Your death is killing me, day after day.  

Blue irises stared back at two separate pairs of green. Maya had but a second to open her mouth, about to ask about the two newcomers, before she was silenced by a crushing hug. 

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! I finally get to meet her! Hershey has told us so much about you!" Maya could only grunt in the crushing embrace as the pony slowly but surely squeezed the life out of her very being.

This is how i die, she thought. Sorry Hershey, Summer, you're on you're own. I'm dead. Truly dying. 

"Lilac! Let her go!" an angelic voice called. "She looks like she's being suffocated!" Thank the moon someone noticed. 

Today was the day Hershey and her other pony friends left for the fair, or whatever it was called. Maya didn't really know, or care, if she wasn't going herself. The morning had started out badly for Maya, waking up from that nightmare and Hershey's method of waking her from it. They had started the fire and had hot chocolate, Maya dozing off a few times on the couch with Hershey petting her head to keep her calm. She wasn't very fond of being pet like a pup after just promising herself she would put on a stronger front. She was still rattled though, her heartbeat still raised, her brain still jumbled, at that point she just never wanted Hershey to stop petting her. 

Eventually she just fell asleep and woke up probably not too long later since it was still dark outside the sliding window door, with an also asleep Hershey and a big, thick blue blanket thrown over them. The fire had been brought down to just hot coals and the last of their hot chocolate had gone cold and forgotten. She had snuggled into the blanket, breathing deeply and expecting to breathe in Hershey's sweet scent, but was instead hit with a different one altogether.

Faint, barely there, but it stuck to the entire blanket no matter where she sniffed. A male, from the slight musk she scented. A male pony? This blanket left her totally confused, but the scent was also comforting. It smelled strong, in the emotional sense, and felt safe. She easily fell asleep again in that scent.

When she woke up again it was morning, Hershey was gone and a different blanket was covering her, the dark green blanket from when she was sitting outside in the snow just the day before. 

She was suspicious at first, and even felt like looking for that safe scent, but it was faint, practically nonexistent, and she suspected it was in Hershey's room. She didn't want to go in there just yet, the door felt cold when she got near it. Cold, sad, scared. That room...

When she had gotten up, Hershey had made breakfast, they talked about dreams they had had in the past, Hershey probably knew Maya didn't want to talk about it, and then Hershey gave her another bath and tied up her hair in her bow. The bath was different this time, the tub being filled over the brim with bubbles that Hershey played with them more than Maya did. Although she did try to bite at some as they floated by.

So a few hours later it was noon and there was a knock on the door which brought them to now, a bunch of colorful equines gathered around a much too small foyer with Maya being suffocated and saved by an angel sent from the moon itself to resurrect her. 

"Put her down!" Maya was finally released and fell to the floor on wobbly hooves, gasping for oxygen. She felt her lungs strain against her rib cage as she gulped in mouthfulls of air. 

"Woopsie..." Maya finally looked up at her attacker and scrutinized them with a glare. It was a female with a lavender coat that, unlike Hershey and Summer, didn't have wings or a horn. She was like Maya, just a simple earth pony. Her mane and tail were a darker purple and long and wavy in texture. Her eyes seemed to switch from yellow-green to vibrant neon green as she tilted her head and smiled brightly at her. 

"I'm sorry about that! I hope I didn't injure you any more than you already have been! I was just so ecstatic to meet you since Hershey seems to be fond of you and helped along with your healing! There are also other things I'm interested to find out like your memory loss and how you got your injuries and-" she was abruptly cut off from a loud cough from Summer who was behind the rambling mare. Her face was morphed into a more annoyed expression than her usual thoughtful or concentrated look.

"Can we get by you and into the apartment or are the neighbors going to need to deal with more of your awful ramblings?" Summer asked sarcastically, the other pony next to her shifting on her hooves nervously. The excitable pony laughed and started pushing Maya into the living room, Maya stumbling backward and still woozy from the earlier greeting. 

