Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: A Grand Galloping Finale, part 1

I hissed in pain, placing my hooves on my head. I lay on the ground, rubbing my skull. Even though Cadence's room was as dark as could be, opening my eyes felt like inviting blades into my pupils. The resulting tears rolled down the sides of my head, creating two paths of wet, sticky hair.

After a while, I finally managed to massage my eyelids open. I almost fell forward standing up; it appeared my legs had a hard time remembering how to keep balance. I tried to speak, but the first few words came out only in the form of indistinct groans as my vocal chords strived to strain and loosen at the right rhythm. But at the very least—as far as I could tell—I was awake again.

"What happened?" I asked.

Luna stood tall. She appeared entirely unfazed by this sudden emergence from our collective subconscious. "The other Cadence," she said, "Decadence, expelled us from her mind."

I choked and coughed. "That happens?"

"It just did." She motioned towards the bed. "She is gone. We must find her."

"What do we do? Where could she be?"

"She kept talking about the gala. She's planning something. For her own sake—for all our sakes—I'd rather not find out what it is." She hurried to the door and threw it open. "We must stop her."

That suggestion I couldn't argue against. Luna swiftly left the room and I followed. The guard who had let me inside earlier was not present. Luna couldn't explain his absence, but we could both guess at a probable cause.

In the wall-embraced court of the palace, we found countless unicorns. Royal Guards, all of them, wandering about aimlessly and clumsily, their jaws hanging open and eyes twitching. A few lay on the ground, wriggling and salivating, or outright limp. The top of the wall teemed with them as well, and from their slackened postures I thought it would only be a matter of time before they began falling down.

In the air, armoured pegasi circled. Their wings spent far more time stretched and spread than actually moving, as though they were riding a draft I couldn't feel. They cluttered the sky, circling around the palace's spires at all heights, like an insect swarm protecting its hive. Luna gazed at the Moon for a moment before turning to me.

"It's just past midnight," she said. "The gala was supposed to have started by now." She ground her teeth nervously, taking a few deep breaths as she looked the sick guards over. Then she looked at me with a weighty stare. "Are your friends at the gala?"

"We all received invitations," I answered. "As far as I know, they—"

"Then I shall wake Celestia. You gather your friends." She immediately turned around and started for the palace again.

I quickly shouted after her. "Princess! Will you bring the elements?"

She stopped, but she didn't turn. "Gather your friends, Twilight Sparkle." With that, she left.

I nodded, took a deep breath, and began exploring the city. Unlike how I had previously seen them, the streets were now completely empty. The guards were all at the palace, and the crowd of well-dressed and bad-mannered nobles seemed to have dispersed. This, I knew, could mean one of two things: either Decadence had claimed them too, or they were preparing for the start of the gala. I hastened my steps.

There, in the heart of Canterlot's uppermost district—in both class and elevation along the mountain—was the Canterlot Great Hall, where the Grand Galloping Gala officially opened each year. Cadence had been meant to do the honours at midnight; I would check there first. Being late was all the more reason for Cadence—that is, Decadence—to go there as well.

The hall's immense size rivalled that of the palace itself. I remembered the building well; its many floors and wide hallways created an awe-inspiring maze inside, while each great window that wasn't decorated with stained glass provided a magnificent view of the tranquil gardens that surrounded the complex. The great hall was able to house hundreds, if not thousands of ponies, and as such I knew that finding my friends—or Decadence—would be a challenge.

The entrance, a great double-door of gold, was wide open, and I could see many ponies both inside and out. They shot me impatient gazes, sighing and asking somepony else to hold their drinks as they checked their watches. Decadence, it seemed, had not yet arrived, and the guests were becoming agitated. I wondered whether I should be worried or relieved.

A red carpet led me up an imposing staircase. It was there, at the top, where I had spent most of my last gala, right at the side of Princess Celestia as she greeted a long line of guests. There was no line now; the guests were scattered, pacing up and down, walking and pushing on the stairs as they saw fit. Ascending the staircase, I heard music emanating through the hallways on the right. A great ballroom was in that direction, and I knew it was the focal point of all things during the gala.

As I turned the corner, I heard an indignant stallion complain to his escort about a lack of a proper greeting; he wasn't surprised any more—as he put it—to find Cadence absent, but he was most outraged that even the "guards just up and left." The news was concerning, and gave me yet another reason to hurry. Whatever Decadence was planning, I did not want to be a part of it. And—of course—as I passed, I heard a mare scoff at "that scraggy mare's callous lack of a dress." Truly, I had failed at being a proper secret agent of the government.

The ballroom was absolutely gigantic, and echoed with music and the murmurs of a large crowd. The stage on the right was prepared, as ever, with instruments which the same old band played, although with a different cellist this time from the last.

Long tables held all kinds of drinks, exotic fruits and colourful cakes that were taller than I was. In the far end, there was a smaller podium; meant for Cadence, I imagined. A gilded statue of a winged unicorn spewed water into a decorative fountain at the other side. I couldn't spend time admiring the sights, however.

Frilly dresses and sharp suits surrounded me, and I thought I even saw a mare waddling around on two legs in a wide skirt. Amidst all this, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find my friends. The thought of outright stomping over every haughty noble was tempting; simply shouting for my friends would've made this search easier. I still hoped, however, that the night could end quietly. And how wrong I was.

Oh, please, tell me you're not separated. If you've learned anything from last time, you'll be together.

Looking to the side, I finally caught a glimpse of Pinkie's puffy tail. After some more wading through the crowd, I finally found my friends: all five of them standing by a wall, talking and laughing carelessly. Pinkie, it seemed, had just finished taking a plate of small confections from a table to the group, holding it effortlessly with her tail, the bottom of her dress thrown to the side.

Rainbow Dash noticed me first. She quickly poked the side of Rarity, who was busy with a colourful cocktail. Rarity's face turned bright, and she called my name.

"Twilight!"

She pointed, and the rest noticed as well. I couldn't help but smile. No matter the situation, even on the brim of the world's end, seeing them made me feel warm inside. I remembered how our last gala ended, after all the troubles, and I wished I could have had more moments like that in recent years. There was no time for nostalgia, however.

Pinkie jumped around me in excitement, sending the little muffins and cupcakes she held with her tail flying. "Twilight! Twilight!" she squealed.

"Well lookie there, who's arrived," Applejack said.

"Thank goodness," Fluttershy said.

"I told you she would show up," Rainbow said.

"And just where did you leave your dress?" Rarity asked.

As much as I wanted to properly reunite with them, I knew I had something more important to do.

"Girls, please," I began, but they wouldn't let me speak.

Pinkie continued hopping around, and the others kept asking questions. Where have I been? Why show up now? Did something happen? I couldn't have answered them all if I tried. Just calming them proved difficult in itself. Then something—or rather, the lack of something—grabbed my attention.

"Girls, where's Spike?" I asked.

"He didn't come," Rainbow answered.

"Poor thing just wouldn't leave the library without you," Rarity said.

Oh, wow, I thought. All the more reason to hate myself. Oh well; it's probably for the best.

"Yes," Fluttershy said, "we were all so worried when you just disappeared like that."

Pinkie wrapped her hooves around me and hugged me close. "I knew you'd be here! Nopony would miss Cadence's gala."

"Yes, well," I said, "about that—"

"Except Spike," Applejack interrupted. "Rainbow, couldn't you do a quick flyby to Ponyville and tell him Twi's right here?"

"Guess I could." Rainbow shrugged. "Somepony'd have to hold my dress for me, though."

"Oh, trust it to me," Rarity replied. "I will—"

"Girls!" I finally silenced them. "I'm not here to party. There is something very important I need to tell you if you'd only let me!"

Their questioning looks finally allowed me to speak.

"Alright," I began. "This will sound insane, but I'm very serious. I need all of you to take this seriously. Cadence isn't well."

"Is she sick?" Applejack asked.

"No," I answered. "Not like you think. She's... remember Nightmare Moon?"

Of course they remembered.

"Cadence has changed," I said. "She's different. And I think that we might need to use the Elements of Harmony again."

"On Cadence?" Rarity asked. "But that's—"

"Insane, right," I finished for her. "I'm sorry, it's such a long story, and I can't tell you about it now."

Pinkie put a hoof onto her forehead, and Fluttershy stepped closer to her to see if she was alright. I didn't pay much attention, as I had more to say.

"What you need to know," I continued, "is that Princess Celestia and Luna will be here soon. This gala won't be what any of us signed up for."

"So that's why Cadence is so late," Applejack said. "I knew something bad must've happened. Where is she?"

"I don't know. I thought she would be here, but I'm afraid we'll need to find her ourselves."

"I don't feel so good," Pinkie muttered, putting a hoof before her mouth. "I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh, great," Rainbow said. "If Twilight's right, this really isn't the time."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "All that jumping around with a full stomach."

"No, it's not like that," Pinkie said. Her whole body shivered and her legs shook. "I don't know what's going on."

"Oh my," Rarity said. "We'd better take you outside."

Applejack nodded. "Yes, get some fresh air. There's a door to the gardens—"

"Hold on," I said, putting up a hoof. "Listen."

The music had stopped, and the ballroom was getting quieter. The ambient murmuring was fading away.

I turned. Then, as my gaze was pulled upwards, my blood froze in my veins.

At the doorstep of the ballroom stood Decadence, monstrous, like I had seen in the dream. Only now did I notice how tall she was, surpassing even Celestia in sheer height. She held her chin high and wore a condescending, borderline disgusted expression as she looked the stunned crowd over. From behind her, Shining Armor stepped up, wearing his suit of armour and spear strapped to his side. His gaze, too, was vacant, just like every other guard I had seen since waking.

