"So, what now?"

Coalburst sat quietly at Blue's side, her turquoise eyes pinned on the changeling before them even after she had spoken. Every so often she moved her hoof to tap the yellow casing of Blue's injured hoof, a perplexed frown forming on her muzzle each time that she did so. All the while she refused to let her gaze shift, her horn sparking now and then.

Thorax was quiet as he watched Coalburst's distrustful display, his wings buzzing slowly. Though it was hard to see much emotion in his bright pink eyes, their slight dullness and watery edges couldn't help but imply his nerves. It was no surprise, Blue reasoned, when he had little more to offer them now that his apple was gone.

"Well, it's... it's up to you," Thorax murmured whilst his hoof drew little circles in the dusty floor. "If you can trust a changeling I... I can do my best to help you?"

Coalburst scowled slightly. "Well, unless you wanna turn yourself into an apple with those creepy powers of yours so that we can eat you, I don't know what good you can be." She crossed her hooves and looked away, eyes closed in defiance as her horn sparked a little more; she was quickly prevented from continuing to do so, however, when Blue gave her a not-so-gentle shove.

"Hey!" she whispered, her own eyes narrowed. "When I first met you, you attacked me and yet I still let you come with me and RipEar! You're not really one to talk right now."

"Oh." Coalburst's head fell and she whimpered slightly as she looked at Blue with a small blush on her cheeks. "I... I didn't think of that."

Blue grinned and nodded once before she turned back to Thorax, holding out a hoof. "Maybe I'm stupid to trust you," she said, sparing a glance to the filly at her side, "but I know what it's like to be hated. Back in the facility... Everypony in there was different, somehow. I guess they didn't have to worry about making allies when they weren't in constant danger, and so they all seemed to hate me for being a part-amnesiac. Nopony'd talk to me or give me the time of day and it... it hurt.

"But I don't want to be like those ponies, and I don't want to be alone. Like I said, I'm probably stupid for being like I am—but I didn't really do anything to get the other ponies' hate. Not on purpose."

Thorax looked at Blue uncertainly; his eyes had regained most of their usual brightness when he then whispered, "What... What are you s-saying?"

Blue stood up slowly and placed a little weight on her encased but injured hoof. When only a few sharp sparks of pain came, as opposed to the agony that had surfaced before, she walked over to his side a little lamely. She kept her distance at first, eyeing him up quickly, before she then moved closer to his side and sat down beside him and said, "Everypony deserves a chance, whoever they are. And what you are, or what you've done, shouldn't really matter. Not if you have good intentions now."

Thorax gave a massive beam as he leapt to his hooves, his wings now buzzing frantically as he spun about on the spot. He giggled a little as he shot to the drawer and began to rummage about, eventually pulling out an old piece of leather. He then shot towards Blue and tied it loosely around her neck as if it were a sash, much to her—somewhat nervous—puzzlement. He then proceeded to tie the two thinner pieces of leather around her shoulders so as to hold it in position.

"Et, voila!" he cried as he tied of the second strap, then stepping back to admire his work. With a short but excitable nod he then picked up the rapier with his magic from Coalburst's side and floated it over slowly, aware of Blue's large eyes as it approached her. It was with the utmost care that he then pushed it through a small loop of leather that was attached to the sash, slipping the blade through until the handle was reached, at which point he let go. The rapier then sat quietly at Blue's side, pointing outwards from her body slightly, with the handle at the perfect height for her to whip it out.

"Thorax..." Blue whispered quietly as she looked down at the new adornment, rather rustic in comparison to her shiny silver armour. "Why would you give me this?"

Thorax smiled and nudged the handle of the rapier, reassured when the blade did not come close to her fur. "Somepony got it for me before the war. Well, somedragon really, but still. Either way, it was too small for me and rubbed whenever I put it on, but I always kept it 'cos it was a great friend who gave it to me. He was into his sword fighting, see; he liked all those old comics, y'know? Y'know what I mean, right?" Blue and Coalburst nodded quickly and Thorax sighed. "Oh, good! I got worried then, I thought you'd never seen one before! I mean, the ones that still exist are really old but they're really good still anyway!"

