“This is madness,” Lyra muttered. A filly with bird skulls woven into her mane guided Lyra’s head back as she poured warm scented water over her mane. “You’re Lode Stone?” Lyra stared up at the rock ceiling, her mind reeling as it tried to make sense of everything she’d heard about him. “That can’t be right. You’d be over a thousand years old. Two, most likely. That would make you older than the princesses!”

“Not exactly,” Lode Stone smiled faintly. “But near enough. Time means very little to me any more.”

“I’m not surprised!” Lyra winced as something snagged in her mane. The filly gave her an apologetic look but carried on with her work whilst Lyra returned to her train of thought, “Ah, that’s it… It’s an inherited name. A title of sorts, right?”

“Oh, no,” Lode Stone said absently. “There’s only ever been one of me I’m afraid, for better or worse.”

“And you’re immortal, right?” She cocked an eyebrow, “Can’t say I’m seeing any wings there, but I guess if you’re a god then you could use your magic to hide them. Alicorns are pretty rare after all.”

The elder leaned back against the side of the bath, his eyes sparkling, “My goodness, you really think I’m a god?!”

“Your people think you are,” Lyra retorted. “Ever since I got here it’s been ‘Lode’ this, and ‘Lode’ that, every five bloody minutes! Now, I don’t know about you, but you don’t tend to become an expression unless there’s a touch of the old divinity knocking about, yeah? So what is it, Lode, are you the first male alicorn or what?”

Lode Stone gave the kind of chuckle typically reserved for older ponies when they were explaining things to foals, “I’ve never considered myself to divine, Lyra. If ponies wish to use my name as an expression then who am I to say otherwise?”

“So you’re saying you’re the same Lode Stone that came through the portal to this island.” Before he could answer, Lyra held up a hoof. “Before you answer that, let’s pretend that A: I’m not an idiot. And B: that I already know a lot more about Equestrian history than, I suspect, anypony else here.”

“Your point being?” Lode Stone asked.

Lyra grinned menacingly, “My point being: Don’t bullshit me. You want my help, you tell me the truth. All of it.”

A long pause followed. Lode Stone was clearly in no rush, quite the opposite of Celandine who was all but sucking in all the steam the way she was breathing, but the old codger was certainly one stubborn stallion. Perhaps he really was the real deal after all. “I was the first through the portal,” he began. Lyra’s ears immediately perked up, eager to hear more. “I was, at that time, just another proverbial ‘young buck down on my luck’, as the old saying goes. Back then you were either rich, or as poor as dirt. Ironic considering we called the earth tribe ‘mud ponies’. Hell, my family could barely afford to feed ourselves.” He sighed, “And so there I was, trying to use the few bits I had to gamble my way into riches.”

“I take it it didn’t work?”

“Of course it didn’t,” Lode Stone scoffed. “And those lying, fleecing bastards knew the game was rigged before you even walked in the door. Before you knew it the interest was piling up and I was dodging debt collectors left and right. It was only a matter of time before I was either sold into slavery or dangling from a rope. Then one day I stumbled across an advert pinned to the village notice board; it was an advert, I might add, from a certain well known young mare who was offering the right applicant fame, prestige, and most importantly, a boat load of cash.”

“Galeus,” Lyra intoned quietly.

Lode Stone waved a hoof, confirming her suspicion with a clucking of his tongue, “She needed a volunteer, you see, to take part in an experiment that would,” he held up his forehooves for air-quotes, “‘Change the world as we knew it.’” He snorted under his breath, “And of course, you know what that was.”

Lyra nodded, “The portal network.”

“Exactly,” Lode Stone confirmed. “Mind you it was still at the experimental stage at the time, so calling it a ‘network’ is a bit of stretch of the imagination. Even so, Galeus had already made several successful trial runs, but this one was going to be the very first with a live pony. And that pony, would be me.” He shrugged, “There was, however, one rather specific stipulation to the contract.”

“Let me guess,” Lyra said, tapping her horn, “no unicorns, right?”

Lode Stone beamed toothily, “Precisely.” He pointed to his own horn, “Naturally I wasn’t going to let something as silly as that keep me from all that fame and gold, especially considering the alternative, so I used some goose fat and used it to help cover my horn with my mane. It helps that I was always a touch, um, ‘reduced’ in the old horn department, but it had never stopped me before, and those bits sure looked good!” He chuckled throatily, “Anyway, there I was, the first through the portal.”

“Was there anypony else on the island when you arrived?” Lyra asked.

Lode Stone shook his head, “Not for a little while, no.” He shrugged, “It didn’t take me long to realise our devious little friend Galeus hadn’t planned for a return journey either. Not long after I’d set up my own little encampment, earth ponies started popping through the portal like popcorn - one after the other, after the other! Before you could say ‘Poppinjay’, we had a small community on our hooves.”

“But what about the humans,” Lyra interjected, “and Galeus. Didn’t she come through as well?” Lyra’s thoughts flew back to the diary.

“Galeus came through alright,” Lode Stone confirmed. “She was the one who had the citadel built. She used ponies at first, and then when the humans started arriving she used them too.” “Very persuasive that girl,” he added absently.

“But there was trouble, wasn’t there,” Lyra asked.

“Of course there was,” Lode Stone snorted, lifting his muzzle. “Back in Equestria, Galeus had been snatching ponies off the streets for her experiments; throwing them through the portal to see if the damned thing worked. I may have been the first but I sure as hell wasn’t the last” He took a glass of water from one of the bath house staff and nodded his thanks. “It’s ironic how she ended up becoming a guinea pig in her own experiment,” he continued, taking a sip. “To say she was less than welcome when she got here would be an understatement too, but if there’s one thing I can say about old Galeus, it was that she had the gift of the gab. Hell, that little bitch could convince a llama to fleece himself and pay you for the privilege of letting him do it!” Lode Stone sighed. “It wasn’t long after that she started working with the humans. Got pretty pally with them too if remember right, especially the more scientifically literate amongst them. But then one day a large ship washed up on the shore after one of the worst storms we’d ever had.” He nodded to Lyra, making sure he had her full attention. “Now ships and flying machines crashing into the island were hardly an unusual event by this time of course, and we all knew to take cover during the storms. As soon as they’d passed we’d come out to see what bounteous gifts the sea had brought us. The flying machines were usually nothing more than piles of burning wreckage and bodies, but the ships? Ah, the ships were the real prize – a veritable treasure chest of booty just waiting to be opened!” He chuckled, recalling the excitement of the islanders rushing down to the beach to see what delights awaited them. How the crew of the ship would react to being swarmed by sentient equines and human castaways was something that Lyra could only guess at. Lode Stone continued, “Humans and ponies alike would strip the vessels down to their bare bones for building materials, food, and whatever other supplies they could find. But this one was different. This one was brim full of prisoners their human guards called ‘zeks’. They weren’t too bad at first, a little rough and ready maybe, but some of them saw us as little more than animals.” He went quiet, watching the serving girls cleaning Lyra’s fur. Slowly his expression took on a haunted, faraway look, “I can still remember what happened. I just wish… sometimes I wish I could forget.”

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to,” Celandine cut in.

“No… No, I don’t, you’re right,” Lode Stone said gently. “But a story half told isn’t a story at all, Celly.” He smiled at her, his eyes full of gentleness and compassion, then turned to Lyra who was visibly hanging off his every word. “The humans are omnivores you see,” Lode Stone continued, “which means they eat both meat and vegetables. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem; there’s plenty of fish, birds, crabs and so forth to be found, but other than that this modest island of ours has little in the way of what you could call ‘natural resources’.” He closed his eyes and finished his drink, passing the empty glass to the smiling young mare. “Every time a ship arrived it came with more humans. More humans meant that the demand for food similarly grew, and it became a real balancing act to feed the ever increasing population. Fortunately the humans usually had stores on their ships and supplemented their meals with hunting. That helped tide things over until we could increase our fishing fleet and plantations to balance it all out. Everything was fine for a while, but when the zeks arrived there were just so many of them… so many...” He shivered, “Mostly they were soldiers returning from a great war on their world. Many were armed, taking weapons from their former captors who soon realised they were just as much prisoners on this island as we were.” Lode Stone let out a long breath, “We began to notice ponies going missing soon after; usually mares, sometimes fillies. Chocks were blamed at first of course, disappearances weren’t exactly uncommon amongst the village folk at that time, but then, when the evidence began to pile up against the humans, fights and accusations began to fly.” He let out a pained sigh, “It was like a match to tinder. When the humans openly turned on us we didn’t have a chance. We put up a fight of course, but what did we know of military tactics, guns, bullets and war? Equestrians aren’t warriors by nature, Lyra, and many of us saw the humans as something akin to saviours as it was, taking sides with them against our own. Oh, what fools we were...” He took another sip of his drink.

“They raped mares, didn’t they,” Lyra said quietly.

“Raped mares?” Lode Stone snorted loudly, “If it were only that it would have been bad enough, but the humans, some of them anyway, decided to start…” He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath which he let out slowly, “They began to see us as another food source.”

“Dear goddesses,” Lyra breathed. “They actually ate ponies?” Suddenly her obsession with humans took on a whole new complexion. Surely Blue wouldn’t do something like that, would he? Sure, he was the only human she’d actually met, other than the zeks of course, but they hardly counted. The damned things were more like… like animals… Was that how the humans had seen the ponies back then? And what of Celandine? Was she a collaborator with the humans, turning her back on her own people? No… No, that couldn’t be right. She was in love with Blue, and she was here with the tribesponies as though she were one of them.

Lode Stone nodded in response to Lyra’s question, “It was the final straw. Those of us who could fight took up arms, hitting back at the humans with everything we had to hoof. Eventually we started to learn how to alter the humans’ technology to our own ends, gradually turning their weapons against them, using hit and run tactics to defeat them wherever and whenever we could. But...” He hung his head gravely, “It wasn’t enough. They defeated us again and again, corralling us like beasts to be bucked, bred, and eaten as they pleased. And then, Galeus devised a spell, a very potent spell which she used to convert the humans we’d captured into the creatures we know as ‘zeks’ today.” Lode Stone paused, his eyes staring off into a past Lyra could only begin to imagine. “We began raiding their camps in the night, using the concealment spells Galeus taught us to snatch as many of the humans as we could. Of course they found out what we were doing eventually and began to fortify their camps. By then though the tide had already turned. With the strength and size of the zeks to aid us, Galeus’ magic to help us infiltrate the humans strongholds and steal or destroy their supplies, we unleashed hell upon the remaining humans.”

“I’d call that ‘justice’,” Celandine huffed. “They deserved no less.”

“Perhaps,” Lode Stone replied with a nod of his head. “But at what cost was that victory earned? Galeus’s revenge upon the humans knew no bounds. Friend or foe, old and young alike, all fell to what she called her ‘new order’. The tower went up not long after that, the citadel constructed shortly thereafter, and one by one the humans became more legend than fact in the minds of the islanders. They’d still appear every now and again of course, when the magical storms that hit these parts tears open a rift between the worlds, but somehow they always wash up on the shore, and the next day they’re all gone.”

“And suddenly there’s new zeks at the citadel,” Lyra finished. “All except one.”

“Indeed,” Lode Stone said.

“So what’s all this ‘no unicorn’ business?” Lyra asked. “With the humans gone, why snatch the kids?”

“Ah, well that’s simple,” Lode Stone said as though the answer were obvious. “They’re needed to work on the master portal project. I’m sure you’re aware of that, yes?” Lyra nodded. “The Maester doesn’t think very highly of earth ponies, Lyra, or pegasi either when you get right down to it. So what better way to bolster your ranks than to keep the peasants ignorant and servile while you raise their foals as good little slaves to the will of ‘the great Maester’ in her cursed tower?” He shrugged again, “They all but worship the zeks as gods now, which suits the old bag who controls it all so perfectly. No, Lyra, she’s got the whole thing sewn up as tight as a drum.”

Lyra asked scratched her chin in thought, “Surely there must be some ponies in the village who know what’s going on, Lode Stone, even if they turn a blind eye to it.”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you!” Lode Stone laughed. “Well, it’s true that not everypony in the village believes the crap the village elder spouts, you know. Unfortunately for us, when they shuffle off the mortal coil the citadel makes sure to appoint another brain washed puppet so the cycle of ignorance and servitude continues much as it always has. Some of the villagers have been secretly helping us for years though, and of course we’ve got our own healthy little population here too – such as it is.” He leaned towards Lyra, his voice low, “Bit thin in the old gene pool if you know what I mean, but you work with what you’ve got.”

Unfortunately Lyra knew exactly what he meant. Isolated populations had formed part of her thesis in university, even if it was something of an unpopular topic. Small populations meant a real possibility of in-breeding. Who knew how many ponies they’d started with here. It couldn’t have been that many. The ones she’d met so far did seem a touch… ‘odd’ too. In fact some of the ponies here looked like the should be plucking banjos on hammocks rather than carrying spears.

“The villagers throw out ponies who are old and sick,” she pointed out. “Do they come here too?”

“Sometimes, if we’re lucky,” Lode Stone explained. “We often get a tip off from the village and go and collect them. Unless the chocks get them first that is”

Lyra leaned back, letting herself float up in the water. Gods, it was so good to be clean! “So how did you become, you know, immortal?”

“Immortal?” Lode Stone shook his head, “Buggered if I know. Maybe it was a side effect of being the first unicorn through the portal. Galeus seemed to think so, but that was before we had a… ‘parting of the ways’ so to speak.”

“You obviously didn’t see eye to eye.”

“Hardly!” Lode Stone barked, splashing water out of his bath. “The silly old bat was building a private army, and the way she treated earth ponies was disgusting. Those of us who’d had it with her made ourselves scarce before she could use her vile spells on us.”

“What… Hang on...” Lyra sat up, rubbing her forehead, “Don’t tell me she turns ponies into zeks too?!”

“Zeks?” Lode Stone shook his head and began to pull himself out of the bath with the aid of one of the bath house workers. “You’ve already met some of them, haven’t you?”

“Met some of them?” Lyra blinked, trying to make sense of what he was telling her. “I don’t understand.”

The old stallion gave her a wry smile, scrutinising her as though examining a strange organism under a microscope. “How many other creatures have you met on this island since you arrived, Lyra? Four legs, pony sized...”

And then it hit her. “Oh my goddesses… The Chocks?” Lyra all but yanked herself out of the water. “You’re pulling my leg. She wouldn’t… I mean, nopony would do something so monstrous as that!”

“Wouldn’t she?” Lode Stone shook his head in resignation as the bath maids rubbed him down. “Let me tell you something, Miss Heartstrings. I was the first pony on this island, and I was here when the others began to arrive – terrified, alone, and utterly inconsolable that there was no way back through the portal. Some couldn’t handle it and wandered off into the jungle never to be seen again. We lost some good souls that way. Far, far too many...” He suddenly livened up, “Oh, some of them were volunteers, especially at first, but not all. And of those not one of them believed it was a one way trip. Bit hard to get ponies to jump into the unknown when they don’t think they’ll ever be coming back again, eh? After all, I’m still waiting for my fortune all these years later!” He smiled at the girl combing out his mane. She giggled coquettishly whilst he continued his tale,“The chocks started to appear around the time the zeks did. They were fairly docile things at first, more like dogs than anything else. The story going around was that they were native to the island and were on our side.”

“On your side?” Lyra asked incredulously.

“Oh, yes,” Lode Stone nodded. “They fought with the zeks and our people against the humans. After that they vanished into the jungle, becoming more and more feral - and aggressive. With no humans to eat they turned on the only other sizeable source of protein – us.”

“What did you do?” Lyra breathed, licking her dry lips. “Those things are killing machines!”

“We did what we could to defend ourselves of course,” Lode Stone replied. “But the zeks were unleashed upon them by the maester. Not long after that the chocks became only an occasional menace to the village, and to us.”

“I don’t know about that,” Lyra sniffed, “the damned things attacked the citadel, and at least one of them got inside too. Bloody thing nearly had me for breakfast, and would have too if your pal Thirty hadn’t turned it into paste and carted me off to his lair.”

“Ah… Yes, I heard about that incident...” Lode Stone stood by whilst the two mares were dried off. “A most unfortunate and unforeseen series of circumstances.”

“What are you talking about?” Lyra asked, furrowing her brow. “Hang about, you know something about that don’t you!” Her eyes went wide, “Bloody hell, you set it all up!”

Lode Stone paused, “Very astute of you. Yes, we had something to do with it. In actual fact we had everything to do with it.” He shrugged innocently, “You are aware of the medicine that the citadel uses, yes?”

“The stuff they give the villagers? Yes, I do,” Lyra replied tartly.

“Yes… Well, I doubt you’d be surprised to hear that they don’t make any for us.” The elder gave himself a shake, “As a result, from time to time, we have to remedy the situation in our own way.”

“By which you mean you use the chocks to attack the citadel, distracting the zeks while your guys go in and filch the medicine,” Lyra grimaced, remembering the lumbering pile of teeth and claws bearing down on her. “Am I right?”

Lode Stone nodded, motioning for the two mares to follow him. “Thirty used to take some of the medicine for us, but it was never very much. When our supplies started to fall below sustainable levels we were forced to take what we needed by other means. There’s a way in half way up the wall on the far side of the island, you see. It’s hard to reach, but any attempt to scale it leaves us wide open to being spotted by their pegasi patrols. And that’s where the chocks come in.”

“A diversion,” Lyra muttered.

“A diversion,” Lode Stone repeated.

“So you can actually control them, can you?” It seemed incredible, but then again, so did pretty much everything that Lyra had seen since she’d been spewed out of that damned portal. “The chocks I mean,” she finished.

“Some,” Lode Stone said quietly. “Those who have not… regressed so far.” He motioned to a doorway which was covered by a heavy tarpaulin. “In here, please.”

The room beyond was brightly illuminated by the ever present blue crystal that also formed part of the walls. Unfortunately what it illuminated in the large cage at the far end was far from something anypony would want to see, even in their worst nightmares. Black rusting metal bars formed a barrier between the ponies and the dark, growling shape beyond. Chestnut brown eyes stared at them defiantly from under thick bushy brows. A narrow, sleek body sprouted four long well muscled legs not unlike a large wolf, with a slim tail of the same colour curled around the things hind quarters. The head too was wolf-like, but more aquiline in shape, and with oversized teeth designed to rend flesh from bone with minimal effort. Lips peeled back in a vicious snarl at the interlopers, the ears flattening against the beast’s skull. And yet despite its state of captivity, the creature was apparently well care for. A bowl of food, water, a good quantity of blankets, and an area for the beast to use as a latrine were all provided.

Lyra walked closer, warily, but at the same time feeling a macabre sense of fascination to see one of these things up close. ‘Up close’ without the risk of death this time, naturally. She looked up at the metal bars, relieved that the solid looking barrier was there and also securely fastened. Normally she hated the thought of being locked up, kept away from the sun and moon as these ponies were, but this creature… She leaned in, staring into its eyes. “What are you?” she breathed.

The chock suddenly scooted back, its demeanour changing in an instant from one of defiance to one of… fear? Surely not. Lyra walked right up to the bars, watching the dangerous creature as closely as she dared. As it moved, wriggling into the blankets as though they were a shield against her gaze, she saw something, something that… “Oh, goddesses,” Lyra whispered. “Oh, no, how could they...”

“How? Magic,” Lode Stone said gently. He moved up beside Lyra, watching the beast beyond the bars. “Very old, and very dangerous magic.”

Lyra stared at the faint outline on the chocks flank, at the picture she’d only briefly glimpsed when she’d first arrived on the island. He’d had wings then too, but now this pegasi would never fly again. Their introduction had hardly been friendly and that was putting it mildly, but this? Nopony deserved this.

“Forty Eight,” Lyra uttered. “They did this to him… and for what? Because I didn’t let him kill me? Because I didn’t let them cart me off to only Luna knows where?” She closed her eyes and felt her hooves dig into the hard ground. “He was just a kid, Lode Stone. He didn’t even have a proper name for the goddess’s sake!”

Lode Stone’s expression was one of both sadness, and perhaps even a tinge of anger, “Aye. The poor lad was found like this a few days ago, wandering amongst the rock pools.”

“You took him in,” Lyra said, unable to take her eyes away from him. “Dear Luna...”

“Chock or pegasus,” Lode Stone began, “he’s still a pony, Lyra. Is he dangerous? Yes. He can still recognise other ponies for now, but soon that precious spark that made him what he was will begin to disappear, and all that will remain will be the brutality of the chock.”