Decadence wore a long white dress like that of a bride's, dragging the bottom along the floor. Dirtied red stains ate into it at places, and I didn't want to know what their origin was. Yet even with her tarnished dress, and for her malformed looks, what terrified me most was the tiara she had on her head, for I recognised the starlike symbol on its crest.

She was wearing the Element of Magic. Around her neck, I saw the Element of Kindness, and on her front legs she wore the rest, two elements on each, strapped tightly to serve as bracelets.

And this whole thing just got a lot more complicated.

When Decadence was sure that all eyes were on her, she lowered her chin a little and grinned.

"Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts. I will be your host for this year's Grand Galloping Gala."

Slowly, she began walking forward. The crowd, in silent shock, stood aside to make way. Shining Armor followed his mistress without a word. Behind the two of them, I saw worried looks peeking into the room from the hallways.

"I do so apologise for being late," Decadence continued. "We ran into some unexpected difficulties behind the scenes. But fear not, my children, for from now on everything will be just right."

Murmurs passed through the room. Ponies turned to their companions, passing questioning gazes and fearful whispers. Behind me, Pinkie wasn't even looking. She swayed left to right; Fluttershy was just quick enough to catch her before she fell. Not that her quaking legs provided stable support.

While the eyes of Rainbow Dash and Applejack were fixed on the deformed princess, Rarity looked at me. I couldn't decide whether her eyes held more questions or accusations.

"Yuck!" came the disgusted voice of Decadence. As I turned, so did everypony else, and the ballroom fell silent again.

Beside Decadence, a small plate floated with a slice of cake of which a sizeable part had apparently been bitten off. She spat, revealing to us the slice's missing half; the spongy lump of cream and half-chewed pastry splashed onto the ground. Decadence slurped her excess saliva and brushed the sticking morsels and stringy frosting from her mouth. She licked her teeth a few times, and then spat again.

The audience of her performance showed no little revulsion at the act. Although none seemed brave enough to confront the princess, heads were shaken, hooves were lifted to cover mouths or eyes, and rude things were mumbled under many noses.

"Yuck!" Decadence repeated. She took a moment to compose herself, taking one last look at the floating plate. Then she turned away, lifting her chin again. "Oh, I am so sorry. I told the servants to prepare something edible, not this garbage." She let out a tired sigh, and with a shrug, the plate was flung back into the crowd behind her. "No matter," she said to the sound of breaking porcelain. "I can do better."

"This is an outrage!" yelled a stallion somewhere near the impact.

First, a wave of frightened gasps swept across the ballroom. Then everypony fell dead silent. All inside, save for Shining Armor and Decadence, were looking at the brave—or foolish—stallion. Next to him, above the shards of the broken plate, stood a mare with a cake-stained dress and shoulders pulled high. She shook her head slightly, hoping perhaps that we wouldn't see, but, of course, we could.

The stallion stepped forward and looked through the crowd. His expression was one of conviction, but as he returned his gaze towards Decadence, I saw him gulp.

Shining Armor turned before Decadence. His armour rattled as he made a single step in the stallion's direction. His horn glowed, and the spear by his side was lifted just a little, not enough to be dangerous, but enough to be threatening.

Decadence took no step; she only turned her head towards the stallion, showing a graceful smile. "I'm sorry," she said. "I did not catch that."

The stallion opened his mouth. He closed it. Then he opened it again, taking a deep breath.

"No," said the mare, stepping in front of him. "I-it's nothing." She put a hoof on his cheek, turning his aside. "He's just, he's... it's nothing, really, please, carry on, I'm so sorry—"

Decadence turned forward again, and resumed walking. Shining Armor spent another moment looking at the stallion, then followed the princess.

"As I said," Decadence spoke as she walked, "I can do better."

Her horn lit up, the floor rumbled, and somepony screamed. Trees burst violently from below the tables, knocking them aside, sending everything falling down. Glasses shattered, confections skidded and smashed and fruits rolled about. The trees grew thick as they reached the ceiling, sprouting leaves and flowers, and soon oversized cherries hung from every low-hanging branch.

After a while, the rumbling stopped, and the guests settled.

"Don't worry," Decadence said with a toothy smirk. "They don't bite."

"Don't go near the trees," I whispered. Not that my friends needed to be told that.

As Decadence walked to the podium at the other end of the room, my friends and I moved forward as well. I urged them to stay behind the crowd so as not to call attention to ourselves.

Celestia and Luna will realise that the elements are gone, and they'll be here. We just have to hold out, and not lose her.

Decadence reached the podium, stepping up to face the crowd. Shining Armor stopped shortly before it, also turning towards the rest of us. She cleared her throat.

"Now," she began, "I am certain that... some of you may have a few questions." She sent a quick glance at the mare with the dirty dress. "Such questions as, what happened to Princess Cadence? Why does she look so strange? What's with all the trees?"

There was some murmuring in the crowd.

"Allow me to answer those questions with a question of my own. Who cares? You've all come here to have a party, and a party I shall give to you. So go on! Talk, eat, laugh, dance!"

The earth shook heavily, and the sounds of stone crumbling and falling echoed throughout the halls.

"Enjoy yourselves!"

The building was shaking. At first, I was afraid. Then, like water through cracks, something began seeping into my mind.

My mind was a swamp, choked by foul air and unbridled thoughts that fed on the rot. I wasn't afraid any more. I was happy.

I looked around and saw a kind of wonder I had never witnessed before. The colours of the ballroom amazed me and I turned in awe to look at it all. The vivid reds of hanging drapes danced with the bright lights, the stained glass windows bathed the entire room in majestic shapes of colour and they consumed me.

The music was gone and was not gone; I could hear it but I couldn't understand it. The tunes and tones were skewed and deep booms shook my chest while high notes pierced my ears. It was something celestial; something infernal. I loved it.

The nobles sang and danced and drank and pranced, and I found myself joining them. I lost sight of my friends and I didn't care. Under my hooves, on each side, there were shoulders and I stroked the sprouting necks. Somepony hugged my hips.

I waved with the organic mass, dancing around a stallion who was lying on the floor, frolicking in trampled blood and pink petals. The individual shapes I had been so fascinated by disappeared now, blending together into one nauseatingly beautiful cavalcade.

I caught a glimpse of a mare stumbling away, and when she fell, a stallion caught her. He lay her in his lap and poured fine wine from his mouth into hers before moving on to doing something more.

Amidst the cacophony of rapturous singing and lecherous moans, I felt one with the city. The great spires floated through the aether on spectral winds, and my mind and soul followed them. In this limbo, time had no meaning. I didn't want it to.

In a minute or after an hour, I felt a pull at my shoulder and it broke me from the great waltz. I turned to see a gorgeous mare looking at me. My immediate instinct was to pull away, shy as I was, but her warm smile calmed me. She pushed me to the ground, onto my back, and stood over me and she told me she loved me. Our bodies didn't touch and the distance only made me want to be closer to her. I heard her heart beat swift and it beat in perfect unison with mine. She leaned in close and I enjoyed being desired.

Our cheeks brushed together as she slid her lips onto my neck. She slipped a hoof under my back and pulled me close, and I sweated as I breathed heavily into her mane. The way her playful tongue tickled my neck enticed me, and I embraced her in turn. Her kiss was warm and it burned through my veins to the thinnest capillary.

The glowing colours turned grey and the discordant tunes found harmony in silence. I wanted to talk to her, but my voice was dead. I wanted to hold on to her, but my limbs were numb. A smile was the last thing I gave the world before the darkness tore me away from it.

I awoke, once again, to a splitting headache. The muffled sound of beating music entered my ears. A pair of dark-magenta irises greeted my opening eyes.

"Bet she liked it," said their owner.

"That makes one of us," responded an irritated mare.

"Bad blood?"

"Positively vile. Which is exactly the reason I hoped liberating it from her would help."

My eyelids fell.

"Well, we're gonna find out. Think she's waking up. Actually, I'm surprised you could keep the blood down."

"I couldn't."

"Oh."

After a slap on my cheek, a pair of hooves yanked my lids up again. The same pair of magenta eyes pressed even closer.

"Snap out of it," she said. "You're Twilight Sparkle. Twi-light. Spar-kuhl. Vampire hunter extraordinaire, twice-saviour of Equestria, and a major pain in my ass. But you're not some sex-crazed junkie. Got it?"

I coughed in her face. She didn't flinch.

"Be glad I lost my sense of smell like ten years ago," she said.

"Oh," I sighed, half-conscious, "shut up, Vinyl."

I pushed her away, and—stumbling on trembling legs—stood up. My headache was killing me. It was difficult to think. There was a familiar chair, a dressing table with a mirror, plus two ponies I knew to be indigenous to the Mental Ward.

"Good to see you awake," Octavia said. "I was beginning to fear I may have overdone it."

I shot her a confused stare.

"You haven't jumped me yet," she continued, "which leads me to believe you're reasonably well. Don't worry, I clean my teeth regularly."

It was unusually dark in the room; I remembered that street lighting always crept its way inside. I found the window barricaded with the cannibalised remains of what seemed to have been a barstool or two.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You popped Tavi's feeding cherry," Vinyl said. "Oh, and the world's ending. Tavi says you might know the details. For some reason, I totally believe her."

"There's no need to be snide," Octavia said. "As a matter of fact, Miss Vinyl, you're taking present events nowhere near seriously enough."

"Oh, I'm serious. Dead serious. Too bad that we're only gonna be dead soon."

"I'm more than willing to place my trust in Miss Twilight's abilities to handle the matter."