Coalburst, still sat a way off and still with a somewhat suspicious frown on her muzzle, rolled her eyes. "You're waffling," she said with a slight snort.

Thorax stiffened and rubbed behind his ears before he gave a quiet laugh. "Oh. Was I? Well, anyway, it's too small. But it's a really, really horrid world out there, and I'll bet it's tough not having magic to hold your weapons with! And that harness is great, 'cos it was designed to hold things like swords and guns and... well, whatever you want, really. Better access to things than a saddlebag, too. And I don't like the thought of you carrying that thing under your wing, anyway. Ugh."

Blue gave a small smile as she gripped the handle with her teeth, pulling the rapier out experimentally—the leather became softer when she did so—and beaming at the ease. She then turned around slowly and began to walk back towards the door, at which point she poked her head out quickly and, upon seeing no hostile attackers, she beckoned with her hoof for the other two to follow her. "Well, if we're going to travel together we may as well get on with it," she said with a laugh. Thorax needed no encouragement and zipped to her side, nearly knocking her over; Coalburst was slightly more reserved as she plod forwards, eyes still narrowed.

"How can you be so wimpy and then so confident all in the same hour?"

Blue laughed and stretched out her wing to pull the filly closer. She then nuzzled just below Coalburst's chin as she whispered, "I'm a wuss when it comes to fighting, I know. But at least I can be happy when I'm not being attacked, right?"

Coalburst smiled a little when she stepped away from Blue and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I s'pose," she grumbled in a teasingly grumpy voice, then she giggled a little bit as well. "So, are we going or what?"

Blue removed her wing from the filly’s back before she flicked her with her hoof, an act which made her wince. She then laughed and said, as she stepped slowly out of the room with Thorax at her side, “You were the one holding us up. But I don’t know this place, anyway; how would I know where we should start searching?”

“E-Excuse me?” Thorax’s quiet voice interrupted Coalburst’s attempt at speech, making the filly scowl and grumble. He sent her an apologetic glance before he then said, in an increasingly weak and timid manner, “Could we, y’know, search the head’s office first? I… I’d like to know what happened to all of my family and I…” Thorax spared a glance towards his dead and decaying comrades who lay littered across the steps before he finished with, “I think the best place to look would be there.”

Blue looked about the clearing before she nodded slowly and shrugged. “Well, we’ve got nowhere better to start, really. There might be some good stuff up there, anyway.” After a glance to Coalburst, who actually lost her grumpy scowl at the suggestion, Blue nodded and looked back to the changeling. Her eyes then landed on the pile of bodies which led up to where he was going and, in an instant, her determination mostly dissipated. “Uh… You first?”

Blue turned the key in her hoof slowly and grinned when the slight click of the lock opening was heard, despite her trembling body. Indeed, she hardly spared a moment before she shot into the room—she did not even notice when the key which she had thrown onto the ground morphed back into a panting Thorax. She then let out a held breath, more than a little relieved to be free from the starved corpses of changelings and ponies alike. When she did so, however, she suddenly realised she didn’t feel much more reassured; the impenetrable darkness of the room engulfed her, burned at her fur—or at least until Coalburst formed a few small flames in front of her horn to see a little better. When it transpired that there was a large, burned out lamp in the middle of the room, she then moved the flame, which needed only her magic as fuel, inside. She then picked it up with her mouth, her horn still alight, and cautiously passed it to Thorax.

The room which the trio now stood in was, in a word, bland. Just as the landings had been, this circular space was mostly devoid of any furnishings, the walls merely host to two doors which, presumably, led to other parts of the head pony’s lodgings. There was one exception, however, in the form of a weathered old wooden desk which was strewn with papers and over-sharpened quills.

