“I'm not going to give up, you know!”
>Your room was a goddamned tip, and you knew it.
>As a result, you insist on chasing him around the house.
>To begin with he thought it was just playful.
>Given that you've been doing it for an hour now though...
>Yeah. Nope.
>You're sure he knows though.
>Back up the stairs and into your room.
>“Look, I'm sorry but you can't just leave things lying around! What if they get broken?”
>He dodges all of your stuff as though it's a minefield.
>You look at him as if the concept is baffling.
“Don't be silly! I know where everything is, how could anything possibly get brok-”
>With that, you knock a bookshelf with your wing.
>Time freezes and for a moment, it seems like everything's gonna be okay.
>But obviously not.
>A small ornament of yours falls down onto the ground, on top of a book.
>It shatters into a lot of small pieces on impact.
“Oh, for goodness sake. It's ruined!”
>Smugly, he grins at you.
>“Well, I hate to-”
“Don't say it.”
>Your eyes burrow deep into his skull.
>“-say I-”
“DON'T.”
>He winks.
>“-told you so.”
>Hissing at him, you leap through the air and tackle him.
>You roll with him for a few moments, laughing as you do so.
>After a moment you try and tickle him, but it's not happenin'.
>Your human picks you up and puts you down in front of him.
>You give him an awkward grin.
>“It's okay Echo, we can replace those.”


>It's been many months since you first met Echo.
>A small, timid batpony back then, she's flourished into a confident and funny mare.
>You've lost track of how long you and her have been living together.
>Only because it's been so great.
>She even has a job now, selling fruits with Lyra.
>...She almost got fired on her first week.
>Eating the fruits rather than selling them.
>It makes you chuckle remembering it.
>Typical of her, but that's Echo.
>Your best friend and everything to you.
>You can hear her calling from downstairs.
>“Well, I'm going to the store! You coming?”
>Indeed you are.
“Yeah, just gimme a minute. I need to find some bits in my drawer.”
>In a few moments, you're downstairs with her.
“D'you know, you're really clumsy.”
>Echo blushes for a moment.
“It's okay. If you were any different, it wouldn't be the same.”
>She smiles.
>“Charmer. Let's go.”
>Outside, the breeze carries the fresh scent of some baked goods.
>Echo's clearly hungry. She's already drooling.
>“We /have/ to go there Anon.”
>You sigh.
“Always thinking with your stomach, huh?”
>Her lips curl proudly.
>“But of course!”
>You chuckle to yourself.
>The bakers is close by, you might as well pay them a visit.
>“Good morning! What can I do for you two today?”
>Echo's pupils expand to the size of the moon.
>All these delectable treats in front of her must be getting to her.
>“I... I wanna buy the whole shop.”
>You step to her side.
“Uh, don't listen to her. She's just... hungry. I'll have a... just a chocolate cookie please.”
>He puts one into a bag.
>“And for miss?”
>She finally snaps out of her trance.
>“I just wanna eat it all. Guess I'll have a lychee muffin though.”
>That sounds odd.
>“That'll be 5 bits, please.”
>Seems a bit steep.
>“Hurry up, Anon! I'm as hungry as a...”
>Oh here we go.
>“Horse!”
>The baker laughs with her while you can do nothing but sigh.
>He hands over your bag of foodstuff.
“Thanks.”
>Once you're out of there, Echo tears the bag open.
>She catches her muffin in her jaws, leaving your cookie to fall.
>Lightning reflexes would be handy right about now!
>She puts out a hoof nonchalantly and it falls perfect flat on to it.
>Looking up at you, she flashes you a satisfied look.
“How... How did you do that?”
>She shrugs.
>“Don't worry about it.”
>Your cookie is soon in between your teeth, being obliterated.
>Echo starts to trot away, obviously determined to replace her things.
>Before she can enter the store though, you pull her back, showing her something amazing.
“Echo, look at this.”
>Inside the shop window, there's a tent.
>And it's on sale too.
“You know what we haven't done before?”
>She turns to you.
>“Uh... ate rocks?”
>Silly bat.
“No, we haven't went camping before!”
>Her eyes begin to light up in a dazzling manner.
>“Anon, take me camping, please!”
>Your hand motions to the tent.
“We go in there, buy the tent, and we go wherever the hell we want for the weekend!”
>All of a sudden, her face looks inquisitive.
>“You're not going to take me off somewhere quiet to kill me, are you?”
>Wow. That's dark.
“What? Where did you get that idea?”
>She scrapes her foreleg uncomfortably.
>“I uh... r-read it in one of my more 'dirty' books.”
>Oh jeez.
“What, the main character takes someone out camping with them, then murders them for no reason?”
>Her cheeks suddenly burn a bright red.
>“A-after they've... ha- s...”
“After what?”
>She shies away from you.
“Come on, you can tell me.”
>“After they have sex, okay?! I don't wanna talk about this anymore!”
>Wow.
>You're surprised at how embarrassed she is.
“Alright, I'm sorry I brought it up, Echo.”
>“It's okay, I just... I don't like anypony to know what dirty things I'm looking at.”
>Damn.
>Her wings start to bat, then you grab one of her hooves in your hands.
“Well, everyone thinks about those kind of things sometimes. It's only natural.”
>Her hot flush disappears as she drops down to the ground.
“So, are we going to get this tent?”
>Her entire body seems excited, she even hops off the ground a bit.
>“Yes!”
//