"So take her and get out, if you love her so much. Your pwecious sire will just have to get off his lazy ass and do something himself for once, 'cause I'm done foalsitting her for him. You hear me? Done."

"I would watch my mouth, speaking such words, if I were you."

"Threats, Tavi? Oh, you've been a good little student."

"It's nopony's fault that it's the only thing you respond to."

"Alright then, go all lupine on me, tear me apart! At least you'll make it quick. Remember the hall? I'm not ending like that."

"What happened?!" I yelled, interrupting their obnoxious bickering.

"Tsk," Vinyl spat, walking to the chair in the corner. She threw herself down theatrically—so that I knew exactly how pissed off she was—then, crossing her hooves, nodded towards Octavia.

"We don't know," Octavia said. "I was hoping you could shed some light on the situation."

As I slowly regained my senses, my mind struggled to reel in memories of the night. I recalled our visit to Containment, and my subsequent submerging in the joint subconscious of the two princesses and mine. Then there was the gala, and Decadence, and what she did. I lost control, and then I was here. Of course they didn't know what happened; nopony did. I'd have to phrase my question differently.

"I see you've boarded the window," I said. "What's happening out there?"

"The city's in ruins," Octavia said. "We were at the gala, Miss Vinyl and I. Unwinding a little, after our little trip to Containment."

"Told you they wouldn't recognise you," Vinyl cut in.

"You did," Octavia said. "You know I hate it when you're right." She turned back to me. "At any rate, I couldn't help but notice that Princess Cadence was a little late. When she appeared, well...."

"End times, Tavi," Vinyl mumbled, not even looking at us. "End times, I'm tellin' you."

"The earth shook, then came the screams and the trees, and then everypony's gone mad. Save for the two of us. I imagine that has to do with our... peculiarity."

"Pfeh," Vinyl spat. "That's one way to put it. So anyway, told her we probably should just go. But Tavi? She's not big on this whole self-preservation stuff."

"I urged Miss Vinyl to accompany me as I looked for you. After Luna took you away, I wasn't certain I would find you. Fortunately, I did."

"And it's like," Vinyl said, "like, Tavi's also got faulty memory or something. What she did just now. Like, Tavi, did you forget the bloody hall?" She turned to me. "And that's not a turn of phrase here, I really mean it."

"We did witness some rather disturbing sights."

"He had no bones. His heart was throbbing in her eye socket! So, I'm sorry, I bugged right out of there." Vinyl looked at the floor, grumbling. "Call me a coward. Jerk."

"It took me a while," Octavia said, "but I found you in the ballroom. I took the liberty of, well, retrieving you."

"Yeah, and for what?" Vinyl asked. "I got back before you did, and what'd I find? Everypony's totally crazy. Possessed, more like. Like, they're out on the dance floor, just doing it. I mean, don't mean to brag, but I've seen things in the Mental Ward. But nothing like this. You hear that?"

Although we were separated from the club's main room by multiple walls, I still heard the distinct boom of the bass being dropped.

"I had to turn the music up just 'cause of the sounds they make. Don't even get me started on what's going on outside. Whole city's crazy."

"And now," Octavia said, "since you're here, and of reasonable sanity, I'm hoping you can tell us what's really happening. You clearly know something about the bad blood that we don't, and that is clearly connected to whatever's going on now."

If Vinyl's ravings were to be believed, then spoiling a few vampires' meals was the least of our concerns. And for all my adventures, I still had no real grasp on what was happening; Decadence was anything but predictable. To think that Octavia risked her life just to get me out of there.

"I'm glad you have faith in me," I said, "and I'll take that fact as a compliment. But I'm afraid I'll have to be a sore disappointment. I know no more than you do. Something happened to Cadence, and now... well, you've seen it."

"Damn it!" Vinyl snapped. "Talk about nonchalant looks and who-me? faces! Don't give me that. Just tell us what you really know, seriously. Actually, no, tell her what you know. She's the one obsessed with you. I don't even care at this point."

The metaphorical gears turned in my head, grinding to come up with a plan that would somehow fix whatever went wrong. But I wasn't a fighter of crazed goddesses. There was only one thing I could think of, and that was exactly what I had been doing before Decadence crashed the gala so spectacularly.

"Where are my friends?" I asked. Seeing the questioning looks I received in return, I specified. "The other elements. The Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon, Discord—"

"Yes, I understand," Octavia said. "But I don't know. I wouldn't recognise them. It's lucky I found you amidst the chaos."

"They were right with me, in the ballroom. We have to get them. And the princesses. Luna, and Celestia. Have you seen them?"

"Only Cadence. Or whatever she's become."

This was a trap, if I'd ever seen one; yet I found myself unable to resist walking into it. I had to save my friends.

I lifted a hoof to step for the door, but my leg felt as though it were lead. I almost fell over.

"Careful," Octavia said. "You've lost a great deal of blood. I apologise."

I put a hoof onto my dizzy head. When Octavia reminded me of the vampiric kiss, I found myself longing again for the madness. An infatuation burned within me, I realised, and it compelled me to do things I'd rather not mention now. My body was merely too tired to act on its instinctual impulses, and rational thought was able to come out on top.

"At least," I said, "you got me out of that... that haze. I don't know how long it's going to last, though. We need to get moving."

"Moving where?"

"To the hall. To get my friends. We need them."

"Oh-ho-ho," Vinyl gaped, "I'm not leaving this room. Definitely not going back there. You two do whatever you want, but I'm staying."

"Miss Vinyl," Octavia began, "I must insist—"

"Look," I interrupted, "she can stay, for all I care. Actually, Octavia, you can stay too, if you want. I need my friends, and I'm going, with company or otherwise. If you could sneak out, maybe I can sneak in."

I opened the door and left the room, entering the backstage of the club. After no more than a few steps, Octavia hurried to join me. Vinyl Scratch wasn't to be seen.

"Think she'll be safe in there?" I asked.

"No," Octavia replied.

As we neared the door leading to the dance floor, the sound of pre-recorded music became louder with every step. After opening the door, however, what I heard was nowhere near as terrible as what I saw. And oh, the smell!

The carefully cultivated nobles of Canterlot had retained a hint of tact, even in their magic-driven desire for pleasure. The same didn't apply to the youth who frequented Vinyl's club; as she herself had put it, they were doing exactly what they liked best. In their atavistic regression to the forgotten times of oestrus cycles, they happily skipped over the usual ritual of first buying a drink and asking for a dance.

I turned towards Octavia. Speaking would have been futile, what with the music threatening to burst one's eardrums. I pointed towards the bar, and resorted to mouthing to help get my message across. "I need a drink."

Not that I wanted to tempt the effects of alcohol on my current condition. The water they had, dirty as it was, helped me clear my head a little. Having my blood drained may have saved me from the haze, but it was no recipe for a long and healthy life. Don't want to pass out again due to dehydration now, do I?

As I lapped the water straight from the tap, I pondered the nature of Decadence's spell. Indeed, when I paid attention to the air, I could feel the aching aura of a broken heart. If I listened just right, even the water from the tap lost its vague metallic taste; it was replaced by that of impotent anger, long bottled up. It bled into the water and it pervaded the air and it flooded the streets.

Decadence's maddening aura drove all who lived to play out their most basic, carnal desires; no wonder that the vampires were unaffected, for they had none.

I wiped my mouth. A lone mare had apparently came up to me while I was drinking, and when her yellow eyes met mine, her twitching lips formed a grin. She said something I couldn't hear over the music. Octavia prodded my side, then pointed at the dance floor. Everypony there had apparently stopped mid-act and looked at me, mouthing something together.

"I can see you," I heard Decadence whisper. Her voice was softer than Cadence's ever had been. It came from inside my head, and it provoked a kind of deep-seated fear I'd never felt before, or since.

I shoved the entranced mare out of the way and hopped over the counter, rushing for the door. Octavia barely made it out before I slammed it shut. I leaned on it with all my strength. I expected, in my fit of panic, that the ponies inside would come banging after us. They didn't.

For a while, I heard nothing but my own heartbeat and a ringing in my ear.

"Miss Twilight, please," Octavia said, "calm down."

"What?" The apparent fear in my own voice surprised me. Once her words reached my mind, and I took a few deep breaths, things began falling back into place. I shook my head clear.

"What happened in there?" Octavia asked.

"Decadence knows where I am," I said, taking a cautious step from the door. "She's looking for me."

"Who is?"

"Decadence, she's..." Oh stars. "It's Cadence, or used to be. Nightmare Moon, Luna, Decadence, Cadence."

"I'm not quite sure I understand, but I assume it's best we hurry." She turned forward and took a few steps. "Come on."

I turned to follow her, only to be frozen in place again in awe and terror. In my fright, I hadn't even noticed it before, but now I beheld it in all its morbid glory: Decadence's Canterlot.

The magical lights of the spires in which the city basked every night were gone. From dim lampposts, candles lit the roads broken up by thick, dry roots. Where bricks or concrete didn't cover the earth, there was a dense blanket of grass and flowers, at times rivalling myself in height, creating a dancing jungle of shadows upon broken walls.

From every building, there hung more branches and leaves. Thorny vines crawled on every surface, bursting into and from the stone. Some buildings had been completely devastated by the wild growth, replaced by rotting trees whose canopy was lost where candlelight didn't reach. What remained of them was supported by but the web of vines and branches that clung to the thinnest crack.

Normally, the twin towers of the palace—those of Luna and Celestia—would have been plain to see even through the darkest night. Now their spires were lost to the blackness in the sky. The Moon was gone, and so were the stars; a gentle rain of dried petals covered the city in their absence.