Thorax was the first to approach the desk, shuffling through the papers slowly but without much interest, none evidently catching his interest. He muttered under his breath as he skimmed, uttering something about the “silly ponies!” and the “insanity of it all”. When he finally reemerged, however, he didn’t look displeased, per se; rather, he simply looked saddened. When Blue stepped forwards to question him, though, he held up a hoof and shook his head.

“D-don’t worry about me,” he said, a trembling smile on his face as he stood slightly taller. Though somewhat unsure, Blue was quick to take a step backwards as she ruffled her feathers. “There’s nothing here. Just the normal paperwork. Y’know, supplies, bills…”

Blue paused and raised a hoof, her eyes a frown. “Bills? Money’s still used, then?”

“No, not really. I… I should’ve said that better. It’s kinda like an old bill, but with… Well, a s-service in exchange.” Thorax gave a too-loud snort and turned away; his stunning, transparent wings glistened in the firelight as they dragged across the dusty wooden floor. “We should search these rooms, shouldn’t we?”

Before either pony could answer, Thorax opened the first door—it required something of a heavy-hoofed nudge to convince it—and stepped inside. He yelped as he did so, however, and was quick to scarper backwards, eyes wide as he reared up. From the blackness a small white foal shot out, its crystalline eyes pointing in opposite directions and its face coated in red. Blood already dripped from its side where a mangled wound could be seen, yellow and pussy and completely swollen. The poor thing’s legs were all battered and bruised, almost completely purple in colour. Its wings were tattered and featherless, quite horrific in appearance. But just as disturbing was the wet hiss which sounded from its mouth as it lunged towards Blue, mouth open and ready to bite; she screamed and shot up into the air, fumbling for the rapier as she did so. It slipped from the  harness easily, just as Thorax had promised earlier, but actually using the weapon proved a greater challenge; she swung rapidly as she whimpered, each attack uncoordinated and far from hitting its mark. All the while should couldn’t help but tear up a little, the sight of the mad foal whose sanity and very life had been stolen by the vicious reality of life painful.

She couldn’t do it—she couldn’t strike. The foal, however, was more than capable as it snapped at her hooves; she shot backwards and screamed before it then changed its target, spinning unsteadily on the spot and hurling its body towards Thorax. The changeling, in turn, whined loudly but held his own nevertheless; he lowered his head quickly and threw his head, his sharp, antler-like horns enough of a deterrence to make the foal change its mind once again. It then fumbled towards Coalburst, snapping and snorting, before a wall of flames burst into being above it. The filly strained to keep the fire controlled as it burned on the wooden floor; the mad foal hardly noticed, however, and fell through as if it did not even notice. Its eyes rolled into the back of its head as it did so, its flesh now charred and burning, and it fell to the ground before her hooves. It did not once cease in its frantic biting, however, and hardly seemed to even notice the agonising flames which had already burned its half-torn-out mane and tail to ashes; a second later, as it tried to rise up to its bloodied hooves, it spluttered and fell to the ground, its eyes swivelling with pinprick pupils but completely unseeing. It took a deep, final breath in and then lay completely still, other than the occasional twitch.

After a few seconds, Coalburst’s flames died out and she stumbled, suddenly looking exhausted. She coughed and spluttered a little, too, as she tried to bat the smoke which still lingered from her face; Thorax was quick to rush to her side, scooping her up onto his back and stepping towards the room from which the mad little foal had come. He whimpered as he passed it, tears shining in his pink eyes; as she fluttered to the ground and walked around it with a wide berth, Blue couldn’t help but feel the same way. She wasted no time in hurrying past and into the room, glad to be free from the corpse—the corpse of a foal who hadn’t deserved to die.

