and she came first so I think she deserved the first one. Not that you won’t get a party, but keep it a secret from yourself okay? I want to surprise you like you surprised me when I first met you because I had a lot of fun, but I didn’t react like I did with Twilight because I was getting used to the new ponies in town. Well anyways see you at the party!”

Synth was just nodding his head trying to understand anything she said. All he could come up with was that he’s going to a party and he should expect a party later.” Pinkie bounded away while his head was still trying to process the rest. He shook his head and went back to work. After a few minutes, he finished and cleaned himself off. Taking in a deep breath, he decided to plan out his next move.
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Synth was wandering aimlessly through the streets. They were now completely devoid of ponies. He was headed towards the tree at which the party was being held, but couldn’t find it anywhere. Walking down a street he knew he went by before, he saw a pony that could offer him directions. She was a mint green and looked like she was headed to the party as well.

He waved at her then asked his question. “Could you direct me to the party everyone’s been talking about? I seem to be rather lost.” She smiled and replied cheerfully. “Ponyville isn’t very big, but you must be the new pony so I understand. Pinkie told me something about you too, something about a tree. I don’t remember what though…” As she tried to remember, Synth decided to change subjects. “So, can I tag along? I wanted to come to the party early but it’s probably too late for that.”

She stopped thinking and looked at him. “The party should be starting any minute, how long have you been walking around?” Synth felt it didn’t harm him to tell the truth. “Only about thirty minutes.” She raised an eyebrow as she responded. “O..kay then… Well we should be going before we’re late. They walked for about half a minute before she stopped.

“We’re here. I’m surprised you didn’t see this before.” Synth was looking around and it took him a while to notice the huge tree with windows and a door. Maybe he wasn’t looking hard enough the past few times he walked by this place, but it sure was hard to miss now. He turned to her and smiled awkwardly, “Thanks, I might not have found this place.” She looked like she was going to respond but the door opened and they were pulled inside.

After getting up on his hooves, he looked around to see half the town getting everything ready for a party. Synth had to admit the sight made him smile, but it increased when he saw the white pony he met earlier beckon him over. “Hello Miss Rarity, you called?” Synth found his stuttering was under control and he didn’t have to force the words out anymore.
Rarity giggled and smiled. “I see you are still quite the gentlecolt as earlier. I also see you’ve met my friends today. They were happy to meet you, I could tell.” Synth didn’t know which friends she as referring to, but he remembered all the weird encounters he had. “It’s been a rough day…” Rarity nodded. “I understand, Pinkie told me all about it.” Synth’s face turned a little red at the memory and shrugged it off.
“Well, I’ve met lots of new faces today but I don’t think I’ve met the guest of honor yet. Is the party starting soon?” Synth was wondering if Twilight was a Unicorn like him. Most ponies from Canterlot were Unicorns, but there were exceptions. “She should be here soon. Fluttershy was her last stop before she was finished. I’m sure Fluttershy would be accompanying her here.”
Synth remembered the meek Pegasus he met and wondered why Twilight would need to see her. He was about to ask but Pinkie stepped in. “Everypony hide! They’re coming.” The lights turned off and Synth jumped behind a tall potted plant following the others lead. He wasn’t very excited about the party; he’s never been to one so it was to be expected. Although meeting a fellow unicorn from Canterlot could be a good thing.
Anytime during the party he could always slip away and go to the Everfree Forest. He was curious though, to see if the new pony went through anything he went through today too. He could ask her later, right now he heard voices on the other side. One belonged to a male and the other was a softer tone… Probably Fluttershy he thought.
The door opened and he saw a silhouette of a Pegasus fly in with something in her arms. He was about to jump out but a hoof stopped him. “Not yet, wait for the lights…” He looked to his left but couldn’t see anything in the darkness. It sounded like... “Rainbow?” he whispered to the darkness. “Yeah, it’s me. Now shh…” He looked back and saw a figure now approaching the doorway with a smaller figure at its side.
“…Without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to be friends all the time… Now where are the lights?” Now the lights were flipped and Synth jumped out from behind the plant to join in the commotion that was happening around a lavender unicorn. He couldn’t see the smaller figure because of the ponies in front of him, but he could clearly see the horn atop the unicorn’s head.
He smiled inwardly; she didn’t seem like the friendly type. I wonder how she’ll do at this party. He remembered what she said moments before. Crazy ponies… Maybe she did go through what he did. But he’s taking it a lot better than her. She was standing at first shocked and then was accompanied by Pinkie towards the refreshment table. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he did notice when she grabbed the hot sauce and started to drink it.
He gagged and wondered if she was as crazy as the ponies he met today. When she ran out with a red face he decided she just made a mistake. He did notice Pinkie eat a cupcake covered in the hot sauce; she was definitely the craziest one. He went to go see if he could talk with Rainbow or Rarity about what happened, but Pinkie grabbed a hold of him.
“Hey Synth, want a taste? They’re delicious!” Pinkie was holding out a red topped cupcake. He smiled; he hadn’t eaten since the last cupcake she’d shove down his throat. “Sure, I’ll give it a try.” When he was putting the cupcake up to his mouth, he was bumped from behind by Rainbow who turned around and broke down laughing.
Synth’s face was covered with the red frosting, some even got into his eyes and he realized it wasn’t normal frosting. It was like a hot sauce substitute. If he’d taken a bite, he’d probably be throwing up all day. Although, getting it in your eyes was no better. His face burned and he felt some humiliation when everyone turned to see what Rainbow was laughing at.
“W-Where’s the restroom?” he nearly screamed with closed eyes; Clawing his eyes to get it out. Someone was pushing him in the direction of the stairs; he knew they were stairs because he tripped over the first one. After a few falls, he managed to make it to the top. When he walked into a door, he heard a male voice say “sorry” as he heard the door open and walked inside.
“Spike! What are you doing?” He heard a familiar voice say. “Sorry, I thought this was the restroom, this guy needs to get his eye cleaned up.” He heard a gasp and felt hooves on his face. “I think I know a spell that should help.” A moment later, his eyes felt warm and the pain was subsiding. “This is going to take a while, but it should feel better soon.” He smiled.
“It already feels great. Thank you miss…” He had a feeling... “It’s Twilight, Twilight Sparkle.” Synth’s brain clicked. “That’s it! I thought I heard that name before. You’re Twilight, the gifted unicorn. You are that Twilight right?” Synth was feeling positive this was the pony he’d heard about. “Well yes, I’m that Twilight. Although I don’t know very many ponies with my name…” It was a joke, but Synth didn’t recognize it. “Well I did read this book with that name, but you’re a lot better than that book.
Twilight was blushing but Synth couldn’t see. He still had his eyes closed while it was being cleaned. She knew that she was special, but she didn’t know that people thought of her like a celebrity. She also realized something he said… “You read books?” Twilight asked knowing how most only read what they have to. Synth was caught off guard. “Of course I do. In my free time I like to read a good adventure. Though I haven’t had time in a few days, what with my studies…”
Twilight brightened up instantly. “Oh, what do you study? I know a lot about everything.” Synth grinned. “I know, you’re all they talk about in Canterlot. But, I don’t study anything really important; Just the plants and nature in general. It’s my special talent to communicate with them. I’m sure you know a lot about it though.” Twilight was still smiling with a hint of a blush showing.

“Well, I do know my share of plants, but you can communicate with them? That’s amazing.” Synth’s smile lessened a little. “Actually, more like they talk to me whenever they feel like it. I don’t get a choice in the matter, but it’s still great to have some company once in a while.” Synth realized how that might have sounded to Twilight, so he tried to continue. “I mean, when I don’t have anyone to talk to at the time…” He probably made it worse, but was cut off before he could continue his statement.

“I understand. I’m more of a social outcast myself to tell you the truth… And the ponies in this town don’t see that. All they see is another face and another party to throw.” Twilight said remembering the party going on downstairs. Synth tried to joke. “At least you got a party.” He realized his eyes were feeling a lot better. “Well, looks like I finished. How does it feel?” Synth opened his eyes and looked into the eyes of the other unicorn. “It’s G-great. Thanks s-so much Miss S-sparkle.” Synth felt the stuttering coming back.

Twilight just looked into his eyes and raised an eyebrow. “Your eyes, they’re purple…” Synth found this weird until he noticed Twilight’s eyes were the same shade of purple and he smiled. “As are y-yours Miss Sparkle.” Twilight looked away and realized what he said. “You can call me Twilight, but you do have good manners. You must have gotten them from your parents.”
Synth forced a smile as his memory returned. “Well I try, but I never used manners in Canterlot. They seemed like useless things to know, but I guess the city must’ve rubbed off on me.” Twilight nodded. “Yeah Canterlot can be difficult to live in at times. But I can’t wait to leave and go back. These ponies are going to drive me to insanity at this rate.” She said this last part as she heard something break downstairs. Synth winced, it sounded like a window.
“Well, I don’t seem to crazy do I?” Synth said putting an innocent smile on his face. Twilight thought for a second before smiling and responding. “Well, you did get hot sauce in your eye.” Synth decided to keep up the humor. “You’re the one that drank it…” Twilight giggled. “You have a point. Maybe we’re all crazy on the inside; some, more than others.” Synth thought of Pinkie and he had a feeling that she was too.
“Pinkie has good intentions…usually.” Synth said remembering how she handed him the cupcake. Twilight had a thought as he said that. “So, how’d you meet them? I’m sure you had a rough day too…”

Synth remembered what he went through today; it wasn’t a bad day really. Although it could have gone better, he at least knew more of the town than he thought he did. “Rough might be the way I’d put it. It could have gone better, but hey I’m not complaining.” Twilight seemed to understand this. “I know what you mean. I did all my tasks for today, but it was…different than how I pictured them to be.” Synth was interested at this.

“Tasks? Did the princess send you here? Is this some sort of punishment?” Synth was wondering what she could have done wrong until she cleared it up. “Actually, I was supposed to be making sure the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration were in order. I don’t even think the princess gives punishments anymore.” Twilight tried to remember the last time the princess punished anypony. Then she remembered the tale she read about earlier.

“Hey, I don’t want to sound crazy but do you know the Mare in the Moon tale?” Twilight suggested seeing as how he was the closest to her actual equal in the entire town. Synth vaguely remembered the tale from when he was a foal. “Actually, I remember some parts of it. Why? Want me to read you a bedtime story?” He joked but Twilight seemed a little annoyed at that.

“No, it’s just that I have a feeling…” Twilight said before the door opened behind him. Spike entered looking at them where he had left them long ago. “You still haven’t cleaned his eye yet? Your slacking Twi…” Spike said before Twilight sighed. “What do you want Spike?” Spike was pointing in the direction of the party. “The Sun’s coming up soon. Don’t you want to be at the Summer Sun Celebration?”

Synth realized what was in front of him. “Are…are you a dragon?” He asked before thinking that it was kind of rude. Spike looked at him like he asked the most obvious question ever. “Well, yeah. Twilight hatched me and now I live with her. Synth started to feel a little intimidated. Not because of his size, in fact that made him feel a little better, but because he had some bad thoughts of dragons from past experience. “Okay then, nice to meet you Spike.” He said at a lower tone than before now taking a step back.

Twilight apparently didn’t notice. “Okay then, I’ll be right down. Coming Synth?” She said going to get some of her things from the floor. Synth knew this was his chance to slip away. “Actually, I’ll catch up later. There’s something I need to get from my house.” He walked a good distance around spike as he walked out the door. He quickly went downstairs and walked out of the door towards his house.
Twilight was thinking about him after he left. He looked a little like he didn’t want to go to the Celebration. He did seem awfully nervous. When he first entered her room and they conversed, he seemed confident and tough. After she finished cleaning his eyes, his demeanor changed and he acted a lot like that yellow Pegasus she met earlier. And now he looked like he was…scared? Maybe he had some mental condition. That would make him as crazy as the rest of the town. He was just so different. And yet he acted a lot like her. She realized before Spike pulled her to the Celebration.
Synth took the path to where he thought his house was. After this, he’d need to get a map of the town before he ended up lost again. After back tracking a little, he made it to his house. In case he was being followed, he used some spy tactics he learned from books he read. He entered his house and grabbed his suitcase. Then teleported to the back of it and walked towards the Everfree Forest. Still feeling dizzy after the spell he performed, he thought that he probably shouldn’t do that again. It took too much out of him, he could barely walk.
As he made his way to the forest, he realized that if anyone looked in his direction, he’d stick out like a sore thumb. His cloak only partially covered his body. He couldn’t run, so he basically crawled a few steps. When he realized that they would all be headed towards the Celebration, he felt a little silly trying to act like the heroes he’s read about. Walking more calmly, he walked to the edge of the forest and looked back. The town looks amazing from here, he thought. Then he saw Twilight with Spike on her back and they were walking away.
He was about to turn around and start looking for his plants, but he noticed Spike look his direction. Fuck, he thought before quickly backing into the shadows and using his magic to grow branches around him to cover the area he was standing in. Maybe, he didn’t see me? He thought, although that was unlikely as he knew Dragons had good eyesight. He shivered at the memory and turned walking even deeper into the forest.
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Spike was enjoying his ride to the Celebration. With his short legs, it always tired him to walk long distances. So, Twilight was used to carrying him everywhere. He was looking around seeing ponies around him from the party. When he remembered how Synth was supposed to be getting something from his house. He remembered how the Princess gave them an option of staying in a house on the outskirts of the town, or the library. Twilight immediately chose the library, but Spike thought that the house that Synth must have gotten was the one they declined.
He turned his head towards the houses; they were all decorated except for one in the end of the street. He looked closer at it and noticed something in the corner of his eye. There was some green where there should have been darkness. He looked directly at it and he saw the green coat partially covered by the dark cloak. He kept staring and noticed Synth looking at him. He was confused at this, but then the green blended with the dark and the trees enveloped where he once stood.
“Twilight? I think I just saw Synth go into the Forest…” Spike said wondering what he could be doing there. Twilight didn’t think of this as unusual. “He probably doesn’t like social gatherings like me. I’m just going because I want to see this for myself. But he probably doesn’t care very much…” Spike seemed to think about this. “Then why’d he come to the party? He didn’t have to…” Twilight didn’t answer instead she got lost in her thinking.
If he was like her as much as she thought, then he might know something about Nightmare Moon. Although he didn’t act like he did. Maybe he had other reasons for sneaking off… She looked up and saw the town hall in front of her. “I have a bad feeling about this…”
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Synth was walking through the Everfree Forest. It was quiet. This would be normal or even scary to some ponies, but Synth enjoyed it. He seemed like he could express himself fully here. He looked at the plants and wildlife around him. They looked terrifying, but he knew enough about most of them that they only looked intimidating for self defense. He was walking past some bushes and picked some of the flowers putting them in his suitcase. They smelt bad, but that was the point. The flowers he picked would discourage predators and help him feel at ease.
Continuing to walk, he kept his eyes out for the plant he was there for in the first place. The red and yellow striped plant was hard to find, but you wanted to find it before it found you. He walked a good few minutes without so much as a rustle of leaves. He even stepped in patches where he wouldn’t make too much noise. The foul-smelling flowers might help keep him safe, but if one of them was hungry enough…
He looked up as he saw a Wildfire Lotus next to a tree. He’d have to do this carefully, his professor taught him how to deal with them, but he’s never had a real experience. Using his magic, he grew the grass around him; his head was still hurting from the teleportation he used earlier. He could only grow it to a certain height before he ran out of strength. Looking up, he noticed that the plant didn’t know he was there.
Crawling low towards the plant, he got within three feet of it. Resting a little to use his magic again, he kept a close watch on what it was doing. Knowing how it was poisonous to touch, he’d have to grab it by the stem, where the poison doesn’t reach. He used up his magic again to lift the dirt around it to form a sort of cone where the flower petals were. Jumping from his position, he grabbed the stem before the flower could break free of its dirt prison.
Pulling hard, he managed to get the roots out of the ground. He didn’t have much time before the flower broke free, so he just opened his suitcase and shoved the flower inside. He could extract the seeds later. Standing up and dusting off his cloak, he looked around. Already he could tell he was lost. Every direction looked the same and the sky could barely be seen above. The moon was casting enough light for him to see though, as he chose a direction and began walking.
After a good few minutes, he decided to take a break and let his horn rest. He was in a clearing and lay down in the middle on his back. Looking at the sky, he could make out the constellations he knew, and there weren’t many, and just looked at them for a while. The night sky was quite a sight… Wait… Why does the moon look a little different? The shape that was normally in the moon was gone…
Now he remembered the story his mother told him, and the same one Twilight asked him about earlier. How did it go? Something about an evil power that was trapped in the moon, He thought. But if the moon looks like it does now, does that mean it escaped? That would explain what he was warned about. If there was a danger to come to Equestria, it would go after the princess first. And today she would be at her weakest point after she raised the sun.
Now he understood, when the sun is raised the evil will attack the princess. He knew he had to get going, so picking himself up he started to a trot in a different direction, hoping he wouldn’t get lost. Although, after a few trips from the low lighting he knew he’d have a hard time finding his way out. “One problem at a time…” Synth said a few seconds before he tripped over some vines.
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Farther away in the library, Twilight was reading from the book that Pinkie found for her. “…located in what is now, the Everfree Forest.” Twilight reread this to make sure she said that correctly. The other gasped around her as they remembered what the forest is like. “T-the Ev-Everfree-“Fluttershy started saying before being cut off by four other voices. “The Everfree Forest?” they exclaimed looking at each other.

Twilight was nodding her head speaking softly, “I see, Synth did know more than he let on. I’ll have to go help him; he wouldn’t make it very far in the dark.” The others being around Fluttershy enough, were used to hearing voices that low. “Twilight, yah can’t go in der. Dat place isn’t natural.” Applejack said voicing the others opinions. Twilight looked up completely forgetting about the others.

“I’ll be fine on my own, besides Synth is already in there. He must have gotten a head start.” Twilight reasoned, but then thought about what she said. “Wait if the Everfree is dangerous, doesn’t that mean that Synth is in danger too?” The others gasped as none of them remembered seeing him since the party.

“We gotta go save ‘em, that colt’s not as strong as you think. He couldn’t take a soft tackle, he wouldn’t last two seconds in those woods.” Rainbow said as she flew out the door. The others followed until they were at the edge of the Forest. Twilight spoke up. “Okay, here’s the plan. We go in, look for Synth. When we find him, you girls bring him back to town while I go get the Elements.”

The others just shook their heads. “W-we can’t j-just leave you in the f-forest by yourself…” Fluttershy said suddenly feeling very scared in the forest’s presence. “Really darling, you expect us to leave you in a place like that?” Rarity added in before Twilight could protest. “Weee! Let’s go!” Pinkie said bouncing into the forest. Twilight sighed, “Fine, have your way. But I won’t be responsible.” She said as she walked into the forest.
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It felt like hours to Synth as his back was on the grass again, letting his legs take a break. He was getting tired of the endless amounts of trees in each direction. When he finally got enough rest, he stood and continued walking in the direction he was headed. Keeping as quiet as he could, he tried not to alert some of the more vicious predators in the forest.

His flowers were keeping most at bay, but some looked like they were hungry enough to eat anything. He tried climbing a tree to see where he was, and all he found out was that there was a path in front of him a little bit. He kept watch of his surroundings and saw some dangerous plants. Poison Joke, some here and there, but overall easily avoidable; if you knew what you were looking to avoid. He almost stepped on one as his left forehoof extended and when he contracted, he bumped into a slimy tree.

The host of the tree was an above average sized slug looking creature. It wasn’t a carnivore, but its look made Synth gag and walk a little faster towards his destination. The visual of the slug and the flower in his suitcase made his stomach feel uneasy. He looked up and saw the dirt trail a few feet ahead. Groggily he walked a few steps and then threw up right before he left the forest. At least there’s no one here to see that. I haven’t thrown up since I was- his thoughts were broken as he heard a scream directly to his right.

He looked up and saw Rarity about to panic at the scene he just had. He quickly wiped his mouth and looked back at her. Only now did he notice the other five watching with clear disgust on their faces. That is, except for Rainbow who was grinning. “Found him.” She said as a chuckle escaped her mouth. Synth was a little embarrassed that they saw that, but he was overcome with confusion before he could explain.

“What are you girls doing here?” Was what he asked and then he saw the looks on their faces all change from disgust to looks of anger, relief, and annoyance. Applejack was the first to speak. “Synth, ah thought yah said yah wouldn’t come ta da Everfree Forest! Ah got half a mind tah break yah jaw. You lied ta us, and ah thought yah was better than that!” Synth recoiled at the sudden change of attitude. He knew he’d get in trouble for coming, he just hoped he didn’t get caught.

Now, the look on Applejack’s face said she wanted an explanation. Synth sighed he wasn’t going to get out of this. “L-look, I can e-explain-“Applejack stepped closer and she looked even more intimidating. “This had better be good.” Synth tried to continue, but couldn’t form a sentence. Instead he took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself. He must have looked like he was hyperventilating because Applejack slapped him. “Better?” she asked with no emotion in her voice.

“Y-yes, that…helped s-so much…” he tried to sarcastically say but he couldn’t bring himself to use the sarcastic tone. “O-okay, so I r-really needed…some more of t-those seeds I ate. I-I knew that you’d all b-be…busy tonight. So, I-I thought I could…collect them before y-you knew I was gone…” Synth flinched when Applejack went to adjust her hat. Now she felt sorry for hitting him, but that didn’t excuse the fact that he lied to three of them. But she could let it go and just looked at him like she forgave him. The other three on the other hand now had confused looks on their faces. “It’s a long story.” Fluttershy said to the others.

Now, Synth was glad to see them. He hoped he could find a way back to the town with them leading him. “So, here I am. C-can we go back now? This place…It can be scary.” Synth didn’t like to admit it, but without the flowers he would be scared shitless right now. Speaking of the flowers… “Oh Celestia, what’s that smell?” He saw Rainbow and Rarity holding their noses as they were the closest to his suitcase now leaning on a tree. “Yeah sorry about throwing up, I just overexerted myself and the smell was the last straw.”

“We didn’t just come here for you Synth; we’re looking for the Elements of Harmony located in some old ruins in this forest.” Twilight said with magical nose pinchers on her snout , it made her sound different and Synth had to hold back a grin. Until that is, he realized that he’d have to stay in this forest until they found these elements they were looking for. “Oh, I see. By the way, that smell is what I was using to keep the predators at bay.”

When he said this, he saw their eyes go wide. “P-predators!?” Fluttershy said her eyes darting back and forth. Synth knew they couldn’t see them. In fact, he could barely see them and he had really good eyesight. Just outside of the tree line, groups of animals were staying wary of the bunch. They didn’t look like a threat, but that smell made them think twice about attacking. Synth decided not to scare the others lest they scream.

“Let’s just say it’s safe to assume we’re being watched.” Synth said trying not to sound too foreboding. When the others glanced unnervingly at each other, he decided to change the topic. “Well how about we continue then? I believe we need to go this way?” he said pointing in the direction he saw them heading before he stopped them. When they nodded, he followed behind them all as he kept wary of the animals around him.

After a good few minutes, he thought of a question to break the mood. “So, why are you girls after the elements of harmony? Are you girls feeling as shitty as I do? I don’t think the elements can help you there…” He said the last part as a joke but he wanted a response nonetheless. Twilight spoke first, “Nightmare Moon escaped her moon prison and now she plans to shroud the world in eternal darkness. We need the elements to stop her. Celestia disappeared before she could raise the sun, so it’s up to us.”

Synth heard the last part and his mind did a back flip. How did Nightmare Moon overpower Celestia before she raised the sun? If she attacked after she raised the sun, it would be understandable. But, something about this seemed off. Synth didn’t have time to think about it though, as they reached a cliff. Twilight was planning how to jump down to get to the re t of the road, when a purple haze came out of the ground where Synth was standing. It went through him momentarily, but he wasn’t paying much attention as the ground cracked and the cliff tilted. Synth was sent sliding down the cliff.

His feet couldn’t find traction and he barely managed to grab onto a rocky ledge before he fell over the edge. His grip was strong, but he knew it wasn’t enough to last him forever. On his left, he saw Twilight also grabbing part of the ledge. Although, she had a grassy ledge and it looked like she was slipping. Fast. Synth saw Applejack sliding down, but she wasn’t coming down fast enough. Synth knew he had to do something.

He used up whatever magic he had left in his reserves and cast a growing spell on the grass around Twilight’s hooves. It would hold long enough for Applejack to come. He turned to his own predicament. His head was throbbing from using the magic, and his grip weakened. There wasn’t any grass close enough for him to grow if he even did have the magic. Feeling his strength drained, his willpower was at its lowest. He could faintly hear a voice in the back of his head…

‘You are weak. You can’t even save yourself. Why bother with them. They only hold you back. If you just had more power- ‘His inner thoughts were broken by the sound of his name being yelled out.
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Twilight was sliding on the grass now. She couldn’t stop herself and saw the ledge approaching fast. She used a very difficult gravity spell to slow herself enough that she could grab the ledge. It was too much for her though, and she felt like her horn had enough. She hadn’t practiced with it before, and now she cursed her laziness. Now without her magic, she saw the dread of what was happening. Her hooves couldn’t find a good place to grab onto. She reached into the grass and it only made her hoof wet and slippery.

Looking up, she saw Applejack sliding down slowly to help her and- Synth! Now she noticed that he was also on the ledge. He had a good handle though, and looked like he could hold on for a while. She was about to fall, and fast. When she couldn’t hold on any longer, she let go. It took her a second to realize that the grass snaked around her hoof and tightened on it. She sighed with relief. Synth’s magic just saved me. She looked over to thank him and gasped. His face had gone paler and his grip was loosening. His eyes slowly closing and his body was starting to go limp.

She opened her mouth to yell at him, but someone else beat her to it. “Synth!” Applejack now reached Twilight but both were looking at the body of Synth Meadows as he went over the edge. Twilight turned her head to look down but Applejack stopped her. “He’s… he’s gonna be fine.” She said looking at Twilight smiling. “Just have some faith in him…” Applejack reached out and grabbed Twilight’s hoof as the grass holding it loosened its own grip due to Synth’s magic depletion.

Twilight smiled. Of course he’d be alright. This is Synth they were talking about. In the little time she knew him. She could already tell that there was something different about him. Something good or bad, she didn’t know. But she had a feeling that Synth could survive anything. And now, she hoped she was right…
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Synth’s grip released. He began to fall. The air around him slowed down as he began to process what just happened. He had used his energy to save Twilight. Now, he was falling to his inevitable doom because of it. The voice in the back of his head wouldn’t shut up. ‘Don’t you see what’s happening? You’re dying, and it’s all because of those girls. They are the reason you are suffering. Without them, you could be so much more. You had what you came for, why didn’t you just go? Leave them to die in this place and you would be scot free in Ponyville without a care in the world…’

Synth felt like he was going through a mental breakdown. ‘What are you doing in my head? Who are you? You don’t know anything about me.’ The voice came back, more determined. ‘Oh, but I do know you. I am you. I have always been here, I’ve been growing from the pain that you’ve felt. I am the part of you that wants to be free. Think of me as your shadow. I’m always here, but whenever you are most happy, I’m gone. When you let the truth surround you, I’m everywhere. So, tell me. Why are you about to die?’

Synth felt like he had no control over this other voice. He couldn’t tune it out and it just spoke so clearly. But he had a reason, and he hoped it’d be enough to shut this guy up. ‘Because they’re my friends, and I’d risk my life for a friend.’ The voice was soft as it replied. ‘We’ll see for how long…’ Synth didn’t hear the voice anymore and had a calming breath. The ground was getting a lot closer and he could barely keep his eyes open.’ This is it. This’ll be where I die. You know, I never figured out the mysteries of my life. My parents, my cutie mark, this voice, all of them were things that I wish I could have solved.

My parents… Why did they have to do it? My Cutie mark… what was it supposed to mean? And this goddess damned voice that appeared out of nowhere…’ ‘Actually, I’ve been here a while. You just haven’t noticed me until Nightmare Moon gave me strength.’ ‘Well whatever, you’re still fucking annoy- Wait. What did you say?’ ‘I didn’t “say” anything. I just made you think it.’ Synth groaned internally. ‘You’re a pain in the ass you know that?’ ‘I would get yourself checked out. If you think the pain I’m giving you is worse than the pain you’re about to feel, you’re so wrong.’ ‘Fuck you.’ ‘Dude that’s gross, I am you remember?’ ‘JUST SHUT UP!’ he mentally screamed as he closed his eyes to wait for the impact.

Author's Notes:

Please?

Paths End

Paths End

A sudden gust of wind passed by Synth’s ears as realized his descent was slowing. Opening his eyes, he saw Fluttershy grabbing him by his cloak. She didn’t stop him completely, but it was enough that if he hit the floor, he wouldn’t die. He smiled at her so she’d let go. At the rate they were falling, she’d still get hurt if she didn’t let go. She released her hold on the cloak and Synth turned his face away from the floor as he made impact with the ground.

He could feel the pain in his thighs and his leg felt like it broke. He could tell that he made a small indentation in the floor. ‘At least I’m alive.’ He thought as he groaned in pain. It would probably be a while before someone came to help him. Fluttershy most likely went to help Twilight, and the others probably didn’t know he was injured. He knew at this point that something must have been broken. Wondering where his suitcase was, he tried to pick up his head and turn towards the cliff. As he moved his head and managed to get himself on his back, the suitcase landed right where his head was before.

Wide eyed, Synth finally felt the adrenaline of what just happened and his suitcase caused him to pass out from relief. The suitcase landed on its locks and it busted open. The contents were scattered around the grass, including the flower that was now crawling away from its prison. Small animals came out of the forest and began feasting on the seeds and flower petals. It wasn’t until five mares came rushing toward him, that the animals rushed away finished with their meal.
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Fluttershy had to let go of Synth or else he’d drag her down with him. She knew he would live, but she didn’t want him to feel pain. Then, he smiled at her and she understood. Letting go, she made a mental note to make it up to him. She heard a chilling crack as he hit the ground and she was on the verge of tears. Turning away, she hurried to help Twilight who was the last one that needed saving. With Rainbow’s help, she managed to grab a hold of her about half way.

When she had Twilight firmly, she almost couldn’t hold her. Even with Rainbow’s help, Twilight felt really heavy. “Sorry girls, I’m not used to holding more than a bunny or two.”

Rainbow grinned. “Geez Twilight, You gotta lose some weight.” Twilight blushed and then remembered the situation at hand.

“What about Synth? Is he okay?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy flinched a little, remembering the crack sound. Rainbow was the one who spoke up though.

“Synth’s tough, he wouldn’t let a little fall stop him.” But her nervous look betrayed herself as Twilight gulped.

They lowered Twilight a good ways away from the cliff wall. Rarity and Pinkie were waiting as well. “That was amazing, let’s do it again! Hey Twilight, where’s Applejack and Synth?” Pinkie said her smile only getting bigger. Applejack came running over after she jumped down the last rock.

“Which one of ya’ll caught Synth? Where is he anyways?” Applejack asked looking around. Fluttershy had to help Synth; he could be in pain right now. So she decided to confess what she did.

“Synth…He’s over here. I couldn’t catch him…I only slowed him enough so…he didn’t…die.” She was about to cry, but Rarity put her hoof on Fluttershy’s back.

“There, there. It’s not your fault. Let’s just make sure he’s not hurt before we talk about this.” Now, they all ran towards where he would have most likely have landed. They found his body unconscious with animals scurrying away from them. When they all stood above him, they gasped. The indentation of where he landed could be seen clearly. Blood from the corner of his mouth was slowly leaking into the indentation. His suitcase lay open inches from his face but its contents missing.

The only thing still there was the flower that hid the scent of his blood. It didn’t disturb the little animals, but they didn’t want to chance taking a bite out of it. Twilight put her hoof on his throat and she felt a pulse. “He’s breathing. I think he just lost consciousness. We probably shouldn’t leave him here like this.” Twilight felt sorry for the colt, but knew that they had to continue.

“Ah’ll carry ‘im. Ah’m strong enough.” Applejack walking up and without any arguments from the others, slowly lifted Synth onto her back. She took a step then looked at the others smiling.

“He’s pretty light for a colt. I wonder how he manages that.” Applejack said walking slowly towards the path. Remembering the suitcase, Rarity took it and the foul smelling flower with her as they turned towards the path to continue. It wasn’t until a few steps later, did they hear the scream of a Manticore. Unsure at the time, they continued anyways. Just as the Manticore came into view, Synth began to stir.
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It was dark. The air was humid and the floor was hard. Standing up, Synth felt pain in his legs. He groaned and tried to feel where the pain was coming from. The dark started to recede and he found himself inside of a stone structure. He could now see the entire room and the centerpiece of the room. It was five stone spheres and they looked like they had something inscribed on them. He started to walk up to them and heard a voice behind him. It sounded very familiar. Turning, he saw shadows in one corner of the room.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. If you thought it was that easy, those Elements would have been found already.” Now, a black hoof left the shadows. It took another step and Synth’s eyes widened. It looked exactly like him. But his colors were off. He was completely black and his cloak was pure white. Finding his voice, Synth spoke. “Who are you?”

Now the black colt laughed. “I am you, but you can think of my as your shadow.”

Synth now understood. “You’re that voice that was in my head… What are you doing here?” He was starting to get angry. Having an unwanted visitor in your head could really mess with your emotions.

“Please call me Shade, Shade Truth.” Now Shade was grinning. “I am the truth you don’t want to realize. I am a part of you. That’s one truth you have to understand. I’m sure you have many questions, but they will be answered in the near future. For now, I believe you have a Manticore to worry about.” Synth had a confused look on his face.

“Oh, well I simply can’t let you leave better than you came. You were injured in your fall. I helped you so we could talk, but now I think it’s time you took care of yourself and your so called ‘friends’.” Synth was going to respond, but the black colt disappeared and his leg suddenly felt broken. He looked down to see a black hoof retracting and turned to see Shade admiring his work. “Sorry about that, wrong leg.” Synth heard him say before he hit the other leg and Synth’s eyes closed. Pain engulfed his lower body.

When he opened them, he was surprised to see a dirt path underneath him. As well as an orange coat that he was hanging onto. His leg now felt unmovable

‘Probably broken,’ he thought.

‘That’s a good guess, but it’s actually sprained.’ He groaned remembering that mental voice anywhere. He rolled off of Applejack’s back and landed awkwardly on the ground. He looked up expecting a protest from someone, but was surprised to not get one.

He heard a roar as loud as a gunshot. Turning, he saw the Manticore charging in their direction. Synth could only roll out of the way as the others ran in different directions, the Manticore barely missing Synth. It wasn’t until then that they noticed he was awake. “Synth! Get up we need to stop this thing.” Rainbow said cracking her knuckles. Synth frowned.

“I can’t get up, my leg’s broken.”

‘Actually, it’s sprained. Get your facts right.’ Now Synth was getting really tired of this guy.

“Well then get outta the way, before he goes for you.” Rainbow said completely inconsiderate to his situation. Synth started to crawl towards the rock wall where Pinkie and Rarity were standing. He made it and he saw Rarity with his suitcase. He was filled with relief as he remembered all of the seeds that were inside.

“Rarity, could you give me my suitcase? I could really use the contents right now…” Rarity seemed a little nervous, but she levitated it to him.

As soon as he caught it in his own aura, he could tell how light it actually was. “W-what happened to the rest of it?” He said when he opened it. The locks were already broken open and the hinges on it were barely holding together. The only thing inside was the flower that he didn’t feel like looking at right now. Even the Wildfire Lotus was gone. He’d have to get another later, but right now he was panicking that all of the seeds that could have helped him were missing.

“We found it lying in the grass, darling. Some animals were eating it all. That was the only thing those scavengers didn’t consume.” Synth was in shock. At the very least, he didn’t bring his notebooks. It would have devastated him if he lost one of those. But still, the only seeds he could rightfully call his own now, were the ones he planted before he left the house. Every single seed he had, he either earned or bought for his research. If his professor found out he lost them all in one day, she’d probably freak out.

Synth was brought back to reality when he heard Rainbow hit the wall after a failed charge at the Manticore. Synth couldn’t tell what was wrong with this Manticore, but it shouldn’t have gotten so close. The flower he had was still giving off its foul scent. He had an idea. Grabbing his flower with magic, he started to creep up on the Manticore that was now looking in the other direction. He took quick but silent steps. Something he was used to doing on grass. It wasn’t until he stepped back on the dirt path that his leg started to complain about the weight it had to lift.

Synth had to duck before the Manticore’s tail took his head off. It still didn’t notice him, but that tail was still dangerous. He managed to get close enough that he could jump on the Manticore’s back. He knew he wouldn’t be jumping for a while, so he settled with poking the Manticore. To the others, Synth appeared to be filling out his death wish. They were distracting him with useless charges and it wasn’t until Synth poked it, that they realized he was right behind it. “Synth! What are you doing?” Twilight yelled still angry that the Manticore was trying to stop them. Synth didn’t reply, he just waited for the Manticore to turn in his direction.

As soon as he saw the nose, he magically shoved the flower into it. The beast seemed to gag at first, and then anger filled its eyes as it lifted a hoof to attack. Synth wasn’t prepared for this. That flower smelled bad from far away, but close up it was entirely different. That should have had enough odors to take down a hydra. The others could do nothing as the beast hit Synth and he was sent flying a good mile.

Now, Fluttershy had to intervene as Twilight and the others started to get in a charging position.
------------

Synth’s head was hurting, for two reasons. He had landed on his head, and it didn’t feel any better than his leg, and also because the voice was back. ‘I don’t know what you were thinking…’

‘Well I was thinking that I’d make him pass out from the smell.’

‘Maybe you should have realized that he probably couldn’t smell it, and that’s why he attacked you guys anyway…’ Synth didn’t feel like arguing right now.

‘Well I wasn’t thinking very well. My mind was still on the seeds.’ Synth said.

‘Yeah, she’s gonna kill us when she finds out. You were better off facing the Manticore.’ Shade said.

‘Us?’ Synth asked.

‘Yeah, us. If you die, I’ll die too. That’s why I’m trying not to bring you to the point of suicide. That’ll be pretty bad for me if you went emo.’ Synth thought about this.

‘How about we reach an agreement?’ Shade seemed to be thinking about this. ‘What kind of agreement?’ Synth had him interested.

‘Well, what would it take for you to shut up once in a while?’

Shade laughed. ‘That’ll cost you your “friendship".'

Synth sighed. ‘How about if I take your “advice” every once in a while?’ Shade sounded intrigued

‘Well, then I guess I could give you some pointers on what you’re doing wrong.’ That what wasn’t what Synth wanted, but it’d have to do.

‘Okay then, when I do what you ask, you have to help me in a bad situation. Sound fair?’ Synth asked feeling like he was dealing with the devil.

“Yeah, that’s fair enough. And you know what? I’ll even stay as quiet as I can until this little fiasco is over. See you soon Synth…’ Synth audibly sighed. That’s what he wanted, to get on his good side. Why have another enemy when a friend is in hooves reach. Speaking of friends…

He could hear voices approaching. They were shouting his name. He could hear all but one of them. Fluttershy of course, she wouldn’t be able to scream that loud. He was waiting for them to come, and could feel them getting closer. He tried to answer them back, but at that time something appeared in front of him. It was a dark blue smoke. It confused Synth at first, but then he remembered seeing this when he started to slide down the Cliffside.

Now, it took a shape of a skull and crossbones as it drifted away further on down the path. Synth would have taken this as a warning or a threat, but he still wasn’t in the mood to think clearly. His mood changed though, when he caught sight of the six mares. They were walking down the path quickly, calling his name as they went. He was glad to see them, and was relieved that they weren’t hurt from the Manticore.

He tried to call out, but his voice was inaudible and raspy. It felt like his throat was made of sandpaper. He could see them glancing in every direction as they walked, and none of them spotted him. He lifted his hand so he’d be easier to see. Now, he saw them walking forward past where his body lay. He couldn’t believe his luck. The cloak on his back was covering most of the green coat. And with the weird coloring of the Forest, any part that wasn’t covered was disregarded as just a patch of grass.

He knew that he would need to hurry before a predator smelled him. The flower he tried to shove into the Manticore’s nose was now gone. He only hoped he had the strength to stand. He put his uninjured hoof on the ground and started to lift himself slowly. He managed to get on his feet, with the pain in his left hind hoof only lessened to a small degree. He could feel the sprain from the leg healing with every passing second.

Now though, he didn’t have a second to spare. He began limping in the direction the others were heading. He made it a good few feet before Pinkie turned around. “Hey girls, I found him! What do I win?” At this outburst, they looked around and didn’t even bother to check behind themselves. Synth was glad that at least one of them noticed him. Pinkie began hopping back towards him, somehow she was making forwards progress as she hopped happily and smiling, now knowing he was more or less okay.
------------

Rarity was watching all that was happening with a small amount of disgust. They were trying to fight a dirty Manticore, and that wasn’t getting them anywhere except covered in dirt and grass. When Synth tried to attack the Manticore, she realized the importance. Even Synth understood when not to fight. He was apparently trying to get the Manticore to breath in the flower’s scent. It wasn’t working and she watched in horror as the already injured colt went flying as he was hit hard. This brought a tinge of anger in her as she got in line with the others to charge the beast.

Just as they were fully committed to begin their assault, Fluttershy stopped them in time before they could get close enough. “Fluttershy? Didn’t you see what he just did to Synth? This brute needs to be taught a lesson.” Violence coming from Rarity was rare, but it was necessary in times like this. She realized when Synth tried his tactic that it’ll take getting out of your comfort zone to save others. She was ready to get a little dirty to get payback for Synth, just a little dirty though.

Fluttershy was shaking her head. “S-Synth would not have wanted you to be violent though. He knew that violence w-wasn’t needed.” Now she turned to the Manticore and speaking softly, calmed it enough to find the problem. The dark blue thorn in his paw was huge. The others stared in horror as the beast roared after she took it out. When they realized he no longer contained malicious intent, they calmed down. Rarity was still staring however, at the way Fluttershy’s mane was being licked like a lollipop. It would take hours to get it back to its normal heart shape.

When Rarity turned back to the others, she remembered something important. “Does anyone know where Synth went to?” They didn’t know how far he was thrown, or if he was even okay at this point. They got into a group formation so they could see both sides of the forest equally. They continued the path calling out his name. Keeping her eyes on any different colored patches of grass, she was facing the opposite direction that Synth was.

So, when Pinkie called out that she found him, she took her time turning and cringed at the sight. Synth had his mane like he just got out of bed, and then decided to take a mud bath. His eye was scarred now, and he also had minor bruises all over his torso. His leg seemed to be getting better, as he was now standing but even that looked like it strained him. She looked back the scar on his eye. It was weird; the scar went over his eyelids and zigzagged down a few inches, effectively splitting his face. It was still red with a small amount of blood coming out.

Synth was smiling though, and he appeared glad to see them. Rarity didn’t want to tell him how bad he looked. He probably felt worse than that already, she didn’t want to add insult to injury. But now, she realized the others were staring too. Of course, Rainbow spoke next.
------------

Synth was confused. They were just staring at him. Except Pinkie had her eyes closed and just stood there smiling. He was gonna ask what was wrong, but Rainbow finally spoke.

“Y…you look like shit!” She said before laughing at his expense. He stood there looking less confused and more annoyed.

“I’m glad you’re so amused, I feel like shit too.” He said only a little sarcastically, now glaring at the Cyan Pegasus. She stopped laughing and mumbled an apology. “So, what happened with the Manticore?” He asked now mildly amused by how Rainbow awkwardly apologized.
------------

Twilight decided that it’d be better if they told him on the way. They were on a time schedule now. Although the moon wouldn’t move to tell them how long they’ve been in the forest. “Let’s get going, we’ll tell you about it on the way. Think you can walk?” Twilight now realized that Synth wasn’t as broken as she first thought. He was standing, and looked like he suffered more flesh wounds than mortal wounds. His nod only answered her question as she turned to the others who have now stopped staring.

“Well let’s get going. We need to get those Elements.” Twilight said as she started walking a little faster than usual. It wasn’t until she heard a grunt that she turned to see Synth struggling with taking steps. She decided he couldn’t do this himself, even though he tried to keep a straight face. “Synth, why don’t you let Applejack carry you? We could get there a lot faster that way. I mean, Applejack said you didn’t weigh very much."
------------

Synth took a step and instantly regretted it. He stepped with his still healing foot, and it didn’t appreciate the force. He let out a grunt of pain, and then turned his face back into a smile so he wouldn’t worry the others. Only Fluttershy and Twilight noticed though, and he tried walking forward with three legs. Twilight though, didn’t buy it. She suggested he get on Applejack’s back again. Only now, did he realize that she must have carried him when he passed out. He blushed a little and tried to turn down the offer.

“N-No thanks, I’m good. I-I can walk just f-fine.” He said taking a step forward, careful not to let the injured hoof touch the ground. Twilight didn’t look convinced and now Applejack was looking him in the eye. “Sure yah can, Sugarcube. Just not right now, so come on get mah back.” Applejack sat down and waited for Synth to hobble over. Synth’s face went instantly red. They probably weren’t around enough colts to realize how bad this situation was looking, although refusing would lead them to wonder why.

Reluctantly, he went over and got on her back in an awkward position that Spike would sit on Twilight’s back like. It was uncomfortable, but it lowered his embarrassment enough for no one to notice his red face. Applejack was still ignorant of the situation as she stood and continued walking. “There, that’s better. Yer pretty light fer a colt, yah know that?” Synth was glad for the conversation, he didn’t want to feel awkward the entire walk.

“Well, I try to eat healthy when I can, and exercise daily which is usually just a walk here and there although, I never did get lost in Canterlot.” This was news to Twilight who found that Synth found a way to change every few minutes.

“What do you mean you never got lost? Did you get lost when you got here?” Synth remembered he never told her about the way he got lost and met all of these new ponies. He decided now was a good as time as any.

“Okay, I’ll tell you the full story, all of you,” he shifted on Applejack back to see all of them at once as they walked. “When I first got here, I went to buy a house. After I finished, Rainbow here, tackled me into this fruit stand.” At this he saw Rainbow chuckle under her breath. “After we had some conversation, I continued walking and was pulled aside by Rarity here.” Now Rarity was remembering how she pulled a complete stranger from the street to model for her.

“After she had me measured and suited, I left and found myself lost, not knowing where I came from and where I was going-“

“But silly, you came from Canterlot. You were going to your house weren’t you?” Pinkie interrupted and Synth was only slightly annoyed. He was also slightly amused; she acted a lot like the voice in his head.

‘You called?’ “No, I didn’t.” He saw all of them looking at him with confusion. He realized he must have said his response out loud, and smiled sheepishly. “I mean I did, but… It didn’t feel like a home to me.” He ended only lying a little.

This must have been enough for the others, as they turned back ahead and he sighed. “Well anyways, I decided to pick a direction and run. I forgot to look up, and I hit a tree. I met the other three there and they helped me get my head together. After that, little incident, I spent some time in my house and then Pinkie invited me to your party. I couldn’t find your house so I had to ask somepony to help me. You know the rest.”

Twilight was intrigued at this; she didn’t know he was this uncoordinated. The others were wondering how their meetings compared to when they met Twilight. Both of them were new, yet Synth seemed friendlier at the time although now Twilight seemed like the better friend. Some of them were about to ask where he went to after he disappeared at the party, but it suddenly became dark. They made good progress while they talked, and they found themselves in the forest.

Now, the trees started to close in on them. The lights went almost completely out. Synth found he couldn’t keep his balance anymore as Applejack started to panic, her body trying to go in different directions at once. Synth fell off and looked up. He was staring at the face of an evil looking tree. His eyes adjusted to the light and he noticed the others were all screaming at trees that looked pretty menacing. All except for Pinkie, who seemed to be holding back her laughter.

‘Hey Shade, you say you know the truth huh?’ ‘Yeah, that’s right, but let me tell you now that some truths will cost you more than you expected.’ ‘Yeah, yeah enough with the riddle bullshit. What would it take for you to tell me the story behind Pinkie’s laughter over there?’ Shade paused. ‘I’ll tell you the story and the song that goes with it, if you sing it with her…’ Synth felt confused. ‘Sing it? She’s gonna-‘‘I’d make your mind up fast, she’s gonna start any second now.’ Synth was too curious to decline. ‘Deal.’ As he said this word, he felt the knowledge enter his mind.

Pure fear, that’s all that Pinkie felt when she was a filly, all it took was a story and a song to cure her. Now, his ears could hear the song. It was simple enough, he thought. Limping up to Pinkie, he smiled to her. “Mind if I join in?” Pinkie smiled even bigger as she nodded. “Pinkie!? What are you doing? Run!” Synth heard Twilight yell from a good few feet away. “No, silly. Don’t you see?” Now Pinkie motioned for Synth and together they started to sing.

At first Synth was glad to know at least a little of Pinkie’s life, it helped him understand her a little more. Even if he still didn’t understand her. Now though, he realized that he never tried singing before. His voice had to adjust to the high pitched tone of Pinkie’s and he saw Rainbow and Rarity laughing even before they were. It embarrassed him, but he was one for keeping his word. Even if it was with himself, he wasn’t going back on his promise.

When they were all laughing now, Synth more out of nervousness than actual happiness, he saw the trees faces disappearing and moving back into the shadows. Having one final laugh at the last tree, he calmed himself down. He was actually enjoying himself more than he thought. ‘Guess you’re not a total asshole.’ He thought towards Shade. ‘Well, I had my own laughter at your expense. Besides, it’s not over yet. Now you have to explain…’ Synth’s eyes widened. He turned towards the others and noticed Twilight looking at him quizzically. ‘Shit’ he thought.

He pretended like he didn’t notice her look and tried to change topics before they could ask questions. “So, those trees don’t look so menacing anymore. Nature is just misunderstood most of the time.” His plan worked as Fluttershy joined in. “Y-Yes, sometimes you just…have to listen to it…and give it a chance.” Synth was glad she was happy. He didn’t know why, but it made him feel good inside to see her smile.

Pinkie jumped in, unable to withhold her enthusiasm. “Like when Fluttershy stopped that Manticore! She was so understanding, if she didn’t do that we could have really hurt that guy for no reason…” Now, she smile faltered for a second before she turned to Synth. “We didn’t tell you about that yet, did we?” Synth remembered that they always got distracted before they could tell him about it. “No, I guess not. How did that go anyway? Fluttershy stopped him?” They continued walking while Pinkie explained it in her viewpoint and with her, colorful, word choice.

“…and then he was like *lick* on Fluttershy’s head. Rarity looked like she was gonna throw up!” Pinkie finished it on that, and Synth was fascinated. “So, you can communicate with animals?” He said turning to Fluttershy who was still blushing from the recollection of the story. She nodded slowly and Synth felt some warmth grow in him. “That’s amazing; can you talk to them whenever you want to?” Fluttershy was at first confused at this question, but seeing his face now beaming with joy, she nodded.

“Wow that must be amazing…” Synth’s voice now being lost on himself as he realized he was turning into another Pinkie at this point. However, Twilight heard his last question and felt a little sorry for him… She remembered how he said that the plants never talked to him on a regular basis. Now, there was Fluttershy whose special talent was understanding animals. She decided that he needed his spirits raised, so she decided to put something on the table to make him feel better.

“Well Synth, you can talk to the plants. Isn’t that like the same thing?” Twilight hoped he would agree, but he did just the opposite. “No, it’s not the same. Animals live normal lives; plants only talk about…death…that’s all they revolve around. Even when they do talk to me, I’d rather ignore them than try to engage in conversation. The only exception was-” Synth stopped, realizing he was saying all of this out loud. He nervously coughed, and hung his head lower than normal.

“That’s…different…” Fluttershy said unable to believe Synth could talk to plants. She didn’t hear what he said in response to Twilight though, so she didn’t feel very awkward. Twilight was confused, he said that they talked to him on occasion, but she never thought that it was something he didn’t enjoy. Since it was his special talent and all, she thought he would enjoy it like Fluttershy enjoyed talking to her animals. She decided to not continue to bring him down. After all, he was happy just a few moments ago when he was…singing…with…Pinkie…- Did she just realize that?

“Um Synth, Not that it was bad, but why were you singing with Pinkie just a few minutes ago?” Twilight asked, completely unaware he flinched slightly at this. Synth wasn’t prepared for this, he thought he avoided the subject and put away any excuses he could have used. Now, he was caught off guard. ‘I hope you get a kick out of this Shade…’ “Well, you see…Those trees reminded me of my childhood. I had a similar run-in with fear before, and I thought that since Pinkie was the only one not scared, she would be the one to laugh off the situation.”

He thought this would be enough to get him out of this, but he was mistaken. “Okay, but why did you sing?” Synth was now at a loss for words. He opened his mouth and nothing came out. He stared blankly at Twilight, now noticeably uncomfortable. He only had one thing to say, and it wasn’t very believable. “Spur of the moment?” Twilight raised an eyebrow and asked one of the questions that I ask whenever I see musicals. “How did you know the lyrics?” She asked.

Synth was cornered there. The only way he did know those lyrics were because he asked Shade to tell him about Pinkie’s fear story. That came with the song, and he memorized the lyrics at the time, knowing he’d have to sing with Pinkie at the time. He had no way to explain the sudden knowledge to the others. They all stopped apparently wanting to hear his reasoning. He looked at all of their faces only finding confusion on five of theirs, but his eyes landed on Pinkie who winked at him. She stepped up and began talking. “I told him those lyrics before we started singing, you girls must have been too busy screaming to hear. I thought I could get him to get rid of his nervousness by letting him sing.” She said this so cheerfully and giggled as well. Synth found himself believing it too, although he knew it was an all out lie.

However, even Applejack didn’t notice the lie as Twilight reluctantly nodded her head. “Okay, well why didn’t you just tell us in the first place?” Pinkie stepped in again to save Synth. “Well duh, he’s still nervous and apparently that song didn’t help. Want to help me sing another one Synth?” At this all of them shook their heads. They had enough singing for one day. “That’s alright Pinkie, It’ll be all gone eventually…Let’s continue shall we?” he said grateful Pinkie saved him. If he had to pick a favorite of the six of these girls, he’d pick her.

Sure, she could be random at times, or all the time…but she did show emotion and sympathy that others didn’t have. Also, he found she never let anything get to her. ‘You know, she’s not as different from me as you think. Why don’t you like me?’ Synth took in a deep breath before responding in his head. ‘Because, you’re a sarcastic asshole who I only agree to talk to because you’re in my head.’ ‘Ouch, that hurt. But at least you admitted you liked her.’ Synth gritted his teeth. ‘I never agreed, she’s a good friend, but I’m not interested in things like that.’

‘Do you want to know the truth?’ Synth raised an eyebrow, what he said was the truth, wasn’t it? ‘Not now, your truths lead me to more harm than good. You almost got me caught back there.’ Shade chuckled. ‘It was a fair deal, wasn’t it? I held my end of the bargain, and so did you. If you want to make another deal, let me know and I’ll be glad to oblige.’ Synth felt like the conversation ended and he looked up instinctively to see a fast moving current in the way of the path.

The others were examining ways to get across, but Synth was getting a smile on his face. “This river…” Synth whispered, but Twilight heard him. “Yeah, it’s too dangerous to cross right now. We need to go around, why couldn’t they have built a bridge here?” Synth’s memory came back even clearer. He’d been here before when he was a filly…It was so long ago, but it felt like just yesterday…

He’d been on a expedition with his professor, she’d brought him along when he refused to be left behind while Oliver came. They came to Ponyville but never stayed long enough to look around. The professor took them into the forest taking every precaution she could to keep them safe. When they walked around the forest a long time, the professor injured her leg and trying to find the way out, she got lost.

She’d stumbled on this river, but at the time there was a bridge. When the professor stopped to drink, the Sea Serpent came out and noticed she was injured. He gave them some supplies and, with Oliver’s help, they managed to amateurishly bandage the professor’s wounds. The sea serpent protected them from predators that tried to attack them while she recovered. After that, he gave them directions to leave and they thanked him. They left without finding the plant they came to look for. They asked the serpent about it, but he didn’t know where they could find it.

Now his stomach had butterflies, if that Serpent was still there, he could thank it again. Without his help, he wouldn’t even be here. They would have perished a long time ago without him. He heard the water splash and a squeal that sounded vaguely familiar. Turning, he saw the Sea Serpent stretch out of the water. He had a look of horror and was holding his face. Sobbing loudly into his hands, he didn’t notice the ponies watching him curiously.

Rarity was the first to speak though. Synth didn’t hear what they were talking about. Rainbow made a comment and Rarity looked her direction. The water next to Synth drowned out anything they were saying. He wanted to get closer, but as he took a few steps closer, the water went over the edge and poured over him. His mane was long enough to cover his eyes, and he was blinded for a few moments as he tried to recollect himself.

When he got the mane out of his eye, Synth saw Rarity cut her tail and levitate it towards the Sea Serpent. He didn’t know what to be baffled by first, the amount of hair missing from the Sea Serpent, or the amount of hair missing from Rarity’s backside. When she attached it to his mustache though, he had to admit it looked a lot better.

Now, he walked over to the others as his mane stuck to his skin from the amount of water it absorbed. When he got within hearing distance, the Serpent was cheering from the change of appearance. Now, Synth realized that it was the Sea Serpent’s anguish from losing his mustache that caused the river to be chaotic. With the serpent calmed, the river was turning back to a peaceful stream.

Synth was glad the volume of the water was lessened, maybe now he could talk to the Serpent. He was walking closer to the others so the Sea Serpent would acknowledge him, but he bowed his head and made his back into curved pillars that allowed them to jump across instead of wade through. Synth was the last in line, and made it clear he wanted to speak to him. *Cough* “Um, hello Steven.” Synth referred him to the name that he told him to call him by a long time ago.

He heard a gasp. “I-Is that you…Synth? My, how you’ve grown!” Steven raised his head as he looked closely at the old friend. “It is you! What brings you here? Is Blossom okay?” Steven hadn’t seen him since so long ago, he wanted to catch up. Synth understood his excitement, he was just as excited as when he first saw him. “We are both doing well, I’ve come with these six to find the fabled Elements of Harmony. I don’t suppose you’ve seen them?” Steven was sad to say he hasn’t, but knew that if he was looking for the Elements, there was only one reason why.

“Nightmare Moon is free then, isn’t she?” When Synth didn’t reply he nodded. “I thought so, the river wasn’t feeling the same as it did before, all I can do is hope you luck then. But, after you stop her, can you find the time to return? It is quite boring without a companion here.” Synth nodded at this and began to jump across his back to reach the others. Half way, he heard Steven gasp. “Not you again, get away you pest!” He turned to see Steven trying to swat a dark blue cloud that whizzed past the serpent.
Ignoring the purple serpent, it headed towards Synth. Barely managing to jump off the back and into the water, Synth was filled with fear. That was the same blue cloud from his earlier encounters. ‘It must really not want me to continue.’ He thought as he waded through the water that was at his chin. ‘You must have made an enemy out of someone.’ Shade said. ‘You’re the only one Enemy I know right now.’ He thought bitterly. ‘Hey, that hurts. I’d like to think of you as an accomplice.’ Synth went into his bitter mode. ‘Well I did make a deal with the devil.’ ‘Point taken, just remember, you’re better off with more friends than enemies.’
Synth sighed. ‘Don’t tell me that counts as-‘‘Yes, it does. So for that “advice” I gave you. You have to show a little of your bad personality. I know just how to do it too…’
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Twilight finished jumping across and turned to see the others made it safely across. All except for Synth, who seemed to be talking to the Serpent. She was going to call out, but it seemed he finished and started to jump across. She winced as he landed on his injured foot a few times. He didn’t seem to notice however, and continued. When he was about halfway, she noticed he jumped off. What she didn’t notice however, was the blue smoke that went past right where he was standing. He fell into the water and began swimming towards them.

At least, she thought he was swimming. It looked more like he was walking across without letting the water get above his chin. ‘It looked like he couldn’t swim…’ she thought. Oh well, everyone has their faults. She turned to the others who apparently didn’t notice Synth’s leap of faith. They were talking about how Rarity gave up her tail. With Rainbow holding back a laugh, and the others frowning at her tail, Twilight couldn’t resist the urge to look at her tail again. That was a pretty generous thing to do…

“Oh, that water’s cold.” She turned to see Synth coming out of the water, his mane twice as large having absorbed a lot of the water. He firmly put his hooves on the ground and she recognized what he planned to do. “No, D-“She didn’t get to finish as he shook himself dry of the water. “-on’t.” She finished as she spit wet hair out of her mouth. Synth looked a little embarrassed at what he did, but Rarity still glared daggers at him.
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He just finished humiliating himself like Shade asked. At first, he thought that Shade let him off the hook for giving him a task as simple as this. Now he realized that because Shade knew most of everything, he knew how they’d react to his bad manners. Rarity looked like she was about to kill him. Rainbow Applejack looked like she’d let her, more out of annoyance than appearance. Rainbow was helping Fluttershy get the hair out of face. Pinkie had a smaller smile than normal and was shivering slightly. “Yup, it is cold.”

Twilight seemed the least disturbed by this. Truth was, she remembered doing the same thing to Rarity earlier that day. But it was still a shock to see it done by Synth. He mumbled an apology and lowered his head slightly. There was an awkward silence where all that they heard was Fluttershy spitting out hair and the water slowly moving as Steven appeared to have went back down the stream, probably to his home.

“So anyways, I think we should get going.” Twilight said as she noticed Fluttershy’s face now devoid of hair and looking a little sad. Applejack nodded and they started heading off. Synth waited until he was at the back of the group and then started to walk. He made his hoof steps match Fluttershy’s who was right in front of him. Trying to make it seem like he wasn’t there at all, he also matched Fluttershy’s breathing. Of course he learned how to do this in a book, but it took a while for him to get used to staying like that.

When Twilight noticed the castle ahead, she began to gallop forward. Synth noticed the bridge was completely gone. She was almost at the edge; she didn’t realize the bridge was missing. Synth tapped into his magic as he realized that Rainbow’s wings were still wet and couldn’t catch Twilight if she fell. He was too far to grab her telekinetically, as that would use more magic than he had. He resolved to use his growing spell again. And he also resolved to make a name for his special spells.
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Twilight was running towards the castle in the distance. She could see them now, the Elements that would save Equestria. She just had to cross the- Oh Sweet Celestia, It’s gone! She realized this too late as her momentum kept her going. She was about to go over the edge… Suddenly there was a yank and she stopped her lower momentum. Her upper momentum continued though, and her face hit the ground. She opened her eyes and there was a pain on her nose. She turned herself over to find the grass gripping tightly onto her back hindhooves.

Synth, he must have saved me…She thought after she saw her other friends catching up to her and pulling her away from the edge. “What’s up with you and falling off cliffs today?” She heard Rainbow say. “Nice catch, Synth.” When he didn’t respond, she turned towards him and found him on the floor where he cast the spell. Twilight felt a little guilty that he overworked himself for her benefit. As Applejack and Fluttershy went to go check on him, Twilight freed herself from the now loosely hanging grass around her hooves.

“He can do some pretty amazing magic though…” Twilight didn’t realize she whispered this until Rainbow got closer to her. “ If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like him…” Rainbow snickered as Twilight’s eyebrow rose.”Oh please, I’m not looking for anything like that. I don’t even think I can call him a friend, not to mention a…coltfriend. “He’s saved you twice now, darling.”You should at least thank him…” Rarity asked now openly frowning at her friend’s statement.

Twilight just shook her head. ‘Need to stay on task.’ She thought as she stood up. “Anyways, how are we supposed to get across this?” Twilight asked as she turned to the bridge. Rainbow giggled, I’ve got an idea…
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‘See what happened? You just passed out again to save a friend. They are worthless, leave them before they get you killed.’ ‘Shut up, you wouldn’t understand. I can heal pretty quickly. I mean look, my leg already feels fine. I’ll get my magic back to full power in no time.’ Shade sighed. They were back in the room that Synth first saw Shade. ‘Did you forget? I healed you so we could talk in peace. But, I think that it’s about time I give the injuries back to you. Don’t want you to wake up completely healed…’ Synth heard this but before he could question it, Shade’s hoof was sent towards his leg.

He wouldn’t be fast enough to dodge. He closed his eyes and waited for impact. It never came. Water splashed him awake and he sat up, feeling completely recovered. “A little revenge never hurt anyone…” he heard Rainbow’s voice and he turned his wet face to Rainbow who just finished drying herself off. Synth got the brunt of the water as she squeezed her wings above his face. He was pushed back onto his back by Rarity who had a demonic look on her.

‘Karma’s a bitch, huh?’ He heard Shade say as the second wing dropped another bucket load of water on his face. “Just had to get it out of my system…” Rainbow said before Rarity let go of him and she flew off to the bridge. “Sorry about that, darling. You were just simply rude back there. Not like the gentlecolt I took you to be. I thought this might…clean up…your attitude.” Synth groaned. He had enough of bad puns while Shade was around, he didn’t need any more.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Rarity now had a menacing look on her face as Synth grew uncomfortable. “Uh, I said good one…Miss Rarity…” She smiled. “Why thank you, I thought you said that.” Now Synth turned to the others who were looking at the bridge that was now fully stable. He saw Rainbow Dash appear and, in an egotistic way, say, “I never leave my friends hanging.” Then one by one, they crossed the bridge. Synth was last, and as he made it about halfway, he noticed a dark blue smoke heading his direction.

Now he didn’t have anywhere to go. He thought about jumping, but decided he was better off facing it head on. He turned towards the smoke and smiled. “Come at me, bro.” It came at him all right. It felt like a train took him away. At first he thought he was thrown over the bridge railing, but soon found his vision returning to normal. His balance was another story as he was wobbling in place. He could see that Pinkie turned around after hearing his challenge and helped him to keep his balance so he wouldn’t fall.

Slowly, they reached the end of the bridge and Synth found himself back to normal. His head hurt now, but it wasn’t something he couldn’t handle. The others apparently thought he was scared of heights. “Synth you need to lie down, you didn’t look very good over there.” This was Twilight. “Just rest here on the wall, we’ll get the Elements then we can go back.” They laid him on the inside wall as Twilight walked over to the Elements.

Synth looked around from his sitting position. This place… This is the place where Shade talks to him in person… The others walked outside as Twilight lay down to concentrate. He noticed that there were five Elements, not six. When Twilight started doing her magic, he noticed the dark blue smoke was now next to her.

He got up and walked as fast as he could without disturbing her thoughts. He didn’t want to stop her in case she was making a break through. Now it was forming a tornado, taking the Elements with it. He was running now, as he called out Twilight’s name and ran towards them. She opened her eyes and realizing what was happening, jumped into the tornado. She didn’t want to lose her only chance to stop Nightmare Moon.

Synth saw her jump in and, hearing the cries of the others behind him, followed suit. When he did jump in though, he could hear evil laughter in his head.
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Her head hurt. She’d jumped through not wanting to be stripped of what she worked hard to get. She looked to her left and noticed Synth was also there, recovering from a head first plunge into the concrete floor. “Synth, where are the Elements? What happened?” She didn’t get a response; instead she looked up to see a Shadow move to stand atop of six spheres. The shape looked vaguely familiar as he disappeared as fast as he appeared.

She realized the spheres were the Elements and she reached out her hoof to touch them. Just before she could make contact, she was hit in the side of the face. “Not so fast, Twilight Sparkle…” Twilight’s eyes widened. That voice. It was Synth’s, but it had a malicious intent behind it. She got up and turned to him. His silhouette was standing with an evil posture, head tilted slightly obviously smiling. She couldn’t believe it, this wasn’t Synth… She heard a cough and turned to see him still on the floor, starting to get up now.

This…didn’t make any sense… He looked like Synth but… Now she realized something. That wasn’t a silhouette; it was his natural coat color. Behind him, she could see a white cloak similar to the black one that Synth wore. He now smiled showing his teeth, they were all pointed. She recoiled at this and he laughed.” I’m finally free… Now to show this asshole what it means to break a ‘friendship’.” He said this last word letting his sarcasm enter it.

He started to walk up to Twilight, murderous intent on every step. Lifting his hoof, he stopped five feet away from her. “Ever heard of speed magic?” Her eyes widened. He disappeared and reappeared in front of her in an instant. Hoof now right in front of her face. “I’m gonna enjoy this…” She tried to move, but he made contact before she could lift her hoof. She was sent crashing into the wall. Her senses filled with pain. “Before I kill you, let me tell you something. Synth there, he calls me Shade. And that’s because the truth is always covered up. SO IT’S ALWAYS DARK!” He picked her up in his magic and threw her to the other side of the room.
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Synth could hear voices, but the room was still spinning. Now, he heard a shout and looked up to see his nightmare. Shade was holding Twilight in his magic. He threw her and Synth felt his rage build up. “SHADE, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” Shade turned to him surprised at his outburst. He soon composed himself as he tilted his head in his direction. “I threw Twilight, I’m sure you could see that.” Synth’s rage just got worse as he ran towards Shade. Shade dodged his punches as they came. “Blind rage, it’s easily avoidable.” Shade said as Synth tired and finished his punches. Synth understood the second meaning to that and tried to calm himself.

“Shade… How are you…out here?” Shade shrugged.” Ask her.” Now, Synth turned to see Nightmare Moon standing above Twilight. Apparently smiling at the work Shade did. “Well stop it… You’re a part of me, so you have to listen to what I say…” Synth knew this was a long shot, but he didn’t have another plan. Shade grew furious. “Not anymore, she freed me and Now I do what she says. That includes to wipe out your ‘friends’.”

“Well then, you’ll have to get through me first…” Synth knew he couldn’t stop him, but it would give the others time to come help Twilight. Shade chuckled,” I’m gonna have fun with this after all…” His horn glowed a dark purple. Suddenly the ground changed from concrete to grass. A sphere surrounded them both and then expanded to make a large battlefield. Where the sphere’s edges ended, the grass bordered concrete.

“Let’s do this in our own Element, shall we?” Shade said with an evil look in his eye. When things stopped changing, Shade got into a fighting pose and smiled. “Come at me, bro.”
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Twilight’s head was throbbing. She lifted herself up and looked into the eyes of Nightmare Moon. She screamed and backed away. Nightmare Moon frowned a little. “He didn’t finish the job…Oh well, if you want something done, do it yourself…” She stomped her hooves where Twilight once was and was surprised to see she wasn’t there anymore.

Turning she found her running towards the Elements, still stacked where Shade put them to have a grand entrance. Twilight was almost there, but Nightmare Moon was faster. She turned into her smoke form and flew in front of her. Twilight was feeling like she was at a loss. Not only was there someone very strong that looked like Synth, but she was supposed to beat Nightmare Moon too? Backing away, she turned to see Synth had taken a one v one with Shade.

He was losing badly though, as he was flung from wall barrier to wall barrier. She would have to hold her own until the others came. Together they would be able to distract Nightmare Moon long enough to get all six Elements. So, for now she just stood her ground and fired rapid weak magical bursts at Nightmare Moon to waste time.
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Synth couldn’t believe it. He was getting his ass handed to him. The punches didn’t stop and his eyes no longer kept up with Shade. He just started putting a defensive stance up, when he was hit from behind on the back of his left hind hoof. He crumbled to the ground and used his magic to encase his body to avoid any further beatings.

Shade was at an advantage here, he was faster, stronger, and a complete asshole. Synth could hear his comments coming from all around him as the voice played with his sanity. Now that he got a rest from the torment, he composed himself so he wouldn’t be easily beaten again. His back and hooves were on fire from the abuse, but his head was okay thankfully. He could do this if he didn’t give up. Removing the grass from above him, he saw Shade standing there with an evil look on his face.

“Are you ready to take this seriously?” Shade said. Synth nodded and prepared his magic. Shade took a step to the right as single blade of grass pointed straight up and stabbed the air. “Hm, didn’t think you had it in you to kill. That’ll make it even better when I take control…” Synth could only guess at what he meant. “So, you aren’t a fully materialized being yet? I guess as long as I’m still here you can’t have a mind of your own…”

Shade’s smile increased in size and viciousness. “Bingo, and just so you know…” Now Synth jumped out of the way as Grass Blades sprung up and sliced the air that he was standing in “…I can do that too…” Synth was surprised but not confused at this. Of course he could, they were the same person. Synth lowered his head ready for another attack. This time though, Shade walked quickly up to Synth and started to throw weak punches that Synth could easily dodge and block.

“I thought that while we had our little brawl, I could inform you of something you might want to know…” Synth was so surprised to hear him say that, he didn’t block the next punch that hit him in the gut. “You know, you really are pathetic. I don’t even know why I bother.” As Synth was recovering from the soft blow, he took a really hard hit across the jaw and was flung into the magic barrier. He was going to ask out loud his confusion but Shade didn’t stop there.

The grass grew around his hooves and lifted him from the floor. Shade got right into his face as he spoke again. “You made yourself look bad, and that made me look bad too.” Then the grass flung him into the other side of the barrier. Synth was wondering exactly how tough this barrier was if it could withstand almost as much abuse as he was taking. “You know, I didn’t expect you to make that deal with me, and I sure as hell didn’t expect you to bring me up on the offer so soon.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Synth said as his eyes flicked to Twilight before glaring at the black colt. Shade knew what he was worried about but sighed. “I thought you’d have more faith in me, Synth. This magic barrier here is also sound proof. I don’t want them to hear your screams and think you need help. That’ll make them get too close.” Shade grinned as he thought of what would happen. Synth was just confused. “What do you mean too close?”

Shade appeared in front of him again and started his slow punches again. “Well, the inside might be soundproof, but the outside is layered in something completely different… It’ll be a shock when they find out…” Synth registered what he said and what the joke implied. “It won’t kill them right?” Synth found himself regretting those words as they came out. “Let’s hope we don’t find out, it would be a shame to lose a toy before you get a chance to play with it…”

Synth was at a loss for words, Shade thought of this as a game and his smile was only widening before it started to look like he was born like that. He blocked the black colt’s punch and retaliated before he could start another one. His horn was inches away from Shade as he performed a magic blast. It wasn’t something he’d done frequently, and he knew he could barely cast it without completely draining himself. As the charge shot forward, Shade was hit full blast by it and was sent against the barrier. Synth found triumph filling his face. He turned to see that the other five were also arriving, in shock at what they were witnessing.
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Twilight was now dodging as blast after blast was sent toward her. They were a lot faster than her shots, and seemed to incinerate everything they hit. She could barely dodge them, let alone shoot some back. Nightmare Moon seemed to be toying with her as she stopped to charge up her magic for a bigger shot. Twilight found the opportunity to regain her footing and get a shield ready. She cast it just as the shot ricocheted off and flew towards the doorway behind Nightmare Moon.

Now, she saw the other five as they filed in the doorway. The charged shot whizzed past Fluttershy and she shrieked after almost being killed. The others looked towards Synth and then turned to Twilight seeing that Synth was in a weird magic bubble and apparently not in any danger. Twilight sighed thinking Synth was able to take down Shade somehow. She turned before she could see the black blob shoot from the ground and tackle down the standing green figure.

She saw three of the five run up to her side as Nightmare Moon resumed her barrage of shots. Now, she looked slightly worried at the group approaching her. Twilight saw after dodging another shot, that Nightmare Moon looked towards where Synth was fighting and a smile appeared on her face before disappearing and returning to a scowl as she moved her focus back on the four in front of her. “Need any help here Twilight?” She turned to see Applejack by her side in a fighting stance.

“We can take this big Meany, just count on us!” Pinkie said before jumping and landing in a pouncing position. Now Twilight turned behind her and saw Rainbow cracking her hoofs. “I’m gonna give her a piece of my mind.” Rainbow said flapping her wings and getting into a position to bombdive towards the tall alicorn. “Thanks, I’ll need all the help I can get.” Twilight now turned towards the cause of their problems and saw Nightmare Moon noticeably smiling.

“You fools think you can beat me? The night is where I am at my strongest, and now that will be forever!” She said before turning into blue smoke and reappearing behind them to stomp her hooves and cause the ground to quake.
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Synth was too distracted by two of the approaching mares that he didn’t notice Shade get up and bolt towards him lightning fast. He was hit and was forced towards the barrier, his face now forming an otherwise hilarious cartoon scene. His eyes were still open though, and he noticed the two approaching mares now galloping towards him. “You know, I’m glad Nightmare Moon gave me this opportunity. It’ll be fun watching you beg for mercy… Now Shade also turned towards the approaching pair. They would reach the barrier in no time. He could hear Shade’s laughter clearly as it boomed near his ear and then echoed off of the walls.

“You know full well what’s about to happen, I don’t think that killing off two of them would spoil too much of the fun. I won’t try to stop them; I would have killed them anyway…” Now Synth felt his anger boil. Shade was sounding really cocky now… “Not if I have something to say about it…” “You won’t, unless you accept a little…deal…of mine…” Synth was confused. “What kind of deal?” He was too worried about Fluttershy and Rarity to wonder what he would want.

“In return for saving your friends, I want to borrow that body of yours for exactly five minutes…” Synth only grew more confused as he heard the question. He didn’t know what intent he had, but the two were almost at the barrier. He made a decision. “Deal.” Synth sighed as Shade’s laugh engulfed him and the world turned black. This probably wasn’t the best move he’d made, but it couldn’t be that bad, could it?
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Rarity could see Synth as she trotted over to him. He looked like he was the only one in the slightly transparent green barrier. From her view, it looked like Synth tripped and went face first into the barrier. She started to go faster as Fluttershy gasped. “T-there’s something else in there, I saw it when he fell. It looked…evil.” Rarity was now galloping as she noticed Synth’s eyes widen when seeing them. She started to go faster as grass started to engulf the barrier and everything inside.

She saw the grass suddenly turn black and implode on itself and stopped around a single pony outline. It was on the floor, but now it stood and the grass rotted away that was on his body. The color of the figure became clear. It was light green with black stripes and markings all over his back. The figure stood and laughed his voice ringing clear to all those present.

“Let’s get started shall we?” He raised his horn and the floor changed, looking like the Everfree Forest spread to the inside of the building. Now, he had the attention of everyone, including Nightmare Moon. “First, to disconnect my ties with my previous owner…” Flowers reached out and grabbed Nightmare Moon’s hooves, rooting her in place. “What? You cannot do this! I control you!” Now the flower’s petals covered her mouth and she seemed to be succumbing to the fumes of the flower.

“Now while I wait for the poison to kick in, how about I toy with you six?” He turned to the group now huddling together in fear of what was happening. “W-where’s Synth?” Rainbow said almost losing her confidence. “He is but my pawn now, and I hope to keep it that way…” Now he growled and the group was individually picked up by grass as they grew to unbelievable heights. “Let’s see who will break last; they will die the least painful…” He put a hoof up for emphasis and then stomped the ground to command all of the grass at once.

The grass didn’t hesitate as it sliced and grazed them all. Fluttershy being the first to cry and Rarity next, after her mane was shortened to the unicorn’s dismay. After that, Pinkie was soon bawling and then it was down to three. Whenever one would cry, he’d stop the torture and begin to cover up the wounds, not so much heal them. It was still painful, but the black and green colt was enjoying every second of it.

That is, until time continued for a little longer than expected. Rainbow and Applejack now broke and soon after, Twilight. He decided to finish this. His magic sent six sharpened blades of grass towards each of them. They went off course and only barely missed them. His vision was starting to blur. He cursed himself for not finishing faster, the restrains on them were weakening and a voice in his head was slowly getting clearer. “Time’s up. A deal’s…a deal.” He screamed as his head back flipped. Not wanting to let this side win, he lost focus on the others.
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Synth was watching. Everything that took place, it was happening in front of him. It soon came clear to him Shade’s intention. He was twice as strong when he had Synth’s power too. That scared him. He knew it would be any moment now before he decided to finish them. But, he also that Shade only had five minutes to do it. Ever since he’d fused bodies, the green colt had been counting. Shade only had ten seconds left as Twilight finally gave in. He was surprised to see her last longer than the others, but saw the condition her body was in.

Five seconds… Magic was used and the grass was made lethal. Synth was counting down, four…three… Almost there… two… this would be close… one. Synth cast his magic at this point. It was now or never, and he must have used it at exactly the right moment because they went off course. He tried to take control after this, but Shade wasn’t having it.

Shade collapsed where he stood and managed to use his magic to bring Nightmare Moon’s now barely conscious body in front of him. Synth could still see though, and he caught sight of Twilight telling the others something. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he saw what looked like crystal shards floating around them. Twilight turned back towards Shade and Synth was shocked to see Twilight yell. “Give…us…back… Synth!” There was a white glow as Shade stumbled behind Nightmare Moon using her as a shield.

Synth knew Nightmare Moon would take most of the blow, but Shade would also take quite a hit. Shade was on his last legs, and this would let Synth take control again. “This isn’t over, I’m going to come back…but next time it’ll be for good.” With that, Synth felt the warm energy go through him. He passed out from exhaustion after that.
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The light was bright, but it was inviting… Synth opened his eyes wider. Light wasn’t common, In the Everfree Forest. He looked up to see six figures standing to face the source of the light. It was none other than the Princess herself. Synth was stunned at the sight in front of him. The princess was smiling at them each in turn, her gaze stopped on him as he tried to move. His body refused to be commanded. The pain he felt was intense and when she spoke, he couldn’t hear what she said. Everything was unbelievably quiet, except for a small voice in his head.

‘She’s asking for your name…’ Synth’s heart dropped as he recognized Shade’s thoughts. He did manage however to pay attention to what was going on, even though he could barely make out any sounds. Twilight apparently spoke out as they all turned to her and then Synth quickly. He didn’t know what to do, but Shade wasn’t going to be ignored in a time like this. ‘They don’t know your condition; maybe you should inform them before they find your silence to be rude…’ Now Synth found a good idea from Shade.

“I can’t hear anything…” He said this like he would normally because they started inching closer like he whispered it. ‘Honestly, that was like Fluttershy right there, you should pull yourself together before you wake up next time…’ Synth wasn’t as annoyed by his words as he would have been before, mostly because it had some advice in it too.

Now he spoke louder, clearing his voice before he said anything. “I can’t hear anything…” The looks on their faces confirmed his suspicions. He almost yelled his words out and they all recoiled in surprise. He knew that he should have tried so hard, but he needed to inform them of his situations. ‘Wow, that’s a lot better. Fluttershy could learn a thing or two from you…’ Synth ignored this and watched what they were about to say.

They all recovered from the near scream and started to talk to each other, every now and then looking his direction as faces went from fear to happy and then back to fear. Shade snickered, ‘I’ll tell you what they’re saying. It’s the least I can do…’ Synth could almost feel a tinge of sadness in his tone. ‘They’re retelling the stories of how they met you, and what you did for them… Now they’re talking about…me…’ Shade went quite as he saw the Princess’ face morph into…a smile?

Synth’s hearing was slowly recovering now. He could hear murmurs and voices, just not what they were saying. Shade continued, ‘they’re talking about Nightmare Moon now… and the Elements…’ Once again Shade went silent as they continued. They were now showing the Princess the necklaces they now wore. Synth flinched as the Princess apparently asked about the necklace Synth wore. Rarity shook her head and looked like she was explaining it. The Princess turned towards Synth and motioned for him to come closer. Synth tried to stand as the pain returned to his body, he fell back to the floor in a loud scream of pain.

This was the point his body began to recover at its usual rate. The Princess walked up to him clear sadness in her eyes. He could barely make out what she said but it hurt him all the same. “Just making sure…” Now her horn glowed and Synth’s body began to quickly recover. His hearing was fully returned as well. ‘You heard that, I don’t think you need me to tell you what she meant…’ Synth avoided the Princess’ eyes as he stood up now completely healed.

“Th-Thank you…” Synth bowed out of respect and her face changed. She was now smiling, and spoke with a calm gentleness in her voice. “Do not thank me; it was your friends who saved you both.” Synth turned and looked at the others now smiling and it was a few seconds before the words hit him. “Both?” Synth said surprised. “Yes, the magic of friendship has saved two today, isn’t that right Luna?” Now they all turned towards where Nightmare Moon and Shade were hit by the beam.

There now stood a short alicorn, looking over all of them and was ready to cry. The Princess walked over and put her wings around her. “It’s alright little sister, I do not blame you. It was the darkness that corrupted you. But now it’s gone…” Luna slightly flinched, but it seemed only Synth could see it from his angle. She cried into her sister’s wings as Celestia allowed her to return to the throne.
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While the others prepared to leave for the party Pinkie had planned at Ponyville, Luna approached Synth. He could see something in her eyes, but it faded after she started talking. “We know what thee went through…” Her voice was calm like Celestia’s but he still saw the sadness she felt when she said it all the same. “We put thee through hell, and we know thee can never forgive us… but we also know that…” She looked over her shoulder and then turned back seeing the coast was clear. Whispering, she continued, “Thou still contain some…residue…of that hell… Why? Why not tell the others and let them dispose of it?” She was pleading for an answer now, and Synth was going to give her one.

“Because… because I know that darkness can be destroyed…but it’ll just come back.” Synth didn’t even realize he was saying this but it just came tumbling out. “To truly destroy darkness, you need to overcome it yourself…” Luna gasped and her eyes were starting to water. “Then… in exchange for giving thee that darkness, allow us to help thee in thy quest… please…” Synth found himself nodding before the waterworks could infect him.

Luna dried her eyes and started to walk away. “We will call for thee in the near future, until then... say hello to Shade for us…” Synth smiled as she turned away. ‘We are a lot alike…’ Synth thought as he followed the others to head back to town. ‘More than you can imagine…’ Shade said making Synth feel confused until he remembered something. ‘Oh Shade, Luna says hi.’ Shade made a sighing sound. ‘Idiot…”

Author's Notes:

...

Royalty

Chapter 4- Royalty

The real story begins now.
Updated writing style, hope it doesn’t throw you guys off. I’ll try to update the first chapters when I have time, but that could take a while.
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Synth woke up with cold sweat running down his entire face. It was too much for him, and he threw up in a nearby trash can. This was the third time in two days, each time it got worse. The first time, he found himself in a room watching as Shade tortured his friends one at a time and Synth couldn’t move to help them. He awoke that night finding he wet the bed, shame and fear took over him and he couldn’t get back to sleep. He spent the day falling asleep in random places at random times, and locals were giving him weird looks.

Earlier this night, he woke up from a dream where he was physically hurting his friends and enjoying it all the same. Then, he woke up and threw out his dinner onto the floor. Now he was prepared for it. He managed to get to sleep after holding his head for a good few minutes. His dream continued from where it left off, but now they managed to overpower him. He looked up in their eyes as he realized he could now control his body.

He tried to apologize, but they just looked at him with hate and anger. They joined together and they used the elements on him as his eyes shed tears. When the light hit him, he could hear their words. “We will never forgive you…”
His body twitched as he lay bent over, head in the trash can. He was trying to calm himself down, but he couldn’t stop shaking. He held his head as the headache came on. “I need to…tell someone…But who can I tell?” Synth remembered Luna’s words as he crawled into his bed as the weariness overcame him. He would have to live through this until Luna had a chance to listen to his story… He shut his eyes to prepare himself for yet another nightmare.

It never came. He found himself at Canterlot Castle, in one of the bedrooms. He expected to see guards ready to chain him for his crimes, but he was alone in the room. He looked around, and he heard the door open. Turning, he saw Princess Luna walk in with a frown on her face that quickly changed to a smile when she saw him. Synth waited for her to yell at him, but she spoke softly.

“Hello there Synth, we are glad to have thy company this night.” She seemed like she was withholding her voice. Synth didn’t know that this was because she tried not to use the Canterlot voice in dreams. Her face changed a little as she didn’t get a response from Synth. Synth was pulling himself together as he tried to talk to a Princess. There was no adrenaline or necessity for him to speak properly. His nervousness with the other six was now drastically lowered. Talking with Celestia with everyone was avoided by the fact there were others he could easily talk to next to her, but talking with a Princess was completely different when it was just her.

Synth felt his throat dry as he tried to respond. His eyes lowered to the floor as he forced the words out. “U-um…H-hello… Princess L-Luna…” He felt he did his best. He looked up at her eyes and recoiled at the look she had on her face. It was anger, something he didn’t realize he’d see from her. She was after all, almost his size.
“Synth, thy will converse with us in a manner that is more pleasant. We demand some respect for us giving thee time to explain thy problems.” Synth regretted his stuttering and cursed his nervousness. Even so, he couldn’t stop that he was now shaking, in nervousness or fear of her, he didn’t know.
He tried again, this time trying his hardest not to stutter. “Okay, Princess. It’s just that I-I can’t-“ Luna stomped her hoof on the ground. Her face resumed its look of anger, and Synth was wondering if this was the same pony who seemed so friendly days ago.

“Synth, we will not repeat ourselves. Speak in a more professional manner or we shall have you dismissed. Our patience is running thin and thy…performance is not helping matters any.” Synth felt like he was being told to do the impossible. He cleared his throat to try again and found he couldn’t stop clearing it and it eventually turned into a nasty wheeze. He looked up and expected Luna to be sentencing to his death. What he found though surprised him. She looked confused and…worried?

“Synth, are thee feeling well? Thy face would suggest otherwise…” Her tone was softer, but she still glared at him and seemed to be in thought.
Synth found maybe he could get a full sentence in while she was distracted. “I just get n-nervous around-“ He was stopped by the feeling of magic surrounding his lips. They closed them shut and forced his face to look at her.
“SYNTH! We thought we told thee to speak more calmly and professional!” Luna looked ready to explode and Synth recoiled in fear hiding his face behind his hooves. Luna coughed and Synth peeked from behind his hooves. She looked sorry, but Synth wasn’t taking his chances to speak again.

Synth came out of his position of fear and stood awkwardly shifting his weight from his hooves around. There was an awkward silence in the room until Luna ended it. “We’re sorry, Synth. Our sister tries to help us better understand these times, but our knowledge on the present is little…Maybe we all have our faults, can you forgive me?” Synth was surprised to see the sudden change in Luna’s behavior. He understood how she might feel out of place after a thousand years, but did they really have strict protocol a thousand years ago? He would understand why they would change that, but Luna probably didn’t.

“It’s a-alright, I forgive you. If you can f-forgive my n-nervousness…that is.” Luna nodded and Synth was glad he could finally explain himself. “Now, c-can we restart from the beginning?” Synth asked hoping she would still try to be friendly.
“Of course, our name is Luna, and you are?” Synth chuckled as she said this. Luna took offense and raised a warning hoof. Synth was really breaking a lot of laws that could have gotten him executed long ago. She was just hoping that the times didn’t change too much and that her next statement would hold meaning.
“We believe that laughing during somepony else’s introduction is still considered rude in this time period.” Now Synth quieted down as he realized Luna wasn’t making a joke. She was being completely serious and he laughed at her. He felt pretty bad now, and tried to explain himself.

“I’m sorry your h-highness, but I m-meant that we start over f-from t-today.” Synth heard her snort and reflexively took a step back.
“Well why didn’t thee say so in the first place?” She looked more annoyed than anything, but she calmed down after a few seconds. “Please, don’t be afraid.” She said after noticing he took a step back. Her head lowered a fraction. “We wish to speak with thee about the events from days ago. We promise that we will not anger or be angered by what will be revealed today.” She looked sad and Synth decided to take a step closer to show he wanted the same thing.

“It’s alright, y-your highness. I do not f-fear you…completely. But w-why do you want t-to…relive those events?” Synth was confused about Luna’s curiosity on the subject she probably wanted to avoid the most. He got his answer though.
“It is because… we do not want to suffer…alone, any longer. Thee has witnessed and lived through the same events, even if the events were…beyond torturous, can’t we bear with them…together?” Luna looked like she was going to cry and Synth wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if she did.
“It’s alright L-Your h-highness, I’ll share y-your p-pain and tell you my s-story.” Synth almost went into his comfort zone, but her position of authority put him back where he started.

She seemed to realize this as her next statement caught him off guard. “Your manners are what we expected a thousand years ago, but they are no longer needed as we’ve been informed about countless times by our sister. Please, refer to us as Luna.” Synth realized how much of a step she took. In olden days they would only let family and trusted officials call them by their names. Synth felt glad to be given the opportunity to do so.

“Well… Luna. Let me begin with a few days ago…” Synth recounted the events that happened leading up to his own involvement with the whole situation. He told her of his special ability to speak with the natural wildlife and how they were the ones who warned him of the coming danger. She was shocked and immediately engrossed in his story to the point she wouldn’t speak at all for periods of time. Every now and then she’d ask her own questions about his behavior, where he would try to justify them and she would find flaws in them, making him feel like an idiot.

It came to the point where he mentioned the cliff. Luna flinched slightly, but Synth caught it. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He didn’t expect for her to be as uncomfortable as he was. They weren’t even talking about her story yet…
Luna nodded her head then reluctantly spoke. “It’s just…we were the cause of that disaster, and most of the ones after that… as well as… Shade…” Synth couldn’t believe what he heard as she stopped talking.
She was the cause for the devil in his head? Wait… it’s been quiet lately… too quiet. “Um Luna, I haven’t heard Shade since I came here. Did you get rid of him too?” Luna now smiled as though the previous confession never happened. Synth was glad to see she wasn’t as uncomfortable as before.

“Actually, this is a dream. So, we shut him out so he wouldn’t interrupt. He was the cause of all thy previous nightmares, but we’ll make sure he doesn’t cause thee any more trouble there. However, it’ll be tough to be rid of him completely if thee chooses to do so. We gave him to thee so that he’d be unremoveable and as cynical as possible.” Synth was now further glad about having talked to Luna. If his dreams were going to be quiet from now on, he could deal with Shade when he woke up.

“Well, I don’t blame you for what happened, but let me continue the story from where I left off…” Synth continued and found Luna was looking sorrier the more he spoke. She finally broke as he told her of his battle with Shade. Her eyes were holding back tears from all that she put him through. Her face changed when he mentioned the deal he made. She looked horrified as he told her of what he saw from Shade’s eyes. When he finished, her tears were now falling freely. Synth felt bad about telling her the story, but he didn’t know she’d feel this way.

“We…believe it’d be best if thee didn’t tell any others of thy experience. They wouldn’t understand unless they’ve lived on the side of darkness like we had. Thee made a decision to save thy friends, and it resulted in harming the very ones thy wanted to save. We made the very same mistake long ago…” Luna seemed to appear distant and Synth tried to understand a little more about why he couldn’t tell his friends.

“But my friends would understand, wouldn’t they? Especially because that I had good intentions…” Luna shook her head. Synth felt something inside him plummet, he knew it might come to this, but didn’t think the princess would be the one to tell him to lie.
“If they found out, it would not end as well as thy hopes. Especially when they find out Shade still remains inside you. Thee has caused them so much pain from what thee told me, that we believe it best for thee to withhold that information from them until they are ready to understand fully.” Luna smiled at him. At her still shorter than normal state, she hugged him. He didn’t return it quickly as his brain processed what was happening.

“But we will be the one for you to tell your problems to until then…” She whispered as Synth settled into the embrace. He was so glad to have someone there for him; he forgot who he was talking to.

“I’m glad you’re my friend, Luna.” When she left the embrace, he felt that he said the wrong thing. Technically, she never called him a friend. He just assumed that they were close enough to be called friends. The look in her face erased any doubts he had though.

“We are… thy friend?” The tears were now falling again, faster than before. She had a smile and a hopeful look on her face. Synth felt his spirits rise at question asked.

“Of course, if you don’t mind being my friend…” Synth didn’t have many friends before coming to Ponyville. Only Oliver, Prim, and Rose were close enough to be called friends. But now, he found friends at every turn. He was about to befriend the Princess herself. And something told Synth that she didn’t have many friends either… the enthusiasm on her face gave it away.

“Synth, thee are the first friend we’ve ever had. We are glad that thee has grown accustomed to us. Thy rude behavior has lessened, and we are glad to see thee smile.” Luna growing a little more high pitched than normal and she stopped before Synth thought she’d squeal. Luna’s cheeks were a little pink, so she was probably thinking on how she was acting and coughed awkwardly.

“Well Luna, as a friend, I’d like to hear your story on the subject…” Synth tried to not pry, but he was curious as to how she felt during the whole fiasco. Luna’s face changed immediately and she looked like she was about to speak but then stopped herself.

It took a few seconds for her to think of what she was going to say, and then she just gave up and calmed her facial features. “Not tonight, Synth. We’ll be glad to share those…memories, but please give us time to recover from the…incident…first.”

Synth was now even more curious, but he didn’t want to upset her after the progress he made since first talking with her today. He instead decided to change the topic to one he was also slightly confused with. “Okay, but if you don’t mind me asking…why are you so much smaller than your sister? Do you shrink when you get weaker?” She stood up straight as she realized that Synth was taller than her.

“No, we are not dwarfed when we lose power. The Elements were the cause of our…height difference. We were told that it had a direct hit on us.” Now she looked at Synth as his head was lower than normal. But she continued as if she didn’t notice. “We shall be fine in a few days, granted that we continue to drink our milk.” Luna tried to go for a joke, but it wasn’t as great as she hoped.

Synth laughed anyways though, and it made her feel better. Synth had a question enter his head though as he stopped his laughing. “What did the elements do to me then? I don’t feel any different, other than Shade’s comments about me.” Luna studied him a second before something seemed to stand out.

“Well, maybe it did not cause any physical change, but have thee noticed anything different about thy powers?” Luna didn’t notice Synth’s eye twitch as he remembered how different Shade’s magic was from his. If he did get any now powers from Shade, he wouldn’t use them anyway. They seemed too…evil…for his taste.

“I’m not sure, I’ll have to check on that tomorrow. I’m pretty sure that it’s been the same as always. I do get headaches easily though, maybe that could be it?” Synth tried to get away from his magic, but Luna wasn’t going to get off topic so easily.

“Synth, report any findings on the changes in thy magic. It may be important for thy health. We also believe that thy should be given time to recover from the events of…that night. We suggest that thee move to Canterlot for a week. Rehabilitation will be beneficial for thee.” Luna seemed like she was worried about him and Synth didn’t even think about arguing. A week away from Ponyville wouldn’t change much, would it?

“Okay, Luna. I’ll come for a week, but let me say good bye to my friends.” Synth felt that they at least needed to know where he was going. They’d understand why he needed to go, right?

Luna nodded but looked sternly at him. “It is not goodbye, thee will see them again. We will give thee two days to say thy farewells, but that night a carriage will be sent to pick thee up. We will wait for thee until then. The night is ending, but it looks like thee needs to rest.” She motioned to his eyes. “Rest for now, we will make sure that your rest is undisturbed.”

Synth nodded as his eyes felt heavy. The vision in front of him was now changing to a dark view. He was in his bedroom, everything was now silent. He fell asleep almost instantly, weariness overtaking him.
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Synth opened his eyes expecting to wake up in another nightmare. Instead, he awoke with the sunlight streaking through his window. He sighed; at least he wouldn’t have to endure another nightmare. He’s been having them for only two days and they’ve already messed with his day night cycle, and he was sure it was already noon. Normally he would wake early, but it was too late to think about that. He wiped his eyes and found the bags weren’t there anymore. That rest was worth it.

He pulled himself together and stood up. Walking towards the door, he decided to make sure he wasn’t a ‘walking disaster’ as Rarity put it the day before when he passed by her store groggily. She made him comb it for almost an hour until it was back to its usual style. Now, he looked into his convenient bedside mirror and did a double take. His mane was moved to one side and it looked like he tried to duck tape it down and then took off the tape. It was sticking out in every possible place and his tail even looked like a feather duster instead of a normal tail.

He laughed because he knew Rarity would have passed out at the sight. He was tempted to walk up to her store to see how she’d react. He put the thought aside though, as he already knew that some people in town thought of him as weird and walking in town like this would seal the deal. He used a twig he picked up the day before and using his magic, formed it into a comb.

It was harder than normal, and he felt that maybe Luna was right and the elements changed his magic somehow. He didn’t have difficulty combing his mane with a telekinesis spell though, so he just passed it off as morning laziness. Putting his mane more or less in the style he had it at, he admired his handiwork. The locks of hair would only slightly cover his right left eye, and the back of the mane curled in random places.

He felt it looked okay. A lot better than when Rarity caught me… ‘You still look like a train wreck…’ Shade said and Synth’s eyes moved toward his tail.

‘I wasn’t done yet. I was going to fix the tail when I made sure the mane was okay.’ Synth thought groaning inwardly as he remembered his predicament involving the voice in his head.

‘The mane looks just as awful. Why do you care anyway? Scared the others wouldn’t want to be seen with you? It’s just hair.’ Shade said his tone turning from bored to amused as Synth started combing his tail.

‘Look you wouldn’t understand what Rarity thinks when she sees others looking their worst…’ Synth tried not to get in another argument with Shade. It’s why he was so sleepy for the past few days. He had grueling nightmares at night, and Shade managed to give him the same torture during the day.

‘So, you’re trying to impress Rarity huh? I really thought you’d kicked it off with Twilight more…’ Shade sounded like he was about to laugh. Even though Synth knew Shade was himself in a sense, he couldn’t resist a blush.

‘I’m not trying to impress anypony, and wouldn’t you already know if I was? You do happen to know the answer to everything…’ Synth now remembered how Shade supposedly knew everything there was to know. He called it the truth… and to think that Synth agreed to a deal like that.

‘I do, up to a certain point of time. My knowledge is from the knowledge of Nightmare Moon. She gained her knowledge every night when Everypony slept. So on the day you met me, I did know everything, but now I only know the past. Even your innermost thoughts are kept secret from me…’ Shade seemed a little downcast. Synth wasn’t a bad pony, but he felt…happy watching Shade like this.

‘Then think of this as karma for what you did.’ Synth felt good adding to Shade’s punishment.

‘Karma’s a bitch…’ was all he heard Shade say. Synth couldn’t think of anything but to nod his head in response. He knew how it felt, and he agreed completely.

‘I’m going for a stroll through town; need to tell the others I’ll be leaving.’ Synth completely forgot who he was talking to again.

‘You mean we’re going for a stroll, idiot. How many times do I have to remind you that I’m a part of you?’ Shade found himself repeating himself every few hours now. ‘But, where are we going?’

‘Into town, I already said that. How many times do I have to repeat myself?’ He mocked how Shade acted until he heard a grunt.

‘Not what I meant, where are we going that you need to tell the others about it?’ he sounded almost annoyed at the fact that Synth looked like he was getting more and more stupid every day. He wasn’t sure if Synth’s comment was a smart ass one, or a dumbass one…

‘Staying at Canterlot for a week, not anything important.’ Synth tried not to show any emotion as he said this, but he must have failed because Shade didn’t relent.

‘That would explain why I couldn’t get in your head tonight, Luna right?’ Synth nodded and Shade continued. ‘Well, tell her I said hello next time. She did a pretty good job with the whole keeping me out of your head thing.

Synth thought that he probably didn’t mean to literally say hello to her. Trying to continue with the day he planned, he opened the door and stepped outside.

His eyes fell on sun as he stepped outside. It was surprisingly higher than he expected and he calculated it to be around one o’clock. He started walking in a random direction. He didn’t know which way it was to anywhere in this town yet. Like he did the past few days, he was just going to wander until something interesting came up.

He also knew that if he tried to find something, it would probably be anywhere except for where he looked. He decided that if he found the home of one of the six new mares he befriended, he’d have them relay the message to the others about him leaving. He spotted Applejack looking almost as tired as Synth felt the day before. She looked like she was slowly walking towards somewhere. Synth decided that he’d tell her.

He trotted up, and he didn’t realize she was too tired to hear him come up. “Hey-“He spoke and he was almost strangled as she quickly grabbed him and put him in a chokehold. “App…lejack…it’s me…” Applejack took a second before she slumped over and her grip relaxed. When he managed to get himself in a position to breathe, he realized what happened.

The cloak wrapped around his body made him feel like a pillow. Applejack fell asleep and was now pretending he was the softest pillow in existence. Other ponies were starting to stare and Synth felt his cheeks reddening. “Um Applejack… c-could you w-wake up now?” He didn’t want to forcibly wake her up, but the onlookers were growing in numbers and from their view it probably didn’t look very good.

He gently shook Applejack and heard her gasp as she opened her eyes and threw him a good few feet. He hit the floor and rolled onto his stomach. He stood up and dusted himself off. She muttered an apology before turning and trotting quickly away. She still had a sleepy look to her, but he swore he saw some redness in her cheek as she left.

“Nothing to see here folks…” Synth heard a familiar voice say as the crowd soon dispersed. He saw the owner of the voice, it was Twilight. He walked over and she looked a little unsure of what she saw.

“Applejack didn’t look so good. Is she getting enough sleep?” Synth asked when she didn’t say anything. Twilight looked at him with a confused look as she answered.

“I could have asked the same to you yesterday, but it looks like you’re okay now. What were you doing with Applejack?” Synth’s cheeks turned a little redder, but he tried to explain.

“I tried to tell her something, but I must have surprised her. She had me in a chokehold and then she sort of fell asleep on me.” Synth found the heat on his cheeks lessening as he explained himself.

“Oh, well that would explain why she left so quickly. But what were you going to tell her?” Twilight didn’t want to pry, but she felt like Synth had something important to say.

Synth remembered that he only needed to tell one of them and he could have them pass it on. “I’m going back to Canterlot for a week and I needed someone to help me tell the others. I didn’t want to leave and have you all worried.”

Twilight frowned, “What are you going back to Canterlot for? Is something wrong?” Synth was already shaking his head and tried to explain without giving out too much information.

“I’m just going to visit Luna; she wanted me to come over as her guest. I’m guessing that she wants some friendly faces around her when she retakes her throne.” Synth saw Twilight’s face relax and he mentally patted himself on his back.

‘Thanks, I needed that.’ He heard Shade say from nowhere.

“It wasn’t for you…” Synth said. Twilight raised an eyebrow and Synth cursed his mistake.

“What wasn’t for me?” Synth’s brain immediately started looking for words.

“O-oh, nothing, I was just…talking to myself. I do that a lot.” Synth saw Twilight’s eyebrows raised and Synth felt like he made himself sound crazy.

“I do that sometimes too, but usually not in front of others…You should work on that.” Twilight responded.

“Yeah, I’ll work on it. Can you tell the others about my trip? I can’t ever seem to find them in this town.” Twilight was confused at first, but her look changed to one when she had an idea.

“I have a better idea!” She said pushing him a certain direction. He could now see the Carousel Boutique ahead of him, and he had a pretty good idea of what she wanted him to do.

“Twilight, can you tell them for me? I don’t know how they’d take it.” Synth said trying to pull away. Twilight was a lot stronger than he thought though, and she didn’t budge.

“You never know until you try.” She said smiling and continuing to push him along.

Synth’s brain went to his conversation with Luna. Then his dream he had right before that. They would probably never forgive him, but he didn’t really know until he told them. He looked up and found Twilight knocking on the door.

Synth was prepared to bolt, but he found his body unwilling to cooperate. He had to at least inform them of his week away. He heard a response and shortly after, Rarity opened the door. She looked surprised to see them, but her eyes landed on Synth with pure delight.

“Oh much better, dear! That mane of yours looks almost perfect. Just let me get my comb and I can-“Synth cut her off not wanting to be criticized on his hair after he actually tried to comb it this morning.

“Rarity, that’s not why I’m here,” Twilight gave him an encouraging nod and Synth continued. “I’m going to be gone for a week; I’m leaving tomorrow night.” Synth expected her to gasp, but he was surprised to see her nodding.

“Oh, that’s alright dear. I will miss you until then, but as long as you come back I have no problem with it. May I ask though, where are you going?” Rarity raised one of her eyebrows.

“Canterlot, Luna wanted to talk to me about something.” Rarity gasped and went into his face.

“Canterlot? Take me with you!” Rarity was grabbing him now and his shoulders were going numb.

“If you want to, you can.” She let go of him and her face went from happy to depressed.

“Oh no, I’ll be too busy this week and most of next. I do hope you have a good time though, will you tell me about it when you get back?” She looked pleadingly at him and he couldn’t say no.

“Sure, when I get back. But I should really start getting ready for it…” Synth started walking away and Rarity was waving goodbye.

“Tell your parents I said hello. I’d love to meet them one day.” Synth couldn’t tell if Rarity was trying to be a good friend, but right now that backfired.

Synth flinched at the thoughts of his parents and started walking a little faster away. “Of…course.” He heard Twilight walking next to him and looked at her to see a look of worry.

“Your parents, do they live in Canterlot?” Twilight asked and Synth didn’t know how to answer until it just came out.

“I…I don’t know.” Synth lowered his head for what was to come.

“What do you mean you don’t know? It says there address on the mail.” Now was when Synth had no choice but to answer.

“I don’t write to them…they don’t write to me either. I haven’t seen them since I left the house and bought my own.” Synth went quiet as he remembered how he’d taken the first opportunity to leave the house. They looked hurt, but at the time he didn’t care.

“That’s…awful. Why don’t you?” Twilight couldn’t believe that somepony could distance themselves from their parents, but was equally shocked to know that they didn’t write him either.

“I…I don’t want to talk about it…” Synth started walking faster and Twilight had a little trouble keeping up.

“Could you slow down? You can tell me anything, I won’t judge you.” Twilight’s words caused Synth to stop mid step. He looked straight down before speaking.

“I…I need some time to think… See you tomorrow.” Synth took off at a sprint and Twilight watched him go.

He ran and ran until he had the sense to look up and almost hit a tree. He managed to dodge it and performed some more near misses with other apple trees until his hoof slipped and his side collided with a tree. He lay there his side in pain until a chuckle made him look up. He saw Rainbow as she now openly stared laughing.

“Ah ha ha, you’ve got a long ways to go before you’re as good as me. I would show you, but my wings aren’t up for it yet. Applejack really did a number on them earlier.” Now she was on the floor and her wings closed. She was looking at them as though remembering the incident.

They did look a little worse for wear, but he didn’t believe that Applejack could have hurt her with the way she was acting when Synth saw her. “What did Applejack do to you? I just saw her earlier and she looked…”

“Out of it? Yeah I know, she made me crash into Twilight’s tree. It took me a while to get the twigs out…” She looked to Synth like she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. “But enough about me, how’ve you been? You didn’t look very good either yesterday…”

Synth didn’t know that so many people actually noticed he acted differently the day before. But seeing as how this place was a lot smaller than Canterlot, word spread fast. “I’m alright, just needed some time to think. It wasn’t too obvious though, was it?”

“Obvious? You fell asleep on the road when the stampede was coming yesterday. We were trying to shake you awake, but you just kept kicking us away. It would have taken a complete idiot to not notice.” She sounded like he was going crazy, and Shade wasn’t helping.

‘Well, that would fit your description.’ Shade remarked when Rainbow finished.

Synth rubbed his head and tried to ignore Shade as he focused on his situation. “Well, now I’m fine…more or less, and I’ll be going to Canterlot tomorrow so I can pull myself together then.”

“You’re leaving? But you just got here. Pinkie hasn’t even thrown your party yet…” Rainbow looked a little sad, but Synth had to clarify so she didn’t get the wrong idea.

“Only for a week, I’ll be back before you know it.” Synth tried to give a smile but Rainbow’s face looked a little sad until it changed to a playful one.

“Oh, why didn’t you say so sooner? Hey, if you see the Wonderbolts, tell them to be on the lookout for a rainbow okay?” Synth nodded a smile now appearing on his face.

“I will, see you later Rainbow.” Synth started walking in the direction of the town. Somehow, he managed to get out of the city limits and into the Sweet Apple Acres fields. He didn’t feel like dealing with Applejack right now, and he’d rather not ask Rainbow for directions. He decided to walk around the perimeter until he found something that looks familiar.