The sound of a window breaking brought my gaze to a house nearby. From within a relatively well-preserved home burst forth the trunk of a tree, shattering the glass that was in its way. From the aperture, a startled cloud of bats flew into the sky amidst wild screeches.

The tree sprouted branches, each in turn splitting to form even more. At every crack of shrivelled bark, a gooey pop accompanied the leaking of a foul-smelling yellowish substance. Fat, writhing maggots swam joyfully in the putrid pool.

"End times..." I mumbled.

"So, what is your plan?"

"My plan?" Of course. I always have one. "We're going back to the hall. We will get my friends out of there, and you are going to drain them all."

"You are asking a vampire to feed on your friends until they pass out."

That would be the case. And what a friend I am! "Once we have them back, we will..." I looked at the mad city before us. "We will fix this."

I started moving. I didn't feel like talking any more.

The streets, even disregarding Decadence's odious garden, gave us nothing to look at but ruination. Walls were ploughed to the ground, windows were gone and doors were broken down. Amidst the ruins I saw drunkards stumbling and youths fighting. The sound of carelessly flung profanities combined with that of loudly churning bowels vacating in one direction or another, and I'd have been hard-pressed to find anypony not covered in bruises or drenched in some combination of bodily humours. It was often both.

The only ponies that weren't living out whatever fantasy or fetish they had kept hidden were the ones which were unable to. They lay across doorways or hung from windows and cracked walls, grunting in pain with foaming mouths or dead silent.

The scene was so elegantly choreographed; from the moment of my awakening at the Mental Ward, I was made to bear witness a horror worse than the last at each step. And I knew, deep inside, that it was no coincidence. Decadence wanted me to see this, to take it all in.

She's blaming me.

When we found our path blocked by the felled trunk of a massive tree, we left the street through a narrow alley between two houses. The street we had left was for the Canterlot middle-class—high-class by any other standard—and, while a perfect place for Vinyl's club, it was by no means the cream of the city.

Where we emerged after a few turns in small backstreets was a much more accurate representation of stereotypical Canterlot society. Or it had been, before Decadence got to work. These private mansions and personal spires had oft been the subject of my fancy during my foalhood. Oh, how I had wanted to live here. Look at it now.

Unlike the rabble we'd seen before—the spoilt children of nobles were notorious for their indecency even in their everyday lives—the ponies that filled the dilapidated buildings here enjoyed much more refined ways of savagery. They ran across the fractured streets like lovers do on flowery meadows, and they danced amorously atop crumbling balconies with no regard for the danger that the decrepit buildings posed.

A record of gentle music played from a nearby window, and Octavia turned her head its way, stopping briefly. For a second, I thought I saw a look of longing in her eyes. The moment passed, and she was on her way again. It took me a minute to remember: once, long ago, I'd heard her play that same song.

What broke this travesty of harmony was a scream not far away. Naturally, nopony but the two of us cared enough to look. An outburst of laughter followed the wail for help.

In the overgrown courtyard of what used to be a luxurious villa—its site now merely home to a gigantic, twisted tree among mouldering walls—were a number of stallions in a circle. A Royal Guard pegasus, fully armoured, overlooked the scene from the nearby perch of a vine-grown wall that stood on its own.

"No!" came the hysterical shriek of a mare inside the circle. "Stop it, please!"

The stallions, all in torn suits and tuxedos, laughed again in response. One in a top hat elbowed the side of another and the two exchanged a look like old drinking pals. The mare stumbled towards the stallion with the hat, grabbing at something in his grasp.

As the two wrestled, the other stallions cackled uncontrollably, frothing at the mouth and dropping down to bang on the ground when they ran out of air. As Octavia and I got closer, I could make out the thing for which the mare and hatted stallion struggled. It was something small. It was crying.

"No!" the mare cried. "Let him go! Let him go, Set! Let him—"

The mare broke the swaddled baby colt away from him, and the stallion fell back into the dirt. The hat rolled away, and his friends gasped; one poked the lying stallion with a hoof like a kid pokes a dead bird with a stick. As the mare backed away slowly amidst heavy breaths, the stallions exchanged confused stares. They then looked up at the guard on the perch, who in turn growled and leapt at the mare.

Her squeal was cut short as they collided. Shoving the mare to the ground, the guard bit and clasped his teeth firmly on the baby's swaddle. His prize won, the guard cackled at the defeated mare. When she tried to get up, a single kick at her stomach sent her back into the dirt. The stallions watched and laughed, one of them hard enough to rupture a capillary in his nose. The trickling blood on his muzzle did little to lessen his enjoyment. But I would.

"Ahem!"

They turned, with spastic steps and drooling mouths, and in their smiles I saw chipped teeth and hanging tongues. The guard's grin subsided the moment he turned to me. His muscles loosened, and his jaw slowly dropped, the baby slipping from his clutch. An envelope of purple magic caught the frightened colt, and he floated gently over to me. The guard's mouth hung agape.

I glanced at the mare. She was still on the ground, taking this opportunity to crawl away from the armour-clad pegasus. Comparing her terrified expression and begging words to the mad jeers of these animals, I realised that she was sane; or as sane as one could be, given the circumstances. I wondered what it was that set her apart from all the rest. Then the baby started sobbing beside me.

As quickly as the guard's grin had disappeared, it now returned. He flapped his wings even as he walked along the ground, taking long, tumbling steps. Octavia and I exchanged a look. Her shrug was all the approval I needed.

With a fast spell, my aura surrounded the guard and lifted him into the air, readying to throw him away. Then my head felt heavy, my magic faded, and I almost fell forward. Octavia barely managed to catch the falling baby. The guard crashed to the ground; his impact was not softened by the intervention of a kind mare. He threw his legs around and thrashed his wings in the dirt, as if he hadn't realised that he fell. When he did finally get up, it looked like he was pulled on strings. His grin taunted me.

"You must be weak," Octavia said. "I'm sorry."

Forgiven. But that was no help now. I felt as if I had just run a marathon. Lifting and manipulating an armour-clad soldier proved to be much more exhausting than handling a baby.

The guard came closer, and the stallions followed with menacing steps.

Octavia scoffed. "Here," she said, handing the baby back to me. I took him with my hooves this time. "Try to calm the child. Covering his ears for this next part might be a good idea."

I took a step back, nodding. "Remember that they are not themselves. Try not to cause any permanent harm."

"Duly noted," she said with a smile.

By when Octavia took another step, the transformation had begun. The petty nobles were quick to disperse, rushing for buildings that still had doors to shut or whatever cover they were able to find. The only one willing to put up a fight was the Royal Guard, and he wasn't at all fazed by the pony that turned wolf. I wondered whether he even saw a difference.

The same couldn't be said for the poor lady behind him. As the lupine Octavia knocked the helpless guard around, I hurried over to the mare. The moment I was close enough, she leapt at me.

"Give me my baby!"

Amidst a flurry of spastic swings, she planted her hooves on various spots on my head and chest. Before I knew it, I was already on the ground, and the colt was with her again.

I crawled away slowly, dragging myself on the ground; that was about as non-threatening as I could get, I thought. She stood above me, eyes wide in a blend of motherly fury and terrified confusion. Perhaps now's the time to start talking.

"Please," I began, still without standing up, "calm down. I'm not here to hurt you."

"You're not taking my baby!" she yelled, stepping backwards. "You took the rest, you're not taking mine. Ante's mine, you hear? Mine!"

Clearly, she wasn't going to stick around. But I wouldn't want her wandering the city by herself. I stood up quickly; that tensed her up enough to stop inching away. I swallowed just a little bit of blood before speaking. "Ante?" I asked. "Ante, that's his name, right?"

"Ante Up... you're not like them."

I mustered a smile as I stepped closer. "I'm not. I'm here to help." I extended a hoof in trust. "My name is Twilight Sparkle."

She eyed me for a while before reluctantly touching her hoof to mine. "Upper Crust. I'm Upper Crust." She took a quick look behind me, then another step backwards. "We need to go, that wolf...."

"No, don't worry. She's a—"

A scream echoed. I turned. Octavia clutched a red-stained leg between her fangs as the crippled guard writhed on the ground.

"...friend?" What has she done? "Octavia!"

The wolf looked at us, snapping the torn leg in half. She gave a low growl and began walking closer with the steps of a stalking predator.

"Get inside," I whispered. "Hide."

"But you—" Upper stammered.

I looked back at her. "Go!" I saw her start running as I turned to the wolf again.

And just in time. Octavia jumped me, jaw open, fangs ready to take my head off. I had a split second to hop backwards. Her teeth scraped my skin as they snapped shut. As momentum carried her, she slammed her head into me, sending me flying.

First, I collided with the vine-grown wall of the mansion. Second came the inevitable collision with the ground. For a crucial fraction of a moment, I was disoriented. When I finally managed to look up, I saw Octavia baring that imposing set of teeth at me again. Her legs bent and her muscles tensed. She would leap at me again, and then I would die.

I closed my eyes, and time came to a standstill. A searing heat mounted in my forehead. My skin felt to burst aflame, and then I felt trapped in ice. The frozen inferno washed over me in a heartbeat.

I gasped for air, filling my lungs with the dust that swelled inside the dark room. I'd done it: I emerged within the mansion. And I'd only lost a few hairs of my tail to the intervening wall; a better result than expected, considering my condition. I was inside a small anteroom that no doubt connected one place of extravagance with another.

Upper and her son, I couldn't see. But the building was large enough; I hoped they'd found a suitable hiding place.

Octavia's savage outburst had me puzzled. She had told me before that taking on the form of the wolf makes her feel alive. I came to realise, now, just how literally she meant that. In the wild, wolves—like all animals—spend their days doing one of three things: feeding, sleeping, or procreating. Being a vampire, Octavia was able to do only one of those things.