When Thorax and Coalburst had entered the room as well, Blue quickly bucked the door shut—only to realise that it was now completely pitch black. She moaned at the sight and hissed, in a shaky voice, “Coal, light!” before a feeble flame flickered into existence. It died out only a moment later, leaving the room’s occupants in darkness once more until the filly was able to make a slightly stronger flame. Well aware that she wouldn’t be able to make anything more substantial, Blue stumbled backwards slowly and began to whimper a little louder; when her hoof landed on something smooth and round she fell to her rump with a yelp, only to find a metallic torch at her hooves. She picked it up slowly and twisted the cracked and bloodied lid off, a frown on her muzzle before she grinned and climbed back up. She then limped sorely over to the filly and, trembling as she reached closer with her muzzle, she scooped the tiny flame into the torch. When she replaced the lid, dim light was then spread throughout the room.

“Good idea,” Thorax mentioned quietly, a small blush on his cheeks. Blue raised an eyebrow at the sight but did not question it; instead she trod closer to Coalburst and nudged the filly gently, rubbing a small patch of grim material from her cheek. When the latter gave a small, tired smile, Blue then returned the expression and turned away, drawing her rapier once again and walking forwards, the torch now held under her wing. Though slow to do so, Thorax followed suit.

By the looks of it, the room was—or, perhaps more accurately, had once been—a dining room and kitchen. A small square table—mahogany, by the looks of it—lay upturned to the side, crashed into what was probably some sort of painting (in the darkness it was hard to make much sense of it). Around the edges of the wall, blood-stained and scratched up worktops could be found, the heart of which was the large, ancient-looking stove with its towering smoke funnel that led outside. Though its doors were dented from, Blue presumed, continual bucking—at the hooves of the colt, no doubt—and its body was generally dirtied from both blood and grime, it was still quite a breathtaking thing.

The room was, upon further inspection, something of a let down in terms of its available loot. Empty packets—or half eaten boxes completely ruined either by mold or some foul smelling, putrid, lumpy green gunk that, truth be told, Blue was quite glad she didn’t know the identity of—were littered across the floor. It was quite clear that the foal had been trapped inside for some time, too; the numerous mounds of dung, oddly enough only in one corner, were proof enough of that—as was the fact that the piles no longer gave off a noxious stink.

“There’s nothing much here,” Thorax murmured as he walked forwards and pulled open a cupboard door, sniffing slowly. “Nothing made with even the slightest amount of love, anyway. I’m starving; I’d smell it if there was anything.”

Blue nodded, looking around as she walked forwards slowly. She kept her rapier clutched firmly between her teeth when she flew higher up and began to search through the semi-broken, wall-mounted cupboards; the only fruits of her labour were a few small sweets which had lain abandoned at the back of the last one that she searched, long since rendered inedible.

“That foal probably grabbed everything,” Coalburst murmured, giving a sigh once she had done so. She then struggled slowly and slipped from Thorax’s back to land a moment later with a cringeworthy thud. She didn’t complain, however, and instead hopped forwards wearily, her fore hooves dragging a little. She then crouched down and lit her horn ever so slightly, the nigh-on nonexistent light from doing so just enough for her to peek under the cupboards. After a few moments, she then pressed her muzzle underneath and her horn glowed more boldly before she jerked herself back out, spluttering and brushing dust from her nose as she did so. In her aura she gripped a meat cleaver triumphantly.

Blue rolled her eyes but grinned all the same before she then turned back to Thorax and trotted up to his side; every other step on her sore hoof made her wince slightly. She then pushed the door open slowly, waved the rapier around stepped back into the main entrance room.

“There’s nothing here,” she murmured whilst she used the rapier’s blade to push the now-dead colt’s body further from her; when she drew backwards, she cringed at the sight of the pus-tipped end. She then flew up into the air and hovered there slowly before she said, “So, who’s going first for the next room?”

There was silence for a moment before both Coalburst’s and Thorax’s eyes came to land on Blue. She was quiet for a moment before she fell back to the floor and galloped backwards, shaking her head wildly.

“No, no, no!” she hissed, her ears pinned. Her eyes were narrowed as she then said, “I’m not going in there first! If I know it’s clear then fine, I can do that, but I am not going in there first!”

Coalburst laughed and hopped forwards with her tongue stuck out. “Aww, poor baby!” she murmured, laughing. “Y’know, you’re not gonna get any better at living out here if you can’t open a door!”

