“Is she awake?”

“Nah, she’s totally out of it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course I am, just look at the state of her! Anyway, the arbalest venom’ll give her the rest she needs. Speaking of which she’ll need a drink and some food when she comes round. Mind if I snabble a few of the supplies?”

“You need to ask?”

“Nope! Here we go…”

“That enough? We’ve got more in-”

“Oh, stop worrying! There’s plenty here for now. If I need more I’ll give you a shout, okay?”

“Hmpf!”

“You know, if the wind changes your face will stick like that one day.”

“Huh! I’m glad to see some cliches are universal.”

“Folk wisdom passed down through the ages, eh? Hah! Look at her curled up like that. If it wasn’t for that cone sticking out of her bonce you’d think she was just a regular old pony like the rest of us. Most of us that is.”

“Damn it, Celly, you took one hell of a risk bringing that kid here. What on earth were you thinking?”

“You know very well what I was thinking, and don’t come all high and mighty with me, mister! I risked my neck to get her here.”

“Through the goddamned hold of all places! For Christ’s sake…”

“Stop that, you know I don’t like it when you swear like that.”

“I think I’ve got a damned good right to, don’t you?! You were nearly killed down there. It’s only because I heard all the screaming that I got to you in time. Otherwise...” “Oh, Celly, what I am going to do with you?”

“You could try kissing me?”

“What, in front of… her?”

“Sure, why not? She’ll be out for the count for a few hours yet. Poor kid needs it too.”

“She really has magic then? I mean, you told me the stories about them, but it sounds so far fetched I’m not sure what to make of it all.”

“Oh, it’s real alright. I’ve seen it first hoof, and it’s the only reason we’re still in one piece. Well, one of reasons, hmm? My big, strong, hero...”

“Stop it! Later, love… please.”

“Tch! And I thought you liked a mare who was all hot and sweaty. Hmm, on second thoughts... Pooh! I stink! The shower still working?”

“Of course.”

“Sounds good to me then. I’ll go and grab my towel. You know, I still can’t believe you’re able to keep that old thing going. And hot water too?”

“Naturally.”

“Yeah, you always were good with your hands.”

“You’re a god-damned pervert, girl, you know that?”

“Huh, would you prefer me any other way?”

“No...”

“Come on then, you can help me… lather up...”

“What about her?”

“What, you want a threesome now?”

“Celly! For Christ’s sake!”

“Meh! Guess you’ll just have to settle for little ole’ me then, eh? Anyway, she’s so frail looking I doubt she’d be able to keep up. Us earth girls may not have magic, but we have real staying power.”

“I know.”

“Now who’s the pervert!”

“Hey! You get up those stairs before I-!”

Voices. Two voices. One was clearly a stallion, whilst the other… Was that Six? It sounded like her, but the male had called her… what was it now… Celly? Lyra would have groaned, but her body refused to obey her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing steady, slow, and a feeling of relaxation pervaded every part of her fibre. The catch, however, was that she was still very much conscious – just unable to do or say anything, which was quite frightening in its own way. When she’d ‘come to’, Lyra had been aware of two figures standing over her, talking to one another about her as if she were dead to the world – metaphorically speaking of course. At first she’d felt an overwhelming sense of panic and would have lost her mind completely if her curiosity hadn’t taken control. She’d listened, paying close attention to the two voices, and in particular the male’s. She didn’t recognise his voice at all, but by the sounds of things he wasn’t pleased that Six, or ‘Celly’ apparently, had risked her life travelling through the bowels of the old ship. Apparently he, like Six to some degree, had been surprised by not only the mere existence of unicorns but also of magic itself. Now that really was interesting. Magic had been an intrinsic part of the Equestrian landscape since the dawn of time. It certainly hadn’t been exclusive to equines either. In fact there were many creatures, plants, flora and fauna and in general really, that were imbued with what the egg heads called ‘thaumaturgical properties’. She’d remembered that term from an archaeological report put out during her student years on the dangers of ancient ruins. Ha! A bit late to worry about that now, right? Still, you’d think that there were at least some magical things in the area. Unless… Unless she wasn’t even in… Oh, gods! What if she wasn’t even on the same planet?! The possibility had entered her mind earlier, but here, able to lie in silence and actually think clearly, made that same possibility look more and more like a very distinct and altogether terrifying reality. Lyra certainly wasn’t the first to take this trip into a living nightmare, as poor Parchment had also discovered when the damned fool had done the very thing archaeologists had at the top of their list of things ‘not to do’. Still, at least he’d had a choice in the matter. Others hadn’t. Untold numbers of innocent ponies had been thrown through a portal set up by some magical lunatic thousands of years ago to see if the concept of portal travel actually worked. Whether the esteemed Galeus gave a damn if the poor sods she used as her guinea pigs survived these ‘experiments’, or even cared where the poor sods would end up, was doubtful. And ‘end up’ was right too. Disorientated, puking their guts up and no doubt terrified beyond reason, the victims of Galeus’ experiments had taken a one way trip to the arse end of nowhere. And here they’d stayed, stayed and became effectively slaves to some alien race of… whatever the hell ‘zeks’ were. And then there were these ships. A storm comes along and a ship appears. The zeks are on board, leave the ship, and off they all trot to live in this ‘citadel’, just like that. Mentally she shook her head. Something stank about that. Hmm… Speaking of which, her sense of smell was coming back to her now. Unfortunately all she could smell was oil… oil, water, and that odd metallic rusty smell that old steel tended to give off. She’d detected it on Six when she’d first met her. It was far from pleasant, sure, but not something she couldn’t put up with in the circumstances. Lyra mentally sighed. Six had said that the venom would wear off soon, so she may as well get her head down while it did just that. She was right about one other thing – she really needed to rest.

The sound of water woke Lyra with a start. She opened her eyes, sat up, and stared right into the eyes of Six who was holding a cup of tea. “This looks familiar,” Lyra croaked, taking the proffered beverage. “We really ought to stop meeting like this.”

Six chuckled.

“Are you…” Lyra sipped the tea, taking in the sight before her. “Are you okay? You seem… different somehow.”

The yellow mare grinned and gave her a mane a toss, letting the sunlight through the portholes glint off the shower of rich orange hair. She even smelled nice too, the pleasant scent of lemon grass and herbs cutting through the background smell of oil.

“I’ve just had a shower,” Six said happily. “One of the advantages of living out here in the wrecks. You can have one yourself if you like. There’s hot water up in the crew quarters, but have your tea first before I take you up.” She leaned forward and inspected Lyra’s hind quarters, “Feeling any better?”

Lyra nodded, feeling a blush come to her cheeks. She didn’t like strange ponies coming that close to her as a rule, but in this case Six was inspecting a neat patch of cloth that had been taped over where, she suspected, one of those damned bat-things had bitten her.

“Good thing your magic got that door open,” Six explained. “Another few seconds and we’d have been dead as door nails.”

Lyra smiled, “Good job we had a hoof from your mysterious mate then, eh?”

Six froze, “My what?”

“Your mate,” Lyra repeated. “You know, the one who dropped that bright popping thing that scared off the arbalests?”

“I...” Six blinked, “That was me.” She nodded towards a bandoleer of cylinders similar to the one Lyra had seen just before it had exploded right in front of them. “It’s called a popper. I use them for scaring away the arbalests if they get feisty.”

“Oh...” Lyra frowned in thought, “Sorry, I thought I heard you two talking earlier.”

“No, there’s just you and me here,” Six said firmly. “You passed out from the arbalest venom as soon as you opened the door and I had to drag you in here. You’ve been unconscious anyway, so even if there had been somepony else in here you wouldn’t have been able to hear them.”

Lyra paused. Had she imagined it all? Surely not, but then what Six said did seem perfectly plausible. “So you live here alone?” Lyra gave her shoulders a rub, tentatively checking her legs still worked. They did. “This place is huge, Six. Don’t you get lonely being here by yourself?”

“No,” came the blunt reply.

There was a horrible sensation of tension hanging in the air, suggesting that Lyra had put her hoof into something that the yellow mare did not want to discuss any further. She decided to change the subject, “Nothing but us and the arbalests, eh? Lovely house guests you keep.” Six gave a humourless smile. “Well it did number on my arse alright,” Lyra huffed. “Damned thing. They pack a hell of a punch.”

“On their own they’re not much of a threat as a rule,” Six said plainly. “Their bite will knock you out for a few hours, but by that time they’ll have drained you drier than a year old raisin.”

“And you still work down here?” Lyra asked incredulously.

“Sometimes,” the yellow mare replied. “But I’m usually alone, and they know not to bother me.”

“But they still attacked us!” Lyra protested.

“Yeah...” Six shot her a glance, “Maybe it had something to do with the fact that you never shut up?”

“Oh, sod off!” Lyra huffed angrily. “Anyway, can you blame me for asking questions? I feel that’s all I’ve done since I got here, and despite that I still have no idea how I’m going to rescue Parchment, let alone get home.”

“Parchment?” Six thought for a moment, “Oh, right, the ‘other’ unicorn you mentioned.” She shrugged, turning to face a table that had her clothes and packs laid out on its metal top. “I’d forget him if I were you,” she suggested. “If he’s not dead then he soon will be. Tainted go in, Lyra. They don’t come out.” Her expression darkened, “Believe me.”

Lyra shook her head. “No… No I can’t believe that. I won’t! That kid was under my supervision, Six, I can’t believe he’s been taken by monsters and killed just for being a unicorn for bucks sake. It’s too mad to be true. More than that, it’s completely insane!”

“After everything you’ve seen, how can you still think that?” It was Six’s turn to look shocked. “How can any pony be so blind to the truth? Does all that magic make you wilfully ignorant or something?”

“I’m trying to be optimistic!” Lyra snapped.

“Lode’s balls!” Six slapped a hoof down on the table making Lyra jump. “Look around you, girl! Do you see anything here to be ‘optimistic’ about? All we do here is survive, and just barely at that. If you live ‘til you’re thirty then you’re considered either incredibly lucky or ‘next in line for the chop’. Those poor bastards who live on the archipelago have it even worse. Most of them barely make twenty without drowning, being eaten by sea monsters, or dying of weird diseases.” She leaned forward, her eyes boring into Lyra’s, “We don’t belong here, Lyra. None of us do, maybe not even the zeks. I don’t know. All I do know is that the island is a hostile place to live, and if you want to survive you need to keep your wits about you all the time.”

“An existence based solely on survival?” Lyra slumped down and stared into her mug, “That’s not living...”