He decided that he should buy a map when he gets the chance. He felt like he’d passed the same houses a few times, but then he saw a familiar sight. There was a tree line not too far away from the town and it looked ominous. ‘The Everfree Forest, didn’t somepony live around here?’ Synth thought although not expecting Shade to answer.

‘It’s Fluttershy. She lives in a cottage on the edge of the forest. She told you this yesterday when you were snoozing at Sugarcube Corner. You were probably asleep, but I heard everything. It was actually pretty hilarious for me.’ Shade stopped to see if Synth was even listening.

‘Why did she talk to me if I was sleeping? That doesn’t make any sense.’ Synth said as he continued following a path toward the tree line.

‘Well, you were talking in your sleep…’ Shade said nonchalantly.

‘Oh, that would explain it…but what did she say?’ Synth asked really hoping Shade wasn’t a complete asshole. He was disappointed.

‘What did Luna say?’ Shade said only slightly hinting that this was what he wanted all along.

‘Son of a… She said she wanted me to make sure the Elements didn’t damage my magic ability. Also, we’re friends now…’ Synth said trying to only reveal information that Shade couldn’t use on him in the future. Shade caught something though…

‘Well, glad to see that Luna’s your best buddy now. But don’t let it get to your head, She’ll still be formal with you around others.’ Shade paused to see if the words had any effect on Synth, but he just sighed. ‘Okay, okay…Fluttershy was telling you about why she was so shy and you kept mumbling about your cutie mark. She said you could tell her that story whenever you felt like it. She gave you directions to her house, and then she left.’ Shade made a sound as if he was taking in breath. ‘How does Pinkie do that?’

Synth could remember how the rest of the story went because Pinkie purposely splashed warm water on his face. Then she told him all about a story involving her and a radioactive cupcake. She said it all in one breath but Synth couldn’t remember much about the story. Shade finished talking though, and he could see a small cottage coming into view.

He went up to the door and knocked three times. It took about three seconds for the door to open and show a white rabbit tapping his foot impatiently.

‘Um, I’m here to see Fluttershy…” Synth said trying to be friendly with the rabbit. He just shook his head though, and Synth took it as she wasn’t there right now. He started to walk away, but the rabbit left the doorway and grabbed his hoof.

He stopped and looked at him. His finger was pointing at his mouth, and Synth reasoned he was probably hungry. “Fluttershy didn’t feed you yet, did she?” He got his answer when the rabbit’s stomach made a small growl. “Well, I don’t know what rabbits eat. Do you…eat carrots?” Synth tried to go with the stereotypical rabbit, but the rabbit shook his head and pointed at Fluttershy’s garden.

“Oh, do you eat something that she grows?” The bunny nodded and they walked over to the garden. Synth looked at the many growing vegetables and couldn’t differentiate which ones were which. “You don’t happen to know which one of these you like, do you?” The rabbit shrugged and Synth sighed. “Then let’s go with trial and error.”

Synth grew the vegetables one at a time, starting with the ones on the edges. The rabbit would shake his head every time and Synth’s magic was draining quickly. Growth magic was very tough, and continued use of it could lead to headaches. He was on the last one in the row, and was really hoping this was the one.

He let his magic pour into the plant and managed to grow it to its potential before having to rest. The rabbit was now hopping up and down and Synth felt like this was it.

“Enjoy it, it took a lot of effort to find…” Now the rabbit stopped jumping and ran into the house. Synth was too worn out to question anything. He returned a moment later with a book of some sort. He was pointing to one of the pages that showed a salad containing lots of different vegetables.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” He looked at the variety of vegetables he grew. They were all ingredients to the salad the rabbit wanted. “You’re a little devil, you know that?” Synth said now panting from the effort he performed earlier.

The rabbit ignored him and started to pack up the vegetables in a small basket and take them inside. Synth took a few more breaths before walking toward the cottage. He was invited inside by the rabbit and was put back to work cutting vegetables. Instead of using magic and further straining himself, he used his hooves and clumsily cut the vegetable to look like the picture.

When he finished, he lay down on the couch and massaged his forehead. The rabbit was eagerly eating the food, and Synth couldn’t believe that Fluttershy had to deal with all that for just one rabbit. He was so exhausted, he didn’t notice his eyes were slowly closing.
-------------

It was delicious. The vegetables were grown to perfection and while the cuts weren’t perfect, they could fit in his mouth either way. He was almost finished, when he heard a snore coming from the living room. It wasn’t a loud one like that rainbow maned Pegasus, but it wasn’t as soft as Fluttershy’s.

He stuffed the rest in his mouth and then walked over to where the sound came from. He found the green coated colt sleeping on Fluttershy’s couch. He was glad for the meal, but he was never fond of others except for Fluttershy. He was tempted to kick him awake, but he was speaking softly while he slept.

He leaned in closer to hear anything that might have been interesting. “Wait…not yet…don’t go…not my fault…” He tried to get even closer, but the sound of hoofsteps approaching caused him to back away quickly. Was Fluttershy coming? She wouldn’t want to see this guy sleeping on her couch, so he started to shake the green colt awake. He wouldn’t budge though, and Angel was getting impatient. He put his legs back ready to kick, and then the door opened slowly.

He kicked as hard as he could, and the result was instantaneous. He was hit over the couch as Fluttershy’s voice rang softly but clearly. “Angel! That’s not how you treat guests...” Synth picked himself up and tried to put together what was happening. He was looking up to see Fluttershy had returned from wherever she went.

“I’m sorry, Synth. Are you okay, he didn’t hurt you too bad did he?” She was looking over him like he was seriously injured. Synth felt fine except for the rude awakening messing with his attitude.

“I’m alright. It’ll take more than a kick from a rabbit to hurt me.” He looked at the rabbit who took offense to the statement. “No offense…” Angel was nodding his head slowly and Synth could tell he was offended, but it would take more than that to lower his spirits.

“Well, if you’re sure. But, what were you doing here anyways?” Fluttershy was curious as to how he got past Angel in the first place. Whenever she went out, he would always guard the door from intruders.

Synth sighed recalling the story. “You wanna tell her little buddy?” After a shake of the head from Angel, Synth nodded his head. “Of course. Well Fluttershy, you see…” Synth told her of what happened with Angel and his lunch; she was of course apologizing to Angel right after he mentioned it. Synth finished with how he fell asleep on the couch while he was trying to rest from the magic overuse.

“Oh my, are you sure you’re alright? Twilight tells me that using too much magic hurts.” Synth nodded but waved away her worries.

“Yeah, that little nap helped me recover my strength. But the rude awakening wasn’t call for…” Now Synth turned towards Angel who was whistling as though he didn’t hear him. “That rabbit sure is a handful; I don’t know how you deal with him…”

“He might have some…problems..but he’s just too adorable to say no to.” Fluttershy picked him up and started to hug him tightly. Angel made faces of first disgust and then pain as his air circulation was cut off.

Synth chuckled and mouthed the words ‘Karma’ to Angel as he turned to him for help. Synth did start to feel bad for him though, after being neglected lunch by his owner. “Fluttershy, maybe you should let up on the hug. He doesn’t look so good.”

Fluttershy was now studying Angel as he gasped for air and his face turned back to white. “Oh, I’m so sorry Angel Bunny. I just can’t believe I forgot to feed you. And the stampede didn’t help matters either, I had to spend even more time trying to round them up…”

“Stampede? Was anypony hurt?” Synth said remembering how the day earlier he was sleeping during a stampede. He couldn’t believe another stampede would happen a day later. Fluttershy was just nodding her head though.

“It’s alright. It was a bunny stampede. Applejack tried to help me today, but…she wasn’t very helpful. Please don’t tell her I said that…” Fluttershy looked at the ground, and Synth remembered how odd Applejack was acting today.

“I won’t. She did seem a little…off this morning. But, who am I to talk? I was just like that yesterday…” Synth remembered how Shade told him about talking with Fluttershy in his sleep.

“Well, you’re better now. I hope Applejack gets better too…” She looked worried but Synth knew there was no reason to worry; this was Applejack they were talking about.

“That reminds me, I’m going to be staying in Canterlot for a week. I leave tomorrow, that’s why I was coming to see you today.” Fluttershy looked a little sad, like the others did, but then it was changed to a happy one.

“Maybe that’ll be for the best. I mean, you must be a little homesick…” Fluttershy saw Synth’s eye twitch and she knew something was wrong. “What’s wrong? Are sure you weren’t hurt from earlier?”

Synth was touched that she cared so much for his well being, and he forced a smile on his face. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just that I felt Ponyville is my home…” He really did feel this, but only now did he say his thought out loud.

“That’s great Synth, but don’t forget what brought you here. Sometimes it’s not where the journey leads, but what you find along the way…” Synth could have swore she was reciting a poem or something, but the words caught his heart all the same.

“Thanks… I’ll keep that in mind. But I have to get going. I need to tell the others I’m leaving.” Synth stood to stand and Fluttershy’s smile caught him off guard.

“Who do you still need to tell? I’m sure I could help split the list up…” Synth stopped to remember who he told, and who he needed to tell.

“Well, I still need Pinkie and Applejack. I didn’t get the chance to tell AJ when I saw her this morning…” Synth remembered the exchange and preferred that if Fluttershy chose one of them to take off his list, he’d rather she choose Applejack.

“I guess I could go talk to Applejack. She isn’t very far from here. Pinkie would probably take this the hardest, so you should tell her face to face.” For once, things were actually going the way Synth wanted them to.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll keep that in mind. See ya later Fluttershy.” Synth said walking away while Fluttershy waved to him as he left.

When he was out of earshot, she looked to Angel. “You like him, don’t you?” Angel turned away and Fluttershy’s thoughts were confirmed. “Wow, you don’t like anyone… He must be the exception…” She watched as he took a turn and started walking towards the opposite way of Sugarcube Corner. “He certainly is…different…”
------------

Synth looked at his surroundings. He was lost. ‘Goddamn it! How many times can this happen in one day?’ He was walking around town, every now and then ending up back at the Everfree Forest. He started off leaving Fluttershy’s cottage when the sun was about three-quarters in the sky. Now the sun was almost completely gone.

He stopped at the tree he was now at. It was about nine by his guess, and he’d need to sleep soon. He turned away from the tree line and walked back to town. This time, he’d use a strategy; One that he would only use when he was completely desperate. But after wasted time, he decided he’d go for it. Stopping a familiar mint green unicorn, he asked for directions to Sugarcube Corner.

“Really? Do you always get lost? It feels like just yesterday I needed to show you to the party… Well no matter. It’s actually not far from here. Take a turn up ahead, and then it should be the only candy made building in town.” She said it politely. But Synth couldn’t help noticing the matter-of-fact tone she used.

“Oh, thanks. Miss…” Synth remembered his manners. They only came up when meeting new ponies, and he found they disappeared as quickly as they came.

“You can call me Lyra. It’s great to see you again Synth.” She had a friendly smile, and he felt that he had more friends than the ones he went on the adventure with.

“Well Lyra, can I consider you a friend?” Synth wanted to think he could, but he wanted her to say it.

“Of course, everyone in town is your friend. You gotta remember that if you’re gonna be staying here.” She said this sincerely and Synth felt that she was right. They were all so friendly, he wouldn’t think any less of them.

“Okay, well can you help tell my friends that I’ll be leaving tomorrow? I need to tell Pinkie, but I won’t have time to tell everyone else before I leave.” Lyra was nodding before he even finished.

“You can count on me. But where are you going?”

“Canterlot, for a week; I’ll need the time to think over what’s happened in the past few days.” Synth was telling her the truth there. He was going to think over things, but he’d have Luna next to him when he did.

“Okay, I guess I’ll catch ya around then. Bye Synth.” Then she continued walking down the street and starts a conversation with a cream coated mare with a blue and pink mane. ‘These ponies must know everyone…’ Synth thought.

‘Well this is almost the smallest town. I’m surprised you can find yourself lost so easily in this town…’ Shade responded after his time of being quiet while Synth was lost.

‘I’ll get used to it eventually…’ Synth said remembering that he’d need to get a map of the town sooner or later.

‘Sure you will…’ Shade said with a chuckle and Synth continued walking and following Lyra’s directions to get to Sugarcube Corner.

He was in front of the store now, and he felt like he must have walked by this place before. He couldn’t help feeling a little déjà vu and he entered the still open store. He saw Pinkie at the register and the room only had a few ponies inside. All of which were enjoying the sweets they were eating.

Synth made a mental note to visit more often. The sweets looked delicious right now. Maybe it was the fact he literally didn’t eat anything all day, but his mouth watering at the sight of them. Pinkie must have known what he was thinking, because she handed him a cupcake.

“Here! You look like you could use something to eat. This one’s on the house, but you’ll be eating it in the house instead.” Synth looked at the cupcake. He had to force himself to not shove it down his throat and show some proper etiquette. He ate it in two bites and tried to say thanks while trying to chew it. That was what he would consider etiquette anyway…

Pinkie could somehow understand him, and Synth took a bit to finish swallowing before continuing. “I really needed that. I forgot to eat anything all day; I was too caught up in my other problems.”

“Problems? What would you have to worry about? Everything seems fine outside today, except for the cupcakes Applejack made today. But we managed to throw most of those away so that problems solved.” Synth found the opportunity to speak as she paused to recall the event.

“Um, it’s nothing. I’m just going to be leaving for Canterlot tomorrow and-“ Pinkie tackled him to the ground somehow even though she was behind the counter. Now she was standing on top of him and pinning him down.

“No! You just got here. I can’t throw a goodbye party before I throw you a welcome party. It wouldn’t be right , I wouldn’t know if I should be happy or sad. If I was happy, you’d think I’d be glad you were leaving, and if I was sad, you’d think I wouldn’t like meeting you.” Pinkie looked as sad, if not sadder, than his other friends.
Synth wanted to explain before she made a show of packing his things for him and walking him to the train. Somehow Synth didn’t throw out the possibility completely. She was Pinkie after all, but Rarity would be the one to overreact and she took it better than Pinkie. But Pinkie didn’t hear the whole thing… ‘Would you just respond before she breaks into tears?’ He heard Shade say and sure enough, his silence had the wrong effect on Pinkie. Her eyes were about to water.
“Pinkie, it’s only for a week. I’ll be back before you know it.” Synth said and he saw the change in her almost immediately. Her smile returned and she started to get off of him. Synth just realized that the ponies in the room were looking at them differently.
“Well, why didn’t you say so? You had me worried there for a second. Well actually for 37 seconds, but it’s no big deal. Not like yesterday when you came in all tired. You looked like you fell asleep, and I would have thought you did if you didn’t talk with Fluttershy.”
Synth remembered how he had been awoken by the warm water on his face. It sure woke him up all right. He remembered how she always seemed to brighten up his day. She could have easily used cold water, or boiling hot water. He was glad that her antics weren’t too bad. Synth did have a feeling though, that if Rainbow had any antics, it’d go over the line.

“Well, it’s been great talking with you Synth. I gotta get back to work though. We don’t close for another few minutes, so if you want to stay around you can.” She went out of Synth’s sight and appeared behind the counter. He was about to ask her about that, but decided that it was just Pinkie being Pinkie.

“I gotta get going. Need to make sure I get enough rest. Hopefully I can talk to you a little more tomorrow Pinkie.” With that, Pinkie waved at him while he walked outside.

“Bye, see you tomorrow Synth!” Pinkie yelled at him as he trotted away. Somehow he managed to make his way to the edge of town without getting lost. He found himself close to Fluttershy’s cottage and remembered how she wasn’t far from the Everfree Forest.

Putting some though into it, he began to think of a way to both help him remember where things were, and finding his way home. He knew the Everfree Forest was right behind his house, and Fluttershy lived near it. So, in essence he was close to his house. He looked up and was surprised to see his house right in front of him.

‘Congratulations, you’re home.’ Shade said sarcasm entering his voice.

‘Hey, I did it didn’t I?’ Synth responded actually feeling proud he might be able to memorize where places were without needing a map.

‘After a good while staring at your house to think of a way to find your house…’ Shade said only a little amused at the way Synth felt he accomplished something.

‘Whatever…’ Synth thought trotting up to his house. If he didn’t have better eyes than most, we wouldn’t have noticed that the mailbox in his front yard had mail in it. Not because it was so far away, but because it was now almost pitch dark outside.

“Who would send me mail?” Synth said out loud as he walked over and took out a small envelope. It was a normal white envelope, but there was a bag attached. Together, the package weighed a good amount. He took it inside to see more clearly. Even with better eyesight, it would be harmful to read in the dark.

He took the envelope and side stepped the tree before walking up to the door and going inside. He put the bag on the table and opened the envelope. Inside was the hoof writing of his Professor. He took out the letter and read it carefully.
Dear Synth,

We have heard about what you went through a few days ago. We are glad to see that you and your new friends defeated Nightmare Moon. It makes me proud to know how much you’ve grown since you first started studying under me.

I must say though, that you should start to focus on the future. I have got the committee to approve of the construction of a new biodome in Ponyville. It will begin its construction soon and it would be great if you watched over it. You have full authorization to make any changes to the blueprints; you will be in charge of it after it’s been built after all.

I hope to see you progress in your studies, and I have included some money for expenses. I do believe you are enjoying your stay in Ponyville, and I can’t wait to visit sometime. But, I’ll busy for a while so Oliver might get the chance before me. All building payments have been made, so be ready to learn within the next few days.

Yours Truly,

Blossom
Synth finished reading the letter and turned towards the bag on the counter. He was starting to get low on money, buying the house didn’t help matters any. He opened the bag and looked inside to find, sure enough, hundreds of bits piled in.
He was never really a person to be greedy about his things, but the money made him feel joy at this moment. He put the money aside and placed the letter back in the envelope. Putting it all on the top of one of his bookcases his living room had.
It wasn’t one of his better habits, but he treasured everything that he would think was sentimental. With happy thought in his mind, he prepared himself for bed and lay down. His thoughts were on the letter and how he left his old life behind. It wasn’t the best life, but it was one he would never forget.
He sighed, grieving wouldn’t help him sleep. Right now, he needed some rest. He closed his eyes and after a few minutes of twisting and turning, he finally found a comfortable position. His mind drifted into dream land as he lost consciousness.

Author's Notes:

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Admissions

Admissions

Synth woke with a start. He was having a good dream, something he had Luna to thank. He would have stayed dreaming, but he heard a bird chirping and decided that for once since he entered the town, he’d get up early.

Pulling himself off the bed, he trudged over and started putting on his cloak and necklace. He recoiled when he caught the smell of his cloak. He really needed to wash it, but he just never got time. Deciding that one more day with the cloak wouldn’t hurt.

‘Good morning sweetheart.’ He heard Shade say to him. He was expecting to hear his voice, but the word choice caught him off guard.

‘Um, good morning…’ Synth said as he finished slipping the necklace on his neck. He walked over to his complimentary fridge, this time deciding that he should eat something before heading out for another day. He only just opened it when he remembered one crucial detail. He hadn’t bought any food yet.

‘Yeah, because food’s going to magically appear…’ Shade said sarcastically as Synth looked inside to confirm his thoughts.

‘Well, looks like we’re going shopping…’ Synth said as he closed the fridge. He turned away and went over to his money bag and felt giddy looking at it again. Counting carefully, and almost greedily, he took out ten bits. If the bits were for expenses, he didn’t want to spend too much of it on things he didn’t need.

He also knew that he didn’t have a source of income yet, and eventually the money would run out. Synth was never good at saving money, and he was having a hard time deciding how. Shade must have caught on to this, because he actually offered a solution.

‘Why don’t you, I don’t know… put some aside every time you spend some?’ Shade didn’t say this sarcastically, and Synth had to wonder if he was being serious. The plan did seem like a good one though, so he decided to trust him.

‘Thanks, but…and I don’t want to sound rude…why are you helping me?’ Synth still let his manners slip through, even though he knew full well what Shade’s real personality was like.

‘Eh, you take forever to work things through. It’s more interesting when you’re actually doing things fun. You do realize that I’m stuck seeing what you’re seeing right?’ Shade wasn’t complaining, he was just telling the truth, something he was born to do.

‘You got a point there, and I did realize that, a few days ago. When I…traded places…’ Synth felt saddened at the memory and a little angry that Shade wasn’t punished. Even though, it would mean confessing it was his fault.

‘Good times, good times… Well for me anyway…’ Shade sounded like he understood what he made Synth went through and then went quiet.

‘Well anyways, time to go see who’s selling any breakfast right now.’ He counted ten bits and then put five to the edge of the shelf to make sure he knew those were off limits. Then he discovered his problem.

“Damn, how am I gonna carry the money with me? I guess I need to get some saddlebags to carry things in.” Synth grumbled as he looked around for anything he could use. His eyes landed on the suitcase, and he sighed, it’ll have to do. Blowing on the inside, he noticed how it was still dirty from a few days ago.

He put the bits inside and then noticed how the suitcase also looked on the verge of collapsing. ‘That’s not gonna last long.’ Shade said apparently also noticing this.

‘Well it’s the best I’ve got.’ Synth said looking around and finding nothing he could do.

‘You aren’t very bright are you? You do realize that you can control nature right?’ Shade said and Synth could tell some annoyance in his voice. But Synth didn’t see where he was going with this.

‘Actually, I haven’t tried to control it, just change its appearance…’ Synth needed to clarify; it was just what he did when he was confused. Either that, or be a smartass but Shade could do that better than him.

‘Anyways, I can show you what I mean. Just let me take control aga-‘ Synth cut off his thought before he could finish.

‘What makes you think I’ll give you another chance? You did enough already, I don’t want to everyone in Ponyville on my apology list.’ Synth tried to scream in his thoughts, but that was harder to do than he thought. It came out more as a whine.

‘Look, hear me out. I’m not trying to trick you, I just want to redeem myself from what I did before. I don’t think it’ll be enough for you to forgive me, but if I’m going to be here a while, might as well help out every now and then.’ Synth would have been touched by this side of Shade, if he didn’t sound like he was about burst out laughing.

‘Forget it, I don’t even know how long you’d be in my body if I give you control.’ Synth was determined to not let Shade get a chance to be free.

‘That’s just it, you could lower your magic strength and let me do my thing. Then if you think I’ll try anything, you can force your magic power again to take back control.’ Shade’s idea sounded simple, but Synth found something odd.

‘Why would I go through all this trouble just for a demonstration of power?’ Synth remembered how they got to this point over a way to take his money with him without using the suitcase.

‘Hey, I can show you some things that you can’t do with your magic. Remember how I beat you with those skills of mine? It was magic, you just didn’t realize that I bet.’ Synth was now curious as to how he did do those things. Especially to know how we was so fast.

‘Okay, I see your point. But just to be clear, as soon as I think you’re going to try anything, I’m bailing.’ Synth knew he was going to regret this, but he wanted to know why Shade was so desperate to show him his tricks.

‘Fine, I’ll try not to do anything that looks dangerous. I’m not the monster I was before, although, you could say I’m a beast…’ Shade said this and his egotistic side started to show through.

‘Whatever, just go get your rabies shot. Now let me figure this out..’ Synth said as he sat down and concentrated. It would be difficult to remove his magic for a second, and even then he didn’t know if he’d be able to get it back if Shade went berserk.

He felt his magic in his body after a few seconds of concentrating. He mentally lifted the magic to the back of his head and away from the horn. Soon, he found that his body was now devoid of the free flowing magic. Shade slowly made his way into his thoughts and Synth’s feelings over his body went numb.

“Oh, it feels great to stretch. Being in there wasn’t very comfortable, even if you don’t really feel anything.” Synth heard Shade’s voice, and knew that it worked. He could also feel the magic power he had was contained. Synth found that Shade wasn’t lying when he said Synth could take back control whenever he chooses.

‘Yeah, yeah. Just show me whatever it was you wanted to show me…’ Synth wasn’t used to the way whenever he felt like he was talking; nothing came out of his mouth. Instead it was an echoing voice in his head.

‘Fine, buzz kill. I’ll show you, but I’ll need to go outside for this.’ Shade walked to the door and using his magic, pulled it open. Synth saw as the magic glow around the door was a darker shade of green than his own.

‘You have your own magic…’ Synth tried to think but instead it echoed on the walls. Synth expected that he’d have to give Shade some to use for his demonstration. But he guess it made sense if He’d once battled him, the magic wouldn’t just disappear.

‘Yeah, but I don’t have much. I’ll need to make this fast, you don’t recover very much while you’re in someone’s mind.’ Now he walked over to the tree that was directly in front of his house.

He looked up at it and pulled a few leaves and a twig from it. Synth was really curious now to what he had planned. Shade looked like that alone had left an impact on him physically. He now curled the leaves together and made them mold together into an almost closed ball with the ends of the leaves sticking out at the unclosed end.

Using the twig, he made it curl around the leaves and then tightened it with his mouth. The twig closed the end and it looked like a leaf money pouch. Synth was actually impressed, he had talent. Still, he didn’t fully understand what Shade did to connect it all.

‘Hey Shade, that’s awesome and thanks for it. I only have one thing to say, how did you do that?’ Synth let his manners through again, even enough to thank him like a normal being.

‘See, you don’t know how to use your powers properly. Instead of growing them, I reformed them and made them all become one thing. Almost like I melted them together, but it was a natural forming.’ Synth saw that it was true. The leaves didn’t have a seam or bump on the outside where the leaves would normally overlap. Plus, his Rarity side caught the fact he used the leaf veins to create a design.

It spiraled from the bottom up to the top and then ended at the twig. He also noticed, more by watching Shade close it, that the twig was changed too. ‘Um, what about the twig, and why do I get the feeling you were about to explain?’

‘Well, we do share the same brain…But yeah, I made the twig flexible and more rubbery. It’s so you can close it without it breaking. Again, something you don’t do.’ Shade seemed like pointing this fact out every five seconds, but Synth was too amazed by the bag to care.

‘Well, now that that’s done, how about you show me some of those tricks of yours?’ Synth said wanting to know more about how Shade used his powers. Shade shook his head though, and yawned.

‘Nah, I’m too tired. Do me a favor and take over? I think if I just rest a little in your head I’ll be able to recover my magic faster…’ Synth realized that this was all he was gonna learn about Shade, for now anyway.

‘Fine, and thanks again for the bag. I guess you’re not so bad…’ Shade smiled when Synth finished.

‘Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still kill your friends if I get the chance, but it doesn’t look like I’ll get that anytime soon…’ Shade blinked, and then Synth felt his magic spread over his body.

Synth felt the feelings in his legs return, and his horn began to change glows. The bag that was levitating in front of him now dropped a few inches before floating back up a with a light green aura around it now. Shade must have mentally passed out and Synth found himself once again in control.

‘Well, I know that I won’t let that happen. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did…’ Synth thought, and as he thought, there was no reply from Shade.

‘Sleep dreams, Shade.’ Synth said as he now trotted towards town, tying the leaf bag around his front leg with a long leaf while he walked. He knew that even after all the time he spent with Shade, it was still early morning.

The chirps of the birds around him reminded him of how he would walk like this through town every day before going to the greenhouse. He usually avoided walking near it when he did, because then he’d have to work early if they saw him nearby.

Now, he chose a random direction leading to town, and listened to the sounds around him. There were birds and squirrels every way he looked, with rabbits also appearing every now and then. He made it to the shopping district without getting lost, and was surprised to see some stands already open ready to sell.

Synth looked around and noticed that aside from the vendors, there were only a handful of ponies walking about. He was surprised to see this many though, as in Canterlot it was very rare for him to see any ponies on his strolls.

He approached the first stall he saw and was greeted by a friendly face. “Howdy there, Synth! Great ta see ya today. But, don’t ya think it’s too early to be up and about? Ya need yer rest after all.” Synth was surprised to see Applejack standing there telling him he needed sleep when the day before, she literally fell asleep on him.

“I see you got yours last night. You look pretty good after what happened yesterday…” Right after he said that, he wished he made a better choice of words.

“Well thanks, never had my looks complimented before. I reckon this must be how Rarity feels when she’s at the spa.” Applejack smiled. Synth was too busy trying to think of an excuse that he didn’t notice her playful tone.

“I-I didn’t mean i-it like t-“Synth started to fumble over his words, and his face was starting to shade redder.

“Ah know what ya meant, Sugarcube. Ah was just messin’ with ya; ya really ought ta lighten up.” She said now playfully hitting him on the shoulder. He didn’t know why, but it actually cleared his mind.

“Oh, well I’ve just been having a confusing morning. I guess I need to loosen up.” Synth’s stomach now rumbled and he turned towards the basket of apples near Applejack.

Applejack caught on and she put a saddlebag filled with apples on the counter. Synth’s mouth started to water, but he caught himself. It wasn’t like she would just give it to him, would she? He didn’t know how much it would cost, and he only brought the ten bits. He calculated that if one apple cost one bit, then two saddlebags full would be about thirty.

Synth undid the pouch around his hoof and then opened it. “I’ll only need a few, I’m not that hungry.” He was betrayed by his stomach as it rumbled louder than before. When he got home he’d have to give a stern talking to it…

“Sure ya do… But we got tons of apples at the farm, plus yer our first customer today. So they’re on the house. But for the saddlebags, it’ll be five bits.“ She put on a ‘don’t try to argue or I’ll make you take them’ face and somehow managed to keep a smile on too.

Synth found he didn’t want to argue and instead placed five bits on the counter. “Well, then thanks. I don’t think you’ll get much profit if you keep this up though…” Synth was being honest but he knew that Applejack was most likely just being a nice salespony.

“That’s alright we got plenty a apples and saddlebags are a bit a dozen. If my stock runs out though, Ah’ll need to get more though… maybe ah can get one ah the others to help me…” Applejack seemed to be thinking ahead, so Synth decided to just leave it at that and walk away.

“Well thanks again, but I gotta get going. The day is still young, and I want to enjoy it until the streets start getting crowded.” Synth put the saddlebags on and fastened them quickly. Applejack waved goodbye as he started walking, but she had a weird look on her face. Almost immediately he noticed the difference. He felt like he was under ten times gravity and he slowed to a crawl after a few steps. The saddlebags were filled to the top with apples, and he wanted to get them to his house before he collapsed.

He stopped to rest on a park bench and put the bags on the seat next to him. He had two problems, he didn’t know how far he could go with these on his sides, and he didn’t even know which way was home. He could take the long way and walk to the edge of town and then look for Fluttershy’s cottage to signal he was home, or he could randomly choose a direction and hope he chose right.

He decided to go with the second option and after munching on an apple for a few minutes, continued his slow walk down the only path in the park. He reached some more buildings and kept walking until he was at a crossroads. He decided to go left, and was surprised to see a few seconds later that his house was right there.

He was at the home stretch and he now put his own magic into it. Lifting the bags just enough that he wasn’t taking on the full weight of the bag. Lifting them up was causing his head to start throbbing. He was at the doorway now, and he stopped levitating the saddlebags. The saddlebags sunk deeper into his back and he almost collapsed from the sudden weight.

He opened his door with his magic and stepped in. He let the saddlebags slump to the floor as he started to rest. He picked up the apples in the bag and started to put them in the fridge. He counted 39 apples and an apple core. He really needed to get in shape if that was all it took to overexert himself.

He opened the saddlebags to see if he missed anything and noticed that there was a metal horseshoe with a note attached to it. He picked it up and read what it said.

To: Unfortunate Soul
You just got pranked.

From: Queen of Pranksters

Synth turned it over but that was all it said. He looked in the other saddlebag and found another horseshoe with a different colored note attached to it.

To: Unfortunate Soul
She made me do it.

From: Applejack

Synth sighed; of course she wouldn’t prank anyone. But he didn’t think that she’d apologize for a prank that she didn’t do. Now that’s Honesty at its best. He put the weighted horseshoes aside and put the letters on the shelf. He’ll have to go prank Rainbow Dash eventually, but he didn’t feel like it at the moment.

Eating another apple to fill his belly, he then walked back outside to enjoy the day. He took a step outside and chose a direction he thought he hadn’t chosen yet. He’d been walking a good few minutes before he came across a construction site.

The foundation was built and the skeleton was being put up. He walked up to the nearest construction worker and was instantly pulled in. “Synth! It’s about time you got here. We have some changes we want to make.”

Synth looked to the worker and saw that it was Lyra in a hardhat. He also noticed Bon-Bon and Berry Punch walking over upon seeing him. He saw the blueprints in her hands and made out a kind of dome building.

“What does this have to do with me? I just came by for a walk…” Synth looked at Lyra’s confused face, and gave her one of his own.

“Synth, I was told you’re supervising this place, and you can make any changes you want to it. It’s too late to change the outside, but inside still hasn’t been touched.” Synth’s face went into understanding and his mouth opened slowly.

“Is this…the greenhouse? I was told it’d be built in a few days, not today…” Synth recalled how the letter said nothing about it being so soon.

“Actually, it’s called a Biodome; it’s a little different than a greenhouse. They told us to start this morning; it should be finished in a few days.” Lyra turned and showed him the blueprints as well as how much they’ve done so far.

“…and now we’re about to start putting up these walls…” Synth’s jaw almost dropped.

“How did you do this so fast? It’s like noon…” Synth looked into the sky and confirmed that it was directly above them.

“We all pitched in to get this started before you left today. If we hurry, we could get all of the walls up before nighttime.” Lyra turned and spoke to Bon-Bon. “How’re the rest of the walls coming along?”

“Not good, they didn’t get the measurements right and they need to be make new ones. It’ll take a few hours before they’re ready.” Bon-Bon noticed Synth was itching to say something and she nodded towards him.

Synth took the hint and said what was on his mind. “Um, couldn’t you just cut off a little of the sides? You don’t have to make new walls…” Bon-Bon was looking at him like she thought he was crazy and then turned to Lyra.

“Didn’t you show him the blueprints yet?” Lyra nodded and Bon-Bon turned back to him. “Maybe you should have another look at them…”

Synth looked back over the blueprints but he couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It was a good sized dome with a triangle pattern over all of the walls. He noticed the extra notes on the walls now, and realized that they were going to be made of glass and metal shutters.

“Why do we need a metal covering? The glass would work just fine…” He looked up to see that Lyra had walked away while he was inspecting the blueprints. He went to follow her, but was stopped by some mumbling to his left.

Synth turned and followed the sound to a quick walking purple mare. Twilight looked like she was thinking hard about something and Spike was having trouble staying on her back. He quickly walked over and she didn’t notice him approaching.

“… How could I say no to Rainbow’s dream? But Applejack could sure use it…” He could hear her as she mumbled softly, and he would have kept eavesdropping if it weren’t for Spike.

“Hey, Synth! Today’s the big day huh? You nervous about going to the castle, I would be, those guards give me the creeps.” Spike said upon seeing Synth walking close by to the pair. Synth cursed Spike’s interruption before he could finish eavesdropping.

“Um, yeah. It’s not the best feeling, but I’m just glad to get the chance to go and meet them personally.” Synth slowed his walking as he noticed Twilight did the same and was now listening to what he was saying. So much for finding out what she was talking about… Maybe he could ask about?

“So, Twilight… I couldn’t help but overhear you saying something about-“ Synth was cut short as Twilight glared at him.

“I’m not giving you the ticket, I haven’t decided yet...but, I only just got it a few minutes ago, and you already know about it?” Twilight raised an eyebrow and Synth did the same, feeling just as confused as she did.

“Ticket? I only heard you mumbling something about Rainbow and Applejack.”

“Oh, you heard that? Well, I couldn’t decide if I should give the ticket to Rainbow or Applejack, they both had good reasons to go…”

“Again I ask, Ticket?” Twilight seemed to question whether to tell him or not.

“It’s a ticket to…the Grand Galloping Gala.” She took a step back, then frowned. “Why aren’t you freaking out?”

Synth blinked. Did she really expect him to freak out at that? “Okay, so is that it?” He replied making Twilight raise an eyebrow.

“Well yeah, I have a ticket and I don’t know who to give it to.” Twilight was still giving him a confused look, but now she seemed to have her mind back on her earlier problem.

“Why those two, what about Spike?” Synth saw his gagging motion and nodded his understanding before Twilight started to speak.

“Spike says it’s not his style, so he doesn’t want to go. Applejack told me how it could help her family a lot if she went to the gala. Then rainbow showed up and told me it was her dream to go. I couldn’t decide who needed it more so I left.”

Synth held back his laughter to say his opinion on the matter. “So…Helping the Apple Family, or helping an egotistic Pegasus… tough choice.”

“I’ll say, they both deserved to go. I didn’t want to hurt either one of them though.” Twilight was now looking up into space to find a solution and Synth couldn’t hold it back. He let his laughter out and noticed Spike did the same, falling off her back and landing next Synth.

“What? What are you two laughing about? This is a serious matter. I can’t decide,” Twilight’s stomach growled “and I still need to get some breakfast.” She trotted off quickly before Synth could compose himself.

“Wow, even I didn’t know how badly that sounded until you said it Synth. Twilight must be really hungry to not know Applejack needed it more.” Spike was getting up as Twilight walked out of view. He still had a smile on his face as he slowly started walking in her direction.

“Wait Spike, I meant that Rainbow deserved the Ticket more. She only has one chance to follow her dream and become a Wonderbolt!” Spike turned around and was about to argue, until he noticed Synth was back on the edge of laughter. They both quickly fell onto the floor again laughing uncontrollably.

After they both composed themselves completely, they started walking together towards Twilight’s direction. “We should find Twilight, before she makes a bad decision on the whole ticket thing… wait.” Spike stopped as he turned towards Synth, who halted a second after.

“Why didn’t you care about her extra ticket to the Gala?” Spike asked curiously.

“Well it’s because I went before, last year. It was a bad experience and I don’t want to go back. Imagine the most stuck up ponies in Canterlot all gathered to talk and dance.” Synth didn’t like to think of what happened the year before, but it was long ago enough that he didn’t flinch at the thought.

“Really? Sound terrible, but then why do they all want to go?” They continued walking and Synth took a while to realize who he was referring to.

“I think they just heard good things about it, and they don’t know what actually happens. “ Synth saw Twilight walking into a restaurant and stopped. “Well Spike, she just went into that place over there,” He pointed at the restaurant, and then pointed towards a road to the left. “So I’ll be going this way, Catch ya later.”

Synth was already walking in the direction of the path he chose until Spike grabbed his leg. “Why don’t you come with us? This is your last day and all…” Synth was already shaking his head and then stopped himself after he realized Spike stopped talking.

“Sorry, I don’t do restaurants. I don’t have a very good…history, with them. Maybe next time…” Synth walked faster down the path he chose. He made sure Spike wasn’t following him, and then returned to a normal pace.

‘That was a close call…’

“I know, that was almost-“ Synth realized who he was talking to and made sure he closed his mouth. ‘Ya know, you come out at the most random times…’

‘Well, actually that’s what Pinkie does, I just try to be as inconvenient as possible.’

‘Well, actually I was a little lonely walking down these streets. I could use the company, even though you’re kind of always here…’

‘Was that a joke? That was the most pitiful joke I’ve ever heard. I think I just died a little inside.’

‘Well look who’s back to their usual self? Did you enjoy your nap?’

‘Yeah, magic’s back and I feel like killing now. Mind letting me out?’

‘Fuck you.’

‘Aw, you’re no fun. But seriously, I was asleep too long. I need to let out the excess energy.’

Synth thought this over. If he took him somewhere he couldn’t hurt anypony, he could let him use up the energy.

‘Ugh, fine. But first some ground rules…’

‘About that…’

The ground under Synth suddenly disappeared as he stepped into empty void. He looked down to find he’d walked over the edge of a cliff. Now he was falling towards the hard ground.

‘Now’s a good a time as any…’ Synth heard Shade say, almost pleadingly.

‘Go for it.’ Synth moved his energy towards the back of his head and Shade took hold quickly, almost too quickly.

“This feels great!” Shade was now skydiving and heading quickly towards the ground.

‘I’d hurry if I were you…’

“Buzz kill, I was having fun here.” Synth could only watch in awe as Shade’s magic enveloped him and his body. Shade maneuvered towards the cliff face, and dug his hooves in the earth. Instead of slowing down though, they sped up their descent.

Synth was literally speechless as Shade hit the ground with his hooves. The shockwave was sent around the ground and the trees around them suddenly imploded on themselves. They crashed to the ground and landed in splinters. Shade just stretched as the ground directly below him was now just a crater.

“I’ll call that the atomic drop. Sound good to you?” Shade said finishing his stretching and walking over to the remains of the trees.

Synth would have replied if not for the fact that he felt his jaw dropped considerably. He just sat in silence as Shade continued.

“That did the trick, we’re alive and I got to let out that magic. So about those ground rules… I didn’t break too many did I?”

Synth mentally coughed and the words came out. ‘You broke the ground all right.’

Shade turned towards their initial impact and smiled. “Now that’s better. See, jokes aren’t too hard.” He then started trotting towards the road that led to the city.

‘Um, where do you think you’re going?’ Synth had a bad feeling.

“The restaurant, that’s where. I hope I’m not too late for lunch.” Synth mentally banged his head against the wall.

‘Son of a Bitch… Give me back my body.’

“Come get it.” Shade chuckled as he now reached the road leading to the town.

Synth unlatched his energy from the back of his mind and he could feel it struggling with Shade’s willpower. But this time, it wasn’t enough.

‘What? Why…can’t…I…’ Synth was feeling the effort from trying to force the change.

“It’s…not enough…I’m gonna… make it…” Shade was physically feeling the effects of Synth’s energy. He could only manage putting one hoof in front of the other, let alone use magic.

This continued for a few minutes in which neither side gave out. The restaurant was now in view and Shade smiled. “Almost there…” He took a step forward and was caught off guard by a stampede of ponies almost running on top of him.

Synth felt his energy take control and immediately felt the pain as his hooves were crushed under a pack of ponies. He lay there after it happened and checked himself.

“That’s one point for me Shade.” He stood up and limped the opposite way from the restaurant.

‘That isn’t fair, I didn’t know we were keeping score…’

“Fine, let’s start over shall we?” Synth knew what was coming before he even heard it.

‘Name’s Shade and you are?’

‘Shut up, that wasn’t funny.’ Synth looked around after he realized he was talking out loud. He would have to get used to talking in his head, but thankfully no ponies were around.

‘And you could do better?’

‘Yeah, knock knock.’

‘Who’s there?’

‘Shut up.’ Synth stopped as he looked around.

‘That wasn’t funny… Idiot.’

‘That wasn’t the joke, I thought I heard something.’ Synth looked around but could only see the buildings around him and the sun was now slowly setting. He had the feeling he was being watched and his senses went on alert.

‘Nine o’clock.’

Synth sighed. ‘Why would I want to know what time it is?’

‘I meant-‘Synth was tacked from his left and was put into a sack before he could recover. He was carried quickly in the direction the attack came. He would’ve screamed if not for the voice in his head distracting him.

‘How much dumber can you get? I was saying something was coming from your left. Honestly, I feel like I’m talking to a foal.’

‘Just shut up and help me get out of here.’ Synth was trying to wiggle out of the grasp of the pony that grabbed him. It must have been a burly stallion because he couldn’t move without his air being constricted.

‘It’s not a threat, trust me. You’re also very easy to sneak up on…’

‘Well if it’s not an enemy, then why am I being foalnapped?’

‘Hm, foalnapped? I rest my case.’

Synth was rudely thrown a few feet before the sack around him came off. The light that shone in his eyes temporarily blinded him as he looked up. When the vision cleared, he saw five frowning ponies. The cyan Pegasus prodded his legs to which Synth winced at the pain.

“Pinkie, you must go easier on him next time. He doesn’t look very well…” Rarity spoke as Synth started to stand himself up.

“I didn’t do that, he was already like that when I found him.” Pinkie was sitting and crossing her arms as she was wrongly accused of hurting Synth.

“Well then, what happened to ya Synth?” Applejack said getting a little closer as she gestured to the bruises on his legs.

“Um, long story short, I got trampled by a bunch of ponies.” Synth said as he limped around trying to make sure the blood was still circulating in them.

“Are… are you hurt?” He barely heard the meek Pegasus ask from a few feet away.

“I’m alright, just a little trouble walking…” He took a step and screamed out in pain as his leg convulsed on itself.

Synth was carried over to a chair and placed in it slowly. He made himself comfortable as he tried to put weight away from his legs. He looked up to see the five of them uncomfortably looking at him.

“What? Do I have something in my teeth?” Synth lifted his hoof up to his mouth and felt the pain instantly. He dropped his hoof and gave a half-hearted smile.

“Um, Synth. A-Are you sure you’re o-okay?” asked Fluttershy who appeared very concerned.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay I just need a little rest.” Synth tried to keep the look of pain away from his eyes as his legs throbbed every few seconds. They had to be broken.

“Of course he’s okay. He was walking when I found him.” Pinkie said from her spot in the center of the room.

“Wait Pinkie, you were the one that foalnapped me? Why would you do that?” Synth looked up at the pink ball of energy who just smiled.

“Because I can.” Synth couldn’t respond to that as he had no way to argue with her.

“She did it to all ah us. Ah still don’t think it was the best way to get us all here.” Applejack looked accusingly at Pinkie who either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“Because we need to settle the whole ticket thing before Twilight makes a bad decision.” For once Pinkie actually sounded like she was making sense, except Synth was still confused.

“Wait, all of you want the ticket? If that’s what this is all about, why am I even here?” Synth looked into their bewildered faces.”

“Why, don’t you also want to attend the Gala?” Rarity asked him.

“I’d rather stay here actually.” Synth was prodded in the head by a cyan hoof.

“Maybe you hurt your head too.” She continued to poke him in random parts of his body and Synth would have lost his composure, if she didn’t stop and whisper something in Pinkie’s ear. Immediately Pinkie giggled and they jumped on the defenseless unicorn.

“Hey! What are you- stop it…” Synth was being fully assaulted by the Cyan and Pink hooves that now prodded him everywhere. He couldn’t raise a hoof to stop them and their laughing was making it worse. He was on his back as the chair was toppled over and placed him in an uncomfortable position, they didn’t stop though, and the others just watched with smiles tugging their faces.

‘A little help here…’ Synth was wishing that Shade would be on his side and not the other way around.

‘What do you mean? This is a colt’s dream. You should be enjoying-‘

‘Help!’ Synth was trying his hardest not to blush at Shade’s comment so as not to give the mares the wrong impression.

‘Well I could kill them for you, I think that would-‘

‘Never mind just shut up.’

‘Okay, I won’t kill them. Mind if I use my magic for a second? You won’t regret it. I promise.’ Synth had to think this over, but now the pair were poking harder and it was actually starting to hurt causing his face to change into a grimace.

‘Go for it.’ He had enough. They might have just been having fun, but did it really need to come at his expense?

Synth felt his magic deplete instantaneously as he was filled with a new feeling. Power, and a lot of it.

Synth grinned as his body changed into the same thick skin that Shade had used when they fell off the cliff. The next poke the pair sent was met with a thunk.

“Hey, what’s the big deal?” Rainbow turned toward Pinkie to see that she too stopped her prodding and was now feeling the toughness of his coat.

“Wow, I didn’t know you could do that!” Pinkie was knocking on the now thick abdomen and Synth sighed.

“Could you get off me now? My legs are killing me.” Synth was picked up off his back and placed back into the chair by Applejack who was the only one that looked like they cared.

‘Those are some good friends of yours...’ Shade responded sarcastically.

‘Thanks, I knew you’d agree.’ Shade didn’t respond and Synth glared up at the Pegasus and pink mare now wiping tears of laughter from their eyes.

“All in good fun Synth, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.” Rainbow said now backing away from glaring pony. Synth stopped his glaring and he felt the power drain out of him Shade was giving him back full control.

‘Thanks for that, it could have turned out worse if you didn’t intervene.’ Synth was genuinely glad Shade actually helped him and not because it was a life or death situation.

‘You know, you’re making me wish I didn’t help you. I would have loved to see what they would do next…’

“Well, anyways… I don’t want to go to the Gala. So, if you don’t mind I’ll be leaving.” Synth tried to stand himself up, but the pain in his legs caused him to fall forward on his face. He let out a blush as he coughed. “Little help?”

‘Smooth’ Shade chuckled from inside.

‘Shut up’ He retorted being put back into the chair. It was made of wood, but it was a lot more comfortable than the floor.

“Y-you should probably stay h-here until you get better.” Fluttershy said from the corner of the group in front of him.

“I can’t, I’m leaving in about… actually I don’t know what time they’ll get here.” Synth looked up through the window to see that the sun was barely setting. It could be now or in a few hours, he concluded. Until then he’d have to wait it out.

“So, you don’t want the ticket… Then why are you here?” Rainbow asked him.

“I don’t know, I was kind of brought against my will.” Synth looked towards Pinkie to see her tapping her chin. After a few seconds her face lit up.

“I know! Why don’t you tell us who you think should get the ticket? Then you can talk with Twilight to see if she agrees?” Pinkie was now hopping up and down as she said her idea.

“Yeah, good thinking Pinkie. I reckon Synth would know who to pick.” Applejack said now getting a little closer.

“I am sure he’ll make a wise and thoughtful decision.” Rarity said as she slowly took a few steps towards him.

“Only the coolest pony would make the right choice.” Rainbow was now hovered directly above him.

“Pick me!” Pinkie jumped right in front of him as he just shook his head and turned towards Fluttershy.

“Do you want to add anything?” Synth was surprised to see her head nod.

“Please?” Synth would have facehoofed if not for the pain in his hooves. He could feel as they throbbed, but not as sporadically as before.

‘I can’t decide, the Yellow and orange ones would stick out the most, but the pink one would be the most hilarious one to watch.’

‘I know what you mean, but If I have to choose, I’ll pick Pinkie. She was more honest than the element of honesty…But for now I’ll try to stall.’

“Can I hear your reasons for going?” He asked innocently and they all sighed and sat down for the montage of dreams.

They started with Fluttershy’s and then Applejack and Rainbow, and then Pinkie and finished with Rarity. After she finished her prediction of the Gala, Shade was breaking down in laughter. Synth just tried to tune him out.

‘She thinks he’s…a gentleman?! Ahahaha! That’s priceless! Don’t tell her what he’s really like, I want to see the look on her face when she finds out. Give her the ticket please!’

‘Would you shut up? I know what you mean, but all of their dreams are pretty iffy. Except Fluttershy does have the best chance. I’ll just tell her she should have it.’

‘You’re no fun.’

“And you’re a piece of-“ Synth looked up to realize he said this out loud.

‘Shit…’ He just whistled and was surprised to see the outline of a chariot being pulled across sky. His way out.

“Well what do you know? There’s my ride. I’ll just be going now…” Synth got off his chair and painstakingly walked to the door. His legs were on fire, but it was better than staying and trying to come up with an excuse.

He reached the chariot and painfully jumped inside. He waved goodbye to the others as they confusingly watched him exit. They didn’t even remember that he was hurt until he reached the chariot and threw himself in it.

“GO GO GO!” He yelled at the colts pulling the chariot.

They just huffed and pretended to not hear him.

‘Real mature.’ Shade said from his mind.

“Please?” Now they nodded and started to walk as they pulled the chariot behind them. He could hear the girls coming outside as they protested about his walking condition. He waved goodbye again as they lifted off. This time though, they actually waved back and he felt he could relax.

When they were out of view, he turned towards the pony sitting next to him. She had a confused look on her face, but Synth was more surprised to see her than to notice that.

“Luna! It’s great to see you.” Synth almost forgot about her social position, but a hoof to his lips reminded him.

“I mean your highness, this is a wonderful night you have made.”

‘Nice save.’

‘Shut it.’

Luna leaned in and whispered into his ear. “Our sister does not yet fully trust our trips away from home. These guards are going to keep track of what is said here. Please be careful with thy word choice for now.” She leaned away and was almost caught as one of the ‘chauffeurs’ turned back to them.

“Is everything alright your highness?” He asked keeping his eyes on Synth.

Luna returned to her normal voice as she replied. “Yes, we are most alright at the moment. Please continue thy duties.” The guard nodded than turned back forward.

“So, your highness… how are you faring? Are you comfortable returning to the throne?” He tried to ask like a noble would, and heard Shade snickering faintly.

“Quite. Our return has brought many good memories back. Although I feel that our sister does not entrust us completely.” She glanced towards the guards and then continued. “But, until our power is restored we will have to oblige.”

Synth wasn’t sure if she wanted the guards to hear that, but they didn’t seem to care.

“Well, that can’t be helped, but I am glad to know she entrusts me to come visit for the week.” Synth was getting really tired of not talking about the situation he wanted to talk about. He was getting uncomfortable and tried to shift positions.

He almost let out a cry of pain, but he closed his mouth before it could come out. Instead it was a soft whimper. Luna saw him though, and she reached towards him.

“Is something the matter? We may be of some assistance.” She still found a way to talk like royalty until she inspected the injuries.

“They’re broken and this one is sprained, we should be able to do something about them.” Luna used her magic and it covered his hooves. They were numbed and Synth didn’t know why until her next words.

“This may feel weird.”

Synth felt his hooves rotating and sliding around. He looked at them and felt the bones begin to meld back together.

“There, they should be fully healed by tomorrow. Until then, you won’t be running very much.”

“Thank you Princess.” Synth looked up to see the castle looming up ahead of them.

“Now we believe we have much to discuss when we enter, so make thyself at home.” Luna said also noticing the approaching castle.
---------------------------
A while ago. Two figures watched in the shadows as they looked for their target.

“There, I see him.”

“Where?”

“Right there, the one with the cloak. He’s limping.”

“I don’t see him. It’s all dark.”

“You’re looking behind us, here let me show you.”

After a few adjustments, the binoculars were lined up for 500 feet and they looked back up towards the street.

“See, he’s limping somewhere, we have to keep track of where he goes.”

“Okay, then what?”

“I don’t know, we need to make sure he doesn’t leave. If he does, then we have to tell boss.”

“Okay, then what?”

“Then boss will tell us to find him. So make sure he doesn’t get away.”

“Okay then what?”

“Just shut up and watch.”

They watched the green cloaked figure limp down the street for a few for steps before pausing and looking in their direction.

“He sees us! Hide!” There was a rustle of leaves and then a sigh.

“We’re too far. There’s no way he can see us. Just watch and- Wait what’s that?”

Behind the green figure came a pink blur that knocked him down. Then quickly put him in a sack and nimbly bounded away.

“Shit, somepony just took him out of view. But he’s still in Ponyville, so we have to keep an eye on the town.”

“Okay, but I need both my eyes for the binoculars. Can I borrow one of yours?”

“Why do I have to deal with this?”
-------------------------------
Now back to the present around the time Synth reached the castle.

“What do you mean something was wrong?” Twilight asked over her dandelion sandwich.

“Well, he was limping when I found him. And he talked to himself before he left.” Pinkie said from the other side of the table with a cupcake about to enter her mouth.

“Did he say something was wrong?” Twilight asked taking another bite from her sandwich. It was the best thing she’d ever tasted considering how hungry she was.

“Synth tried to play it off, but he was hurting bad.” Rainbow said drinking her soft drink to the right of Pinkie.

“And yet, yah found it okay to mess with him?” Applejack said from Twilight’s right. With a mischievous smile creeping on her face.

“Well yeah, his reaction was priceless! I just didn’t know he was hurt at the time. I’m glad he stopped us before we started phase two.” Rainbow said now finishing her soft drink and placing it on the table.

“Stopped you? I thought he was too hurt to fight back?” Twilight asked now almost finishing her sandwich as she took another huge bite.

“Actually, he used his magic. It was a smart idea.” Fluttershy said from Twilight’s left.

“Yes, it was a simply stunning sight to see his coat shine like a Shadow Guard’s armor. It gave me an idea for a future ensemble.” Rarity stated from Pinkie’s left.

“Shadow Guard, wouldn’t it be more of a green color? I mean he uses green magic.” Twilight said now taking a sip of the apple beverage.

“It was different though! His horn went black and green and then his body turned black. His eyes were the only thing that stayed the same. Then when he was sitting down again, he changed back.” Pinkie said really fast that Twilight had to make sure she heard everything correctly.

“That’s interesting. I may have to look up on that. I knew he could do things that I couldn’t, but that sounds like some useful magic.” Twilight said now taking out a notepad and scribbling out a reminder.

“Well enough about that magic stuff, when do you want to give Synth his ticket?” Rainbow said petting her own ticket as it floated near her.

“About that…” Twilight gave a nervous smile as she looked to her friends.

“He told me he didn’t want to go, so I didn’t ask the Princess about giving him a ticket.” She frowned as they gave her a weird look. “What?”

“This here is a once in a lifetime opportunity. How could you not get him a ticket?” Applejack asked.

“He said he didn’t want to go and I thought it was just a boy thing to not want to go.” Twilight said defensively.

“Look at Spike, he didn’t want tah go, and look at him now.” They looked over to Spike who had his own seat at a different table sharing a milkshake with the ticket he was given.

“Okay, so maybe I should have gave him a ticket after all… But it’s too late now. The princess said she could only give out a few for free because they still needed to make a profit.”

“We’ll just have to celebrate the night for him.” Rarity said now smiling. “I’m sure he wouldn’t feel left out.”

“Course not. He’s tougher than that.” Now they continued their chatter as far away, two figures reached their HQ hideout and one stopped to make sure they weren’t followed.

“Go on ahead, I’ll keep watch. Hopefully we weren’t followed.” When his accomplice walked into the building, he walked the perimeter of the building and stopped in front of the window. He noticed the holes in it and was curious.

He walked a little away from them and found trees punctured with sharp tipped darts. Boss must be drunk. There’s no way he could throw a dart this far off target. He turned around and walked back into the direction of the window to see if he could eavesdrop while he waited for his accomplice to finish.
--------------------------------

“Boss!”

Ugh, not him. He was having a perfectly good day. That is until the pounding came on the door.

“What is it? I’m busy here.” He was actually bored the whole day and played darts by himself for most of the morning until he missed and threw his last dart out of his window. He could throw the darts perfectly fine. But the scar on his left eye gave him a significant difficulty at hand eye coordination. Now he was trying to open a very tough box of darts.

“He’s leaving the city in the royal chariot!”

Shit, they finally found him and then he gets escorted out before they can stop him.

“Well find out if he had a home in Ponyville and plant some bugs. He’ll have to come back eventually.” Now the sound of footsteps receding came from the other side of the door.

“Now where was I?” He tried his second attempt to open the new dart box. It was difficult without one eye, but he was trying to rest his horn after the intense dart workout he had earlier. It was harder than he thought to throw darts without throwing them crazily.

The box exploded as the hooves slipped and the darts landed on his lower torso. He pulled them out and frowned at the blood slowly pouring out. He’ll pay for this, with his own blood. Then he bandaged it up and lined up the darts in position to continue his darts game.

He threw his first one and it actually hit the dart board. He smiled at the black spot where he hit the board; it was only a matter of time before he could get the whole one eye thing down. He threw the next one and it went out the window creating another whole in his once perfect glass window.

“Son of a-“ He was stopped as he heard a scream of pain from the outside of the window.

“…Bitch” He groaned as there was a pounding on the door a few seconds later. “Fuck off!”

Author's Notes:

...

Resolve

Resolve

The chariot landed without a sound. The occupants departed as the chariot’s drivers were unhitched and sat down to rest. Synth followed the princess as she led him down a white and gold hallway. Silver pillars on either side displayed the detailed décor of the building. He watched in awe as a doorway twice his size opened to let the two of them enter.

When they walked in, they were on the left side of the throne room and directly across of where they stood now, was another doorway. Luna continued to walk as she nodded in the direction of the guards directly ahead. They saluted before opening the doors and letting the pair pass.

Synth was stunned at the size of the room. It was split in three sections, like a pie would be cut. The section they were standing on was marble, the same as the walls. The section to the left was a balcony ledge that had a white looking stone floor. And to the left was a garden with a small stream that flowed over the edge of the balcony.

Synth was too busy looking at his surroundings, he didn’t notice as Luna closed the doors behind them and sat down to look in the stream. He remembered why he was there and forced himself to look away from the lush and green grass.

“Your highness, what is this room?” Synth asked as he now seated himself a few feet from Luna. He looked into the river and was hit with a feeling of calmness. It was shattered as fast as it came.

‘Of course, we’re finally off the chariot with working hooves, and you choose to sit down and look at water. How ungrateful can you get?’ Shade said with a mocking tone.

‘I’m trying to be polite; I don’t want to be taller than her while we talk.’ Synth responded calmly

‘Because sitting on her flowers is so polite…’ Synth quickly got up to find that there weren’t any flowers even near him.

‘Gotcha’ Shade said a laugh coming out after the word.

“Thou may stop with the formalities; we are alone in this room.” Luna said now looking away from the water and towards Synth.

“Oh yeah, sorry about that Luna. So we can talk freely now?” Synth looked around to make sure there wasn’t anything that could be recording this. He was in the royal castle after all, and there weren’t many security measures taken to check if he was a threat.

“Yes, there are only a few rooms in this castle that are safe, and this place is one of them. We have locked the door as well so that nopony would interrupt us while we chat.” Luna was now smiling and Synth glanced over to the door to find an incredible amount of chains and locks attached to it.

“Wow, I can see that. Any reason why you’re going to um… extreme measures?” Synth realized that while nopony could come in, they couldn’t leave unless Luna opened it with whatever magic key she used to lock it with.

“For one, Tia can be quite stealthy when she chooses to and it’s better safe than sorry. Also, we believe that thou know the answer to thy question.” Luna had a serious look as she talked to Synth.

‘You know?? What about me? I Think I know it too.’ Synth ignored Shade and spoke before he could go on a rant about being a citizen of Equestria.

“Yes, I would like to know… How can I stop Shade? I don’t want to be rid of him, only… overpower him if I may.” Synth couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but Luna was definitely thinking hard about it.

“Perhaps… there is a way. If thou shall clash with Shade again, it would be wise to match his strength. Also, I am sure that thou have witnessed… his powers.” Luna looked at Synth and he just nodded.

‘Actually, I haven’t shown you everything I can do, just what I can do that wouldn’t kill somepony instantly. I can show you everything else if you just-‘

“No! And you can stop asking.” Synth said as Shade drew out some of Synth’s well hidden temper.

“We only asked once. Are thou sure thou have not seen some of his magic potential?” Luna was giving him a confused look and it took Synth a while to realize he said that out loud.

“Oh no, Sorry Luna. I was talking to my… associate…” Synth said adding a little pause before associate.

“We wonder, is this associate’s name Shade perchance?” Her face was a serious one, and Synth didn’t know if she was joking or not.

‘She’s really bright…for a moon.’ Shade laughed at his own joke and Synth ignored him.

“No, it’s asshole. Oh wait, that’s just what I call him, my bad.” Synth joked and they shared a friendly laugh.

‘That wasn’t funny, get some new material.’ Shade complained after they finished their laugh.

‘Get a new face.’ Synth didn’t realize how bad that sounded until he heard Shade’s laughter.

‘Did you just-‘

‘Shut up, I forgot.’ Synth tried to focus his thoughts back to Luna as he drowned out Shade’s laughter.

“Well, no matter. We believe we may have a solution to thy dilemma.” Luna pulled out a book and hoofed it to him. He grabbed it and opened to the first bookmarked page. It had a blue sticky note attached to the corner.

Synth read the heading and then a few lines before looking at the title of the book for the first time. “Um, Luna… this book is all about the Everfree Forest…” Luna frowned and looked back at the book.

“Do thou not understand? Where did Shade first appear? The forest. We brought him to life, but he manifested on the Forest’s powers. In an essence, he is a child of that damned forest.” Luna calmed herself before speaking.

“We are sorry, remembering that night is not always easy…” Luna avoided his gaze, and Synth didn’t speak either. She looked up to find him reading the book quickly.

“This is interesting and all, but how does this help me get stronger than Shade?” Synth looked up from the book to see Luna frowning again.

“Hm, what page art thou reading?” Luna couldn’t tell what he was looking at, but she had a good idea…

“Page sixty-nine why?” Synth heard Luna sigh and mumble something.

“Turn to ninety-one,” Luna said before whispering the next part. Synth heard it, “I’ve got to stop leaving the books around for Tia to find…”

Synth turned to the page and recognition dawned on him. “Oh, this makes more sense now.” He was staring at a page with MAGIC as the header. After that, it explained the spells that could be learned regarding the Everfree Forest.

“So, I’m going to be learning how to do all of these?” Synth turned the next few pages to find that the spells were in alphabetical order and the A’s themselves took up two pages.

“No, we will be focusing on the spells that Shade possesses, and then we will progress further. Could thou explain what magic he’s used before?” Luna was looking over his shoulder as Synth pointed out the matches.

“Coating- Endurance: Creates a thick skin in any part of the body. Can create an impenetrable armor. Used to take hits or deal out massive damage.” He turned toward Luna, “He used that today to survive a …very long drop.”
‘Maybe if you didn’t fall over the edge, I wouldn’t have had to do it…’ Shade replied.

“Thou… let him take control?” Luna gasped at this and Synth shook his head.

“He had extra magic and if he didn’t let it go somehow, he could have rampaged…” Luna nodded and looked back at the book.

“What about that one?”

“Coating- Traction: Enables user to lower or increase traction in any part of the body. Used to gain speed or avoid collisions.” Synth finished reciting it out loud and then looked at Luna. “That’s what he used to be faster than me…”

‘In all fairness, I still would have been faster than you without it. I just wanted some fun…’

“Those both sound like they would be tough to master. It would be best if thou saved them for last.” Luna looked at the next page and Synth saw something.

“Environmental Takeover: Changes the landscape to reflect the owner’s desires. Used to catch enemy off guard. Reverts back depending on amount of magic used.” Synth recalled how his battle with Shade started.

“He turned the floor into grass and we both had home advantage…”

‘But I still won…’

‘Just stay quiet for once.’ Synth was starting to get annoyed of the voice interrupting to add his two cents.

“That sounds pretty advanced as well, Shade must be very powerful to exhibit mastery of all three.” At this point, Synth found a spell that caught his eye.

“Form- Recreation: Allows for the change of both property and appearance of organic substances. Can be used for inconvenience or confusion of the enemy.” Synth undid the pouch on his legs.

“He made this, and it took a lot out of him.” Synth handed it to Luna and she inspected it. She handed it back nodding.

“Finely crafted, I applaud his attention to detail. Although it must be another advanced spell if he had trouble with it…” She looked back at the book and marked two more spells.

‘Why aren’t you stomping then? I don’t like being led on…’ Shade grumpily said.

‘Just be glad she liked it…’ Synth looked over to see what she’d marked.

“Night Eye? Hidden Shadows? Why those two?” Synth read the descriptions and could find nothing about them that resembled anything Shade did.

“Thou have only been searching for spells pertaining combat, but until the time comes, thou should focus on increasing all of thy abilities. These should increase thy usefulness in non-combat situations as well as prove to be good starters for your magic training.”

“Um, I guess it’s alright. But which ones should I learn first? I can’t learn them all in the week…” Synth remembered how long it took before he learned the spell to move grass. It was the first one he learned, even before he learned the basic telekinesis spell every unicorn knew.

He was the last in his class to learn telekinesis, but the first to be able to cast any spell whatsoever. Luna didn’t seem fazed by his worries though.

“We do not expect thou to master every spell in the week. Work on one spell during the day, and then in the night show us your progress. Do this for the six spells every day, and then when thou return to Ponyville, continue thy training.” Luna walked towards the door and kicked it.

From the other side, a muffled group of ‘colorful’ words came out. “Really sister, I thought better of you.” She turned away as Celestia replied on the other side.

“I’m sorry sister, I’ve just been bored lately. I’ve been trying to keep myself occupied all day.” It was muffled, but it was definitely Celestia.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping sister? The day has now ended.” Luna replied now looking over the balcony edge towards the city below.

“Oh alright, just please feed Philomena at two. She had a late lunch today.” With that, it grew quiet.

“Philomena?” Synth asked as he closed the book and sat down in the grass again.

“That is her pet phoenix. It has been by her side for many years now. We had always wanted a pet of our own, but there is nothing we find that interests us that will live long enough.” She looked a little sad, and Synth realized that a pet didn’t sound like a bad thing.

“Yeah, now that I think about it, I’ll probably ask Fluttershy for a new pet. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for an immortal creature of the night though.” Synth found Luna smiling at him.

“Thy intentions are good and thy heart is pure. Do not let Shade take that away from thee.” Luna walked back to the door and unlocked the locks using at least twelve magical keys.

“We will see thee tomorrow night. Until then, goodbye.” Luna let him walk out and Synth turned back quickly realizing something.

“Where will I be staying? Should I go into town and find my old house?” Synth asked remembering that if he needed to, he still had a home in the center of the city.

“Oh no, we have prepared a room for your week stay. It is on the third floor, and you should figure out which one is yours. Left Wing of the castle, make sure to study for tomorrow night.” She tossed him the book and then shut the door as he exited. He found that he didn’t even know where the stairs were, let alone the Left Wing.

He went to ask the guards, but noticed the stairs in the corner of the room. He slowly walked over to them as he felt the stares of the guards on him the whole time. He started to go up the stairs and noticed about half way that there were only four floors in this tower.

He reached the third floor and looked around after a few minutes of walking by the wooden doors; he couldn’t tell which one was his. He turned another corner and his eyes went wide, as the view in front of him shone on him like sunlight. He took a few steps up to the door, and slowly opened it.

The doorway was covered in vines and the carpet leading up to the door was a grass path. When he looked inside, the whole room was like a jungle. It all seemed so real. He noticed the king sized bed in the middle with a well camouflaged dresser next to it. On the left of it, there was a doorway leading to the restroom.

He prepared himself to sleep the whole time gaping at the room around him. Grass floor with flowers and a wall that looked straight out of a temple ruin. He was glad he didn’t get lost on the way to find this. He quickly put his cloak on the dresser and turned out the lights. He moved his necklace and book to the top of the dresser on top of his cloak. He got in the bed slowly and got himself comfortable.

It was soft and had a smooth texture to the blanket. He quickly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
------------

The door appeared in front of the green coated colt. Turning around, he noticed another door directly behind him. It was open, and there was a red trail leading from it. It stopped under his hooves, but he didn’t know why. Turning back, the door from before had turned into two separate doors. On the left was an open door with darkness behind it. On the right was a closed door with light spilling out from underneath.

He took a step towards the closed door and it slowly opened, he took another and it continued to open. Now he looked at the other door and noticed it was closing. He didn’t know what would happen, but it seemed like the best idea he could come up with.

He walked to the area in between both doors and found that they were both equally open. He sat down to make up his mind and suddenly both doors closed and the light from the right one receded back under.

Quickly standing up, he walked up to the one on the left and found he couldn’t open it. He tried the other one and found it was locked as well. Turning around, he saw the door behind him silhouetted a figure his size. It pointed a hoof at him and then moved it across his neck.

The green colt slowly backed up as the figure came closer and lifted his hoof to strike. He closed his eyes and found it never came. In its place he opened them to find rolling hills and a stream crossing the land. He stood up and looked to the tree he had been leaning on. Directly behind it was a red sand desert.

Red sand… thought the green colt as he got a closer look. Now he noticed that what he thought was rocks were really bodies of suited royal pony guards. The red color was their blood spread out over the grass. He was the only one alive as he backed away, fear entering his body. He tripped and fell into the stream and pulled himself out quickly. He would have run, if not for the glimpse of a reflection he had in the stream.

He stopped and looked back into it. It was still clearing itself from his sudden fall into it, but he could tell there was something wrong. His eyes were the same color, but the scars around his eyes and the dried blood on his chin sent chills down his spine. The blood wasn’t his; that much he could tell.

He couldn’t stop himself from looking over the rest of himself. It looked the same, but there was something off. It was his cutie mark, it was different. The normal purple looking thorned rose was longer and curved with shades of red on the thorns. He jumped back and tripped over a rock rolling down the peaceful hills leaving a blood trail as he went.

Suddenly he came to a stop and looked into the dark sky as he looked at an array of stars. He looked back around to find the sunny day was now dark and gloomy, with a dark colored colt holding a sword to his throat. Synth could tell he looked familiar, but couldn’t point it out. He could hear him sing softly from the distance between them.
“When the sun goes down… the stars come out… like the ghosts of yesterday.” Suddenly he lunged forward and Synth tried to jump to the side.
------------

Synth rolled over and fell onto the floor landing on his face. He paused to recollect himself from the nightmare. ”Ugh, what time is it?”

‘Time for you to get a watch,’ Shade responded as usual from his vantage point in Synth’s head.

“Leave me alone, I just had a bad dream…” Synth slowly lifted himself from the grass floor and lied back onto the bed.

‘I could see that. It was very weird, even I couldn’t tell what that was about.’ Synth responded.

“Wait, you saw that? I thought Luna stopped you from seeing my dreams.”

‘She got lazy, she doesn’t let me change them but I can still see them. I’ve seen two dreams of yours and only one of those was actually interesting.’

Synth tried to recall what the dream before that was. He couldn’t remember but it wasn’t a nightmare that’s for sure. “What was the other one? I don’t really remember those kinds of things very clearly…”

‘It was about cupcakes, lots and lots of cupcakes. I think you should get that checked out.’ Shade said.

“I really shouldn’t eat cupcakes for dinner… But it was so good…” Synth fantasized about the cupcake Pinkie gave him two days ago.

‘Why don’t you go see if they have any cupcakes downstairs. You are missing lunch after all.’

“Wait, lunch? How long was I asleep?” Synth sat up and looked out the window.

‘About twelve hours…I don’t think that’s very healthy…’

“What do you mean? More sleep the better…”

‘I mean talking to yourself.’

Synth looked around to make sure nopony was listening to the conversation. He made sure the coast was clear before shaking his head. “’I’ve gotta-“Synth hit his forehead with his hoof.

‘I’ve gotta stop doing that. I’m going to develop schizophrenia soon…’ Synth said correcting his earlier mistake.

‘I’ll add that to the list of disorders you have, including insomnia and retardedness.’ Shade replied not even trying to hide his chuckle.

‘Ha-ha, that’s very funny… insomnia?’ Synth looked out the window now, getting a guess on what time it was using the sun.

‘Yesterday you slept about seven hours and now you slept fourteen. That’s not normal, unless you count Rainbow’s naps…’ Synth smiled at Shade’s humor.

‘Well, I guess I was more tired than I thought. Next time, I’ll make sure not to have a nightmare so I can wake up early.’ Synth put the necklace around his neck and made sure it was clean.

He reached over to get his cloak and realized he couldn’t find it. He looked around a few minutes until he gave up.

‘I did put the cloak right here right?’ Synth gestured towards the dresser where he put the cloak the night before.

‘Yeah, you put it there…’ Shade said with something entering his tone.

‘Do you know what happened to it?’ Synth had a feeling Shade was responsible for the missing cloak.

‘Yes…’ Synth heard his voice get a little softer as he spoke.

‘I may have, upgraded it for you…’ Shade continued hoping he wouldn’t ask how.

‘How?’ Synth asked.

‘Shit…I may have leaked some magic out while you were sleeping…’ Shade prepared himself for a verbal assault, but none came.

‘Okay, then where is it now?’ Synth looked back around for anything out of place, but nothing stuck out.

‘Where you left it.’ Shade responded glad he didn’t care that he used his magic with permission.

Synth turned towards the dresser and could only see the green vines that covered it and blended it with the floor. He reached out to move them aside, when he hit a soft fabric.

‘No way…’ Synth pulled and the vines moved with the fabric as he put the new cloak to the light. It was a light green with a vine decoration on it. It was completely smooth like it was before, but it looked like real vines covered it. He looked on the inside to find a floral pattern with a darker green background in it.

‘Like it? I thought it would show that I’m…not all bad.’ Shade had a very long pause before continuing. ‘I want a chance to prove myself…’

Synth was taken aback, not by the statement, but how he felt that Shade meant it. It still didn’t change what he’d done before, but it was a start.

‘I don’t think I can trust you, and I’m pretty sure I never will… But, thanks. This was my dad’s so I always wore it. It became part of me somehow, and now it feels like it just got better.’ Synth was smiling again at the cloak as he twirled it in his magic, until he noticed something on the collar.

‘Enough of the life stories, I already know all of that. I just wanted to ask… for a truce,’ Shade went quiet and Synth was once again surprised by his words.

‘Truce? What do you mean?’ Synth responded as he pulled the cloak over to look at the collar.

‘Until you leave this castle, I won’t have any fun because you’ll always be watched. So, if you’ll let me join in on your ‘training’ then how about I agree to not cause any harm? Think of this like those deals you made when we first met.’ Shade said as Synth read the words on the collar of the cloak.

‘Sure, but remember any time I think you’re going overboard, I’ll stop you… but that reminds me, those deals we made before in the forest, how did you know those things?’ Synth started putting on the cloak with a smile on his face.

‘Luna… but I’ll tell you the details later. Right now, you’re so hungry that I’m feeling it too…’

‘Oh right, I guess it is pretty late.’ Synth walked over to the door and pulled it open. He took a step out and stepped in something wet. He looked down to find a tray with a bowl of cereal and other foods on it.

‘I guess they didn’t want me to miss breakfast…’ Synth pulled out his hoof and levitated the tray into his room, closing the door as he turned away. He placed the tray on the dresser and jumped on his bed.

‘You’re going to eat breakfast in bed… during lunch…why haven’t you thought about this before?’ Shade said.

Synth was too busy eating his waffles to notice, but when he took a bite of cereal, he found it was awful. He spit it out and started to wipe his tongue with a napkin.

‘That tasted like hoof… oh…’ Synth looked back to the cereal and pushed it to the corner of the tray of food.

‘I wonder why…’ Shade said sarcastically and Synth once again found himself ignoring him.

Synth grabbed an apple and devoured it quickly. He ate his strawberry pop tarts and drank his orange juice to finish the meal. He used his magic to slide the tray under the door, eliciting a groan from Shade.

‘You are getting really lazy. Don’t you want to at least go downstairs and walk off the meal? Or say hello to the princesses? I’m sure Celestia would have a lot to talk about…’ Shade said watching as Synth patted his stomach and burped.

‘Royalty sure know how to eat their breakfast… and I need to study remember? I already used up a lot of time sleeping, now where did I put the book…’ He looked towards the dresser and found it void of literature.

‘Oh, I didn’t want it to be effected when I changed the cloak so I moved the necklace and book onto the floor. I guess I didn’t put the book back,’ Shade said and Synth looked around the floor. He noticed the corner of the book peeking out from under the bed.

He levitated it out and turned the book to the page on F’s he scanned through and found what he was looking for. ‘Form- Recreation, is that what you used on the cloak?’

‘Yeah, I guess so. I never really called them by names though, I just did it.’ Shade said looking through the page as Synth did.

‘Wait, what’s this…? Form- Summoning, sounds like fun.’ Shade said looking at the words. Synth read the rest of the paragraph.

‘Summons a beast in the form of an inhabitant of the Everfree Forest. The user’s familiarness with the spell will determine the strength of the beast while the ability of the user will decide the duration and stability of the beast. If not controlled properly, the beast can go rampant and no longer follow the user’s requests.’ Synth shook his head.

‘Why not? You get six spells to try out, and I only want this one…’ If Shade could pout, he would have.

‘You can’t control it, if it wasn’t for that fact, then it wouldn’t be a big deal.’ Synth was already turning the book to find the first spell he’d try out.

‘I can do it, just give me a chance. Otherwise your life motto will get you…’ Shade said.

‘What life motto?’ Synth was sure of what he’d say, and his mouth had a smile tugging on it.

‘Karma’s a bitch,’ Shade said and chuckled. ‘It explains your life perfectly…’

Synth chuckled as well fully expecting it considering Shade had it engraved into his cloak collar. ‘I guess it does. You know what… I’ll let you try it out. Just try not to summon a Manticore, that’s like three different creatures …’

‘I’ll start with something small, I don’t even know if I’m capable of summoning a Timberwolf, much less a Manticore.’ Synth let his magic fade away and was once again filled with warmth in his head.

His horn glowed with energy and blasted the area in front of him. The room was filled with a light smoke and there was a small poof. In front of Synth was a small rabbit that was jumping up and down.

A high pitched voice sounded in the room. “It worked, it worked! I made another you!” The bunny stopped jumping and looked at its paws. It looked back up at Synth and then started stomping the ground.

“What the fuck? Why am I a rabbit?” Synth burst out laughing and had to hold his sides for fear of laughing to death. He was rudely interrupted by a kick to the face. It was like being hit by a paper ball. He laughed even harder as the rabbit continued its furious assault.

“Don’t laugh! I guess I just need some more practice…” he walked away and Synth sat himself up holding back further laughter.

“It’s… a start…” Synth felt his magic returning to his head and a warmth travel to the back of his mind. “So, are you stuck as a rabbit?” Synth reached over and picked him up by the ears.

“Ow, no. I just decided that instead of trying to control it from a different mind, I could send some of my mind with it. I guess I used up too much magic though, because when I used the spell I passed out in your head.” Shade was trying to get Synth to release his grip on his eyes by swinging blindly to no avail.

“Oh, so now there are two of you…” Synth put him down and frowned.

“No, I can only be this… rabbit, until the magic wears off…but until then, I guess you could say there’s two of us. And technically, this helps me maintain control of the spell.” The rabbit smiled and Synth was about to die of adorableness, until he punched him in the face.

“Ow! What was that for?” he recoiled, the impact was on his nose and it surprised him.

“For treating me like, well a rabbit.” He turned away and hopped towards the book on the ground.

“Well you look like one and you act like one… What should I name you?” Synth received a glare from the rabbit that made him want to laugh again.

“How about you shut up and start your magic practice…” Shade threw the book into Synth’s face and sat down crossing his arms.

“Okay, okay little devil.’ He turned to the N’s section. He found it and concentrated his magic to his horn. Then he let it spread to his face and cast the spell. He closed his eyes as he felt them changing. When he opened them, he was hit by a piercing light.

“Ahh! It hurts!” Synth closed his eyes quickly and in a few seconds, he felt them returning to normal.

“What? Did you use too much magic? I think it’s more of numbness than a pain…” Shade was watching his actions as he covered his face.

“No, I just forgot something…” Synth was wiping his eyes as he opened them again and looked around.

“What? That you aren’t good at casting magic, or are you developing Alzheimer’s disease now? I think you’re getting old…” Shade hopped up to the bed and sat down in the more comfortable seat.

“No, I just need to turn off the lights.” Synth said as he walked towards the wall where the lights were.

“Wait, did you just…Oh. My. God. You idiot…” Shade laughed very high-pitched and squeaked a few times as he kicked his legs in the air laughing at Synth.

“Shut up, I didn’t think it would do that…” Synth found the light switch and flipped it. The room was darkened and Synth used his magic to close the curtains on the window. It was really dark now, but there was a light streaking through the curtains still.

Synth recast the spell and found it went smoother than last time. The whole room was now a green and he could see everything clearly. He turned towards Shade and found his body was a yellow and orange blob. It was like a night vision mixed with an infrared vision.

“This is totally awesome, I can’t wait to-“Synth saw the rabbit jump from the bed and pull aside the curtains bringing pain into his eyes instantly.

“Ahh!” Synth covered his eyes and just as he did, they reverted back to normal ones. He stood up and blinked his eyes a few times. “What was that for?”

“Well, I can’t do it right now, my mind is unconscious and it needs to rest before I cast another spell. I thought this was the next best thing.” Shade hopped out of the way as Synth threw the book at him.

“Okay, I might have deserved that. But the book didn’t…” Shade picked up the book and brought it back to Synth and he sighed.

“Well, close the curtains I need to keep practicing for later tonight. But I could use a rest, my eyes hurt for some unknown reason…” Synth said rubbing his eyes.

“Well you’re not the only one; I can’t feel anything inside of your head, this spell needs to be fixed. Or you need to let me rest without you using your magic…” Almost as if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

“Synth, are thou awake? We heard screaming and assumed the worst.” Luna’s voice called out from the other side.

“It’s alright Luna, I just had a nightmare. I’m okay now,” Synth replied.

“Oh we are sorry; our sister left us much paperwork last night. We could not fulfill all of our duties lately.” Luna said.

“It’s alright Luna, it wasn’t a big deal. You should focus on your own work, I can take care of myself for now… and shouldn’t you be sleeping? It’s like noon…” Synth said.

“Well, we just finished our paperwork. Our next destination was our sleeping quarters but we heard thy screaming and came over.” Luna said and Synth heard her yawn.

“Well have a good sleep Luna; I’ll see you later tonight.” With that, he heard her shuffle away and he sighed.

There was another knock on the door and he turned back to it. “Yes?”

“You missed lunch sir; we brought some leftovers for you to eat in your room.” The voice was light but had a thick accent. It sounded like a Prance accent.

“Okay, I’m busy now, but leave it at the door... please.” Synth said remembering his manners at the last second.

“Yes sir.” He heard a clink as the tray was placed in place of the already eaten tray of breakfast.

After a few seconds to let the pony get far enough away, he opened the door and levitated the tray inside. Placing it on the bed, he got a sigh from the rabbit.

“Pig, you just ate. All that’ll do is- carrot!” Shade crossed the distance in one long bunny hop and landed on the tray, taking the carrots and running into a corner of the room to nibble on them.

“Now who’s the pig?” Synth laughed as Shade stopped his eating to give him a ‘menacing’ glare, for a rabbit. Then he took a big bite of the carrot.

“Eh, Shut up Doc.” He said striking a pose as he said this.

“Okay, I guess we all have our faults.” He turned to the food and started shoving the fruit salad into his mouth.

“Hm, interesting.” Synth looked up from eating to look at Shade.

“What?” He asked while Shade continued to stare and only taking small bites of the carrot.

“Oh, it’s just that I noticed a few of your traits… acedia, avaricia, and gula just now… You’ve changed a lot since I met you.” Shade turned back to his eating and Synth’s mouth opened but no words came out for a few seconds.

“W-What?” Synth was confused, he hadn’t heard those words before and they didn’t sound like very good traits.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not important… maybe,” Shade said finishing his carrots.

Synth would have responded if not for the knock on the door. “Um, yes?”

“Sir, we have been informed to assist you in your magic practice. Orders of the princess herself” The voice was official and emotionless.

“Okay, give me a second.” Synth forced most of the food into his mouth and tossed some celery to Shade who ate it hungrily.

“These taste so good while I’m a rabbit…” Synth heard Shade say in between bites.

Synth swallowed the food in his mouth and gulped down the rest of the glass of apple juice before walking to the door. He opened it slowly and found himself facing six guards, three dawn and three shadow guards.

“Sir, are you alright?” asked one of the dawn guards while two of the shadow guards smiled awkwardly.

“Yeah why?” Synth opened it the rest of the way and stepped out.

“Well…how do I put this?” The dawn guard turned towards the other dawn guards and they just nodded, their faces staying stern.

“Is there something in my teeth?”Synth moved his hoof to his face and the dawn guard stopped him. He pulled out a mirror and Synth looked in it and blushed. His face was covered in a variety of fruit pieces and small leaves of lettuce.

“Oh, give me a second…” Synth stepped back in the room and shut the door before hearing their reply. He turned to the restroom and quickly ran in. He splashed water on his face and used one of the towels to make sure his face was clean. For good measure, he wet his mane and combed it back to the style it was before.

Synth walked back to the room and opened the door. The guards stopped what they were talking about as he reappeared. “There, all better now.” Synth said.

“Um ok, sir. Where do you want to practice your training?” The dawn guard asked, his face turning back to a stern one.

“Uh, how about the Royal Gardens? I think that’ll be a good spot.” Synth said responded.

“Okay, we’ll see you there in ten minutes. It’ll give you time to… never mind five minutes.” The guard turned around and he heard some snickers from the shadow guards but the dawn guards walked away quickly.

“O..kay” Synth closed the door and looked towards Shade. Who was eating everything that Synth couldn’t fit in his mouth.

“You could have said something…” Synth asked the hungry bunny.

“I’m sorry, but what would the guards think if I talked?” He pointed a large cookie in his direction before taking a large bite.

“I meant about how I looked.” Synth said, sad to see the food was nearly gone.

“Well then, you look pretty bad, happy?” Shade replied as he finished his cookie.

“Anyways… You coming or what?” Synth grabbed the book and placed it on the dresser.

“Yeah, but I hope I wake up in your head soon. I don’t want to stay quiet while you do…whatever it is you’re going to.” Shade jumped off the bed and walked towards the door.

“Wait, how am I going to explain a new rabbit coming out of nowhere?” Synth thought about this but Shade wasn’t listening. He opened the door and Synth ran to stop him. When Synth stepped out though, a shadow guard was standing there holding Shade by his ears.

“Well, I guess this little guy belongs to you…” He handed Synth the rabbit, who managed to get two hits to Synth’s face before he lifted him out of reach.

“Yeah, he’s mine alright…” Synth gave him a look and he stopped resisting, and crossed his arms.

“Ah, he looks like a handful. I have a pet back home that can be like that sometimes. You just have to show them who’s the boss.” The shadow guard petted his head to which Shade gave a growl.

“Well, anyways. Name’s Silver. You’re Synth right?” The guard asked to which Synth nodded and he saluted.

“I’m here to escort you to the Royal Gardens sir, Celestia’s request.” He stiffened up, but Synth shook his head.

“You don’t have to be so formal about it, I’m only here for the week.” Synth followed Silver as he started walking towards the stairs.

“Actually…don’t tell anyone, but us Shadow Guards are new here and the Dawn Guards have been making sure we do everything exact.” Silver looked around but the only thing close by were the stairs.

Synth looked down the stairs and groaned. “I know right? I hate it when ponies abuse their power…” Silver looked back to Synth smiling.

‘Did you just accidentally make a friend? How does that happen?’ Shade said from inside Synth’s head.

Synth continued walking down the steps but they seemed to never end.

‘Welcome back Asshole.’ Synth thought and received a kick from the rabbit Shade on his back.

“Hey, I finally rest up enough and that’s all you can say? I should trip you down the stairs…” The rabbit jumped off his back and reached out with his foot.

“Wait-“ Synth felt the foot stop his hooves momentum and his body fell forward. The stairs were like cheese graters as his body slid and bounced on nearly every one. He finally stopped after what felt like forever, and faced the ceiling above.

‘Karma…’ Shade said and then laughed.

‘is a bitch, I get it…” Synth groaned as he picked himself up slowly. He heard a shout from Silver as he was getting up.

“Hey, you okay?” Silver called after him. He was running quickly down the steps with Shade hopping down behind him.

“I’m just… fine.” Synth got up to find a few cuts on his hooves and bruises starting to form on the rest of him. “I’m gonna feel this tomorrow…”

“Here, let me help,” Silver reached the bottom and his horn started glowing. The magic surrounded Synth and then entered his body. His pain was relieved instantly.

“Oh wow, thanks Silver.” Synth stretched his limbs and found them completely restored.

“Well, it’s my duty to heal you during your training. I need to be efficient about it.” Silver looked at the rabbit happily hopping down the stairs. “But I’d keep a close eye on this guy…”

“Oh, I will. But I’m sure he’s sorry…”

‘I’m not… you deserved it.’

‘All I did was call you an asshole. You could have seriously injured me,’ Synth responded.

‘Well when you put it like that…’ Shade said, jumping on Synth’s back.

‘There’s no way you could put it to make it sound better…’ Synth said to end the conversation.

“So, how about I tell you about the others while we walk?” Silver continued as he led them towards the exit doors.

“Sure, go ahead,” Synth said.

“Well, of the Shadow guards, there’s Split, Slash and me. Split is going to be using his night powers for your training, and Slash will be checking your progress and making sure things go… smoothly.” Silver looked around again but there wasn’t anything Synth could see. “Not much to say about Split, but he’s a lot like Luna. He can move and bend the shadows to do what he wants. It’s also useful that he can do Night Eye. It’ll help us keep an eye on the situation.”

“The dawn guards are Comet, Nova, and Streak. Comet is a lieutenant, and he’s in charge of the trio. Nova and Streak are supposed to be the closest thing he has to friends, and they are wicked strong. I kind of feel sorry for you, but I’m sure they won’t go…too hard on you. Watch out, they might not look like it, but Nova is a seriously powerful Unicorn. He knows a lot of support spells, and it only makes the other two that much stronger…” He looked around and Synth thought of his next question.

“So, who’s in charge of you Shadow guards?” Synth noticed that he smiled.

“Well, we all are. Luna said that there doesn’t need to be ranks because it’s all about trust and teamwork. But I guess I have the most say considering I’m older than them.” He opened the door and held it open for Synth and Shade.

Synth walked through and then walked back in to get Shade who was waiting at the doorway. He carried him out by his ears and set him down outside.

‘What was that for?’ Synth asked curious of his intentions.

‘I wanted to see how long he’d keep it open.’ Shade sighed and looked up towards the gardens in front of them.

“Well, it’s about time. We said five minutes and it’s been six. We’re already behind schedule.” Comet said as he pointed toward the clock directly above the doorway.

“Sorry about that, my little associate here was being difficult.” Synth motioned to Shade who blew a raspberry at him.

‘You’re so immature…’ Synth said.

‘Thanks, I try.’ Shade said now jumping onto his back.

“Well, we must hurry. Which spell would you like to train? We have a specific training course for all six but only enough time for one a day.” Comet explained.

“Night Eye, I think that’s what it’s called.” Synth recalled from memory the spell he tried earlier.

“Good, get the easy stuff out of the way first. We’ll get prepared; you three brief him on the details. We’ll start on my signal.” With that, Comet teleported the three dawn guards away and Synth saw the Shadow guards visibly relax.

“Okay, we have to make this quick…” Silver took a long breath and pointed at the unicorn shadow guard next to him. He had the same look as most of the shadow guards, but his mane had a blue stripe in it.

“Split will keep these gardens dark, and help hide me and Slash from being seen. You need to use the spell to find and locate their hidden Intel location. How you do that is up to you, but without that spell, it’ll be difficult. The three Dawn Guards will be protecting it, and will use force. Don’t die.” Silver now pointed at the Pegasus shadow guard next to him. He had a Yellow stripe in his mane where Split had his.

“Slash will be your referee, he’ll check your progress and make sure that both teams play fair.” He moved his hoof to himself. “I’ll be the medic. When you’re too hurt to continue, call out Medic and I’ll pull you out to heal you. Every time I do though, you have to start over because they’ll move the Intel spot to a different place.” Silver started panting. Synth realized he had a red stripe in his mane where the others did. “I’ll make the field like a maze after we start, so that it’s not too wide open.” He turned to Synth with a worried expression.

“Got it? It’s a guard’s training game, that Luna changed into a practice course. They will try to hurt you though, and you can do the same. Remember though, they are the only things stopping you from getting that Intel.” Silver looked up to the sky and Synth turned to look too.

The red blast in the air exploded as a firework. “Good luck.” Synth heard Split say as his vision darkened. He noticed Split’s horn was lit up and he was lifting the three of them in a blackish cloud. Shade was waving goodbye as he was also lifted. They blended into the darkness and Synth could no longer see them. The sky above shifted in the darkness as the crack of thunder initiated the start of the game.

‘So, an Environmental Takeover? I guess I know who’ll be teaching me that later…’ Synth said as he charged forward casting his Night Eye spell and plunging into the new warzone.
------------

Run. That was all he could think of as a magic blast was sent his direction. It hit the bush next to him and for a second the area was brightened. It extinguished quickly though, and Synth was once again plunged into the darkness. He turned and ran into a bush. He made himself comfortable and looked out into the darkened path.

“Can’t hide, I’ll find you eventually.” Synth heard a few feet away. It was a dangerously close voice, and it seemed to be getting closer.

“Gotcha,” He briefly used the spell and came face to face with the yellow faced Nova who charged a spell from less than a foot away. He immediately canceled the spell as fear consumed him. From close up, that would do more than just sting.

Synth jumped out of the bushes and ran in the other direction. He collided with a rock. When he reactivated the Night vision, it was actually Streak who lifted him up and then opened his wings and flew up a few feet before dive-bombing at the ground. The spell wore off and Synth’s life flashed before his eyes, until he suddenly stopped and was back on the ground unharmed.

“Hey, what was that about?” Synth activated his spell again to see two shapes standing in front of him. What he heard was Streak’s voice.

“That’s against the rules. Magic practice or not, wings aren’t allowed to be used for aerial strikes or surveillance advantages.” He heard Slash’s voice as he seemed to recite that from memory.

“Buzz kill, it would have taught him not to run. I mean it was all in good fun…” He saw one of the shapes fly away and Synth stood up.

“Yo, Synth. That was a rule break, so you get a free healing. That means you can call Medic and they can’t change the location of their Intel. But you can only do it once, so don’t waste it.” Synth’s night vision faded as he saw Slash fly back up towards the sky.

“I won’t…” Synth made sure he was okay before returning to his aimless wandering.
------------

“Rule Break, should have seen it coming… This is Comet we’re talking about…” Slash returned to his vantage point above the gardens.

“Well, no pony’s ever beaten him before. Even when the roles were reversed, he managed to get the fastest time in the class. That’s what Luna told me before she assigned this game.” Split responded form his position in the dark fog.

“Still, he has enough trouble with backtracking that they don’t even have to move and he’ll never find the Intel. Look, he just went down that path again.” Slash pointed at the path that Synth was now cautiously walking down. “He’s not even close to any of the others… What do you think Silver?”

The pair now looked towards the older colt that was looking at the battlefield curiously. “Hmm, that’s strange…” Silver said raising a hoof and pointing.

“What? He’s probably not even using the spell, by the looks of it…” Split said lazily as his horn lit up briefly, sending an extra surge towards the darkness around them.

“No, look at how Comet has the area covered… there’s too many openings, and those three aren’t even covering the entire west side…” He put his hoof to his forehead thinking.

“Yeah well, he probably thinks he’ll never get that close. That’s what I’d do…”Slash said and then blinked a few times. “Wait, he’s using the spell again. It doesn’t look very stable, maybe about thirty seconds at the most.” Slash wrote this down as Split levitated him a notepad.

“I still don’t get how you can do that…” Split said putting the notepad down after Slash finished writing.

“You just put the pencil in your mouth and then- “ Slash saw Split’s glare and stopped. “Okay… well whenever he uses his magic, energy gets sent out. It’s the same kind of magical energy Pegasus use to make weather. I can see that and tell how much is being used. That’s why Luna picked me for this.” He looked over to the Rabbit next to him.

“Isn’t that right?” He started to scratch its head, but it slapped away his hoof and sucker punched him. “Ow! What was that for?” He looked over to see the rabbit shrug his shoulders.

“He’s probably cranky because he can’t see. Let me fix that…” There was another surge of energy and instantly the rabbit’s attitude changed. He sat down and looked over the scene in awe. “See, that’s all he needed.”

“Hey guys, I just thought of something…” They both turned to see Silver pointing down gardens. “What would happen if you went down the East path… and stayed on that path?” They did a simulation in their head, and shook their heads.

“Wouldn’t work, the three of them are on the east side and they only go west one at a time.” Split said showing how Nova had taken over for Comet on the West side and the East had two guards.

“That’s just it, they are too focused on the west side, that if Synth went just on the edge of the east path, he would only need to wait for Comet to take his shift and then it’ll be over.” The two now reexamined his tactic and nodded.

“Wow, that’s brilliant. We would always go either straight down the line, or on the west. Nopony ever thought about going east…too bad we can’t tell him that, it’s against the rules…” The trio now just watched in silence, but the rabbit was rubbing his paws together.
------------

‘Now go left.’

‘My left or your left?’

‘It’s the same…’
‘Oh…’ Synth responded still confused as to how Shade could see in this darkness.
‘Use your magic again…’ Shade said as he saw Synth almost run into a statue.
‘Okay.’ Shade heard a few scribbling on his right and turned to see Slash writing it down.
Perfect, as long as Shade had Synth using his magic every now and then, and taking dead ends and backtracking on occasion. Shade was guiding him across the now bright path he was seeing. He was getting comments from the three guards, but they seemed to be cheering him on.
Everyone was going to benefit from this exercise… that is everyone except for the Dawn Guards. They were now unaware of the green colt about to breach their second line of defense.

‘So, I go through here?’ Shade heard him say as he squeezed through a hole in the bush barely avoiding Nova as he walked into that spot right after.

‘Good. It should be just straight ahead now…’ Shade smiled at the direction he sent Synth. This was going to be fun.

“Hey look guys, even the rabbit’s happy that Synth’s about to win!” Split said making Slash look too and smile.

“Actually, he was doing great so far, but now look …” Silver directed them to where Synth was now headed. Directly at Comet who was walking in his direction.
------------

‘Now where?’ Synth waited a while, but no response came.

‘Hey Shade, what’s next?’ Synth once again waited, only this time there was a response.

‘Next, we have some fun. I did get you this far, didn’t I?’ Shade said getting serious.

‘You didn’t…’ Synth got his answer when he activated his Night Eye and saw Comet turn towards his position and run towards him.

‘Do your best…’ He heard Shade say before Comet was in front of him.

“I didn’t think you’d get this far. Most guards don’t. But I guess there was a reason the princess picked you.” Comet used his magic and the air around him seemed to shimmer.
------------

“That magic, it could really hurt Synth… maybe we should stop him…” Slash said getting up quickly.

“No, it’s not against the rules to… kill. And I don’t think he’d go that far. He’s not even a guard.” Split said, but Silver just had a look of horror on his face as Comet ran forward.
------------

Synth managed to dodge out of the way as Comet barely missed him. It left a scratch on his left hindhoof though, and he slid to a stop.

“Come on, there’s no way you can hope to beat me like that. If you don’t do it fast, the other two might come and give me a hand…” Comet raced forward and landed a solid blow on Synth’s shoulder.

Synth cried out as he was sent into the bushes. ‘Shade, a little help?’ Synth slowly left the bushes, the pain in his body clear.

‘Okay, but I don’t know how much I can do, half my minds in the other body. Synth felt his body go warm as he let Shade take over. He pushed himself to the back of his mind, and saw what both the rabbit Shade saw, as well as the other Shade.

‘Wow, I didn’t realize how much magic I used on those Night Eye spells…’ Synth let his mind relax as he watched Shade stretch.

‘Well you had your practice, I think it’s time I got mine.’ Shade turned towards Comet who was watching confused as Shade stretched.

“You done with your yoga? I’d like to make you scream Medic now…” Comet said now running forward to hit Shade.

Shade sidestepped at just the right moment, he did a quick kick to the gut of the dawn guard as he passed by. Comet stumbled and then turned around rage filling his features.

“You need to do better than that!” He yelled running again towards Shade who stuck out his tongue.

Comet came close, and Shade was about to lift a hoof for a hit to the neck. It was a pressure point he planned to test out if he got the chance, but just when he was about to lash out, the vision turned dark.

“What hap-“ Shade was hit and lifted into the air. He landed sliding and on his back.

‘Here, let me use my magic quickly…’ Shade did what Synth said and the light returned.

‘Well that’s inconvenient, I need to rely on your Night Eye spell? I might actually have a tough time here…’ Shade rolled away as a hoof slammed where he once was.

“Not fast enough…” Shade said as he rose up and landed a backhoof kick to Comet’s jaw.

Comet recoiled and Shade saw his opening. He forcefully took over his magic control and gave himself a picture of where Comet was last. He covered his hoof with a black coating and uppercutted where he thought he thought his chin was. He hit something that didn’t feel like a chin.

“Ah, fuck…”Shade heard Comet say. He let Synth reuse the magic and looked at Comet clutching his arm.

‘Eh, close enough…’ Shade said to himself as Comet stood back up, anger in his eyes.

“You’re dead!” Shade watched as the Comet’s yellow hue went orange and then he unleashed a barrage of magic bolts at him.

Shade dodged every one that came at him. It wasn’t his speed, it was the wildness of Comet’s shots. They didn’t even look like they were formed properly. He stepped to the left just as Synth’s vision faded and he was hit by a wild shot.

“Ah! Medic!” Shade yelled clutching the molten hot wound on his right shoulder. Another blast hit his leg and Synth reused his magic so Shade could see the raw anger in Comet’s eyes as he finally stopped his barrage.

Silver appeared next to Shade and quickly healed his wounds. Nova and Streak came out of the bushes a few feet away.

“Hey, Comet. You alright?” They asked as Comet continued to stare at Shade.

“Yeah, but how about you two help me show this pony why we’re undefeated…” Comet said a tinge of danger in his voice. They nodded and Silver whispered into Shade’s ear.

“I’ll heal your magic too, I want to see you win this…” Silver whispered as he used his magic and made Shade feel unstoppable.

“Thanks, I won’t lose…” Shade said and he meant it.

Silver teleported away and Shade was faced with the three dawn guards. Two of them were grinning at him, and the other was glaring.

Slash’s voice was heard in the distance. “Continue.”

Comet charged forward followed by Streak and Nova. They formed a V as they approached. Shade stomped the ground with his left hoof and magic sparks came out. He closed his eyes and undid Synth’s magic, and Used his own.

Shade had enough of these guards, and especially Comet. He stomped the other hoof and listened as they approached. He did something that Synth didn’t know was possible, he saw without his eyes.

Using the ground to find their location, he used magic to wrap their hooves into the grass. Nova tried to shoot magic at him, and Shade dodged by listening to the sound of the magic. He activated his magic on his hooves and ran up to them before they could do anything. Lifting a hoof, he slammed it on Comet’s chest and it drove him backwards until he hit a tree, snapping it in half.

Shade continued with the momentum and bucked using his back hooves. He hit both of the others square on their shoulders and sent them flying. Shade sped forward to Comet and lifted his hoof charged with magic. Synth saw his intention and tried to force control. He managed to slow down the hoof, and then completely bring it to a halt directly above Comet.

“I-I surrender!” Comet screamed as the hoof came to a rest on his head.

Split’s voice came from a surprisingly close range. “Dawn guards surrender, which means that Synth wins.” Shade finally receded; Synth opened his eyes and turned around to face the Shadow guards. They looked worried but seeing Synth turn around caused them to celebrate.

“That’s the first time someone beat them!” Split said floating himself down off the cloud of darkness

“Wow, Synth that was some good magic!” Slash said landing and closing his wings.

“We agree, that was most entertaining…” They turned to look at Silver who shrugged.

“Don’t look at me.” They instead looked behind Silver to see Luna walking over.

“Your Highness!” All of the guards bowed, even Comet who made the effort to stand and then slump to the ground.

Synth was too shocked to see her, that he didn’t notice them being formal. He reached out and grabbed Shade the rabbit and put him on his back.

“Luna, I-I mean your h-highness… why are you here?” Synth said remembering how there were Dawn guards around.

“That is alright, call us by name. We are sure that the events today will not be spoken.” She gave the dawn guards a wink and they turned away and looked at the ground while they nodded. Nova even whistled as he started to clean off his armor.

“Synth, thy events today were spectacular, but there is something we must discuss. We are sure thy know what we are speaking of…” She motioned toward the rabbit and Synth hung his head. He nodded and followed her as she led him towards the Throne room.

“Hey, I think that she likes him.” Split said.

“Idiot” Slash said hitting Split on his head.

“Ow! What? I was talking about the rabbit…” Split said rubbing his head.

Author's Notes:

....

Bonds

Bonds

“I can explain…” Synth said facing the stern looking alicorn. They were back into the room where Synth had his talk with Luna the night before. Currently, she was talking to them from a close distance on the other side of the room of the door. They had slowly backed away from her as she walked closer to them. Synth and Shade were now in the corner looking at the pissed off Princess.

“We’re sure thou will, but first a word a warning. If we don’t like thy explanation, there will be consequences…” Luna looked towards him without blinking. Synth cowered back a little further in his corner.

“Well you see, I really wanted to win-“ Synth had been thinking of what to say since he’d been escorted to the room.

“We don’t believe thee, the Synth we know would not go to such lengths to win a superficial game. That game was meant to practice thy abilities, not drive out thy competitive nature.” Luna looked more forcefully at him and Synth heard Shade chuckle.

“AND THEE!” Shade nearly hopped to the ceiling as she pointed her hoof at him.

“It is a pleasure to meet thee…” She whispered as she patted his head causing him to flinch.

Synth went into a state of shock and Shade’s eye was twitching. They looked at each other and then at Luna who was now smiling at both of them. Synth was about to respond but Luna put hoof to his mouth and silenced him. She looked towards the doors and magically threw a bucket at the double doors. It made a solid thump as it made contact with the doors.

“Ow! Luna, couldn’t you just ask me to leave?” Came a calm yet slightly irritated voice from the other side. Luna just gave a small laugh before responding.

“I thought I told you to stop snooping into my business. I can rule on my own, sis.” Luna turned back to them as she heard a groan and hoofsteps of someone leaving.

“Okay, now where were we?” Luna turned towards them still smiling. Shade had gotten his eye to stop twitching but Synth was still in shock and looked very confused.

“W-What?” was all Synth said as she continued to look at him.

“Would thee mind telling us the rest of thy explanation?” Luna said her smile not changing. It made Synth feel… safe. He decided to continue what he was going to say and was more relaxed as she continued to smile.

“Well… I know it was a game, but they were being jerks about it. I couldn’t let them just beat me, so I may have let Shade have his moment…” Synth looked up to see she was now more relaxed looking and her smile was only slightly smaller. Shade was mumbling something about superbia until Luna spoke.

“We thought so, thy magic boost was great. When we arrived, we noticed how Comet easily weakened thee. There was no other way thou could have won so easily.” Luna turned towards Shade who was slowly getting out of the same corner that Synth was in.

“We must say that thy decision may have been…rash. But nothing bad came about it.” She her face stopped smiling for a moment as her next words were said. “Until the end, when Shade almost…” She let her voice trail off as she suddenly smiled again.

“But we saw how thou regained control. We wouldn’t have made it if Shade continued, so thankfully his power isn’t as great as we feared.” She noticed Shade frown and she looked at him closely. Her interest changed as Synth was getting out of the corner slowly. Synth saw her look though, and decided to explain.

“Luna, meet Shade.” Synth motioned his hoof forward to Luna and then Shade in turn until she reached out and touched his face.

“Hey! Stop it…” Shade replied as she almost poked his eye.

Luna pulled her hoof back quickly and turned to Synth like he was crazy. She turned back to Shade and then Synth and back to Shade and then reached back out to touch Shade’s face again.

“Don’t do it. I swear I’ll-“ Shade began to say.

‘I’ll punt you as far as I can if you try to threaten her…’ Synth thought to him before he could continue.

‘That wouldn’t be very far…’ Shade replied. Luna just raised an eyebrow as her hoof stopped and she waited for him to continue.

‘I don’t know, the balcony edge is a long drop…’ Synth said and Shade didn’t respond, instead just looking at the princess with the look of an angel on his face.

“That’s what I thought…” Synth said looking at the rabbit who just stared back. Luna was now looking at him and Synth realized he said that out loud.

“Care to explain? Luna asked him and Synth nodded thinking of how he would explain.

“Well, you see… Shade and I can talk in my mind. He can also do everything he could do before, if I let him. So I let him try one of the spells in the book you gave me and here we are…” Synth said pointing to the rabbit that was innocently sniffing the grass.

“So, thou are saying Shade is now an adorable bunny?” Synth saw Luna’s eyes sparkle as she put her face close to Shade’s.

“Would thee enjoy a carrot?” Luna pulled a carrot from somewhere Synth didn’t see and gave it to Synth who devoured it hungrily.

“Much appreciated. Got any Celery?” Shade asked looking up and trying to get his eyes to convince her.

