Neverending Nightmare

[Limn]

Cold, damp, musty, the streets were always like this. A puff of steam flared from the nostrils of a forest green Unicorn; his mane freshly dyed black. With the summer sun festival a week away business had been exceptionally booming for Basilisk-Soul, a difficulty increase included. Cleaning up the streets of mongrels like himself was required for an acceptable presentation for their 'Dear Ruler' May night last eternal my bucking hooves. To make the mane short, gaurds were practically breathing down everyones neck to 'behave', lest in the slums. Load of buck.

Basilisk of course wouldn't spew such thoughts to the air, but today was different than others. Today he just might get himself gutted. PFFHA YEAH RIGHT. The night would cease before that happened, but in all serious. Today he just destroyed something dear to him, a possesion of his, god does he cherish his things. A mare by the name of 'Cedar Fragrance'. Strong lass for a unicorn, worked for the mines, straight, short, golden hair streaked with amber, complete with a rich dark brown coat, and ruby eyes. Conniving Cow that she was in the end. Was stealing from his carriers she was, Filthy Faker. Basilisk-Soul had someone offer and include her in on some information about an easy house to steal blind. Not that it actually was, house of one of 'The Father's' workers it was, ruthless beautys that they are. No one takes from them. Being a high drug lord had its perks, you get to know people over time.

OH what is this!? What is this! His brains voice was heighted to an abnormal pitch from pure bafflement. Before his eyes was a Very. Special. Pony. Who just happened to be in a very compromising peice of health. Basilisk couldn't help but LAUGH. His voice was ugly in a high pitched mocking fashion. His lungs choking on lack of air brought back his sense. "Children come to supper, the fire is warm!" Basilisk shrilled in the voice of an old woman, his voice seeming to come from everywhere, ventriloquism was just so useful. "What have we got here! A man and his mare!" Basilisk trotted ever closer, peircing his lips in a mock kiss face. "Such a shame, honey with those muscles YOU COULD DO SO MUCH BETTER." The mare really was a beaut, such a bizzare mix of muscle and bone was attractive on a girl her size, but oh so identifiable, didn't see a mare like her often.

Another pony soon joined Basilisk, a unicorn mare whose fur was unidentifiable as anything but dirt black, she seemed to have no meat on her whatsoever. Her green eyes hard with fury. She scoffed.

"Boss! This is hardly anything to call us for! It's just two!-- Oh."

Her jaw immediately closed, as her mind recognized Night Haunter.

"I'm still getting paid extra for this right?"

"AS LONG AS YOU DO YOUR JOB."

Basilisk-Soul growled, two more ponies appearing, both of them pegasi with similiar obvious ribcages as the others. Basilisk clicked his tongue softly. " Now Night Haunter, let's have a party! A Aren't we GLAD that we have Night Haunter party? ALMOST LIKE A FESTIVAL IF I SAY SO MYSELF!" Basilisk turned serious, his body shuddering, his walk had just become his first birthday present.

"Grain, Brains, take the Mare, Jeer, we have Night Haunter."

The voices hissed in unison.

"Done."

The mare unicorn teamed with one of the pegasi that had joined to get the earth pony away from Night Haunter. The unicorn using her unpracticed horn to pull the mare away from the mayor as Basilisk and the other pegasi filled the space like a wedge. One pegasus and unicorn for each pony, seemed appropriate and balanced. Basilisk furled his eyebrows, his horn glowing as he began to conjure flames to seal the split.

"Whatcha gonna do now Night Haunter? HAhAhaHAhA!"

Man he really needed to stop choking on his high pitched guffaws.

 

 

 

(Rinnigold, should you return, I assure you Brains and Grain wouldn't have been able to take a strong earth pony like yourself. I just need to free Night Haunter. Please understand. I hope this isn't to God Moddy for anyone.)

[TSparkle123]

"Yeah, I actually finished it, the one in Blue Crescent," Sea said, "but it's definitely not one of my best pieces. There was a sunflower facing away from the implied sun and I attached another to it in an attempt to make it look better, but I just don't think I could fully fix that one. Onto another wall, I s'pose." Glory probably wasn't that interested, though, considering the fact she'd mentioned the fillies in Blue Crescent. It didn't bother her, but entertaining fillies always seemed to be Glory's focus. That wasn't bad, actually she thought it was quite kind, but she could usually tell when ponies' minds were on things other than what she was saying. Now that she thought about it a little, she found that she wasn't usually listened to, and it didn't bother her. Her message was clear in her murals, and those were what spoke for her. Someday, somepony would realize the message, and they'd listen. They'd listen to her. Perhaps indirectly, but it still counted. Paint on a wall counted as much as words on a page to her.

 

"It could help, you know, for requesting them at following gigs," Sea suggested. "Well, that is, if you're in high enough demand to do that." She looked around at the walls in their house. They were all so plain. It was almost as if she didn't live there at all! Then again, Sea had her biggest project in her room, as it was essentially a panoramic painting. Though, she hadn't quite figured out how to paint the ceiling... Perhaps she'd go with a plain, light blue. Or maybe she'd paint a huge, swirling sun there. That would be much, much better than plain blue. Besides, it wasn't like the guards ever had reason to search their home. They wouldn't look up in her room, even if they did, would they? What reason would they have to search their house, though? If required, they'd figure something out to get a reason to search her house. That would probably only happen if they figured out her murals were hers, so she figured they'd be safe for a while at least.

[CaptainCute]

 

 

Oh crap... was this pony... offering me legitimate food? Moon Blitz was beyond surprised, inside he was a blizzard of questions. Is this guy taking pity on me or was charmed by my act? Doing this to make him feel better or is he just friendly? Should I try to milk him by acting poor or be polite? Moon was good about controlling his facial expressions when he wasn't on a hate rant. So he had a soft smile on his face, as if to say oh... wow thank you.

 

"I appreciate your generosity." Blitz smiled with a blush. He noticed LetterForm's smile before he started walking away. Friendly, definitely friendly, this is awesome, if I play my cards right with this guy... think of the connections. I have to somehow give him my name... dang it, why I look at the name on the address. If I can't drop my name at least I'd know his.