“Can you help him?” Lyra asked hopefully. “Is there anything you can do for him?”

“You mean to reverse the transmutation?” Lode Stone shook his head, “We’ve tried, more times than I care to remember. I don’t what foul magic the maester uses on them, but it’s effective alright. Nothing we tried worked. All we’ve ever achieved was to cause them more fear and pain, and believe me, these poor devils have had more than their share of that already without us adding to it.”

“But you can’t just keep him here like this,” Lyra replied. “And if you let him out into the jungle he’ll end up like the rest – killing ponies for food.”

“And that’s the bitter truth of it, Lyra.” Lode Stone took a breath, trying to keep his head up. It was obvious how hard this was for him. “We can’t keep him here, and we can’t release him.” His eyes met the chocks, and then a strange thing happened – the creature, for all its teeth, claws, and barely restrained fury, let out a faint, mewling cry. It was haunting, echoing around the room, rattling Lyra’s already frayed nerves. It was like a foal… crying. As she watched, a single tear rolled down the chock’s face, soaking into its fur. It was all so… so equine. The green mare had never seen anything like this before, and prayed she never would again. But… was this her fault? If she hadn’t come through the portal and encountered Forty Eight on the beach, then… She swallowed; how could she have known this would be his fate? Hell, if he’d captured her then she may have ended up one too! Or… or as a cleaner. Oh, goddesses, what a bucked up world…

“Don’t worry, my young friend, you’ll be going home soon.” Lyra thought Lode Stone was talking to her, then noticed how he waved a hoof to one of the bath house maidens who nodded in response, trotting off through a side passage. He sighed, “We all go there sooner or later. The least we can do is to go with dignity whilst some of it remains.”

Lyra frowned, “What do you mean?” She saw the maiden reappear carrying a basket of food. It looked quite delicious too: apples, carrots, and several fish, all for the predominantly meat eating chock. But there was something else, something she couldn’t quite put her hoof on, that was wrong here. “You’ve poisoned it,” she said quietly.

“He knows,” Lode Stone replied. “He had enough of himself left to know to seek us out.”

“You mean he came here to die,” Lyra breathed.

“It was his choice,” Lode Stone huffed, opening the door to the main cavern. “A choice I will honour.” He caught the look in her eyes and sighed, “If there was any other way we would have found it by now, Lyra. A lot of us may be unicorns, but we don’t have the equipment and resources that they have in the citadel. Even so, it didn’t stop us trying to help those the maester had… mutilated.” He caught her eye and frowned, “I hope you realise that none of us take any pleasure in easing the passing of one of our own, even if they are from the citadel. I would hope that if the roles were reversed then somepony would offer the kindness same to me.”

‘Kindness’? Lyra didn’t know what to say. They were going to kill him, and they thought that this was helping him?! The poor kid had been terrified, had seen his friend eaten alive on the beach, fled for his life, and then they’d turned him into this… this monster. And yet despite all of that, in spite of everything he’d endured, he’d still retained enough of himself to come here… here to die, locked in a cage so he couldn’t hurt his own people. Eventually she said, “It’s just so senseless. Why would she do something like this?”

“Discipline maybe?” Lode Stone offered with a shrug. “A way to keep the rest in line through fear? Perhaps it’s as simple as having a sick fascination with causing others suffering.” He shook his head, “I don’t know the answer, Lyra. Even if I did, it would change nothing.”

Lyra tried to push the image of the chock, of Forty Eight eating the poisoned food whilst he lay on the blanket, waiting. Just… waiting. She gave her mane a shake and lifted up her hooves, “But why are you showing me all of this?” she asked. “Are you trying to make a point here?”

Outside, or rather what passed for outside in the underground cavern, was like the literal breath of fresh air compared to what was back inside. What would they do with the body? Would that turn him into… into rugs? Oh goddess, she’d been sleeping under one! She’d walked on them. She’d walked on and slept under the skins of ponies! She felt sick. Damn it all, she really did feel sick.

“A lot to take in, isn’t it?” Lode Stone said laying a hoof on her shoulder. He passed her a drink as she leaned against the wall, retching. “I’m sorry for showing you that, Lyra. Sometimes I forget how horrible it is for ponies to come to terms with the realities of life here. We haven’t had a new pony on the island for...” He shrugged, “I don’t know. Hundreds of years, maybe?”

Celandine cleared her throat, leaning towards the old stallion, “Lode Stone, Blue can’t wait any longer. You know what they’ll-”

A hoof pulled her up short, “Celly, leave this to me. You go and help with the preparations, I’ll speak to Lyra alone if you don’t mind.”

“But-!”

The old stallion gave her a hard look and she hung her head before reluctantly turning away without another word. “She always was headstrong,” Lode Stone said, watching her go. “If I hadn’t stopped her she would have thrown herself at the citadel single hoofed. Then…” He shrugged, “Well, it doesn’t bare thinking about now, does it?”

Lyra coughed, rinsed her mouth, and spat out the acrid taste of bile. She wasn’t convinced this guy would have given a flying buck if ‘Celly’ had gotten herself killed trying to free Blue. It was hard to put your hoof on it exactly, but there was something in the old guys mannerism that made her think he wasn’t quite the genial old gent he made himself out to be. “You want me to let you in from the inside so you can get the medicine, right?” She took a breath, wincing at her sore sides. “All of this was just your way of convincing me to aid your cause. Blue’s rescue is only a secondary objective.”

Whatever Lode Stone thought of Lyra’s deduction remained hidden behind those fathomless eyes as he watched her. He closed his eyes and took a long breath before letting it out slowly. “I’d like to say that it’s your choice, Lyra,” he offered. “But I’m afraid that, like me, you don’t have one.”

“What do you mean, ‘I don’t have a choice’?” Lyra felt her mane twitch worryingly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the warriors shifting the grip on his spear.

“None of us have a choice,” Lode Stone replied, ignoring her concerned gaze. “Not me, not you - none of us.” He walked away a few steps and looked up at a pair of foals running around a pillar, the two whooping with laughter as they tried to tag one another. Their sharp peels of mirth cut through the background murmur of ponies talking, working, and otherwise getting on with what passed for life in the great cavern. “I need that medicine, Lyra. They need it. If we don’t get it soon then the last of our supplies will run out completely. What we have now will only last a month, maybe two if we stretch it out, but when the last phial is empty, when the last drop has gone, then gradually, slowly, we’ll start to die.” Lode Stone held out his hoof towards the foals, “Look at them, Lyra. I know you’re not from the island so I can’t expect you to see things the same way I do, but I’m sure that deep down inside you there is a sense of honour, or at least a degree of sympathy, for the fate of your brothers and sisters.”

“My brothers and sisters?” Lyra tried to stop herself from rolling her eyes, but it was too late. “Oh, for Celestia’s sake, do you seriously think I’d just waltz out of here as bold as brass and leave you all to snuff it if I could do something about it? Huh! Some opinion you have of me, buddy!” She flopped down onto her haunches. “Bloody hell, it never changes does it? All my life I’ve had ponies looking down their muzzles at me thinking I’m selfish, or a failure, or calling me disgusting names because of who I am and who I like. ‘Layabout’, they called me. ‘Oxygen thief’, ‘Filly fooler’, and worse. Oh yeah, much, much worse.” Lyra shook her head, “Gods, I can’t even get away from that sort of shit on a desert island full of monsters, can I? Nope, straight away you resort to emotional blackmail and veiled threats to get me to do what you want.” She let out a derisive snort, “Gah! I’d be laughing it wasn’t so goddess damned tragic.”

Lode Stone raised an eyebrow, “And are you?”

“Am I what?” Lyra snapped.

“A ‘Filly fooler’?”

Lyra’s eyes glared back at the old stallion, “Bothers you, does it?” She spat on the ground, “Tcha! Who knows? Hell fire, who the bloody hell cares anyway? Gods above, I have a friend, Lode Stone, a friend for Celestia’s sake! And just because we hang around together and live in the same house, ponies judge me and fall over themselves in some desperate race to slap labels on my arse like I’m some kind of damned prize pig for them to parade around the market.” Her tail bristled, “And you know what? I don’t give flying buck about them, or anypony else who thinks like that either. I’m not someponies trophy. It’s my life, and I can damned well like who or what I want! If I want to sleep around then I will. If I want to sleep with a buck, a mare, or a bloody elephant, it has nothing, NOTHING, to do with anypony else. Nopony!”

The stallion waited for her to finish before nodding his sagely old head, “Forgive me. It was rude of me to enquire.”

“You’re damned right it was!” came the sharp retort. However, Lyra wasn’t finished with him yet. “Well then, you’ve pushed all the right buttons now. So come on, out with it! What’s the plan? What bucking madness do you want me to take part in?”

“You’ll help us?” Lode Stone asked, taken aback.

“Oh, knock it off with the amateur dramatics, Lode Stone, you bloody well knew I would,” Lyra replied wearily. “If you thought otherwise you wouldn’t have dragged me here in the first place.”

Lode Stone sighed a long, drawn out sigh that gave the impression of a stallion who had been here before. Too many times before by the looks of it. “You make me sound like a villain,” he uttered quietly.

“Then try putting yourself in my shoes, Lode Stone.” Lyra walked up beside him, watching the youngsters playing, “This whole situation I’ve been flung into has been a nightmare roller coaster of epic proportions that started because some dimwitted teenager decided to stick his muzzle into something that nopony in their right mind would have gone within a country mile of. I should have kept my own stupid muzzle out of it too. If I had then maybe Blue wouldn’t have been captured, that poor sod on the beach would have still been alive, and that...” she jerked a hoof over her shoulder, “whatever that nightmare is in there, would have still been a pony. Goddesses in their bloody heaven, all I want is to go home and take buck breeches with me. If he can tear himself away from his maniacal girlfriend for five minutes that is.” She gave him a hard look, “You’re just the latest happenstance on a long list which was all so painfully avoidable.”

There was a long pause. “I’ve… seen things, Lyra,” Lode Stone began in a heavy tone. “I’ve seen things that nopony would ever believe. I’ve watched storms bring ships from another world. I’ve watched alien craft flying in Equestrian skies. I’ve fought battles, birthed foals, and stood by as ponies I’ve loved died of old age. And yet, throughout it all, I have lived on as though time and age meant nothing to me. Why I am still alive I can’t say, but I still feel pain. I still feel loss, love, and grief. Far too much grief for one soul to bear. Sometimes I feel as though it will carry me into the earth where I will sink like a stone until I’m buried deep within the core of Equestria.” His old eyes turned to hers, “I’ve lived too long, Lyra. But, if I can help these ponies live another day, another week, another year, then I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

“Whatever it takes,” Lyra echoed. Lode Stone said nothing. “Well, time for you to spill the beans I suppose,” the green mare continued. “It’ll be light soon and they’ll be expecting me to shovel some sort of shit around like I do every bloody day. If I’m not there then questions will be asked, and somehow I doubt I’d be able to lie my way of that too well.”

“They watch you that closely?”

Lyra shrugged, “I’m the new girl from another world, or as good as. If you were the maester, wouldn’t you?”

Once again, Lode Stone didn’t reply directly. He didn’t need to. The answer was all to obvious. Lyra had noticed the looks she’d received from the other ponies working there, as well as the way her ‘works assigner’, or whatever he was meant to be, always seemed to magically appear when she was trying to skive off for a few minutes peace. Before she left this damned island she’d shove that bloody clipboard of his so far up his arse his tonsils would be signing off on his next order for mop buckets. She looked over her shoulder at Celandine who was staying just out of earshot, but still keeping a close eye on the two.

“She thinks you’re doing this to help Blue, doesn’t she?” Lyra asked quietly.

Lode Stone didn’t look round, “I’ve know Celandine since she was a filly, Lyra. She’s a good girl, if a little abrasive and disrespectful at times, but she was never one for… ‘looking ahead’. She doesn’t see the larger picture, or if she does she chooses to ignore it.”

“Did you think about asking her to help you get the medicine?”

The old stallion thinned his lips. “No,” he said flatly. “She only has eyes for the human.”

“You don’t approve?” Lyra asked curiously.

Lode Stone let out a breath, “What I approve of has nothing to do with it.” A shiver ran down his body, making his haunches quiver noticeably. “Celandine would risk everything to save the human, and if that meant leaving the medicine behind to get him out, then she wouldn’t hesitate.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow, “You don’t like humans, do you?”

The stallion froze suddenly, turning almost mechanically to look her right in the eyes. “No.” He glanced at Celandine and then back to Lyra who looked like she was about to say something, “You would be well advised to remember, Lyra, that humans are not all they appear. And I am not referring to the zeks.”

Lyra felt a little taken aback by that, “Blue seems to be a decent sort,” she countered. “He didn’t hurt me, and he clearly loves Celandine. I know that for a fact.” Gods, how could she forget what she’d seen that time through the open door? It sent a flush through her even just thinking about it.

“Do you now?” Lode Stone snorted. “Well, maybe this ‘Blue’ is one of the better ones, but I would still never trust one no matter how good they may appear on the surface. All too many of us did at first, and it nearly always ended in tragedy. That’s why, when we discovered the maester was turning them into zeks, I for one shed no tears.” His face took on a hardened expression. “Not one.”

“They can’t all have been bad, surely?”

“Enough of them were to make a difference,” Lode Stone replied grimly. “Humans have a strange effect on ponies, Lyra. They…’ get inside your head’ somehow, making you feel as though you need them, and I mean really need them. It’s as if you can’t go on without their approval, their… touch.” He shivered, “Male or female, it makes no difference. All I can say is that there is nothing on this earth that would be able to keep Celandine from the human now. It’s for that reason I will be keeping her here until you can get the medicine. If you can free Blue, then so much the better. If not… what will be will be.”

“It sounds like love to me,” Lyra said quietly. “True love.”

“Pah! ‘Infatuation’ would be a more fitting description.”

“What happened to you, Lode Stone?” Lyra asked. “Did you-?”

“I am not here to discuss my opinions of interspecies relationships!” Lode Stone bit back. “How I feel about…” He growled low in his throat and flexed his hooves. “Please, just… I don’t wish to discuss this topic any longer. There are far more important things to talk about, and time is not our friend.”

Lyra went to look up to where the moon would be – if they were outside of course. “I’m all ears,” she prompted.

And so the plan was set in motion. It wasn’t especially complicated, although it had a degree of risk which Lyra did not like one little bit. She was, as Lode Stone explained, to be taken back by their pegasi to the landing platform. Due to the belief that the pegasi were all under the control of the maester, the platform was only lightly guarded. A distraction would be provided by Lode Stone’s ponies, during which she would be able to slip inside unnoticed. Hopefully. Precisely how had been left down to her. Since the air vent she had been meant to go back through originally had collapsed, together with the half human, half pony creature Thirty Thirty, this was apparently the only safe way to go now. A suggestion had been made for her to attempt passing through the ‘fan room’, but the name alone had her knees trembling. Even the thought of squeezing through ducting again was simply too much for her weary nerves. She’d rather walk right up and knock on the door than face that nightmare again. Assuming she actually got inside then it was simply matter of getting washed, going to bed, and going to work just like she did every day. The ‘operation’, as Lode Stone put it, had been scheduled for the next full moon, which in real terms was six days hence. This would give her time to scout out the medicine storage room, sabotage the lock, and leave the service door open. The pegasi from the cavern would come in at a given signal, and they would do the rest. Lyra was then to dash back to her room and lock the door until it was all over, or, if she preferred, she could go and live with the tribesponies. Lyra had balked at that. What a choice! At least here she had a chance of getting out when they finally worked out how to use the portal. If they ever got it working of course. Hell, considering those crappy options she didn’t know what to think! Once again there was no time to sit down and mull anything over, let alone try and make sense of this madness.

“What do you think?” Lode Stone asked. “Do you think you can do it?”

“I think I need to have a piss,” Lyra replied wearily. “I take it you do have toilets here?”

They did. Of a sort. Wooden planks over a pit which was fed with running water passed as the ‘mares facilities’ in the cavern. Admittedly it wasn’t too unpleasant, albeit draughty, but privacy certainly hadn’t been factored in when it was being designed. It was very open. Mercifully the males had their own latrine separated by a wooden wall, however that didn’t do much to stop the noise filtering through, and what with the excessive farting and… ‘other sounds’ echoing around her, it made her mane twitch like there was no tomorrow. At least there was a basin for hoof washing nearby which was very welcome indeed.

“If you’re looking for soap, you can use mine,” a familiar voice offered.

Lyra looked into the eyes of Celandine, “Thanks. Don’t they have any here?”

“They use some sort of sea creature squeezings,” she shrugged. “If you fancy calling that crap ‘soap’ then be my guest.”

Lyra gave a light huff and gratefully accepted the proffered bar of slightly chemical smelling soap.

“You’re all set then?” Celandine asked.

Lyra nodded, “I am. They’re just sorting out the sky carriage for me.”

“Mmm...” Celandine closed her eyes for a second, apparently trying to arrange her thoughts. “Lyra, did Lode Stone say anything about Blue?”

The green mare paused in her lathering, “Of course he did. He told me where he’d be in the citadel, and said the sky carriage would take him with them when they were loading the medicine.” Lyra began to rinse off the soap, “It’s all pretty straight forward, providing the zeks don’t catch me and turn me into one of those… things. Ha! Now that I think about it, sweeping and mopping the floors doesn’t seem so bad. Risking spending the rest of my life as a monster wasn’t part of the plan.” She shuddered, “I just hope the zeks know that…”

Celandine said nothing. The yellow mare’s normally vibrant appearance seemed muted somehow, and her tail and mane hung limply despite only just having a had a bath. Sorrow was draped over the tragic looking creature like a veritable cloak of distilled misery so intensely it made Lyra take a step back. She’d never seen a pony look so… so lost.

Lyra was about to say something, but Celandine spoke first, “Today was our anniversary you know.” Her voice began to tremble, even though she was trying to maintain her more usual appearance of stony indifference. “Blue and I have been together for… for...” Suddenly she squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, “Lyra, please, I know you don’t know much about me, or Blue, and I know I’m not the easiest of mares to get on with, but… help him. Don’t let them turn him into one of those… those things. Please, I couldn’t take it if that happened. Nopony deserves to end up like that.”

The raw emotion rolling off the yellow mare nearly had Lyra in tears too. She wasn’t good at handling emotions. Generally she ignored them and did her own thing, living in the moment and trying her best to enjoy life. Being here, seeing the pain in another mares eyes, was another matter altogether. It hit a chord she didn’t even know she’d had. “Hey, hey, it’s alright, Celandine.” Lyra moved closer, warily putting a hoof on her shoulder, “I’ll get him out of there. One way or another.”

“Lyra, look...” Celandine swallowed past the tears, “It’s Lode Stone… I don’t know what he told you, but you need to know that he doesn’t care about what happens to Blue. He never did. All he wants is the medicine for his people. It’s the only thing that matters to him, and he’ll do anything to get it. Anything. Whatever you do, don’t forget that.”

“I know,” Lyra replied gently. “But you can’t blame him, Celandine. Without it his people, all these ponies who live here, won’t last long at all.”

The yellow mare shook her head, “You don’t understand!” she began. “Lode Stone-”

“Lyra?” A familiar voice called out. Celandine’s mouth snapped shut as Lode Stone walked in. “Ah, I see you’re ready. The sky carriage is waiting for you.” His eyes fell upon the yellow mare, “Celly, go and help Pippin in the armoury, would you? I think it would be good to keep yourself occupied whilst we await Lyra’s good news.”

“My good news?” Lyra asked.

Lode Stone smiled, “Why, that you were successful of course!” he chirped, nudging Celandine playfully.

“And rescued Blue, right?” Lyra asked encouragingly.

She almost missed the twitch in Lode Stone’s eye as he said, “Naturally. I know that we would all be overjoyed to have our lost human returned to his mare. Yes?”

“Yes...” Celandine mumbled. “Father.”

Lyra’s eyes flitted from Celandine to Lode Stone. From, as it appeared, daughter to father. She wasn’t sure why she was so surprised, after all Celandine had gone straight to the one place she knew she’d find help – her family. That said the old bugger didn’t exactly seem enamoured with the whole ‘Human x Pony’ dynamic which his daughter, by comparison, clearly was. Lyra was about to make further enquiries when Lode Stone reared, clopping his forehooves together.