Blue scowled and nudged the little filly’s shoulder, grinning at her stumble. “Oh, haha. Very funny, Coalburst.” She glowered a little before she then stood straighter and took a deep breath, a small smile then gracing her face. “Look, I’ll get there. But an insane foal just ran out of the last one and I had to watch it die right in front of me, and while you might be used to that it’s still a pretty new thing for me. So… just cut me some slack, alright?”

Coalburst was quiet for a moment before she grinned and nodded, her horn sparking. The magic was duller than usual, her reserves not quite restored yet, but she turned to the door anyway with her new knife in hoof. “Well, fine. But if we find anything good I’m having it!”

Blue laughed and beckoned for Thorax to come closer as she replied with, “Yeah, fine.” She then stepped an inch closer to the second door whilst Coalburst scooted quickly around the changeling and opened her wings, her rapier ready as per usual. She gave Thorax, who now looked more than a little hurt by the filly’s evident distrust, a small smile and draped her wing across his side (she couldn’t quite reach over the top of his back). He, in turn, smiled and wrapped his own hoof around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him and holding her there tightly for a moment. When she did not squirm, his smile only grew and he whispered, with his eyes still pinned on the door which the filly was now slowly pushing open, “You trust me?”

Blue nodded as she slipped out from the changeling’s hooves. “Well, yeah. Like I said, you’ve not done anything to make me not trust you.”

Thorax beamed and then stepped in front of Blue, his wings buzzing as he shielded her from whatever horrors might come out of the room. “Th-thank you. It means a lot.”

Blue laughed and stepped up to Thorax’s side, pushing him slightly out of her way. “No problem. But please, let me at least try and stand up for myself? At least until I pass out; then you can be my knight in shining armour, okay?”

“Yeah, su—“

“Oi!” Coalburst’s cry interrupted Thorax’s words and both he and Blue spun on the spot to see what was going on, the former now crouched low and ready to strike whilst the latter simply stood tall, or as tall as her slightly trembling legs would allow. When no attack came, though, and it transpired that the filly stood alone in the doorway, both sighed and relaxed as they stepped nearer. “Stop chattin’, lovebirds!”

Thorax shook his head as he gave a laugh. “I… I don’t think I would actually be this skinny if we were “lovebirds,” as you say,” he said, his steps cautious as he watched Coalburst’s eyes narrow as he drew closer. He was careful to stop a few metres away from her; plenty enough room for her to erect a fiery wall, should she so desire. When she realised that fact, she seemed to relax a little, so much so that she could even laugh a little.

"Well, yeah, maybe. You are kinda scrawny." She laughed and turned tail, though not without swishing it threateningly. "There's nothing in here; like, nothing. Maybe we should—“

Thorax raised a hoof and sniffed the air slowly before his eyes widened in delight; he stepped forwards slowly and brushed Coalburst out of his way with a gentle hoof. He then shot towards the opposite end of room, sniffing with his head low to the ground in a manner not so unlike the hound which had been following the two ponies before.

It was unnerving. But not so much as the sight which then met the pair's eyes; as Thorax's horns brushed against the wall, a low rumble sounded before dust fell from the roof, enshrouding the trio in a coating of grey powder. Once they had shaken it off, however, the wall began to crumble and then disintegrate before them—just as the door to the outside was blocked by a wall of its own, which formed from midair. It drew a whimper from Blue and Coalburst, both of whom had clamped tails and pinned ears; Thorax, however, did not make such a sound. Rather, an excited squeak came from his mouth and he shot into the enclosed space without a moment’s notice.

Blue glanced to the filly beside her, her legs and wings trembling as she did so; the feathers were filthy by now, coated with dust and debris and tiny flecks of blood. But, after a few weeks of being outside, she could just about stomach that now. The prospect of disappearing into a small room which had just appeared, quite literally, out of thin air, though? That wasn't so easy to accept. But, at Thorax's cry of amazement and beckoning hoof, both she and the filly found they had no choice but to follow. Coalburst did so especially slowly, her suspicious scowl back on her face once again.

