“You are an enigma, you know that? A mystery whose answer continues to eludes us.”

I glanced up from the galaxy I was currently waist-deep in and looked around. Standing several meters away, head cocked to the side and a blank look on her face, was Luna. I blinked in confusion as I looked at the alicorn, the sea of stars still swirling lazily around us. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you mystify us, more than you should,” Luna said, not taking her eyes off of me. I just smirked at her.

“'Us' as in 'you', or 'us' as in—”

“My sister and myself,” Luna interrupted, flicking her ear in annoyance.

Laughing softly, I looked back down and ran my hand through the galaxy. The stars flowed through my fingers like water, swirling around the digits before returning to their original position in the spinning sea of stars and planets.

“This isn’t a nightmare,” I said softly as I looked down at my hand. Glancing back up at Luna, I tilted my head to the side. “So, why are you here? Have you taken to spying on my dreams?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Luna said earnestly, frowning at me. This just made me laugh again.

“Come on,” I said, shaking my head. “I know that Celestia doesn’t trust me worth a damn.” At my words, a small window opened up in between me and Luna. I blinked in surprise, my eyes widening when I saw what it was doing.

The window showed the time that I had decided to stay in Equestria. Large golden doors were closing slowly. The two alicorn sisters stood on the other side of the closing doors; Luna was smiling, but Celestia wasn’t. The white sister was just staring at me, a troubled look on her face as her eyes slowly narrowed. As the golden doors closed, hiding the sisters from view, the window disappeared and Luna and I were left standing alone within the galaxy.

I stared at the spot where the window had been, a blank look on my face. “What was that?”

“Hmm?” Luna hummed absentmindedly as she looked at the same spot. “Oh, that? That was a memory window. They will pop up frequently within this plane, usually in conjunction with an idea or a memory. You see, it’s near impossible to lie to the Mistress of Dreams in her own domain. You're in my world now, not yours...”

“So, it looks into my memories to show that I’m not lying?” I asked, scrunching up my face. I didn’t like the idea of something going through my mind.

“Not in the way you’re thinking of, no,” Luna said, still staring at the spot between us where the window had been. Tilting her head from one side to the other, she blinked several times, a frown on her face.

“Is that last scene the only reason you think Tia doesn’t trust you?” she asked suddenly, finally looking at me.

“No,” I said slowly. Before the word finished leaving my mouth, another window popped up. This time, Night Light was looking out at us, his head cocked to the side, his eyes narrowing.

“How did you know that Celestia wanted me to give her a report about tonight?” he asked, his voice sounding warped and distorted. As the window faded, Luna watched it go with a blank look on her face.

“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you,” she said softly. “It’s just that we don’t know what it is you want exactly, or what is going through your head. As I’ve said before, you are an enigma to us.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my eyes narrowing.

“You claim that you arrived in Equestria against your will,” Luna said, beginning to pace back and forth as she talked, disturbing the stars of the galaxy like a great beast cutting through the waters of a lake. As she spoke, her eyes flicked to and fro, almost as if she was reading an invisible book.

“Yet,” she continued, “you did not try to communicate to anypony for several weeks, despite the situation you found yourself in. When you finally did establish communication with somepony, you then tried to keep your intelligence a secret, despite the fact that it would have been beneficial for you to have done so. Instead, you were perfectly fine to just sit around, pretending to be a pet for Twilight Sparkle, all while others thought you were a stupid animal. Then, after my sister and I found out about you, and told you that we could send you home, you chose to stay behind in Equestria, and continue to be a pet for a pony, while still hiding your true identity from the general public.

“Granted,” she said, inclining her head. “You aren’t as reserved in keeping the secret as you were several months ago, but you aren’t going out of your way to show the world what you are.”

“I already explained my reasoning for staying in Equestria,” I said hotly, my eye twitching in annoyance. “You couldn’t guarantee my safety when you were attempting to send me home, and I didn’t want to take the risk. That isn’t suspicious behavior; that’s self-preservation!”

“True,” Luna said, nodding her head. “But that doesn’t explain why you didn’t try to communicate to anypony that you were intelligent for several weeks upon your arrival.”

A window opened up between us again, and several scenes of me trying to get a hold of paper in Celestia's bedchamber after she purchased me flashed by before the window vanished.

Luna just snorted, shaking her head, “Those could hardly be considered attempts at communication.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t exactly in a very trusting mood at the time when it came to ponies,” I sighed. Another window opened, this one showing hundreds of cramped cages, filled with naked humans, all of which were clearly malnourished and in poor condition. A unicorn mare walked past the cages, flinging half pieces of moldy bread at the humans, a sneer on her face. The scene quickly changed to the one where I witnessed the human get neutered by the unicorns. As the mare lowered the pair of garden shears towards the human, I closed my eyes, not wanting to relive that particular memory.

The swishing sound, followed by the horrific screech of a human in pain, still sent shivers down my spine, and I cringed inwardly. I opened my eyes as the window faded from view. Glancing over at Luna, I saw that she looked like she was going to be ill, her face a light shade of green.

“We did not realize it was that bad,” she said, sounding queasy. “To do something like that to another living creature, intelligent or not, is just so… barbaric!” Closing her eyes, she swallowed thickly before sighing.

“Though it might mean very little at this time,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “We… I mean, I would like to apologize for what you went through. It seems, through no fault of your own, you were found by the worst ponies possible upon arriving in this world.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” I said quietly, staring down at the spinning stars. “You weren’t the one who brought me here.”

The window that opened this time showed me rooting around a freezer, moving from box to box as I looked for something in particular. I smirked when I saw that I was wearing my old McDonald’s uniform. Finding what I was looking for, I picked up a box and proceeded to leave the freezer, using my back to push the door open. There was a large flash of white, and then the scene changed to show an endless sea of sand, heat wafting up from the scorching land.

As Luna watched the window close, she moved to stand next to me, both of us staring at the fading window.

“That doesn’t explain why you didn’t want to reveal yourself after you told Twilight the truth,” she said, not looking up.

“That was stupidity on my part,” I said with a dry chuckle. “Stupidity, and a large chunk of paranoia. I wasn’t entirely sure what anyone would do when they found out. The last thing I wanted was to be lynched for being an abomination.”

“...did you fear us?” Luna asked quietly, her ears slowly splaying backwards. She kept her eyes forward, still not looking at me.

“It’s human nature to fear the unknown,” I said just as quietly. “We fear what we don’t understand.”

Silence fell over us, and we both just stood there, staring out upon the swirling galaxy around us. After several minutes, I reached out with my hand towards one of the arms of the galaxy. Slowly, it began to grow, and we soon found ourselves flying towards a familiar looking solar system. Our flight slowed as we drew nearer, before we came to a stop beside the third planet in the system. The orb before us was the size of a small beach ball, a smaller moon orbiting around it while it itself went about its own orbit around a miniature sun far off in the distance.

I gazed down at the sphere of green, blue, and white before me, watching the clouds drift slowly across its surface. There was a tropical storm nearing Australia at the moment, although I wasn’t sure if that was in real life, or just my dream adding a little realism to itself. As I looked down at the planet I had spent most of my life on, a smile touched my lips.

Beside me, Luna cocked her head to the side as she studied the planet closely.

“If you could go back safely, would you?” she asked.

I stared down at the Earth, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I thought it over.

“Truthfully,” I said eventually, staring down at my old home. “I can’t give you a clear answer on that.” Beside me, Luna stiffened, and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw her slowly turn to look at me.

“...And why is that?” she asked, almost casually, studying my face closely.

I didn’t answer her. I didn’t have to. The minute the question left her lips, another window opened. I felt my face immediately redden at the sight of what the window was showing. Oh crap...

Twilight laughing as she flew through the air above the beach, trying to catch the ball Rainbow and I threw back and forth between each other. Twilight with a large smile on her face, her eyes closed as Aloe dug her hooves into her back. Twilight, Spike, and I laughing with our head stuck in the freezer. Twilight on the train, smiling tearfully when she learned that I was going to live a long life. Twilight standing by my bedside as I slowly recovered from my time in the pit.

As more and more images of Twilight flashed through the window, I felt my face growing warmer and warmer. I prayed that they would stop, but they didn’t. If anything, they increased in frequency, showing more and more of that lavender mare. Finally, after what felt like hours to me, the images began to slow, until eventually they came to a stop. As the window faded from view, I just gazed forward, not wanting to look at Luna. I was pretty sure you could fry an egg on my face.