"Another woopsie! Sorry Summer," the pony said. She pushed the disoriented Maya onto the couch and sat next to her while Summer and the other pony filed into the room and sat across from them behind the coffee table. The lavender pony thrust a hoof at her and smiled brightly. 

"Sorry again for the death hug! My name is Lilac Phosphate, Hershey's friend for as long as she can remember!" Maya tilted her head and looked down at the hoof. What was this pony expecting her to do with that? 

Rebecca saved her the trouble of embarrassment by reaching out and touching the bottom of their hooves together and shaking them violently, but it was a short gesture. Is this some sort of greeting for ponies...? she thought.

"My names Maya..." she said in return and Lilac scoffed.

"Pfft I know that silly! Like I said Hershey has told us a lot about you!" She waved a hoof as if to dismiss her.

"Us?" Maya asked. Lilac laughed and gestured to the pony sitting next to Summer who was looking a little more annoyed than before. 

"Seriously my manners must of left on vacation! This is Kylie Sparks, Summer's partner at their work!" Maya finally looked at the new pony and was struck still as the pony's vibrant green eyes hesitantly stared back at her. This pony was a unicorn like Summer with messy, pale, golden hair and a pure white coat. All attention, though, was drawn to her electrifying, almost glowing green eyes. It was beautiful, yet also frightening in a way. 

Kylie's eyes may have been piercing in color but they were expressed softly and Maya could smell her submissiveness from where she was sitting. She looked up at her and shifted where she was sitting. 

"Hi..." she started nervously. "Sorry about Lilac, she gets a bit excitable sometimes." Maya blinked at her and let a small smile slip. Her alpha was thankful someone was showing some kind of respect and she let her satisfaction show through her smile. 

"It's fine," she responded. "I thought I was going to die but it's better that happened now than a day or two ago." She mumbled the last part and Kylie grimaced a little. Maya wondered a little about what "work" Lilac mentioned. "You work with Summer?" she asked, trying to spare the conversation from the lavender ponies inevitable rambling, which she agreed was kind of overwhelming.

"Oh, yeah, um... I'm a psychologist and Summer is a chemist of sorts. It's a little complicated, we don't work together but for the same company." 

Maya tilted her head and her face contorted into confusion. About half of those words Maya didn't know the meaning of. "Uh... psychologist? Chemist?" Those were jobs? Usually jobs consisted of hunting or guard, was this some kind of alternate to that?

Summer opened her mouth to talk but Lilac beat her to it. "A psychologist is an expert on psychology which is basically the study on how the mind works, how it behaves, all that jazz. A chemist is an expert on science but for Summer it's more magic science, like all the spells, their requirements and the age and experience you need to conduct them. I'm a botanist, do you know what that is?" Maya shook her head and Lilac continued with her lecture speedily. "A botanist, like a psychologist and a chemist, is an expert on botany which is the study of plants. It also goes into physiology, anatomy, origin, and distribution. I love that definition because it's soooo true! I could just go on and on about flowers and-"

"And I would love to hear all about it but too bad I've heard it all before," Summer growled, cutting off Lilac's monologue. Maya studied Rebecca's cutiemark, which were three purple flowers with vibrant green stamens in an evenly distributed circle. 

"So... how dis you get your... cutiemark?" she asked. She was genuinely curious how ponies worked. Should she become a botanist? It sounded interesting. Summer in the meantime groaned and got up abruptly. 

"Do whatever you want in here, I'm gonna go help Hershey out in the kitchen," she said, and swiftly trotted out of the room. Kylie seemed to shrink in on herself a little when Summer went around the corner and Maya noticed as she smelled her nervousness increase. Protect, her alpha said. Protect. Protect. Lilac however was unperturbed and beamed at her question.

"Oh! I got my cutiemark during the science part of my education as a filly. I'll never forget that science class! We had spy glasses and notepads and were studying the different types of plants in different areas. It was when I was studying some Lobelias that I thought to myself, "these are so beautiful! I wonder what they would like together!" My mind just kept going on and on about all the new beneficial plants I could make if I combined different species of flowers and I was so lost in my experiment, which I eventually did after so much note taking, that I didn't even notice the thing appear!" She laughed loudly and Maya stared at her in wonder. How someone could be so interested in one thing Maya didn't know. 