“Aha! So it is true… I’ll have the guards bring some immediately. CELERY!” Luna yelled as she turned towards the door.

“Um, Luna I don’t think-“ Synth started before the doors were slammed and Luna blushed.

She used her magic and the locks on the doors were undone. They were then slowly opened and on the ground was a guard with a tray of celery on his back. A big lump on his head was now forming. He groaned and Luna muttered thanks as she levitated the tray and a few fallen celery pieces into the room. She redid the locks on the door and gave placed the tray on Synth’s back.

“Okay, now let’s continue.” She looked to Shade who was trying to jump on Synth’s back to get the plate. She used her magic and Shade was pulled away before he could grab one.

“Uh Luna, no offense but why the celery?” Synth was looking to his back where the celery was starting to fall off his back.

She smiled and looked to the rabbit as she lifted him down the ground. “Training. We need to teach this new Shade to be a normal bunny. These will be treats for-“ Luna was stopped by Shade’s laughter and how Synth dropped the plate on the ground where the celery fell into a pile.

“Luna… he won’t be a rabbit forever. It’s a summoning spell, Shade just found a way to make himself control it personally…” Synth looked to the rabbit who finished his laughing and was now jumping onto the pile of celery like a pile of diamonds.

Luna frowned and walked up to Shade who was too busy eating to notice her approach. She lifted her hoof above Shade’s head.

“Synth, could thee close thy eyes. Do not open them until we are finished…” Luna gave him a weird smile and Synth closed his eyes.

‘Hey, what is she- ah! She’s covering my mouth!’ Synth heard muffled cries of protest and smiled.

‘Now she’s… why do I feel like this is going to end bad?’ Synth was trying really hard to not open his eyes and Shade’s protests were adding to how much he wanted to see.

‘Why is she shoving my mouth full of Celery? And why do I feel like this is a game?’ Shade said as his rabbit form continued to try and protest.

“Okay, now tell us Synth. What did we do to Shade?” Synth kept his eyes closed but the smile was on his face.

“You put celery in his mouth, and he didn’t like it very much.” He opened his eyes to see Shade choking on the large amounts of celery that were in his mouth. He was jerking around, probably gasping for breath and Synth dropped to the floor in laughter.

“Very good, it seems thou can communicate telepathically,” She said with a sly smile on her face. “Although we’d like to make one more test…” She took the large amounts of celery out of Shade’s mouth and he gasped for air. He was panting for a long time and Luna just stood above him smiling.

‘I’m going to kill that b-‘ Shade ran forward and Synth quickly picked himself off the floor to literally punt him over the balcony edge. He watched as the rabbit hurled into the foggy depths below.

“Sorry, I should have waited for you to finish your sentence.” Synth lost sight of him and he swore he heard a splash below.

‘What the fuck man? I didn’t even say it out loud!’ Synth heard Shade as he spoke.

“Well how did dying feel?” Was all Synth could ask as Shade quieted down.

‘Actually, it wasn’t bad. My body kind of turned into smoke half way down. At least I feel like I got some power back.’ Synth looked back from over the edge to see Luna looking at him.

“What?” he asked as she continued to stare.

“Can… thou summon another?” Luna looked at Synth but the question was to Shade.

‘Tell her to go fuck herself.’ Shade said suddenly.

“He said not right now, maybe tomorrow Luna.” Synth said, getting a grunt from Shade.

“Oh very well, another time. Maybe we could continue with what we had planned tonight.” She looked to the balcony as, sure enough, the moon was rising.

“Now, about thy practice today…” She looked to Synth who gulped.

“Thy has beaten the best strategist in Celestia’s guard and nearly…obliterated him in the process. Thy actions will not be ignored…” Synth gulped again and took a step back. Luna reached behind her and pulled out a box.

“Thou gets a cookie!” Luna said levitating a box of chocolate striped sugar cookies.

Synth’s jaw dropped until she shoved one of the cookies into it. He closed it and decided they were actually pretty good. Synth finished the cookie and stopped Luna before she gave him another.

“But I thought that was a bad thing? I almost… killed him!” Synth said but Luna just smiled back before replying.

“But thou didn’t. Thou stopped Shade from killing him, and it’s because of thy training that allowed for thee to get that far. We believe that thou had the right intention, so thou are forgiven.” Luna said again offering the box of cookies towards him.

Synth was about to reach out and grab one but Shade’s voice entered his head.

‘She said a cookie… not plural, see?’ Shade said.

‘Well how about I eat one for you?’ Synth said reaching in and grabbing a second cookie. He put it in his mouth and felt nothing after that.

‘This is good, you’ve gotta try it.’ Shade said as Synth’s mouth was chewing by itself.

‘Hey, how are you controlling my mouth?’ Synth asked as he put his hooves to his face to hide the fact Shade was chewing with his mouth open.

‘Eh, I had some extra magic and this cookie had my name on it…’ Shade said as he finished chewing and Synth slowly began to feel his mouth go back under his control.

“Um, so Luna… If you thought I did so good, why did you seem so angry earlier?” Synth asked as she just looked at him.

“Well we were informed that to rule, one must use force to show dominance. Then when we have them cowering, we display the good news.” Luna said like it was common sense and Synth shook his head.

“And who told you that?” Synth asked.

“Our sister, she told us before we went to see thee… Oh,” Luna sighed and mumbled something under her breath but Synth couldn’t hear her.

‘Wow, Celestia’s a troll. I can’t believe she’s been ruling alone for a thousand years and nopony has said anything…’ Shade said as Luna looked towards the sky.

‘Troll? She doesn’t look that bad.’ Synth said trying to piece together what Shade said.

‘No I meant the kind of troll that-“ Shade was interrupted as Luna turned back to him frowning.

“It’s late. Thou should get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day and we hope to see thee further improve. Thy Night Eye has seemed to improved, so the training has accomplished it’s goal. We will see thee tomorrow.” Luna said as she magically undid the locks on the door.

Synth didn’t argue as he did feel a little worn out from the constant magic usage. He walked out the door and noticed the guard with the bump on his head had now put on his helmet. It looked like the bump caused the helmet to rise a little though, as he nodded to Synth approaching and it wobbled.

Synth nodded back and continued to walk in the direction of the stairs. He walked up them quickly and found his room without disturbance. He noticed it was cleaned spotless and repeated what he’d done the night before. He fell asleep almost instantly as Shade didn’t say a word.
------------

Synth was sitting atop a huge tree overlooking a playground. He watched as the fillies ran around and played with each other. Some of them were being rough, but he understood. They’ll grow up eventually and they’ll learn what’s right and wrong.

He looked over to seven specific fillies that were in their little group in the corner of the playground. He watched as one of them took the other’s ball and was given a punch to face by a red coated filly. He tried to get up and stop them but now the tree he was sitting in wrapped it’s limbs around him and held him in place.

He was forced to look back as the other fillies around them reacted differently. One of them picked up the ball that was dropped and ran away, his cutie mark appearing before he went out of sight. It was an orange outlined bit that was filled in with gold.

He looked to the others and found one of male fillies laying in the grass next to a female filly who was stuffing her face with ice cream. He noticed that she just received her cutie mark and it was a yellow outlined bone. The other one also received his and it was light blue outlined pillow. He yawned and fell asleep.

Synth looked at the others and noticed one of the male fillies looking at the two on the ground. His cutie mark appeared and it was a green outlined diamond. He stomped away after a few seconds. The fight was still going on, but it was completely one sided. Suddenly, the last filly in the group jumped into the fray and pulled them apart. The one who was dominating suddenly sat down and his cutie mark appeared a red fire clear on his flank.

The other one with cuts on his face sat down as well looking around for something. His cutie mark appeared as a red outlined heart filled with grey. The only one still standing suddenly talked to them and his cutie mark appeared flashing dark blue before settling down. It was a Blue outlined crown with a grey fill.

Suddenly the sky darkened and one by one, they all came back. Standing single file, from when their cutie marks appeared. Suddenly half of them disappeared and only four were left standing. It was the one with the fire mark, the one with the blue crown, the one with the green diamond and the one with a red heart.

They looked directly at him before suddenly the blue one started to flicker and fade. The others slowly faded away as well. Leaving him to stare at the barren park. Lightening cut the sky and the light struck the ground. When it finished, there was a colt standing in the park now. He had the same sword from the night before and he dragged it along the ground as he walked towards Synth. His voice echoed across the area as he sung another song.
“You gotta kill when you gotta kill”
“Yeah that’s what they say.”
“And I can’t go against god’s will”
“You better pray.”

The colt disappeared in a flash of lightning and Synth ducked as a slash of the sword went over him. His mind was racing but only one thought went through his head.

“Why are you singing?” Synth asked as he sidestepped a chop from the sword.
“To sing when you’re hurt”
“To sing when you cry”
“To sing when you live”
“And to sing when you die!”

He charged forward and mindlessly slashed. A lightning cut across the sky and Synth saw the flash of his coat color. It was a dark grey. He jumped away from another slash and ran the other direction. He made it to the edge of the playground and he turned around to see the colt gone.
“You put me through hell with this,”
“So fuck you let’s just end this!”

Synth ducked as the sword almost hit his head form behind

“That didn’t rhyme!” He yelled as he ran away again from the colt. He slipped and skid across the ground until he was looking up at the colt with the sword pointed at his throat.

“Checkmate.” He said before thrusting forward with his sword.
------------

Synth jumped out of his bed as he awakened from his dream. He slipped off the bed and dragged the covers with him. He untangled himself just as Luna came into the room.

“Synth is thee alright?” Luna asked as she closed the door behind her to keep the guards from entering.

“Y-yeah, I just had a nightmare…” Synth looked towards Luna who raised an eyebrow.

“We blocked all of Shade’s intrusions though, that would be impossible.” Luna said.

‘That wasn’t me. Why does she always think it was me?’ Synth heard Shade say and he could tell he wasn’t lying.

“Shade said it wasn’t him, and I believe him.” Synth said.

“Very well, if it wasn’t Shade then whom might have caused thy nightmare?” Luna asked.

‘Let me explain. It was-‘ Shade started but Synth stopped him.

‘Just come out and explain yourself. I don’t want to repeat this…’ Synth said letting Shade take control of his magic.

‘Ugh, Acedia all right.’ Then Shade performed the spell he’d used the day before. At first, there was a dark aura on Synth’s horn, then it faded back to green and a small black shape began to form into the white rabbit. He fell on the ground and stretched his legs.

“Ah, much better…” Shade said and noticed Luna was looking at him with a glint in her eye.

“If you try anything, I’m killing myself and you won’t find out about the prophecy.” Shade said and it caused both Synth and Luna to close their mouth intrigued by his knowledge.

“Okay, well first off that wasn’t a nightmare. Well maybe the second part of it was…” He made sure they were still listening and continued.

“Luna, you created me. Do you remember what it is you gave me?” He turned towards Luna who was scratching her head and then shook it.

“Exactly, the Elements of Harmony had a direct hit on you. The Elements have many side effects, and memory loss is on the list. Synth here,” Shade pointed at Synth who leaned in a little closer. “Was only hit by a small amount.”

Luna and Synth sat on the bed as Shade changed where he was standing. He then cleared his throat and continued.

“I didn’t want to let go, but Synth was trying to force me back in his mind. So he was halfway out when it hit us. The Elements did their best to get rid of me, but half of me was inside him. So it eradicated the outside part, along with Synth’s outside part.” He stopped to make sure they were still paying attention.

“But why did it hurt me?” Synth asked rubbing his head.

“Because of your past… but that’s not important. Right now you just need to realize that I’m still here because you didn’t let the Elements hit me directly. And because you were partially hit, one of the side effects got you too.” Shade took a breath and continued.

“Do you recognize these words: Luxuria, Acedia, Invidia, Gula, Superbia, Avaricia, and Ira?” Shade said to which Synth nodded.

“You said some of those yesterday, when you were describing my behavior…” Synth said as he remembered a few.

“Yes, it was only a hunch but after yesterday’s performance and the nightmare you just had, it can only be one thing…”

“But that doesn’t make sense! Synth is not a devil! Thou are telling lies!” Luna was almost yelling to Shade who took a step back.

“It’s the only answer princess, and I’m surprised you remember. I was sure you’d forgotten about the scroll.” Shade said taking a step forward to the alicorn as she held a surprised expression on her face.

“We… do remember… but how is it that thee knowest of the wicked scroll?” Luna asked to the rabbit who pointed towards Luna as he answered.

“You gave me your memories remember. I know everything that anyone has dreamed of while you were on the moon. And I know what you know before you were banished to the moon. Remember, you were the one who gave me life.” Shade now looked to Luna and she lowered her head a little.

“That’s enough Shade, I think we get it. But what scroll are you talking about?” Synth said but Luna was shaking her head.

“Only tell him the importance. We… must be going…” Luna turned to go and Synth could only watch her go as she solemnly walked out the door and convinced all of the guards to leave.

“Okay, listen I’ll only say this once…” Shade said getting Synth’s attention. “Luxuria, Acedia, Ira, Avaricia, Gula, Invidia, and Superbia are all traits of the devil. Those are the Latin names for the… Seven deadly sins.”

Synth recoiled now recognizing those words from old mythology and history tales. Synth sighed and continued. “You’ve already shown signs of some of those. The others will show up eventually, in the prophecy it talks about a devil with those sins on his shoulders destroying Equestria. Luna and Celestia thought it was a joke when they first got it, but it came with signs to watch out for.” Synth looked over his shoulder probably to make sure Luna really left.

“I shouldn’t tell you the signs, because some of them happened. Just know this… you showed Superbia yesterday when you did all you could to win… you felt pride.” Shade said then stopped to make sure Synth heard that.

“Wait, so the nightmare I had…” Synth said recalling the seven fillies in the playground.

“Those were the seven deadly sins, and it was a warning. Pride was just felt, so next would be Ira. I’m sure that’ll be easy to tell when it happens though…” Shade said and then looked back to Synth with a very serious expression for a rabbit.

“That second part of the nightmare…. It happened two days in a row now. I’m sure you know what it meant…” Shade said and Synth thought about the dark grey colt with the sword.

“No, it was too weird. I don’t even remember that guy…” Synth said trying to place where he’d seen him before.

“Well, I really liked his songs. They’re catchy and the lyrics are easy to remember. I might have to take his advice and sing everything…” Shade said looking at Synth with a smile on his face.

“Don’t even think about it. My life is bad enough… first I find a devil in my head and then I find out I’m a devil too…” Shade said his voice getting lower.

“Actually, the prophecy could be wrong and this could all be a coincidence. It’s not like you plan to destroy Equestria anytime soon…” Shade said trying to comfort Synth and he was a little shocked at that fact.

“Are you… trying to be nice to me?” Synth asked looking at Shade while narrowing his eyes.

“Well, I guess I’ve got a soft side… ugh, did I just make a rabbit joke?” Shade looked to Synth who was smiling warmly.

“Yes… I think you just did...” Synth said before putting on his cloak and necklace and heading out the door.

“Hey where are you going?” Shade asked hopping quickly to catch to him as he reached the stairs.

“Well I just thought… If I’m going to be a devil, I want to be ready for it.” Synth hurried down the stairs and Shade followed him. He thought about tripping him again, but the look on his face made him reconsider.

“And how are you going to do that?” Shade asked as they reached the bottom.

“By training, I’m going not going to give in to the devil. I’m going down fighting…” Shade said as he galloped to the gardens to wait for the guards to begin his training.

Shade could only watch as he opened the doors and walked out into the light of the rising sun. “Oh, there’ll be a fight alright…” He whispered as he jumped on Synth’s back without getting a protest.
------------

“How many rocks do they have?” Synth asked as he dodged to avoid an incoming boulder.

‘You do know the ground is all rock right?’ Shade said as he watched another boulder be picked up by Nova who hurled it in Synth’s general area.

“Couldn’t you at least give me a warning when they throw ano-“ Synth never finished because he was hit in the back of his leg by the huge rock.

“Stop talking to yourself and use your magic!” He heard Slash say as Silver healed his injury.

“Well, it helps me concentrate… and besides I can’t do this spell for everything they throw at me, it’s one of the tougher ones…” Synth said as his leg was fully recovered for the tenth time that morning.

“That’s why you have to use it more. You wanted a more advanced spell and here it is. Just remember, don’t get hit.” Silver said as Split cast the spell and teleported the pair out of harm’s way.

Almost instantly, another chunk of earth was thrown in his direction. Synth cast the spell and moved clear out of the way of the earth. The spell suddenly stopped and his momentum carried him forward to land on his face.

‘Roll’ Synth heard Shade say from inside his head.

Synth rolled to the left and nearly avoided Streak who landed right where he was before. The ground broke from under his feet and Synth saw the grin on his face before he grabbed a chunk of loosened rock and flew back into the air out of sight.

‘And why can’t you do this with me?’ Synth asked as he saw another boulder being thrown his direction.

‘I’m a rabbit, this has nothing to do with me.’ Shade replied as Synth avoided the rock. The collision of the rock on the ground though, caused a spray of dirt to get in his eyes.

“Fuck…” Synth was blinded and he heard the whiz of a boulder being thrown into the air.

‘Left.’ He heard Shade say and took a few steps to the left. He was hit by the rock and was thrown across the air. He landed on his back and just as he rolled on his side, another rock piece hit his thigh.

“Wow, you okay?” Synth opened his eyes to see Silver healing his wounds again and Shade making a shield of darkness to protect them from Nova’s never-ending rock assault.

“I’m just fine. It’s not like I feel like I’m going to die any second now…” Synth said trying to get sarcasm in his voice but it was just a wheeze as the dust in the air caught in his throat.

“Oh well, I gotta hand it to Streak. He got a bullseye from all the way up there…” Split motioned upward and he noticed Streak waving at them without the rock he picked up earlier.

“Oh, that’s what hit me?” Synth said as he got up from the ground.

“Yeah, next time use the spell a little more…” Silver said as he finished the spell and nodded at Split.

They teleported again, and Synth used his magic to dodge the next two rock throws and Streak’s sudden air to ground landing. His magic drained itself suddenly and Synth ducked to avoid a boulder almost taking his head off.

‘Fuck, this is difficult..’ Synth said to Shade as he activated his magic again to avoid another rock from Nova.

‘Well, if you let me help…’ Shade said and Synth was shaking his head although the rabbit couldn’t see him from that far away.

‘I’m doing this myself, I need the practice not you…’ Synth said as he was nailed in the head by Streak’s falling rock.

His horn actually cut it in half before it hit the floor, but it caused his magic to fail itself and he didn’t dodge the next throw from Nova.

“And you were doing so good…” Synth heard Slash say as he noticed him hovering above with his notepad in his hooves.

“At least I’m improving…” Synth said as Split appeared and blocked the next boulder before it hit him.

“But I’m starting to get tired from the constant healing. Nova also looks like he’s not having the best time… But that’s just Nova.” Silver said gesturing to the unicorn who was still levitating rocks and scratching his name into them before throwing them wildly into the battlefield.

“I don’t get how he can do that… so many rocks and he manages to nail me almost everytime…” Synth said spreading his hooves and laying down on the ground while Silver sat to rest.

“That’s just Nova… Streak looks like he’s having a blast…” Split said pointing up and sure enough, Streak was doing circles in the sky to gain momentum for his next throw. The smile on his face was a cruel one and he looked ready to kill.

“That reminds me, how long is Comet going to keep us waiting?” Synth said as Silver returned to his healing spell.

“Well, his skull was cracked and his left foreleg was dislocated, so I’d say he’ll be back tomorrow.” Slash said as he lifted back to the sky to his vantage point.

“Yeah, just be glad he’s not here today. Otherwise we’d be playing dodgerock…” Split said as he lowered the spell and looked to Silver.

“Isn’t that what this is? Synth asked as he got up slowly ready to continue the practice.

“But… Comet always compacts his rocks before he throws them… It’s different trust me…” Silver said before nodding to Split and they left once again leaving Synth to dodge a very fast throw from Streak and then use his magic to sidestep a small fast rock from Nova.

This is going to be a long morning… Synth thought as he tripped and barely avoided the next throw.
------------

“Are thee sure thou is alright?” Luna asked looking over his injuries.

“Of course… no pain no gain right?” Synth said from his position on the floor. He was currently holding his head as he felt another headache coming on.

“We are not sure… perhaps a day off is in order.” Luna said as she picked up the rabbit and held it in front of her. “What does thou think of that?” She asked the rabbit almost as if he was a stuffed animal.

“Eh, anything beats watching Synth slowly bleed out. I want to do it myself, not let some dawn guards for me.” Shade said and Luna instantly dropped him.

“Brute, we thought thou had improved in thy attitude.” Luna said looking at the rabbit completely differently.

“Go easy on him Luna. It’s just Shade being Shade. He did make me this after all…” Synth presented Luna his new cloak and she just looked it over before handing it back, not noticing the words on the collar.

“Well, one gift is not enough to trust him. But we suppose that if thee finds him acceptable… he will be forgiven.” Luna walked back to Shade and patted his head slowly before unlocking the doors and walking out.

“We will see thee tomorrow night. Until then, take it easy. No training tomorrow, that will be postponed until further notice.” Luna walked away and Synth slowly followed her out the doors and walked towards the stairs.

Shade was following him and jumped on his back refusing to go up the stairs on his own. Synth just sighed before starting the descent. These stairs felt like they were getting longer every day…

“Now who’s acting Acedia, huh?” Synth asked as he reached the top and walked towards the door to his room.

He opened the door and looked around for anything out of the ordinary, but nothing seemed different. His bed was made for him though, but he was too tired to care. He prepared himself for bed and laid down sighing from the weariness inside of him.

“Goodnight Synth, Sweet dreams…” Shade said before his rabbit body faded from next to the bed and the smoke entered Synth’s horn.

“Night Shade, see you tomorrow…” Synth said as his eyes closed slowly.
------------

“Greed…”

“Who’s there?” Synth thought as the dark shadows around him whispered words.

“Sloth…”

“Come out!” Synth yelled hearing the voiced getting closer.

“Pride…”

“What do you want?” Synth asked as the shadows suddenly receded and the grey colt came into view.

“Your Lust…” He whispered walking closer.

“Stay back!” Synth yelled backing away.

“Your Envy…” He spoke more loudly, his mouth pulling out the sword on his side.

“Stop!” Synth yelled his eyes going wide at the sight of the blade.

“Your Wrath!” The grey colt raced forward and Synth dodged the slash of the blade.

Synth heard the grey colt start to sing again.

Synth dodged another slash but not before seeing his hooves being coated in red he looked up to the grey colt who had his head tilted and was looking into his eyes.
Unforeseen Edit: I had to take out the lyrics, so this scene makes a lot less sense, but please stop reading, thanks.

Synth instantly started to shake as memories itched the back of his mind. He knew who this was now. It all made sense, the door he came from, the playground, and now he’s here to get revenge.

His evil smile flashes as he drove the blade into Synth’s chest right next to the heart. Synth watched as he took it out and held it above the heart’s location and pressed lightly.

“Please…” Synth whispered as he pushed against Synth’s skin covering his vital organ.

The figure stopped and looked him right in the eye before shaking his head. The shadows surrounded him before he could push it the rest of the way in.
--------------

“AHHHH!” Synth screamed as he was being held down in his bed. The lights were still off and there was no light coming in the window. His shoulders were being pressed down and there was a figure standing next to his bed reaching out towards him.

“What is wrong?” A soft voice whispers next to him as his breathing becomes ragged and forced.

“Get away from me!” Synth tried to kick at the figure standing above him until the magic aura grabbed his entire body and forced him down. The lights suddenly turned on, to reveal a blue alicorn looking hurt.

Synth’s head back flipped and he instantly relaxed. The magic holding him let go and Luna sighed.

“Thou are awake…” Luna said as she moved away from the side of the bed and sat on the ground.

“Luna? What are you doing in here?” Synth asked as his mind slowly woke itself up.

“We heard thy screaming and came to offer comfort. It is our fault that thou must deal with these nightmares, so we will be here to help thee through them.” Luna said smiling.

“Luna, it’s not your fault. You did your best, but I guess these nightmares are here to stay…” Synth said recalling the nightmare clearly.

“We saw what thou saw in thy dream. But we do not understand the significance. Care to explain?” Luna asked but Synth just shook his head.

“No Luna, it’s better you don’t know. “ Synth said as he was about to get out of bed.

“Where are thou headed?” Luna asked but Synth just shrugged and put on his cloak, leaving his necklace on the bedside counter.

“Wherever I think I can get away from these nightmares…” Synth shut the door behind him and walked towards the stairs. He descended them slowly and his head was filled with a fog that clouded his vision. He put a hoof on the wall and took a bit to clear his eyes before continuing.

He reached the bottom and noticed that the guards from before were now stationed looking away from the staircase. He snuck his way into the kitchen where there was no one in sight. He looked in the drawers until his eyes landed on the bottles in the corner shelves.

He slowly took one of the bottles and levitated it over him as he lay on the ground and whispered a few words before undoing the top of the bottle.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Shade asked as Synth finally got the top off.

“What does it look like? I’m fixing my problems the old fashion way… Cheers to a new day…” Synth poured the contents of the bottle directly to his mouth and gulped quickly and only breathed when he finished.

‘Cheers… to a new future…’ Shade said as Synth was instantly intoxicated and Shade’s vision also blurred as the alcohol affected his vision as well.
------------

“We’ve finished searching the right wing, there’s been no sign of him.” A voice drifted to him from somewhere below.

“Well he couldn’t have disappeared. We had guards posted on every exit and they found a bottle of Royal Vodka missing from the kitchen. He’s too intoxicated to walk let alone use magic.”

“Sir, we’ll keep looking but we’ve searched almost every space of this castle…” The voices retreated and Synth found his head throbbing as the words bounced off the inside of his head before exiting the other ear.

“Ugh, what happened?” Synth asked as he picked himself up. The wood underneath him made a slight creak and Synth looked down to see why he was sleeping on wood until the height difference reached his brain.

Synth was looking at a five foot beam holding him up at least fifty feet in the air above the thrones where the alicorns sat. He was too scared to move and his head was still throbbing.

‘Oh, look who decided to wake up…’ Shade said almost as if he was waiting for him to awaken.

‘W-What happened?’ Synth asked as he tried not to unbalance himself and fall off.

‘You decided to wash away your sorrows in alcohol, that’s what. I thought you were better than that…’ Shade said almost disappointedly.

‘I mean, why am I up here right now? I don’t think I used magic…’ Synth said as his head throbbed again causing him to hold it in between his hooves.

‘I don’t know, one second you were on the floor and the next I find us up here. I was affected by the alcohol too… idiot.’ Shade said as Synth heard voices coming again from downstairs.

“Welcome my faithful student. What do you have to report?” Synth could barely hear Celestia’s voice as he watched a purple unicorn walk up to the seated pair of alicorns. The voices of guards nearby droned out the rest of their conversations.

‘Hey, that looks interesting. Mind if I get in closer?’ Shade asked and Synth just thought about it until his head hurt.

‘Eh, go ahead. Just tell me what they’re saying I want to know too.’ Synth said as he let Shade take control of his magic again.

Synth watched as Shade directed his magic into a corner of the room that nobody was watching. His dark blur of magic went unnoticed before forming a white rabbit in the corner. He hopped up to the thrones and only Luna seemed to notice his approach.

“Sha- we mean Synth’s pet!” Luna yelled levitating the rabbit forward and onto her arm rest. He purred as she rubbed his head and Synth groaned.

‘You’re a rabbit not a cat…’ Synth thought as the shade below somehow managed to flick him off without anyone noticing.
-------------

“Luna? Is there something wrong?” Twilight asked as Luna seemed too happy to be holding the rabbit.

“Oh, no we are quite alright. It is just that Synth has gone missing since last night and we believe that we may have a lead to where he is.” Luna held up Shade who sniffed the air like an average rabbit.

“Um, okay Princess good luck with your search,” Twilight said before turning back to Celestia. “So princess, this is the report on the griffon incident. I hope this doesn’t cause any bad relations with the griffons.”

“No, I’m sure they will not think of this the wrong way. But thank you Twilight for getting this to me immediately. I’m sure Gilda didn’t cause too much harm.” Celestia said and Twilight shook her head.

“Not very much trouble, although we lost the chance to make a new friend.” Twilight looked a little sad but Celestia laughed.

“Friends can be made anywhere and anytime. But making the right choice in a friend is also something to consider. Who knows, the best of friends could appear at any time.” Celestia looked up and almost as if on cue, a blur fell out of the sky and landed on the floor in a ground shattering crash.
------------

Synth’s head started to hurt worse than before. His lungs were on fire and his stomach was about to go inside out. He saw his hooves in front of his face and they started to shake. The last thing he saw was the wooden beam as he slipped off the edge and hurtled towards the ground.

‘FUUUUUU-‘ He thought as the wooden beam grew more and more distant.

‘You deserve a little discipline, but dying would be inconvenient for me…’ Shade said as he was still conscious in Synth’s mind.

Suddenly Synth’s magic left his control and his coat began to turn into a black gloss. He still felt the impact though, as the black gloss couldn’t cover his left hind hoof before he made contact. Or Shade just wanted him to suffer a little, but either way he was in pain.

He slowly got out of the hole that Shade created and looked around. The guards were all pointing there spears in his direction and he lifted his hooves to show no harm but a sudden headache caused him to unbalance and fall back into the hole, his vision going black.
------------

“He’s waking up.” He heard a familiar feminine voice saying from somewhere nearby.

“Is this heaven?” Synth said as his eyes opened and he saw a bright light in front of him.

‘I think you’d go to hell… just saying…’ Shade said not trying to hide his joy in saying that.

“I’ll see you there.” Synth said and then the light lessened and he could make out the face of Twilight looking him.

“Oh, hello there Twilight. Nice day we’re having…” Synth said his head still throbbing slightly.

“Are you sure he’s fine? He’s acting a little… different.” Twilight asked a white coated colt next to her. Apparently a doctor as he had a needle and a heart as his cutie mark.

“Don’t worry, he might still be feeling the effects of the alcohol in his blood stream. He should be okay in a few hours.

Synth saw the doctor leave and Twilight’s face disappeared from his view. He tried to sit himself up and only succeeded in giving himself another headache. He tried a little slower and made progress as he could see the rest of the room now. Three chairs were visible and two were filled as Shade was sleeping in one of them and Twilight was reading a sheet of paper in the other.

‘Hey sonofabitch wake up.’ Synth thought and one cue Shade’s yawn was heard in his head as the rabbit stretched on the chair.

‘Did you have a nice nap? I know I did…’ Shade said and Synth shot him a glare until Twilight noticed he got up.

“You should really stay in bed. The alcohol hasn’t left your system yet…” She sounded serious and Synth was about to comply until the thought hit him. Was he in a…. hospital?

“Hold that thought…” Synth threw up in the conveniently placed trashcan and wiped his mouth before turning back.

“There, all gone. I’ll be leaving now.” Synth got out of the bed and noticed that his headache was lessening. Maybe that actually worked, or it’ll probably send another headache later. Anything was better than staying here though, so he just put on his cloak that was on his bedside drawer and walked out the door getting some protest from Twilight.

Shade followed and jumped on Synth’s back as he walked right out the front door and ignored the nurses and doctor that tried to stop him. He was a good few yards away from the building until he heard Twilight’s voice catch up to him.

“Wait!” She yelled, and Synth actually stopped and turned to her now that they were out of the hospital.

“Yes?” Synth asked as he raised an eyebrow trying to maintain control of his motor functions as the alcohol slowly left his body.

“If you’re going to just leave, at least tell us where you’re going!” Twilight said finally catching up to him. He just shook his head.

“If you really want to know, then why don’t you come with me?” Synth turned and started walking and was surprised to see her comply. She didn’t say anything and Synth turned into a street to see shops on either side.

“Where are you going?” Twilight asked and Shade continued to walk forward.

“I’m just going for a stroll through the town. I have the day off and I’m not going to spend it in a hospital…” Synth rounded a bend and watched some street performers as one of them ate fire. He stomped his hooves and gave him a generous amount of bits from the pouch that was still attached to his leg. Somehow it survived all of the beatings he’d gotten since coming to the town.

“Wow, you look… happy.” Twilight commented as Synth walked by a familiar greenhouse that was currently empty inside other than the plants.

“Well it’s a new day and I plan to spend it the right way… In the place I grew up in.” Synth looked at all of the familiar sights that he’d seen since he was a child. Ponyville felt so much like home to him, but he knew that being raised in Canterlot is something he’ll never forget.

“I know, I grew up here too. My parents actually lived a few blocks down.” Twilight commented as she pointed down the street. Something compelled Synth to comment to that and it was something he regretted instantly.

“My parents live right here.” Synth said and then put a hoof over his mouth as he stared at the house he’d live in until he left home. It was a two story house, like most of Canterlot’s buildings but it was a light blue house with a white stripe in the house’s edges. He looked at it and remembered his parent’s faces the last time he’d seen them. He was cut out of his thoughts as Twilight’s voice entered his head.

“Let’s go visit them!” She started trotting up to the door and Synth was going to stop her but something made him take step forward. And then another step forward caused him to notice his body wasn’t responding to him.

‘We’re going to get this over with, and you don’t get a say in it…’ Shade said as he controlled Synth’s body to slowly take steps forward until he was standing next to Twilight at the door.

‘Fine… I’ll do it. Just let me go.’ Shade released control and Synth took a hard labored breath. He knocked on the door and he heard a soft feminine voice from the inside.

The door slowly opened to reveal a light green coated filly with a dark green mane and a cyan stripe showing in it. Her tail looked the same as her mane, and she wore a confused look on her face. She turned to call somebody and her flank was shown to be blank. Synth wondered who this could be until the realization hit him.

“Are you-“ Synth was interrupted as the sounds of hoofsteps approaching made him look away from the filly and into the eyes of the approaching pair who’s jaws dropped at the sight of him. The green filly walked away inside and Synth left his comfort zone. His face turned into a scowl and his eyes glared at them. They took a step back until Twilight spoke.

“Good Evening, I’m Twilight Sparkle. I hear you two are Synth’s parents?” Twilight said not noticing the tension around.

They suddenly looked unsure of each other before stepping forward and giving him a hug. Synth was too surprised to return it though, as they pulled back a little too quickly.

“Why hello there Miss Twilight, and you Synth… what brings you to our home?” Synth’s mother asked who had a light green coat and a scarlet mane that curled around her neck. Next to her was Synth’s father who had a dark green coat and an orange mane with random spots of cyan in it.

“Well, we were in the neighborhood and Synth here, said he remembered that you lived here. So we decided to stop by and say hello.” Twilight continued not noticing Synth narrow his eyes at them.

“Well, it’s been ages since we’ve seen him. We’re glad to know that he’s staying out of trouble… care to come in?” Synth’s mother continued stepping inside to let them enter.

“Thanks. It’s great to see you too…” Synth said trying his best to smile. If he was going to be here a while, then he’ll try to make the best of it.

“I hope we’re not intruding. It is starting to get late…” Twilight said and sure enough, the sun was continuing its slow descent out of the sky. How long was he in the hospital?

“Oh no, we were about to sit down for dinner. Care to join us?” Synth’s father asked and Synth took a cautious step inside.

“Well if it isn’t a bother…” Twilight followed Synth’s lead and they entered the house. It was a plain house with a tan wall and a white ceiling. The floor was wooden and the stairs were on the right of the doorway. The green filly returned down the steps and ran into the kitchen where she took a seat at the table. Shade hopped up the steps to the second floor and Synth was too busy to notice his disappearance.

The table easily fit the new guests and two extra plates were laid out for them. The steaming vegetables and fruit slices entered Synth’s nose as the aroma caused his mouth to water. He took a seat and Twilight did the same, apparently just as hungry as he was. His parents gave him and Twilight one of his favorite drinks and he put the straw into the cup of soda. He was about to dig in to the food, when a look to his parents made him stop.
Synth sighed and said just loud enough for them to hear. “Thank you for the food.” He said before digging into the vegetables. There were some manners he could tolerate, but eating wasn’t on that list. He tried to make it look as pleasant as he could, but food still stuck to his face as he ignored the supplied eating utensils. It was just his style.
When he was about halfway, he noticed the green filly was also only using her utensils as little as possible. She cut up a carrot enough so she could pop them into her mouth and chew vigorously. The sight made him want to chuckle at how much he saw in her. The stern look she was getting from Synth’s mother though, made him remember when he was a filly.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?” Synth asked the green filly as she was now pushing her uneaten vegetables around the plate.
“Oh, my name is Vera. What’s yours?” Vera asked as she brightened at the question. Synth looked at her smile and wanted to meet it with one of his own, but decided to just answer the question.

“My name’s Synth. Synth Me-“ Synth was cut off by a look of fear from her mother looking to Vera. He decided that she probably didn’t tell her anything about him, and tried to finish his sentence another way.

“Synth, nice meeting you. “ Synth turned back to his food and he saw his mother visibly relax. So she didn’t tell her about me… Synth started to drink his soda from his straw as he thought this over.

“Well Synth I’d like to thank you again for visiting us. It’s a pleasure to see you again after all these years. And it’s great to see you brought your marefriend with-“Synth did a spit take as the word entered his head. He started choking from the soda that was still stuck in his throat and it was Twilight who answered calmly.

“Actually, I’m just a friend of his that’s all.” She said as she levitated her own drink to her mouth.

Synth took another drink of his soda to make sure his throat was clear. He was in the middle of the long drink and his father continued.

“Well that’s a shame. You two could have made quite the couple.“ Synth did another spit take and Twilight stopped her drinking to cough some of the soda onto the table where she preceded to clean up the mess and blush.

“Venus, I think that’s enough.” Synth’s mother said as she looked to the once again choking Synth and Twilight who was feeling a little awkward.

“I know Fern, but don’t tell me you thought any differently when you saw them…” Venus, Synth’s dad replied.

“Well…*cough* I’m stuffed. If you’ll excuse me…” Synth said as he walked away and gave his dad a ‘what the fuck’ look before leaving the kitchen and sitting in one of the couches in the living room.

“Yeah, I’m full too. Can I be excused?” Synth heard Vera say as she excused herself and went to join him on the couch that was just big enough for them to sit side by side.

Synth heard her speak softly like she didn’t want the others to hear. “Who are you?”

The question caught him off guard because she clearly heard him when he told her his name. He realized she was looking at him curiously, and almost with… fear? Synth shook that thought away and cleared his throat softly to respond.

“I’m… your brother…” Synth said and he heard her gasp as she took this in. Suddenly she nodded and Synth felt like she was a lot older than she looked.

“That… makes sense. When you got here… they acted differently.” Vera looked in the direction of their parents and Synth also turned to see they were chatting easily with Twilight. Although, the conversation was too soft for Synth to hear what they were saying.

“They were… scared when they saw you. They acted like they do whenever I get in trouble at school…” She looked at Synth and he could see tears starting to form in her eyes. His heart felt like it was stepped on as he saw the single tear roll down her cheek.

“What… what are you crying about?” Synth asked and she suddenly wiped away her tear and looked away.

“Nothing, I was just remembering something. But there’s something I want to ask…” She looked to make sure their parents were still eating and then turned back to him, her eyes now cold. “What did you do?” She asked and Synth flinched at what she wanted to know.

“It’s… something I can’t tell you…” He responded but she wasn’t going to give up easily.

“Why not? I can handle it…” She said and Synth once again saw the grown up side of her.

“I’m sure you can. But it’s something I have to deal with, and I plan on dealing with it alone. Besides… I could never give that burden to my sister…” Synth said and rubbed her mane.

“I’m your sister? But this is the first time we’ve met…” Vera responded as she tried to get her mane back to the way it was.

“You’re the closest thing to a real family I have here, and I think we’ll get along just fine as siblings.” Synth gave a small chuckle and Vera smiled back.

Suddenly he heard Twilight call his name and said his farewell to Vera as he went to join them back at the table. He entered and noticed his mother doing the dishes and Twilight was sitting next to his father who had a nervous look on him.

“Yes?” Synth asked as he took a seat next to Twilight and further away from Venus.

“Your father here wants to say something to you…” She responded and Venus shook his head before sighing and looking right at Synth.

“I’m sorry.” He said and it was all he needed to say before Synth’s eye twitched.

“Sorry?” Synth asked hoping he wouldn’t bring up what he thought he was bringing up.

“We’re really sorry for… what we did.” Venus said and now Fern stood next to him as he continued. “We didn’t know how to react, so we did what you did and tried to forget about it.” He went quiet and Synth was about to respond until Twilight spoke up.

“React to what?” Twilight asked and Synth was really hoping that she wouldn’t get her answer.

“Look Twilight, we appreciate you getting us to confront him about this… but this is really a family thing….” Venus said as politely as he could and Twilight thought about this before nodding slowly and walking into the living room and starting a conversation with Vera.

Synth turned to his parents and then sighed. This was going to be a long night. He opened his mouth to speak until he heard Shade in his head.

‘Choose your words wisely…’

‘Fuck that.’ Synth thought as he turned to face his parents. They had fake smiles on their faces. His irritation caused his eye to twitch a little.

“How much did you tell her?” Was all Synth could say as he thought of what Twilight would do if she knew about his past.

“Nothing, she thinks it’s a family quarrel… but she’ll find out. All of your friends will…” Venus said dropping his fake smile. His face showed a stern look at Synth and Synth just stared back at him. He slowly got out of his seat and walked a little ways to the door.

“You didn’t tell us… you moved.” Fern said still showing that fake smile.

“Because I was moving to get away from something…” Synth said and Shade’s voice entered his head again.

‘That’s a lie. That’s not why you left…’ Shade said calmly.

‘Well if you’re going to be like that, can you at least tell me if they’re lying?’ Synth thought back and he heard Shade sigh.

‘You’re going to owe me for this…’ Shade said and Synth heard the white rabbit enter the room and jump on his back.

“Well, who is this?” Fern said moving to touch the rabbit who growled as she approached.

“Meet Shadow, he’s grown accustomed to me. But I don’t think he particularly likes you two…” Synth said and he heard a grunt from Shade.

‘Shadow?’ He thought and Synth shrugged, making Shade lose his balance for a second.

‘It’s all I could think of. And it’s better than calling you the other name I’d thought of giving you…’ Synth thought as Venus looked like he was about to kill Shade.

“Well if you don’t mind me asking, can you at least explain why you treated me like that? I didn’t deserve it, and you know it…” Synth said trying to get them to tell the truth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Vern said and Shade tapped Synth’s shoulder.

‘I could see that was obviously a lie…’ Synth thought and Shade grunted his response.

“Drop it. Just give me a reason, and I’ll be on my way. I don’t want to be here any longer than I need to…” Synth said and he saw Vern’s face change from the fake smile to a cold frown. Venus stood up and walked next to Fern.

“After the incident, we thought it’d be best to give you a chance to cool down. We didn’t know that you’d take it the other way. When you were gone, we thought you hated us and so we never really tried to fix the relationship between us.” Venus said without hesitation. Synth was about to nod his understanding until Shade tapped his shoulder once again.

“Try again…” Synth said looking into Venus’ eyes and Venus took a step back.

“But, that’s the truth. At first yes, we did feel a little fear. But in the end you were still our son.” Vern said in a cold tone. Synth felt another tap on his shoulder.

He almost yelled out his next words, and he would have, but he knew Twilight was in the room next to them. “I said the truth!” Synth looked into her eyes and her cold face changed for a brief second before it returned his gaze.

“That’s enough, we said everything we needed to. Now we have to kindly ask that you leave…” Vern said as she stared him down. Synth was about to turn and go, but a question itched his mind.

“I have one thing to ask, and then I’ll leave…” Synth said as he made sure they were both in his sight before he asked. “Why didn’t you tell Vera about me?” The looks on their faces told him everything he wanted to know. They were scared, and this was one question that broke their web of lies.

“We… It never came up…” Venus said but he said it softly and there was no mistaking the tap on the shoulder Synth got.

“Well, I told her,” Synth said and instantly their faces morphed into more fear. “She knew something was wrong. She saw you two acting differently when I was around. She accepted the truth, so why won’t you?” Synth was getting progressively louder and he was sure the others could hear him.

They just stared wide eyed at him. Synth felt his insides boil and the fact they weren’t responding only brought out more of his anger. He took a step forward to them and they cringed back.

“Well, what’s stopping you from the truth?” He almost shouted at them, their faces now in pure shock.

“Why are you scared? What is there to be scared of?” Synth yelled into their faces as his face grew red.

“You…” They whispered and then turned away like they were expecting a blow. Synth instantly backed away until he hit the table behind him. His face was a shocked one until the word entered his mind and bounced off the walls inside.

‘They think you’re a monster…’

“I’m not a monster!” Synth yelled as he ran out of the kitchen and out the front door. Shade barely held on to this mane and Synth heard Twilight as she tried to catch up to him.

“Leave me alone!” Synth yelled as he activated his magic now flowing a darker than usual green. He coated his hooves in the Traction Coating and ran as fast as he could towards the darkness in front of him. He activated the Night Eye spell and continued his sprint.

His rage was still inside of him as he dodged around stalls and random ponies. Eventually he heard a yell of a guard and suddenly guards were alerting each other of a speeding green blur. Synth didn’t care. He just wanted to get to bed and go to sleep. Even a nightmare was better than what he was feeling right now.

He jumped over a building and landed on the rooftop of the one next to it. He slid on the roof and noticed how long his spell was lasting. Both the Night Eye and the Traction spell were going well beyond his limit. He didn’t feel a thing though, as the magic continued to work and he jumped from rooftop to rooftop with ease.

Synth’s mind was still thinking of what he heard. He decided when he entered that he’d leave with answers, and he didn’t expect the truth to hurt so much. As he jumped off the roofs and landed on a banner hanging on a wall. He used it to lessen his fall and then continued running in the direction he hoped was the Castle.

Synth chose the right direction, as he saw the doorway to the castle in front of him. Two guards were standing there with spears pointed in his direction. Synth’s head throbbed and he actually felt like letting his rage out on the innocent guards. He dismissed the thought as their eyes were filled with fear at the blur speeding toward them.

“S-Stop!” The guard yelled unsurely as the blur continued to head in their direction. Both guards closed their eyes but left the spears in front of them as the blur was now only feet away.

Synth jumped over the guards and barely missed the points of their spears that they held out. He landed softly on his hooves behind them and continued to run towards the stairs where he could go to sleep and forget what happened today. He ran the length of the throne room in less than a second and looked up the stairs he’d have to climb.

“Fuck this.” Synth whispered as he jumped onto the walls of the stairway. He sighed glad to know that his plan worked, as he ran the wall up to where the stairs ended. When he reached the top, he jumped off the wall and landed on the top step which cracked under his sudden weight. The step gave out and his hoof left a small indentation in it.

Synth heard voices coming from the bottom of the stairs and he ran straight to his room. He locked the door and pulled out the book with the spells in it. He flipped through until he found what he wanted. “Form – Summoning.” He said as he looked over how to do the spell.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Shade asked as Synth got himself into a stance to cast the magic.

“I’m making sure I’m not disturbed. I know just what to do…” Synth said as he cast the spell now significantly darker than his normal green aura of magic.

Synth focused all his rage and all of his other emotions into creating three different shadows. He formed them slowly and deliberately. When he finished, he heard Shade gasp and go silent. Synth grinned at his masterpieces. Three Timberwolves were now sitting down and looking up at him.

“What are your commands, master?” The one at the front said, apparently the leader of the pack.

“I want you two to guard the door. Don’t harm anyone, but don’t let them come in…” Synth pointed at the two behind the leader. They nodded before Synth unlocked the door and allowed them outside. He shut the door behind him and looked back to the leader.

“You can wait here, but be on alert. Anypony smart enough will try to teleport inside the room and I don’t feel like dealing with them right now…” Synth said and the leader sat down in the corner of the room while Synth laid himself on the bed.

‘How’d you… what did you do?’ Shade asked instead of talking out loud.

“Well I did the spell, but I put my emotions into it. I didn’t do it like a normal spell… I guess I just had so much emotion that I made a pack of Timberwolves instead of a rabbit like you…” Synth said as he felt completely drained from using that spell for the first time.

“And not just any emotion…” Shade the rabbit said looking up at him nervously from next to the timber wolf. He’d been eyeing the rabbit ever since he sat down and Shade gulped.

“What are you trying to say?” Synth asked as he rolled over to look at the rabbit. It was better to have something to look at than talk to nothing.

“What were you feeling the most when you cast that spell…” Shade said scooting a little away from the leader who licked his lips.

“I don’t know, I guess I was still angry from my parents… wait angry?” Synth said suddenly reaching the conclusion Shade had realized before him.

“Ira, or Wrath. I like using the more technical term, so I’ll say Ira for now… I’m sure that you just used Ira to do all of that. You had an unlimited amount of magic, and you just cast a highly advanced spell. If the prophecy was right, then you’re getting closer to destroying Equestria.” Shade looked up to Synth who had his fore hooves on his face.

“This can’t be happening…” Synth said and he looked up about to continue until another voice entered his head.

‘Someone’s here.’ Came a scratchy voice that sounded almost like rubbing wood against each other. It was the Timberwolves on the other side of the door.

Synth listened and then he heard the faint growl come from the other side. “Oh, my.” Synth heard a calm voice say. The growls grew louder and then Synth heard the calm voice continue. “Okay, okay. I won’t get close.”

“Who’s there?” Synth asked and he heard the growls of the Timberwolves again.

“It’s me, Celestia. I came to make sure you were alright.” Celestia said and Synth was tempted to let her in. She couldn’t have made his day any worse.

‘She’s the one who put you on the beam above the throne room. I heard her tell the guards about it while you were unconscious.’ Shade said in his head and Synth frowned.

“Princess, were you the one who put me above the throne room?” Synth asked and he didn’t hear anything except for a light shuffling of hooves.

“Who told you about that?” Celestia said and Synth sighed.

‘One of you can get her. Don’t do any harm, but show her who she’s messing with…’ Synth told the Timberwolves and he instantly heard a scream and a figure quickly running away.

“That was cold.” Shade said as he sat on top of the leader.

“No, what she did was cold. I was just returning the favor.” Synth grinned and then raised an eyebrow at Shade.

“This is fun, I’m glad they only do something if you tell them to…” Shade said poking his fingers into the dark green eyes of the Timberwolf.

“Hey aren’t these things usually yellow?” Shade asked now looking closely at them.

Synth noticed that they weren’t yellow like the forest’s native Timberwolves. He got out of the bed and opened the door to inspect the other one. He looked closely and found he also had green eyes. Shutting the door behind him, he walked back in to find Shade cowering on the bed.

‘He… violated me…’ Shade said and Synth turned to face the Leader who had a grin on his face. Synth just chuckled as he laid back down in the bed.

‘Well you violated his personal space. I think it’s a fair trade…’ Synth said as Shade jumped off the bed but kept his distance from the leader again.

‘Someone’s approaching.’ The Timberwolf said again and Synth turned back towards the door.

“What is it?” Synth asked his anger now almost completely gone.

“Um, may we come in?” He heard Twilight say. He knew she’d want to talk about what he did earlier, so he sighed.

“No, Twilight. I don’t feel like talking about it. Can you just leave me alone until tomorrow?” Synth said.

“That’s not why I came here. There’s someone who wants to see you.” Twilight just finished talking when the door to his room opened.

Two things went through his mind at this moment. One, he forgot to lock the door. Two, the Timberwolf was ignoring the approaching pony. Synth instantly stood up and looked towards the leader who was yawning. He looked over to the door that was now open enough for him to see who was there. It was Vera, and she was smiling.

Synth relaxed before his eyes darted over to the leader who was sniffing Vera as she entered. He then yawned again and went back into his corner. Synth was too confused to say anything as Vera sat down next to him.

“I’ll just be going. I’ve got to get back to Ponyville before the others miss me. I’ll see you there at the end of the week!” Twilight said before he heard her hoof steps fade away. Synth turned to look at the still smiling filly.

“Hey Synth, you okay?” She said and Synth’s confusion washed away as he saw the concerned look on her face.

“Um yeah, just a lot on my mind right now. I’ll be fine tomorrow, but what are you doing here?” Synth asked noticing Shade rub up against Vera.

“Our parents said they needed time to think about something, so they said I could stay with you for now… He’s a cute bunny…” Vera was petting Shade and Synth groaned inwardly.

‘Kiss up.’

‘Kiss my furry tail.’ Shade shook his puffball of a tail in Synth’s face before bouncing away. He lied down at the foot of the bed.

“Well I’m glad they don’t hate me too much. You’re probably the only one I would have let in.” Synth rubbed Vera’s head and she fussed over trying to put her mane back into place. “Even though, I didn’t let you in. You just walked in and those good for nothing Timberwolves didn’t care…” Synth looked over to the leader who was scratching his head. He stopped and looked back to Synth before growling.

‘We know what you know. She’s not a threat and you know it.’ He said in Synth’s mind before returning to his itch.

“Where did they come from anyways? I don’t think those things live here.” Vera asked as she gestured to the Timberwolf who gave a soft bark.

“Let’s just say I didn’t want to be disturbed tonight…” Synth said looking at the door and how it was now quiet. Almost as if…

Synth threw Shade from his slumber and he hit the door. There were two cries of pain and Synth sighed. “Luna, I thought you learned how bothersome eavesdropping is… Honestly you princesses are all the same.” Synth said grinning as he heard Luna mumble before walking away.

‘And you, why did you let her through?’ Synth asked the Timberwolf still on guard.

‘She gave me an offer I couldn’t resist…’ He responded and Synth was thinking about what Luna could give a Timberwolf.

‘Let me guess, meat?’ Synth heard the leader say and the other Timberwolf didn’t respond. ‘Thought so.’

Synth turned back to Vera trying to ignore the conversation the Timberwolves were having and the way Shade was giving him a death stare.

“So anyways, make yourself at home I guess. I’ll be here for another four days, then I’ll be going to Ponyville. If you want to go with me, I wouldn’t mind the company.” Synth said and he saw Vera’s face brighten at the thought.

“So, you moved to Ponyville? Is this because of what happened with our parents?” Vera asked and Synth could see what she wanted to know.

“No, something just came up. But you could say it’s connected in a small way…” Synth said not wanting to answer the question she really wanted to know.

“How is it connected?” Vera asked. Synth didn’t really know how to answer that.

“Well, it’s kind of hard to understand without knowing the full story.” Synth said.

“Start from the beginning please, we have time…” Vera said getting comfortable on the bed.

Synth sighed, there was no way he would be getting out of this. He had to admit that Vera did act older than most fillies, but she had the same curious nature that all fillies had. He didn’t know what would happen when he told her his story. Venus’ voice came back to him.

“…but she’ll find out. All of your friends will…” Venus had said earlier.

Synth knew that it’ll come out sooner or later but, for Vera it could be a lot sooner because she lived with his parents. He decided that if she would hear the story, then she’d hear it from his side first. Synth slowly nodded and she showed one of her smiles. It made Synth feel good inside, but he knew that it wouldn’t be there at the end of this.

“I’ll start from the beginning… just don’t say I didn’t warn you…” Synth took a breath before giving his best smile as he began.

“It all started with a passing raven…”

Author's Notes:

...

Youth

Youth

A passing raven flew overhead. It passed just above the head of a playing filly. He stopped his game as he watched the raven fly towards the horizon. He was in the middle of playing tag with a handful of other friends. Currently, he was it. He stopped giving chase and his attention was on the raven, it was just so unusual. His friends were now eyeing him curiously, all previous enjoyment lost instantly.

“Hey Synth, we’re over here.” One of the slightly older colts said. Synth barely noticed him as the raven now turned around and headed back towards them.

“Yo, Synth. You’re still it.” A younger colt said who was getting impatient.

The raven now dipped down and landed on the top of a hill. His beak dropped something that glinted in the sunlight. Synth’s curiosity got the best of him and he waved goodbye to his friends. They just continued the game without him and decided on a new ‘it’.

Synth walked over to where the raven was sitting. They weren’t exactly common in Canterlot, because the lack of forestry around. He must have traveled a long distance to get there. Synth reached where the raven was at first, but the raven was nowhere in sight. He looked around the grassy hill and noticed something reflecting sun off of itself.

Synth reached over and lifted the object into the light. He could now see the words engraved into the metal. He wasn’t very good at reading at the time, because he didn’t find the usefulness in reading. He turned the metal object around in his hooves and examined it closer. It was heavy, and looked like a flat paperweight.

Synth put it into his saddlebags that he was wearing, and began his slow walk home. It was probably nothing, but he wanted to show his parents nonetheless. The object looked like it had a lot of meaning, he just didn’t know what. Synth was walking down the street towards his house. If he stopped to notice his surroundings, he would have seen a pony wearing black was sitting across from his house watching everypony that went by.

Synth reached the door and was already magically grabbing the metal object out of his bag. He opened it and entered quickly. Shutting the door like he did every day, he put his saddlebags at the doorway and put the metal object on the kitchen table. He walked in expecting his mom to be waiting to give him a hug and welcome him home.

The house was deathly silent. The only noise was from Synth’s own breathing as he looked around. His inner child was expecting them to jump out and yell surprise for a party he didn’t know was for him. It never came. Instead, Synth heard a muffled scream from the room nearest to the door.

Synth ran up to the door and opened it unsure of what was going to happen. When he opened the door, he saw his mother was gagged and tied up in the middle of the room. Synth ran over to her and bombarded her with questions. She only shook her head as one of the shadows in the room came forward. Synth turned around but it was too late.

He received a massive blow to the head for a child. He was on the ground holding his damaged cranium. The figure just gave a cruel laugh as Synth went into the fetal position. After a moment’s thought he figured out something was terribly wrong. The figure was now looking over Synth as Synth slowly exited his body position.

“Get up.” The figure told him. Synth just stayed down with the fear of getting hit, fighting against the fear of his mother’s predicament.

“I said get up!” The man kicked Synth in the gut and he held his stomach now.

Synth slowly rose onto his hooves and looked up to face the man. He didn’t look very old, maybe a few years younger than his parents. He had a faded light blue coat with a greyish mane. He had a sheathed blade at his side. His cutie mark was a brown balancing scale that was tilted to the left. The man looked at Synth for a while before motioning for him to follow. Synth complied with fear of getting hit still on his mind. When they exited the room, he noticed his entire living room looked different.

Where there had once been pictures of him and his family, now stood bare shelves. The decorations on the wall were gone and a faded imprint of where they were was left on the wall. Synth saw two unfamiliar Pegasus in the corner of the room where Synth’s father was putting things into a bag.

“Synth!” His dad called out. Synth felt like running up to him, but one of the Pegasus hit his dad in the back of the head hard. He decided it’d be best if they didn’t get on their bad sides.

Synth had never heard of a robbery before, let alone learned how to deal with one. There were of course those ponies every now and then who did the wrong thing, but they usually learned right from wrong. This group of ponies were professionals though, they’d been doing this for years now and have yet to be caught.

“Shut up and get back to filling.” The Pegasus said shoving his father down. Synth felt bad for what they were doing. It was just mean and cruel.

Soon, Synth was also given a bag and with his dad, they filled them up with their valuables. When they were almost finished, one of the Pegasus came back into the room bringing his mother.

“Hey boss, why don’t we have some fun before we go?” The Pegasus smirked and Synth felt his father stiffen next to him.

“I don’t see why not. We might as well leave them something to remember us by.” The unicorn said now grinning and approaching Synth’s mother.

“Get away from my mom!” Synth yelled.

The two Pegasus ignored him, but the unicorn looked in his direction.

“Or what? You going to do something about it punk?” The unicorn asked Synth.

“My dad’s not gonna let you hurt her!” Synth yelled confident that his dad could stop anything. His dad however, just flinched and looked away from Synth.

“Oh really? This your dad huh? Then how about we test that, Moe bring her here.” The unicorn nodded to one of the Pegasus and he brought over the struggling mare.

The unicorn suddenly pulled out the blade from his side. He used his magic to clasp it in his hooves. He moved it towards Synth’s mom and it rested under her throat.

“Now, what were you saying?” The unicorn asked and Synth looked to his dad to find him shaking and covering his face. “That’s what I thought…” He moved the sword away from the throat and pointed it at Synth.

“Nopony can save you. That’s how cruel and wicked this world is. No matter how much you cry, and how much you mourn, nopony can save you.” He said this as if speaking from the heart. Then he walked up to Synth and hovered it under his throat by nearly an inch.

“I think it’s time to show you how bad this world really is…” The unicorn said as he brought the blade closer, light gleaming off the sharp edge. Synth was now shaking at the fear he felt. This was the first time he was ever threatened. His childhood innocence made him refuse the fact that he was dying. When the unicorn was about to cut his throat, Synth just stared back to defy his words until the end.

“Die, you worthless piece of trash. I hope you burn in the deepest pits of Tartarus.” He said and awaited Synth’s reply. It was his thing, to let his victims get the last words.

Something compelled Synth to leave his childlike mentality and mature for the next few moments of his life. He squinted his eyes as he whispered just enough for the unicorn to hear. “I’ll see you there…” Synth said and he saw the anger in the unicorn’s eyes.

There was a loud explosion of pure energy. The windows allowed for a bright light to shine through them and blinded all of the criminals. When the explosion came, the unicorn pulled back his sword to block his eyes. Synth felt his body moving on its own. He went completely off of his body’s instincts, as he lunged forward and kicked the sword out of the unicorn’s grasp.

The sword stuck into the wall and the unicorn fell back. Synth felt energy enter him as he ran forward and jumped on the fallen unicorn. He pinned him down and threw kicks to the face and one into the nose of the unicorn. He was thrown off of the unicorn as the Pegasus recovered from the blinding light and found Synth on their boss.

Synth was thrown against the wall as the rumbling aftereffect of the explosion caused an earthquake to shake the house. Suddenly there was a loud creaking and the sound of something breaking. Sure enough, a large tree was knocked over, landing directly into the wall of the house. Synth got up off the floor to find the tree had landed right next to him.

Synth looked up and found the Pegasus once again in shock from the earthquake. Synth looked where the tree had made a hole in the wall. Through the hole, he saw a circle of rainbow light streaking the sky in the most visible and clearest sight he’d ever seen. It stirred something inside Synth. He realized just what he was capable of. The cruelty of what he’d been through and the anger he felt at the trio now standing in the middle of the room shocked, all mixed together into one emotion. Revenge.

You three… why are you here?” Synth almost yelled.

Synth could feel his body go in a trance as the magic in his horn started to work. Synth had barely used magic before, and it was usually the simple levitation spell. He did know one other spell though, and that was the spell that was being cast. He felt the energy in his horn activate and suddenly the collapsed tree grew out long branches and instantly surrounded the pair of Pegasus.

“Leave us alone!” Synth yelled at them.

Synth felt the power he had, what he could do with it. He couldn’t control himself anymore; he felt his feelings leave him as the tree branches wrap around the Pegasus. They tried to wiggle out, but they were in tightly. Suddenly a single long branch sharpened itself and floated in front of the Pegasus and then outstretched to form two different sharp points. They were both pointed at the skulls of the Pegasus.

Synth didn’t even know what was happening immediately, be he did know that it felt great for some reason. He smiled as the long branches now were inches from their heads. Before Synth knew what was happening, the branches lunged forward and pierced right through the skulls of the Pegasus with a sickening crunch. The blood flow didn’t stop and the branches loosened their bloody grip, dropping the bodies to the floor.

“And you…” Synth said with a devilish grin on his face.

Synth turned towards the remaining culprit as the unicorn backed away trying to get his sword. Synth’s branches reached him though, and he was pulled into the air by the tough wood. Synth gave a wicked laugh and the unicorn tried to pull away. The unicorn watched in horror as the single wooden tentacle reached its way in front of the unicorn.

The unicorn knew that his day would come, but he never expected it to be like this. Death at the hands of a child. “Please…” He whispered trying to beg his way out of death.

Synth madly shook his head as the tentacle pierced the unicorn’s skin underneath where the heart was. It pulled itself out and covered the wound with a wooden stitching. It then retracted ready to pierce more skin. It hovered over the heart before slowly inching forward. Synth’s laugh was truly insane as he watched the death of the unicorn come closer and closer.

‘Is this really what you want?’ Synth heard a voice break through his thoughts. He turned and faced the tree that had crashed into the wall. He raised an eyebrow.

‘Yes it is me. You can communicate with nature can’t you see? That is your special talent, do you not see it portrayed as your cutie mark?’ The tree said and Synth looked over to see a cutie mark was appearing.

It was blinking in between two different images, one of a purple thorned looking rose, and one of the same rose but bloodied and longer. It’s cruel looking shape made Synth feel fear. He shook his head and the earlier thoughts of bloodshed left him. He turned back to the unicorn and forced the wooden limb to stop. He saw the terror on the unicorn’s face, and Synth was scared too.

For a long time, Synth tried to command the limb back, but it didn’t move. At the same time, the unicorn tried to back away slowly. He hit the table next to the wall where the sword was. He was now far enough away from the tree limb and he stood himself up. He had blood on the corners of his mouth, but he didn’t speak.

After what felt like forever, Synth managed to pull the tree branches back and he felt his cutie mark rest on the now appropriate purple rose. He looked up and found the unicorn had now reached his sword, and held it defensively as he backed away towards the door. He grabbed the centerpiece of the table and the metallic object Synth found earlier. He shoved them in his saddlebag and then backed away a little faster.
Suddenly Synth lost control of his magic for a second and the wooden limb struck out and hit the unicorn in the side of the head. He was knocked to the side holding his wounded eye. He gave a very loud scream. Slowly, Synth pulled back the limb as the unicorn rose from the ground and held his eye that had blood running out.

“You’re … a monster…” He said before he ran out and closed the door behind him. Synth slumped to the ground and tears started to form in his eyes. He was in a fetal position for a few minutes. Royal Guards came in after hearing the scream. They saw the bodies and began to take them away. After a few hours of questioning for his parents, they left. Synth was weeping in the middle of the room. He felt exhausted and terrible of what he did.

He remembered his parents, and looked towards them for comfort. The guards had released his mother from her gag earlier, and now they were both in the corner looking at him weird. Synth tried to walk over to them and he found their eyes filled with fear. Synth stopped and looked down at himself. Blood from the Pegasus had covered his hooves and upper torso. Synth sat back down and lowered his head. Suddenly, he wanted a nice peaceful sleep. His eyes drooped and his energy left him completely. His body fell forward as he passed out.
------------

When he awoke a few hours later, his entire house was the way it was before. If he didn’t know any better, nothing had happened. Synth was about to think everything was just a dream, but he was still covered in the dried blood that now reached his nose. He stood up from the middle of the living room and walked over to the restroom to wash off.

When he finished, he walked back into the living room and found all of the blood stains were gone, as well as the hole in the wall now patched up. He walked into the kitchen to see where his parents were. When he entered, he found them both eating pancakes. There was another plate set off for him.

“Good morning, Synth. Did you sleep well?” Fern asked.

“Um yeah… what about you?” Synth asked her.

“We slept just fine. We were just asking because you were sleeping for a good day and a half.” Venus said putting another pancake in his mouth.

“Really? Why didn’t you wake me up?” Synth asked.

“We thought it was better to let you rest. You looked tired.” Fern said also putting a pancake in her mouth.

“Well what happened when I fell asleep? “ Synth asked as he sat down next to his plate of pancakes.

“Why, we just cleaned up and called the carpenter to fix up the wall. You should have seen his face when he got here.” Venus said a slight smile on his face. Synth couldn’t help but feel that they were acting strange.

“Oh, well what happened to the tree?” Synth said putting a pancake up to his mouth.

“They took that away too. It was actually a lot smaller than they thought.” Fern said. Synth saw her look away when she said that. Almost like she knew it was a lie.

“So, did I miss school yesterday then?” Synth asked eating another pancake.

“About that…” Venus turned to Fern as he continued.” We decided it’d be best to enroll you in a new school. One that’ll help you with your special talent.” Venus flinched as he said those last words. Synth would have noticed, but he had looked at his cutie mark.

“I don’t really know what this means… I just know that I can talk to the trees. So, will I be going to a school to learn what I can do?” Synth asked looking at his purple rose.

“Yes, you can say that. Your new teacher should be here soon to check on you. She came yesterday, but you were still asleep…” Vern said now finished with her breakfast as she lifted the plate into the sink.

There was a knock on the door, and Vern walked over to open it. Synth just continued to eat, his stomach rumbling from the day without food. He devoured the pancakes using all the syrup available and barely noticed when a mare entered the room.

“So, this is Synth?” Blossom asked looking him over. Synth readjusted himself in the chair and wiped his face clean of the syrup he got on his mouth.

“Hello there, Miss...?” Synth said getting a good look at her. He noticed she was a lot younger than his parents. She looked like she just left the teens and her face had a young smile on it.

“My my, he does have some manners. I’m not surprised, Canterlot does that to everypony.” Blossom said as she reached over and examined him more closely. She ended her examination on the cutie mark on his flank.

“That’s certainly interesting. I see what you mean, this is a special case.” Blossom stepped back and looked towards Synth’s parents.

“I’ll gladly teach him. He has potential, and he’s the perfect age to train alongside another student of mine. I’m sure you realize that this will mean you won’t get to see him for a while, right?” She asked and Synth noticed his parents were nodding without hesitation.

“That will be alright. I’m sure the time away will be beneficial for him.” Vern said now standing next to Venus.

“Okay, Synth we should get going. You have a lot to learn, and we’ll need to start off with the ground rules first. Say goodbye to your parents, you can write to them, and they can visit you every now and then, but you’ll be staying with me and my other student Oliver for the next 12 months.” Blossom said not waiting for Synth as she walked out of the house, with saddlebags full of Synth’s stuff. He felt as if his parents knew she’d agree, because they already had gotten his stuff packed.

“Um bye, mom…dad… I guess I’m leaving with this…Teacher?” Synth said as he walked towards the door. He turned back and noticed they had forced smiles on their faces. His mother had a tear streaking down her face. They didn’t wave back and Synth walked out the door feeling abandoned. He was only a few steps out of the door when he heard whispering behind him. He only caught a few words before Blossom pulled him onto the path they’d take. What he heard though, made him think about what just happened.

“…he’s gone now. You can stop crying.” Synth was sure he heard his father say.

Blossom just continued walking and Synth followed. When Synth began to feel tears in his eyes, he noticed she walked closer. She gently stopped and put a comforting arm around him.

“There, there. It’s alright; you’ll see them again…” Blossom said and Synth felt his tears wash away. He nodded and continued to walk; they walked a good while until Blossom stopped in front of a three story house.

“Well, let me introduce you to the others. They’ll be glad to have someone else to play with.” Blossom said as she opened the door and let Synth in.
------------

“So, that’s all?” Vera asked next to Synth. She’d been quiet most of the story, except for a few gasps every now and then.

“What do you mean?” Synth asked. He finished with the story on his parents and was going to continue with the story about his times with Oliver.

“I know you did some pretty messed up stuff, but getting mad at your parents because they were a little shocked about it, isn’t right.” Vera said.

“Look, if you want to know the details, then I’ll explain them quickly. It’s pretty late as it is.” Synth said as he sighed and prepared his words.
------------

“Is that them?” Oliver asked pointing at a pair of ponies walking by.

“No, they’re green remember, Like me.” Synth said as he looked through the window.

“What about them?” Oliver pointed at another pair of ponies.

“No, my mom has red hair, and besides, those are two mares.” Synth sighed as Oliver looked back to the pair he pointed at.

“Oh yeah you’re right. So, when are they gonna come?” Oliver asked looking at Synth.

“I don’t know. They should have been here already. Blossom said she already sent them the letter a few weeks ago.

“Well, visiting time’s almost up. I guess they just aren’t coming.” Oliver said walking away from the window. Synth didn’t want to believe it, so he just waited… and waited… and waited.

He waited until the sun went down and the sun rose again. His eyes scanning everything that passed by. There was only one day of the month when his parents could visit, and that day passed. He slowly left the window, his eyes red from exhaustion. Blossom was waiting for him as he turned away.

“I’m sorry Synth. Maybe they just forgot…” She said trying to comfort him.

“Or they just don’t like me anymore…” Synth mumbled as he tried to walk around her.

“Don’t say that. They care a lot for you. You’ll see, next time they’ll be here for sure.” Blossom gave him a hug before he could go around her.

“They used to care. They haven’t visited in three months, and I’m glad they forgot about me.” Synth said angrily under his breath as he broke free from her grasp to walk into his bedroom. He quickly fell asleep crying for the third time since his arrival. But this time, he shed less tears than the month before. And a lot less than the first time.

Months passed, and Synth began to cry less and less at each visiting day. Eventually, he stopped waiting with the other five fillies and joined Oliver to play games the whole day. Visiting Day was a day off from all of their studies. Oliver had no parents alive, and he didn’t feel like spending the day mourning. He usually waited with Synth in front of the window, but now they both decided that Visiting Day brought nothing for them.

For the next month, Synth decided that if his parents forgot about him, then he’d do the same. He simply stopped talking about them and walked away from conversations that would lead to his past. Blossom noticed this and tried to get him to talk about it with her, but Synth always avoided the topic. It was just the past now.
------------

“That’s terrible!” Vera said looking at Synth now.

“What is?” Synth asked.

“Why would they not show up? No matter how much they might have been shocked, eventually they should have visited you.” Vera said.

“Well they didn’t, and you know what? I don’t really care anymore.” Synth said sighing and looking her in the eyes now.

“Why not? Aren’t they your parents?” Vera said shocked at his words.

“Are they? Didn’t they just give away their son to somepony else? It was like an orphanage, but better. I made new friends and I had a great teacher. I’m glad they got rid of me, but I still can’t forgive them for it.” Synth said.

“What happened next?” Vera said and her eyes had a red tinge to them. Synth saw the weariness in her eyes, and decided he shouldn’t keep her up all night.

“I’ll tell you another time. Right now, you should be going to bed.” Synth said as he stood up and walked over to the sleeping leader. He gently nudged it, and it woke up instantly.

“You can go now. I don’t think anypony is coming for the rest of the night.” Synth said yawning. He looked towards the Timberwolf leader who nodded and then turned into a wisp of smoke. The smoke entered Synth’s horn and another wisp of smoke also entered the room from under the door. Synth could feel the smoke as it reentered his energy stream.

He walked to the bed to find that Vera had fallen asleep on the bed sprawled out. She must have been really tired. When Synth magically readjusted her under the covers on one side, he took off his cloak and slid in on the other side. He closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep until a third wisp of smoke entered his head. He opened them and looked around. Shade was sleeping at the foot of the bed, and Synth only faintly remembered the third Timberwolf that had gone after Celestia.

He chuckled, she would probably punish him for sending a Timberwolf after her, but right now he was too tired to care. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. In the corner of his mind, he felt something or someone trying to enter his head. His mind drifted to the new sister he had. For a reason he didn’t know, he felt like he’d known her all his life. That thought empowered him to block out the foreign force trying to enter his head.

His face smiled; hopefully there would be no nightmares tonight.
------------

Synth was in a room now, the walls looked strangely familiar, and he noticed the stone in the middle. This was the room where the Elements of Harmony were found. Synth walked up to the structure, and placed his hoof on one of the six stone spheres.

“I see you remember.” Shade said walking up behind Synth.

“Why am I here?” Synth asked turning to face Shade.

“Well, you see I wanted to give you a brief status update. I also wanted to tell you some things that might interest you. It definitely interested me…” Shade said as his horn glowed and the ground around them became grass.

“How can you do magic?” Synth asked and then felt dumb afterwards.

“This is a dream, and we both have equal control. I suggest you take a seat, standing up all the time can get tiring.” Shade said as two chairs were formed of grass facing each other about ten feet away.

Synth walked over and sat in his designated chair. Shade did the same and then he sighed.

“Being a rabbit all the time can be exhausting. You use up so much energy hopping places; I don’t know how Pinkie can do it all the time.” Shade rubbed the back of his neck.

“Can we just get back to the point?” Synth said as he itched his hooves that were getting itchy from the grass.

“Alright, so first off we have to talk about a certain deadly sin…” Shade said and a smile crept on his face.

“What deadly sin?” Synth asked, but he already knew where this was going.

“Ira, also known as wrath, you showed that at your parent’s house. And my oh my did you show it. I couldn’t believe you had that in you. I fully expected you to harm them, but I’m sad to say I didn’t rub off enough on you.” Shade said and Synth sighed, it was true, he’d shown wrath to his parents. It was only a matter of time before he showed signs of the others.

“Well, is that all you had to say?” Synth asked wanting to get away from the topic.

“No, I also wanted to say that the wrath you felt gave you a magical boost. I’m surprised actually; I didn’t know that an emotion could do that.” Shade said and Synth understood. The magic he had at the time felt like an infinite supply.

“Now, let’s talk about topics you don’t know about yet…” Shade started and focused his full attention on Synth. “While you were eating your dinner, I went upstairs and decided to investigate. I found a diary that belonged to your mother. Me being the mastermind I am, I opened the lock and read the contents.” Shade said and then Synth had to say his comment.

“You chewed off the lock, didn’t you?” Synth asked and the way Shade shifted in his seat confirmed his thought. “You may continue.”

Shade coughed before continuing. “Well, as I was saying… I found out she kept a record on what happened that day you just explained with Vera. She didn’t write the specifics, but I found out a lot of things that she never told you. Also, that necklace of yours is 100% real. It’s worth a fortune.” Shade said and then a big smile filled his face.

“I’m not going to sell it…” Synth said and he saw Shade’s smile disappear.

“Fine, have it your way. Just know that she bought it using the money they got for capturing two out of five of Canterlot’s most wanted ponies…” Shade said and Synth had no comment to that.

“She bought that necklace with blood money. The money should have been yours anyway, so she gave you the necklace when you left the last time. She also never told anyone that it was you who killed them just that you happened to get covered in most of the blood.” Shade stopped to make sure Synth was still keeping up.

“So, she tried to protect me?” Synth asked trying to make sense of Shade’s words.

“No, she wrote that she didn’t want to get charged with murder. You were too young to take the blame, so she would have been the one who was arrested. Neither of your parents wanted to tell anyone about what happened, so after it happened they just tried to forget about it and you.” Shade finished pulling out a cup from nowhere and drinking it.

“So I was right, they wanted to get rid of me…” Synth said now feeling bad about what happened.

“Yes and no… They wanted a new you, one that wasn’t a monster. So, they had another kid to do just that.” Shade said and Synth understood.

“Vera…” Synth said as he looked up at Shade.

“Exactly, she was the new you. And in all ways, she was a new you. She had the same ignorance and curiosity, the personality and interests you had. Everything was going great with her until she noticed how her parents were acting…” Shade suddenly stopped and looked up as if remembering who he was talking to.

“What?” Synth asked as Shade just looked at him.

“Oh nothing, I just remembered something. But anyways, until you came back they were one big happy family.” Shade finished and Synth just nodded his head.

“Okay I get it, she was my replacement. Now, anything else you have to tell me?” Synth asked, wanting to escape this dream and go back to reality.

“One more thing, there was an interesting section in the book. She wrote that the tree that crashed into the house suddenly vanished. When they were both putting the valuables on the shelves, the tree disappeared. It was just gone.” Shade said and then he stood up.

“So, can I wake up now?” Synth asked and Shade nodded his head.

“Before you go though, can you show me that summoning spell?” Shade asked and Synth was confused.

“Why, can’t you already do it?” Synth asked and Shade shook his head.

“I’m not doing something right. I can only summon a rabbit and I’m trying to summon things that are a little less fluffy.” Shade said and Synth grinned.

“Let me show you how it’s done…” Synth cracked his neck and then cast the spell. Out of his horn came out a fully grown Timberwolf.

“What am I doing wrong…?” Shade mumbled to himself as Synth let the creature run around enjoying the exercise.

“You have to put some heart into it. You’re just so heartless that you can’t possibly achieve my greatness…” Synth said getting into a formal snotty voice.

“Just shut up and wake up now.” Shade pushed Synth and he fell back. Synth released his magic on the Timberwolf and the smoke entered his horn. He felt the magic enter his energy flow. Then, he let the magic out and it disrupted his sleep.
------------

Synth gasped as he fell off the bed. The sudden magic use caused his body to jerk in a random direction. He landed face first onto the floor and lifted himself slowly. His nose hurt and his horn had hit the floor hard. When he stood up, he looked at the bed to find Vera was now waking up too. She stood up and walked over to the restroom.

Synth went over and put his necklace around his neck that he’d left the day before. He put his cloak on as well, and then looked over to Shade who was still sleeping on the bed. Synth looked out the window and guessed it was barely sunrise. Synth wasn’t surprised to see Shade wasn’t a morning person. He was surprised however, to see Vera had woken up this early.

Synth waited for Vera to come out of the restroom, and he decided to practice his next magic spell. His day off was over, so he’d have to practice something today. He flipped through the book and found the Environmental Takeover spell. He looked over it before turning to another spell. It was too difficult, and he didn’t know if he could do it.

He found the Hidden Shadows spell and decided he’d practice that for now. Synth got in a stance, and then used his magic. The next moment, Synth felt a warm sensation around his body. He looked down to find that his body was nearly invisible. It blended in with the surroundings. He walked around and had to concentrate to keep the spell going.

He heard Vera come out of the restroom and looked up to her. “Good Morning.” Synth said and he saw Vera look around before her eyes went wide.

“Synth? Is that you?” Vera looked around a little more and Synth realized he still had the spell going. He decided he’d have some fun.

“No.” Synth said and then walked over behind her.

“I’m a ghost of a long dead Royal Guard.” Synth tried to make a spooky voice but it wasn’t exactly easy.

“What do you want?” Vera said as she turned towards Synth’s voice.

“It’s so lonely in the afterlife. I want a companion.” Synth repeated his ghostly voice and it sounded more real.

“Show yourself!” Vera said as she looked around the room again.

Synth walked up right next to Vera’s ear and whispered. “Boo.”

She jumped away and screamed. Synth couldn’t hold back his laughter as he held his side on the floor. He lost control of the spell and he saw his form reappear as he continued to laugh. Vera was shaking on the ground, until she saw Synth appear in front of her.

“That’s not funny!” Vera said, but her fear was gone now and replaced with a tug of a smile on her face.

“Yes it was, you should have seen your face!” Synth said now laughing harder.

“Okay, you got me. That was pretty funny.” Vera said now laughing as well at the joke. They laughed a little while longer and then Synth saw Shade looking at him from on top of the bed.

Synth got himself under control and then stood up and stretched. While ,the rabbit watching his movements.

‘It’s too early. If you’re going to be loud, then do it somewhere else…’ Shade said before laying back down to continue his sleep.

“We should go downstairs; I think they’re eating breakfast now.” Synth said as he walked towards the door.

“Breakfast? At the Royal Castle? Can we really eat there?” Vera asked.

“Yeah, I’m staying here after all. And, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if I brought a guest too.” Synth said as he walked out the door. He noticed Shade had also gotten out of bed and followed at the sound of breakfast.

“I hope they’re not too mad at me for locking myself in my room…” Synth thought as he walked towards the stairs. Shade jumped on his back to avoid going down the stairs. Synth didn’t mind, rabbits didn’t weigh very much.

“I’m sure they’re understanding enough,” Vera said.

Synth took a step on the first stair, and it entered the crack he’d made the night before. When he tried to take another step forward, he tripped and it caused him to roll down the stairs. He didn’t know how many stairs there were, but it was a lot of bumps he felt. He finally felt his body hit the bottom and his momentum stopped him just outside of the stairway.

He heard Vera call down to him, and Synth groaned. What he wouldn’t give for one of Silver’s healing spells right now. He was the only one he knew that could perform one. That is, besides Luna and Celestia. When Synth looked up, he found himself looking up at a surprised alicorn. Celestia looked him over, and Synth tried to ask for help. A big smile grew on her face and then she whistled and walked away, as if she didn’t see him.

Synth was finding her really annoying now. He noticed a bite mark around her cutie mark though, as she walked away. So, the Timberwolf must have gotten her, that’s probably why she ignored him… probably. Synth groaned again, and heard Vera’s voice coming down the stairs.

“You okay?” Vera asked as she looked over him. He had a few bruises on his side, but otherwise intact. Synth nodded and continued walking a little slower towards the throne room. When he took a few steps, he caught scent of a delicious smell. He sniffed around and decided it was to the left. Vera followed as Synth tried to use his smelling to find the dining room. Eventually though, he looked up and found that he was back where he started.

“Where are we going?” Vera asked as she looked around the room again.

“To the kitchen…” Synth said as he tried to catch scent of the smell again.

“It’s over there.” Vera said pointing to the open door with a giant table on the other side.

Synth didn’t say anything as he followed Vera to the dining room. He walked in and took a seat next to Luna from her end of the table. Vera sat down next to him. Synth felt the softness of the chair and sank into it like a bean bag. Shade jumped on the table and sat down between Luna and Synth. Luna was giving him a questioning look, and Synth just smiled back at her.

“Synth, are thee well?” Luna asked. Synth nodded and turned towards the plates of food being brought to them.

“I just needed time to think. I’ll be okay.” Synth said as plate was put down in front of him.

“Our sister said thy were most cruel last night. Is this true?” Luna asked and Synth noticed on the other side of the table Celestia was watching Synth.

“Well, let’s just say an eye for an eye, and a Timberwolf bites your thigh.” Synth said smiling.

Luna was puzzled at first, but then she looked at Celestia and saw the faint bite mark around her flank. Luna giggled and Synth saw Celestia try and hide it with her wing. This caused Luna to laugh harder. Vera looked at them to see what caused Luna to laugh hard, but then a plate came in her sight too.

“Well Vera, dig in.” Synth said as he plunged into the food. Lettuce leaves and tomatoes were landing on the table left and right. Vera soon joined in, and the food was demolished quickly.

“Yes everyone, let us dig in!” Luna proclaimed before following Synth’s example. Some of the higher up guards at the table hesitated, before joining Luna and completely ruining the gold lined table sheet.

“Children…” Celestia whispered as she lifted a fork to her mouth. A lettuce leaf hit the side of her face and mane. She sighed and then stood up to excuse herself. When Celestia left, they finished their meals and were now chatting politely next to the table.

“So Luna, about my training…” Synth started, wiping his face with a nearby napkin.

“Ah yes, thou has been progressing rapidly. We saw that Timberwolf outside thy door. It was most obedient and impressive. Also, the guards informed us of a green object that entered thy room. They couldn’t tell what it was, but we figured it was thee.” Luna said.

“So, am I still going to continue?” Synth asked. Luna nodded and pointed at the guards in the corner of the room. The three Shadow guards and two dawn guards were watching them from their position.

“They will be ready when thee are. Thy emotions caused thy magic to increase exponentially, so remember, we are not the enemies.” Luna warned before standing up and starting to walk towards the throne room.

“Wait Luna, about Vera…” Synth called after her remembering his sister.

“Ah yes, it is nice meeting you,” Luna said nodding to Vera who nervously bowed. Luna turned back to Synth as she continued. “She is welcome to stay in the castle as long as thou are here. She is also welcome to watch thy training as well. It can get very boring in this castle alone, so she’ll need something to do.” Luna said.

“Thank you your highness.” Vera said getting up from her bow.

“Please, call us Luna.” Luna said smiling to Vera.

“Okay, Luna.” Vera said smiling back.

‘Geez, let’s just get out of here.’ Shade said. The rabbit jumped on Synth’s back as they walked towards the group of guards.

“Hey Synth, ready for another training session?” Silver asked.

“Yeah, where’s it going to be this time?” Synth said.

“That’ll depend, which spell you have in mind?” Silver said with Split and Slash now noticing Synth had approached.

“Hidden Shadows, thought I’d give myself a break from those tougher ones.” Synth said.

“Really? Come on, you’ve been doing great so far. It’s only a matter of time before you get better than Split here.” Slash said nudging Split in the side.

“As if, I can totally take him on.” Split said grinning to Synth to show he was just having some fun.

“I’d like to see you try. Synth here would break you like he did Comet.” Slash said.

Suddenly the Dawn guards came up behind them. They were looking at Slash, and Split’s eyes widened.

“What did you say about Comet?” Nova asked Slash, who backed away slowly.

“Uh, nothing. Just that he’ll be ready to help Synth with his training in two days…” Slash said, but he wasn’t very good at lying.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Nova said keeping his gaze on Slash.

“Hey, we’re just having a good time here; don’t have to be so uptight about it.” Synth said not liking how they were treating their comrades.

“You need to mind your own business, sir. We don’t take orders from you, and just because you’re Luna’s guest doesn’t give you the right act so high and mighty…” Streak said pointing at Synth.

"Let’s just get going, time is money,” Silver said stepping in between Synth and Streak.

“I agree; we can show them their place later.” Nova said walking towards the doors. Streak followed glaring at Synth and Silver. When they were out of sight, Synth let out his breath that he didn’t know he was holding.

“Just ignore them; we can’t let them get in our heads…” Slash said slowly following them.

“I guess… so where are we going to train?” Synth asked now trying to get to his topic.

“Well, Hidden Shadows needs a lot of obstacles so I’d say a forest. Too bad this castle is on a mountainside…” Silver said thinking about it.

“What about the abandoned camp? Split asked.

“I don’t know; it was abandoned for a reason…” Silver said and then a smile appeared. “So it’ll be perfect.” They both now turned to Synth before grinning.

“What’s the abandoned camp? Synth asked feeling uneasy from the dual grins.

“You’ll see…” Split said as his horn glowed and a sudden darkness completely covered his vision.

“Hey! What’s going on?” Synth asked trying to blink his eyes and nothing in his vision changed.

“Sorry, but we can’t have you knowing where the camp is. It’s restricted to guards… What about the other two?” Silver asked Split.

“Well Mr. Rabbit here won’t be trouble, and I’m sure the filly can just close her eyes until we get there.” Split said looking at the two.

“Why couldn’t I just close my eyes?” Synth asked a little annoyed at the darkness around him.

“Well, I trust the mare more than you. You don’t exactly have a record for being harmless, Comet’s still in the hospital for another day.” Split said and Synth felt something nudging him to walk.

“Well if you can’t trust me, how don’t you know I won’t just use Night Eye to see where we’re going?” Synth asked trying to win an argument for once.

“I can tell if you try to use magic, remember?” Slash said from directly above him. He was scanning to make sure they weren’t being followed.

“So, how far away are we then?” Synth asked no one in particular.

“Classified. Silver, go catch up with the other two and tell them to meet us at the camp soon.” Slash said.

“Alright, see you two later.” Silver said before he turned and went after the other two guards.

He didn’t hear anything after that, but every now and then he’d be moved to a different direction and only twice did he stumble because he wasn’t informed of a step. Both times, he’d landed on his face. He didn’t hear any resistance or confusion from Vera, and Shade was surprisingly silent.

‘Almost there.’ Shade said after a few seconds of Synth thinking that.

‘What does it look like?’ Synth asked, the mysteriousness of the place peaking his interest.

‘Now if I told you, it would have been pointless to come here blind. Well almost pointless. Watching you falling over twice was hilarious.’ Shade said and Synth could tell he was grinning.

‘You’re useless.’ Synth said as he was motioned to the left. They were now walking on a dirt surface, instead of the stone one they had been on before. He heard Silver calling out to them.

“Wow, it didn’t take long for you to catch up. Did you tell those dawn guards where we’re going?” Split asked.

“Yeah, they’ll be here in a few, but until then let’s get going.” Silver answered and they continued their walk.

It wasn’t a few minutes later until he hit a wall and stopped.

“And we’re here!” Split said.

“Oh.. Really? It looks the same as everything else, what makes it so special?” Synth asked, his sarcasm entering his voice due to the slight annoyance from Shade.

“Oh, sorry about that. One sec.” Synth felt warmth on his face and then it changed to a more cold feeling as the darkness subsided and the view entered his vision.

Synth’s jaw dropped. He was looking at acres and acres of trees and hills in front of him. He noticed the metal walls around him and (the glass he was looking at it all through). This was some kind of viewing platform, and it had a good view alright. The scenery stretched to about the size of the entire Canterlot city.

There was also a long stream cutting the landscape in half. The top half seemed a little foggy, and the bottom half had a few caves scattered throughout. Synth also noticed that a few clouds were drifting across the sky, and the sun could easily shine through. The forest though, didn’t look as bright as it should have.

“Wow, this was worth it…” Synth said still looking at the view.

“Yeah, it’s quite a sight for an abandoned training ground…” Silver said.

“Enough sightseeing, let’s get down there and start.” Slash said pressing a button and a door nearby opened to show a winding ramp that lead down to the forest.

“It’ll be different when you’re actually down there…” Split said being the first one to run through the door to reach the bottom.

“Well let’s go then…” Vera said. Synth turned to Silver and raised an eyebrow.

Silver leaned in and whispered. “I’ll get Split to make sure she stays safe.” Then he followed Split out the door. Synth turned to the remaining Shadow guard.

“So, why was this place abandoned?” Synth asked Slash as they slowly walked the ramp down.

“Well, do you really want to know?” Slash asked and Synth nodded his head. “Okay then, I’ll tell you… During our training sessions, a group of guards went down to do what you’re about to do. They didn’t show up for hours and we sent in a search team. They were found injured in one of the caves.” Slash turned to make sure Vera was out of earshot.

“They said that a monster attacked them, but when we looked, there was nothing anywhere. After the guards recovered, they refused to train in there again and so the princess had it quarantined until further notice.” Slash said pointing to a sign that said ‘Do not continue’.

“So why are we here then?” Vera asked loud enough for them to hear her from twenty feet away. Slash turned to her quickly.

“You heard me? Wow, you’ve got some good hearing.” Slash said surprised.

“Yeah I get that a lot, but why are we here anyways?” Vera asked still from that far away.

“Oh, well Synth needs the trees and hills to help his training exercise.” Slash answered trying to keep his voice low to test Vera’s hearing.

“Wait…Training? What training?” Vera asked looking at Synth.

“Oh yeah, I never did tell you about why I’m here… Well, long story short I’m going to be training for the next four days. After that, I’ll be going back to Ponyville.” Synth said as he saw the bottom of the winding ramp.

“So, what kind of training is it? Are you going to be a guard or something?” Vera asked intrigued by his training.

“Not really, but I’ll tell you later. Right now, I gotta get started.” Synth said as they opened the door and walked through.

Looking up they could see the sky up ahead, but that was about it. The trees stretched high into the sky and they were in all directions. Synth noticed the fog was gone now. He turned to the others and saw Split casting his magic. A dark cloud appeared and Split jumped on it. While Split took Vera, Shade and Silver in his cloud, Slash flew into a nearby tree and disappeared. The group on the cloud slowly started their descent up.

“Okay, this’ll be the same as the last few times. I’ll be the medic, Slash will watch your progress, and Split will do the light show… er dark show whatever.” Silver called down.

“So, what’ll I be doing then?” Synth asked the cloud.

“Well, you have until those dawn guards get here to hide. After that, they’ll be looking for you. Every time you get found, they’ll send you into a different part of the woods and you’ll continue. There is one thing though, after the nine hours are up you’ll have to find your way back to the entrance without getting caught.” Silver yelled down at them.

“Good Luck!” Vera yelled down.

“Thanks, I’ll need it.” Synth said as he ran into the forestry.
As soon as he entered the woods, he noticed the darkness covering the sky. Split was making it hard to tell where he was by blocking out the clouds and sun. Surprisingly he could still see easily. Synth guessed this wasn’t supposed to test his Night Eye at all.
Synth was already five minutes into the forest when a loud bang came across the trees.
“Game on!” Synth heard Nova yell. It was so loud; birds from every tree flew out chirping. After they left, the area around Synth was quiet. It was quiet enough for Synth to hear every step he took. Eventually, he found a spot between two trees and a nearby bush. He made himself comfortable and sat down in between them.
Synth was watching the trees. Everything was still, like he was the only thing in the forest. He looked through everything he could see. The trees were tall, too tall for a Pegasus to try and fly above. The dirt was moist and clump together, while the leaves had a slight smell to them.
Synth saw something to his left move. It was too fast for him to tell what it was, but he knew he saw something. When he sight went back in front of him, he noticed something hiding behind one of the trees in front of him. The horn of a unicorn was sticking from behind the tree. Synth activated the Hidden Shadows spell and slowly left his hiding spot towards another area.
He hoped that he wasn’t seen, and could get away easily. His hopes were crushed, when a rock hit him in the back of the head. He spun around, after he quickly recovered from the rock. He saw Nova grinning in his direction. Synth turned to run and noticed his spell ran out. He quickly dived into a nearby bush, but Nova noticed.
“Found you. That’s Dawn Guards one, and Shadow Guards zero.” Nova said a little closer to Synth’s position.
Synth was about to get out of his spot, until he realized something. They said they’ll send him somewhere else, but how would they do that? Synth got his answer, as Nova appeared in front of him.
“Don’t open your mouth.” Nova said as a glow appeared around Synth.
“What do you-“

Synth felt the leaves leave him. The wind rushed past his face and his mouth was moving at the speed he was going. He hit a few trees until he soared above their tops. He could see the dark sky getting closer, and closer. Until he felt the wind rushing around him switch directions. He looked down to find the floor was dangerously far down. He felt his arms go flailing back as he started to descend at about a 45 degree angle.

He saw the rapidly approaching stream, and tall trees around it. He tried to angle himself towards the stream, but his hooves didn’t want to go forward. He looked at the trees and the stream again. He had an idea, but it wasn’t one of his best ones.

Synth activated his magic, and released the energy into his hooves. He could hear somepony screaming nearby, but the wind was blocking what they were saying. He couldn’t even tell who was screaming either. He focused on his landing position, and forced his hooved in front of him. The magic on them was cutting the air flow from affecting them.

‘How’d you know you could do that?’ Shade asked him crystal clear.

Synth tried to open his mouth to respond, but the air current quickly entered his mouth and he coughed violently.

‘I didn’t.’ Synth replied after he finished coughing. It’d be better if he took Nova’s advice and kept his mouth closed.
He looked back down to find the ground getting closer. The tree he targeted for was directly in his path. Synth slowly moved his hooves into a standing position and waited for the impact.
------------

A few minutes earlier.

The giant dark cloud blocking the sun was now a see through platform for the four beings looking below. Split’s Night Eye had been cast on them so they could see the action. Now, Synth had just found his hiding position as Nova and Streak set foot in the forest grounds.
“So, what’s Nova doing?” Silver asked Split next to him.

“Not sure, but Streak sure is getting into this…” Split said pointing a few meters away where Streak was jumping from tree to tree looking around for Synth.

“They’re splitting up,” Silver said.

“I can see that. It would be pointless to stick together. This place is pretty big.” Split said.

“Wow, he’s pretty fast.” Vera said pointing towards Streak.

“His name can tell you that much. He’s fast alright, but sometimes that isn’t what a guard needs…” Silver said.

“What do you mean?” Vera asked looking at them.

“Think about this, the forest is huge and Synth can choose anywhere to hide. So, if you just fly around without checking the hiding spots you won’t find anything.” Silver answered.

“Nova has the right idea. He’s checking for signs that Synth…” Split stopped and took a few steps closer.

“What? Did you see something?” Silver asked Split.

“Synth just made the worst mistake he could have made.” Split said.

“What did he do?” Vera asked.

“He forgot about his hoofsteps. They left imprints in the ground. Nova must’ve seen them and now he’s following them right to Synth.” Split said as Nova turned into the same break in the trees where Synth was hiding.

“That’s one point for them… Wait did we ever tell Synth what happens when they find him?” Split asked Silver next to him.

“I, er… no… Shit.” Silver said as he saw Nova below light his horn up.

“What happens?” Vera asked looking closely at the scene below.

“You’ll see.” Split answered.

The next few seconds went by quickly, but for Synth it felt like forever. He was thrown in the air and almost approached the dark clouds overhead. Vera cried out his name as he flew out right under her. Synth was like a bullet as he pierced the sky and then arced back down. Split noticed that Synth seemed to save himself from falling face first in the ground.

One second, he’d been under control of the wind, and the next he was cutting through it like it was butter. Synth was arcing right into the tree next to the stream. Split turned to Silver and sighed.

“We didn’t tell him he’d have to call Medic for you to come either, did we?” Split asked and Silver once again nodded his head.

“This isn’t going to end well.” Silver said as Synth came closer to the tree.

There was an earsplitting crack as Synth was driven through the tree and into the stream. He floated down the stream and he wasn’t moving. Suddenly a loud roar caught their attention as Silver got himself ready to use the spell.

“Wait! It’s against the rules if he doesn’t call Medic!” Split argued, but he knew there was something wrong.

“Dawn Guards two. Shadow Guards zero.” Silver said as he teleported himself down. Split sighed and slowly drifted a cloud down to lower Split, Vera, and Shade on Vera’s back.
------------

Synth extended his hooves as the tree came closer. He could smell the pine scent it had. Suddenly, he felt his hooves completely break through the tree and almost snap it in half. The force would have broken his hooves, if not for the traction that held back the impact. Synth was relieved that his impact was lessened, but the stream came into view as he continued to fall.

He fell into the water and splashed around. This would have been the perfect time to know how to swim. He looked up just as the broken tree pieces rained on his head. He felt them hit his head multiple times, and he felt he had a concussion. Suddenly, his body felt numb and he stopped resisting against the flow of the stream.

He was barely conscious as the stream took him down a little bit. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blue figure appear on the river bank. He gave out a loud roar as Synth was landed on the edge of the river. He could only watch as it walked up next to his body and sniffed it for a few seconds before opening his mouth.

His teeth were pointed and his snout was longer than normal animals. His pointed ears and rough texture made him out to be of the canine family. But not just any canine, his fur was blue and almost transparent. His star on his forehead only confirmed Synth’s thoughts.

Synth’s eyes closed as he heard the howl of the Canis Minor.

Author's Notes:

...

Constellations

Constellation

Split gasped as the ear piercing howl reached his ears. It was close, and so was Synth. He looked towards Vera who was now sweating from fear. He should have left her behind, but she refused. He continued though the forest as the howling lessened. If he looked closely, he would have realized that Shade had disappeared and a trail of smoke led towards where Synth was.

Only three things could make that sound, and there were no Timberwolves nearby. So that would mean Synth was in danger. He found the ending of the tree line and peered around the last one to see the river. In front of him was Silver who was looking down a Canis Minor that was about his size. Split ran up to his side as he noticed Synth’s unconscious body at the feet of the Canis Minor.

“Synth!” Vera called out from behind him. The Canis Minor focused his attention to them. His mouth opened and he showed his sharp canine teeth.

Split held Vera back as the Canis Minor took a step towards them. He seemed to be hesitating at first, but Split didn’t notice as his attention was on Silver who was slowly inching around the beast. He made it to Synth and started his healing spell. Split looked back to the beast to find it charging towards them. He grabbed Vera and rolled to the side as the beast barely missed them.

“Keep him busy, this’ll take a while!” Silver yelled as his magic concentrated on Synth’s motionless body.

Split placed Vera behind him as he stood back up. He got himself into a defensive stance and prepared his magic. His specialty wasn’t in fighting, but distraction was something he could do. The Canis Minor locked back onto him, and crouched ready for another charge.

Split sent out his magic as a dark wall between him and the Canis Minor. Split attempted to stop him by getting rid of his sight. As the wall appeared around the beast, Split made a cloud and focused it around the Canis Minor. When he finished, he now had a protected barrier and a shrouded area where the beast was. This all happened in the five seconds it took for his spell to be cast.

The beast gave another howl as he took a step forward. Split waited for the impact of the beast when he hit the wall. It never came, instead the beast walked right through the magic around him. He kept his gaze on Split the whole time. Suddenly he charged forward and caught Split off guard.

He didn’t have time to react as the beast jumped on top of Split. He was growling in his face as his paw came down to cut his throat. The beast would have succeeded in ending his life, if not for the hit he received in the side. The beast skidded into the river where he swam his way back onto shore.

Split looked up to see Slash standing over him. Slash had a few cuts on his wings, but was otherwise alright. Slash helped him up and then they walked over to where Silver was.

“How’s the healing going?” Split asked as Vera came up next to him.

“I don’t get it. His body doesn’t want to accept the healing. I’m trying my best but it’s like he’s already fully healed,” Silver said, a little worry in his voice. “Or he’s dead.” He finished.

Vera gasped as Silver back away from the unmoving body. The Canis Minor was walking towards them now. Then his face looked towards Synth’s body and he stopped. He looked to the rest of them and then slowly backed away. His face was still snarling, but his eyes betrayed another emotion. Fear.

Split didn’t respond, he didn’t know what he could say. He did notice that Synth was still breathing though. He looked down at Synth while his chest heaved up and down. He noticed that it stopped its slow breathing and for a second, it didn’t start back up. When it did continue though, his chest heaved upwards and then he violently twitched.

Synth’s eyes opened, and they were bloodshot. Split stepped back and gasped as the others did the same. He slowly stood up and grinned, looking himself over. He took a step towards the Canis Minor and his horn flared up.

“Synth!” Vera said.

“Synth isn’t here right now…” Shade whispered as his body was covered in a dark green, almost black coating as Shade ran forward in lightning speed and hit the Canis Minor below the chin.

Vera knew what she heard, he might have whispered it but she heard it clearly. The way he was acting was also different. He didn’t look terrified or scared. He looked like he enjoyed the fighting. She watched as he continued to assault the Canis Minor with blow after blow. The beast didn’t have a chance as Shade sent him skidding towards the trees.

Suddenly another Canis Minor came out of the woods next to the first who was now slowly lifting himself off the ground. Shade grinned and his horn lit up again. Behind the new Canis Minor, appeared two more of them. After they came out into the clearing, another four joined them. Suddenly the odds against Synth were eight to one. Shade didn’t falter though, as he charged forward.

Split watched mouth agape as Shade singlehoofedly took out the eight Canis Minors. He lost track of which ones he’d hit more than others. Split cringed at one point when it looked like Synth nearly killed them, then he simply stopped. He stood in the middle of the group of injured Canis Minors with the smile gone from his face. Suddenly, he raised a hoof and the Canis Minors slowly backed away. They joined into one group and sat down watching Shade. He still wasn’t smiling though, as he now held his head.

Suddenly, the magic coatings around Shade disappeared. Shade slumped forward as the Canis Minors stayed seated. Split and Silver recovered themselves from their dropped jaws and ran over to Synth. Slash flew overhead above Synth’s body. Vera also joined them, but kept her eyes on the Canis Minors who howled in unison when the trio reached the body.
------------

Synth slowly came back into consciousness as his body lifted itself off the ground. He felt cold and numb. He felt tired and he wanted to close his eyes again. His eyelids didn’t close though, as he felt his body take a step forward. Synth instantly awoke from his grogginess. He tried to take in everything that was happening.

He could hear Vera call out his name. Then he heard a very close voice next to him speak.

“Synth isn’t here right now…” Synth heard Shade speak with his mouth. Synth would have gasped if he could, but instead he settled for speaking up.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Synth asked Shade.

‘Look who decided to wake up. You should have stayed down. I got this handled.’ Shade said as his horn lit up.

‘How long was I out?’ Synth asked.

‘Well considering that I was knocked out too, I don’t know. But I do know that you’re in no position to take over. So I’ll make quick work of this guy and then show you how to cause real damage.’ Shade asked.

‘Damage? What do you…’ Synth realized that Shade was grinning.

‘I won’t let you hurt any of them.’ Synth said, feeling Shade’s malicious intent.

‘Really, you don’t trust me? Fair enough, but I meant to those Dawn Guard assholes. They deserve it, well them and this Canis.’ Shade responded.

‘So, it is a Canis Minor? I thought I’d seen one of these guys before.’ Synth answered.

‘Well, yeah there’s a very big distinction in the fact he’s blue.’ Shade said sarcastically.

Shade ran forward and almost broke the jaw of the Canis Minor. He ran forward to continue.

‘How can you be smiling at a time like this?’ Synth asked Shade as he started his assault on the beast.

‘Because, I forgot how much fun this can get.’ Shade said as he delivered another blow to the jaw of the blue beast.

He dodged attacks that the Canis Minor through at him, and landed his own hits on the legs and face of the beast.

‘You’re going to regret messing with us…’ A soft male voice said in Synth’s head. He could almost make out a faint growl as it spoke.

‘Did you hear that too?’ Shade asked as he missed a punch to the leg and was met with a blow to the chest that slid him back a few feet.

‘Yeah, what was that?’ Synth asked.

‘I am the leader of my pack. You dare to invade our territory?’ The voice came again, this time now a growl followed.

‘Look buddy, you attacked us first. Maybe we can go our separate ways?’ Shade replied as he ran forward and landed a blow on the beast and sent him sliding towards the tree line. ‘For now, you can go that way.’ Shade finished.
‘Or we can kill you where you stand.’ The voice replied with a sinister laugh.
‘You and what army? Wait… did you say we?’ Shade asked the beast as he watched the forms of more Canis Minors exit the forest. They stood next to their fallen comrade and stared down Shade. Synth noticed Shade smiled again, as Shade lit his horn again. He ran forward, and Synth couldn’t stop him as he jumped into the air and kicked at the Canis Minors in the front.
‘You have a death wish, don’t you?’ Synth asked as he jumped off the fallen Canis Minor to narrowly avoid the teeth of another two who bit where he once was.
‘Just because you can’t do this, doesn’t mean you should be jealous.’ Shade said as he knocked the wind out of an approaching Canis Minor. He ducked to avoid another beast and struck the beast in his underside as he flew over.
‘How can you enjoy this? Violence shouldn’t be liked.’ The voice said in Synth’s head as Shade rose up and knocked the feet of the Canis Minors around him.
‘How can we hear you?’ Synth asked the voice. It seemed to be moving around as Shade fought.
‘We were born of the same entity, therefore we are connected with that bond.’ He responded, but Synth didn’t understand.
‘I don’t get it, could you repeat that?’ Synth asked as Shade jumped over two approaching Canis Minors and then knocked the Canis Minor in the back and into the other one.
‘You are not the one we are connected with; it is the one who is in control right now.’ The voice responded.
‘Shade, it’s for you.’ Synth replied as he watched Shade almost break two of the beast’s legs and then they were sent flying into a tree.
‘So, you’re saying we’re like family?’ Shade asked as he punched the last Canis Minor square in the chest and he landed onto the ground twitching.
‘Y-Yes, that’s… correct.’ The voice responded as though it was injured. Shade looked down to the last one to get beaten. He noticed it was just looking at them from his spot on the ground. The others were also too injured to continue, and they just watched Shade.
‘Well, brothers and sisters. Let’s make sure we know who’s boss around here…’ Shade responded as he lifted his hoof into the air.
‘Get in line, I want to get a good look at you…’ Shade said and they slowly lifted themselves and did what he said.
Shade looked towards them and smiled, his horn started to glow. Synth could imagine what he had in mind. Shade didn’t care about anything, so why would he care about family? Shade was about to release his magic into a blast, but Synth felt something inside him. He thought about what would happen if Shade was set free. All the damage he could cause to his friends and, more so to his family.
Synth felt his magic return to him as he let go the burst of energy. He had a thought of Vera being victim to Shade’s deeds before his magic completely enveloped Shade’s. Shade didn’t have time to properly react as his magic was overpowered and his feelings numbed. He did have enough time to cast a spell though, and he used it on himself.
‘This one’s a draw.’ Shade said as he imploded his own body with the spell. At first, he could feel Synth take over and then he felt nothing as the spell shocked them back into unconsciousness.
------------

“Is he okay?” Split asked as Silver used his magic on him.

“He’s better than okay!” Slash yelled down, furiously scribbling on a notepad.