“No? Well it’s better than the alternative, that’s all I can say.” Six gave herself a shake, “Now then, let’s stop talking about miserable things, you’re spoiling my mood.” She nodded towards the open door, “Go through there, up the stairs, and it’s the first door on the right. The showers are straight ahead through the mess hall. I’ve covered the windows so nopony will see the lights are on.” She raised an eyebrow, “Don’t wander off.”

“Why, do you think the bogeymare will get me?” Lyra had meant it as a joke but Six just glowered at her.

“There are worse things in the dark...”

Lyra’ blood froze, her eyes going wide, “What are-”

Six let out a loud sniff. It may have been a sign of mirth or, as Lyra suspected, her usual derisive self. “Just do what I told you and you won’t put a hoof wrong,” Six asserted. “I’m not your keeper, Lyra, but I won’t put my life at risk to help you if you get caught. Remember that… ‘magic girl’.”

“Gee, thanks!” Lyra got up and shook out her blanket. “You’re a real comfort, Six, you know that?”

Six didn’t bother to reply until Lyra reached the door, “There’s soap in the dish and clean towels on the rail for you to use. Make sure you put them back when you’re done.”

The green mare rolled her eyes, “Yes, mum.”

If there was one thing to be said about these zeks, it was that they sure knew how to work with metal. Virtually everything in the place was made with it. Steel gleamed everywhere from the ceiling to the floor. The railings, the steps, the doors – every square inch of the ship’s interior was constructed from the exact same material with few exceptions. Lyra had never seen so much of it in one place. Sure, she’d heard of steamships in Equestria before, in fact they were becoming fairly commonplace and would likely supplant the wooden hulled ships eventually. But this… this was on a different level altogether. More than that was the very fact that the vessel’s age suggested the zeks were far more advanced than her own equine civilisation. This would explain to some degree the dynamics of the local populace too. The zeks were all but worshipped from what Six had said, despite the fact that as far as Lyra could tell, Equestria was not all that far behind them technologically speaking. Then there was the fact that ponies had magic, something that the zeks it appeared, did not. There could be some reason for this. Lyra was well aware of how replete equestrian history was with examples of what happened when a society with a higher level of technological advancement ran into another. The less ‘developed’ peoples had a tendency to be dominated, either by assimilation into the newer culture, or else simply crushed underhoof. The end result was effectively the same. Interestingly this had been one of the overriding reasons for the near constant wars with the northern yaks. That race of large, and eternally angry bovines, had enjoyed great successes militarily speaking, and achieved an empire very early in their peoples’ development. The ‘Horde’, as it came to be known, conquered vast swathes of Equestria, Llamalia, and even the Griffin Kingdom. Without, history tells us, much in the way of effective opposition. As many could have predicted however, with the exception perhaps of the yaks themselves, overreach, lack of infrastructure or effective governance meant that the yaks were unable to retain the lands they had previously steamrollered through. Harried by attacks from increasingly motivated raiders from the conquered provinces, constantly falling back on what was left of their damaged supply lines and a general waning of interest in expansion, gradually lead to the great Yak Yakistani Empire ending up a mere footnote in the history books. Since then the yaks have remained mired in their memories of past achievements and live to this very day virtually the same as they had done back during those heady days of empire. Mostly the yaks leaders are quite happy to stay in their snowy home: drinking, feasting, and singing songs of past deeds, even if they were hundreds of years ago. Sometimes however, a leader would come along who was a little more… ‘enthusiastic’ about the old tales, evoking not only feelings of nostalgia, but also thoughts along the lines of ‘we could do it again’. These sentiments, coupled with a feeling of being threatened by the advancements made in neighbouring Equestria, the yaks would occasionally rekindle their past fervour for war and make sporadic forays across the border to rob small villages and farms. The border forts were generally considered enough of a deterrent to keep them out for the most part, but not always. Finally, Celestia had met with the yakistani ‘emperor’ and come to ‘an understanding’. Whatever that meant. Since that time Equestria has been at peace. And long may it continue. These zeks on other hoof had come to a very different kind of ‘understanding’ with their equine neighbours.

Clong. Clong. Clong.

Lyra’s hoofsteps resounded on the metal steps making her ears twitch. Each step felt painfully loud in the curious silence. Up here she could no longer hear the waves nor the sound of the wind outside. The weather too, it seemed to her, had settled in for the night.

Creak.

The large oval door opened with little difficulty. The noise of the hinges however, made her teeth grate. On reflex she froze, cocking one ear… and listened. Nothing. No squeaking, no enraged fluttering, just the sound of her own breathing and the steady, rhythmic beating of her heart. Up here the slight tilt to the floor was more noticeable than it had been downstairs. It was only tiny, but it was there, reminding her of the fact the she was inside something that had once sailed across the oceans of the world – and perhaps not even this one. Everywhere she looked was evidence that this was no equestrian construction. Six had told her this was the ship’s ‘mess hall’, although it looked surprisingly tidy despite its peculiar name. There were tables, metal of course, bolted to the floor with long benches similarly bolted into place. Were the zeks all one size, or did the designers simply assume that the sailors would be able to ‘make do’? Probably the latter, Lyra thought absently as she marvelled at the racks of plates and cups, it makes the most sense. Then there was the cutlery, the small knives, forks and spoons so reminiscent of those used by ponies. Judging by what she’d seen so far though, the zeks were more than capable of ‘handling’ things quite well without magic of any sort. This and many other thoughts began to bubble up in the green mare’s naturally inquisitive mind. There was so much to see here! Lyra’s imagination, unlike the great engine down in the stern of the ship below her, slowly began to thrum into life. There were mugs with small handles, books in that strange language which was both familiar and so alien, and then there were the clothes – oh, the clothes! Hats, coats, trousers, shoes… and what shoes! A lot of ponies wore clothes of one sort or another, particularly for formal occasions, but the cut of these was made for anything but a four legged creature. The trousers, made of some shiny, water repellent material, were straight up and down with no allowance for a tail either. Now that was interesting.

Something unexpectedly moved under her hoof as she glided it idly along the counter-top in front of the serving hatch. It was clearly a magazine, an old one too, bearing a damp, musty smell of ancient paper which made her nose wrinkle. The scent reminded her of sunny days in her grandfathers’ shed where she’d played as a foal. He’d kept all sorts of rubbish in there: old wheels barrows, pumps, garden tools and so on. Much of it was left over from his own fathers’ time, and it was doubtful her grandfather even knew the half of what lay beneath the aeons of dust and cobwebs in those dark corners. Lyra, however, had loved it. She’d often been told it was this kind of exploration which had lead her to career in archaeology. Her cutie mark though, along with her love for music, had dictated otherwise. Still, you could have more than one interest couldn’t you? Bon Bon was always telling her that. She smiled wistfully. How would she be coping with Lyra’s disappearance? Or maybe… maybe she wasn’t. With her bloody minded moodiness of late she might not have even noticed! But then… no, she was being too harsh. Bonnie wasn’t expecting her home for another few days, however it was quite likely somepony would have already dispatched a pegasus to tell her the news by now. Twilight Sparkle was certainly the type who wouldn’t overlook something as fundamental as that. But then what would the message actually say? That her friend had… what, ‘disappeared’? Been ‘blown up’? Hell, maybe they wouldn’t even bother to do that! She snorted under her breath and pushed the unpleasant cacophony of worries aside as she moved the magazine up to the light.

“Zeks...” Lyra breathed. “So that’s what you look like.”

And there was one of them, a drawing actually, staring back at her from the cover with an expression that displayed so much emotion it made her heart ache. Despite the alien face, the creature, this… ‘zek’, seemed… sad… lost even. The creature was wearing a bowl shaped hat with a large cross on the front beneath some more of their odd language. Lyra tried to sound out the letters, using the limited knowledge from her book on humans.

“F… No, that’s not it… ‘Pull’?” She screwed up her face, “‘Pull quickly?’ Damn it, that can’t be right...” Hurriedly, Lyra pulled off her panniers and swung them up onto the counter top. She could remember most of what Hidden Path had written down, but this was no magical guide to understanding their language. So much of it was unknown, or else speculation, that she suspected a lot was simply pure guesswork. But here, here in her hooves, was something she could never have dreamed of! There was more inside the magazine of course, but she could read that later, once she’d… “Hang on...” Lyra’s eyes narrowed and then went wide. “My book!” Her heart leaped into her throat, “Where… Where is it?!” Her hooves scrambled desperately at her pack, the pack that never left her side, the pack that… that had a large slit cut in the side… the side where the arbalest had dug its claws into her. “Oh, no...” Lyra looked up in horror as realisation dawned. “Those bastards,” she croaked. “Those damned bastard things. They stole my book!” Anger pulsed through her now, red hot and adding strength to her exhausted body. She had to get it back. That was all there was to it really. She would simply need to go downstairs, open the door to the hold, and see if the book was there. The arbalests wouldn’t have stolen it, right? After all they were just looking for food, it wasn’t like they could eat a book, so they must have left it where it had fallen. But… what if they’d… surely they wouldn’t have... NO! Damn it all she couldn’t hang around here when anything could be happening to her precious tome. She had to go now!

The shower forgotten, Lyra grabbed the magazine and stuffed it into her pack before throwing it over her back. She took a breath, gritted her teeth, and broke into a run. Her hooves were a blur as she charged for the open door, her destination already set in her mind. In one impressive bound she was over the threshold and onto the narrow landing. It was only the hand rail that prevented a terrifying plunge down the steel stairway and the risk of a broken leg, or worse. In fact if she hadn’t paused to settle her racing heart after such a narrow escape she probably would never have heard the giggling coming from above her.

“Don’t!” The faint voice didn’t exactly sound too serious in their rebuttal, whoever they were.

More chuckling followed. Lyra hesitated, staring down the stairs. She really wanted her book, but upstairs… Who was that? It sounded like Six, and another she couldn’t quite make out.

“Oooh, yeah…” Laughter this time, followed by a sultry moaning. “Just… Mmm… Okay, but you know we shouldn’t...”

Before she knew it, Lyra was halfway up the stairs to the next landing. The lights were out here, but just ahead a door stood open, just an inch or so, but it allowed light to spill out from within. Lyra swallowed. She had the distinct impression that the enigmatic Six wasn’t as alone as she’d claimed. Those voices when she’d woken up, the voices Six had tried to pass off as being merely a figment of her imagination, came back to the forefront of her mind. The closer she got the clearer they became.

“Because she might… Oh, Lode, yes!”