“Could it really be that simple? Could we really have been over-thinking this the whole time?” I scrunched up my face in confusion, not expecting that reaction. Finally glancing down, I chanced a look at Luna.

She was staring out across the spinning solar system, her brow furrowed. As I watched, stars seemed to blink into existence in her mane, before disappearing again. She turned slowly to look at me, her mouth open slightly.

“You really are just a lone soul, pulled from your home and forced into a life you hardly understand, aren’t you?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper as she looked up at me, a strange look on her face. It was almost like… empathy? “You really haven’t come here to conquer or pillage, have you?”

“No,” I scoffed, giving her an incredulous look. “Of course not. What would ever make you think that?”

Luna flinched, lowering her gaze. She opened her mouth to reply, but instead, another one of those bloody windows opened up. I blinked in confusion. That isn’t one of mine…

I immediately reeled backwards as the window displayed the mismatched form of Discord. He was gazing out at us, a large smile upon his face. As we watched, he was slowly being turned to stone from the tail up. Before him sat a large chess board. Folding his arms, he sneered out at us, his tone condescending and triumphant. When he spoke, his voice sent shivers down my spine.

“Sometimes, in our pursuit of gods and kings, we overlook the little things. You’ll notice in this game of chess, one piece cannot win without the rest. But even when you’re sure that the king is gone, you’ll find that there will still be a little pawn.”

As he spoke, his body continued to turn to stone until his entire form was encased in it. The window continued to stare at the statue, before it moved suddenly and focused on the chessboard; a black piece in particular. It was shaped like a human, standing with its back to the observer. It looked over its shoulder, a sword held in its hand.

As we continued to look at the window, it began to fade. When the window finally blinked out of existence, I turned to Luna, a shocked look on my face.

“You were basing your assumptions of what I was up to on a chess game against a creature that, if what Twilight told me is true, likes to fuck with people’s minds?!”

Luna flinched at the tone in my voice, and gave me a sheepish grin.

“Well, technically, it was Tia who played the game,” she mumbled, her ears splaying back. “She just shared the memory with me.”

I responded by placing my head in my hands and sighing heavily. “...great.”

Dragging my hands down my face, I saw that our surroundings were changing again. We were moving away from the Earth, the solar system shrinking in the process. After a few seconds, we were back in the center of the galaxy, the stars swirling around us.

As I grumbled to myself, Luna glanced around at the sea of twinkling lights, a curious look on her face.

“Why is this significant to you?” she asked, poking a cluster of stars with her hoof as it floated past.

Dropping my arms, I gave her a confused look. “What do you mean? Why is what significant to me?”

“This,” Luna said, motioning at the galaxy around us. “When within this dream realm, it usually takes the form of a place that is significant to the dreamer. For a foal, it might be their room. For a lover, it might be where they met their mate. Why is this scene so special to you?”

Blinking, I held out my hand, smiling as I dragged it through the stars. Even though it was a dream, I could almost feel them flow between my fingers, a warm sensation as thousands of stars slipped through my grasp.

As I closed my hand around the mass of twinkling lights, my smile grew.

“If I had to hazard a guess, I think that it’s because I have always loved the night,” I said softly. Beside me, Luna jerked violently, whipping her head around to look at me, causing her neck to pop several times. I ignored her, instead bring my hand up to my face. Opening my fingers, my eye sparkled as I watched the stars slowly float from my grasp and return to the enormous pool of swirling celestial bodies.

“In my opinion, it’s the best time of the day,” I continued, idly pulling my arms though the galaxy, disturbing the flow of the stars around me. I felt like a kid in a stream, upsetting the current. “It’s so calming, so relaxing. Unlike the daytime, which is full of stressful events: going to school, work, having your boss yell at you for something that is completely out of your control, having to pay the bills, stay out of debt, fight with stupid people who don’t know how to drive in the snow.

“But when the sun sets, and the night comes, everything changes. The stars come out, the air cools, and peace descends upon the world, almost like a spell.” As I spoke, Luna shifted beside me.

“Back home, I used to take long walks. Did you know that? I’m not sure if I told Twilight or not. Anyways, the area I lived in was shaped like a large circle, and I would just walk around and around for several hours, either listening to music or just lost in thought. I would always walk at night, no matter what. I found it more peaceful that way. As I would walk, I would look up at the thousands upon thousands of stars that were painted against the blackness. The beauty of it always took my breath away.

“There was also something magical about it. As I looked up at the stars during my walk, it seemed to always take the weight of the world from my shoulders. My grandma passed away, and the nebulas showed me that life can still be beautiful, even in the emptiness of the void. Had to have my dog put down, and the shooting stars helped me realize that it was probably for the best. He was in pain, and now he was in a better place.

“I could spend hours looking up at the night sky, getting lost within the galaxies and nebulas of the universe,” I said, finally tearing my eyes away from the swirling vortex of stars. “The night sky relieves the stress from my life, so I guess that’s why it’s significant to me.”

Falling silent, I glanced over at Luna. She was staring at me, her eyes sparkling in the darkness. Her mouth was hanging open and a small blush was upon her face. By her sides, her wings were unfurled, creating a large void in the galaxy as they blocked the flow of stars. The miniature lights seeped through her feathers, trickling across her wings like liquid light.

“Luna?” I asked cautiously, giving her a worried look. “Are you okay?” She blinked, closing her mouth with a click and shaking her head gently. Swallowing thickly, she looked back up at me, the blush still on her face.

“I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I don’t know what came over me.” She started to fold her wings, having some difficulty as they appeared to be rather stiff.

I cocked my head to the side, watching her curiously as she struggled to control her wings.

“Rainbow has the same problem sometimes,” I said absentmindedly. This just caused Luna’s blush to darken, and she muttered something under her breath.

Finally, she got control over the appendages and folded them against her sides. Turning back to me, she cleared her throat, not meeting my gaze.

“That would explain why you would create this place in the dream world,” she said, the blush slowly fading from her face. “But why did you create it now? What are you stressed about?”

“A lot of stuff, but mostly little things,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “My burnt neck, my bad eye, two princesses who don’t trust me, trying to keep away from a particularly clingy confectionery maker.”

Luna cocked an eyebrow at me, unconvinced.

“Anything else?” she asked. “Anything major on your mind that you haven’t told anypony?”

“No,” I said quickly before jerking back. “Oh, come on!” Immediately a window opened up in front of us.

A human woman was sitting behind a large desk, a pile of papers in front of her. She was dressed in a white doctor's coat, with a pair of glasses perched on her nose. As we watched, she glanced up at the window, a grim look on her face.

“Max,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Over half a year ago, you slipped and hit your head at your job. Thanks to the fall, as well as the subsequent head trauma, you are now suffering from severe dementia as well as bursts of paranoia.” The woman straightened the paper, shaking her head sadly.

“You have been suffering from a number of strange and severe delusions created by a mental disorder. The most common one being a world of magical, talking ponies…”

The woman continued talking, her voice slowly fading as the window flickered and died. Before the window closed completely, a pair of large wings enveloped me. I flinched as they closed around me, a pair of hooves wrapping around my chest.

“You fear that this might all be in your head,” Luna whispered softly as she rested her head on my shoulder. “You fear that this might all be a delusion created by your mind. You fear being trapped within your own mind, unable to tell reality from delusion.”

I swallowed, nodding weakly.

“It’s nothing major, in a sense,” I whispered. “It’s just that most of what’s happened to me would be enough to land anyone in a mental hospital back home. Sometimes I think that I might just have gone insane, and just haven’t realized it yet. It’s not often, but it’s still there, lurking in the back of my mind.”

“I can assure you,” Luna said, nuzzling my cheek gently. “We are real.” She tightened her wings around me protectively. “Twilight, her friends, Tia, Cadance, Shining Armor, Ms. Breeze, myself. We are all real.” I chuckled, shaking my head slightly.

“You’d say that even if you were a delusion.”

“Then tell me,” Luna said softly, “which would be worse: to live happily in a delusion? Or to be miserable in reality?”

“Depends,” I said, turning my head and giving Luna a small smirk. “Where does the dream end, and reality begin?”