“The chariot is waiting,” Lode Stone announced as though involving the entire population of the cavern. “Lyra Heartstrings, our guest from Equestria, all of our hopes and wishes go with you. The light of the sun forever guide your way and the moon protect your soul.” He bowed. In answer, the entirety of the ponies around them did likewise, the extraordinary gesture rippling outward with Lyra at its centre.

Okay, now this was unexpected! She’d been here five minutes, and now this! Gods above, this lot were bowing to somepony they didn’t even know! Damn it all, she had to say something. But what? Expectation hung in the air like a fog, and here she was, standing there like a bloody statue. “Um… Thanks?” She cleared her throat after Celandine, watching from further away, waggled a hoof at her. “Er, ponies of the cavern, I, Lyra Heartstrings, will do whatever I can to get your medicine for you.” She nodded to Lode Stone, “And, erm, thanks for the bath too, it was very... nice.” A shiver of embarrassment and she leaped up into the chariot. The pilot was already waiting and an assistant strapped her in. “And so I bid you… Cheerio! Ooof! Bloody hell fire, watch it will you!!!”

The chariot rocketed up into the sky near vertically as Lode Stone watched them go. He could still faintly make out the swearing even now. What a curious creature she was.

“You’re asking a lot of her, Father.”

The old buck slowly turned away. “We are,” he said stiffly. “You were the one who told me she was the catalyst, Celandine. Or is your memory now so poor from living with that creature all these years that you don’t recall?”

The yellow mare narrowed her eyes, “You just never give up, do you? You’re so stuck in your ways that even now, after everything that’s happened, you cling to an age old hatred as though it were-”

“Enough!” Lode Stone snapped. “I will not be lectured to by a slip of a mare, and my own daughter at that!” In that moment the ancient buck’s eyes blazed with an inner light which Celandine hadn’t seen since she was a foal. He was old, true, inconceivably old in fact, but now he was all but glowing with a vibrancy and energy that the others were taking note of. “If she truly is the catalyst then we have no time to waste on foolish frivolities or wishful thinking. The herd is what matters, Celandine. It always was and always shall be.” Lode Stone fixed her with a hard stare, “You of all ponies should know that as surely as the sun rises in the morning and the moon at night.” He tossed his mane, “We cannot risk everypony here because of an individuals wants or desires, especially those which are... warped or perverse.” He towered over her, his demeanour one of strength, confidence, and complete control. “What will be will be, as the gods have foretold.”

The yellow mare’s mane hung limp, her ears drooping as her heart sank in her chest. She knew how her father felt about Blue. He’d always kept it hidden, but it had always been there, hiding just beneath the surface. To hear it now, so clear and unbridled, was heartbreaking. “Is that how you see me, Father?” she asked quietly. “That I’m… warped? Perverse? Do you really hate me so much?”

Lode Stone stood stock still as if made of stone. Any emotion he felt right then had been hidden away beneath his customarily calm exterior. Here was the elder, the stallion who protected and provided for his herd, his tribe. Lode Stone, her father, was gone – all that remained now was the leader. “We have work to do, girl,” the stallion announced, looking down his muzzle at her quaking form. “And I seem to remember telling you to go help in the armoury. Or have you forgotten that too?”

“No, Father.” Quietly, broken in mind if not in body, Celandine slid off into the blue depths of the cavern.

Any thoughts of a pleasant moonlit cruise through a beautiful sea of heavenly stars was extinguished the moment gravity had decided to leave Lyra’s stomach to last. The rest of her was wrenched from the ground from a near standing start to fly nigh on vertically at what she would have deemed impossible speeds. Compared to this, her flight to the club from the dig site was virtually pedestrian. Wind continuously pulled at her mane and tail, dragging tears from her eyes despite them being shut tight. Dear goddess, where were they going? The moon?! Oh no! Maybe they were! She almost opened one eye, felt the sting of the wind, and gave it up as a bad job. Hell, this whole situation was a bad job! Oh, it sounded simple enough, but that sneaky old shit had left a hell a lot of it up to her. She expected it was so he could hold up his hooves and act all innocent if everything went pear shaped. What happened to her, let alone Blue, could then be blamed on anything other than himself. ‘Plausible deniability’, that was the term wasn’t it?

Oh, Celestia… Get me off this crazy thing!

Bile burned at the back of Lyra’s throat, the roar of the wind suddenly changing, the chariot slowing, tipping, and then, horribly… they began to descend as the world did a ninety degree of terrifying rapidity. Down… Down they flew, faster and faster, the chill night air screaming past them with their hellish descent. Lyra tried to dig her hooves into the woodwork but there was nothing to hold on to. The straps were there, but they weren’t properly anchored down. She tried to cry out to the pilot, to tell him she wasn’t secure. No words escaped her mouth. Every breath was torture, every attempt to call out stripped away with the tearing wind, and the pilot… the pilot wasn’t there. The shafts were gone, the empty traces flapping wildly as though trying to break away from their plumet into oblivion. All there was now was the ground, the dark, pitch black mass of the trees enveloping the earth with their countless invisible needles, each and every one of them pointing hungrily up into the heavens. Waiting. Waiting for her. It wouldn’t be long now, and they were hungry, so, so hungry...

“AARGH!”

Her eyes flew open, and immediately she regretted it. An abrupt change from lying to sitting made her head spin at the best of times, and this sure as hell wasn’t one of the better ones. All too predictably the room lurched sickeningly to one side, her stomach aching and churning, threatening an imminent overpowering sense of nausea. Thank Celestia she’d anticipated it. The waste bin may not have been meant for such odorous contents, but at least it wasn’t the rug. She reached it just in the nick of time. Barely a heartbeat later, Lyra’s stomach heaved everything into the makeshift receptacle whilst the rest of her body broke out into a burning heat, causing sweat to erupt from every pore, soaking her fur and making her feel just that little bit more miserable. If such a thing were even possible.

It was.

Another bout of vomiting grabbed at her gut, forcing a coughing, hacking bout of sickness. Something stuck in her teeth making her spit the bitter tasting foul thing into the bin. Damn it all, how had she managed to eat so much?! At last the vomiting turned to dry heaving, and from there the equally foul task of clearing up. The contents were emptied down the toilet, then, mercifully, the wonderfully therapeutic feeling that only a hot shower can bring. Lyra closed her eyes and flopped down onto her haunches, leaning against the tiled wall as the water flowed over her. She opened her mouth, letting some swill around, taking the disgusting taste away. After this she’d give her teeth the brushing of their life, and of course, a nice cup of tea. Gods, a cup of tea! Sweet with sugar and milk: hot, refreshing, and a million times better than the taste of death she was dealing with right now. She’d barely been back a day when the nightmares had begun. It had been the same each time too – falling, or rather plummeting, down from the star lit sky towards the black forest where only death awaited her. And each time she’d awoken in a sweat only to chuck up everything into the bin. Celestia help her, she felt like death too…

Suddenly cleaning the floors seemed like a little slice of heaven.

“Miss Heartstrings?” A voice called from the bedroom. “Are you-”

“I’m in the shower, Avanta,” Lyra called back. “Oh, and feel free to walk in by the way. Gods above...” Couldn’t a girl get any privacy around here? Apparently not, as the door to the bathroom opened to reveal the citadel’s ever present ‘works assigner’ standing there in all his glory. Hell, he even had a clipboard floating in his magic!

“You look sick,” the stallion said matter of factly. He sniffed, his nose wrinkling, “Your room stinks of it. Have you been eating non-approved foodstuffs?”

“Non-approved? Like what?!” Lyra huffed, lifting up her muzzle to let the water wash over her face. “There’s nothing but the food you feed us. Do you think I eat out of the bin or something?”

“You are from another world,” Avanta offered.

Lyra turned to face him, her magic turning off the water as she did so, “Maybe you’ve forgotten, Avanta, but I’m from the same bloody world you’re from.” She held up a hoof, sweeping it round, “This, this idyllic little island and everything and every pony on it, monsters included, is Equestria.”

“The same planet perhaps,” came the stoic response, “but Equestria this is most certainly not.”

Lyra rolled her eyes, “Ugh!, you’re another one who thinks Equestria is a myth, are you?”

“Hardly,” Avanta replied stiffly. “However it may as well be for all the difference it makes to our situation, Miss Heartstrings.” He raised a questioning eyebrow, “You may have noticed a lack of shipping since your arrival?”

The green mare shrugged, “Not that I get to go out much, but no. Other than the humans’ ships on the beach I haven’t seen any at all.” Lyra took a towel off the rack and began to dry herself off. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t any ships out there, Avanta. We’re probably just off the major shipping lanes or the island is uncharted or something.” She frowned, dabbing at a particularly reluctant drop of water that had gotten inside her ear, “There could be any number of reasons. Hell, there may even be an invisibility shield over the island for all I know.”

A twitch in the stallion’s eye caught Lyra’s attention. He gave a slight shudder as he cleared his throat, “Have you ever paid attention to the heavens, Miss Heartstrings?”

“Huh?”

“Astronomy,” Avanta explained hopefully. “The study of the various constellations and where they are at various times of the year, for example.”

Lyra frowned in thought, “I know a few of the major ones, but not that many. Why?”

“Because if you had you may have noticed something about where we are in relation to the Equestrian mainland.” He took a breath and closed his eyes, “We, Miss Heartstrings, are on the other side of the planet.” Lyra’s eyes went wide as he confirmed what she’d already suspected, but Avanta hadn’t finished with her just yet. “Now then,” he said lifting up his clipboard, “since you look a lot better I’ll mark you off as fit for work. Unless you feel you’re incapable of doing so?”

“Like I have a choice?” Lyra muttered, hanging the towel up.

“Of course you have a choice,” Avanta said with his usual lack of emotion. “Would you like me to tell the maester you are refusing to work today?”

For a moment Lyra stared deep into his eyes, trying to work out the inner machinations of this pony’s mind. Unfortunately all she saw in those emotionless orbs was a stallion devoted to his work, and quite literally nothing else. He, like so many here, gave you the impression that they’d all had their emotions sucked out of them at birth. Hell, maybe they had too.

“No, I’ll manage,” Lyra said eventually.

“Good,” Avanta replied. He ticked a box on his clipboard, “I shall inform the science department that you’ll be in as soon as you’ve had breakfast.”

“You’re all heart.”

The corner of Avanta’s mouth curled up in what may have been his attempt at a smile. Whatever it was however, left along with him as the stallion headed off to badger some other poor soul. The door closed behind with a satisfying ‘click’.

There was only one thing left to say. “Miserable twat,” Lyra muttered staring at door. Her gaze was drawn to the tray on the cupboard beside it which held a bowl of porridge, a mug of hot sweet tea, and a steaming face cloth in a bowl of lemon scented water. Odd. Had Avanta brought this in with him? Normally breakfast was light, fruit based, and came with a fruit juice. All of your ‘five a day’ in one sitting. Very nice all things considered. This time it was just what she needed too. The porridge would help settle her stomach, the tea warming her up and taking the taste of bile away, and the cloth? Now that she’d had a shower it wasn’t that essential, but a few minutes ago it would have been like a blessing from up on high. How the hell had they known? She shrugged it off and devoured her breakfast. There were more important things to worry her than mysterious breakfasts. Like, for example, the fact that the full moon was only two nights away and she still didn’t know where the medicine was kept, let alone where Blue was being held. Hell, he could already be a zek for all she knew. Gods, what a thought! She didn’t know him that well, but to leave him like that, to such an awful fate, wasn’t worth contemplating. She would help him, for his sake, for Celandine’s sake, and also because she’d love to see the expression on that old turd Lode Stone’s face. The miserable old bigot…

One breakfast later she was trotting down to the laboratory, and the now everyday scene of ponies working on strange machines doing even stranger things. To Lyra they meant little. To them she meant just as much. In truth she may as well have been invisible for all the difference her presence made amongst that seemingly random assemblage of wires, lights, and the ever present electronic sounds. Even Hesta and company, interested in her as they had been when she’d first arrived, now flowed around her as though she were merely another part of the equipment. Come to think of it, they’dstarted work quite early today. Normally she had a chance to clean up before-

“You’re late.”

“Hmm?” Lyra looked up into the familiar eyes of the only other pony who made any kind of sense in this mad house. “Good morning, Parchment, nice to see you too.” Mind you, to say Parchment made sense was like trying to detect cohesive patterns in a bowl of spaghetti. It was, she’d have to admit, better than nothing.

The stallion raised an eyebrow, “Avanta went looking for you. I presume he found you then?”

He had his eye on the ball! Was he spying on her? “Whatever gave it away?” Lyra replied wearily. She squeezed out her mop, “Is this a social call or would you like me to book you an appointment? I’m sure there’s plenty of essential cleaning to be done that I haven’t gotten around to yet.”

“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit,” Parchment intoned.

Lyra rolled her eyes, “Well it’s the best you’re going to get, so make the most of it.” She took a breath and turned to face him, “Look, Parchment, I feel like shit right now, so just tell me what you want, okay?”

The young stallion met her eyes momentarily, those oddly emotionless orbs of his as impenetrable as a bulkhead door. Eventually he asked, “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Tell you?” Lyra paused, “Like what? We’re low on lemon chunks for the toilets if that’s what you’re-”

“I mean...” He glanced over his shoulder before carefully leading her away out of earshot, “I mean, I know you went out the other night.”

Lyra felt her heart skip a beat, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Parchment groaned and facehoofed, “Right, that old line.” He cleared his throat and stood up straight, adopting the kind of posture a parent takes when addressing an incalcitrant foal. “Let’s assume for a moment that I know you went out, yes? Let’s also assume that I know where you went, with whom, and why.” He paused, waiting for her to answer.

Lyra shrugged, “That’s a lot of assumptions.” She waved it off dismissively, “You should know what they say about assumptions, Parchment.” Her eyes narrowed, “Rather like somepony trusting another that what they were telling them was the truth, as opposed to, say, lying through their bucking backside to get their own way.” “Merely by way of an assumption, of course,” she added cynically.

“And who would that untrustworthy somepony be?” Parchment asked levelly.

The green mare huffed indignantly at his harsh expression, “Oh, I don’t know, why don’t you tell me big boy?” She let out an angry snort, “No, wait, since we’re working in the world of hypotheticals, why don’t we assume that there were these two ponies, one on either side of a door. One was scared shitless with monsters running amok and trying to kill the ones who’d helped her, whilst the other was trying to get her to follow him to a lovely, voluntary of course, life of eternal servitude in a rusty metal coffin.” She frowned in thought, “You know, I’m sure there was some mention of the princess sending criminals here, or something like that? Say, Parchment, have you heard that story? It’s very believable I must say. Really hits the right notes to tug at the ‘ol heartstrings. Ironic, wouldn’t you say?”

“You’re being facetious.”

“And you’re a lying toad who’s in bed with the boss.” Lyra’s mouth curled up in the corner, baring her teeth, “You must think I’m a right bucking idiot. Gods above, you’re young enough to be my kid and you talk to me like I’m some senile old crone! And speaking of which, you kinda like ‘em a touch crusty around the edges, don’t you, Parchment? Aiming high right from the off weren’t you? I can’t say I blame you though; a young stud like you, knocking off the old bat at the helm of this beached pile of crumbling scrap. Came with a few perks, didn’t it.”

“Stop it.”

“And I bet she’s really game for it too.” Lyra barked out a laugh, “Oh sure, she looks, what, in her mid thirties, maybe forties? Amazing what a touch of lipstick powder and paint can do. Celestia ram me sideways, you’d be old enough to be her grand kid, let alone a coltfriend!”

“Lyra, I said shut up.”

“I wonder if it’s a spell she uses,” Lyra continued. “You know, one of those long lasting illusion spells to cover up all the wrinkles and sagging tits. At her age it’s only natural to want to cover it all up, you know, keep the facade of youth trundling along a few years longer? You can’t blame her really. Still, buck me, Parchment, she must have more miles on the clock than a bloody weather balloon! I’ll bet she thought her days in the sack were over donkeys years ago too, but then along comes a fresh young ride from Equestria and it’s ‘Hellooo Dolly!’ Hell, with all these ‘prisoners’ at her beck and call she’ll have had more cock than a griffin chicken vendor before you got stuck in balls de-”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

“...going at it like steam hammers, over and over and over-”

Rough hooves grabbed Lyra by the shoulder and slammed her bodily up against the wall with a sound clang of metal. Sparks burst in Lyra’s vision, and yet despite having the wind driven from her lungs, the green mares’ smile never wavered. By comparison, Parchment’s face was a mask of utter fury.

“I said to shut your filthy mouth! You miserable, ignorant...” His words trailed off awkwardly. For a moment Lyra thought he was going to hit her. She certainly couldn’t have blamed him if he had after what she’d said, but then… would it have been worth it? She had her answer a moment later as Parchment’s shoulders sagged, his eyes suddenly returning to their normal placid gaze. “Why are you doing this?” His voice was ragged, and bore a surprisingly weighted tone for one so young. “Is this a game to you, Miss Heartstrings?” he asked.

Lyra would have shrugged if he didn’t still have a hold of her shoulders. “If it’s a game,” she said quietly, “then I’m not the one playing it.”

Parchment abruptly shoved her again. “Stop being so flippant!” he snapped angrily. “How the hell can you be so dismissive about everything when we’re up to our fetlocks in shit!”

Wow! So this was the other side of Parchment, was it? The cold, calm and serene young stallion did have some fire in him after all. Lyra closed her eyes and gave a mirthless chuckle. “Funny, I thought the same about you up until now.” She peered at his hooves pressing into her green fur, “You know, I don’t mind being up shoved against a wall in certain circumstances, Parchment, but…” She raised an eyebrow, “Yeah?”

“Oh.” The stallion flushed a little, “Hmm.” He stood back, letting her drop back down to all four hooves.

Lyra brushed her coat lightly while peering at the curious young lad, “Time for some honesty between us, don’t you think?” Parchment didn’t reply. Instead he simply nodded once. “Do you want to start?” Lyra asked. “Not that I don’t trust you, Parchment, but… hell, who am I kidding? No, I don’t trust you. Whether you like it or not you’re way too close to the one in charge here for me to assume that what you’re telling me isn’t just coming straight from her.” At Parchment’s imminent protest she held up a hoof, “I can see why you did what you did though. Huh, I probably would have done it myself. Let’s face it, neither of us belong here, kiddo, and the sooner we get back to Equestria then the better I’ll feel.” She took a deep breath, “So, cards on the table, if you want me to trust you, you’ll have to convince me of your intentions first. I’ve had quite enough surprises since I got here, and just for once I’d appreciate a little truth with my morning coffee.”

Parchment nodded, and then, carefully, began to lead her away down a corridor, “We’ll go outside where we can talk freely.”

“We can’t in here?” Lyra asked, noting the empty corridor.

The brown stallion shook his head, and a few minutes later lead her out of a steel side door into the well kept gardens of the citadel. Above them the sun was just peeking over the high walls, sending long shadows across the flower beds. As always at this time of morning the residents of the citadel were either at work or on their way to work, but that didn’t mean they were completely alone. Lyra gazed up at the beautiful bird of paradise staring back at her, half wondering how the brightly coloured creature hadn’t ended up being eaten along with most of the other animals on the island. Gods, how she envied it! Those wings, so bright with the colours of the rainbow, lending the unusual bird the ability to come and go as it pleased. Of course nopony had said Lyra was a prisoner, but then where would she go even if she did leave the walled enclosure? Death awaited the foolhardy and wary alike, lurking behind every tree and bush. If it wasn’t chocks then you’d likely starve unless you knew how to forage for food in such a hostile environment. And then, lastly, was the greatest barrier of all – the twinkling blue expanse of the sea. Even if you could get away, grab a boat or somehow have a pegasus chariot take you up and into the heavens, where would you go? There were no islands as far as the eye could see. There were no radio signals or-

“Lyra?”

“Huh?” Lyra gave herself a shake and looked back at the concerned expression on Parchment’s face. “Right, well then,” she said composing herself, “guess this is as good a place as any, huh?” Parchment nodded. “So,” offered, “what do you want to say?”

The purple stallion sighed, and then, without even the attendant whistle, the metaphorical bomb dropped. “You’re working with the Hidden.”

Lyra’s heart skipped a beat. “The… The who?” she blathered.

“The ponies who live in the caves,” Parchment explained unnecessarily. “You know who I’m talking about. I also know you’re associated with the creature known as Thirty Thirty?”