It was definitely Six. Lyra was certain of that. There was no mistaking that oddly unaccented voice of hers even through a narrow gap in the door. She’d heard the yellow mare when she’d been angry, she’d heard her when she was irritated and frustrated - which was most of time apparently - but this… this was at the other end of the spectrum altogether. Not only that, but the sounds: the slapping, the grunting, the gasps, and… and the moaning! Lyra swallowed. To her shame she looked down at her hooves – she was trembling. She was actually trembling! Without any conscious input from herself, her body had taken her up the last flight of stairs and now she found herself standing there with her muzzle pressed up against the gap, her eyes soaking in the scene before her. And it wasn’t hard to work out what was going on either. Despite the shadows and the fact that what was happening was going on in the room beyond the one with the door to the landing, Lyra’s yellow eyed gaze could see more than enough. She could see legs. Yes, definitely legs, but with strange appendages on the ends that looked similar to a monkey’s. Or was that an ape? Above that was a familiar looking tail, attached to which was a familiar yellow rump with a small yellow flower cutie mark – the whole of which was bobbing up and down in time to the – Lyra swallowed – to the sounds. Six, it seemed, was enjoying herself quite thoroughly too.

Lyra’s cheeks were burning, her face pushing uncomfortably into the gap as she tried to get a better view. If she was quiet, if she could open it a little more she could… Wait… Why was she doing this again? Suddenly the ice cold bucket of water known as ‘realisation’ washed over her, mercilessly dousing the fires of her libido quite thoroughly. What the hell was she doing?! It was obvious there was somepony else in there with Six, somepony she clearly wanted to keep secret from Lyra too, but this? What Lyra was drooling over as she stood gawking from the doorway was something private. Very private. And also very, very… hot. What the male was doing to Six, the way he was…

The cry of unleashed passion made her jump.

“Mmm, I know, but I’d better go and check on her.”

Lyra couldn’t hear the male, but-

“Yeah, she’ll have probably finished by now. I’ll go and grab a shower myself before I get the tea on.” There was a sound of kissing, and then hooves on carpet. “See you in a bit, love.”

Another voice answered, and then-

“Oh, shit!” Lyra suddenly realised that Six, now sporting a beaming grin, was heading right for her. Quick as a flash she looked around, desperately trying to find somewhere to hide.

The door opened.

Whistling a merry tune, Six trotted onto the landing and headed down the stairs, passing the landing with the mess hall and showers, and continued onward to the engine room. She never saw the shadowed mare pressed up against the wall behind the fire hose. Nor, in fact, did she hear the strangled gasp of air as Lyra let out the breath she’d been holding in.

“Oh, thank the goddess!” Lyra pressed her hoof to her heart, feeling it pounding deep within. That was wya too close for comfort! She listened, satisfied she was safe to move, and then took a step forward. With one hoof on the downward step, whether it was the sound of paper or no more than her damnably insatiable curiosity, Lyra… paused. Slowly, carefully, she turned and as quiet as a shadow slipped up to the doorway once more. Six had left it half open just enough for a pony, a slim one granted, to sneak through. Not that Lyra intended to go in of course, but…

Paper. The sound of a piece of paper. But not any old paper! Her ears pricked up. She’d recognise the sound of that page turning anywhere! She stared into the artificial light, towards the fireplace which had a small amount of coal burning away and throwing a warm light into the room. She could see the back of the red velvet armchair, and… the book. Her book. Something was reading it! Or rather, some pony.

The page turned.

“Are you going to come in or keep lurking in the shadows?”

It was the male. Well, of course it was the male, right? After all, there was only Six and… and… and whoever this was. Oh gods, was he dressed?!

“Well?”

Lyra swallowed. “I’m… I’m quite alright staying here, thank you.” She couldn’t believe how dry her throat was right then. Why the hell hadn’t she just kept her damned muzzle to herself and had a shower? WHY?!

“As you wish,” came the voice again. He sounded quite… well, normal really. There was a definite accent to his voice, one that was characteristic of foreigners who had learned Equestrian as a second language. Still, he was fairly fluent. Lyra could see an appendage, another one, like the one she’d seen earlier, only with longer toes… or was that fingers? Yes! Monkey-like fingers, turning the page of-

“It’s really quite an interesting read,” the voice said absently. “Once you get past all the speculation and conjecture. Hidden path was quite the little detective. Some of it’s so far out there it makes us look like we’re from outer space or some such crazy garbage, but hey, to think they know anything about us at all we may as well be. Christ almighty, I thought you guys were aliens when I first got here!” He chuckled under his breath before letting out a resigned sigh. “I guess we all are now.”

Lyra closed her eyes, “Are you… Are you a... Zek?”

“A Zek?” The male snorted derisively, “Those fucking things?” Lyra couldn’t see very well, but she had the impression he was shaking his head. “No. No, I haven’t descended to that level just yet.” He lifted a shadowed hand making a circling motion as he uttered a mirthless laugh, “Not yet...” The seated figure paused, “Do you know what they are, Miss Heartstrings? Or may I call you Lyra?”

The green mare felt a shiver run down her spine, “No! I mean, yes, yes you can.”

“That’s cool,” came the reply. “Anyway, no, I’m not a ‘zek’. The locals, if you can even call them that, named the first arrivals ‘zeks’ as it was the most common word they used to describe themselves - so far as anyone can recall. Ha! Not that they care to.” His voice lowered an octave, “The ship they came here on was a prisoner transport.” Lyra could sense the bitterness in his voice as he rumbled, “Believe it or not the ponies on this island are held in thrall to the descendants of those very same prisoners. The ‘prisoners of prisoners’ if you like. I’d laugh if it wasn’t so god damned tragic.”

“But… But where are they from?” Lyra breathed.

“The zeks? From my world I’m sorry to say,” the male said sadly.

“Your... world?” Lyra found herself staring at the carpet, her heart thundering in her chest. She tried to mouth the words but her tongue had all but stuck itself to the roof of her mouth, “Are you… That is I mean to say, are you a… a...”

“I think you’re trying to ask if I’m human?” He began to laugh, “I’m afraid so. Although sometimes I wonder if I really am. This place does stuff to a guy you wouldn’t believe.” The shadow rose, the form moving, coalescing in the flickering firelight as it rose up on two legs. Celestia’s grace, it was so tall! It turned to face her. It... he… turned to lock eyes with her. Lyra found herself staring helpless at the creature in open mouthed astonishment. She couldn’t believe it. This couldn’t be happening! It… It was the creature from the magazine cover! Only this one was no mere black and white line drawing. This one was real, with pale skin, small brown eyes, a straggly beard, and was wearing a towel. “Ha! Where are my manners,” the male said suddenly. “Let me get you a drink...”

The human, or whatever it was, bent down to the table beside where he’d been sitting, “Here we go.” Long pink digits began to pull out the cork stopper as Lyra’s eyes soaked in his every move, consigning every image, every sound, to memory. “There’s a limited supply left on board now, but it’s good stuff, straight from the old captain’s personal stash.” He began to pour, “I doubt he’d mind now, poor slug.” A generous measure sloshed into the gleaming glass. “Rum, at least I think it is, the label fell off god knows how long ago.” As he turned to face her he straightened to his full height, the glass outstretched. “Here you go, Miss. My name’s-”

The towel slipped to floor.

Two pairs of eyes followed its path, alighting on...

“Whoops...”

*********************

“...and you were just sat there, bare arsed and naked to the world.”

“I was wearing a towel, Celly, it’s not like I was totally naked.”

“Yeah? You may as well have been! You don’t have fur, remember? Anyway, why in the world would you be sitting here in the nude, reading a-”

“Because I was planning to take a shower when you and your green pal had finished in there!” the male voice retorted, sounding a little irritated now. He leaned down, “How the hell did I know she’d be sneaking around up here?”

Six huffed, “I told her not to.”

“And you just took her at her word that she wouldn’t go off on her own for a nose about, did you?”

“Why not?” Six replied tartly. “The kid stank like a week old turd and was desperate for a shower.” Six sighed resignedly, her ears drooping. She was about to say something else when she noticed movement. “Oh, hang about, she’s coming round. Quick, bugger off until she’s-”

“Six?” Lyra groaned, looking up into the eyes of the familiar yellow mare. “Celestia’s mercy, did I pass out again?”

“Seems to be a bit of a habit of yours,” Six smirked cheekily, waving the male out of the room. “You’re like one of them goats that passes out whenever something startles them.”

“Huh! Yeah, I’m sure I am.” The green mare gradually sat up and looked around at the cabin’s interior. “I’m still here…” Suddenly her eyes went wide, “Is it still here too?”

“By ‘it’ I presume you mean me, right?” From the other side of the room the zek, human, or whatever the two legged creature was, spoke to her from the very same armchair he’d been sat in when she’d first seen it – ‘him’, rather. “Can we talk now,” he continued, “or are you going to scream and faint like you did before?”

Six rolled her eyes and patted Lyra’s shoulder, “You don’t need to worry, girl, he’s covered himself up now.” She shot the male a look, “Haven’t you… ‘dear’?”

The two legged creature raised an eyebrow, “Apparently I have.” And then, much to Lyra’s surprise, the creature stood and bowed. “Ma’am, please allow me to introduce myself.” The brass buttons on the creature’s smart blue uniform twinkled like golden stars, dancing across Lyra’s vision, “My name’s Blue, or at least that’s what Celandine calls me.”

Lyra blinked in surprise, “Celandine?”

Six grinned bitterly, “My real name. The name my mother gave me... in secret.”

She turned slightly to show Lyra her flank. It was a bunch of small, eight petalled golden flowers with slim green stalks. Lyra felt a lump come to her throat. Celandine… a pretty name for a mare with a cutie mark that back home may very well have lead to a life in botany, flower arranging, gardening, or any other horticultural career she may have chosen. It was doubtful fate intended for her to be scouring dangerous old wrecks full of monsters for worthless scrap. Here she would work until she was too old or sick to carry on, and then would be sent out into the forest to be torn apart by different monsters. She peered into those big green eyes. They full of sadness, but also tinged with something else, something that Lyra had picked up on only now and again but was nevertheless still there - Hope.

“That’s your secret now too,” Six, or rather ‘Celandine’ said levelly. “You tell anypony and I’ll turn you over faster than you can-”

“Celly!” The two legged creature thumped his glass down on the table, his voice clearly displaying his displeasure. “For Christ’s sake, woman, can’t you see the predicament she’s in? Not to mention us! You turn her in and we’ll all be up to our balls in shit.”

“Woman?” Lyra looked from Blue to Celandine and back again.

“He calls me that when he’s feeling cranky,” Celandine said a little sarcastically. “I think he forgets where he is sometimes. Probably a touch of senility, but you know how boys get when they start ageing.”

“Can it, you!” Blue snapped.

“See what I mean?” Celandine stuck out her tongue at him, “He needs to know his place, don’t you dear?”

