Everything was fine… [w/ story]  
It was a peaceful afternoon in Stalliongrad, I was watching TV with Danny while NightSwift was out ‘getting something.’ She didn’t say what it was, and I didn’t bother to ask. Meanwhile, Percy was acting… Really strange. She was going to finish the dishes, but instead she was standing stiffly at the far corner of the room and looking towards the kitchen with wide, nervous eyes. Her hands were clasped together and held close against her chest. I eventually decided to confront her about her behavior, so I sent Danny upstairs to play with Bailey.  
“Hey, Percy, you doing alright?”  
She jumped with a quiet gasp, but then relaxed a bit and turned to face me. She looked awful, her eyes were sunken in and tired. She sighed.  
“Oh, Mel… I haven’t been able to sleep well the past few days. I’ve been so on edge and nervous I can hardly move. I feel like… Like there’s ghosts around that are just waiting ‘till my back is turned.” She shook her head. “I’m just so tired…” She said sadly as head hung low.  
“Well, I’m guessing you’re not referring to Bailey, so do you know what’s causing your paranoia?”  
“No, These paranoia spells happen for me every now and then, but this time I’m too scared to close my eyes to sleep. It’s worse than all the rest combined.” She buried her face into her hands… “I don’t know how much longer I can take before I snap…” She said quietly as she sunk to the floor, on the brink of tears.  
“Hey, hey.” I kneeled down and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It will be okay. Even if we don’t know the cause, I’ll at least try to help you through this any way I can.” I gently pulled her in for a hug. “You don’t have to suffer alone.”  
She rested her head on her knees and sighed. Not a moment later there was a knock on the door, to which she flinched upon hearing it.  
“Calm down, it’s probably just NightSwift… Okay, it’s probably not any better, but you know what I mean. Just try to relax.”  
I opened the door and was greeted by a silver-coated young mare with a rich, reddish brown mane tied in a ponytail and a business suit over her thin frame. Her gentle, sky blue eyes looked at me curiously.  
“Hello, is Nightswift around?” Her voice was earnest, bright, and gave off an adventurous vibe, a lot like someone else I knew…  
I raised an eyebrow. “No, she’s out at the moment. What business do you have with her?”  
“Oh, I guess I beat Mom home.” She turned to look down the street as her wings shifted upon her back. That was when I noticed one of her wings was colored black, while the other was the same silver color as her coat.  
She then faced me. “I don’t think we’ve met.” She offered her hand for a shake. “I’m Emery, but can just call me Eme.”  
Well, I didn’t know what I expected. NightSwift never really told me when she had Emery, but I didn’t think it was that long ago. Yet again, I said before that NightSwift and Blitz had been together long before she even met me.  
Nonetheless, I took her offer. “Nice to finally meet you, Eme. I’m Mel.”  
“Finally? How much have ya heard about me?” She walked in and saw Percy, who was still sat at the corner. “Percy?”  
She looked up wearily, but then brightened up and gave Eme a hug. “Emery! Oh hon, it’s so good to see you again!”  
She blushed. “Erm, I missed you too, Percy.” She hugged her back and then looked back at me. “So Mel, are you training here or are you here to stay?”  
“I stay here, along with my son and old friend.”  
Her smile faded to an expression of serious confusion. “Your… Son…?”  
Percy let go of the hug. “Yes Eme, a lot’s changed since you were at university. Mel is your mother’s girlfriend.”  
She looked shocked. “What!? What about dad?! Mom said he was…” She looked at me as she trailed off. I felt her once gentle eyes methodically judged me with a practiced gaze.  
“…I… Well… Um…” I was unsure how to answer.  
At that moment, NightSwift ran in from the front door. “Eme!”  
She snapped around and leveled her glare at her mother. “You…” She said darkly.  
NightSwift was unmoved and matched her daughter’s look. “Yeah? What about me?”  
“You gave up on him… Didn’t you?”  
Her eyes narrowed. “How dare you say that to me. I fought through the Frozen North to find his grave!”  
Eme wavered, her courage was suddenly shaken. “His grave…?” She said in quiet shock. NightSwift sighed and pulled her shaking daughter in for a hug. Eme didn’t cry… But she looked and sounded like she wanted to.  
