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 .