The two legged creature rolled his eyes now. “You see what I have to live with?” he said, shrugging his shoulders at Lyra. “One mare was a handful, and now I’ve got two of you.” He pulled his chair into the light, treating Lyra to a full view of the oddly bald, and yet still hairy, ape-like thing. “I expect you’ve got questions, Lyra, and I’ll be more than happy to answer them if I can,” Blue continued. “However I hope you’ll indulge me by answering some of mine first. Deal?”

Lyra Heartstrings stood looking at the creature, the being who up until now had existed only in the crazed imaginations of ponies like the maverick author Hidden Path. Lyra had always believed they’d existed herself, or rather she’d fantasised that they had. But to actually see one, to be stood here before one… It didn’t seem possible! And yet despite all the denials of the authorities, despite all the attempts to cover up even the merest possibility that humans had existed on Equestria, here he was. What in the world was she going to say to him?! It was an archaeologists dream come true, but one that she was completely unprepared for. All she could do for now was nod, agree to answer his questions, and quietly formulate some of her own for later. Oh, how she wished she’d bought that bloody magical dictaphone she’d seen in the July copy of ‘Trowels and Shovels’! Blast it, she could have had ten percent off for being a signed up member of the guild too.

“Lyra?”

“Oh!” Lyra cleared her throat, taking the drink Celandine was offering her. “Sure, why not.”

Blue smiled, clearly relieved that she’d agreed. And with that the three of them moved up to sit nearer the fireplace and made themselves comfortable.

Lyra looked around her at the cabin. There were proper curtains at the portholes here, some paintings on the walls of sailing ships, a desk, chairs, and a well made bed to one side. All in all it looked very well appointed. “Are you the captain?” she asked.

Blue shook his head, “No, but you may like to think of me as ‘acting captain’, if you like. I’m the only officer on board anyway, so I guess that makes me captain by default.” He chuckled, “In a way.”

“Number one in a field of one,” Celandine chipped in.

Lyra nodded. “So, what do you want to know?”

Blue and Celandine glanced at one another, and then the questions began. They weren’t too intrusive for the most part, and certainly polite in the way they were put. Drinks were shared, and there were breaks for the toilet or to enjoy a few snacks too. It was in fact extremely cordial, but they also had an unforeseen side effect – the very form the questions took told Lyra just as much about her hosts as they discovered about her. For example it was quite clear they were all here completely by chance, with perhaps the exception being Celandine. She had been born here like the rest of the equine population, but her ancestors had undoubtedly come from Equestria. They too had been unceremoniously deposited here, and by the looks of things, Lyra and Parchment had been the last ones in hundreds of years to appear from the forest portal. In all likelihood, Lyra suspected, since Galeus’ tower had been destroyed. In which case it was more likely to be thousands rather than hundreds of years since the portal had last transported a living creature. In any case it was doubtful anypony was bothering to keep count.

“I can’t say I’ve head anything about this Galeus character, other than what Celly’s told me.” Blue leaned back in his chair and took out a cigarette, “From what you’ve told me, and what little I know already, she sounds like a class ‘A’ asshole.”

Lyra nodded, unable to disagree with the male’s assessment, “History credits her with creating the portal network.” She caught Celandine’s gaze, “It was generally thought that she’d used volunteers to test her hypotheses, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Hmm, a crazy scientist sending ‘volunteers’ on a one way trip through untested magical portals?” Blue laughed, “You know, I doubt anyone in their right mind would believe that. If you ask me this Galeus of yours was a psychopath.”

“I’m guessing they’re not just limited to Equestria then?” Lyra asked a little flippantly.

“Damned straight!” Blue flopped back in his chair, “My pop fought those bastards in the first one, but I was considered ‘too young’ to fight in the second. Ha! Just my luck. First flight out and I end up here, busted up and half dead.” He growled under his breath and knocked back his rum, “The war was over before I knew it. Never even got to fire a shot at those damned rats either.”

Celandine interrupted Lyra’s impending question, “And it doesn’t work any more you said?”

“Huh?” Lyra had a double take before fixing her eyes on Celandine, “Um, no, or at least I doubt it. Like I told you, they’d strapped explosives to the portal and blew it up right after I fell into the damned thing.” She shrugged, “I suppose it’s possible it survived, but I doubt it.”

“But it could have,” the yellow mare pressed. “You could have been mistaken, right?”

“I think my burned arse might disagree with you there,” Lyra replied. “Anyway, if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, then you may be in for a disappointment.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” Blue asked.

Lyra shook her head, trying to make them understand. “I know about as much about portals as I do about ships, which is… well, I don’t need to say it, do I?”

“But you’re a unicorn!” Celandine exclaimed.

“So?” Lyra sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Look, just because I can use magic doesn’t mean I’m some great mage or something. Goddesses, all I use it for is basic object manipulation, playing instruments, and-”

“You made that shield out of thin air,” Celandine cut in. “I saw it, Lyra – on the beach?”

“A shield I use to stop arseholes throwing bottles at me at gigs!” Lyra took a breath, feeling her temper simmering. “Anyway, look, even if I did know how to use a portal, which I don’t, the forest is crawling with those murderous killing machines. Your pegasi pals are trying to catch me too remember, and if all of that isn’t enough for you, the damned thing’s probably a pile of dust now anyway.” She leaned forward, making sure she had Celandine’s full attention. “Believe me, girl, I want out of this bucking hell hole just as much as you do. If I thought for a second there was even the remotest chance that portal may still be working I’d be through it in a heartbeat, but no matter how much you or I might wish it to be the case, I can’t pull miracles out of my arse, got it?”

There was a long pregnant pause before Celandine broke the silence with, “So, you’re just going to give up then are you? Just like that, you’re giving up on finding a way home?”

“Gods above!” Lyra’s hooves banged on the arms of her chair, “Can you see any wings here, mare? I mean, do I look like some bastard alicorn to you?! Luna buck me, how many times do I have to-”

“STOP IT!” Blue’s booming voice made both of the mares jump in alarm. “Jesus Christ, enough already!” He closed his eyes and hung his head. “Lyra, Celly, please, this isn’t getting us anywhere.” He turned to Celandine, “If Lyra could use the portal to get home then I’m sure she would be willing to try it again, and she would also understand that we would help her in that endeavour in any way we could. Right?” Celandine’s eyes looked downcast. “Right then,” Blue continued. “So as it stands we’re all in the same boat.” He smiled wryly, “Figuratively as well as literally.” Turning to face Lyra he shrugged his shoulders, “At least until we can find some other way to get you home, Lyra.”

“And what about you?” Lyra asked.

The smile froze on Blue’s face, his eyes looking not so much at her, but beyond her, far into a world that she knew nothing about. “Let’s take one thing at a time, eh?” The male closed his eyes and took a deep breath, casting a quick glance at Celandine. Whatever passed between the two of them in that brief moment said more than words ever could. Lyra felt she’d put her hoof right in it this time, and decided to change the subject quickly.

“Um, so, may I ask you something now?” Lyra asked.

Blue nodded, walking over to the mantelpiece where he stood and peered into the flames. “A deal’s a deal, Lyra. Shoot.”

“Shoot?” Lyra looked helplessly at Celandine who made a ‘hurry up’ motion with her hoof. “Oh, er, so, you’re a human then? A… A man, yes?”

“Believe it or not,” came the reply.

“You’re not from Equestria?”

“Hardly!”

“No, I mean, there’s not a colony of you guys here that we’ve never seen before?”

Blue shook his head, “I think you would have noticed if there were humans on your world, Lyra.” He thought for a moment, “Well, not unless there’s some living there in some out of the way place. There’s a few scattered tribes living in the jungles and deserts on my world who’ve never advanced much in thousands of years, and barely ever had any outside contact with the rest of civilisation. So, in answer to your question: there may be, but if there are I wouldn’t have a clue.”

Lyra wasn’t sure what to make of that. Blue’s response was both encouraging and disappointing in equal measure. She shouldn’t have been surprised of course. From what she’d seen and heard, Blue was just as much a castaway as she was. He was hardly the oracle of all knowledge and wisdom regarding humans, but that wouldn’t stop her from finding out as much as she could about him and his world. First things first though...

“How did you get here then?” Lyra asked. “If there’s something you can tell us, maybe we can put our heads together and work out how to get back.”

“I doubt I can tell you anything of any use,” Blue replied. His shoulders sagged as he continued, “As far as I know I came here the same way as everyone else did – with the exception of our equine population. In a nutshell I was flying on a routine training mission when everything went to hell in a hand basket.” Blue smiled grimly as he recalled events which had lead him to be here, standing in the rusting hulk of a ship which, ironically, was from his own world. “We ran into bad weather, our instruments going haywire, and to add to that our flight leader didn’t seem to know where the hell we were even before the shit hit the fan. Some of the boys wanted to head west and keep going until we saw land, but all we could see was fog and sea. By that point our compass was on the fritz too, so taking a bearing was impossible.” He shivered, taking a drink from Celandine with a weary smile. She’d obviously heard the tale before. “We were running low on fuel and planning to ditch in the water. We were down to fumes when the sky lit up like all the searchlights in the world had turned on, pointing right at us.”

Lyra was on the edge of her seat. Even if she couldn’t fully understand much of what Blue was saying, she was still able to catch the gist of it.

“After that there was this silvery glow bathing everything. The plane seemed to stop in mid-air, and the wind...” He shivered, “The wind just… stopped. Then, just when we were beginning to wonder what the hell was going on, the engine cut out.” He shook his head, “I don’t remember much after that.”

Celandine took up the story, “I was out combing the wrecks when the storm began. I wasn’t able to get back in time so I took cover in one of the older hulks up on the higher dunes. I remember hearing this sound, like rumbling – mechanical, and not at all like the sounds of a natural storm.” Her eyes met Blue’s, “And then I saw them – five big blue metal birds, flying down, out of the storm and towards the cliffs.”

“Flying?” Lyra asked.

“More ‘falling’ really,” Celandine explained.

“And that’s where you found Blue?” Lyra asked.

“Not quite,” Celandine replied. “The Seekers combed the crash site before I got there, but the humans were all dead. I decided to go back the next day after they’d left to see what I could salvage. That’s when I found this guy wrapped up in a big white sheet, hanging from a tree.”

“The Seekers had missed him,” Lyra said quietly.

“In that storm I’m not surprised,” Celandine replied. “They could hardly fly at all in those winds and got the hell out of there as soon as they could. Any longer and the chocks would have been all over the place. The only reason Blue wasn’t on the menu was because he was out of their reach. The poor bugger was half dead by the time I got to him anyway. It looked like something had hit him hard on the head, and when he came to a few days later he’d forgotten most of who he was and where he was from.”