Smiling, Luna slowly released her grip on me and dropped down onto her hooves, disturbing the stars around us. Backing up slowly, she kept her eyes locked on mine, the smile still on her face. She spread her wings wide as she walked backwards, never taking her eyes off of me. Her body slowly began to fade into the darkness, leaving only her eyes, which sparkled gently in the gloom. Around us, the galaxy began to blur and distort, and I could feel myself slowly beginning to wake.

As the dream dissolved around me, I could hear Luna’s voice drifting through the void, “You must let your heart tell you that…”

I just chuckled, shaking my head.

“...Cheap-ass fortune cookie.”

“Mommy, I want to pway wid da human!”

“Not now, honey. Can’t you see he’s sleeping?”

“Aw, but I want to pway wid him!” I kept my eyes closed, resisting the urge to smirk. Since it was a weekday, the library was open to the general public. That meant that the occasional pony or two would come in to check out one of the numerous books we had.

About fifteen minutes ago, a younger looking mare had entered the library, a young foal trailing behind her. As the mare searched around for a book that contained a certain recipe, the little filly had been content to sit in the middle of the room and wait.

That is, until she caught sight of me.

As the young filly continued to beg her mother to let her play with the human, I snuggled down deeper into my pillow bed. The fabric may have started to fade slightly, but it was still extremely comfortable, and warm.

“You’re horrible, you know that?” a voice laughed softly in my ear. Lazily, I cracked my eye open and glanced at the speaker.

Primrose was perched on the window sill beside my pillow, filing one of her back hooves. The window behind her had its blinds drawn, and the batpony was leaning against it as she worked.

Inspecting her hoof, she glanced over at me and smirked, her eyes half open. Just like always, she looked like she was either really tired, or really stoned.

“All she wants to do is ‘pway wid da human,” she grinned. I snorted softly, clicking my tongue as I closed my eye. I pointed up at a sign I had placed just above my head, tacked to the wall.

I had created the sign myself, in order to stop curious ponies from disturbing me when I napped. You’d be surprised how many ponies thought it would be a good idea to bother a sleeping human, especially one who has a large scar on his face, but needless to say, it got really annoying, really quickly.

As I placed my hand back atop my chest, I heard Primrose chuckle quietly to herself. The soft sounds of filing started again as she resumed playing with her hoof.

After several minutes, the mare finally found the book she was looking for and left, dragging the filly behind her. As the door closed behind them, I sighed loudly. About fucking time, I thought as I propped myself up on my elbows and glanced around the library.

At the sound of the door closing, Twilight looked up from her desk and glanced around.

“Did they leave?” she asked, looking over at Primrose. When the batpony nodded, Twilight closed the book she was reading, and stood up. “Good. While I am always pleased when ponies show an interest in the library, we have stuff to take care of.”

“Couldn’t you have just kicked them out?” Primrose asked, not looking up from her filing. Twilight gave her an affronted look.

“I will not be kicking anypony out of a library! I will not deny anypony the chance to learn and read!” Primrose flicked her ear, but didn’t say anything more.

Walking over to the basement door, Twilight rapped on it before calling out, “Come on, you two! We’ve got to get going!” There was the sound of muffled hoofsteps coming up the basement stairs before it swung open.

Avera and Ebony stepped into the main room as the basement door swung shut. Ebony had a small blue vest on, and a pair of saddlebags strapped to her flank. Avera, on the other hoof, had a thicker gray vest, which seemed more padded than Ebony’s. It had a thick collar that wrapped around her neck, reminding me of a bomb suit from back home.

As the pair emerged, Primrose looked up, cocking an eyebrow as she looked at the two ponies.

“You’re going there armored?” she scoffed, smirking at the pair. Avera just stuck her tongue out at the batpony.

“That nut got one over on us before. She won’t be doing it again.”

“Yeah, well… remember we’re going there to get answers, not revenge,” Ebony said, checking the items in her bags. Twilight was doing the same with her own saddlebags, which were now draped over her back.

Satisfied, she turned and looked around the room at everyone.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” she said, using her magic to wrap a scarf around her neck as she spoke. “Avera, Ebony, and I are heading over to the hospital to pay a visit to Lyra. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, but hopefully we’ll be back sometime before nightfall. Primrose, you’ll be staying here with Max.” She glanced over at me and shook her head. “Normally he’d come along, but after what happened the last time Lyra and him met, I think it’s best for him to stay here.”

“Good luck, have fun!” Primrose called out as the trio made their way towards the front door. Avera snorted, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah,” she snarked. “Fun.”

As the front door shut behind them, silence fell over the library. Sniffing, I glanced around the place, chewing on the inside of my cheek. It had been a while since I found myself with no plans and nothing to do.

Glancing over, I saw that Primrose was doing the same, her gaze drifting over the library. Our eyes met and a smirk slowly spread across her face. Her red eyes glinted as she reached a hoof into a small pouch on her thigh.

“So,” she said, slowly pulling something out of the pouch. Holding it up, I saw that she was holding a long, thin white object in her hoof. My eyes widened when I realized what it was.

Primrose’s smile just grew wider. “You like to party?”

The alicorn sighed as she ran a hoof through her mane, waiting for somepony to become free to help them. Standing by the front counter of the hospital, she watched as ponies came and went: some to visit family and friends, and others to check themselves in for various reasons, ranging from frostbite to sprained ankles from the ice.

Beside her, Avera shifted from hoof to hoof, her tail flicking back and forth in agitation. Ebony had her nose buried in a book, one ear swiveling around as she kept track of the noise around her. Ponies were giving the trio curious looks, but respectfully kept their distance from the princess and her companions.

Tapping her hoof, Twilight tried to keep her impatience in check, although it was becoming more and more difficult. I had an appointment scheduled to meet with Lyra nearly fifteen minutes ago! Somepony is going to receive a letter about this. A hospital should be punctual, after all. What if this was time-sensitive?

The sound of somepony clearing their throat behind her caused Twilight to jump slightly. Looking around, she saw that Nurse Redheart had slipped behind the desk when she wasn’t looking, and was giving her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about the wait,” she said, placing a clipboard behind the desk. “It’s been busy around here since the snowstorm we had the other day.” Pulling out a different clipboard, Redheart’s eyes ran down the list clipped to it.

“You’re here to see Lyra Heartstrings, correct?” she asked Twilight, glancing over the top of the clipboard at the alicorn.

“Yes,” Twilight replied, nodding her head. “We have an appointment to see her… which we’re late to,” she added in an undertone.

“Right…” Redheart’s eyes drifted from Twilight to her two companions, a frown forming on her face.

“She’s not in trouble,” Twilight said quickly, giving the nurse a small smile. “We’re just here to ask her a few questions.” Redheart’s eyes darted back and forth between Twilight and the guards before she nodded slowly.

“She’s been prepared for your meeting. Follow me, please.” Turning, the nurse grabbed a set of keys dangling on a hook before stepping out from behind the desk. The trio followed after her as she started off down the hallway.

As they walked, Redheart glanced back at Twilight. “This will be a pleasant surprise for her. You’re Lyra’s first guests in a while.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Avera grumbled, glancing out an ice-covered window as they passed. Redheart continued as if she hadn’t heard the pegasus.

“When she first arrived, her marefriend, Bon Bon, would visit her almost every day. Then, for whatever reason, she stopped showing up.”

“Did you ever find out why she stopped visiting?” Ebony asked. Redheart shook her head.

“Sadly, no. We never got a reason behind the sudden cease in visits. Of course, I don’t think Lyra even noticed, to tell you the truth. She was too caught up in her obsession.”

“Her obsession?” Twilight asked, cocking an eyebrow. Redheart gave her a sad smile over her shoulder.

“You’ll see.”

They rounded a corner, and Twilight blinked in surprise. The hall had changed completely, just from them turning the corner. The corridor they had just been in was a happy mix of white and light green, heartwarming pictures adorning the wall to help cheer up the patients.

This new hallway was completely opposite. Monotone green walls enclosed them, blocking them into a windowless corridor. Doors made out steel lined the walls, a slot on the door allowing for you to look within the room without having to open the door.

It felt as if they had stepped into a different building entirely.

Twilight glanced around the corner, back the way they had come. It was the same as before; no changes. It was like somepony had sliced two buildings in half and glued them together.

Twilight looked back at Redheart, a confused look on her face. The nurse just chuckled.

“The hall’s enchanted so that you don’t really see it until you step into the corridor. We find it helps keep patients calm, both the regular, and the…” Redheart trailed off, nodding her head at the steel doors.