>“I don't think I've ever set up a tent like this before.”
>Silly Anon, doesn't he know just to use his hoov-
>Oh yeah.
>He has hands.
“Fine, I'll push the pegs into the ground. I can't believe you're making the lady do all the work.”
>His head tilts to the side.
>“You always seemed happy when I asked you to lift things when I couldn't reach them.”
>You laugh.
“I'm joking. I like to help.”
>With a clunking noise, the final peg sticks into the ground.
“Do you have our sleeping [spoiler]bag_[/spoiler]?”
>He peers into his bag.
>“...Shit.”

>You and Echo are at the foot of a hill range not too far out of Hollow Shades.
>And you, being the mastermind you are, forgot the one damn thing you needed.
>It's a fairly long trek back.
>You really don't want to go.
>“Well, hurry up then!”
>You sigh.
“Echo, you have wings.”
>“And?”
“You could get home much faster.”
>She shakes her head.
>“Honestly, I just can't be bothered to go all that way. My hooves are in bits after that huge walk.”
>Your face is not impressed.
“You could've flown here too!”
>She laughs.
>“Then I'd be looking down on you for a change.”
>Silly mare would probably like that too.
>Well, you still have some blankets Echo had taken along in her saddlebag.
“I could go tomorrow. It's starting to get dark anyway, and you have your sheets still.”
>She smiles.
>“I was hoping you'd say that.”
>Sneaky bat.
>On your way you gathered some wood in a separate bag.
>Enough to make a small fire.
>“Let me handle this.”
>She picks up the bundle and throws them into a neat pile somehow.
>In a few moments she's gathered some stones and begins to arrange them in a circle.
>The thing is near perfect.
>You wonder if they have Bat Scouts here...
>“Just need you to light it now.”
>In your pocket is the box of matches.
>Flames lick at your boots in no time.
“Nice and toasty now.”
>The little bat smiles, sitting opposite from you.
>Noises of the forest past the foot of the hill seem louder now that dusk is upon you.
“I never asked you, what is the hill called?”
>“Orange.”
>Er.
“Orange? Nothing else to it?”
>“Nope. Apparently the first batpony who climbed to the top of it without using his wings was a fan of oranges.”
“That's a terrible name for a hill.”
>She nods.
>“Yep.”
>Sadly, you can't see the sun set with your batpony, but that's for another day.
>“Come sit over here, Anon.”
>You do as instructed.
>The ground is slightly moist, not unpleasant.
>“I always found watching flames dance enthralling.”
>You nod.
“Bet you're glad I'm here to watch them with you.”
>She laughs, scooting closer to you ever so slightly.
>Your hand makes its way around her waist.
>Her body feels delicate to the touch.
>Warm and silk-like.
>She lets out a small sigh.
>“I'm glad I met you.”
>You can't help but beam at her.
“I feel the same way.”
>As the fire dies, so does the conversation.
>But Echo is one of the few people you can share silence with.
>A rare thing.
>The last embers flicker around the stone circle.
>“Should we go to our makeshift bed?”
“Yeah. I'm sleepy now anyway.”
>Clumsily, you crawl inside the tent.
>It's a little cramped for you, but it just means you can curl yourself around Echo more.
>She slips in shortly afterwards.
>Closing the small room, she gets in the bed beside you.
>“Goodnight, Anon. Sweet dreams.”
>You won't deny your tired eyes any longer.
“You too, Echo. Night.”
//

>What?
>It's still dark?
>You didn't sleep through the whole day again, did you?
“Anon, what time is it?”
>Wait a second.
>That warmth of his...
>Gone.
“Anon...?”