Which meant that Decadence's maddening aura was bad news.

Octavia's head broke through the window above me. I rolled away and hopped up to bolt for the next room. The wolf proved to be too large to easily fit through the tiny hole in the wall, giving me a few seconds. And I needed them more than I thought; it took no more than two steps for my legs to go numb. I fell at the far wall, and gathered all the strength I had left to push on.

Moving from the anteroom into a luxurious parlour, I slammed the dividing door shut. A quick glance through the room for anything moveable revealed a tall display case for trophies right beside the entrance. I apologised in advance to the awards in cricket and creative writing for what I was about to subject them to, then pushed it before the door.

From the room I saw two ways out. One led to a set of stairs, the other to a long, straight hallway with no room to manoeuvre whatsoever. The former tempted me. If Upper Crust was still inside somewhere, however, I couldn't let the unhinged Octavia roam around aimlessly; I could never completely lose her. As much as I hated the idea, I had to keep the wolf wanting my blood, not Upper's.

Rushing into the long hallway, I heard the glassy display case shatter. At the far end of the hallway, an increasingly loud, swirling sound echoed.

Within a second, Octavia was right behind me.

And then the bats arrived.

The swarm poured into the hallway like a black fog. Their clawed wings cut at me as their bodies slammed into mine. I had to close my eyes to shield them from the storm. Their high-pitched screams and cracking clicks hurt my ears. They weren't even large; if one had spread its wings out, it could've fit on my hoof. What they lacked in size, however, they made up for in number.

A furious growl sounded behind me. Octavia thrashed her paws about and slammed herself against the walls, taking bites out of the cloud of bats. They climbed onto her body, clinging onto her soft underside and thrusting their fangs and claws into her paws as they swept at the air. One bat was brazen enough to fly straight into her mouth, getting swallowed whole in turn. I thanked whatever god I had done right by that the bats ignored me.

The more the wolf fought the swarm, the more hopeless her struggle became. The mighty predator was reduced to a helpless victim writhing and whining painfully on the ground; a dog begging its owner to stop.

The bats massed on the downed Octavia. The corridor seemed to clear as they concentrated onto a single, tight spot right above her. They collided in the air, clutching their wings together and climbing on each other's backs. They seemed to be filling out a defined outline: the shape of another wolf.

Some of them became paws, others formed the leg, then the rest of him. As a last wing morphed into a fang, the wolf—larger even than Octavia—sprouted dirty white fur and stood triumphantly over its defeated prey.

He pressed a paw onto Octavia's neck, choking her terrified whining away. His eyes were fixed on hers; she turned her head, refusing to return his gaze. The white wolf leaned closer until Octavia was forced to look back at him. The white one's nose pulsed. Octavia glanced away for a second—at me—then back to her bigger kin. What greeted her were his fangs.

The white wolf made no sound as he tore at Octavia's eyes; she tried in vain to push him off. The walls were splattered with scraps of flayed skin and dislodged fragments of bones. When he finished ravaging Octavia's face, his teeth were driven deep into her skull, and Octavia protested no more.

He pulled the limp, rapidly shrinking body up, finally throwing Octavia's equine form onto the floor. Then he tilted his head curiously, turning to me and proudly straightening his back; like a pet awaiting a treat after a job well done. Only now did I notice that he was missing an ear.

Octavia's body had already healed when I looked at her again. Every muscle in her undead body twitched as they regained their forced animation. She sat up, cracked her spine and neck, and gave me a horrified expression.

She rubbed the side of her head. "What happened? I remember the guard. We were outside."

I turned my gaze to the wolf sitting behind her. She turned around to follow it before dropping to the ground at his paws.

"Sire!" she began. "I didn't know you were here. I wasn't myself, I don't know what happened—"

The wolf put a paw on her nose. Octavia fell silent, sitting up again. A shiver ran through his body, and he, too, shrunk. The one-eared wolf's retreating white fur darkened, and a growing white mane framed the face of a one-eared stallion. A one-eared stallion I recognised.

And I couldn't help but put a hoof over my face, for it had been so obvious. Who else could've been Octavia's mysterious sire? Why had she always been so keen on helping me?

"Good evening, Miss Sparkle."

"Hello, Omen."

"Now," he said, gently prodding Octavia's belly, "do you mind?"

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

Her stomach bulged. Then a claw pierced her skin, then a set of tiny fangs. By the time the bat plopped onto the ground, Octavia's flesh had already closed up. It scuttled its inelegant way towards Omen's leg, then climbed his body by his coat. Nesting itself upon the stub of Omen's missing ear, it buried its talons in it. Within a second, Omen had both his ears again.

"Wow," Octavia said, following the little bugger with her gaze. "When can I do that?"

"In a few hundred years," Omen replied with a smile and a pat on her head. "If you're smart."

I took a deep breath, both to calm myself and to get the undead pair's attention. "Omen, pray tell, do you realise what's happening out there? Has the fact of the matter reached your brain at all?"

He smirked. "I believe so, yes. Messy out there, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Messy." I inhaled deeply again. "I was just checking. You know, that constant smiling really bothers me."

"A little adventure never hurt anypony," Omen replied. "I'd have thought you'd be aware of that by now, considering your résumé."

"Oh, I have quite an adventure for you, if that's what you'd like," I said.

Omen flapped his ears. "Do tell."

"As you may or may not be aware, the source of all this is Cadence."

"I was not aware. What happened to her?"

"Whatever happened to Luna a thousand years ago. She calls herself Decadence now."

"Clever."

"Indeed, very. See, Octavia and I were just heading to the centre of this whole mess, the Canterlot Great Hall. It's where I last saw my friends. We're going to sneak in there, find my friends, then you two are going to drain them of their blood until they drop unconscious. When they wake up, we get the Elements of Harmony back, then we..." I stopped. I tried to pretend that I was out of breath. Truth is, I was merely out of ideas. "Then we... let the elements restore harmony."

Omen looked surprised. "That is rather grim, Miss Sparkle."

"I'm open to suggestions!" I snapped.

I stretched my neck and brushed my mane away to show Omen the mark of Octavia's bite.

"I'm having the worst night of my life, you know," I continued. "I'm not in the mood for being judged. We need the Elements of Harmony. Oh, except Decadence was wearing them, last I'd seen. Fact of the matter is, we're doomed. But what do you expect me to do, Omen? Just roll over, and wait for Decadence to make me her plaything, like she did with everypony else?"

"So you walk right into her open hooves," Omen said. "That sounds like suicide."

"And maybe it's better that way! I'll find Decadence. I'll pry the elements off her with my bare hooves if I have to." I cast my gaze down, scraping my head. "Or I'll die trying. I'd much rather be dead than see my friends under her control. You don't know what it feels like, Omen. You can't. You don't live a millennium with attitude like mine." My voice was leaving me. "I wish Decadence killed my friends. They'd be better off dead than... than whatever she must've turned them into."

Omen did not respond. My head was splitting with swirling thoughts of what should have been and what could have been. Of what will be. I leaned against a wall, and felt myself slowly slipping off. I didn't care. Soon, my back was brushing not against the wall but the floor. I liked the cold. I revelled in the silence.

A hoof touched my shoulder.

"Miss Twilight," Octavia said. "What about the mare?"

The ceiling was, by and large, gone, felled by the twisting branches or torn by nobles who have had their fun inside, exposing the many-layered skeleton of the mansion. Indeed, practically anything that could have been destroyed, was; old and expensive porcelains were shattered, golden-gilded draperies shredded, and the lavish self-portraits of the self-absorbed owners desecrated by crude drawings of questionable taste. The raining pink petals had apparently been accumulating inside, too, and we kicked them up like fresh snow with every step.

Interesting. I didn't even notice these before.

The moment Octavia mentioned Upper Crust and her baby, all my worries dissipated. Or they were repressed, anyway. I had something to focus on; something that brought with itself no moral ambiguity or difficult thoughts. Find Upper Crust, and save her baby. That was the only thing on my mind.

Omen and Octavia were kind enough not to comment my, well, episode. All the better. I didn't want to discuss it. I didn't want to think about it.

Find Upper Crust, and save her baby.

And find her we did, cowering as she was under a thick root that arched above the floor. I took the place to have once been a dining room; the decorative plates on the wall—or what remained of them—spoke of both noteworthy sophistication and a complete lack of imagination. Just like home.

Upper Crust used the long table for cover, turned on its side and placed before her little nook. I saw her before she saw me; her fitful rocking back and forth as she cradled Ante gave her away. Her eyes turned to me, then at Omen, and finally at Octavia. She gasped, kicked the table away, and before I realised, she'd taken off.

"Wait!" I shouted, running after her.

"No!" she screamed. "Stay away! Get the wolf away from me!"

In her haste, she managed not to flee but to trip on a doorstep. I was there just in time to catch her. She fought to break free, but I held her firm.

"Stay calm," I said. "She won't hurt you. She's a friend."

"I don't care what she is! I won't be near her. She killed that guard."

Hearing the steps of the vampires, I raised a hoof. "Stay," I said. The steps ceased. Upper stopped struggling for the time being. "See?" I asked. "She's under control."

"But how..." Her eyes widened; a revelation dawned. "You're Twilight Sparkle. That Twilight Sparkle!"

Ah. So the nobles of Canterlot know my name after all. A shame it took the end of the world for them to remember it. As much as I hated to toot my own horn, her realisation couldn't have come at a better time.

