Today's Horoscope (Virgo): Today will be a day of transition for you. Everything you think you know will be tested and proven false.
Early Morning
Today is my birthday.
My phone is beeping. I have messages on Canterbook.
Happy Birthday from Canterbook!
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Don't forget, big party for your birthday after school!
Hey, happy birthday!
Happy birthday, Flash!
Hope you have a splendid birthday!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday, Flash! We'll be seeing you at the party later!
I send replies thanking everyone for their birthday wishes, then check the horoscope app. Today's horoscope is strange and daunting.
The horoscope app is blinking, and I remember that there is a special birthday horoscope feature. I tap the blinking icon and a new horoscope appears.
Birthday Horoscope (Virgo): You are going to die today.
I nearly drop my phone in shock. What kind of sick joke is this?
I go through my morning routine, all the while thinking about that horoscope. It really bothers me, and I think I should probably report this to the principal. Telling someone they're going to die...that's just sick!
When I walk into the dining room for breakfast, everybody wishes me happy birthday in person. Pinkie has a special breakfast laid out: waffles with maple syrup and whipped cream, sausage patties, fresh strawberries, and orange juice. I sit down and have breakfast with my friends, trying not to think about that bizarre horoscope.
"So, Flash," Pinkie says, "when you come back to the dorm after school, I need you to stay up in your room until I come get you. I'm gonna need time to set up the party, and everyone else is either gonna be helping me or shopping for a birthday gift for you."
"Uhh...okay, sure," I say. "I guess I'll get my guitar practice for the day in before the party."
"And homework!" Twilight says. "Don't forget your homework!" Everyone laughs.
"What would you like for your birthday, Flash?" Rarity asks.
"Oh, don't go to any trouble on my account," I say. "Really. Just the party and having...having friends to celebrate with me is enough."
"Oh nonsense, darling!" Rarity says with an airy wave of her hand. "It's no trouble at all, really. Well, I suppose we'll just have to surprise you."
Once again, I head out with Twilight after breakfast as she walks Spike. She seems pensive. "I did a little research online before I went to bed last night," she says.
"Yeah?"
She looks down. "I learned that Tarot isn't just about phony fortune-telling. It's also about symbolism. The Major Arcana are representations of a person's journey through life." She gives Spike's leash a subtle tug, pulling him away from the sidewalk and back into the grass. "For example, the Fool card represents—"
"The beginning of the journey," I say. "Innocence and the potential for growth and change."
"Oh, you've already read your book?"
I shake my head. "No...I just...heard that somewhere." I watch Spike sniff at an anthill. "I was too tired last night to get into the Tarot stuff."
"Oh, okay." Twilight pulls Spike away from the anthill. "And the Death card...it doesn't always mean literal death. It can mean change, or loss, or..." She trails off. "Well, it should all be in that book you got."
As she falls silent, I decide to confide in her about the strange horoscope I received. "So, you know that horoscope app on Canterbook?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, today I checked my birthday horoscope." I pull out my phone. "It...it's...weird." I pull up the app, and show it to Twilight.
Her eyes widen in horror. "That's...that's really not okay," she says. "You should show that to Principal Celestia. That kind of thing is totally inappropriate!" She smiles at me. "Don't let it get to you. Today's your birthday, you should enjoy it!"
I decide to find Principal Celestia and show her the horoscope when I get to school.
Morning
During the break between second and third periods, I head for the principal's office. As I walk, I take out my phone, open Canterbook, and pull up the horoscope app.
This app is currently down for maintenance.
"Huh. Wonder if somebody already reported it." Without the evidence of the strange horoscope, there's no longer any reason for me to visit the principal, so I head to class.
Besides, Principal Celestia probably already found out. That's probably why the horoscope app is down.
After School
As soon as I get back to the dorm, I'm ushered upstairs by Pinkie Pie, who reminds me I'm not to come down until she fetches me. It's still only the first week of school, so homework still isn't taking very long. I finish it up quickly, then start practicing my guitar.
I've been at it for about an hour and a half when Pinkie comes up. "Are you ready to party?" she asks.
I smile and set my guitar aside. "Lead the way!"