 

--

 

Glory smiled at Sea Cloud with friendly abandon, "I bet it looks amazing, I'll bring the fillies along when I check it out, I'll be sure to give you a full report of their undivided praise. And don't worry, I won't tell them who it is, I don't want any loose filly lips drooling out your secret." Glory cheerfully trotted back to her bed and wrapped herself in her covers.

"I think it's about time to call to hit the hay," she yawned as she hide her head under a blanket, "night."

[Ruins]

The Mayor hissed in surprise as the street scum appeared from the shadows, seeming to come from nowhere; in reality, he had merely been concentrating so much on the mare before him, and on shielding his mind from the throbbing pain of his wounds, that he'd failed to check the streets around him. Foolish, foolish, FOOLISH! he snarled mentally as the black, bony unicorn mare pulled the helpful stranger away from him and the other scum trotted up to fill the gap between the two. His wings flared automatically as if he wanted to make himself seem bigger causing pain to shoot from his injured left, and he let out a sound somewhere between a shriek and a snarl- both from the injury and the rage building inside him. Night Haunter ground his front hoof against the cobbles, raising sparks, as the arrogant pegasus wailed and giggled like a madman, yelping his challenges into the shadowed air; obviously a few apples short of a full tree, that one was. But unfortunately for Mr Arrogant, the Mayor wasn't exactly a prime example of sanity himself... He didn't bother to reply to those childish boasts. His actions would more than speak for him.

 

As the stranger spoke, he had been sizing up each of the attackers, mentally listing the probably weaknesses of each one and debating which one to attack first. He had fought much larger groups in worse conditions- he had been fighting since he was a foal, after all- but the presence of another, a potential hostage, made the situation more complicated. As did the two unicorns, truth be told. Still, if he wasn't a good fighter he wouldn't have been standing there right then, let alone the Mayor of Equestria's most miserable city. Making his choice Night Haunter shifted position, his muscles bunching as he prepared himself for the fight ahead. His heart rate rocketed, his almost-invisible pupils shrinking as he bore his strangely sharp teeth in a feral, animalistic growl. His blood was full of adrenaline, soothing his pains and strengthening his bleeding limbs so that he stands without collapsing.

 

TimE to pUNish. KiLl tHEm. k1Ll tH3m. K1LL TH3eEM.

 

Letting out a sudden, high-pitched shriek he leapt at the nearest pegasus, hooves extended and mouth wide open in readiness to bite. His hoof hit them straight in the eye, causing them to shriek in turn and stumble from the hit- for a skinny pony, the Mayor packed quite a punch. Not pausing for a second, he spun on his heel until he was facing away from them and sent both hind hooves into the pegasus' chin as if he were bucking apples. This caused more pain to lance down his hind legs, a sign that he would regret this little adventure in the morning, but Night Haunter was too high with bloodlust to care about or even notice a little extra pain. No, not when he had pain to dish out to criminal scum. Not when he had to KILL.

 

The skinny pegasus he fallen to the floor on his side and he struggled to get up as he watched, wide-eyed, Night Haunter approach on like a freight train in pony form. Before he could stand the Mayor was on him, a hoof hitting his ribcage and pinning him to the cobbles as a mouth snapped for his neck. The pegasus lashed out at his attacker with all four hooves and, though all his blows connected, years of malnutrition and next to no healthcare had left him weak and no match for the better-fed and -treated Mayor. Ignoring the blows that rained on his body and the fresh bruises blooming under his pale coat, Night Haunter leant forward and managed to fasten his jaws around the pegasus' neck. There was an almost imperceptible pause as he found his grip and the whole world seemed to catch its breath before...

 

...Before Night Haunter ripped out the pegasus' throat with his bare teeth and in a spray of bright red gore; his victim didn't have time to scream before he drowned in his own blood.

 

Letting the corpse drop, Nigh Haunter turned to the two unicorns and remaining pegasus. The cobbles under his feet were flooding with the blood pouring from the ex-pegasus, and most of his face and chest had been dyed an intense crimson. The Mayor looked utterly insane at that moment, like some sort of ancient demon or berserker warrior. He was growling deep in his throat and his eyes blazed with something like hunger as he stared at Mr Arrogant straight in eyes, sizing him up. Unexpectedly he spoke, a low hiss that sounded almost amused: "Unlikable. Liked by no one. A bitter, unlikable loner, who’s passing shall not be mourned. Shall NOT be mourned."

 

Then he grinned like a shark, leaping forward again, back into the fight...

Edited March 22, 2013 by Ruins

[Limn]

This was perfect, Night Haunter was everything he was bucked up to be; a real animal, and in every sense a monster. A comrade dying wasn't new to Basilisk-Soul. True he could have helped Leer, whom I will say is actually named 'Black Birch', but he had taken the time to use Leer and Night Haunter's struggle to examine the damage, and create himself something of his own. Seemed like Night Haunter's left wing had had some difficulty unfurling in their introduction. Night Haunter was hissing at him now. By this time Grain and Brains would have gotten far away from Basilisk, along with the girl. He disbanded his fire wall, saving his magic reserves.

"Unlikable. Liked by no one. A bitter, unlikable loner, who’s passing shall not be mourned. Shall NOT be mourned."

Nine pairs of yellow teeth flashed in amusement, their frantic pupils trembling with excitement, and paranoia. They all spread out eveningly, their voices joining in unison. "Oh Night Haunter, you really need to stop talking about yourself. I DON'T WANT YOUR LIFE STORY." The Basilisk-Soul's inhaled deeply, if not sharply, their horns glowing as they immediately exhaled. The rushing flame of their breath flooding fire towards Neighstramo's Mayor.

Basilisk couldn't let that freak any closer than he had already gotten. His eyes as well as several of his illusions looking about for him as they kept up their flame. Basilisk was frightened of Night Haunter, but not for the reasons one might think. Even if he would admit his fear, he was a bit to consumed in rage to care. This pony had killed dozens of his workers and ruined some perfectly good wares. Night Haunter was simply bad for business. Bucking Freak, that he is.