“The thing that grabbed me and dragged me into the vents?” Lyra felt a shiver run down her spine, “Bit of stretch calling it ‘associated’. He’s hardly somepony anypony in their right mind would want to work with.”

“No…” Parchment drew a breath, “But you did none the less.”

Lyra closed her eyes and tried her best to stop her stomach emptying itself for the umpteenth time that morning. “Look, Parchment,” she began, “I don’t know what you’re angle is here, but this isn’t what you’re… I mean, it’s… it’s all bullshit, right? Celestia’s mercy, this whole situation is bucked up from muzzle to dock. I don’t know anything about the politics of the island and who’s doing what to whom, let alone why. Hell, I’m just a bloody cleaner here!” Those impassive eyes of Parchment’s stared back at her as if he were disassembling every word, comparing it with some mental filing system and placing it into the tray marked ‘lies’. “For Luna’s sake, say something will you?” Part of her was half expecting the enormous meaty hand of a zek to appear at any moment, dragging her off to some horrifying fate. By comparison to what they’d done to that poor pegasus, death would be a mercy.

Unaware of Lyra’s mounting panic, Parchment bore an expression that made a log seem animated. His nostrils flared and he looked for all the world like a lost foal as his brows furrowed in concentration. Lyra could almost hear him thinking, those imperceptible cogs turning, placing the words into the right order ready to deliver a sentence that would send her to some unknown, and no doubt horrible, end. She had no doubt which side his bread was buttered on of course. Unfortunately all she could wonder now was how and when the hammer would fall. Would she have time to get away before he called his mistress and spilled the beans? Maybe she was on her way here now! What if-

“They’re planning something, something big,” Parchment said in a near whisper. “I need to know what they’ve told you.”

Lyra blinked in surprise, “I don’t-”

“I know you met with them, Lyra!” Parchment snapped suddenly. He took a deep breath, fixing her with a hard stare, “The guards found Thirty Thirty.”

“What, he’s still alive?” Lyra asked incredulously. “I thought he-”

“Was dead?” Parchment nodded, noting the way Lyra shuddered. “No. He’s alive, for now anyway.” His ears drooped as he added, “They’re trying to make him talk, but he’s stubborn alright. Barely said a word despite… despite what they...”

“You mean they’re torturing him?” Lyra swallowed, feeling her bladder threatening to empty itself. Gods above, was there any depravity they wouldn’t sink to here? She had to try and reason with the lad before he did something she’d regret. “Parchment,” she began, “you can’t let them hurt him. He didn’t do anything!”

“He took you out of the citadel, didn’t he?” Parchment’s eyes gleamed in the gathering sunlight. “They found hoofprints in the air vent, Lyra. They did a head count and found you missing.”

“That doesn’t mean I met with… whatever you called them.”

“The Hidden?” Parchment turned away, staring into the shadows. “Damn it all, Lyra, do you think they’re stupid?! They have pegasi here whose job it is to patrol the island, remember? Do you seriously believe they knock off work at tea time?!” He gave his mane a shake. “One of them the saw ropes hanging down from an open vent cover, with numerous sets of hoof prints, yours included, heading off into the forest. The next morning there you are, back in bed freshly showered and with forest mud leading right to your bloody cabin door!”

“Ah...” Lyra slumped to her hind legs. “Oh. Shit...”

“Yeah, it’s ‘shit’ alright,” Parchment hissed, “and you’re up to your hocks in it too, you gullible idiot.”

“Gullible!!!” Lyra’s anger flared, “You’re one to talk! You-”

“-are the one covering for you,” Parchment cut in roughly. “They were all for locking you up, or worse. I told them that you’d been kidnapped and had escaped, and that you were too stupid to get caught up in anything the Hidden have cooked up. I told them I’d find out what you’d been up to and get to the bottom of things. After that...” He closed his eyes and shook his head, “After that… it’s up to you.”

Lyra had heard of your life flashing before your eyes just as you were about to kick the proverbial. The way her heart was thundering right then she felt as though she were about to have a heart attack and experience it first hoof. It was not pleasant. Still, being truthful with Parchment may actually get her out a hole, if she were to box clever about it. “They were waiting for me,” she said quietly. Parchment closed his eyes and nodded slowly. “They live in the caves, you’re right about that. As for ‘planning something big’, I don’t know anything about that. But Parch’, look….” Lyra felt a shiver run through as she gathered herself, hoping she could reach him, praying she could by some miracle get through that thick insensitive hide of his. “They’re dying out there,” she explained, looking into his eyes. “They’re ponies for the goddess’s sake, just the same as you, me, and every other pony in Equestria. They don’t care if you’re an earth pony, a pegasus or a unicorn. They’re almost out of medicine. If they don’t get some soon then they’ll all be dead within a few weeks, maybe a month or two at most.”

She was about to add more when Parchment asked, “They asked you to get some for them, didn’t they?”

Lyra’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly. There was something about Parchment’s expression that spoke far louder than any mere words. It wasn’t just his eyes, it was the way he didn’t move so much as a muscle when she had explained the plight of the cave ponies. And then it hit her - he already knew. Moreover, he’d known all along too. Suddenly his eyes hardened once again, derailing the imminent boiling over of indignation and outrage Lyra felt surging up from deep inside. “It’s a trap,” the purple stallion said plainly as he took a step back. “They’re expecting an infiltration of some kind, but they weren’t sure what form it would take until they caught Thirty.” “Now,” he intoned heavily, “their eyes are on you.”

“They...” Lyra swallowed, “You mean the Maester?” Parchment merely nodded. “Damn it, Parchment, you know what they’ll do to me! Have you seen what they did to that kid who tried to capture me on the beach? They turned him into-”

“I know what they did to him,” Parchment said, interrupting her. “I saw it, Lyra, with my own two eyes.”

“Y- You saw it?” She couldn’t believe it!

Parchment looked away, “She made me watch.” He closed his eyes and swallowed, “She made sure I saw everything. Every last, drawn out second of it.”

Lyra’s hoof flew to her mouth, “Oh, dear Celestia…”

“Ha,” Parchment barked mirthlessly, “Not much sign of her out here. Celestia may as well be on the bucking moon for all the good it does us.”

Lyra felt a twitch in her mane than made her spine tingle. “Oh, gods, Parchment, we’ve got to get out of here!” she gasped. “She’d a bloody psychopath!”

The purple stallion span round, his teeth bared, “Don’t you think I know that?!” He bobbed his head angrily, one hoof digging furiously into the ground, “When you arrived here you probably didn’t notice the effect the portal has on time, did you?”

Lyra gave a bob of her head, “Not at first, but one of the ponies I met said you’d been here a while before I arrived. I didn’t pay it much mind at first.”

“No, well you wouldn’t, would you?” Parchment tossed his mane, his body language making Lyra back away from him. She’d wanted the purple stallion to be animated, but this was going way beyond that. Parchment looked like he was going to explode. “It may have felt like hours for you,” he said with a loud snort, “but for me I’d been here for the goddess knows how months before you arrived. I had no food, no supplies, no nothing! How the hell the chocks didn’t find me and eat me I don’t know and I don’t want to know. And so I survived the best I could; I stole what I could from the village, hiding amongst the roots of a tree to take shelter from the rain and prayed somepony would come looking for me.”

“Didn’t you try to contact the villagers?” Lyra asked.

“Gods, have you been there?!” Parchment huffed when Lyra shook her head, “They’re little more than a bunch of tribals, lead by a matriarch who has the power of life and death over every pony there. I heard a few of them talking about ponies who ‘disappeared’ when they’d outlived their usefulness or had served the village elder the wrong temperature tea, or some such madness.” He laughed bitterly, “I didn’t need to hear any more after that!”

“And you survived by filching whatever food you could,” Lyra murmured.

Parchment nodded, “When the seekers eventually picked me up I was half starved, and so dehydrated I was wandering around the beach in a delirium. Goddess forgive me, I all but threw myself at them out of sheer relief. After that the maester decided to keep me as her ‘personal aide’.” At Lyra’s wince, Parchment snorted, “What, did you think I put myself at her beck and call because I wanted to? Use your brain, mare. I did what I had to do to survive, nothing more. If she wants to use me as a bedroom toy then it’s a small price to pay to be alive.”

Lyra’s head hung down as she tried to come to terms with the nightmare Parchment had been through before she got there. And there she was, treating him like he was some irritating teenager who had been the cause of all her woes. Well, he was the cause of it all, but even so the kid hadn’t deserved this. Still, if she enlisted his aid then maybe there was a chance she could get through this in one piece. “Parch’, have you heard about a guy called Blue?”

“The human?” Parchment shrugged, “He’s being held for processing. They’ll dispose of him soon enough.”

The lack of emotion in his voice made Lyra hesitate. “When you say ‘dispose of him’,” she said watching his reaction, “you mean they’ll kill him, right?”

“Or turn him into a zek,” Parchment said in his usual matter of fact manner. “It’s what they do to the humans who come here.”

The way Parchment said that sounded as if he were explaining that water fell from the sky during a downpour. He made it all seem so simple, so… normal. As though mutating an intelligent being into one of those dumb monsters was what was expected here, simply because they were humans. “Dear Celestia, you don’t think that’s wrong?” Lyra shook her head in horrified incredulity, “I’m sorry, Parchment, but you don’t seem bothered in the slightest! Doesn’t it strike you as wrong that any sentient being would do that to another?”

“Not especially,” came the monotone reply. “They’re humans, Lyra. We’re ponies. Humans enslave equines on their world and bend them to their will, killing them when they’re no longer economically viable to keep. I expect Blue omitted to fill you in on that sordid little detail didn’t he?” When Lyra didn’t respond he continued, “And if you wish to talk about morality, when they arrived on the island these supposedly ‘intelligent beings’ acted as though they were the only intelligent creatures here, and despite some early pleasantries the humans took it upon themselves to start-”

“I know what they started to do,” Lyra cut in testily. “Raping and killing the islanders for food, wasn’t it?” The words were out of her mouth before the gravity of what she was saying could tie her tongue up in knots. Even now it didn’t seem possible that intelligent creatures like Blue, creatures who could design and build such incredible wonders as she had seen on the beach and in the magazine, were capable of such… such unimaginable evil.

“So if you know all that, then why would you care what happened to this ‘Blue’ creature?” Parchment asked impatiently.

He had a point. Nothing Blue, nor even anything the elder had said, could be disputed. Not without a full and unbiased assessment of the facts from both sides. But then, there was only one side now wasn’t there. There was only one human left, not counting the monstrosities the ‘Maester’ had turned so many of them into. Gods only knew what those things were, or what, if anything, went through their minds. She wasn’t even convinced they had one, other than something that allowed them to process the commands of their masters. What had happened to the human inside those things, to the ‘self’ that made them what they were up until they had been mutilated beyond belief, was a terrifying thought in and of itself. Had all the humans been like that? No. No of course not, they couldn’t have been. The exception didn’t prove the rule. Or did it? Maybe not, but it had made the rule. And now Blue had been dragged into that age old conflict as though it were still being waged.

“I care because Blue isn’t the monster you seem to think he is,” Lyra said defiantly. “He helped me, Parchment. He gave me shelter and showed me a taste of what the human truly world is.”

“The human world as he wants you to see it.” Parchment shook his head as though weary of explaining something so obvious, “You’re letting your personal desire to discover more about human civilisation get in the way of accepting the facts of what they ‘truly’ are. There’s a reason there are none in Equestria, Lyra.” Parchment held up a hoof, “There’s a reason why the maester does what she does when she finds them.”

“Oh yes, I’m sure she has a really good reason for transforming innocent, intelligent creatures into monsters, enslaving them forever in that hideous form!” Lyra’s eyes blazed.

“They were monsters to begin with,” Parchment retorted.

“Bullshit!” Lyra snapped. “You can’t keep using an incident that happened only the goddess knows how long ago as an excuse for what that lunatic’s doing now.” Her eyes narrowed, “That not just cruel, Parchment, it’s evil. Evil on a level even Nightmare Moon wouldn’t have sunk to.”

Parchment let out a laugh, “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“Am I?” the green mare snapped. “The Legion didn’t mutilate their prisoners.”

“No, they just killed them or fed them to dragons!” the purple stallion exclaimed.

“They gave them the chance to join her army,” Lyra quickly retorted.

“Some choice!” Parchment hissed back at her. “Join or become lunch!”

“And just what choice did your buck-buddy give the humans, eh?” Lyra’s ire was up now. “She didn’t just stop at killing them, Parchment, and when you look at what that in-equine animal did to them it would have been a kindness if she had.”

“Kindness...” Parchment’s lips curled up in a sneer, “It was more than they showed us.”

“Us?” Lyra blinked. “You were there when all of this went on, were you?” Parchment didn’t reply. “Yeah, yeah I thought so,” Lyra nodded, staring into the young stallions eyes. “You’ve got all your information from the same source, haven’t you?” She clopped her hooves together, making him flinch, “Ha! Rule number one of archaeology - ‘never fully trust first-hoof accounts’. Well done there Parchment, you threw that one right out the bloody window!”

The young stallion looked abashed, but managed, “She was there, Lyra.”

“And you weren’t!” The green mare let out a sigh as she took in Parchment’s helpless expression. It was like clubbing a puppy. “Look, Parchment,” she continued a little more gently, “let’s just say that what the maester told you was right, yeah? That all the humans really were raping, murdering, killers. Does that mean she’s justified in killing Blue?”

Slowly, painfully slowly, Parchment took a breath and gave probably his most honest reply to date, “Truthfully, I don’t know.” He shrugged, “The way I look at it is that the ponies here know a lot more than I do about their past. Both of us are strangers here, Lyra, and the lives we’ve had in Equestria are worlds apart from this one.” He glanced away from her, an expression of unimaginable sadness ghosting across his features. “They don’t share the same morality we have back home.”

“Nope, they sure don’t, big guy,” Lyra huffed with a shrug of her shoulders. “These buckers don’t give a flying fig if you drop dead on the job or snuff it cleaning out the bed pans. They’d just go and grab a replacement from the village. Foal snatching? Hell, why not! Gods, this place is more like a factory farm than a… whatever the hell it’s supposed to be.” She paused, looking over her shoulder. “You know, I still don’t really understand what they’re planning on doing here.”

“You don’t?” Parchment asked in surprise. “It’s hardly a secret. They’re trying to get the portal working so they can escape the island of course.” He let out a short sigh, “I thought you’d have known that by now.”

Lyra clucked her tongue, “I do know that,” she retorted testily. “Or more specifically I know that’s what I’ve been ‘told’ they’re planning on doing with it.”

Parchment frowned, particularly at the way Lyra waggled her forehooves to indicate air quotes, “What are you talking about?”

“I’m saying that if there was some way off the island they would have found it by now.” Lyra rubbed her chin in thought as she continued, “Think about it; Galeus comes through the portal, the portal she built, and does what? Are you telling me she couldn’t simply build a new one and walk right off this island? She’d have had all the time in the world to do it. If she’d wanted to that is.”

“There could have been any number of reasons,” Parchment pondered, flicking his mane out of his eyes. “At the time she was running for her life don’t forget. I doubt she had time to take a whole labs worth of equipment with her.”

As true as that may be, Lyra doubted that any pony as intelligent as Galeus undoubtedly was wouldn’t have had some kind of contingency plan in place, particularly as public opinion began to swing against her more ‘imaginative’ experiments. But Parchment was right. In truth, who could really say for sure what had been going through that mares warped, if undeniably brilliant, mind as her world began to crumble around her. Had she not seen the end coming? Or had she merely blanked it out and pretended everything was just find and dandy, right up until they put the ram to her tower’s door. It wasn’t out of the bounds of believability. In Lyra’s experience brilliance often came with a corresponding lack of common sense. She could still remember her tutor at the college who had written over twenty books and countless papers on ancient civilisations and magics. The guy was, by all accounts, a certifiable genius. And yet somehow the poor bugger couldn’t even manage to knot his own tie without help, let alone cook himself a meal. The students often joked he’d have starved to death with a full cupboard if it hadn’t been for his housekeeper. Galeus on the other hoof was a little more ‘rounded’, if contemporary accounts were anything to go by. That said she certainly had no concept of right and wrong as Lyra knew it. After all, only somepony completely insensitive to the feelings of others would send living creatures through a completely untested magical gateway to only the gods knew where. She was most definitely not the kind of mare you’d bring home to introduce to your parents.

Lyra cleared her throat, ignoring the hint of sarcasm hidden within Parchment’s last remark. “Lab equipment or no, Galeus would still have had her own magic to fall back on when she got here. A mare with her intelligence wouldn’t have had that much trouble getting things in order on the island. Hell, the evidence of that is all around us. Then there was all that electrical technology stuff the humans brought with them, right?” she pointed out.

“We don’t know when the humans came though!” Parchment huffed. “Galeus could have been here hundreds of years before the first humans arrived, let alone the fact that we don’t know anything about the compatibility of their technology and ours, nor how progressed the humans were when Galeus first step hoof on the island. One of the ships down on the beach looks like it came here before they’d invented steam power!” He shook his head, “No, Lyra, I can’t see it. I know where you’re coming from, but there are too many variables. I think we’ll just have to admit that the short answer is that we simply don’t know. What I do know, is that the maester is determined to get herself and all the ponies on the island out of here.”

“Okay,” Lyra said simply. “But to where?”

“To…” Parchment blinked, staring ahead of himself as if his mind had jumped the tracks. He shrugged, “Hell, I don’t know, but anywhere is better than this.” He raised his hoof, taking in the world around them. “I’d be happy with anywhere in Equestria, but I’d settle for Llamalia or the Griffin Kingdom, maybe even some other part of the planet we’ve not explored yet. Equestria isn’t the be all and end all, Lyra. With a master portal the possibilities are endless.”

“I’m sure they are,” Lyra replied, remembering how it was this budding adventurer’s decision to embark on a ‘journey into the unknown’ that had landed them both in this nightmare in the first place. That little fact appeared to have been completely lost on him. “At the risk of sounding like a broken record - why not concentrate on a one-way portal back to Equestria?” she asked openly. “Surely that would have been more achievable than going to all the effort of building a master portal?”

Parchment shrugged, “Who knows? All I can say is that the maester has never given me any reason to doubt her sincerity, especially when it comes to getting out of here. I may not approve of her methods in achieving that goal, but like I said, neither of us have any idea what life is really like here, now or in the past. Maybe you should remember the old proverb about walking a mile in another ponies shoes before you start criticising how they do things.”

Lyra nodded reluctantly. She had to concede that point at least, even if it did sound like a child lecturing an adult. Trying to view the past, to apply her own current understanding of the world and its politics and morality to another time, to what was in essence an entirely different world she knew so little about, was not only unrealistic, it was arrogant. Who was to say she was right? The ponies of the citadel certainly believed they were right. But to deny medicine to the needy, to torture, mutilate and kill those who didn’t agree with you – how could that ever be considered right? Evil was evil, regardless of what civilisation, or time, it resided in. She took a breath, trying to make sense of it all, “Parchment, I understand that, but-”

“Miss Heartstrings?” The voice rang out across the lawn, echoing strangely in the still air.

“Shit,” Parchment hissed. “It’s Avanta,”

Lyra rolled her eyes, “Probably wondering why I haven’t shoved a brush up my arse whilst mopping the bucking latrine, the miserable git.”

Parchment shook his head, grabbing her suddenly by the shoulders. His eyes bored into her own, his voice steady, clear, and surprisingly forceful. “Listen, play along,” he hissed. “As for what we spoke about, say nothing. And Lyra, don’t go anywhere near the store for the medicine.”

“But-”

“Do it and you’ll end up like that pegasus kid. Do you understand me?”

Lyra balked, “I… I think-”

“Do you understand?!”

“Y- Yes!” Lyra squeaked.

Parchment took a breath and closed his eyes, “Good. Keep it that way. I’ll be-”

The all too familiar image of the habitually clipboard carrying Avanta appeared through the doorway, casually looking around himself with his customary air of self assured importance. That was until he spotted Parchment who still had his hooves on Lyra’s shoulders.

“And I intend to speak to you about this again, Miss Heartstrings. Yes?” Parchment said, looming over Lyra.

The green mare lowered her head, swallowing, “Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, Mister Parchment!”

With that the purple stallion released her and took a step back, nodding to himself with apparent satisfaction, “Good. Now, I believe you have work to do?”

Lyra bobbed her head and turned to face Avanta.

“I’m sorry, am I intruding?” the newcomer asked.