The dining room is once against festooned with streamers and balloons, as well as a banner that says "Happy Birthday Flash!" The decor has spilled over to the lounge as well. There are wrapped presents piled up on the coffee table, and a number of folding tray tables have been set up. A Mexican buffet has been set up: there are tacos, nachos, and taquitos lined up in paper trays, with bowls and bottles of toppings such as cheese sauce, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and salsa. There are big bowls of chips and snack mix, as well as a bowl of colorful candy-coated N&Ns, and Supperware containers full of carrot sticks and apple slices. There's a cooler of drinks sitting on two chairs. At the very center of the table, there's a big rectangle cake with lavender icing, with violet decorator frosting around...the...edges...
Oh, ha ha, Pinkie. Very funny.
"Happy Birthday Flash" is written on it in pink icing, and there are sixteen candles.
All the girls are here, as is Cadance, and they're all wearing shiny paper party hats. Everyone applauds as I walk in, and Pinkie puts a party hat on my head.
"Okay everyone, help yourselves to whatever, then head for the lounge!" Cadance says as she grabs a paper plate and piles it with apples, snack mix, and candies. I fix myself two tacos, some nachos, and a drink, then head for the lounge.
Once everyone's sitting in the lounge and has a tray table to put their food on, Pinkie hands me one of the presents. "This one's from me!" she says. The wrapping paper is bright, shiny pink foil. I tear into it; the box inside contains three manga I've never heard of and five small boxes of different kinds of candy.
"I figure everybody loves candy, and those are some really good manga," she says.
"Thanks, Pinkie," I say with a smile.
"Ooh, here's one from Twilight!" Pinkie says, handing me another package. This one is irregularly-shaped and a bit lumpy. I give Twilight a quizzical smile as I open it.
Inside is a dark grey windbreaker with two horizontal stripes across the middle: one white, one red.
Twilight ducks her head. "A couple of us snuck into your room while you were in the shower this morning and took a look in your closet. I noticed you didn't have a jacket. It's only a few weeks until it starts getting cooler, so..."
"Wow. Thanks, Twilight." I examine the jacket. It looks like a perfect fit. I stand up and try it on.
"Oh, it looks quite good on you," Rarity says.
"Do you like it?" Twilight asks.
"I love it," I say. I take it off and carefully fold it up, laying it down out of the way so it won't get anything spilled on it.
"That was a very thoughtful gift," Cadance says with a smile.
The next present, from Rarity, is a very expensive black silk shirt. "I couldn't quite swing some matching slacks this time," she says apologetically. "Still, I thought it would be nice for you to have something a little...dressy. Just in case."
"Thank you. Wow, this is nice."
Rainbow Dash got me a set of three Daring Do movies. Fluttershy's gift is a reusable metal water bottle with a belt strap. Applejack's gift is a book of guitar tabs for popular country hits. "Y'know, just in case you ever wanna play somethin' a mite different," she says. She also gave me a huge bag of dried, spiced apple slices and a belt buckle with my initials, so the guitar tabs must've been her idea of a gag gift.
Last up is Cadance, who gives me a suite of mixing software for my laptop. "I've heard you playing and I think you should record yourself sometime," she says.
"Wow, this is awesome," I say. "Thank you."
"There's one more present, but it'll have to wait until after cake!" Cadance says.
"One more? Who from?"
Cadance smiles. "Your parents."
There's a lot of food to eat and nobody wants it to go bad, so we spend the next hour or so stuffing our faces and talking and watching television and having a good time. Pinkie declares it's time to light the candles and cut the cake. We all migrate to the dining room, where Cadance dims the lights while Pinkie lights the candles. The girls all sing "Happy Birthday" to me. After I blow out the candles, Cadance turns the lights back on as everyone claps.
As Pinkie starts cutting the cake, Twilight shoots her a frown. "Uhh...Pinkie..."
"Yeah, Twilight?"
"I can't help but notice that the cake...well..."
I cough. "Ahem. I'm sure it never crossed her mind..."
"Wow, Twilight! I have no idea what you could possibly mean!" Pinkie says, trying and failing to sound innocent while covering her mouth with a hand.
Cadance blinks. "What?" Then she takes a second look at the cake. "Oh. Oh my."
Applejack raises an eyebrow. "Real subtle there, Pinkie Pie."