>The hairs on the back of your neck are standing up.
>The bleak silence causes you to tremble at the sound of your own footsteps.
>Why isn't the sun up yet?!
>Looking up, a deep blackness with only flickers and twinkles of the stars to light it.
>The watch can't be wrong, you had it fixed by Time Turner last week!
>Your paces around the campsite go on, your paranoia running deep inside your head.
>Yet, nothing is happening.
>Nothing's wrong, even.
>Except that there's no goddamned sun.
>Trying to calm yourself, you halt your erratic paces.
>It should be fine.
>Maybe... Celestia had an off day? Slept in?
>Surely-
>“Anon?”
>Her call comes from the tent.
>You rush over, greeted with a startling scream.
“Ec-Echo! It's just me!”
>You poke your head inside, the bat shaking in the blankets.
>She looks scared.
>“Where were you?”
“Walking around. Have you noticed that there's no sun?”
>Her tone was harsh, worrisome.
>“You startled me. Don't do that again.”
“Sorry, sweet. But you never answered my question.”
>“To be honest I'm not even sure what time it is.”
“Quarter to eleven. In the morning.”
>She gasps.
“I've been awake since ten. Come on out of there.”
>She swishes her two-tone mane gingerly.
>“Don't you rush me, Mister. I'm coming.”
>Still feisty.
>Scrambling out of the tent, her mane's still messy.
>You pat it down, much to her delight.
“What do we do?”
>She slides her hoof along her chin.
>“If we tried to fix this ourselves, it'd be a big task.”
>True.
“We've got in similar situations before.”
>“True.”
>Heh.
>“Still, where do we start? What do you do when you lose a celestial body?”
>That's not something you hear everyday.
“Uh...”
>She rolls her slitted eyes, smiling.
>“We should at least pack up first.”
>A simple job, but with the waning licks of the flame in the campfire, something tells you that you need to hurry.
>There's something off about this.

>With everything packed up you light a lantern, making sure it's not total darkness.
>The journey back to Ponyville will be long.
>You decided with Echo that you should speak to Twilight, as she is in close contact with Celestia.
>“You ready, stud?”
>The pony winks at you.
>She doesn't seem anywhere near as concerned as you do.
“Yep.”
>A chill scrapes its way up your spine.
>You shiver lightly.
>“You alright?”
“It's- nothing. I just think we should be quick in getting back.”
>The limits of the light from the candle seem to be licked at by the blackness surrounding it.
>“Well, me too silly. I don't want it to be dark forever.”
>Forcing out a small chuckle, you look ahead.
>You don't know if Echo is worried at all.
>She leads through the forest, with you following closely.
>The rucksack is heavy on your back.
>Some crickets chirp in the cool night, the first sounds of nature you've heard since you awoke.
>“I wish we could've climbed Orange Hill today. I wanted a picnic with you.”
>A branch snaps underneath her hoof.
>Wings flap overhead instantly, a flock of birds provoked by the sound.
“That sounds fun. Sucks we couldn't.”
>Echo turns back and smiles with a yawn.
>“I could go for a nap right now.”
>You couldn't.
>The canopy above seems to be glaring at you.
>Turn back, it says.
>Dragging your feet, you keep scanning your surroundings.
>Nothing moving but you and Echo.
>Now she's observing you.
>“Are you sure you're okay?”
“I don't wanna talk about it. Can we just press on?”
>Apparently not. Now she's pressing you for answers.
>She spins around and stops in her tracks.
>“Don't bother hiding stuff, Anon. I can tell when something's troubling you.”
>Her sparkling amber eyes are always welcoming.
“I'm just a little paranoid about this whole situation, it's nothing, really.”
>Without warning she wraps her hoves around your waist, looking up at you.
>“Don't worry, Anon. We'll be fine.”
>Her warm smile always cheers you up.
>A groaning noise sneaks around the forest floor.
>Quaking in your boots, you subconsciously grip onto your bat tighter.
>“Hey, hey, hey. It's okay.”
>This is embarrassing.
“Sorry. I didn't even notice.”
>She snuggles into your chest.
>“Come on, let's keep moving.”
>Stale, dead leaves crunch beneath your boots.
>The sky is lifeless above you, no birdsong, no nothing.
>In the vespertide, the nerves in your back are plucked like twigs from a branch.