Parchment shook his head, nodding to Lyra, “Are you waiting for something?” At her questioning glance he stomped a hoof, “Get moving, girl!”

Lyra hurried to the door, turning quickly into the corridor but slowing down just enough to hear the last of the conversation drifting through the opening behind her.

“Discipling the staff is my job, Mister Parchment,” Avanta’s voice announced in his typically officious manner.

Parchment, somewhat unsurprisingly, sounded as if he were of the exact same school of thought. “As ensuring the will of the maester is acted upon in accordance with her wishes is mine, Avanta,” he said coolly. “I can assure you I would not presume upon your role, as similarly I would not expect you to upon mine. Naturally if this arrangement is unsatisfactory for you, I would be pleased to pass on your concerns to-”

“No, no, that won’t be necessary,” came the hasty reply. Avanta huffed loudly, “Everything seems to be in order here.” Lyra had a mental impression of a box being ticked on that accursed clip board.

Parchment sniffed, “Indeed.”

A pause. “I take it Miss Heartstrings has been-”

“The matter has been attended to, Avanta,” Parchment said pointedly. “Should you be required to make any further enquiries into the matter I will be sure to inform you.”

“Very well,” came the somewhat dry reply. “If you’ll excuse me...”

‘Further enquiries into the matter’? Lyra frowned in thought, but in all probability it was related to that business with the cave dwelling ponies. Damn that Lode Stone! If it wasn’t for that sneaky old goat and his crony Thirty, she’d be… she’d be what? Mopping her days away, whiling the hours with brush and duster as the ponies out there slowly died through lack of medicine? Could she in all decency live with that thought? No… No, of course not. And Lode Stone had damned well known that too. The problem was, was that the citadel ponies knew not only knew where she’d been, but what they had planned too – broadly speaking. At least, that was the impression she had from speaking with Parchment. As much as it made her heart race, Parchment had assured her he’d cover for her, and that alone gave Lyra hope. Not that it meant all that much in real terms. That rat Avanta had her in his sights alright. The way he always managed to turn up just at the right moment was evidence enough of that! But what of Parchment? What if he turned on her? He may seem to be an ally now, but he was muzzle deep in the maesters nether regions. If she pushed him for information, if he wasn’t convincing… Oh, Celestia, she had to get out of here! But how? That was the problem, wasn’t it. There was no bloody way out, except via that stupid portal. If these weirdos hadn’t been able to work out how to get the damned thing fired up even after centuries of graft, then there was no way in hell some singer-cum-archaeologist was going to pull that metaphorical rabbit out of their rear end. It was, in truth, a huge pile of bollocks. Absolute, utter, and complete bollocks.

Lyra jumped in fright as Avanta marched past her as if she were of no more interest than any other piece of inanimate furniture. The fact she had a brush in her hooves and was sweeping as she’d been lost in her own thoughts was probably the only thing that had prevented the work assignment stallion from making a checkmark against her name. Doubtless the accompanying comments would hardly put her in a favourable light. She’d barely had time to look up and he was disappearing around a corner back to whatever cold and gloomy part of the citadel from whence he came. Lyra did not like Avanta. The feeling, she suspected, was entirely mutual too. Half expecting Parchment to put in another appearance, she waited, carefully working at a corner of old carpet that she’d already swept more times than she cared to remember. But of the purple stallion there was no sign. Further surreptitious brush-lead investigations revealed the door they’d used to access the garden area closed and bolted. Whatever else Parchment had been going to tell her would have to wait for another day. Whatever it was she doubted she’d like it either. It was hardly an ideal situation to be in, and that was putting it mildly. All she could hope for now was to be left in peace until the day she could get out of this lunatic asylum. As for the medicine… Gods, what was she to do? What the ridiculously named ‘Hidden’ wanted was a hero, not a simple mare like herself. What did she know about infiltration and theft and… and whatever the hell it was you called it? Nothing! Celestia help her, to do anything now would be tantamount to suicide, not to mention the fact that she’d be doing it for a bunch of ponies she knew absolutely nothing about. They were using her for their own ends, she knew that of course, and the crafty swine Lode Stone had used the ‘plight of the children’ as an emotional lever to get what he wanted. Still, it wasn’t as if she was completely indifferent to their situation. The thought of being able to do something and simply sitting back and watching dozens of innocents die was something anypony with even the most self centered personality would balk at. Probably. But what choice did she have? Parchment had confirmed what she’d already suspected of the ever wary denizens of the citadel - they were watching her. Truth be told she had in all likelihood been under their surveillance since the very moment she’d popped out of that thrice cursed portal and opened her eyes onto their little island paradise from Hades. Hell, they’d probably known about her staying with Blue and Celandine too! Lyra paused and dismissed the intrusive thought. No. No, she was reading too much into it and paranoia was starting to creep in. They couldn’t have known she’d arrive where and when she did, right? After all, Parchment had been wandering the island for weeks before they’d found him, and Celandine and Blue had been together in that old ship for years before a certain green unicorn had burst into their lives. Still, she had a damned good reason to be paranoid considering everything that had happened, let alone what Parchment had just revealed to her. Lyra leaned her head against the wall and groaned loudly. Gods, what a mess!

A crash of glass caught her attention, along with numerous accompanying exclamations.

“Girl? GIRL!” The irate voice bellowed from the expected direction. “Where are you?!”

“Coming!” Lyra shouted back, attempting to sound enthusiastic. She wasn’t. “Stupid bitch...” Duty, once again, called out with its unfortunately familiar wheedling insistence. How, she wondered, had she come to this...

With the last remnants of the glass beaker brushed up and placed in the bin for recycling, the mundane task of sweeping, mopping, and muttering incoherent curses to herself continued much as it had every day since she’d arrived in the citadel. There was a certain safety in familiarity. ‘Boring’ she could live with, for now anyway. At least it meant that she wasn’t being ‘dealt with’ like the other poor sods who’d upset the ‘queen bee’. No, to keep yourself in one piece here in her majesty’s rust red hive, the drones had to be good little workers. And quiet too. Don’t speak out of turn, don’t stick your head above the parapet, and whatever you do – don’t complain. Take it, apologise, and keep it to yourself. Yes ma’am, Yes sir, No sir, No ma’am, I’ll do it right away, ma’am. Bastards. Lyra had heard of ‘serfs’ from the early days of what those in academia had generally come to accept as ‘modern Equestria’. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever believed that one day she’d actually become one. Gods, what was she going to do? Any attempt to rescue Blue or liberate the medicine would likely end in a very sticky end whichever way you sliced it. The only hope she had, should she decide to put Lode Stone’s ‘plan’ into operation, would be to work as quickly as possible. If she opened the door… No, wait… yes, that was it! If she freed Blue, after finding him of course, the two of them could make their way to the store room. From there she would have to open the door, signal the tribal whatsits, and get the buck out of there. After that… Yeah… What would come after that? The zeks and their boss wouldn’t let her get away with that little stunt. Where could she go then? Even if by some miracle she could get a boat that wasn’t stuck like glue onto the shore and full of rust or holes, the damned pegasi seekers would be all over her. And those guys had weapons that made the stuff in Equestria look like water pistols. Goddess damn it all, all this thinking was making her head hurt! What she needed was a diversion. Something nice to take her mind off-

“Hel-lo… I forgot about you...”

It was the dusty old guitar. She’d barely noticed it there, nestled as it was behind the mops, brushes and assorted cleaning equipment of the cupboard where she’d hidden it. Hadn’t she intended to sneak it upstairs to her room? Lyra shrugged. She could do that later when she was done here. One of the advantages of being a cleaner was that nopony paid you much attention, and pushing a cart full of cloths and towels would hardly be out of the ordinary. Here and now however, held in her magic and illuminated by the light from electric lights, the instrument seemed to come alive. Good goddesses, when was the last time she’d played one? Come to think of it, when was the last time she’d even heard music? Lyra twanged a couple of the strings, flinching as the horribly untuned note echoed loudly in the domed room. Thankfully it was late and everypony had gone to bed. The zeks too were nowhere to be seen. Carefully she put the stringed instrument down and walked over to the doors, making sure they were firmly closed.

“No sense upsetting the locals,” she muttered, sitting back down. Her eyes drifted up and down the strings, noting the slight but noticeable build up of years of rust, the neglected dry wood of the fret, together with the usual abrasion where the last owners hoof had repeatedly brushed the wooden body of the instrument. Hoof...? She stared down at her own appendage, then back to the relic of another world, and another species. Surely any creature that could produce the kind of music Blue had back in the ship couldn’t be universally evil. Some perhaps, but the way the ponies here viewed them it was without exception. The humans had done something terrible, unforgivable even. But to punish them all, even those who had nothing to do with the actions of some of their number? Lyra took out a rag, taking a small pot of oil used for door hinges, and set to work wiping the strings. No, what the ponies of the island had done, or more specifically what the maester had done, went far beyond stopping and punishing the offenders. This had turned into revenge, a terrible revenge that had perpetuated down throughout the years. Humans couldn’t be trusted not to repeat the atrocity of their forebears, and thus they were ‘dealt with’ upon discovery. Kill them before they get a chance to kill us, eh? Lyra sighed. At this point it was hard to imagine who was worse. Still, she pondered as she wiped the last of the oil from the strings, better them than me.

And that was all it took.

You just sat back and did nothing. Nothing at all.

Lyra paused, her magic lifting the pot of wood restoring cream and stared off into the distance. In her minds eye she could see him… Blue… Smiling at her, his hand plucking the strings of his guitar. A guitar just like this one. Lyra’s eyes drifted down to the stringed instrument. Hands had played this. Hands, not hooves. Who had played this last she wondered? What wonderful music had this much loved piece of history brought to the world before its owner was killed. Killed… or… maybe not. Gods, maybe he was one of those zeks now? A shiver ran down the young mare’s spine. No, it didn’t bear thinking about. Like Blue himself. If she didn’t think about him, about what they may do to him…

Letting out a whinny of frustration, Lyra tossed the cloth and the bottle of restorer back into the box and slammed a hoof down the strings.

“AGH! BUCK IT ALL!”

She lifted her muzzle, her eyes squeezed shut, and let out another chord: loud, shrill, and full of her pent up anger, and confusion. “Damn this goddess cursed shit hole and screw that stinking bitch in her bucking tower too!” Tears threatened to spill forth, “I hate this bucking place and every bucking thing in it! To hell with it all, and to hell with this stupid, bastard island!” Her neigh echoed around the room, sounding off the walls and causing a peculiarly satisfying resonant effect which made her fur tingle. The guitar was out of tune of course, ideal for when she was venting her inner turmoil to the world, but it wasn’t fair to the poor old thing. Somepony, or rather some one, had loved this once. Now, after all those years left in the dust and darkness, it seemed only right that it be given a voice once more. A proper voice. Lyra’s magic glowed, tuning the strings as best she could. The hinge oil wasn’t the best choice really, and the guitar was far from its optimal peak condition to begin with, but a little time and effort could work wonders. Besides, she was a musician, wasn’t she? She grinned to herself. Oh yes, she was a musician alright. And right now, she needed this. By the gods she did!

A single note, bright and clear, rang out from the long neglected instrument to reverberate vibrantly within the domed void of the portal room. Lyra smiled as another sounded soon after. And then another. A slight adjustment here, moving her hooves and magic to allow for the dimensions of the alien instrument, and… YES! A nice little ‘C’ chord there. A little adjustment and a perfectly passable ‘D’ chord followed. ‘G’ was next. Excellent! A tingle ran through Lyra’s legs, thrilling her with the expectation of that most natural of drives – to make music. Now there was no stopping her. Note after note blended together, calling out, calling to the heart beating powerfully within her chest. Blue’s song had been beautiful, but she was a song writer and a musician both. One of her old ones, a song crafted following a day out at the church of the two sisters, came flooding back in all its glory. It was a song meant to lift the spirits, to give praise to the sun and the moon, and to bring everypony together with its unadulterated call for the joy of life.

Who is the lady, who will be the lord, when we are ruled by the love of one another?

Who’ll be the lady, who will be the lord, in the light that is coming in the mor-ning?

Normally the song was accompanied by an accordion, but the guitar would do. And by Celestia, it would! She took and breath, smiling as her voice rose for the chorus.

Sing one and all, tell it to us all – Long live the day that is dawning!

And I’ll crow like a cock, I’ll carol like a lark, in the light that is coming in the mor-ning!

The music flowed once more, building up around her, singing with her in this strange, alien world. So many things had happened since she’d come crashing in through the portal, so many awful, yet wondrous things. She had met Blue, that incredible human. A HUMAN! He had sung for her, he had protected her, and now she had a chance to do something for him. By the goddess, she could! She could do it! SHE COULD DO IT!

All shall be ruled by fellowship I say, all shall be ruled by the love of one another.

All shall be ruled by fellowship I say, in the light that is coming in the morning!

Sing one and all, tell it to us all – Long live the day that is daw-ning!

And I’ll crow like a cock, I’ll carol like a lark, in the light that is coming in the mor-ning!

Lyra hooves flashed up and down the fret, her magic working in perfect harmony and producing such music as she had never heard. It was music from another world. It was the music of her home. The light of the sun, the pure warmth of a summers day, shone all around her, buoying her up into Celestia’s loving embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she sang. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Lyra was happy. Actually happy! Oh, such unadulterated bliss... This was true freedom: blessed, pure, and-

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!”

Lyra just laughed, staring at the outraged unicorn with an expression of what could only be described as sheer euphoria. More unicorns were running in now, each one without exception slamming to a halt to stare at the enormous stone ring on the dais in the centre of the room. Lyra barely noticed the thing now. It was just one more object to sweep around, and- She paused, looking up into the eyes of one of the scientists whose amazed stare seemed to be reading something on the inside of her skull.

She stopped.

The world stopped.

“Um… Have I missed something?” she muttered. Around her the statues of lab coated ponies stood in opened mouthed astonishment before the portal. The bright, shining silver light of the now very active portal. Her heart leaped as she quickly shoved the guitar behind her. “Ah, um… How did that happen?!” she coughed. One of the statues slowly blinked, its head almost mechanically swivelling to focus on her. “It wasn’t me!” Lyra blurted. “I didn’t do anything! You said not to touch anything, right? And I didn’t! I just… I… Er, hello?” Nopony was responding to her. Even the one who had turned to look at her appeared to be lost in some sort of shock. Lyra waved a hoof in front of the stallion’s muzzle. The guy didn’t so much as blink. “Hey, you okay?” she asked. But the only thing she was met with was a slight gurgling sound from the poor creature’s throat. Lyra shrugged; the proverbial lights were on but there was most certainly nopony at home. The same could be said for all of them in all honesty. Gods, did it have something to do with that silver glow? Whatever it was bathed all before it, the wash of bright silver giving the scientists the appearance of having near monochromatic coats. The moment however, didn’t last. At the far end of the room the double doors burst open once more, only this time with enough force to near tear the things off their hinges. From out of this distracting cacophony emerged two of the meanest looking zeks Lyra had even seen. They were the zeks that habitually stood outside one very particular mares room. Dull of coat and as generic in appearance as she was, there was there was no mistaking the gleam of magic and menace in those piercing eyes.

The Maester had arrived.

Her eyes took in the portal, the ponies only seconds earlier standing in dumb silence now suddenly surging into life as if a switch had abruptly energised the whole lot of them in one go. And then, inevitably, they took in the shocked form of Lyra. The maester’s emotionless expression never faltered, even as she walked up to Lyra with a measured pace that had the green mare’s heart thundering.

“What did you do?” the maester asked flatly.

A cold sweat broke out on Lyra’s face as she quickly looked about her for an escape route. All she could see though were the banks of blinking lights, the spiralling reams of paper readouts, the ponies running this way and that, the zeks, the maester, the… the spear slamming down an inch from her muzzle…

“I… I, um...” Lyra swallowed, “Nothing?” She backed up a pace, knocking into something. There was a pause, a thump, and a resounding, and very musical, ‘twang’.

As slowly and deliberately as can be, the maesters’ eyes followed the falling guitar. For a second those oddly fathomless orbs alighted there as gently as a butterfly’s wings. “I haven’t seen that since...” Her voice sounded far away, and almost… “Come with me,” she said abruptly. Lyra’s heart did a somersault in her chest as the maester turned to face the way she had come in a dramatic flurry of cloak, mane and tail. For a horrible moment Lyra thought the zeks were going to grab her, but instead they fell into step behind her as she was respectfully, if a little firmly, helped along with a firm pat on the rump. One of the scientists rushed to speak to her, but was pulled up short by a wave of the maester’s hoof. She didn’t need to say anything. Just that simplest of movements was more than enough to send the lab coat wearing pony dashing back to her fellows without so much as a backward glance. Lyra swallowed; she knew how she felt, particularly as a selfish sense of self preservation wished that right then and there she could have changed places with the scientist.

Lyra’s heart was still beating like a bass drum when they reached the top of the tower. Gods above, what a journey that had been! Corridor after featureless corridor, the awful hike up those interminable winding steps of the tower. Every leaden plod of Lyra’s hooves took her nearer to the frigid lair of the citadel’s mistress. Perhaps it was fortunate that most of it passed by in a mental haze of fear and no small amount of befuddlement. After all, what had she done wrong? Sure, she’d found an old musical instrument and had played a tune on the thing. It wasn’t like there’d been anypony there to be offended by, Celestia forbid, a song! The maester may have been a miserable old bag who hated music, but… ah… there was that whole ‘portal thing’, wasn’t there? Surely it had to be-

The door slammed shut behind her making the nervous mare jump several inches off the carpet. Meanwhile the maester was staring at her with those frighteningly emotionless eyes that always gave Lyra the impression the old witch could read her very thoughts. A moment later the maester glanced at one of her zek guards who held out the guitar in one its huge meaty paws. It was hard to imagine those great big mits ever having been graceful enough to have been able to strum any kind of string instrument. Now the only thing this monster could handle with any finesses would be a club. Lyra watched as magic flowed around the instrument, lifting it, turning it for the maester’s inspection. And yet despite Lyra’s mounting sense of dread she began to notice something in the strange mare’s eyes which gave her pause. Normally devoid of any kind of outward expression, there was definitely a hint of something more emanating from the maester. It was hard to say for sure. There wasn’t so much anger as irritation in those mysterious orbs, but rather… recognition? Perhaps. And unless she was mistaken, maybe even the faintest hint of sadness too. It was probably no more than Lyra’s imagination working overtime. Right then she was imagining leaping out of the window.

“Where did you find this?” the maester asked, breaking the silence.

Lyra nearly choked, “I-” She closed her eyes and tried again, taking a shaking breath and licked her dry lips. “I was moving some equipment in the lab and the floor gave way,” she explained. “I fell into an old room and found that in there.” Simple and to the point, Lyra thought to herself. That should satisfy the miserable old sod.

The maester gave no reply at first. Instead her eyes slowly followed the contours of the guitar, tracing the marks of wear on its surface, the grain of the wood… “You are aware of the rule regarding music?” she asked quietly.

“Somepony told me you didn’t like it, yes,” Lyra confirmed as if it were of no real importance. “I didn’t think it would be a problem if nopony else heard me.”

“I see,” the maester said, nodding to herself slowly. “So you decided to break the rules because you thought you wouldn’t get caught.”

Defiance welled up in Lyra’ heart. The way this sour faced mare phrased her question sounded like she was being made out to be some sort of criminal! “No, I just wanted to sing a song,” she replied simply, biting back what she really wanted to say and also precisely what she thought about her, her minions, and this whole nightmarish metal hell she called her ‘Citadel’. When the maester didn’t reply, Lyra continued, “You may not have noticed the lyre on my flank, after all it’s not like we’ve spoken much is it? What with you living up here and me all the way down there mopping the floors with all the other menials. I mean, I may be a fully qualified archaeologist, but I’m a musician by birth, and to deny me the opportunity to play is like denying birds the right to fly or fish to swim.” She nodded to herself, lifting her eyes to meet the gaze of the maester, “You know, I’ve put up with a lot of shit since I came here. I won’t bother listing it all for you as I’m pretty sure you know damned well what’s going on around here already without me spelling it out for you. But in any case, I don’t see what harm playing a bloody guitar is going to do to you lording it over everything in your tin-pot castle. If anything you should be leaping for joy because your pet project is actually working.” Lyra shrugged, “Hell, I may have even hit the right notes to kick start the bloody thing into firing up!”