Fluttershy looks around at the others. "What? I don't...what's everybody talking about? Oh, am I missing something again? Oh, I just know I should know what's going on..."
"Flash wants to 'eat' Twilight," Rainbow says with a shit-eating grin.
I facepalm.
"Rainbow Dash! Honestly!" Rarity says. However, she can't entirely suppress the giggle that's threatening to escape.
I grab a fork from the table, using it to cut off a large bite of the cake. I walk over to Rainbow and shove the fork into her mouth.
Rarity loses it and doubles over laughing.
"Oh-KAAAAY," Pinkie says, giggling as she cuts the cake and places a piece on a paper plate for each of us.
I sit down next to Twilight, whose face is beet red. "So, uh...how mad are you?"
"I'm not mad," she says. "Well, maybe at Rainbow Dash. Pinkie's little 'prank' is embarrassing, but I don't think she meant any harm by it."
Cadance sits down on Twilight's other side. She leans in close. "Is there something I should know about?" she asks.
"I've been hanging out with Twilight a lot this week," I say. "Walking Spike with her, going to the bookstore, sitting with her at lunch." I take a bite of cake, then continue, "I do have a crush on her. I told her that straight out the other day."
Twilight's blushing even harder now. "We're really just friends," she says. "I mean, I could...maybe...when I get to know Flash better. We haven't even known each other a week yet, and you know I don't really have many friends. I'm not...ready for a..." She ducks her head. "A boyfriend. Yet."
A twinkle enters Cadance's eyes, and she smiles in a way that scares me a little bit. "And the others are egging the two of you on?"
I look at the cake in front of me. "You could say that."
"Don't tell Shining Armor any of this, okay?" Twilight asks. "I don't want him acting all...big brothery."
"I won't say anything to Shining," Cadance says. "But I expect you to. When you're ready. You know, if something does happen."
There's a knowing look in her eye.
A little bit later, once everyone's had their fill of cake, Cadance leaves to get my present from my folks. The rest of us start cleaning up some of the mess, then head for the lounge.
Five minutes later, Cadance returns. "It...isn't wrapped," she wheezes. I turn, and I can't believe what I'm seeing.
"Oh, wooooooooow," Pinkie says.
It's a brand new candy apple red electric guitar, complete with a compact amp. She sets the guitar and amp down, then ducks back outside and returns with a gig bag and a medium-sized box. "The other stuff that goes with this is all in the box," she says. She drops heavily into one of the recliners. "Now, don't play it too loud, and no playing at night," she warns. "Well, except tonight. Or if the girls all want you to play. But keep it at a reasonable volume."
"Sure thing," I say. I pull out my phone, e-mail my folks a quick thanks, then hurry over to start setting up the guitar. The box has the amp cable, a whammy bar, and a wah pedal, as well as a box of picks. I tune up the guitar, then spend the next hour breaking it in while the girls listen, talk, and finish off the rest of the food.
Evening
By the time the party winds down, it's almost eleven at night. Twilight helps me carry my presents up to my room. She stands right outside the door, digging a toe into the floor and wringing her hands in front of her. "Well...goodnight, Flash. See you in the morning. Happy birthday...again."
"Thanks," I say. "Goodnight, Twilight."
She heads down the hall. I watch her until she reaches the stairs, then I close the door. I look over all the awesome stuff I got—especially my brand new guitar—and sigh contentedly. This was a pretty awesome birthday.
I put up my new stuff, then turn down the bed. I'm tired from partying so hard on top of a full day of school.
I'm just about to start undressing when my phone chimes. I pull it out and look at the screen.
A new app is available.
On the main screen of Canterbook, I see that to the left of the horoscope app, which seems to be working again, there's a new tile:
I've seen this before, of course. It's a Zodiac wheel. Is this a new horoscope app?
Whatever it is, I'm too tired to worry about it right now. I exit out of Canterbook...
...Canterbook won't let me exit!
The Zodiac tile begins glowing. The Zodiac wheel starts to spin. The wedge for Virgo starts flashing red.
A wave of dizziness washes over me...
Zodiac
I'm in my room at the dorm, but everything looks wrong.
All the color has drained from the world around me. Everything is in shades of dark red and black. The usual noises of Canterlot are absent. There's a still, oppressive hush of white noise. It surrounds and pervades me.