Edited March 22, 2013 by Limn

[Ruins]

FireFIREf1re. The thought flashed through Night Haunter's brain as hoof-full of seconds before the fire itself reached him; but before he'd even managed to have that though, pure animal instinct had sent him springing away from the flames like a scalded cat. Nonetheless, tongues of flame licked at his hind legs and made his skin burn raw, singing a couple of centimetres off the end of his tail. He came to a halt with a scrape of horseshoe against cobblestone, lashing his long tail to extinguish any clinging sparks. The flame continued to blaze just feet away from him, the brightness of it making him squint. Briefly glancing away from the Arrogant Unicorn (now unicorns, bucking illusionists), he saw to his dismay that the other unicorn and pegasus were trying to make their away off the street with their captive. The Mayor looked back at the fire-bug, subconsciously weighing the satisfaction and the risk of fighting him with the risk that the other two would escape with the strange but helpful mare while he did so; his concious mind, on the other hoof, was screaming at him to roast the unicorn over his own magical flames. He growled to himself in annoyance, baring his teeth as he tried to come to some sort of decision.

 

Eventually, he did. He'd had a good look at the unicorn, he knew his face, his cutie mark, and what he could do; he had no doubts he would see him again some time in the future. That would be the time for retribution, when he could take his time and make the unicorn really regretful. Oh yes, he would take his time with that one, dig out all his hidden little fears and expose his rotten core- he'd wipe that smirk off his face for sure, along with the rest of his face... He would make him cry before it was over, that was a promise. But those were thoughts for the future. For now, however, he had a hostage to help save. Hopefully the other two thugs would die as easily as the first...

 

Taking a look at the flame-spewing unicorn illusions, Night Haunter shook his head. "Silly foal." he muttered then turned away, cantering after the criminal pair and the mare who had tried to help him; running hurt but he pushed past the pain, ignoring the still-bleeding wounds on all four of his limbs and the ache in his hind legs. The Mayor's mind was on the hunt, of fighting and killing and blood. The thought of it made him let another wail of bloodthirsty anticipation, the thugs he hunted turning their heads at the sound. One of them swore at the sight of the gore-stained bat pony baring down on them, grinning like a tiger and shrieking like a banshee or something from a nightmare. Both of them sped up the pace, but he wasn't going to let them escape that easily. L3t'S pLaYy!

 

 

[Durppie]

The sound of the servants' and his own hoofsteps could not quite cover the sound of the mailpony's thanks. Letterform could not help but feel a warm glowing pride in himself. Problems existed to be fixed, and if he could fix a problem, by the everlasting night he would fix it. It had simply been an obvious course of action for the unicorn, and a lot of the motivation behind his kind act was out of a condescending concern. Clearly the young colt was cold, so some nice cocoa would fix that soon enough. Making sure no one was in his office, Letterform closed the door behind him and moved a giant stack of papers to reveal a small safe. This safe was not the safe and has a haphazard hiding place, but it held some bits.

 

Carefully placing his monocle on his desk and wincing at the blurriness of the vision in his left eye without his seeing tool, he strode over and slowly inserted his horn into the designated hole. He then willed a red glow to form around his horn, and took it out. With a click, the safe opened and Letterform donned his monocle before retrieving an impressive amount of bits. Not his entire fortune, nowhere near that, but most likely a giant amount for a tip.

 

Time to tip the colt. He continued to smile as he brought the bits in tow. Zinnia was already at the door, also smiling as she gently held the cocoa out to the mailpony.

[CaptainCute]

"Thank you," Blitz smiled as he took the cup of cocoa and sat on the ground, "I wish there was a way to express my gratitude." The cup was inviting to the touch, and the liquids warmth wisped through the air. Moon brought the cup to his mouth and sighed heavily as he exhaled the delicious aroma. Sweet moonlight this smells amazing.... He brought the cup of chocolate perfection to his lips and slowly took the first sip. Moon let the liquid sit in his mouth a bit as he pondered the flavor. His saliva greedily swarmed his mouth as his taste buds sung hallelujah choruses. Moon's face changed from sheer surprised, to a dead expression, and finally after he swallowed his first sip, his face melted into a look of calm bliss. You could feel the joy radiating off him, sadly this joy was a charade. He truly enjoyed the beverage, but he was overreacting to make the generous stallion feel appreciated. Inside he began to hate the colt for his riches and that he could get away with being kind. Generosity would be this guys downfall, in his attempts to help the unfortunate he'll throw away his own comfort. Moon Blitz did feel some gratitude for the stallion's kindness, but all his hate made him blind.

"Sorry about my expressions," Moon blushed as he cuddled the cup closer to him, "this is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted." He took another sip of the cocoa and shuddered happily as he let out a warm puff of breath.

[Limn]

Where was he? Basilisk-Soul glanced around protectively, awaiting for an attack. He began to feel a presence whispering through his mind. Hissing, he began to shove it away, before he realized it felt familiar, Brain's brand of magic. Basilisk-Soul immediately stopped his flames fire, running out to where his comrades were heading, his illusions followed him. Now, without the roar of his flames keeping his ears occupied, he could hear the thuds of running hooves on stone. He raced to keep up as he watched Night Haunter round a corner. Luckily for him he never did lose his running abilities he trained himself to have all those years ago, he was possessive like that. Just like he was possessive over his full-time workers.

Basilisk dissipated five of his eight copies, beginning to redirect the fire he created in his illusions to form high intensity fire balls. By this time the gaurds would probably be amassing to investigate. He had to get Brains and Grain out before Night Haunter ruined them. Ah, he would have to sacrifice more of his doubles. He could still feel Brains magic pressing on his mind. Hopefully Brains would notice if he began to respond to her.

Coordinates.

No response, how irritating, time to raise his voice.

BRAINS!

In this mind he could finally hear what seemed to be frantic rambling.

Don't leave me Grains, keep up-keep up-keep up-keep up.