>You must've been travelling for a while now.
>The air feels musty, like an abandoned old house.
>Echo keeps brushing against your side slightly.
“Echo, you scared?”
>“Anon, you're the one who keeps bumping into me.”
>You shake your head.
“Nahhh.”
>She giggles at you.
>Without warning, Echo stops in her tracks.
>A shrill, ear-piercing shriek makes its way through the trees.
>You can tell it's quite far, but holy hell, it's loud.
>You cusp your ears, but Echo can't stop writhing around the ground in pain.
>She's wailing from the noise now.
>Before you can bend down to reach her, a deep growl comes from the bushes.
>All sound stops.
>No insects, not a rustle, nothing but that horrid growl.
>It quickly turns to a dry snarling.
>You still can't pinpoint where it's coming from.
>It reverberates all around you.
>Grabbing Echo's hoof, you pull her to her feet.
“I think we should-”
>An eardrum-splitting screech.
>The lantern clatters to the ground, the glass spraying around the place.
“Run!”
>She trails you closely, not letting up for a moment.
>The bushes rustle, with all of the unknown creatures behind you padding the ground fast.
>You didn't even catch a glimpse of them but there's no need.
>There's just a need to get the fuck out of there!
>Nothing can be heard apart from the blood rushing through your body.
>Adrenaline powers you, if you stop you're doomed.
>If you stop you're doomed.
>You have to keep moving!
>Above you, Echo is powering as best as she can.
>Her wings are almost invisible with the pace she's going at.
>She's ahead of you now, but slowly getting further away.
>It's then when you finally realise you're not as fit as you should be.
>A stitch, in your chest.
“Ow- Fuck! Echo, help!”
>Her bright orange eyes still glow in this murk.
>She whooshes back, letting you grab onto her with all your might.
>You finally get to turn back, looking what's behind you.
>...There's nothing.
>If there was something there, it's gone now.
>“Anon, can you run on your own now? I'm getting tired with you and the bag.”
“No, wait. Set down. It's gone.”
>She turns, her face puzzled.
>Back down on the ground, she stops to turn.
>There's no explanation, one moment you could hear them shrieking, the next... Nothing. Not a trace of them.
“I think we should stay alert.”
>“If you listen closely, you can still hear something. We can't lose our cool.”
“I thought we lost it a while back.”
>She tries to hide her smile, being all serious.
>“Don't try make light of this, we're in deep trouble.”
>You ignore her smile, for now. But she is right.
“What do we do to avoid them then?”
>“I don't know. I didn't even see them. What could their weaknesses be? Could they smell us? Hear us? Anything at all, we have no idea.”
>She stamps at the ground in frustration.
>“I can tell they're still around. They're not going to give up that easily.
“Well, if you hear them closing in, then we need to hide. As soon as possible. Hell, at least you can see in the dark. Without the lantern, I've no idea where I am.”
>She nuzzles your leg.
>“Guess I'm your eyes and ears then.”
“Let's keep going.”