“So, neither wing really knows about the other unless they turn the corner?” Avera asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Something like that,” Redheart said, shrugging her shoulders. “Now, come along. Lyra’s room is at the far end of the ward.”

As they walked down the hall, Twilight suddenly became aware of how quiet it had become, only the sound of their hoofsteps echoing around the hall. The gentle murmur of patients and doctors had stopped, leaving an eerie silence upon them.

Twilight was too uncomfortable to break the silence, and instead opted to walk along and keep her mouth closed.

After several minutes of walking, Redheart finally came to a stop in front of one of the steel doors. It was the second to last one on the right side of a dead end corridor. Flipping through the keys, Redheart grabbed the right key and inserted it into the lock, and turned. With a loud clunk, the door unlocked.

Gripping the door handle in her hoof, she looked back at the trio.

“Now, the door will remained unlocked during your stay. Upon leaving, the door will lock automatically behind you, so don’t leave prematurely. Not only will you not be able to get in again without coming to find me, but you’ll lock anypony left inside the room until the door is unlocked again. When you leave, leave as a group, okay?”

The trio nodded in understanding. Redheart sighed before turning and opening the door slowly.

“Have fun,” she said, giving them a strained smile. The trio looked at each other uneasily before walking forward and entering the room. As Nurse Redheart closed the door behind them, they froze, staring around the room in fascinated horror.

The room was about the same size as a normal hospital room. A small bed was located one of the corners, the pale green sheets on it rumpled and disheveled. A small table stood in the center of the room. The walls, like the floor, were painted a dull gray. Not that you could tell, however.

Every inch of the four walls were covered in thousands of sheets of paper, newspaper clippings, photos, drawings, and pages that had been torn out of several different books. Red string ran around the room like a massive spiderweb, connecting the thousands of pages together by taut red lines. Some pages were dangling from the strings, like bugs caught in the web.

And there, in the middle of the chaos, strapped to an upright gurney positioned on the other side of the table, was Lyra Heartstrings. A strait jacket bound her forelegs, keeping them pinned to her chest. Underneath the jacket, she had on an orange shirt. A restraint mask was strapped to her head, enclosing her muzzle, and running up between her eyes to circle her horn, preventing any spellcasting. She gazed at the three new ponies with a bored look on her face, her right ear twitching occasionally.

There was a brief moment of silence, where nopony spoke or moved. They just stood there (or in Lyra’s case, hung there), staring at each other. Eventually, Avera spoke up, breaking the silence.

“Okay, that’s creepy as fuck right there.” Lyra snorted, rolling her golden eyes.

“Don’t look at me,” she said stiffly. “The head doctor of this place has a warped sense of humor. I think he’s read too many horror novels.”

“Oh,” Avera said, raising her eyebrows and smirking at the trapped mare. “You can actually speak normally this time? Not as crazy as before? Did they give you some pills to make the voices go away?”

“Go buck yourself,” Lyra growled, glowering down at Avera. As the two mares glared at each other, Twilight took a second to look around the room. With growing wonder, she realized that every piece of paper within the room was related to humans in some way. Newspaper clippings of human shows, texts on the eating habits of humans, diagrams of human anatomy. There were even several placed that detailed the skin difference of humans in certain regions of the world. All of them hoofmade by—she assumed—Lyra herself.

The more Twilight looked around, the more uneasy she felt. Why is she so obsessed with humans?

Returning her attention to the matter at hand, Twilight looked over at Lyra and Avera, who were still trading insults.

“Enough,” she said loudly, silencing the two. “Avera, please be quiet and go stand in the corner.” The pegasus did as she was asked, standing by the door and glaring at Lyra as she grumbled under her breath.

Looking at the bound unicorn, Twilight cleared her throat before continuing, “Lyra, we are here to ask you a couple of questions. Is that okay with you?” Lyra didn’t reply, but instead cocked her head to the side, an ear twitching in Twilight’s direction.

“Do you remember when, several weeks ago, you escaped and wandered into town? You ended up at the library, where you attacked my human, Max—”

“The oblivious king upon his wooden throne,” Lyra interrupted, not looking at the alicorn. Her golden eyes were still locked on Avera, and she was sneering slightly.

“Excuse me?” Twilight said, blinking. Beside her, Ebony had pulled out a scroll and was quickly writing down what Lyra had said for later use.

Lyra just sighed, before turning her gaze towards Twilight, the bored expression returning to her face.

“Your human, the oblivious king upon his wooden throne,” she repeated.

“...And what does that mean?” Twilight asked, trying to sound friendly. Hopefully, if she didn’t anger the unicorn, she’d be more willing to talk with them.

Lyra just shrugged, a difficult action seeing as she was strapped to a gurney and wearing a strait jacket.

“It’s what he is,” she said simply. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Yes, well,” Twilight said, trying not to sigh in annoyance. “Before you attacked him, you said something about having seen some statues. We now find ourselves in need of information about them. Could you possibly elaborate about them, or tell us what they are?”

“I have seen the statues,” Lyra said simply. She looked down at Twilight, her eyes glazing over slightly. Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she noticed something strange. Are her pupils different sizes? That usually indicates some form of head trauma.

Twilight’s train of thought was derailed when Lyra continued, “They chilled my blood and turned my flesh to stone. ”

“Right,” Twilight said, shaking her head slightly. “Those. Can you tell us more about them? Like where you saw them, and what they mean.”

“They came to me in my dreams, trapped within the darkness of the void, lost for eternity until their master calls them forth,” Lyra said, her voice becoming monotone. Silence fell over the room as Twilight waited to see if the mare would say anything else. When she didn’t, Twilight turned to look at Ebony. The mare just shrugged, a bewildered look on her face.

Turning back to Lyra, Twilight licked her lips. “Um…”

“They were rather pretty, actually,” Lyra sighed, her right ear twitching again. Her gaze softened and she smiled wistfully. “They sung such beautiful songs from their mouthless faces. It was enough to make demons cry in joy, and angels weep in disgust.”

“And what were they singing?” Ebony asked tentatively, looking up from the scroll.

Lyra cocked her head to the side, staring into space for several seconds, before reciting, in a monotone voice, a few bars of the song. She didn’t sing it, but rather recited it as one would a poem, or prophecy.

“Statues of black, marred by white veins. Wordless screams echo in the void. The world shall know their pains, lest Harmony be destroyed. In Chaos, darkness shall sing: Humans shall rise in advent of The Greatest King.”

As Lyra trailed off, Ebony and Twilight glanced at each other, mystified looks on their faces.

“Did you get all of that down?” Twilight asked Ebony in a low voice. She nodded, blinking her eyes in confusion.

“The Greatest King?” she mouthed to Twilight, who in turn just shrugged. The alicorn chanced a glance back at Avera, who had the same look of confusion as her peers.

As Twilight turned back to Lyra, her ears picked up the soft sound of humming. She realized that Lyra was humming softly to herself, head bobbing back and forth, as she stared off into space. Occasionally, she would add words, singing so softly that Twilight could barely hear them, “Tick tick, goes the clock, ‘til he can go no farther. Tick tock, goes the clock, one shall love the other…”

Twilight cleared her throat, snapping Lyra out of her daze. Glancing down, the mint green unicorn blinked at Twilight, as if surprised to see her standing there. Behind the mask, her lips parted to form a small ‘o’.

Twilight chewed on her lip before asking her next question. “Do you happen to know who this ‘master’ is that will call upon the statues?”

“The god that abandoned them ages ago,” Lyra replied, still giving Twilight a curious look, as if unsure what to make of her.

“Who?”

“The god that abandoned them ages ago,” Lyra repeated again, quicker than before. Twilight groaned in annoyance.

“Can you give us a name?” she asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose with a hoof. Twilight blinked in surprise at Lyra’s answer.

“Radeck, I believe, although it was hard to tell with a hundred voices screaming at me.”

“Radeck?” the alicorn repeated, making sure she heard right. Lyra nodded.

“Radeck, the god that abandoned them ages ago, leaving them to their fate.”

“That name doesn’t ring any bells,” Ebony said, scrunching up her face. “If Radeck was a god, you’d think we would have heard of him before in mythology. Are you sure you have the name right? Sometimes names can be messed up due to accents. For a few years, the minotaurs were convinced that Luna’s name was actually Lana.”