After an awkward minute or so, Eme sniffed. “Did… Did he at least go down swinging?”  
NightSwift was also tearing up… She chuckled softly and smiled, nodding. “Hell yeah, he took half a train down with him.”  
Eme laughed softly. “Well, at least there’s that.” She sighed and rested a hand on her forehead. “Fuck, this is so much to take in all at once.”  
They both went upstairs to the locked room that had been a mystery to me for so long. It was Eme’s room. Percy looked over at me, looking even more tired if it were possible.  
I didn’t move much for a while, it was a pretty heavy moment that we just witnessed. Finally, I huffed a long sigh and turned back to Percy. “Alright, well, maybe we can find a cause to your episode. Bailey is pretty sensitive to shadow magic, so she might at least help narrow things down a bit.”  
“Oh, I don’t think it’s shadow magic. Just restlessness, I think… Uhm, I… I think It’s about time I get dinner ready, something special for Eme’s return home.” She pulled out a hanky from her apron pocket and coughed up a sizable amount of a black ooze… “Ugh…” She then made her way towards the kitchen.  
The ooze got me concerned and I went up to fetch Bailey anyway. While she was downstairs, I kept Danny preoccupied with Ju-Ju and made sure they stayed in his bedroom. After a little bit, I heard Percy plead desperately and Bailey shrieking and hissing. I rushed downstairs and saw what was going on. Bailey was pressed against the other end of the kitchen while Percy had NightSwift’s spare pistol aimed at her. Her eyes were shrunken to pinpricks and completely black with black tear streaks on her cheeks.  
“Oh, Jesus Christ.” I muttered.  
She kept her pistol pointed at Bailey. “J-Just leave them alone. Please leave my family alone. Go somewhere else, just please leave them alone! Please, they are all I have left! Leave their bodies alone!!”  
Suddenly NightSwift and Eme bounded down the stairs. “What the fuck is going on?!” NightSwift shouted.  
Percy flinched and hyperventilated, shaking her head in despair. “Not you too, Eme… So that’s it? You got everyone but me? I…” She started to break down but then hardened, again. “NO! You can’t have them! I’ll… I’ll kill them so they won’t suffer!” She cried, very distressed.  
“Percy, it’s all in your head. What you’re seeing isn’t real.” I reassured her.  
“How am I supposed to know?! I trust my eyes, and they have never lied to me! Just leave my family alone.”  
“Family?!” NightSwift said, bewildered. “I thought you hate this place.”  
Percy pant and shook her head. “No…” She began softly. “ I love you all, with every ounce of my soul I do. I want nothing but to serve and help my family grow.” She coughed up icker, hacking before aiming again. “They are all I have left! Armor is gone, mom and dad are gone, my company, even my own name is gone! Please, if you have any speck of mercy in yourself, don’t take my family.”  
Eme and NightSwift blinked, stunned. Even Bailey had gone quiet. After a little bit, I spoke again. “Percy, just put the gun down. You’re letting your paranoia take you over, and it’s messing with your head. Please let us help you.”  
She looked between us all, scared and confused. She then looked at me and slowly shook her head. “I don’t know…” She admitted quietly, her aim slowly lowered.  
I glanced at NightSwift. “Did you know she has these episodes?”  
“Yeah, but nothing like this.”  
“Weird.” Bailey huffed, which got my attention. After a brief moment, I asked NightSwift what Bailey would’ve asked. “Love, is it possible for shadow magic to latch onto someone’s aura like a leech, if that makes any sense?”  
“I think? I just know Percy has too much shadow magic in her.”  
Percy looked worried and pointed the pistol at NightSwift. “Magic doesn’t work like that!”  
NightSwift sighed, closing her eyes. “Yes, Percy, it does. Shadow magic does that.”  
“That’s bullshit and you know it!” I could tell she was struggling to hold the pistol, even with both hands.  
“Percy, just calm down. You can barely even hold the pistol at this point.” I tried to reason with her.  
She was panting, her legs shaking. “N-No…I…” She crumpled to the floor and dispelled large amounts of icker from both hacking and coughing.  