"Yes. That Twilight Sparkle. I work for the princesses. I am here to save you and your son. These ponies..." I nodded towards Omen and Octavia. "They are my friends. I can promise you that they will not hurt you."

Upper's gaze darted back and forth between them for a while. She then closed her eyes, and accompanied by a sigh, nodded. "As you say. But I'd still prefer she stay away."

"That can be arranged. But you absolutely mustn't wander off alone."

"Alright. Just don't let anything happen to Ante." She planted a teary kiss on her quietly sobbing baby's forehead. "Stars, he's terrified. He must be hungry, and he's so cold...."

"Please," I interjected. "Tell us what happened. Why did they take Ante from you?"

"I... I don't know. Jet, he... oh, goodness."

"Jet?"

"Jet Set. He is... he is my husband. He went to the gala, we go every year. I, I stayed home with Ante this time. And then, then the lights went out outside, and the trees burst from the ground, and, and I thought the house would come down. I grabbed Ante, I barely made it out. And I saw the guards, they were ransacking every home. They took the children with them. T-they just tore them from their mothers and flew off with them." She gulped. "So I hid. Then Jet found me. And the others. He was, they were..." Tears swelled in her eyes. "And then you. What happened to him? Why is this happening?"

"We have not yet determined the cause of this phenomenon." Stars! Do I always sound like that when I lie? "But that's why we're here, to set everything right. You will be safe. As for your husband, he is clearly not himself. We will find a way to restore him, and everypony else. He won't be harmed, I promise."

"So..." Upper's voice cracked. I thought she would break down in tears. She didn't.

I couldn't help but look at her trembling hooves, still stubbornly holding onto her child despite fear and exhaustion. Good on her; strong mare. Stronger than I am.

"So what do we do?" she finished.

I wanted to respond, but failed. I hadn't thought that far ahead. All along my goal was to get back to the hall and find my friends. But I couldn't take Upper Crust there; I had to keep her safe.

Omen cleared his throat. "I saw Night Guards outside. They're sweeping the city, looking for survivors, like yourself. I believe they've set up camp somewhere in the Middle District."

Although uncreative in name, the Middle District of Canterlot was exactly what it said on the tin. Taking up a relatively compact space, it was near the edge of the city, halfway up the mountain. Boasting a disproportionately high number of restaurants, museums, cinemas, and other such places, it was where the royals went if they wanted to legitimately enjoy themselves, rather than merely pretend to. It was also the place where Canterlot's low and high class alike could bond in their shared feeling of superiority to the rest of Equestria.

The Middle District also lacked residential buildings; if the entranced Royal Guards were rounding up ponies, and leaving Canterlot wasn't an option, the Middle District indeed seemed to be the best place to set up camp.

"In fact," Omen continued, "I believe I saw a small group outside a few minutes ago. They're long gone by now, of course, if they value their lives. Conversely, the Royal Guards must be on their way here, looking for the disturbance. I suggest we get going."

"It's settled then," I said. "Upper Crust, we will escort you to that camp. You couldn't ask for better protection than that of the Night Guards."

That I managed to fool the Night Guards into letting me inside their top secret facility, I decided not to mention.

Yes, the city had become a brewing pot of obscene shouts and yells and terrible smells, but that wasn't the worst of it. I cursed the genius architects of Canterlot for the unabashed display of their overflowing love for wide streets and great squares. Celestia wanted the city to look inviting rather than intimidating, so as not so scare its visitors from the farthest lands, but now this distinct openness only served to expose us.

The citizens, luckily, posed no trouble; they were all very much content to go about their own business and pay no mind to the little group skulking in the shadows. If one wanted to pick a fight in a fit of misguided rage, a single disapproving look from Omen helped them see things our way. The Royal Guard back at the mansion, on the other hoof, had proven that the guards were much less susceptible to such simple intimidation; it would be for the best, I figured, to avoid them.

We reached the Middle District without being noticed, which I considered a miracle in itself. Outside of the residential areas, the Royal Guards did indeed seem to lessen in number, as did the hazed common ponies of Canterlot. All we needed to do, now, was to find the Night Guard camp Omen spoke of.

We were, presently, in the trashed upper floor of a classy little restaurant; we narrowly escaped a stray patrol of guards on our way inside, and planned to wait and rest until they were gone. Rushing up the stairs, I had approximately ten seconds to pride myself on my quick thinking. How was I to know that we'd find two guards gluttonously ransacking the kitchen right there, right then?

One almost choked on his food when he saw us; the other had the presence of mind to spit before he lifted his spear. They stared at me with the same, deranged grin that the guard at the mansion had shown me. One of them twisted his neck towards Upper and, eyeing Ante, licked his lips. The vampires, to them, seemed non-existent.

If what happened back at the Mental Ward was any indication, Decadence could see and hear what those under her spell did. The rest of the gang would be all over us in minutes. There was no time.

With an eruption of magic that strained my mind, I flung a little round table at the guards. I considered turning around and fleeing the building; the sound of the main entrance bursting open downstairs destroyed that idea.

Being on the upper floor put us at a rather poor position. I couldn't very well tell Upper to jump out the window. The guards before us were getting up, and I heard the ground patrol approaching on the stairs.

But if you've paid any attention to my stories so far, you know that serendipity—and perhaps a certain mare—really does love me. A whistle sounded at the far end of the room. There, on an open terrace that overlooked the street, stood a friend.

"Sparky! Get over here!"

In a flash, a crib with a crying baby materialised out of thin air, just beside the guards. I wondered what Trixie's illusion really hid. Seeing the guards' reaction—jumping voraciously at it only to push themselves away with painful screams—I guessed it to be a hot oven, probably straight out of the kitchen.

With the patrol reaching the top floor, we darted for the terrace. The unexpected appearance of a sizeable table above them gave us a few seconds. A tall building loomed two or three storeys above the terrace, with a broken window just in jumping distance. I recognised the place as the Star Swirl Spectacular: an exhibition for modern and stylish architecture that doubled as a museum. On a better day, I could taste the magic from the next block over. Its namegiver would be proud. Or not.

"At the top," Trixie said. "The garden. Get moving, I'll hold them."

I knew the building to be a bewildering mess of angleless rooms and oddly curved pillars, complete with a properly pretentious roof garden at the top. Now, having become a tangled jungle of its own, it provided a good opportunity to disappear.

"What?!" Upper snapped. "You expect me to jump?"

Omen leaned in, and before Upper realised, he clutched Ante's swaddle between his teeth and snatched him from his mother's hooves. At the moment of Upper's first outraged cry, he jumped; not for the window, but high up, landing smack on the top of the building.

"No," came Trixie's response.

Upper opened her mouth, then disappeared in a flash.

"No, Starbutt," Trixie continued, "you're not getting a lift. Get jumpin'."

Octavia dissolved into mist, and floated gently over to the other side with a gust of wind. I leapt after her; had she not caught my hoof in time, I wouldn't have made it. She pulled me inside, and we cleared the way for Trixie, who hopped in shortly.

"I know I'm amazing," she said. "But stop staring. Upwards!"

The guards behind us, clumsy as they were, had a hard time crossing the gap between the two buildings. Still, with the assistance of wings and enough tries, I knew it'd only be a matter of time before some of them did.

Within the labyrinth of white halls and shimmering magical light, we had to rely on Trixie's guidance to keep ahead. The distorting glass panes and shiny marble tiles that covered everything were enough to disorient anypony, haze or no haze.

It didn't take long to lose sight of the guards; yet in a place such as this, that meant little. Once again I grumbled unsavoury things as regards to whoever built this place, and questioned why one should need a map to get around in a completely purposeless facility. No, stuffing it with the products of self-indulgence that they call "modern art" does not justify such a design.

There were large rooms and small rooms, and the corridors that connected them descended and ascended steeply or otherwise without a single step of stairs. Levels and halls bled into one another seamlessly, and the rapid beating of many running hooves resonated throughout.

As we came into a narrow passage with mirrors for walls, Trixie quite literally bumped into one of the guards. I decided not to question how he managed to get ahead of us.

Then a pair of black hooves burst through the glass on one side, sending the guard through the other.

"Shortcut," Omen said.

The child wasn't with him; I was certain he'd explain in due time. He quickly led us out of the maze and to an ornate ramp that opened to the ceiling. I was almost happy to see the creeping vines that hung from above.

"Get 'em here!"

"Rainy Day, barricade the ramp!"

"And will you shut those kids up?!"

Such were our greetings upon emerging into the roof garden. The canopy was thick and one could scarcely see outside. The flooring was overgrown with some greenish, mosslike substance, and gigantic flowers towered above our heads, to say nothing of the arching trees.

Night Guards—all unicorns, by the looks of it—scurried about the roof, casting spells and exchanging short words. I saw a few of us common unicorns as well, whom I collected to be other Night Shift agents.

The building shook as a tree fell to cover the hole from which we climbed. A red-maned Night Shifter, her horn still glowing, quickly stripped the trunk of its broken twigs and branches and cast them aside.

Under a blooming bush, a dozen or so mares sat with small children of varying ages. One of them was cradling Ante; Upper Crust immediately ran to them when she saw.

Trixie turned to me, wheezing still. "So a city goes to hell, and then you show up shortly. I'm beginning to see a pattern there."

"We fixed Horsmouth, didn't we?" I asked. "Kind of surprised to see you here."

"But we can't blow up the mountain this time, can we? And of course I'm here. The gala's the gala after all. Bit less fun than I imagined." She turned toward the vampires. "Introductions! Who are you two?"

"Friends," Omen said.

Octavia rolled her eyes. "I don't know what I expected."

"Nice names you've got there," Trixie said. "So anyway, you sure took your sweet time getting here."