A string of glowing text floats across the surface of my bed:
Did you see him hanging out with Twilight Sparkle? OMGLOL
It's almost immediately followed by another, which travels along the ceiling:
Loser's living in a girls' dorm, bet he's a fag
What the hell?!
Dude's so lucky, bet he gets so much pussy
All over my room, these glowing lines of text are floating and crawling all over the place. They're all terribly mean-spirited and cruel.
I open my bedroom door and head out into the hall. Even the hall is red and black, with nasty glowing words running around. I rush down the stairs to the second floor. I swore I'd stay off the girls' floor, but this is an emergency. I start pounding on doors and yelling. There's no response. All I can hear is the rush of white noise.
It takes me a minute to realize the text here is different. Shorter, more pointed phrases are hovering over each of the girls' doors.
Dyke
Prissy bitch
Crybaby
OMG so annoying
Inbred hick
Loser nerd
I run for the stairs, headed down to the first floor. I've got to get to Cadance. This is completely freaking me out.
The walkway that connects the dorm to the manager's apartment is past the dining room. I throw open the door and run down the short walkway, hammering on the apartment door. Once again, there's glowing text crawling across the door.
What a dork
I heard he was a total loser in high school.
What does she even see in him?
She's a total slut
I hear she sucks every dick she sees
There's no answer. I run back into the dorm. My heart is pounding. I can't breathe. I lean against the wall just inside the door.
"Flash?!"
Cadance has just come up the walk. Her hair is a wet mess, and she's clutching a bathrobe around her body. Her eyes are wide and fearful.
"Nurse Cadance!" I yell. "I need help! I...I think I'm going crazy! Something's...something's wrong..."
"You need to get back upstairs!" she cries, looking around in terror. "Oh God..."
I notice her eyes are following the glowing text. "You...you see it too?"
Cadance turns and starts to run back to her apartment, but a red and black wall appears in her path, blocking her. "No!" she screams. "My phone! I can't—!"
"I've got my phone," I say. "Do you want me to call the police?"
"No, it's not..." She stops, puts a hand on her chest, and takes a deep breath. "Get upstairs. Hurry. It isn't safe to be here."
We run for the stairs. Another red and black wall springs up in front of the stairs before we can reach them.
Cadance presses her back against the wall behind her. "We're...we're trapped..."
"Bullshit!" I grab her hand and run for the front doors, throwing my weight against them. They burst open, and we topple out into the night.
The sky is a miasma of dark red and black. There is no wind, no moon, no stars. Everything is dark, except for the lines of glowing text which are floating freely in the dead, silent air.
"We shouldn't be out here!" Cadance cries. She turns and tries to run back into the dorm...
The door is blocked.
A low moaning fills the silent void.
"It's coming," Cadance whispers.
A patch of shadow writhes on the front walk. It stretches upward, dripping motes of blackness as it takes shape.
"The...HELL?!"
A figure towers above us. It's pitch black and shaped like a woman. A nude woman, but with no discernible..."features"...and an iron belt with a heavy padlock strapped over her hips and crotch. Heavy iron chains trail from this belt, attached to spikes driven into the ground. The left half of her face is concealed by a bright white mask with an empty black eye socket. The right half of her face shows a curved smile painted bright red; her right eye is milky white. Bright red blood flows from both her right eye and the eye socket of her mask, as though she is crying blood. A curtain of coppery red hair cascades down her back, pooling around her feet. The symbol for Virgo has been carved into her left breast.
"It's Virgo," Cadance says shakily. "The Virgin."
This can't be real. This has to be a nightmare.
"What...what's going on here?"
"It's a Shadow," Cadance says. "We're inside its world...we're inside Zodiac." Her eyes never leave the...whatever that thing is. She looks terrified.
I can't say I'm feeling very calm right now myself.
Strike Attack
The monster's arms turn into inky, shadowy whips, which lash out at me. I cross my arms over my face, feeling the biting sting of those whips against them.
"RUN!" Cadance yells.
I break left, trying to run off into the trees where Spike likes to do his business. I hear the rattling of chains behind me.
Cadance screams.
I turn back around, staring in horror. The monster has grabbed Cadance by the neck and is holding her up, choking her.
No...!