She turned back to Kylie and tilted her head at her. "So how did you get your cutiemark?" she asked innocently. Kylie's nervousness had lowered abundantly while Rebecca was talking, but now it was back even higher than before. Maya could even smell a bit of fear. No, stop, she thought in a panic. You're too weak, you shouldn't be here, the demon could-

Just then Kylie looked back up at her and the world around her disappeared into shadow, the only thing she could see were two green irises staring back at her. 

"I... I don't..." Black.

~o0o~

She was running. 

Large structures and metal posts toppled around her as she ran. She dodged the falling objects the best she could, jumping over beams, avoiding flying crates that seemed to be falling towards her with a purpose.

Hair fell in her face but it wasn't hers. Not the blue she had admired in the mirror but a gold color, yellow-gold shining in the light shimmering through the closing metal door that she ran for. Her lungs ached, as well as her hooves and head but she couldn't bare to notice with the amount of adrenaline racing through her veins.

She heard a voice over the deafening sirens and alarms. "Come on Sparks! We're almost there, we can make it!" She looked to her left and stumbled slightly as she saw Summer running beside her. 

This Summer wasn't the calm or bored Summer she had known so far. This one was bursting with a need for survival, her face a mix of emotions; concentration, worry, anger, but above all determination. Her mane wasn't in it's usual braid, it was loose and wild, light and dark purple sticking to her face and flowing behind her as she galloped for the entrance. Her face was covered in soot and sweat and Maya could also see some blood slashed across her cheek. 

They were close to the exit, the gate only a short distance away and still half open. She felt hope flood her chest and ran faster when a large explosion right next to her sent her toppling onto her side. She felt the burns on her right shoulder sting as she groaned, a few frustrated tears slipping from her eyes. She looked up in time to see a large metal pipe come racing towards her.

"KYLIE!"

The last thing she saw before the pipe made contact were two scared yellow eyes in the pipes reflection and then black once again. 

~o0o~

"...remember."

Maya blinked. She was back in the living room, surrounded by Hershey's scent and sitting on the plush couch. Not running for her life, burned or bleeding, but the adrenaline was still there. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking, she knew but she couldn't stop it. Her eyes trailed away from the green irises that she now knew were not her real eyes. 

On Kylie's right shoulder, she saw it, it was there. Some discoloration in her fur, scars, that only her keen eyes would be able to notice. That happened. It was real. 

"...ya? Maya? Hey are you okay?" Maya felt her shoulder being shaken and shook her head. Lilac was holding her shoulder softly and her eyes were filled with concern. 

"I'm fine," she responded and was proud of how stable her voice was when she was in fact not fine. "I'm sorry to hear about that." Kylie, who had been trembling a little, looked up at her sharply, probably expecting the question why? or how? or what happened? Maya didn't want to hurt this pony with questions, she'd been hurt enough even if she didn't know it. 

Maya could see the question in her eyes, but just then Summer came back in with multiple mugs flying around her that placed themselves in front of the ponies and in front of her herself. Hershey trailed in after her and smiled at the three of them. 

"You guys talking about anything interesting in here?" she asked and Maya was about to speak but Lilac cut her off. 

"Just our jobs and such," she said and Maya turned to her confused, weren't they just talking about cutiemarks? She trailed her eyes towards Summer who was already glaring a warning at her. That made Maya even more confused, until Summer flicked her eyes over towards Hershey with a tilt in her head. Maya peered over at Hershey and she immediately noticed Hershey's bare flank. She had no cutiemark.

"Hey Maya do you know where Hershey works?" Lilac asked after sipping her hot chocolate and humming contently. Maya tore her eyes away from Hershey, who sat next to Kylie, to look at the lavender mare and shake her head. She noticed Kylie's shoulders relax when Hershey sat next to her and proceed to sip her hot chocolate contently.