“What do you mean?” Vera asked as she saw Synth’s body twitch.

“Did you see him? He used some awesome magic back there. I can’t believe this is the same pony that we’ve been training.” Slash said as he finished his writing.

The Canis Minors were now approaching the group. Split backed away, and Silver kept them at the corners of his eyes as he finished his healing. Vera looked up at them but didn’t move. They walked slowly, and some limped as they encircled Silver and Synth partway. Split watched one of the Canis Minors stop and look at Vera before continuing his walk. Vera didn’t look scared, and Split could only commemorate her courage.

“What do you want?” Silver asked as his horn stopped its glow. He turned to face the most cut up and bigger Canis Minor. He was the leader and the closest to the ponies. He lowered his head and soon after, the others did the same.

A sudden grunt sounded next to Silver. He looked down to see Synth trying to get back on his hooves. He failed, and ended up falling on his face. He cursed under his breath as he tried again. Silver didn’t hear them as two of the Canis Minors showed up next to Synth and helped him onto his hooves. He was too surprised to react, and suddenly he looked to the others to see them… smiling?

“You’re welcome,” Synth said looking at the biggest Canis Minor.

“What?” Split asked and suddenly Synth turned to him tilting his head. He sighed and then shook his head.
------------

Synth felt something throbbing in his head. He could feel his body as consciousness returned to him. At first, he felt numbness and expected Shade to still be in control. But soon, he felt the ground beneath his body and the wind blowing his cloak around. He opened his eyes and that caused his body to groan with the effort.

He could hear voices too. They were soft and barely audible. He tried to lift himself, but the effort only caused him to groan. Silver appeared in his vision, and he attempted to try again. He didn’t want to look weak in front of his trainer. Suddenly, he felt his legs get a little bit of strength. When he was about half way up, his legs gave out and he fell onto the floor.

‘Smooth.’ Shade said from the back of his mind.

‘It’s your fault. This isn’t what I would call a draw. I’m the one who’s losing here…’ Synth said as he recovered his strength for another attempt.

‘But you saved us.’ Synth heard that familiar soft voice in his head again.

‘Yeah, you saved those worthless Minors. Good Job.’ Shade said sarcastically.

‘I guess that’s not a bad thing.’ Synth said as he put more force into his legs to pick himself up. When he was about to collapse again, he felt something propping his side up. He turned to see a Canis Minor helping him up. Then he looked to the other side to see the same thing.

‘We are thankful for your help. Your friend on the other hand, isn’t what we expected.’ The soft voice entered his head.

‘Actually, I’ve known him long enough to expect as much…’ Synth said as he was finally to his feet.

‘Yes, we thought he’d be more trustful considering he is much like us.’ The voice said.

‘Well, with Shade I don’t think he could ever be trusted.’ Synth said and he noticed Shade was quiet.

‘Thank you anyways, we aren’t usually saved by our own prey.’ The voice said and Synth saw the Canis Minor smile slowly. His teeth showed, and it still gave Synth goosebumps.

“Your Welcome.” Synth said, the fear making him forget his surroundings.

“What?” Split asked really close to Synth. He tried to play it off, but Split definitely heard. He shook his head and held a hoof out to the Canis Minor.

“Truce?” Synth asked and the Canis Minor thought about this a second, before placing his large paw on Synth’s hoof. The other Canis Minors simply sat down and waited.

‘Truce, but your friends don’t look like they’d easily befriend us.’ The voice said as the Canis Minor turned to look at Split who was raising an eyebrow and Slash who had landed and had his mouth open again.

“Hey Slash, tell those Dawn Guards to take a break. Silver, could you help these guys out? They’re a little injured.” Synth said motioning to the other Canis Minors. Slash flew away without saying a word.

“Are you crazy? They were about to kill you!” Split said still standing close to Synth.

“But they didn’t. If you care so much for our safety, why don’t you watch them then?” Synth asked as he walked over to where Vera was standing.

“You okay?” Synth asked a little more softly as he looked at Vera.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you sure you’re okay though? We thought you died.” Vera said and Synth stepped back.

“Why’d you think that?” Synth asked.

“Well you stopped breathing for a second, and Silver couldn’t heal you. That means you died.” Vera said.

“Actually, I could heal him that last time. I wonder why it didn’t work the first time…” Silver said from his position next to a Canis Minor who had a cut lip.

“See, I’m alright. It’ll take a lot more than that to take me down.” Synth said boldly.

‘Like a tree.’ Shade said.

‘Shut up, that was a onetime thing…’ Synth said.

‘But it happened twice.’ Shade responded.

‘I know… just shut up.’ Synth said as he sat down to rest his tired legs.

“Well, what are you going to do now?” Vera asked sitting down next to him.

“I don’t know. I guess I should keep training, but I’m a little tired,” Synth said yawning.

“What about those blue things? They don’t look very nice,” Vera said.

Synth looked over to see them in a line waiting to be healed. Two of the already healed ones were play fighting, and he saw a pair of injured Minors growling to each other and showing off their fangs. The leader was stretching and licking the blood away from the newly healed cuts.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about. They’re just like regular ponies when you think about it…” Synth said. Synth saw the leader walking his way towards them. He sat down in front of them and said nothing.

“What’s your name?” Vera asked the blue beast.

‘Spark, and you are?’ the soft voice said to Synth and he tilted his head.

Synth got a look from Vera and he tapped his head a second before he thought of an idea. He turned to Spark who was waiting patiently.

“Why don’t you write it down?” Synth asked Spark and he handed him a stick off the floor.

At first the Canis Minor looked like he wanted to argue, but then he nodded and grabbed the stick in his mouth. He scratched at the ground at first, and then started to write down letters. When he finished, Vera walked around to see what it said.

“Wow, he’s pretty smart. Didn’t know they could read or write,” Slash said walking up to them.

“His name’s Spark,” Vera said.

“Guess so. Does this mean we’re on good terms?” Slash asked walking up to Spark.

Spark nodded and held out his paw. Slash smiled and they had a quick handshake.

“I like this guy. Can we keep him?” Slash asked which got a glare from Split and a wink from Synth. Spark barked and Slash held his hoof up.
“Just kidding,” Slash said walking away.
Nobody spoke, and they eventually all sat down in their own areas. Some of the Canis Minors were sitting together, but most were bathing in the river. Split kept his watch on them, and Synth didn’t mind Vera when she went to join them.
‘So, what’s your story? Why are you all here?’ Spark asked Synth when no one was looking their direction. Synth sighed.
‘I could ask you the same thing,’ Synth said.
‘Well, my story could take a while. I’ll tell you if we have time,’ Spark said.
‘Fair enough. Okay then, shall I start from the beginning?’ Synth asked watching Vera having fun playing with the Canis Minors. He noticed some of them were younger than others, but about the same size.
‘Go ahead, I’m listening,’ Spark said.
‘Okay, I’ll keep this short. I’m training to get stronger, and this was a training spot they chose. I was in the middle of the training when we met. The training did a number on me, so Shade had a chance to get out. He used himself up enough though, so I forced him back. When I tried to come back out, he took me with him. Now, everyone’s wondering about your group I bet,’ Synth said, trying to keep it condensed but with enough details.
‘I see, well our predicament was actually a little different.’ Spark said.
‘I bet, I don’t think your pack would be training in this forest,’ Shade said from nowhere.
‘You are correct, but not entirely…’ Spark scratched his head with his hind legs. Then he turned back to face Synth.
‘One day, we lost our mother. We were only pups at the time, and she simply disappeared one day. We looked around everywhere, but we couldn’t find any sign of her. We assume the worst happened. So, we decided to band together and spend our lives trying to avenge our mother.’ Spark took a breath to continue speaking, even though he wasn’t technically using up oxygen when he spoke mentally.
‘So, do you want to tell Synth how old you are now?’ Shade said taking the opportunity.
‘Well, we lost our mother a little over a thousand years ago. We gave up a long time ago, and now we were going to claim this place as ours… But I guess this is someone else’s property. That would explain those trespassers a while back.’ Spark said looking into the sky.
‘You’re a thousand years old?’ Synth asked, mouth open.
‘Yeah, that’s about right. Anything else you want to know?’ Spark asked.
‘When’s lunch?’ Shade asked.
‘Good question. I don’t have an answer though.’ Spark said lying onto the ground.
‘So, I guess you’re hungry?’ Synth asked.
‘Only a little, I had a big breakfast.’ Spark said licking his lips.
‘How about you come with us to the castle? I bet Luna would like to meet you all.’ Synth asked, his sympathetic side coming out.
Synth looked away from Spark and looked at the other Canis Minors. They stopped their playing and resting to look at the pair. Synth waved to Vera who was interested in what they were looking at. She waved back and then jumped on the back of a Canis Minor to continue playing.
‘Do you think she’ll really enjoy meeting us?’ Spark asked looking into Synth’s eyes.
‘I’m sure she will. You know, after you tried to kill us.’ Shade said sarcastically.
‘Ignore him, he’s just cranky. But, she’s changed since when she was in rule a long time ago,’ Synth said standing up.
“Hey guys, change of plans. It’s almost lunch and I want to show these guys to Luna. Let’s drop in and give them a surprise.” Synth said speaking to the rest of the group.
“Stop right there. We decide what we do, not you. Comet might not be here, but that doesn’t mean you’re in charge. We’ll continue the training until you can literally disappear.” Streak said from right behind Synth.
Synth turned to see Streak with tons of twigs and leaves stuck in random spots of his wings. Nova was behind him, but other than muddy hooves he was in okay shape. Synth then looked to Split and Silver, and finally Slash. They looked tired, but weren’t complaining. Synth looked to the Canis Minors and then Vera. He had an idea.
“Okay, I’ll show you what I can do. Just give me a second to stretch. And I’ll need a head start too.” Synth said. Streak hesitated but Nova nodded.
“Okay, tell us when you’re ready. Don’t keep us waiting.” Nova said walking away and into the trees.
Synth walked over to Vera as she lowered her head. He walked really close and whispered something into her ear. At first, she raised an eyebrow and then she smiled a devious smile. Synth walked up to Silver and Slash and did the same. They had the same effect, and Split’s reaction was only slightly different. He went from confusion to fear, and then into a smile.
------------
“Game on!” Synth’s voice rang out from the distance.
“Damn, he got far in that head start. We shouldn’t have given him so much time,” Nova said.
“Doesn’t matter how far he went, I’ll find him eventually,” Streak said rushing forward and dodging around trees as he quickly left Nova’s sight.
“Well, I guess I should take this more seriously too.” Nova said as he cast a spell with his horn. The air around him shimmered for a second, and then he disappeared.
Far above, two figures were scratching their heads and wondering where Nova went. They looked away to follow Streak, and completely lost where Nova went.
“Hey, did you feel that?” Slash asked Split next to him.
“No, I didn’t see or feel anything. He just vanished,” Split answered.
“I know but just before I lost track of where he went, there was this burst of magic. It was only for a second, but I felt it.” Slash said stretching his wings.
“Look, let’s just go catch up with the others. They’re waiting for us.” Split said as he used a cloud to carry them over to where Vera and Silver were sitting with confused looks on their faces.
“Is he ready?” Split asked.
“No, he’s been going in a circle. Are you sure you told him the right way to go?” Silver asked looking to Slash.
“Yeah, I said to go straight after the river takes the bend. Where is he now?” Slash asked looking below for Synth.
“Other side of the forest…” Silver said and, sure enough, Synth was looking at the wall behind the tree, on the complete other side of the forest from the exit.
Silver looked to see Spark pawing at the cloud beneath them. He was wobbling a little and Vera was chuckling.
“Are you scared of heights?” Vera asked. Spark didn’t answer, other than sitting down and putting his head on his paws.
“I didn’t know these guys had fears. I always thought they were invincible.” Silver said looking to the rest of the Canis Minors who were in the same position as Spark.
“Everyone has something they can’t stand. Remember when Star-,“ Split began.
“Shut it.” Silver cut him off.
“Oh come on, we’re all friends here,” Split said looking to the Canis Minors. “It’ll boost their spirits if they hear about your fear…” he finished.
“I don’t care, just forget about that…” Silver said looking away.
“Fine, fine… but that was pretty funny wasn’t it?” Split asked with a grin on his face.
“Shut up…” Silver said his face growing a little red.
Split stayed quiet, but Vera had a question.
“Who’s Star?” Vera asked.
“She’s the Shadow Guards second in command. And she was also the one who asked Silver to-“ Slash was cut off from speaking by the glare he was getting from Silver.
“To what?” Vera asked not seeing Silver’s look.
“To…you know, never mind.” Slash said looking away and back towards Synth who was surprisingly getting closer to the exit. He would look up every few seconds, and then when it looked like Streak was about to find him, he activated the spell and hid.
“That was a close one, but it doesn’t look like he’s getting better at actually holding the spell. He can cast it just fine, but the duration of it is too low,” Slash said writing this down.
“At least he made it to the exit. Let’s get out of here, I’m starving.” Silver said as Split led the cloud closer to the exit.
“Are you sure they’ll be okay with us just leaving?” Split asked as his cloud made it to the edge of the forest.
“Yeah, we could just say that Synth was hiding the whole time. Then when the time was up, we forgot to get them before we left.” Silver said and Split nodded.
“Let’s hope they’re not too mad…” Split said as he lowered his cloud, the rest of the occupants were slowly getting themselves up as the ground came closer.
-------------

‘Oh, look at that!’ Shade said suddenly.

‘What?’ Synth said looking from side to side but not seeing anything.

‘It’s another dead end. Gee, I wonder how many that’s been. Oh wait, I’ve been counting. You’re up to nine now,’ Shade said.

‘You’re not helping…’ Synth said as he turned around to see if he was in the right direction that Slash said to go.

‘But we can…’ Spark said in his head.

‘Really? Then which way do I go now?’ Synth asked looking up towards the Canis Minor.

‘Give me a second…’ Spark went silent and Synth couldn’t help but feel something different in Spark’s voice.

‘Okay, go straight until you reach the river.’ Spark said.

Synth followed Spark’s directions, each time he had to take a second before telling him where to go next. He only had a few encounters with Streak, in which he hid before he was found. Streak was moving too fast to notice a moving bush or the prints in the ground.

‘Hide,’ Spark said.

Synth activated the spell and managed to narrowly avoid Streak as he flew right by Synth. This time though, he hovered in front of the tree that Synth was hiding next to. He was about to lean on it to take a rest, until he heard something in the bushes nearby. His body was only inches away from Synth, whose spell was beginning to fade.

Streak jumped after the moving object in the bush. Streak would later realize he nearly scared a rabbit to death when he caught up to it. It would be a good few minutes before that happened though. Synth meanwhile, was grateful for the interruption and left down the homestretch to the exit.

Synth could barely make out the exit as it showed up in front of him. He waited for a few seconds as the door was swung open. He smiled as he saw Silver standing there and motioning for Synth to enter. Synth did as he was told, and the door was closed quietly behind him.

“So, let’s get going.” Synth said walking up the walkway.

“Actually, we still have procedure to follow. Vera would you?” Split asked and Synth saw her close her eyes.

“And now you…” Split winked and Synth felt his vision go dark again.

“Not again…” Synth said as he walked slowly up the walkway. Silver was walking next to him and making sure that he didn’t trip.

‘What’s wrong?’ Spark asked. Synth couldn’t tell how close or how far he was.

‘They blinded me so I don’t see where this place is. All part of the training.’ Synth said and Spark didn’t ask to know more.

‘So, are you excited about lunch?’ Synth asked in his head.

‘I’m sure it’ll be delicious.’ Shade said sarcastically.

‘I’m not talking to you… so are you Spark?’ Synth asked.

‘I’m more nervous about meeting Luna. I don’t think she’ll be as accepting of us as you were. I mean, she’s a princess after all,’ Spark said.

‘Well, I don’t see anything wrong with your pack. They just need a little understanding. Don’t worry, I’ll be there to make sure she knows the whole story,’ Synth said. And after he said that he tripped over something hard and metallic.

‘Wait… what did I trip on?’ Synth asked.

‘Don’t answer that,’ Shade said.

Synth didn’t hear a response so he just decided to ignore it. He kept his focus on making sure his hooves didn’t hit anything too hard. After what felt like hours, he finally heard Silver’s voice.

“Okay, we’re back. You can undo the magic now Split,” Silver said.

Synth felt his eyes go from the darkness back into the blinding light. Synth squinted while his vision changed back to normal. He rubbed his eyes until he could finally see right again. He opened his eyes and looked into the room in front of him.

The table was the same from breakfast and the same guests from breakfast too. He walked in with the rest of his group. He only got a few glances at first, and he felt confident he could make it to Luna before anything happened. His hopes were crushed when he heard a scream behind him.

‘They don’t sound very happy to see us,’ Spark said.

Synth turned around to see Spark and the rest of his pack entering the room, their mouths drooling at the sight of food. The officials and Royal Guards surrounded the pack before they were halfway inside. Synth gulped and turned around to see Luna in a shocked expression at the Canis Minors.

“So Luna, I brought some friends…” Synth said loud enough for her to hear.

She turned to look at Synth and then back to the Canis Minors. She looked back to Synth and sighed. “Let them be. Our visitor has some explaining to do,” Luna said.

“Thank you…” Synth said when they lowered their weapons and turned to face Synth. The attention was almost too much for him. He breathed in and out to gather his words before speaking.

“Any time…” Celestia said.

“Okay, well long story short these guys aren’t as bad as we thought. They just lost their mother so I thought you could help them find her.” Synth said trying to look at Luna, but he only managed to look in her direction.

“What makes thee so sure of their good being?” Luna asked Synth.

“Well they were grateful after a certain rabbit showed up, so I doubt they’d change their minds.” Synth said winking to Luna now. She nodded and waited for him to continue.

“Plus, they seem to really want to talk to you. They’re just a little shy…” Synth said and he saw Spark lower his head. Luna smiled and motioned to the guards.

“Make them feel at home, but do not let them out of thy sights. Not until we can further pursue their reason for being brought here,” Luna said, and then she looked to Celestia quickly.

“Luna, I agreed to let you make your own decisions. Just remember you are responsible for the consequences too.” Celestia said getting up from her seat.

“Thank you Tia, I won’t let you down.” Luna said before turning back to Synth.

“Well, are thou hungry?” Luna asked and Synth realized they got there a little late. Most of the others already finished lunch and were leaving the rooms. They gave the Canis Minors questioning glances before leaving.

“Actually, I could go for something juicy…” Synth said looking over to the Canis Minors.

“And I don’t suppose you could do something for them too?” Synth asked.

Luna looked over to them and then smiled. She levitated a notepad and a pen from somewhere, and then she quickly wrote something down. When she finished, she handed it to a nearby guard who nodded and read it while he walked into the kitchen.

Synth raised an eyebrow as she just sat there. “So, is that a yes?” Synth asked when she didn’t continue.

“Yes, we may have something they might enjoy. It’s also probable that they might not like it, but it’s all that we have.” Luna said and the guard returned with a covered platter that was bigger than him. He set it down in between all of the Canis Minors and slowly backed away. He kept his eyes on Spark as he lifted the lid away.

The plate held tiny gem fragments that were stacked into a mountain of gems. It would have made Rarity faint at the amount of them. There were all kinds of colors as the Canis Minors jumped onto the pile and started munching and breaking the gems apart.

“Gems are edible?” Synth asked as he watched them eat the gems without hesitation.

“No, they aren’t. But the Minors can eat gems and it’ll restore their energy. They are made of pure energy after all. So, we thought it would work,” Luna said.

“Why do they get energy from eating the gems?” Synth asked.

“It’s something to do with their magic absorbing its natural energy.” Luna said thinking hard about it.

‘Do you mind if I try something?’ Shade asked politely.

‘That would depend…’ Synth replied.

‘I just want to see if the same thing works with me,’ Shade answered.

‘Go ahead, but you’ll need to be a bunny when you do it. Anything else and I’ll stop you.’ Synth said as he looked into a dark corner of the room,’ Synth said letting Shade take over his magic.

‘You know, sometimes I think you spoil me…’ Shade said as a thin light of magic hit the corner of the room and then a little later a white bunny hopped out.

Nobody noticed it except for Synth and Luna who’d been watching him closely. She sighed as Shade hopped out and towards the gem pile.

“We do not believe that the same idea will apply to a summoned creature…” Luna said just enough for him to hear.

“He just wanted to make sure.” Synth said defending Shade.

“Sometimes, we think thou are too forgiving. Remember the consequences.” Luna said as Shade approached the pile. He grabbed one of the emeralds and held it close to his mouth, as if hesitating.

“Look! It’s Shadow, I forgot all about him.” Vera said coming up behind Shade. Synth had to think about that, he never told her the name he gave Shade when he was in rabbit form. So, she must’ve overheard when they were at their parent’s house.
Shade stopped and looked to see who she was talking about. When he remembered the name, he noticed she was getting close to him. Before she could stop him, he shoved the gem in his mouth.

Synth could hear the crack as Shade’s teeth bit into the gem. At first, nothing happened. Then, Shade opened his mouth to show his broken teeth and the still intact gem. Vera was inspecting his teeth like a dentist. She prodded the cracked ones, and inspected some pieces of the ones that fell off. She lowered Shade, and he hopped into the corner of the room.

‘That didn’t go as expected,’ Shade said as the smoke entered Synth’s horn while no one was looking. No one, that is except for Luna. Synth didn’t know if he should laugh, or feel sorry for Shade. Losing a tooth hurt, so breaking almost all of them at once would be painful. He decided to not do either and hold back his laughter and say nothing.

“Eating gems is not recommended. First of all, you’d need tough teeth to eat them, and second if you don’t have enough magic it could take your magic instead of giving it to you.” Luna said looking at Synth seriously.

‘I get it, don’t eat anything magical,’ Shade said.

‘But magic is most delicious,’ Spark said.

Synth looked over to see Spark at the top of the pile, shoving his face full of the gems. Synth noticed that the Shadow Guards were just watching and not saying anything. Synth’s stomach rumbled and he remembered why he came.

“Luna, if you wouldn’t mind. Could we eat something too?” Synth asked.

“Yes, we will have the chefs bring something for thee and thy sister.” Luna said turning to a guard.

“Um Luna, could you include my trainers in that too?” Synth asked pointing to the trio of Shadow Guards who saluted.

“Very well, they deserved it. We will need the report on Synth’s progress and a debriefing from Nova before their job is done though.” Luna said looking around.

“Where is Nova? Would not he be with thee?” Luna asked Synth.

“About that…” Synth started to say and turned to the Shadow Guards who were rubbing their necks or whistling.

“Just a little late, I had to check on something before coming back.” Nova said from next to Synth.

Synth jumped back, his eyes widened and his heart was beating a little faster. Nova was right next to him, and he sounded… happy? Synth waited to see what he’d say next. Nova levitated over Slash’s notepad and took out his own scroll from a bag at his side. He levitated both to Luna before bowing and walking towards the Shadow Guards.

“Thank you, we will read this for now. Until we finish, feel free to ‘dig in’,” Luna said. Chefs came out of the kitchen with smaller platters and placed them on the table. Synth saw Nova take a seat, and soon the rest of the Shadow Guards did the same.

Vera sat down in between Nova and Slash. Synth walked over and took a seat on the opposite side of the table next to Silver and Split. Luna took the reading material and left towards where Synth and Luna had their meetings. Synth relaxed as the platters were opened and the food filled his nostrils.

“Shall we dig in?” Nova asked a little nervous.

“We Shall.” Slash said rubbing his hooves together.

Synth was about to start, until a question bugged his mind. It wasn’t really a bug, unless you called Shade a pest. ‘So Nova’s all nice with you guys now, after you left them at the forest?’ Shade asked.

“Yeah, why is that?” Synth asked softly.

“Why is what?” Slash asked raising an eyebrow.

“Oh nothing, I was just wondering why Nova’s here and Streak isn’t.” Synth said a little louder, cursing Shade for his own mistake.

“He’s still looking for you. Honestly, that was a pretty good plan. I never would have guessed you’d leave in the middle of training,” Nova said, his mouth full of lettuce.

“So, how did you know we left?” Split asked tomato juice all over his lips.

“I followed you. Ever since you restarted the game, I followed to see where you’d go. You had that attitude like you had something up your sleeve, so I wanted to make sure you were playing fair.” Nova said and then resumed his lunch.

“But, we didn’t see you at all. So, why didn’t you just find Synth and give yourselves another point? That’s what Streak would have wanted you to do.” Silver said. He didn’t start eating yet and was intrigued by Nova’s actions.

Nova swallowed before replying. “Like I said, I had a hunch. So, I was there when you were almost found by Streak. That’s when I realized that you didn’t need to train like that. I mean, you’ll only get better at that spell the more you use it, so why would we have you use it only when you’re in danger?” Nova said and then continued eating, this time a little slower.

“So, you just followed us? Why didn’t you tell Streak?” Split asked.

“I went back, but only to tell him that I saw you for a second and then you disappeared. Then I left and came here.” Nova said as licked his lips to remove the ranch from his mouth.

“Why would you cover for us?” Silver asked, his hunger completely forgotten.

“Well, we kind of had a falling out before we went to the camp…” Nova said, having stopped his eating.

“What kind of falling out?” Synth asked.

“It’s just that I told him I wanted to quit. I just wanted to settle down somewhere and live a carefree life. He thought I was crazy and hated the idea. Then, Slash came and told us about the abandoned camp. So, I told myself I’d stay a guard until we finished your training in two days.” Nova said. He was now completely serious and looking at Synth.

“So, what are you going to do after that?” Synth asked Nova.

“Well, I’m going to find a spot that suits me. I’ll find a mare and live the rest of my life away from this guard job.” Nova said a little sad.

“I wish you luck.” Slash said saluting to Nova.

“As do I.” Split said adding to the salute.

“Me too.” Vera said trying to copy the other’s salutes.

“Thanks, I don’t know what I’ll do or where I’ll go yet, but I’m glad to know I have your support.” Nova said saluting back.

“All I can say is good luck, and I wish I got to know you better,” Silver said.

“Yeah, I treated the Shadow Guards like crap. I’m sorry about that, but we have to. It’s supposed to make you new recruits stronger. The only ones who take it too far are Comet, Streak, and the Captain. Everyone else does it as part of their job… can you forgive us?” Nova asked looking at Silver.

“Yeah, it’s all in the past. Look towards the future.” Silver said smiling now.

‘The past repeats itself,’ Shade said.

‘He is right; history repeats. There will always be something after a storm.’ Spark said from atop the licked clean platter.

‘Why are you both acting so down? Everything’s alright right now. Enjoy it while it lasts.’ Synth said as he looked down at his untouched plate.

Everyone finished their lunches as Synth and Silver finally started. Even after the delay, Synth finished his lunch before they all left. Silver was the last to leave, after he excused himself when he finished. He closed the doors behind him and Synth was left relatively alone.

‘So, what do we do now?’ Synth asked the Canis Minors who were play fighting and rolling around.

‘We could sleep,’ Asked a lower pitched voice. Synth realized it was the Minor that was laying against the wall almost knocked out.

‘We could play tag,’ Asked a cheerful and energetic voice. It reminded him of Pinkie, but it also sounded young. He looked around and found the owner of the voice jumping over a sleeping Canis Minor repetitively.

‘We could eat some more,’ a slow voice said who was nibbling on someone’s tail. He was bigger than some of the others, but not in the height category.

‘We could shut up,’ Synth looked around and for a second he couldn’t tell who said that. Then, he remembered and sighed.

‘Shade, you don’t get a vote,’ Synth said, and sure enough Shade sighed.

‘Well then can I say we should go with the first suggestion?’ Shade asked.

“Synth, we have finished our reading. We may see you now and your guests as well.” Luna called out from the room next door.

Synth led the Canis Minors towards the door and opened it. He made sure they were all inside before entering himself and closing the door behind him. He turned to look back at the others, and found them all lying down in the grass. Even the one that was energetic before was sniffing the flowers from inches away.

“Synth, we must discuss thy progress so far.” Luna said sitting down next to Spark who was looking at himself in the water.

“Okay, how am I doing?” Synth asked seating himself on the other side of Spark.

“Thy progress is much more than we expected, and thou have been controlling Shade much better than we thought.” Luna said rubbing her hoof through Spark’s fur.

“Really? How can you tell?” Synth asked. He was watching Luna act normal, even with the eight Canis Minors in the room. Most of them were rolling in the grass, while some slept and one was peering over the edge of the balcony.

“Slash has written about thy conflict with Spark here, and Nova wrote how thou have practiced with thy spells perfectly. He has also seen the improvement in thee.” Luna said.

“Really? I didn’t realize I was improving. It doesn’t feel like I’m getting any better. And Shade still acts like an asshole most of the time,” Synth said.

“Well, we need to see thy improvement for ourselves. Tomorrow, we want to see you perform the Environmental Takeover spell. But around this time tomorrow, instead of during the morning. Until then, enjoy thy free time,” Luna said.

“Okay, thanks Luna. But… I have to ask.” Synth said thinking how to say it.

“What is it?” Luna asked.

“Why are you so comfortable with these Canis Minors around?” Synth asked.

“Synth, they are our creations. We love everything we create,” Luna coughed awkwardly. “Almost everything, that is,” Luna said.

“Ouch, my own mother doesn’t love me. I guess I should say I’m not surprised.” Shade said. Synth reached up to feel his mouth, it was completely numb. He didn’t even feel Shade as he took over his vocal actions.

“What?” Luna asked, confused about what he said.

“It’s me, mom. Don’t you recognize your own creation?” Shade asked pouting as he did. Synth was surprised. He didn’t know his face could pout.

“Oh, Shade. Now we understand. Well, what mother could love something that betrayed her?” Luna said. Synth remembered how Shade used Luna as a shield in the end.

“Could you blame me? That’s how I was raised,” Shade said.

“Fair enough, but we don’t feel like chatting with you tonight. Our favorite creations want to talk about more pleasant things.” Luna said grinning.

“Ouch, that hurt more than you think. I guess I’ll leave you be. That is, until Synth learns to give in to what he feels,” Shade said and Luna’s face changed.

“We are still not certain that he is the one in that prophecy.” Luna said, but there was no emotion in her voice as she said it.

“I think you should look it over again, because certainty is written all over it,” Shade said.

Synth saw Luna nod, and he decided enough was enough. He used his energy to force Shade out of his vocal area. He succeeded fairly easy, like Shade was letting him take back control.

“Okay, I’m back. I hope he didn’t say anything too bad,” Synth said.

“No, it’s quite alright. We just need some time to think. If thou have nothing left to ask, then we’ll see thee tomorrow.” Luna said looking at the Canis Minors, and not at Synth.

Synth nodded as he walked towards the door. He was stopped as Luna said something suddenly.

“Don’t get any nightmares…” Luna said and Synth nodded again before opening the doors and walking out.

‘No promises,’ Shade said.

‘I’m sleepy, what time is it?’ Synth asked.

‘Time to take a nap, may I suggest at the bottom of a lake?’ Shade replied.

‘Ha-ha, now let’s see… this way I think.’ Synth said as he took a turn, he found himself facing the stairway.

‘Look at that, I was right,’ Synth said.

‘For once,’ Shade said.

Synth ignored him as he climbed his way up the stairs. He made it to the top, after his legs were beginning to tire. He made sure to watch his step. The top step still had the hole he made the night before. He walked up to his room and walked in, closing the door behind him. He locked it and slumped to the ground.

“So, what do you want to play?” Vera asked sitting on his bed.

Synth sighed, it was only about five and he was tired beyond belief. He stood back up and walked over to her. He sat down on the bed before speaking.

“What do you feel like playing?” Synth asked the still energetic filly.

“I don’t know… something competitive,” Vera said.

“Well, how about a board game?” Synth asked.

“I’ve only know how to play a few board games, what is there to play?” Vera asked.

“Let’s check in door number one,” Synth said as he pulled open the drawer of the dresser. He found it to be full of boxes.

“Jackpot,” Synth said as he lifted three different boxes from inside. He laid them down on the bed and waited for Vera to speak.

“What are these?” Vera asked looking at the three boxes.

“Well, this one is Monopony, and this one is Risk. Oh, and this one’s my favorite, Chess.” Synth said pointing to the smallest box.

“I haven’t heard of them…” Vera said as Synth opened the Chess box.

“Well, then let me show you how to play.” Synth said as he set up the game board.

-------------

“No, that’s a bishop. He can’t go straight.” Synth said as Vera tried to make another illegal move.

“Well, the movements are confusing. I can’t remember every little thing they do.” Vera said as she put her piece back where it was.

“Look, do you want to go back over the rules?” Synth asked.

“No, you’ve already explained them enough. I just don’t know if I can get used to it.” Vera said as she thought of her next move.

“Why don’t you think of it like something else?” Synth asked trying to help her get used to playing. He loved to play chess, but never had anyone to play against that was actually a challenge.

“Like what?” Vera asked, getting a little frustrated.

“Well, think of the pieces like other ponies. There are the ones that rule others, like Celestia. She’ll be the King piece. Then, there’s the one that protects the ponies, like Luna. She can be the Queen. The ones that go straight into battle without thinking are the Guards. They are the Rooks. The ones who have the weird moving patterns can be you. Those are the Knights. Because life has a way of doing weird things,” Synth said trying to get his example across.

“Oh I get it, like the Bishop can be you because you never go straight. You always go the wrong way and end up there eventually.” Vera said looking at the Bishop piece again.

“Yeah… sure,” Synth said sighing.

“So, what are these?” Vera asked holding up a pawn the last and most important piece of the game.

“Well, those are the ponies who risk their lives to defend what they care for. They’re special and shouldn’t be ignored. The pawns can be your pawn, and then become a useful ally if you use them right.” Synth said studying the piece a little more.

“Oh, okay. I get it now. Then can we play now?” Vera asked setting up the board.

Synth looked out the window to see the sky was dark and the moon was already out. He would guess it was almost midnight now. It took longer than he thought to teach her about the game. He turned back to the ready game board.

“Just one more game…” Synth said as he sat down to play a little more seriously.
------------

“Check,” Vera said grinning at the board.

“Nice, I didn’t see that coming…” Synth said as he studied for his next move.
It’s their fourth game, and Synth won them all so far. Vera kept insisting that they continue, and Synth couldn’t say no. Every time they played, Vera checked him more and more times, and now it was actually a close game. If he wasn’t careful, they could stalemate. Synth saw an opening in which he could reverse the situation.
“Guard,” Synth said as his rook took the bishop and led the way to her open queen.
“Nice try, but Check.” Vera said as she moved her knight into a position to take his king.
“You’re defending yourself by not defending at all… that’s a risky strategy.” Synth said as he looked for possible moves.
Synth moved his king down a space, and into a position away from the rest of her pieces. If he could get her queen, the game would be his. The queen was the OP piece in the game. She’d already taken his piece when he sacrificed it to take her two rooks, so he was trying to even the odds.
She moved a pawn to take his rook that he’d overlooked earlier. He smiled as he took her queen. She didn’t react though, as she moved her bishop to check his king.
“Check,” Vera said, and now she was smiling.
“Don’t get confident about a Check, you’re running out of good troops.” Synth said as he moved his rook away from its defensive position to capture her bishop.
“You told me yourself not to ignore a pawn. They can be your greatest ally.” Vera said as she moved her pawn to take Synth’s knight that he never moved from the last square on his side. When this happens, she’s allowed to replace the pawn with a different piece of her choosing.
“Checkmate,” Vera said as a queen took the place of her pawn.
Synth stared at the board and at his defenseless king. The pawn ended his journey next to the king. One of her knights was guarding the queen so Synth couldn’t capture it with his king. She had his king in the corner, and he saw no way out of it.
“Good Game…” Synth whispered as he took one last look at the board.
“Yeah, thanks for playing with me, I had fun.” Vera said smiling. She picked up the game and Synth was still staring at where the board used to be.
“Are you okay?” Vera asked when she put the game back in the drawer.
“Y-Yeah, I just… I’ve never lost a game of chess before. It feels… different.” Synth said as he composed himself from the shock.
‘And your first lost was to a mare. Not just any mare, a filly.’ Shade said amused at the thought.
‘Shut it, I taught her all she knows.’ Synth said trying not to make it look that bad.
‘There’s that pride showing up.’ Shade said and Synth didn’t understand for a while.
‘Just shut up, I’m too tired for this.’ Synth said as he took off his cloak and necklace before lying down in the bed.
“It’s pretty late, I’m going to bed,” Synth said as his eyes slowly started closing.
“I guess so, but why do you wear these things?” Vera asked pointing to the necklace and cloak his parents gave him.
Synth sighed; this was the second half of the story. It was already late, but he felt he should tell her some of it before they went to sleep.

“I’ll tell you the story later, but for now just know that it’s important to me. When I left my parent’s house, this is what they said good bye with. It was the only time when I didn’t think that badly of them. So, I keep these as a reminder…” Synth said and then had to think of what he’d say next.

“They’re reminders of what?” Vera asked.

“That everyone has a good side inside. And that no one is perfect.” Synth said before he was silent.

Vera didn’t respond, and instead Synth felt his eyelids weigh down on him. He closed them and was almost asleep when he felt Vera also get in bed and fall asleep. Synth could feel something in the corner of his mind, and he decided to let it in this time. It could be Luna, or a nightmare. But he felt that he could deal with a nightmare.

He was wrong.

Author's Notes:

...

Checkmate

Constellation

Split gasped as the ear piercing howl reached his ears. It was close, and so was Synth. He looked towards Vera who was now sweating from fear. He should have left her behind, but she refused. He continued though the forest as the howling lessened. If he looked closely, he would have realized that Shade had disappeared and a trail of smoke led towards where Synth was.

Only three things could make that sound, and there were no Timberwolves nearby. So that would mean Synth was in danger. He found the ending of the tree line and peered around the last one to see the river. In front of him was Silver who was looking down a Canis Minor that was about his size. Split ran up to his side as he noticed Synth’s unconscious body at the feet of the Canis Minor.

“Synth!” Vera called out from behind him. The Canis Minor focused his attention to them. His mouth opened and he showed his sharp canine teeth.

Split held Vera back as the Canis Minor took a step towards them. He seemed to be hesitating at first, but Split didn’t notice as his attention was on Silver who was slowly inching around the beast. He made it to Synth and started his healing spell. Split looked back to the beast to find it charging towards them. He grabbed Vera and rolled to the side as the beast barely missed them.

“Keep him busy, this’ll take a while!” Silver yelled as his magic concentrated on Synth’s motionless body.

Split placed Vera behind him as he stood back up. He got himself into a defensive stance and prepared his magic. His specialty wasn’t in fighting, but distraction was something he could do. The Canis Minor locked back onto him, and crouched ready for another charge.

Split sent out his magic as a dark wall between him and the Canis Minor. Split attempted to stop him by getting rid of his sight. As the wall appeared around the beast, Split made a cloud and focused it around the Canis Minor. When he finished, he now had a protected barrier and a shrouded area where the beast was. This all happened in the five seconds it took for his spell to be cast.

The beast gave another howl as he took a step forward. Split waited for the impact of the beast when he hit the wall. It never came, instead the beast walked right through the magic around him. He kept his gaze on Split the whole time. Suddenly he charged forward and caught Split off guard.

He didn’t have time to react as the beast jumped on top of Split. He was growling in his face as his paw came down to cut his throat. The beast would have succeeded in ending his life, if not for the hit he received in the side. The beast skidded into the river where he swam his way back onto shore.

Split looked up to see Slash standing over him. Slash had a few cuts on his wings, but was otherwise alright. Slash helped him up and then they walked over to where Silver was.

“How’s the healing going?” Split asked as Vera came up next to him.

“I don’t get it. His body doesn’t want to accept the healing. I’m trying my best but it’s like he’s already fully healed,” Silver said, a little worry in his voice. “Or he’s dead.” He finished.

Vera gasped as Silver back away from the unmoving body. The Canis Minor was walking towards them now. Then his face looked towards Synth’s body and he stopped. He looked to the rest of them and then slowly backed away. His face was still snarling, but his eyes betrayed another emotion. Fear.

Split didn’t respond, he didn’t know what he could say. He did notice that Synth was still breathing though. He looked down at Synth while his chest heaved up and down. He noticed that it stopped its slow breathing and for a second, it didn’t start back up. When it did continue though, his chest heaved upwards and then he violently twitched.

Synth’s eyes opened, and they were bloodshot. Split stepped back and gasped as the others did the same. He slowly stood up and grinned, looking himself over. He took a step towards the Canis Minor and his horn flared up.

“Synth!” Vera said.

“Synth isn’t here right now…” Shade whispered as his body was covered in a dark green, almost black coating as Shade ran forward in lightning speed and hit the Canis Minor below the chin.

Vera knew what she heard, he might have whispered it but she heard it clearly. The way he was acting was also different. He didn’t look terrified or scared. He looked like he enjoyed the fighting. She watched as he continued to assault the Canis Minor with blow after blow. The beast didn’t have a chance as Shade sent him skidding towards the trees.

Suddenly another Canis Minor came out of the woods next to the first who was now slowly lifting himself off the ground. Shade grinned and his horn lit up again. Behind the new Canis Minor, appeared two more of them. After they came out into the clearing, another four joined them. Suddenly the odds against Synth were eight to one. Shade didn’t falter though, as he charged forward.

Split watched mouth agape as Shade singlehoofedly took out the eight Canis Minors. He lost track of which ones he’d hit more than others. Split cringed at one point when it looked like Synth nearly killed them, then he simply stopped. He stood in the middle of the group of injured Canis Minors with the smile gone from his face. Suddenly, he raised a hoof and the Canis Minors slowly backed away. They joined into one group and sat down watching Shade. He still wasn’t smiling though, as he now held his head.

Suddenly, the magic coatings around Shade disappeared. Shade slumped forward as the Canis Minors stayed seated. Split and Silver recovered themselves from their dropped jaws and ran over to Synth. Slash flew overhead above Synth’s body. Vera also joined them, but kept her eyes on the Canis Minors who howled in unison when the trio reached the body.
------------

Synth slowly came back into consciousness as his body lifted itself off the ground. He felt cold and numb. He felt tired and he wanted to close his eyes again. His eyelids didn’t close though, as he felt his body take a step forward. Synth instantly awoke from his grogginess. He tried to take in everything that was happening.

He could hear Vera call out his name. Then he heard a very close voice next to him speak.

“Synth isn’t here right now…” Synth heard Shade speak with his mouth. Synth would have gasped if he could, but instead he settled for speaking up.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Synth asked Shade.

‘Look who decided to wake up. You should have stayed down. I got this handled.’ Shade said as his horn lit up.

‘How long was I out?’ Synth asked.

‘Well considering that I was knocked out too, I don’t know. But I do know that you’re in no position to take over. So I’ll make quick work of this guy and then show you how to cause real damage.’ Shade asked.

‘Damage? What do you…’ Synth realized that Shade was grinning.

‘I won’t let you hurt any of them.’ Synth said, feeling Shade’s malicious intent.

‘Really, you don’t trust me? Fair enough, but I meant to those Dawn Guard assholes. They deserve it, well them and this Canis.’ Shade responded.

‘So, it is a Canis Minor? I thought I’d seen one of these guys before.’ Synth answered.

‘Well, yeah there’s a very big distinction in the fact he’s blue.’ Shade said sarcastically.

Shade ran forward and almost broke the jaw of the Canis Minor. He ran forward to continue.

‘How can you be smiling at a time like this?’ Synth asked Shade as he started his assault on the beast.

‘Because, I forgot how much fun this can get.’ Shade said as he delivered another blow to the jaw of the blue beast.

He dodged attacks that the Canis Minor through at him, and landed his own hits on the legs and face of the beast.

‘You’re going to regret messing with us…’ A soft male voice said in Synth’s head. He could almost make out a faint growl as it spoke.

‘Did you hear that too?’ Shade asked as he missed a punch to the leg and was met with a blow to the chest that slid him back a few feet.

‘Yeah, what was that?’ Synth asked.

‘I am the leader of my pack. You dare to invade our territory?’ The voice came again, this time now a growl followed.

‘Look buddy, you attacked us first. Maybe we can go our separate ways?’ Shade replied as he ran forward and landed a blow on the beast and sent him sliding towards the tree line. ‘For now, you can go that way.’ Shade finished.
‘Or we can kill you where you stand.’ The voice replied with a sinister laugh.
‘You and what army? Wait… did you say we?’ Shade asked the beast as he watched the forms of more Canis Minors exit the forest. They stood next to their fallen comrade and stared down Shade. Synth noticed Shade smiled again, as Shade lit his horn again. He ran forward, and Synth couldn’t stop him as he jumped into the air and kicked at the Canis Minors in the front.
‘You have a death wish, don’t you?’ Synth asked as he jumped off the fallen Canis Minor to narrowly avoid the teeth of another two who bit where he once was.
‘Just because you can’t do this, doesn’t mean you should be jealous.’ Shade said as he knocked the wind out of an approaching Canis Minor. He ducked to avoid another beast and struck the beast in his underside as he flew over.
‘How can you enjoy this? Violence shouldn’t be liked.’ The voice said in Synth’s head as Shade rose up and knocked the feet of the Canis Minors around him.
‘How can we hear you?’ Synth asked the voice. It seemed to be moving around as Shade fought.
‘We were born of the same entity, therefore we are connected with that bond.’ He responded, but Synth didn’t understand.
‘I don’t get it, could you repeat that?’ Synth asked as Shade jumped over two approaching Canis Minors and then knocked the Canis Minor in the back and into the other one.
‘You are not the one we are connected with; it is the one who is in control right now.’ The voice responded.
‘Shade, it’s for you.’ Synth replied as he watched Shade almost break two of the beast’s legs and then they were sent flying into a tree.
‘So, you’re saying we’re like family?’ Shade asked as he punched the last Canis Minor square in the chest and he landed onto the ground twitching.
‘Y-Yes, that’s… correct.’ The voice responded as though it was injured. Shade looked down to the last one to get beaten. He noticed it was just looking at them from his spot on the ground. The others were also too injured to continue, and they just watched Shade.
‘Well, brothers and sisters. Let’s make sure we know who’s boss around here…’ Shade responded as he lifted his hoof into the air.
‘Get in line, I want to get a good look at you…’ Shade said and they slowly lifted themselves and did what he said.
Shade looked towards them and smiled, his horn started to glow. Synth could imagine what he had in mind. Shade didn’t care about anything, so why would he care about family? Shade was about to release his magic into a blast, but Synth felt something inside him. He thought about what would happen if Shade was set free. All the damage he could cause to his friends and, more so to his family.
Synth felt his magic return to him as he let go the burst of energy. He had a thought of Vera being victim to Shade’s deeds before his magic completely enveloped Shade’s. Shade didn’t have time to properly react as his magic was overpowered and his feelings numbed. He did have enough time to cast a spell though, and he used it on himself.
‘This one’s a draw.’ Shade said as he imploded his own body with the spell. At first, he could feel Synth take over and then he felt nothing as the spell shocked them back into unconsciousness.
------------

“Is he okay?” Split asked as Silver used his magic on him.

“He’s better than okay!” Slash yelled down, furiously scribbling on a notepad.

“What do you mean?” Vera asked as she saw Synth’s body twitch.

“Did you see him? He used some awesome magic back there. I can’t believe this is the same pony that we’ve been training.” Slash said as he finished his writing.

The Canis Minors were now approaching the group. Split backed away, and Silver kept them at the corners of his eyes as he finished his healing. Vera looked up at them but didn’t move. They walked slowly, and some limped as they encircled Silver and Synth partway. Split watched one of the Canis Minors stop and look at Vera before continuing his walk. Vera didn’t look scared, and Split could only commemorate her courage.

“What do you want?” Silver asked as his horn stopped its glow. He turned to face the most cut up and bigger Canis Minor. He was the leader and the closest to the ponies. He lowered his head and soon after, the others did the same.

A sudden grunt sounded next to Silver. He looked down to see Synth trying to get back on his hooves. He failed, and ended up falling on his face. He cursed under his breath as he tried again. Silver didn’t hear them as two of the Canis Minors showed up next to Synth and helped him onto his hooves. He was too surprised to react, and suddenly he looked to the others to see them… smiling?

“You’re welcome,” Synth said looking at the biggest Canis Minor.

“What?” Split asked and suddenly Synth turned to him tilting his head. He sighed and then shook his head.
------------

Synth felt something throbbing in his head. He could feel his body as consciousness returned to him. At first, he felt numbness and expected Shade to still be in control. But soon, he felt the ground beneath his body and the wind blowing his cloak around. He opened his eyes and that caused his body to groan with the effort.

He could hear voices too. They were soft and barely audible. He tried to lift himself, but the effort only caused him to groan. Silver appeared in his vision, and he attempted to try again. He didn’t want to look weak in front of his trainer. Suddenly, he felt his legs get a little bit of strength. When he was about half way up, his legs gave out and he fell onto the floor.

‘Smooth.’ Shade said from the back of his mind.

‘It’s your fault. This isn’t what I would call a draw. I’m the one who’s losing here…’ Synth said as he recovered his strength for another attempt.

‘But you saved us.’ Synth heard that familiar soft voice in his head again.

‘Yeah, you saved those worthless Minors. Good Job.’ Shade said sarcastically.

‘I guess that’s not a bad thing.’ Synth said as he put more force into his legs to pick himself up. When he was about to collapse again, he felt something propping his side up. He turned to see a Canis Minor helping him up. Then he looked to the other side to see the same thing.

‘We are thankful for your help. Your friend on the other hand, isn’t what we expected.’ The soft voice entered his head.

‘Actually, I’ve known him long enough to expect as much…’ Synth said as he was finally to his feet.

‘Yes, we thought he’d be more trustful considering he is much like us.’ The voice said.

‘Well, with Shade I don’t think he could ever be trusted.’ Synth said and he noticed Shade was quiet.

‘Thank you anyways, we aren’t usually saved by our own prey.’ The voice said and Synth saw the Canis Minor smile slowly. His teeth showed, and it still gave Synth goosebumps.

“Your Welcome.” Synth said, the fear making him forget his surroundings.

“What?” Split asked really close to Synth. He tried to play it off, but Split definitely heard. He shook his head and held a hoof out to the Canis Minor.

“Truce?” Synth asked and the Canis Minor thought about this a second, before placing his large paw on Synth’s hoof. The other Canis Minors simply sat down and waited.

‘Truce, but your friends don’t look like they’d easily befriend us.’ The voice said as the Canis Minor turned to look at Split who was raising an eyebrow and Slash who had landed and had his mouth open again.

“Hey Slash, tell those Dawn Guards to take a break. Silver, could you help these guys out? They’re a little injured.” Synth said motioning to the other Canis Minors. Slash flew away without saying a word.

“Are you crazy? They were about to kill you!” Split said still standing close to Synth.

“But they didn’t. If you care so much for our safety, why don’t you watch them then?” Synth asked as he walked over to where Vera was standing.

“You okay?” Synth asked a little more softly as he looked at Vera.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you sure you’re okay though? We thought you died.” Vera said and Synth stepped back.

“Why’d you think that?” Synth asked.

“Well you stopped breathing for a second, and Silver couldn’t heal you. That means you died.” Vera said.

“Actually, I could heal him that last time. I wonder why it didn’t work the first time…” Silver said from his position next to a Canis Minor who had a cut lip.

“See, I’m alright. It’ll take a lot more than that to take me down.” Synth said boldly.

‘Like a tree.’ Shade said.

‘Shut up, that was a onetime thing…’ Synth said.

‘But it happened twice.’ Shade responded.

‘I know… just shut up.’ Synth said as he sat down to rest his tired legs.

“Well, what are you going to do now?” Vera asked sitting down next to him.

“I don’t know. I guess I should keep training, but I’m a little tired,” Synth said yawning.

“What about those blue things? They don’t look very nice,” Vera said.

Synth looked over to see them in a line waiting to be healed. Two of the already healed ones were play fighting, and he saw a pair of injured Minors growling to each other and showing off their fangs. The leader was stretching and licking the blood away from the newly healed cuts.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about. They’re just like regular ponies when you think about it…” Synth said. Synth saw the leader walking his way towards them. He sat down in front of them and said nothing.

“What’s your name?” Vera asked the blue beast.

‘Spark, and you are?’ the soft voice said to Synth and he tilted his head.

Synth got a look from Vera and he tapped his head a second before he thought of an idea. He turned to Spark who was waiting patiently.

“Why don’t you write it down?” Synth asked Spark and he handed him a stick off the floor.

At first the Canis Minor looked like he wanted to argue, but then he nodded and grabbed the stick in his mouth. He scratched at the ground at first, and then started to write down letters. When he finished, Vera walked around to see what it said.

“Wow, he’s pretty smart. Didn’t know they could read or write,” Slash said walking up to them.

“His name’s Spark,” Vera said.

“Guess so. Does this mean we’re on good terms?” Slash asked walking up to Spark.

Spark nodded and held out his paw. Slash smiled and they had a quick handshake.

“I like this guy. Can we keep him?” Slash asked which got a glare from Split and a wink from Synth. Spark barked and Slash held his hoof up.
“Just kidding,” Slash said walking away.
Nobody spoke, and they eventually all sat down in their own areas. Some of the Canis Minors were sitting together, but most were bathing in the river. Split kept his watch on them, and Synth didn’t mind Vera when she went to join them.
‘So, what’s your story? Why are you all here?’ Spark asked Synth when no one was looking their direction. Synth sighed.
‘I could ask you the same thing,’ Synth said.
‘Well, my story could take a while. I’ll tell you if we have time,’ Spark said.
‘Fair enough. Okay then, shall I start from the beginning?’ Synth asked watching Vera having fun playing with the Canis Minors. He noticed some of them were younger than others, but about the same size.
‘Go ahead, I’m listening,’ Spark said.
‘Okay, I’ll keep this short. I’m training to get stronger, and this was a training spot they chose. I was in the middle of the training when we met. The training did a number on me, so Shade had a chance to get out. He used himself up enough though, so I forced him back. When I tried to come back out, he took me with him. Now, everyone’s wondering about your group I bet,’ Synth said, trying to keep it condensed but with enough details.
‘I see, well our predicament was actually a little different.’ Spark said.
‘I bet, I don’t think your pack would be training in this forest,’ Shade said from nowhere.
‘You are correct, but not entirely…’ Spark scratched his head with his hind legs. Then he turned back to face Synth.
‘One day, we lost our mother. We were only pups at the time, and she simply disappeared one day. We looked around everywhere, but we couldn’t find any sign of her. We assume the worst happened. So, we decided to band together and spend our lives trying to avenge our mother.’ Spark took a breath to continue speaking, even though he wasn’t technically using up oxygen when he spoke mentally.
‘So, do you want to tell Synth how old you are now?’ Shade said taking the opportunity.
‘Well, we lost our mother a little over a thousand years ago. We gave up a long time ago, and now we were going to claim this place as ours… But I guess this is someone else’s property. That would explain those trespassers a while back.’ Spark said looking into the sky.
‘You’re a thousand years old?’ Synth asked, mouth open.
‘Yeah, that’s about right. Anything else you want to know?’ Spark asked.
‘When’s lunch?’ Shade asked.
‘Good question. I don’t have an answer though.’ Spark said lying onto the ground.
‘So, I guess you’re hungry?’ Synth asked.
‘Only a little, I had a big breakfast.’ Spark said licking his lips.
‘How about you come with us to the castle? I bet Luna would like to meet you all.’ Synth asked, his sympathetic side coming out.
Synth looked away from Spark and looked at the other Canis Minors. They stopped their playing and resting to look at the pair. Synth waved to Vera who was interested in what they were looking at. She waved back and then jumped on the back of a Canis Minor to continue playing.
‘Do you think she’ll really enjoy meeting us?’ Spark asked looking into Synth’s eyes.
‘I’m sure she will. You know, after you tried to kill us.’ Shade said sarcastically.
‘Ignore him, he’s just cranky. But, she’s changed since when she was in rule a long time ago,’ Synth said standing up.
“Hey guys, change of plans. It’s almost lunch and I want to show these guys to Luna. Let’s drop in and give them a surprise.” Synth said speaking to the rest of the group.
“Stop right there. We decide what we do, not you. Comet might not be here, but that doesn’t mean you’re in charge. We’ll continue the training until you can literally disappear.” Streak said from right behind Synth.
Synth turned to see Streak with tons of twigs and leaves stuck in random spots of his wings. Nova was behind him, but other than muddy hooves he was in okay shape. Synth then looked to Split and Silver, and finally Slash. They looked tired, but weren’t complaining. Synth looked to the Canis Minors and then Vera. He had an idea.
“Okay, I’ll show you what I can do. Just give me a second to stretch. And I’ll need a head start too.” Synth said. Streak hesitated but Nova nodded.
“Okay, tell us when you’re ready. Don’t keep us waiting.” Nova said walking away and into the trees.
Synth walked over to Vera as she lowered her head. He walked really close and whispered something into her ear. At first, she raised an eyebrow and then she smiled a devious smile. Synth walked up to Silver and Slash and did the same. They had the same effect, and Split’s reaction was only slightly different. He went from confusion to fear, and then into a smile.
------------
“Game on!” Synth’s voice rang out from the distance.
“Damn, he got far in that head start. We shouldn’t have given him so much time,” Nova said.
“Doesn’t matter how far he went, I’ll find him eventually,” Streak said rushing forward and dodging around trees as he quickly left Nova’s sight.
“Well, I guess I should take this more seriously too.” Nova said as he cast a spell with his horn. The air around him shimmered for a second, and then he disappeared.
Far above, two figures were scratching their heads and wondering where Nova went. They looked away to follow Streak, and completely lost where Nova went.
“Hey, did you feel that?” Slash asked Split next to him.
“No, I didn’t see or feel anything. He just vanished,” Split answered.
“I know but just before I lost track of where he went, there was this burst of magic. It was only for a second, but I felt it.” Slash said stretching his wings.
“Look, let’s just go catch up with the others. They’re waiting for us.” Split said as he used a cloud to carry them over to where Vera and Silver were sitting with confused looks on their faces.
“Is he ready?” Split asked.
“No, he’s been going in a circle. Are you sure you told him the right way to go?” Silver asked looking to Slash.
“Yeah, I said to go straight after the river takes the bend. Where is he now?” Slash asked looking below for Synth.
“Other side of the forest…” Silver said and, sure enough, Synth was looking at the wall behind the tree, on the complete other side of the forest from the exit.
Silver looked to see Spark pawing at the cloud beneath them. He was wobbling a little and Vera was chuckling.
“Are you scared of heights?” Vera asked. Spark didn’t answer, other than sitting down and putting his head on his paws.
“I didn’t know these guys had fears. I always thought they were invincible.” Silver said looking to the rest of the Canis Minors who were in the same position as Spark.
“Everyone has something they can’t stand. Remember when Star-,“ Split began.
“Shut it.” Silver cut him off.
“Oh come on, we’re all friends here,” Split said looking to the Canis Minors. “It’ll boost their spirits if they hear about your fear…” he finished.
“I don’t care, just forget about that…” Silver said looking away.
“Fine, fine… but that was pretty funny wasn’t it?” Split asked with a grin on his face.
“Shut up…” Silver said his face growing a little red.
Split stayed quiet, but Vera had a question.
“Who’s Star?” Vera asked.
“She’s the Shadow Guards second in command. And she was also the one who asked Silver to-“ Slash was cut off from speaking by the glare he was getting from Silver.
“To what?” Vera asked not seeing Silver’s look.
“To…you know, never mind.” Slash said looking away and back towards Synth who was surprisingly getting closer to the exit. He would look up every few seconds, and then when it looked like Streak was about to find him, he activated the spell and hid.
“That was a close one, but it doesn’t look like he’s getting better at actually holding the spell. He can cast it just fine, but the duration of it is too low,” Slash said writing this down.
“At least he made it to the exit. Let’s get out of here, I’m starving.” Silver said as Split led the cloud closer to the exit.
“Are you sure they’ll be okay with us just leaving?” Split asked as his cloud made it to the edge of the forest.
“Yeah, we could just say that Synth was hiding the whole time. Then when the time was up, we forgot to get them before we left.” Silver said and Split nodded.
“Let’s hope they’re not too mad…” Split said as he lowered his cloud, the rest of the occupants were slowly getting themselves up as the ground came closer.
-------------

‘Oh, look at that!’ Shade said suddenly.

‘What?’ Synth said looking from side to side but not seeing anything.

‘It’s another dead end. Gee, I wonder how many that’s been. Oh wait, I’ve been counting. You’re up to nine now,’ Shade said.

‘You’re not helping…’ Synth said as he turned around to see if he was in the right direction that Slash said to go.

‘But we can…’ Spark said in his head.

‘Really? Then which way do I go now?’ Synth asked looking up towards the Canis Minor.

‘Give me a second…’ Spark went silent and Synth couldn’t help but feel something different in Spark’s voice.

‘Okay, go straight until you reach the river.’ Spark said.

Synth followed Spark’s directions, each time he had to take a second before telling him where to go next. He only had a few encounters with Streak, in which he hid before he was found. Streak was moving too fast to notice a moving bush or the prints in the ground.

‘Hide,’ Spark said.

Synth activated the spell and managed to narrowly avoid Streak as he flew right by Synth. This time though, he hovered in front of the tree that Synth was hiding next to. He was about to lean on it to take a rest, until he heard something in the bushes nearby. His body was only inches away from Synth, whose spell was beginning to fade.

Streak jumped after the moving object in the bush. Streak would later realize he nearly scared a rabbit to death when he caught up to it. It would be a good few minutes before that happened though. Synth meanwhile, was grateful for the interruption and left down the homestretch to the exit.

Synth could barely make out the exit as it showed up in front of him. He waited for a few seconds as the door was swung open. He smiled as he saw Silver standing there and motioning for Synth to enter. Synth did as he was told, and the door was closed quietly behind him.

“So, let’s get going.” Synth said walking up the walkway.

“Actually, we still have procedure to follow. Vera would you?” Split asked and Synth saw her close her eyes.

“And now you…” Split winked and Synth felt his vision go dark again.

“Not again…” Synth said as he walked slowly up the walkway. Silver was walking next to him and making sure that he didn’t trip.

‘What’s wrong?’ Spark asked. Synth couldn’t tell how close or how far he was.

‘They blinded me so I don’t see where this place is. All part of the training.’ Synth said and Spark didn’t ask to know more.

‘So, are you excited about lunch?’ Synth asked in his head.

‘I’m sure it’ll be delicious.’ Shade said sarcastically.

‘I’m not talking to you… so are you Spark?’ Synth asked.

‘I’m more nervous about meeting Luna. I don’t think she’ll be as accepting of us as you were. I mean, she’s a princess after all,’ Spark said.

‘Well, I don’t see anything wrong with your pack. They just need a little understanding. Don’t worry, I’ll be there to make sure she knows the whole story,’ Synth said. And after he said that he tripped over something hard and metallic.

‘Wait… what did I trip on?’ Synth asked.

‘Don’t answer that,’ Shade said.

Synth didn’t hear a response so he just decided to ignore it. He kept his focus on making sure his hooves didn’t hit anything too hard. After what felt like hours, he finally heard Silver’s voice.

“Okay, we’re back. You can undo the magic now Split,” Silver said.

Synth felt his eyes go from the darkness back into the blinding light. Synth squinted while his vision changed back to normal. He rubbed his eyes until he could finally see right again. He opened his eyes and looked into the room in front of him.

The table was the same from breakfast and the same guests from breakfast too. He walked in with the rest of his group. He only got a few glances at first, and he felt confident he could make it to Luna before anything happened. His hopes were crushed when he heard a scream behind him.

‘They don’t sound very happy to see us,’ Spark said.

Synth turned around to see Spark and the rest of his pack entering the room, their mouths drooling at the sight of food. The officials and Royal Guards surrounded the pack before they were halfway inside. Synth gulped and turned around to see Luna in a shocked expression at the Canis Minors.

“So Luna, I brought some friends…” Synth said loud enough for her to hear.

She turned to look at Synth and then back to the Canis Minors. She looked back to Synth and sighed. “Let them be. Our visitor has some explaining to do,” Luna said.

“Thank you…” Synth said when they lowered their weapons and turned to face Synth. The attention was almost too much for him. He breathed in and out to gather his words before speaking.

“Any time…” Celestia said.

“Okay, well long story short these guys aren’t as bad as we thought. They just lost their mother so I thought you could help them find her.” Synth said trying to look at Luna, but he only managed to look in her direction.

“What makes thee so sure of their good being?” Luna asked Synth.

“Well they were grateful after a certain rabbit showed up, so I doubt they’d change their minds.” Synth said winking to Luna now. She nodded and waited for him to continue.

“Plus, they seem to really want to talk to you. They’re just a little shy…” Synth said and he saw Spark lower his head. Luna smiled and motioned to the guards.

“Make them feel at home, but do not let them out of thy sights. Not until we can further pursue their reason for being brought here,” Luna said, and then she looked to Celestia quickly.

“Luna, I agreed to let you make your own decisions. Just remember you are responsible for the consequences too.” Celestia said getting up from her seat.

“Thank you Tia, I won’t let you down.” Luna said before turning back to Synth.

“Well, are thou hungry?” Luna asked and Synth realized they got there a little late. Most of the others already finished lunch and were leaving the rooms. They gave the Canis Minors questioning glances before leaving.

“Actually, I could go for something juicy…” Synth said looking over to the Canis Minors.

“And I don’t suppose you could do something for them too?” Synth asked.

Luna looked over to them and then smiled. She levitated a notepad and a pen from somewhere, and then she quickly wrote something down. When she finished, she handed it to a nearby guard who nodded and read it while he walked into the kitchen.

Synth raised an eyebrow as she just sat there. “So, is that a yes?” Synth asked when she didn’t continue.

“Yes, we may have something they might enjoy. It’s also probable that they might not like it, but it’s all that we have.” Luna said and the guard returned with a covered platter that was bigger than him. He set it down in between all of the Canis Minors and slowly backed away. He kept his eyes on Spark as he lifted the lid away.

The plate held tiny gem fragments that were stacked into a mountain of gems. It would have made Rarity faint at the amount of them. There were all kinds of colors as the Canis Minors jumped onto the pile and started munching and breaking the gems apart.

“Gems are edible?” Synth asked as he watched them eat the gems without hesitation.

“No, they aren’t. But the Minors can eat gems and it’ll restore their energy. They are made of pure energy after all. So, we thought it would work,” Luna said.

“Why do they get energy from eating the gems?” Synth asked.

“It’s something to do with their magic absorbing its natural energy.” Luna said thinking hard about it.

‘Do you mind if I try something?’ Shade asked politely.

‘That would depend…’ Synth replied.

‘I just want to see if the same thing works with me,’ Shade answered.

‘Go ahead, but you’ll need to be a bunny when you do it. Anything else and I’ll stop you.’ Synth said as he looked into a dark corner of the room,’ Synth said letting Shade take over his magic.

‘You know, sometimes I think you spoil me…’ Shade said as a thin light of magic hit the corner of the room and then a little later a white bunny hopped out.

Nobody noticed it except for Synth and Luna who’d been watching him closely. She sighed as Shade hopped out and towards the gem pile.

“We do not believe that the same idea will apply to a summoned creature…” Luna said just enough for him to hear.

“He just wanted to make sure.” Synth said defending Shade.

“Sometimes, we think thou are too forgiving. Remember the consequences.” Luna said as Shade approached the pile. He grabbed one of the emeralds and held it close to his mouth, as if hesitating.

“Look! It’s Shadow, I forgot all about him.” Vera said coming up behind Shade. Synth had to think about that, he never told her the name he gave Shade when he was in rabbit form. So, she must’ve overheard when they were at their parent’s house.
Shade stopped and looked to see who she was talking about. When he remembered the name, he noticed she was getting close to him. Before she could stop him, he shoved the gem in his mouth.

Synth could hear the crack as Shade’s teeth bit into the gem. At first, nothing happened. Then, Shade opened his mouth to show his broken teeth and the still intact gem. Vera was inspecting his teeth like a dentist. She prodded the cracked ones, and inspected some pieces of the ones that fell off. She lowered Shade, and he hopped into the corner of the room.

‘That didn’t go as expected,’ Shade said as the smoke entered Synth’s horn while no one was looking. No one, that is except for Luna. Synth didn’t know if he should laugh, or feel sorry for Shade. Losing a tooth hurt, so breaking almost all of them at once would be painful. He decided to not do either and hold back his laughter and say nothing.

“Eating gems is not recommended. First of all, you’d need tough teeth to eat them, and second if you don’t have enough magic it could take your magic instead of giving it to you.” Luna said looking at Synth seriously.

‘I get it, don’t eat anything magical,’ Shade said.

‘But magic is most delicious,’ Spark said.

Synth looked over to see Spark at the top of the pile, shoving his face full of the gems. Synth noticed that the Shadow Guards were just watching and not saying anything. Synth’s stomach rumbled and he remembered why he came.

“Luna, if you wouldn’t mind. Could we eat something too?” Synth asked.

“Yes, we will have the chefs bring something for thee and thy sister.” Luna said turning to a guard.

“Um Luna, could you include my trainers in that too?” Synth asked pointing to the trio of Shadow Guards who saluted.

“Very well, they deserved it. We will need the report on Synth’s progress and a debriefing from Nova before their job is done though.” Luna said looking around.

“Where is Nova? Would not he be with thee?” Luna asked Synth.

“About that…” Synth started to say and turned to the Shadow Guards who were rubbing their necks or whistling.

“Just a little late, I had to check on something before coming back.” Nova said from next to Synth.

Synth jumped back, his eyes widened and his heart was beating a little faster. Nova was right next to him, and he sounded… happy? Synth waited to see what he’d say next. Nova levitated over Slash’s notepad and took out his own scroll from a bag at his side. He levitated both to Luna before bowing and walking towards the Shadow Guards.

“Thank you, we will read this for now. Until we finish, feel free to ‘dig in’,” Luna said. Chefs came out of the kitchen with smaller platters and placed them on the table. Synth saw Nova take a seat, and soon the rest of the Shadow Guards did the same.

Vera sat down in between Nova and Slash. Synth walked over and took a seat on the opposite side of the table next to Silver and Split. Luna took the reading material and left towards where Synth and Luna had their meetings. Synth relaxed as the platters were opened and the food filled his nostrils.

“Shall we dig in?” Nova asked a little nervous.

“We Shall.” Slash said rubbing his hooves together.

Synth was about to start, until a question bugged his mind. It wasn’t really a bug, unless you called Shade a pest. ‘So Nova’s all nice with you guys now, after you left them at the forest?’ Shade asked.

“Yeah, why is that?” Synth asked softly.

“Why is what?” Slash asked raising an eyebrow.

“Oh nothing, I was just wondering why Nova’s here and Streak isn’t.” Synth said a little louder, cursing Shade for his own mistake.

“He’s still looking for you. Honestly, that was a pretty good plan. I never would have guessed you’d leave in the middle of training,” Nova said, his mouth full of lettuce.

“So, how did you know we left?” Split asked tomato juice all over his lips.

“I followed you. Ever since you restarted the game, I followed to see where you’d go. You had that attitude like you had something up your sleeve, so I wanted to make sure you were playing fair.” Nova said and then resumed his lunch.

“But, we didn’t see you at all. So, why didn’t you just find Synth and give yourselves another point? That’s what Streak would have wanted you to do.” Silver said. He didn’t start eating yet and was intrigued by Nova’s actions.

Nova swallowed before replying. “Like I said, I had a hunch. So, I was there when you were almost found by Streak. That’s when I realized that you didn’t need to train like that. I mean, you’ll only get better at that spell the more you use it, so why would we have you use it only when you’re in danger?” Nova said and then continued eating, this time a little slower.

“So, you just followed us? Why didn’t you tell Streak?” Split asked.

“I went back, but only to tell him that I saw you for a second and then you disappeared. Then I left and came here.” Nova said as licked his lips to remove the ranch from his mouth.

“Why would you cover for us?” Silver asked, his hunger completely forgotten.

“Well, we kind of had a falling out before we went to the camp…” Nova said, having stopped his eating.

“What kind of falling out?” Synth asked.

“It’s just that I told him I wanted to quit. I just wanted to settle down somewhere and live a carefree life. He thought I was crazy and hated the idea. Then, Slash came and told us about the abandoned camp. So, I told myself I’d stay a guard until we finished your training in two days.” Nova said. He was now completely serious and looking at Synth.

“So, what are you going to do after that?” Synth asked Nova.

“Well, I’m going to find a spot that suits me. I’ll find a mare and live the rest of my life away from this guard job.” Nova said a little sad.

“I wish you luck.” Slash said saluting to Nova.

“As do I.” Split said adding to the salute.

“Me too.” Vera said trying to copy the other’s salutes.

“Thanks, I don’t know what I’ll do or where I’ll go yet, but I’m glad to know I have your support.” Nova said saluting back.

“All I can say is good luck, and I wish I got to know you better,” Silver said.

“Yeah, I treated the Shadow Guards like crap. I’m sorry about that, but we have to. It’s supposed to make you new recruits stronger. The only ones who take it too far are Comet, Streak, and the Captain. Everyone else does it as part of their job… can you forgive us?” Nova asked looking at Silver.

“Yeah, it’s all in the past. Look towards the future.” Silver said smiling now.

‘The past repeats itself,’ Shade said.

‘He is right; history repeats. There will always be something after a storm.’ Spark said from atop the licked clean platter.

‘Why are you both acting so down? Everything’s alright right now. Enjoy it while it lasts.’ Synth said as he looked down at his untouched plate.

Everyone finished their lunches as Synth and Silver finally started. Even after the delay, Synth finished his lunch before they all left. Silver was the last to leave, after he excused himself when he finished. He closed the doors behind him and Synth was left relatively alone.

‘So, what do we do now?’ Synth asked the Canis Minors who were play fighting and rolling around.

‘We could sleep,’ Asked a lower pitched voice. Synth realized it was the Minor that was laying against the wall almost knocked out.

‘We could play tag,’ Asked a cheerful and energetic voice. It reminded him of Pinkie, but it also sounded young. He looked around and found the owner of the voice jumping over a sleeping Canis Minor repetitively.

‘We could eat some more,’ a slow voice said who was nibbling on someone’s tail. He was bigger than some of the others, but not in the height category.

‘We could shut up,’ Synth looked around and for a second he couldn’t tell who said that. Then, he remembered and sighed.

‘Shade, you don’t get a vote,’ Synth said, and sure enough Shade sighed.

‘Well then can I say we should go with the first suggestion?’ Shade asked.

“Synth, we have finished our reading. We may see you now and your guests as well.” Luna called out from the room next door.

Synth led the Canis Minors towards the door and opened it. He made sure they were all inside before entering himself and closing the door behind him. He turned to look back at the others, and found them all lying down in the grass. Even the one that was energetic before was sniffing the flowers from inches away.

“Synth, we must discuss thy progress so far.” Luna said sitting down next to Spark who was looking at himself in the water.

“Okay, how am I doing?” Synth asked seating himself on the other side of Spark.

“Thy progress is much more than we expected, and thou have been controlling Shade much better than we thought.” Luna said rubbing her hoof through Spark’s fur.

“Really? How can you tell?” Synth asked. He was watching Luna act normal, even with the eight Canis Minors in the room. Most of them were rolling in the grass, while some slept and one was peering over the edge of the balcony.

“Slash has written about thy conflict with Spark here, and Nova wrote how thou have practiced with thy spells perfectly. He has also seen the improvement in thee.” Luna said.

“Really? I didn’t realize I was improving. It doesn’t feel like I’m getting any better. And Shade still acts like an asshole most of the time,” Synth said.

“Well, we need to see thy improvement for ourselves. Tomorrow, we want to see you perform the Environmental Takeover spell. But around this time tomorrow, instead of during the morning. Until then, enjoy thy free time,” Luna said.

“Okay, thanks Luna. But… I have to ask.” Synth said thinking how to say it.

“What is it?” Luna asked.

“Why are you so comfortable with these Canis Minors around?” Synth asked.

“Synth, they are our creations. We love everything we create,” Luna coughed awkwardly. “Almost everything, that is,” Luna said.

“Ouch, my own mother doesn’t love me. I guess I should say I’m not surprised.” Shade said. Synth reached up to feel his mouth, it was completely numb. He didn’t even feel Shade as he took over his vocal actions.

“What?” Luna asked, confused about what he said.

“It’s me, mom. Don’t you recognize your own creation?” Shade asked pouting as he did. Synth was surprised. He didn’t know his face could pout.

“Oh, Shade. Now we understand. Well, what mother could love something that betrayed her?” Luna said. Synth remembered how Shade used Luna as a shield in the end.

“Could you blame me? That’s how I was raised,” Shade said.

“Fair enough, but we don’t feel like chatting with you tonight. Our favorite creations want to talk about more pleasant things.” Luna said grinning.

“Ouch, that hurt more than you think. I guess I’ll leave you be. That is, until Synth learns to give in to what he feels,” Shade said and Luna’s face changed.

“We are still not certain that he is the one in that prophecy.” Luna said, but there was no emotion in her voice as she said it.

“I think you should look it over again, because certainty is written all over it,” Shade said.

Synth saw Luna nod, and he decided enough was enough. He used his energy to force Shade out of his vocal area. He succeeded fairly easy, like Shade was letting him take back control.

“Okay, I’m back. I hope he didn’t say anything too bad,” Synth said.

“No, it’s quite alright. We just need some time to think. If thou have nothing left to ask, then we’ll see thee tomorrow.” Luna said looking at the Canis Minors, and not at Synth.

Synth nodded as he walked towards the door. He was stopped as Luna said something suddenly.

“Don’t get any nightmares…” Luna said and Synth nodded again before opening the doors and walking out.

‘No promises,’ Shade said.

‘I’m sleepy, what time is it?’ Synth asked.

‘Time to take a nap, may I suggest at the bottom of a lake?’ Shade replied.

‘Ha-ha, now let’s see… this way I think.’ Synth said as he took a turn, he found himself facing the stairway.

‘Look at that, I was right,’ Synth said.

‘For once,’ Shade said.

Synth ignored him as he climbed his way up the stairs. He made it to the top, after his legs were beginning to tire. He made sure to watch his step. The top step still had the hole he made the night before. He walked up to his room and walked in, closing the door behind him. He locked it and slumped to the ground.

“So, what do you want to play?” Vera asked sitting on his bed.

Synth sighed, it was only about five and he was tired beyond belief. He stood back up and walked over to her. He sat down on the bed before speaking.

“What do you feel like playing?” Synth asked the still energetic filly.

“I don’t know… something competitive,” Vera said.

“Well, how about a board game?” Synth asked.

“I’ve only know how to play a few board games, what is there to play?” Vera asked.

“Let’s check in door number one,” Synth said as he pulled open the drawer of the dresser. He found it to be full of boxes.

“Jackpot,” Synth said as he lifted three different boxes from inside. He laid them down on the bed and waited for Vera to speak.

“What are these?” Vera asked looking at the three boxes.

“Well, this one is Monopony, and this one is Risk. Oh, and this one’s my favorite, Chess.” Synth said pointing to the smallest box.

“I haven’t heard of them…” Vera said as Synth opened the Chess box.

“Well, then let me show you how to play.” Synth said as he set up the game board.

-------------

“No, that’s a bishop. He can’t go straight.” Synth said as Vera tried to make another illegal move.

“Well, the movements are confusing. I can’t remember every little thing they do.” Vera said as she put her piece back where it was.

“Look, do you want to go back over the rules?” Synth asked.

“No, you’ve already explained them enough. I just don’t know if I can get used to it.” Vera said as she thought of her next move.

“Why don’t you think of it like something else?” Synth asked trying to help her get used to playing. He loved to play chess, but never had anyone to play against that was actually a challenge.

“Like what?” Vera asked, getting a little frustrated.

“Well, think of the pieces like other ponies. There are the ones that rule others, like Celestia. She’ll be the King piece. Then, there’s the one that protects the ponies, like Luna. She can be the Queen. The ones that go straight into battle without thinking are the Guards. They are the Rooks. The ones who have the weird moving patterns can be you. Those are the Knights. Because life has a way of doing weird things,” Synth said trying to get his example across.

“Oh I get it, like the Bishop can be you because you never go straight. You always go the wrong way and end up there eventually.” Vera said looking at the Bishop piece again.

“Yeah… sure,” Synth said sighing.

“So, what are these?” Vera asked holding up a pawn the last and most important piece of the game.

“Well, those are the ponies who risk their lives to defend what they care for. They’re special and shouldn’t be ignored. The pawns can be your pawn, and then become a useful ally if you use them right.” Synth said studying the piece a little more.

“Oh, okay. I get it now. Then can we play now?” Vera asked setting up the board.

Synth looked out the window to see the sky was dark and the moon was already out. He would guess it was almost midnight now. It took longer than he thought to teach her about the game. He turned back to the ready game board.

“Just one more game…” Synth said as he sat down to play a little more seriously.
------------

“Check,” Vera said grinning at the board.

“Nice, I didn’t see that coming…” Synth said as he studied for his next move.
It’s their fourth game, and Synth won them all so far. Vera kept insisting that they continue, and Synth couldn’t say no. Every time they played, Vera checked him more and more times, and now it was actually a close game. If he wasn’t careful, they could stalemate. Synth saw an opening in which he could reverse the situation.
“Guard,” Synth said as his rook took the bishop and led the way to her open queen.
“Nice try, but Check.” Vera said as she moved her knight into a position to take his king.
“You’re defending yourself by not defending at all… that’s a risky strategy.” Synth said as he looked for possible moves.
Synth moved his king down a space, and into a position away from the rest of her pieces. If he could get her queen, the game would be his. The queen was the OP piece in the game. She’d already taken his piece when he sacrificed it to take her two rooks, so he was trying to even the odds.
She moved a pawn to take his rook that he’d overlooked earlier. He smiled as he took her queen. She didn’t react though, as she moved her bishop to check his king.
“Check,” Vera said, and now she was smiling.
“Don’t get confident about a Check, you’re running out of good troops.” Synth said as he moved his rook away from its defensive position to capture her bishop.
“You told me yourself not to ignore a pawn. They can be your greatest ally.” Vera said as she moved her pawn to take Synth’s knight that he never moved from the last square on his side. When this happens, she’s allowed to replace the pawn with a different piece of her choosing.
“Checkmate,” Vera said as a queen took the place of her pawn.
Synth stared at the board and at his defenseless king. The pawn ended his journey next to the king. One of her knights was guarding the queen so Synth couldn’t capture it with his king. She had his king in the corner, and he saw no way out of it.
“Good Game…” Synth whispered as he took one last look at the board.
“Yeah, thanks for playing with me, I had fun.” Vera said smiling. She picked up the game and Synth was still staring at where the board used to be.
“Are you okay?” Vera asked when she put the game back in the drawer.
“Y-Yeah, I just… I’ve never lost a game of chess before. It feels… different.” Synth said as he composed himself from the shock.
‘And your first lost was to a mare. Not just any mare, a filly.’ Shade said amused at the thought.
‘Shut it, I taught her all she knows.’ Synth said trying not to make it look that bad.
‘There’s that pride showing up.’ Shade said and Synth didn’t understand for a while.
‘Just shut up, I’m too tired for this.’ Synth said as he took off his cloak and necklace before lying down in the bed.
“It’s pretty late, I’m going to bed,” Synth said as his eyes slowly started closing.
“I guess so, but why do you wear these things?” Vera asked pointing to the necklace and cloak his parents gave him.
Synth sighed; this was the second half of the story. It was already late, but he felt he should tell her some of it before they went to sleep.

“I’ll tell you the story later, but for now just know that it’s important to me. When I left my parent’s house, this is what they said good bye with. It was the only time when I didn’t think that badly of them. So, I keep these as a reminder…” Synth said and then had to think of what he’d say next.

“They’re reminders of what?” Vera asked.

“That everyone has a good side inside. And that no one is perfect.” Synth said before he was silent.

Vera didn’t respond, and instead Synth felt his eyelids weigh down on him. He closed them and was almost asleep when he felt Vera also get in bed and fall asleep. Synth could feel something in the corner of his mind, and he decided to let it in this time. It could be Luna, or a nightmare. But he felt that he could deal with a nightmare.

He was wrong.

Author's Notes:

...

Focus

Checkmate

Synth looked at his surroundings. His vision was blurry and he had to squint to see anything. When he squinted, he could see stone walls. He stopped squinting and rubbed his eyes. He heard a noise and turned around quickly. When he looked up, his vision was clear and there was a door in front of him. It looked familiar at first, but he ignored that fact.

Synth reached over and pushed open the door. It creaked as it opened up and he could see the interior. It was the same room where the Elements of Harmony were previously, but it looked newer. Like this was a flashback from when they were first put there.

Synth stepped inside, and noticed the lack of shadows. When he approached the stone holding the Elements, there was a breaking sound. Synth looked down to see a crack spreading across the ground. He moved out of the way before it could go under him. Suddenly the stone where the Elements were broke. Shattered pieces fell onto the floor.

Synth avoided the crack as he walked over to inspect them. The crack suddenly stopped at a wall. It rumbled as the crack expanded and engulfed the broken Elements. Synth didn’t know what to do. This was obviously a dream, and he knew that. For some reason, he couldn’t control anything though.

Synth thought of the only thing he could do. He was going to wake himself up. He walked to the edge of the crevice and jumped in. He felt himself falling fast. When he looked down, all he saw was a dark nothingness. He closed his eyes and waited for the shock to wake himself up.

Suddenly, he hit the bottom. His hooves collided first with the ground. Normally, a dream injury would feel like nothing. That or the injury could hurt even though nothing happened. He felt the impact as he was met with the cold stone floor. He rolled himself off the ground to rest his injured hooves. He looked up to face where he’d just come from and blinked.

Synth blinked a few times before looking around again. The ceiling was stone and the crevice he fell into was gone. The room he was in looked just like the one he left. Suddenly, the pain in his hooves was gone. He got onto his hooves and looked around to see everything exactly the same as before. The stone Elements were on the stone centerpiece again.

Synth looked around and tapped the floor a few times. When he made sure everything was normal, he took a step forward. Nothing happened. He took another step and then another. Nothing was happening and the ground was perfectly fine. When he was close enough to touch them, he reached out. Suddenly he felt the vibrations again. This time, he was too close to move as the crevice engulfed him again.

Synth fell and landed in the same predicament as the time before. He opened his eyes and looked around to find the same room everywhere he looked. He waited until his hooves were feeling better before he stood up. Deciding he’d get to the bottom of it, he walked around the perimeter of the room. Nothing seemed wrong as he finished his rotation.

Synth sprinted towards the middle and leaped towards the Elements. The crack came out and barely missed him as he landed on the Elements. He looked down to see the entire floor of the room gone. The area around him was darkness. The Elements looked like they were about to break. He picked them up slowly, and looked around again.

Synth grinned as he saw the distance between him and the walls. He picked out a spot that looked closer than the others, and prepared to jump. He pushed off with his hind hooves and felt himself launch towards the wall. When he was close, he activated his magic. His goal was to make a Traction spell to stick onto the wall long enough to get to the exit.

He was about halfway there, when he noticed he couldn’t use his magic. That was all he was thinking about as he fell into the void below. He let go of the Elements and felt them fly away from him. He noticed them shatter and looked directly up as he fell. When he hit the bottom, his back got the full impact. He felt his bones break and had to struggle to breath.

He waited for what felt like forever until he felt the pain subside. He sat up and inspected his surroundings. He was in the same room. He felt a little anger in him as he sat down and thought about what to do next. He listened around him and realized it was quiet. It was too quiet for his liking.

“Shade?” Synth asked remembering the voice that normally occupied his head.

Synth received no reply and waited a few moments before thinking back to the situation at hand. He looked around the room and could not find anything that could hint as to what he could possibly do. (This is like a level in a video game where you don’t know what to do, and you walk around every inch of the map looking for any clues that could help you. Then when you find the answer, you usually facepalm.)

Synth couldn’t think of anything else to do. He stood up and looked towards the door. He sighed as he walked over. He approached the doors and looked over his shoulders expecting something to stop him. He didn’t see anything different, so he opened them up slowly and looked outside. The forest was still as dark and gloomy as ever.

“Rage Quit,” Synth said as he stepped out of the building.

Suddenly he felt the floor under him give way and he fell forward into a dark void. It was different this time though. Instead of looking up to see the sky leaving him, he found the ground approaching. He couldn’t comprehend this; he had looked clearly into the sky when he fell, so why did he see the ground? He got his answer when he landed and noticed the shadows in the corners of the room before feeling the pain in his hooves.

“Look who decided to drop in?” Shade said from his seat in the corner of the room. He was sitting in a red velvet couch reading a book. The cover was blank, but the size of it was huge.

“That’s not funny,” Synth said as he felt his hooves recovering.

“You get to tell your little jokes, so I want a chance to tell my own,” Shade said closing the book and tossing it aside.

“What are you doing here?” Synth asked ignoring his last comment.

“You’re the one who decided to drop by,” Shade said standing up.

“Again, not funny,” Synth said getting up himself.

“Whatever you say, but some people fall over dead for stuff like that,” Shade said as he walked over.

“Just stop,” Synth said as he rotated his hooves trying to get a tingling sensation out of them.

“That’s not what your mom-,” Shade started before he was interrupted.

“I get it; you have your own jokes. Just try not to spit them out every sentence, it gets old,” Synth said annoyed at Shade’s childish joke.

“Alright, I get it. I’ll just drop a one-liner whenever it seems fit,” Shade grinned.

“Okay so let me ask again, why are you here?” Synth asked.

“I only wanted to ask something,” Shade said looking a little hurt.

“Okay, so what is it? Are you going to ask if I’ll let you have fun? The answer is still no,” Synth said.

“Oh Nothing like that, I was just interested in what I saw earlier,” Shade said as his horn glowed.

“What did you see?” Synth asked trying to think of what Shade could have seen that would have sparked his interest.

“Let me show you,” Shade said.

The magic in his horn enveloped the whole room. The walls were covered in his magic. When he sent out a pulse of energy, the walls began to change. Instead of the normal stone walls, they transformed into something that Synth had seen in the Canterlot Throne Room. With pillars on the sides, and the floor being marble, he felt like he was in the Throne Room.

“And now the main attraction,” Shade said as he sent out another burst of magic.

The area where the thrones would normally be was different. It was expanded about twice its size and easily covered most of the room. The thrones were removed and the flooring was changed. It had a checkered pattern of black and white. When Shade finished, Synth was left gaping at the difference Shade had made. Shade was grinning at Synth’s dumbstruck look.

“Environmental Takeover, you should learn to do it. It can be quite handy, if you know how to use it,” Shade said as he walked over to one side of the checkered board. “So how about it? Are you up for a little chess?” Shade said as Synth’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Chess, why would you want to play chess?” Synth asked as he walked over to the other side of the board.

“I don’t like you thinking you’re all big and mighty because you’ve only had one loss, technically I haven’t lost yet,” Shade said as his horn glowed. The chess board was lit up and the two rows of tiles closest to Shade started to glow a black hue.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, you haven’t played before. We don’t know how good you are…” Synth said and then raised his eyebrows at Shade’s direction.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything. Just so you know, you get to choose your game pieces. Just pretend like the creature is right there with you,” Shade said. He stopped and started to think hard about something.

Synth was confused but tried it. He focused on the tiles in the front row. There were eight of them, and he knew of eight pieces that would work there. He felt some of his magic flow freely as the shapes began to take form in front of him. The figures howled when Synth finished. He looked to how he did. They looked exactly like the Canis Minors he planned to summon, only about half as big. They barely fit on their squares as they looked forward.

He turned towards the empty spots to the left of where his king would be. He pictured his friends he’d made since coming to Canterlot. The three Shadow Guards appeared in their positions. Silver was his bishop, because he thought of him as a healer. Slash would be the knight because he sounded like he would be useful in combat. Split was the rook because he didn’t look like he had a limit in how much magic he could do, and rooks could go any amount in vertical or horizontal directions.

Synth looked towards the other side, next to where his queen would go. He thought of the others he met in Canterlot. The three that appeared were the Dawn Guards he met recently. Nova was the second knight because he was pretty strong for a unicorn. Streak was the rook because he was fast and could fit that position well. That left Comet as the bishop, one of the pieces he hated the most. He was alright with Silver being the bishop, because he would just picture Silver as good and not at all sadistic like Comet.

That left Synth with two unused positions, the king and the queen. He looked back over the board as he considered who could be the queen. He had somepony in mind and just when he was about to use his magic, someone broke his train of thought.

“That is interesting; we are intrigued by thy choices.” Synth turned around to face Luna who was behind him. “Although, the Dawn Guards were a complete surprise,” Luna said looking over the board.

“Luna? What are you doing here?” Synth asked as she studied the board.

“We are here to be the queen. Thou do not think we will just watch this, do thee? We will gladly assist thee in this game of intellects. Shade will not stand a chance when we play,” Luna said as she smiled and activated her magic. A smaller figure of her appeared on the board where the queen would be.

“So, I guess I need a king now. Who should I pick?” Synth asked as he tried to think of who would make a good king candidate.

“Well that is obvious, is it not?” Luna said as her horn glowed again.

Synth watched as he saw a smaller figure of himself appear on the king’s square. He smiled at the thought. He could never handle a position in power, much less a king. He looked to the rest of the board, satisfied with the result. His eyes trailed over to Shade’s side, where he noticed Shade’s pieces.

The King was Shade, (obviously) and the queen was the colt from his nightmares. His rooks were Ursa Minors. The knights were Manticore’s, and the Bishops were two weird looking colts. One was a dark yellow with a brown unkempt mane. The other was a dark grey with a light blue long mane. He looked neater than the other, and Synth had a thought that they looked like opposites. The pawns were Timberwolves, and contrasted with the light blue look of the Canis Minors.

“Well, are we ready to start?” Synth heard the voice and looked up to surprisingly see Split. He was sitting next to Shade who was grinning.

“Split? What are you doing here?” Synth asked Split.

“It’s only fair that if you get some assistance, I should get some too,” Shade said gesturing to Luna.

“He is right. It would only be fair,” Luna said.

Synth nodded, fair is fair. Something still bothered him though.

“Why Split then? No offense Split, just asking is all,” Synth asked making sure Split didn’t get the wrong idea.

“None taken, I was kind of thinking the same thing… So Shade, why me?” Split asked Shade who was sitting next to him mumbling to himself.

“Oh no reason… just that you already know about me. Also, you kind of are the most strategic person Synth knows,” Shade responded not looking away from the board.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. But to make this fair, I won’t hold back Synth. Get ready to get your mind blown,” Split said as he also looked down towards the board. Split whispered something to Shade’s ear and they both nodded.

Synth leaned over and whispered in Luna’s ear. “How does Split know about Shade?” Synth asked Luna.

“He asked about it when he felt something different about thee. It was the day after he first trained thee. He said he felt something most disturbing while he was with thee, so we let him in on the secret. But why are we continuing to speak like this anyway?” Luna said whispering back into Synth’s ear.

“I don’t know, but it makes me feel like I have a strategy,” Synth said whispering into Luna’s ear.

“We do not believe that will help in the future, it is a false boost.” Luna said whispering into his ear. “But we can see why this makes thou feel better. It is quite delightful,” Luna said smiling.

Synth grinned, “We can totally take them, because I have my friends on my side,” Synth said as he looked down towards his troops.

“Then shall we begin?” Luna asked.

Synth nodded. He caught a glance from Shade. Shade raised his head and coughed. He turned towards Split and whispered something before turning back to Synth.

“You get the first move. I think it’s only fair because I challenged you,” Shade said. Synth nodded. That was fair, and if there was something that Shade did well, it was being fair.

“Okay then, how do I tell them where to go?” Synth asked.

“Tell them…” Shade said.

“Uh, you… go over there,” Synth said. He motioned with his hoof two squares in front of the designated Canis Minor.

The Canis Minor looked to Synth and where he was pointing, before taking his steps onto the square. Shade didn’t waste time as he moved his Manticore in front of his pawns. Synth sent the Canis Minors forward, some going two squares forward while others only went one. Immediately Synth noticed that Shade sent out his best troops first. He only moved the Timberwolves to make room for the weird ponies and the Ursa Minor.

Synth kept his Canis Minors into positions where there was always something guarding them. Soon, he realized that Shade wasn’t going in without a strategy. Shade sent his Manticore after one of the Canis Minors. Instead of his piece disappearing, there was an animated battle that came with the showdown. The Manticore pounced on the Canis Minor. The Canis Minor didn’t have time to react as his face was slashed apart.

Synth felt his stomach churn. There was blood on the spot underneath where the Manticore now stood. His Canis Minor’s body disappearing slowly.

“Well, how do you like the special effects?” Shade asked. Synth looked up to see him grinning. Split however, was looking a little green. Luna wasn’t looking at the board anymore. She had her head lowered.

“Lovely…” Synth said frowning.

“Well, it’s your move…” Shade said motioning to Synth.

Synth inspected the board. He had Silver guarding that pawn, and he wanted revenge. He sent Silver after the Manticore; he didn’t realize what he did though. When Silver approached the Manticore, he shot it with a magic burst from his horn. Immediately, the Manticore fell and Silver took the spot he was standing on.

Synth grinned, until he saw Shade’s next turn. Shade sent the yellow pony towards Silver. He used his magic, and a hole appeared under Silver. Silver was about to fall in, until he managed to grab the edge. The yellow pony walked over to where he was dangling. He stepped his hoof on Silver’s, and Silver let go. He fell into the hole that quickly closed up again. The yellow pony walked onto the spot where Silver was.

“No, Silver!” Synth yelled towards the board.

“He can’t hear you,” Shade said.

“Shut up; you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Synth asked.

“No, not at all. I don’t know why you’d think that…” Shade said whistling. “Anyways, it’s your turn.

“Huh…” Synth grunted looking at the board. Luna nudged him.

“If we may be of assistance…” Luna said.

“By all means,” Synth motioned for Luna to go ahead.

Luna moved Comet ahead, and Synth saw what she was going for. Luna grinned.

“Tis Check, Shade,” Luna said.

“Nice, I wouldn’t have seen that,” Synth said.

“Impressive, I guess you aren’t as dim witted as I thought,” Shade said not showing any emotion anymore. It looked like he was maintaining a poker face, so that Synth couldn’t see what he was planning.

Shade moved his Timber ahead one square to be in the direction of Comet’s path. He looked to Synth for him to take his turn.

“Why didn’t you move your king?” Synth asked.

“That’s for me to know, and you to find out,” Shade said.

Synth sighed, getting anything out of Shade was impossible. Synth looked back towards the board. His Canis Minors were already halfway through the battle field, and his stronger pieces were slowly making their moves. Shade’s pieces were the exact opposite, his Timberwolves were barely moved at all, and his stronger pieces were placed defensively on the sides of the board.

Synth moved Comet away from the Ursa that looked like he was eyeing Comet. Shade moved without having to think about it. He used the same Ursa to land directly next to Comet. Synth moved Comet even closer to his stronger pieces; he didn’t notice that Comet was guarding one of his further advanced pawns.

Shade took the advantage and led his Ursa onto the side of the Canis Minor. The Ursa took one swipe at his face, and the Canis Minor’s body went limp. Synth gasped when the trail of blood from the attack landed on other tiles as well.

“Did you see that? That’s the beginning of your downfall,” Shade said. Split wasn’t even smiling; he was looking at the spot where the Ursa Minor was now standing. The body of the Canis Minor was slowly disappearing.

“I think you’re the only one enjoying this…” Synth said, and sure enough, Luna wasn’t looking very blue anymore. She had a green tinge on her cheek.

“Well some ponies have a different sense of humor, don’t you think?” Shade asked.

Synth shook his head and looked back at the board. He decided that it was time to send out some aggression. He moved Nova ahead to get the Ursa the next turn. Once again, he failed to notice the two pawns that Nova was protecting.

Shade sent the yellow pony to attack another of Synth’s Canis Minors. He ran forward, his horn aglow with energy. Instead of casting a spell though, he charged the Canis Minor. When the Canis Minor leaped at the approaching enemy, he slid underneath. As the Canis Minor passed right above, the yellow pony plunged his horn into the belly of the beast. He activated his magic and the Canis Minor exploded. His insides suddenly stained the battlefield.

“Oh my…” Luna gasped as the blood covered the entire middle section of the battlefield.

“How’s that for humor?” Shade asked, his poker face almost breaking from the smile about to appear on his face.

Split was turned around and Synth could hear him puking. Synth would have puked too, but he needed to concentrate on the game. He calculated on what to do next, every time he tried to fight back, he only managed to get his allies killed. He looked to Shade’s positioning. It was still the same, even after he sent out his troops.

Synth studied the board a little bit more, and found an idea spring to mind. He made sure that he could pull it off before he moved the second vulnerable Canis Minor ahead another square. It was at the middle of the field, and it was targeted by two different pieces of Shade’s. Although, he had another Canis Minor there to guard it if Shade did try to attack.

Synth awaited Shade’s next move, it came quick, faster than Synth would have liked. Shade moved his Ursa Minor onto the spot where the Canis Minor was. Just like last time, The Ursa quickly killed the Canis Minor before it could see what was coming. The Ursa took the Canis Minor’s spot, and Synth sighed. He hoped that Shade wouldn’t be that cold hearted, but that was too much to ask of Shade.

Synth used his Canis Minor to attack the Ursa Minor that was directly diagonal of it. The Canis Minor pounced on the Ursa’s back, and dug its teeth into its head before it could fight back. The Ursa let out a loud roar as it tried to cover up the blood flow. The Canis Minor barely avoided a swipe from the Ursa. The Ursa fell to the ground with a thud.

Synth didn’t have time to cheer, because Shade already sent out his next attack. The same Canis Minor that killed the Ursa Minor was now in trouble. The grey pony was headed towards it. The Canis Minor tried to dodge the attack, but the grey pony landed a hard hit to the jaw. The Canis Minor stumbled back, and in that time the grey pony landed a chop to the Canis Minor’s throat.

The Canis Minor went down, and just when the Ursa’s body faded away, so did the Canis Minor’s. Synth looked over the board again. He couldn’t stand to watch the bloodshed, but he wanted to beat Shade that badly. He saw that he had no other piece guarding that spot, so now there was a grey pony really close to his king.

Split whispered something into Shade’s ears. Shade nodded before looking at Synth.

“It’s your move,” Shade said.

“And I plan to make it count,” Synth said as he decided on his next move.

His main priority was the grey pony that was close, but at the same time, all of his troops were either guarding each other, or too far out of reach. He looked back to Shade’s formation and couldn’t help but feel another idea appear.

“I hope this works…” Synth whispered to himself. He moved Slash into the middle of the battlefield, and awaited Shade’s reaction.

Shade didn’t react the way Synth wanted. He completely ignored Slash, and instead moved the grey pony into a position to check Synth.

“Check,” Shade said without emotion.

Synth noticed that Nova was in the prime position to capture the attacking grey pony. He sent out Nova towards the grey pony. Nova charged in and flipped the grey pony onto his back. Then, he cast a spell and the grey pony disappeared into nothing.

“Damn, that was a nice spell,” Shade said looking at the Nova piece.

“Whatever, it’s your move,” Synth said.

“If you’re in such a hurry to lose…” Shade said. Now Shade moved a Manticore that Synth forgot to keep track of, onto the spot Nova was now on.

The Manticore charged Nova, and Nova couldn’t react. The stinger pierced his chest, and the rest of him was ripped to shreds by the Manticore’s talons. He heard Split throw up again, and Luna was nowhere to be seen. Synth saw the body of Nova disappear, and he felt like he couldn’t hold back the puke anymore.

He leaned over and puked for a good minute. He felt lightheaded, and had to use a lot of effort so he wouldn’t fall over. When he managed to get his body back under control, his eyes landed on Shade’s pieces again. Something about them looked different now. He could see how they were placed. The few Timberwolves that were moved were in the open. While the sides were heavily covered by Shade’s remaining troops.

Synth couldn’t believe it; Shade was using the perfect tactic to beat Synth. Synth would always find a way around the enemy’s troops and then attack from an angle, but Shade made sure he couldn’t do that. While Synth would never go down the middle either, he was being forced to. Synth remembered who he was dealing with. Shade was him in a manner of speaking, so of course he would know his strategy.

Synth had another idea, but this time he hoped it wouldn’t end as bad, or as fast as the other ideas. He made sure that as many Canis Minors were open as he possible could. Every turn, he’d move his stronger pieces and leave his Canis Minors alone. He felt bad, but it was the only way not to let Shade win. Every time Synth opened up a Canis Minor, Shade would take advantage and attack.

Synth was quickly left to his last Canis Minor in the middle of the board. The rest of his troops were lined up the way he wanted them. It was like a royal escort, he had every piece of his surrounding his king and queen in the middle of the board. If Shade was going to make him go down the middle, he’d go down his own way.

Shade’s poker face was gone. He looked confused, and the fact that Synth was smiling added to that. Synth had much less pieces that Shade, especially if you included Shade’s Timberwolves at his back. Synth was down to his last troops which included Streak and Slash, as well as Split and most importantly Luna.

It was Shade’s turn, and he did something that Synth didn’t expect. He moved his Timberwolves forward. Synth slowly inched his way across the board, using his outside troops to guard each other, and most importantly the King. When Synth was halfway across the board, Shade had his Timberwolves in a line blocking Synth’s path.

“Are thou sure that was the best idea?” Luna whispered, appearing next to him.

“Yeah, now there’s only one word that can finish my plan,” Synth said grinning.

“And what is that?” Luna asked.

“Charge…” Synth whispered as he made the first move onto Shade’s formation of Timberwolves.

“I would close your eyes if I were you…” Synth said as his attack started a chain reaction.

Shade’s pieces on the sides suddenly joined the battle, and it was like watching a war movie. As soon as Synth made a move, Shade would send his own troop to attack Synth’s forces. On a few occasions, Synth managed to get a check on Shade. Shade would counter by getting Synth in Guard.

When Shade’s Timberwolves were halfway gone, Synth sent Luna to get the one in the back. Luna’s piece cast a spell that temporarily blocked Synth’s view. When he looked next, he saw the Timber wolf’s body disassemble and then disappear.

“It looks like we’re at a standoff…” Shade said.

Synth didn’t understand, until he saw that Shade’s queen was two blocks forward, and one to the right. One wrong move and Synth would of lost his queen. That was the last thing he wanted, so when Shade took Split Synth realized he was in trouble. Synth was down to his last piece except for Luna who was stuck in her situation. Synth only had a Canis Minor, and it was one block away from Shade’s side.

He was lucky he wasn’t in check, so he moved the Canis Minor into Shade’s starter side. Shade didn’t even flinch as the Canis Minor turned into smoke that reformed into another Luna.

“Guard,” Synth said looking to see Shade’s queen was only a few blocks from his new queen. He cursed himself for not seeing it earlier. Shade could easily take his queen.

Shade moved the yellow pony to be directly next to Shade’s queen. Synth knew it was a mistake if he tried to capture it, he’d lose his queen. Instead, he moved his king one space to the right, to avoid anything that the Ursa Minor might try. Then the realization hit him. Shade still had an Ursa Minor, and it hadn’t moved yet.

Shade’s poker face was completely gone, as he grinned widely.

“Would you mind if I told you a story…? It’ll be quick,” Shade asked, his grin not leaving his face.

“Go ahead…” Synth answered, hoping Shade was going somewhere with this.

“Okay I will. You see, chess is based off of a real war. It demonstrates the strategy of military leaders, and it’s focused on the griffon and pony war long ago. There was a special rule included though, and it changed the game forever. Long ago, a griffon king feared that the approaching army would get him. So he devised a plan, which was so brilliant it was stupid.” Shade said and then continued a little louder.
“He dressed up his servant to look like a king, and then he wore the clothes of a peasant. He left the castle and took his troops with him. When the enemy came, they killed the fake king and didn’t realize the real king escaped. So the king gathered up his troops and killed the enemy while they were celebrating. They were too drunk to defend themselves, so the king got his revenge. When the sun rose the next day, the king felt so badly about what he did to his servant, he committed suicide. They later added a new move to the chess game. It was a risky but rewarding move that most do not use, for a reason.” Shade finished.

Synth gulped, Shade couldn’t be referring to… “You can’t mean…” Synth was about to say, and then he remembered that Shade was his enemy right now.

“Yes, you’re correct. It’s the same move I’m about to beat you with right now.” Shade said.

Synth could only watch as the Ursa Minor walked towards the left side of Shade’s board. Shade’s king piece also walked, but to the right. Synth sighed, this was it.

“Checkmate,” Shade said triumphantly.

“Good Game…” Synth said for good sportsmanship.

“What do thou mean? The rules state the king may not move more than one square. Tis Cheating!” Luna said from her spot next to Synth.

“Actually, this is that special move Shade just told you about. It’s when the king gets to move more than once. It’s called Castling,” Split said. He was smiling, but just barely.

“What?” Luna asked rhetorically. She looked over the board to see what just happened.

Every side of Synth’s king was blocked. On the left were the queen and the yellow pony. On the right were a Manticore and a Timberwolf. Forward and backwards was blocked by the Ursa Minor that was now directly in front of Synth’s king. The Castling sealed the deal to Synth’s loss.

Luna was still looking over the board as Synth walked around the board to inspect the board from every angle. If it wasn’t for the blood, it would have looked pretty cool. Miniature figures moving on their own that followed your commands. Synth noticed Split come next to him.

“Okay, I admit that I didn’t even see what Shade was planning until he told us that story,” Split said.

“Yeah me either, I was too busy trying to avoid losing my queen,” Synth said looking back at the board to see Luna was still there.

“It was a good game, but I think I should get some rest now. Even though we’re only here spiritually, I had some physical effects too,” Split said and Synth remembered how they both threw up.

“I guess I should get some sleep too, I have a big training session tomorrow,” Synth said yawning.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell the others about Shade. I can tell he’s not completely bad, but the less people that know him, the better,” Split said.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Synth said and he saw Shade coming up to them.

“You fell for it, but you did get me in check a few times so I have to compliment you on that,” Shade said, his smile now normal and smaller than before.

“Thanks, but I still lost,” Synth said.

“I know, and if this was a real war, you’d be dead,” Shade said casually.

Split slowly walked away and he noticed him disappear. Synth sighed.

“You know, you can be good if you just tried. You were so close,” Synth said.

“I just wanted you to think I was good for a second, so that the rest of what I had to say would make a bigger impact. See, you have to think even when you’re not playing chess,” Shade said pointing to his head.

“Okay… well I’ll just be getting back to my sleep now…” Synth said slowly backing away. He noticed Luna who turned into smoke and disappeared.

“Just don’t forget what was said here, I think you might think about this again. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to clean up…” Shade said making himself a mop and taking it to the bloodstained battlefield.

“Okay… I don’t think I could forget this place if I tried…” Synth whispered as he closed his eyes and activated his magic to disrupt the energy flow again.

Author's Notes:

... please stop reading?

Dense

Dense

“Um, you wanted to see me?” Synth asked walking into the dining room. Luna was sitting down in her usual spot.

“Yes, we did. There were some issues we need to discuss,” Luna said.

“Well fire away,” Synth said.

“Firstly, we do not believe thou hast eaten, come join us in a late lunch,” Luna said. Sure enough, there were two plates set out for them, with empty plates scattered on the rest of the table.

“That sounds great, I’m starving,” Synth said, taking his seat.

“Then enjoy, we hope thou is satisfied with the food,” Luna said.