Basilisk growled, attempting to send his displeasure at her idiotic panicking through. Time to just try to--- Basilisk-Soul curved his lips into a grin, wait, how long had he been biting his lip? No matter. Night Haunter was finally in his sight. Now to aim and take fire. The course rumbling of creaking buildings and the crunching of brick could be heard throughout the streets; the cracking of smoldering wood beginning to arise. Basilisk-Soul had never been a great shot.

 

(Tired Limns are horrendous at this.)

Edited March 25, 2013 by Limn

[TSparkle123]

Sea smirked and almost commented on the "loose filly lips", but didn't. It wouldn't be fair to make fun of little fillies who were pretty much unable to keep a secret like hers. In fact, Sea at that age probably would have told all the ponies in town about the mystery artist who painted that sun if she knew. Now, of course, she wished she did know, but she also knew it just wasn't safe to be going around telling every pony about something meant to be a secret. Sea kept secrets close to her, and she wasn't about to allow anypony to get to her. Beside that, secrets were kept secret for a reason. If anyone other than Glory and herself knew, Sea was dead. Well, as good as dead anyway. She'd be brutalized by the guards, and probably much worse. Maybe even killed... She turned her thoughts away from that. It wouldn't happen unless she got caught, and she didn't plan to get caught. Instead of perpetuating the conversation, Sea decided to follow her friend's lead and go to bed. She really wasn't that tired, but she would be if she stayed up too much longer. Sea trotted over to her bed and slid under the covers, careful not to upset their arrangement. "G'night, Glory."

[Durppie]

"That's perfectly alright, young sir." Letterform could see that Pumpernickel was also joining them. As the servant who generally answered the door and disliked variations in his duties, the orange earth pony seemed slightly miffed that Zinnia was occupying his spot. It was rather odd that Pumpernickel's cutie mark was a loaf of bread yet he enjoyed door-answering more. He was the type to try make good impressions on ponies as a hard working, devoted servant and valued his appearance in the eyes of others. Why he had kept working for a somewhat hated in the upper rings critic was a mystery to Letterform. Not that he was complaining of course.

 

Letterform was glad that the mailpony seemed to enjoy the cocoa. Though, some of those expressions seemed somewhat fake and exaggerated. And the pegasus had been making strange faces at one point. The unicorn hid this thought though and continued smiling. Probably wants to boost my ego. I must say he's a good actor and an ego boost is certainly welcome anytime. And I'm sure some of that happiness is very much real. "I figured you needed a nice drink. When you're finished, allow Zinnia to take your cup back to the kitchen."

[Ruins]

One of the thugs was flagging, the second pegasus- Night Haunter noticed that as he neared them. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought, his mind split between calculating how to take him down and on ignoring the low-key, throbbing pain from his wounds; his left wing and back legs complained with every step and his ribcage was bruised not to mention the blood that still trickled from the cuts on his face and knees. But he was used to injures, and unlike in his youth there was someone waiting at the Palace to run him a bath and bandage his wounds. Besides, the helpful mare's safety was more important than his own right now.

 

A second before the Arrogant Unicorn fired his barrage, Night Haunter had managed to snag the pegasus' waving tail in his jaws and had given it a sharp tug, pulling the criminal and sending them sprawling on the cobblestones. He was about to land his first blow on their helpless flank when a fireball whizzed so close over his head he smelt his mane singe, making him leap back in surprise and letting his victim scramble to his hooves. The bat pony let out a curse, blinking heavily to clear his vision after the sudden burst of light had nearly blinded him, then cursed (mentally, this time) when he saw that the flagging pegasus was trying to get away. nO, yOu're MINE! he hissed inside his head, too fixated on the hunt to notice or care the crater left in the middle of the street and the dangerously smouldering street-cart just behind him. The streets cleaners would deal with in the morning- random bursts of destruction weren't odd for Neighstramo, even in these more peaceful years.

 

Baring his teeth in the snarl, Night Haunter leapt after his fleeing target, using his complaining wings to launch himself into a long, low leap. A hoof-full of seconds later he was on him again, all the more furious for his having escaped the first time. The pegasus let out a shout as two hooves hit him either side of the spine. Both ponies went down in a tangle of wings, limbs and violence, the sound of their conflict echoing through the night. All around, Clopden Town residents blocked their ears with pillows, trying to pretend nothing was happening, and the guards picked up their pace. Meanwhile, Night Haunter beat the pegasus mercilessly, using all four hooves and his teeth to inflict maximum damage. Soon he had his victim down on the floor; a sharp twist, then a hideous 'crack', later and it was all over, the limp body dropped on floor like an old doll. Two down, two do go he thought.

 

Turning to look at the Arrogant Unicorn, Night Haunter smiled and his smile was almost like a challenge. Let's see what you can do now, cloppers. it seemed to say.

 

 

[Limn]

Basilisk-Soul returned Night Haunter's smile with a grin, his body eventually warping to reveal nothing but flame, which soon dispersed into the air.

 

The real Basilisk-Soul got Brains out of there the moment Night Haunter got his hooves on Grain. The moment Grain had gotten himself caught was the moment he died. Two against two could be considered a fine matchup for violence, but not when they both had a neutral on there side, as well as one with experience fighting and one with only skirmish experience, it wasn't very smart for Basilisk-Soul. Brains was more of a communication and intimidation pony anyway. Luckily for them, there were places only drug business ponies know about in the streets, as well Basilisk having enough magical strength to turn one of his illusions into Brains likeness, so he and Brains had a double wandering around here.

Basilisk's physical body was so tired, but he dared not create any noise. They had eventually found an acceptable place to hide. Very close to an area where they could call backup, in fact, by the glazed look in Brains eyes she was probably looking for someone of their organization to contact. Basilisk could feel his consciousness slipping away as his magical reserves finally faded, wherever his copies were, they were gone now.

He needed something to eat.