"Hershey is a florist. I give her my most beeeauuutiful flower breeds and she sells them to ponies to keep in their houses or give to somepony else!" Lilac cooed and Maya looked at the mare in wonder. Maya had noticed the vase of white tipped magenta flowers with bright yellow disk flowers on the fire place mantle a few times and had wondered where you would get those kinds of flowers in the middle of winter. 

They continued talking for around a half hour with Lilac and Hershey holding most of the conversation, Summer popping in with sarcastic comments and Kylie staying mostly silent, except when spoken to. Maya asked the occasional question which fueled Lilac on but soon Hershey checked the time and asked Summer to help her with the empty mugs so they could get going. 

Maya half payed attention to most of the things said after her little black out, unable to stop thinking about the vision she had fallen into. This vision didn't have the feeling of suffocation that the demon gave. This vision felt clear, it felt like she was truly there. She could feel the panic, clearly hear the sirens and the explosion that left her ears ringing, see the reflection of those golden eyes long after they had disappeared. She could feel, she could see and hear it all. It was real. 

"Well let's get a move on!" Lilac jumped down from the couch and waved to Maya as she trotted for the archway. "Bye Maya! It was good to see you alive and well! Come on Kylie!" She skipped out and Kylie stood up as well.

"Um... Bye Maya. Bye Summer." Summer and she hugged briefly and then she scuttled out of the room with a small wave after Lilac. Hershey hugged Summer too. 

"We'll probably be back really late, so don't wait up!" she said when they let go. Hershey went over to Maya and hugged her as well. "You be safe now," she said and Maya hugged back. I'll try, she thought. With Summer, it's not a guarantee. 

They let go and Lilac called for Hershey to hurry up. "I'm coming! Bye you two!" she said and scurried through the archway, past the kitchen and out the door, leaving Summer and Maya in silence. 

Maya's ears flicked as she listened to the three ponies talking in the hallway all the way out of the apartment and waited for that rush to signal the demon had left as well. When she felt it she let out a shuddering sigh and her tense shoulders relaxed. The room felt lighter, warmer, now that the cold was gone. 

"Is it gone?" Maya looked up, remembering that she wasn't alone and nodded at Summer. 

"You couldn't feel it leave?" she asked sarcastically.

"Oh I felt it leave. I'm around her all the time, feeling it gone is something new." Summer sighed and rested her head on the coffee table. 

"I had a vision," Maya said after a while of silence. She really couldn't hold it in anymore. Summer's ears perked and she lifted her head sharply. 

"You mean... while everyone was here?" she asked and Maya nodded. "Why didn't you say anything? Actually nevermind. It's better you waited. Hershey's like a mother bird to you, you couldn't have said anything." Maya nodded again, looking down at her hooves and waited for the question. "What was the vision about? Was it from the demon? What happened?" Well that was three questions but that's fine.

"It was about Kylie, it wasn't from the demon, and the last one needs some explanation." Maya saw Summer stiffen at her first answer and she could understand why. If what she saw was real, and she really had been through that, then Kylie must be somepony she's known longer than she thought and a dear friend to her. 

So Maya went on to explain what she saw. The lights, the explosions, the running, and the pipe. Summer sat stiffly with a blank look on her face as she listened and Maya ended her story with a question. 

"When I looked at the pipe I saw Kylie's reflection, but her eyes were yellow. Why are her eyes green now?" she asked. Summer didn't answer immediately or look up at Maya and the silence dragged on. Finally, after about ten minutes of ringing in her ears, Summer looked up from the hole she had been burning in the coffee table and out the window where a cold light streamed through the cloudy sky and into their room. 

"It's a longer story than you might think," she said softly, still looking out the window. "Not Kylie's eyes, no that's just a curse. But if you want to know exactly what happened to Hershey and Kylie and... me... get comfortable."

Maya leaned forward. "I want to know. I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but I'm here for a reason," she said sternly. "I want to help."

Summer finally looked at her and Maya saw a glimmer in her eyes that she recognized from the vision. A glint in her eyes that wasn't there before. 

"I guess I'll start from the beginning, with the admission of test subject 409, Crystal Rose..."

End of Book 1