The food was a giant plate of salad drenched in ranch and covered in a variety of cut up fruit bits. The drink was a light yellow which Synth realized to be Apple Cider. It was all things Synth enjoyed, although he ate it pretty much every day. (Sounds healthy, right? It’s not. The ranch is pretty fattening.)

“It looks great, my compliments to the chef,” Synth said.

“We could retrieve him for thee, he is in the kitchen currently,” Luna said about take a bite out of the food.

“It’s a figure of speech, but it’s okay,” Synth said, rubbing his hooves together at the food.

“What is okay?” Luna asked, stopping her bite halfway.

“Oh, just that you didn’t know it was a figure of speech, it’s alright I understand,” Synth said, taking a bite.

“What do thou imply by that?” Luna asked forgetting the idea of food.

“Nothing, only… You’ve been gone for a thousand years, so I know it would take some time to get used to how the world is now,” Synth said, not noticing Luna’s actions. He continued to eat as the conversation progressed.

“We may have been gone for those thousand years, but our knowledge on the world remains intact. It is only our memories that hold us back,” Luna said defensively.

“Memories, what do memories have to do with your olden pony speaking?” Synth asked.

“You know of our speaking language? We didn’t see thee as a knowledgeable pony,” Luna said.

“Ouch, that hurt you know,” Synth said playfully.

“We are sorry, we did not know how else to rephrase that statement,” Luna said.

“It’s alright, I probably don’t look like it, but I have my fair share of brain power. Although, I only know about that olden pony language because I read a story about it a long time ago,” Synth said.

“What would that story be called?” Luna asked.

“I don’t really remember, it was a few years back,” Synth said.

“Oh well that is alright, what were we discussing again?” Luna asked.

“I don’t remember, I think it was something about this food,” Synth said finishing his plate.

“Oh yes, the food,” Luna said looking down at her untouched plate.

“You going to eat that?” Synth asked Luna.

“Yes, we are. We will need our strength for this coming night,” Luna said as she started to eat her food. Synth started taking sips of the apple cider they gave him. It was acidic, and Synth quickly realized that if he wasn’t careful, it could mess him up quick.

“Hey Luna… what kind of drink is this?” Synth asked, having to hesitate for a second.

“It’s the chef’s specialty, a home recipe if you may,” Luna said.

“It sure is… strong,” Synth said as he couldn’t find the urge to take another gulp.

“Yes, it has a special ingredient that the chef has leaked out,” Luna said smiling.

“W-What is… is it?” Synth asked.

“Royal Vodka if we believe correctly,” Luna said.

“Shit…” Synth said resting his head on his hoof. His vision was shaking and his throat was crying out for more.

“Are thou alright?” Luna asked; her plate half finished.

“You gave me… alcohol, and you expect me… to be alright?” Synth asked.

“We thought it would relieve any stress thee may be experiencing,” Luna said.

“Stress?” Synth asked. His vision wasn’t getting worse, but his body wanted more. Damn addictions.

“Our sister explained to us how she felt great power moments ago. We believed that Shade was let out. That should create some stress for you, should it not?” Luna said.

“Well, Shade was let out but… I didn’t feel bad until… I drank this,” Synth said picking up the glass cup to show the alcohol.

“Well, our apologies, we did not know it would have this effect,” Luna said.

“Give me a second to… clear my head,” Synth said. He rested his head on both his hooves and breathed at regular intervals while his head felt mixed up.

“We believe alcohol and thee do not mix well, is that so?” Luna said Synth couldn’t see that she was trying to lighten up the mood.

“No,” Synth said, trying to speak as little as possible.

“So our assumption is incorrect?” Luna said.

“No,” Synth said.

“No tis not, or No tis so?” Luna said.

“Shut… up,” Synth said, he couldn’t concentrate very well.

“Very dramatic, we will comply with thy request,” Luna said before gesturing a guard over.

“Are we certain that all the doors upstairs are firmly closed?” Luna asked the guard.

The guard didn’t know how to respond, and he just stared back. Luna nodded her head slowly before gesturing towards Synth who was still holding his head. The guard nodded and played along.

“Oh, yes princess, they are firmly closed. Although we ran into a situation, the doors let a draft through the bottom. We sent in experts to deal with the problem,” The guard said, with the straightest face he could use. Even though he was a guard pony, he couldn’t help by give a grin as he said this.

“Well we simply cannot allow a single thing through that would defeat the purpose. We need to keep everything shut out,” Luna said, nodding to the guard.

“Yes princess, we’ll make sure of it,” the guard said before walking back to his post.

“There Synth, your commands have been fulfilled. Might we add, thou still have two more wishes,” Luna said.

“Not helping…” Synth said.

“That reminds us, how is thy training faring? How much progress has been made?” Luna asked.

“Finished,” Synth said.

“What?” Luna asked, unsure if she heard him correctly.

“I finished,” Synth said less strained than he has been.

“But that was a highly advanced spell, it would take a normal pony weeks to learn,” Luna said.

“I’m not normal, am I?” Synth answered, slowly raising his head.

“Well, thou have a point there. But tis still impressive,” Luna said.

“Thank you and I’m proud I learned it fast, and even prouder of myself for not drinking more than half of that Royal Vodka,” Synth said.

“Yes well, now we may discuss tomorrow’s training,” Luna said.

“Tomorrow?” Synth asked.

“Thy final day here before thou may return home. Although it is difficult training exercise,” Luna said.

“Because all of the others weren’t,” Synth said sarcastically.

“They weren’t? Maybe we should have made them more difficult,” Luna said.

“Never mind that, what did you have in mind for tomorrow?” Synth asked.

“Ever since Comet was put off duty, he has not been there to train thee. So, we are giving him the opportunity to “spar” with thee. He explained it as an easy way to train thy final spell,” Luna said.

“Great, he’s going to kill me…” Synth said.

“We think not! If thou are so worried about such outcomes, we will attend the training as well,” Luna said, not getting the sarcasm.

“That’s okay Luna, you don’t have to…” Synth replied, not wanting Luna to see him fail against Comet. Even if he was supposed to be training, Comet would still hold a grudge.

“But we want to, it would be very entertaining. Watching thee progress was what we planned when we invited thee. Unfortunately, our sleeping schedule interfered with that and we improvised,” Luna said.

“That’s right; you usually sleep in the day. So, why are you awake right now?” Synth asked.

“Our sister took an early leave. She said she needed to prepare something early tomorrow, so we were granted permission to have a longer night,” Luna said smiling.

“That’s great, but I’m wondering what Celestia is planning,” Synth said.

“She is most likely preparing for thy departure, we will as well tonight,” Luna said.

“Yeah, sure she is,” Synth said. ‘Note to self, remember to keep my door locked,’ He thought.

“That reminds me though, I’m leaving tomorrow, does that mean I get to go back home?” Synth asked.

“Yes, it does. We are sure thou are most glad for that,” Luna said.

“Yeah I am, I’ve been missing my friends since I got here,” Synth said.

“Well, give them our regards. We will try to visit soon,” Luna said.

“Save all the goodbyes for tomorrow, I want a good dream tonight,” Synth said.

“Very well we must be going, our duty calls,” Luna said standing up.

“Okay I should get back to the others, they’re probably worried,” Synth said. He walked back towards the room he was training in. Before he entered though, he turned around remembering something, “Oh Luna, I need to ask… What do you think of Vera?” Synth asked.

“Vera? Well, we see her as being very intelligent. As well as, we see a lot of thee in her… and we’ve been told she has great ears…” Luna said.

Synth turned around quickly and hit his hoof against the door just enough to rattle it. He heard a small cry of shock, and sighed. He turned to Luna raising an eyebrow.

“Now, I wonder where she learned that…” Synth said sarcastically.

Luna didn’t respond, and instead magically opened the door and threw him through it. Synth slid about ten feet into the room before looking up. He looked up to find Vera rubbing her nose, and the three shadow guards with confused expressions.

“Um, hey guys. Did you miss me?” Synth said getting up.

“No, we were on our way out,” Silver said.

“Oh, where are you going?” Synth asked.

“It’s like midnight; I’m going to bed,” Split said.

“I’m on patrol on the east wing,” Slash said.

“You weren’t back yet, so I was going to take your sister to your room. She’s been dozing off since Slash started telling her his story,” Silver said.

“Speaking of which,” Split said. Synth turned to where Vera was, to find her eyes closed and she wasn’t moving from her sitting position.

“I’ll take her. You should get some sleep,” Synth said towards Silver.

“Nah, I’ll probably stay up all night reading. I don’t feel tired right now,” Silver said trotting out the door.

“He’ll be out in five minutes,” Slash whispered in Synth’s ears.

“What do you mean?” Synth asked, intrigued.

“Whenever he says he’ll stay up all night, they always find him in the weirdest sleeping positions,” Slash said, no longer whispering now that Silver was out of hearing range.

“Weird,” Synth said, shaking Vera to wake her up.

“Huh, what?” Vera asked as she woke up.

“C’mon, you need to get your rest. You shouldn’t sleep on the floor,” Synth said.

“But it’s so smooth…” Vera said sleepily.

“No buts, I guess I’ll have to carry you there,” Synth said.

He gripped Vera in his magic, and floated her on top of him. When she was on his back and not about to fall anytime soon, she was already asleep. Synth sighed and turned to leave.

“Bye, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Synth said. The pair said their goodbyes and departed to different areas of the castle. Synth was walking up the steps when he felt Vera shift.

“I’m sorry,” Vera said.

“Sorry? Sorry for what?” Synth asked.

“For eavesdropping, I know it’s not right,” Vera said.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry for the wakeup call, I didn’t know you were so tired,” Synth said.

“It’s okay…. So why did you ask Luna about me?” Vera asked. Synth was about halfway up the steps now, and he was feeling the fatigue of carrying a filly up thousands of steps. (He wasn’t sure he was over exaggerating, it seemed like there were more steps every time he used the staircase.)

“Well, I don’t know very much about you. I didn’t want to be biased towards you,” Synth said.

“Biased?” Vera asked, followed by a yawn.

“You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age. Because of that, I don’t know if I’ve been treating you like a sister, or like another me,” Synth said.

“Well, you’re doing great… so far…” Vera said, before Synth felt her body relax.

Synth made it to the top of the stairs, and remembered not to trip on the broken staircase step. He made it to the room without problems, and placed Vera in the bed, where she preceded to take the entire blanket and sleep quietly on her side of the bed.

Synth took off his cloak and necklace before also laying down in his bed. He found it difficult to stay awake, but he did so long enough to think about some things. First, he thought about how he lost his memory of what happened when he learned his new spell. Second, he thought about how he had so much trouble with it while he was learning it, and now he could cast it effortlessly. Finally, he thought about how tomorrow would bring good and bad. ‘A blessing of pain,’ Synth thought.

Synth fell asleep before he realized, and his thoughts drifted towards the past, present, and even the future.
-------------

It was cold. Darkness as far as Synth could tell. The only light he could see came from above. Synth looked up to see the sun setting over the horizon. Its rays already receding into the darkness. Synth looked across the land from his vantage point. He was standing on a hill overlooking a city. The city looked peaceful, and barely established.

Synth caught a flash of light in the corner of the city. It started small, and then the light engulfed an entire house. It was a fire. The straw roofs were consumed as the fire spread from house to house. Synth tried to speak, but his mouth was shut firmly. He suddenly felt something warm brush his side. He turned from the blazing fire to the figure on his left.

The first thing Synth noticed were the eyes of the pony. She had green eyes that seemed to brighten up at the sight of him. She smiled towards him, which Synth unconsciously returned. She shifted her attention back to the city, and Synth looked as well. The pony’s voice was calm and serene in the silence.

“It used to be beautiful. The land used to be thriving with life,” The pony said.

Synth tried to respond, but his mouth didn’t follow his command.

“You might be asking yourself what this place is, but I’m sure you will find out in time. Right now, I want you to watch…” The pony’s smile faded as she watched the fire spread throughout the town.

The fire started in the corner of the city, but quickly it spread everywhere, even the landscape wasn’t spared as the fire spread beyond the city’s border. Eventually, the fire finished its job, and with nothing left to burn, it stopped. The entire scene happened without noise, but it was easy to know what could be heard. Screams and crackling as the fire spread faster than the ponies in the city could put out.

“Almost the entire population was wiped out. Even the cause of the fire did not know what his actions would do,” The voice said. Synth looked at her and raised his eyebrows. He was confused that she had used the word ‘he’.

“Yes, it was the result of a pony’s actions. But this wasn’t an accident; in fact he was quite pleased with how it turned out. Although, the fire did claim his life in the process,” The voice continued, not once taking her eyes off the city. Crumbling houses fell on streets, and the city was now half its original size.

“Such beauty, gone in a heartbeat. Revenge does more than dig two graves; it leaves a scar that will never heal,” The voice said.

Synth turned towards the pony, who now had tears in her eyes. Synth felt bad, and tried to move his legs to comfort her, but his body didn’t move. He couldn’t even move his head anymore. He was looking directly at her, when she turned and walked away into the darkness. Synth didn’t react as she faded into the darkness. Suddenly the city was gone as well, and the world went black once more.

Synth blinked his eyes and felt his eyelashes once again under his control. He moved his limbs around as they popped. He looked up and was startled at what he saw. Where there was once the pony he saw earlier, now he was staring at a pony in a black tuxedo, with a pure white face. The pony had no mouth or eyes, but Synth felt the pony was staring deep into his soul.

“Hello?” Synth managed to say. His voice sounded normal, and he realized he could speak again.

The pony didn’t speak and instead motioned for Synth to look forward. Synth complied, and was once again startled at what he saw. It was giant screen that was changing pictures. Synth’s mouth was left agape as the screen stopped on one picture. It was of Synth sitting on a train.

“Is that me?” Synth asked.

The pony nodded and moved his hoof. The picture changed and was now moving, as if it was happening in real time. The Synth on the train got up as the train slowed down. He lifted his head as the door opened and stepped onto the train station floor.

“This is when I went to Ponyville, isn’t it?” Synth asked.

The pony once again nodded and stomped the floor with one of his hooves. The picture changed to later that day, when Synth was at the party. Synth remembered this moment; it was when he had gotten the cupcake into his eye. The Synth watching moved his eyes so he didn’t have to relive the moment.

“Next please,” Synth said.

The pony nodded once again, and the picture changed. Synth didn’t remember this; it was while he was unconscious. The picture showed Shade atop the Elements inside the room where they defeated Nightmare Moon. Shade had disappeared from atop the Elements, and now Twilight was reaching for them. Synth watched as Shade hit Twilight away from them. She was sent into a wall, and Synth felt guilt well up inside him.

Shade stood above Twilight, his grin still on his face. “Before I kill you, let me tell you something. Synth there, he calls me Shade. And that’s because the truth is always covered up. SO IT’S ALWAYS DARK!” Shade said before sending Twilight into a wall.

“The truth… is covered up? What does he mean by that?” Synth asked the weird pony.

The pony stomped his hooves, and the picture changed again. This time it was after Shade was stopped. The picture was focused from Luna’s point of view at Synth. She was speaking to him, but Synth couldn’t tell what she was saying. The voice started to clear up, and Synth heard himself speak.
“Because… because I know that darkness can be destroyed…but it’ll just come back.” The Synth in the picture said. “To truly destroy darkness, you need to overcome it yourself…”The pictured Synth finished.

“I said that, didn’t I?” Synth asked the pony next to him.

The pony nodded and then turned away. He stepped into the darkness, and Synth watched him leave without a word. Synth blinked and the darkness was fading. His surroundings changed as the light increased. He could make out buildings and streets around him. This place was familiar, but he didn’t get any time to think about it. A pony wearing a light brown hood and cloak was walking towards him.

“Hello?” Synth asked the pony.

The pony stopped his approach and lifted his head enough for his face to show. His eyes were blood red. The hood was lifted enough for Synth to see the blue and black mane underneath. His coat was a light yellow. He looked straight into Synth’s eyes, and Synth felt a chill run across his spine.

“Who are you?” Synth asked, taking a step back. He almost tripped on a stone that was behind him.

“Do you really want to know?” The pony said. His voice was deep and slow. It sounded as if it was coming from all directions. What surprised Synth the most was that his mouth wasn’t moving when he talked.

“Not really… where am I?” Synth said trying to distract himself from the new pony.

“Home,” The pony said. Synth turned towards the buildings around him, to find most of them in ruins and falling apart.

“What?” Synth asked.

The buildings were fine a minute ago, but now they were wrecked. He could make out some faint screaming as the buildings collapsed on themselves. With the buildings out of the way, Synth could see the rest of the town. It was Ponyville, but half of it was on fire, and the other half was covered in ice. Synth was currently in the middle.

“Well, that was fun, but I need some shut eye,” Synth heard the voice to his right.

“Who’s there?” Synth asked.

“He can’t hear you,” The hooded pony said.

Synth watched as a white blur came out of the rubble. The figure landed onto a different pile of rubble and surveyed the landscape. A flash of magic appeared before the figure disappeared from sight. Synth looked around as well, and found the entire city being destroyed.

“What did this?” Synth asked the hooded pony.

“I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you that it will happen. In due time…” The hooded pony lifted his hood off and showed his entire face. Synth could see cuts around the edges of his face, and the mane at some parts had been burned off.

“No remorse holds no recourse,” The hooded pony said before lifting his hood back on and walking away.

His figure changed to black as the surroundings dissolved and Synth was left in darkness again. Synth was confused, he’d met three different ponies, and he saw three different events. What could happen next?
------------

Synth woke up. It wasn’t a dramatic wake up, or even a peaceful one. He just woke up. He found himself standing at the door to his room, his hoof on the knob. Synth was wide awake as he stood there, still placing his hoof on the knob. There were only two things going through his head. Why wasn’t he using his magic to open the door, and why he was trying to open the door at all?

Synth remembered going to bed, and having the dream. He never remembered ever getting out of bed, or even putting his cloak and necklace back on. Synth looked around to find Vera still sleeping. The sun was starting to rise, as Synth noticed from the window.

Synth opened the door to his room, and looked outside. He noticed a shadow in the corner of the hallway. From the shadows came two eyes. They were red and reminded Synth of the pony in his dreams. The eyes closed and Synth shut the door to calm himself.

He heard Vera stirring from her sleep as Synth walked back to his bed. She got up and went into the restroom as Synth pretended like he just woke up. When she was gone, Synth sat on the bed to think about things.

‘Good morning,’ Shade said.

‘Yeah, sure it is,” Synth replied, careful not to speak out loud in case Vera was listening.

‘What’s up? You’re not acting like yourself,’ Shade said.

‘Like you would know how I act,’ Synth replied.

‘We’re one in the same. I can tell when something’s off,’ Shade said.

‘It’s just the dream I had was really weird,’ Synth said.

‘That sucks, too bad I couldn’t see it,” Shade said.

‘Yeah that’s a shame. I think you would have gotten along with one of the ponies I met,’ Synth said.

‘You met some ponies?’ Shade asked.

‘Yeah, two of them were weird. The first one though, she was… never mind you wouldn’t understand,” Synth said.

‘Your right, I probably wouldn’t,’ Shade said.

Synth heard a knocking on the door and walked towards it. He reached out with his hoof, and then felt silly and used his magic. The door opened to reveal Silver and Nova standing there.

“Hey Synth, you ready?” Nova asked.

“Yeah, I guess so. Vera is still getting ready though,” Synth answered.

“Well Comet doesn’t feel like waiting, he woke up pretty early for today’s training. You go on ahead, I’ll bring Vera,” Nova said.

“Wait, Comet will be there today?” Synth asked, still a little tired from having woken up.

“Yeah, today’s your last day. He wanted to make sure you practiced today’s spell,” Silver said.

“But I think he’s a little mad, I saw him punching the wall before I came to get you,” Nova said.

“Really? Is he still upset about me beating him?” Synth asked.

“I think it’s because you took him out of commission in one fight,” Silver said.

“Makes sense, but it’s not my fault he was in the way of winning the game,” Synth said.

“He still blames you though; he was one of the best guards. Now everypony knows he was beat by a unicorn from Ponyville. He’s a laughing stock in the royal guards,” Nova said.

“What’s wrong with Ponyville?” Synth asked.

“Oh nothing, it’s just not considered a very magical place. It was founded by earth ponies,” Nova said.

“I still can’t believe you’ll be staying there. It’ll be hard to find somewhere to practice these spells without drawing attention. I don’t think the town would be okay with you showing off your magic, not that you’d show off,” Silver said.

“It’s not completely void of magic, Twilight Sparkle is staying there,” Synth said.

“Oh yeah, I heard about that. Something about how she saved us from eternal night; not surprising for a prodigy of the princess herself,” Nova said.

“I might just have to visit, she’s pretty popular these days in town,” Silver said.

“I think she’s always had that kind of attention. Even before she saved the world,” Synth said.

“But it wasn’t always the good kind of attention. All I remember hearing was about her being an outcast, now she’s a hero. People change pretty quick,” Nova said.

“Yeah I guess, but is it always for the best?” Synth said unconsciously.

“I’ve never heard anypony changing for the worst, I think change is always good,” Silver said.

“Well, I think we should get going. Comet won’t keep waiting forever,” Synth said.

Together, Synth and Silver took the steps down. Nova stayed behind, and Synth was glad Vera wouldn’t be left alone. Silver offered little conversation as they neared the bottom. A guard was waiting at the bottom looking up to them. Silver nodded and they followed him towards the room Synth knew all too well. The doors opened to reveal the same grass and stone room he’d trained in the day before.

“Glad you could make it,” The voice said from Synth’s left, the opposite side of Silver.

“I wouldn’t want to miss out on a perfect day to train,” Synth said turning to Comet.

Synth noticed the bandages still around Comet’s chest. It looked okay, except for some bruising around the bandages. Synth questioned Comet’s state. He didn’t look like he was ready to train; he looked like he just lost a fight. Oh wait, that was Synth’s fault.

“We’ll start in five minutes, brief him while we wait for the others,” Comet said to Silver.

“Okay… So Synth today is the coating spell. It’s not too difficult, I’ve heard. Split doesn’t use it. He says it’s not very useful for him, so that’s why you’re as experienced as any of us today,” Silver said.

“Didn’t I already learn the coating spell?” Synth asked.

“No, that was a different coating spell. That was Traction, today you’re learning Endurance. It’s a little different. It makes your skin hard and smooth, like a rock,” Silver said.

‘I don’t think he’s describing the spell,’ Shade said.

‘Get those thoughts out of your head, we need to focus,’ Synth said back to Shade.

“Activating the spell isn’t very difficult; it’s how long and how much it can cover your body. To train that, we need to put you in a real scenario so that you can get used to using it,” Silver said.

‘I really think they’re just trying to find the best possible ways to get rid of you,’ Shade said.

Synth ignored him and asked a question that’s been bugging him.

“So by using the spells over and over again, I can make them stronger?” Synth asked.

“In theory yes, although it takes skill to cast most spells, so not everypony can use them,” Silver said.

“And when you say real scenario…?” Synth asked.

“You’re going to be going hoof to hoof against Comet, although magic is allowed,” Silver said.

‘This’ll be fun,’ Shade said.

“Fun,” Synth said.

“Don’t have too much fun, we want to say our goodbyes before you go today,” Silver said.

“I’ll try,” Synth said.

The doors opened, and the other two shadow guards as well as the other two dawn guards entered the room. Vera came after them, her eyes full of excitement. The others had eyes that looked like they wanted to go to bed, everyone except Synth and Comet. Synth felt ready to take on the world, and right now he felt like he would’ve had better odds that way. Comet looked itching to get the training going.

“Okay, we’ll start after you learn how to cast the spell,” Comet said.

Split brought the book over that contained the spell Synth would need to learn. He brought it in front of Synth’s face and Synth read the casting directions. It was weird, but not very difficult. Synth let his energy go free. Instead of forming the magic in his horn, he let the magic course through his body. Synth stopped the energy flow and the magic collected on the surface of his coat.

The collected magic hardened and turned a dark green that was a shade lighter than his hair. The coating was easy to move in, but Synth felt the magic wear out quickly. Synth activated the spell again with ease, and this time concentrated on his upper torso. The magic collected on his upper torso and hardened to form a chest protection. This time the spell didn’t fade out as fast, and Synth was proud.

“Okay, let’s start then,” Comet said.

“Let’s,” Synth replied, getting into a defensive stance. He remembered reading in a martial arts story that defense was better than offense.

Comet ran towards synth and synth attempted a side step, but trip over his hoof. Comet slammed his hoof at synth’s face and sent him flying across the room. Synth got up and held his hoof up to his head to regain his focus.

‘Fuck that book, time for plan b’, said Synth getting pissed off. Synth ran towards Comet and screamed in his head ‘ Leeeeerrrrrroooooooyyyyyy Jeeeeeeennnkiiiiinns’. (Editor’s idea: Blame him.)

‘What the hell are you talking about’ said Shade with a confused tone.

‘Shut up, I’m busy; I’ll explain it to you later’ said Synth as he was about to come close to Comet.

Comet ducked and twisted around to send an uppercut towards Synth’s chin. Synth activated his magic before the punch could make contact. He focused the magic on his hoof to block the uppercut. It was coated in dark green before the collision.

Synth could feel the impact as Comet hit Synth’s hoof. Synth’s hoof was knocked back a few inches. Comet pulled back his hoof and sent the other towards Synth’s side. Synth’s left hoof was still recovering from the hit, so his right parried his attack. When Comet’s attack made impact with Synth’s hoof, Synth turned his hoof to slide across Comet’s arms and then made a swipe at his neck.

Comet lowered his head instead of dodging and Synth was surprised to find Comet’s skull to be hard. He pulled back his hoof to find it throbbing. Synth almost didn’t notice Comet continue his attacks. Comet used a roundhouse kick towards Synth’s face. Synth dodged just as the leg came above his head. Comet stopped midway with his kick and sent it backwards back at Synth.

Synth didn’t see it coming as it his him in the back. He was sent towards the ground and rolled away before Comet could continue with his assault. Synth tried an idea, and coated his front hooves. He ran forward and when Comet put up his hooves to block, Synth stomped the ground. Cracks came out of the ground, and the change in footing caused Comet to lose his balance.

Synth’s other coated hoof landed a clean hit on Comet’s jaw. Comet let out a cry of pain as he hit the floor. Synth would have felt bad for what he did, but Comet got up faster than normal. He turned slowly towards Synth, and Synth could see his eyes was bloodshot. There was a small blood trail from Comet’s mouth. When Comet spoke, Synth could see Comet’s teeth were red and white.

“I’m not letting you get the last laugh…” Comet said before spitting some blood to the side.

“Because to me, this is all one big joke,” Synth said sarcastically. It wasn’t his best trait to be sarcastic, but there was no doubt it was there.

Comet ran forward, and if Synth wasn’t used to seeing things go faster when he used his traction spell, he probably wouldn’t have seen him as he charged forward. Synth dodged to the side as Comet ran by. When Synth looked back around, Comet was already charging again for another attack. This time, Synth activated his magic and focused it on his head. He was probably going to regret this, but at the moment it seemed like a good idea.

Synth charged forward to Comet and they collided. It was a stand still; they were both pushing the other with their horns. Synth’s magic was fading out, and he felt Comet winning the battle. Synth activated his magic and focused it on his font hooves again. He lifted them forward as Comet made another push with his head.

Synth hit Comet in both sides of the head, both his hits made contact. Synth was surprised to see Comet still standing, much less still winning his head battle. Synth jumped out of the way as Comet made one last push forward. Comet grazed Synth as they passed, and Synth felt the blood trickle slowly from his ear.

Synth put his hoof over his wound, and found Silver’s healing magic quickly working its way through. Synth felt his magic return to him, and the cut was gone, although the blood remained. He stood up and looked towards Comet who was ready to strike. Synth activated his magic as Comet charged once again, this time aiming for his legs.

‘I’m going to have to go all out, I’d never get to beat him otherwise,’ Synth said to Shade as he successfully dodged Comet and managed to get a blow to Comet’s side.

‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ Shade said.

‘And why is that?’ Synth asked watching Comet charge at him again.

‘He’s not using magic, I think if you remind him he’ll start using it. Right now he’s probably in a blind fury and forgot about using his magic,’ Shade said.

‘That’s right, so I guess I’ll just have to keep training this spell for now. I’ll beat him when he’s worn out,’ Synth said. Comet’s horn managed to cut above Synth’s eye and the blood clouded his vision. Synth also managed to get a hit on Comet’s hooves and tumbled him to the ground.

‘It’s always about winning with you, isn’t it?’ Shade said.

‘What else is there?’ Synth responded as he felt Silver’s aura around him.
------------

“Shit, they’re going all out,” Silver heard Nova say when he entered the room.

“I’d say, Synth was already bleeding a few minutes ago,” Silver said.

“Is he okay?” Vera asked.

“Yeah he should be fine; he can take care of himself… I hope” Silver said whispering the last part. Vera heard it, but she didn’t question it. Synth had already done some difficult training regiments, so of course he could get injured.

The three watched as Comet and Synth would tackle each other only for the other to dodge, apparently neither had been trained in hoof to hoof combat. It was like watching two red bulls go at it. Synth would usually end up the wounded one, but Comet had his moments when he would get injured. Silver had to be fair and heal both of them every time one was injured. It brought back their magic supply and healed their injuries.

Silver had to call two time outs because of his magic depletion and because they needed to clean the blood to make sure Silver could tell when they were injured. Vera stayed quiet the entire time, while Nova gave his occasional cheer or grunt. It was always directed towards Comet, and Silver reasoned it was because he was technically still a Dawn Guard and needed to root his comrades.

Nova was starting to get bored. At first he was interested by how this would turn out, but other than Synth’s spell they didn’t use any magic. Nova knew they could if they wanted to, but he didn’t mention anything, because he knew Comet would get the upper hand in a magic fight. Nova stopped watching and sat down; standing wasn’t comfortable especially for an hour straight.

Things got more interesting when Slash and Split came in. They looked like they just woke up, but Streak trailing behind them looked like he was wide awake. They didn’t say anything when they entered, but after Streak went to the opposite side of the room, Slash began.

“Looks like they’re not holding back,” Split said. “I didn’t think Synth could take him on,” He finished.

“Well, they are holding back. Otherwise I think Comet would be dominating,” Slash said.

“What makes you say that?” Split asked.

“They haven’t been using magic,” Silver said.

“Except for Synth, he’s using the Endurance spell,” Shade said.

“Oh, why aren’t they using anything else?” Split asked.

“I don’t know, but I think it’s a good thing. Comet doesn’t have the upper hand this way. Synth might actually be able to practice his spell without many problems,” Nova said.

“I think you spoke too soon,” Slash said.
-------------
(Moments ago)

‘This is going better than I thought,’ Synth said dodging one of Comet’s hooves.

‘You just had to say that,’ Shade said.

‘What could go wrong?’ Synth asked. He got his answer when Comet’s horn started to glow.

“Okay, everyone’s here. We can start the actual show,” Comet said.

‘This is your fault, you never ask that question,’ Shade said.

Synth saw Comet’s horn shoot out a red bolt that Synth could barely dodge. The bolt hit the wall and fizzled out. Synth was glad that it didn’t actually destroy anything, but knew that the bolt wasn’t completely harmless. Synth tried to dodge out of the way of another bolt, but he couldn’t react fast enough. The bolt his left hind leg and the made him bend down from the pain. Synth activated his magic before another bolt could hit him.

Silver healed Synth while Synth kept his spell up. Comet didn’t stop shooting bolt after bolt. They would make contact but dissolve when they hit his coating. Synth was only covering his front side so he could keep the spell up for as long as possible. When the healing finished, Synth ran forward straight at Comet. Synth’s spell ended and he ducked to avoid a bolt.

Synth activated his traction coating and surrounded his body with it. He ran in a zigzag pattern that normally he would have lost his footing doing. Comet continued to miss each shot as Synth dodged them easily. Synth reached a distance he thought was good, and activated his Endurance coating. Synth neared Comet and held out his hoof to punch.

Synth’s hoof stopped directly in front of Comet’s face. Leaving Comet confused and relieved. Comet landed a direct blow to Synth’s gut and Synth couldn’t move as his body felt the impact. Synth’s body didn’t move, and Comet held his hoof.

“Fuck,” Comet said looking at his swelling hoof.

Synth could feel the stiffness fade away, and his body was slowly moving back under his control. He stood up and examined his hooves. They looked perfectly normal, but he felt a slight tingling sensation. Synth barely noticed a hoof from his peripheral vision, and dodged before it could make contact. Synth backed away as Comet pulled his hoof back.

‘Well that was weird,’ Synth said to Shade.

‘No, that’s just what happens when you mix two spells that are almost the same,’ Shade said.

‘And why didn’t you tell me that earlier?’ Synth asked.

‘I honestly thought you already knew that, or you weren’t dumb enough to try,’ Shade said.

‘Well, I guess I won’t be doing that again,’ Synth said watching Comet’s movements.

‘I never said that mixing two spells was a bad thing,’ Shade said.

‘What do you mean?’ Synth asked, Comet’s horn starting to glow.

‘Well, did you notice that you were practically invincible? The effects of mixing two spells aren’t always predictable so you got lucky,’ Shade said.

‘I don’t believe in getting lucky. You’re either born lucky or you aren’t,’ Synth said dodging another bolt from Comet.

Synth managed to escape the next three shots from Comet and then activated his traction spell again. Synth circled towards Comet and avoided two shots but the third hit his chest. Synth felt the pain in his chest, but didn’t stop moving. He made it to Comet and deactivated his Traction Spell. Synth sent a punch towards Comet who blocked easily.

Synth made sure his Traction spell was gone before reactivating his Endurance spell. Synth sent a second punch towards Comet, and Comet wasn’t expecting the force that came from it. He stumbled back from the hit to his chest. Synth tried to follow up with the attack but the spell ran out. Comet launched a counter strike and hit Synth in his chin. Synth was sent flying back towards the place he came from. Synth didn’t even hit the floor as Comet caught up to his flying body. Comet kicked Synth in his side while he was in the air and sent him flying into a 90 degree angle.

Synth crashed into a wall and he felt his leg crack. He pulled himself from the imprint of himself in the wall and fell to the floor on his back. He looked towards the ceiling as Silver’s magic once again covered his body.
------------
(Seconds ago)

“Think Synth has a chance now?” Nova asked the group.

“Yeah, he’ll live, but I doubt he’ll walk out of this unscathed,” Slash said writing something else down on his notepad.

“Maybe he’ll be able to walk in a few days,” Split said.

“C’mon guys, I’m making sure he won’t get too hurt,” Silver said activating his spell again.

“I think we all know that you’re overexerting yourself. When your magic is gone, who’ll save him? He wouldn’t last minute without your healing,” Split said.

“Then why don’t we call another break?” Silver asked panting from the effort of casting the spell.

“Comet’s not going to stop now. He’ll probably pretend he doesn’t hear you,” Nova said.

“Think we should ask around for another healer? Maybe there’s a new recruit that can take over for Silver,” Slash said.

“Healing isn’t easy to do. Only specific ponies can cast healing magic, as well as alicorns,” Silver said.

“Have we arrived on time?” A voice asked from the doorway.

“Luna?” Split asked.

“Tis us. We would like to view the progression of this training. May we enter?” Luna asked.

“Yeah good timing, we could actually use your help,” Split said.

“Oh? How may we be of assistance?” Luna asked Split after she walked over.

“I can’t handle healing them this much. They won’t stop injuring each other, and I need your help to heal them while I take a break to rest my magic,” Silver said.

“We will assist thee then,” Luna said. “We did come with the intention of over watching his progress.”

“Well Slash could show you his notes so far, but I think you can just tell he’s getting better,” Split said.

Luna looked towards Synth who hadn’t noticed her enter. He was heavily focused on his own situation. She also noticed the imprint in the wall his body made. Cracks came out of the imprint and spread far up the wall. She winced; it would cost a fortune to fix that.
-------------

‘I don’t get why you’re struggling,’ Shade asked.

‘This isn’t exactly a walk in the park,’ Synth said dodging another punch from Comet.

‘He’s not even using magic anymore, you should be equals,’ Shade said.

‘I can’t block his punches though, and when I try to dodge he stops me,’ Synth said sidestepping a swing from Comet.

‘Then use some magic,’ Shade said.

‘I’m almost out. I’m using it all to keep my Endurance spell up,’ Synth said.

‘What do you mean?’ Shade asked.

‘I don’t know, I feel I’m being healed but my magic’s not coming back,’ Synth said sending a jab towards Comet who dodged easily.

‘I feel good to go, my magic isn’t being drained,’ Shade said.

‘I’m not letting you out, you’ll send him back to the hospital,’ Synth said landing a hit on Comet’s side.

‘It’s either him or you,’ Shade said.

Synth didn’t respond as Comet countered Synth’s attack with his own. Comet’s punch landed square on Synth’s chin and he was sent backwards. Synth landed on the edge where the ground met the wall. The back of his head hit the wall and he gasped from the pain. He felt around his chest and felt burning feeling inside. He coughed up some blood before the familiar healing sensation went over him.

Synth tried to activate his Endurance spell again. He couldn’t concentrate enough to even activate it. Synth sighed; he wouldn’t be able to continue like this, so he reluctantly nodded.

‘Go for it, just don’t go killing anyone,’ Synth said letting his body go back under Shade’s control.

‘If it makes you feel better, I won’t,’ Shade said.

Synth felt for the brief moment that he was switching places with Shade that his necklace grew warmer. He dismissed it though, as he rested his thoughts on what was happening. He could slowly feel his magic coming back to him, but it’d be a good while before it fully returned.

‘How about my terms? I will only harm Comet, if you let me out until your feeling better,’ Shade said.

‘Deal…’ Synth said, his mind was still cloudy from the magic usage, but he could tell it wasn’t a trick.

‘Now then, let’s show this guard what it means to fight,’ Shade said stomping his hoof.
-------------

“What the…?” Slash said writing something down.

“What?” Silver asked looking at Slash from his sitting position on the floor. His head was throbbing from the training exercise.

“He’s using his magic again,” Nova said.

“So what’s wrong with that?” Silver asked.

“Luna hasn’t been giving them back their magic, so he shouldn’t have any left,” Split said.

“Well why aren’t you giving them back their magic?” Silver asked looking to Luna.

“She said she wanted to end this faster. Synth pretty much has this spell down, so she wanted to see if he could use it in a tough situation,” Split explained.

“And where is Luna now?” Silver asked looking around.

“She’s concentrated on the fight, looks like she’s thinking something,” Nova said.

They all looked at Luna who had a confused expression on her face as the fight progressed. Now Shade had the upper hand as the floor was changed to tall grass that surrounded Comet and made his movements slow and predictable. Shade landed blow after on blow on Comet and always had his Endurance spell activated.

Comet couldn’t react as Shade ran straight at him. Shade landed a hit on Comet’s chest that he followed up on. Shade landed a blow to his leg and face before Comet could fall backwards and roll away from Shade. Shade didn’t let him go though, as Comet was stuck in the tall grass during his roll. Shade jumped high into the air and directed fall onto Comet.

Comet managed to turn his head before Shade’s hoof could land on it. The ground cracked and then broke as Shade’s hoof hit it. There was an indent about Comet’s head that was left in the ground. Shade brought back his hoof from the ground and sighed. Comet got out of his range and backed away considerably.

“Shit, that was a close one,” Nova said.

“What does he think he’s doing?” Split asked under his breath.

“Why, isn’t he winning?” Vera asked Split.

“Oh yes, it’s just that Comet already hates him. Why would he try to make him angrier?” Split answered innocently.

Inside his mind, he was cursing Vera’s good hearing. He would need to be careful to keep Synth’s secret. Split was sure that Shade was in control now. Otherwise the Environmental Takeover would have ended, and Synth would be out of magic.

“Stop, this training is now complete,” Luna said.

“But we still have another two hours, It’s barely four,” Nova said.

“Synth has shown he is capable of using this spell. No more training is needed. The rest of the day will be used to say farewells. Guards, thou may take the rest of the day off,” Luna said.

“I’m out of here,” Streak said walking out the doors.

“I have better places to be,” Comet said walking slowly out of the door.

“I guess I’ll see you later Synth,” Nova said on his way out the door.

“Yeah, we’ll see you around Synth,” Slash said helping Silver out the door towards his quarters.

“Stay safe,” Silver said looking over his shoulder towards Synth.

“Oh I will, don’t you worry about that,” Shade responded.

“I think I’ll stay here. There’s something I want to talk about,” Split said watching the others leave.

When everyone left, Shade turned towards Luna and Split who were eyeing him curiously. Shade smiled innocently and looked to the right and left. He shifted his feet while he stood there under there watching eyes.

“So, what’d you want to talk about?” Shade asked Split.

“You,” Split replied.

“Well, this was a nice talk. If you don’t mind, I’ll be going now,” Shade started walking towards the open doors and they closed before he could get anywhere near them.

“You’re not going anywhere until you explain,” Split said.

“Explain what?” Shade asked.

“Why you’re here and Synth isn’t,” Split said.

“Oh that’s easy, he was almost knocked unconscious so we made a deal,” Shade said like it was an everyday question.

“What was the deal?” Split asked intrigued by the answer.

“Nope, can’t tell you. When I make a deal, I don’t tell anyone about the details,” Shade said shaking his head slowly.

“So then when is the deal over?” Split asked.

“Can’t say, I actually don’t know exactly but that’s why I want to get out of here. So much to do, but so little time,” Shade said starting to walk back towards the doors.

“So thou will not describe thy deal?” Luna asked.

“Nope, only Synth and I get to know that. If you want know, you’ll have to wait until he wakes up,” Shade said, and then suddenly stopped.

“Wakes up?” Split and Luna asked at once.

Shade didn’t respond and instead continued to walk. He was lifted telekinetically and brought back to face the two. He sighed, if he didn’t make the deal, he could have easily escaped but it would involve harming them both. He settled for giving them his best smile and playing dumb.

“What’d you do to Synth?” Split asked.

“What do you mean?” Shade responded.

“You said ‘wakes up’, so he’s not conscious?” Split asked.

“You’re right, I did say that,” Shade said.

“What have thee done to Synth?” Luna asked, starting to get annoyed by his attitude.

“I didn’t do anything, it’s that Meany Comet’s fault that Synth need to ‘wake up’, Shade held his hooves up like he was innocent.

“But he can’t wake up if you’re here,” Split reasoned.

“He can, he just can’t right now,” Shade responded.

“What does that mean?” Split asked.

“I don’t know, you figure it out,” Shade said.

“We think we understand,” Luna said lowering Shade from the aura.

“Oh do you?” Shade asked sarcastically.

“Tis a riddle. When one cannot act, if it is not because he is unable to; it is because he has no choice,” Luna recited.

“Good, you know some quotes, that’s pretty impressive,” Shade said sarcastically.

Split ignored Shade to ask Luna his next question. “So, what does that mean? Is he dead?” Split asked.

“No, Synth may not be strong enough to regain control. He could possibly if he had assistance,” Luna said.

“Oh, no. You figure it out. What will I do now?” Shade continued, his face was starting to bead with sweat. They were trying really hard to bring Synth back. Shade couldn’t think of a way to get them to stop except for being sarcastic.

“You know, I bet Synth doesn’t even want to wake up. He’s probably having the dream of his life right now,” Shade replied.

“Shut it,” Split said as he whispered something to Luna.

“Good idea, but it could possible turn against us. Should we proceed?” Luna asked.

“Nobody ever got anywhere without taking risks,” Split said.

“Where’d you get that, the back of a cereal box?” Shade said.

“I hope this works, I want him to shut up for once,” Split said.

Luna’s horn activated and she put her blue aura around Shade. Shade felt magic course through his veins, but he didn’t care. He knew that the magic was also empowering Synth. Shade gave up his hope and receded to the back of his mind in shame. Synth’s energy was growing stronger, and Shade held on to his extra energy as Synth awoke from his unconscious slumber.

Synth felt his body shake as magic both entered and left his body. When the magic stopped, he could only cough as his mind started to process everything he was seeing. It was all a blur, but eventually he managed to clear his vision. He looked up to see Split and Luna watching with frowns on their faces.

“Um, hello?” Synth asked.

“I don’t think it worked, should we just tie him up?” Split asked Luna.

“What? What’s going on?” Synth asked feeling confused.

“Synth?” Luna asked.

“What? Do I have something in my teeth?” Synth asked.

“Okay, maybe that is Synth,” Split said.

“Well yeah it’s me, who else?” Synth said.

“Shade was here earlier,” Split said.

“Oh, yeah. He didn’t do anything he’d regret later did he?” Synth asked.

“No, he merely explained his reasoning for coming out,” Luna said.

“Oh, well then where are we?” Synth looked around and felt stupid for a second. “Oh yeah, this place.”

“We believe thee will need to prepare. The chariot awaits” Luna said.

“Oh yeah, I need to go pack my invisible things, I guess I’ll see you guys before I leave,” Synth said turning to go.

“No I won’t be there, but I’m sure Luna will,” Split said.

“Oh, that’s too bad. Well, then I guess this is goodbye for now,” Synth said turning to wave good bye.

“For now?” Split asked.

“Goodbyes aren’t forever, we’ll meet again,” Synth said walking out the door.

“I wonder what Shade would say to that,” Split said also leaving. Luna turned to begin the fix of her favorite room.
------------

‘You sounded like a hypocrite right there,’ Shade said.

‘What?’ Synth asked.

‘Oh, nothing,’ Shade responded.
(A few minutes later)

“Okay, you ready to go?” Synth asked Vera who was holding her suitcase in her mouth.

“Uh huh,” She said without dropping the suitcase, although it came out as more of a grunt.

“Okay, first let me help you with that. Second, why is it so big?” Synth asked lifting the case with his magic.

“Our parents gave it to me. It had my favorite dresses in it, and it also had my comb, my mirror, my-,” Vera listed everything that she owned. Synth was surprised it all fit in the suitcase.

“Oh, well when you put it like that, I guess it makes sense,” Synth said.

“So, where’s the carriage?” Vera asked.

“It’s over here, I think we’re a little late,” Synth said spotting the chariot already ready to leave.

“Wow! It’s so cool,” Vera said looking at the gold plated chariot and the gold armored guards.

“We find it to also be ‘cool’,” Luna said coming up behind Synth.

“You sure it’s okay to use this? We could always take a train,” Synth said.

“Nonsense, we want thy experience here in the Castle to be delightful,” Luna said.

“Well thanks, I can’t wait to come back and visit,” Synth said getting into the chariot.

“That reminds us, we have something for thee,” Luna said levitating an envelope towards him.

Synth took the envelope and started trying to open it.

“Our sister advised thee to not open the envelope until the chariot has left,” Luna said.

Synth stopped trying to open the envelope and waved goodbye to Luna as the chariot raised and took them into the sky towards Ponyville. Synth looked back to the envelope and opened it after a few failed attempts. He opened the envelope from the side and slid a white note along with two yellow sheets out. He read the white sheet first.

Mandatory,

Have Fun

-Celestia

Synth looked over the white sheet before he heard Vera cheer.

“Two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!” Vera said loudly.

‘Shit,” Synth thought as he sunk in his seat. He started thinking about how far of a drop it would be if he flung himself off.

‘It won’t be that bad, will it?’ Shade asked the now depressed Synth while Vera happily laughed in the background.

Author's Notes:

Author’s Notes:
I can’t imagine Synth standing up and going “NOOOO!!!!” In the middle of the chariot ride. That would be out of character, so I didn’t do that. I could have though….
That Fucking Celestia…
Next Time: Return of the Hulk! Oh wait, they only look the same… except Synth isn’t strong… or wearing shorts.
------------
Chapter Update notes (Remind me to remove this in a few chapters):
(You don’t have to read this, it’s my way of updating people who care this much. Vidal that means you.)
1. Next few chapters will be One Chapter Per Day (OCPD)
I would have done this with earlier chapters but I was trying to stick to a schedule that failed miserably, so scratch that.
2. OCPD could range from a low 6k per chapter or a high 20k per chapter.
They can last as long as I feel they should. I don’t want to drag out chapters or end them too fast. Chapters are made on the fly, and aren’t thought of beforehand. The only exceptions to this are the first three chapters that I rushed. (Sorry about that, I just wanted to get the idea out there before I saw another story with the same kind of ideas.
3. I read a lot of Fanfictions.
This means two things:
a. I don’t have unlimited time, although I do spend a lot of my time typing. I usually play games when I’m not typing so my schedule can fluctuate with how I’m feeling that day.
b. I get a lot of ideas. I don’t steal ideas, I see something interesting and I change it to make it more original, while at the same time fitting into my story. Example: Some spells used I found from reading a lot of gory stories.

4. Multiple Sessions while typing.
I don’t sit down and do this all in one day. It usually takes me a few sessions to write 2k works, not to mention the time to go back and revised something. I think the longest sessions I do are when I re-read my story to check for mistakes before handing it to my editor who gives his “laid back editing ‘advice’ for my story, that I disagree with on multiple standings (I think I edit my editor at some points of our discussions).” That in itself is another long session that isn’t exactly enjoyable. (He’ll be making an account on Fimfiction eventually so when he makes one I’ll direct you towards him so you can complain to him about errors.)

(I’m not whining or bitching, I just don’t want to see any hate comments or messages from people who haven’t even read the story. Hell, the story is just getting to the good parts; these chapters were all introductory for the 20+ chapters to come.
Final thing: My thought process wasn’t right when I made the first few chapters.
Me being the acedia bastard I am, I decided not to fix it and just go along with it. I’ll be adding a ‘These are my fictional facts’ Section before the first chapter when I feel like writing it. (Acedia strikes again.) I still haven’t fully fixed the problems with the first few chapters (First comment would explain the big problem with them). The website’s being derpy and I can’t fix it fast enough before I lose what I tried to change. (If I remember right; I fixed the first and part of the third chapter before I raged and continued Checkmate. That’s also why it took so long and I ended with only 6k words.)
-Sly
*****
Hello Readers,
As you may have read from the authors notes above. I’m going to make a Fimfiction account soon, but I’m still struggling with a problem that prevents me from doing so. (Creating a unique username and a cool avatar picture.) I will probably have one by the end of this week.
-Sincerely, ‘Editor’

Return

Return

“Are we there yet?” Vera asked looking over the sides.

“No, you need to learn to be patient,” Synth said playing with his hooves.

“What about now?” Vera asked.

“Now what?” Synth said.

“Are we there now?” Vera asked.

“No. Are you going to be like this until we get there?” Synth said.

“That depends, will we be there soon?” Vera asked.

“I don’t know, does it look like we’re almost there?” Synth said.

“I see lights over there, is that Ponyville?” Vera asked.

Synth stood up to look at the approaching lights. Even in the middle of the day he could see lights from a brown stand. There were fireworks that flew higher than the chariot was flying. Synth also noticed a giant color palette of ponies in front of the brown stand.

“It looks like Ponyville, but something might be happening right now,” Synth answered.

“Well we’re landing, I hope it’s something fun,” Vera said pointing at the strip of grass where the guards were going to land.

The chariot landed gracefully onto the ground. Synth had to commend the guards that were chauffeuring the chariot. Synth jumped out and landed onto the grass. Vera also jumped out and took a look around. They didn’t land too far from the town, and there was a significant lack of ponies in the area.

“We’ll be going now,” The chariot guard said.

“Oh sure, thanks for the lift,” Synth said to the departing ponies.

They didn’t respond and flew away without a sound. Synth felt like they were acting rude for Canterlot Guards. He didn’t care very much though, as he looked around the barren outskirts of the town. It was unsettlingly quiet. Synth didn’t know if it was because of his recent stays in one of the loudest cities in Equestria, or because it was just that quiet, but it was odd.

“Where is everypony?” Vera voiced the question had on his mind.

“Maybe they’re at that light show we saw earlier,” Synth suggested, though he thought it was unlikely the entire town would go to that.

“Then let’s go, I want to know what they’re all watching,” Vera said walking towards the direction where lights could be seen.

“All right, I just hope I didn’t come back at a wrong time,” Synth said following Vera towards the display of lights that were slowly dimming down.

Synth looked around at the town he now called home. It looked peaceful. Walking by the houses he barely remembered, he knew that soon he’d be able to tell who lived in each house. He could barely remember when he was first entering the town. He had been nervous then, meeting an entire group of ponies for the first time always had that effect. Hell, even meeting one royal figure made him feel nervous. It was probably something he’d picked up from his parents, but he’d learned that eventually that nervousness would go away.
He just never realized when it would though, as he would always be more preoccupied with other activities. When he had visited some of the northern jungles with his teacher, he’d entered a village shaking. The residents thought he’d succumb to one of their native diseases, but it turned out he only had a crush on some mare he met. It was like a Romeo and Juliet story, if Romeo didn’t accidentally spill wine on her on accident and ruined her dress; she never forgave him for that. He left after two more days. His professor wanted him to make up with the mare, but Synth decided from then that he’d keep his attention on the task.
Synth only remembered a few vague details about her, but something about that memory clicked in Synth’s head. He couldn’t tell what, so he decided to think about it later. He could hear talking now, and it was a voice he didn’t recognize. He turned the corner to see a large stand showcasing a blue pony wearing a pointed hat and a star patterned cape.
‘Is that…?’ Shade started a question but decided to stop.
‘What, do you know her?’ Synth asked walking up to the crowd containing the entire town minus a few here or two.

‘I’m not sure, she just looks familiar,’ Shade said.

‘Well I don’t know her; I don’t even remember seeing her around town. I wonder who she is,’ Synth said.

Synth joined the crowd and stood on the left side of the crowd. He looked around to see if he could find any friendly faces, but the only ones he recognized were at the front. He decided to stay quiet as the blue coated mare began to speak. After he heard a few sentences in third person, he tuned her out and focused on the reactions of the crowd.

Surprisingly nopony noticed his return. They were all focused on the ‘Great and Powerful Trixie’s’ boasting. Synth felt if there was anyone to compare the boasting to, it’d be Rainbow Dash; although, Synth still felt Trixie had her beat there. The crowd cheered for Trixie and her magical feats. Synth didn’t feel he had to listen to this. He was about to walk away until he heard one of his friends speak up.

“So Great and Powerful Trixie, what makes you think you’re so awesome, anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked getting close to Trixie.
“Why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major,” Trixie said performing a small puppetry in the air with her magic.
‘Ursa Major? Aren’t those like, huge?’ Synth asked Shade looking at the puny picture in the air.
‘Hell yeah, their paws are probably bigger than this town,’ Shade said.
‘Damn, it looked pretty small on the chess board. Do you think she got her information mixed up?’ Synth asked.
‘No, I remember her now. People were always dreaming about challenging her. It was usually a nightmare, they always lost. She travels the country pretending to be a powerful unicorn, and Celestia doesn’t do anything to stop her,’ Shade said.
‘Wait, pretends?’ Synth asked.
‘Shh, this is getting good,’ Shade said making Synth pay attention to what was happening.
“Well, little hayseed?” Trixie said to Applejack.
“That’s it, ah can’t stand for no more of this,” Applejack said jumping onstage with her rope that appeared out of nowhere.
“Can your magical power do this?” Applejack asked before performing stunts and tricks with her ropes.
Synth was surprised she could do that. He knew that if he tried he’d end up tripping over the rope. She managed to grab an apple with the rope. Synth didn’t know if she had rehearsed this, but the performance went smoothly. The crowd cheered when she finished, and Synth was curious as to what Trixie would do.
Trixie’s reaction wasn’t what Synth expected. She managed to hogtie Applejack and put an apple in her mouth. Synth’s stomach rumbled and he realized that he hadn’t eaten in a while. He was about to walk away to find an open store, until he remembered that most of the town would be here. He was going to look back to what was happening, but there was a tug on his cloak.
“I’m hungry, is there anywhere we can eat?” Vera asked. Synth had to admit, he already forgot about Vera.
Synth was about to answer, but his stomach once again rumbled. He sighed, hunger would win this battle. He really wanted to watch what would happen, but both his own body and his sister were pulling him away. His thoughts drifted off to food, and he remembered the amounts of apples he had in his fridge.
“Yeah I’ve got food at my house, let’s go,” Synth said starting to turn away.
‘Wait, I want to see how this turns out,’ Shade said.
‘Well I’m starving, so I’m getting something to eat,’ Synth said.
‘Here, let me watch as a rabbit, I’ll tell you how it turns out,’ Shade said.
‘You must really want to watch this,’ Synth said looking towards a spot away from the crowd. He didn’t have to worry about the crowd seeing it though, as they were preoccupied with something in the sky. Vera was also looking up and Synth took his chance to let Shade activate his magic.
‘Let’s just say I’ve got a feeling that today will be a fun day,’ Shade said as his magic shot out away from the crowd.
‘If you say so,’ Synth said before walking away.
“Wait for me,” Vera said catching up to him.
“I can show you my house now. Maybe later I can give you a tour of Ponyville, I’ve heard it’s not very big,” Synth said.
“You heard?” Vera asked confused.
“Well, I’ve never walked through the town without getting a little lost,” Synth admitted.
“And you’ll be the one giving me a tour?” Vera asked.
“Okay, maybe I’ll get one of my friends to give you that tour,” Synth said remembering he still could barely find his way to his house, which he thought he was getting close to.
“I wanna meet your friends, how many are there?” Vera asked.
“Well, there’s more here than I ever had in Canterlot. The whole town is pretty friendly now that I think of it… But anyways, I met seven of them on the first day I got here. And I also met a dragon, one that doesn’t eat ponies though,” Synth said.
“Dragon? Doesn’t that seem a little weird for a pony town?” Vera questioned.
“It’s perfectly normal for this town. You’ll see when you meet a certain friend of mine. She’s a little weird at times,” Synth said.
“She…? Are all your friends mares?” Vera asked, hitting the bullseye.
“Oh, yeah I guess they are. I didn’t really think too much about it. Although if I count the dragon that makes one guy friend,” Synth said.
“Does the dragon have a name?” Vera asked.
“Yeah I can’t remember what it is though; it was a long time ago,” Synth said realizing he forgot Spike’s name.
“How’d you meet him?” Vera asked.
“Twilight’s party… It was the day we both got there. But I guess she got there first, so she got a party. Well long story short, she has a dragon assistant that’s half her size,” Synth said.
“So, where’s your house?” Vera asked looking around.
Synth looked up to find he’d been wondering aimlessly in town. When he looked around, he could only see the same looking house in every direction. He chose to pretend he knew where he was going and kept walking forward. After another few minutes that were filled in silence, he noticed a familiar looking tree ahead of him.
“There it is, behind that tree,” Synth said pointing forward at the tree with a hole in its side.
“Great, I’m starving,” Vera said trotting over to the house.
Synth shared in her enthusiasm and also quickened his pace. When they reached the door, Synth opened it to hear a noticeable squeak. He didn’t remember hearing that before, but his mind was on food at the moment. He went over to the fridge and took out a good amount of apples. Vera looked them over, but her hunger must’ve been at its peak because she devoured apple after apple Synth brought out.
“Wow, these are great!” Vera said swallowing her last apple chunk.
“I see that,” Synth said grinning when she burped.
“I didn’t know apples could taste that good, the ones in Canterlot aren’t very…” Vera said.
“Fresh?” Synth finished for her. Vera nodded and Synth understood. “Yeah, these came from the apple orchard in town. One of my friends works on the fields,” Synth said.
“But, these aren’t exactly fresh either. They’ve been here since I went back to Canterlot last week. I’m surprised they’re still good,” Synth said starting to eat his own apples.
Synth ate the rest of his apples in silence while Vera took a look around the house. The look didn’t take very long, considering the house was a small two story. She only gave his journals one glance before returning.
“Can I go look around outside?” Vera asked.
“Yeah go ahead, just don’t get lost,” Synth said taking another bite.
Vera left and Synth was left in peace to finish his meal. He could feel something weird in his house. It didn’t feel like he was alone, but he knew that everyone would be in the center of town. Vera also just looked everywhere and it looked clear, so he didn’t know why he felt like this. His thoughts were interrupted by a cricket chirp near the door.
Synth stretched his limbs before walking over and opening the door. The sun was still high in the sky, but he could tell it was starting to go down. His eyes drifted over to the lawn, and he remembered his mailbox. He walked over and opened it to find two letters inside. He pulled them out, and noticed one was marked with a golden seal, while the other was marked with a dark blue seal.
Synth opened the golden seal first, expecting something formal from Canterlot or Luna. He was surprised to find one side blank. He turned it over and read:
Dear Synth,
When attending a formal gathering, formal attire is required, as well manners and etiquette.
Your Princess,
Celestia
P.S: Don’t forget, Mandatory.

Synth groaned, Celestia really went all out in this time. Now he’d have to find something formal to wear. He’d probably ask Rarity to make him something, although he would have time. It would be a long time before the Gala. Synth looked at the other note, and prayed that it wouldn’t be anything like the first. He undid the seal, and pulled out a letter that he knew instantly was from Luna.
Dear Synth,
Thou are welcome to return at any time. If thy nightmares are ever a problem again, please contact us. We wish thee the best. As well as Vera, we know she will be good company for thee. Just like the Canis Minors, family should not be lost.
Your Princess,
Luna
P.S.: What do these initials mean?

Synth smiled at the last part. Luna would take some time to get used to the present, but she’ll adapt. He looked to the letter again, and reread it. It’s something he always did, just for good measure. When he finished, he put them inside with the other letter he’d gotten. He walked back out and remembered something. She’d even called Vera his family, and that family shouldn’t be lost.

‘Shit,’ Synth said realizing he didn’t see Vera anywhere.
He looked around his entire house, but he didn’t see any sign of her. His first thought was that he was right when he thought he was being watched. He decided against that idea though, because he didn’t think anyone in town would do that. Not to mention they were all in the center anyways. Synth sighed and sat down to see if she’d come back. After a few minutes his patience wore out and he stood up.
‘Way to go, first day back and she’s already running away from home,’ Shade said.
“Well it’s not like she can just disappear, she has to be around the town somewhere,” Synth said walking towards the town.
‘Or she could be exploring the whole town,’ Shade said.
“Then she’ll still be around here somewhere,” Synth said.
‘The whole town,’ Shade said slower.
“Right, she’ll be ar-,” Synth started.
‘The forest!’ Shade interrupted , clearly annoyed.
“Oh, why didn’t you say so?” Synth said turning around to walk towards the forest edge.
Shade didn’t reply. Synth made it to the forest edge in the silence. He looked into the forest to be met by yellow eyes looking back at him. He could make out a shape of a wooden face. He turned around to run, but realized he was surrounded. They snarled at him and made him back up farther into the forest.
“Nice Timberwolves… you don’t want to hurt me, do you?” Synth said quietly. The Timberwolves snarled their reply and Synth gulped. He turned and dodged the one Timberwolf in the way. He kept running through the forest as they gave chase. He ran around trees and over rocks. His breathing was getting faster, and he could feel his heart beating. He chanced a look back to find them gaining on him.
Synth felt pure pain as he collided with a tree when he turned back. The impact stopped his momentum, and the Timberwolves didn’t prepare themselves. They tried to stop but were going too fast. Their paws skid across the grass and into a river. The current quickly took them forward and further down the coast. Synth was looking at the tree tops when he realized he was still conscious.
“Synth?” Synth heard an echo. He couldn’t tell what was happening, but apparently he was still awake. He expected it to be Shade, although it sounded different.
“Yeah?” Synth said his head now throbbing after the adrenaline left him.
“What are you doing here?” The voice asked. Synth definitely remembered the voice, just not who it belonged to.
“Just taking a stroll, what about you?” Synth said, still in pain in his head.
“I live here, but that’s beside the point. Why are you alone?” The voice said. Synth now remembered the voice. It belonged to Steven.
“Oh hey Steven, nice seeing you. Well I don’t see you yet, but you know what I mean,” Synth said.
“It’s nice to see you too, Synth. But please tell, why were you being chased?” Steven said.
“Ambush, my cover was blown,” Synth said.
“What?” Steven asked confused.
“Oh no reason, they just thought today was hunting day, but that’s Thursday,” Synth said.
“Today is Thursday,” Steven said.
“Well shit, that explains it,” Synth said feeling his head start to relax.
“Now can you please explain what you’re doing here?” Steven said a little annoyed.
“Okay, so I was looking for someone and those Timberwolves found me. I ran in here to lose them, but I hit that tree,” Synth explained.
“I saw that, are you alright?” Steven said now sounding more concerned.
“Yeah, just a little headache, nothing I can’t handle,” Synth said rubbing his head.
“Well who were you looking for?” Steven asked.
“My sister, her name’s Vera,” Synth said.
“That is worrisome, do you have any idea where she is?” Steven said.
“Either in town, or here in the forest,” Synth said.
“Well I have not seen anyone but you today. Would you care to join me for some tea? I’m sure she’ll turn up eventually,” Steven said holding out a cup of tea that Synth didn’t realize he had.
‘Oh by the way, Vera’s in the town square, she’s talking to Trixie,’ Shade said matter-of-factly.
‘Since when?’ Synth asked.
‘Since she left,’ Shade responded.
‘Fuck you,’ Synth said.
“Sure, I’m okay with that. Who knows, maybe she was in the town the whole time,” Synth said taking the tea cup in his magic.
“Delightful, I rarely get any company other than these pesky animals. And any company I do get want to cross this river without paying me any heed,” Steven said taking a sip out of his own tea that he pulled out from somewhere.
“They probably haven’t gotten to know you. I’m sure they’d stop and talk if they did. Or maybe they’re scared that there’s a talking Sea Serpent inviting them to stop in the middle of the deadly forest?” Synth said before taking a slow sip.
“You may have a point, but that doesn’t matter right now. As long as someone stops every now and then, I’ll be content in this river,” Steven said.
“I could stop by every few days if you want. I don’t really have much going on right now. I don’t mind,” Synth said.
“Oh could you? That’d be lovely, I have so much to tell you. But first, tell me a little about what happened with you,” Steven said.
Synth talked with Steven for a few hours. He didn’t realize that much time had passed. He was telling Steven about his adventures with Blossom after they met him, and what he learned. He also told him about his training in Canterlot. Steven had a lot of questions, but none pertained to why. It was usually questions on how he felt about things.
“So how did you feel about training in your hometown?” Steven asked.
“It was okay, although I had a run-in with my parents, it didn’t go very well,” Synth said.
“And why not?” Steven asked.
“Well it ended in them calling me a monster…” Synth said.
“Why would they ever do that?” Steven asked.
“Well… can I ask you something?” Steven nodded and Synth continued. “Am I a monster?” Synth asked.
“Of course not, why would you think that?” Steven said.
“Well… I’m going to tell you something that you have to promise not to tell anyone…” Synth said.
“I promise, and this Sea Serpent always keeps his word,” Steven said.
“Okay well…” Synth started.
Synth told him about Shade and how he can get out on occasion. He told him about his problems and Shade’s personality. Steven was shocked at first, but eventually understood. Synth finished by saying how Shade was the one who tricked him into coming into the forest, and how Vera was actually fine in the town.
“My, he is certainly troublesome. It must be a big burden to deal with him alone,” Steven said.
“Well other than Luna, you’re the only one I told,” Synth said.
“Well I’m sure that those friends of yours will help you if you need it, although I understand if you want to keep this fact hidden. Sometimes it’s best to hide the truth to not hurt those you love,” Steven said.
“Very well said, I’m glad we had this talk,” Synth said standing up.
“Yes, it is getting late though, would you like me to show you the way out?” Steven asked.
Synth looked up to see it had gotten really dark. He didn’t notice though, as the darkness didn’t look too dark anymore.
“No, directions will be okay. Enjoy your slumber, Steven,” Synth said.
Steven gave him directions which were simple. Take a turn right and then when you get to a path, follow it to town. Synth waved goodbye as the serpent went back into the water. Synth began his trek into the darkness. He noticed many plants around the trees, and decided to take a few of them with him. He ate a plant that he was sure would help him recover his headache.
Synth followed the plants left and into a grove of trees. Synth felt a cold chill on his back. He turned around but didn’t see anything, it didn’t help that his vision was little as the darkness increased. He eventually resorted to using Night Eye to look around. It helped a lot. He followed the trees and kept a close watch on his surroundings. He could feel he was being watched.
When Synth heard something growl, he used his magic and made himself invisible. He turned around to stare at a single Timberwolf looking around. Eventually the Timberwolf turned around and walked away. Synth remembered that he needed to be quiet in this forest. He walked slower but continued to follow the trees. He thought that he might have gone the wrong direction. The directions were so simple though, that he decided against it.
Synth came across a clearing with sleeping Manticores, and walked right by one. It heard something, but didn’t see anything and went back to sleep. Synth decided not to push his luck, and walked a few feet around the next few of them. Of course, he felt his spell wear off and he was wide open. Synth felt his Night Eye starting to wear off too, so he made a dash for the edge of the clearing.
The Manticores stirred, but none actually gave chase. Synth considered himself lucky, and leaned against a tree. He concentrated and managed to activate both spells again. He continued walking, following the trees to the direction he thought was correct. He noticed another clearing up ahead, and quickened his pace. When he made it out of the trees, he realized he was staring at a cave. He looked at it, and realized that whatever was inside would be huge. The opening was huge, and Synth felt like an ant at its size.
Synth gulped and walked into the cave, completely forgetting about common sense. If he had turned around from the cave entrance, he would have noticed the buildings in the distance. Instead, he walked into the cave.
There was a banging on the walls that echoed in the entire cavern. Synth gulped as he looked around. The entrance was nothing compared to the rest of the cave. The cave expanded after a few feet inside. The ceiling was out of Synth view as he looked around. He regretted coming in there, and didn’t even remember why he was coming in here. When he was about to turn around and go back, there was a growl.
The growl bounced on the walls and filled the entire cave with the sound. Synth looked towards the very back of the cave and realized that they were not purple rocks. A giant purple-bear-looking-thing walked slowly towards him. Synth realized that the Canis Minors looked like that too; except they were blue. It was an almost see through coat, with stars on it as well. It was an Ursa Major.
Synth remembered the chess piece that was on Shade’s board. It looked a lot smaller there. In person, he didn’t think anything was bigger. Its head almost hit the ceiling, and its pinkie claw was larger than Synth.
“Uh, hi,” Synth said as softly as he could. His voice echoed all over the cavern.
The Ursa Major held out his paw above Synth and let it fall where Synth was standing. Synth managed to use his magic and jump out of the way. He ran out of its reach, or where Synth thought it couldn’t reach, and tried again.
“Listen, I’m just trying to find my way out of this forest. I don’t mean any harm,” Synth said. He noticed the Ursa hesitated, but then it sent another paw in his direction.
“What do you want from me?” Synth asked.
‘My son,’ The Ursa said in a motherly voice. Synth was surprised, and almost got hit by another strike.
‘Well I don’t have him, but I can help you look…’ Synth said.
The Ursa Major stopped and looked at him. She nodded and sat down, trusting Synth.
‘Okay well when was the last time you saw him?’ Synth asked. He had to admit, the whole talking in his head thing was pretty awesome at times.
‘It was earlier today, he was sleeping when he suddenly disappeared.
‘That’s weird; would there be any reason for him to leave?’ Synth asked.
‘Well he likes to go out and play, but he always comes back before nightfall. It’s almost his bedtime too,’ The Ursa said.
‘I think I found him,’ Shade said.
‘You have? Where is he, I’ve been worried sick,’ The Ursa said.
‘He’s in town, and he doesn’t look too happy,’ Shade said.
‘I’ll go get him, he won’t be able to find his way back,’ The Ursa said.
‘Actually, I think it’d be better if you stayed here. The townsfolk aren’t exactly friends with you, are they?’ Synth said.
‘Oh, I guess you have a point. Well then how will he find his way back?’ The Ursa asked.
‘It’s not too dark, I think Shade could lead him back,’ Synth suggested.
‘Fuck that, he’s not stopping for shit,’ Shade said.
‘Well then wait for him to calm down, I mean he can’t rampage forever,’ Synth said.
‘So about that calming down…’ Shade said.
‘What?’ Synth asked.
‘He’s about to eat Trixie, should I do something?’ Shade said.
‘One, You can’t do anything, and two, no,’ Synth said.
‘Are you sure he’ll be alright on his own?’ The Ursa asked.
‘I’m sure he’ll be fine, I’m more worried about the town,’ Synth said.
‘Does vanquishing an Ursa start with them falling asleep?’ Shade asked.
‘No, it starts with a flash of light,’ The Ursa said.
‘Oh, then your son’s fine. We’re on our way back,’ Shade said.
‘We?’ Synth asked.
There was a movement at the entrance to the cave and Synth looked up to find an Ursa Minor float in. He was sucking on what Synth thought was the Town’s Water Tower. Shade was on the Ursa Minor, and he jumped off and onto the ground looking around blindly. Synth was shocked as the Minor floated into the Ursa Major’s arms. She cradled him as he softly snore, which bounced off the walls. The purple aura around the Minor disappeared.
‘Thank you pony, we are grateful for your help,’ The Ursa said.
‘Thanks, name’s Synth. This here is Shade, we’re happy to help,’ Synth said.
‘We will remember your kindness, may we meet again,’ The Ursa Major said as Synth walked out of the cave.
Synth levitated Shade onto his back and walked back into the dark forest. He looked around and frowned. The exit was in front of him the entire time. He walked forward and noticed the buildings in the distance. He walked a little faster as he remembered that Vera was still in town. Shade was quiet, and Synth was glad for the silence. He was still checking for anything that would attack, but it looked like this forest wasn’t part of the Everfree.
He saw the road leading to Ponyville, as well as the blue spot heading his direction. He could make out a light mane, and realized it was Trixie. She slowed down when she got closer, but didn’t pay much attention to him.
“Watch out, Ursa cave up ahead,” Synth warned as they passed. She twitched, but she didn’t stop.
Synth kept walking and made it to the edge of the town. Instead of taking the path, he walked the outskirts of the town. He found his house easily enough, and walked up to the door. Before he entered, he noticed the mailbox had more mail. He opened it up and saw a white card inside. His Night Eye was about to fade, but he flipped it over to read what it said.
Welcome Back,
How was your week away?
- Anonymous
Synth didn’t understand, but he was feeling a little tired already. He took the card with him as he opened the door and stepped in. His eyes fell on Vera first, and then on the rabbits next to her. Lastly, he noticed Fluttershy holding a few more rabbits. They were all looking at Synth who shut the door behind him.
“Sup?” Synth asked casually.
“Uh, where were you?” Vera asked.
“Just out for a walk, why?” Synth said.
“You look like you were mobbed by Timberwolves,” Vera said.
Synth looked down to his body to find sap and tree leaves. There were even some sticks in his mane. He didn’t know if it was from the chase with the Timberwolves, the collision with the tree, or the trek through the forest, or even all three. Frankly, he was just glad he made it back alive.
“That was one good guess,” Synth admitted.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yeah I’m fine, they didn’t catch me,” Synth said.
“Wait, so you really did get mobbed by Timberwolves?” Vera asked.
“More or less, one almost got me, but I outmaneuvered him,” Synth said.
‘Hitting a tree isn’t outmaneuvering. It’s called luck, and yours is about to run out,’ Shade said.
“Whatever, it’s all right now,” Synth said.
“Okay, well we wanted to talk to you about something then,” Vera said.
“Sure, what is it?” Synth asked.
“Well when we left Canterlot, I didn’t see Shadow. So I decided that I’d get you a new bunny. Fluttershy told me she could find you one,” Vera said. “I found her and Angel and they brought over the bunnies to see which one you like,” Fluttershy nodded and held up a white rabbit.
“I don’t need a rabbit for a pet, besides…” Synth said. He levitated Shade off his back and onto the floor in front of him.
“How did he get here?” Vera asked, surprised.
“I guess I should tell you, he’s not really a rabbit, I just like to think of him as a real rabbit,” Synth explained.
“What do you mean?” Vera asked.
“Let me show you…” Synth said. ‘Okay, undo the spell and then redo it.’
‘I don’t take orders. I do what I want,’ Shade said. The white rabbit crossed his arms.
“Actually first, let me show you something else I can do…” Synth activated his own spell.
A green aura surrounded a figure that appeared next to him. The figure opened its green eyes and looked down to the white bunny. His lips dripped sap and his jaw opened. The others’ eyes in the room went wide, except for Synth. He was chuckling at his idea. Timberwolves were the highlight of the day, at least for him it was.
“Meet the Leader,” Synth said grinning to it.
‘I won’t say it again, undo the spell,’ Synth said.
The white rabbit nodded his head and changed into a puff of smoke that retreated into Synth’s horn. Synth nodded to the Leader who looked back to him and nodded. The Leader turned to a puff of smoke and also returned to Synth’s horn.
“What was that?” Vera asked, her eyes still large.
“Just a little magic, sometimes Shadow doesn’t do what I say, so I have to persuade him. But let me show you what I was talking about,” Synth said.
“Is it gone?” Fluttershy asked from underneath the pile of rabbits that she was using as a hiding spot.
“Yes Fluttershy, it’s gone. You can come out now,” Synth said.
“Okay,” Fluttershy said getting up off the ground. The rabbits jumped off and started sniffing the air.
Synth felt his horn go warm, and magic was cast out. A burst of dark magic came out and began to form something. A white bunny popped out and landed face first on the floor. He got up and looked back to Synth.
‘Happy?’ Shade said.
‘Yes, I am,’ Synth said.
“So you can make animals?” Vera asked.
“Not exactly, I can only keep them out for a little bit, and only a few different kinds,” Synth explained.
“But that’s still pretty cool,” Vera said.
“I guess, but it takes a lot of magic,” Synth said.
“Oh that reminds me… did you see Twilight when she took the Ursa out of town?” Vera asked.
“That was her? She must have a lot of magic,” Synth said.
“Yeah, she does… but so do you,” Fluttershy said.
“Thanks, I’ve been practicing… so was there anything you needed Fluttershy? Do you need some help getting home?” Synth asked.
“Oh no that’s alright… Angel Bunny was going to walk me home… He’s around here somewhere,” Fluttershy said shifting through the bunny pile.
A white paw stuck out of the pile and waved in the air. Fluttershy used her teeth to pull him out and place him on the floor. He squeaked something that Synth could guess. She apologized and led him and the rest of the rabbits out the door. Synth shut the door behind them, and turned to Vera.
“So, who else knows I’m back?” Synth asked.
“Only her and Twilight, Twilight saw me when I was in town and asked about you. She wanted to talk to you about something,” Vera said.
“Oh ok, I guess it can wait until tomorrow. I need some shut eye,” Synth said while yawning.
“I feel fine,” Vera said.
“Well I had a rough day, so I’m going to get myself cleaned up and then I should be out like a light,” Synth said walking out the door.
Synth went to the back of the house and looked for the hose. It would take high tech machinery to get rid of this sap and sticks. He was about to turn it on, but Shade stopped him.
‘Here, I’ll do it,’ Shade said.
Synth felt a warm spot around his horn, and magic was cast around himself. The sticks and sap were slowly rotting away. The remains fell to the floor, and Synth felt his body was a lot smoother than before.
‘What did you do?’ Synth asked.
‘It was an Environmental Takeover, just a different use for it,’ Shade explained.
‘Oh, well I guess that works, at least this way I don’t have to dry off,’ Synth said.
Synth walked back inside. He placed his mail card with the envelopes and went upstairs. He noticed Vera had fallen asleep on his bed. She was passed out, and Synth didn’t feel like moving her to make room for himself. The bed was also smaller than the ones in Canterlot, so he probably wouldn’t fit anyways. He went back down the stairs and took off his cloak and necklace. He laid down on the couch and closed his eyes.
Synth could faintly hear a sound in the distance. It sounded a like a screech, but he didn’t think that it was that important. He found the couch to be very comfortable. Maybe he wouldn’t need to get another bed, this couch was awesome. His eyelids grew heavy as the amount of magic he had used that day took its toll on him.
------------
Synth’s eyes opened. He thought he heard a sound, but he didn’t see anything. Nothing at all. Synth looked around frantically but only found darkness in every direction. He activated his Night Eye, but he still could see nothing. He tried to relax. Synth laid his head back down, only to find wood where the soft fabric of the couch used to be. Synth stood up and looked into the darkness, squinting at something he thought he saw. He felt his muscles tense up when he heard a voice behind him.
“So, how’s it going?” Shade asked from the shadows. Synth turned around to at least face Shade’s general direction.
“I don’t know if I should be delighted or frightened to see you,” Synth said relaxing.
“I don’t know, can’t you do both?” Shade asked.
“Fine then… what are you doing here?” Synth asked.
“Enjoying some time to stretch, rabbits can’t pop their backs properly, you know?” Shade said.
“Okay, so why are you really here?” Synth asked not caring about Shade’s knowledge on rabbit anatomy.
“What, can’t I just chill out with my bro?” Shade asked.
“I’m not your bro,” Synth said.
“Close enough, we’re like twins,” Shade said.
“Okay seriously, what are you doing here?” Synth asked getting impatient.
“Well, I wanted to talk to you about something…” Shade said shuffling his hooves.
“And that something is…?” Synth asked.
“You’re weak,” Shade said plainly.
“Well that was a nice talk. Glad to see you have manners,” Synth replied.
“Okay, let me finish. You’re weak, and I think I know a way to fix that,” Shade said.
“And why would you help me?” Synth asked, intrigued by Shade’s proposal.
“Well if you die, I’m a goner too. I’m just looking out for myself… and if I get stronger by helping you, that’s a bonus,” Shade explained.
“I’ll pretend you’re doing this from the bottom of your heart; It’ll help me sleep at night. So, what’s your plan?” Synth asked.
“Okay, well it’s more of a theory, but it should work,” Shade said.
“I’m listening,” Synth said.
“Well you know how Split could use Environmental Takeover to make things darker, right?” Shade said.
“Yeah, he uses a lot of night magic, so it makes sense he would use dark spells,” Synth said.
“But he didn’t have to,” Shade said.
“It’s what he’s been doing though, I don’t know if he can use other types of spells,” Synth said.
“Exactly, that’s where my theory comes in. If you can use plants or grass in your spells, it should be easier to do. It is your special talent after all,” Shade said.
“Actually my talent is to talk to plants. That’s what my cutie mark says,” Synth said.
“It’s a fucking flower, for all we know you might be hallucinating when you talk to them. You could easily have been an alchemist. Now listen, I think there might be a way to make your spells stronger,” Shade said.
“And how might that be?” Synth asked.
“There should be something in that book that Luna showed you. That’s the only way I see you getting stronger,” Shade said.
“Well then I’ll have to check it out the next time I go to Canterlot,” Synth said.
“Or you could go to the library and look for a copy there…” Shade suggested.
“Oh right, I knew that,” Synth said.
“Sure you did… now if don’t mind, I need some shut eye,” Shade said.
“I do too, I’ve had a tough day,” Synth said.
“No kidding, that Ursa almost had you for dinner,” Shade said.
“I don’t think I’d have tasted that good,” Synth said.
“Great, now shut up and go to sleep, my head’s killing me,” Shade said.
“Fine, it’s not like my head’s any better off,” Synth said.
Shade backed away into the darkness without a sound. Synth saw the darkness recede. He looked around now, and saw his living room. He could tell it was still a dream, because there were energy waves coming from the walls. He found the couch he slept on, and laid back down on it. He felt weird going to sleep in a dream, but he fell asleep all the same.
-------------
(Earlier that day, Synth had arrived.)

“Boss! He’s back. And he’s not alone,” The voice said on the other side of the door.

“Excellent… go retrieve the bugs and continue to watch him. I’ll need to make sure my strategy is foolproof before I put it into action,” The boss said from his sitting position. He was writing down some notes on a sticky note.

“Uh okay… but why get rid of the bugs? Can’t we keep watching him?” The voice asked.

“I don’t want him to get suspicious; if he finds the bugs the plan is ruined,” The boss said.

“Okay, but what about the filly he brought with him?” The voice asked.

“Filly? Interesting, I’ll have to think about that... Just go, make sure you don’t get seen,” The boss said writing the new information down with the rest of his notes.

Author's Notes:

Short and Simple… Actually I thought there would be more words than this, and there probably would have been if I didn’t cut some parts out. Also I think it would have been longer if I added details, but I don’t like reading a paragraph of details and it’s worse when you have to write it.
Next Time: DragonShy, One of my favorite episode titles.

Unrelenting

Unrelenting

“Ugh,” Synth groaned sitting up.
Synth’s back was killing him; the couch hadn’t given him enough room to move. He got on his hooves and felt his legs almost give out. He stretched his front legs and heard multiple pops. When he stretched his hind legs, he felt his left leg pull something. He sat down and looked over the injured leg. He massaged it for a few seconds, and felt the pain go away, although it grew numb.
Synth didn’t worry about it, and tried walking. Although it felt a little awkward, as long as he didn’t put much force on it, he could walk. When he finished examining the rest of his body, he decided that nothing else was wrong. He put on his cloak and necklace before rolling his head around. It was feeling a little heavier than normal.
‘Can we get going now?’ Shade asked.
‘Go where?’ Synth asked.
‘The library, remember? You need to get that book,’ Shade said.
‘Oh yeah, just give me a second, I can’t just leave Vera here,’ Synth said.
Synth grabbed one of the recent letters and turned it onto the back. He wrote a quick note.
Vera,
I’ve gone to the library, I’ll be back soon.
Apples in the fridge, help yourself.
Your brother,
Synth

Synth grabbed an apple from the fridge and ate his fill. It tasted like it was freshly picked, not at all like it was a week old. Applejack sure knew how to make apples.

‘Okay, let’s go,’ Synth said leaving the note on the couch.
On his way out, Synth took the empty saddlebags with him to hold the book. He opened the door and walked outside. He breathed in the fresh scent of the town. Back in Canterlot that could kill you, but here in Ponyville it was healthy. He looked around to find the sun slowly appearing over the horizon. It was too early for most of the ponies to be awake, but late enough for the nocturnal animals to sleep.
Synth walked into the town with the idea that he’d walk around town a little before finding his way towards the library. Shade would have been against that idea, so he pretended that he was just getting lost. When Synth had walked by Sugarcube Corner for the fifth time, Shade had enough.
‘Look, if we want to make it to the library before nightfall, you need to ask for directions,’ Shade said.
‘And who do you think I should ask? The entire town is still asleep,’ Synth said.
‘Well then let me look for it, you’ve been walking the same streets the past hour,’ Shade said.
‘No, I’m sure I’ll find it eventually,’ Synth said.
‘Well if you actually paid attention to-,’ Shade said.
‘What?’ Synth asked stopping where he was walking.
‘You actually found it, I’m surprised,’ Shade said.
‘What?’ Synth looked up to find the tree that held the library directly in front of him.
Synth was surprised that his zombie like walking took him down a random street. Somehow he found his way to the only place he didn’t want to go. Although, now he could give the excuse that the library doesn’t open this early. His hopes were dashed though, when the door opened and Twilight stepped out.
‘Now’s your chance, before she leaves,’ Shade said.
Synth was going to respond but Twilight dashed towards the other way into town. She was out of sight before Synth could wonder why she was in a rush.
‘Now there’s only one option,’ Shade began.
‘Follow her into town?’ Synth asked.
‘Nope, we go ask Spike about the book,’ Shade said.
‘Oh, yeah,’ Synth said walking towards the door.
Synth reached the door to find it partially opened, whatever Twilight was doing was obviously important. He pushed it open the rest of the way and peered inside. Spike was nowhere to be seen, but he figured that an open door meant open for business. He walked inside and looked around. Going straight to the books, he looked for a section that could fit the book he was looking for.
Synth looked from the Old Ponytales section to the medieval section and couldn’t find anything about the Everfree Forest. He was about to walk to a different section, when he noticed something. In the Geography section, there was a space next to Ponyville’s History that made Synth think it should have been there. He heard a belch of fire coming from upstairs and backed away from the books to look towards the stairs.
Spike came down the steps and almost tripped over the bottom one. He was carrying a rolled up scroll with a midnight blue seal on it. He stopped when he saw Synth watching him.
“Hey, you’re back! When’d you get here?” Spike asked.
“Yesterday, but what do you have there?” Synth asked.
“It’s a letter from Luna, I didn’t read it yet. Did you see Twilight?” Spike asked.
“Oh, she ran out in a hurry. I’m just looking for a book, any ideas where it might be?” Synth asked.
“If you can’t find it on the shelves, check the log book. I need to give this to Twilight, mind watching the library for a second?” Spike asked.
“Yeah, sure. Thanks for the help,” Synth said.
Spike ran out the door without closing it, so Synth closed it himself. He looked around and found the book Spike was talking about. There was a bigger brown book that was opened on one of the desks in the room. He looked inside and found page upon page of checked out and checked in books. Synth was surprised so many ponies in this town actually read frequently.
Synth started from the recent entry and flipped back to older pages. He looked at which books were being checked out, and didn’t see anything in the Geography section. He did notice that Rarity was a frequent customer. She had a few books checked out in the Romance section that she would check out on more than one occasion.
Synth made it to the very first entry and didn’t find what he was looking for. He sighed and turned back to the most recent entry. Turning away, he walked back to the Geography section and looked more closely at the names of the books. He found one on almost every city he’d been to, and some on cities he never knew existed.
Synth looked at every book but didn’t find anything on the Everfree, although he found a few on other Forests he’d been to. He had the idea that he could come back here later and read some of those, especially if he was ever going to go back. His thoughts were stopped when he heard the door open. He turned around to face the six he’d met in Ponyville, although Spike was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Synth asked.
“Hey girls, Synth’s back!” Pinkie said jumping in front of Synth.
“Hey Synth, nice to see yah again,” Applejack said.
“About time you showed up,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Your cloak looks fabulous,” Rarity said.
“Wait, I don’t think this is really Synth,” Pinkie said lifting her hoof up to Synth’s eyes.
“Um, it is me Pinkie. And I’m glad to see you all again,” Synth said.
“Hmm, it sounds like Synth… but it doesn’t act like Synth. Girls, do you know what we have here?” Pinkie asked.
“A clone?” Rainbow Dash offered.
“A change in attitude?” Synth suggested.
“A Rhetorical question?” Twilight said.
“No, Synth’s obviously a robot,” Pinkie said.
“Okay then, now that that’s out of the way, what are you doing here?” Synth asked.
“To make it short, there’s a dragon that’s sleeping in a cave. If we don’t convince him to leave, Equestria will be covered in smoke,” Twilight said.
“And how do you plan to make him leave?” Synth asked.
“We’ll figure that out on the way up, right now we need to make it up there pronto,” Twilight said.
“What about me?” Synth asked.
“It’s too dangerous, Celestia said that dragons don’t like green unicorns,” Twilight said.
“She really said that?” Synth asked.
“Yup, it says it right in the letter,” Twilight handed him the scroll but Synth didn’t even read it.
“And you believed her?” Synth asked.
“Well yeah, she’s the princess. She wouldn’t lie if it meant saving the country,” Twilight said.
“Sure she wouldn’t… but I guess that means I’ll have to stay behind,” Synth said.
“That’s too bad, I wanted you to be there when I showed that dragon who’s boss,” Rainbow said throwing a few punches into the air.
“Maybe… he could go instead of me?” Fluttershy suggested.
“That’s alright, if the princess says I shouldn’t go then I’ll hold up the fort here,” Synth said.
“That’s the spirit,” Applejack said.
“Well now we can go up the mountain, everypony ready?” Twilight asked.
They all gave their agreements, except for Fluttershy. Synth noticed, but he didn’t think too much of it. He was still a little bummed that he couldn’t go. It’d be a great way to catch up with them.
“Oh Twilight, Spike was looking for you. He got another letter, one from Luna,” Synth said.
Almost as if on cue, Spike opened the door and stepped inside, out of breath. He panted for a few seconds before running up to Twilight. He handed her the scroll.
“Here’s… another… letter,” Spike said, panting in-between words.
“Thank you Spike,” Twilight said before taking the scroll and read it.
“Change of plans girls, Synth’s coming with us,” Twilight said.
“What?” Synth asked, confused. Twilight handed him the scroll which he read quickly.
Take Synth
-Luna
P.S.: Don’t forget to practice, Synth.

“Oh,” Synth said.

“Well let’s get going I guess, we should be able to finish faster with more ponies,” Twilight said.

Synth sighed and moved his back foot in circles. It was starting to agitate him. It was still feeling numb, but now his front left leg was starting to burn. When the others were busy looking at the map and talking about the dragon issue, Synth sat down and started massaging his leg.

“Are you…okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, yeah I’m fine. But what about you, you don’t exactly sound excited to go,” Synth said.

“I’m… okay, just a little nervous that’s all…,” Fluttershy said.

“If you say so,” Synth said.

Fluttershy walked away when Synth continued massaging his leg. It was starting to feel better, so Synth stopped and stood back up. He felt the same feeling that he got in the morning. Both his left legs were feeling numb, but he could stand and walk. Synth walked over to where Twilight was looking over the map. He looked over her shoulder and studied it himself. He could hear her mumbling to herself about routes to take, but he didn’t catch most of the words.

Synth turned away and back towards the bookshelves. He continued his search for the book, although he doubted it was in the library. He was looking at the adventure section, until he had a thought. He loved reading adventure, but never had the chance to check out a book on a daily basis. Now he was staring at a collection of adventure books by the same authors that he read all the time. Synth was sure that he was going to be coming to this library often, even if he didn’t find the book he wanted.

“Find what you were looking for?” Spike asked from right next to him. Synth jumped, not expecting him to be so close.

“Uh no, I thought it would be here but I guess it’s not,” Synth said.

“Really? Twilight said she had almost every book a pony could ask for, are you sure you looked in the right place?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, I checked the log but no one ever checked it out and it’s not on the shelves,” Synth said.

“Well what’s it called?” Spike asked.

“The Everfree Forest: A Reference Guide,” Synth said remembering the name of the book.

“Oh that. I saw Twilight reading that a few days ago, you should ask her,” Spike said.

“Thanks, I’ll mention it on the way to the dragon. I think she’s a little busy right now,” Synth said, and sure enough, Twilight was talking out loud while she looked over the map. Synth noticed that Fluttershy was trying to have a conversation with her.

“Hey Synth, what have you been up to? You seem a little, different,” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Well, a lot has happened; I think I’ve gotten stronger though,” Synth said.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Rainbow Dash said offering her hoof in a hoof wrestle.

Synth was about to take the challenge just to humor her, but Twilight’s voice stopped them. “Okay let’s go, the faster we get the dragon to leave, the faster we can save Equestria,” Twilight said, starting her walk towards the mountain. The others joined in, and Rainbow took back her hoof and followed them. Synth took the rear, behind Fluttershy.

Synth only took two steps before he realized that today wouldn’t be his day. The numb legs would wobble when he took a step and he felt that his entire left side could give out. What made it worse was that his leg would start to burn for no reason and then suddenly stop a second later. He was regretting the idea to come along, but then again, the letter from Luna would have made him come anyways.

Synth could see the mountain up ahead, and he could already tell that his day was only going to get worse. They would no doubt have to walk up the mountain, and then face a hostile dragon to boot. Synth sat down when they stopped at the bottom of the mountain. He didn’t even pay attention to the others as he felt around his legs. He didn’t find anything wrong with them, except for the numb feeling. He stood back up and decided he wouldn’t stop because of one bad thing.

Synth took their lead as they started traversing the cliff wall. He didn’t even notice Fluttershy was missing until the others looked down at him. Synth turned around and found her hiding in a bush. They tried to coax her to come up, but he had his concentration on keeping his balance. The numb feeling was making it hard to stand straight, and on a cliff it was even harder.

Synth did hear the dragon roar though, and looked up towards the top of the cliff. He looked back down to find Fluttershy had been paralyzed in fear. He heard Applejack offer to take her up another way. Synth was tempted to go with them, but decided it was better to get there faster. That way, he could rest before going the rest of the way.

They continued walking, but Synth was finding it harder and harder to keep his balance. When he placed his right hind hoof on a rock jutting out from the cliff, he swayed for a second before his left hind hoof slipped and he slid down. Synth felt the rock cut into his chest as he slid, and managed to activate his traction spell on his right hoof to stop himself before he fell too far.

“Synth, are you okay?” Twilight asked, being the first to hear the rocks.

“Ugh, yeah. Just a scratch,” Synth said pulling himself into a better position, not letting the traction spell wear off.

“That sounded like it hurt!” Pinkie said, being the closest to him when it happened.

“It’s nothing…” Synth said panting. He felt something was off, but was more concerned on the pain on his chest than anything else.

“Oh dear, that doesn’t look good,” Rarity said, noticing the marks that the rocks made.

“I’ll live, let’s just get to the top, alright?” Synth asked, not liking all the attention he was getting.

“If you say so,” Rainbow Dash said, but she flew closer to the back than before.

Synth took a step forward with his left hoof, and realized what was off. The traction spell was supposed to cover all of his hooves, but only the right hooves were covered. His left hooves were burning even more than before too. He didn’t have much time to think about it though, as the others were climbing up the cliff again.

Synth had to walk slowly to make sure that one of the traction hooves were on the cliff at all times. The spell gave him enough of a boost to not slide down like he did earlier, although he had to keep casting the spell whenever it wore off. He could see the checkpoint at the top, and saw Twilight had just reached it.

Synth didn’t feel like he was weak, in fact he felt stronger than ever. It was his balance that was messing him up. He kept going though, and now he was about to reach the top. It was really steep now, and his legs felt like they were going up a 90 degree angle. He reached up with his right hoof to grab the edge. His right hind hoof slid out from underneath him, and Synth cursed his short spell castings.

Synth saw the cliff edge get farther and farther as he fell into the air. When his foot slipped, he reached out to the cliff edge and instead of grabbing on, only managed to push himself farther. His ground was gone now, and he was suspended over air. There was a part of the cliff that wasn’t steep, but now he was headed straight towards it. And it wouldn’t be a soft landing.

Synth was too surprised to react at first. He was so close, but now he was so far. He would have fallen to his doom, but he was knocked out of his shock when he saw the figure of Rainbow Dash flying to get him. Synth knew that she wouldn’t be able to catch him in time, so he smiled and cast his magic. It felt like Déjà vu, when he saw the determination in Rainbow Dash’s face. It reminded him of when Fluttershy had saved his life back in the Everfree.

Synth cast his Endurance spell, and focused it on his back and hind leg. He closed his eyes as he waited for the sound of impact. He heard the wind rushing in his ears and the calls of his friends from above. They would ask for an explanation, that’s for certain. So Synth kept his smile up as he fell. Rainbow continued to fly after him, but she was flying at about the speed that Synth was falling. He couldn’t tell her to stop; in fact he couldn’t say anything. The rush of the wind would take the breath away from him.

Finally, the impact came. He heard the breaking of rocks and stones. He saw chips of rock flying in every direction, and heard the cliff wall crack. Synth felt himself carve into the wall. He increased the spell to cover his right front hoof and slammed into the rock. After a few hits, he managed to make a hole big enough for him to squeeze out. When managed to get out and roll on his back, he felt the magic wear out.

Synth didn’t hesitate to stand up and look himself over. He made sure that his front right hoof didn’t take the impact, before looking up to the others. Other than Rainbow Dash, they all had their mouths open. Synth stayed quiet to see what their reactions would be. He didn’t get the reaction that he expected.

“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash said stopping her descent in front of him.

“Synth, are you hurt?” Synth heard Twilight yell down from the top.

“I’m fine, I’ve had worse falls,” Synth yelled back, dusting some rock debris from his back.

When he tried moving front leg forward, he found it unresponsive. Looking down, he found his leg was bent to the left a few degrees. He couldn’t feel anything though, so he forced it back into place. The others didn’t seem to notice, so he shrugged off the injury. He looked up to the cliff wall that he just fell down. It wasn’t that far of a fall, but walking up wouldn’t happen any time soon. His leg was already starting to burn from standing up.

‘There is another option,’ Shade said.

‘I was thinking the same thing,’ Synth said backing up a few steps.

“Race you to the top,” Synth said activating his Traction spell on his hooves. Again he felt his left hooves get no effects of the spell.

“What?” Rainbow Dash questioned when Synth sprinted up the slope.

Synth ran up the cliff as fast as he could. He moved his front legs first, then his back legs. That way the Traction spell would always be working. Although he felt his left legs hit rocks, and his Rise was delayed. He wasn’t even halfway up when he noticed the air coming up next to him. It was Rainbow Dash, and she was catching up. Synth wasn’t one for competition, but it distracted him from worrying about the spell running out again.

He reached up for the edge of the cliff, grabbed on with his front hooves. His left one slipped before he could pull himself up, but the spell hadn’t worn off yet. Before he could get his hind legs over the edge, he heard the air brush past him. As soon as he pulled himself over, his magic wore off. He was panting from the exertion, but glad that he made it up.

“I’ll beat you next time,” Synth said panting in-between words.

“I doubt that, no pony is faster than me,” Rainbow said.

“What was that?” Twilight asked.

“Friendly competition,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Not that, I’m talking about how you survived that fall,” Twilight said.

“Didn’t it hurt?” Rarity asked.

“Not any more than I wanted it too. Which was none at all,” Synth said.

“I knew it, you are a robot!” Pinkie said prodding his left leg.

“I’m not a robot, it was a spell,” Synth said shuffling away from Pinkie’s reach.

“That’s what a robot would want us to think,” Pinkie said.

“Deary, I don’t think Synth could possibly be a robot ,” Rarity replied. They started a discussion on why Synth was obviously/doubtfully a robot.

“Ok then… so anyways, what now?” Synth asked trying to get away from the center of attention.

“Do we have to wait on the other two? Can’t I just take a quick peak?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“No, we need to go up there together. We’ll just wait here until then,” Twilight said.

“Ugh, wake me when they get here,” Rainbow Dash said lying down on the ground.

Synth looked back down to where they came, and then regretted it. He could see the spot he landed, and it was only halfway from the entire cliff. If he fell all the way, he might not have made it back up.

Synth looked over to Twilight to see her drawing something in the sand. He thought it was childish, but decided that there was nothing else to do. Synth grabbed a nearby rock and started slicing the ground. He started with a circle, and then eventually gave it ears and eyes. He finished the face and started working on the body. Instead of the body he wanted it to have; it came out fat and pudgy. He erased it and gave up on the body. Instead, he drew a cloaked figure.

He adjusted the head to add a hood and a hat. Then he redid the eyes and made them more sinister. His picture went from a fun time, to an evil looking pony. He frowned, it wasn’t at all how he wanted it to look, but considering he already made it, he wasn’t going to erase it. Synth looked up from his drawing to find Twilight looking at him puzzling.

“Who’s that?” Twilight asked.

“Nopony, it’s just a doodle,” Synth said.

“Well it’s pretty good, considering you’re drawing it in dirt and all,” Twilight said.

“Well what’d you draw?” Synth asked.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“I saw you drawing in the dirt earlier, what were you drawing?” Synth said.

“Oh, I wasn’t drawing. I was planning what we’d do when we got to the top,” Twilight said.

“That makes more sense, I guess,” Synth said.

“Well don’t let me distract you. You look like you’re having a lot of fun,” Twilight said gesturing to the drawing.

“But you don’t,” Synth said subconsciously.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight asked raising an eyebrow.

‘You done messed up now,’ Shade said.

“Nothing… it’s just. You’re so preoccupied with the dragon, you should really take a moment and enjoy yourself.

“I do enjoy myself. I enjoy the feeling I get whenever I save Equestria. And that means I have to focus on the mission at hand,” Twilight said defensively.

‘Pride much?’ Shade commented.

“Not now,” Synth said to Shade’s comment.

“Now is the perfect time to plan things out. Even in my spare time, I need to be preparing for the worst and best outcomes,” Twilight said.

“Right…” Synth said caught off guard from the statement. He forgot to think his response to Shade.

“Well since you understand, maybe you could help me,” Twilight said.

“Um sure, with what?” Synth asked not understanding.

“I’ve been working out how we could deal with the dragon, but I can’t find anything that you can help with. Is there anything that might be helpful that you can do?” Twilight asked.

“A little hurtful, but I guess that makes sense. Well there are some things I can do. Like see in the dark or go invisible-,” Synth felt his mouth go warm and numb. A part of him was being forced back, and he could feel Shade violating his space.

“I can also make these funny sounds with my mouth. Want to hear?” Shade said.
Without waiting for a response, he made farting sounds. Synth was starting to feel embarrassment for Shade’s deeds. Synth reached up with his left hoof and stuck it in his mouth to stop Shade. Twilight was looking at him with raised eyebrows. Synth forced back control of his mouth, and inwardly cursed at Shade.
“Um, forget that last part… So yeah. I can see in the dark and go invisible, that’s about it,” Synth said.
“Well, is there anything else that could help us get rid of the dragon?” Twilight asked.
“Now that you mention it, there is one thing…” Synth said.
“What is it?” Twilight asked.
“Let me show you,” Synth said.
Synth activated his magic and a green light came out of his horn. The light hit the ground a few feet away, and started to form. What came out was exactly what Synth expected. His Timber wolf formed itself sitting down next to Rainbow Dash. Instead of standing up and walking over to him, it laid its head down and went to sleep.
“Oh Sh-,” Twilight started. Synth quickly covered her mouth before she could continue.
“Shh, you’ll wake him up. He needs his rest,” Synth said, although he was interested by the Timber wolf’s behavior.
Twilight nodded and Synth moved his hoof away.
“So, is he friendly?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, just don’t make him cranky. Otherwise he might violate-,” Synth started.
‘Just stop right there,’ Shade said.
‘What, it was your fault for messing with him,’ Synth replied.
“He might what?” Twilight asked.
“He might leave. I don’t have full control on the spell. But at least he hasn’t attacked anypony yet,” Synth said.
“Yet?” Twilight asked.
“Well you never know…” Synth said.
There was a startled scream coming from the Timber wolf’s direction. Synth looked over to find Rainbow Dash gripping a rock. She was looking at the sleeping Timber wolf with a confused look. She had her rock ready, but her hooves were trembling and her grip wasn’t tight. Synth used his magic and lifted the rock out of her grip. He brought it towards him so she’d look their direction. It worked, and when she saw them, she quickly flew towards them without taking her eyes off the Timber wolf.
“What is that thing?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“It’s a Timberwolf,” Synth said.
“I know that, but what’s it doing on the mountain?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“He’s sleeping, and you almost woke him up,” Synth responded.
“Then let’s get out of here, we can meet up with the others later,” Rainbow Dash said.
“It’s okay, I summoned him. He’s not hostile,” Synth said.
“Wait, you summoned him? What were you thinking?” Rainbow Dash asked, now that she stopped shaking.
“Well there’s not exactly much to do up here. I was just showing Twilight a spell I learned,” Synth said.
“Well show her somewhere else, I don’t want to wake up to that face again,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Okay then, you can go back to your nap,” Synth said.
Rainbow Dash nodded and went to get a cloud. She brought it over the cliff and went to sleep. Synth looked back to the Timber wolf to find it stretching and yawning. Apparently they’re heavy sleepers.
“Okay, so now that he’s up, how useful would he be against a dragon?” Synth asked Twilight.
“Well, considering he looks like a fully grown Timber wolf, I’d say he could make a good distraction. Dragon’s aren’t exactly friends with them,” Twilight said.
“Well how about it? You up for a dragon hunt?” Synth asked the Timber wolf.
‘Fuck that,’ Synth heard the leader say before vanishing into smoke and returning into his horn.
“Well I guess that’s a no,” Synth said.
“Wow, they really do have a mind of their own,” Twilight said.
“So, do you have an idea to what I can help with?” Synth asked.
“Well, you could be there if something goes wrong, but that’s all I got,” Twilight said.
“Maybe he can throw the dragon into a different country?” Pinkie asked from behind Synth.
“And how would he do that?” Twilight asked.
“With his super robot strength, duh,” Pinkie said.
“I’m not a robot Pinkie,” Synth said.
“Sure you aren’t…” Pinkie said before turning back around and continuing a game of tic tac toe with Rarity.
“Well now that that’s cleared up, can we get back to the problem?” Synth asked Twilight.
“We can only hope that Fluttershy will convince him to leave, and if not, we’ll need your help to find another way to make him leave,” Twilight said.
“Alright, I guess that’s a plan,” Synth said. “So, if we’re just waiting on the other two now, I wanted to ask you about something.”
“Sure, what is it?” Twilight asked.
“I was looking for a book earlier today, and Spike said he saw you reading it. But I didn’t find it on the shelves,” Synth said.
“Which book was it?” Twilight asked.
“The Everfree Forest: a Reference Guide,” Synth said.
“Oh that one. I left it in my room, I think. I wasn’t reading it, but I guess it would have made sense to take it out of the system,” Twilight said.
“That explains why I couldn’t find it,” Synth said
“Why do you want that book, anyways?” Twilight asked.
“No reason, I just want to know how to stay safe from something that’s in my backyard,” Synth said.
“I see, well its better if you stay away entirely. The forest isn’t very safe,” Twilight said.
“I’ll take your advice into consideration,” Synth said.
“Good, last thing you want is to be chased inside by Timber wolves,” Twilight said playfully.
“Yeah, we wouldn’t want that to happen…” Synth replied.
“So, now that you successfully got my mind off the mission, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?” Twilight asked.
“Not really, I’m out of questions right now,” Synth said.
“Okay, well I have a few of my own,” Twilight said.

Twilight asked questions about how his stay in Canterlot went, and if he still found Ponyville more enjoyable than his hometown. Synth answered the questions like he was actually there for a vacation; although, he couldn’t find a way out of her question about his parents. He drew a blank when she asked about what their argument was all about.
“Well you see…” Synth started.
“Yes?” Twilight said.
“We never really got along and…” Synth continued.
“Some families don’t,” Twilight countered.
“They tried to pretend like normal parents,” Synth continued.
“Because there was a guest in the room,” Twilight said.
“You’re making this really hard to explain…” Synth said.
“I’m sorry, go ahead,” Twilight said.
“Um, okay. Well, they tried to tell me that I didn’t know what I was talking about, even though I knew everything. They tried to lie to me, and I couldn’t take it anymore…. so yeah, that’s about it,” Synth said.