“After listening to the statues sing about him endlessly, I’d think I’d have the right name,” Lyra scoffed, rolling her head around as she looked at Ebony. “Their song’s burned into my soul. Radeck is the correct name.” She paused for a second. "Or was it Riddick?" she muttered under her breath.

“Do you know what Radeck is?” Twilight asked, relieved that they were making better progress than she originally thought they would. She had been sure that Lyra would just spew endless nonsense like last time.

“A god.” Twilight facehoofed, groaning loudly. Okay, maybe not...

“We get that,” the alicorn huffed, pulling her hoof down her face and giving Lyra an annoyed look. “The more info you give us, the better we’ll understand the situation. Do you know what species he is?”

“Nope,” Lyra said, rather cheerfully, bouncing in her restraints. “Not a clue.”

“This is a waste of time,” Avera growled from the corner. “She’s just spewing rubbish, again. I don’t know what we’re expecting to get from her. She doesn’t know anything.”

Twilight opened her mouth to silence the pegasus, but Lyra beat her to it.

“What do you know about humans?” she asked, her eyes flicking to the black mare.

Avera glared at her, confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Lyra just shrugged, repeating the question. “What do you know about humans?”

“I’m pretty sure I know more about them than you, nutjob,” Avera snarked. Lyra blinked, before glancing around at the thousands of papers adorning every free each of her cell with a bemused expression.

“Really?” she asked, returning her gaze back to Avera. Behind her mask, her mouth slowly warped into a smile. “Did you know that, even though they are considered stupid by most sapient species, humans can actually remember certain locations for most of their lives, even if they’ve only seen it once? A male of twelve years, upon being returned to the place of his birth on his deathbed, will actually make his way to the very corner he was born in without prompting. Having only seen it once before, during his birth, he remembers it and seeks it out as he passes from this world.”

All three ponies stared at Lyra in confusion.

“What does that have to do with—” Avera began, but was cut off by Lyra again.

“Did you know that, despite the fact that we use the term ‘human see, human do’, humans learn far more quickly from doing something, than from watching somepony else do it? After observing another human get shocked by a coil, a second human, having just witnessed the pain the first human went through, will actually reach out and touch the coil, just to make sure that it will, in fact, shock him. The only time they don’t do this is when the first human dies from the initial shock. He will not learn to avoid pain unless he experiences pain first.”

Avera just stood there, mouth opening and closing wordlessly. That just seemed to cause Lyra’s smirk to grow.

“Did you know,” she continued, turning to look at Ebony, “that ninety percent of diseases in humans are caused, or complicated, by stress? This stress causes the human’s lifespan to shorten as well. Basically, if your human is always sick, you’re stressing them to death. A very nasty, unfortunate way to go, no?” When Ebony didn’t reply, Lyra moved her attention to Twilight.

“Okay, librarian,” she cooed. “Did you know that the reason some human males turn aggressive and attack their offspring is because they aren’t actually their offspring?”

Twilight didn’t say anything, opting instead to slowly shake her head, her eyes wide. How is it that this crazed mare knows all of this? Twilight had spent a day in the archives reading countless books about humans, but she couldn’t remember reading anything about this.

Oblivious to Twilight’s inner turmoil, Lyra nodded, humming thoughtfully.

“Indeed. Many ponies believe that this is due to extreme aggression in the human male, but really, it isn’t. This happens when another human male impregnates the female without the original male’s knowledge. Humans, while being sight-based creatures, also have an amazing sense of smell. Each human has a unique aroma. When the offspring doesn’t carry a similar scent as the father, the male decides to kill them. Basically, if his genes can’t be carried on, neither will the other male's.”

Silence fell over the room as everyone stared at Lyra, mouths agape. Lyra just glanced between the three, humming softly to herself. After a brief moment of silence, she perked up suddenly, looking at Twilight. “What species do you associate humans with?”

“P-pardon?” Twilight stuttered, her brain still trying to process what was going on.

“What species. Do you. Associate humans with?” Lyra asked again, slowly, but not unkindly.

“I-I don’t know,” Twilight said, ears flattening. “Apes?”

“No!” Lyra cried loudly, leaning forward. Or rather, as far forward as the gurney would allow her. “That,” she said, a large grin on her face, "is a common misconception. While it is true that they look similar to, and share several traits with, the great apes of Zebrica, they actually share more traits with canines, with minotaurs in close second! Having tried to find a similar species to compare humans with, I have discovered that a similar species does not exist!”

Twilight stared up at Lyra with a blank expression on her face. “What?”

“It’s true,” Lyra said, nodding sagely. “There are no species close enough to humans to be considered cousins on the evolutionary tree. For instance, despite their appearance, humans are more akin to the diamond dogs than to the great apes. The apes spend most of their life up in the branches of trees, swing from branch to branch in search of food. Diamond dogs burrow through the earth, looking for gems. Do you know what humans do? They dig,” Lyra growled, her right ear flicking several times. “They can dig like nopony’s business. In fact, some scientists believe that humans are better diggers than diamond dogs in certain conditions. That’s why Canterlot likes to use humans for mining purposes. Plus, they’re a lot easier to train and control than diamond dogs.

“But, there is more to them than that! Humans are also similar to minotaurs with their strength and aggression. They are similar to wolves of the north, as they move and live in packs. They are similar to the armored bears of the Far North, as they are semi-resistant to cold. They are so similar to so many species, but aren’t close enough to any of them to be considered part of the same evolutionary tree. Humans practically have their very own branch on the tree of evolution!”

During her rant, Lyra’s voice increased steadily in volume until she was practically shrieking in mad glee. She looked down at Twilight, an insane look in her eyes. Twilight and Ebony were slowly backing up, until their flanks were pressed against the paper-covered wall.

Is this what I was like during the Smarty Pants incident? Twilight thought as she stared at the crazed mare. Lyra was oblivious to the tense atmosphere that had settled over the room.

“It’s almost like one day humans just popped into existence. Like, some being of incredible power just decided one day that they were going to slam a bunch of different races together and create a race that could live in any environment, and survive any disaster! Humans were discovered just over a thousand years ago, yet today they are everywhere! On every single continent, every single country. The only species that surpasses humans in the survival category is the cockroach.

“And,” Lyra said, foam slowly forming around her mouth, “I’m the only one who noticed! I’m the only one who cares! Nopony else seems to realize that humans are a species that just appeared out of the blue one day, and have been living with us ever since!

“And what are they doing through the years, you might ask? They’re waiting! Waiting for their master’s call!”

Lyra’s episode came to an abrupt end, and she hung there, panting heavily, as the echos of her shriek echoed around the room. Licking the foam from her mouth, she swallowed thickly. Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths.

When Lyra opened her eyes again, the madness that had been present before was gone. She looked at her guests with a tired gaze, her mismatched pupils running over each pony.

“So,” she said eventually, her gaze landing on Avera. ‘Who knows more about humans now?”

“You’re insane,” Avera deadpanned. Lyra’s right ear flapped against her head, but she kept her face calm.

“We’re getting off topic,” Twilight huffed, flicking her head, trying to get her mane out of her eyes. “We came to learn what you knew about the statues, and what significance they hold. If you aren’t going to give us any useful answers, then I think we’re done here.” Turning, Twilight made to move towards the door...

“What is your interest in them?” Twilight froze. Slowly, she turned and looked back over at Lyra, blinking in confusion.

“What do you mean?” the alicorn asked. Lyra affixed her with a look that sent shivers down Twilight’s spine.

“You all think I’m crazy,” she said coldly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m stupid. So why are you so damn interested in the statues? What makes you think that they are real? They could just be the ramblings of a madmare.” Twilight glanced over at Ebony, unsure of how to proceed. Ebony returned her conflicted look before her eyes lit up and a smile played across the Battlemage’s face.

“You tell us about the statues, and we’ll tell you why we care,” she said, turning to look at Lyra. The smile left her face when the demented mare began to laugh softly.

“If it has anything to do with your oblivious king, you can forget about it. There’s no way I’m helping that harbinger of destruction. You might all be willing to walk blindly into oblivion, but not me. I’m going to sit back and watch the world burn from the comfort of my ‘padded cell’. A great disaster is coming, and humans are the key. Oh,” she squealed happily, squirming in her bindings. “I can’t wait to say I told you so!”