The man shook his head and took another cigarette, “You’re right there. I don’t even know my own name. Christ almighty, can you believe that?”

“But… you know you’re a captain though, right?” Lyra looked confused. “And you remember how you came here.”

“A captain? Who knows? I can remember bits and pieces, Lyra, that’s all,” Blue sighed. “Sometimes I dream at night about things, people, places… that sort of thing. But whether it’s real or not, I don’t know. All I can say with any certainty is that I woke up with a talking horse tending to my injuries. Ha! I thought I’d really gone nuts!”

Celandine didn’t seem surprised by Blue’s reference to ‘talking horses’, and so Lyra decided not to bring the matter up. It was clear that the ponies here must have developed their own culture independently to the rest of Equestria, their ancestral homeland’s way of life slowly fading from memory and then into myth as the centuries passed. What was particularly worrying was that she knew nothing of their societal norms, particularly when it came to taboos. Indeed, she could have gravely insulted Celandine a hundred times already and been completely ignorant of the fact. She’d have to tread carefully. “Do either of you know where we are?” she asked. “I mean, are we even in Equestria?”

“Was that a rhetorical question?” Celandine chipped in.

“I wasn’t being flippant,” Lyra retorted, noting the yellow mare’s sarcastic tone. “I’m guessing we are, as the portal is definitely Equestrian made.”

“I’m not sure that proves anything,” Celandine snorted. “If we were in Equestria, how come nopony has ever found us, eh?”

“Because,” Lyra said getting to her hooves, “we’re nowhere near the Equestrian mainland.” With a flourish she moved the curtain aside, pointing to the dark night sky. “Unless I’ve forgotten my dad’s astronomy lessons when I was a filly, the constellations here are the same as in his travel journals.” She turned to look out into the gathering night. “He spent a lot of time in the southern hemisphere and I remember looking at the star patterns in his books.” She pointed up at one she recognised, “There, that one’s known as the Great Goose. That one, the one that looks like a great bear? That’s the Dancing Ursan. That one’s Sombra’s Blade, and beside that Star Swirl’s Beard.” She turned to find the two of them looking at her intently. “Uhm… okay?”

Celandine stared at Lyra, exchanged another look with Blue, and then licked her lips nervously. “We’re in Equestria?”

“Well, we’re on the same planet, yes,” Lyra replied, sensing the atmosphere shifting. “Unless there’s another world out there with the same stars. Maybe...” A sudden flush of cold realisation flooded through her from muzzle to tail, “We’re on Blue’s world?”

“We aren’t” Blue said stiffly.

“How can you be sure?” Lyra asked.

Blue shook his head dismissively, “I had to learn to navigate by the stars when I was in training. I know my constellations, Lyra. There’s no stars like these on Earth.”

Earth… That must be what the humans call home, Lyra pondered. “But, this is a good thing, isn’t it?” Lyra smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “If we’re on Equestria, then all we need to do is head north and we’ll hit a landmass sooner or later. Hell, we may even come across one of the shipping lanes or-”

“Or be picked up by the Seekers,” Celandine announced. “Anypony who tries to leave the island is picked up and brought back. You don’t want to know what happens next.”

“What about the islanders?” Lyra countered. “They must have boats to go fishing, so if we could-”

“Forget it,” Celandine cut in. “They’re watched like hawks. The Seekers have a spotter on patrol every time they go out.”

“It’s a very well patrolled prison, Lyra,” Blue said grimly. “You don’t need walls here. The sea and those damned things in the jungle see to that.”

“And these Zeks are happy to stay here?” Lyra shook her head incredulously.

“Who knows?” Celandine replied. “They rarely set foot outside of their damned citadel. Adds to their whole ‘mystique’ I suppose.” She snorted a bitter laugh, “And those dickheads think they’re gods!”

“So what are they?” Lyra asked quietly. She looked at Blue, “Are they… humans?”

Blue closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “They were.” He poured them all another drink, “Whatever they are now, they’re sure as hell not human.”

“They’re not human any more?!” Lyra’s eyes went wide as the man’s words sank in, “I don’t understand. What happened to them?”

The human simply shrugged his shoulders, “Your guess is as good as mine, Lyra. When they get here the Seekers collect them and take them into the citadel. After that…” He tailed off.

“But you said the zeks don’t come out very often, right?”

Celandine nodded. “They don’t, but when they do, what comes out...” She looked at her human, her expressive eyes filled with sadness. “They’re not like Blue. None of them are.”

A long moment of silence passed between them. Lyra stared at her hooves, her mind a virtual mixing bowl of raging emotion and chaotic thoughts, the whole serving no purpose other than to plunge her into despair. “So, that’s it then is it?” the green mare said quietly. “We’re stuck here. You, me, the zeks, and all the other ponies. We just wait around until we either grow old and die or the seekers throw us to the wolves.” She shook her head, “Celestia buck me sideways, I never thought I’d end my days like this.”

“You’ve given up already?” Celandine asked sounding surprised. “Ha! You’ve barely arrived and-”

“And you have a way to get off this island do you?” Lyra lifted her head, her eyes locking onto the yellow mare with an angry glare. “You have some utterly amazing secret plan that involves a handy unicorn just popping up some day, right?” Celandine said nothing. “And there we have it,” Lyra snorted throwing her hooves up. “That was it, wasn’t it. You thought that all those far fetched hopes and dreams you’d cooked up had suddenly manifested right before your very eyes when this green unicorn came bumbling up to you out of the forest. What a shock that must have been!” Lyra gave a sarcastic sneer, “Well my dear Six, or Celandine, or whatever the hell your real name is, I must be such a terrible disappointment for you. But hey, if you need help picking things up or playing a nice little ditty whilst you scrabble about in piles of shit for those buckheads, then I’m yer gal!”

Celandine tossed her mane and rounded on Lyra. “At least I’m trying to do something about it!” she snapped. “I could have just left you to be killed or captured. But no, I risked my neck to save your worthless hide and put a roof over your head.”

“So you could use me to further your own ends, you mean!” Lyra retorted.

“Which also happen to be your ends too, aren’t they?” Celandine countered. “You want your friend back, and both of you want to get home, yes?” She didn’t give Lyra a chance to reply as she pressed on, “Well then, our goals are the same.”

“Are they?” Lyra snorted. “I don’t know, ‘Celly’. What I do know is that you’d happily hoof me over to your winged pals if I don’t perform like some trained monkey for you, you’ve made that perfectly clear! So far as I know I’m just some damned pawn in a perverse game of your making. Hell, for all I know I could hallucinating this whole insane situation!”

Celandine took a deep breath before replying, “What makes you say that?”

“Oh, come on!” Lyra felt like she was barely holding on to her sanity, and Celandine’s infuriatingly calm demeanour was making things a damned sight worse. “After everything that’s happened,” Lyra shouted, “do you really want me to spell it out for you?” She nodded towards Blue, “And what about him? Don’t you realise how fantastic this all is? And not in a good way for either! For bucks sake, mare, he’s a human! Gods almighty, look at him! Until a few hours ago they were only a myth, a story that impressionable idiots like me wanted to believe were real, but there he is! And… And he’s got a guitar...”

The soft notes of a well tuned string instrument began to flow around the two mares as soft as the finest eiderdown. Lyra didn’t recognise know the tune, but right then such trivial details didn’t matter. What did matter was that there, there in that drab, austere world, it was the most beautiful melody she’d ever heard in her life. As each of the sonorous notes reverberated in the old vessel, all of Lyra’s pent up fears, all her anxiety and stress, seemed to melt away into nothingness. This was a different kind of magic, something that even the greatest of mages down throughout the ages had failed to fully understand despite all their combined knowledge and wisdom. Within it was carried a power that could be brought forth by any who sought it, from the richest to the poorest, from the young or the old. The truly talented could use it to inspire, to draw out deeply hidden emotions in individuals, or even to stir timid hearts to valorous deeds. This music was from another world, yet here it ebbed and flowed like the tides upon the shore, slowly permeating the very fibres of Lyra’s being. It was music… that spoke to her. It was her element. Her special talent.

Nopony spoke.

Several minutes of this pure, raw sound filled the cabin until eventually the last note faded away into the silence. Blue watched the green mare before him. She was sat stock still, her face lifted and eyes closed with an expression of absolute rapture. He chuckled to himself and turned over the guitar. It was worn, the varnish badly cracked from years of living in hot, humid conditions. He’d done what he could to keep it in good order, but there was only so much you could do when your resources were limited. Whoever this had belonged to had left long ago, but they’d left behind them a drawer in their cabin full of sheet music, spare strings, and even a gramophone – albeit one that had seen much better days.

“Hey,” Blue asked with a smile, “you okay in there, Lyra?”

“Hmm…?” A pair of large yellow eyes slowly opened. “Um, yeah…” Her expression was so comically confused it brought a beaming grin to Blue’s face.

“Hah!” Celandine said, giving herself a shake. “It had that effect on me when I first heard it too.”

The green mare tossed her mane as she came back to her senses, “Was that… human music?”

“Well it’s hardly the cat’s is it?” Celandine rolled her eyes and sat back on the settee. “What other music is a human going to play, eh?”

“Oh, belt up!” Lyra snorted and slumped back down, letting her hind legs dangle. “You know what I meant, smart arse.” She looked to Blue who was still smiling.

“It’s a melody I picked up from one of the old ‘seventy eights’ in the same cabin I found the guitar,” Blue began. At Lyra’s uncomprehending expression he added, “Records?” Lyra nodded at that. Clearly there were such things in Equestria, and judging by Celandine’s frown they hadn’t been around at the time the ponies on the island had arrived.

“It must be your special talent,” Lyra said. Her eyes stared at the instrument. “May I?”

“Sure!” Blue handed over the guitar which was almost immediately enveloped in golden light. “Although I have to say, Lyra, that I’m no musician.”

“Pfff! Right!” Lyra waved off his reply as no more than modesty. “I bet you’ve got the cutie mark for it too, hidden under all those clothes of yours.”

Celandine and Blue exchanged a look. “Humans don’t have cutie marks,” Celandine said plainly.

Lyra shrugged, clearly more interested in the guitar. “My goddesses,” she murmured, “it’s almost the same as the ones we have back home. A little smaller maybe, but not by much.”

Blue’s eyes watched her intently. “Do you use your hooves to play?” he asked.

“Sometimes,” Lyra replied absently. “It depends. Mostly I use my magic to play while I use my hooves to hold the instrument. It gives me more control that way.” She closed her eyes for a second, and in an instant a pair of glowing, transparent hands materialised before her, holding the guitar. She smiled shyly for a moment and played a few experimental chords. “On a boat called memory, hail, ho! Hearts that long for the land...” Lyra shivered suddenly and stopped abruptly. “Sorry.”