[Ruins]

Night Haunter's eyes flared in rage and frustrated bloodlust when the unicorn vanished, taking his next victim with him; he ground his teeth and stamped the ground before he managed to calm himself down, reminding himself that there was a civilian nearby that needed his help. She might have been injured after all. Not to mention the guards had just arrived, eager to arrest anyone that looked mildy, no matter whether the arrested party was guilty or innocent, they had to get someone in hoof-cuffs just to get the whole thing over and done with and earn their bits.

 

Sighing and finally allowing himself to feel the full extent of his injures, the Mayor shifted his mental gears from 'vigilante' to 'responsible leader'; he had a mess to clean up and a mare to ensure the safety of. As for the Arrogant Unicorn? Well, Night Haunter was patient and he had a feeling the two of them would cross paths again. Yes, he could wait...

 

Wasn't revenge a dish best served cold, anyway?

 

A week later

 

Night Haunter closed his eyes in a long-suffering fashion as the dressmaker fussed over his silver-metal collar and smoothed out his new cloak, readjusting for what felt like the thousandth time in the last hour; lesser unicorns that she would have been cowed by the glares and barely-muffled sighs of annoyance the Mayor had been shooting her, but Miss Scarcity Belle was apparently fearless in the persuit of high fashion. "No, no... Ruby velvet lining for the cloak would be much more flattering," she muttered, seemingly unaware of her client's growing impatience. "It will complement your cutie mark wonderfully, maybe put some colour back in your cheeks..."

 

The Mayor opened his eyes again, casting a glance at his reflection in the ornate mirror (not his, the dressmaker had brought it with her); he did look considerably more handsome than usual, and much less like a three-day-old corpse, not that he would admit it aloud. "Miss Belle, are we quite finished here?" he grumbled, tugging at his silver cuff with a hoof and having the offending limb lightly swatted with a book of brightly-coloured fabric swatches.

 

"Beauty cannot be hurried, my dear!" replied Scarcity with a smile, and the Mayor sighed as he prepared himself for much more of the same.

[Limn]

There are six elements of harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generousity, Honesty and Loyalty. The six is a complete mystery, it is said the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters, it is located in what is now the everfree forest. When the five are present, a spark will cause the six element to be revealed. Psychosis felt as though she had missed something, she'd never heard of a six element, and there was nothing else in the book alluding to what it was too. Quite frustrating. In this book were tales of the Elements in the hands of the two princesses, defeating a ruthless king, a chaotic draconequus, among other things. These weapons were indeed powerful. Psychosis would have gone searching for them, she feared not the forest, but she had no time. She had to continue practicing her routine, she had to be perfect. Psychosis couldn't let these distractions occupy her time, she would be preforming infront of Princess Nightmare Moon herself, not to mention this was pretty much her debut. She had other things to worry about.

 

A week later.

 

Psychosis sighed, forcing herself to relax as strange hooves worked at her muscles. The moment it was announced Nightmare Moon was coming she had reserved a place at the Night Spa for that day. The steam bath had been good for her pores, but Psychosis felt like she had been being steamed to eat, like a vegetable. She had denied allowing them to place mud on her face and file her hooves. Psychosis never let anyone touch her face or hooves, besides, she had already polished up her rotten yellow looking hooves, still not the most attractive thing to see, but they were important for her preformance today. Truthfully the massage did feel quite lovely, even though the feeling of someone else touching her neck and wings made her shudder internally.

Next was something about being wrapped in seaweed and resting inside a tub of mud. The a whole the experience wasn't so bad, other than knowing that she couldn't fly with mud on her wings. After this they washed the mud off then introduced her to the spa itself, which felt really fantastic. While she rested in the warm bubbling water, they fussed over her hair, washing and brushing it with things that were supposed to make Psychosis's hair soft, sleek and silky. They needn't bother with something made to bring out her manes color though, her hair was already incredibly pigmented and vibrant, but they used such a thing anyway. Bringing out the hardly distinct variations in Psychosis's burgundy mane, making it flow like watercolors.

 

[RainDash]

Twilight settled down and turned off the lights again. She carried a new book with her to her couch-bed. She held it close to her, like a teddy bear. As she dreamed, she was alone in the room, exactly like every other night. Except, this time a few faint faces peered out from the darkness. They were fuzzy and dark, but Twilight wasn't afraid of the eyes looking at her. She was somewhat curious, but she was still inclined to back away. However, they surrounded her on all sides. The pure white eyes shined in the darkness, and while she was petrified, nay, paralyzed as she waited for them to make their move, they didn't and all through the night they played this game of chicken.

 

A week later.

 

Twilight was fidgeting. The dress felt odd, it wasn't every day she wore clothes after all, but she wasn't going to complain. She had to show up for the Princess, despite how much she disliked the mare. She was sitting in the salon, patiently waiting for them to finish with her mane so she could read in peace. They complained about her ragged tail-cut and insisted that they cut it was little. Twilight would mumble something that sounded like "mope" and they would assume it to be yes every year. So they brushed it and cut it, and complained about the potion ingredients in it, but in the end they would bring out the stripes in the tail, and even her mane. When they were done, they showed her in a mirror. She didn't like mirrors, they always showed this strange indigo unicorn that was foreign to her every time. They asked what she thought. She sank down and avoided their gazes as she said, "It's... nice."

[CaptainCute]

Blitz didn't want to over stay his welcome and was quick about drinking his cocoa. After he finished he gave his cup to the pony called Zinnia and began to stretch his hooves.

 

"I could never properly express my gratitude," Moon smiled as he stretched out his wings and gave slight bow, "I hope one day I can repay your kindness. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

 

------

 

A week later.

