Dust Cloud stepped through the huge hallway with the torches placed along the stone walls serving as the only light source. The roof of the hallway was tall and the hallway looked endless, all she could see in the far distance was pure darkness, she twisted herself around to see behind her the pure darkness also behind her. She had only one choice, to keep on going forward. It was completely silent except for the click of her hooves beating at the ground, and the slight crackle of the torches. The hallway felt medieval-like because of the old stone walls and torches, but it was just like that since she was used to the street lights of Manehattan before she moved to the country just recently. The silence had made her felt loneliness and empty, and Dust Cloud would constantly have the urge to run away, "but what would I run from, the dark? No, it's not that… that one feeling… like you're being watched." Dust Cloud said with sweat falling from her face. She was terrified at this point and had stopped walking. She felt a horrible groan in her stomach like she was going to be sick. The hallway was exactly the same when she had entered, nothing changed, nothing unusual, not one single thing out of place. Dust Cloud fell to her back and saw nothing as the darkness engulfed her, still having the sick feeling.
Dust Cloud slowly opened her eyes to see her bed sheets sprawled across the floor and felt her cold wooden floor against her back. She sighed and sprang up flipping the covers back over her bed. The small cottage was messy with candy wrappers, chip bags and empty soda cans overflowing the trash can and floors. "Falling off the bed again Dust Cloud, and look at this place, I've got a bad sweet tooth that really has to go." Dust Cloud started to pile the trash onto her back keeping them in place with her wings and threw as much as she could into the bin outside near the back door. "Glad I live alone, this would be embarrassing."
An hour had passed and Dust Cloud had put away the broom into her closet and felt the acing pain in her stomach once more. "Crap, I didn't get groceries, why do I have to be an airhead. You had one job and you forget it immediately. *sigh* this is the fifth time, maybe I can eat later. I got work anyways… WORK! What time is it, I'll be late again!" Dust Cloud sprinted to her dresser and pulled out her brush, she ripped through the knots in her hair and struggled to get them loose. She turned toward her mirror and looked at herself and paused for a moment, "it's Sunday". She stood there and stared at her reflection, her long light yellow mane with the brush still dangling from the knots, and her aqua blue eye beside her black eyepatch. She ran her hoof across her eyepatch with guilt and rubbed her light brown cheek, opening and closing her wings in a flapping motion and staring at her tan coloured hooves. And finally looking at her cutie mark, she always did this when she came to a mirror, her thoughts criticizing her looks, and always looking at that little fluffy cloud of dust on her flank. It was the worst "destiny" that a pony could get, and not to mention her eye patch, everypony called her a pirate, even the children in town called her a pirate, and she was a full grown mare. But she would never care for that; she just thought it made her look cooler.
Dust Cloud stopped drooling mindlessly at the mirror and headed for the front door. Without taking more than two steps outside, she slips on a pile of papers and falls to see in front of her, the daily newspaper and an anonymous letter float down. She stands up and brushes the dust off to also see the mail mare, staring at the tangled brush, somehow still hanging, and her eyepatch. "Sorry, just moved here." Dust Cloud said apologetically. But with just a closer look, Dust Cloud noticed the cross-eyed mail mare with her one good eye. She was gray coated and had yellow hair with a group of bubbles on her flank. The mail mare smiled at her and flew off to the sky. "Glad I'm not the only one with eye problems too." Dust Cloud gathered the mail and trotted back inside.
Dust Cloud started to flip through the pages of the newspaper and said, "another unexplained murder again, yeah… unexplained, there not coincidences, not accidents, not just murders, assassins more like It." She set the newspaper down and looked closely at the red wax seal from the letter; it had the inscriptions of "Crescent" in the wax. She gently broke the seal and slipped out the letter. Written in red cursive ink, she read it through her mind.
"Dear Miss Cloud, we are proud to accept you into the CRESCENT. We have received your letter stating that you would like to join our organization, I'm very sure you know our purpose. If you have changed your mind of your decision and have knowledge of the mailing address, consequently, we would have to "dispose" of you. We have an agent that has been secretly watching you from a distance, and is able to kill you if you try to tell any pony of our organization or flee from your home. I suggest you follow the agent's directions EXACTLY. Our agent will accompany you to ensure your destination. The key to the destination should have come in the envelope. Please bring this letter with you to insure this knowledge is kept a secret.
Thank You for joining us,
We hope you will not make the wrong decision, Dust Cloud.
Welcome to the Crescent."
Finishing the letter, Dust Cloud dropped the letter to the floor, and stared at her hooves with terror. Without saying anything she reached into the envelope. To her horror, the key was there. Finally ended the silence when she whispered to herself, "But… I didn't- I didn't… send anything. What in Celestia's name is this organization for…? What do they do?"
A loud Knocking on her front door had made her emotions mixed at this point, Confused, sad, doubtful, scared, and within seconds, the door smashed to pieces when a force knocked it down. The tall figure stepped into the cottage entrance. The pony wore a slick, black suit, a pair of googles preventing from any pony to its eyes, and a black bandana around its neck with the symbol of a crescent moon with two spiked triangles on the top and bottom of the bandana. The same symbol was on the flank of the suit, and a short, dark purple mane. The nuzzle, ears, and bottom of the hooves were the only coat showing; a light blue coat, and for some reason, it didn't have a tail.
To Dust Cloud's thought, it must have been the agent the letter mentioned. The pony stared down at Dust Cloud sitting on the floor with no trace of emotion. The agent held out a hoof to show that the agent wasn't a treat… For now.