“Lyra,” Twilight said, her tone warning as her horn glowed softly. “Tell me about the statues. What are they waiting for? What is their purpose?” Lyra stared at Twilight for several long seconds before sighing, her head dropping.

“Deep within the void I was peering. Long I stood there, wondering, fearing, dreaming dreams no pony has ever dared to dream before,” she said softly.

“Great, here we go again,” Avera growled rolling her eyes.

“One-hundred statues,” Lyra continued, speaking louder to drown out the interruption. “That’s how many were scattered around. Darkness and reflections made it seem like more, but I counted, tagged them, listened to their unearthly shrieks. I counted closely, never wavering. One-hundred statues in all, no more, no less. Each one representing one who will turn... our world... upside down. And when that day comes, I shall be ready to say I told you so.”

“‘Turn our world upside down’?” Twilight asked, leaning forward slightly, her eyes narrowing. “Are you saying that something big is going to happen? Some big disaster?”—Lyra nodded her head slowly—“And you claim that the creatures represented by these statues are the ones that are going to cause it?” —Another nodded, followed by a huff—“Are these creatures going to be coming soon?”

“No.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back, “Well, that’s a relief—”

“They’re already here,” Lyra cooed, raising her head. She stared at Twilight, a large, demented grin plastered to her face. “Living within our borders, unseen by all. Much like changelings among the masses of ponies: walking around in plain sight, yet nopony notices. You’ve probably passed by them on the street without evening realizing that they were even there.”

“And let’s say, for whatever reason, we believe you. How would we go about finding these… harbingers?” Ebony asked solemnly. Lyra’s eyes remained locked on Twilight as she spoke.

“You, Princess Sparkle, of all ponies should be able to see them as they truly are.”

“And why’s that?” Twilight asked, taking a nervous step back, her ears splaying backwards...

“Because,” Lyra sneered, golden eyes narrowing. “You’re living with one right now.”

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Primrose said, lying on her back across the coffee table. Her wings were spread, draping down so that the tips touched the wooden floor. She stared up at the ceiling above her, a contemplating look on her face. “Isn’t your moustache really just a mouthbrow… or are your eyebrows really just eyestaches?”

I glanced back from my position by the front window, raising an eyebrow at the batpony. She just continued to stare at the ceiling, tapping her chin with a hoof as she thought about what she had just said.

~Just how high are you?~ I asked, eyeing the joint in her hoof. It was already half gone. A thin haze had fallen over the library, a sweet smell filling the air. I wasn’t sure what she was smoking, but it wasn’t anything we had back on Earth.

“No, no, just think about it,” Primrose giggled, looking at me upside down, the joint hanging from her mouth. “They’re basically in the same relative position to their namesake. They are practically the same thing but in different places on your face!”

Shaking my head, I returned my attention to the window. Reaching a hand up, I cracked the blinds open slightly, peering through the gap. As my eye adjusted to the sunlight, it narrowed slightly. She’s still out there…

Mrs. Cake was standing on the other side of the road, a pink fluffy scarf wrapped around her neck. Normally, this would have worried me, seeing as she seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with me, but she wasn’t exactly looking at the library at the moment.

She was talking happily to the same mare she had been talking to in the marketplace, the mare with the cutie mark of a red heart with a baby bottle. The baker also had her foals with her, bundled up snugly in their foal carriage, a thick blanket keeping them warm.

It appeared that it was purely coincidental that she happened to stop just outside the library, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable until she left.

“Hey… hey… hey...” Primrose said, rolling over onto her stomach and waving a hoof lazily at me. Tearing my gaze from the scene outside, I glanced over my shoulder at her. The dopey smile on her face caused a grin to cross my face.

“Have you ever thought about how smart the brain is? It named itself,” she snickered into her hoof. “It’s a regular brainiac!”

~I think you’ve had enough of that~ I signed, shaking my head.

“Nah,” she said, rolling back over. “You can never have enough!” Lifting the smoking joint to her lips, she pulled on it, sighing happily as the sweet-smelling smoke wafted from her nostrils and mouth. As she lowered the joint, she glanced over at me again, a small frown on her face.

“Hey, you okay? You look kinda stressed.”

~I’m fine~ I signed before looking back out the blinds. I sighed in relief as I saw Mrs. Cake and the other mare parting ways. Mrs. Cake headed off down the path towards Sugarcube Corner, while the other mare headed off towards the residential part of Ponyville. I really should learn her name, I thought as I watched her go.

As I crouched there, watching the two mares walk away, something suddenly latched onto my back.

“Come on,” Primrose’s voice purred in my ear. “Take a hit. You’ll feel a lot better!” I struggled to keep my balance, but to no avail. Primrose’s added weight was too much, and with a yelp, we both fell backwards. The blinds, still clasped in my hand, were torn from the window as we fell. Sunlight immediately streamed in.

I lay there, on my back, groaning as I blinked stars from my eyes. Shaking my head, I rolled over and pushed myself up.

~Are you alright—~ I began to ask Primrose, but the words died on my lips, so to speak. As she staggered to her hooves, I could only sit there, frozen, my eyes widening as I stared at her in horror. The scleras of her eyes had turned pitch black, and her red irises were now glowing brightly. Her pupils had become slitted, dragon-like in appearance. Long white fangs descended from her mouth, glinting in the sunlight.

As I watched, she sat down heavily, rubbing her head with her forehooves.

“Ugh, why did you do that?” she grumbled, massaging her temples. “You just killed my buzz.” Glancing over at me, she blinked those demonic eyes, a confused look flashing across her face. She got up and took a step forward, to which I scooted backwards.

“Dude, what’s wrong…” She trailed off as she glanced down. Her eyes widened and her head snapped up, staring at the blindless window in horror. Her eyes darted back and forth between the window and the patch of sunlight on the floor. Slowly, her lips moved as she mouthed ‘oh buck’.

Swallowing, the batpony slowly turned her head to look at me, her ears splaying backwards. She chuckled nervously, giving me a weak smile. It looked much more intimidating with the pair of fangs.

“I’m, ah… I’m sure you probably have some questions about this,” she said lamely, not looking me in the eye.

I nodded slowly, not taking my eyes off of her as I rose slowly to my feet. I eyed her fangs nervously.

“Um, well…” Primrose tapped her hooves together, her lips pursed as her tail flicked back and forth.

Silence fell over the library as I ran my eyes over her. Everything else seemed to be the same: her coat color, her mane, her bat wings. The only things that changed were her eyes and teeth. What’s going on? I thought, chewing on my lower lip. I know Twilight said there’s a race out there that can disguise itself with magic, but… this doesn’t look like the same thing as… oh, what were they called? Changelings! That was it!

I looked at the batpony, my head cocked to the side. She doesn’t look like what Twilight looked like during Nightmare Night. Doesn’t mean she’s not a threat though.

As I scrutinized the mare before me, she fidgeted beneath my gaze, her tufted ears pressed firmly against her head. I could see her fur beginning to mat slightly as she began to sweat.

Eventually, I asked, ~So, what are you exactly?~

As I signed, Primrose looked up, her glowing red eyes locking on mine. One of her bat wings twitched at her side, and she swallowed again before speaking, “I’m known as a sanguinarian, or a sanguine pony. The most common term for us, however, would be ‘vampony’.” She smiled nervously again. “We’re a rare breed of pony, due to the fact that one can only become a sanguine pony with the help of a pony who has already been turned.”

~You drink blood?~ I asked, my eyes narrowing. Reluctantly, Primrose nodded her head, nibbling on her lip. Well, that explains her fascination with my blood. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, thinking. I rubbed my neck, absentmindedly running my fingers over my jugular.

Primrose seemed to notice my unease.

“Look,” she said hesitantly, taking a step forward. “There’s no need to—” As she moved, I stepped back, keeping the distance between us. A hurt look flashed across her face before she sat down again, her ears and wings drooping.

“I see,” she said quietly, her head lowering. “Most ponies act like that when they find out. They’re always scared we’re going to go feral and attack them, or drain their blood. They treat us like wild animals. Everypony is always scared.” She sniffled, her eyes beginning to tear up. “I was hoping that you’d be different, seeing as you are in a similar situation when it comes to how ponies view you, but… I can see I was wrong.”

I winced, but remained where I was.

~I’m not scared of you, per se~ I signed slowly. ~Just… wary. And very curious… but mostly wary~

Primrose glanced up, a hopeful look on her face as her ears perking.