The entrance to the hidden room was small and restrictive; had she been claustrophobic, Blue was certain she wouldn't have even gotten close to the rough, rocky tunnel which was by the looks of it, quite literally carved from the rock of the cliff. But, as she pushed her way through with splutters and coughs as dust filled her nostrils, she found her heart pumping strongly in her chest, a sure reminder that she could do this.

She would survive out here. That thought replayed itself in her mind as she scrambled after Thorax, wincing whenever she placed her hoof down on a particularly sharp stone or brushed her body against the unforgiving tunnel wall. Her rapier was kept by her side, ready to be unsheathed if need be, but with each step that she took Blue couldn’t help but feel like it was the right thing to do.

Coalburst, a mere filly, seemed to survive well out here—excluding the fact that she’d lost half of her leg, of course. And if she could do alright, then Blue could surely learn to be that way as well; once she found RipEar and bucked some sense into his stubborn mind, she would thrive. They would journey to whatever village he wanted to head to and set up a home—a stable home, to boot—there. And, she couldn’t help but imagine, maybe one day he would finally loosen up around her and accept her affections.

It was odd, she found herself thinking. Though she admired him and loved him in a friendly way, she was not particularly attracted to RipEar, per se. Rather, he was a stallion. And, for a mare in the middle of summer, he was a more than adequate candidate for a mate.

But then again, she hadn’t felt any needs for a while, now. A good few days at least. With that realisation in mind, Blue sighed and pushed her way forwards faster, content in the knowledge that she wouldn’t have to restrain her own desires again for a few weeks, at least. RipEar wouldn’t help her, anyway, and she didn’t exactly feel comfortable trying to get it on with Thorax.

Though presumably he wouldn’t refuse, either. He seemed more than willing to prove his trustworthiness.

Blue shook her head and laughed a little but, with her eyes closed, she soon found her muzzle squashed up against Thorax’s rump. She yelped and jumped back whilst Thorax reacted in an equal manner, though his yell was less loud and he recovered much quicker. He then laughed weakly, mumbling, “You should watch where you’re going, or you might, get hurt. And I, y’know, don’t want you to get hurt.” He then nudged a small button on the wall, stepping back to allow a trembling Blue and Coalburst out of the tunnel and into the clearing—and the sight that met their eyes could not have been predicted.

The room was small, wide enough for the three of them at a squeeze and only twice as long. The cramped feel was not helped by the feebly flickering glow of the lightbulb that dangled from the relatively low, rocky ceiling. Shadows, so dark that one could stretched across the majority of the space, formed by the few pieces of furniture which could be found inside. As seemed standard in the Chameleon facility there was a plain wooden dresser, though it did not show the scars of age, and a small, unbroken window which showed the illusion of the outside world. Coalburst smiled at the sight of it and glanced at the fragment in her hoof, smiling as a bird flew past the image of the sun. When she looked back up, she squealed as a small robin, its red breast fluffed out, then landed down on the window ledge. She trotted over and looked up to it, her mouth open in a small “oh”. Thorax trod closer tentatively and then lifted her up on his head, holding her between his antlers; she yelped and glared at him for a moment but, when she realised that he now held her right next to the window, she sighed and leaned in closer, grinning when the little bird turned to her and tweeted a few times. Though she could not hear it, a few small tears leaked from the corners of her eyes anyway.

Thorax grinned and looked to Blue, his eyes alight with glee. She, in turn, gave a smile and walked up to his side, patting him on the back with a feather. When she did so, however, she couldn’t help but feel that something suddenly wasn’t right; flying up a short distance so as to reach the light, she tilted it so as to move the shadows. A moment later, she gasped and fell to the floor with her wings clamped, her hoof raised accusingly. But she did not point and Thorax or Coalburst; instead, her gaze was directed towards the opposite end of the room which had not yet been investigated where, in the moving glow of the swinging light, two skeletons could be seen laying on a clean white mattress, a blanket pulled over them.