“Careful! Don’t let that gunk get in your mouth!” NightSwift cautioned as Percy laid on her side, holding her gut while the firearm laid nearby.  
I kept my distance along with Eme while Bailey made a beeline for the corner of the kitchen that was the farthest from Percy, growling. NightSwift traced a line across her muzzle and her lips vanished. Not a breath later, she rushed to Percy who was weakly protesting between sobs and wretches. She picked her up and then looked right at me, making direct eye contact.  
“Babe, get a bucket from the garage. Hurry.” Her voice sounded like it was in my head.  
I wasted no time in retrieving the bucket and tossed it to her. Meanwhile, Bailey was involuntarily stretching her neck even when her head was pressed against the ceiling, filling the room with subtle cracking and popping. I noticed Eme was alarmed seeing her like that while NightSwift used her magic to keep the bucket in front of Percy, who was too tired to hold it. She quickly carried her to the bathroom and I followed suit. She placed her on the ground and stripped her of all her clothes while Percy continued to wretch and shake.  
She finally unsealed her mouth as Percy sat in the tub. “Percy. Percy, look at me. Relax. You have got to calm down, your fear is feeding it.”  
She didn’t calm down.  
“Percy! If you don’t calm down, you’re going to drown! Relax, already!”  
She started to panic and the volume of icker she was coughing up was getting worse.  
“NightSwift, yelling isn’t gonna help her.” I told her calmly.  
She started to get upset. “FOR FUCK’S SAKE!”  
I sighed. “What did I just tell you?”  
“She won’t calm down! How about you give it a try?”  
I kneeled next to Percy and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Percy, can you hear still?” I asked in a calm and warm voice.  
Between ragged breaths, she looked over at me and nodded. “Y-Yes… I can.”  
“Alright. I’m gonna need you to calm down, okay?” I gently rubbed her back a little as I kept speaking in the same voice to help her relax. “Try to take deep breaths.”  
She closed her eyes and eased her breathing, nearby I could see NightSwift focusing as well. As I rubbed her back, I could feel her heart hammering away. Her calm breathing was suddenly interrupted by wet coughing and a trickle of black, much less than before.  
“Am…Am I gonna die?” She asked weakly.  
“No, Percy, you’re not going to die. Trust me.” I reassured her as I kept rubbing her back at a smooth and slow pace. “Just focus on the breathing, alright?”  
She nodded and continued to breathe. I noticed with each breath, a steady flow of liquid drained from her mouth. Her heart rate started to slow as her legs and arms relaxed.  
“There we go, nice and slow.” I maintained the calm atmosphere as she was getting drained.  
It took some time, but eventually she was drained out completely and when she opens her eyes, they had returned to normal. She looked so happy that she would’ve wept.  
“Thank you so much, Mel.” She croaked, her throat sore.  
NightSwift stood up and looked into the tub, half full of the black liquid. She simply moved her hand to cast a shadow over the tub and in a split second, the liquid silently rushed into her shadow. Gone.  
“It was no problem. Think you can be able to stand?” I climbed onto my feet and stayed close in case she falls.  
Before she could stand, NightSwift stopped her. “Hold up, Percy. How about you have a nice bath, alright? Don’t worry about any of the chores for today, just take some time to yourself.”  
She sighed and laid back in the tub. “Sounds good to me. Thank you.”  
“Well alright, then.” I headed to the door, but before I could leave, Percy called out.  
“W-Wait, Mel! Could you come back for a minute?”  
“Oh, yeah?” I walked back to her. “What is it?”  
She looked up at me, glad and hopeful, as NightSwift exited. “If uh, it’s not too awkward, do you mind sticking around to talk for a bit?”  
“Oh, sure. I don’t mind.”  
She smiled, then laid back. “Wow… So today sure has been…” She seemed to struggle to think of the word.  
“Interesting.” I finished for her.  
She laughed softly. “That’s for sure! …So, how have you been? I’ve been out of it for at least a week.”  
“I’ve been doing just fine. Not much of anything noteworthy to report.”  
“Oh… Well, that’s good. Better nothing happen then bad, eh?”  
“Yeah, that’s true. Danny was worried sick about you, though.”  