“What for?” Blue asked in surprise. “That was amazing!” He lifted a hand, “Please, I’d love to hear more, Lyra.” He looked to Celandine, “Wouldn’t we, Celly?”

“Yes,” the yellow mare replied. “I’m sure we would.”

“You… um, you...” Lyra glanced at Celandine. The earth pony’s words didn’t exactly marry up with her facial expression, which was as stoic as usual, but right then she didn’t care. Blue had asked her to play, and for some reason she couldn’t put her hoof on, it was making her blush furiously. She cleared her throat and began...

Well away my love away, for we're sailing home today, on a boat called memory.

Hail ho! Hearts that long for the land.

Oh she's like some ancient queen, with her opal robes serene. In the lamplight shimmering.

Hail ho! Hearts that long for the land.

On a blue jay morning, feathering thorny memories, hail ho, hearts have been too long away.

On a well-worn byway travelling magpie gathering, farewell Queen of Waters.

As the song ended, Lyra looked down at the guitar in her lap and smiled nervously. “It’s a song I’ve been working on for a while now. I thought, you know, with our surroundings it seemed… appropriate.”

“It was indeed!” Blue laughed out loud, clapping his hands together in appreciation. “That was incredible, Lyra!” He nodded his head to the silent member of the trio, “Maybe you could teach Celly to play before you-”

“I don’t think that’s necessary, thank you.”

At the vehemence in Celandine’s voice, Lyra put down the guitar and looked from her to Blue in confusion, “Oh, uh, okay.”

“Oh, come on, love,” Blue said cheerily. “I know the island ponies don’t play, but you’ve got a golden opportunity here to-”

“If I wanted to learn to ‘play’ I would have asked you, wouldn’t I!” Celandine’s eyes flashed dangerously in the artificial light. “Some of us don’t have hands or magic, remember?”

A sideways glance at Lyra didn’t go unnoticed either, however if there was one thing that Lyra could always rely on it, it was her ability to detect changes in atmosphere. In this case Celandine was radiating barely contained anger which, whatever the reason for it, was going to boil over at any moment. She quickly decided on a change of tack.

“I remember you saying that ponies on the island don’t play music, Celandine,” Lyra said politely. “Is it a religious thing?”

“Religious?” The yellow mare snorted bitterly, “The only music our ‘masters’ like to hear is the sound of the plough cutting through the earth and the grunts of ponies bowing their backs under endless hours of labour. That, we’re told, is the real music of the world, the only true music you could ever need. Anything else is a blasphemy against the zeks.”

“So your people see them as gods?” Lyra asked.

“They’re no bucking gods!” Celandine snapped back.

“I know, you already sa-”

Anger filled eyes glared into Lyra’s, “You don’t know shit!” Celandine stood up, staring down her muzzle at the green mare. “You haven’t got a damned clue what life is like here, let alone what we have to do to survive from one minute to the next. Look at you, all soft coat and soft hooves. You haven’t done a days work in your whole bucking life!”

Lyra was taken aback by the unexpected verbal tirade, but managed a quick, “That’s bullshit!”

“Is it?” Celandine’s mouth curled into a sneer, “You turn up here just like that, get yourself into a pile of shit, and in the blink of an eye you’re all over Blue like a cheap suit!”

“What?!” Lyra couldn’t believe it. “You must be crazy to think-”

“I’m not blind, you sneaky little bitch!” Celandine leaned forward, “I saw the way you were looking at him; you were all but banging him with your eyes!” Her voice dropped to a snarl, “I know what’s going through your filthy mind.”

Blue took a step forward, trying to intervene, “For god’s sake, Celly, that’s enough!”

“Like fuck it is!” the yellow mare snarled. “I don’t trust her, and-”

The human’s voice roared, echoing throughout the silence of the old ship like a foghorn, “I SAID THAT’S ENOUGH!”

Under the blast of Blue’s searing retort, Celandine’s ears flattened as she cowered before him. Time seemed to slow as the beginnings of tears gleamed in her eyes, the young mare looking up at him as if he’d physically hit her. In a heartbeat it was all over. Celandine rose, managing to pull herself back together with impressive speed. “Is it now? That’s enough is it?” Once again her muzzle came up, those eyes of hers brim full of fathomless emotional turmoil, “Well, since you’re so willing to take her side,” she continued, “then there’s nothing more for me to say is there?” Her gaze shifted from Blue then back to Lyra. “I’ll leave you two to it then. I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of your blossoming romance.”

Lyra moved to say something but Blue put out a hand stopping her. As for Celandine, she tossed her mane and stalked out of the room leaving the two of them standing there like statues.

“What… the… actual… buck was all that about?!” Lyra’s heart was racing, her mouth as dry as the air in the cabin. “Goddesses almighty! I knew she was a bit odd, but I think I may have underestimated her. She’s absolutely bucking nuts!” She turned to face Blue who was still staring after his mare in stone faced silence, “Please tell me you saw that, yeah? I mean, she just went full on psycho at me for playing a bloody song!”

Blue didn’t move, his eyes watching the dim light of the doorway, “She’ll be alright.”

“She-?” Lyra shook her head. “Buddy, there’s a lot crazy shit going on around here, but if there’s one thing I can tell you without any doubt in my mind, it’s that our gal Celandine there is about as far from ‘alright’ as you can get!”

“I know,” came the stolid reply. “But it wouldn’t be fair of either us to expect you to understand, Lyra. This place… it does things to people. It changes them. It damages them - both mentally as well as physically.” He turned away with a sigh and walked back to the fireplace, putting some more coal into the fire. Lyra sat down on the chair behind him, but the comfort she’d enjoyed earlier was already long gone. No matter how hard she tried to avoid glancing back at the doorway, it was impossible. A part of her kept expecting Celandine to come back at any moment wielding a carving knife, looming above her ready to-

“Lyra?”

“Eeep!” The green mare nearly shot out of the chair in fright.

Blue paused, noting her discomfort, then brought over a glass of wine which he put on the table next to her, “Forgive her, please. What you saw just now isn’t the real Celly. That girl has been through hell. We both have I suppose, but more so her.”

Lyra wasn’t so sure that Blue was being totally objective. ‘Celly’ may have reasons as to why she was acting the way she was, but damaged goods were still damaged goods, and the yellow mare’s change in temperament was so sudden as to be terrifying. Still, Blue trusted her, and whether she liked it or not she was stuck here with the two of them. Besides, upsetting your only allies when you were at the mercy of this deadly place did not seem like such a good idea. She’d have to play along, at least for now, but the first chance she got she was getting the hell out of here – Parchment or no Parchment.

“What the hell happened here, Blue?” Lyra asked quietly. “I understand what you said about how you arrived, but there’s more to it isn’t there?”

Blue glanced at her, then back to his glass, swirling the blood red liquid. “There always is,” he said softly. “Celly… Celandine… has her ghosts the same as all of us. Life on the island is hard for her people, scraping an existence on the edge of the jungle, always wondering when the next attack from the chocks will take one of them away. Celly has told you about how they control the population, right?” Lyra nodded. “Yeah, well, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.”

“They use medicine to keep them in line,” Lyra added.

“She told you.” Blue shook his head, “There’s something fishy about that, and I don’t like it one little bit.”

“Too convenient, maybe?” Lyra asked.

“In the way that the ponies were on the island before the zeks arrived, yes,” Blue replied. “Some time after that some mysterious illness appears and the zeks are the only ones who just so happen to have a cure. Well, not so much a cure of course, more of a ‘treatment’.”

“And one that keeps you needing more,” Lyra shook her head.

“Exactly.” Blue took a sip of his wine, “It’s a catch twenty two, Lyra. The jungle covers most of the island, and its infested with those chock things. The rest is for crops and the zeks so-called ‘Citadel’. Even if the ponies left the island, and assuming the pegasi didn’t shoot them full of arrows first, they’d die when their supply of the medicine ran out.”

“Aren’t there any other ships out here?” Lyra asked. “I mean, the human vessels all seem to come ashore here, but there must be others out there, right? How come some don’t just sail off?”

“The storms throw them onto the island,” Blue replied simply. “There’s something, whatever the hell it is, I don’t know, that draws things here and dumps them like sacks of garbage: ships, planes, it doesn’t matter what it is, they all end up here once the storm grabs them.”

Something niggled at the back of Lyra’s head, and it wasn’t the expectation of a sudden attack by an enraged mare this time either. “Blue, just how long have you been on the island?”

“Me?” Blue sat up abruptly, his expression one of surprise at being asked such a simple, innocent question. “I...” He swallowed, “I don’t know.” The human glanced up at what was clearly a calender on the wall beside the large, round clock. “I stopped counting a long time ago. If I had to say, I’d estimate it at around eight to ten years give or take.”

Lyra’s heart sank. “And you tried to get off the island, right?” she asked. “After all, you don’t need the medicine do you? You’re a different species, so I would imagine you’d have some ideas for how to get out of here.”

“Oh, I did try,” Blue said with a sad smile. “After Celandine pulled me out of the tree and nursed me back to health I would wander off, for several days sometimes, mapping the island, keeping to the coastline and hiding whenever the pegasus patrols came near. But my plans for escape came to nothing.”

“Why?” Lyra asked.

“You know the answer already,” Blue said. He pointed to the porthole, “Where would I go? I’m not on my own world, Lyra. Here there’s food, shelter, and...” he smiled, “Celandine.” He shook his head, “I couldn’t leave her behind. Not in a million lifetimes.”

“You must really love her,” Lyra said gently.

Blue chuckled. “You know, I think I must do.” His smile was infectious, bringing a beaming grin to Lyra’s own face. It felt good, and the first little ray of sunshine she’d felt since coming here.

“Even if she’s nuts?” the green mare asked, cheekily.

Blue grinned back, “Even if she’s a whole sack full.”

The two of them sat for a while in silence before Lyra asked, “Blue, can I ask you in all seriousness – do you think I can get home? Any of us?”

“Truthfully?” Blue shrugged, “Celandine thinks so.”

“I get that, but what about you?” Lyra asked.

The human topped up his glass and leaned over to do the same for Lyra. “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s a hell of a thing to give up hope, Lyra. It leaves you empty, lingering from day to day just like these old ships here – slowly fading away until you’re nothing more than a memory, and perhaps… not even that.” He paused then gave himself a shake, in a curiously equine manner. “Ha! Don’t listen to me moaning. Look, Lyra, if there is a way off the island, for you I mean, then I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

“You will?” Lyra’s ears pricked up.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Blue seemed surprised by her response. “I’m not the kind of guy to sit back on my ass and see someone in trouble and do nothing to help.” His eyes twinkled as he added, “It wouldn’t be right.”