 

Glory was a buzz with excitement, she was practicing the song she had selected to sing for the Princess. Vocal took forever choosing a song, it had to be perfect. At first she was leaning towards singing a song commonly found during funerals, slow, meaningful, and would tug on everyponies heartstrings, but Glory quickly changed her mind. Nightmare Moon might see it as an insult to her rule... should I sing something cheerful? No... I couldn't sing something happy with her staring at me. I'll just sing a classic song of love-sick ponies, usually a crowd pleasure and no one can feel insulted by it... I hope. When Glory first read the invitation it was all she talked about in her free time. Of course she didn't riddle the young slum ponies with her ramblings of what splendor it will be, but she did take them to admire Sea Cloud's finished project. The slum fillies oohed and aahed over it, a bunch of them wanted to try their hooves at painting. Glory promised to bring them some paper and crayons once the festival was over. Glory brushed her mane for the hundredth time and fussed over her dress. Glory's performance had to be perfect, so naturally she wanted to look perfect, but she felt her efforts weren't enough. Hairdresser. NOW. Go call in a favor from a friend... thank Equestria for my connects.

[Durppie]

Zinnia quickly trotted back to the kitchen, whistling as she did so. Letterform continued to look at the mailpony in a friendly way. It was a surprise to see a pony that didn't know who he was, but then again not everyone followed the papers or browsed the libraries. A true shame. Everypony, in his opinion should keep up with the times. But, this was a genuine question it seemed. "My name is Letterform." One could hear the pride coming out of it. After a split second hesitation, the stallion decided to ask the young colt's name.

 

"And pray tell, what is yours?" Perhaps in the future the unicorn would cross paths with him. Knowing the colt's name would be quite useful. And...there was another reason. Having somepony that liked him, maybe as a friend, wouldn't be so bad. Wait, those weren't thoughts that normally inhabited his mind. Psh, look at you. So desperate for somepony that values you as a companion for something other than bits that you'll ask the name of the mailpony that shows up to your door. I wonder what would Mother say if she was alive to see you chatting with a lowly civil servant. Well Mother Curlicue Serif, could go rot in the Badlands! Letterform socialized with whomever he wished. And yes, he had to give the mailpony his tip. The bits he had brought with him had been floating in the air for the entire time, and he had not noticed it!

 

Feeling rather foolish, the stallion handed them over to Moon Blitz. "Oh, pardon me. I must've...this usually doesn't happen." He dipped his head in apology.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Durppie

[RainDash]

She paid for the salon's gracious treatment and mane styling. Twilight shifted around in her gown. She wore silver shoes, which reached like silver flames up to a moon on each. A gentle mauve gown was draped down her, it was near transparent on her hindquarters, allowing her cutie mark to be shown and sparkles were sparsely placed upon it there. In her hair was a carefully woven in star, a shining purple one. It was nestled next to her ear, and the clothes bothered her. Why was this required? These clothes rubbed her fur the wrong way and irritated her skin. Add in that she was so sparkly and shiny that she would draw attention, and she could almost feel the panic attack coming on. However, she told herself to remain calm. This was just another one she would be forced to attend.

 

As she waited in the lobby for the party to start, she started to read. It was a calming book about a village by the sea. Twilight had never seen the sea, but she imagined that it was like a lake that went on for a long, long time. She liked that lake, and so she decided that by default, she had to like the sea. As she read on about the ponies who lived there, she wondered why she was still anxious, deep down. She wonder why, since it was just another party where she would hide in the corner or under the table until it was over. Suddenly, a thought struck her. Maybe she would see those ponies from the park again. She wanted to see them again, and maybe function better this time. It had been so sudden how they appeared so quickly. To try and apply sense to the feeling, she decided that it was because she would have to ask them if they had her book.

[TSparkle123]

Sea carried the dress she'd bought at the last minute on her wings in the same way she did with her paint. Every year, she apparently had to buy a new dress for this festival. She wasn't bitter, though. After the festival, she wore the dress again and again until it barely looked like a dress anymore; buying something and never using it again was a waste of money. Sea was not about to be like any other upper class pony, spending money like she didn't need it in any way. Some ponies dropped their bits like actually keeping your money around was socially unacceptable. Once at the door, she pushed it open, turned around, and hung the dress on the top of it on the inside. It was a rather plain dress, but it was still a dress. The skirt was navy blue dotted with silver, somewhat like the night sky, and the top was plain black. Tying the two parts together was a silver bow, the brightest thing in her wardrobe now. "Hey, I'm back from buying my dress!" Sea announced, checking the clock. Not one moment too soon, it seems. 6:00... She then took the dress and laid it down on her bed careful not to fold it or anything, as wrinkles on a dress one wore to the festival was rather uncouth. "So, any chance I can see that dress you're wearing before the festival?"

[Limn]

Now would be a good time to describe the ponies who ran the Night Spa. Twins by the name of Aloe and Lotus Blossom. Aloe was pink with an electric blue mane, while Lotus had an electric blue coat and a pink mane. Overall, out of all the ponies Psychosis had ever met, these two had the most gaudy colors she'd ever seen. The twins had finished pampering Psychosis's mane awhile ago; reluctantly allowing Psychosis to buffer and polish her own hooves while they went about silking up her tail.

When that had finished Psychosis found they still had more time to her appointment, she inquired of them if they would assist her with her hair and dress; they eagerly accepted. Her dress was of a dark fuchsia. Her shoulders and upper back were completely bare, allowing her wings full unimpaired mobility. The collarbone was also exposed, for the sake of not feeling constricted neck wise; attached to the collar hung a diamond necklace with the design of a shield engrave into the diamond. What held the front half of her dress was a high necked collar. The dress could be hardly called symmetrical, it formed tightly to her left side, while the right had a ruffled drape-like effect, allowing for a neat cut between the fabric giving room for leg movement look completely natural, if not chic. A silver ring with a noticable line engraved around the middle of its shape hung around Psychosis's stomache; clasped together in an unnoticable way. She had a lined indigo shawl to complete her outfit, but the shawl was meant to rest on her head and over her shoulders, to resemble the ponies of a much older time. But her hair came first.

Psychosis had decided on having a tight bun for her hair, to prevent any kind mishap with her hair when preforming, though if anything did happen, she'd immediately save face and use whatever happened to her advantage. The bun was of a circular design, held directly on the back of her hair. Aloe and Lotus Blossom did their best to make help make the bun as secure as possible. A thin simple decorative silver chain hung around the tears in Psychosis's left ear.