>There's been no sign of them for quite a while now.
>But you can't shake that feeling...
>You're being watched.
>It's about lunchtime now. Or would be, if the sun had bothered to come up.
>Since that encounter, your movements have been much more light-footed and quiet as you could possibly make them.
>Echo doesn't seem as cautious, but then she can still see.
>It's incredibly dark with the canopy overhead.
>You whisper to your friend.
“You okay?”
>“Yeah. I suppose. You?”
“Fine.”
>There has been a lot of silence in the past hour.
>She's just as wary as you, you think.
>She doesn't show it as easily though.
>“Stop.”
>You freeze.
>Her eyes take in as much photons as possible.
>She's inexplicably quiet.
>“Wait here.”
>She taps your hand, leading you to a tree then whispers the softest she can.
>“I think there's something about 200 metres ahead. I don't think it's seen us though, so you stay here and do. Not. Move. I'll see if I can distract this... thing.”
>You nod, hoping she can see you still.
>“If I'm not back in 5 minutes, you might have to come looking for me.”
>Shit.
>You hate when she talks like that.
>You reach your arms out and give her a big squeeze.
“Don't speak like we might not see each other again. I l...”
>“You what?”
“I... I think you're a silly bat. Make sure you get back here.”
>She pecks your cheek.
>“I will.”
>You can tell she's smiling, even in the darkness.

>Amongst the brush, not a sound is heard.
>You hope she's just observing the creature.
>It wasn't clear how much of them there were, but there were definitely at least four.
>Echo may be able to handle herself, but she wouldn't be able to handle four creatures.
>Out of nowhere, you hear something snuffling.
>It's painfully close.
>Your eyes are slightly more adjusted to the dark, but you can't get a view of whatever it could be.
>A fidget is what Echo sometimes called you, but right now you're as still as a statue.
>You can hear muffled breaths, padded footsteps.
>It's getting closer and closer.
>“Hrng.”
>That's right in front of you.
>But how can't you see it?!
>Mentally, your boots quiver.
>Physically, you are an immovable object.
>You don't even dare breathe nor blink.
>“Hrnggg...”
>It continues groaning, as if it's lost something.
>You assume it's lost you.
>Your eyes begin to water from lack of blinking.
>They're stinging like hell, but you can't hope to live with that thing right beside you.
>“Grugh!”
>The padding goes away.
>You don't feel like you're being sniffed at anymore.
>It could be gone...
>You take a blink of relief.
>Nothing.
>And now a sigh of victory.
>Thank god for that.
>Wait a minute.
>Where's Echo?
//

>Anon had to be left behind.
>He can't see in the dark, what if he got taken while you weren't looking?
>He'll be safe til you return...
>You've been rationalising your actions for a while now.
>Trotting along, you worry and worry and worry.
>He's your Anon, he's your home.
>But he'd only be more endangered by coming along.
>This won't take too long anyway, nothing's happened.
>The thing you're following very far back, it hasn't noticed a thing.
>But... you still can't grasp what this thing is.
>It seems like...
>Crazy to even say it.
>Shadow. But alive.
>Looking at it...
>From this view, it seems familiar.
>Familiar like the smell of a grandmother's baking, or the old swing-set at a playground.
>The sensation is nostalgia.
>But it's off.
>Like the pie your grandmother made has gone mouldy.
>And the swing-set has turned to rust. The seats laying broken on the ground.
>You're getting closer now.
>Every peek, it seems to have stopped.
>You peer from behind your bush, having caught up with the thing.
>It's just... standing there. Staring at something.
>Whatever this creature is, it can't have eyes.
>Maybe it just... sniffs out its prey.
>If only Anon hadn't dropped that lantern, maybe he'd be with you right now.
>You still don't like that you left him behind.
>The lantern may have been useful though, if these things really are made of shadow.
>But you have to find out what's with these things.
>You still haven't gotten a proper glimpse of it yet.
>It seems to obscure itself every time you try to get a decent view.
>Your sneaking seems to have been effective thus far and-
>A twig snaps underneath your hoof.
>Your head dips to look at it in excruciating horror, then back out the clearing from the undergrowth.
>It's gone.
>Yeah, effective thus far.

>A bellowing noise.
>Echo.
>You get up on your feet, assured nothing could stop you.
>Painfully slow, your eyes have adjusted to the harsh dark.
>Not very well, mind.
>But well enough that you can make out shapes of things, without details.
>No unfriendly shapes around.
>You run in the same direction Echo's voice went.
>This trail is battered, you can tell from your boots crunching.
>The ground uneven, tries to trip you up at every step but you keep yourself steady.
>Thinking about it though, it'd probably be a better idea to keep slow and not bound along the path noisily.
>The plants beside the path seem like a small wall of leaf and branch, which will easily mask you.
>Not a thing appears to stir in this woodland though.
>The entire area is devoid of activity, bar your rustling into the brush.
>What can cause something like this?