She sighed sadly. “Oh, the poor thing must have been traumatized seeing me like that…”  
“Actually, he wasn’t able to see much. Bailey made sure he couldn’t get a good view of the kitchen, and he ran back upstairs as soon as he saw NightSwift coming up.”  
“Gods, I think I might have lost it if I saw Danny like… Ugh… I’m glad he was spared for seeing that.”  
“Yeah, it would’ve been pretty bad.”  
“Mmm, well, I never asked, but do you have any plans?”  
“Danny wants to see Tay again, so I might take him over to Fillyhammer next weekend. Bailey might come along as well, since Tay wants to meet her. Other than that, I don’t have much else unless NightSwift wants me to tag along for something.”  
She brightened up. “Oh! I grew up in Fillyhammer!”  
“Oh, really? I didn’t know that. What was it like?”  
“It’s very cozy, everyone is very nice and polite. I really liked it there.”  
“It sounds like a nice place. I’ve never been myself, but there’s a first time for everything.”  
“Oh, you’ll love it, I’m sure.” She insisted.  
“I have a feeling I might… If it’s too much to ask… Actually, nevermind that.”  
“What? Ask what?”  
“I really don’t want to pry into your past life if you don’t want to share.”  
“Oh… W-Well, you can ask if you want.”  
“Well, what was it like?”  
She thought for a moment. “Well, it’s peaceful, calm, and friendly. A bunch of fetish and gun clubs are based there.”  
“Oh, I was asking what your life was like.”  
Her smile faded. “…It was nice. I liked it.”  
“…Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”  
“It’s okay, I’ve tried to move on from something I can’t go back to.”  
“I see.”  
“Yeah…”  
“Well, I should probably go introduce Danny to Emery. He would love to meet her.”  
“Alright, good luck! I’ll relax for a bit and start the wash afterwards.”  
“Yeah, God knows you need it.” I exited and headed to Danny’s room.  
After a little bit, Danny and I both went downstairs. He hung back near the stairs while I looked for the other three. I found NightSwift and Eme chatting on the couch while Bailey watched from the corner of the living room.  
“I’m gonna be honest, Love. I expected Emery to be older than Danny, but not by this much.” I confessed as I walked up to them.  
“Well, I did have her a while ago.”  
“You and I have a pretty different sense on how long ‘a while’ is. So, Emery, Percy mentioned you went to university?”  
“Yep! I’m back home for the winter though.”  
“I see. What do you study?”  
“I study Arcane-Technology at Ponyville’s University.”  
Oh wow, that was a very high caliber school. It was taught by Twilight Sparkle AND Starlight Glimmer! Only the best and brightest were allowed to enter.  
“Wow, must be quite the wonder child to have made it there.”  
“Oh yeah!” She said confidently. “I was the fourth highest in my class.”  
“It also helped that your mother did a favor or two when your background check ‘vanished’.” NightSwift teased.  
Eme shot a glare. “You make it sound like I cheated when you phrase it like that.”  
NightSwift only chuckled while Eme shifted her wings.  
“So, why Arcane-Technology? I know that NightSwift shares an interest in it, but why did you take interest?”  
Eme looked confused and NightSwift had an ‘oh shit’ expression. “What? Since when? Anyways, I took it because I find it interesting, but I’m planning on coming back to Stalliongrad’s College to finish my degree on weapon design.”  
“You studied weapon design?”  
“Yeah!” She sat up from the couch, clearly more invested. “I’m already qualified to design firearms, but I wanna complete the Artillery and Naval warfare courses.”  
“Interesting. What kind of weapons have you designed?”  
“Two pistols and a rifle, but my best one was this!” She then drew out an odd-looking small pistol with a long magazine. “The Mk. 3! A full automated pistol!”  
NightSwift looked over, surprised. “What? Eme, do you remember what I told you?” She sounded less than pleased.  
She sighed. “No building weapons ‘till I’m out of school.” She said, resigned, but held the pistol away from NightSwift. “But Mom, I worked so hard on this one!”  
“C’mon, Babe, you can’t say that isn’t impressive. I didn’t even though making an automatic pistol would be possible.” I tried shifting focus to keep things calm.  