Those baleful eyes watched Lyra with the same infuriatingly inscrutable stare she’d come to loathe. For such a boring looking creature, the so-called ‘Maester’ had the extraordinary ability to make your mouth run away with you and fill the inevitable void in the conversation with things which, on reflection, you probably should have kept to yourself. Right then, Lyra didn’t give a damn. She was fed up. Fed up, and angry.

The maester gave what may have been a muffled laugh as she turned to the window overlooking the domed laboratory building. Tension flowed around the room with all the subtlety of a rampaging zek. Thankfully the hulking monstrosities were standing quietly to one side. So quietly in fact that Lyra nearly forgot they were there as she considered the possibility of rushing the maester and throttling the damnable mare until she saw sense. Naturally she would never actually perform such a reckless, and doubtlessly fatal act once the zeks dived in to protect their mistress, but she was rapidly running out of patience. And options. The maester on the other hoof appeared to have all the time in the world despite the fact that her ‘incredible magical portal thing’ was finally looking like it was firing on all four cylinders.

“The final component.”

Lyra blinked, furrowing her brow, “I’m sorry?”

The maester gave a thin smile as she continued to observe her nautical domain. “Magic,” she said quietly. “Magic, electricity, and all the elements that I have studied throughout the ages...” She shook her head resignedly, “All those centuries of meticulous study. The endless experimentation, disappointments, failures, and the one thing that I required, the key to unlocking it all, was...”

“Music,” Lyra finished for her.

“No.” The maester shook her head, “It was you.” She closed her eyes and chuckled throatily. “Music on its own is one thing, but there was far more at play here. We had all the best brains in thaumaturgical science from across the world and across the span of countless ages - minds that were unmatched for their scientific achievement in the field of thaumaturgy. When what we really needed was a pony whose talent, whose gift, was... music.” The mare rolled her shoulders and sighed, wincing as she turned. “It’s obvious now of course, but such is the course of things. You see, cutie marks are inherently magical, Miss Heartstrings, or more specifically they are a pictorial representation of the manifestation of an individuals natural talent. That talent is, and of itself, grounded in the raw magic of this world.”

“What, even pegasi and earth ponies?” Lyra asked?

The maester nodded, “All the creatures of Equestria contain a trace of raw magic, from the birds in the trees to the fish in the sea.” She raised an eyebrow as she referenced Lyra’s earlier statement. The green mare’s cheeks burned as the maester continued, “Fate has brought you to us, Miss Heartstrings, and that mare does not do anything without keeping an eye upon some greater design beyond our ken. Therefore I intend to move forward without delay. Once my scientists have made the final checks on the master portal I shall be able to fit the final piece of the puzzle in place and complete the picture.”

“And, um, what is this ‘picture’?” Lyra was beginning to wonder where this was all leading. Thus far it was a destination she didn’t like the sound of one little bit.

The maester turned to face her, “Haven’t you realised it yet?” she asked. Surely you must have some inkling into what the master portal is for?”

“Well, yes,” Lyra answered honestly. “A master portal, at least from what history tells us, can open a doorway anywhere in Equestria, allowing instantaneous travel between two points.”

Lyra’s answer brought a faint smile to the maester’s lips and she nodded as though humouring a particularly none too bright child. “Ah, but not only Equestria. No,” she explained, “a master portal, one which is properly calibrated of course, can be used to open a door to other planes, other dimensions, and even other worlds. Simply put, Miss Heartstrings, the possibilities are… incomprehensible!”

The words ‘Other worlds’ sent a cold shiver racing down Lyra’s spine. As she stood there listening to the maester, horrifying images of lightning flashing across broiling black skies, of ships crashing onto rocks to be torn apart by unimaginable forces, poured into her mind. Even though she had never witnessed it herself, somehow she could see them. She could see the humans, dozens of them, falling into the water, crying out for help as the storm lashed them mercilessly, dragging them back out to sea or else hurling them onto the shoreline where the seekers or chocks were waiting. The survivors who dragged themselves away from those merciless waves thought themselves saved, when the reality was far worse than they could have possibly imagined. Unbeknownst to these poor souls they had been not only been brutally torn from their own world and dashed upon the cold hard rocks of a remote island, they now found themselves trapped on an island of monsters. An island that bred monsters. This was indeed ‘Teufelsinsel’, the devil’s island.

“My goddess,” Lyra breathed. “You’re the one who causes the storms off the island! You bring the humans here as part of your portal experiments!”

The maester raised an eyebrow at Lyra’s deduction, “What, you seriously believe I can create an interdimensional rift simply to pluck random humans from their realm? Pah! You flatter me.” She huffed, dismissing Lyra’s shocked expression. “If I had such godly power than I would have no need of a portal in the first place. No, the phenomenon off the coast here is not my doing, Miss Heartstrings. From what I have been able to determine it is either a result of natural thinning in the interdimensional wall between our two worlds, or a magical construct gone awry, possibly fallout from the war between the tribes or some other race who uses magic.” She shrugged, “I doubt anypony could say for certain, however it is inconsequential to my plans in any case.”

“Which are?” Lyra asked.

The maester smiled, a faint hint of sadness ghosting over her features. “I am… old, Miss Heartstrings,” she said sadly. “Very, very old.”

The green mare gave a sardonic smile, “Parchment doesn’t seem to mind.”

Apparently surprised, the maester let out a raunchy laugh, “No! No, he doesn’t, does he!” She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “Ah, young Parchment. Such a fine young boy. He makes me feel so young again.” She let out a sigh, “A rare find indeed. Rather like yourself… Lyra.”

Lyra took a step back, bumping into the huge furry form of one of the zeks. The bloody thing must have been no more than a couple of inches behind her and she hadn’t noticed all the time she’d been stood there. Considering the situation she was in right then, zeks were the last thing on her mind. The maester on the other hoof was another matter altogether. Her use of Lyra’s first name had taken her so much be surprise that she had to give herself a shake to make sure she wasn’t dreaming it all. “Hey, now wait just a minute!” she gabbled hopelessly, “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I can assure you madam, that I-”

The maester clucked her tongue irritably, “Enough of this foolishness. I have much to do and time is of the essence.” She flexed her shoulders and met Lyra’s confused gaze, making her swallow involuntarily. “Lyra, do you want to live forever?”

Silence filled the tower room as seamlessly as quicksand flows into a void. In that circular room high above the ancient collection of iron, steel, brass and glass, the two mares stared at one another with an intensity born of two worlds. Two very different worlds.

“Your answer?”

“Uh...” Lyra nearly choked, her mind reeling with it all. “I… I don’t know what to say!” she blurted. “What the hell can I say?!”

The maester reached into a drawer on her desk and began rummaging for something. “It’s not a trick question,” she said plainly. “A simple yes or no will suffice.”

Lyra closed her eyes and shook her head as she tried to process what this odd creature was asking her. The maester’s calm demeanour was doing little to mollify her either. Gods, she really needed a drink right then! But as always there wasn’t one when you needed it, so instead she took a deep breath and breathed it out as slowly as possible. “It’s not that,” she replied. “I mean, you just dragged me all the way up here and then, right out of the blue, you ask me if I want to live forever?” She blinked in astonishment, holding out her hooves for emphasis, “Good goddesses, put yourself in my shoes. What would you think if somepony asked you that?”

“That they were asking if I wanted to live forever,” the maester said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Bullshit!” The zeks rumbled ominously as Lyra slammed her hooves on the floor, facing down the maester. “I don’t know what your games is here, but I wish you’d get to the bloody point!” Lyra nodded to the open window, “So what is it then? Some sick punchline where your goons throw me out of the window while you laugh maniacally? Perhaps you’ll get one of them to snap my neck first? That’ll be good for a laugh!” Lyra began to laugh herself, feeling some part of her mind beginning to unravel. Goddess help her, she was losing her mind, and who could blame her? Hell, maybe if she did go mad then none of this crap would-

The maester’s eyes flashed, “Have you finished?” Lyra swallowed, her eyes going wide as the strange mare advanced on her until they were almost touching muzzles. “Miss Heartstrings, you appear to be under the misapprehension that I have brought you up here for some nefarious purpose. I assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, If I had wished you killed then I would have done so immediately, and certainly not so… dramatically.” She paused, “Is that how things are done in Equestria now?” She closed her eyes and let out a long breath before continuing. “I suppose it can’t be helped. Sometimes I forget that ponies from Equestria are… not quite the same as they were when I was living there.”

Lyra’s heart was still racing. “And how long ago was that?” she squeaked.

Surprisingly the maester appeared to falter, her brows drawing down as she considered the frightened green mare, “Oh, I believe you already know the answer to that, especially if you are half the archaeologist you purport to be. I also believe that you know, or at least suspect, who I am.”

Swallowing again, Lyra tried to nod her head but it felt as though every part of her were fighting to resist her brain’s instructions. Finally she croaked the name… “Galeus.”

The maester smiled thinly, “I confess I am impressed that a pony from your age would have heard of me.” She sighed sadly, her ears drooping for a moment before she gave herself an almost imperceptible shake. The Maester, or Galeus as she truly was, took a deep breath and continued, “All the same, it is a name I have not used in a very long time. And with good reason. So far as Equestria is concerned, ‘Galeus’, the mare who I once was, died when my tower was destroyed. On that day I promised myself that I would begin anew, that I would leave my old life behind me and forge a new path, one of pure scientific research and discovery. To that end I abandoned my old self, founding this citadel and bringing only the finest and most open of minds Equestria had to offer. Together we worked tirelessly to take us all into a new age of wonders so incredible as to be the stuff of legends. The world we would have forged would have been one of true prosperity and real, lasting peace. War, death, hunger and disease would have been a thing of past and no more than a story to thrill foals on all hallows eve.”

All Hallows Eve? Lyra frowned in thought. Wasn’t that what they used to call Nightmare Night, the event said to herald the first appearance of the dark alicorn princess Nightmare Moon? Possibly. The two had been conflated so many times in the following years that scholars had been arguing over whether they were one and the same or two completely separate events ever since. Hardly anypony used the term ‘All Hallows Eve’ nowadays and it had slipped into folklore, remembered only by hedge witches in the furthest corners of Equestria. The fact that Galeus used that term only served to reinforce the feeling of age around this mare. Scholars or no however, one thing that couldn’t be argued was the fact that neither Luna nor Celestia had been around when Galeus had built her infamous tower. Good gods, just how old was this mare? The scant records of her indicated that she was born sometime in the First Age, the one better known as that being of ‘The Three Tribes’. If this was accurate then it meant that she had to be over two thousand years old at least. But records were hardly abundant from that time, with most of what there was being written by monks centuries later. All that aside, what was really frightening Lyra was that Galeus gave off a distinctly megalomaniacal vibe. This was only made worse by the obvious fact that the brown coated mare didn’t look a day over thirty, was as cool as a cucumber, and was not so much feared by the ponies in the citadel as respected. It ran completely contrary to what Lyra had been lead to believe so far by the tribals and even Celandine. She pushed the thought aside for now.

“You say that as though you’ve given up on the idea,” Lyra offered.

The maester shook her head, “Only for now. Such work is beyond our limited means here on the island. However, I intend to change all that.”

“With the master portal.”

The brown mare smiled, “Precisely. With that I can access parts of our world that have been locked away, hidden for untold centuries, and collect the resources we need to bring our dreams to fruition.”

“Our dreams?” Lyra asked. “Don’t you mean yours?”

“Mine, yes,” Galeus affirmed with a simple nod of her head, “but also every pony within our walls.” She held up a hoof, sweeping it round in an arc to symbolise the walled metal world beyond. “We all work here with the betterment of ponykind foremost in ours mind, so that one day we can unveil our works to the rest of Equestria, to make a better world, for all of us.” She raised an eyebrow, “Nopony is here against their will, Lyra. Not even you.”

“What, you mean I’m free to leave?” She glanced over her shoulder, “You mean these guys would just let me walk out of here free as a bird?”

“That is what I said.”

Lyra gave an involuntary chuckle, “I don’t believe you.”

“Oh?”

“No,” Lyra stood up straight, an unfamiliar sensation of what she could only describe as ‘strength of purpose’ sizzling through her. “You tricked me into coming here, using Parchment as bait. If I was truly free to leave at any time, nopony gave me any indication that that was the case.”

“Did they tell you that you could not?”

“I… No! No, of course they bloody didn’t!” Lyra snapped back. “Anyway, let’s say for arguments sake I did leave here, and your goons here didn’t come after me and turn me into paste the moment I stepped hoof out of the gate. Where would I go? Where could I go? Go and live with the Hidden in the caves like a frightened rabbit for the rest of my days? I’d be torn apart before I could get there. Torn apart, I might add, by the monsters that you created!” Lyra bristled. “Oh, I know damned well what your game is here ‘Maester’. You want to lord it up over ponies like you did back in your old tower in Equestria. I mean, you have it all, don’t you? You have your serfs in the village who scrape around in the dirt, sending their foals off to their deaths in case their numbers get too high. You murdered the humans who came here and used their technology to help create a master portal so you could do… something with it. I’m not sure what, but what I am sure of is all that shite about ‘helping all of Equestria’, ushering in a new age of ‘peace’ and an ‘end to wars’, is exactly that. It’s a load of shit!” A low neigh emanated from her throat. “We’ve had ponies like you come along before, all full of promises about a bright new future and how they can ‘change the world’. They’re nothing but snake oil salesponies - ponies who are nothing more than wannabe dictators. I don’t know how, but they always manage to find plenty of gullible idiots who believe all their bollocks, and sure enough, five minutes into their new position they’re off killing anypony who so much as farts in their general direction!” Galeus’s eyes watched in silence as Lyra finished, her heart hammering her chest. “Right then, let’s dispense with all the exposition and get right down to it shall we?” She bobbed her head to one of the zeks. “He going to do it, is he? Or are you going to turn me into one of your pet monsters instead? Considering I switched on your damned machine for you, I think I’d like a choice in the matter, but hell, I’m open to offers.” She could feel a hint of hysteria welling up inside of her. Lyra didn’t consider herself brave, but she wasn’t going to show fear in front of this creature. No damned way in hell!

Galeus hung her head and closed her eyes, “So melodramatic,” she murmured. “You can take the artist out of the drama hall but not the drama out of the artist.”

“Eh? What are babbling about, mare?” Lyra snorted loudly. “Come on, I thought you were in a hurry!”

“A hurry? You mean-” There was a knock at the door. A familiar stallion entered a moment later, taking in the Maester, Lyra, and the two zeks. Galeus turned her attention to the newcomer, “Ah, Parchment, I’m glad you could join us,” she said pleasantly. “Perhaps you would like to take tea with us? I was just hearing from Miss Heartstrings here how I am a, what was it now, a ‘dictator lording it over ponies’, and killing anypony who ‘farts in my general direction’.” She glanced at Lyra, “I’m paraphrasing, but I think that was the general gist of it. Or perhaps I misunderstood something?”

“Lyra?” Parchment turned to look at the flustered green mare who was starting to tremble with the adrenalin still burning though her veins.

Galeus rolled her eyes, “Lyra seems to think I want to kill her, Parchment. I can only imagine it’s because of something somepony said to her. Either our friends in the caves, the pair she met who were living in the vessel on the beach, or perhaps somepony else. Somepony who lives here, in the citadel. Somepony she knew and… trusted, perhaps?” Parchment froze. “Do you have any thoughts on the matter?”

“Keep him out of this,” Lyra cut in suddenly. “It’s me who broke your bloody silly rules. Parchment’s just a dumb kid who can’t keep his muzzle out of things that don’t concern him.” Like Galeus, Lyra thought sourly. Come to think of it, did Parchment even know ‘the Maester’s’ real name? Maybe not. As cool and calm as she may come across to the casual observer, she gave Lyra the impressionshe was the type who liked to keep secrets just for the hell of it. She was probably into kinky bedroom play too, and probably had ball gags and whips just waiting for an impressionable young stallion who was at they age where the average male had more hormones than brain cells.

A thin smile passed over Galeus face as she watched the two ponies before her. There was Parchment, standing as stoic and proud as the day she had first met him. Even half starved and dehydrated the young lad had shown a strength of will that had impressed her. His contemporary on the other hoof was, by comparison, a bubbling ball of furry green anger. Fear shone in her deep yellow eyes, and that in itself was a cause for concern. Fear blinded you, it made you weak and unable to function properly. With the portal now operating it was absolutely vital to keep it that way. Making sure Lyra was fully on board with her plans would be preferable, but not essential. So long as she was able to produce the necessary magical harmonics to energise the portal - should it shut down unexpectedly - Lyra’s co-operation was all that was really necessary. Force could be employed to that end of course, but it was not the preferred option. Compulsion could taint the magic and have unexpected, if not downright disastrous, consequences.

“You have questions,” Galeus said gently. “I understand. If I was in your place right now I’d feel exactly the same. Lyra, I know it was wrong of me to deny you your passion for music. That,” she sighed sadly, “is a failing on my part.” She shrugged, “And look at where it put me: years of research. Years of searching for that one component I was lacking, and it was there all along.” The brown mare shook her head resignedly, “Music - The one essential component that all ponies hold within their hearts. I denied it to everypony, including myself, for nothing more than petulant selfishness and bitterness.” Galeus laughed, “And all I needed was a mare with a talent for music to show me the way.”

Lyra froze. All of her anger, her doubt and frustration, evaporated like the morning mist. Was this the same Galeus, or was it some trick, some duplicitous word play to make her more compliant? She wasn’t sure. At the back of her mind some part of her was screaming and kicking, demanding that she not listen to the brown mare’s words. Yet at the same time Galeus seemed so absolutely genuine, so… so normal... Dear Celestia, was she actually starting to feel sorry for her? Oh goddesses, she was. She actually was! Lyra swallowed, bowed her head and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Galeus, Maester, look...” Lyra shuddered, “I’m not the brightness mare in the world, and I admit that I have what some may say is a simplistic view of the world, but you’re asking me to take a hell of a lot here on face value alone.” She held up a hoof, “You turned humans into monsters. You turned one of your own pegasus guards into one of those beasts that eat ponies, and you have a village that is effectively being held hostage to their need for medicine. That’s not to mention the ponies living like frightened rabbits in the caves.” Lyra glanced at Parchment and back to the maester, “Can’t you see how what you’ve said about helping all of pony kind and bringing peace and prosperity runs completely counter to all of that? I mean, I want to help you, I want to get off this island like everypony else, but how can I believe what you’re telling me when what I’ve seen with my own eyes tells me you have far from the noblest of intentions?”

Glaeus huffed, her eyebrows raised as she nodded, “Yes. Yes, I can see how you could see things that way. I expect that if I were in your position with no knowledge of our history or why things are how they are, I would in all likelihood come to the same conclusions.” The brown mare smiled sadly, “I’m not perfect, Lyra. I never claimed to be. I came here because I was forced to, because I would have been killed if I had not. Something, I believe, not unlike what happened to you?”

Lyra hung her head, “Yeah...”

“Yes,” Galeus snorted, flicking her mane. “And I suspect you would have had about as much knowledge of how to build a functional society as I had. That being – none whatsoever.” She span round, rolling her shoulders, “But that didn’t stop me from trying! I did everything I could, everything I had to, to keep us alive when all the odds were against us. Now look at us!” Galeus pointed out of the window, “We have food, water, shelter, and everything we need to not only keep us healthy, but moving forward with technology the likes of which the scientists in Equestria could only dream of!”

“But the Hidden!” Lyra cut in quickly. “They’re dying!”

Galeus’ reply was like a bolt from the blue, “They’re not!”

Lyra nearly choked, “But the medicine! If they don’t get it they’ll die!”

“Of course they’ll die!” Galeus barked. “Everything dies, Lyra. You, me, and probably even those precious princesses I keep hearing about.”

“What? I don’t understand...”

Galeus walked back around to her desk and took out a phial of shining white liquid. “This,” she said flatly, “Is what they want. This, this medicine?” She snorted angrily. “This doesn’t cure anything, Miss Heartstrings. Does it, Parchment?” Lyra looked to Parchment who paled slightly. “Go on,” Galeus prompted, “Tell her. Tell her about the ‘medicine’ that I deny those pathetic creatures in the caves.”

Parchment had kept as quiet as a statue all this time, but now he finally began to show signs of animation. His ears twitched, his tongue running over dry lips. “The medicine...” He closed his eyes, his voice dropping to little more than a loud whisper. “It doesn’t… It isn’t a cure, it’s…”

“It prolongs life,” Galeus finished for him. “It’s the reason why we’re able to live so long.”