>It's... a little chilly.
>There's very little dark that you can't see in, but this is one of them.
>Last time you were in a place like this was in a dream.
>Ten years ago.
>But it's real this time.
>It's like something is draining the photons from the area.
>You'd try and move, but you don't feel like there's anywhere to go.
>There's also the possibility that the moment you move, you could spring some sort of malicious, malevolent trap that impales you with a thousand different blades, each tipped with some sort of nerve-stimulating poison that sends pulses of pain throughout your body.
>But then, you suppose there's always an equal possibility that it's just a surprise party too.
>Either way, you cannot see a thing.
>And it's scaring you.
>You hope that Anon will find you soon, with some sort of light too.
>It's been a while since you woke, and if you're honest with yourself...
>It's just incredibly boring staring into a void.

>That howling isn't promising.
>It worries you.
>Keeping low, you listen and look for any movements.
>Nothing.
>This whole sneaking business isn't your forte, but Echo might need your help.
>And you'd do anything for her.
>The brush around you seems to shadow your presence enough so that nothing can see you.
>There's not a creature to be seen or heard.
>It's like everything is slowly... stopping.
>As though death isn't the natural order in an event like this.
>The world around just slowly stops.
>Who knows, maybe you're just going crazy.
>Still close to the ground, your trundles go unnoticed to whatever may lie ahead.
>Your eyesight is nothing but a hindrance at this point.
>It's as though the sense never existed in the first place.
>Still, you can't shrug off a different feeling of being observed, processed through some neurons in a watchful creature's retinas.
>Considering how much magic this world seeps, it wouldn't be surprising if something had placed a spell on you to sway you to think that way.
>It keeps you on your toes, so perhaps it's not a bad thing.
>Wait.
>You stop, slowly twisting your neck to see what was in your peripheral vision.
>But, nothing.
>There's not been a single hint of life this whole time.
>That doesn't bode well for Echo.
>A deep feeling inside of you wells up; you feel like you might be sick.
>Anxiously, you press on.
>If you didn't know any better, you'd swear you could hear something pulsating in a low, erratic rhythm.
>But you do know better, and such things would be hard to explain anyway.
>Your mind is just playing on your fears now.
>Mainly because of that screech you heard in the distance earlier.
>It sounded different this time.
>Slow, deep, and stressed.
>But it was most certainly from the same creature.
>Maybe it's angry that it can't find more prey.
>It's all speculation of course, you nor Echo know anything about these things.
>You stop distracting yourself, beginning to focus.
>Taking stock of the situation, the entire area seems dead, but...
>In front of you, there appears to be a...
>Is it... her?
>Not a thing moves.
>“The world around just slowly stops.”
>...Slowly stops.
>You check your watch.
>It says it's still noon.
>It must have still been going when the rest of the world was left behind!
>Morning was never meant to come... time has been halted!
>But you and Echo aren't caught in it just yet!
>You slip outside the brush.
“Echo! I've figured out what's causing all-”
>It's definitely the shape of a pony.
>But it doesn't move.
>Maybe it isn't Echo.
>It hasn't responded.
>Not even flinched, to give a hint it's aware of you.
>You inspect it, pacing around the pony figure.
>The mane...
>The tail...
>Her body.
>It all matches up.
>Echo's...
>She's not dead.
>She can't be dead.
“Echo! God, answer me!”
>Pangs begin erupting in your chest.
>You can't breathe.
“Echo!”
>The air around her feels cold.
“ECHO!”
>Your legs give beneath you, collapsing to the ground in a heap.
>Droplets fall from your face, most likely staining the floor.
>This can't be real.

>There's a faint murmur in the murk.
>Finally breaks from all the monotony.
>More of this will surely drive you insane soon.
>The murmur gets closer. You can almost make out words.
>...you think you've heard it before.
>It's turned to an incongruous yell.
>Familiar, accustomed is the sound.
>It's like you already know it...
>“ECHO!”
>What?
>No.
>It can't be.
>It's Anon!
>Come to save you, at last!
>But, why can't you see anything?
>“No!”
>Your leg...
>It's not cold anymore.
//