"We didn't exactly know where we were going," I replied. "But something tells me you know that. You've been watching, haven't you?"

"The wailing of a three-legged guard tipped us off that something might be going on. I've been following you since you left the mansion."

"I'm sorry," Octavia cut in. "You found an injured guard? Is he here?"

Trixie pointed to the side; the guard in question lay still under a tree, and Lyra Heartstrings sat next to her. Her red-stained lab coat was wrapped tightly around the stub of the guard's missing leg. Octavia hurried over without another word.

"You're welcome," Trixie grumbled.

"We could've used the help," I said.

"No, in fact, you couldn't have. You did just fine without me. Getting closer to you would've been more risky than it was worth. Shame you had to screw up at the finish line."

A new, thoroughly displeased voice sounded nearby. "Omen!" Skyglow, the Night Unicorn I'd had the pleasure of meeting down in Containment, trampled closer. "And you, Sparkle! Do you have any idea what you've done? You've led them right to us."

"Wait," Trixie cut in. "You know this guy?"

Skyglow sighed. "Omen's only the oldest fiend in existence. Of course I know him. I never cared for what kind of monster he is, but I do know he's nothing but trouble. Whenever he shows his face, problems are sure to start lining up. He's completely untouchable, too, thanks to our dear Princess Luna's handy-dandy protection program. Chose his name well, I'd say."

"Make no mistake," Omen said, "monumental events do not follow me. You'll find it's quite the other way around. I merely tend to catch the scent earlier than others. I have nothing but the best intentions, of course. When one lives as long as I have, they're bound to make a few connections. I make it my business to know things."

He smirked, exposing his fangs for a moment. I knew him well enough to realise that it was intentional.

"I apologise for not properly introducing myself earlier," he continued. "I do so enjoy a little mystery." He offered Trixie a hoof. "Although, I do not seem to recall your name."

Trixie took his hoof. "I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie."

"Never heard of you," Omen said with a smile.

"Right," Skyglow said. "Now that we're all friends, how about we start preparing for when the guards start tearing this place apart."

"Relax, Glowy," Trixie said, not much to Skyglow's amusement. "They can barely walk and breathe at the same time. I don't think they realise what they can't see even exists. Not much danger there."

"Excuse me for caring for these ponies! There are lives are at stake here, don't you understand that? Not ours. The lives of mothers and children. Right now, what you think is second to what's best for them. Does that concept really elude you?"

"Hey, Trixie!" came Lyra's voice. "Come over here for a minute?"

Skyglow groaned, ground her teeth, then stamped off. Trixie shrugged, and nodded for us to follow her.

"Giving you trouble?" she asked Lyra, prodding the side of the unconscious guard. "Watch out, he might dream you to death."

"Ha-ha. Let me tell you, actually, I think he liked me. Before he passed out and all. I mean, I'm not a mother, and he touched my butt once, so go figure."

"What did you want?" Trixie asked.

"I just wanted to ask you to get the vampire away from me." She took a glance at Octavia, who sat beside the guard, staring at him with a dead, unblinking stare. "She gives me the creeps. Especially after what she did down in Containment."

"Excuse me," I interjected, "what was that about you not being a mother?"

"Well, you know," Lyra replied, pointing at the group by the bush.

"Yes," Trixie said, "I've been meaning to ask you about that, Sparky. See, they came this close to a total containment failure down there, so they sent somepony to fetch me to help with, pardon, containing the mess. Lucky, that, in hindsight, 'cause I wasn't here when the city got blasted."

"Total madness down there," Lyra cut in. "I mean, even compared to what you left behind. Everything, I mean, everything went mad. Most of the Night Guards are still down there, fighting the things."

"And you've seen what happened to everypony in the city," Trixie continued. "Everypony's gone insane. Everypony, save the mothers of young children, the children themselves, and those of us wearing Anti-Magic Rings." She poked her horn.

My attention had been so preoccupied by the destruction of the city that only now did I notice. Indeed, on Trixie's horn rested a familiar horn ring, the same kind I'd seen down in Containment. Lyra wore one as well, and so did the others, Night Guards and Shifters alike. This also went to explain why there were only unicorns among them.

I assumed that the magic-oppressing aura of Containment was created by Princess Luna herself, and the rings were similarly enchanted by her. If they could hold off her magic, then resisting Decadence's haze was not out of the realm of possibility.

Decadence... the moment I thought of her, a heaviness felt to descend on my mind. I can see you. I shuddered.

"Which means," Trixie continued, "that you and your friends here either know something we don't, or you all have a terrible secret. Including the guy."

Octavia bared her fangs. "I found Miss Twilight in similar condition to the rest of the citizens. On a whim, I drained her blood. When she woke up, the effects of the spell seemed to have dissipated."

"It's in the blood, you say?" Lyra asked. "That explains why this here guard became so placid before falling asleep. Lost an awful lot of blood, it's a miracle he's still alive. Hell of a drive."

"Yeah," Octavia said, standing up. "Excuse me."

She turned and walked away. Omen sent us one more smile before going after her.

"I'd ask what's got into her," Lyra said, "but I'm just glad she's gone."

"Anyway," Trixie said, "you let a vampire drain you? And that worked?"

"I wasn't exactly myself at the time," I replied. "And so it would seem, yes."

A shiver ran down my spine; Decadence's eyes were on me, I could tell.

"How delightfully convenient," Trixie responded. "So what do you think is causing this? It's connected to the gala, that's for sure...."

But no. She can't know where I am. If she did, she would be here already. But she's looking for me now. I can't let her find me. If she did, the things she would do... shut her out! Decadence can't find me.

Decadence can't find me.

Somepony patted my shoulder. But there was nopony there.

Boop. Gotcha.

Trixie was still speaking, but her words had become too fast for me to keep up. My stomach turned. I took a deep breath. The air that filled my lungs tasted like rotten fruit. I wiped drool from my lips.

"Twilight?"

Trixie and Lyra gave me concerned looks. I couldn't tell which one of them called my name. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't. I thought I would throw up; I bent over to expel the bile, but nothing came save for heaving groans. Decadence cackled in my ear.

I looked up with a newfound strength and determination. Among the muddled outlines of ponies and vibrant colours, there was a loathsome stench I had to weed out. All I wanted was to enjoy myself, but how could I, breathing the same air as this disgusting filth?

There they were, the mothers and their children. I bolted for them, saying goodbye to the reaching Trixie with a hoof into her face. I couldn't tell why they repulsed me as they did. I had no idea why I hated them. I didn't need a reason.

Another unicorn jumped me, but I pushed him off. I was a second away from the mothers. Oh, how they gripped their children close! I would enjoy tearing them apart.

Then lightning struck my head, or at least it felt like it. I crashed head-first into the moss-grown floor. Skyglow held me down and dragged me away. I didn't care for the mothers any more. Skyglow seemed more repugnant than even them. I struggled to break from her hold. I wanted to crack her skull open and watch the blood flow. Her horn flashed, and lightning struck my head again.

My ears rang. Trixie was there again, her magic holding me down. Skyglow stood above me as well, and the two exchange shouted words. Skyglow reached for her horn, took her ring off, and placed it on mine.

I felt at peace again.

Trixie spat a reddish gob, stepping off me. "Should've seen that coming."

"Should have," Skyglow said, letting go as well. "Nice scare you gave us, Sparkle."

"Sorry." I stood up. "And thank you."

Skyglow rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just be ready if we need you."

"Aye." There was no use in asking what happened; I'd already figured it out on my own. Guess being drained didn't render me immune to the haze after all. I couldn't help but sit right back down. My head was killing me.

"But you're crazy, Skyglow," Trixie said. "Now you're gonna pop any second. We can't keep switching rings every minute."

And the bickering of these two certainly wasn't helping. I was in no shape to force them apart, though; I settled with rubbing the base of my horn gently, waiting for the storm to blow over. I saw that a crowd had—understandably—gathered around us, thanks both to what I did and the ensuing show.

"I won't pop," Skyglow said. She turned to the crowd. "What are you looking at? Get back to work!"

A few sighs and gulps later, the crowd dispersed; only a red-maned unicorn stepped closer. "Ma'am. Scouts just returned. They say guards are on their way here."

She stomped a hoof. "Damn it! Right, Rainy Day, gather the fastest ponies we've got. Send them outside, draw them away, wherever, I don't care."

Rainy Day nodded. "That means you, Trix."

"Oh no," Trixie said. "I'm not going anywhere. Gotta keep an eye on Skyglow here."

"I told you," Skyglow said, "I won't be affected. Go."

Trixie gave Rainy Day a look of disbelief. "Really? Ma'am?" She turned back to Skyglow. "You don't give us orders. I am here to protect the children. From you, if I have to. Sure, you're a big bad bat, congrats on being Luna's favourite pet. But look at what we know. You haven't been drained by a vampire lately, have you? And you don't have a horn ring. And you can't, you know, so right now, you're an active threat."

Skyglow raised a brow, stepping closer to lean right into Trixie's face, her slit pupils expanding innocently. "I can't what, now?"

Trixie took a step back. Skyglow took one forward. "W-well, you know, Night Guards are sterile. You can't be immune."

"That's right. Night Guards can't have children. It stands to reason I wasn't born like this, you imbecile."

"Y-yeah, but—"

"I never intended to tell you this, but you know what? The world's ending, and I'm really, really tired of you, so I might as well. Let me explain why I won't pop. I had a life before I volunteered. I am a mother. My daughter was playing catch with her best friend at their favourite spot, at the foot of Low Hill. Then a loose wagon came speeding down to break her legs, snap her neck and crush her head. Somepony forgot the brakes, you see."