“If you say so… but then why’d your sister want to see you?” Twilight asked.
“She was a little confused, but I managed to clear things up,” Synth said.
“Confused about what?” Twilight asked.
“Well she didn’t know that she was my sister… at least until I showed up at her house,” Synth said.
“Wait, they didn’t tell her that she had a brother?” Twilight asked.
“Now you see why I was frustrated with them?” Synth asked.
“Well I could see why you got mad, but why did you storm out?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Synth said.
Twilight didn’t say anything. Synth took the opportunity and remembered what happened that night. How much anger he felt at his parents, and how he’d left Twilight at their house. The only good thing that happened that day was that Twilight had brought Vera to him. Which reminded him, he’d have to explain to Vera why he was gone for so long when he got back. His thoughts were interrupted when Twilight spoke.
“So what’s the situation with Vera?” Twilight asked.
“Well she’s going to be staying with me for a while. I was glad to have the company in Canterlot. She’s an alright kid, and I hope that she doesn’t pick up on too many of my bad traits,” Synth said.
“Nonsense, your only bad trait is thinking you have any. Your sister is lucky to have a brother like you,” Rarity said from the ground nearby.
Now that Synth looked towards her and Pinkie Pie, he realized that they’d been playing tic tac toe to pass the time. Although it looked like the X’s were winning each game. Pinkie was getting the next game set up, and Rarity had been overhearing their conversation.
“Really? I didn’t think I was the brotherly type,” Synth said.
“You aren’t, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t try and be a good brother,” Rarity said. “My sister and I are always getting into fights, but in the end she’s still my sister,” Rarity said.
“Me and Vera have actually been getting along. She’s just like me,” Synth said.
“See? You already have something going for you,” Rarity said.
“Ooh, you have a sister? Where is she, I want to meet her!” Pinkie said.
“She’s probably walking around town, I left her a note that I was going out, but I guess I’ll be taking longer than I thought,” Synth said.
“Can’t a pony get some shut eye around here? I need my rest,” Rainbow Dash said.
“They should be here any second now, we should get ready to set out. We need to get refocused back on the mission,” Twilight said.
As if on cue, Applejack came into view on a path that led them up. Synth chuckled at the way Applejack had literally dragged Fluttershy up the cliff. Although they probably had a lot safer travel, the cliff was a lot faster. Synth subconsciously looked to his left legs and found them not as green as before. They were a duller green than the rest of his coat. He couldn’t resist a small itch on his back leg. He felt the familiar burning sensation again, but this time only on his front left leg.
“We… made it,” Applejack said.
“I told you it was going to take them forever,” Rainbow Dash said to Twilight.
“We’ve lost a lot of time, so we need to hurry,” Twilight said.
The others nodded their agreement and continued down the path leading to the top of the mountain. Synth looked back to the drawing he made in the ground, and felt like there was something he wasn’t seeing in the drawing. He never meant for it to turn out like that, it just did. He didn’t think too much about it though, because the others were already farther along the path.
They followed the path further up, and Synth took his position in the back behind Fluttershy. He would look in the distance at times, and he saw the Everfree Forest stretching as far as he could see. He could barely make out the town below and the buildings inside.
‘Hey I can see my house from here,’ Synth said.
‘And?’ Shade asked.
‘Well, it looks so tiny,’ Synth said.
‘Enough with the sightseeing don’t fall off the edge,’ Shade said.
‘Well you’re being really precarious all of a sudden,’ Synth said.
‘Well we don’t want you falling off any more edges. It could ruin your face even more, if that was possible,’ Shade said.
‘Nothing bad even happened that last time,’ Synth said.
‘You almost went splat,’ Shade said.
‘But I didn’t, it’s not like there’s any more edges I could fall off,’ Synth said.
Synth looked down before he took his next step to find his hoof hovering over open air. He retracted his hoof and looked up. He saw the others had jumped across and were now waiting on him. They didn’t even say anything, and Synth was glad he hadn’t taken the step forward. He also noticed that Fluttershy was still on his side of the cliff.
“It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump!” Pinkie said jumping back onto their side.
‘Hop, skip, and jump? Aren’t those all the same things?’ Shade asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Synth said.
‘Maybe you should cross too,’ Shade said.
‘Did I ever tell you I’m scared of heights?’ Synth asked.
‘You’re not,’ Shade said.
‘There’s a first time for everything…’ Synth said.
‘Just jump across, you’re not setting a good example for the pony who actually is scared of heights,’ Shade said.
‘Oh yeah,’ Synth said.
Synth jumped across the gap that separated him from the others. Fluttershy was still on the other side, but Pinkie was continually jumping across from one edge to the other. Shade was hoping that she’d slip and fall down. Synth was hoping the opposite. When Fluttershy finally gained the courage, she attempted her jump.
‘Don’t look down,’ Shade said.
‘That’s a dick move, if she could hear you,’ Synth said.
“Don’t look down!” Twilight yelled to Fluttershy.
‘Ha-ha,’ Shade said.
‘Why do people say that?’ Synth asked.
Synth was interrupted from his thoughts when he was tackled to the ground by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. He didn’t realize he was in the way of the gap. They’d managed to pull Fluttershy away from the gap, and he had collided with them into the wall.
“Oops, guess I forgot to jump,” Fluttershy said.
‘The most important part of hop, skip, and jump,’ Shade said.
‘Give her some slack, she’s trying. I think,’ Synth said.
Synth pulled his legs out from under them before getting up. He was stopped by a numb feeling in his neck. It was only on the left side of his neck, but when he tried to swallow some saliva, there was a tingling sensation.
Synth rubbed his neck, and then the rubbing turned into itching. When the itch subsided, he checked the rest of his body. His front left leg was burning again, but he didn’t feel anything in his back left leg.
‘Okay seriously, why are you getting all touchy with yourself lately?’ Shade said.
‘You mean you can’t feel it?’ Synth asked.
‘Feel what? I don’t feel anything,’ Shade asked.
‘Oh yeah. Well, it’s like a numb feeling in my left side. My legs are burning and itching, and now my neck is starting to itch,’ Synth said.
‘Sounds like you’re having a rough time,’ Shade said.
‘Yeah, it feels so weird, and it makes it hard to walk,’ Synth said.
“We better hurry, we’ve still got a lot of mountain to cover,” Twilight said when everyone was up.
‘Have fun,’ Shade said.
Synth followed in the rear again, but made sure to keep an eye on his surroundings this time, although he couldn’t keep his concerns out of his mind. Something was wrong, and he didn’t know what it was. After what felt like hours of walking, they reached something that looked differently than the path they were following.
“Be very quiet-,” Twilight started.
‘I’m hunting wabbits,’ Shade joked.
‘Shut up, I didn’t hear what she said,’ Synth said.
“What-,” Synth was about to ask.
“Shh!” Applejack put a hoof to her face to tell him to be quiet.
“I just wanted-,” Synth started.
“Shh!” Applejack put her hoof on Synth’s mouth now to make him be quiet.
Synth looked up to notice a leaf floating down. It was weird, there were a lot of small trees and bushed on this mountain, but the mountain was above the clouds. He wondered how they stayed hydrated. This mountain was so close to the Everfree Forest, he wouldn’t be surprised if that had something to do with it. Synth noticed that Fluttershy was shaking slightly, and was about to ask another question, but the leaf landed on her back before he could get a word out.
“Avalanche!” Fluttershy yelled.
‘That must be what Twilight was talking about,’ Synth said.
‘Think so?’ Shade asked.
Synth looked up to the walls around him. There were no rocks falling down, and no sound that anything was happening. Synth heard the others sigh with relief at the quiet landscape around them. Synth was about to join in with his own sigh, but he saw something at the corner of his eye. A rock was falling down from the top of the wall. It knocked another, bigger rock downhill. The sound of the rocks dislodging each other added to the amount of rocks falling from the edges.
Synth was too busy watching the rocks fall to notice the others had run away. He caught sight of a boulder twice the size of him that was falling toward him. He felt the right side of his body go numb as his vision shifted slightly. Synth watched as his body dodged the approaching boulder. He was sliding, but the slide turned into a stumble as his leg caught something.
‘What’s wrong with your legs?’ Shade asked.
‘You’re asking me?’ Synth said.
‘This must be what you were talking about,’ Shade said.
Shade dodged another boulder and then turned to face another that was bouncing toward him. Instead of moving, Shade activated his magic. Synth watched as Shade broke the boulder into pieces. Shade was inspecting his left hoof and then his right hoof. He was sitting out in the open, with rocks still falling down.
‘This is so weird,’ Shade said.
‘Look out,’ Synth said, seeing another boulder coming in his direction.
Shade turned around to face the boulder. Directly in front of him, was Twilight who was dodging the falling rocks. She weaved around Synth right before the boulder could hit her. Shade swung his hoof at the boulder before it got too close. He made direct contact and shattered yet another boulder. The debris showered him and went into his mane. Shade turned to face Twilight who stopped when she heard the explosion.
“Wow, thanks for saving me,” Twilight said.
“I wasn’t-,” Shade was starting to say.
“Look out!” Twilight said pointing behind Shade.
Shade turned around quickly. He didn’t turn fast enough, though. He caught a glimpse of the boulder before it made contact with his left side. Shade was sent rolling into a wall. He didn’t get up. Synth slowly regained control of his body. Shade was quiet, and Synth felt a throbbing in his head. He tried to get up, but his front right leg was caught in something, and he didn’t know where his left leg was.
Synth did manage to move his head enough so he could hear and see more clearly, although his eyes were slightly blurry. He saw dust being pushed up, with rocks piling up in a central spot. Although most of them broke on the way down and turned into more dirt and small debris. He was quickly covered in rocks of various sizes.
Synth heard the noise of the rocks falling get fainter. Soon, he couldn’t see rocks falling anymore. He moved his head some more to look down. On top of his front right leg was a rock that was twice the size of his leg. He tried to move it, but it was caught underneath that rock and many more. Synth moved his front left leg and found it wasn’t caught on anything. He tried to move the rock with his free hoof, but he couldn’t push it. He heard voices now, and his eyesight was getting better. All around him, the rocks made a small coffin with small openings that let air in.
“Is everypony alright?” Applejack asked.
“Thanks to you and Synth I am,” Twilight said.
“Where’s Synth?” Applejack asked.
Synth tried to talk, but there was dust in his throat. He could barely breathe, let alone call out for help. Synth moved his free leg to try and move the rocks to no avail. There were some rocks in front of him, and he could only see Rainbow Dash’s tail and parts of Rarity’s mane. He decided that trying to get their attention like that would be useless. Instead, he tried using his magic. He concentrated, and now that his head was clearer, he thought of how to get out.
Synth cast a spell and directed it in front of him a few steps. He sent it out and saw it forming in front of him. The figure that appeared was a Timberwolf. Synth smiled, so far so good. He directed it to move the rock, but the Timberwolf had a different idea. He squeezed out of a hole near the top. He made it out of the coffin of rocks and came out on top of the rocks that cut him off from the others. He barked like a dog, and Synth saw from the small gaps in the rocks, that he got their attention.
“Stand back girls, we’re not safe yet,” Applejack said.
“What’s a Timberwolf doing on a mountain?” Pinkie asked.
“Wait, look at its eyes,” Twilight said.
“They do look quite dazzling, don’t they?” Rarity commented.
“Now’s not the time for that,” Rainbow Dash said.
“No, I mean they’re green,” Twilight said.
“And?” Applejack said ready to fight.
“They’re supposed to be yellow. That’s not a normal Timberwolf,” Twilight said.
“So it’s a modified hybrid Timberwolf? That sounds bad,” Pinkie said.
“No, you don’t understand. That’s Synth’s Timberwolf,” Twilight said.
“Waddya mean Synth’s Timberwolf? They don’t make the best pets,” Applejack said.
“But look at it. It’s acting strange,” Twilight said.
The Timberwolf barked, but not like he was warning them. He would bark and then look down towards Synth. When they weren’t coming, he started to make the action that a dog would for digging. He paused every few seconds to see if they understood.
“I think he knows where Synth is,” Twilight said.
“Then don’t just stand there, let’s go help him,” Rainbow Dash said.
Rainbow Dash hovered over the Timberwolf who backed away from atop the rocks. He pawed at the ground and then barked again. Rainbow Dash turned to the others and found them getting closer to the Timberwolf. The Timberwolf took a step back from the others and pretended to dig again.
“What if he’s trapped under the rocks?” Fluttershy asked.
“Then let’s move ‘em,” Applejack said.
The group proceeded to move the rocks, although both Rarity and Twilight used their magic. Fluttershy took the smaller ones, while Applejack kicked most of them out of the way. The Timberwolf offered no help, other than standing atop the pile and looking down at Synth from the hole. Synth watched as the light that was being let in grew in size. Soon, the top was cleared and the blue sky was easy to see. Synth saw a familiar blue head poke in the hole.
“Hey, I found him!” Rainbow Dash said to the others.
The hole was once again covered, but this time not by rocks. Seven heads were looking down the hole. The Timberwolf wasn’t saying anything.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.
‘I’m just peachy,’ Synth said.
The Timberwolf barked to the others, and then took his head out of the hole. The others resumed their digging, apparently taking the Timberwolf’s response as an answer. Synth only heard rocks moving and shifting for the next few minutes. His view grew in size, until his coffin was no longer there. When they took the last rock away from his hoof, he stood up. When he tried to put pressure on his right leg, his hoof had a stabbing feeling in it and he took it back.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.
Synth tried to reply, but the dust was still in his throat. He coughed and wheezed for a good minute before turning back to Fluttershy.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Synth said. He tried to take a step forward, but his hoof caused him to cringe when he tried to step on it.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Rarity asked.
“Of course, I couldn’t be better,” Synth said.
Synth felt a tingling in his right leg now, and looked down at it. It was slowly starting to fade from its normal green tinge. He tried taking a step again, and this time he didn’t feel any pain. In fact, he couldn’t feel anything at all. He activated his Traction spell on his hooves, and saw that only his back right hoof was coated. Something wasn’t right, but they were watching his movements, so he wasn’t going to look like any more of an idiot than he already was.
“So, are we there yet?” Synth asked.
“Almost, we just need to turn this corner, and follow the last path to the top,” Twilight said.
“Great, let’s go,” Synth said.
Synth walked back to the pile he had just escaped from. Then he looked up to the pile they would need to climb. If his leg wasn’t numb, he would have given up just then. Instead, he trudged on ahead, this time following behind Twilight. The hill wasn’t as bad as Synth thought. His left legs were still burning, but he endured it and reached the top. Going down was a lot easier, and he was glad they were almost at the top.
‘What happened?’ Shade asked.
‘Look who’s up. Did you sleep well?’ Synth asked.
‘No, what happened?’ Shade asked.
‘Well that boulder got you. Next time you should pay more attention to your surroundings,’ Synth said.
‘I didn’t see any boulder, and either way it shouldn’t have done that much damage to me. It was a fluke,’ Shade said.
‘Excuses, excuses. Just be glad we didn’t die,’ Synth said.
‘We’re about to,’ Shade said.
Synth looked up to the cave appearing around the corner. With the view of the cave, he saw the smoke pouring out. A huge roar added to the menacing view. Synth stopped and looked at the others. He had accidentally walked ahead of them. Twilight had stopped and was talking to them about something.
Synth walked up to the cave and peered inside. Other than some bright gems surrounding the walls, he couldn’t see anything else inside. Deciding he wanted to have a look before going in, he activated his Night Eye and walked farther inside. Instantly the darkness was gone and he could make out the figure of a huge dragon. He was resting atop a large amount of gold and gems.
Rarity would have fainted at the amount of gems inside. All around the walls of the room, Synth could see even more bright gems. They were lighting up the inside enough that he could make out the sharp talons and rough scales on the dragon. He looked like he was sleeping, but dragons weren’t known to be the heaviest sleepers. Synth backed off and turned around.
The light from the cave entrance hit his eyes while the Night Eye was still in effect. He closed his eyes from the pain they were receiving. He blindly walked forward and felt the sun hit his body. Synth released his spell and sat down. He rubbed at his eyes until the burning died down.
When he cracked his eyes open, the light wasn’t as painful as before. He opened them a little wider and let them adjust to the light. He looked up to the path and found the others approaching the cave. Synth stood up and joined them.
“We’re about to find out,” Twilight said.
“Rainbow Dash, you’ll use your wings to clear out the smoke,” Twilight said.
“Mhm,” Rainbow Dash replied heading into the smoke.
‘But we can walk under the smoke, can’t we?’ Shade asked.
“Rarity, Pinkie Pie, you’ll create a diversion to distract the dragon if things get a little hairy in there,” Twilight said.
Pinkie Pie pulled out a rubber chicken and began shaking it in her mouth. Synth felt confused for a second, but that confusion was meant for the dragon. Rarity didn’t respond other than pointing to the randomness that was Pinkie Pie.
‘Great, she’ll have Pinkie Pie do all the work,’ Shade said.
“Applejack, you’re ready with the apples in case he decides to attack,” Twilight said to Applejack.
Applejack nodded and threw her apples into the air. She bucked them into a nearby tree and created a work of art. Red and green art that looked like apple guts. He was wondering what damage apples would do to the scales of the dragon, but he didn’t think too much of it.
‘Oh shit, she’s got apples. Oh wait, those were her last two. Wasn’t a very good idea on her part, now we’re going to starve on the way down,’ Shade said.
“But it shouldn’t come to that. Because between Fluttershy will do what she needs to wake him up. And between the two of us, we should be able to get him to understand why he needs to go. Is everypony ready?” Twilight asked. There were cheers of agreement from four of them.
“Synth, you come with us. We might need some help if he doesn’t come to reason,” Twilight said.
“Sure,” Synth said.
‘You’re going to be the decoy,’ Shade said.
‘I’m pretty sure you’re right,’ Synth said.
“Okay then, we’re going in,” Twilight said walking into the cave.
Synth followed and activated his Night Eye when he felt that the dark was too much. About halfway through, he heard Twilight ask a question.
“So, what is the best way to wake up a sleeping dragon without upsetting him?” Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.
Synth turned around back to the entrance, after shielding his eyes from the light, he noticed Twilight had left him alone in the cave. He could hear voices, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Instead, Synth turned back to the dark cave so his eyes wouldn’t burn. He decided that he’d wait at the dragon’s lair. He took off his Night Eye when he reached the large room.
Looking up, Synth could see the form of the giant red dragon. His scales shone with color from the gems surrounding him. His nose was letting out a black smoke and his scales looked sharper than a blade. The mouth was long and curved. His eyes were amber yellow with black slits.
‘Wait, eyes?’ Shade asked.
Synth looked to the dragon and found it studying him. He opened his mouth, in what Synth interpreted as a yawn. He could see the sharp and long pointed teeth that the dragon barred. Its neck stretched out and Synth realized just how large the dragon was. The cave was just tall enough for him to stand.

The dragon looked over at him again, and this time leaned in further. Synth expected to be eaten. In just one bite, he’d be a goner. He didn’t say anything, and the dragon didn’t say anything either. The dragon looked into his eyes, and he felt them boring into his soul. When the dragon pulled back, he closed his eyes and laid back down on the gems. His nose once again let out more smoke.

“He probably just doesn’t know what he’s doing, right?” Synth heard Twilight say from the entrance of the cave. Looking back at the dragon, Synth waited for Twilight to get closer.

“Synth, you shouldn’t go on alone, it could be dangerous,” Twilight said.

“Nothing bad happened yet,” Synth said.

“No matter, we need to wake up this dragon,” Twilight said.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Synth asked.

“We introduce ourselves,” Twilight said.

‘Like he’s going to care who you are,’ Shade said.

“Mister dragon?” Twilight asked.

The dragon’s eyes shot open. He wasn’t a very heavy sleeper. He opened his mouth and breather directly onto Twilight. Synth didn’t get the full impact, but he could smell some of it. He could make out the scent of fish and pig. And he could also heavily smell glass in there somewhere. Twilight coughed from the foul stench and tried to continue.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, and Synth and I are residence here in Equestria. Ponyville to be exact. And we came here to ask if you could find another place to take your nap. It’s just that you seem to be doing an awful lot of snoring. And every time you do, you send out a terrible cloud of smoke,” Twilight said.

The dragon snorted the smoke into Twilight’s face. She coughed from the smoke, and Synth had some of it caught in his throat.

‘Isn’t that second hand smoke?’ Shade asked.

‘Shut up,’ Synth said.

“You understand, don’t you?” Twilight asked.

The dragon stood up like he was ready to leave. He stretched his arms moved his limbs around. Then he fell back atop the pile of gems and gold. Synth couldn’t say he didn’t see it coming. But what he didn’t see coming, was the dragon blowing even more smoke in their faces. Synth had to get out of their before he would suffocate. The smoke wasn’t very good for his breathing apparently. Synth found his way to the exit and led Twilight out as well. He made it out and the smoke started to clear up by the wind.

‘C’mon Rainbow Dash, you had one job…’ Shade said.

‘Just be glad he didn’t breathe fire…’ Synth said.

‘Well so much for persuading him,’ Rainbow Dash said.

“Obviously this situation calls for a little, pony charm, allow me girls,” Rarity said.

Synth was too interested in what she’d try, to even think about stopping her. He watched as she strolled in like she owned the place. After she saw all of the gems, she might just own it. But Synth didn’t watch what she was doing, because something caught his eye. He looked over to the edge, and found a light blue flower sprouting. He checked for any other nearby flowers before picking it. It was all alone on this mountain.

Synth held the flower up, and recalled what he knew about it. They were usually found on mountains and volcanoes. They were resistant to heat, but were weak to the cold. It was ironic that it was called Chillroot, because of its appearance. Although it didn’t have many uses, it did make a makeshift heat pack in the cold. The plant was not what was important. It was the pedals that it produced. This plant could regrow its pedals depending on the temperature. They could be rubbed together and used to start fires.

Synth put the flower in his bag, and looked back to the others. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. Pinkie was in a weird birthday suit, and they were all looking into the cave. Synth pieced it together.

‘She didn’t…’ Synth said.

‘I think she did,’ Shade said.

Synth’s fears were answered when he heard a screech coming from the cave. He walked more to his left and looked into the cave. There was something speeding towards him, but he couldn’t make it out. He only saw Rainbow as the ball of color smashed right into him. He didn’t have anything to stop him as he was knocked off the edge of the cliff.

Looking up, Synth saw the ball of color uncurl and Rainbow Dash appeared. She flew back atop of the mountain, oblivious to the falling object. Synth looked down towards steep surface that he was approaching. He turned his body to his back and closed his eyes. His magic activated at the last second. He heard the familiar sound of the earth shattering.

Synth didn’t stop there though, his body started rolling down farther off the cliff. His momentum was stopped by a rock protruding from the cliff. He was breathless when he opened his eyes. Looking around, the first thing he saw was the blue around him. This side of the mountain was covered in them.

Synth stood up, making sure he wasn’t in danger of falling any farther down. He eased his way over to the largest group of flowers he saw. He began to pick a few of them. He only picked the ones with the largest pedals. After he gathered enough to fill up one side of his bag, he looked back up the cliff. It was quiet now.

Synth felt a burning sensation in his legs again; All of them. He looked toward his right back leg. It was currently stepping on one of the Chillroot flowers. He took it away, but he noticed that his other legs were burning too, even though they hadn’t touched the flowers. He looked back to his right back hoof, and found the burning sensation being replaced by a tingling. He watched as his last hoof lost its light green color. It turned the same shade as the others.

Synth felt off balance now. He couldn’t take a step without almost tripping. Also, the other three hooves were still burning. His back left leg was itching, too. Before he could scratch, he noticed red dragon fly away from the mountain. He heard a voice coming down from above. Looking up, he could barely make out their faces looking down at him.

“Synth, are you alright?” Twilight asked.

“More or less, but I’ll manage,” Synth replied looking down at his hooves.

“That’s good to hear. Fluttershy managed to get him to leave, so we need to get home and tell the princess,” Twilight said.
“Oh, okay. I’ll meet up with you girls at the bottom,” Synth said.

“Will you be able to find your way down,dear?” Rarity asked.

“I’ll be okay. I’m already half way down,” Synth responded.

“If you say so,” Applejack said.

They turned away, and Synth took a better look at his surroundings. There was no path as far as he could see, and he was on the wrong side of the mountain to slide down. It would explain why the flowers could grow in peace, but right now he wondering how he could get the rest of the way down.

Synth looked higher up the mountain and found a ledge he could grab onto. Above that was dent in the mountain. He could use it to find his way onto the other side of the mountain. Making sure he could still control his legs effectively, he started his climb towards the ledge. After a few slips and slides, he managed to reach the ledge.

Reaching out, he grabbed the ledge and pulled himself over. Taking a breather, he looked into the sky. He watched as the red dragon was still in view from the cave. He was flying away from the city, and towards another cave in a different country. Synth did notice that it didn’t look like he’d taken his gold and gems with him.

Synth was tempted to take a detour and look in the cave if that was true. But the possibility that the dragon would turn around to get them was blocking out most of the temptation. Instead, Synth looked back up to the dent in the mountain. It was a shorter climb than the ledge, but he was already exhausted.

Synth got up and started yet another climb. It took him a few tries, and along the way, his legs started to burn again. It came and went, and once again, his legs were getting itchy. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t resist it for long. When he made it to the dent, he felt that if he could feel his legs, they’d be on fire.
Synth didn’t stop to rest though, and instead walked along the dent towards the front of the mountain. He could see the city now, but no sign of a path. He made it to the edge of the dent, and he could see where they had first climbed down.

The others were probably taking the longer and safer route, so he looked for an easy way down. He couldn’t find one. Synth measured that the ground was probably a good ten to twenty feet, and decided that it wouldn’t hurt too bad if he fell. He left the indent in the mountain and ran down the mountain. Using the gravity to his advantage, he was on safe ground fast.

Synth was glad he didn’t trip. He also didn’t keep the others waiting. He managed to find his way somewhere without getting lost. Synth turned towards a path coming from the other direction he just came from. The other six were just approaching the bottom. They looked at him when they reached it. Synth waited for them to continue walking.

“You look awful,” Rarity said.

Synth looked down at himself. There were brown and grey streaks in his coat, and well as rocks and dirt in his tail. He could only imagine what was in his mane.

“Falling off a cliff, what can I say?” Synth said.

“Oh, sorry about that,” Rainbow Dash said. “I thought I hit a rock or something. So I didn’t try to help,” Rainbow Dash said.

“It’s alright, everything ended okay,” Synth said.

“Great, we need to get back to Ponyville,” Twilight said. “I need to inform the princess about the dragon.”

“Actually, you girls go on without me. I need to do something first,” Synth said.

“Well alright, see you around Synth,” Rainbow Dash said.

Synth waited until they were out of view before taking a different path into town. He walked by the Everfree, and made sure not to get too close. When he made it, the sun was already going down. He walked past his house and further into the town. He found his way to the hospital, and opened the doors.

‘What are you doing here?’ Shade asked.

‘I wanted to get something checked out,’ Synth said.

‘Gross,’ Shade replied.

‘Shut up, I was talking about my hooves,’ Synth said.

Synth walked up to the desk. He tried his best not to look nervous. The room had that hospital scent to it. He was already regretting he came. The nurse at the desk smiled at him.

“What can I help you with?” The nurse asked.

“I was wondering if the doctor could see me,” Synth said.

“Absolutely, but it’s almost closing time now. You’ll need to make an appointment for another date,” The nurse said.

“Sure, when is he available?” Synth asked.

“Anytime, we’re not very busy these days,” The nurse said.

“Okay then, tomorrow please. When are you open?” Synth asked.

“Earliest time is ten, is that okay?” The nurse asked.

“Perfect, but I have a question…” Synth asked.

“What is it?” The nurse asked.

“Does he do house calls?” Synth asked.

Author's Notes:

Had fun writing this, is that a good thing? It wasn’t my best work, but I’m proud of the way I wrote it. Anyways, these are the kinds of chapters I like to write. So plan to see more of them soon.
Are there any mistakes or errors? I blame the editor =P.
Next Time: Look before you Sleep, because ponies might walk in and try to get you to leave your cave.
(Something might be wrong with the 'Paste' I don't see the indents... I'll have to look into that.)

Rainfall

Rainfall
Rainfall

‘The beginning…’ A voice said.

Synth opened his eyes and peered into the darkness. He looked left and right but there was nothing else. His body slowly took his forward. The voice continued to repeat itself, until Synth was engulfed by the dark completely.

‘It’s the beginning…’ The voice said.

‘The beginning of what?’ Synth asked.

‘The end…’ The voice replied much harsher and very hoarse.

Synth’s eyes opened. He was facing the ceiling now. His forehead was covered in sweat, but it wasn’t cold sweat, he was feeling very hot. Synth rolled over on his new bed and tried to get out. After a few attempts, his legs untangled themselves from his bed sheets. He placed them on the ground, and stood up.

Synth stretched his legs, but once again found them to be numb. It’s been almost a week now, his patience with his condition was getting low. He walked over to the kitchen, and grabbed himself some cupcakes.

‘Courtesy of Sugar Cube Corner,’ Synth said eating a few.

‘You know, eating sweets for breakfast won’t get rid of your problems,’ Shade said.

‘Well not eating them won’t help. Doctor said he doesn’t know when I’ll get better. If I’ll ever get better…’ Synth said.

‘Still, you’re going to be overweight if you keep eating those,’ Shade said.

‘Pinkie was kind enough to bring them, I’ll be kind enough to eat them,’ Synth said.

‘Or you could let Vera have them,’ Shade said.

‘And since when have you decided what the right thing to do is?’ Synth said.

‘Just saying, is all,’ Shade said.

‘Well she’s probably getting her fill every now and then,’ Synth said.

‘She is over there an awful lot, isn’t she?’ Shade asked.

‘She’s making friends, and I don’t mind the alone time,’ Synth said.

“Morning Synth, feeling better?” Vera asked coming down the stairs.

“Morning. Not yet, but I’m not giving up,” Synth said.

“Okay, is it alright if I go to Sugar Cube Corner again?” Vera asked.

“Sure, go ahead. Thank Pinkie for the amazing cupcakes, too,” Synth said.

“Okay, I will. Is there any left?” Vera asked.

“Yeah, help yourself. Just remember to eat something healthy later,” Synth said.

Vera sat down to eat the cupcakes. Synth felt that he’d eaten enough, and stared off into space. Shade was quiet, so Synth thought about his recent bad news.
-----------

“So, let me have a look at the problem,” The doctor said.

Synth showed him his legs, and the doctor was confused. When Synth told him of the feelings/ lack thereof in his legs, the doctor examined his hooves. After a few seconds on each hoof, the doctor was stumped. Synth took the usual blood pressure test. The doctor also measured his height and weight. When the doctor returned the next day, he asked for a blood test and asked for Synth to tell him about recent activities. The doctor returned on the third day with a sheet of paper.

“I’m sorry to say I haven’t found any disease with these symptoms. Other than what you’ve described, we haven’t found anything wrong with you,” The doctor said.

“Well, then what should I do?” Synth asked.

“I recommend bed rest, and a decrease in physical activity. Maybe you’re body is having side effects from recent damage,” The doctor said.

“Okay thanks, Doctor,” Synth said.

“And one more thing…” The doctor asked.

“What?” Synth asked.

“Next time, let me examine you at the hospital. House calls aren’t my style,” The doctor said.

“I’ll think about it,” Synth said.

“Okay then…” The doctor left and Synth was left alone and confused about his situation.
-------------

“I’ll see you later, Synth,” Vera said closing the door.

“Oh yeah, bye,” Synth said awakening from his memory.

Synth walked up to his bed and started to put the sheets back. He was already feeling bored from the lack of entertainment. He finished, and looked to the entire bed. When the sheets are on, it looks so comforting. It also made him feel like sleeping whenever he looked too long at it. That was why he chose this new bed, was because he didn’t want any bad thoughts, or else another bad dream might occur.

It had worked, at least until today. Synth had the bed put upstairs, across from his old bed that now belonged to Vera. She was glad to have a big bed to herself, and she had already changed the sheets and replaced them with her cyan and scarlet bed sheet.

Synth was surprised she brought it with her. That’s not something you pack if you’re going to be coming back to your normal house. Synth didn’t think too much about it, because she was already making his place feel livelier.

‘So, got anything else exciting for today?’ Shade asked.

‘… No, what about you?’ Synth said.

‘Same, let’s go back to sleep,’ Shade said.

‘I’m not tired right now. I’ve been stuck in here for too long. I can’t take it…’ Synth said.

‘Then why don’t you leave?’ Shade asked.

Synth remembered the last time he’d left his house to go ask Twilight about that book.
------------

“Hey Twilight, I was-,” Synth started.

“Synth, what are you doing out of bed?” Twilight asked, cutting him off.

“I was just-,” Synth started.

“No, the doctor said you need to stay in bed. He knows what he’s talking about,” Twilight said.

“And who told you that I needed to stay in bed?” Synth asked.

“The doctor, he said that if we see you, we need to take you back to your house,” Twilight said.
(Editor’s Quote: “Doctor goes and tells everybody in Ponyville about Synth’s problem and tells them to make him stay at home. Seems legit. Rule 4 of being a doctor: Tell Everyone. Rule 1: hang degrees and all accomplishments on your walls.)

“Why would he say that?” Synth asked.

“To make sure you stay safe. That’s what doctors are supposed to do,” Twilight said.

“But I don’t-,” Synth started.

“No, I’m taking you back, and that’s final,” Twilight said.

‘Wow, you must have made a good impression on the doctor for him to care this much,’ Shade said.

Synth couldn’t get a word in as she took him back to his house and informed Vera to tell her if he tried to leave. Whenever Synth went out to get some fresh air, he wouldn’t get far before one of the townsfolk asked if he was better. To which Synth replied by walking back inside.

He wasn’t completely bored though. Pinkie dropped in and gave him boxes of cupcakes. Applejack came and left him apples for days. Vera was glad about that. The first time she ate a cupcake, she went sugar happy. Now she only gets a little more energetic, but Synth doesn’t mind. Rarity also came by and they had a conversation about how different Synth was. Synth eventually showed her his new cape and necklace, to which she went on about how it matched him.
------------

Synth wasn’t expecting anyone else, and as far as he knew, the town was busy as ever.

‘You know what? I’m going to enjoy myself today,’ Synth said.

‘That’s the spirit, so how about we go fight something?’ Shade asked.

‘That’s not what I would call enjoying myself…’ Synth said.

‘Then what are you going to do?’ Shade asked.

‘Watch,’ Synth said.

Synth activated his magic. He felt the magic go through his face and the right side of his neck, although only his upper right torso felt the magic. Synth looked down, and his lower body was still there. Most of his body parts he would normally see were still visible, although he did notice that there were some spots on his torso where he could see through.

‘Yeah, no one’s going to notice the headless horse…’ Shade said.

‘Okay, so there’s one flaw in my plan…’ Synth said.

‘Just walk outside, if anypony asks, you’re doing some gardening…’ Shade said.

‘Alright, I’ll go with your idea,’ Synth said.

Synth undid the spell and walked to the door. He opened it, and stepped outside. Normally, he would catch sight of a pony here or there, but today the streets were cleared. He continued and walked to the back side of his house. He looked down at the plants growing there. Including the Chillroot he planted a few days ago.

Synth had surrounded the Chillroot with rocks and added some pebbles to give it a mountain feel. It didn’t work very well, but there was some improvement. The Chillroot was slowly growing back some of the pedals that he’d taken. He kept the pedals in the bags that he took with him. It was in case he was ever in need of heat, or a fire.

Synth looked at the other miscellaneous plants that had been growing. A blue flower with green spots was so far the largest. It had already bloomed and was showing off its colors. Synth couldn’t tell what some of the others were, because they hadn’t shown their colors. He realized that he didn’t have very many seeds or plants anymore. He’d need to get more eventually.

Synth remembered the Biodome that was being constructed. It had been off his mind since he left Ponyville. Now, he realized that it’d probably be finished by now. Synth was about to make his way to the Biodome, until something stopped him. A raindrop hit his horn. Synth looked up at the sky.

The familiar blue was replaced with puffy grey clouds. Small drops of rain were falling down. The rain eventually sped up and Synth heard the sound of the rain hitting his roof. Synth smiled, rain was just what he needed. Synth walked over to a group of trees that were close together. He picked two that were close enough to each other. They were about twenty feet from his house, but Synth had an idea.

‘Hey Shade, I’ve got something I want you to do,’ Synth said.

‘Why would I do something for you?’ Shade asked.

‘Because it lets us stay out here longer,’ Synth said.

‘I still don’t see why I should do this for you,’ Shade said.

‘Look, I’ll owe you one, okay?’ Synth asked.

‘Fine, but I’m going to call you on that later,’ Shade said.

‘Okay, so here’s the plan…’ Synth started.

Synth finished telling Shade what he wanted, and Shade agreed. Synth let Shade take control of his horn, and watched as Shade sent magic towards the two trees. The leaves and branches of the two trees began to shift. They folded towards the middle and the branches started to weave together. The leaves covered where the branches were weaved, until there was a green hammock formed perfectly.

Synth walked up and jumped in. He could feel the smooth leaves on his back, and the burning in his legs was lessening. He found the more time he spent on them; the more it burned or itched. Now though, he looked up at the leaves blocking him from the falling rain. Synth felt the breeze pass and raindrops made it onto his coat. He didn’t care though, he was finally relaxing.

Synth looked up at the clouds, and remembered something like this. It was from when he was younger. He was with his professor and their guide. Synth didn’t know why it reminded him of that, but it did. He recalled the grey sky, and the hard floor. The sound of birds chirping and hooves running towards him, it was all coming back to him.
-----------

“Synth!” called a voice in the distance.

“Synth, where are you?” The voice called in from closer.

Synth was looking at the sky, his mind blurry. He tried to stand up, but he couldn’t move. There was something crawling on him. He moved his head to look down, and watched a snake crawl from Synth’s torso towards his head. Synth was scared, he was looking into the eyes of the snake.

“Synth!” The voice called again, it was sounding familiar.

Synth looked towards where he thought the voice was coming from. He looked towards the bushes and found them start to move. He was hit with relief that he was going to be saved. That relief was shattered, though. He watched as two more snakes emerged from the bushes. Synth let his head drop. He could hear the snakes slithering onto him.

Synth looked back into the sky thinking about how it came to this. The last thing he remembered, was that he’d drank from his water bottle. He’d forgotten where he’d put it, but found it next to Blossom’s bag. He remembered drinking from it, and then he’d lost consciousness. But that was at the camp site, not in the jungle. The hiss of a snake made him look back down to his torso. They were looking at each other, and one of them was preparing to strike.

“You have to fight for your food,” Synth commented weakly.

One of them looked at him and hissed before turning towards the others. Synth stayed quiet and watched them. They would strafe left and right, but their lower body wouldn’t move. The snakes were too busy fighting to notice Synth moving. He could feel his torso now, and his breathing increased. Synth watched the first snake strike first. He bit open air. The other two struck at the same time and bit the first snake on either side. The snake went down, and that left the other two.

Synth watched the body of the snake tumble off of him. It wasn’t dead, but it was paralyzed. They must have used different poisons. Synth watched the other two strafe, not attacking first. Synth heard another rustling in the bushes, and turned towards the sound. One of the snakes must have turned too, because the smart snake struck the other. Synth watched the body of the second snake fall off. The third snake turned towards Synth now.

“Oh no,” Synth heard from the bushes.

Synth watched as the snake on top of him was about to strike. He didn’t get far though, because a crude knife stabbed him in the chest and sent him off Synth. Synth was relieved; he didn’t feel like dying today. Synth turned towards the direction the knife came from. He saw his guide walking up to him. Synth tried to get up, and he managed to move his arm. He reached out towards the guide, but he saw the guide’s face change from relieved to worry.

Synth felt pain in his hoof. He cried in agony, and he felt something slip underneath his skin. Synth looked down towards the paralyzed snake. He had bitten Synth, and he wasn’t letting go. Synth tried to smash him against the ground in an attempt to stop the pain, but the guide came up to him. He held a torch up to the snake, and the snake let go.

Synth grasped his hoof with the other, and looked at the injury. The fire had gotten too close, and the wound was getting burnt. The guide looked at his hoof and then shook his head.

“We need to go back to the city. What you need is a remedy,” The guide said.

Synth nodded and stood up. He followed Blossom and the guide to the closest village. When they reached the village, Synth felt a little lightheaded. They took him to a doctor, and Synth was seated on a bed while they talked in a weird language. When they finished, the doctor talked to him.

“I am sorry, for this poison there is no remedy,” The doctor said.

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Blossom asked.

“No the poison is too strong, it seems this one will die young,” The doctor whispered into Blossom’s ears. Synth managed to hear it, but his eyesight was getting blurry.

“Then… how long?” Blossom asked, obviously on the verge of tears.

“Your time left to pray, is less than a day,” The doctor said.

Synth’s hearing got worse after that, and he couldn’t understand what they were saying. He eventually looked up towards the grey ceiling. He could hear muffled sounds, and the pain in his leg was gone. Soon, he drifted into sleep. But what surprised him, was that he woke up.

Synth woke up and his eyes shot open. He looked up at the grey ceiling, still there. He looked to his left, right, and saw Blossom sleeping in a chair nearby. He yawned, and his legs wanted to be stretched. Synth got off the bed, and landed onto the floor noiselessly. He stretched his hind legs first, and then his forelegs. While he was stretching, he noticed the wound on his hoof again. It was smaller, and it looked like it was healing faster than normal.

“Synth, how are you feeling?” Blossom asked, her eyes bloodshot.

“I’m feeling a lot better,” Synth replied.

“Really?” Blossom asked her eyes going wide.

They called in the doctor, and he was baffled. Synth had been asleep for two days, but they didn’t declare him dead because he was breathing. Now, the doctor said that the poison must have left his system. Synth devoured his next meal, and with the guide, they left back to the camp site. The only thing Synth remembered feeling weird about, was when he stepped outside, everything he saw looked a lot clearer.
-----------

Synth heard hoof steps coming up to him. He looked to his left at the approaching figure. He surprised to see Fluttershy walking up to him. She was bringing a basket filled with flowers. Synth turned back to the sky, she was probably walking by.

“Um, hey Synth,” Fluttershy said.

“Hey Fluttershy, any reason you’re out in the rain?” Synth asked.

“I was coming to check on you. I heard you’re still sick,” Fluttershy said.

“I’m doing okay. But shouldn’t you be at your house? It’s raining,” Synth said.

“Shouldn’t you be in your house?” Fluttershy said.

“Touché,” Synth said.

“You should really get back in bed. You could catch a cold out here,” Fluttershy said.

“It’s not that cold out here. Besides, I really like the rain,” Synth said.

“Oh, well then I should get back home,” Fluttershy said.

“Well, why don’t you stay a while, I haven’t seen you since that dragon incident,” Synth said.

“I don’t know, I don’t want to be a bother,” Fluttershy said.

“It’s no bother, here let me get you a seat,” Synth said.

‘One more time…’ Synth said.

‘Just choose where,’ Shade said.

Synth found another tree close by and a sapling that was just growing. He used his magic that he’d stored up the past few days to grow the sapling to the desired height. When he was satisfied, he let Shade take control of his magic and copied what he did the first time. This time though, he made it slightly larger. Fluttershy took a cautionary step inside, and then lay down. The hammocks were about five feet from each other. They were side by side on the edge of the trees.

“Thanks, it’s… soft,” Fluttershy said.

“Well, It is for relaxing,” Synth said.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Fluttershy said.

“So, I heard you made that dragon cry,” Synth said.

“I feel bad about that… but he should have known what he was doing,” Fluttershy said.

“You know, sometimes you’re a little too kind,” Synth said.

“Am I? I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said.

“It was a joke, you’re just being you,” Synth said.

“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said.

Synth heard the silence that ensued. He didn’t know if it was awkward or comfortable, but the rain made him enjoy it. Fluttershy was physically relaxing now, there was a slight breeze and the hammocks rocked slightly.

“Um, what exactly is wrong with you,” Fluttershy asked.

“It’s just a numb feeling. It’ll go away eventually,” Synth said.
Synth didn’t want Fluttershy worrying about him for no reason, although he knew that whatever was wrong with him spread fast. He remembered how it started with his hooves. After that day he climbed the mountain, it slowed down. It ended up at his torso, but he noticed when he tried to go invisible, that it was still spreading.

“That’s good, I hope it’s not serious,” Fluttershy said.

“It’s probably not, but this bed rest lets me relax each day,” Synth said.

“This is kind of relaxing,” Fluttershy said.

“I always liked it better when it was raining,” Synth said.

“It’s… okay. I wish the sun was out, though,” Fluttershy said.

“At least there’s no thunder,” Synth said.

Synth felt his eyelids growing heavy. He gave in, and his body changed into a more comfortable position. He let his eyes close, and felt his numb body slump. Nearby, Fluttershy also couldn’t resist closing her eyes. The patter of the rain eased their minds. The wind blew and added a soft whistle from the leaves. Synth dreamt of a past memory, but one that he didn’t remember.
------------

The sky was dark. The clouds blotted out the moon. Synth was looking out of his window. The streets were busy with party goers and fashion stars. There was a party next door. Synth’s family was invited, but Synth chose not to go. His parents told the others he was sick and couldn’t come. They believed it. Now, Synth was watching everyone enter the house next to his.

There were ponies of all shapes and sizes, and he could identify them. Synth watched each one as they passed. He saw the normal day to day ponies, as well as the stuck up snobs. He saw the party animals, and the ones who would enter, only to leave early. Synth knew each one by the way they held themselves.

What caught him off guard, was when he saw a pony he’d never seen before. The pony had his face covered by a mask. It was a normal party mask, but this wasn’t a costume party. When Synth left his eyes on the pony for too long, the pony turned towards him. Synth was surprised, because the windows were one way. He kept watching, but the pony turned around and left. He never entered the party.

Synth continued to watch, but he never saw him again. He would have thought more of it, but he was too young at the time. Synth’s dream changed. He was no longer that young. He was a little younger. When he turned around, he was facing his door, but it was bigger than he remembered. Synth tried to use his magic to open it, but nothing was happening.

Synth went back over to the window, and peered outside again. Before he could see what was outside, he saw his reflection. His face was really young, and his body short. He looked out the window, and saw it was daylight.

Synth looked at the street below, and noticed a crowd gathering. They were talking to each other about something. Synth leaned farther, and he saw a pony wobbling and barely moving his mouth while he spoke. Soon, the pony walked away, being supported by another masked pony. Synth could see his coat was grey, and the mask looked really weird. For a second, the mask disappeared, but Synth didn’t get a chance to see what was there.

Synth heard a voice and turned around to look at his mother. She was smiling and reached over to pick him up. He was lifted into the air, and placed into a cradle that he just realized was there. She closed the door and left again. Synth reached up to the top of the cradle, but his movement was stopped by a hoof. Synth looked to the owner of the hoof, and saw a mask staring back at him.
------------

A strike of lightning awoke Synth from his slumber. His head shot straight up, and his heart was beating. He looked over to Fluttershy, to find her shaking. She was sitting up, looking up at the sky. Synth looked around, and realized the rain had picked up. The wind was getting stronger, and there was a full on storm going on.

“Fluttershy, you okay?” Synth asked.

“Y-yes, we need to get inside,” Fluttershy said.

“Think you can make it home?” Synth asked.

“I’d rather not try,” Fluttershy said.

“Okay, I guess you can wait out the storm at my house,” Synth said.

Synth waited until another strike of lightning came before jumping out of his hammock. It didn’t work very well, because his legs got caught on themselves. He landed face-first onto the ground. He picked himself up, and made sure his legs weren’t hurt. He looked over to Fluttershy who was looking at his legs with worry.

“Let’s go, we don’t want to be out here in the middle of a storm,” Synth said.

Fluttershy nodded, and they made a dash for the house. It wasn’t too far away, but Synth found his legs slipping constantly. He almost fell over, but managed to steady himself. When they reached the house, Synth hit his front hoof on a rock in the ground, and he went sliding across his lawn.

“Synth, are you alright?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, just get inside, I’ll be right there,” Synth said, getting up.

Fluttershy opened the door and wiped her feet on the mat Synth didn’t realize was there. He picked himself up, and let the rain wash away the mud that caked his torso. He looked up into the sky, and waited while the mud to washed away. He saw a flash of lightning nearby, and turned to see where it hit. When he turned, he noticed something across the road.

There was something there. It was watching him. Synth continued to look back at it, but he could only make out a mask on its face. The rest of it was covered in a dark grey cloak. There was another flash of lightning, and Synth covered his eyes, so they wouldn’t get damaged. The figure was gone now, and Synth turned back to his house. He walked inside, and closed the door behind him.

Synth wiped his hooves on the mat, and went to get a towel to dry off. Fluttershy had the same idea, and they dried off in the living room. Synth lit the fireplace and sat down in the couch, letting his mane dry off. Fluttershy sat down on the other side of the couch, and they both looked into the fireplace.

“That’s some storm,” Synth said.

“I forgot we were scheduled for that today,” Fluttershy said.

“At least we weren’t caught in it. Looks like it’s going to be pretty nasty,” Synth said.

“Are you sure you’re alright? You look like you were having leg problems,” Fluttershy said.

“Look, I know it looks bad, but I’m fine, really,” Synth said.

“Oh, okay. Sorry I keep asking,” Fluttershy said.

“It’s alright, I know you’re just looking out for a friend,” Synth said.

“You don’t think the others got caught in the storm, do you?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Lightning only strike the tallest things anyways,” Synth said.

“What about Rainbow Dash? She lives in the clouds,” Fluttershy said.

“But her house is above the storm clouds, she’s probably just bored up there with nothing to do,” Synth said.

“Okay, if you’re so sure.” Fluttershy said.

“Great, now that the worry is gone, how about we relax in the warmth of the fire,” Synth said.

The fire went out, and Synth had to remake it. He used the last of his wood that he kept inside. The rest of his stockpile was outside, and it was probably too wet to use now. Synth grabbed two of the pedals he kept with him, and used his magic to rub them together and get the fire starting again. The heat from the pedals caught the fresh kindling, and the logs soon caught on fire as well. He sat back down and hoped it would be enough. Otherwise, he’d have to use some magic. Right now though, he didn’t feel like exerting any more effort.

Synth looked into the fire, and thought back to the figures he saw before. It was strange; he felt that he knew them somehow. The last mask looked different though, and the grey color was his cloak, not his coat. Synth remembered his dream, and the figure that stopped him as a child. Then he thought back to the new figure. Synth didn’t know if he imagined the figure or not, but either way he knew it was going to show up again.

Synth looked deeper into the fire, and tried to think if he’d ever seen the figure before. He couldn’t recall anything about the mask, and the idea that some pony was watching him made him feel uncomfortable. Synth recalled another time he felt uncomfortable, but it wasn’t like this. Still, the fire brought back the memories of that day.
------------

Synth was in his room reading. It wasn’t only his room, but he thought of it like that. There were only three other ponies sharing the room, and Oliver was one of them. There was a sound of another pony talking on the other side of his door. Synth tried to ignore it, but then it directed its complaints to him.

“Synth, I know you took it,” The voice accused him.

Synth remembered that voice now; it was one of his roommates. His name was Sling. He had a habit of getting over emotional over everything. Synth didn’t have a problem with Sling, but something told Synth that Sling had a problem with him. Every time something bad happened to Sling, Synth would always be the one to blame. Oliver would normally be there to stand up for him, but Oliver was at an appointment on this day.

“Come on out, I know you’re in there,” Sling said.

“I don’t have whatever you’re looking for; I’m just minding my own business. Why don’t you try it?” Synth asked. He was getting annoyed that Sling hated him for no reason.

“What’d you say? Come say it to my face,” Sling demanded, hitting the door.

“Look, I’m trying to read, leave me alone,” Synth said, turning the page.

“Just because you think you’re smart, doesn’t mean you have to act better than us,” Sling said hitting his door again.

“I don’t think I’m better than you. You just decided that on your own, so just go,” Synth said.

“What’s the problem here?” Synth heard a deep voice ask from the other side.

“Synth took my new car, and he doesn’t want to give it back,” Sling told him.

Synth put in his bookmark and closed the book. He walked over and opened the door before the older pony told him too. Synth looked up at Blossom’s brother. His name was Gyro and he was older than Blossom, but he’d been in charge of making sure issues were resolved peacefully. Synth sighed, he wasn’t happy. They probably woke him up from his nap.

“Synth, did you take his toy car?” Gyro asked.

“No sir,” Synth replied, making sure not to get on his bad side.

“Then why is he telling me you did?” Gyro asked.

“I don’t know, I’ve been in my room all day, sir,” Synth said.

“Both of you come to the office. We’ll settle this there,” Gyro said before walking towards the office.

The kids that had started to listen in on the conversation dispersed. The office wasn’t somewhere you wanted to get caught lurking. They weren’t very strict on rules, but trespassing was something they were always on the lookout for. Synth and Sling followed Gyro into the large room that they designated “the office”. They called it that, because you were always in trouble if you went in. That’s also where all of their records and financial plans were kept.

Synth took a seat next to Sling, and Gyro grabbed his dry-erase board that he kept for handling issues. When Gyro wasn’t upset, he was actually a pretty cool guy. He treated them to sweets and made sure games were played fair. In fact, that house was probably the safest place Synth had ever been to. At least, on days not like this.

“Okay, from the start. What’s the problem?” Gyro asked.

“Synth took my car,” Sling said.

“No, say it right,” Gyro said. Sling thought about how he should rephrase it. Then he spoke again.

“I think Synth took my car,” Sling said.

“Good,” Gyro said.

Gyro started writing what they told him. He was a unicorn, but he always used his mouth to write. He also never used magic to pick up objects or open doors. The other fillies and colts thought of him as weird, but Synth understood why. Unicorns in Canterlot were everywhere, and they were often referred to as snobs. Most of them were. They would act like they were better than everyone. That’s why Gyro did things the old fashion way. He wanted to look like a normal pony. That’s why ponies of all kinds thought of him as a good guy.

“Okay continue…” Gyro said.

Synth told his side of the story, which contained mostly details of what he did. He summarized the part of the book he’d been reading, and said how it couldn’t have been him who took Sling’s car. Sling denied it, and tried to say that Synth was covering for someone who did take it. Other than Oliver, Synth wasn’t really friendly with others. He did have respect for some ponies older, and others he thought were cool, but none like Oliver.

Gyro knew that. So he took Synth’s side, and decided that he’d help Sling find their car. They left to go find it, and Gyro forgot about Synth. They left Synth alone in the office. Blossom was out with Oliver, and now Gyro was busy. Synth turned towards the filing cabinet. He wouldn’t get a chance like this. So many times he wondered what brought them all here. Now he could find out.

Synth went over to the filing cabinet, and pick locked the cabinet. Oliver showed him how by using his magic and some rocks. Synth managed to get it open, and pulled the drawer out. It slid out farther than Synth thought it would, and he looked down at the alphabetized names. Most of them were crossed out, but he found the one he wanted first.
Sling Shaught: Referred to as Sling
Parents: Unknown
Location Found: Griffon Territory: Unknown
Status: Emotional
Time of Discovery: [About one month earlier than Synth]
Age Found: About 8 years (Approximate age Unknown)
Data: A very unusual case. If not helped, his mental state could be altered.

Synth didn’t know what some of it meant, but he did know that Sling wasn’t like him. At least he had parents and a life before coming here. Now he regretted seeing the file. He put it back, and looked at the other names. He found another file that he was curious about. He pulled it out and read the contents.
Oliver West: Referred to as Oliver
Parents: Deceased (Tragic accident)
Location Found: Canterlot (Parent’s house)
Status: Healthy, making friends
Time of Discovery: [About one year before Synth]
Age Found: 6 years old
Data: Young case, heavily traumatized. Currently recovering at a more rapid case. New friends allow for quicker recovery, keep closer eyes on.

Synth didn’t like the way it described them. It was like this was all an experiment. He shuddered at the thought of being used as a lab rat. He put the file back, and was about to close it, having read enough. His eyes landed on his own folder, and he was going to try to ignore it, but there was something different about his name. He wasn’t in the same alphabetical order like the others. Instead, he was in the very back. Synth pulled out his own folder, and found a note stuck to the front. He read the note, and then read the contents.
Caution: Do not edit entries without consent from Blossom. This case is rare and will be documented for further analysis.
Synth Meadows: Referred to as Synth
Parents: Both Alive (Consent from parents given. Unusual behavior)
Location found: Canterlot (Parent’s house: after failed burglary)
Status: Completely stable. Unusual mental and physical conditions: needs to be kept an eye on.

Synth stopped reading and stared back at the file. He couldn’t believe it. He was different, even more different than the others in the same position as him. He put the file back and closed the drawer. He made sure the lock was back in its position before leaving out the door and walking to his room.

Others tried to ask about the earlier incident, but Synth shrugged them off. He closed the door behind him and lay on his bed. He was feeling like he read something he shouldn’t have and he probably did. Synth closed his eyes and thought about what he read. Some of it wasn’t understandable to him at the time, but he could tell what most of it said.

“Hey, I found my car. I left it in the kitchen,” Sling said walking in the room.

“That’s good, “Synth said.

“Um, sorry about earlier, I just really thought you took my car,” Sling said.

“It’s alright, I don’t blame you. I haven’t really been nice to you lately,” Synth said.

“Let’s just forget this ever happened,” Sling said.

“You never forget about the past,” Synth said remembering it in a book he read.

“You might not forget, but I will,” Sling said smiling to him.

Synth smiled back, but he knew that deep inside, Sling wasn’t smiling.
------------

Synth heard a soft noise next to him. He looked over to the slumped Fluttershy. She was sleeping quietly, and Synth felt a yawn coming too. He woke her up, and walked her to the bedroom. Synth insisted she take his bed, and she nodded, still barely awake. Synth noticed that Vera hadn’t come back yet, and she’d probably stayed over at Sugar Cube Corner.

Synth slipped into Vera’s bed because of her absence, and made himself comfortable. Before he laid his head down, he noticed Fluttershy was sound asleep. Synth smiled; she looked so peaceful when she slept. Although, Synth noticed that whenever there was thunder, she would twitch her leg.

Synth closed his eyes, grateful that Shade hadn’t interrupted any of his memories. Synth didn’t know if he should be worried or not that his legs might not be the same, and not just that, it was also still spreading. Whatever it was, Synth didn’t know if it was something he should be worried about. It only made his legs feel numb, but it also stopped him from using his magic wherever it was numb. Synth tried to put those negative thought aside, and concentrated on sleep.
------------

Synth was standing in an open field. All around him, blue and yellow flowers were bathing in the sunshine. The wind blew and they rustled together, making soft noises. Synth turned around when he heard a hoofstep. Fluttershy was there. She was carrying a basket that she placed on the ground.

“Um, hi Synth. Could you help me pick some flowers, I mean, if you’re not busy,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah… sure,” Synth said feeling weird about this. He couldn’t remember anything.

Synth picked the flowers the old fashion way, and started placing them in the basket. When the basket was about half filled, Synth looked towards the rest of the flowers. The wind was picking up, and they were moving in all directions. It was like the wind was coming from every side. Synth looked towards Fluttershy, and found her looking at the sky.

Synth looked up at the clouds that were forming. They didn’t look normal. Synth looked down at the flower basket, and found the picked flowers were being carried off in the wind. Soon, they were back to an empty basket. Synth’s eyes followed the flowers that were being carried away. They were being lifted into the sky. The wind was getting even stronger, and he felt it trying to push him.

Fluttershy was staying close to the ground as the clouds started spiraling. Synth looked up to at the flowers, and saw them spiraling into the center of the clouds. The clouds were changing colors now, and they were slightly tinted green. Synth grabbed the empty basket before it could be lifted away. He started taking steps away from the wind.

Fluttershy was also trying her best not to let the wind take her. She was inching away from the center, and slowly making her way to Synth. Synth kept his head down, until he heard his name being called. Synth turned to Fluttershy, who was leaving tracks in the ground as the wind pulled her in. Synth tried to reach out and help her, but his legs wouldn’t do what he said.

Synth looked down at his legs. There was a dark grey coating that was already halfway up his legs. He tried to squirm or break free, but it was too strong. Synth watched as Fluttershy was picked up by the wind and taken into the sky. She cried out his name as she disappeared into the eye of the storm. Synth up, and found the wind was starting to pick up dirt and grass. He could now see the directions and paths that the wind was traveling in. He was in the dead center of it all.

Synth felt the ground give way from under him. The grass he was standing on started to crack. The ground underneath him was lifted into the air. He looked up at the twisting clouds above as the grey coating covered his face. Synth tried to scream, but it wasn’t his voice he heard.

“There’s always quiet before a storm,” The voice said. Synth thought it sounded familiar, but his breathing was suddenly stopped.
------------

“Synth, wake up,” Fluttershy said.

Synth gasped, his mind doing circles. He looked around his room, and tried to calm his beating heart. He was starting to get used to waking up from dreams like that, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t any less frightened by what happened.

“Synth, did you have a bad dream?” Fluttershy asked. Synth took a deep breath before answering.

“Yeah, it was just a dream,” Synth said.

“Well it’s okay. Everything’s fine now,” Fluttershy said.

“I know, I know. I just need some time to think,” Synth said.

“Okay, take as long as you want. If you need to talk about it, I’d be happy to lend an ear,” Fluttershy said.

Synth nodded and laid his head back on the pillow. He took a few breaths to make sure everything was okay, and then thought about the dream. He couldn’t remember the exact details, but he knew for certain that it was telling him something. Dreams always had a knack for knowing the future.

Synth decided that he wouldn’t worry too much about it, and go about his day normally. The dream was probably nothing. He turned to Fluttershy who was waiting on the other bed. Synth sat back up and sighed.

“I’m okay now,” Synth said.

“Are you sure? It’s better to tell others about your problems,” Fluttershy said.

“No, really. I think I’ve just been in my house for too long. I’ll just go for a walk,” Synth said.

“Here, let me help you up,” Fluttershy said.

“That’s alright, I can do it,” Synth said.

Synth leaned over to get his hooves on the ground, but he didn’t notice that the covers were tangling his legs. Fluttershy reached to untangle them, but she was too late. Synth fell out of his bed, and the covers followed. Synth’s body didn’t hit the ground like he thought. He felt something cushion his fall. Although, he didn’t know what it was, because his head hit the floor. He was out like a light.
------------

Synth felt something warm next to his cheek, and opened his eyes to investigate. He saw yellow and pink covering his vision. Synth tried to move away, but he didn’t know if his legs were making any progress in that. Synth heard what sounded like a soft yelp. He turned his head in that direction, and found Fluttershy’s face. Her eyes were closed, but she was definitely not asleep.

Synth tried to roll away in the other direction, but he couldn’t get a good position with his legs. When he tried to move them, he couldn’t tell where they were. Synth tried using his magic, but he couldn’t tell how tangled his legs were. He also didn’t know where his legs were tangled. He decided to try one more time at rolling away.

Synth pushed off the ground, and managed to flip himself onto his back. He turned towards Fluttershy, Who was trying to get the sheets off of her. Synth used his magic to help her. He noticed that her face was a darker color than her hair. She managed to get herself free, and Synth turned his attention to his own hooves.

The sheets hadn’t only tangled them; they were being restrained by the multiple knots and layers. Synth sighed; it would take a while before he could untangle himself. He looked over to Fluttershy, for assistance. She was looking away from him, but she was walking towards him.

Fluttershy started using her teeth to pull away the tighter parts of the sheets. Synth was more afraid of ripping it, than he was of staying stuck. Synth did notice that Fluttershy wasn’t looking at him while she got his front hoof free. Synth tried to help with his magic, but he couldn’t get a hold on anything he could pull. The quiet during all of this made him feel uncomfortable, so he broke that silence.

“Sorry about that, I always forget to check my hooves,” Synth said.

“I-It’s… alright,” Fluttershy said.

Synth noticed a wavering in her voice, but he didn’t know if he just imagined it. She was always shy, so it probably wasn’t important. Synth looked down to his front hoof. He managed to slip it out after Fluttershy undid another knot. Synth smiled as he moved the hoof around freely now. He didn’t feel any better, and the situation didn’t get any better, but at least he knew there wasn’t anything wrong with his limbs.

“That’s one, three to go,” Synth said.

Fluttershy didn’t respond as she worked on another knot. Synth used his free hoof to prod around his back hooves, but he didn’t feel anything. Synth saw his other hoof slip out from the tangles. Fluttershy started working on his back hooves. Synth moved his other hoof, and found it to still be numb. He couldn’t tell if anything bad happened to them while they were being strangled by the fabric.

“Thanks for helping, I don’t think I could’ve gotten out by myself,” Synth said.

Fluttershy didn’t respond as she undid another knot. She was getting faster at the knots, Synth noticed. Fluttershy went straight to the last knot on Synth’s back left leg. Synth looked back to the bed and where he’d fallen off from. There was an indent on the floor where his horn hit the ground. Aside from the entanglement, he felt that nothing too bad happened.

Fluttershy pulled one last time on the knot, and Synth saw the sheets get pulled away from his legs. He rolled onto his stomach, and tried to stand up. Synth felt his back left leg painfully fail. He kept his mouth shut as he winced. He wasn’t expecting to feel any pain. Synth felt around his back leg, and tried to find out what the problem was. He noticed that it was back to its normal color.

Synth felt the pain in his leg disappear. He watched as his leg turned back into a faded green color. Synth tried putting pressure on it, but his leg felt completely numb again. Synth looked up to Fluttershy, and she looked away from his leg.

“A-Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, still not looking at his eyes.

“Yeah, I just felt a little something for a second. I’ll be okay now, thanks to you,” Synth said.

“I couldn’t just leave you there, you could have been hurt,” Fluttershy said.

“I didn’t feel anything actually, but still, thanks,” Synth said.

Synth looked back to the sheets. They weren’t ripped or damaged, so he was glad about that. Synth remade the bed, and stood back to admire his work. It looked worse than what Vera would do, but it was okay for him. It didn’t need to be perfect.

Synth looked back, and found Fluttershy was gone. Synth walked downstairs, wondering where she could have gone. He found her in the kitchen, staring into his fridge. Synth didn’t say anything, and stood outside of the room. He waited while the air in the fridge started to enter the other rooms. He decided that if he didn’t do anything, he might be sent back into the ice age. Synth coughed when he entered the kitchen. Fluttershy closed the fridge and turned to look at him.

“Getting ready to raid my fridge?” Synth asked.

“Oh no, I-I didn’t mean f-for it to look like that, I-,” Fluttershy said nervously.

“It’s just a joke, don’t worry,” Synth said.

“Oh, okay…,” Fluttershy said.

The room suddenly became quiet. Synth didn’t know what to say. He didn’t like awkward silences, but he also didn’t like breaking those silences. Synth started whistling, he tried to back out of the room, but Fluttershy spoke up.

“I should really get going. Angel’s probably starving. I forgot to feed him,” Fluttershy said.

“Okay, thanks for stopping by. Hope you can come by again. It’s really boring here when you’re alone,” Synth said.

Fluttershy nodded and walked to the door. She opened the door, and left without another word. Synth closed the door behind her, and turned towards his living room. Synth was getting ready to sprawl out on the couch and go back to sleep, but his head was throbbing again. He felt a little lightheaded, but shrugged it off. It was still morning, after all.

‘You need some fresh air,’ Shade said.

‘Yesterday wasn’t enough?’ Synth asked.

‘No, you need a walk. Like old times,’ Shade said.

‘Well, I can’t just leave, doctor’s orders, remember?’ Synth said.

‘It’s like six in the morning, nopony’s going to see you,’ Shade said.

‘That’s a good idea, I’ll be back before anyone’s awake,’ Synth said.

Synth went back to the door, and opened it. He sniffed the morning air. Morning dew was still on the grass. He stepped out, making sure to close the door. Synth walked to the back of the house first, to check on his little garden. He checked to make sure none of the flowers were harmed by the storm. Other than the Chillroot, they looked okay. The Chillroot was limped, Synth knew because the temperature was off.

Synth walked over to where the hammocks were. They were still there, but the tree that held one end of his hammock was charred. The lightning was obviously to blame, but felt a little weird seeing the burnt tree. Synth looked at Fluttershy’s hammock, but it was fine. He looked beneath the hammock, and his eyes landed on the basket underneath. The flowers inside were gone, but the basket was turned on its side.

Synth levitated the basket over, and saw a note on the underside. Synth looked at the mostly dry note. It had a water stain, but other than that, it was still dry.
I Don’t Mind the Rain

Synth took the note off the basket, and walked back to his house. He entered and put the basket on the table, to give to Fluttershy later. The note he put on his increasing size of letters and papers. When he finished, he walked back outside.

Synth went towards the streets. He followed the street in one direction, and looked towards the sky as he walked. The clouds were still out, but there wasn’t any water left in them. The sun was out of view, and there was a slight chill in the air. Synth thought about the note while he walked. It was puzzling, but it didn’t sound too frightening. If someone was trying to intimidate him, they were going about it the wrong way.

The note was on Fluttershy’s basket, so Synth didn’t know if it was even for him. So Synth took his mind off of it and walked peacefully. His legs weren’t burning, and he thanked the cold air for that. He was glad that winter was almost here. He didn’t find anything wrong with winter, it was a nice season.

Synth felt his head throb again, he was thinking about getting it checked at the hospital, but decided against it. He wanted to enjoy this walk. His legs made him feel like he wasn’t going to be walking like this again anytime soon. Synth hummed a tune while he walked the streets. He stopped to look in a few windows, but he didn’t think anyone was up. That storm did some damage though, some trees were missing from where he thought he remembered them.

Synth passed by a familiar looking building, and he did a double-take. The Biodome looked like it was finished. Synth would have been glad to see it, but there were major holes it it’s exterior. Tree trunks could be seen protruding from the walls. The door had been shattered by a large rock. Synth didn’t know if they were finished or not, but there needed to be some major work now.

Synth yawned, he was feeling tired. Even though he’d been sleeping all day these past days, he wanted to get some sleep. Synth made a path for home, by picking a random direction and walking. He made it back about an hour later, and walked inside. He heard shuffling upstairs, and realized Vera was back. Synth hadn’t seen anyone during his walk, and he was surprised that Vera had come home this early.

“Synth, is that you?” Vera called from upstairs.

“Yeah, I just went out for a little walk, I’m here now,” Synth said.

“Oh, good, you weren’t too bored while I was gone, were you?” Vera asked.

“No, I had some company,” Synth said.

“That was some storm last night; did they make it home alright?” Vera asked.

“Fluttershy stayed the night, she left a little while ago,” Synth said.

“I did see her on my way over here, she looked like she just got out of bed,” Vera said.

“Well she left like at six, it makes sense,” Synth said.

Vera came down from upstairs, and Synth started his adventure up the stairs.

“You don’t look so good either,” Vera said.

“Heh, like I care what I look like,” Synth said.

“Fluttershy’s mane looked like that,” Vera said.

“Well, a bed sure gives you a makeover in the morning,” Synth said from the top of the stairs.

“Who’s bed did she sleep in? I don’t remember if I made my bed yesterday,” Vera said.

“She slept in mine, I wanted to be a good house guest,” Synth said.

“I’m glad I wasn’t home yesterday,” Vera said, leaving the house before Synth could respond.

‘I think you might have given her the wrong idea,’ Shade said.

‘You think?’ Synth said before walking to his bed.

Synth fell asleep before another comment from Shade could come up.
-----------------------------------------
Author’s Notes:
So I finished in about three days, but I forgot to give it to my Editor. ( I still blame my Editor, though.)
I’m still having too much fun in writing this, so don’t expect an ending any time soon.
Next Time: Bridal Gossip, “The answers lie neither in the past nor the future, because gifts are given in the present.” – (Some random quote I remember. It went something like this, anyway.)

Remedy

Remedy

“This is very problematic,” The doctor said.

“Just tell it to me straight, doc,” Synth said.

“You’re not gonna make it,” The doctor said shaking his head.

“Isn’t there any way?” Synth asked looking down.

“No, you’re out of options. It was a good life, but you just weren’t cut out for it,” The doctor said.

“Maybe next time you won’t get so many foals,” Pinkie said.

“And I thought I did so well…” Synth said.

The door opened and the trio turned towards the guest. Twilight looked at them on the floor with a confused expression. The three of them looked at each other before looking back at the board. Pinkie spoke up.

“We’re about to start another round, wanna play?” Pinkie asked.

“Um, play what?” Twilight asked.

“Life, it’s a board game,” Synth said putting the game pieces back in place.

“I’m okay with my life the way it is, thank you,” Twilight said.

“Are you sure you don’t want foals? You might get a lot of them like Synth here,” Pinkie said.

“That didn’t do much for me in the end, though,” Synth said.

“Cheer up, at least you didn’t break your legs,” The doctor said.

“Or both your arms,” Pinkie said.

“Yeah, sure I didn’t,” Synth said.

“I’m not sure I follow,” Twilight said.

“Never mind, I should really get going. The nurses get nervous without a doctor around,” The doctor said.

“Come back tomorrow, maybe we could play Candyland,” Pinkie said.

“Sure, I’ll do that,” The doctor said.

The doctor grabbed his bags and left through the door. Twilight walked further into the house, still full of questions. She took a seat next to Pinkie while Synth finished resetting the board.

“So, what was the doctor doing here?” Twilight asked.

“He came to check up on me,” Synth said.

“So, are you feeling any better?” Twilight asked.

“Nope, I can’t feel anything, really. But he says that it looks like I’ll be fine,” Synth said.

“How long did he say you’ll be like this?” Twilight asked.

“He doesn’t know, he says it’s probably something to do with me moving towns. I might have caught something when I moved here,” Synth said.

“Can we start, now? I want to get rich,” Pinkie said.

“You sure you don’t want to play? It’s more fun with more than two ponies,” Synth said to Twilight.

“Oh, all right. I can play for a minute or two,” Twilight said.

“Ok, pick your pony,” Synth said.

“I’ll be purple,” Twilight said levitating the purple chariot next to the other green and pink chariot.

“Great! Let the game begin!” Pinkie said.

Pinkie spun the spinner and the three of them watched as it went in circles.
------------

“Not a 6…” Pinkie said.

She spun the spinner faster than Synth had seen before. When it finally slowed, it went slowly towards the six. Pinkie’s smile lessened, but it was still larger than life. She handed over ten grand to Synth. He smiled and waited for Pinkie to move her chariot.

“You really made a good choice to buy that stock,” Twilight said.

“Well, I always land on six, so I thought I might as well,” Synth said.

“It’s that luck of yours. But I say that luck is just about to run out,” Pinkie said.

Synth spun the spinner and waited. It landed on yet another six. Synth moved the chariot to the spot, and he looked at the space he landed on. It was the marriage space. Synth added his spouse and spun again. He spun a four. He opted out of the space and waited.

“There’s no way I’m going to lose,” Synth said.

“You know, sometimes I wonder if you’re cheating,” Pinkie said.

“How would you cheat in this game?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know, but if you can cheat death, you can cheat at life,” Pinkie said.

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Synth said.

Twilight took her spin, and managed to catch up to Synth. She got married, and spun a two. Retirement was a few spins away and Synth was in the lead. He was better off in almost every way. Although he was down in money because he bought the stock, he was quickly gaining it back. Pinkie was leading in cash.

‘If only you were this good in real life,’ Shade said.

“I’ve got some things going for me,” Synth said.

‘Not enough if you ask me,’ Shade asked.

“No one asked,” Synth said.

“Um, what?” Twilight asked.

Synth looked up at the two staring at him.

“Uh, never mind, just talking to myself,” Synth said.

“Oh I get it, Twilight does that all the time,” Pinkie said.

“Only when I’m reading…” Twilight said.

“So, where were we?” Synth asked.

“It’s Pinkie’s turn,” Twilight said.

“Here I go, I’ll be retired before you know it,” Pinkie said.

Pinkie spun the spinner and it landed on a five. Synth was sad that he didn’t get paid. He was sure if they landed on a six again, he’d win for sure.

‘You’re getting really into this,’ Shade said.

‘I’m just trying to get my mind off things,’ Synth said.

‘Shouldn’t you be doing something more productive?’ Shade asked.

“I’m good,” Synth said.

“It’s not optional, you have to spin,” Twilight said.

“You’re so close to the end, why wouldn’t you want to spin?” Pinkie asked.

“Uh, I guess I will spin,” Synth said, rubbing his neck.

‘You shouldn’t talk to yourself…’ Shade said.

‘Right…’ Synth said.

Synth spun the spinner and landed on a ten. He passed by Pinkie and stopped two spaces in front of her. Retirement was only a few spaces ahead. Twilight spun next, and landed on a 7. Synth once again felt his hopes rise only to have them fall. He felt like the spinner was trolling him when it stalled over the six for a second.

‘Maybe Karma is trolling you,’ Shade said.

‘I wouldn’t doubt it, she’s had something against me since day one,’ Synth said.

Synth heard Shade chuckle, and he was surprised for a second. He didn’t think he’d be able to share a joke with him. It was like getting a baby to stop throwing a fit and start laughing. Synth was too busy being shocked; he didn’t hear the other two trying to get his attention. His mind went back into focus when Twilight tapped his forehead.

“Hello? It’s your turn,” Twilight said.

“Oh sorry, I was just thinking about something,” Synth said.

“Wow, Twilight does that too, are you sure you’re not her brother or something?” Pinkie asked.

“Um, I’m green, does that answer your question?” Synth said.

“Besides, my only brother lives in Canterlot, and I don’t think he acts like me at all,” Twilight said.

“Then let’s get back to the game,” Pinkie said.

Synth looked down at the board and noticed Pinkie had reached retirement. She had spun a ten and beat him to the end. Synth spun the spinner and waited. It slowly passed the seven, and lay to rest on the eight. Synth grinned, he had also retired.

“Well, that just leaves me,” Twilight said.

“You can do it, you’re only twelve spaces away,” Pinkie said.

Twilight spun the spinner and landed on another seven. Synth frowned, he was so close… Twilight bought a house and then spun the spinner again. It was going slowly around, and inched it’s way to the six. It stopped just short of it, and Twilight had to respin because it landed on the line. She spun it faster, and it went around and around. It started to slow down, and Synth’s hopes rose. It was passing by the same numbers again. It went over the five, and landed in the center of the six.

‘Checkmate,’ Synth said.

‘This isn’t chess,’ Shade said.

‘Shut up,’ Synth said.

“Oh, shoot. Well here you go Synth, don’t spend it all in one place,” Twilight said.

Synth added the ten grand to the rest of his pile, and waited while Twilight went into retirement. They added up their life cards and tallied the numbers in their heads. Pinkie pulled out a notepad and wrote her number down. Twilight and Synth exchanged numbers, and Synth was beating her by 50 thousand. Pinkie was beating Twilight by 45 thousand, so Synth won.

“Oh darn, I thought I had you beat there,” Pinkie said.

“That was a close match, maybe next time Pinkie,” Synth said.

“This was fun, but I have to go now,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, me too. Let’s play again later, Synth,” Pinkie said.

“Sure, I guess I could use some fresh air now,” Synth said picking up the board.

“I thought you were supposed to stay inside,” Twilight said.

“Doc said as long as I don’t do anything dumb, I should be okay walking around town,” Synth said.

“Remember, if you feel off-balance, get back home,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, yeah I know. But I can walk just fine. You’re starting to sound like Fluttershy,” Synth said.

“Okay then, I’ll get going. Spike wanted to show me something in the library,” Twilight said.

Pinkie and Twilight walked out of the house. Synth picked up his game board and placed on one of the empty shelves. It was another get well present from Pinkie. Synth was glad to use it today, he was going crazy with the amount of time he’d spent alone. Vera didn’t really count because she would usually go out and do her own things.

Vera probably knew more of the town than Synth did. Synth wasn’t surprised though, he could barely get around town without getting lost, and remembering faces wasn’t easy either. Sometimes he wondered if he saw the same face more than once at a time. Synth was ready to go out and enjoy some more fresh air. The last time he’d gone outside, was when Fluttershy came over. That was days ago, and it was raining.

‘Let’s go, I almost fell asleep watching you play another board game,’ Shade said.

‘And here I thought you liked board games,’ Synth said.

‘Not all of them, I have my preferences,’ Shade said.

‘I know a game; a trip to the Everfree Forest,’ Synth asked.

‘I don’t think even you’d be dumb enough to think of that as a game. Much less a board game,’ Shade said.

‘Yeah well, It’s better than thinking of it as a suicide run. I haven’t talked to Steven in a while, and I told him I’d see him again. Now’s a good a time as any,’ Synth said.

‘Okay, if we die, it’s not my fault... Lead the way,’ Shade said.

‘I don’t plan on dying today,’ Synth said.
-------------

“Was the path always this color?” Synth asked.

‘You just noticed the path changed colors? Gee I wonder what that could mean,’ Shade said.

“This is a path, isn’t it?” Synth asked.

‘Sure it is, continue leading,’ Shade said.

Synth brushed away leaves from his face while he continued walking. He walked another few feet before a bug made it into his mouth. After some coughing, he managed to get the bug out. The blue and black bug crawled onto a tree and disappeared. Synth became more cautious around the trees. Synth knew which plants were poisonous, but the bugs all looked the same to him. Synth felt something crawl onto his spine, and stood as still as a statue.

The bug’s six legs made their ways onto Synth’s head, and Synth held his breath. The beetle crawled down the side of his neck, and down his legs. It was about the size of his nose, and was the color of half the rainbow. The beetle skittered into the underbrush and Synth breathed out the air he was holding. Synth continued his trek a little faster than before.

‘Scared of bugs, are we?’ Shade asked.

“Not all of them… just the more colorful ones, you know that,” Synth said.

‘I know, but it’s still good to hear you admit it,’ Shade said.

“You like to see me suffer, don’t you?” Synth asked.

‘Pretty much, there’s not much else for me to do,’ Shade said.

“Do you want to walk? My legs are burning up here,” Synth said.

‘Pass, I’m feeling great in here,’ Shade said.

“You’re useless, you know that?” Synth asked.

‘Yeah, yeah…. Just keep walking,’ Shade said.

Synth ducked under a low branch and poked his head into a clearing. The trees surrounding the clearing were now stumps. The vines were gone and there was a stream on the edge with a mist hovering above. The grass was lighter near the center, but the air was also clean and fresh. Synth forgot the smells and sounds of the forest as he walked into the center of the clearing. He looked up to find the few clouds in the sky were moving slowly towards the sun.

Synth heard a splash in the river, and turned towards it. The mist above the river was gone. The sounds of the forest came back to him, and he heard birds chirping. Synth looked down towards a few crickets that were jumping away. Synth followed a blur move from one bush to the other. It stopped and jumped out to get a good look at him. It was a brown rabbit that sniffed the air in his direction.

Synth was going to react to this change in the forest, until he heard the splashing sound in the river again. Synth turned towards it, and the mist was back. It was thick now, and almost covered the entire river. Synth realized there was a silhouette of a figure standing in the middle of the mist. The figure was slowly making its way towards him, and Synth could make out the outline of a pony shape with a horn.

Synth felt the air around him get more humid. His eyesight was slightly blurred, but it was due mostly to the mist around him. The figure stopped at the edge of the thick mist. He was looking straight at Synth. Synth decided to communicate with whoever was this deep into the forest.

“Um, hello?” Synth asked.

“Synth, is that you?” The voice asked coming out of the mist. Synth could now see more familiar features in the shape of the pony.

“Nova?” Synth asked, recognizing the voice as well.

“Yeah, it’s good to see you,” Nova said getting closer to Synth.

Synth saw Nova’s face and the way he held himself. He couldn’t believe he’d see Nova so soon. It wasn’t that long ago that they said goodbye.

“What are you doing here? This forest doesn’t have the best reputation,” Synth said.

“I was looking around Ponyville, when I stumbled onto the forest. I decided that I wanted to settle down here. The city life isn’t for me anymore,” Nova said.

“It’s an odd place to pick, but okay. As long as you remember that this place isn’t very safe,” Synth said.

“It doesn’t look very dangerous, and besides, I can handle myself,” Nova said.

“I’m sure you can,” Synth said.

“But what are you doing here? You just said this place isn’t very safe….” Nova said.

“I was coming to visit a friend,” Synth said.

“Oh, you know Zecora? Funny, she said I was the first one who would talk with her,” Nova said.

“Zecora? No, I was visiting Steven,” Synth said.

“Really? Well what does he look like? I’d like to know my neighbors,” Nova said.

“He’s a Sea Serpent, but he’s a nice guy. He should live along this river somewhere,” Synth said.

“Cool, I’ll go say hi. First though, I was going to ask Zecora something, want to come?” Nova asked.

“Sure, but remember, I’m not that good with meeting new people, so you should do all the talking,” Synth said.

“I’m alright with that, she’s just down this road,” Nova said.

Synth looked to where Nova was pointing. There was path in the trees he didn’t see before. The dirt on the road was peeking out from the grass that spread over it. Synth and Nova started walking towards the path. It was just large enough for Synth to get by without ducking. Nova led the way, and Synth took the opportunity to pay more attention to everything around him. Synth realized it was a lot easier to think when you’re not lost.

“Oh, there’s something I wanted to give you,” Nova said.

“Really, what is it?” Synth asked.

“You’ll see. I wanted to give it to you in town, but I couldn’t find you… Ah here it is,” Nova said.

Nova pulled out an envelope with Synth’s name on it. It had a red lining on the edges, and it smelled like apples. Synth took the envelope and stopped to look it over. It was a little strange, and it was smaller than most envelopes. Synth started opening it, Nova walked behind him to look over his shoulder.

“Getting lost isn’t a good trait to have, but no one is perfect,” Synth heard Nova say from behind him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Synth asked.

Synth opened one side of the envelope and took out the contents. Inside were two strips of paper. One looked like it was torn from another piece and the other looked like it was clean cut. The torn piece was faded, but he could make out most of the words. Synth guessed what the first word was, but the rest read:
Konlont Remedy
Cheyenne Power
Chillroot Petal x3
Salt 5g
Cold Water
Phoenix Feather
(Ingest)

Synth raised an eyebrow and read the other paper:
Get Well Soon

“What are these supposed to mean?” Synth asked.

Synth turned around to face Nova. Synth was staring at a tree. The path that he’d been following was gone. Nova was nowhere to be seen. Synth blinked a few times before doing another 180. He was looking at the outside of a hut. Synth continued to look around, but there was no sight of Nova or the path he took to get there. Synth felt his head doing circles. He finally stopped his turning and looked at the hut in front of him.

‘I’m as confused as you are…’ Shade said.

‘What the fuck just happened?’ Synth asked, his composure still not under control.

‘I don’t know… and I don’t think I want to know,’ Shade said.

‘Well, this isn’t exactly where I wanted to be, but oh well,’ Synth said.

Synth made sure the path was still gone before walking up to the hut. He knocked three times and waited. Inside, he heard some mumbling and rummaging. The door opened a few seconds later, and Synth looked at the black and white striped figure in front of him.

“Isn’t this a surprise, a pony before my eyes,” Zecora said.

“Uh, hey. I was walking by and a friend told me to come see you,” Synth said.

“And what friend do you mean? Ponies do not like me being seen,” Zecora said.

“Well… I thought it was my friend. He kind of… disappeared a few moments ago,” Synth said.

“Ah, tis the forest’s façade, to move the path aside. When you’re lost in the grove, that’s when the predators make their move,” Zecora said.

“Well the forest kind of led me here…” Synth said.

“It is hard to understand the forest’s intent, the forest has a way of being consistent?” Zecora said.

“I don’t know, but my “Friend” did tell me to talk to you,” Synth said.

“Come inside if you like, you must have had quite the hike,” Zecora said.

“Yeah, I have. My name’s Synth, nice to meet you,” Synth asked.

“The feeling is mutual, as you do not react like many a fool,” Zecora said.

Synth entered the hut and followed Zecora to the sofa. He sat down, and his burning and itching legs were grateful. Synth scratched them and the burning went down more. He looked up to Zecora studying him.

“Um, is there something wrong?” Synth asked.

“Why are you scratching?, is there something you might be catching?” Zecora asked.

“It’s just something that’s been wrong with me. The Doctor couldn’t figure it out, but I’ve learned to deal with it,” Synth said.

“That may be true, but perhaps I could cure you,” Zecora said.

“Really? Well, I guess you can give it a try; if there are any questions about symptoms you want me to answer, I can give it my best to describe them,” Synth said.

“What else do you feel with this illness? Is there any pain or weakness?” Zecora asked.

“It burns too, but everything else is too numb to feel anything,” Synth said.

“For how long has this been occurring, the itching and the burning?” Zecora asked.

“Almost two weeks now, it’s only been getting worse,” Synth said.

“How so? How far does the illness go?” Zecora asked.

“It was only on my hooves at first, but then it spread to the rest of my body. Now I can’t feel anything under my neck,” Synth said.

“Your color must be a sign of your predicament, the illness seems to change your pigment,” Zecora said.

“That doesn’t really worry me, I just don’t know what’s making me like this,” Synth said.

“I may have something for your burning, but do not itch, no matter the yearning,” Zecora said.

“You sound like you know how to deal with this, why is that?” Synth asked.

“This illness has effects not unlike my home country’s medicine. It may be farfetched, but you have been introduced to Karilent,” Zecora said.

“Karilent, what’s that?” Synth asked.

“It is a medicine in my village. It is used for poisons and old age,” Zecora said.

“How is this- Wait, old age?” Synth asked raising an eyebrow.

“It is an anesthetic, with a strong kick,” Zecora said.

“Anesthetic, I thought those were supposed to help you.” Synth asked.

“Only when used correctly, otherwise it damages your body directly,” Zecora said.

“So, am I sick or not?” Synth asked.

“You should not be standing, for the effects to already be branding,” Zecora said.

“Is there a way to get rid of the effects?” Synth asked.

“I’m afraid I cannot assist you there, the answer will not be found here. The cure I possess, yet in my homeland it rests,” Zecora said.

Synth lowered his head slightly. His eyes landed on the letter that had fallen out of his bag. He picked it up and opened it again. Synth slid the torn paper out and read the contents. He read the first word again. Suddenly he knew what the first word said.

“Wait, is this the cure you were looking for?” Synth asked, hopefully.

Synth handed over the note, and Zecora looked it over. She quickly smiled before handing it back.

“Yes, the cure is correct. But why would you have knowledge on the subject,” Zecora asked.

“My “Friend” gave it to me,” Synth said.

“Well has your friend given you a feather too? That is all that lacks for this brew,” Zecora said.

“No, sorry. Should I go out and get a feather? It wouldn’t take too long,” Synth said.

“That would be certainly be most excellent, In the meantime I have something to help you in your predicament,” Zecora said.

Zecora slid a bottle off the shelf. It was a light blue bottle with a string attached. Zecora added the bottle and a heat pack into Synth’s bag. She looked over him again before letting him get up.

“What’s with the heat pack?” Synth asked.

“It is to comfort your body. The potion will act as a temporary remedy. It will not last long, and your body will freeze because the potion is also strong. Use the heat pack on your neck after you drink, so that the pain will shrink,” Zecora said.

“Oh, so how long does it last?” Synth asked.

“A few minutes at most, do not drink it unless you are about to roast,” Zecora said.

“Okay, I got it, last resort. So how big does the feather have to be?” Synth asked.

“It is the feather of a phoenix; any size will do the trick. Although for your sake, the largest you should take,” Zecora said.

“Alright, I’ll see you after I find a phoenix and convince it to give me its feather,” Synth said standing up.

“I shall leave you to your quest, my own duties involve a long rest,” Zecora said.

Synth opened the door and stepped out. The forest invited him back into the darkness. Synth shut the door behind him and looked in every direction. Where the hell was he going to find a phoenix? Synth chose a direction that looked like the way he came from, and started walking.

‘She acted a little weird, don’t you think?’ Shade asked.

‘I don’t think you’re one to talk,’ Synth said.

‘No, she acted like there was something she wanted to tell you. It was weird,’ Shade said.

‘You’re just being paranoid, now help me find a phoenix before it gets dark,’ Synth said.

‘You always have to do everything by yourself, why didn’t you ask her to come help?’ Shade asked.

‘I think she’s done enough already for me. Give her a break, she’s offering to help without anything in return,’ Synth said.

‘I don’t trust her, she seems dangerous,’ Shade said.

‘Yeah, yeah… keep your eyes out for a phoenix,’ Synth said.

Synth walked between two trees and had to duck underneath the branches. He looked up at two more trees that looked like the ones he just passed. Synth ducked again and looked up to find the same trees again. Synth turned around, and instead of the trees he just passed, there was a large tree there. Synth looked past the tree at the rocks that were surrounding it.

Synth turned left and weaved his way through the trees. It wasn’t as dense as before, but he couldn’t see very far ahead. There were trees as far as he could see. Synth continued walking; the vines hanging off a few of the trees scraped his face. Synth rubbed his eyes, and looked back up. He was looking at a river that appeared out of nowhere.

Synth saw movement at the edge of the river. Synth looked down to what looked like a pink featherless bird. It was walking along the edge and passed by Synth without stopping to acknowledge him. The bird walked into a bush and Synth lost sight of it.

‘Well that was weird,’ Shade said.

‘Today just get weirder and weirder,’ Synth said.

Synth looked up to the rushing river. Its current pulled fish and plants further into the forest. The water was clear enough for Synth to see that the bottom was covered in sharp rocks. The trees above shaded Synth from the sun, but Synth could see well enough. The other side of the river was another road. Synth took a step closer and moved his hoof over the river.

‘What are you doing?’ Shade asked.

‘I’m going to cross the river,’ Synth said.

‘You don’t even know if there’s a phoenix on the other side. Let’s look on this side,’ Shade said.

‘I have no idea where I could find a phoenix, but my gut is telling me it’s on the other side,’ Shade said.

‘Let’s go back and ask for some tips, I don’t want to be out here all day,’ Shade said.

Synth turned around towards where he came from. The trees that were there previously were gone. Instead, Synth was look at the giant tree from earlier. Synth looked in every direction, but nothing looked familiar other than the tree. Synth turned towards the river, and was glad it was still there. He sighed and gave the river another look.

‘What are you waiting for? Let’s go back,’ Shade said.

‘Something tells me this forest doesn’t want me going back,’ Synth said.

‘Then how are we supposed to find a phoenix?’ Shade asked.

‘I’m feeling lucky,’ Synth said.

Synth jumped into the river. The current immediately sent him under the water. Synth lifted his head up enough so that he could breathe properly. His body was being pushed by the current. Synth tried to take steps, but the rocks at the bottom gave him caution. Synth pushed himself forward once. The water immediately pushed him further down the river. The other side of the river was getting closer, and so was a waterfall he could see further down the river.

Synth tried to push himself more, but his hooves couldn’t get a good position to stand in. The rocks were cutting into his flesh. The larger ones were stopping his legs. Synth looked back to the waterfall. It was getting closer, and Synth didn’t have much time. He looked near the waterfall, and found a tree limb sticking above the water.

Synth concentrated, and let his magic out. The branch grew in size and Synth managed to latch his teeth onto it. Synth swung himself over to the edge and landed with his legs half into the water. Synth dragged himself all the way onto shore and laid down to rest.

‘So much for lucky,’ Shade said.

‘Hey, I made it across, didn’t I?’ Synth said.

‘And you’ll have to go back when you find a phoenix,’ Shade said.

Synth stood up and knew something was off. He turned around and his eyes widened.

‘I wouldn’t worry about that,’ Synth said.

The river was gone. The only thing that remained was the tree limb that he’d grown. Any sort of path that Synth might have wanted was gone. The trees covered everything. Synth could see well enough to continue further into the forest. Synth passed by young and old trees. He could hear things, and he tried to ignore them. There were moans and creaks, but it was always faint.

Synth stopped when he heard a muffled scream. He turned towards the tree closest to him. It was young, and the bark was still thin. Synth heard something behind him and turned around. It was another young tree. Synth walked a little faster, and the sounds only got more frequent.

“Wait,” A voice said behind Synth.

Synth turned around slowly. His eyes widened when he saw the large tree. In the branches of the tree was the pink bird. Its featherless body was wet, and its eyes were looking at Synth.

“Hello?” Synth asked.

“Looks can be deceiving,” Synth heard.

The pink bird on top jumped off the rock and landed on the floor. He looked at Synth. His eyes looked into Synth’s and its body started to shake. Synth reached over to make sure he was okay, but the bird backed away.

‘What is that thing?’ Shade asked.

‘It looks familiar, but I can’t tell. He looks like he’s in pain right now,’ Synth said.

The bird looked at Synth, his eyes pleading something. Synth watched as his gaze landed onto the bags in Synth’s possession. Synth took off the bags and opened them for the bird to see. Synth watched as the bird walked up and pulled two of the Chillroot petals from his bag. The bird looked back up to Synth.

“You want a fire?” Synth asked, confused.

The Bird slowly nodded. Synth grabbed some branches from the ground and made sure they were dry. He brought them back and placed them atop each other for a campfire. Synth rubbed the petals fast enough for them to ignite. He threw them into the branches and watched as the small flame caught on the sticks.

Synth saw the bird get closer as the flames increased. Synth tried to warn the bird, but he wasn’t fast enough. The bird jumped into the fire and was engulfed instantly. Synth threw some dirt onto the fire, but it was too late. The sticks were half charred and the dirt covered the ashes of the fire. Synth didn’t know if he should walk away, or make a grave for the guy. His decision was made when the ashes started to move.

‘Zombie!’ Shade said.

The ashes rose and separated themselves from the dirt. The ashes formed themselves in the air and rose high above Synth. Synth watched as the ashes grew brighter and the sun landed on them. The ashes turned into a flash of light that made Synth cover his eyes. When he opened them, the figure of the bird returned. Synth’s vision became clearer. He could see what kind of bird it was now. It’s red and orange wings flapped as the bird lowered itself onto the ground. It raised his beak and looked at Synth.

‘Zombie Phoenix! Oh, wait…’ Shade said.

‘It’s just a phoenix,’ Synth said.

“If you don’t mind, could I have a feather?” Synth asked, hoping not have to use force.

The bird nodded poked his head into his wings. He pulled back a long orange feather that he handed to Synth. Synth tried to levitate it towards him, but nothing happened. Synth couldn’t feel anything in his horn, and he started to feel drowsy. Synth grabbed the feather with his mouth and placed it into his bag. He managed to get his bags back on without magic, although his nose scraped the ground. He spit dirt out of his mouth and then looked back at the bird. The bird cawed a few times and Synth stared at him.

“He says thank you,” Synth heard the tree say.

“For what?” Synth asked.

“His reincarnation,” The tree said.

“Well thanks for the feather, I guess we’re even,” Synth said to the phoenix.

The phoenix nodded before flapping his wings and flying away. Synth watched the fiery streak as the Phoenix left. Synth looked back at the tree. His mouth dropped when he saw the leaves falling. The bark of the tree was grey and it was starting to decay. The leaves were falling off exponentially. Synth watched as the tree limped and decayed.

“I thank you as well,” The tree said before Synth heard creaking.

“You’re welcome,” Synth said.

Synth’s eyes lowered as the tree bent over and fell atop empty space. The stump left behind was filled with rings. Synth walked over and tried to guess the age. He couldn’t keep track of the amounts of rings, and gave up. Instead, he walked back in the direction he came from. The forest suddenly seemed a lot darker.
------------

‘Are we there yet?’ Synth asked.

‘For the hundredth time, no. Stop asking,’ Shade said.

‘Are you lost?’ Synth asked.

‘No, this forest is just… random!’ Shade said.

‘Admit it, you’re lost,’ Synth said.

‘Well I wouldn’t be, if you didn’t take us in circles before I took over,’ Synth said.

‘Yeah well, you should have known I wouldn’t be able to get out. You’re always blaming me for getting lost, how do you like it?’ Synth asked.

‘Shut up, I’m trying to… focus,’ Shade said.

Shade tried to walk around a tree, and he scraped his side on the bark. There wasn’t any blood, but the cut looked deep.

‘Careful, if you couldn’t tell, you’re being really clumsy,’ Synth said.

‘Well sorry if the tree moved in my way. It’s his fault, not mine,’ Shade said.

‘What?’ Synth asked.

Shade stopped moving and his head swayed. Synth heard a crack as his body hit a tree. Synth felt himself getting back in control. He tried to stand up, but his legs were caught in the tree roots. Synth pulled it out without ripping off his leg. He stood up again, and he didn’t feel anything wrong.

‘Hey, you okay?’ Synth asked.

There wasn’t a response. Synth asked again but he heard nothing but the forest sounds. The silence was unbearable. The trees looked like they were watching him, and they were. The animal sounds he heard were distant, but they still made his skin crawl. The whistling of wind on the branches only added to his fear.

‘Well I guess I’m leading again,’ Synth said.

Synth took a step forward and tripped over the tree roots. His body slid forward and he hit his horn into a tree. The bark slid apart and Synth pulled his horn out. Synth picked himself up and made sure there wasn’t anything in front of his hooves. He shook off the fall and tried again.

Synth hadn’t gone far before he heard a howl closer than before. Synth walked a little faster and paid more attention to the tree around him. There was only a dark green and muddy brown everywhere he looked. The grass matched the leaves and the mud matched the barks of the trees.

‘Mud?’ Synth asked.

Synth looked around the mud he saw and followed a trail of it to a river. The light was shining off the water and brightening the forest. Synth felt his eyes adjust to the normal light and he walked over to drink. Walking did make you thirsty. Synth peered into the calm water and closed his eyes as he leaned in to drink. He felt the warm rocky sand as it entered his mouth.

‘Sand?’ Synth asked.

Synth opened his eyes and looked at the dirt he was eating. He spit out most of it, but grains of sand were still in his mouth. Synth waited for his eyes to adjust before looking around. There was no river, and the light level was low. Synth felt like an idiot for imagining it. Synth turned and continued ahead. Now the promise of water made him thirsty.

‘I forgot to bring water… darn,’ Synth said.

Synth heard the splash of liquid near him. He looked to his bag, and remembered the potion he brought. He could already feel his lips wet. Synth tried to take those thoughts away. It was for emergencies.

Synth felt his legs burn even more. Now that he was in control again, he remembered how much that had been bothering him. Synth looked back to the potion, his head thinking of reasons to drink it.

‘She did say to drink it if it was burning… close enough,’ Synth said.

Synth grabbed the bottle out of the bag and set it down on the floor. He used his hooves to keep the bottle steady as he took the cap off. He spit it out of his mouth and grabbed the bottle with his hooves. Synth felt the first few drops as it hit his tongue. The ice cold sensation mixed with the feeling of a liquid caused him to shiver.

Synth felt something. In his hooves, he felt a tingling. Synth put the bottle back in his bag and licked his lips. He suddenly had an itching feeling that he forgot something. He brushed it off, whatever it was, it couldn’t have been that important. Synth took a few steps forward as he started to feel his legs. The tingling sensation moved towards his torso, and then up to his neck. Synth felt like his body was really heavy all of a sudden.

It felt weird now that he wasn’t feeling numb anymore, but at the same time it made him feel new. He felt refreshed and ready to take on the forest. Synth took a step forward and he heard a sound. Synth turned around to find Timberwolves staring at him from the trees. Synth felt an icy chill run up his spine.

Synth felt the chill run through his legs and his throat. His vision turned blurry and he couldn’t hear the sounds of the Timberwolves growling. His legs collapsed and he couldn’t move his head. He fell onto the ground looking up. Synth couldn’t think of anything as his body once again went numb. Before his vision turned black, he saw the figure of Nova appear above him.
------------

Synth could hear something softly. It was a mumbling in his ear that he couldn’t make out. Synth tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were closed tight. He opened his mouth to speak and felt something liquid enter his mouth. It was warm and thick. The liquid went down his throat slowly. Synth almost choked from the lack of air. He tried to get up, move around, even cough, but nothing was working.

Synth licked his lips and tried to talk. The only thing that came out was a grunt. Synth could hear better now, as well as his eyelids starting to part. Synth heard the voice return, this time more clear than before.

“Ah, you are awake, I take?” Zecora asked.

“Yes,” Synth said feeling something tickle his throat.

“That is good news, you have had quite the snooze,” Zecora said.

“How long was I out?” Synth asked.

“You were sleeping soundly like a cat, but only for an hour and a half,” Zecora said.

“Wait… where did you find me?” Synth asked, his mind starting to catch up to itself.

“Why where else but the couch, you came inside as such a grouch,” Zecora said.

“But I passed out in the forest…” Synth said.

“You were inside the forest for minutes at most, then you returned with nothing, expecting a good host,” Zecora said.

Synth’s eyes widened and he looked to his bags. The image of the feather returned to him and he tried to bring the bag closer to him. Nothing happened, and Synth instinctively reached to his horn. He didn’t feel anything anywhere in his body. He suddenly felt light and his head shivered. Synth tried to reach his bags but they were leaning on the other side of the couch. It was too far out of reach.

“You seem different than earlier, by chance are you better?” Zecora asked.

“I found the feather you told me to get, it’s in my bag,” Synth said when he gave up reaching for the bag.

Zecora raised an eyebrow before reaching for the bag. She opened it and looked inside. She pulled out the feather Synth remembered. Synth was grateful it wasn’t actually all a dream. Zecora placed the feather into a pestle and mortar before turning back to Synth.

“I did not expect you to find a feather so quickly, perhaps I misjudged your personality,” Zecora said.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Synth asked curiously.

“You seemed too calm and accepting of me, most would question my appearance and then flee,” Zecora said.

“Well I’ve seen lots of zebras before, I don’t mind them,” Synth said.

“That would explain the acceptance, but why the calm trance?” Zecora asked.

“That’s news to me; I’m usually feeling stressed all the time. Like right now, I’m full of questions, and I’m confused,” Synth said.

“You have a special way of hiding those feelings. But may I ask what is it that you’re reminiscing?” Zecora asked.

“Well it felt like I was in the forest longer than what you said. I crossed rivers and went through trees, and you tell me I just came back and went to sleep? I remember passing out in the forest, and then the next thing I know I wake up here,” Synth said.

“Those are some troubling thoughts, indeed. I do not have the answers that you need,” Zecora said.

“I didn’t think you would… maybe I should sleep on it while you get the cure made,” Synth said.

“That is alright. I was going to head into town before night,” Zecora said.

“Why would you go into town?” Synth asked.

“There is something for your potion I need to search for. It only grows on the dirt floor.” Zecora said.

“Well why don’t you dig around here?” Synth asked.

“The area around here is tainted so the flower will not grow. But in town the dirt is fresh and fertile,” Zecora said.

“I see… do you know how to get to town from here?” Synth asked.

“Yes, this is a direct route, it leads you to the way out,” Zecora said.

“You sure know a lot about this forest,” Synth said.

“I will return before the rise of the moon. Rest for now, you will be cured soon,” Zecora said.

Zecora walked away and put a hood over herself. The brown didn’t go with her coat, but it did make Synth feel like he wasn’t the only one using hooded clothing. Synth was about to ask about the hood, but something stopped him. His head no longer felt light. It felt solid and heavy. He lowered his head and looked up to the ceiling. His eyelids slowly closed on themselves. His breathing was no longer forced, and his head was calm.

Synth let his head roll to the side as a chill crawled over him. It wasn’t a freezing chill, but it was inviting. The chill went to his entire body and ended at his throat. He felt a warm feeling in his body, except for his neck. The two temperatures caused Synth to stay awake. He couldn’t fully wake up, and he couldn’t go to sleep.

Synth felt time slowly tick by. His mind was clouded and he didn’t know what to think. His body was freezing and hot, and now he was bored. Or at least, he couldn’t tell if he was bored or not. He didn’t know what was what. Consciousness never left him and the seconds felt like hours. The hours felt like minutes and the minutes weren’t passing by fast enough.

It wasn’t until Synth heard the door slam that he had a thought. Why would she slam her door? And how long has it been since she left? Synth tried to open his eyes, but once again, he couldn’t. It was like he was too tired to do anything now. Synth could hear something, but he couldn’t make it out. He moved his head so he could hear it better. The voice was familiar, but the tone was anger.

Synth heard something hit the floor and something break. A book was being turned somewhere and a liquid was being spilled. A fire was being made, and the glow was showing through Synth’s eyelids. Synth moved his mouth and prepared a question.

“What’s going on?” Synth asked.

“I am preparing the brew, I am sure it will work its magic on you,” Zecora said.

“Okay, so how’d your trip go? Did the others get to know you?” Synth asked.

“No, it did not go as planned. Things got out of hand,” Zecora said.

“Did you see anyone that stood out than the others? Maybe it’s not the town I thought it was,” Synth said.

“On my return there were seven. Through the Poison Joke they ran in,” Zecora said.

“How did they look like? I might know them,” Synth said, grateful for the escape from boredom.

“There was a lavender and a yellow tan, as well as a orange and cyan. The others are a blur, but there were seven I’m sure,” Zecora said.

“Oh… them. I know them,” Synth said.

“Threaten me they’ll do, do they not tolerate zebras too?” Zecora asked, her voice growing softer.

“I’ve traveled a lot, they probably never met a zebra before. I’m sure if the town got to know you, you’d fit right in,” Synth said.

“Thank you for those words of cheer, but they are still driven by fear,” Zecora said.

“Once I’m all better, I’ll put in a good word for you,” Synth said.

“I will await their reaction, but until then I will work on this concoction,” Zecora said.

Synth heard even more metal sounds and beakers hitting each other. His thoughts drifted to the others. He didn’t know too much about them, but they wouldn’t threaten Zecora, would they? It wasn’t in their personalities to judge early, except for maybe Applejack or Rainbow Dash. But even they know when to ask questions first.

Synth heard the puff of smoke and a smell that itched his nose. Synth opened his eyes when the scent registered. It smelled like rotting flesh. Synth would have gagged, but he was sure he didn’t have anything to throw up. Instead, Synth watched as the vial full of the awful smelling substance came close to his mouth.

Synth reluctantly opened his mouth and let the liquid pour in. As soon as it rolled into his throat, Synth felt the effects. His head started to clear up and his taste buds worked full force. The liquid got stronger, but so did the effects. Synth felt the energy return to him. His ears twitched and his torso shivered.

“These effects are permanent, you will be fully cured in a moment,” Zecora said.

Synth didn’t respond as the potion reached his hooves. Synth rubbed them against each other and was glad for the feeling. He sat up on the couch and rested his head back. He breathed in the air again and his nose twitched. He felt something different. It was like he wasn’t done getting back his feeling. He felt a sharp pain in his hoof. He looked up to Zecora with a confused look.

“What is the problem? Do you not have feeling again?” Zecora asked.

“No, I have feeling alright… it’s just-,” Synth blacked out as his body leaned forward.
-----------

Zecora laid Synth back down on the couch, but she couldn’t help feeling worried about his condition. He was twitching and his mouth was mumbling words. The fever he had was at a steady 120 degrees Fahrenheit. She would be surprised if he survived. But what had her confused was that he hadn’t passed out normally.

Synth’s body hit the ground with no force at all. When Zecora tried to help him up, he stood up on his own. He shook his head and looked around like he was confused. Instead of getting back on the couch, he ran to the door. He didn’t get far before he fell and clutched his hooves. He rolled in pain before letting his head roll to the side. Only the faint breathing told her that he was still alive.

Zecora had waited a few seconds before inspecting him. She took his temperature and his pulse. Other than the high Temperature, he was perfectly normal. SO she put him on the couch and wet a towel. She placed the towel on his forehead and made some tea. She drank it sip by sip until the moon rose. Then she went into her bed and hoped that Synth would wake up in the morning.
------------

Feelings. Synth had them. He knew exactly what he was feeling. For the first time in a long time he wished he didn’t. All he could feel was pain. In every joint and every tendon there was pain. All he could imagine was that his body was being cut bit by bit. But it was also inside of his body. He couldn’t sleep. His eyes were open, but he was sure they were bloodshot. The dark room he was in was Zecora’s. Synth couldn’t scream from the pain, he couldn’t even breathe without feeling pain.

Synth could hear his breathing raspy and painful. Moving his mouth was out of the question, and he was getting thirsty. He didn’t know how long he was staring at the ceiling, and he just didn’t care. Morning would eventually come, and Zecora would give him something to ease the pain. Hopefully, that is.

Synth tried keeping his body still, but he could still feeling the stabbing and searing pain that was all over his body. When he first woke up, the pain was only in his lower torso and his legs. Now it reached his entire head. Synth could see something change in the room. He couldn’t tell what it was until it hit him. Literally. A white paw scraped his face.

Synth felt the wind was knocked out of him in that soft hit. The pain escalated further to the point Synth went blind for a second. When he felt the pain die down, he noticed the white figure on the side of his vision. Synth tried to turn to look at it, and as a result his neck was on fire.

‘Maybe you shouldn’t move…’ Shade said moving more into the center of Synth’s vision.

‘What’s going on?’ Synth was surprised that talking in his mind wasn’t using any kind of muscle at all, although his brain was throbbing erratically.