Coalburst grumbled a little and jumped down to the floor again as Thorax backed up a little as well. That being said, though, the way his wings were flared out wider than before indicated that he was in a defensive stance more than anything else.

“Really? C’mon, it’s just bones!” she whined as she stomped her hoof, her muzzle contorted—once again—in a scowl. Before she could say anything else, though, Thorax blushed a little and stepped closer—and promptly cut her off.

“No, it’s not just bones,” he said, his hooves now outstretched towards the bed. He then drew back quickly, a yellowed envelope which contained a pile of paper in his hooves. “These are… sort of like journal entries.”

“Huh?” Blue took a tentative step forwards and took the papers from him with her wing, then moving them towards her face. She scanned them quickly and frowned at the realisation that half of them were too faded to even be legible; with a small sigh, she then began to read the surviving entries out. It was at that point that Coalburst sat down with a sigh and rested her head on her hooves so as to let her eyes flutter shut, though whether she was interested or merely tired was a mystery.

Winter, 1107 ANM. I never knew they were building a new facility, especially not one so near to the village. Though I’m sure mother and Tourmee—oh, how disappointed she would be if she saw me calling her that—will be most upset that I left, I don’t doubt that I’ll be able to go back one day. Actually, scratch that. After all, I’m the head mare; maybe one day I will be able to let them in as well and they can live here in safety, instead of out in the wasteland of Equestria.

Spring, 1110 ANM. When I agreed to be head mare for the facility, I wasn’t quite aware how much work had to be done before it could be habitable—nor did I realise that I would be the one doing the majority of the work. Painting the rooms, furnishing them, the like. Nevertheless, I am quite pleased with how well my facility—my facility, how lovely it sounds—has turned out. Just a few final touches and it will at last be ready. The powers-that-be up in Canterlot have been most accommodating with my requests as well, bless their hearts. I just hope the medics and cooks will be as helpful—on which note, their arrival is much anticipated. Only seeing the same few delivery ponies for three years… I could do with some fresh new faces.

Summer, 1110 ANM. It took them long enough to get help in, but the few ponies who have turned up seem to be pleasant. Two guards, and I would mention that the younger has… something of an agreeable body. Silkiest brown coat I’ve ever seen, and my gosh, that mane! And then there’s his general build… I shouldn’t be surprised, earth pony stallions have something of a reputation for being stocky, though we mares tend to be a little less so. Whatever the case, I think I may be spending some time with him sooner or later.

Winter, 1110 ANM. The first occupants have come today, but I’m a little concerned. Oddly enough they are all either crystal ponies or, god forbid, changelings. They do their best and keep up a pony appearance, don’t get me wrong, but we all know who—and what—they really are. But I should be safe; I’ve got my guards. The food supplies for the residents are dwindling rather rapidly, though, and if Canterlot doesn’t send more soon I don’t think my two boys could stop the masses.

Fall, 1114 ANM. It’s sickening. Even little Pigeon, bless her heart, knows something isn’t right, and she’s only just turned four! But I can’t do anything about it; I have my orders, and I have to follow them, as I have done for years. I thought I would have authority and power when I came here first… It seems Canterlot has more influence than I could have imagined. Over my facility and over my mind, or so it seems sometimes. But I have to look after Pigeon; I can’t let her suffer the same fate as poor old Teacup. He did his best, and I’ll—we’ll—be forever grateful.

Fall, 1115 ANM. Just had the latest batch through. Five batches so far this year; the recruiters have been working overtime, I must say. As have I; every minute I spend thinking, daydreaming… But my thoughts are the stuff of nightmares. I once vowed to bring my family here, but I now know better. No one survives in here. No one.