Lyra shook her head and barked out a laugh, “Ha! I’m a real life damsel in distress am I?”

Blue closed his eyes and shrugged. “I’m no saviour knight on a white steed, but if I can help, I will,” he said with his customary smile.

“Steed?”

“A horse,” Blue said absently. “I used to be quite the equestrian when I was younger. My pa was a rancher and we rode our horses until we were so sore from the saddle I swear my butt cheeks made the bath water steam!” He laughed gently, staring at his glass. “Yeah, things sure were...” He looked up, “Lyra? You okay? You’ve gone beet red there, kid.”

“Ha- Have I?!” Lyra’s hooves shot up to her ears and sure enough they, like her cheeks, were positively burning!

“Ah,” Blue cleared his throat, “looks like I’ve put my foot in it again. Damn it, I thought by now I’d-”

“NO!” Lyra squeaked, and then lowered her voice, “No, Blue, please, it’s fine. I think I… I think I just misunderstood what you meant, that’s all.” She coughed, “Um, so, er… you have ‘horses’ in your world do you?”

The human didn’t seem too sure by the direction the conversation was taking but shrugged his concerns away, “Sure, but they’re nothing like you guys, if that’s what you’re thinking.” At Lyra’s perplexed expression he explained, “You know what a monkey is, right? Or an ape?” Lyra nodded. “They’re as alike to humans as horses are to ponies – this worlds ponies at any rate.” A slight bloom came to his cheeks now. “God almighty, I found that out alright...”

The last part was mumbled just enough so Lyra could sense how much of a shock his appearance in this world must have been for him. “Um, so, you read the book?” Lyra asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

“I did.”

Lyra nodded, “Did Celandine teach you how to read our language?”

Blue seemed relieved by the change of conversation direction, “She did, and she’s a good teacher too. I encouraged her to help teach the kids in the village, but she’s not too keen on that place, and that’s putting it mildly.”

“She’s antisocial?” Lyra asked in surprise. “That’s unusual for a pony.”

Blue shrugged, “This whole place is unusual, Lyra.” He took a deep breath, “Honestly, this place is a sink hole where everyone does what they need to survive.”

“But what about living?”

Blue looked up questioningly.

“I mean, what’s the point of it all?” Lyra asked. “This isn’t living, Blue, it’s existing. Ponies, and I dare say humans as well, aren’t meant to live like this.” She held up a hoof, indicating the room and the world beyond. “No music? Good goddesses, you can’t go five minutes in Equestria without somepony breaking out into song! Okay, sometimes it’s bloody annoying and half of them are tone deaf, but even so...” She shook her head sadly as she tailed off. “There’s got to be a way out of here, Blue. There’s got to be! I know Celandine thinks I’ve given up, but I haven’t. I just… Gods, I don’t know!” Lyra felt tears stinging at the corners of eyes. She hated showing weakness, it was something that she’d always disliked in others too, but sometimes… sometimes she just…

Something touched her.

She looked down and her eyes went wide.

“It’s alright,” Blue said softly. “I know how you feel. I was like that myself when I first got here.” Blue gave her hoof a gentle squeeze. Lyra couldn’t take her eyes off it - off his hand. Those pinkish digits, the way they curled around her hoof. They were so warm, so soft…

Lyra swallowed. “They’re amazing,” she whispered.

“Huh?” Blue looked confused. “What is?”

“Your… Your hands.” Lyra’s eyes lingered for a moment then glided up his arm to his face, and his dark brown eyes, “I always wondered… what it would be like to have them.”

“What, hands?” Blue’s eyes went wide before he barked out a laugh and stood back. “Hell, I wouldn’t know what it would be like to have hooves!” He pointed to his head, “Or a horn for that matter. God, what I wouldn’t give to be able to wield magic!” Blue shivered, an impish smile spreading across his face. “To be able to conjure up fireballs, to fly with dragons and wish up a huge pile of gold!”

“Um, it er...”

“Incredible cosmic power!”

“Blue, it doesn’t-”

“I could turn myself into a dragon! Can you imagine that!”

“BLUE!”

The human paused, his hands held aloft as he turned to face the green unicorn, “Eh? What?”

“I said it doesn’t work like that,” Lyra said a little exasperated. “I thought I’d made that clear earlier?”

Blue’s beaming grin was back, “Yeah, I know, but come on, Lyra, let a guy have his dreams, yeah?” He began to laugh. That simplest of expressions, so heartfelt and innocent, filled the room, and also the heart of a certain unicorn sitting a few feet away. Was she still blushing?

Abruptly, Lyra gave herself a shake, “Blue? Shouldn’t we go and check on Celandine? She was really upset earlier, and-”

“And she’ll come round once she’s had a moment to reflect on how stupid she’s being,” Blue cut in. Suddenly he clapped his hand together, “Right then, enough bloody melancholy.” He leaned forward and took Lyra’s hoof once more. “Come on, I want to show you something I’ve been working on.”

Lyra looked over her shoulder to the door, “Shouldn’t we get Celandine first?” Damn it all, her cheeks were starting to burn again! She hoped he wouldn’t notice, but before she could react, Blue had released her and pulled on a hat from the stand beside the door.

“Will you stop worrying!” Blue smiled, rolling his eyes. “She’s not a child, Lyra. And besides, if I go running after her it’ll only matters worse.”

“I’m not so sure,” Lyra muttered, climbing down off the settee.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Nothing,” Lyra said quickly. “Just thinking aloud.”

“Well, don’t you start doing that too,” Blue said, buttoning up his coat. “The last thing I need is two potty mares to deal with. One’s more than enough, thank you very much.” And with that he strode towards the door. “Come on, young lady, it’s not far. Oh, and don’t wander off. I know you’re not a kid, but this place is a maze, and only the main areas are lit to conserve fuel.”

Lyra felt a shiver run down her spine, but she hurried along to keep up with the human, “Is that this ‘elastic trickery’ thing that Celandine was talking about?”

“Elastic-?” Blue paused for a moment before adding, “Oh! You mean ‘electricity’?” He nodded, turning to head up the stairs. “It’s produced by a steam powered generator down in the engine room. There’s plenty of coal, and if that fails there’s more wood on the island than I could ever possibly need. Celly built a wave powered thing down near the inlet, but it’s more trouble than its worth.”

Lyra shook her head in amazement. “Lightning used as power… It’s incredible.”

“It sure is,” Blue smiled warmly. “I’m no expert, but I know enough to get by.”

“Even though you lost your memory?” Lyra asked.

“Yup.” Blue all but leaped up the next flight of stairs, “Celly said it was to do with where the damage was.” He pointed to a patch of white on his head which stuck out in stark contrast against the mostly dark brown mop of hair. “Mostly what went was my memory of who I was,” he continued. “But I still recall bits and pieces now and again.”

Lyra frowned, “Who you were? Don’t you mean ‘who you are’?”

Blue shook his head, “Nope.” He looked over his shoulder at her, “I am who I am, Lyra. Celly calls me Blue, so Blue I am.” The ascent continued. “Believe me, I’ve had more than one mental breakdown since I’ve been living in this magnificent rusty metal palace we call home. Now...” he gave ironic laugh, “Now, I think of it as more of a blessing than a curse. Ha! Maybe your goddess works in mysterious ways too, huh?”

“Celestia?” Lyra smiled, “Maybe she does.”

Blue raised an eyebrow quizzically, “And she’s real, right? I mean, you can actually see her?”

“She’s as real as you and I, Blue.” Lyra felt her heart lift, her step lightening as they ascended. Just talking to this curious being brought a smile to her face, and truth be told she wasn’t entirely sure why. Probably best not to analyse it too much, Lyra old girl, she thought to herself.

Around them the old ship creaked and groaned as the metal reacted to the cool of the oncoming night. At first, Lyra had been startled by the alarming sounds echoing all around her, some of which were very loud indeed. In her occasionally overactive imagination she’d pictured giants, enormous humans as tall as mountains standing outside just beyond the portholes, beating on the sides of the ship with great iron hammers. Why they would have done this of course didn’t really matter, but it certainly made Lyra’s mane twitch almost constantly. In contrast, Blue and Celandine didn’t seem to hear these sounds at all, which suggested a long time familiarity with the disturbing noises that came from virtually all around them at all hours of the day and night. To make matters worse, the deeper they went the more prominent the sounds became. Up here however it was at lot quieter despite the ever present background hush of the waves and the cry of seagulls. Lyra didn’t want to show any weakness in front of Celandine, let alone Blue, but considering how alien this all was to her she felt she was well within her rights to feel nervous. After all, and especially since she’d been attacked by those damned horrible bat things, there was that part of her which kept niggling at her as if at any moment something was going to come at her from beyond the safety of the lights. Blue himself was a different matter altogether. He was tall, at least compared to Lyra who was about average so far as ponies went, but then since he walked upright on two legs that was hardly surprising. She’d always considered the possibility of humans being tall, but most of it had been conjecture. Even that had been soundly debunked by nearly every academic out there. No, humans were a myth like the Loch Fetloch monster or the ‘Beast of Yellow River Bridge’. The last one was meant to have been a giant bat or moth of some description that would make the bridge ‘shiver’ late at night. Despite the locals being convinced it was real, nopony else gave it much credence. That had been until one night when the town had been hosting a fancy dance evening for dignitaries from the surrounding towns and villages. The whole event was intended to put Yellow River on the map, encouraging investment into the small town. To this end they had brought in some of the very top chefs in Equestria, at no small expense either. Naturally the prospect of a free feed was a great attraction to those with more ‘refined’ palates. Notable amongst these was the mayor of Valendale, a stallion who had served on the Royal Flight Academy board of directors for the last twenty years. He’d come as the ‘significant other’ of one of the other guests, although with his connections to the treasury department he was one of the most eagerly anticipated attendees. As fate would have it, the hapless fellow had a carriage wheel break on his way to the event, not far from the approach to the bridge. Whilst his driver attempted to repair the stricken conveyance, the mayor walked out onto the bridge to have a smoke. The mayor, never one to go anywhere unprepared, had dressed as a sheep so he wouldn’t wasted any time when he arrived. According to the reports of the driver, the mayor had then simply ‘disappeared’ in a sudden, and unexpected, gust of wind. Despite all attempts to locate the missing dignitary, the month long investigation drew a complete blank. The numerous divers, dogs and pegasi search teams found nothing, and certainly no sign of any foul play. There was no blood, and no sign of a body either. It was just as the driver had said – the mayor had seemingly vanished into thin air.