‘It’s probably a side-effect of something you drank. I told you not to trust her…’ Shade said.

‘It was the best chance I had. Besides, she probably didn’t know this would happen. It might not even be her fault,’ Synth said.

‘Sure it isn’t, and I’m not a talking bunny,’ Shade said.

‘About that… why?’ Synth asked.

‘Why what? Why am I a rabbit right now?’ Shade asked.

‘Yeah, care to explain?’ Synth asked.

‘Well You kept blacking out, and whenever you did I had to come out. So instead of switching back and forth…’ Shade said.

‘You let me take the pain… I hate you,’ Synth said.

‘Hey that kind of pain isn’t for a little rabbit,’ Shade said.

‘I’ll make sure to tell Zecora we’ll be having rabbit soup soon,’ Synth said.

‘Do I taste good? I guess I’ll be asking myself that for a while…’ Shade said.

‘Never mind that, how long will this go on?’ Synth asked.

‘If I remember right, it should end at sunrise,’ Shade said.

‘And when is that?’ Synth asked.

‘You’re asking me? I can’t even reach the window…’ Shade said.

‘You’re useless…’ Synth said.

The silence right after could have gone on for minutes, or hours. Synth had no way of knowing and nothing happened. Sometime during the silence, he felt a change. He could feel that his hooves were on something soft now. He could feel the couch cushions underneath them. Synth could slowly feel a wave of heat form over his lower body.

Synth moved his legs, and sure enough, he no longer felt the pain. He could feel the couch material underneath him. When he tried to move his head though, pain went through his neck. He used his forehooves to gauge how far up he could feel pain. After many failed attempts, he found it had stopped at about half way up his torso.

Synth waited again, and this time he was awarded by another sight. The sun had made its way through the window. The rays of light hit the rabbit in front of him. Shade looked down and awaited Synth’s movement. Synth wanted to stand up, but he could still feel the pain. He inwardly sighed and continued waiting.

Synth could hear somewhere in the room was a clock. It ticked away the seconds and left him impatient. Not only that, but the seconds didn’t feel like they were in intervals. He could hear a tick come a long time before another, and once he thought he heard two ticks repeatedly. He tried to get the sound out of his head, but it was all he could hear. Not even Shade’s breathing distracted him from the clock.

Synth was saved from his madness when he heard hoof steps nearby. The quiet receded and Synth was sure someone else was in the room. He heard Shade jump off the couch and something in the room cling with something else. Synth could hear mumbling and whispers coming from a place out of his vision. He tried to turn his head, and found that it budged without causing too much pain.

Synth rested his vision on Zecora who was looking down at Shade. She had an eyebrow raised, but that changed when she noticed Synth was watching. Her grim look turned into a smile and she rushed over to the couch.

“You have made it through the night, might I ask are you alright?” Zecora asked.

Synth opened his mouth to answer and realized his pain was gone. He didn’t notice as a wave of warmth went over him. He smiled when he moved his body and wasn’t in pain. He stood up and looked at his hooves, his smile getting smaller.

“Your smile tells a story, but your emotions make it blurry,” Zecora said.

“Oh, I’m alright. It’s just that… my hooves don’t look like it,” Synth said.

Synth showed her his hooves. Zecora nodded, and her smile disappeared.

“The night must have brought much suffering, but at least you are living,” Zecora said.

“Wait… you knew what I was going through at night? Why didn’t you help?” Synth asked, confused.

“Nothing I could do, except wait for morning too,” Zecora said.

“How did you know what would happen?” Synth asked.

“The potion I mixed up last night, it tries to make things right,” Zecora said.

“Wait… make things right? What does that mean?” Synth asked, confused on her choice of words.

“The anesthetic Karilent takes away, but an overdose lasts for many a day. When you are cured of this ailment, what it wants is past payment,” Zecora said.

“Let me get this straight… how much do I owe you?” Synth asked.

“No, you have yet to understand, come with me I have a book on the land,” Zecora said.

Synth followed Zecora into a separate room and waited while she looked for a book. When she pulled it out, Synth didn’t know what he was looking at. It was an old and dusty book with ancient scribbles and symbols on it. The words on the front were faded, but he managed to pick out Zebra in the middle of it.

“This book on my countries’ herbs, different from this countries’ I’m sure,” Zecora said.

“This looks really old, how long have you had it?” Synth asked, turning the cover over.

“It is a keepsake from my journey. How long, is a forgotten memory,” Zecora said.

“Well, where do I begin?” Synth asked.

“You should start here, the information is quite clear,” Zecora said.

Almost magically, Zecora turned the book to the right pages in one try. Synth’s jaw dropped when he saw the small text that covered the page. Pictures and notes were on the sides of the pages, as well as an alphabetical organization on the sides. Synth looked through the names, and found a handful of plants he remembered, while many others were a mystery. His eyes landed on Karilent halfway down the page.
Karilent

“ Yeah, that’s pretty clear. I bet you could read that since you were a filly. But ponies are a different story…” Synth said.

“These symbols are not hard to understand, here let me give you a hand,” Zecora said.

“No, that’s okay. Just give me a second. My old teacher taught me how to read these foreign languages… I’m just not that great at it,” Synth said.

While Synth wrote his translation on a sheet of paper beside the book, Zecora observed.

“Is your talent in foreign affairs? Because of this language, most are unaware,” Zecora said.

“No, that’s not it. It’s just helpful when I go to separate countries. I used to go with my colleagues and teacher to look for special plants. Now I’m all alone, although I’ll have to continue searching,” Synth said.

“Ah, then you are like me. I have crossed through the land and gone over the sea,” Zecora said.

“Well what where you after? You couldn’t have just decided to go one day,” Synth said.

“I was in search of a better place. My home was in a battle between its own race,” Zecora said.

“Oh, a Civil War? That’s harsh, did you all make it out okay,” Synth asked.

“We fared no better in the tough terrain, and our kind was not allowed onto any train,” Zecora said.

“That’s sounds pretty rough, how long has it been since then? Wouldn’t you want to get back to your family?” Synth asked.

“My family and I have long since parted, they moved back to the town where reconstruction has started,” Zecora said.

“Great, I’ve almost gotten it translated, anything else you want to tell me about yourself?” Synth asked.

“I have not much to tell, my life has been repetitive and well,” Zecora said.

“What about any friends, do they live around here?” Synth asked.

“Sadly that is something I lack, ponies would ignore me and turn their back,” Zecora said.

“That’s not very true, I’m here aren’t I?” Synth asked.

“It is as they say, a debt is paid in more than one way,” Zecora said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Synth asked.

“Your life has been saved, so your friendship you gave,” Zecora said, slightly less complicated.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t have even known you lived in these woods if I didn’t need to be cured. So I guess you have a point. Don’t worry, I’m sure if the town gets to know you, you’ll find a friend somewhere,” Synth said.

“I hope you are right, for I fear that I might cause a fight,” Zecora said.

“It can’t be that bad,” Synth said.

There was a loud thump as the door almost collapsed on itself. The both of them looked up and waited. There wasn’t another sound, so Zecora stood up to check it out. She went to the door, and curiosity got the better of Synth. He watched as the door opened to reveal a lump of yellow and red. Zecora dragged in the lump by its tail and shut the door.

Zecora looked to Synth in confusion, and Synth looked back. They waited until the lump moved and uncurled its body. The head poked out and Zecora examined the red marks and bruises. She took the slow moving body of the young filly and placed her on the couch. Synth finished his translation and stood up to see what was wrong.

“Is everything okay?” Synth asked.

“This young pony is scraped and bruised, but she will recover soon,” Zecora said.

“Who is she? I haven’t seen her before,” Synth said.

“I have something to help her heal, and it will give her less pain to feel,” Zecora said.

Synth watched as Zecora gave the young filly a liquid. Zecora let it slip down the young filly’s throat, and she reflexively swallowed. Synth waited for a few seconds as the young filly began to stir. Synth noticed that she couldn’t have been any older than Vera. And the bow in her hair looked good on her.

“Perhaps when she awakes, it is better if she sees a friendly face,” Zecora said.

Synth was going to object, but Zecora stepped out of the way as the filly’s eyelids opened. The filly was rubbing her head and mumbling but she hadn’t noticed him yet. Synth opened his mouth to speak and she was wide awake.

“Oh hello mister! Where am I?” She asked, looking around. Zecora must have left the room, because even Synth didn’t see her.

“You’re in good hands. Zecora found you outside so she helped you get better. You looked pretty bad, but your better now, right Zecora?” Synth asked, hoping she’d step out of wherever she was hiding.

“Did you say Zecora? You know Zecora?” She asked.

“Yeah, I just met her, and she’s pretty nice. My name’s Synth by the way,” Synth said.

“You’re Synth!? My sister told me all about you!” the filly said.

“Really, Who’s your sister?” Synth asked, oblivious to the accent.

“Why, it’s Applejack of course, she told me how you’re sick and that until you get better I should stay away. My name’s Applebloom and I’ve been waiting to meet you,” Applebloom said.

“I didn’t know Applejack had a sister, but I can see the resemblance. It’s okay, I’m not sick anymore. Zecora fixed me up,” Synth said.

“So where is Zecora? Ah want to meet her so I can figure out why every pony’s so afraid a her,” Applebloom said.

“She’s around here somewhere, she’ll come out eventually. Until then, why don’t you tell me why everypony’s afraid of Zecora?” Synth asked.

“They say she’s evil and does all this curse stuff. Pinkie made a song about it, want to hear it?” Applebloom said.

“I’m good, I’ll probably hear it when we go explain the problem to them,” Synth said.

“What problem? You mean about what happened to my sister and her friends?” Applebloom asked.

“No that’s…wait what problem?” Synth asked.

“I don’t know, you’re the one that was gonna do the explaining,” Applebloom said.

“Um… nevermind, let’s just go tell the others that Zecora doesn’t use curses and that she’s not evil,” Synth said.

“If it’s not a curse, then why do my sister’s friends look all silly?” Applebloom asked.

“What is this I hear? Do repeat that, dear,” Zecora said.

“Look who decided to show up,” Synth said turning to Zecora.

“I was going to remain quiet and await your departure, but those words fuel my curiosity you capture,” Zecora said.

“Zecora!” Applebloom jumped, and inched away.

“Do not be afraid, my dear. I mean no harm, is that clear?” Zecora asked.

Applebloom nodded her head, and Synth waited for what will happen next.

“Could you please explain the events of today, start with your friends and then coming this way,” Zecora said.

“Well, when I woke up, my sister was jumping on my head. She was so small, I almost didn’t see her. Then I took her to Twilight’s house and I saw the others. The all looked silly and Fluttershy had this weird voice,” Applebloom said.

“What do you mean by weird?” Synth asked.

“It was deep, and it sounded like a guy’s voice,” Applebloom said.

‘I’d love to see that,’ Shade said.

“Okay, continue,” Synth said.

‘Me too, I should get back fast,’ Synth said.

“Well, when they were arguing about why all the weird stuff was happening, I snuck away. Applejack tried to follow me, but I left her on a branch. You should a seen her face. She was redder than the ripest apple on harvest day,” Applebloom said.

“You left her… on a branch… in the Everfree Forest?” Synth asked.

“Yeah, I guess it wasn’t the best thing to do, but she kept telling me to turn back. I just had to see if Zecora could help them,” Applebloom said.

“If this curse is truly what I believe, I will need to shortly leave,” Zecora said.

“Just a sec, finish your story,” Synth said, finding today’s events hilarious.

“Okay, well when I left Applejack, I kept running, and then it went dark. I just kept running cause it felt like something was following me. Then the last thing I remembered, I hit something,” Applebloom said.

“You hit the door?” Synth asked.

“I guess so. I didn’t know where I was going, so I think I had my eyes closed,” Applebloom said.

‘Well today couldn’t get any better…’ Shade said.

“I believe I know the cause of your friends condition. I will need to mix a brew to help their situation,” Zecora said.

“Great, you work on that, and I’ll get back to my translation,” Synth said, starting to walk.

“No, I can not create the brew, if the ingredients aren’t collected soon,” Zecora said.

“And that means…” Synth asked.

“You will need to find the cure for the Poison Joke, or the full effects of the plants they’ll invoke,” Zecora said.

“Well, I’ll be back… eventually,” Synth said taking the piece of paper and walking towards the door.

“Oh, can I come? I promise I won’t be scared,” Applebloom said.

“Wouldn’t you rather stay here with Zecora? She’d make better company, and you’d be safer here,” Synth said.

“ But I want to prove I’m brave. My sister treats me like I’m little, and I want to show her I’m big now,” Applebloom said.

Synth sighed, he was probably going to regret his decision. “Alright you can come, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Synth said.

“Very well, if all is said and done, I will let you both have your fun,” Zecora said walking into a different room.

“Let’s get going, then. I’ll help you look too. I’m good at finding things, what are we looking for?” Applebloom asked.

“Most of this stuff is common, but keep an eye out for any orange plants,” Synth said.

“If there’s two of us looking, it won’t take us too long,” Applebloom said.
------------
(One hour later)

“What’s this?” Applebloom asked sniffing the tree bark.

“Moss,” Synth said.

“Then why’s it green?” Applebloom asked.

“Moss is usually green,” Synth said.

“Do we need moss?” Applebloom asked.

“No,” Synth said.

“What about these leaves?” Applebloom asked.

“Are they orange?” Synth asked.

“No, they’re green, are they made of moss?” Applebloom asked.

“No, they’re just tree leaves. Look for orange,” Synth said.

Synth stopped at a tree he was sure he’d seen before. At this point, he might as well admit they were lost. They had found nearly all the ingredients in the first few minutes. Synth should have turned around and went back, but he wanted the last ingredient. It was rare to find in a forest, and it was common in a lot of rocky areas.

Synth didn’t want to stay in the forest, so he tried to backtrack, but ended up going in circles. He kept his eyes on alert for any color. Other than green, he could only see the darkness around him. It wasn’t that he wasn’t afraid of the forest, but he could defend himself well enough to handle anything the forest threw at him.

“So why do we need these ingredients again?” Applebloom asked, looking at her pouch where they were keeping the ingredients.

“It’s to cure the Poison Jokes,” Synth said.

“What’s Poison Joke?” Applebloom said.

“It’s a bad plant to touch. If I remember right, it makes you the opposite of what you are. The cure is pretty simple though, you have to bathe in the ingredients,” Synth said.

“Is it really that bad? My sister blamed all those weird things on Zecora, not some plant,” Applebloom said.

“Zecora is a little misunderstood, but she’s got a kind heart,” Synth said.

Synth saw a flash of yellow, and stopped. He backed up and squinted his eyes in the direction. Far away, there was a light. Synth picked a route through the trees and weaved his way over. Applebloom following and humming a tune. Synth couldn’t believe how much she could talk. It didn’t help that the rest of the forest was deathly silent. Predators would hear them a mile away.

Synth pushed the leaves back and saw where the light came from. They made it back to Zecora’s house. The light came from her window, and doorway that was open. Synth wasn’t sure if they had shut it on their way out, but Zecora wouldn’t leave it open for no reason.

“Look, we’re back. Why don’t we give Zecora what we got, and see if that’s enough,” Applebloom said.

Synth spotted something in the corner of his eye. Hidden by the light in the window, there was a orange flower growing at the foot of a tree. He walked towards it, while Applebloom moved towards the door.

“Go on, I’ll catch up. I think I found the flower we were missing,” Synth said.

“Alright, see you inside,” Applebloom said.

Synth walked up to the orange flower. The roots were connecting to the tree, obviously taking some of its nutrients. He gathered the flower and the roots, and then spread some of the tiny seeds over the floor. He hoped it would encourage more plants to grow there.

‘You have to see this, I didn’t think this would happen,’ Shade said.

‘See what? And why have you been quiet for so long?’ Synth asked.

‘I hid in her house, but that’s not important. Zecora’s in a fight,’ Shade said.

‘With what?’ Synth asked, unable to picture the zebra in combat.

‘That’s the best part, its Twilight,’ Shade said.

‘What?’ Synth asked. He had started to move to help, but he stopped in his tracks.

‘Yup, you’re missing all the fun,’ Shade said.

Synth shook his head and raced to the door. He turned the corner and entered, just as Twilight jumped in front of them. He stopped himself, before he took out Applebloom.

The ponies in the room looked up to the ceiling, and Synth walked around the room to a good vantage spot. They didn’t notice him enter. He looked at the others, while they thought back to a past memory. Other than the stick in her mouth, Rainbow Dash didn’t look that different. And if Synth didn’t know any better, Fluttershy was the same as ever.

“It was a warning, about that blue plant. It’s called Poison Joke,” Applebloom said, looking to Synth to make sure she said that right. Synth nodded and Zecora nodded as well.

“That plant is like Poison Oak, but its results are like a joke,” Zecora said.

“What in the hay does that mean?” Applejack asked from atop Zecora’s head.

Synth didn’t know where the voice was coming from, until Zecora’s eyes looked up to the tiny cowgirl on her head.

“It means this plant does not breed wrath, instead this plant just wants a laugh,” Zecora said.

“Will somepony please talk normal…?” Applejack said.

Synth opened his mouth to speak, but Twilight already started.

“I think what she’s saying is when we ran in to save Applebloom, we ran into the Poison Joke. All our problems are just little jokes it played on us,” Twilight said.

“Little jokes? Very funny,” Applejack said.

“Okay, fine. But what about the cauldron?” Rainbow asked.

“And the Chanting?” Fluttershy added, to which Synth missed the next few statements. He had to admit it, he wasn’t expecting anything like that. He almost burst out laughing from her voice. Although, he made no sound out loud, inside he was howling.

“The cure for Poison Joke is a simple old natural remedy, you just got to take a bubble bath,” Applebloom said.

“But I tried to find a cure in all my books and couldn’t find anything, what book has this natural remedy?” Twilight asked.

“Here is the book you see, sad that you lack it in your library,” Zecora said.

“Actually, I do have this book. I didn’t look inside because the title was so weird,” Twilight said.

Zecora opened the book and showed Twilight the contents. Synth decided he’d had enough, and began a slow departure to the other room. Surprisingly, no one noticed as he slipped away and into the other room. Synth shut the door softly, and tried to make as little sound as possible. He heard muffled voices on the other side, but concentrated on the last few words of the translation.

Synth finally finished and read what he translated.
Karilent- Anesthetic that creates a numb feeling, if used properly. Overuse can cause motor loss and burning pain. If treated immediately, it will not cause too much damage. Although any pain endured while numb will be dealt back stronger than before. Not to be taken lightly, as the ingredients can only be found in the northern plains and rocky hillsides of the Saddle Arabia Mountain Ranges.

Synth nodded his understanding. A lot of work to find out what payment meant. At least now he could get back home, and do other things. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to go through this again. Synth put the translation in his bag as a momento, and slipped the book back where it was.

Synth was about to leave, but there was something he felt he was forgetting. He looked into the corner of the room and found a white rabbit giving him the eye.

‘Why’d you leave so early? I wanted to see what would happen,’ Shade said.

‘Too late now, by now everyone’s packing up and leaving. Let’s just go home and enjoy the rest of the day,’ Synth said.

‘I’m staying out here, I haven’t been like this in a while,’ Shade said.

‘Whatever, let’s just go,’ Synth said.

Synth opened the door, and heard the squeak that came out. Most of the room was empty, although Twilight was talking with Zecora while the others were outside the door. Twilight and Zecora turned to look at him when he entered.

“Synth? How long have you been here?” Twilight asked.

“He came before the problem arose, and he’s a factor that led the problem to a close,” Zecora said.

“What she said,” Synth replied.

“Wait, you saw all that?” Twilight asked.

“Not all of it, but I got the gist of it,” Synth said.

“So how long have you known Zecora wasn’t evil?” Twilight asked.

“I never did, but apparently you did?” Synth asked.

“Well yeah, after what happened to us, I think you would have thought the same,” Twilight said.

“Maybe, but I had my own problems to get through,” Synth said.

“What problems?” Twilight asked.

“I’ll tell you later, where are you all headed?” Synth asked.

“To town, to get the last ingredient Zecora needed,” Twilight said.

“You mean this one?” Synth asked. He pulled out the orange flower he’d taken.

“That plant is not the one I seek, its twin is not unique,” Zecora said.

“So, this isn’t the right one?” Synth asked.

“No the proper flower may not be in this forest. I suggest we ask the town’s florist,” Zecora said.

“Okay… so you send me out to find a flower that’s probably not there… why do I feel a little déjà vu again?” Synth asked.

“How about you both explain the rest of the story on the way back?” Twilight asked.

“Might as well, it’s a long walk back,” Synth said.

“Not really, a few minutes at most,” Twilight said.

“Oh, maybe I should use the path next time…” Synth said, remembering when he got there.

“You… didn’t use the path?” Twilight asked.

“Nope…” Synth said, walking out of the room to follow the others before they got too far ahead.
------------
(Days later)

“It’s amazing. You’re feeling better now?” The Doctor asked Synth.

“Yeah, Zecora healed me up. You should go see if she can’t teach you what she knows,” Synth said.

“I’m sure she’s very skilled, and I might have to do just that. But could you answer me one question?” The Doctor asked.

“Sure, ask away,” Synth said.

“Why don’t you let me treat you in the hospital? It’s not professional for me to come over every time,” The doctor said.

“I’ll tell you about it while we play,” Synth said.

“Play what?” The doctor asked.

“Pinkie’s coming over. She asked if you’re still up for Candyland,” Synth said.

Author's Notes:

Sorry that took longer than I expected. I’ve been working on a little side project that I’ll post soon. It’ll give you a better idea that I can’t do any kind of serious story without adding some bad comedy. It’s not going to update very often, but it gives me an excuse for late posted chapters.
I’ll blame my editor for other things now, like bad rhymes or inconsistency in the chapters themselves.
I should really get back to my reading... But my drawing skills are improving... sorta.
Next Time: Swarm of the Century, how is Synth going to spend his time now? Is Vera ever going to get the spotlight again? Find out next time!

Inbound

Inbound

Synth lifted his glass and put it to his mouth. He took a sniff of it before downing the liquid. He shuddered as the strong toxins hit his system.

‘This is some pretty strong stuff,’ Synth said.

‘Here, you can have the best of the best. Maybe you should think about staying here a while. You can’t get any better than this,’ Shade said, sitting across from Synth on the red velvet couch. His grin didn’t hide anything.

‘I’ll stick to the real world, thank you. If I stayed here, there’s no telling what you could do,’ Synth said.

‘You can imagine the worst or best scenario in here. Your imagination is the limit,’ Shade said, taking a sip of his liquid.

‘So, is there any reason you pulled me in this time?’ Synth asked.

‘Not really, I just wanted you to see what I’ve done with the place,’ Shade said, motioning to the room they were in. The red curtains and carpet matched the red velvet furniture. A ceiling fan above Synth was spinning at max speed, but what virtually silent. Synth agreed, this looked a lot better than the Sister’s castle.

‘Then I’ve got something to ask. Why is it whenever you take full control, I only see what you see?’ Synth asked, looking at his empty glass.

‘Because you need to relax. Take your mind off of reality and join the illusion. You wouldn’t understand, because you can’t even imagine a full glass,’ Shade said. Synth watched as the glass filled itself from the bottom up. Shade gave him a grin.

‘Illusions hide the truth,’ Synth said.

‘Truths are the illusion,’ Shade said, tongue sticking out.

‘You’re just a kid, saying the opposite of what I say,’

‘Maybe, but aren’t we all just kids inside?’

‘Stop preaching, you’re sounding worse than me,’ Synth said.

‘Then how about we change the topic? It’s been a week since you got feeling again , what do you think?’

‘It’s great, I’ve really missed feelings,’ Synth said.

‘I thought you’d be a little more worried, a week has passed,’ Shade said.

‘So what? Is it an anniversary or something?’

‘I thought you’d be brighter than this. Last week the townsfolk messed with Zecora. The week before, a dragon was sleeping in a mountain. If this keeps up, you’ll wake up today and find a zombie eating your brains, or starving… either one is a pretty scary thought,’ Shade said.

‘It’s all been coincidences, I seriously doubt something like that is going to happen,’ Synth said.

‘Then what about everything you’re forgetting?’ Shade asked.

‘What could I have forgotten?’ Synth asked.

‘How about the book you said you wanted to read, or-,’

‘Shit, I forgot about that. I’ve been too busy thinking about other things…’ Synth said.

‘Also, don’t forget about-,’

‘I’ve got to get going; I don’t even know how long I’ve been sleeping,’

‘Clock on the wall,’ Shade said.

Synth looked up to the wall in front of him. The clock said 09:32, and Synth sighed.

‘I’m waking up late again. These talks with you haven’t exactly helped me relax,’ Synth said. Synth let a small amount of energy escape. He felt the shock in his body and everything went dark. Then, the world was brown. He was looking at the floor; his covers were slowly descending on top of him.

“Hey, are you okay Synth?” Vera asked, looking down at him.

“Yeah,”

“Okay then, I was just coming to see if you were awake,” Vera said.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for school?” Synth asked.

“First you have to enroll me, remember?” Vera asked.

“Oh yeah… give me a second,” Synth said.

“I’ll be waiting outside,” Vera said.

Synth heard her leave before removing the covers. He brushed himself off and checked the mirror. His mane was slightly frayed, but he didn’t try to fix it. Synth put on his empty saddlebags and walked outside. Vera wasn’t there, so Synth checked the back. He found her looking at the patch of flowers in the garden.

“Are these done blooming?” Vera asked, looking at the small green flowers.

“Not yet, the stem grows last on those flowers. When they’re about a foot tall is when they’re ready,” Synth said.

“Like this one?” Vera asked. Synth looked at the flower he didn’t notice until now. The stem was limping, but it was definitely one foot. Synth reached down to inspect it.

“Early bloomer, guess he couldn’t wait for the winter,” Synth said, picking the flower.

“So what are you going to do with that flower?” Vera asked.

“This is Warmweed, it has some pretty nasty effects if you don’t mix it right. I can get some more seeds from it and then mix it with some salt and moss. Then you put some of that around the house to mark your territory. That way, nothing comes by to eat you up,” Synth explained.

“That’s cool, but why did you say it like that?” Vera asked.

“No reason,” Synth said thinking about what Shade said.

“Then let’s go, before class starts,” Vera said.

“Okay,” Synth said. They went down the path into town. Synth let Vera lead them to the schoolhouse. When they were approaching, he noticed that a few students were already on the grounds. Synth took the lead and went inside. Vera followed him as he entered the classroom.

“Hello?” Synth heard a mare ask him. He looked behind the teacher’s desk at the mare looking at him. Synth could only assume it was the teacher.

“You must be the teacher, I’m here to enroll my little sister in your class,” Synth said.

“It’s a little late, but why not. Come over here so we can get the paperwork out of the way,” The teacher said. Synth and Vera stepped up and filled in the blanks in the paperwork they were given. It was all personal stuff like residency or occupation. Synth finished and waited while Vera signed her name at the bottom.

“So, you’re Vera huh?” The teacher asked.

“Yeah,” Vera said.

“I’m Synth, her brother,” Synth said.

“Well in case you don’t know how the school is going to be like, we start about ten every day. Then, we finish about three or four. Is it okay for you to bring her every day?” The teacher asked.

“Yeah, I’m usually up earlier than that anyways. So does she start school today?” Synth asked.

“I’m sorry, no. I need to get this in with the other files, but she can start tomorrow,” The teacher said.

“Oh, okay. Then we should get going, it’s almost ten,” Synth said.

“It’s good meeting you both, my name’s Cheerilee,” Cheerilee said.

Synth and Vera said their farewells and exited the room. Vera was silent as they passed the other little fillies and colts talking amongst themselves on the playground. Synth and Vera were walking away until Synth remembered the book.

“Say, you don’t mind walking the rest of the way by yourself, right?” Synth asked.

“I guess not, why?” Vera asked.

“There’s something I need to do at the library,” Synth said.

“Okay, then can I go to Sugarcube Corner?” Vera asked.

“Go for it,” Synth said, turning and walking in the direction he suspected the library to be.

Vera ran off and Synth quickly made his way to the library. He ran through the town and only stopped once to backtrack. When he walked up to the door, he could hear voices inside.

“Spike, where did you put the broom?” Synth heard Twilight ask.

“It’s behind the desk,” Synth heard Spike say.

Synth opened the door and stepped in. Or, he tried to step in before the door slammed in his face. Synth backed away and knocked this time. The door opened and he saw a skeptical Spike looking in at him.

“Sorry about that, Twilight’s been getting everything ready for Celestia’s casual visit. She might have overreacted and thought that you were her,” Spike said.

“So she slammed the door shut?” Synth asked.

“More like cast a spell so it only opens from one direction,” Spike said.

“Okay… I just came by for a book,” Synth said.

“We sure have a lot of those,” Spike said, letting Synth enter.

“Any book in particular?” Spike asked.

“It’s the one I came by for a few weeks ago. I realized that I never got a chance to read it,” Synth said.

“Oh, I remember that book. Twilight had me reshelf everything this morning. I remember seeing it when I was doing inventory. I’ll help you find it, that way Twilight won’t make me-,”

“Spike, can you help me with the kitchen?” Twilight asked from a different room.

“Nevermind,” Spike said.

“I should be able to find it, you go have fun,” Synth said.

“Right, fun…” Spike said, running into the kitchen.

Synth walked up to the bookshelves and looked through where he thought it would be. After he skimmed over most of the adventure books, he started his search in the geography section. When he didn’t find anything there, he notices a book that was leaning on the bottom of the bookshelf. Synth tilted the book and read the title.
The Everfree Forest: A Reference Guide

Synth picked up the book and opened it to a random page. He read a few words before confirming this is what he was looking for. Synth walked over to the corner of the room where he’d be hard to see and sat down. He turned the book to the first page. Synth began his reading, ignoring the conversation going on in the kitchen.

Synth didn’t know how long he was reading, but it seemed like whenever he was bored, he’d find a fact that would peak his interest again. Then, he read something that completely surprised him.
…The unexplained power that emanates from the Everfree Forest is spread evenly throughout the forest. Everything that resides in the forest appears to tap into that power. Reasons for this are still unknown…

‘That explains why the Timberwolves don’t leave the forest,’ Shade said.

‘Or anything else, for that matter,’ Synth said.

‘So, was that everything you wanted to find out from that?’ Shade asked.

‘No, it’s only the first chapter after all…’ Synth said.

“Then you clean and I’ll go see how the preparations are going. If you want some company, Synth should still be here,”

“But-,”

Synth heard the door slam shut, and looked up from the book. Spike was mumbling something to himself. Synth decided to keep reading until he hit the end of the first chapter.

‘Reading is so boring, why don’t you do something educational. Like running through the Everfree Forest looking for a Sea Serpent that you haven’t talked to in-,’

‘Shit, why didn’t you remind me earlier?’ Synth asked.

‘I tried, but apparently a book is more important,’ Shade said.

“Spike, I’ll be back later. There’s something I need to do right now. So can I trust you not to lose this book?” Synth asked.

“Why don’t you just check it out? This is a library after all,” Spike said.

“Alright, I’ll bring it back when I’m finished,” Synth said, putting the book in his bag and walking to the door. He stopped before leaving and grabbed a different book off the shelf. He stuffed it into his bag and proceeded to leave.

‘Stealing books, what a badass,’ Shade said.

‘Never know when I’ll have some free time,’ Synth said.

Synth made his way behind Twilight’s house and started to walk the perimeter around the town. He found the Everfree Forest quickly and walked towards the edge. He didn’t have to enter to see the eyes looking upon him. Some belonged to hidden Timberwolves, but he also noticed a few eyes looking at him from above.

Synth let his magic start to flow. He felt the magic cover his coat and within seconds the eyes started to move away. Synth stepped into the Forest and activated his Night Eye.

‘You’re getting pretty used to using these spells,’ Shade said.

‘Hidden Shadows and Night Eye are the easiest to use. Plus, I’ve been practicing to use them for longer. As long as I can keep my magic going, I’m undetectable in the dark,’ Synth said.

Synth heard something on his right. He turned to look at the Timberwolf that was looking right at him… or through him. Synth turned to his left to find a strange looking creature peering from around a bush. It was the weird way Night Vision made everything look, or maybe because Synth didn’t know what the creature was, but either way it was looking at him.

Synth started to move faster as the Timberwolf started to growl. When he turned back to check if it had smelled him out, the Timberwolf gave out a yelp. He almost stopped in his tracks as the Timberwolf was being ripped apart by the strange creature. The vicious snares the creature was making gave Synth a chill. He started galloping through the forest.

‘What was that?’ Synth asked.

‘A Stym, or formally, a Stymphalian Bird, A nest of them must have formed around here,’ Shade said.

‘What are those, and why do you think that?’ Synth asked.

‘Because that was a younger one, just learning how to hunt. Trust me, you don’t want to know how they are when they’re fully grown,’ Shade said.

‘But if the young bird was here, where are the parents?’ Synth asked. He got his answer when the sound of leaves rustling started around him.

‘They have sharp senses of smell , so you’re in a bad spot,’ Shade said.

Synth saw the yellow glows starting to poke out from the foliage. Synth jumped back as he heard a metallic click. He barely had time to react as a spray of needles landed where he was standing. Synth broke into a sprint. When he passed by the needles, he noticed the heat signature around them.

‘Those are feathers,’ Shade said. ‘One hit from those and you’re in bad shape,’ Shade said.

‘Then I just won’t get hit,’ Synth said, activating even more magic. He could feel the coating around him disperse as he activated a new one. Suddenly, each step took him farther and he easily outran the sound of chase. He didn’t stop though, as he could hear the forest noises start to pick up.

‘They know you’re here,’ Shade said. ‘You should have left the Hidden Shadows spell on.’

‘I don’t want to run out of magic before-,’ Synth’s vision turned black. He rammed into a tree and heard the splintering crack. When he looked up , he saw the dark form of the tree slowly falling on top of him. Synth managed to push off the ground and roll away. He didn’t push hard enough though, because he felt a pain in his leg.

Synth pulled his leg from under the tree and leaned against the fallen timber. He felt the magic coating disappear. When he tried to stand up, he found that his leg was only bruised. He sat and listened to the sounds around him. Sounds of barking and running. More Timberwolves were headed his way.

‘Before what?’ Shade asked.

“I’m out of magic…” Synth said.

‘That didn’t take too long,’ Shade said.

“I don’t get it, I’ve gone longer than that a lot of times. Why did I run out so fast?” Synth asked.

‘If you’re out of magic, then why aren’t you panicking?’ Shade asked.

“I can feel the magic… coming back. Like it was only gone for a second,” Synth said. Synth focused, and after a few seconds, he felt the Night Vision return to him.

‘This doesn’t look good,’ Shade said.

Synth had to agree. From the path he just came from, the Stym birds where coming in a flock. From his left and right he saw yellow forms dodging around trees and approaching his position. When he turned around, the world turned blue and purple.

Synth got up and walked to the blue. His leg was still irritating him, so he didn’t run. When he reached the edge, he remembered this spot.

“Steven!” Synth called out.

Synth turned around and looked at the forms approaching his position. There was a splash behind him, and Synth noticed the forms on the left and right were slowing down. The ones flying in the middle were gaining speed.

“Ah, Its been so long since I’ve seen you. Is that the same cloak as before? I must say that is a big improvement,” Steven said, raising his long neck from the water.

“Thanks, but I’m kind of being chased right now, can you help me?” Synth asked.

“Of course, what seems to be the problem?” Steven asked. As if to answer his question, the flock of Stymphalians burst out of the leaves. They landed in front of Synth and he noticed their wings curling inward.

“My goodness, what are those things doing here? Quickly, into the water, their feathers won’t reach you,” Steven said.

Synth turned and jumped into the river as the feathers glided past him. When he landed in the water, he noticed that one of the feathers managed to hit his side. A cloud of red was growing around the spot. He sank in deeper as Steven was saying something to the birds. He couldn’t hear him, but Steven had a stern face. Synth felt like time was passing by too fast. He could already feel the lack of oxygen.

Synth felt the air he was holding in pushing its way out. He could feel his lungs burning. When he thought he couldn’t take any more, Steven used his tail and brought him up. Synth fell onto the grass trying to catch his breath. The birds were gone, and Steven was looking at him.

“Thanks,” Synth gasped, standing back up.

“My pleasure, those birds shouldn’t be here in the first place,” Steven said.

“What makes you say that?” Synth asked.

“They don’t normally come by here, because their hunting spots are far away. I say, if they show up again, I’ll have to deal with it myself,” Steven said.

“You must be pretty strong for the creatures around here to be afraid of you,” Synth said.

“Oh my boy, it’s because I’m bigger than them. You see, as long as you hold up your head, others will declare defeat without a battle. So I’m usually left alone… all alone,” Steven said.

“Well I’m here now, I might have forgotten to come earlier, but-,” Synth gripped his side as the wound throbbed in pain.

“Are you alright?” Steven asked.

“Just a little scratch…” Synth said, tracing the edges of the wound on his side. It was about a foot long scratch that ran parallel with his side. It didn’t go very deep, but it was definitely hurting.

“Lie down, I’ll see what I can do,” Steven said.

Synth followed his directions, and laid on his good side. He could feel Steven prodding the injured scratch, but didn’t let out his anguish. Synth felt the cold water as it poured over his wound. He couldn’t hold back his shiver as the wind suddenly picked up.

“Interesting, it looks like this cloak of yours wasn’t damaged. Now let’s look at the wound, shall we?” Steven asked.

Synth was going to say something, but he thought of something else first. “So why’d you pour water on me?” Synth asked.

“… I didn’t pour any water on you, my boy,” Steven said.

“Then…” Synth turned his head at the wound. It was dry except for the parts that were bloody. He could still feel the cold surrounding him, but it was just the wind.

“Ooh, marvelous!” Steven said.

Synth didn’t have to ask what, because he saw the wound glow a faint dark green. He watched as the blood dried up and the wound began to stitch itself together. Synth felt the cold wash over him, but he didn’t care. When it was finished, Synth stood up. Or actually, Synth’s body stood up. Synth at first didn’t understand, until he heard his voice.

“That was refreshing,” Shade said, stretching his limbs.

“That was fabulous, how did you do it?” Steven asked.

“Don’t know, Don’t care. I just know that I’m out,” Shade said.

“You seem different, and it’s not just the outfit this time,” Steven said, leaning in to get a better look.

“I’m the same as I ever was. What, did you expect me to stay the same?” Shade asked, a grin on his face.

“Honestly, I think this forest has started to get in your head,” Steven said.

“The forest doesn’t control me, I could always burn it down,” Shade said.

“Actually, you can’t,” Steven said, matter-of-factly.

“What makes you say that?” Shade said, his grin turning into a frown.

“I’m not sure you noticed, but this forest has some freaky properties. Ever notice how it’s always dark? Or that the animals don’t fear the other creatures in here? The answer is in the forest,” Steven said.

“Wait…” Shade said. He opened his bags and took out the book on the Everfree Forest. It wasn’t as wet as he thought it’d be. He opened it and flipped through a few pages. He stopped on a page and appeared to be reading.

‘Do you get it?’ Shade asked.

Synth realized Shade was talking to him. ‘Get what?’ Synth asked.

‘The forest, the magic, all of it. It’s a living being that takes care of the inhabitants,’ Shade said.

‘You probably already knew that, so why are you telling me?’ Synth asked.

‘That would explain why you were losing magic so fast, and why my wound was healed,’ Shade said.

‘What are you trying to say?’ Synth asked.

‘I’m a child of the forest, but you aren’t. The forest was taking away your magic because it saw you as a threat ,’ Shade explained.

‘And when you took over…’ Synth thought.

‘It healed me…” Shade finished.

‘But why didn’t it affect us the last few times I came through here?’ Synth asked.

‘Well you wouldn’t exactly feel anything,’ Shade said.

‘Good point, now what does this have to do with me?’ Synth asked.

‘What if there’s something else the forest knows?’ Shade asked.

Synth didn’t think about this too much, because he heard a sound. Shade whirled around to face the bird that was looking down at him. Its beady red eyes were concentrated on Shade’s.

“Shoo, you dirty bird. I thought I said to leave us alone!” Steven said.

The bird opened its beak and let out a shriek. Shade covered his ears and looked away from the bird. Suddenly, is if responding to the call, more bird heads started to poke out from the bushes. Shade shoved the book into the bag and ran towards the river.

Shade turned back to look at his pursuers, but there were none. He slowed to a walk and then a standstill. He gaze went to Steven who was sinking lower into the water. His eyes focused on something in the distance. Shade turned towards the direction, and caught sight of what it was. A manticore had emerged from the bushes and was slowly making his way towards him, asking for him to run.

Shade heard a whisper from Steven who was about to plunge completely into the water. “Run, those beasts don’t listen to what I have to say,” Steven said.

Shade took the advice and ran. He sprinted into the trees and heard the commotion as his pursuers gave chase. Synth didn’t hesitate to assist him with Night Eye, and Shade dodged around trees. Shade could tell that if he didn’t hurry though, the Manticore would catch up.

Shade heard the thud of something metal hitting wood. He caught sight of a Stym ahead of him preparing another feather. Synth felt his energy drained from him, and Shade took control of his magic once again. Without hesitation, Shade had a coating on his head and torso. Then he activated another one on his hooves. Suddenly the night vision was gone and replaced with pitch dark.

‘We’re fucked,’ Synth said.

‘Relax, I don’t want to die just as much as you. Take my advice and enjoy yourself,’ Shade said.

Synth felt like he didn’t have a choice. He concentrated on what he was seeing, and pulled it away from reality. Suddenly, like if he ripped a band-aid, he was in a white room looking at a monitor. Synth could see what Shade was seeing, and hear what Shade was hearing, but he could also see what he wanted to see.

Synth closed his imaginative eyes and pictured the walls to be different. On command, the walls turned into a sky blue and the floor a darker blue. There was a couch and a table, with a drink already resting on top. Synth walked to the couch and sat down. He felt the normal coldness that was usually over him wash away.

Synth picked up the drink and looked at the screen. Darkness as far as he could see, but now he had so much more.
-------------

‘How far did you go in this fucking forest?’ Shade asked once again.

‘I don’t know,”

‘It’s like everything and their goddamn pet is chasing me at this point. I mean, I can’t see them, but it sounds like a zoo all around me,’

‘Okay,’

‘Do you even care what I’m saying right now?’ Shade asked.

‘I’m trying to relax, you’re not helping me out right now,’ Synth said.

‘Wait… I think I see some light up ahead,’ Shade said, ramming into another tree and causing it to splinter into thousands of pieces,’

‘Careful, I still want to be alive when you’re done,’ Synth said.

Shade burst out of the forest and into the light. He looked around at his surroundings and frowned. ‘This is the same river we were running from,’ Shade said.

‘You sure? Looks different to me,’ Synth said.

‘There’s only one river in this forest,’ Shade said. Shade felt the wind from a feather whiz by his face. The feather struck the water and stuck to the surface. Shade braced himself as he jumped forward.

‘What are you doing?’ Synth asked, spitting out the acidic drink he was gurgling.

‘The water, the birds can’t reach me in there,’ Shade said.

‘But-,”

Shade was already diving in. He quickly went under and started to swim with the current. Synth could hear the rushing of the water in his ears.

‘See, all better now,’ Shade said.

‘Except that the birds can still follow you…’ Synth said. Shade looked up at the hundreds of wings flapping above him. Shade tried to swim faster, but his body was already feeling the exhaust of running for the past few hours . It was only the forest that was keeping him moving.

Shade felt something wrap around him and his air was released from his mouth. Something pulled him deeper into the river. He was suddenly thrown out of the water and onto land. Except it wasn’t land, it was rock. Shade looked around and realized it was an underwater cave. He looked back toward the water and coughed up the water in his throat. He saw the huge form of Steven looking down on top of him.

“I’m so glad you’re alright, for a second, I thought you were going to get eaten. What a way that would be to go,” Steven said.

“Where are we?” Shade asked.

“This is a little place I found earlier. With a little decoration I think it could turn out as a nice little spot,” Steven said.

“Spot for what?” Shade asked.

“Well I thought we could catch up, it’s been a while,” Steven said.

“Might as well, do you want to start first?” Shade asked.

“No you first, I insist. My life has been pretty dull here, as usual,”

“Alright, well the week after I first met you, I went to the Canterlot Castle for some training,” Shade said.

‘Is there any reason you chose to stay? I thought you’d take the first opportunity to get out of here,’ Synth said.

‘Those things up there won’t be leaving anytime soon; I don’t have much choice,’ Shade said.

“Ooh, what kind of training? Haircutting or dressmaking? Oh, I know, knitting!” Steven said.

“Uh, no. There was some spells I learned while I was there. They came in handy up there,” Shade said.

“Spells? That sounds violent. Was there anything practical that you learned?” Steven asked.

“Practical? What about this?” Shade’s horn lit up and his body started to shimmer. Within the second, he was invisible.

“Oh my, where did you go?”

“Still here,” Shade said, his voice coming from nowhere.

“That is impressive, but why would you want to hide yourself?”

“Timberwolves, Styms, or the occasional Manticore. Need to be prepared,” Shade said.

“It sounds like you’re looking for a fight. If you don’t watch out, you could damage your cloak,” Steven said.

‘His obsession with appearance is starting to get annoying,’ Shade said.

‘Deal with it,’ Synth said.

“Well, anyways… the week after, I came back into Ponyville. Then a dragon decided to sleep on a nearby mountain, and I’ve had some minor troubles to go through too. Nothing I couldn’t handle ,” Shade said.

‘Because you didn’t handle it,’

‘He doesn’t know that,’ Shade said.

“Sounds like you’ve been busy, that explains why you haven’t had time to visit. But it is good to catch up after so long,” Steven said.

“I’ve said so much about what happened to me, but didn’t anything exciting happen while I was gone?” Shade asked.

“No, not particularly. It’s almost mating season, and the Timberwolves haven’t been as nasty with me. I’ve been swimming downstream every now and then, but it’s been so boring,” Steven said.

“I think I should be going then. For good this time… I need to go and get some reading done,” Shade said.

“Oh very well, take care,” Steven said.

Shade jumped back into the water. He swam straight up and poked his head out of the water. There weren’t any monsters waiting for him, so he pulled himself the rest of the way out of the water. He shook himself dry before making his way into the forest.

‘You going to get lost again?’ Synth asked.

‘Don’t think I’m on the same level as you,’ Shade said. He walked up to the nearest tree and measured it up.

Shade activated his magic and ran up the side of the tree. He pushed off the bark near the top and jumped to the top of the tree across. He managed to land on the leaves of the tree, causing a mass of leaves to fall to the ground. He managed to keep his balance though, and easily bounded to the next tree .

‘Now you’re a monkey ,’ Synth said.

‘One that won’t get lost,’ Shade said.

Shade appeared to be in full concentration. He didn’t say anything as he passed by the dark forest below. Staring at one edge of the forest, he aimed at Ponyville that was getting closer. Suddenly his concentration broke, and he turned to his left.

Shade managed to duck as a whizz of feathers passed by his head. His momentum stopped, and Shade had to regain his balance. He turned to the attacker, and the Stym was cocking his head.

‘Not today,’ Shade said, continuing his travel. He heard some more feathers and managed to dodge to the left. He stopped on top of the trees, but caught sight of something below. Something red, and something definitely not pony.

Shade looked for the figure that he saw, but it was gone. He continued his run for the town, and reached the tree line. When he jumped down to safety, he felt a sharp pain in his hind leg. Looking down, he saw something metallic dangling on the back of his hind leg. Quickly, he pulled it out before the metal needle was pulled back into the forest.

‘Was that… a trap?’ Synth asked.

‘If it was, I think it was meant for us …’ Shade said.

‘What is that supposed to mean?’ Synth asked.

‘It means that there’s something else in this forest, and I don’t think it wanted us to leave,’ Shade said.

Shade turned and ran into the town. He quickly located his house and walked up to it. He noticed a note on the door of the house. He quickly read the handwriting that obviously belonged to his sister.
Dear Synth,
I’m staying with Pinkie for the night, she had something special planned for the Parasprites.
P.S: Do you have a tuba we can borrow?

Shade took down the note and stepped inside. He grabbed an apple and a cupcake and started to nom down.

‘Is it really a good idea to have Pinkie as a role model?’ Shade asked.

‘She knows when Pinkie is being well… Pinkie, and she won’t let it influence her ,’ Synth said.

‘You mean, you think that she knows… she did just ask for a tuba,’ Shade said.

‘Yeah, well she knows what a Parasprite is now,’ Synth said.

‘Why would she need to know what those are?’ Shade asked.

‘I don’t know, don’t they live somewhere in the forest? I can’t remember much about them,’ Synth said.

‘What do you know about them?’ Shade asked.

‘Don’t feed the Parasprites, if I remember right,’ Synth said.

Shade struck his hoof out to his left. Synth heard the splat and Shade turned his head slowly to the sound. There was blue slush on his hoof. He brought it closer and upon inspecting it, shrugged it off.

‘One of them got it,’ Shade said.

‘A Parasprite?’ Synth asked.

‘Yeah, that means there’s more of ‘em,’ Shade said.

In the corner of the view, Synth saw the window. Outside, he saw a variety of colors passing by. There was a sound muffled by the door as well. It was a faint flapping of wings that caught Shade’s attention. He put the half of the apple in his bag and went to the door. He opened it, and caught sight of the town. A barrage of colors was scattered everywhere. Shade walked to the back of the house.

‘What’s going on?’ Synth asked.

‘Parasprite infestation. That would explain a lot,’ Shade said.

‘What would that explain?’ Synth asked.

‘Parasprites eat food, and I mean all the food. They could have messed up the eating diet of the Styms or the Timberwolves. Also, this town isn’t going to last very long,’ Shade said.

‘Why are walking towards the-,” Synth caught sight of his precious garden. The flowers were gone, and in their place was a pile of sludge of multiple colors.

‘They must have thought the flowers were food. Too bad they’re dangerous to ingest,’ Shade said.

‘So, when they die they turn into… that?’ Synth asked.

‘Ashes to ashes… well in this case it’s a little different,’ Shade said.

‘That’s… okay,’ Synth said.

‘Now, I’m going to go take a stroll through town and see how much damage these guys have been causing,’ Shade said.

Synth didn’t or couldn’t stop him. Shade walked away from the house, a group of Parasprites following in his wake. He walked through the streets looking at the broken glass windows and debris floating into the air. The Parasprites had eaten all of the readily available food, and they were searching for more.

‘This is an improvement. Although it needs a fire or two,’ Shade said.

‘At least nopony is getting hurt,’ Synth said.

‘Buzzkill, maybe we should do something about that,’ Shade said. Synth took the hint and started to gather his energy to force himself back in control. Shade gave a grin. ‘I was just kidding. Although, all of this is making me hungry. Let me finish my apple,’ Shade said.

Synth wanted to stop him, but it was too late. He pulled the half apple out of his bag and it immediately turned silent. Shade looked up at all of the eyes watching him, or more, the apple. Shade went to take a bite out of it, but didn’t make it halfway before a swarm of the Parasprites charged him. He couldn’t react as one of them seized the apple and the others devoured it.

“I didn’t want the apple anyways,” Shade said.

‘You’re a terrible liar,’ Synth said.

‘Sue me,’

Shade walked over to the nearest counter. It was outside of a restaurant and there didn’t seem to be any pony to disturb him.

“Hey, I’d like to make an order… Hello?” Shade asked loudly to the restaurant. He didn’t get a response and instead turned to the Parasprites again. He noticed the green blur coming from the corner of his eyes.

“Sup Lyra,” Shade said.

“Synth, what are you doing? It’s dangerous to be out right now!” Lyra said, she looked frantic, and almost like she’d been… crying?

“I’m just relaxing. After all the food’s gone, the Parasprites’ll move on. They don’t care about us. Say, why don’t you join me while I wait on my order I haven’t placed yet?” Shade asked.

“Wh-what?” Lyra asked, not understanding.

“Nevermind, I guess I’ll have to go somewhere else to get something to eat. Unless you want to eat some colorful sludge…” Shade pondered.

“Whatever, I’m going to go see what’s happening to the Biodome, I think you should come too,” Lyra said.

“Maybe later, I’m feeling famished,” Shade said.

“Good luck finding food in this town,” Lyra said, turning and leaving.

“I won’t need it. I’ve got an idea where I can get food,” Shade said, getting up and going his own way. Shade noticed the flying balls of color inspecting every inch of the town. Where he was headed, it wasn’t in the town.

Shade followed the path he was on until the trees were in view. Ahead, lay row on rows of trees that promised red delicious fruit.

‘Do you really think the Parasprites wouldn’t have gotten here already?’ Synth asked.

‘There’s so many apples, I doubt they’d be able to get them all since we’ve been gone,’ Shade said. As if to show his point, in the distance, he could see plenty of trees still containing apples. It looked like the Parasprites hadn’t even shown up yet.

Shade walked through the forest until he made it to the first tree with apples on it. He levitated down an apple, and took a bite. Then he took another. After a while, he had eaten his fair share of apples and was disturbed by the quiet.

‘I was expecting some kind of ambush or a swarm of those Parasprites. What gives? This is pretty boring,’ Shade said.

Just on cue, he saw the color of blue in the corner of his eye. A Parasprite had followed him, but was watching him, not going for the apples. Shade held up an apple at the Parasprite and gave a slight grin. The Parasprite leaned in, before eating the apple whole. His expression changed into delight before spitting out a clump of red into the tree.

Shade’s grin grew as the Parasprites began to eat more apples. The blue one seemed to be looking to Shade whenever he ate an apple. Shade lost track though, when there was around ten of the Parasprites eating apples.

‘What are you doing?’ Synth asked.

‘Having a little fun,’ Shade said, getting into a fighting stance.

“Anything else you parasites got except an endless appetite?” Shade asked.

Shade got their attention, and one of the blue Parasprites tried to fly away. Shade activated his magic and bounded forward onto a tree. He jumped off and kicked the Parasprite back down hitting two of his brethren. Shade landed easily and looked at the others. They scattered without hesitation.

“Game on,” Shade said.

Shade went after the largest group. He jumped from tree limb to tree limb and knocked down any that didn’t fly fast enough. They landed with a splat and some didn’t get back up. Shade’s laughter was psychotic. He jumped at a pair flying too close together and stomped them together. They made a sickening squish noise that gave another squee of laughter from Shade.

Synth couldn’t take it anymore. He stopped the inner fantasy he was having and let his magic loose. Shade must have felt it, because he stopped his laughter.

“What is it?” Shade asked, no emotion on his face.

‘That’s enough, we need to clear out the Parasprites before they cause too much damage,’ Synth said, remembering the town.

‘When the Parasprites are completely out of food, then they’ll go. Until then, might as well have some fun,’ Shade said.

Shade immediately looked to the sky. His expression turned to surprise and then confusion. He felt something pulling on his bags, and looked down. A Parasprite had ‘opened’ his bag and was pulling something out. His book.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Shade asked, watching with interest. He then noticed how the Parasprite had opened his bags, there was a bite mark where his strap used to be. Shade noticed too late, however.

The Parasprite had gotten help, and together, they were lifting the book into the sky. Shade reached up to stop him, but was stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the sounds around him. Shade looked to his left where he saw the barn. Or, where the barn used to be. The last he saw of it, the skeletal structure of it was crumbling down.

Shade didn’t hesitate to cast his magic. All of the nearby Parasprites were trying to escape. The apples uneaten, had fallen to the ground. Shade used the leaves from the trees and grew them to extremes. He reached with them and wrapped the leaves around the Parasprites. Few of them escaped, many more were turned into sludge. HE heard the sound of a book falling in front of him.

Shade looked down at what used to be the book on the Everfree Forest. Instead, he was looking at a blank cover. He picked it up and opened it to the first page. Then the second. He opened it to the back, where he sighed at what he saw.

‘What… happened to it?’ Synth asked.

“They ate the words…” Shade said.

‘They ate the words!? What are you talking about!?’ Synth asked.

“Hungry little bastards, huh?” Shade asked.

‘How can they eat the words?’ Synth asked.

“I thought I felt something right before that. Must have been a spell or something. But at least the food’s safe,” Shade said.

‘Go to town, this can’t be good news… ate the words…’ Synth said, mumbling the last part to himself.

‘At least they didn’t eat all of them, they left the last few pages,’ Shade said, walking towards town.

‘What did they leave?’ Synth asked.

‘Index,’ Shade said.
------------

‘What is this?’ Synth asked, looking at the disaster that was in front of him.

“Home Sweet Home,” Shade said with his grin.

Synth’s house was severely damaged. His roof was half gone and the front door looked like somebody broke in. All of his windows were broken and the tree in the front looked perfectly normal.

‘Things are not what they seem,’ A familiar voice said. Synth inwardly sighed.

‘What’s this guy going on about?’ Shade asked, nudging the tree which didn’t budge.

‘Sometimes disasters are planned,’ The tree continued.

‘Why can’t they talk like ponies? I mean, did Zecora plant these trees?’ Shade asked.

‘It’s not so much a riddle, as it is a warning,’ Synth said, used to talking to trees.

‘Then what’s he warning us about? We’ve got enough on our hoofs,’ Shade said.

‘The Parasprites, he’s saying that it wasn’t an accident that they came to town,’ Synth said.

‘Then let’s find whoever’s behind this and get this over with,’ Shade said.

Shade heard a crash behind him and turned to the sound. More out of interest than fear for damage. Shade saw half the town was on fire and the other half was broken down. Parasprites littered the skies and Shade didn’t bother swatting the Parasprites flying around him. Shade walked into town to enjoy the view.

‘We need to do something,’ Synth said.

‘There’s nothing you can do right now. Parasprites only have one weakness and you’re not going to find any tuba around here,’ Shade said.

‘We have to do something, I mean… Tuba?’ Synth asked, curious.

Synth noticed Twilight in the town square. Shade must have noticed too, because he changed his course to walk in that direction. She looked like a mess with her mane completely ruined and her eyes twitching… both of them.

“So, how’s your day been going?” Shade asked innocently.

“Oh, it’s just wonderful. The princess is going to come and be foalnapped by the Parasprites and then I can be the rightful ruler. Everything is going according to plan,” Twilight said, twitching.

“Great, can I be co-ruler or something? Maybe the Parasprites’ll take Luna too,” Shade said, jokingly.

“Oh yes, the Parasprites are going to ensure there is nothing to stop me from being princess. Just you wait… everthing is going according to plan…” Twilight said, before a trumpet sounded in the distance.

“Oh no, the Princess’ procession is coming,” Twilight said, he voice normal again, and no longer twitching.

Shade watched as the Parasprites stopped what they were doing. (Some actually dropped what they were doing onto the heads of unsuspecting ponies who should have been inside.) Pinkie came from around the corner, wielding almost every type of instrument. Vera was directly behind her wearing a Mexican tunic and a sombrero.

Vera was dancing to the song and behind her was a line of parasprites jumping at the same pace as her dance. Shade chuckled at how bad she looked, while the rest of the town was quiet. The Parasprites continued the line for what seemed like forever. Behind him, Shade heard the sounds of hooves hitting dirt and chariot wheels landing.

“Pssh, the Princess is here,” Shade whispered to Twilight.

“Uh…” Twilight was saying to herself as she galloped over and bowed. Shade followed, but he didn’t bow. Instead, he kept his head up as the Princess looked dumbstruck by the Parasprites passing her by. She must not have noticed Shade because she answered the question Twilight asked her.

“I’m sorry to say that my visit needs to be cancelled, due to recent events in Fillydelphia. There appears to be some sort of an infestation,”Celestia said, a knowing look on her face.

Twilight seemed to gulp something down. “An… infestation?” She asked nervously. Shade realized just then that the others had joined them for the princess’ entrance. Rarity to his right and Fluttershy to his left. He could imagine the others were behind him.

“Yes, a swarm of bothersome creatures have invaded the poor town. It seems my visit will need to be postponed. But before I have to go, would you care to give me your latest report on the magic of friendship in person?” Celestia asked.

“My… report?” Twilight asked.

“Haven’t you learned anything about friendship?” Celestia asked.

“Actually I have. I learned that sometimes the solution to your problems can come from where you least expect it. And it’s a good idea to stop and ask your friends for their opinions and perspectives. Even when they don’t always seem to make sense,” Twilight said after a loud cymbal hit.

“I am so proud of you Twilight Sparkle, and your friends as well. Oh yes, Synth, my sister told me to give you this. She didn’t explain what it was, only that you’d know what to do with it,” Celestia said.

One of the Royal Chariot guards produced the item in a box. Shade levitated the box over, and found that it was locked. He waited for any further instruction, but the Princess gave him a questioning look so he figured she didn’t know either.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Rainbow Dask asked.

“Maybe later,” Shade said.

“Then I must be going. Duty calls, as they say,” Celestia said. Shade watched her go, the chariot quickly gliding across the sky. The others were going up to Pinkie, and Shade went up to Vera who he saw walking away from the others. He put the box in his bag to look at later and she noticed him approaching.

“Hey Synth, I was wondering where you went. I had so much fun today with Pinkie. She taught me a lot about the different types of instruments and stuff,” Vera said.

‘At least she’s not a bad influence,’ Synth said.

“And she let me taste some of the Cake’s pastries. They were really good,” Vera said.

‘Ha,’ Shade said.

“Then let’s get out of here before those Parasprites come back,” Shade said.

“You think they’ll come back? Pinkie told me that the Parasprites don’t come to places without good reason,” Vera said.

“Then let’s not give them a reason,” Shade said.

“So, what did you do today?” Vera asked, as they started to walk into town.

“I made some colorful sludge. I learned a few things and I finally got a book I was… nevermind,” Shade said, remembering the blank pages in the book.

“Okay, well do you want to come with me to Pinkie’s tomorrow? She says she was going to work on some cold cupcakes. Winter’s coming soon, you know,” Vera said.

“Why not, I need to enjoy the weather before winter. It doesn’t rain in winter after all,” Shade said.

Shade looked to the left. He realized that he was in a familiar area. He couldn’t remember why until he saw it. The glass surrounding the area as well as the metal structure still standing. The grass and weeds surrounding it were growing. The amount of random debris and object jutting out from the holes were ridiculous. He could barely read the sign on the entrance.

Biodome: Grand Opening

‘And I thought today couldn’t get worse,’ Synth said.

Shade continued to walk and they soon made it back to the house. Vera went to check on the damages and Shade just went to his room. He shut the door, and pulled out the box he was given. Synth was going to ask something, but he was stopped by what Shade was doing.

Shade put his hoof on the lock and slowly turned his hoof, while concentrating on something. When he stopped, there was a click and the box opened up. Shade pulled out the letter on top. It read:
Dear Shade,
We are thankful that thee has helped Synth with this package. We understand that only thou could have opened this. In return for thee behavior, we are leaving thee a gift as well as a message for Synth.

Shade pulled out the gem attached to the note. It was an emerald that was smaller than an apple. Shade looked at the note again and continued reading.
Dear Synth,
We are concerned about recent events in the Everfree Forest. Something is telling us that danger is approaching. We are warning thee to remain in the city and hone thy skills . We have enclosed something that thou should take great interest in. It was brought in to our attention by Griffons after an expedition. Please reply with any results thou can attain from this.
Your Princess of the night,
Luna

Shade pulled out the last thing in the box. It was some kind of flower. The stem was a lightish green with a hint of yellow. The rest of the flower was translucent and grey. The flower had yellow spores that intrigued Synth.

Shade put the flower aside and looked at the gem. Suddenly, he bit into the gem. The gem didn’t break, hell the gem didn’t even crack. Shade pulled his teeth away and held his jaw.

‘Dammit, I thought that’d work ,’ Shade said.

‘You don’t have any canine teeth to be doing that,’ Synth said. ‘You might be out of teeth completely if you keep that up,’

‘Wait… no teeth,’ Shade said.

‘What?’ Synth asked.

Shade held the gem to his mouth, but he didn’t chomp down. Instead, he rested his teeth on the top and closed his eyes. Synth was going to say something, but then he felt it. The rush of energy. Shade must have felt it too, because he started twitching his legs.

“Oh, this feels great! This feels… great. This feels…” Shade dropped the gem and leaned on the bed. He was holding his head and looking at the ground. Synth noticed that the gem he dropped didn’t shatter, it was only a powder of crystals now.

‘What’s wrong?’ Synth asked.

‘It’s… I can’t… too much…’ Shade said, before falling onto the bed and closing his eyes.

Synth felt Shade’s energy leave. He took back control of his body as the small amount of energy he got faded away. Synth moved his hooves around glad to be in control again. Now he knew what Shade felt like being a backseat watcher.

Synth pulled out his latest journal and turned to a new page. He wrote at the top of the page what he knew about the flower. It was pretty much just a description. After Synth stared at the flower for a while, he realized it was getting late and Vera would need to sleep soon. Synth closed his journal and set aside while he lay back in bed.

Synth wasn’t really tired. He was just thinking about things now. Shade hadn’t been himself today. In fact, it was like he was trying to get on Synth’s good side. Synth didn’t really care why he acted like that, but it was almost… nice. Not having to worry about getting into trouble, he accomplished more that he thought.

Then Synth turned to the other thing that was bothering him. It was a while back when he first moved into the city, but he hadn’t done anything with others really. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to be with him; it’s that he wasn’t fond about the idea. Now, he felt like he wanted to actually be ‘friends’ with the six he knew the most. Not just be someone they can call a favor in for.

Synth couldn’t help but slowly drift off back to the Everfree Forest. There was something going on there that he didn’t understand. And if he couldn’t walk in without being a threat, then how was he going to figure it out? If he was going to solve this mystery, he’d need Shade’s help to do it. But right now, Shade overdosed on energy and wasn’t very useful.

Synth felt himself slowly drift off to sleep. His cloak was hugging him tight, maybe too tight, but it was comfortable all the same. He heard the wind through the holes in his house and the rhythmic sounds of the night. With the happy thoughts of what winter could bring, he fell asleep. It was a deep sleep, one that he had no control over. Because dreaming isn’t real unless you’re fully immersed in it, nightmares can’t scare those that don’t dream.

Author's Notes:

I’m sorry. Lot’s of excuses this time, but they can be summed up pretty quick. League of Legends , procrastinating, and a huge error where I had to cut out 10k words and edit a bunch more. I can’t blame my editor for this one, it’s my fault. Anyways, It took about 20 different ‘sessions’ (I call sitting down to type until I close the window as one session) before I could get to the final stretch where I write the last 1k words of the chapter. I’ve got tons of EQD things to read and I haven’t sat down to read a fanfic in months. I’ll probably have to write back and forth between this and my second story to keep them entertaining for myself.
Next Time: Colder than Fiction, What could go wrong on a snowy day in Ponyville? Besides everything .

Colder than Fiction

Colder than Fiction
*Note: This chapter changed since I posted the last one, and I’ve redone the events within. That being said, it’s not disastrous as I had planned.

The sound of hooves and wooden wheels entered his room. Synth tried to ignore the sound, but it was getting closer. Then, he heard the sound of the wheels skidding across the ground. Finally, the crash gave him motivation to open his eyes.

Synth quickly rushed outside to see what was going on. It was still early in the morning and the air was freezing, but what was more chilling, was the wreckage in front of his house. There were the remains of a carriage and items scattered around the crash. Synth tried to piece together what had happened from the icy road that the carriage came from. He noticed a hoof poking from under the wreckage and rushed over.

“Hey, are you okay?” Synth asked the pony as he pulled away wood from atop the body.

“Yeah… I think so,” Came the male reply.

Synth managed to take the wood off of him, but there was a piece that lodged itself in his other hoof. It might have been too cold to feel, but it could still be infected. Synth pulled him out, careful of the bad hoof.

“Oh, what happened?” Synth realized a crowd was starting to form and the lights in nearby houses had been turned on with faces looking out the windows.

“It was an accident. I tried to turn, but I must have slipped,” The injured pony said, being examined by the doctor who had just arrived.

“We need to get you to the hospital. Synth, could you help me with the stretcher?” The doctor asked. Synth nodded and together, they managed to drag the pony into the stretcher that they started to carry away.

“Thanks, you really saved me there,” The pony said.

“No problem,” Synth said, trying to hurry up and get him to the hospital that was probably four blocks away.

Synth was about to give in to the cold, until he saw the looming shape of the hospital in front of him. They took him through the entrance and directly into one of the operating rooms. Synth was pushed out the room as they locked it and prepared to remove the wood.

Synth decided it was too cold to go home, and asked the nurse if he could stay to make sure his ‘friend’ was okay. She allowed it, and Synth fell asleep on one of the couches. He didn’t know how long he slept, but it was a dreamless sleep.
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“Synth, go home,” The voice in the sky said. Actually it wasn’t in the sky, and the voice had a body. It belonged to his doctor who was looking at him quizzically.

“Hey Doc… morning already?” Synth asked.

“Yes it is. We finished the surgery, and the pony will be okay. He’ll just need to stay off his hoof for a few days. You on the other hand, should get going,”

“Alright, good to see you again,” Synth said, stretching and getting ready to leave.

“Wait Synth… the nurse said that pony had a friend out here. That wouldn’t be you, would it?” The doctor asked.

“Could be, but I wouldn’t count on it,” Synth said.

“It’s just, when we finished the procedure, the patient was excited when she told him somebody wanted to talk to him. I don’t want to get his hopes up for nothing, he’s been having it rough lately,”

“Oh well, when you put it that way, I guess I can chat with him a while. I don’t think I’ve seen him before, so maybe he’s new around here,” Synth said.

“He is, he told me he didn’t have any relatives nearby and that he was traveling through when that happened,”

“A traveler, that sounds like fun,” Synth said, walking into the room where the patient was. The doctor shook his head before leaving.

Synth stepped in to the dim lighted room and shut the door behind him. He looked at the bed where the pony lay, his head rising as he noticed Synth entered.

“Hey, feeling better?” Synth asked.

“My leg hurts, but otherwise I’m fine,” He said, a smile showing on his face.

“Well my name’s Synth, I thought we could talk while you’re stuck in this hospital,” Synth said.

“Synth… Well my name is Artemis. You can call me Arty if you like,” Artemis said.

“Well Arty, you sure had some bad luck on that icy road. Where were you headed anyways?” Synth asked.

“The Everfree Forest, or more precisely, the Freegrounds of the Everfree Forest. And that was no accident,” Artemis said.

“What do you mean? And what are the Freegrounds?” Synth asked.

“Why would the road be icy when it hasn’t rained or snowed in days? The Forest was trying to keep me away, and its plan worked. As for the Freegrounds, let’s say there is a rumor I heard that the Everfree Forest is not aggressive. Some say it’s defensive, the way it keeps ponies out. The freegrounds is the safe area in the very heart of the forest,”

“But that’s not likely, the Forest wouldn’t let something that peaceful into its heart,” Synth said trying to remember the information he read on the Forest weeks ago.

“Although, the rumor could be backed if you add in the size of the Everfree Forest, well the perimeter. Thus, it came to my attention that such a place could exist. So, why did nopony find it yet?” Artemis asked.

“They don’t try?” Synth asked.

“Close, but it’s because if they do find it, they’d want to keep it for themselves,” Artemis said.

“Would you?” Synth asked.

“Of course not, I have no intention of living in a place like that. It’s my duty to travel and find new rumors to explore, not to settle down,”

“What about your friends? Or your family?” Synth asked.

“Dead, but I’d rather not relive those stories. Ask me again later,” Artemis said.

“So you’re alone?” Synth asked.

“I’ve got you for now. Don’t suppose you’re gonna go off and die soon, would you?” Artemis asked with less of a playful smile than Synth expected.

“No… So what are you going to do after you get out? Your carriage was totally wrecked,” Synth said.

“Oh, I nearly forgot. Would you care to fetch me my things from the carriage? They mean a lot to me. The most important things, of course. I had a scarf from my mother, a drawing from my little brother, a lucky horseshoe from my father, and this strange artifact my great grandfather gave me, it looks like a slab of rock,” Artemis said.

“Alright, I’ll get those for you. I just hope they didn’t clean up the wreck yet,” Synth said, stepping out of the room. He shut the door behind him and quickly trotted out of the hospital and onto the road.

Synth made it to the wreckage and found it to be the way he saw it earlier that morning. The difference he noticed though, was that the road was no longer icy. The air still had an early winter feeling, but not nearly as cold as in the morning. Synth inspected the wreckage.

Synth found the scarf underneath a board and pulled it away. He heard a slight rip and found that it had caught the edge of a piece of wood. The middle of it was ripped away and Synth remembered what Arty said. It was from his mother.

Synth located the drawing nearby and the horseshoe was a few feet away on top of some leaves. The strange looking rock actually resembled a stone medallion, and it had a symbol on the front of it. The small writing under the symbol was illegible, but it looked familiar.

Synth looked once again at the scarf and decided he should make it right. Synth put the objects in his bag and walked into the town. Walking straight down his street, he saw the Carousel Boutique coming into view. Synth hurried his pace a little and opened the door. He heard the bell above signal his presence.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every-, Synth! Oh it’s nice to see you,” Rarity said, noticing it was him.

“Hey Rarity, I was wondering if you could-,”

“Come, sit down. I’ll make you some tea,” Rarity said, motioning to the couch before leaving the room. Synth took a seat on the couch and waited for Rarity to return. She came back with a teapot and two cups.

“I came by to ask if you could fix this scarf for a friend of mine,” Synth said.

Rarity looked at the scarf Synth was holding. “Yes, that should be fairly simple, I’ll have it done in no time,” Rarity said.

“Alright, I’ll wait here then,” Synth said, taking a sip of his offered tea. He had to admit he enjoyed it. It was soothing and warm, something he needed.

“That’s nice, we haven’t sat and talked in so long. Well, I suppose this wouldn’t be a casual talk either if I’m working,” Rarity said.

Rarity brought her sewing machine over and sat herself down to work. She put her glasses on and turned it on. Synth could see that she was concentrated but not too concentrated.

“So, what would you like to talk about, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Well, this scarf was for somepony I met recently. There was an accident outside my house and now we’re the best of buddies,” Synth said.

“Oh, is she special enough for you to bring her scarf to me?” Rarity asked. Synth thought he saw a grin on her face, but it disappeared quickly.

“It wasn’t a mare. He said that scarf belonged to his mother, and so I didn’t want to tell him that it was damaged,” Synth said.

“Oh, and here I thought you’d found somepony special. Well, at least you’ve learned how to make new friends,” Rarity said.

“A lot’s changed since I first got here. I feel like I’m a new pony now. All thanks to you girls and the rest of this town,” Synth said.

“Don’t give us credit for everything. You’re the one who can change yourself. We just inspired you to make that change, dear. I mean, do you honestly think the world changes ponies? I think it’s the ponies who change the world,” Rarity said.

‘You’re rubbing off on her, that’s not a good thing,’ Shade said, rising from his unconscious state.

‘I didn’t think you’d ever wake up after that last one,’ Synth said.

‘I’m starting to get the hang of it though, a few more and I think I can withstand it,’ Shade said.

“Doubt it,” Synth said.

“Everypony’s entitled to their beliefs. So, if you think that your friends did all the work, why don’t you go see them as well? I see them all the time, and they never mention much about you. I suppose you’ve just been busy with other things, but you should still see your friends,” Rarity said.

“I- uh… thanks. I think I’ll take your advice,” Synth said, when Rarity handed him the repaired scarf. He couldn’t even tell it had been damaged. Synth downed the rest of his tea, grateful for the warmth.

“Who knows, maybe friends can turn out to be better than you think,” Rarity said.

“They already seem like a good idea, how could they get better?” Synth questioned.

“I’m not going to spell things out for you, just go enjoy your day. Have some fun,” Rarity said, pushing him out the door.

Synth couldn’t ask anything else before she pushed him outside and shut the door. Rarity chuckled as she walked back to her room.

‘I do hope we were the right friends for him. I don’t want him to end up regretting his decisions. Especially if he ends up feeling alone,’ Rarity thought to herself as she sat down to work on a design she’d been working on. The winter edition should reflect the season.
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Synth put the scarf in his bag with the rest of the things and decided that he should visit one of the others. It was still early, so Fluttershy would still be asleep. He couldn’t figure how to get up to Cloudsdale, and Sweet Apple Acres was so far away. Deciding between Pinkie and Twilight, he decided that he’d had enough weirdness for today and started walking toward the library.

Synth once again felt the wind blowing. It made him shiver, and he wished he brought some clothing. Synth picked up his pace and made it to the library. He could see the lights on inside and shapes moving inside. Synth pushed against the door and looked inside.

Twilight was on the ground, looking at multiple books at once. She had a quill and paper next to her. She didn’t notice him enter, and turned the page in two of the books and put aside the other two. She pulled two more off the shelf and opened them to the middle. Spike was pacing in front of her and stopped when he heard the door shut.

Synth was about to ask something until Spike put his finger to his lips and said “Shh”

Synth mouthed ‘What’ and Spike motioned for him to enter the kitchen. Synth followed and waited until Spike spoke first.

“She’s studying about winter in case the Princess tests her on it. Don’t ask why, and don’t try to stop her. She said she didn’t want to be disturbed, so what did you want?” Spike asked.

“I was just coming by to visit. If it’s a bad time, I’ll just come back later,” Synth said.

“Take me with you… if you don’t mind, I mean,” Spike said.

“W-why?” Synth asked, taken off guard.

“I’ve been walking around the room all morning and she’s only just started. If I put the closed sign on the door, do you think I can go with you? Please?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, I guess. As long as Twilight doesn’t mind,” Synth said.

“She’ll never know I was gone,” Spike said, pushing him toward the backdoor. Spike sure was strong for a little dragon. Err, for his size.

Synth went out the door and shut it behind Spike. He started walking away, when he noticed the white flakes falling down. At first, he didn’t know what they were, but then Spike reminded him.

“Snow? The pegasi weren’t supposed to let it snow yet,” Spike said.

Synth looked up at the sky, and the area where the flakes were falling. He noticed what was behind the library. The Everfree Forest had a fog around it. The snow was already piling on the ground and in the trees around the forest. In the town however, the snow was melting when it hit the ground.

“You think we should tell Twilight about this?” Spike asked.

“With all that studying, I doubt she’d notice, or care,” Synth said.

“But this isn’t bad, is it? I mean, I always liked the snow. Besides the cold part,” Spike said.

“Maybe not, but I should figure out what to do now. I thought I could spend some time in the library, but I guess not,” Synth said.

“Hey, what are they doing over there?” Spike asked, pointing away from the tree.

Synth looked where he was pointing where the snow was falling. There were two figures in the snow. One looked to be older than the other, and Synth could make out the light coat anywhere. It was Pinkie, and the filly next to her would most likely be his sister. Synth didn’t respond, and instead started to walk in the direction. Spike followed.

Having made his way over, Spike looked at the snow that was piling around them. Before Synth could say anything, Spike was already in the snow stacking some of the icy frost. Pinkie noticed him and went over.

“Hey Spike, wanna help me and Vera build our snow fort?” Pinkie asked.

“Actually, I was going to build my own fort. Then, we can have a snowball fight,” Spike said.

“Ooh, that sounds like fun. I’ll make my fort big enough to withstand anything you throw at me: snow, snowballs, cannonballs, anything!” Pinkie said, before going back to build the fort that was as tall as her. Vera was on top, adding more snow. She noticed Synth approaching.

“Hey Synth, look how big it’s getting. At this rate, it’ll be bigger than your house,” Vera said.

“How long have you two been out here?” Synth asked.

“About five minutes,” Vera said, sliding down from the top.

“Impressive,” Synth said, looking at the five foot tall structure that was longer than him. He noticed Spike also building his own fort, although not as quickly.

“Want to help us? Or do you want to help Spike?” Vera asked.

“I think Spike needs all the help he can get,” Synth said.

Synth approached Spike’s beginning of a fort and began to pile snow on top of it. They quickly made a mound of snow and began to shape out a wall. When Synth looked up he noticed Pinkie’s fort was almost doubled in size. Synth tried not to think too much about it and continued to bring more snow from around him.

“Hey, what are you four up to?” Synth heard from above. He looked up to find Rainbow Dash sitting on a cloud that was bringing snow down.

“We’re gonna have a snowball fight, want to join?” Spike asked.

“Snowball fight, huh? Count me in. You two might not know it, but I’m undefeated when it comes to snowball fights,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Come help us build this fort then, we’ll need all the help we can get to catch up to Pinkie,” Spike said.

Rainbow Dash looked over Pinkie’s fort with admiration. It was almost as big as a house now, and it even had a roof. Don’t ask how, but it also had a working door.

“Looks like I’m going to have to defend my title,” Rainbow Dash said.

Synth was going to say something, but she kicked the cloud she’d been on. The snowfall accelerated and she positioned it directly above Synth’s fort. The snow piled on top, and Rainbow Dash flew around the fort to keep in aligned. When she moved the cloud, the fort was almost as big as Pinkie’s. Almost.

“There we go, that should do it,” Rainbow Dash said, brushing off her hooves.

“That was awesome, how’d you do that,” Spike said.

“I’d tell you, but I don’t reveal my tricks to anypony. Unless of course, if they can prove they’re just as awesome as me,” Rainbow Dash said.

“So, are we gonna get started soon?” Synth asked, getting himself some shelter in one of the windows he made in the fort.

“Let’s get this started!” Pinkie said, lobbing a snowball that landed near Synth’s window.

Rainbow Dash started her own assault of snowballs. She would have her wings forming the snowballs while her hooves were busy throwing them. Synth decided against using magic, and followed Spike’s procedure of forming the snowballs in his claws. Synth looked out his window for where he could throw the snowball and got a face full of snow.

“Bullseye!” Vera cried from the other fort.

“Oof!” Synth heard the sound of snow hitting something solid. He saw Rainbow Dash giving herself a prideful cheer.

“Keep your head down, kid. Didn’t you see what just happened to Synth?” Rainbow Dash asked Vera.

“Let’s see how you like it,” Pinkie replied.

Rainbow Dash jumped to cover as snowballs fell on the spot she was just at. Synth could hear snow hitting the walls without pause. Rainbow Dash pulled his head down before he could look out the window.

“She’s using a snow cannon, wait for her to run out of ammo,” Rainbow Dash said. Spike collapsed next to Synth. His face was filled with snow, and his claws were trying to remove the snow. “Or that’ll happen,”

“But how did she-,”

“Don’t ask,” Rainbow Dash said, hearing the sound of snowballs stop. “Now’s our chance,”

Rainbow rose with multiple snowballs made and was getting ready to throw them until she caught a snowball to the face. She fell backward and skid out of the safety of the fort. Synth ran over and dragged her back in as she brushed the snow from her face.

“Nice shot Vera, you’re a natural. I just finished reloading,” Pinkie said.

“There goes our chance,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Are we losing then?” Spike asked.

“We’re not out yet, it’s two versus three, we can still turn it around,” Rainbow Dash said.

Synth heard a thump on the other side of the wall and felt it start to break apart. Rainbow Dash had a look of disbelief as she poked her head out of the fort. She brought it back down before a snowball could hit her.

“She upgraded the cannon,” Rainbow Dash said.

“What?” Synth asked.

Synth felt another shot hit the wall. The poorly made walls fell down and the snow fort became a snow pile. Synth shook the snow from his coat and looked to see if the others were okay. He saw Spike brushing off his legs and Rainbow Dash was shivering next to him.

“Looks like we win,” Pinkie said, sliding down the victorious fort. Vera came after her, laughing the whole while.

“Yeah, y-yeah, w-whatever. N-next time W-we’ll see who’s l-laughing,” Rainbow Dash said, shivering even more.

“You okay?” Synth asked, seeing her hooves twitching.

“y-yeah, I’m fine. Just a little, co-,” She said before sneezing and sniffling her nose.

“Maybe you should get inside,” Synth said.

“You don’t want to get a cold, those are hard to lose. Unless you’re good at gambling, and then it’s pretty easy, even if you don’t try,” Pinkie said.

“Yeah, what she said…” Spike said.

“I know, let’s go to Sugarcube Corner! I can get us all some hot cocoa,” Pinkie said.

“Yeah sure, l-let’s go then,” Rainbow Dash said.

They walked in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. It wasn’t snowing in town, but it was definitely still chilly aired. Synth more or less followed them and watched Rainbow Dash as she seemed to be drained of energy. She was constantly shivering, and she would twitch her head every few seconds, but play it off like she was looking somewhere.

“Here we go, I’ll go make us some cocoa. Vera, want me to show you how to do it?” Pinkie asked.

“Okay!” Vera said, following Pinkie to the backroom. The others seated themselves at one of the counters and waited. Synth noticed Rainbow Dash was shivering less, but she still didn’t look comfortable.

“You sure you’re okay?” Synth asked.

“No, I’m not okay, alright? I. Don’t. Lose. What Pinkie did back there… is that fair?” Rainbow asked.

“I don’t think so, but it was made out of snow…” Synth said.

“I was undefeated, but now look… I think I need some time to think,”

“Alright, but remember, it’s all in good fun,” Synth said.

“Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t care, but it bugs me, you know? Anyway, I did have fun, and it’s been a while since we’ve had time to chat. I’ll be seeing you,” Rainbow Dash said before getting up and walking out. Pinkie came in a few seconds later bringing a tray with five cups of cocoa.

Pinkie set the tray down and looked around, her smile lessening to a degree. Synth decided to answer her question before she asked.

“She had to go, but she said thanks anyways,” Synth said, editing her words to something completely different.

“Alrighty then, more for us,” Pinkie said, grabbing a cup and chugging down the liquid.

Synth reached for his own cup, but found it steaming hot. He levitated it over and looked inside. The steam was burning his face, and he wondered how she could drink it. Vera attempted the same thing, but she nearly spilled the cup when she tried to take a drink.

“Hot!” Vera said, setting the cup back down.
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After Synth and Vera departed and left Pinkie to do some chores, while Spike decided it was best to make sure Twilight didn’t need him, it started to snow in the rest of the town. Synth followed Vera as she led the way back to their house. She was shivering slightly, but she said she could handle the cold. Synth himself felt slightly chilled, but like his sister, it didn’t bother him too much.

Synth remembered the scarf and other items he had. He told Vera to continue on home while he finished an errand. Synth went to the hospital and found Artemis’ room. Synth entered, and saw his face light up with recognition.

“Ah, so you’ve returned,” The Artemis said.

“Yes, and I’ve brought the items,” Synth said, pulling everything out and piling it on the nearby table.

“That’s great, it’s a good thing nothing was damaged,” Artemis said, inspecting the drawing.

“So, do these things have a lot of sentimental value?” Synth asked.

“Oh yes… very much indeed. It’s been so long since my family… passed,” Artemis said.

“How long ago was it?” Synth asked.

“…” Artemis looked away from Synth’s face for that question.

“Do you… think you could do me a favor? Could you keep this a secret?”

“Keep what a secret?” Synth asked, feeling curious about his answer.

“You see… it’s been one hundred years since they had the accident,” Artemis said, looking up to see Synth’s reaction.

Synth was confused at first, but he decided to hear him out. “How is that possible?” he asked.

“Let me begin from the beginning…” Artemis said, recalling events from his past.
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“I was only about 8 years old. I was just a young colt back then. I was raised in a family that constantly moved. We moved almost every year. My father was a researcher who was intrigued about a mystery that year. We moved to Neighbraska and my father asked around for the rumors. There was a house on a hill that was haunted.

Nobody believed that it was haunted, but all the same, nobody went near it. My father, he took the whole family to the house to see if the rumors were true. Back then, my brother was about 15, his special talent was in navigation, and wanted to help my dad. I was dragged along because he didn’t want to leave me at home.

When we entered, it was a really creepy place and I could see why people thought it was haunted. After an hour of looking around, my dad told us to split up and search the bedrooms. I went with my brother, and when we found nothing wrong with the room, we heard a sound in the other room.

My brother, he told me we should check it out. When we went in the next door room, I saw something I still find in my dreams today.”
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“You don’t have to tell me if it makes you feel uncomfortable,” Synth said.

“No, it’s fine. It happened so long ago anyways…” Artemis said.
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“My parents, they were sprawled on the couch. The windows let the light streak in and hit the red liquid that covered them. I didn’t know what it was at first, but my brother did. He pushed me out of the room and told me to leave. I didn’t know why, but the look on his face… it told me something was wrong.

I tried to leave. I ran for the exit, but by the time I got there, I heard a scream. When I tried to open the door, I didn’t budge. It was locked, even though the door didn’t have a lock. I sat next to the door, when all of a sudden, there was a white smoke entering the room. It came in from the direction I did, and the rest of the house was quiet.

Then, I saw him. In the mist, there was a silhouette of a pony. He took his time stepping out of the mist, and got to where I could see him. His mane, was blood red with deep scar on the left side of his face. His eyes were a darker shade of red, with a pale white coat. He frowned when he reached me. I could see something was off about this pony, but I was too young to feel scared of him.

He said a few words to me, and I remember those clearest of all. He said,”There is no Haven for the Damned, Nor a Hell for the Angels,” Then he went to the doors and opened them. He gestured for me to leave, and following my brother’s request, I left. I noticed as soon as the doors shut behind me, my Cutie Mark appeared. A cross with a pointed bottom resembled a sword. I wasn’t excited, and I went to ask for help.

It was months later, after my parents were presumed missing and me being put into a foster home that I learned what he meant. I spent years in foster care until I was old enough to leave. I took the first opportunity and followed my parent’s course and line of work.

I started to travel and learn things from people. Not normal things, they were myths, mysteries, even complete lies. But I kept listening, for something that could sound like what I saw when I was younger. Finally, that day came.

My travels brought me to the Griffin Kingdom. One of the townsfolk heard I was looking for stories and told me of the Forsaken Mal. Mal was short for something else, but I couldn’t remember it for the life of me.

He said that the Mal were corrupt ponies who had died with a burden on their heads. They were resurrected after death and given deadly powers. Their flaw, however, was that they were bound to the area in which they died. He also said that if they were killed, the curse would be transferred to their killer. When the newly cursed died of unnatural causes, they too would be resurrected and turned into a Mal. Before you died, however, you could live forever until your heart stopped beating.

After learning this, I decided that the best thing to do was to give the Mal I met a proper burial. I traveled to Neighbraska and located the house. When I entered, the Mal appeared before me. He must have remembered me, because he didn’t attack immediately.

He said to me,”Why did you come back? Why does the Angel turned Damned return to the Hell he escaped?”

So I told him why, ”To cleanse you of your curse,” His face registered something, like confusion and happiness at the same time.

“Then I shall give you my best wishes,” He said before jumping at me. I pulled out my newly bought blade made of silver. Before he could react, I slashed his hooves and he tumbled to the ground.

“Finally, rest may come. Thank you, you damned Angel. May you take your spoils of war and find peace. I leave with you, one relic,” He said before he stopped breathing.

I can’t describe what happened next, but it felt like something was flowing into me. I felt power and sorrow and every other emotion at once. Before I knew it, Mal’s body was turned into ashes and blown into every corner of the house. What was left behind, was that strange object you got for me. Ever since then, I’ve traveled the world. I’ve been to every country, and I’ll continue to do that until something horrible happens to me,”
------------

“That’s not a very happy ending,” Synth said.

“Well, not everything is. Some things… are better left alone,” Artemis said.

“This is… a lot to take in,” Synth said.

“That’s alright; you can have some time to think about it. I need to get some rest anyways; that crash really did a number on me,” Artemis said.

“Okay then, I’ll see if I can’t come see you again before you get released,” Synth said, before leaving the room. That story made him feel weird. A part of him thought he was lying, but a bigger part knew he was telling the truth. Synth shook his head and set his destination to the apple trees to thing about things.
------------

“So what kinda pony was he? I bet he had an accent, like most of them other Neighbraskans,” Applejack said.

“He seemed like you or me, not that different really,” Synth said.

Synth had just gotten to the apple trees until Applejack found him and convinced him to tell her what was wrong. Synth didn’t know how she knew something was up, but she did. Now, he was leaned against a tree and had just told her what he knew about Artemis. He kept out the story details, but he did explain it was weird enough to make him question it.

“I don’t get it, why would a pony like you or me be travelin’ the country?” Applejack asked.

“I bet he has his reasons, but I’d rather not question him too much,” Synth said.

“Alright, then I won’t either. But, like I said earlier, it’s great to know you’ve been strolling around town. I ain’t seen you in a while, and I bet the others were glad to see you too,” Applejack said.

Synth had also mentioned that he’d been in town and told her a few of the details of what he did.

“I thought it was about time since I stayed coped up with myself. I felt like Vera was driving me crazy,” Synth said.

“Oh that reminds me, I was wondering if Vera wanted to meet my-,”

“Applejack! I’ve been lookin’ for you everywhere. Yer brother wants you in the barn to help with some storage,” Granny Smith said, starting to nudge Applejack in the direction she wanted.

“Oh alright, duty calls. I’ll be seeing you then, Synth,” Applejack said, starting to walk in the direction of her own accord.

“Yeah, see ya,” Synth said, turning to get back into town. It felt like forever since he woke up. The sun was already starting to descend, although he knew that meant it was still about five.

Synth realized that he’d visited almost all of his friends, whether he wanted to or not. He’d only left out one, considering Lyra had visited him on a few occasions. Fluttershy was bound to be unoccupied considering some animals had already hibernated while others would wait until the last moment.

Synth made his way in the direction he thought would bring him to her cottage. Almost as if by a miracle, he saw her cottage directly in front of him. Synth went around to the front door and gave it three knocks. After a few seconds, he heard some commotion inside and the door opened.

Fluttershy stood in front of him, her mane frizzled and she had small bags under her eyes. She also tried to hold back a yawn that Synth caught. Synth had to admit, she didn’t smell very pleasant either.

“Hey, Synth… how are you doing?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m doing good, but what about you? You don’t look very… presentable,” Synth said.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just haven’t been getting much sleep lately. I’ve been busy getting the animals ready to hibernate. I’ve been gathering food and digging holes… and…-,” Fluttershy was starting to sway, and Synth couldn’t stop her before she hit the floor.

Synth tried to shake her awake, but she didn’t stir. She was mumbling something, but there was no way she’d wake up if she didn’t feel anything from hitting the floor. Synth dragged her over to the couch and tried to lay her down on it. It wasn’t a bed, but she shouldn’t be on the ground in her condition.

Synth managed to set her down and stood back to make sure it was comfortable. He heard a noise of footsteps and turned to the kitchen doorway. Angel entered the room, carrying with him a wooden spoon. He looked up at Synth first, then at the sleeping Fluttershy. He seemed to go berserk, for a bunny. Synth looked from Fluttershy to Angel and put his hoof up.

“I don’t know what this looks like, but it doesn’t look like that. She just-,”

Synth ducked as the wooden spoon stuck into the wall. Angel went back into the kitchen. Synth didn’t want to stay and explain when the rabbit came back with bigger and sharper objects. Synth was opening the door, until he heard Fluttershy mumble something behind him.

“It’s…nice meeting… you, Synth,” Fluttershy said, she had a smile on her face, and Synth had to wonder what she was dreaming about. He heard something fall in the kitchen, and it sounded sharp, so Synth went out the door and shut it behind him. He left at a quick trot to put as much distance between him and that psychotic bunny as possible.

Synth walked back in the direction of his house. He started to wonder how his day had been going. It was nice he saw all of his friends today, but it hadn’t gone like he wanted. It’s been weeks since he saw them all at once, and he had to imagine that they did things without him considering how close they were to each other. On the other hand, Twilight seemed to get along just fine considering she’d known them just as long as Synth.

Synth realized that he’d been preoccupied with life in Ponyville, and he hasn’t gone back to visit his friends in Canterlot. He decided that the next time he felt lonely, he’d go see them. Synth looked up when he noticed the mail pony passing him by. She hadn’t dropped in (literally) for a while, so Synth wondered what kind of mail he’d gotten.

Synth approached his mailbox and opened it. He looked inside at the old looking package that was considerably light. He took it inside and set it on the table. Just then, Vera entered with Luna by her side. Luna had a smile on her face, and she looked like she’d just been laughing.

“Ah Synth, tis a great evening, wouldn’t thou agree?” Luna asked.

“A little cold, but not bad,” Synth said.

“But the cold, it signals a great time. When our night shall lengthen and worries are lost in ice. Our sister does not agree, but she does not understand the power that the frost contains,” Luna said.

“So, what brings you here, then?” Synth asked.

“There is something that troubles us deeply. Although we may not go into details, it is safe to assume that something is amiss in our forest. We would like thee to investigate the problem in a few months. Thou are not needed for the Winter Wrap Up, and we have given thee a pardon for the event. See to it that thou are in the forest to watch over the… magic,” Luna said.

“Why are you telling me now?” Synth asked.

“During these upcoming months, we will be exhausting ourselves with the night rotation. Tis best we inform thee beforehand,”

“Okay then, was that everything you came here for?” Synth asked.

“Actually, there was something else…” Luna said, indicating Vera’s direction.

“Anything said here, stays here, alright Vera?” Synth asked.

“I get it, keep secrets,” Vera said.

“Very well, we have received information of a traveler that has stumbled into thy town. Thou may not knowest this, but he is wanted under the most notorious list in Canterlot. There is a high bounty for his head, and we’d like to know if thou knowest where he is lodged,” Luna said.

“Arty? What could he have done?” Synth asked.

“Arty… is presumed a menace to society and labeled a witch, having lived for longer than any normal pony,” Luna said.

“Last I saw him, he was in the hospital. He had this weird story you should ask him about that should; it clear things up,” Synth said.

“We have searched the medical clinic, he has vanished recently, and we needed to find him before he has disappeared once again,” Luna said.

“Then I don’t know where he went. He did say he was going for the freegrounds, but it was just a rumor. It sounded like a strange place, so I doubt it exists,” Synth said.

“The freegrounds… let us assure you… the truth can be a bit strange,” Luna said, before starting to leave. She noticed the package on the table, and stopped in her tracks.

“This package… the material has not been used in decades. Where hast thou acquired this?” Luna questioned.

“It was in the mail,” Synth said.

“Open it,”

Synth went over and opened the package. Before he even pulled it out, he could tell what it was. A slab with a symbol appeared in front of him as he once again tried to read the inscription below it. Luna leaned closer and read it.

“Feast,” She read, pointing to the symbol.

“What does the rest say,” Synth asked.

“We have not the slightest clue. That writing is older than even us. For now, keep this on thee. We may return for it, but it seems befriending a convict has rewarded thee,” Luna said, before walking out the door.

“You helped a criminal?” Vera asked.

“He wasn’t a criminal, he was just misunderstood,” Synth said.

‘Sounds like somepony you know,’ Shade said.

‘But you actually were a criminal… say, where’ve you been?’ Synth asked, although grateful for the quiet.

‘I’ve been watching… mostly because I’m feeling pretty bad right now. I can’t explain it, but your welcome for the day off,’ Shade said.

“It’s getting late, I think I’m going get some sleep. I’ve had a long day,” Synth said.

“I’m going to stay up a little bit, watch the snow fall,” Vera said.

Synth went to his room, quickly getting ready for bed and lying down. He looked up at the ceiling, feeling Shade’s unrest in the back.

‘Tomorrow, we’re having a field day in the forest,’ Shade said.

Synth agreed, knowing that if he didn’t, Shade could easily take control for a few minutes and cause some uproar in the town. This way, he could practice his spells and get Shade to blow off steam at the same time. They’d only done it two other times, and one of them involved breaking down a few trees and making a kebab of some of the more hostile woodland creatures from the fallen branches. (They agreed not to ever tell Fluttershy they had gotten a squirrel on accident. Even Shade knew when Life or Death was not an option.)

‘So, what was up with Artemis? He seemed kind of weird, even for a future Mal,’ Shade said.

‘You believed his story?’ Synth asked.

‘It’s true, and what he told you about the Mal, all true,’ Shade said.

‘I thought the cold had just gotten to his head,’ Synth said.

‘Nah, he’s pretty wise, although the cold gives him some troubles when he travels. Like the accident this morning,’ Shade said.

‘Well if you can vouch for him, then the truth really is Colder than Fiction,’ Synth said.

‘Shut up,’

Author's Notes:

Side chapter, hope nobody minds. But I wanted to put something about the cold before Winter Wrap Up, coming up next. I didn’t realize the giant skip in between these episodes until I started prepping for this chapter. Also, I was bored waiting for my editor to edit these chapters, so I typed up some random stories that sounded interesting. One’s a LoL crossover(More or less) and the other is based off the Organization, and gives background. It might detract a little bit of time from this story, but I’m only working on them when my editor won’t edit.
Next Time: Eversnow Tundra, The Everfree has more to hide than even Luna can imagine.

Natural

The sky was dark. Voices could be heard around him as the world spun. He saw faces. They didn’t belong to anything from this world. They laughed and cheered. He could sense hatred and fear at the same time. It was too much. He was fading from consciousness. The last thing he saw was a bird. It was watching him… watching him go crazy, waiting for its moment to strike. Finally, it opened its wings and sprang forward.
-------------

Synth gasped as he woke from his dream. The world was still slightly spinning, but he felt the covers of his bed, warm and comforting. He let the world stop spinning before getting out of the bed.

‘Happy dreams?’ Shade asked.

‘Of course, what else is there?’ Synth answered.

“Good morning Synth,” Vera said from the doorway.

“Yeah, good morning,” Synth replied, rubbing his eyes.

“Did you have another bad dream?” Vera asked, looking worried.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Synth said.

“Alright then, but you do know what day today is, right?” Vera asked.

“Winter Wrap Up, yeah I know,” Synth said, none too enthusiastically.

“What’s got you so down?” Vera asked.

Synth wanted to crawl back in bed and go back to sleep. Those nightmares were better than what could become a possibility.

“I’m heading out, is that alright?” Synth asked.

“You’re going to the forest, aren’t you?” Vera asked.

“Yeah… how’d you know? I didn’t tell you about that,” Synth said.

“Spike told me, about a week ago,” Vera said.

‘He’s got a big mouth…’ Shade said.

“Well then you know I won’t be back for a while… what are you going to do in the meantime?” Synth asked.

“I’m going to see if I can help the others. Fluttershy said that she has a lot of fun every year,” Vera said.

‘Fun? Working?’ Shade asked.

“She also said it can be a little frustrating,” Synth said.

‘Just like having you put your comments everywhere you see fit,’ Synth said to Shade.

“I still want to try,” Vera said.

“Okay, I better get going then… wish me luck,” Synth said, grabbing his bags and leaving. He stopped outside of the house at his slowly expanding garden.

The winter was passing, and the plant seeds he’d ordered from Canterlot wouldn’t grow in Spring. Synth inspected the flowers that had grown from the three seeds he’d planted. Two were fully grown, but one wasn’t finished growing. Synth uprooted the grown plants and put them in his bag. He more carefully dig up the third flower and put it in his bag. He’d need to make a stop.

Synth went into town, taking one last look at the snow covered rooftops and streets. He was almost going to miss the cold… almost. He had to admit, the cold distracted him from the beauty of the town. And wow, was did the town look great covered in snow. Maybe that was the reason he felt forlorn today. He wasn’t ready for the change.

Synth looked up from his observations at the building he had seen only days ago. The Biodome was repaired and reopened. Now, he had the entire building to himself. It was, of course, empty. He hadn’t gotten the time to get more seeds, and the winter seeds could easily be grown outside. Now, he’d have a use for the Biodome. Using his magic, he could ensure the right living temperatures for the cold driven plant.

Synth grabbed some snow from outside and took it inside with him. He placed the plant in one of the ready to go plant pots and placed snow around him. Letting some magic out, he gave the plant some sustain in slightly warmer temperatures. Next, Synth took one of the fully grown flowers and extracted some of the pollen from it.

The pollen was different, as in like many plants; he could genetically pollinate it and solidify the result with magic into a ready to grow seed. Or, like in this case, he could use the pollen as an ingredient with the snow to decrease the temperature. By both lowering temperature and increasing the plants sustain, he would ensure that the plant would live until he got back.

Synth made sure everything was right before turning to leave. The flower he’d extracted the pollen from wouldn’t last long, and Synth chewed on the petals of the flower as he walked to the forest. Ingesting them alone wouldn’t do much, but they were highly nutritious.

Synth eventually made his way to the forest, all the while wondering what Luna would want him to see by coming here. What he saw actually surprised him. The leaves on the trees hadn’t fallen off, they merely turned white to match the snow. The snow on the ground remained, and he took a while to find the path leading into the forest.

When he took the first step in, he felt the same drain on his magic. Letting Shade take control, he reserved his magic for later. Shade continued the walk, although he stopped to take in the scenery on a few occasions. Synth tried to remember Luna’s orders, as well as the letter he’d received two days ago on what to do.
Walk into the forest peacefully
Find thyself a place to sit down and relax
Keep an eye on thy surroundings
Do not fight anything that would wish to harm thee
Be patient
Leave only when the moon hast risen

Shade had walked in peacefully enough, and everything seemed fine. Up ahead there was a clearing. Maybe that would be the spot he should be going. Shade walked to the clearing, and took a seat next to a fallen log.

Looking around for something to look at, Shade started to tap his hoof on the log and then he looked back into the forest. Squinting his eyes, he started to stand back up.

‘Something’s coming,’ Shade said.

‘Don’t fight it, Luna’s orders,’ Synth said.

‘That’s up to him, not me,’ Shade said.

Suddenly, a Timberwolf jumped from the bushes. Instead of growling or attacking, the Timberwolf watched him. He then turned and trotted off back into the forest. Shade didn’t put his guard down though, and it was a good thing he didn’t. Something thudded into the log next to him. Shade looked down at the metal feather poking out.

Shade managed to jump out of the way before a feather landed where he was standing. Shade was about to use his magic, before Synth forced his magic out. Shade didn’t have much resistance to letting Synth take back control. Synth had been training, and Shade hadn’t. Synth started to feel the magic drain again, but he had enough magic to last him a while.

The feathers came again, but this time Synth sidestepped them and held out his hoof. He hoped to make a truce with the attacking Stym. It wasn’t working, and the bird shot another feather at him, this time he couldn’t dodge fast enough and it scraped his face.

Synth didn’t know if it was the forest, or Luna’s orders, but he suddenly felt something was wrong. The bird wasn’t firing rapidly like they had done other times. This one seemed to hesitate. Synth was getting ready to dodge until he heard a growl nearby. Synth spun around to face the approaching enemy and slipped in the ice he didn’t see. Synth was trying to pick himself up, but he caught sight of the Timberwolf, nearly three feet away, looking up at the bird, growling.

Synth slowly lifted himself up and was getting ready to run, until the Timberwolf turned to him. He didn’t seem angry or threatened, instead, he seemed worried. The Stym emerged from the trees and landed on the ground, next to the Timberwolf. Synth was stunned when they both turned to Synth, apparently waiting for him to speak.

“What’s going on here?” Synth asked, wondering if they’d understand him.

The Timberwolf looked up to the sky and gave a low howl. The bushes around them rustled and Timberwolves poked their heads out. In the trees above, the Stym birds watched down at them. They turned to Synth as he stared fearfully around him.

“What are you trying to tell me?” Synth asked.

The Stym birds let out a shriek that sent shivers up Synth’s neck. He had to cover his ears from the pain. When he uncovered them, the animals were looking into the sky. Synth was about to ask a question, but then a roar cut off any thought he was having. It shook the forest as the ground vibrated. Synth looked to the nearby Timberwolf to make sure he heard correctly. Once again, they looked at him.

Now, Synth understood. He knew the reason why the forest was different. He’d need to tell Luna immediately. But then he remembered her last rule. Synth looked to the animals for help. They seemed to know everything, because they all looked at the trees.

Synth noticed how the white leaves on the trees were no longer the color of snow. It was greyer and wet. They were changing colors and the snow above was melting. The ground was even starting to be squishy instead of soft. Synth found it fascinating how the ice he had slipped on earlier was also melting. The forest itself was changing seasons.

Now Synth knew the other reason Luna wanted him to see this. The way the forest was changing was unnatural in Equestria, but it was definitely beautiful. The animals had started dispersing, all except the two he met first. Synth could tell by the rate everything was melting, it’d take at least until night before everything melted, and then there would be a flood in the nearby river from the runoff.

The Timberwolf looked at Synth and then at the Stym nearby, as if suggesting something. The Stym flew up and landed on the Timber wolf’s back, finding a sturdy branch to sit on. He held out his metal wing to Synth, and he realized that it was a peace offering. Considering what happened before they were friends, he was glad they were going to get along.

Synth held out his hoof and they shook. The Stym’s icy cold feathers wrapped around Synth’s hoof and left something behind as he pulled away. A hard object, grey color and heavy in shape, was on his hoof. Synth inspected the object, and found it to resemble a metal seed. He hadn’t seen anything like it before, and it definitely wasn’t something he’d forget.

The Stym flew away, and The Timberwolf walked into the forest as well. Synth was left staring at the seed he held. When he felt he’d spent long enough for the seed to start growing, he put it in his bag and looked to the sky. He could barely see the sun, still rising. He had many hours until he would leave, and he’d need to do something to fill the time.

Synth decided he’d look for any plants he could grow in the Biodome. Because of the snow, he had a hard time finding any plants, not to mention one he would want. They wouldn’t be growing in temperature that kept shifting to melt the snow.

Synth walked around a tree and found something colorful in his sight. A purple lilac looking flower was growing next to a tree. Synth walked over and inspected it. He remembered this one, it was usually found in the winter, and they were high in protein. He’s surprised that none of the wildlife had gotten to it before him. They were delicious.

Synth reached out to pick the flower, when a white blur passed his eyes. Synth turned to look at the blur after it had taken the flower with it. He saw the rabbit before it went back in its hole. The rabbit had successfully stolen his treat.

Synth then realized that he hadn’t seen any wildlife other than the hostile monsters and the robber rabbit he just encountered. The forest had seemed quiet, but now, it seemed to start to spring to life. The sounds of hisses and rustling leaves were being heard in the forest. They must have been waking themselves up, getting the last of the winter food before it died of temperature change.

Synth knew that searching for anything else would be pointless now. It’d all be taken before he had a chance to collect the pollen. He was eager to find out what kind of plant the new seed grew into, but he’d need to wait until night to go back into town.

Synth decided to enjoy the scenery. The forest actually looked peaceful right now. The sound of a falling tree changed his mind quickly. He went over to where he heard the sound. He found the fallen tree, as well as the body of a dead Stym. Other Styms were circling the culprit, a Timberwolf who could barely stand.

Synth didn’t know what was happening, but he decided to help the helpless Timberwolf. Trotting to his side, Synth warned the Stym to stop. They didn’t seem to care, and continued their advancements. When Synth stepped inbetween the Stym and the Timberwolf, they took notice of him. Taking into flight, they shot out their feathers of steel at Synth.

Synth managed to dodge the feathers before letting Shade take back control. He knew the forest had taken a toll on his magic supply already. Shade didn’t like how he was being used, but at least he got the pleasure to fight. Jumping to the nearest Stym, he grabbed the wings and pulled him down, using him as a shield for the next barrage of feathers.

Shade threw the body of the Stym at a different Stym and then activated more magic. He used the tree branches to grab at the flying Styms, making sure the wings were secured tight. Then, the remaining Stym flew off, leaving their friends at Shade’s mercy. He, in fact, didn’t show any. Using their metal feathers to their disadvantage, he squeezed them tight until the blood flowed out.

When he disposed of the bodies, Shade turned to the Timberwolf who had been watching. He was licking the sap from his wounds and looking cautiously at Shade. Shade didn’t take the look right and started to walk toward him. The Timberwolf yipped in pain, and Shade let out his magic.