If Lyra’s eyes weren’t wide before, they were like dinner plates now. “It’s an elixir of life?!” she asked in astonishment.

“If you wish to call it such, then yes,” Galeus replied succinctly, “it is precisely that.” She levitated the phial into the air, unstoppered it, and poured the contents down her throat.

“But the shaking. The disease!” Lyra blurted, “The villagers die if-”

“Of course they die from disease!” Galeus stomped her hoof, making the zeks rumble ominously. “We treat them the best we can, but tropical fevers are endemic on islands like this. This medicine prevents ageing, it isn’t a panacea for all ailments. If you break a leg and die from infection, or you fall on your head, or drown, or whatever else brings your story to an unexpected end, then I’m sorry, but that is life, Lyra, wherever you are in Equestria.” Galeus put down the phial. “Do you see? I presume you met Lode Stone on your little sojourn the other night? Told you that he wanted the medicine to help his merry little band, did he?” Lyra said nothing. “Ha! I can see by your reaction that he did. Well then, I can tell you now that our friendly band of rebels will not be getting any ‘medication’ whatsoever. But as I have offered him time and time again, he and his ‘tribals’ are still welcome to join us when, and only when, they are willing to abide by the rules of the citadel and help us in our endeavours.”

“I… You mean...” Lyra shook her head, “You mean they’re out there through choice?”

“Through Lode Stone’s choice!” Galeus snapped. “That damned fool tried to overthrow me and got dozens of ponies killed in the process. He called me a dictator, wanted me to work with the very monsters who raped-” She froze, her eyes locking onto something beyond Lyra’s head. The atmosphere in the tower room was as cold as ice despite the hour. Gradually, Galeus muscles relaxed, her eyes closing. That was when Lyra saw something for the first time since she’d got there. It wasn’t Galeus’s words that had affected her. It wasn’t even the way that Parchment was holding the trembling mare, it was… how vulnerable she looked. Galeus, the mage out of legend, the mare who was as hard as the stone from which her legendary tower had been formed, was… a mare. A normal, flesh and blood mare. Tears rolled down Galeus face as Parchment hugged her to his chest. It felt to Lyra as though she were intruding on something private here, something incredible personal not only to Galeus, but also to Parchment. This was the same Parchment who had thought that Galeus was psychopath wasn’t it? But… But the way he held her now, it was so gentle, so loving. Lyra’s mind was reeling with it all, and yet one name suddenly flashed into her mind as she watched those two holding each other.

Blue.

“Galeus?” Lyra blinked away a tear of her own. “Let Blue go. Please.” The brown mare looked up at her. “I know, at least I think I have an idea of the horrible things that have happened to you and your people, but Blue is a good man. Celandine loves him.” She took a breath, “I’ll do whatever I can to help you, but please, let them live out their lives in peace. They need never bother you or...” Her words died away as she saw Galeus nodding.

“Go,” the brown mare said quietly. “Take Parchment with you and free him. When you’re done, come back here and we’ll talk some more. I think it’s time for change, Miss Heartstrings, and perhaps… perhaps you would... play for me?”

That was the best thing Lyra had heard since she’d first arrived on this cursed island. “I would be happy to!” she beamed.

“Then don’t dally,” Galeus replied, her eyes taking in Parchment. “There may still be time yet.”

“Still…?”

Parchment moved away from his mare, kissing her once, and crossed the room to the door. “Come on, Lyra, let’s shake a tail.”

Galeus voice called after them as they descended the spiral stairs, “Hurry! And remember my offer. It still stands.”

Her offer. Eternal life? Much of what she’d seen on this island was so outside her normal sphere of experience that it wouldn’t surprise her if such an incredible elixir really did exist. Well, of course it must exist or else Galeus wouldn’t be alive now, or Lode Stone for that matter. On the subject of which, Lode Stone must have been able to get his hooves on it too as the old guy must have been as old as Galeus herself, or not far off anyway. That also meant that the ponies in the caves were ancient too. Gods, maybe even those kids! Damn it, by her standards she was probably younger than they were! It was all absolutely mind boggling. Shaking her mane, Lyra tried to push the intrusive thoughts from her mind. It wasn’t the time to consider such outlandish things, be they real or imagined. But still, it was hard to think of anything else even with their headlong rush down to the ground floor. One by one the corridors flashed by in quick succession, the descent down into the bowels of the citadel where the temperature began to noticeably drop, passing by in a blur of colour.

“You sure know your way around,” Lyra observed, panting to keep up.

Parchment didn’t reply. He moved with purpose, and a steady pace that Lyra had trouble keeping up with. Damn it all, when had she become so unfit? Sure, years of boozing and playing at gigs in smoke filled bars hadn’t done her any favours, but she wasn’t over weight. Was she? Maybe all those years up to her naffs in mud and such had done something to her chest, but then she wasn’t some athletic type who was obsessed with keeping in top shape. She was about average for a mare her age, and she hadn’t had any problems with getting a partner whenever she’d fancied a bit of fun after a night out. Bonnie, normally uninhibited when it came to making observations about others, Lyra included, hadn’t said anything about her general fitness either. Goddesses, when she got home she was going to get herself down to the gym and start working out. This was bloody ridiculous! Eventually though, and somewhat mercifully, they reached a darkened corridor with a heavy metal door barring their progress.

“This is it.” Parchment lifted his head and rolled his shoulders before turning to her, “Are you alright?”

“Gods above…!” Lyra leaned heavily against the wall, blinking sweat from her eyes. “Just give me a bloody minute will you. Luna’s lugs… How are you so damned fast?”

“Fast?” Parchment paused for a moment, “Ah, well I was junior track and field champion four years running in school. I’ve kept up with my fitness regimen ever since.”

“And you went into archaeology?!”

Parchment shrugged, “Only to kill some time before I went to the sports academy. Volunteer work looks good on your résumé.”

Lyra wasn’t sure if she was relieved by that little revelation or simply furious. Hell fire, she felt like she was having a heart attack! Thankfully a few deep breaths and moment of rest whilst Parchment fiddled about with the door gave her the respite she needed. ‘Sports academy’ indeed!

The door itself was bolted secured from the outside, but curiously there was no lock to be seen. Either they were very trusting of their staff here, or they had no idea about basic security. “Magically locked?” Lyra pondered aloud.

Parchment shook his head, “No need. Nopony here would have any truck with what goes on with these things.”

“These ‘things’?”Lyra didn’t have time to dwell on Parchment’s comment as the door swung open effortlessly, and in near complete silence. Lyra felt an involuntary shiver sizzle down her spine which made her tail twitch uncomfortably. The massive steel construction looked like it had been designed to withstand a frontal attack from siege engines, and then some. The way the hinges allowed it to open so smoothly and soundlessly was certainly a testament to the skills of the engineers who’d designed and built it. But what infernal use it had eventually been put to however, could hardly have been envisaged by these skilled creators. Not in a million years, or their worst nightmares. What lay inside the room beyond the door was beyond Lyra’s comprehension. Enormous vats sat around the edges of the room, filled with a curiously glowing green liquid. Ominous looking chains of black metal suspended from overhead gantries, hung above the silent, unmoving fluid. Voluminous glass tubes containing more of the strange liquid, were arrayed against another wall. As Lyra moved closer she could see that some of them contained… ‘other’ things. Things that bore a vague resemblance to living creatures she’d seen not twenty minutes ago. Her eyes went wide as she realised what was hanging there, suspended inside the evil liquid. They were zeks. Each of the tubes held a singular creature, whether alive or dead she couldn’t tell, but there they were… floating. Silent. Silent as death…

“Lyra!” Parchment said quickly from somewhere across the large room. “Never mind that. Come over here and help me.”

“Help…?” Lyra mind was a reeling mess of nightmarish visions that she knew would haunt her dreams for years to come. She backed slowly away from the horror in the tube. Were those eyes watching her? Was it even alive? These beings had been humans once, hadn’t they? “I… Oh Celestia...”

“Lyra! Snap out of it!”

Lyra choked down the bile in her throat. Partly from her exhaustive run, but now this hideous sight of supernatural horror all around her, the green mare had to fight the urge to vomit. Vomit, and run. Gods, how she wanted to run from his nightmarish place! She nearly screamed when a hoof touched her shoulder.

“Lyra, focus on what we’re doing.” It was Parchment. “I need your help to get Blue out of here. He’s very weak.”

He was right. Lyra turned with leaden hooves, her eyes focussing almost mechanically on the large metal bed. It was, like so much around here, clearly made by and for the use of humans. A large circular array of lights hung from the ceiling above the angled bed, with a bewildering conglomeration of tubes, wires and devices surrounding the occupant. A very familiar occupant.

“Oh no, BLUE!” Lyra rushed to the human’s side, looking him up and down in an almost feverish combination of revulsion and panic. The male looked almost indistinguishable from the fit, muscular male she’d met in the ship. This shrivelled thing, this dried and wrinkled husk of a creature before her, looked… Lyra shuddered… he looked dead. She couldn’t see any signs of breathing. There was no rise and fall of his chest, no movement of his hands nor features whatsoever. “We’re too late...”

“Not yet we’re not,” Parchment huffed, pulling some of the machines aside. His magic glowed, lifting a long snaking tube that ran from a device strapped to the human’s chest and connected to another machine which held a rack of phials - phials that were identical to the one the maester had in her office. A white fluid, shimmering as though alive, dripped like blood into the waiting glass tubes drop by drop, slowly but steadily draining the very life from Blue, one tiny piece of life at a time. Each of these phials contained the life force, the life essence, of a living being. A living, intelligent being. Beings who had their own hopes and dreams, their own loves, fears and emotions, just like Equestrians. The very same Equestrians who were drinking the life of the humans to prolong their own.

“Goddess forgive us,” Lyra breathed. “They’re vampires. They’re goddess cursed vampires!”

“What the hell are you gabbling about?” Parchment snorted. He unclipped another strap holding blue to the bed.

“Vampires!” Lyra nearly screamed the word. Madness was starting to claw at her mind, the realisation of what was going on on this demoniac island threatening to send her howling into the void of utter insanity. “You’ve been drinking the life force of prisoners to lengthen your own life span!” She shook her head, “Parchment, please, tell me you haven’t drunk any of this stuff! PLEASE!

Parchment’s expression changed to one of angry exasperation. He leaned across Blue, his eyes meeting hers, “We don’t have time for this shit, Lyra. If you want the human to live, then do what I damned well tell you or wait outside!”

That did it. Lyra blinked away her tears and did her best to switch off her emotions. Determinedly she followed the young stallion’s instructions to the letter. In short order more of the wide leather straps were unbuckled, falling to the floor to join their fellows. Pipes were removed next, needles extracted, and finally that horrifying metal device that had been sitting like some satanic carbuncle over the naked human’s heart. Incredibly the cruel black mark it left behind almost immediately began to fade.

“Pass me one of the phials,” Parchment instructed. “Quickly Lyra, he’s barely hanging on here.”

Lyra blinked, turning clumsily to the trolley that held the machine with the glass containers of white liquid. She lifted one in her magic, sensing the peculiar, alien ‘twisting’ feel of the energy inside. This thin piece of glass, this insignificant tube, held the extracted life energy of a living creature. In a way what she was holding now was Blue. “What now?” she asked.

Parchment took the phial from Lyra and frowned in concentration, “Truthfully, I’m not sure.”

Lyra’s jaw dropped, “You’re not sure?! Gods help us, this isn’t the time to be winging it, Parchment!”

The purple stallion clucked his tongue. “We’ve never reversed the process before, Lyra,” Parchment explained plainly. “There was never any need to do so.” He floated the phial over the human’s head and pressed a pedal, tilting him forward slightly.

“Hang on, you said ‘We’ve’ never reversed the process?” Lyra couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You mean to tell me you actually took part in this… this outrage?” She swallowed, “Celestia’s mercy, Parchment, what have you ponies been doing here!”

“Staying alive,” came the simple reply. He poured the fluid between Blue’s parched lips. Next, he began to stroke the human’s throat, encouraging the helpless creature to swallow. Nothing happened.

“We’re too late,” Lyra groaned. “He’s dead, Parchment. Can’t you see that? You and your psychotic murderess killed-”

Suddenly there was a cough that made both ponies jump in surprise. Before them, Blue’s body abruptly began to jerk spasmodically. Once. Twice. Drops of fluid burst from his mouth then vanished in the air like morning mist in the first rays of sunlight. “Hold him down!” Parchment shouted, “Shit, I shouldn’t have taken the straps off!”

“He’s having a cardiac arrest!” Lyra was close to panic now. “Do something!”

“Like what?!” Parchment yelled back, “If you know what to do, mare, then I’m open to ideas! You wanted the damned thing brought back and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do!”

“You did this to him in the first place!” Lyra shrieked. “You must have some idea!”

“I’ve poured the stuff down his throat, exactly the same way as we do.” Parchment shook his head, “Other than that, I-”

“He not a pony, Parchment!” Lyra snapped. “Maybe it doesn’t work the same way!”

The young stallion took a deep breath, his expression hardening, “And so what if it doesn’t?”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Parchment glanced from the human to Lyra, “It’s a human, Lyra. They’re not like us. They rape, they torture, they murder, and they enslave.”

“Blue hasn’t done anything like that!” Lyra cut back. “You can’t lump them all together because of what a few of them did.”

“A FEW OF THEM?!!” Parchment’s eyes bored into hers. “The ponies here have damned good memories of what these filth did to them, Lyra. Why do you think there were no locks on the door? It’s because nopony in their right mind would let these things loose again to do what they did all over again.”

“What a load of shite!” Lyra stomped a hoof in exasperation. “My gods, she’s really got inside your head hasn’t she?”

“You’ve got inside hers, you mean!” Parchment was all but shaking with anger now, “She’s the one who told me to help you let this thing go free! Well, all I can say is thank the gods there’s only one of them. If they started to breed, history would start to repeat itself all over again, and one’s bad enough! How long before his nature starts reasserting itself and he turns on us?”

“That the most paranoid bigotry I’ve heard in my whole damned life!” Lyra replied.

Parchment sighed, “The truth is the truth, Lyra. You can’t change facts simply because they’re inconvenient to your biased preconceptions.” He took a breath before continuing, “As a historian you should know better than anypony how history can and does repeat itself, especially if we wantonly ignore the lessons of the past.”

Lyra’s eyes hardened, “Don’t you dare, don’t you DARE try to lecture me about history you little shit!” The green mare reared, “You and your vampire pals are the real monsters here.” She gave herself a shake, trying to keep herself under control. At least, some semblance of control. It was like trying to be the only sane inmate in a lunatic asylum. “There’s a reason Galeus was chased from Equestria, Parchment,” she continued. “That mare is a dangerous megalomaniac. A very intelligent megalomaniac, sure, but look at what she’s doing! Can’t you see what she’s done to these creatures is wrong? Celestia would never forgive any of use for this inequine behaviour.”

“Celestia?” Parchment let out a loud derisive snort. “Don’t make me laugh. Where is she? Where is the almighty white witch when her ponies are in need to help, eh? Where was the virgin queen when the humans began to butcher us, cooking and eating our children whilst raping their parents in front of them?” He was all but foaming at the mouth now. “Come out Celestia! Come out, come out, wherever you are!” He made a show of looking around the room, “Well, no sign of her so far. But don’t worry, Lyra, I’m sure she’ll be here any minute riding a comet of fire to save all of us poor little sinners!”

“Luna’s backside, listen to yourself!” Lyra shouted. “You weren’t there, Parchment! Neither of us were even born when that was going on! Get a grip of yourself, they’ve brainwashed you into-”

“Have you…” Both ponies froze, their eyes meeting each others in mutual surprise. That voice! “Have you… finished… screaming at each… other yet?”

Blue’s eyes, his namesakes, were watching them with an air of intolerable sadness. They were bloodshot and horribly sunken in the sallow flesh of his skull. “Could I… have another of those?”

Whatever spell had halted the two ponies was immediately broken. Parchment, his anger vanishing almost as fast as it had appeared, immediately began to help the human to sit up whilst Lyra passed him another of the phials. Blue downed it in a trice, and then another and another. His painfully slow, creaking motions, quickly increased in pace to a near frantic grasping at the stolen fluid. Although Lyra was passing him the phials as quickly as she could, she couldn’t help but gasp in awe at the changes happening before her very eyes. Blue was starting to… fill out. She shook her head in incredulity. She’d never seen anything like this! When she’d first seen him lying on the bed his body had had the appearance of a balloon whose air had been let out. Now, the reverse was happening. Blue’s skin started to stretch as if being inflated from the inside, the wrinkles lessening as it did so. The dark circles around his eyes paled slightly, his muscles moving like snakes, writhing as the gift of life was poured, one shot at a time, back into him. Parchment passed him a glass of water which he took with a nod of thanks before returning to the phials.

“That’s the last one,” Lyra said, turning to him at last. She looked him up and down, noting how thin he looked.

“Don’t tell me, I look like hell, right?” Blue downed another glass of water, pausing to wipe a drop from his chin. “God damn it,” he groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. “I feel like I’ve been through a mangle. What in gods name did those bastards do to me?”

Parchment spoke before Lyra could say any more. “You’ve been in a magically induced coma since you were captured,” he explained. “Your life energy has been drained out, but by the looks of it we weren’t too late to get it back into you.” He frowned, “Most of it anyway.”

“Most?” Blue asked, swinging his legs over the bed.

“Some of it was transferred into storage.”

Blue gave a mirthless laugh, “Well that’s good to know.” He looked around the room, “Where’s my gear? I know you guys walk around in the altogether, but I don’t have much in the way of fur, you get me?”

Lyra suddenly blushed and looked away. Fortunately Parchment knew exactly where Blue’s things had been stored and walked over to a large cupboard set into the wall. Carefully he started to sift through the folded piles of clothes one items at a time until-

Blue’s arm shot out like lightning, slamming the door fully open as he stared at the clothes lying there. In a silent daze he bent down, his thin hands trembling, bony fingers gripping the tan cotton garment. Recognition blazed in his eyes, alighting upon the faded name tag. “Lightfoot,” he read aloud. He dropped it, finding another and another until he found one he recognised. “Gerber.” Blue’s hands started to tremble, causing Lyra to step back hurriedly. “Oh Jesus... Bill...” Blue Stood up straight, his hollow eyed taking in the huge glass tubes, the floating forms of the zeks, and the machinery that was still slick with his stolen life energy. Realisation, so horribly missing since he had been locked up down here, dawned bright as day. He closed his eyes, raw emotion making his painfully thin features twitch. And then, as though a light had suddenly come on in his tortured mind, he spun round to lock eyes with Parchment. For several seconds the two stared at each other. It was then he finally spoke. “It was you.” Blue’s eyes, the same eyes Lyra had found so enchanting when she’d first met him, now burned with unadulterated hate. “You evil little BASTARD! You did this to me! You and your murderous scum murdered my friends and sucked me dry!”

“Your friends aren’t dead,” Parchment said in his irritatingly dry tone.

“No?” Blue shook his head. “No, you turned them into those fucking freaks, didn’t you? Christ on a cracker, they’d be better off dead than that… that monstrous half life they have now!”

“They’re a living source of life energy,” Parchment said as though explaining it to a child. “It makes sense for the citadel to keep them alive so that they-”

“You fucking animal, I’ll kill you!” Blue suddenly reached for Parchment’s throat, hands outstretched. But the stallion was too fast for him. In a flash of magic the human was picked up and hurled bodily into the back of the cupboard with an almighty crash of tortured metal. Clothes erupted from the exposed interior amidst a roar of animal rage, immediately followed up by the enraged human bursting forth like an avenging demon out of legend. Lyra screamed something, her attempts to stop him so utterly futile he barely registered that he’d knocked her flying into a pile of equipment. Blue now had one focus, and that was to take revenge for his murdered friends and all the other innocents these vile four legged killers had butchered. For years they had been doing this. Countless years. The evidence of this monstrous act lay scattered around him: clothes, shoes, socks, hats - the innumerable and pathetic remnants of a civilisation that didn’t belong here, torn from their home by forces they could have never even begun to understand. These were the last earthly possessions of desperate and frightened souls lost in an alien world, now kept in a cupboard like some macabre trophy cabinet. Now, there was only Blue. He was the last one. And it was up to him to stop this insanity, come hell or high water. The stallion facing him was one one of the beasts that had done this, and he would be the first to fall before he tracked down the monster that was behind this living nightmare. His eyes narrowed, muscles flexing. Howling with pent up frustration and pain, Blue sprang at the focus of his hatred.