I pick up a rock and run back toward Cadance and the monster. I hurl the rock as hard as I can. It strikes the monster right in the head; she turns and stares at me with those empty, bleeding eyes. She releases Cadance, who slumps to the ground, massaging her abused throat.
Strike Attack
The monster's arms lash out again. Before I can move, she's grabbed me around the ankles. The world spins around me as I'm whipped through the air and slammed into the front wall of the dorm. Stars explode in my vision. I fall to the ground.
The monster's arms have retracted; she raises her right hand above her head and lets out a feminine grunt. The tang of ozone fills the air, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Zio
I feel a jolt...like static electricity times a thousand. My entire body goes numb. I try to stand up, but I end up flat on my face.
I don't know what's going on here. I don't know if this is real or if it's a dream. All I know is...
My horoscope was right. I'm going to die. I'm going to die, and then Cadance is going to die, and nobody will ever know what killed us.
I'll never see the smiling faces of my new friends again. I'll never sit down to breakfast with them. I'll never see my parents again. I'll never play my guitar again.
I'm Flash Sentry, sixteen years old, a junior at Canterlot High School, born and raised in Seaddle. Today is my birthday. Today I'm going to die.
The air around me begins to crackle.
I feel a pressure in my head...like something's trying to get out...
My phone starts chiming insistently.
Somehow, reaching my phone seems to be the most important thing in the world right now. More important than this impossible thing which is about to kill me, more important than the indescribable pain I'm feeling.
Somehow, I'm able to pull my phone out of my pocket. There's an image on the screen:
I've seen this before...
In the Velvet Room...
On the back of a card...
The pressure in my head is building. Something is screaming at me from inside my own mind.
A single word...over and over again...
"Per...so..."
I reach out and, just as the tingle of static electricity crawls across the back of my neck again, tap the screen on my phone.
The image on the screen explodes into fragments of blue light, and suddenly the pressure in my head is gone. The sensation of being shocked is gone. I'm able to push myself to my hands and knees, but only just barely.
I look up...and up...and nearly fall to the ground again.
Some...thing...is standing in front of me. It looks like a centaur, but...
Its body is a mix of shining gold and pale flesh. Its gold hooves are connected to its body by mechanical pistons and joints. Broad wings flare from the shoulders of its human torso, ending in massive feathers that look more like sharp blades. A gold helmet with a deep blue crest rests upon its head; pointed equine ears poke up around the crest of the helm. It's holding a funky-looking blazing axe. A cape which covers its horse half flutters in a nonexistent breeze. There's a coat of arms emblazoned across the cape...a blue shield with a stylized yellow lightning bolt.
It turns its head to look at me, and I feel like my brain is going to explode. Apart from its glowing eyes, its face looks...looks like I might look if I were some kind of cyborg horse...man...thing.
Thou art I... and I am Thou. From the sea of thy soul, I come...
What...?
I am the hunter, the bard, the reader of the stars...I am Chiron, come to lend thee my strength...
The monster...no...the Shadow...screams shrilly, her hair fanning out behind her. Chiron turns and paws the ground with a hoof, bringing his axe to bear.
Cleave
With a snort, he charges; the blade of his axe flares brightly. He gallops past the Shadow, slashing her torso with the burning blade.
Zio
She screeches; arcs of electricity pop, snap, and arc over Chiron's body. I feel the faint tingling of static as I watch.
Single Shot
Chiron slings his axe across his back and holds his left arm out; a bow appears in his hand. He draws back the string with his right hand as a glowing arrow forms out of nothing. He looses the arrow, which strikes the Shadow directly in her mask. She staggers, hands clasped over her face.
Sonic Punch
Chiron's bow vanishes, and he charges the Shadow full-force, tackling her with his massive body. The chains holding her down snap and she falls to the ground.
Cleave
Chiron unslings his axe and buries the blade in what I assume to be the Shadow's heart. With a final, ghastly scream, she explodes into boiling darkness, then fades into nothingness.
Chiron regards me with calm, steady eyes. He bows once, then fades out of existence. My phone goes dark.
The glowing text winks out, and slowly, the colors and sounds of the world return.
Cadance walks toward me, her eyes wide and her face pale. "Flash?" she asks.
I try to say something...I try to stand up...
But I can't.
The last thing I see is the ground rushing up to meet me.