"Look, that's really, well—"

"And I saw the wagon's owner, at the top of the hill, standing there, looking, just... looking. And then she ran, and I couldn't catch her. I swore I would find her. I gave my life up to track her down."

Skyglow took a step back, and looked Trixie over.

"But you've never known anything about that, have you?"

When Skyglow finished, the result was silence. Rainy Day had walked away in the meantime, so that she didn't hear the conversation in full. Or else she pretended to. Trixie stood stunned, mouth slightly open, eyes wide.

"Royal Guards!" yelled somepony.

In the next moment, a pegasus crashed through the dense foliage above. He collided with a tree, then fell at a branch, coming to a momentary stop before sliding off and landing with a graceless tumble. Thorns cluttered his white coat and his hind leg bent the wrong way, yet he dragged himself along the ground, breathing through his gritted teeth. His target was the group of mothers and children, just like it had been mine a moment ago.

Skyglow's kick flipped him on his back. She then planted another hoof in the pit of his stomach, and the collision of his face and the back of her hoof knocked the guard out for good.

"Gather the civilians!" she shouted amidst the ensuing chaos. "Get them away from here!"

Night Guards and Shifters ran in all directions, their eyes on the leaves above. The darkness and the canopy made it impossible to see outside; I could only hope that it also made it impossible to see us. Trixie was still standing motionlessly, staring at where Skyglow had been at the end of her tirade.

"Trixie!" I shoved her, and she fell over without resistance. Only on the ground did she regain her senses. "Move it!"

She shook her head, stood up, and looked up as well. Presently, there were no more unwelcome visitors.

That changed when we heard the hard snapping of wood. The trunk we had used to block the ramp that led to the roof bounced into the air and broke cleanly in two. The roof shook as the halves landed; behind them stood half a dozen Royal Unicorns with glowing horns and frenzied looks.

Mothers screamed and children cried. Several Night Guards ran to stand in the arriving unicorns' way. At the same time, more pegasi fought their way through the leaves, more carefully than the first. They clung to the branches with their tails and wings, scurrying downwards more like insects than equines.

The mothers had been rounded up by now, and a few Night Shifters were pushing them in one direction or another, keeping them away from the royal horde. No use; the only way off is through the ramp and the glowing maze below it. It must be crawling with guards by now.

A pegasus leapt from above at the group. In a flash of light, Trixie appeared next to him in the air. In another, the two landed in the opposite corner of the roof.

I, personally, was forced into the role of an idle observer. My head was still heavy, and my legs were deadened after the long night. My apparent uselessness wasn't lost on our attackers, for I was ignored from the start.

I poked at the eyes of inattentive guards with little twigs I could still lift, and I may have slapped one or two, but it wasn't long before I found myself forced onto the floor by a hoof pressing on the back of my neck. My front hooves were twisted backwards—a little more and they'd have been broken—and held firmly by several guards.

The Night Unicorns used their unique magic to combat the Royals. Their eyes and horns flashed with blinding light, and their enemies fell over with foaming mouths and uncontrollably writhing spines. I recognised this technique as the Pain Whip, said to be a remnant of Luna's power and specific to her Night Guards. The spell produced no traceable symptoms, no physical trauma, for it affected the mind alone. As for what it did do, well, clue's in the name.

This is where reading about obscure magicks takes you, kids: face first in the dirt at the end of the world. Remember to eat your vegetables and hug your parents tonight.

Octavia and Omen fought, too, although not as wolves but simple ponies. Omen was significantly more successful for that reason. Octavia I understood, but I had to ponder why Omen would not take on his canine form. Perhaps the chaos of the battle would have made it hard for him to keep his mind.

The hazed Royal Guards' lack of ability was counterweighted by their sheer numbers. Indeed, our little group could not hold them for long. Casting so many spells in such a rapid succession was taxing even for the best-trained unicorns. While keeping the beasts of Containment in check every hour of every day must be no small feat, with the odds of the battle tipped against us as they were, even the Night Guards proved too weak.

Skyglow fought relentlessly, without a sign of fear. But her magic wore out with time, and soon enough she was on the floor.

One by one we were overwhelmed, held in check by the guards that just wouldn't stop coming. I wondered whether it was the entire city's worth of guard force we had to face up there. Those of us willing to fight were held down, and the helpless mothers surrounded.

The two vampires fought back to back, fending off the unceasing tide. A crazed guard—wilder even than the rest—charged at Omen with his spear thrusting forward, injuring several of his own comrades. Omen was caught unprepared, and he took the spear in his shoulder.

Seeing the opportunity, even more guards piled on him. As Omen reached with his mouth to pull the spear out, another one was driven through his neck. To the vampire, it was all the same. With a quick bite, he snapped off the handle of the spear in his shoulder as he delivered a bone-crushing kick at one of his attackers.

"Sire!" Octavia leapt to protect her maker. In the instant that the guards were distracted, Omen thanked his vampiric daughter by dissolving into mist, fleeing the battle. Before Octavia could do the same, a spear came through her side.

Like a marionette that had all its strings cut at once, Octavia collapsed. A dozen more spears punctured her body. She didn't feel any of it; she was dead the moment the first one impaled her heart.

Trixie was the last to be still moving, and she whisked from one location to another with rapid teleports to stay ahead of her countless pursuers.

A pegasus flew through the air, and either by genius intuition or dumb luck, caught Trixie as she materialised again. They fell to the floor right next to me; I saw Trixie charge yet another spell, but she was cut short by a kick in her face.

Then the roof fell quiet.

The guards did not move. They held us, but they did not hurt us. They passed around exaggerated expressions of dominance, and a croaking giggle sounded from time to time.

There was a loud snap of wood again. A tree twisted and fell off the roof. Every branch above us shuddered, their leaves rustled, and a gust of wind brought more sounds of breaking and tearing.

Flowers' petals were blown away as their stems withered. And the trees did the same, shrinking before dissolving and evaporating into foul air. Even the mossy thing that covered the floor rotted away, leaving only wet, brownish patches scattered on the bare roof.

Soon, the garden was gone; there was nothing left but maggots and dried leaves. Where the canopy had been, now flying pegasi swirled. There's no way out.

But the most frightening thing was the large figure that danced in the sky among the guards, streaking a line of falling petals and glowing in devilish, angelic light. Decadence descended onto the roof with a smile, dragging her red-strained dress along. The Elements of Harmony were still on her vile body, and as their aura wept, their wearer smiled.

"Good evening," she said. "I was wondering where you've all been. Don't you realise there's a party going on? You really shouldn't be hiding here. Come out with me, have some fun."

If I had been in a position to do so, I'd have spat in her face. Alas, I wasn't.

"Are you the cause of all this?" Skyglow asked. A hoof filled her mouth shortly.

"Tsk, tsk. I did not give you permission to speak."

"May I?" I asked. Decadence glanced at me. As my teeth weren't kicked out right there and then, I took my chances and continued. "You're here for me, aren't you? You need the Elements of Harmony to ensure you won't be harmed."

"You've always been a clever filly," she responded. "That's what I like in you. You're not like the rest."

She waved a hoof, and more pegasi descended. They casually walked to the mothers, reaching for their children—each no older than kindergarten age—without speaking a word.

The mares fought, of course; they tried to, anyway, for all it was worth. A few well-directed kicks and bites from the guards ended their struggles soon enough. Upper Crust was the fiercest; with three Royal Guards on her, however, even she could not resist for long.

I'll never forget her scream when Ante Up finally slipped from her grasp, just how I'll never forget the laughter of the guards that followed. My eyes locked with Upper's, for just a moment. I expected a look of contempt, but all I saw was emptiness. Decadence could not stop grinning.

One of the mares near the centre of the group—to whom the guards didn't get before dealing with a few others—simply kissed, in tears, her daughter's forehead before pushing her over to an approaching guard. Decadence squealed in delight at the sight, clapping her hooves in excitement.

"No!" I called out. "No, stop it. Please. Take me!"

"I already am, dear."

"No, I mean..." What am I doing? "I won't resist. I'll go with you. Willingly. No need for guards and spears and—"

She flicked a hoof under my nose. "Oh, stop whining. You can wait a few minutes. Tell you what, if you're patient, I might bake you some cake."

"By the stars, Cadence! You want me, you don't want them. Come on. Take me. Take me!"

Her smile dissolved. Before I could question it, she kicked my cheek with the back of her hoof. "Never say that name in front of me. My name is Decadence."

She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. As her eyes opened again, her smile returned as well, and she bent down to look at me closer.

"Say, what's that?" She put the tip of her hoof on my horn ring. She flinched away as if it burned to touch. "Oh, I see, I see what it is. Luna's toy." She looked the others over. "Take them off!" A guard reached for my ring, but Decadence pushed his hoof away. "No, not Twilight. I actually want to talk to her."

I saw Trixie close her eyes and grit her teeth as a guard went to take her ring off. A faint light radiated from her horn; as the ring was slid onto the tip, she disappeared in a flash. I waited for the metallic clang of the ring hitting the floor. It never came.

She still has it.

Decadence looked up at the circling pegasi. "Find her! And the big guy, too!" And off they went. Decadence sighed. "At least I still have what I came for."

The guards let me go. I wasn't given the opportunity to put my freedom to much use, however; Decadence lifted me with her spell and pulled me close, wrapping her forelegs around me.

"I'm just glad I found you," she whispered.

"You disgust me," I replied.

"Yeah. I feel the same."

She looked in my eyes. First, my legs went limp. Then I went deaf. For a while, I could still see her eyes, but nothing else; then even they were engulfed by blackness.

Then I felt nothing.