Psychosis finally adored her indigo shawl. The different shades of purple and inbetween of purple and red complimented eachother wonderfully. Some might say it was a shame Psychosis was not flaunting her hair's vibrant quality, since most would doll up their most attractive physical qualities. Psychosis's small stature and black coat never had helped with that, though her desired path of battle made this irrelevent. She didn't bother with any kind of hoof-wear, her hard hooves had become no longer vunerable to the rough unfeeling stones of the road, besides, they'd only get in the way once her routine started. Now don't we look stylish, plain if not simple, but well enough, now fluff up that shawl to cover your wings and let's get along. Shame we can't wear fur or something, would be beautiful for intimidation, next time let's pick something without fire okay? Possibly.

Psychosis thanked the twins, leaving after giving them a considerable tip for their help. Now it was time to make sure they delivered your largest harp to the right location, last minute nitpickings of the schedule was always hectic.

 

(Insert her heading to the place of the festivals main area, I forgot where it's being held. =/)

[Ruins]

Night Haunter had to endure the attentions of Scarcity Belle only a few minutes longer, the unicorn dressmaker finally stepping back and declaring herself satisfied with her efforts. She practically glowed with pride and seemed almost inclined to sing with glee, exclaiming that the Mayor was the most handsome stallion in Neighstramo- no, in all of Equestria! The Mayor would never go as far as all that, but even he had to admit that she had worked an almost miraculous improvement on his usual looks. He had long since realised that her clothes and general service deserved every bit of praise they got. She had made the bat-pony an entirely new outfit for the occasion: a long, sweeping cloak of inky black velvet, lined with deep red and trimmed with genuine raven's feathers; an elegant collar and matching hoof-cuffs in the traditional royal alicorn style, made of iron but decorated with silver curlicues, and set with star rubies; a simple circlet of silver that sat on his brow and kept his mane out of his eyes; and a silver ring shaped like a coiled leaf to keep his long tail under control. Scarcity had even insisted that two of her assistants add a little make-up to his face, highlighting his high cheekbones while reducing the bags under his eyes, banishing utterly the mottled burns and bruises that remained of last week's street battle.

 

After she was finished the bat-pony stared in disbelief at his own reflection, Scarcity waiting on tenterhooks for his verdict. "It's... I don't know the words to describe it, but... I do like it. Yes, very much." he said at last, drawing a squee of happiness from the dressmaker and her assistants.

 

"Oh, it's nothing, my dear... All in a day's work. It's simply a shame that I won't be able to see you wear it to the dancing, you will look so elegant..."

 

A sudden thoughtful look appeared on Night Haunter's face, and he turned to Scarcity. "You like this sort of thing, Miss Belle- the dancing, the high-class mingling and all those trappings? Sipping champagne and listening to very rich, very overdressed ponies talk?"

 

Scarcity sighed with longing, a dreamy look on her face. "Oh, if only! I've always wanted to go to a fine ball, but I've never been invited- there's no room at Aquilla Garden's tables for a mare from Old Ponyville, I fear."

 

Old Ponyville? She talks- and acts- like a born and bred blueblood... "Well, Miss Belle, I happen to lack a plus one and a dancing partner, you happen to lack an invitation- perhaps we could work out some sort of mutually beneficial plan?" he asked, pausing at the end for reply; the dressmaker looked at him with a slight frown, as if she understood but didn't dare imagine he'd actually said what she thought he did. "What I mean is- would you like to be my partner for tonight?"

 

Scarcity barely got out her "Yes!" before she fainted in a dramatic yet elegant heap.

 

Some time after that Night Haunter trotted down the grand stairs that lead to the main entrance of the Palace, a large room carpeted with red that could fit most pony's houses inside with room remaining. The high ceiling was painted with the night sky, sprinkled with genuine diamond stars, and tree-like marble columns flanked the double doors; the whole space gleamed gold and scarlet, from the floor to the ceiling, studded with emerald from the potted ferns in each corner. He'd tried to have the room redecorated with a more subtle scheme, something a little more like him, ever since he became Mayor, but all of the nobles, staff and even the city's artists kicked up such a fuss whenever he broached the subject he'd eventually given up. The palace was part of Neighstramo's rich history, they weren't going to touch it, and not even Night Haunter's fierce reputation could change his mind. They clearly thought it was beautiful and refined even if he thought it was tacky and overblown.

 

Sighing, he turned right and entered the Main Hall, his two bat pony bodyguards shadowing his every move. The Main Hall was larger still than the foyer, taking up a small wing of the Palace all by itself. A solid oak table, capable of seating about fifty-two ponies, dominated the room, surrounded by a multitude of matching chairs; like the foyer they were decorated with scarlet, matching the great swathe of fabric that sat below the table. The rest of the floor was bare, polished wood. From above hung three chandeliers, sparkling with thousand gems each, with the Mayor eyed with extreme distaste. It wasn't his style and it almost made him feel physically ill. How many meals could selling just one of those gaudy light fixtures buy the starving foals of the city? How many homes could be improved with the money spent on the brushed-velvet seat liners? How much food would be cooked and go to waste tonight, just to fulfill some iron-hoofed harpy's whim and celebrate the day that Equestria turned into a living nightmare?

 

Shaking his head barely suppressing a sigh, he turned to a pony he recognised as his head butler, a neat white unicorn strictly overseeing the under-butlers as they polished cutlery and crockery to a blinding gleam. "Silverware, have someone to tell the kitchen that no leftovers from tonight are to be wasted. Tell them they can take it to the soup kitchens, take boxes of it home, or just have a servants-only buffet... Just throw nothing away, is that clear?" he asked, his expression almost daring the other to raise some objection of etiquette or style. The unicorn wavered a second, his duty to his master wrestling with his adherence to proper social conduct- this just wasn't the done thing, what the Mayor suggested, but on the other hoof... He had rather liked the look of some of those dishes, and some of the young lads working in the kitchen were a lot thinner than he'd like to see... "Yes, sir" he said eventually, knowing that the Mayor cared not one jot if the upper-crust made a scandal of it, as long as a hungry pony or two got fed.