A royal enquiry concluded that the unlucky mayor had been ‘blown over the bridge by a freak wind’, a phenomenon that tied in nicely with the locals stories about the ‘shivering bridge’. Now you could have been forgiven for thinking that would have been an end to the matter, a fact which had no doubt spoiled the conspiracy theories of some of the more active minded ponies, but as always something came along which only complicated matters. One day the newly formed Royal Telegraphy Company came to town, bringing with it the promise of much longed for improved communications and, naturally, increased prosperity. The locals were thrilled as the lines went up, but not so much when the town was awoken one night with the most terrible screams and howling from, somewhat expectedly, the direction of Yellow River bridge. Upon arrival by the towns ponies and police, the scene was like nothing anypony could have expected. It was a dragon. Not a very big dragon as it turned out, but one that had managed to tangle itself in the wires of the newly installed telegraph system. Freeing the beast proved difficult, but the ponies of this industrial town were no strangers to hard work and the frantic thing had been freed in short order.

As the dragon lumbered into the air without so much as a word of thanks, one of the more eagle eyed pegasi from the town noticed something stuck to one of the dragon’s spikes. It was a long, golden chain. The kind of chain worn by - and you probably guessed it already – local dignitaries. Most notably, mayors. This time the Royal Flight Academy flew into action, scouring the countryside for the rogue dragon. With their reputation on the line, they quickly found the cave our errant scaled beast had made its home. There, amongst the bones of the dragon’s former meals, were the unmistakable, and very chewed, skeletal remains of a certain male stallion. The royal commission concluded, correctly this time, that the bridge was on the flight path from the dragon’s normal feeding grounds leading back to its cave, causing the unusual ‘shivering’ effect the structure had become notable for. The hapless mayor had merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was most likely collected by the dragon as an opportune meal on its way home. Consideration was given as to whether to have the creature ‘put down’, relocated, or merely asked to apologise to the mayor’s family. All three options were ruled out due to the discovery that the red dragon was pregnant. Shortly afterwards some bright spark had the brilliant idea of putting lights on the bridge at the height of the wires, and ever since the shivering bridge has been tremble, and fatality, free.

And thus our tale came to an end, together with the associated ‘legend’. Some would have thought that the explanation of what had happened at the bridge would have given some relief to the locals. No doubt to some that was indeed the case, but as always there are the exceptions to the rule. Some of the more enterprising locals had been using the legend of the bridge as a kind of macabre tourist attraction, selling surprisingly popular items as model bridges, snow globes, and tee shirts claiming such things as ‘I survived the Shivering Bridge!’ or ‘If you feel the Shiver, start to Quiver!’ and more. Now that the mystery had been cleared up, a negative impact to the fledgeling tourism industry was becoming a very real possibility. At least it would have been until some of those aforementioned enterprising minds came up with something that really put Yellow River on the top ten list of places of events to attend. It was, and still is, The Yellow River Midnight Fleece Festival.

Some may have believed it to be disrespectful to the memory of the late mayor, some that it was in poor taste, but if there was one thing that you couldn’t dispute, was that it was popular. Every year, unsurprisingly on the very same night that the mayor had met his end, the towns folk would gather on the bridge dressed as - you guessed it – sheep. There were lights, music, singing and dancing, and of course the obligatory T-Shirts. ‘I was fleeced at Yellow River!’ became a smash hit overnight. Lyra even had one hanging up in her wardrobe at home. Whatever happened to the dragon which had caused all the commotion in the first place was all but forgotten, the creatures fate quickly passing into folklore and inflatable red dragon balloons. Some believe that the noise from the festival had been too much for the scaly reptile and it had flown away to find a safer, and decidedly quieter, home far from noisy ponies. Whatever the truth was, the town was never bothered by flying reptiles again. What the dragon would have thought about being immortalised in the names of the local pubs, dance society and annual festival, would never be known. And perhaps it was for the best too. Myths and legends were at their best when they remained mysteries.

Now Blue on the other hoof… What could you say to a myth that was walking and talking right next to you?

“And here we are,” the human announced pleasantly. Lyra stopped, watching Blue as he pushed open the door to the darkness beyond. “Just a mo...” There was an audible click, and a second later the lights came on. “Welcome, Lyra,” Blue said expansively, holding his arms out. “Welcome, to my inner sanctum.” What was illuminated beyond was…

“I have no idea what I’m looking at.”

Blue’s grinning expression faltered.

Lyra shook her head, staring at all the wires, cables and boxes covered in knobs, switches, levers and all forms of… whatever it was. “I’m sorry, Blue,” she apologized sheepishly, “but… what is all this?”

The human sighed, lowering his gaze to the floor for a moment in what Lyra believed was disappointment. Had she said the wrong thing? The human quite clearly thought this place was special. Oh goddesses, was this a temple or shrine of some kind?! Damn it all, she’d put her hoof right in it this time! She’d have to-

“It’s a radio room.”

“Huh?” Lyra blinked as she tried to regain her mental train of thought, “A radio room?”

Blue gave a smile that was part grimace as he held out his hand, indicating the impressive array of equipment. “Ah, you probably don’t have radios in Equestria do you? Sorry, Lyra, I should have realised. Technologically speaking this may be light years ahead of what your civilisation has managed to-”

“We’re not sodding primitives, for bucks sake!” Lyra balked, her hoof flying up to her mouth. But it was too late, the words were already out. Blue took a step back in surprise at her outburst, his eyes staring right into hers. “I mean,” Lyra swallowed trying to slow her racing heart rate. “I mean, we do have radios, we… I mean our society has ‘technology’, it’s just...” In the brown eyed gaze of the human her words faltered. She was angry with him, at his assumption that her people were technologically inferior, perhaps even backward, and perhaps he was right too, but…

Blue held his hand up to his face and squeezed his eyes shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Damn it all, there I go again,” he muttered. “Lyra, look, I’m sorry, that was bang out of order what I said just then.” To Lyra’s surprise he actually bowed to her! “Please, forgive me for being so rude, it was unintentional.” He walked over to a desk and offered her a seat before taking one himself. “I don’t know whether it’s the isolation of this place or just my arrogance talking, but I didn’t mean to offend you.” He flicked another switch, initiating a low, electrical hum in the small room. “Here on the island we’re all equally dirt poor, but sometimes I find it all…” He closed his eyes, “Even after all these years I find it hard, you understand? The society I’m from is so different to what we have here. Here there’s no cars, no planes, no movies, no… no nothing. God help me, Lyra, I can’t even remember the taste of soda, let alone beer!” Blue leaned back and groaned, “Surrounding myself by all of this stuff makes me feel like I’m still human, and that perhaps in some small way there’s still some hope left I’ll be able to get back home one day.” He chuckled under his breath, “Speaking of which, I hope I’m making sense and not just rabbiting away feeling sorry for myself.”

Lyra wasn’t sure what to say. The equipment Blue had here was indeed far in advance of anything she’d seen back in Equestria. It wasn’t magically powered for one thing, not to mention the fact that it looked so incomprehensibly complicated it was making her head spin. “Does it work?” she asked.

Blue shrugged, “I think so, but all I ever get is static. I’d hoped that we’d get something, even if it’s… well, ‘Equestrian’ in nature.”

“You could pick up Equestrian radio on that stuff?!” Lyra’s eyes went wide, “You mean we could call for help?” Her heart surged at the prospect.

The human pursed his lips and tapped one of the large metal boxes. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I’d hoped that when a storm hit I could somehow contact whatever comes through and prevent them from wrecking on the island. If we could do that then maybe we could get them to pick us up and get us the hell out of here.”

Lyra shook her head in wonderment, “Have you had a chance to try?”

Blue nodded, “A small yacht appeared during the last storm, but I don’t think they heard me.” He turned one of the dials which produced a high pitched whining sound that rose and fell as he turned it. “I tried everything, but the storm either blotted out the signal or they were so busy trying to save the boat they didn’t have time to listen to the radio.” His gaze lowered, “They didn’t make it. The poor bastards were thrown onto the rocks and that was that.” He gave a humourless laugh, “A fool’s hope, eh?”

“No.” Lyra lifted her head and placed a hoof on Blue’s hand, “It’s not foolish to hope, Blue. It may be many things, but it’s never foolish.”

The human stared at her hoof, and then, slowly, his lowered gaze rose to meet hers. Lyra’s heart thumped hard in her chest. By the goddess, he was so close! Suddenly the room felt claustrophobically warm, whether as a result of the equipment giving off heat or her flushing cheeks made not a jot of difference. He was… He was just so… male. Those fathomless eyes, the eyes of a being from another world from the pages of myth come to life before her. She only had to reach out, and-

“Thanks, Lyra.”

And the moment passed. Blue smiled, letting her hoof go as he walked to the radio and flicked switches in some incomprehensible dance of clicks and whines. To Lyra, however, she couldn’t stop staring at her hoof. What was wrong with her?! Why was her heart racing so, and her ears felt like they were on fire too. Was she a teenager again? No! Of course not, that was silly. He was a human, a creature that wasn’t even native to her world, not to mention the fact that he was involved with Celandine too. Obviously she didn’t mind that he was a human. She’d seen that first hoof the first night here! Ha! Why would she… And then… Oh gods, now the memories of what she’d seen were coming back to her.

“Are you okay?” Blue asked in concern.

“Huh?” Lyra nearly choked as her eyes met his once again, “No! Yes! I mean...” Lyra hung her head and let out a loud groan, “Yes, I’m fine Blue, honestly.” She gave herself a hard shake, “Hey, you got any booze here?”

“Uh, sure… Hang on a mo.” Blue reached into a cupboard and took out a bottle, “I’d offer you a beer but the heat made the last few we had go bad years ago. Whiskey alright? It’s single malt.”

“That’ll do the job,” Lyra said plainly. And gods, did she need it right then! As Lyra took her drink she tried to keep her focus on the equipment. “So!” she began awkwardly. “This stuff, you can tune it in to various frequencies and what-not, right?”

Blue watched her for a moment then chuckled, “I sure can, but all I get is static.” He rolled his shoulders and yawned, “You know, it could simply be a case of Equestrian radio being so completely alien to human technology that the two are completely incompatible. Maybe I’m just wasting my time fiddling about with all of this, but god help me, it keeps my mind active at least.” Suddenly he perked up, turning to her with a big grin, “Hope springs eternal. Right, Lyra?”

“It sure does!”

“So,” Blue announced, clapping his hands together, “I promised you I’d answer your questions, so the way I see it, now’s as good a time as any.” He moved the bottle, placing it between them. “Shall we begin?”