“R-really?” she asked.

~Humans fear the unknown~ I signed, giving her a strained smile. She stood and took another tentative step forward, but I held out a hand, stopping her.

~Just… stay there for now. Just until I sort some things out, okay?~ I signed, keeping my eyes locked on her. She nodded weakly and sat back down, wiping her glowing eyes with a hoof.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, staring at Primrose as I tried to get my thoughts in order.

~So, you do drink blood, correct?~ I asked. She nodded, lowering her head submissively. I didn’t know if it was instinctual on her part, or if she did it to make me feel better, but either way, I relaxed slightly.

~Do you need to drink blood?~

“In order to remain healthy, yes.”

~Where do you get the blood you drink?~ Primrose scrunched up her face, chuckling slightly.

“My… unique beverage is provided to me by the Night Guard, so you don’t have to worry about me sneaking into your room for a late night snack.” She tried to give me a cocky smile, but it came out more nervous than anything else.

I nodded slowly, processing the information. As I stood there in silence, Primrose suddenly chuckled again. “Although, I’ve got to say, you do have beautiful-looking blood. I wouldn’t mind getting a mouthful of that.”

~Okay, that’s just a little bit creepy~ I signed, shivering slightly. ~You said that you get your blood from the Night Guard? Are the rest of them like you?~

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “While there is a few of us within the Night Guard, the majority of them are just normal ponies. New recruits are enchanted to look similar to sanguine ponies when they first join the ranks of the Night Guard. Luna apparently liked the looks of the sanguinarian, and decided to base her Night Guards off of them. The enchantment is removed when their service comes to an end, and they return to looking like normal.”

~Is there a way to tell a… ‘blood pony’ apart from other ponies?~

“Red eyes,” Primrose said, lifting a hoof to her eyes. “That’s a surefire way to tell if a pony is sanguinarian or not. Normal ponies don’t have the genes required for red eyes, so there’s no way for them to have them otherwise. Any pony—unicorn, pegasi, or earth pony—who has red eyes is a sanguine pony.”

~Do the princesses know what you are?~

“Princess Celestia and Luna do,” Primrose said, flicking her ear. “I’m not sure about Twilight, although Luna told me that she has had previous experience with sanguine ponies, so she shouldn’t be too surprised. Both Ebony and Avera know, as they were told during our briefing before we were sent to guard you. Everypony in the Night Guard knows.” I nodded again, eyeing the batpony curiously.

~Were you going to reveal yourself eventually?~

“What?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “You mean, show you that I was a sanguine pony?” I nodded, and hummed thoughtfully as she bobbed her head back and forth. “Eventually, yes, but Luna wanted for you to become more comfortable around your guards before that happened. Guess I kinda screwed that up, huh?” She chuckled humorlessly, her head lowering again.

As she laughed, my eyes drifted down and I dimly noticed that she was remaining just outside of the beam of sunlight.

~Is there a reason you’re avoiding the sunlight?~ I asked, waving a hand at the window. This caused the vampony to laugh.

“If you’re asking if I’m going to go up in smoke if I get caught in sunlight, the answer is no,” she replied. “Sunlight isn’t harmful to sanguine ponies, it just reveals our true nature—” she motioned to her eyes and fangs "—which is why most sanguine ponies are only active at night: to avoid having their secret revealed. You find us in nightclubs and bars, working the graveyard shift. Of course, there are sanguinarians that are awake during the day, but those are few and far between.”

Silence fell over the library as we both stared at each other. Primrose twitched nervously, fidgeting with her wings. I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I studied her, thinking.

Eventually, she spoke up, “So, stop beating around the bush: are we cool?” She looked at me hopefully, a small smile on her face.

I stared at her for a few more seconds before nodding. She hasn’t given me reason to fear her… yet. And Luna did tell me to follow my heart.

~Tell you what~ I signed, moving forward slowly. ~You don’t bite me without permission, and we can stay friends, deal?~

“Deal.” Primrose chuckled, holding out her hoof. Reaching out, I bumped the hoof with my fist. Her face lit up as a happy smile spread across her face, her tail wagging back and forth.

“Thanks man,” she said softly, before blinking and looking around. “Now, where’d my joint go?” As she searched around for her joint, I chuckled softly shaking my head. I swear, these ponies are bipolar creatures. They’ll be close to tears one second, and laughing their flanks off the next.

“You laugh,” she said, looking under the coffee table. “But that shit is good.”

She looked around for several more minutes, a small frown on her face. As she searched, I watched her closely, going over everything she had just told me. Huffing, she moved her search behind the couch.

“Ah!” Raising a hoof into the air, the batpony happily held up her joint. As she stuck it back in her mouth, I noted that her scleras were slowly turning white again and her fangs were retracting.

Primrose noticed me staring at her and cocked an eyebrow.

“You sure you don’t want to?” she asked, pulling the joint out and waving it at me. “It’s not illegal~.”

I just shook my head, a small smile on my face. ~Better not. Twilight might get upset if I have a bad reaction to something unknown to my body~

“Princess’s Colt,” Primrose grinned, sticking the joint back into her mouth. I smirked at the batpony.

~Shut up, Bloodsucker~ She froze, the smile vanishing from her face.

“B-bloodsucker?” she asked, her ears splaying backwards.

~Yeah, Bloodsucker~ I nodded. ~Or if you’d prefer a different name, there’s always Fang Face, or Neckchomper~

“W-what are you…”

~You need a nickname~ I explained with a shrug. ~I’m not that good with coming up with good nicknames, so until then, you get a… a… ‘blood pony’ nickname~

“Blood pony?” Primrose asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

~I don’t know the word for… for…~ I glared at the vampony as she started to giggle.

“Aw,” she cooed, a small smirk on her face. “Can’t say ‘vampony’ in hoof-language?” I flipped her the bird before bending down and picking up the blinds still lying on the floor. Tossing them onto the coffee table, I then collapsed upon the couch.

With a quick flap of her wings, Primrose flipped through the air and landed beside me on the couch. I flinched slightly when she brushed against me and she gave me a concerned look. I flashed her a nervous smile, which caused her to laugh slightly.

“You’re going to be a little jumpy for a while, aren’t you?” she asked, her ear flicking. I gave her an apologetic look.

~Sorry~

“Don’t be,” she said, puffing on her joint again. “You’re reacting better than I could have hoped. Better than my ex-coltfriend, that’s for sure. My muzzle was crooked for several weeks afterwards.” She scrunched up her face, rubbing her nose absentmindedly. I chuckled a bit at her expression.

“Shut up,” she whined softly. “It really hurt!”

Before I could reply, the front door opened and Twilight, Avera, and Ebony walked in, practically dragging their hooves as they crossed the threshold. Twilight blinked as she entered the hazy library, sniffing at the air. Her nose crinkled and she glanced around in confusion. Upon seeing the joint in Primrose’s mouth, her lips thinned and her horn lit up.

“No smoking in the library,” she said briskly as she pulled the joint from in between the batpony’s lips. Primrose whined, waving her hooves through the air as she attempted to retrieve her joint.

“My baby! No!” Rolling her eyes, Twilight used her magic to snuff the smoking joint out and tossed it back to the batpony. Primrose caught the joint, cradling it in her hooves as she looked sadly down at it.

“Don’t worry, baby,” she muttered as she slipped it back into her pouch. “We’ll hang again when the mean princess is gone.”

Shaking my head and snickering, I turned my attention to Twilight, ~So, did you find out anything useful from the nutjob?~ She froze, her saddlebags half off, and gave me an uneasy look.

“N-no,” she stuttered, a weak smile appearing on her face. “We didn’t learn anything at all.” Behind her, Ebony and Avera looked at each other, but said nothing. As they began to remove their armor, I raised an eyebrow at Twilight.

~You alright?~ I asked, giving her a concerned look.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, the weak smile still on her face. “Just… a little tired, that’s all.”

~You’re lying~ I signed, a small frown on my face. Her eyes widened and her ears splayed backwards.

“W-what?”

~You ponies are terrible liars~ I signed with a chuckle. ~Now, tell me what’s wrong~ She hesitated, chewing on her lip. After several seconds, she glanced up at me, uncertainty clear in her eyes.