Winter, 1115 ANM. My role here is nothing more than protocol. I keep up appearances and make every order for supplies, but my power is virtually that of the inhabitants. I have no magic to send the orders; I have to relay everything to Sparkes, and he’ll then put the order in. And every time he complains and, as he puts it, “fixes” my list. I can't even order a bowl of apples without his approval.

Spring, 1116 ANM. The doors were not properly locked to the rooms and almost all of the inhabitants are out. They know what's going on, now; they know this so called "salvation", as it was advertised, is more of a slaughterhouse. The changelings were different this time. Friendly, amiable, when they arrived. But when the doors were closed and they were shut into their rooms, the starvation turned them on eachother; once they broke out, there was little love left here for them to feed on, and even less actual food for the crystal ponies. And now I've had to flee my own room and cower up here in my hideout, my little Pigeon at my side. I have a few scraps of food, but the kitchen is off limits. A crystal foal got in, a mad'un, and I've nothing with which to fight him. Sparkes is alive, I imagine, but he has fled the scene. Buck has gone down; I heard his screams, his sacrifice for Pigeon and me now worthless. I fear it is only a matter of time; we have water and oxygen supplies to last a while, but there is only enough food to keep us alive for a few weeks or so; double that, if I go without. But for now, all I can do is fight and hope my strength is enough to break down this wall.

Spring, 1116 ANM. There is no rescue coming. Pigeon is so chipper, so happy, despite the bleakness of our situation. She does not understand. I envy her for that. I am starved, but she is quite content and developing something of a tubby belly. Over the sounds of fighting outside, it is the only thing that can make me smile these days. But I know what must be done, though the choice is a painful and heart-wrenching decision. I have a single sachet of a uni-vac herb in my possession, a painless and slow acting poison that was slipped into my coat pocket the first day I became the head mare of this cursed place. If I can feed it to her, she can drift off before I am gone, before she has to watch her mother die and before she then succumbs in the same agonising way as me. I now just need to find the courage to do so, before her happiness is gone and before I leave this world too.

Spring, 1116 ANM. My time is near. I have hardly the strength to lift my quill to write, but I must. Pigeon is aware that something is wrong but remains happy to stuff her face and play tiddlywinks. I made her a banquet of a meal earlier, too, with the basketful of food we have left. She rather enjoyed it, but didn't so much as question where the next meal was coming from. She does not realise it will be her last, but I am certain that it was enjoyable at least. And yet it breaks my heart to know that I am not only responsible for the death of numerous batches—how that word disgusts me—of changelings and crystal ponies, but I am the murderer of the sweet little foal in front of me. And I can see her drifting now, and she is getting weaker. She has climbed into my lap, has whispered in a feeble voice, "Tell me a story, Mama." And so I do, and I hug her tight to my chest with one hoof as I continue to write this last note, nonsense spewing from my mouth as I feel her body go limp in my hooves. And then her last breath, so small and from such a tiny foal, blows across my muzzle. And she is still, never to hear the end of my garbled story. And my tale is a warped one, and, as I clutch her warm but lifeless body close, I can only pray that if anyone finds these, they realise that I am no monster. I did not mean to do this; not any of it. And now I must pay for my unwanted crimes in a most horrible way; with my filly daughter, but a few years into her childhood, held to my chest in death as I succumb to my starvation. And I know that one day we will be reunited in fields of grass, but for now... Now I have only her lifeless body as a reminder of how I cou—

There was silence as Blue's voice trailed off and the trio looked around the room. Indeed, a half finished game of tiddlywinks could be seen by the bed and, with a quill laying next to the mattress' side, the two skeletons were clutched tightly in an embrace. The smaller was well protected by the larger, whose hooves were gently wrapped around the fragile bones in a tender hold.

Blue whimpered quietly, and even Coalburst looked shaken as she whispered, "I think we should just go and let them sleep." And, though each knew it was as far from the truth was as possible, Blue and Thorax both nodded and began to back away slowly, creeping back through the tunnel with trembling bodies and tear stained cheeks.

And all the while, the mother and daughter lay in their long-cold bed, held in an eternal embrace.