“Eme, give me that gun. I’m going to make sure you don’t shoot someone!”  
She jumped up from the couch to keep her prized pistol away. “Mom, stop! I’m an adult! I didn’t even pistol-whip Maji for taking my skirt in the locker room!”  
“Gott hilf mir (God help me)…” I muttered under my breath. Meanwhile, Bailey darted to the hallway to keep Danny distracted.  
Eme turned to me. “Make her stop! I put so much work into this. I had to buy all the parts and did the machining myself.”  
“NightSwift, let her keep the gun. She’s old enough to use it responsibly.”  
“…Oh fine! But you better not hurt ANYONE with that gun. Not a soul.”  
Eme was relieved and stowed the pistol into her hip holster. “Thanks!” She said to me.  
After that moment, Bailey peeked in through the doorway at me. “Yes, they’re done.” I told her and she walked in, accidentally hitting her head against the ceiling.  
That made Eme jump a little bit, surprised and still slightly unnerved by Bailey’s appearance.  
“Oh, right. Emery, this is Bailey. She may look scary, but she’s very sweet.” I told her.  
Bailey offered a friendly smile and a hand for a shake, her clawed hand about twice the size of Eme’s. Eme looked at Bailey’s hand, then back up at her. She was apprehensive, then slowly accepted the handshake. When they shook hands, she could see Bailey is friendly and offered a nervous smile, though she still found her unnerving and opened her wings just a bit. That one wing was pure black, almost like a raven’s wing.  
“How come your wings are different colors?” I asked her.  
“Huh? Oh, it’s my Guardian mark.” She said as she gave her wings a flap. They were kind of stubby, but fluffy. At least big enough to pull around herself like a blanket.  
“When did you become an agent?”  
“When I was born.”  
“Interesting. I didn’t know agents could be born.” Danny rushed in and hid behind me.  
“Technically, they aren’t supposed to.” She then looked towards Danny. “I take it that’s your son?”  
“Yup, his name’s Danny.” Danny came out from behind me just a little bit to look at Eme.  
She looked back and then offered a smile, squatting down to his height. “Hey there, Danny. I’m Emery, but you can call me Eme.”  
“Are you Crazy Mom’s daughter?” He asked as he stepped out a little more.  
She nodded. “Yep, her one and only.”  
“Cool!” He grew more excited as he started to warm up to her.  
“Hehe, nice to meet ya, Danny.”  
“He’s been eager to meet you ever since I told him about you.” I said as I ruffled his mane.  
“Ah, so you already know about me?”  
Danny nodded. “Mom told me all she knew.”  
“Figured as much. So Danny, what do you like to do?”  
“I like to play a lot.”  
“Really? Like what?”  
“Well, I play a lot of games with Maid Mom, I like playing fetch with Ju-Ju. Bailey’s really good at Hide-and-Seek.”  
“Ju-Ju? Did mom get a dog while I was away, too?”  
“I’m not sure what Ju-Ju is. He kind of looks and acts like a dog, though.”  
She had a look of realization. “Ah, I have a feeling that… Anyways.”  
He looked a little confused. “What?”  
“It’s no big deal. So I guess we’re siblings now, huh?”  
“I guess so. I thought Mom and Crazy Mom would have to get married, first.”  
“Knowing her she’s not even gonna think about that for a while. So yeah, I’ll say we’re siblings.”  
“Cool!”  
While they talked, I headed upstairs and into the bedroom. I didn’t know why Eme’s words bothered me that much. I mean, I knew marriage would be the last thing NightSwift would want to think about, especially since the death of her former husband was still fresh on her mind. Yet, I was still… Disappointed, and upset. I was caught off-guard when I found NightSwift laying on her side of the bed and looking at the ceiling while smoking a cigarette.  
“Oh, I thought you were still downstairs.”  
“I was… But I came up while you and Eme were talking.”  
“I see.” I walked over and sat on the edge of my side of the bed. “Can you pass me a cigarette?”  
“Mm hm.”  
I lit up the cigarette she gave me and took a long, drawn-out puff as I looked out the window. The streets were clear of snow and ice thanks to the city’s maintenance drones clearing show off everywhere. The skyline was its usual drab grays of smoke and industrial concrete, along with soot-tinted billboards and buildings that were too high for most drones to reach.  