“This was your fault, I take it?” Shade asked the helpless wolf.

Shade didn’t wait for a response as he dashed forward and hit him across his face. Bits of wood flew in the air as the wolf went tumbling back. Synth tried to take back control, but Shade was resisting hard now. The forest’s power wasn’t helping the cause, and what made Synth feel worse than hitting the wolf, was when a smaller one came out from the brush where the larger one landed.

Shade went forward to the smaller Timberwolf as it looked down at the nearly dead Timberwolf. He nudged a piece of wood that Synth believed to be the mouth of the larger one. Now that it was a pile of wood, he couldn’t really tell. The pieces moved slightly though, and then went still. The Timberwolf looked a Shade as if noticing he was there for the first time.

“And who are you?” Shade asked, getting closer.

‘Stop it, you’ve done enough,’ Synth said.

‘Make me, and I’ll think about it,’ Shade said.

Shade put his face closer to the small Timberwolf and looked into its eyes. Synth felt something was weird when Shade picked up the small Timberwolf. It was only about one fourth of an actual Timberwolf’s size, so it was light. Shade was about to say something, when he suddenly stopped. Synth felt the feelings return as he took back control with little to no effort.

Looking down at the Timberwolf, he felt a warm and safe feeling. Lowering him, Synth was surprised to see the little wolf smile and bark at him.

‘There’s something different about this one,’ Synth said, awaiting a response from Shade.

Shade didn’t respond, but Synth could feel something itching at the back of his mind, as if Shade was watching in silence. Either way, Synth couldn’t feel the drain of the forest anymore. He looked down at the Timberwolf and smiled back.

“You’re a special little guy, aren’t you?” Synth asked.

The Timberwolf barked in response.

“I’m sorry about… well, you know,” Synth said, motioning slightly to the bigger Timberwolf.

The Timberwolf didn’t seem to understand and just barked a response. Then, he ran a circle around Synth, getting bored of standing around. Synth caught on and they started to walk away from the carnage of dead bodies Shade left.

Synth took another look at the scenery. It was still changing and looking better all the while. The Timberwolf was looking around as well, and Synth could feel happiness it had. It was like they were connected somehow, and Synth had to feel happy about the Timberwolf feeling happy. Shade still hadn’t spoken, and Synth was wondering what he was thinking.

When they reached a river, Synth was wondering if Steven was nearby. He figured that Steven must’ve been more upstream. Now that he thought of it, he was pretty lost at this point. He might not even be able to leave at night if he didn’t find the way out. When he looked up, he’d been traveling a while, and it was already past midday. If he had to guess, it was about three o’ clock.

Synth continued to travel, the Timberwolf at his side the entire time. They didn’t encounter anything else hostile, and Synth was feeling invigorated from the lack of energy drain. When Synth decided to walk faster, the Timberwolf followed his pace. When he started into a slow gallop, the Timberwolf could barely catch up. He slowed a little more and streaked through the forest in the direction he thought would get them out.

After they’d traveled a while, Synth stopped and determined they were lost. He looked into the sky, seeing the sun had dropped even more. He only had a few hours left, and he was wondering how long it’d take to get out.

“Is town the way I came? Or the way I’m going?” Synth asked out loud.

The young Timberwolf barked and then ran into the forest to his left. Synth had gotten used to the little guy, so he followed his lead. After trotting non-stop for a long time, Synth decided to question where he was going.

“Where are you going?” Synth asked, panting from the effort. The Timberwolf might not be fast, but he sure did have stamina.

The Timberwolf barked and continued, slower now. Stopping at a clearing, the Timberwolf rested near a tree and Synth did the same, although his lungs were burning. He really needed to run like this every day. He was starting to get lazy. Starting.

Synth lay down in the grass and looked up at the sky as he caught his breath. The sun was out of sight, and it looked like it was almost sunset. The snow was gone, and the ground was wet, spring was here. The Timberwolf was rested and ready to go, while Synth was still panting. By the time he caught his breath, the sun was definitely setting.

Standing up, he noticed this was the clearing that he had seen the friendly Timberwolf and Stym. Following the little Timberwolf, he could see that he was right in choosing where the way out was. They walked at a slow pace towards the entrance. Synth saw the opening in which he entered, and realized something he had forgotten.

Timberwolves can’t leave the forest for long. Synth was wondering if he could part with the little Timberwolf, especially after Shade had killed what Synth suspected was its mother. He didn’t have much time to think though, because a sound cut off his thoughts.

All around him, Styms poked their heads out of the trees and some flew above him. Grabbing the small Timberwolf, he made a dash for the exit. The sound of metal hitting dirt filled his head as he ran. Feeling pain in his hindlegs, he slowed slightly. The next feather caught his side and he felt warm blood slide down his side.

Practically sliding out of the forest, he made it out alive. The Timberwolf let out a yip as Synth realized he had taken a scrape on his wooden leg. The sounds of feathers were still behind him, so he got back up and ran. Instead of heading home like he wanted, he headed to the safest place for the Timberwolf.
------------

Synth knocked on the door, hoping Fluttershy wasn’t holding anything important when she opened it. He heard hoof steps get closer, and the door started to open. He was surprised when Vera stood there, looking at him. She must have noticed the Timberwolf, because she jumped back in shock.

“What are you doing with… that?” Vera asked.

“I was wondering where Fluttershy is,” Synth said, wanting to get to the point.

“She’s not back yet, I was supposed to keep watch over the house animals while she took down the bells,” Vera said. Synth then noticed she had feathers in her hair and scratches on her hooves.

“Let me in then, this guy got hurt,” Synth said.

“Isn’t that… a Timberwolf?” Vera asked.

“Sort of, it’s a little different,” Synth said, remembering how he felt when he grabbed it.

“Maybe you shouldn’t show him to Fluttershy,” Vera said, letting him enter.

Synth put the Timberwolf on the couch and sat next to it, feeling a little lightheaded. Vera didn’t ask any more questions, and attended to the needs of a rabbit who hadn’t noticed Synth had entered. She went to get him dinner while Synth watched over the Timberwolf, who looked at him with his yellow eyes.

The Timberwolf had a big piece of wood missing from his leg, and Synth wondered what Fluttershy could do to fix it. He wondered if she could do anything, and if he made the right choice in coming here. Suddenly, the door opened.

“Vera, I’m back. Did Angel act-,” Fluttershy stopped when she saw Synth.

“Hey,” Synth said.

“Synth, what are you doing here? Can I help you with anything? Oh, it looks like you’re hurt” Fluttershy asked, noticing the blood on his side. Angel went to Synth, making sure he wasn’t planning anything.

“Actually, and don’t scream… I was wondering if-,”

Angel let out a small shriek as he looked onto the couch.

“Angel! Are you okay?” Fluttershy said, running to him. She looked onto the couch that he was pointing at, and her eyes widened.

“W-what…” Fluttershy managed to get out before passing out.

Synth looked to the small Timberwolf, eyeing them with curiosity, while his face still showed pain.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him here… you think you can clear things up for me?” Synth asked of Vera.

“I’ll try, but you’ll need to tell me the full story later,” Vera said.

“Sure,” Synth said, grabbing the young Timberwolf and heading for the door.

Angel was putting an ice pack on Fluttershy’s forehead, and he left before he was given a talking to by the overprotective rabbit. When he left the house, he headed into town, although he walked the perimeter, so as to not give the residents any heart attacks.

Synth realized that the air around him wasn’t cold anymore, and the grass was lively and green, like he was waiting for since the snow fell. Now, the birds were chirping and the wind blew softly. A hint of rain was present, although the sun was visible. While seeing the scenery, he ended up near Twilight’s tree.

Synth approached the tree with caution, hoping she wouldn’t overreact and blow him up with her magic. When he entered though, it was quiet and Twilight didn’t hear him burst through the door. Synth was about to warn her before she turned around, but he forgot about someone.

“Ah! What is that?” Spike asked, pointing at what Synth held.

“Look, I can explain,” Synth said, before Twilight started to turn.

“Oh, is that a Timberwolf?” Twilight asked, looking at what he held.

“You-, you’re not scared?” Synth asked.

“Well why should I? You did make it with your magic, didn’t you?” Twilight asked.

“Not… exactly,” Synth said.

“Oh… then what are you doing with a living Timberwolf!?” Twilight nearly yelled.

“You see… it was hurt… and… I couldn’t just leave it there…” Synth tried to reason.

“Now you sound like Fluttershy,” Twilight said.

“Wow, does it bite?” Spike asked, reaching to poke it.

“Probably,” Synth said. Spike took back his hand.

“Well why’d you bring him here? What about Flutter-, never mind. Why didn’t you leave him in the forest?” Twilight asked.

“I was kind of chased out…” Synth said.

“Did you do what you were supposed to? Luna said it’d take all day,” Twilight said.

“Maybe I’m still doing it,” Synth said, setting the Timberwolf on the nearby couch.

“Well I don’t know how I can help you, I don’t know much about the Timberwolves other than their habitats and their… wait,” Twilight said.

“What’s wrong?” Spike asked, as Twilight looked through the shelf of books.

“Something I read doesn’t add up,” Twilight said, as she picked a book of the shelf. “Aha, here we go,” Twilight said.

Twilight opened the book before Synth could see the cover. She opened it to a bookmarked page and found the paragraph.

“Timberwolves are bound to the forest through a magical connection. If they are taken out of the forest, they will become unstable and fall apart… These magical connections also heal any damage occurred to them within five minutes of damage occurring… Timberwolves will not be hostile if they understand there is no hostility towards them or if they are aware of a power stronger than them,” Twilight read, skipping parts of the entry to connect to what she was trying to get to.

“What does that mean?” Spike asked.

“This little guy, he shouldn’t be stable. So, why is he still here?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I feel kind of different when I hold him. I felt like he wasn’t a threat. And I haven’t seen the smaller ones before…” Synth said.

“It doesn’t say anything about the Timberwolves in this book, I’ll have to check my other resources…” Twilight said, pondering something.

“Isn’t your magic plant related?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, but I don’t…” Synth was wondering what she was getting at.

“Couldn’t you, I don’t know, grow him back to full health?” Twilight asked, almost sarcastically. She looked at the small Timberwolf with wary eyes.

“Oh... yeah,” Synth said, letting his magic out.

When Synth released some of his magic, it seemed like the Timberwolf grabbed on and took just the right amount for the wood on his legs to fill in the hole made by the cut. Then, the Timberwolf got on his feet and ran around Synth’s legs, yipping softly as he went.

“Hey, the guy’s actually cute when you don’t think about the older ones… or the sap coming out the side of his mouth,” Spike said, grabbing a towel to clean up the mess.

“I’ll inform the princess about this; in the meantime, can I study him? I want to know what makes this one different than what the book describes,” Twilight said.

“Actually, I’m thinking I should hang on to him. He’s kind of grown on me,” Synth said, petting his head, and having him bark right after. “He’s like a pup, only made of wood,”

“Just keep a close eye on him, you don’t know when he could change,” Twilight said, “Bring him by every few days if you can, I’d like to see how he adapts,” Twilight said.

“Sure, but if I’m going to keep him, I’ll need to give him a name…” Synth pondered.

“What about Sappy?” Spike offered, following the trail of sap with a towel.

“I was thinking Lupin,” Synth said, looking at Twilight.

“Lupin, are you sure?” Twilight asked.

“Is that okay with you, Lupin?” Synth asked. The Timberwolf gave his bark of approval before jumping into the air to lick Synth’s cheek.

“Well, thanks for the help, I’ll get going now,” Synth said.

“Actually, I have one more question, how did you find him alone? Don’t children usually stick with their parents?” Twilight asked.

“Well… let’s just say I might have over done it,” Synth said before leaving through the door.

The air hit him immediately. The smell of the setting sun as the night air approached mixed with the smell of coming rain was breathtaking. Lupin next to him, he walked in the direction of where he thought his house was.

The house appeared in front of him before long, and he opened the door for Lupin to enter first. Lupin went straight for the couch, and laid down atop of it. Vera jumped out of her seat when he laid down next to her, and Synth held back a laugh as she fell on her side.

“Synth, maybe you should start explaining,” Vera said, backing away from the couch.

“Well, you know how you’ve always wanted a dog?” Synth asked nonchalantly.

“No,” Vera said.

“Well, here you go,” Synth said, sitting next to Lupin.

“That’s not a dog,” Vera said.

“It’s close enough, I mean, he acts like a dog,” Synth said. Sure enough, Lupin was fast asleep, snoring softly.

“But, isn’t that a Timberwolf?” Vera asked, still unsure.

“Lupin’s harmless,” Synth said.

“Lupin?” Vera asked.

“That’s his name,” Synth said.

“Well… maybe I can get used to him,” Vera said, reaching her hoof slowly to pet his bark of a head. When she touched it, she recoiled back, but then rested it atop. Lupin gave a sleepy howl before going back to sleep.

“Maybe…” Vera said, taking a few steps away, although her face was turning into a smile.

“So, how was your day?” Synth asked.

“I had a lot of fun. I went with Fluttershy to help the animals wake up, and when she said to take a break, I went ice skating with Pinkie. After that, Applejack let me ride one of the big tractors while Big Mac took it across the fields,” Vera said.

“Sounds like a busy day,” Synth said.

“Yeah it was, and then Fluttershy said I could take care of her animals while she went to finish up the Wrap Up,” Vera said.

“I’m guessing I wasn’t needed,” Synth said.

“Fluttershy told me that they had a rough start, but then Twilight helped Wrap up winter on time,” Vera said.

“I’m glad it went okay,” Synth said.

“What about you? Can you explain what you did?”

“My day was sort of… all over. Let’s just say I did what Luna wanted me to do, and then some,” Synth said, looking at the Timberwolf.

‘Unless Luna planned for that to happen,’ Shade said softly.

“What did you do in the forest?” Vera asked.

“Sorry, can’t tell you. But I bet you had more fun than I did,” Synth said.

“I bet,” Vera said.

“Well, I’m going to sleep a little early. Lupin here had a rough day; mine wasn’t that great either, so I’ll be getting to bed early too. Maybe tomorrow we can get to know little Lupin more,” Synth said, before leaving for his room without a response.

Synth noticed his seemed darker and quieter than normal. When he went to his bed, he stood over it with the feeling of someone watching him. Looking over his shoulder, he thought he saw movement. His suspicions were confirmed when Luna stepped out of the shadows, obviously something troubling her.

“Luna… is there anything you wanted?” Synth asked.

Luna looked like she was asked the dumbest question possible.

“What is thy report on the events in the Everfree?” Luna asked.

“Oh.. yeah. Well, it was a weird experience. And I don’t think you’ll believe me, but it actually happened,” Synth started.

“Continue,” Luna commanded.

“The Timberwolves were fighting with the Stym. They stopped when I showed up, and for reasons I don’t know, they let me listen to the sounds in the forest. Trust me when I say, it sounded like there was something wrong. Something was-,” Synth started.

“There is a stronger being in the forest, we take it?” Luna asked.

“Yeah, but how did you know?” Synth asked.

“We have thought so for a while now, and thy research only supports our theory. Soon, the predators in the forest will be forced out into this harsh world. Something needs to be done about this,” Luna said.

“I could try to clear it out. I’ve been practicing and training myself, I think-,”

“No… Even thee must know of the dangers of facing such a beast alone. For now, we wait for that beast to show itself. Until then, hone thy skills, and prepare for a battle,” Luna said.

“Well… if you say so,” Synth said.

“Do not be discouraged. We simply need time to evaluate the situation. Thy efforts were most commendable. Thy mother wouldst be proud,” Luna said.

“…” Synth says, remembering his mother.

“Of course, we have also seen thy companion, and would like to ask questions of our own,” Luna said.

“Companion?” Synth said, remembering Lupin, sleeping in the living room.

“Yes, we would like to hear about that story as well. Something is bothering us,” Luna said.

“Well, I might have killed his mother… and I might have taken him out of the Everfree… And I don’t know what to feed him,” Synth said.

“Thou shouldn’t put blame on thyself. It seems as if the young Timberwolf could sense the energy from Shade. Instead of staying with the forest, he chose to stay with thee. When he fed off thy energy, the Timberwolf fed from thy energy as well as Shade’s. Thus, a close connection between you two was formed. That would seem logical, wouldn’t it?” Luna asked.

“When you put it like that, it does,” Synth said.

“Then it would be best that thou doesn’t let Shade feed the pup his dark energy instead of a combination of both,” Luna said.

“So, he feeds off energy then…” Synth pondered.

“Also, our nocturnal companions have been keeping us company as well. It has been so long since we’ve been back, that we really need to practice our communication skills. They are most wonderful,” Luna said.

“I knew there was something about them,” Synth said.

“Thou dost have a keen eye for detail,” Luna said.

“You what they say, you’ve gotta keep an eye out for change,” Synth said.

Synth felt Shade le his magic out. The magic took the shape of a form, and Synth looked surprisingly down at the rabbit. Shade looked up at him, serious face present.

“Ponies don’t change, they adapt,” Shade said, matter-of-factly, laying down in his rabbit form.

Luna looked out the window at the sky, and sighed inwardly. “It seems as though we are needed at the castle. We appreciate the assistance in this matter, and we are proud of how much thou hast advanced,” Luna said. Synth was grateful for the compliment.

Luna walked out of his room, and Synth got into bed. He was ready for a long rest. He was awakened a few minutes later. Lupin looked into his eyes, as if asking for something.

Synth was going to ask a question, but then he understood. Lupin sucked a small amount of energy from Synth, like a midnight snack. Lupin’s eyes grew brighter as he took the energy. Without Shade there, Lupin got a big dose of good energy. Lupin barked his gratitude before curling up next to Shade and falling asleep.

Synth slept with a smile on his face at the animals at the foot of his bed. Now he knows how Fluttershy felt every night. Synth also found it hard to sleep with them both snoring.

Author's Notes:

I’m back from my break! Sadly, I didn’t have any chapters to post over the break, and I was keeping this until I got back. My editor hasn't seen this, and he won't until he gets back, so it'll have a few errors at least until he getes back from break. I got caught up on my reading, EQD, and I learned a few things too. Hopefully, this new year will show that, and I can’t wait to post more. With the beginning of this story, we saw new things, but soon, we’ll see the unavoidable.

Next Time: Vera Centre’d( That’s how you spell it, right?) (Sorry, a little jittery today after all that coffee, I’ll be back to normal soon enough) Synth gets a package. Vera gets an opportunity.

Calling

*From this point on, events from the show will be changed/altered. I know how boring it is to read an episode you’ve already seen hundreds of times, so I decide to add a little variety to them, as well as create new/ different dialogue.(Mostly because I’m too lazy to get the dialogue perfectly accurate, and would rather have something new and exciting.)*

Synth looked down at the list he’d written. The list contained pictures and short descriptions next to empty boxes that he’d check off when he’d gotten the item. He currently head twenty five plants he’d wanted to collect. Looking back at his journal, he checked once more if there were any he’d missed.

‘We’re going to be late, just take the whole journal with you,’ Shade said, for the tenth time.

“This is my only copy, I don’t want to lose it if something happens,” Synth said, closing the journal and starting to wrap up the scroll containing his list.

Synth put the list into his bag before walking to the door. He looked back at Vera, who’d been watching him get everything ready.

“Who are you talking to?” Vera asked.

“Myself. Now, do you know what to do while I’m gone?” Synth asked.

“I’m going to spend the weekend with Pinkie, but for today I’m going to stay a night with Applejack so she can get me to school tomorrow,” Vera recited.

“Good, remember, there’s still food in the fridge, in case of emergency, and I should be back by Sunday morning, otherwise… never mind,” Synth said, turning to leave. “See you later.”

“Bye mom,” Vera said sarcastically, watching him depart through the front door. Synth gave her a look before shutting the door.

Vera waited a second in case he decided he forgot something. After nothing happened, she went to the fridge to grab an apple. She devoured it quickly and then stepped outside. Looking up into the early sun’s rays, she could feel the freshness of the air as a soft breeze blew against her face.

“It really is Spring,” Vera said to herself as she started to walk forward.

Vera didn’t know where she was going, that was the magic of this trip. School wasn’t until another hour, leaving her a little while until she’d need to head in that direction. As she hummed a tune, she walked in step with her little song and enjoyed herself as she walked the empty streets.
------------

“Wait… the sign says you allow pets on the train,” Synth said, pointing at the sign.

“Sir, that’s not a pet,” The conductor said, his long stick keeping Lupin at bay.

“What’s your policy on bribes?” Synth asked, opening his baggy full of coins.
----------

Vera heard the chime as the school bell rang signaling the beginning of class. Walking from the swingset to the doors, she could see the faces of her tired schoolmates as they filed in. Vera did notice, however, that one pony was wide awake. She had a creamy coat with a red mane, a bow in her mane making her stick out.

Vera entered the classroom, wondering what they’d learn today. In Canterlot, the classes were a lot different, usually talking about different spells and how they help the town. Here, there were less unicorns so she presumed that was the reason they didn’t have those lessons.

“Good morning class,” Cheerilee said, walking to the board.

“Good morning,” The students replied, none too cheerful.

“Today we’re going to learn about Cutie Marks,”
------------

“No, I said Mount Bleakfall, in the Griffin kingdom. Not…”
------------

Vera stepped out of the schoolhouse. She looked out at all the colts and fillies walking to their guardians. Seeing the bowed filly once again, she noticed her approach Applejack, giving a big hug as they greeted each other. Curious, she walked over.

“Hey Vera, how was school?” Applejack asked, a smile on her face.

“It was okay,” Vera responded.

“Oh Vera, it’s nice to meet yah. My sister said you’d be spending the night,” The filly said, her smile cheerful and happy.

“Yeah, I didn’t know you were Applejack’s sister. What’s your name?” Vera asked.

“I’m Applebloom. Ah saw yah inside but I didn’t know who ya were,” Applebloom said.

“I saw you earlier, too,” Vera said.

“I was just heading home, my sister needed some help around the house,” Applebloom said.

“Sounds like fun, I’ll come too,” Vera said.

“Really? That ain’t my kind of fun, but if ya wanna help then why not?” Applebloom said.

“Just to keep things straight, you volunteered. I don’t want to hear no complaining,” Applejack said, leading them towards the barn.
-----------

‘About the guide…’ Shade asked.

“We saw nothing,” Synth said, pulling out the map.
-----------

“Well, here we are, home sweet home,” Applejack said, opening the door.

Vera looked inside, the walls and decoration reminding her of her old home. Pictures of their family as well as flower pots and old souvenirs on tables showed her just how much family meant to them. She started to feel a little homesick, her mother coming to mind.

As Vera walked further inside, she could feel a friendly vibe from the pair as they pulled out dusters and rags. Applebloom gave her a duster and smiled.

“I’m glad ya came to help, its gonna be a lot faster with the two o’ us,” Applebloom said.

“What about Applejack?” Vera asked, curious.

“She’s gonna be paintin’ the barn. It’s lookin’ a little brown,” Applebloom said.

“Okay, so where do we start?” Vera asked.

“Right here,” Applebloom said, dusting Vera’s face, causing her to sneeze.
-----------

“The map says right,” Synth said, the stubborn griffin looking at the map upside down.

“No, it’s goin’ left,” The griffin said, pointing in the opposite direction.

“Look, give me the map-,” Synth said, pulling the map.

“It’s my map, let go!” The griffin said, pulling back.

A rip sound echoed in the frozen tundra of the northern mountainous Griffin territory.
------------

Vera had just finished her side of the house, the shelves and bookcases looking brand new, as well as the floor looking squeaky clean. When she put the mop back, she noticed the picture on the wall with two mid aged ponies standing next to each other.

“Those were my folks,” Applebloom said, from behind her.

“What happened?” Vera asked, suspecting the answer.

“Applejack said that somethin’ happened. They aren’t around anymore,” Applebloom said, starting to look forlorn.

“It’s alright, at least you’ve still got Applejack,” Vera said.

“Yeah, yer right. Hey, why don’t we see if she needs any help?” Applebloom asked.

“Alright,” Vera said, walking with Applebloom outside.
-----------

“No, that’s a corner, it goes over here,” Synth said.

“I know what I’m doing, alright?” The griffin said, putting the corner piece in the middle.

“I know you mean good, but why don’t I just…” Synth reached out to fix the error.

“Oh no yer don’t,” The griffin said, raising his voice to stop him. Above, a crash of thunder sounded. The snow covered tops suddenly shook as Synth’s eyes widened. Grabbing most of the map pieces, he aimed for a cave nearby as the snow started to fall from the tops above.

“Run!” Synth shouted, as he ran for his life towards the cave. Lupin hopped at his side, following his lead. The griffin flew away, just in time to avoid the first crash of snowfall.

Synth entered the cave just in time and saw the entrance to his cave get covered in snow. The cave was still lit from the jewels in the cave walls glowing. Lupin barked at the jewels, his bark echoing across the cavern.
-----------

Vera dropped the paintbrush, standing back to look at her work. The new colored barn was a bright red, the color really sticking out from the house. Applejack stood next to her, sweat on her forehead as she smiled at her work.

“Thanks a bunch, Vera. Good to see yer a hard worker,” Applejack said, ruffling her mane.

“It’s no problem, I wanted to repay you for letting me sleep over,” Vera said.

“It’s no problem at all. By the way, did you know you got some o’ Synth’s vocabulary? Or is that just a Canterlot thing?” Applejack asked.

“Actually, the Canterlot accent is a lot different… I just like to learn big words, I guess,” Vera said.

“Well you sure could teach my sis a thing or two. She’s been slackin’ in her studies. But if ya like learning, ya could go o’er to Twilight’s. She’s got a lot o’ books,” Applejack said.

“Okay, I don’t have anything else to do. I’ll see you later,” Vera said, walking away.

“See ya, and thanks again for all yer help,” Applejack said.

Vera walked down the path. After Applebloom had left to go find Twist, she’d offered to help on the lower part of the barn. Applejack said she could handle it, but Vera could tell she was exhausted. Now, she wondered what Twilight could offer her in terms of knowledge or excitement.
------------

Synth looked at the jewels he held, the faint red and blue glows from the ruby and sapphire entered his eyes. Just looking at them, he could tell this cave hadn’t been mined. The jewels were literally everywhere. Synth had pulled a few down, Lupin snacking on one of them with his teeth. Apparently he also knew that they had energy, because he’d already eaten three emeralds.

Synth looked once again at the caved in entrance, his thoughts on how to escape the trap they’ve entered. If he wanted to, he could explore the cave system, but he wondered if there was even an exit further in. Otherwise, he was better off digging his way out. Wait… digging?

Synth activated his magic, the form of a Timberwolf appearing out of the magic glow. He looked up at Synth first, then at the little pup next to him.

“Dig us out, if you don’t mind,” Synth said, pointing to the snow pile. The Timberwolf looked at the pup a little longer before following the command.

‘Think I could have one of those gems?’ Shade asked quietly.

“I don’t see why not,” Synth said, letting Shade take hold.
------------

Vera watched as Twilight pulled the book off the shelf. She brought it over to Vera, a wide smile on her face. She turned it to a certain page before lowering it so Vera could see the contents. Vera held a smile of her own as she read the title.
The Mysteries of Magic

Twilight left the book down for her to read as she returned to her own book she’d been studying before Vera came.

“I hope you like it, there’s some really interesting things in there,” Twilight said.

Vera read articles on some of the most bizarre things she’s read in a while. Spells that caused hallucinations, others that made it rain constantly around a pony. There was even a spell that made ponies feel a certain emotion all the time. She couldn’t stop reading as some of the spells caused her to giggle, others left her with her jaw dropped as she wondered just who could pull those spells off.

Vera was reaching the end of the short book, and she’d stopped at something that made her pause. Looking to Twilight, she brought the book over for her to see.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, seeing her.

“I don’t understand what this means,” Vera said. Twilight read the page to herself.
Discharges:
Repercussions- Magical Discharge in the form of release. When a conjurer’s spell or similar spells are activated, the creation will stay active as long as magic resides in the owner. If the owner is incapacitated, the spell will continue to drain his magic supply until their magic hits critical levels. During this time, the caster is not in control of their spell. Often familiars take on a mind of their own.
Critical State- Magical Discharge in the form of power. If the caster is to receive a magical boost, the boost will maximize the magical supply of the caster, but will not exceed that limit. Instead, the power will be redirected to the surrounding area, often causing harm or damage.
Limit- Magical Discharge in the form of preservation. If the caster is to receive enormous amounts of energy, their mind may fail on them as their body takes in the energy. After this state, the caster will often not notice their power levels had increased. This type of discharge is often unstable and could cause mental problems with the caster, as well as damage to their body if Limit happens repeatedly….

Twilight looked to Vera, wondering how she could explain it. “These aren’t really spells, they’re more like… problems,” Twilight said.

“I know that, but why is it called Discharge? If magic is supposed to come out, then why do they need the pony to be getting more magic?” Vera asked.

“It’s a little hard to explain, but it’s sort of like… if you get a lot of bits, and you don’t know what to do with them. So, you start to just give them away or spend them on things you don’t really need. Instead of being happy with having a lot, your body just wants to get rid of the extra,” Twilight said, scratching her head, “Does that make sense?”

“Sort of,” Vera said, taking the book back and turning the page.

Vera continued reading the book, more magical failures and problems keeping her interested until she heard Twilight put down her book.

“Oh Spike, we need to get going before we’re late for the Cutsinera (I honestly don’t know how to spell this),” Twilight said, “Vera, did you want to come?”

“Okay,” Vera said. She’d heard about the party but it hadn’t interested her until now.

“Great let’s get going. We don’t want to be late,” Twilight said.

Vera followed Twilight and Spike to the direction of Sugarcube Corner. Twilight went to check on the preparations while Spike and her stayed in the party room. Vera approached the only pony in sight she knew. Rarity handed her a cup of punch as she approached. Vera accepted it and held it in her magic aura as she took quick sips of it.

“This punch is really good,” Vera said.

“Pinkie does make the best punch. I don’t know how she does it,” Rarity said casually.

“Is this everypony that’s coming?” Vera asked.

“Oh no, you and Spike came at just the right time. Most guests make it a tad late, but there are ponies like Twilight who come early. I was here to help with the décor, we don’t want Pinkie turning everything pink,” Rarity said.

“Okay,” Vera said, noticing some ponies just entering. The music started all of a sudden, the record player in the corner turning itself on.

“I must say that Filthy does have a good taste in music,” Rarity said.

“Filthy?” Vera asked.

“Why, Diamond Tiara’s father. Haven’t you heard of him? He’s made a fortune,” Rarity said.

“I guess that explains this party,” Vera said.

“Yes, he’s paid no expense for his filly,” Rarity said.

“There she is now,” Vera said. Entering the room, Diamond Tiara had Silver Spoon at her side as she struts inside. She had on a dress that covered most of her cutie mark, and Vera wondered why she would hide her mark after she’d just gotten it. She did have to admit though, it was colored nicely and looked well made.

“Do you like the dress? I worked all day on it,” Rarity said.

“You made the dress?” Vera asked.

“Her father paid handsomely,” Rarity said, giving her a wink.
------------

‘Lupin, no!’ Synth said.
-----------

“There’s Applebloom, I didn’t know she was coming to the party,” Vera said.

“Oh, why not? Everypony in town is coming,” Rarity said.

“I remember her being teased by Diamond Tiara earlier. I thought they might not be friends,” Vera said, remembering something from class.

“Oh, is it because she hasn’t gotten her Cutie Mark yet?” Rarity asked.

“I think so,” Vera said.

“You should explain to her the importance of patience. I mean, you don’t have a Cutie Mark and you aren’t overreacting,” Rarity said.

“When it comes, it comes,” Vera said.

“That’s the spirit, now go explain it to her,” Rarity said, “Applejack said she couldn’t, but maybe coming from one of her peers…” Rarity said.

Vera walked over to Applebloom, seeing her near the punch table. Vera approached and saw her go underneath the table. Walking up, Vera refilled her cup as she conversed with the table.

“What are you doing down there,” Vera asked.

“Shh, you’ll give away my cover,” Applebloom said.

“Is this about your Cutie Mark?” Vera asked.

“N-no, ah just needed to keep my head dry,” Applebloom said.

“We’re inside,” Vera said.

“Okay, ya got me. But can we talk about this another time. I really need to go,” Applebloom said.

“Alright, another time. Have you tried this punch? It’s amazing,” Vera asked.

“Not now,” Applebloom said, picking up the table and moving forward slightly.

Vera turned and walked back, seeing Rarity and Rainbow Dash were now conversing. She walked to them, Rainbow Dash’s smile in her direction.

“Hey, Rarity here tells me that Synth left for the week,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yeah,” Vera said.

“There’s been a prank I’ve been wanting to pull on him for a while now. Wanna get in on it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I don’t know… what did he ever do to you?” Vera asked.

“That’s the point, we get him before he gets us. You can see it in his eye that he’s just waiting for a chance to pounce. I know how we can get a good reaction outta him,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Alright, I’m in,” Vera said.

“Okay listen, first we have to-,

“Howdy y’all, what’s all the whisperin’ about?” Applejack asked, walking over.

“Later,” Rainbow Dash whispered before turning to Applejack, “Nothing, just a litter chatter to pass the time,” Applejack said.

“Hey Vera, glad to see ya made it. If yer lookin’ for my sister she’s around here somewhere,” Applejack said.

“I’m sure Vera’s already had a ‘talk’ with her, haven’t you?” Rarity asked.

“Actually-,”

“A talk about what exactly?” Applejack asked, confused.

“Her Cutie Mark,” Vera said.

“I jus’ spoke with her and she seemed fine. I’m sure that’s all goin’ to soon. I mean, can you believe it Vera? She just goes on and on about that thing,” Applejack said.

Looking past Applejack, Vera noticed Applebloom was now wearing an outfit. It was pink and well… actually it looked like the table covers. Diamond Tiara was walking away from her, and Vera wondered what had happened.

Suddenly, Applebloom stumbled and Vera saw her hit her head on the record player. The sound in the room stopped as everypony turned to look at the cause. Applebloom was on the floor, her bare flank showing to everypony. Nearby, Diamond Tiara turned and grinned at the scene.

“Oh look everypony, a blank flank,” Diamond Tiara sneered. The crowd was silent as Diamond Tiara laughed with Silver Spoon.

“C’mon Applebloom,” Applejack responded, about to step forward. Rarity held her back, shaking her head.

“Hey, do you have a problem with blank flanks?” a voice called from somewhere in the silence.

“Who said that?” Diamond Tiara looked around the crowd.

“I said, do you have a problem with blank flanks?” The orange coated Pegasus came out from under a table. Next to her, a unicorn rose with a white coat. She had a light pink and purple mane. The Pegasus had a deep purple and had confidence as she walked out from the crowd to face Diamond Tiara.
“Go Scoots,” Rainbow Dash said, whispering loud enough that Vera heard.
“She’s just a blank flank,” Diamond Tiara said.
“No, she just hasn’t discovered her talent yet. She could grow up to be anything she wants to be. A lawyer, a doctor, even a scientist!” Sweetiebelle said.

“That’s my girl,” Rarity whispered loud enough that Vera heard.

“Why are you defending her? This is my party!” Diamond Tiara said.

“Because…” Scootaloo started. They both turned so everypony could see their flanks.

Applebloom gasped. “You’re both blank flanks too? I thought I was the only one!” Applebloom said.

“We thought we were the only two,” Scootaloo said.

“Well I think you’re all very lucky fillies,” Twilight said from nearby.

“Lucky? What makes them so lucky?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Because they haven’t discovered who they’re meant to be yet. They still get the chance to discover who they are,” Twilight said.

“So, isn’t it better to know?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Some things are better off learning at your own pace,” Twilight said. She looked to Vera who’d been watching everything.

The fillies and colts walked to the center, eager to talk to the trio. Vera snaked off, wanting to talk to Twilight. When she found her way there, Twilight was waiting.

“Vera, did you understand that?” Twilight asked.

“Sort of,” Vera responded.

“Well I wanted to talk to you about this after I saw how much you wanted to learn,” Twilight said. Vera nodded and she continued. “I grew up learning everything I could. I enjoyed it and it took me to a lot of different places. But there was something I always thought I was missing.”

“What was it?” Vera asked.

“Well you see, I was well above my class. I didn’t have any friends and I spent all my time reading. Right now, I see that you’re smart and bright, but I don’t want the same thing to happen to you. Of course, you shouldn’t stop learning, but why don’t you make some time to enjoy yourself? Synth can probably tell you the same thing, but when you know everything, that’s when you know you messed up,” Twilight said.

“So, you think I should make some more friends?” Vera asked.

“Friends are always a good thing, I had to learn that the hard way,” Twilight said, remembering the Everfree Forest.

“But where can I start?” Vera asked.

“Well similarities are always a good topic, why don’t you try those?” Twilight responded, she looked in the direction of a nearby table where three fillies sat. Applebloom looked over at her, and she motioned for Vera to come.

“Thanks Twilight,” Vera said, making her way over.

“Girls, I’d like you to meet Vera. Ah don’t know what she’s good at, but she doesn’t have a Cute Mark either,” Applebloom said.

“Don’t worry, we’ll all find out what we’re good at, my name’s Scootaloo by the way,” Scootaloo said.

“I’m Sweetiebelle, and aren’t you Synth’s sister?” She asked.

“Yeah, he’s gone for the week though, but I’m staying with Applebloom until then,” Vera said.

“Rarity told me lot about Synth, but I don’t know anything about you,” Sweetiebelle said.

“Synth? Isn’t he that stallion that helped beat Nightmare Moon?” Scootaloo asked.

“He told me he didn’t help too much,” Vera said.

“Still, he was there, so we aught a give ‘em some credit,” Applebloom said.

“Moral support, I guess,” Vera said.

“What’s that mean?” Sweetiebelle asked.

“Nevermind,” Vera said.

“Hey, since you don’t have a cutie mark, that means you can join us, doesn’t it?” Scootaloo asked.

“Join what?” Vera asked.

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” The three of them said at once out loud. Near them, a few ponies looked in their direction but they didn’t care.
------------

Synth looked down at the trouble below him. From atop the mountain he saw billowing smoke from the village below. The houses were being shred apart and the snow covered streets were covered in thick vines. Synth couldn’t stop Shade as his magic poured out from his horn. The vines shifted under his influence and continued to wreak havoc on the griffins below.

‘Stop… Stop!’ Synth tried to do something, anything to stop this. It was futile, the energy in Shade only continued to grow as the mountainside rumbled.

Underneath him, Synth heard the crack as the snow moved aside to show vines reaching towards the sky. The snow on the mountain fell down, gathering speed and volume until it was larger than a house. It continued to fall, heading straight for the village below.

“This town is only the beginning!” Shade screamed as the vines rose up forming a large figure behind him. Synth couldn’t turn around, but the figure created a shadow on the town below. The flames were put out as the large snow mass landed on the helpless town.

Synth heard the crack of the wood as all of the houses were squashed flat. The only thing poking out from under the snow was the town’s bell tower. Shade’s power was dwindling now, his excess energy being used up on the figure behind him. Shade raised his hoof, and the bell tower came crashing down. From atop the mountain, Synth heard the howl of the Timberwolf.

Shade’s large object behind him slowly shriveled up and died. Without fighting back, Shade was pushed back into the recesses of Synth’s mind. Synth at first felt his body come back to him. It was strained and sore in places. His horn was throbbing in pain, but other than that, his magic supply was still high.

Synth walked down the mountain, his thoughts on the residents below. Before he could reach the bottom, however, he heard a soft bark to his right. Synth turned and saw Lupin. His eyes were yellow, the wood he was made up of was slightly decayed and sap was pouring from his sides. Synth felt the slight drain as Lupin took some of his energy to heal and recover.

“Bad Lupin…” Synth said softly. Lupin didn’t react, and followed Synth as they descended.

Synth reached the bottom and had a closer look at the scene. In the snow were pieces of wood sticking out. In some places, he saw remnants of a house, others a window. Synth also saw something that caused him to stop. There were claws sticking out of the snow. He saw a wing sticking out as well.

Synth pulled the bodies out of the snow, but he knew they’d been crushed. Those that weren’t crushed were in bloody messes. As he looked to Lupin, he noticed that there was blood in his sharp wooden teeth. Timberwolves bleed sap.

Synth knew he couldn’t stay here. In his bags he had what he wanted from the mountains. Deciding it best to leave and have this blamed on an accident than start a fight between the countries, Synth ran off in the direction of the train station a few miles south. In the mass of snow, a claw reached out. It gripped the wood and pulled its body out, he shook himself to remove the snow from himself. He shivered from what he remembered of the moments before being covered in snow.

The griffin looked around at his beloved town. Shaking his head he looked for the cause of this. Behind him, a green vine snaked its way to his legs. Before he could react, he was grabbed and pulled back into the snow.
------------

Synth looked out from the train cart. He saw the approaching city of Ponyville. The train was slowing down. When the train made a complete stop, he grabbed his bag and walked off. Waiting for him were two mares and a filly. He gave them the best smile he could, pushing the thoughts of what happened behind him.

It’s been four days since that incident, the train ride taking up a full day. Since then, he’d visited a few towns and enjoyed the different sceneries. Most of the time, he’d been stressed about what’d happened, and Shade had laughed at the whole thing.

“Hey, everyone,” Synth said.

“How was it?” Twilight asked, returning the smile.

“Great… I got what I needed anyways,” Synth said. “How was Vera?” Synth asked.

“She was so fun. We played games and talked and ate cake and threw a party and went hiking and had a picnic and-,” Pinkie started.

“We did a lot,” Vera said, covering Pinkie’s mouth to cut her off. She was smiling, making Synth feel better about having left her alone.

“Good, did anything important happen while I was gone?” Synth asked.

“Nothing in particular, why?” Twilight asked.

“Oh no reason,” Synth said casually.

“I met some new friends,” Vera said.

“Really, who?” Synth asked, curious.

“Sweetiebelle, Applebloom and Scootaloo,” Vera said.

“Rarity’s sister, Applejack’s sister and… who’s Scootaloo?” Synth said, remembering the names except for that one.

“We all don’t have our Cutie Marks,” Vera said, ignoring the question.

“I thought you didn’t care about that?” Synth asked.

“Still, it’s something we have in common,” Vera said. Synth suddenly realized she seemed more energetic than before.

“How much cake did you eat?” Synth asked.

“We might have confused the flour with sugar, but they still tasted good!” Pinkie said.

“Is that… healthy?” Twilight asked Pinkie.

“Nope,” Pinkie said.
-------------

Synth finished adding water to the little plant in the pot. While he was gone, he’d asked a few of the flower mares to take over, and only Roseluck had agreed. She’d done a really good job, Synth noticed.

Synth planted the two new seeds he’d gotten. They adapted to almost any environment, but only grew naturally in the coldest mountains. One was a useful medicine, healing burns and stopping frostbite, while the other was a weirder type of plant. This plant had a life cycle like a phoenix, where it would reach its peak of growth before lighting itself aflame and starting anew. It was called Phoenixbud for that reason, although on the streets it would be called something else…

The ashes left around the seed were great fertilizer, and the leaves from the plant were an addictive ingredient that had only one cure. Of course, he didn’t have the cure and he’d need to get it soon before it budded. These plants did take longer than most plants to grow, but could be grown anywhere.

Synth had them both planted, the Biodome not looking so empty anymore. As he got ready to leave, Lupin barked at the surrounding area. Synth smiled, this was the first time he’d brought him to see this place. Now that they’d gotten back, Synth hadn’t let Lupin out of his sights. After what he saw in the Griffin kingdom, he didn’t know if he could imagine Lupin being harmless again.

“I don’t blame you,” Synth said, scratching his head. Lupin nodded his understanding before turning his attention to something else in the room.

Synth followed his gaze, his eyes landing on the figure in the corner. It was a Canis Minor, her eyes staring at Lupin, but neither made a sound as Synth approached.

‘Luna sends her regards,’ She said, no movement visible in her face.

“What are you doing here?” Synth asked curiously.

‘Luna can’t make it to tell you this, so I’m here to relay a message,’ She said, her gaze still not moving from Lupin.

“What’s the message?” Synth asked.

‘There’s been a disaster. A Griffin town has been destroyed, no survivors. She wants you to investigate a town near it. There’s been rumors of a rogue group there,’ She said.

“Which town do I need to go to?” Synth asked.

‘Clawridge,’ She said.

“Alright, I’ll get ready. I should be there in about twenty hours,” Synth asked.

‘She says to give it a week. Until then, she wants you to relax. She thinks that there’s something troubling you right now. I have to agree, your mental state isn’t exactly perfect,’ She said.

“Is that all you wanted to say is wrong with me?” Synth asked.

‘Stop talking to yourself,’ She said before her body faded, her voice following suit.

Synth made sure she was gone before looking down at Lupin. He was smiling, his wooden tail wagging. Synth walked out of the Biodome, heading towards his house. He took the long road, hoping he could think about things a little more.
-------------

Synth made it to his house, his mind full of doubt and confusion. When he entered, Vera was waiting. Behind her stood a collection of a mess and the rest of his house. He raised an eyebrow at her. She whistled a soft tune and pretended not to notice.

“What happened?” Synth asked.

“Well you know how we threw that party?” Vera asked.

“Yeah…” Synth said.

“It might have been here,” Vera said.

“Clean it up,” Synth said, trying to get his thoughts together. He had enough to deal with right now, he didn’t need another problem.

“Sorry,” Vera mumbled before taking the broom and starting to sweep up the empty cups and streamers.

Synth pushed aside the trash on the couch and laid there. He could hear Vera nearby working to get the room back to normal. Something in him had him questioning something deep inside him. He just had to ask.

“I’m your brother, right?” Synth asked.

“Yeah,” Vera said, sweeping another plate away.

“If something happened… and I wasn’t around anymore, where would you go?” Synth asked.

“Don’t say it like that,” Vera said, her voice softer than before.

“But what if?” Synth asked, fully committed to get an answer.

“I’ll have to go back with our parents. But I like it better here…” Vera said.

“Why?” Synth asked.

“I have some actual friends, everybody here cares about me even if I don’t know them. The town is quiet and I feel safe around here. Especially when you’re around,” Vera said.

“You mean it?” Synth asked, a smile entering his face.

“You’re my big brother after all,” Vera said.

“Thanks, I needed that,” Synth said, rising from the couch. “Now let me give you a hoof with this.”

Cavern

The sky was calm, the light from the sun hitting Synth’s face as he looked towards the six mares in front of him. He sighed, maybe this wasn’t going to be such a bad thing.

“Well, are we going or not?” Rainbow Dash said, flying towards the open train door.

“We should really get going, the train could leave any moment,” Twilight said, following her lead.

Synth couldn’t believe his luck. First he’d gone to Pinkie to tell her if she could take care of Vera while he was gone, and the next thing he knew, she’d told them all he was leaving again. Now, they’d asked to come along, and Synth was reluctant to agree, but at least now there wouldn’t be a boring second in this adventure.

Behind Twilight, Pinkie hopped into the cart. Rarity followed after, and then Applejack. Finally, Fluttershy walked in. She had been bandwagoned into this. She didn’t even look like she’d wanted to come at first, but now that it was time for departure, she looked just as eager as the others.

Of course, they all thought this was some expedition for another plant, and in a way it was, but Synth also knew he was going to have to report any and all findings to Luna. As he boarded the train, he tried to keep a positive face. Behind him, Lupin stalked in, his eyes watching everypony else in the cart. A few of them were staying weary of the Timberwolf, although Synth tried not to notice.

“Why is he coming along?” Rainbow Dash asked. She sounded kind of defensive.

“We’ve gotten pretty close, I don’t see why not,” Synth said.

“Have you learned anything new about him?” Twilight asked.

Synth remembered the devastation Lupin caused on a part of the city. He shook his head slightly to clear his head before responding.

“Nope, nothing at all,” Synth lied.

At this point, Lupin took the opportunity to feed off of some of Synth’s energy. Then, the Timberwolf laid down on one of the seats and fell asleep. Synth sat next to him, the train about to depart.

“How long is it gonna be?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“About one day,” Synth said.

“What? Why didn’t anypony tell me that? I could have brought a cloud with me,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Where are we going?” Twilight asked.

“Griffin Kingdom, the Northern Mountains. It’s going to be cold, too,” Synth said, warning them.

“Oh no, I didn’t bring my winter scarf, I guess I’ll have to make due with this spring scarf,” Rarity said.

Synth felt the rock of the train as they went along. The steady beat of the tracks helped soothe him to sleep. He’d gotten used to sleeping during transportation, the others had trouble however.

“Hey Twilight, can you sleep?” Pinkie asked.

“I was trying,” Twilight said.

“It’s just, why are we sleeping at four?” Pinkie asked.

“There isn’t much else to do,” Twilight explained.

“We could party!” Pinkie said enthusiastically.

“I don’t think Synth’s up to it,” Twilight said.

Twilight closed her eyes, attempting to sleep again. Once again, the rocking of the train led to uneasiness and a sense of discomfort. She raised herself off the seat, looking around the cart, seeing that the others were also not even attempting to sleep. Rarity was playing with her hair, curling and uncurling with a comb and a brush on standby. Pinkie was counting the dots on the ceiling. Applejack was staring off into space. Rainbow Dash was turning over in her seat, noisily mumbling to herself about her discomfort.

Fluttershy and Synth were the only ones able to sleep. They were across from each other, Synth sharing his seat with Lupin. Twilight decided that she wouldn’t be asleep any time soon, and looked at Rarity who was across from her. Maybe she should just have a conversation while they waited and Synth wasn’t listening.

“Hey Rarity, there was something I wanted to ask,” Twilight said softly.

“What is it, dear?” Rarity asked, thankfully stopping her curling.

“Does it bother you that there’s a Timberwolf on the train?” Twilight asked. Lupin’s ear twitched.

“Honestly, I’m terrified. But, as long as Synth has him under control, I don’t see what the problem is,” Rarity said.

“What about you, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.

“As long as he doesn’t try anything, but I guess he’s not as big as the others…” Rainbow Dash said.

“Pinkie?” Twilight asked.

“He’s a lot different than that one Synth showed us before, but this one’s cute. The other was all mean and scary,” Pinkie said.

“Applejack?” Twilight asked finally.

“If Synth trusts him, he’s alright in my book,” She said, not making eye contact.

“Well there’s just something I don’t get about him…” Twilight said, “Why would he follow Synth?” She asked herself.

Twilight pondered this question as the others went back to their pointless activities. Lupin’s ear lowered as the sound died down. The train’s rhythmic pattern brought down a calm silence in the cart. The train charged further and further towards the Griffin Kingdom.
-------------

Synth looked out the window of the train. He’d gotten a good rest, his magic supply back to its height and feeling fully rested. Lupin also looked hyper, running around the cart. He had to smile as some of his friends avoided any contact with Lupin. Twilight, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash looked like they hadn’t slept during the whole trip.

Fluttershy was still sleeping, her nap wasn’t perturbed by the noise that started to arise from the group. They were almost there and they were getting their stuff ready. Lupin decided for himself that Fluttershy should be waking up. He jumped on her seat, putting his face near hers and licking her cheek.

Fluttershy woke up quietly, a small yawn from her face. When she reached up to feel her cheek, she touched the sap that was from his tongue. She opened her eyes and looked into the eyes of the Timberwolf. Twilight expected her to scream or pass out or even kick him away. What she didn’t expect, was for her to pet him.

“Fluttershy? Aren’t you… unnerved about him?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Well, when I first met him I was. But when you get to know him, he’s more like a little pup than anything else. Isn’t that right?” Fluttershy asked, accepting another lick from the Timberwolf. She giggled right after.

Twilight didn’t respond to this as she finished getting ready to depart. If she was the only one that was going to have to stay alert at all times, she’d take the responsibility.

The seven of them and Lupin departed from the train. They stepped into the cold chilled air of the mountainous region. The area around them was spotted in white and the clouds above blocked out the sun every now and then. Synth led the way from the train station to the town nearby. They were amazed as the stone and tall structures appeared in front of them.

The medieval looking city was formed from the remains of a long destroyed city from the war long ago. The founders of this new town used some of the untouched buildings and repaired some as well. Now, the griffin city was a stone empire that stretched into some of the mountains. The seven of them came to the center of the city, where a large group was around a griffin on the stage.

“There still has been no news on the incident, please do we have any volunteers?” The griffin asked. He was talking to a saddened group, none willing to risk their lives.

“Excuse me, but what’s going on here?” Twilight asked. She felt it was her duty to help in what way she could. Synth just wanted to walk by. This was the northern part of the country where little ponies traveled to. It was highly racial, although none of the violent racism.

“Pony, we are handling our own problems right now,” The pony on the stage said. His face was old, although his body looked to be in top condition. His beak was slightly dulled, and his feathers were missing in some places.

“No elder, she could help us!” A slightly younger female griffin called.

“Yeah! They can do something about this!” A griffin about their age called.

“Very well, if you ponies choose to help us, we can’t stop you,” The griffin said, his voice changing tone fast.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked.

“There was a cave in almost two weeks ago. The miners were trapped inside the mines, but we don’t have anyone willing to go search for them. Would you help us?” The elder asked.

“Of course, we’d be glad to help, right everypony?” Twilight asked.

Synth, Applejack and Fluttershy didn’t voice their agreement, and Twilight noted it.

“Applejack, we are going to help, aren’t we?” Twilight asked.

“Hold on a second there, what’s the reason ya’ll can’t do it yerselves?” Applejack asked curiously.

“The monst-,”

“Because we can’t get past the entrance. Using magic however, you can clear the debris,” The elder interrupted.

“Right, whatever you say,” Applejack said, not trusting him.

“We’ll help however we can,” Twilight said. With that, the griffins watched the ponies leave. Some whispered prayers, others goodbyes. The elder said nothing as he watched the Timberwolf stalk after Synth.

“It should be this way,” Synth said.

“That’s east, not west,” Twilight corrected him.

“Okay, then that means it should be over this rock,” Synth said.

“This is one flat rock,” Pinkie said, walking through the water. “And it’s wet!” She said.

“Wait, maybe I have this thing upside down…” Synth said to himself as he turned the map around.

“Give that to me,” Rainbow Dash said, grabbing the map. She flew into the air, glancing to her left, then her right. She lowered back down, pointing to her right. “It’s over here,” She said.

The group continued along the right path, Rainbow Dash not giving back the map to Synth.

“Here we are,” Applejack said, the entrance to the cave right in front of them.

“Let’s get rid of these rocks,” Twilight said. The rocks at the front were a combination of huge boulders and small rocks. Twilight used her magic to clear out an average sized boulder. She looked exhausted afterwards.

“I got an idea,” Applejack said. She bucked one of the boulders and it split into smaller pieces that Twilight could take away easily.

“Let’s do this,” Rainbow Dash said. She flew towards the pile up, starting to take away some of the smaller ones. The others weren’t going to help, so Synth joined in. Synth activated his magic and his magical Timberwolf came out.

“Let’s dig,” Synth said. The Timberwolf jumped his way to the top of the pile and started to break through the rock and dirt. Lupin jumped up with him and mimicked his movements. Synth coated his hooves and started to break through one of the rocks.

Overall, it took maybe ten minutes. The entrance was almost ten feet tall, twenty feet wide. They managed to cut in a few yards before the actual cave showed itself. When Synth felt the rocks give way, he looked through a small hole at the darkness inside. They created a big enough opening to get through and then stopped the removal of the rock.

Synth thanked the older Timberwolf before recalling his magic. Lupin watched him go, and then turned to run inside the cave. The right side of the cave had torches, illuminating the way until the next torch a few meters away.

“Is he going to be okay?” Twilight asked.

“He’ll come back, eventually,” Synth said.

“Well, let’s get a move on,” Rainbow Dash said.

They followed Synth as he weaved through the tunnels. Their first mistake. They came upon a fork in the cave. The left was dark and unlit. The right had torches, but they were spread apart at further intervals. Synth stopped to ask the others.

“We could split up, or take our chances with one path,” Twilight said.

“I say we go left,” Synth said. He wanted to know why the left path wasn’t lit up. Certainly it had to have been explored. The others agreed they shouldn’t split up. Their second mistake.

“Lead the way then, you’re bright, aren’t you?” Rainbow joked. Synth didn’t take it as a joke as he walked forward. He managed a simple light spell on his horn as he walked to the entrance to the left path.

“We haven’t decided left or right yet,” Twilight said.

Synth entered the darkness, turning to acknowledge her statement, when there was a rumble. Synth looked up as the ceiling crumbled and fell in front of him. He jumped back as the rocks landed where he was standing. The debris clouded the air. Synth tried to balance himself, but he tripped on a rock and fell down. The rocks continued to fall, piling onto the entrance. He couldn’t avoid a rock the size of his head that fell and smacked into his head.

Synth grabbed his skull, the impact making his ears ring as he tried to maintain his vision. Finally, the sound of falling rocks stopped, bringing a chilling quiet air as the debris settled. Synth rose up, looking around him. When the rock hit his head, he’d cancelled the light spell. Instead of complete darkness, he saw bright colors behind him.

Synth looked towards the colors. They were gems. They glowed in the darkness. Synth didn’t have to activate any lights as the gems provided enough light to see. When he looked back at the rocks, his heart sank. They were piled to the top. It didn’t look stable, like if he tried to dig out he’d just make it worse. Instead, Synth listened for any noise on the other side.

“Synth!” He heard a muffled sound from the other side.

“What!?” He asked loudly. They must have heard him, because he heard sighs.

“Are you okay?” Synth barely heard Fluttershy, but he heard her nonetheless.

“Yeah, just a little headache. What about you girls?” Synth asked.

“We’re fine, we’ll get you out in no time,” Applejack said.

“I think we should just find a way around. It might connect later on,” Synth recommended. Honestly, he just wanted to explore this section of the cave himself.

“If you’re sure... we’ll come back to check on you if we don’t find anything,” Twilight said.

“Same here,” Synth said.

Synth heard a bark and turned. He looked down at Lupin who was smiling up at him, his wooden tail wagging. Synth scratched his head before looking into the now illuminated cave. He walked forward, the cave widening the further he went. He could hear sounds, rustling and cracking further up ahead.
------------

“Shouldn’t we get him out?” Fluttershy asked, worried.

“I think he’s right. These rocks could fall at any time, we should look for a better way,” Twilight said.

“Let’s head down this other path, it looks like it’s safe,” Applejack said.

The six of them headed down the path. They left Synth alone with Lupin. Their third mistake. As they walked down the cavern, it expanded and the lights started to shine on both sides. Now, they were given a clear cut path forward.
------------

Synth walked for a few minutes. The gems were set at random intervals, although there was a majority of sapphires on the ceiling. Behind him, Lupin would snack off some of the gems, causing some of the lights to flicker.

‘Oh wow…’ Shade said, speaking for the first time in a long time.

“What?” Synth asked. He looked ahead. There was a bigger opening. Here, the walls were lit by torches. They lined the wall of the open area. Ahead of him was a continuation of the path, but on the walls was also a repeating symbol. It looked like a green upside down t, but the crossed section was curved downward.

‘Run,’ Shade said.

“Why?” Synth asked.

He regretted asking as the room started to shift. The walls moved, the entrance in front of him covered by the rock and the symbol. Then he realized what was happening. It wasn’t the walls that were moving, but the rocks. Synth realized that his exits were blocked and he stood at the center of the room. The walls shifted once again, but this time single forms came out of the walls.

About ten rock monsters came out of the walls. They stood about seven feet tall, their bodies thick and larger than Synth’s. Only two symbols were left on the walls, the others were on the chests of these beasts.

‘Damn,’ Shade said.

“What are these things?” Synth asked as he tried to keep an eye on all of them. They were surrounding him, however, and he didn’t know what to do.

‘Golems… well, they’re a little different,’ Shade said.

“What should I do?” Synth asked.

‘These are defensive golems, they won’t attack unless you attack them. But you can’t leave until you beat the barrier golems,’ Shade said.

“And that’ll get the others to attack me, won’t it?” Synth asked.

‘Good luck,’ Shade said.

Synth decided that he’d need to be aggressive if he was going to get out. Best to plan things out, he thought. Synth walked to the edges of the golem ranks. Just like Shade said, they weren’t attacking but watched him with their yellow eyes. Lupin growled at them, his fangs baring and spitting sap.

Synth reached the edge of the group and activated his magic. His coat hardened and he bent down to start the onslaught. He took a deep breath. Synth felt Shade’s persuasive energy creeping on him. He knew that if he wasn’t careful, Shade might just get a chance to come out.

Synth raised his hoof, the golem in front of him ready to block. Synth struck the golem, his bunch causing a crack in the golem’s armor. Immediately, he felt the danger he’d put himself in. The room vibrated as the golems charged towards him. Synth managed to duck a few swings, but the ones that hit hurt him through his coating.

Synth changed his coating to traction. He started dodging swings, his speed outmatching all of the golems. Synth tried to strike a golem, but only managed to hurt his hoof in the process. Synth barely avoided a stomp by one of the golems. He dusted himself off as a nearby golem prepared to strike.

Synth didn’t know what to do. He’d be able to dodge their attacks or do slight damage, but he’d never be able to do both without draining too much of his energy. He felt like he’d have to risk it, because he wasn’t fast enough to completely avoid the next attack. He hit the wall, his coating starting to fade away.

Synth jumped away, avoiding the earth shattering pound. He found himself next to Lupin who hadn’t been recognized as a threat. He barked at Synth and Synth looked at him. Lupin’s eyes were glowing blue.

‘He says to take this,’ Shade said.

Synth felt a power surge like no other. Lupin’s eyes slowly turned back to yellow as the energy transfer happened. Synth’s body rushed with warmth as his drained magic returned ten-fold. He didn’t know he’d have enough for it. His magic suddenly left his control, his horn glowing brighter than normal. Synth knew what would happen if he didn’t use up the excess energy.

Synth activated more magic, his faithful Timberwolf coming out next to him, immediately in alert. Synth felt both coatings on his body as his hooves cracked the ground with every step. Synth dashed forward, the golem putting his rocky arms up to block. Synth struck right through, his hoof shattering the arm and severing the head.

The other nine didn’t learn from their comrade as they charged forward. The fallen golen’s symbol was no longer glowing, instead it fell to the ground. Synth didn’t even stop to rest as he charged at the approaching golems. In a matter of seconds, he’d took down two more. The others continued to strike at his position.

Synth was too fast for them, his body on overload. Then, as soon as it came it was gone. Synth had his hoof stuck in the body of a golem. He couldn’t pull it out as was raised into the air. He cringed as the arm of the golem raised and struck his own body. Synth was crushed as he fell loose and onto the ground. He didn’t know if he was more exhausted from the strike or the strain of the overload he’d gone through.

Synth couldn’t move as the golem brought his arm up to strike again. Synth watched as the leader jumped in front to take the blow. It helped slightly, as Synth felt impact but not nearly what he was expecting. The leader was sent away in wooden bits as Synth’s magic faded. He couldn’t tell if he’d passed out for a second or if Shade just really wanted to get in control.

“Now, let’s play,” Shade said, dusting himself off.

Shade activated his magic supply. Lupin appeared nearby, taking back some energy he’d given Synth. Now, Lupin’s eyes turned a deep shade of red. His fangs enlarged as his body became sharper and full of thorns. He also grew slightly, his menacing form making Synth speechless. It was just like before.

Shade activated only the Endurance coating. He charged at a golem, not giving him enough time to block the blow from Shade. The golem was sent across the room instead of shattering to bits. He landed against the wall, his body hitting the symbol that glowed. Now, the symbol moved.

Synth watched in confusion as the barrier golem rose from his position. When he moved, Shade saw the gem passage behind him. It was the way they’d come in. That would mean the other golem was blocking the way to continue. Shade didn’t care as he changed coating and sped past the slow barrier golem.

“I’ll show you the right way to use magic,” Shade said, grabbing a gem off the wall.

Shade sucked the energy from the crystal. He dropped the lifeless sapphire, the remains scattering to the ground.

“Oh, I’m about to show you real magic…” Shade said. He activated his horn, the excess magic rushing out. Synth watched in horror as the ground shook. Vines reached out from the walls as the golems started to make their slow journey into the cave after him. The gems that were protruding from the walls were suddenly stripped off of their ledges.

Shade was surrounded by the vines as they lowered the gems to him. He didn’t even have to touch them as he stole the energy through the vines. His laugh exited his mouth was wicked and brought a dark thought to Synth’s head. Shade looked straight at the golems coming towards him. They must have thought something was wrong, because they stopped in their tracks at his gaze.

“This is natural selection,” Shade said, raising his hoof.

The ground quaked under the pressure. Most of the cavern shook as the energy in the air increased. The torches on the wall in the large room were flickering, the air that fueled them being pushed behind the waves of energy. The Golems covered their ears as the quake stopped. Then, the walls were ripped apart as vines and roots reached in to surround the golems.

Shade lowered his hoof. The effects were heard immediately. The sounds of crushing rocks and grinding stones rang in his ears as the golems were stripped into pieces and scattered about the earth. The vines retracted from the wall, taking the golems remains with them. Shade walked back into the room, now clear and free of pebbles and unsmooth stones.

Shade looked to his left as one of the smooth rocks shifted. It reformed as the barrier golem from earlier. This time, it wasted no time in changing forms. Shade watched with a chuckle as the golem formed itself into a pony. It was Synth’s height with Synth’s build and Synth’s facial expressions.

“Meet the barrier golems,” Shade said, his voice sounding deeper and more menacing. The air moved with every word, the energy still vibrating from his body.

The barrier golem had a horn as well, in which he activated his magic. The golem was suddenly coated in a metallic cover. The rocks he was made of were still very visible. Now, Shade raised his hoof again. No vines came this time, instead, the golem was stopped in his tracks.

Shade ran forward and he was on him in less than a second. The golem didn’t react as Shade thrusted his hoof into the golem’s face. Shade had a grin on his face, as well as a look that showed death at its finest. When he pulled out his hoof, he had a flower on the end of it. Synth watched with confusion and fear as the golem fell to the floor, his lifeless rocks scattering on the ground. The symbol that was on his back was no longer glowing.

Shade looked at Lupin as the pup tucked his tail in between his legs. Shade fell forward, his body no longer able to withstand the magic use. Shade coughed up blood before Synth managed to take control. It doesn’t matter how tired or worn out Synth was, because Shade was near death. Synth couldn’t move his body as he laid there. He might have been the healthier of the two, but that didn’t say much when he couldn’t stand.

Lupin stood atop Synth. He licked Synth’s cheek before reverting back to his usual self. Synth felt a slight magic boost as Lupin gave him some of the dark energy. Synth didn’t have the energy high like he did before, but he did get enough strength to stand up.

Synth picked himself up, looking at the exit guarded by the barrier golem. He wasn’t activated yet, his symbol still showing in Synth’s face. Synth could barely stand, little to no magic left in him. There were two options he had. Both of which had a risk of death. Either he took down one of the gems that Shade hadn’t gotten and fed it to Lupin who would in turn share some energy with Synth, or he fought the golem alone.

Synth knew that any more stress on his body and he could die. Even as it was, he felt like he could fall and die at any second. Synth decided to believe in himself and take on the golem himself. Synth went to the barrier golem, putting his hoof on the symbol. The golem recognized this as an attack, and shifted accordingly.

The golem formed just like the last one, shifting into a replica of Synth. From what he could guess, they would copy him at his average state. Shade had an advantage because he was above average, but now Synth was well below.

“Bring… it,” Synth said, ready to run around the golem if it meant he’d escape.

The golem must have anticipated this, because he activated his magic. Synth didn’t know which coating he’d used. The golem took slow steps forward, not crushing the ground, nor going fast. Synth braced himself for what would happen. The golem stopped suddenly, raising his hoof.

“This is natural selection,” The barrier golem said in a monotone deep voice. His rocky mouth moved with the action, but that was probably just to mock Shade.

Synth saw his life flash in his eyes as the world rumbled. The torches in the room flickered as the energy from the golem skyrocketed. Synth knew what was going to happen but that didn’t mean he could prepare himself.

Synth was thrown into the air as a vine came out from under him. The vine tried to grab him, but Synth held no resistance to the throw up. The vine didn’t expect Synth to not stop himself. Synth landed on the ground, the vines hovering above, waiting for the permission to strike.

Synth was watching death in slow motion as the golem lowered his hoof to send the command. It hit the ground. He couldn’t believe it. These golems copied anything they saw, he reasoned, because Shade had done this only moments before. Not only would he die, but it’d be Shade’s fault. If only he was stronger. If only he was like Shade.

‘If only?’ The voice asked.

‘That’s right, you’re stronger than me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just give up!’ Synth said to himself as he rolled to the side of the approaching vine.

Synth barely avoided the vine. His mind was only on surviving. He didn’t feel any pain as he was cut by an attacking root. The golem stood in the open, not moving. Synth jumped past vines, dodging more and more vines as he went. Finally, he’d made it to the golem.

The golem raised a stone hoof, attempting to block. Synth threw a punch at the golem, not knowing what to expect. Instead of stopping his attack, the golem was knocked back, his body crashing into the wall. Synth couldn’t take in any of what was happening as the roots struck back out at him. Synth dodged more and more as we went again towards the golem.

The golem didn’t know what was happening, putting his hoof up to block the attack again. Synth slammed the golem further into the wall. Then, he threw another punch. The golem’s head started to break, the symbol splitting in half by a large crack as the life was taken out of him. An approaching vine stopped mid-air and receded back to where it came.

Synth’s adrenaline ran out, his hoof falling on the golem with no force. Finally, he head fell on the golem’s head. He took large breaths, his body exhausted from the short adrenaline rush.

“What… was that?” Synth asked, feeling light-headed as he tried to get up.

Synth saw a flower poking out from the remains of the golem. He grabbed it, looking at the texture of it. It was a brown stemmed flower that had crystal pedals and a silver core. The pollen that came out looked like sand. Synth remembered this from a long time ago; it was a rare flower his teacher had been studying.

“Mirrorstone,” Synth recalled. It was a plant he’d hadn’t had too much experience with. They were rare after all. Then, he remembered the other flower that Shade had taken out. It must have been the same flower.

Synth managed to pick himself up. He walked over to where he thought the flower was at. Sure enough, a crystal pedal poked out from underneath some debris. Synth picked it up and put it into his bag with the other. He looked out towards the exit. Another gem path led the way further along. Synth limped towards the exit and down the path. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to go through any of that again.

Synth found that his path stopped suddenly. There was a door in front of him. The steel door had a cross design much like the symbol on the golems. In the corners were symbols that looked like letters.
Vi
In
A
Di
In the cross, there were single letters that he couldn’t understand. At first, he thought they were cardinal directions, but it was different. North and East were there, but a Y replaced the S, and a V was where the W was.

Synth pushed against the door, his horn glowing slightly. At his side, Lupin growled at the door. Synth pushed harder, his body way past its limit. Finally, it budged as the last of his magic reserves were depleted.

Synth managed to get through the door with one final push. He thought it would take more than that, but it opened a lot easier after the first push. Now, he saw a sliver of actual light as the door pushed open.
-------------
(Earlier)

Twilight looked at the pile of rubble in front of them. It was blocking the path, although there was space at the top, telling her it was safe to move. Her friends must have had the same idea, because they started to move away the rocks as well. They’d been walking a few minutes, rumbles causing small rocks to fall around them. This was the first new thing they’ve seen for a while though.

“Do you think we should turn back? Synth might be in trouble,” Fluttershy asked, moving aside a small rock.

“The only way we can help ‘em now is to keep movin’,” Applejack said.

“I agree, this cave has to connect eventually,” Rarity said, using her magic to lift a rock while standing on the other side of the room from it.

“And don’t forget we still need to look for the miners,” Twilight said.

“Maybe they’re in one of these rocks!” Pinkie said, using her head to break open a rock and look inside. Twilight hit her hoof against her forehead before continuing to move rocks.

“Or maybe not,” Pinkie said, rubbing her head.

After a minute or two of moving rocks, they made a pathway through. From here, they could see the room behind it. A small waterfall was inside. The water was clean and cold. Rarity made her way first, admiring the room. Around the waterfall were sleeping bags and a campfire. There were no torches on the walls, but the campfire supplied enough light.

Twilight walked up to the empty sleeping bags, prodding them to figure out how long they’ve been there. Then, she heard a soft voice.

“Hello?” It asked.

Twilight stopped looking around as she realized it came from the small waterfall. Twilight walked over. Everyone was quiet as they listened for another voice.

“Hello,” Twilight responded.

“Oh, you must be the search party. I’m glad you came,” The voice called. Almost like a dream, the waterfall parted as a misty figure stepped past it. When they cleared the waterfall, their smoky form started to solidify. As it cleared up, the six of them could see the figure of the white griffin standing before them.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked.

“I am a spirit, but you may call me Humanitus,” The spirit said.

“Well, Humanitus, we’re here looking for some miners, do you know where they are?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Ah yes, they were trapped in this cave for days. I’ve been keeping them safe from the terrible beings of this cave. Here, I’ll show you,” Humanitus said, turning towards the wall next to her. In seconds, the wall was moved aside and displayed another room, full of life.

“Everyone, you’re free to go home,” Humanitus announced. The griffins inside looked at the group of ponies looking astonished at them.

“Are you serious? I’ll get to see my mom again?” A griffin asked, a smile shining on his face.

“We’re free!?” Another cried. The rest toasted to the proclamation with their cups of alcohol. Humanitus looked toward the ponies, a smile on her face as well.

“Well, could you please show these griffins the way out? It would be much appreciated,” Humanitus said.

Twilight nodded. The group of ten griffins exited the room and got a good look at their saviors. Some of them shook Twilight’s hand, others petted Applejack and Fluttershy. One gave Pinkie a hug that she gladly returned. Rarity raised her eyebrow, a question on her mind.

“I understand your gratitude, but isn’t this a little too much?” Rarity asked.

“Oh no, you don’t know what we went through before Humanitus found us,” A miner said.

“What happened?” Fluttershy asked.

“We… don’t want to talk about it,” The miner said, looking to the others who shook their heads.

“Let’s just say this cave has more than just rocks in it,” another miner said.

“Well, I’ll be off then. I’m glad you could find a way out,” Humanitus said.

“Actually, there was something else we wanted to ask,” Twilight said.

“Yes?” Humanitus asked.

“Our friend, Synth, he was caught on the other side of a cave in. Do you know if this passage connects?” Twilight asked.

“Oh no, there is only two passages in this cave. Do not tell me,” Humanitus said under her breath.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Hurry, down the path. We might be too late,” Humanitus said, her white figure leaving a ghostly trail as she led them down the tunnel.
-------------

“Holy…” Synth said to himself as he looked up at the large figure in front of him. He was just past the door he’d opened. Behind it lay a room with a large pool in the middle. In the large pool was a sea serpent. It wasn’t like the sea serpent he saw earlier, no, its tongue was limp hovering just above him. The tongue itself was as large as he was. The scales were spotted with green patches of fur and feathers. It was like he was created from many different animals, but the sea serpent attributes showed out the most. His scales reflected the light from the gems around it. The face of the sea serpent was frightening as the teeth were showing, every last tooth as sharp as a needle.

The serpent was watching him, the yellow eyes studying him as if he was a specimen. Synth was too tired to run or fight. He fell into a resting position as he waited for something to happen. After a few more seconds, the serpent spoke.

“Hello… Ssssynth,” The serpent said. The sinister voice caused ripples in the water as he spoke. He had a voice that made Synth think he had pneumonia.

“Hi,” Synth replied, still lightheaded.

“I am Leviathan,” He said.

“Okay,” Synth responded.

“You made it this far, I sssssee. You musssst have had a hard time,” Leviathan said.

“Yeah,” Synth said.

“Well let me congratulate you,” The serpent said. Next to him, a tentacle poked out of the water, reaching towards Synth.

Synth didn’t move as the tentacle reached him. It wrapped around a leg before crawling up and meeting him at eye level. Synth blinked and the tentacle started to glow. He could feel a warmth as the tentacle’s glow covered his vision. When it was finished, it receded back into the water.

“There, now may you forever remember my name, and I’ll remember yourssss, Ssssynth,” Leviathan said.

Synth watched as the room started to blur. He could see flashes of light and then black screens. Finally, his head fell back as his brain tried to comprehend what was happening. When he opened his eyes, he could see a torch lit hallway with a clear path forward. Synth stood up, finding he had a small portion of his strength now.

Synth walked slowly towards the path. It was just a few more steps. He was walking off balance, and the room was spinning, but he was still walking. Now, as he neared the end, his legs started to give out on him. He felt the room spin in a circle before hitting the ground.
------------

Twilight was racing down the path. The serious and suddenness of the griffin’s voice alerted her to danger. Then, all of sudden Humanitus stopped. Twilight and the others stopped to look at her.

“No, I’m too late. Show him Kindness, will you? That’s all I ask,” Humanitus said quickly to the others as her body started to glow white and turn back to mist.

“What?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Don’t let him feed his e-,” Humanitus was cut off as her body faded.

“What was she trying to say?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know, but let’s go make sure Synth’s alright,” Twilight said, running again towards the exit.

She could see it now, a turn in the cave system. Twilight turned the corner, her eyes falling on the unicorn below who was sprawled out. She could see blood spots covering him as well as layers of dust and cuts that had healed. She could also see the bruises on him and a light ring of red around his horn. All in all, he looked pretty bad from her view of his back.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, getting down to try and wake him up.

“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“We need to get him to a doctor,” One of the griffins said.

“I’ll take ‘em. Rainbow, go ahead and lift him on my back,” Applejack said.

Rainbow did what she was told and lifted him up. Immediately, they gasped at the sight. Synth was showing off his chest and stomach, a cut down the middle of it. The cut split at the end, forming a t with a round cross. The blood was slowly dripping from the wound. Rainbow left his chest upwards as she set him down on the ground.

The five of them and the miners looked down at his body, confusion on their minds. Fluttershy didn’t look, she was covering her eyes behind her hooves. His chest was still moving, so he was obviously still alive.

“What is that?” Applejack asked.

“Is it a tattoo?” Pinkie asked, none too happily.

“Shouldn’t we take him to a doctor now?” Fluttershy asked, trying not to look at the blood.

“Oh, yeah,” Twilight said, looking away from the strange symbol.

Rainbow Dash lifted Synth again, putting him on Applejack’s back. His body was completely limp, almost lifeless. She was worried that he wasn’t just unconscious, especially after seeing that mark. They continued, nonetheless and Applejack managed just fine with carrying him.

The three of them turned to look at the room his body was in. There was no exit, other than the way they came in.

“Weird,” Twilight said to herself before turning to leave.

The group of ponies and griffins headed down the tunnel that led to the exit. From here on out, there were no torches and the gems were invisible with Twilight’s magic spell activated. They walked in silence until they reached another collapsed pile of rubble.

“We never made it this far, we ran out of torches,” A miner said.

“Decided we’d wait until help came, but we didn’t know it’d be so long. Glad that Humanitus came along, she was the nicest spirit I’ve seen yet.” An older miner said.

“Nicest? So you’ve seen others?” Rainbow Dash asked, moving away a rock.

“These mountains are full of surprises, the griffin said, helping her with a large boulder.

“We should be out soon, I hope,” Twilight said.

Together, they cleared a big path away from the rocks. Sunlight streacked through and the caves were flooded with light. When they stepped outside, the sunlight was coming from across from them. The sun was already setting. They came out of the side of the mountain. They looked down, about two yards below was the grassy ground.

They jumped down, careful not to hurt themselves. It was just Applejack and Synth left. At first, Twilight was planning on how to lower Synth, but Applejack didn't hesitate to jump. She landed without a problem. Synth on the other hand, felt the impact and moaned. Afterwards, he coughed up blood. Applejack stopped and Rarity went up to him.

"Synth dear, are you okay?" Rarity asked.

"No, It's... but I can't... no," Synth whispered under his breath before falling back into unconsciousness.

"Let's hurry, the town should be this way," One of the miners said.

No one argued as they rushed as a group to the town. The miners split up as they reached the town, going to their families or celebrating at a local bar. The others and the elder miner went into town, where a small group of griffins were anticipating their return.

"Cecil!" The elder miner yelled, running up to the young griffin.

"Gramps!" Cecil responded, embracing her grandfather.

"Well well, I can't believe it. Did these ponies actually help out?" The griffin from earlier asked.

"It's because of them we got out with our lives. I don't think even Humanitus would have been able to help us escape," The elder griffin said.

"Well then I say we owe you all our gratitude, how can we repay you?" The griffin asked.

"Our friend is hurt, is there a doctor here who can treat his wounds?" Twilight asked.

"Filsh lives down this street. He has a red cross on his door, he's the best doctor this city has," The griffin said.

"Thank you," Twilight said. The ponies went down the street. The sky was getting darker. Most of the dark sky was also cloudy and not at all a starry sky.

Twilight opened the door with a red cross on it and peered inside. The room looked cozy enough, with blue curtains and a blue carpet shaped like a heart. When the seven of them were inside, Twilight heard the sound of someone else in the house.

“Oh, company. How may I help you?” The griffin asked, peering in from a nearby doorway. He had a grey head of feathers with a darker brown for his torso. His beak was sharp, and he had a nervous smile. His voice was nasally with a scientific tone about it. (I think of Professor Oak when I do his dialogue.)

“Well for starters, I haven’t had anything to drink for hours. Be a dear and fetch me something?” Rarity asked, fluttering her eyelids at him. Applejack pushed her aside as Twilight stepped forward.

“Our friend needs help, he’s been badly injured,” Twilight said.

“Come this way then, put him on the table and I’ll see what I can do,” Filsh said. The six of them and Synth entered the room. Applejack put Synth on the table in the center and the griffin recoiled at the sight. Synth’s wounds were drying up, but the mark on his chest was still visible. The ring of red around his horn was gone though.

“Yikes, I don’t know what the fella was up to, but he must’ve had quite a day,” Filsh said.

“We don’t know either, we just found him like this in that mining cave,” Rainbow Dash said.

“He should be alright if he gets some rest. There’s nothing fatal here,” Filsh said. “Tell me more about how you found him, if you would.”

“When we were leaving the cave, we saw him on the floor with fresh cuts and that mark on his chest. There was also this strange red mark around his horn. He mumbled something on the way over, but we don’t know what happened,” Twilight said.

“There’s no physical damage that I can tell, but if what you said is true, there might be something wrong mentally. If so, he’ll need somepony here he knows when he wakes up. In the meantime, give me a few minutes to treat these wounds. They need time to heal as well,” Filsh said. He started immediately with bandages and ointment for the wounds.

“You think there’s something wrong with his mind?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, the mark you saw around his horn is a very special injury. It occurs from strenuous use of magic. Most unicorns don’t know this, but if you perform spells that your body can’t handle, you’ll enter into what’s called shock,” Filsh started.

“But I’ve done my fair share of tough magic and I’ve never gone into shock,” Twilight said.

“You don’t go into shock, more like you enter shock. It’s a lot different. Now, on the matter of you, it’s most likely because your body is trained for that sort of magic, other unicorns would enter shock if they tried,” Filsh said.

“So you’re saying that Synth did some really powerful magic?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Maybe, there are a lot of possibilities as to why he went into shock, but no doubt it’s shock. His mind needs time to heal, probably more time than his body. I know the inn owner across the street, if you tell him Filsh sent you, I can get you all rooms for the night,” Filsh said.

“Wow, thanks mister,” Applejack said.

“Darn, I already made plans for the inn on the other side of town,” Pinkie said. She dropped the key she had and looked up at Filsh.

“Well, in exchange for the rooms, you don’t mind if he stays here, do you? I never get volunteers to go into shock, and I thought this would be a good learning opportunity,” Filsh asked.

“I suppose he does need to be monitored,” Twilight said.

“Great! Tomorrow I can give five of you a tour. Remember, there has to be someone at his side at all times,” Filsh said.

“We volunteer ourselves,” A voice said from the doorway. The seven of them turned to the voice. Luna was standing there, her hood covering her mane as she looked at all of them. She wasn’t smiling, probably because she could see Synth from where she was at.

“Luna! What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, confused.

“We sensed something was amiss from the kingdom and rushed over to see for ourselves,” Luna said.

“What’s with the outfit?” Rarity asked.

“This land is not in our command, it’s best we are not recognized,” Luna said.

“Are we clear?”Luna asked Filsh.

“Of course, now how about you all get some sleep until tomorrow. I’ll do what I can,” Filsh said.

“We’ll stay here, if thou dost mind,” Luna said.

“Not at all, company is company,” Filsh said.

“Okay then, see you tomorrow princess,” Pinkie said.

“Farewell,” Luna said.

Twilight and the others finished their goodbyes before going to the inn that Filsh told them about. Luna stayed in the room, watching over Synth like he was an egg and she was the waiting mother. Filsh took out a notepad and wrote down notes as he finished bandaging Synth.

-------------

Luna heard a knock on the door. Filsh went to answer the knock, leaving her alone in the corner to watch Synth. Filsh opened the door to find the mane six waiting patiently.

“Oh I suppose you’d like a tour of this beautiful mountain city. Give me one moment to get ready and we’ll begin,” Filsh said. He walked to the back of his house. On the way back, he passed Luna who was seated closer to Synth, lifting the bandages off his chest to look at the wounds.

“He needs to heal, I advise you to leave him alone,” Filsh said.

“Of course,” Luna said, lowering the bandages.

Filsh went back to the door. Luna heard conversation about the town, but she was busy in thought to pay attention to it.

“What torturous nightmares are thoust having?” Luna asked Synth as he lay there. Of course, he didn’t answer, but she could imagine.

After a few hours of pacing back and forth, Luna sat back down to calm herself. She knew what symbol that was on his chest, only her and her sister would know what it was. Luna knew it was well past the time she should have been in bed, but she didn’t want Synth to be alone at this time. Shock was one hell of a trip, she knew.

Luna took a sip of the water Filsh had given her some time during the night and set the cup down on a table on the other side of the room. She looked down quickly as Synth started to mumble something. All of a sudden, the tiny amount of energy she could feel from him skyrocketed. It felt like she was with her sister. Then, that energy dropped back down to the faint level it was before.

Luna would have been worried, but then she saw Synth’s eyes starting to open. He closed them for a second before fluttering them open again. Luna looked down at him. His eyes were a flash of green before landing back to their normal purple state. Synth saw her in his vision, and his heartbeat went back to normal. All of a sudden, it felt like a weight was off of Luna’s chest as she saw Synth relax. Then, his eyes went wide.
------------

Synth opened his eyes. The darkness in the room was strangely inviting. He attempted to stand up, feeling that he wasn’t weak, nor did he have very much strength. When he’d gotten up, he looked around the dark and ruined castle to find Shade sitting on the small statue in the middle of the room. He was looking down at Synth, his eyes full of boredom.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Shade asked, before jumping off the statue and landing in front of Synth.

“Where are we?” Synth asked, but he already knew the answer.

“The castle of the two sisters,” Shade answered anyways.

“But, why?” Synth asked.

“Welcome to Shock,” Shade said.

“What?” Synth asked.

“You know how before when I took the energy from those jewels I would pass out?” Shade asked.

“Yeah, I like you better that way,” Synth said nonchalantly.

“Well, this is what would happen. This is the back of your mind. I’d usually sit back here and watch you until I got my energy back, but now that you’re here, I guess we’ll have to wait it out,” Shade said.

“But… the last thing I remember… I met this creature,” Synth said.

“Let me guess, Leviathan?” Shade asked.

“Yeah, how’d you know that?” Synth asked.

“He left you something,” Shade said. He looked up and above Synth. Synth followed his eyes and saw what he was talking about. A green banner hung above the entrance. It was cut and torn on the bottom, but the symbol above it was still there. It was an upside down t with a curved cross downwards.

“That wasn’t there before,” Synth said.

“That’s not all,” Shade said.

Synth followed his gaze once again and saw what he meant. There were six other banners, spaced out above the room. They didn’t have any symbols on them, and they weren’t ripped up or torn like the green one. There was a yellow, pink, blue, purple, orange and a blood red.

“What is all of this?” Synth asked.

“I’ve got a pretty good idea, but I’ll let you figure it out,” Shade said.

“So… what now?” Synth asked.

“Actually, I don’t know, I can’t control anything here, and I doubt you can either,” Shade said.

Synth didn’t even have to try to use his magic to feel the lack of energy he had. The idea that he was magicless gave him a fear he didn’t know he could have. Suddenly the room became darker. Shade blinked his eyes, thinking it was his vision, but Synth could feel something in the air. Something was different about this place.

“What was that?” Shade asked.

He got his answer when the wall nearby slid back to reveal a doorway. The other doorways that he could see were covered up, leaving them to stare into the darkness around them. Synth hesitated to go into the doorway. If something didn’t feel right, then why would they just accept what was happening as normal?

“This is just what I needed,” Shade said, walking towards the doorway.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Synth asked.

“Going on an adventure, it’s better than staying here and doing nothing for two hours,” Shade said.

Synth understood why he’d feel like that. It sounded like Shade’s been here multiple times already, and that made him the experienced one. Synth followed his lead and walked into the doorway. From what he could see, it was just darkness ahead. This didn’t stop Shade as they walked forward, farther from the haven of his mind.

“Where are we going?” Synth asked.

“Why do you ask so many questions?” Shade asked.

“I like to know that I’m not being led down some path of-,”

“Watch out,” Shade said, holding him back with his hoof. Synth stopped in time and looked down. The stone floor that was underneath them was the only thing stopping him from falling into the depths below. Across from them was a continuation of the path, although the gap in between was longer than his body.

“How are we going to get past?” Synth asked.

“We jump,” As if to emphasize his point, Shade jumped the gap without much effort. He turned back to see how Synth would do.

Synth gulped as he tried not to look down. Backing up, he got a running start. When he ran forward, he jumped and flew in the air. He landed awkwardly on the other side, although he looked back at the ledge that was uncomfortably close to him.

“Damn, I hoped you wouldn’t make it,” Shade said.

“Just keep walking,” Synth said.

Shade didn’t argue as they continued down the path. The walls seemed to be moving the farther they went. The stone floor was no longer grey, it became more of a faded green. His eyes adjusted to the darkness. Synth didn’t like the silence in this narrow hallway.

“There’s something I wanted to ask,” Synth said.

“I’m not scared of the dark,” Shade said.

Synth gave him a look before continuing. “Who is Leviathan? You sound like you know all about him,” Synth said.

“It’s not really who is Leviathan, it’s more of what is Leviathan. I can give you a short summary,” Shade said.

“That’d help,” Synth said.

“Where should I start… okay then,” Shade said.

“Not too brief,” Synth said.

“Leviathan was a fish. Well, more of an ancestral fish that went extinct, but he was a fish nonetheless. He wasn’t a shark or a whale. He was the lowest of the low on the food chain. Leviathan was different than his kin though. By the time he was fully grown, he had reached the size of a fish you’d see today,” Shade started.

“That’s not very big,” Synth commented.

“But he was a lot bigger than the rest of his species. Because of this, he tried to become the hunter, instead of the hunted. When an eel tried to wrap itself around it, Leviathan fought back and shattered his nervous system. Leviathan ate about half of the eel before his stomach gave out. It wasn’t used to eating other living things,” Shade said.

“Then why would he try to eat it?” Synth asked.

“To adapt, and that’s exactly what he did. The part that he ate rolled around inside of him until his body got used to it. Then, the body copied its cells and he grew a longer tail. Also, he had shinier scales than the others. But that wasn’t enough. When a shark tried to make it his lunch, Leviathan used his new tail to grip the head. This next part disturbs even me…” Shade said.

“What happened?” Synth asked, now anxious to hear every last detail.

“Leviathan ripped out his teeth and ate them. The shark would have grown them back easily, but Leviathan broke his jaw. What’s more, is that Leviathan waited for his body to adapt again. This time, he grew shark teeth. The prey became the predator as he roamed the ocean taking something from every kind of fish,” Shade said.

“Then why did he have fur and feathers?” Synth asked.

“After he’d become ruler of the sea, griffins were telling tales of having seen him. A guard platoon was sent down to the ocean to look for him. After they saw him, they tried to drag him out, but Leviathan was too strong for them. He pulled in nearly half a dozen with him as retreated. They weren’t seen from again because he chose to adapt,” Shade said.

“Then what?” Synth asked.

“If you let me finish… The King Griffin himself went down to challenge the beast. Leviathan rose from the water with his feathers and towered above the king. The king fought hard, but he had to retreat from the demon. Leviathan didn’t retreat, he chased him on land with the partially developed lungs. The king hid in the forest near his castle,” Shade said.

“Did he die?” Synth asked. Shade gave him a look that said ‘Shut up’.

“Leviathan tore the forest apart looking for him, but only managed to find wild animals that he devoured. When he finally went back because his lungs weren’t able to handle it for too long, the king went out to look for help. He didn’t have to look far. The grim reaper showed up one day saying that she could bring balance back to the living,” Shade said.

“The grim reaper is a-, never mind,” Synth said, seeing Shade’s look again.

“The reaper promised to reap him, in return for a pure life. The king reluctantly gave up his daughter, the second heir to the throne. The reaper said that she was the only pure one around. Her name was Humanitus. The reaper took her life and did what he promised. Almost. The reaper can’t reap the living technically, so he made him ethereal, a ghost if you would. After that, Leviathan wandered around without a body or any way to contact the world. But they say that if he’s near, you’ll feel a need to have what you don’t,” Shade said.

“That’s deep,” Synth said.

“A little longer than I thought, but I tried to shorten it up,” Shade said.

“Not the story, look down,” Synth said.

Shade looked down and sure enough, he could barely see the bottom. The path ended here, with rocks sticking out of the wall in random places. Synth could only assume that they had to go down.

“Race you to the bottom,” Shade said on Synth’s right, jumping on a nearby rock. Synth decided to take up the challenge and go left. He jumped onto the rock below, nearly slipping off the edge. Shade had no trouble jumping down one at a time.

Synth jumped down another rock, but he couldn’t stop looking over to Shade every few seconds. Shade was already almost halfway down. Synth didn’t want to be discouraged, so he jumped down another rock, this time a little easier. Now, he jumped down faster, finding it wasn’t as difficult. Once again, he looked to Shade, who was nearly at the bottom.

Synth jumped down one more, and then another. He didn’t even look down any more as he prepared his jumps right when he landed the previous one. Synth finally saw the ground and jumped down to it. He recovered from the jump and looked up to see Shade sitting down, waiting for him.

“C’mon, are you a mule or something?” Shade joked, punching his upper arm. Synth didn’t find the joke funny, but he stayed silent. He walked forward, Shade following him.

Synth walked down the newer narrow path. It wasn’t very long, ending at a doorway. It was the same doorway that he’d seen before. Now, the gems around the door glowed as they approached. It didn’t budge when they tried to push it open.

“What now?” Synth asked.

His question was answered as the walls around them started to shift. Synth was going to run, but Shade didn’t move, so he decided to stay there as well. Now the rocks in the walls moved aside to form symbols. One of the symbols he recognized, an upside down t with the cross curved downward. When everything stopped, Synth put his hoof on that symbol, thinking it was a puzzle.

“Don’t-,” Shade was interrupted as the walls shifted suddenly and Synth was pushed into the wall. The rocks grabbed his hoofs and pinned him to the wall, leaving him vulnerable. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t break free.

“Next time, why don’t you read it first?” Shade asked.

“Read what?” Synth asked.

Shade pointed to the top layer of symbols. “It’s a riddle,” Shade said.

“I can’t read pictures…” Synth said.

“Then let me do it,” Shade said.

Shade stepped back and squinted his eyes. When he finished, he recited what he’d read.

“Necessity comes with sacrifices. If only one sacrifice can be made: What is it?” Shade read.

“What does that mean?” Synth asked.

Shade didn’t respond as he looked at the other symbols below it. His eyes landed on one in particular and he walked closer to it. It was the outline of a heart, with the middle split in half. Shade put his hoof on it. After a few seconds of nothing, the door opened. Synth felt the rocks turn to dirt as he was freed.

“It’s better you didn’t know,” Shade said, although he wasn’t grinning or smiling. In fact, Shade looked almost sad, if not, worrisome.

“Whatever,” Synth said, tasting something bitter in his mouth. No matter Shade’s facial expression, Synth still resented that statement.

“Holy…” Shade said, looking up.

Synth was looking at the path in front of them, the floor replaced with an ocean and there were sea creatures swimming about. Most of them were predators, including sharks and eels. When Synth looked up to where Shade was looking, he didn’t know what to say. The walls were replaced with statues, although from just looking forward, you could only see a wall. Stretching farther into the sky than he could see, he saw the bottoms of griffins and a Timberwolf.

“Welcome to my Chambersssss…” They heard a voice say. Both of them looked down to the water. The frenzy of sea creatures were gone, the huge body of the sea serpent replacing them. Shade took a step back, confusion evident in his voice.

“What are you doing here?” Shade asked.

“Life isss just too dull, I thought I’d have sssssome…fun?” Leviathan said. The walls on the sides of them shifted. The huge statues next to them bowed down, making their sizes once again apparent to Synth.

“I mean, how did you get in?” Shade asked.

“I was invited… but don’t worry, I don’t plan on interfering with your actionssss. I merely like to experience what it feels like to live again…” Leviathan said. His mouth opened in what he attempted a smile but became a bearing of his teeth. The razor sharp teeth made Synth gulp.

“Get out, now!” Shade nearly yelled. He actually looked scared of something, but Synth couldn’t understand why. In fact, right now he was confused. His brain didn’t want to comprehend what was happening. It was like he lost his train of thought whenever he tried to think of something.

“How about I make a deal? If Ssssynth here can beat you in a duel, I’ll leave… ssssssound fair?” Leviathan said, his face forming into a devilish grin that showed teeth.

“What’s the trick?” Shade asked.

“No trick, other than the fact you can’t use magic,” Leviathan said.

“Deal,” Shade said, starting to feel his confidence come back. Of course he was stronger than Synth. Even without magic, Synth wasn’t built for combat while he had experience in it.

“Begin,” Leviathan said, giving a slight chuckle. Synth realized suddenly what they’d agreed to, turning to Shade.

“Let’s get this shrimp out of our head,” Shade proposed, lowering his head into a charging stance.

Synth didn’t know why; on any other occasion he would have agreed with Shade. But at this time, his thoughts were only focused on one thing. If Shade wanted Leviathan gone, he’d have to fight for it. Synth wasn’t going to let Shade walk on him.

“No, you’re going down,” Synth said in a monotone voice. He couldn’t think clearly as he lowered his head and charged without thinking.

Shade clashed heads, their eyes meeting as they clashed. Shade noticed for the first time that Synth’s eyes were fading from their usual purple hue into a faded purple. He pushed back, forcing them to back away. Something was wrong. Leviathan proposed this too easily. What did he do to Synth? Why did he feel stronger than the normal Synth he knew?

Shade couldn’t reflect on this for long, because Synth charged again. When Shade went down to clash, Synth ran by his head, lifting his hoof into Shade’s chin. Shade staggered back from the attack, gripping his chin in his hoof. He looked down in time to see Synth’s back hooves make contact with his face. He was sent sprawling back and into the wall.

Shade felt blood on his face that he didn’t know he could spill in their mind. When he looked up, the faded purple was changing from a clear iris to a faded green. Synth’s whole body was now green. Shade would have made a joke, but then he saw Synth lower his head for a charge. Shade attempted to get back on his hooves, but he had to roll to the side to not be crushed.

Synth pulled his horn and his face out of the wall without as much as a sound. Shade tried to get back up again, but Synth was on him before he could react. Shade couldn’t lift a hoof before Synth put his hoof on Shade’s chin and pulled him up on the wall. Shade looked into his eyes to see the deep green irises that he held. He tried to struggle out of the grasp, but Synth’s grip was tight.

“It looksss like I’ll be staying after all,” Leviathan said in the background, a dark laughter echoing in the caverns around them. Shade didn’t hear the end of the echo before Synth’s hoof made contact with his cheek. He was knocked out cold and landed limp on the ground.

“That might have been too much,” A voice said from nearby.

“He knew too much, who knows what he’ll tell Synth now,” Leviathan responded calmly.

“He won’t tell him anything… I’ll make sure of it,” A flash of white teeth came from the shadows that disappeared as quickly as they came.
------------

Synth opened his eyes. The world was spinning for a second, but then he saw Luna in his vision. His heartbeat started to slow as the strange feeling he had subsided. When he caught his breath that he didn’t know he’d lost, he asked a simple question.

“What happened?” Synth asked.

“Thou hast gone through Shock. Fear not, the trouble has past,” Luna said softly, almost like he was a child.

“Everything… is a blur…” Synth said, rubbing his head.

“What dost thou remember?” Luna asked, curious.

“I fought some golems… and then I met a… fish? I can’t remember that part too good. And then I… I… I was talking with Shade,” Synth said, forcing himself to recall the conversation.

“So Shade hast guided thou through the trouble, we presume?” Luna asked.

“I… can’t remember. Can you tell me what happened?”Synth asked.

“Your friends found thee on the verge of death. They had rushed thee to this doctor for thy salvation, but they have no idea as to what happened before,” Luna said.

“I feel terrible, and my head hurts…” Synth said.

“Thou should rest; perhaps time will heal thy mental wound,” Luna said.

“Yeah,” Synth said, dropping his head.

“We will prepare a feast, will thou be alright alone?” Luna asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Synth said, wanting to close his eyes and get some rest.

Luna left the house to buy something in the market nearby. Synth was left looking at the ceiling, his body not wanting to rest any more, but his head was telling him to take it easy. Now, Synth tried again to recall what happened. All he could remember are flashbacks from the golem and the jewel lights. He could also see some green scales…

“Sea serpent?” Synth asked himself, remembering that was the last thing he saw. Then he realized something was off. He looked around the table he was on and realized that Lupin wasn’t there. “Lupin?” Synth asked the empty house. He didn’t get a response.

Synth lowered himself off of the table. His head throbbed at first, but it subsided slightly. His body felt ready, although it was stiff at places. Now, he walked to the entrance. Something in his mind should have told him that this was a bad idea, but in his mind he could only think of one thing. Getting Lupin back.

Synth opened the door and walked outside. Synth saw the mountain from the town and walked ran towards it. Some griffins watched him go, the scars on his torso were hidden, but the other scars were still healing and some of the dried blood got in his mane. Synth didn’t notice the stares however, as he continued to run towards the direction that he wanted to go. He made it out of the town quickly and ran even faster, thinking bad thoughts as he ran.
-------------

Luna was at the produce section of the market square and she had a bag of vegetables on her. She was looking at some tomatoes until she heard some familiar voices.

“And this is where we trade our goods. Of course, monetary values are just as good, but we like the traditional ways far more,” Filsh said, the mane six behind him. Luna had the cloak on, so she got closer so he could recognize her.

“Wouldst thou mind if we use thy residence in our preparation of a feast?” Luna asked.

“What?” Filsh asked, at first confused.

“She asked if she can use your house to make lunch,” Twilight said.

“Of course-, wait, you’re not supposed to leave Synth alone!” Filsh said surprised.

“Synth has awoken from his slumber in a positive condition,” Luna said.

“Is he alright?” Fluttershy asked from behind the group.

“Come see for thyselves if thou question my words,” Luna said.

The seven of them followed Luna back to Filsh’s house. When they went inside, Luna put the bag of food on the table and went into the living room where the others were blocking the door.

“What is the matter?” Luna asked.

“I’m getting the sheriff,” Filsh said.

“Wait, he doesn’t bite that hard!” Synth said.

Lupin jumped on the griffin and licked his face. After his face was covered in sap, the griffin suggested they leave.
------------

Synth looked into the entrance of the cave. The path they’d made when they first entered was still there. He entered, the darkness not affecting him because of his Night Eye. He walked forward until he reached the same cross road where he was split up with the others. The cave in wasn’t cleared. Synth didn’t know that the caves connected, so he activated his Endurance and smashed through the wall.

The caves rumbled as the ceiling shifted and rocks started to fall behind him. The way he’d come in was blocked off, as well as the open path. This left him only one way to go. Synth turned off his Night Eye as he raced through the jewel lights. He ran until he reached the place he’d fought the golems.

Synth ran through it, until he heard the same shift of rock he’d heard before. The symbols were on the walls. The golems formed from the walls, but they didn’t move. Synth walked towards the barrier golem that blocked the way. He would have felt endangered on any other day, but right now he could only think about getting Lupin.

The barrier golem stood up without Synth having to attack it. When Synth looked up at the large foe, he stepped to the side, giving Synth a clear path ahead. The golems around him formed back into the walls like they were secret service and they’d just found out he was a guest at the White House.

Synth didn’t think too hard about this before running forward again. If they were going to let him through because he’d already beaten them, then he should accept that. Even if that wasn’t the case, he wasn’t going to waste time and fight them. Either way, he ran forward again. Now, he came to the door he’d opened again. When he pushed against it, there was no light on the other side.

Synth walked into the large chamber with the water in the center. Other than him and the brown and green lump on the other side of the water, it was empty. Synth used his traction and ran across the water. It was just a guess, but he pulled it off without falling it. When he reached the other side, he kneeled down beside the pile of sticks and leaves.

Synth was directly next to the water. When he looked into the reflection, he saw something reflected from the roof. Synth looked up at the roof at the small symbols crafted in the rock. Synth would normally dismiss them because he knew he couldn’t read them. Now, however, he continued to look at them.

Synth felt a wave of pressure around him as the symbols suddenly made sense. He recited them out loud as he tried to read them.

“A necessity can be wanted,” Synth recited. He looked down at the reflection. His eyes flashed green before reverting back to purple. The message caught his attention once again in the reflection. “A want can be necessary,” Synth realized that it was almost the same message forward and backward. He looked down at the pile of sticks. They were shifting and moving. Synth’s heart started to race as they stood up on their own and built on top of each other.

Synth’s magic was being drained as the figure of Lupin formed in front of him. Now, he could see the yellow eyes look into his. Lupin barked excitedly before licking his cheeks. Synth hugged the wooden wolf for a second in joy. When he let go, he heard a crumble of rock. All around him the cave started to rumble and fall apart.

Synth was about to run the way he came from, until the wall behind where he’d found Lupin was starting to break apart as well. The wall fell down to show a whole new room the same dimensions as the one he was in. It didn’t have any water however, but it did have a continuation of the caves.

“Come on boy,” Synth said, jumping over the rubble and racing towards the cave system. Lupin didn’t have trouble keeping up, and he actually ran ahead of Synth. Synth followed him, the sounds of the crumbling cavern behind him bringing fear into him.

For the first time since he’d woken up, he’d felt something besides the dull hopelessness that he had earlier. He could actually think more clearly now, although the rocks falling around him still kept him on edge. When he’d reached the exit of the cave where he could see some light, Lupin jumped outside. Synth followed him, diving through the hole before a rock fell down and covered it back up. The light of the sun blinded him as he sat up next to Lupin. He looked at the sun, an unusual feeling in the back of his mind.
------------

Shade opened his eyes. His head hurt and he struggled to stand up. When he looked around, he saw the figure standing above him. The memory of what happened earlier came back to him in a rush and he felt like punching this pony in the face.

“What did you do to Synth?” Shade asked.

“What do you care? Aren’t you supposed to be evil? Wouldn’t you want to kill him yourself?” The pony asked. He had a white body, the mane was also white, and with the same hairstyle Synth wore. What he found weird was that his irises were clear, although it flashed green every few seconds.

“If he dies then we both die,” Shade said.

“It’s not like you were ever alive. I mean, you had your chance to kill those ponies, and you let it slip out of your hooves,” The white pony said.

“That was a long time ago, don’t try to make me look like a failure. Whatever you’re doing right now is going to be a bigger mistake than you think,” Shade said.

“I haven’t done anything evil… yet, I’ve only helped guide things along,” The pony said.

“What did you guide?” Shade asked, wanting some answers. Something about this pony really got on his nerves. Maybe it was the fact that he looked like Synth.

“I opened the door, you pushed him through,” The white pony said.

“What?” Shade asked.

“Let me explain why this is your fault, and not mine,” The pony said. “When that doorway opened at the beginning of your shock, you led him through. You broke his concentration with that chatter of yours. Leviathan slipped through,”

“Where’s Leviathan?” Shade asked. He just realized that they were back in the ruins of the old sisters. When he looked past the pony, he saw the doorway that was opened.

“He’s getting his things to move in... now as I was saying. When Leviathan got in, you challenged him to a race. You might not have known it, but he was jealous that you were better than him. When you beat him, you only made him feel worse. Not just that, but you took him further into the chambers. When you got to the Door of Envy, you broke the last bit of his resistance by doing something he can’t. You read that riddle and solved it,” The pony said.

“It wasn’t that hard,” Shade said.

“Synth can’t read it, well, he couldn’t. Anyways, you pushed the right symbol and changed something inside of him,” The pony said.

“Kindness…” Shade realized.

“Exactly, without kindness, he fell right into Leviathan’s grasp. With his help, he kicked your ass,” The pony said.

“Then, what now?” Shade asked.

“Synth woke up a while ago. He’s out there wishing he was something he’s not. But Synth is a lot stronger than Leviathan thought. With Luna around, he can’t really do what he plans. That’s where I come in,” The pony said.

“This place is only big enough for one supernatural being. Synth’s going to end this,” Shade said.

“Oh, but Synth doesn’t remember anything. Leviathan was never here. I was never here. If you try to tell him we were, then I’ll pull the strings. Even if we can’t take over completely, we can still bring down a city. Synth will become a target and end up dead. You’ll get taken down with him,” The pony said a malicious grin on his face.

“Don’t forget that you’ll die too,” Shade said, noticing his mistake.

“Leviathan agreed to bring me with him if that happens,” The pony said.

“Fuck you,” Shade said, the extent of his plan making him gulp.

“I’m giving you a taste of what we can do. Your shock ended about an hour ago. I’ve been holding down your mind like a prisoner. If I wanted, I could keep you here another week. I don’t want Synth to notice though, so I’ll let you out. If you even sound like you’re going to tell him anything, then I’ll pull you back in and Synth will see the other side of the Equestrian legal system. They say the death penalty is still in effect,” The pony said, his evil laughter echoing in the empty room.

“Bastard,” Shade whispered.

“I’m going to show you what being evil truly is. Just because a big part of your evil side was lost against the Elements of Harmony, doesn’t mean you just give up,” The pony said. Shade couldn’t say anything before the pony’s horn glowed and his vision blurred. When it came back to focus, he was looking through Synth’s eyes at the inside of a train car.

‘Hey, what’d I miss?’ Shade asked as casual as he could. It wasn’t very convincing.

‘I don’t know, you tell me. I can’t remember what happened. Luna said we could go home though, so I’ll be getting a lot of rest,’ Synth said.

‘Let’s just forget about this whole thing,” Shade said, a little too nonchalant.

‘Something about you sounds different, is there something you don’t want to tell me?’ Synth asked.

‘No,’ Shade said. At this moment, Synth looked out the window. In his reflection Shade saw his eyes flash purple to green and back. ‘Nothing at all,’ Shade said softly.

Author's Notes:

Last chapter for a while. I need to revise the old chapters. I recommend if you have spare time to read the revised versions because some key things will change. I'll explain the important changes in the bottom of the author's notes so you can just read those instead, but the little things might actually improve your take on the story. Still, if you've made it this far, I thank you. I hope I can finish the revisions soon, but I know it'll take a while. And, something to keep in mind until then...

Next Time: All better than me, Synth’s view on the competition brings out his new motivation.