 

A hint of a smile appeared on Night Haunter's face as he moved back towards the foyer, calling back to the unicorn: "Oh, and make sure Jet-Set and Filthy Rich aren't sitting together this time... We'd hate to have a repeat of last year's fight at the boutique opening party, wouldn't we?"

 

Then he positioned himself on the bottom step of the great staircase, flanked by his two spiky-armoured bat-pony guards, as he waited for his first guests to arrive and the ironically-named Summer Sun Celebration to begin.

[RainDash]

Twilight left early, eager to get the whole ordeal over with. It wasn't far to go, unfortunately, and she had to already stuff down her fear. Night Haunter was on the steps. Not just any step, the first step. Night Haunter was one of the most feared ponies in Nieghstramo, and with good reason. He killed ponies. She was suddenly worried that he would recognize her from the explosion. What if he snapped her like a criminal pony? He was crazy, she heard. Using the last shreds of sanity she had cobbled together before coming, she took a breath and reasoned with herself. You've gone to this every year. He's been here every year. If he was going to kill you, he would have already. She walked forward, confident.

 

"Twilight Charmer." She levitated the invitation towards the Mayor. "I was invited here by the Princess..." Her bravado started to falter. She managed to let her voice drop quick enough so not to add, "please don't kill me" to the end of her sentence. Hopefully she would manage to get in. She didn't want to get asked too many questions, but there probably would be some. She wished he would ask them already, in her impatience showing. She hated this... this festival held to gloat over everypony. She wouldn't say it out loud of course, nopony would. She just had to keep her mouth shut and her head down. No major incidences today.

 

Maybe.

[CaptainCute]

Blitz grinned at Letterform's request to know his name and struck a pose, showing off his sleek agile figure.

"Names Moon Blitz, fastest flyer this side of Neighstramo," Moon proclaimed with much gusto, "I'm training to become a ShadowBolt!" He smiled at Letterform with a devious cheerful grin as he brushed back his hair, "Such are the dreams of this everyday mailpony." Moon stared dumbfounded at the amount of bits LetterForm had handed him, he had never held so much money in his life. He felt genuinely thankful, but soon enough his cold view on life would corrupt him.

"Dear everlasting night, this is... I...," he stared at LetterForm with his mouth dropped to the ground, "this is... thank you, thank you, thank you!" Moon tucked the bits away and spread his wings out, he gave LetterForm a look of gratitude.

"About time I got out of your hair, thank you." With that, Moon leaped into the air and galloped away. After he flew a good distance away he started flying straight up. I was practically kissing the dirt off that stallions hooves, DISGUSTING. I can't wait til I'm rich and famous and won't have to lower myself to impress others. They'll be impressed by my amazing skills and the name I made for myself. That stallion... so generous... he'll run himself into the ground. I'm lucky I met him before some other pony drained him of all his livelihood. I hate him... I hate him for his lifestyle, I hate him for being kind, for his sincerity. Most ponies who hand out riches are bribing people, but I have nothing to give, his efforts are wasted and pointless. He held his altitude in the air, and took a deep sigh before he let himself fall into the greedy arms of gravity. Moon would catch himself before he hit the ground, he always did.

 

 

-------

 

 

"You finally have your dress!" Glory's thoughts buzzed with excitement as she said this aloud, "I have to see it!" She was about to find Sea Cloud when Glory remembered what she was doing. "No! I don't have time!" Vocal cringed as she carefully packed her dress into a bag, she had just gotten out of all her clothes. Seeing as she was performing she had to get to the party early to meet up with her instrumental partner and on top of that she had to get someone to do her hair. Glory wasn't just performing for the dinner in Mayor's Palace but also the party at the Lake. In all honesty she should have taken better care of her schedule and managed her time wisely.

"Sorry busy busy busy, please save me a seat at whatever table you dine at." Glory dashed out the door, but took a sudden stop and turned towards Sea Cloud. "

I'll be sure to look for you in the crowd." She smiled and ran off before Sea Cloud could reply. Vocal Glory was in a rush so she was more absent-minded than usual. Glory was able to team up with an earth pony named Autumn Strings, she was a very skilled violinist, Glory was lucky to have her as a partner. Unlike Glory, Autumn Strings was very organized and precise in all her actions, she always acted in her best interests and was very indifferent to other people.

Edited April 2, 2013 by CaptainCute

[Ruins]

Night Haunter caught the invitation deftly as it levitated towards him, his darting about as he skimmed the familiar writing; he had written the invitation himself, the original being used as a template for the printing-press onies to copy and distribute. He glanced briefly at the guard to his left, who looked up from the parchment roll listing all those attending the dinner and gave an almost imperceptibly tiny nod: her name was indeed on the list, with a special sign indicating that she was the Tyrant-Princess' special guest. Satisfied that she was telling the truth, the Mayor extended a hoof to return the invitation back to its owner. "Welcome, Miss Charmer. Feel free to take a seat in the Dining Hall, or wait here for the other guests to arrive..."

 

As he did so, he looked at her face properly for the first time. She seemed oddly familiar, like he had seen her many times before but had never been introduced; Night Haunter had a feeling she had been to the palace before, which was likely. Princess Nightmare Moon had a personal student of the same name? She'd probably been to one of the parties he'd been forced to throw before... And yet he thought he;d seen her in a very different context. A tiny frown appeared on Night Haunter's face as he searched through his memory banks, his eyes widening ever-so-slightly as he suddenly remembered. Of course! How could I have forgotten? She's the mare who caused that magical explosion not that long ago... I had the guards keep an eye out for her, I remember now... Hmm. She doesn't seem dangerous, she hasn't the look of a criminal. Unless she causes more trouble and hurts or kills anyone, I don't see any reason to take action now. he thought to himself, not realising that he had been staring at her in a rather disconcerting manner for some seconds. Like Twilight Charmer herself, he wasn't that good at interacting with other ponies.

 

"Either way, try not to blow anything up tonight. As welcome as the distraction might be."