I stared at the scenery for a bit before speaking. “Babe?”  
“Da (Yes)?”  
I glanced over at a drawer on the nightstand next to me, one that held the very ring I was planning to propose with. “Have you ever thought about re-marriage?”  
She sighed, letting her smokey breath float out. “Hm… I’m…” She paused to carefully choose her words. “I haven’t, I’ve mostly been trying to get to know you more intimately and get a feel to see if we really can make this work.”  
It was a response I expected, but it still stung for some inexplicable reason.  
“Alright.” I looked back out the window and took a deep breath through the cigarette.  
The light purple smoke hung in the air, slowly dissipating as my eyes peered into the distance. From there I could see the Factory 66 staging yard, where a dozen or so tank ponies took turns sparring each other. I put my cigarette out after a little while and got up, stretching.  
“I’m gonna get a drink.” I said as I walked to the door.  
She sat up. “Babe, just because I don’t want to marry right now does not mean I don’t care about you.” She got up from the bed to look at me with a kind smile. “I still think the world of you, don’t forget that.”  
“I know that, it’s just…” I sighed. “I don’t know what I expected, really. We haven’t been together long enough for marriage to even be a consideration.”  
“It’s just what? What’s wrong?” She asked gently.  
“I just don’t want to feel like a waste of space, or that I just tie you down whenever you’re around me. I’ll admit that I feel like I have to make this worthwhile for you because I don’t want you to regret choosing me over your-” I stopped, realizing the poor choice of words. “I-I meant I don’t want you to feel like you made a mistake giving me a chance!”  
She groaned, frustrated. Oh no… “Mel, how many times do we have to go over this!? If I didn’t want you, why would I go the lengths I do to keep you in my life? You DON’T have to prove a damn thing to me.” She gripped my arms tightly, her soul-piercing eyes shooting a serious look into my own gaze. “I mean it when I say I love you, but damn it Mel, what do I have to do to get you to trust me?!”  
She sounded upset and… Desperate. Her eyes almost seemed to be frantically searching within me to find an answer that would put all the fear and paranoia in our relationship to rest, to end the worry once and for all. I was terrified, almost to the brink of tears. Somehow seeing her that upset was even more scary than my previous fears of getting her mad. The initial shock eventually washed over me and I let my head hung with a sigh.  
“I-I don’t know…” I finally uttered in defeat.  
She sighed and brought me in for a hug, rubbing my back. “That makes two of us, then.” She replied softly.  
I held her as close as I could, nearly shaking. “I’m sorry…”  
“Don’t be. Just know that I love you and you don’t have to prove anything to me.”  
“I love you, too…”  
I managed to calm down after a little while and I sniffed a bit. She continued to stroke and rub my back and shoulders, which caused me to let a soft sigh exhale through my faintly-smiling lips. It felt like we held each other for hours before we finally let go and headed back downstairs.  
…  
That night, I couldn’t sleep. My mind was racing over new fears from earlier, new scenarios and possibilities that ended in the most horrible ways. Goddammit, I should’ve been over that kind of shit, yet there I was. Laid on the bed while my mind went absolutely crazy. I didn’t bother going downstairs for a drink. NightSwift may have been a heavy sleeper, but she seemed to always know when something was up. I didn’t want her to suspect anything, and I especially didn’t want her to have to go over the same shit and get frustrated again, or worse…  
Finally, I took the ring out of the drawer. It was a plain silver ring dotted with obsidian, a small blue pearl sat on the center of it. I think I only spent 15 bits on it, which was a lot when I was still out on the streets. It was really important to me, but I needed to get the idea of marriage out of my mind when NightSwift wasn’t even thinking about it. Besides, I believed I would afford a better ring by the time she starts to consider it. I just hoped Percy wouldn’t notice it when she takes out the trash…  
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A bit of a story that started out as a short plot idea by billy2345  
Story co-written by billy2345 and myself.  
NightSwift, Percy, Emery, and Ju-Ju @ billy2345  
Mel, Danny, and Bailey @ me