~Please?~ I asked. Twilight was silent for several seconds, before sighing and running a hoof through her hair. During her silence, Primrose hopped off the couch and followed Ebony and Avera as they headed down the basement stairs, leaving Twilight and I to ourselves.

“Max,” Twilight said eventually, her voice quiet. “Have you ever heard of a creature named Radeck?” I blinked at the serious tone in her voice. Quickly, I racked my brain, trying to remember if I had ever heard the name Radeck before. After several seconds, I shook my head slowly.

~Can’t say I ever have. Why?~ Twilight didn’t answer me. Instead, she just stared at the floor between us, her wing twitching. Her behavior was starting to make me nervous.

“If… if I asked you to be truthful with me, for one minute, would you do it?” she asked softly, her eyes flicking upward. I blinked, then nodded my head. “Promise?” I reached up and crossed my heart quickly before placing a hand over my bad eye, careful to make sure it was closed before doing so.

“Did you come here, to Equestria, to cause trouble or harm?” I closed my eyes, sighing slowly. When I opened my eyes, I glanced at the mare in front of me, searching her face.

Unlike Celestia, Twilight was not looking at me with suspicious or conflicted belief. She was gazing at me with a hopeful look, filled with trust and longing. I could see in her eyes that she asked the question, not because she suspected I was up to something, or had hidden motives, but because she wanted to believe that I wasn’t going to hurt her, her friends, or anyone else.

~I came here, against my will~ I signed. ~I stayed, because I chose to. Nobody made me, nobody told me to, and I don’t plan on hurting anyone~ A small smile began to grow across Twilight’s face, and her wings fluttered happily by her sides.

~Unless of course they try to hurt me first~ She rolled her eyes, and opened her mouth to say something—~Or you~—only to close it with a click, a large blush spreading across her face. Her ear twitched as she bit her bottom lip, glancing off to the side. Her tail flicked back and forth behind her, and she mulled something over inside her head.

My smirk slowly slipped from my face, and I gave the clearly nervous mare a curious look, cocking my head to the side. ~Twilight?~

“Max, I…” she began, but stopped, her ear flicking. She licked her lips before beginning again. “Max, t-there’s… there’s something I…” She paused, again, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. Her tail flicked back and forth faster.

I raised an eyebrow, eyeing her in confusion. What’s got her so flustered? Does she think I’m lying?

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She muttered something under her breath that sounded strangely like “Come on, Twilight. You can do this” before she looked back up at me.

“Max… I—” she got out before her voice cracked. She let out a small strangled cry before hiding behind her mane, doing an impression of Fluttershy.

Peeking out from behind her mane, she opened her mouth one last time, and—

“Oh, hurry up and kiss already!” We both jumped, and Twilight let out a startled yelp at the sudden shout. Looking around, we found Primrose, Avera, and Ebony poking their heads out from behind the basement door. Ebony and Primrose were both looking up at Avera with annoyed looks on their faces. The black pegasus had a large smirk on her face, and she was laughing softly to herself.

Tearing my gaze from the trio, I looked back at Twilight. Her blush was gone, and she had a defeated look on her face.

“Nevermind,” she said, shaking her head and sighing. “I’ll tell you later.” She turned and set about unpacking her saddle bags. As she did so, the trio emerged fully from the basement.

“I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving,” Avera groaned, flopping on the couch beside me. “Dealing with the nutjob took a lot out of me.”

“Oh please,” Ebony said, rolling her eyes as she unrolled a large scroll. “All you did was argue with her. I wouldn't call that very taxing.” As she ran her eyes over the scroll, she lifted a mug of steaming liquid to her lips.

“It was more taxing than you think,” Avera called, not opening her eyes.

“Oh, suck it up, you big foal,” Primrose said, taking a sip out of her own mug that she had brought up from the basement.

“Oh, you’re one to talk,” Avera replied, opening her eyes and rolling over to glare at the batpony in mock anger. “You got to lay around the library all day with this schmuck—” she proceeded to smack my knee with her hoof before continuing “—I bet nothing remotely exciting happened to either of you today, right Max?”

~Yeah~ I signed, smirking at Primrose. ~Nothing really exciting happened today, right, Blood Pony?~

A gagging sound filled the library as Ebony choked on a mouthful of her beverage. Everyone turned to look at her as she sputtered and coughed.

“‘Blood Pony’?,” she finally managed to choke out. She gave Primrose a shocked look. “You told him? I thought we weren’t going to tell him yet!” Primrose gave the unicorn a deadpanned look before pointing a hoof at the window, which, without the blinds, had the light of the setting sun streaming in.

Ebony stared at the patch of sunlight before saying simply, “Oh.”

Twilight looked between Primrose and the sunlight with a mystified look, mouthing the words ‘Blood Pony’. After several seconds, her eyes lit up and she turned to the batpony.

“You’re a sanguinarian—” she began to ask, but was interrupted by the sound of a pair of wingbeats on the other side of the front door. There was several seconds of silence before the door was encased in a golden glow. With a click, it swung open…

...and in walked a panting Celestia, with Luna close on her heels.

Twilight took one look at Celestia before dropping everything and standing up, a look of horror on her face.

“Princess Celestia! Are you alright? What happened? Why are you—”

“Please, Twilight,” Celestia said, her voice strained. “Please, I mean no disrespect to you, my faithful student, but please… be silent… for just a few minutes.” Twilight’s jaw snapped shut with a click, and she looked up at Celestia with a hurt expression, her ears folding back.

As Luna gave Twilight an apologetic look, Celestia immediately turned her attention directly to me. I felt Avera tense up beside me, and I felt one of her wings press against my back.

As Celestia approached me, I looked up at her nervously. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days, dark rings under her eyes. Her mane was flowing at a slower rate than usual, and several of her feathers were out of place. She stared down at me, an unreadable expression on her face.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the library as Celestia stared at me. From the looks on the others' faces, they weren’t sure what to do. Twilight kept glancing back and forth between her mentor and me, a worried look on her face.

Eventually, Celestia spoke. It was only one word—one simple word—but the way she said it was so pitiful, so weak, that for a minute it wasn’t the co-ruler of Equestria standing before me, but a broken mare.

“Help.”

She gazed at me, her magenta eyes pleading.

“Please, help. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you from my student, my sister, my niece and her husband. Even one of my most trusted guards supports you. You have been kind, you have been helpful, you have been caring, more so than anypony else in your position should be. I don’t want to distrust you, or be suspicious of you, so please, help me. Help us.”

I just sat there, opening and closing my mouth, unsure of what to do. I glanced over at Luna, hoping that she could shine some light on the situation. She just gave me a blank look, blinking occasionally.

Swallowing, I turned my attention back to Celestia, ~What… what do you need my help with exactly?~

“Several weeks ago, one of my elite task forces raided one of Darkflare’s warehouses,” Celestia said, slipping slowly back into her normal tone of voice. “In it, they found an artifact the likes of which we have not seen before. Upon its arrival at Canterlot, we’ve had our top minds study it, trying to figure out what it is and what it does, but they have had no success.” She sighed, adjusting her wings into a more natural position. “The artifact was in Darkflare’s possession, so we have reason to believe that it may be dangerous. As we have never seen anything like it before, we were hoping that you might have, and would be able to help us out.”

~Why do you think that I can help you with this artifact?~ I asked, scrunching up my face in confusion. ~I’m not from this world. I have no real experience with anything your world might have~

“That is true,” Celestia said as her horn lit up. “But we feel that you might be the perfect person to ask, seeing as we have determined that, just like you, this artifact is not from our world originally.” With a flash, a small object suddenly appeared beside Celestia, floating in her magic.

“So, I ask you,” she said, slowly levitating the object over to me. “Can you tell me what this is, and why Darkflare would happen to have it in his possession?” With that, she dropped the thing into my lap.

Slowly, with trembling hands, I picked the object up, not daring to believe my eye. There, in my hands, was an item I had thought I would never see again. It was slightly damaged, a thin crack that hadn’t been there before running across the face of it.

Aware that everyone’s eyes were now upon me, I couldn’t help but run a finger slowly over the familiar silver apple logo on the back of my phone.

Author's Notes:

A special shout out to Nihatclodra, who came up with the 'Human Prophecy'.

“Statues of black, marred by white veins. Wordless screams echo in the void. The world shall know their pains, lest Harmony be destroyed. In Chaos, darkness shall sing: Humans shall rise in advent of The Greatest King.”