Magic burst around him, slamming him to the ground, grabbing his legs and taking them out from under him. But Blue, as weak as he was, was far from defenceless. He snatched up anything and everything he could find, swinging or throwing the impromptu weapons as hard as he could towards the purple stallion. This impromptu barrage of missiles and makeshift clubs was almost immediately swatted away or else torn from his grasp with infuriating ease. Blue, however, didn’t care nor let up, not even for a second. His training in the army air corps had taught him to never give up when facing a determined enemy, that he must fight and keep on fighting until he won. Discipline and a cool head were emphasised at each and every stage. His instructors however, could never have envisaged one of their recruits ever being in a situation like this. How could they? Military training was all well and good too, but not when raw, primal adrenalin held sway. Now pure hatred had blinded him to all else, with uncontrollable rage fuelling the fire within his heart. Blue was so focussed in his effort that he didn’t see the stallion’s magic falter. Despite the hooves kicking him full in the chest, his legs, his shins… Sheer will drove him on. Blue had grown up on a farm where kicks from animals was just something that came with the territory. He’d been kicked by cows, the farm mule, and once by old Chester the draught horse. He hadn’t harboured any grudges against them, he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and hadn’t been paying attention. And that could get you killed. One time he’d been cornered by a wild coyote when he’d been out by the sty feeding the pigs. Thankfully his father had been nearby before the tortured thing had had a chance to bite him or any of the other animals. Pa had put a pullet in the coyote’s head, ending its suffering. This thing in front of Blue now though was unlike any earthly animal cursed with the madness of rabies. They had been unwilling victims. This thing was worse. This one had done what it had knowingly. Knowing the suffering it would cause.

It had to be put down.

The sound of bone cracking punctuated the air together with a heart rending scream. The scream of a mare. Blue stopped in his tracks, his gaze shifting from the prone, bleeding figure of Parchment, to the shaking green form of… “Lyra?” Blue stared at the metal rod in his hand, his eyes taking in the glistening droplets of blood, letting it fall to the tiled floor with a clatter. “Oh no… Lyra. Lyra!” The human dropped to his knees, taking the mare up his arms. Thoughts of vengeance immediately vanished, washed away by the sudden realisation of when he had done. “Lyra...” Lyra shivered, blood trickling down the thin gash on her forehead. Blue’s head turned to the stunned Parchment. “YOU!” he roared, “Do something! Help her, damn you!”

And he did. Parchment, shaken, bruised and bleeding himself, helped the human lift Lyra up onto the very bed where Blue been strapped down and abused to the point of near death. Blue had been right, he had been involved with the human’s capture. Now Lyra, the innocent mare who had done nothing to deserve this, had been caught between the two battling males and bore the brunt of their foolishness. He looked her up and down, checking her breathing, looking for any signs of internal and external injuries. Unfortunately there were plenty to choose from too. At least Lyra was breathing normally. She was unconscious, her chest mercifully clear of fluids by the sound of it. The most obvious problem was the gash on her head which was bleeding profusely. A blow like that could very well mean concussion, or worse.

“How is she?” Blue asked anxiously.

Parchment glowered up at him from under heavy brows, “Alive,” he said heavily, noting the human’s concerned reaction. “Probably concussed, possible fracture to the skull, eyesocket...”

“Possibly, maybe,” the human echoed, “Don’t you know?”

Parchment grimaced, “I’m not a doctor.”

“You were a doctor enough to drain the life out of me!” Blue snarled.

The purple stallion paused, then nodded resignedly, “Yes. I didn’t have a choice in the matter, but I did it all the same.”

“Huh,” Blue sniffed. “We fought a war against guys like you. ‘Just following orders’, right?”

“And what would have happened to those other ‘guys’ if they’d refused?” Parchment queried, rummaging through the wrecked medical equipment.

Blue shrugged, “That’s not the point.”

“Isn’t it?” Parchment retorted. “The way I looked at it, it was either you or me. If I’d refused they would have gotten to you eventually anyway, and so I chose self preservation. Besides, Lyra may have some connection with you, but I don’t know who you are. As far as I know you’re just another monster who rapes and kills ponies for kicks like the rest of your kind.” He passed Blue an absorbent pad, “Here, press this against the wound while I try something.”

Blue watched him for a while. “Is that what you think of humans?” he asked. “That we’re all monsters?”

“You lived with a mare didn’t you?” Parchment replied. “You lived with Six in the ship. Surely she must have told you about the humans who had come in on the vessels that had arrived earlier?”

“She has a name.”

“Sorry?”

“Her name is Celandine.” Blue narrowed his eyes, “But that’s half your trouble, isn’t it? You and your clowns here, dehumanising people. Even your own kind, reducing them down to nothing more than a number.”

Parchment stood up, his magic glowing. “I know,” he said quietly. “I don’t agree with everything that happens here, but when in Roam...”

“Do as the Romans do,” Blue finished.

The two stared at each other in silence before Parchment blinked. “Perhaps we’re not so different after all,” he shrugged. “A cliché perhaps, but worthy of a discussion for another time.”

“And another place,” Blue said distractedly. “Can you hear that?” He was looking towards the door. “Sounds like… Sirens?” He stood up straight, his hands flexing. “Damn it, we must have set off an alarm.”

“Not down here,” Parchment replied thoughtfully. “Probably another chock infiltration.”

“Chocks...” Blue shook his head, returning his attention back to Lyra. “What about her? If something’s going on we can’t leave her here.”

“We’re not,” Parchment said, rolling his shoulders. He floated over a phial of the white liquid. “Stand back while I-”

“You’re not going to use that on her, are you?!” Blue blurted. “What in god’s name are you playing at?”

Parchment gazed into the human’s eyes. In that silent exchange something seemed to change in Blue’s eyes. “Watch...”

Carefully the purple stallion dripped the liquid into the open wound on Lyra’s head. Almost immediately smoke began to rise, the fluid life energy sinking into the wicked gash. Then, as the two watched in amazement, the wound began to knit itself back together, the two halves joining, forming a near invisible repair where seconds earlier had been torn flesh. The fur was missing, but now even the swelling was starting to subside. Lyra let out a groan, but Parchment wasn’t finished yet. He started on the other cuts, with the same incredible results. Finally, with Blue’s help, he opened Lyra mouth and poured in a full phial of the miraculous liquid.

“I wonder who that was,” Blue murmured.

Parchment ignored him, looking Lyra over once again in case they missed anything.

“Hey, purple guy,” Blue began.

“Parchment.”

“Parchment,” Blue corrected. “Why were you two down here? I can’t believe they’d just let you walk in.”

Parchment raised an eyebrow as he worked. “Now he asks,” he muttered, checking Lyra’s pulse. He took a breath before answering, “Galeus, the maester as you would know her, agreed to let you go.”

“Bullshit!” Blue laughed. “Come on now, what’s really going on here?”

“I don’t know what else you expect me to tell you,” the purple stallion replied exhaustedly. “Lyra activated the portal and asked the maester to let you go. She agreed, and-”

“And here you are...” Blue finished, turning away. “No guards waiting outside?”

“No.”

“And they’ll just let us walk right out of here back to the ship?”

“I expect so,” Parchment agreed. “She is a mare of her word.”

Blue spat on the floor, “Tch! And you’d believe that being one of her goons, wouldn’t you?”

“Regardless of what you might think of her, she’s never lied to me,” Blue said simply.

“She’s a god damned murderess!”

“I never said I agreed with how she does things,” Parchment shrugged. He thought for a moment and then looked up at the human, “Like you I didn’t plan to come here. Lyra came here to find me and put her life at risk to do so, but in the meantime I had to do what I had to survive. If that meant I did some… questionable things, then it’s something I will have to live with. Me, and me alone.”

“How very philosophical of you,” Blue sneered. “But it doesn’t mitigate what you did to me. Not one bit.”

“No,” Parchment said quietly. “I don’t suppose it ever would.” He lifted up a cloth and dabbed it across Lyra’s face.

“Gods,” came the faint reply, “I thought you two would never shut up.” Bright yellow eyes slowly opened. “Bloody hell… I feel like I got run over by a bus.” She smacked her lips, “Why does my mouth taste like I’ve been swigging mints? And why am I so hungry all of a sudden?”

Parchment passed her a package that contained a drink and some square of what looked like compressed oats. “Your body has been subjected to trauma and accelerated magical healing,” he explained. “It burns a lot of calories doing it.” Lyra sniffed at the oat cake and screwed up her muzzle. “It’s an energy bar,” Parchment said. “It tastes bad, but has all the nutrients your body needs.”

Lyra shrugged and munched the thing down as fast as she could, finished it off with the juice. “Tastes bad?” she groused. “Goddesses Parchment, what’s it made out of? Sawdust?”

Parchment didn’t get a chance to reply. A large boom came from somewhere high above them, reverberating through the room and sending dust blowing through the open door. More sounds followed.

“What’s that?” Lyra asked. Suddenly her eyes flew open, “It’s not another chock attack is it?”

A scream of something unearthly rolled down the corridor outside followed by a rattle of gunfire.

“Quick, behind me!” Blue grabbed a fire axe from the wall and kicked over the bed as Lyra was lifted off it by Parchment’s levitation magic.

“Can’t we lock the door?” Lyra offered, shouting over the noise.

“It bolts from the outside,” Parchment answered. “We’ll need to-”

The door flew open with a deafening bang, the heavy steel slamming into the wall sending a cloud of broken fragments of metal and wood flying in every direction. The resultant cloud of dust and smoke shrouded the figure striding in holding what looked like the kind of weapon that could take down dragons with ease. Very large dragons. All three occupants glanced at each other in shock, unable to speak or move whilst the muzzle of the massive gun swept the room. The owner of the deadly device stood shrouded in the settling gloom, their four legged form heavily covered in what appeared to be sheets of steel, welded and riveted together. Little more than the exposed tail and mane was visible, with even the head of the armoured equine showing no more than thin slits for the wearer to look out from. Blue moved. It was deliberate, nothing more than an involuntary twitch of his leg really, but it was enough to knock a metal stand aside. In that tense moment it sounded as loud as a church bell on a winters night.

Twin lamps flicked on, sending beams of light searing towards the source of the noise. Blue, blinded by the light, flinched back. “God almighty, turn that damned thing off will you?!”

“Blue?” The voice was muffled, but still clear enough to make out.

“Celly?” Blue pulled himself from the debris, shaking off fragments of numerous materials that had settled on his body following the unexpected entry of the armoured pony. “Christ, girl, that was some entrance...”

“BLUE!” A visor on the helmet flicked up, the two bright green eyes within catching the light. The mare lumbered forward, awkwardly reaching up to touch the human as though she couldn’t believe he was really there. “It… It is you, isn’t it?” she asked.

Blue smiled and took her hoof, nodding silently. “Hello, love.”

Metal shod hooves clanked on tile, the mare’s eyes staring up into the humans’. “I thought...” Celandine swallowed. “I never thought I’d see you again. I...”

“Shhh, it’s alright, I’m here.” Blue may not have had magic in the sense that equestrians did, but he wove some kind of spell on the yellow furred mare. “I’m here.” Celandine all but melted into the human, metal and all. Kisses flowed like the sweetest wine, the love these two creatures from different worlds shared leaving no doubt in the minds of any watchers of the genuine affection they shared. In any other setting it would have been heart warming. Here, amidst the wreckage of that nightmare room where such cruelties had been performed on the innocent, it seemed as out of place as one could be.

Eventually Celandine broke the embrace, taking a step back. “Are you alright?” she asked. “Have they-?”

Blue shook his head and reached down to pull on the rest of his clothes. “Don’t worry. I’m still in one piece,” he said gently. Selecting a good pair of flight boots he banged them against the wall to get the dust off before trying them for size. They fit perfectly. Next he pulled out a heavy flight jacket, pausing for a moment to peer sadly at the name. “I don’t think he’d mind if I took it. It’d be better than leaving it here in this hell hole.” Blue stood up, holding his arms out. “How do I look?”

“You idiot!” Celandine chided, half smiling herself. “You look like shit.”

Blue shrugged, “Huh! Everyone’s a critic...” The two stood staring at each other for a second before Blue took his mare in his arms once more. “Are you okay? What are you doing here?”

“What do you think I’m doing, you berk,” Celandine retorted, giving him a squeeze. “I’m rescuing you!”

“Mmm, the regular knight in shining armour, eh?” Blue chuckled. Suddenly he paused, frowning in thought. “You’re not alone, are you?”

Celandine shook her head, “No, even with the deck gun I wouldn’t have made it without-” She froze. Her eyes narrowed suddenly, the movement near the wall catching her attention.

“Er, we’re here too.” Lyra coughed, gingerly lifting a hoof above the upturned bed. “Um, don’t shoot me, okay?” She blew out a fragment of plaster from her nose and pulled herself painfully to her hooves. She was still weak, and every part of her felt bruised and sore. Half flopping over the top of the bed she grinned sheepishly at the metal coated mare, “Hello, Celandine. Long time, no see.”

“No… No ‘see’ at all!” Celandine swung the metal tube towards the green mare. “You said you would help us get the medicine and help Blue! Where the hell where you?!”

Lyra gave herself a shake, but no matter what she did she couldn’t take her eyes off the massive weapon that sat upon Celandine’s armoured back. The muzzle seemed to gape at her, promising a sudden, and very loud, end at any moment. “That’s why we’re here!” she all but shrieked. “Galeus said we could free him, and… and...” Lyra nodded quickly towards Blue, praying he would help her out before Celandine took her out.

The human chuckled, giving the green mare a reassuring smile, “She’s right, the two of them came here and saved my bacon. And not a moment too soon either, the bastards had sucked me drier than beef jerky.”

“Hang on,” Celandine looked at Blue then back to Lyra. “Who’s us?”

A purple muzzle painfully came into view beside Lyra, “That... would be me.”

Celandine’s eyes went wide, and with them the muzzle of the huge gun locked onto the young stallion. “YOU!” she shrieked. “You’re one of them! You’re the bastard who took Blue!”

Parchment closed his eyes and nodded sullenly, “I was one of them, yes.”

“Well, I hope you’ve made your peace with whatever god you believe in you piece of shit, because I’m-”

“Celly, NO!” To everyponies surprise, Blue pushed in front of the armoured mare, his head right in the firing line.

“Blue, get out of the way!”

“No.” Blue shook his head emphatically. “He’s as much a victim here as any of us, Celandine.”

“Like fuck he is!” Celandine’s eyes hardened as she tried to stare past her lover to the object of her anger. “He’s been banging that bitch since he got here. He’s nothing but her puppet!” She switched her gaze to Lyra, “And I don’t know why you’re standing there next to him. He sold you out too!”

Lyra sighed, shaking her head in resignation, “You’re right, he did. But Celandine, he’s just a kid.” She tried a smile, which came off more as a grimace than anything positive. “Parchment and I come from a very different world to the one you grew up in. Neither of us knew anything about this island when we arrived, let alone how to survive here, and Parchment did what he felt was right at the time to do just that. I can question his choices of course, but he did help me, and he helped Blue too. Surely that makes up for anything bad he may have done, right?”

“Not in my book,” Celandine said levelly. “You can’t turn a bad apple good. It only rots the more.” She pointed a hoof at the purple stallion, “They may trust you, but I don’t. Put one hoof out of place and I’ll paint the wall with your insides, ‘boy’.” Her voice dropped to a low snarl, “I’ll be watching you.”

Blue looked away sadly. His expression was unreadable, but his body language said more than words as to how he felt. Lyra watched him curiously, trying to understand the strange alien creature. They were so fascinating! When all of this was over she’d have to make notes, to write down everything she could about him, his people, even his world! Good goddesses, how she’d love to write about him and get her works published. Sure, a lot of ponies would think the whole thing was made up, probably accusing her of being the next Hidden Path while they were at it. But some would know her from her existing writings and at least give her some credence. Who knows, if she was creative then maybe she could use her experience to open the doors to a better career. Head of Magical Creature Studies at Manehattan University’s Department for Myths of Legends for example. She shook her head. No… No, she could do better! Much, much better! What about Chief Archaeological Professor at the Celestian College for Advanced Magics and Research? Dear goddesses, the possibilities! Lyra gave herself a shake, shelving her thoughts for later perusal. Right then the noises from up above were intensifying, whilst Celandine and Blue were talking about something. Beside her, Parchment was standing like a shadow, his head down and his ears flopped. He looked terrible. The beating Blue had given him had been vicious, but more than the physical injuries, his mental state looked like it was cracking like the glaze on an old pot. The lad had been through hell. Pulled through a portal into a nightmare world and surviving only by being the personal bedroom toy of the crazy dictator of the island, Parchment hadn’t stood a chance. If they didn’t do something to get out of this mad house the chances of his sanity recovering from everything he had been through was very much in doubt. In truth she didn’t know much about him, but she couldn’t stand to see him suffer like this.

“Hey,” she prompted. “You okay in there, big guy?” Parchment took a breath and gave one, single nod. “Come on, buck up. We’ll be getting out of here soon,” Lyra said trying to sound positive. “When we get back to Equestria the first round will be on me.”

All he said in reply was, “Mmm.”

Lyra sighed quietly. By the sounds of it that was going to be the best she was going to get. Right now they had to get out of here. And then it hit her. Something Celandine had said… “Oh my gods… the medicine!”

“Huh?” The armoured mare turned to face her. “What are going on about?”

“The medicine!” Lyra’s eyes went wide, “Celandine, the stuff you guys have been drinking, it’s...” She closed her eyes and swallowed. “It’s not medicine, it’s life energy!” At the yellow mare’s uncomprehending frown she explained, “What they were doing to Blue was extracting his life energy, the liquidised essence of what makes him… well, him.”

Celandine shook her head, staring at Blue who just nodded to her in reply. “What? I… I don’t understand.”

“You’ve been drinking the life essence of living creatures!” Lyra barked.

For a second Celandine gawped at the green mare in shock and then, taking a step back, began to laugh. “Oh, for Lode’s sake, what a load of shit! You can’t believe that old wives tale, can you? The medicine is to help keep us from dying of the diseases endemic to the island. Why do you think Lode Stone and his ponies are risking their lives to get it?” She smirked, “Life energy!” Celandine nodded towards Parchment, “What’s that idiot been telling you? You can’t believe a damned word that comes out his mouth.”

“Celly,” Blue said gently, “look around you.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, “They’re telling the truth.” He pointed to the cupboard containing the clothes, the upturned bed, the racks of phials whose white liquid contents glistened in the half light. Celandine stared at the wreckage on the floor, the tubes, the wires… “Don’t you see? They turn humans into zeks here, but they also drain them. I don’t know precisely what the process is, and frankly I don’t want to know, but I believe Parchment and Lyra are telling the truth about this ‘medicine’.”

“No...” Celandine closed her eyes. “No, it… it can’t be true. They’re just trying to get inside your head.”

“Celandine,” Lyra asked gently. “How old are you?”

“How…” The armoured mare frowned, “I… I don’t know, I haven’t… I mean, I didn’t keep a...”

“The life energy prolongs equine life,” Parchment added, stepping around from the bed. “The fever you spoke of on the island does exist, and the life energy does nullify its effects, so that much is true. But the fever ceased being a threat to the inhabitants years ago. Now, it’s little more than a high temperature and the shakes for a few days.”

“Bullshit!” Celandine snapped back. “High temperature my arse. Ponies die from it! I’ve seen it with my own eyes!”

“Yes, you probably did,” Parchment said in his customary monotone drawl. “The last known death occurred nearly one hundred and fifty years ago. It was a young child called-”

“Pipkin,” Celandine finished for him. She stared off into the distance, her eyes looking into a past which only she could see. “I was there when she died. I… I was there...” Celandine turned her attention back to Parchment, “One hundred and-” Her voice faltered. “Dear Lode,” she murmured, a pained expression passing over her features, “I’ve… I’ve been drinking...”

“Meh, could have been worse.” Blue gave himself a shake and checked the automtic he’d found in a drawer beside the clothing cupboard. “At least it worked. Some people used to drink irradiated tonics back in the day thinking it would help them live longer. Killed them of course, but you know how some people are. They believe any old crap so long as it sounds believable enough.”

“This is hardly ‘crap’, Blue!” Celandine shouted. “If what that purple rat’s saying is true then I’m older than you! By over a hundred years!” She began to tremble. “Lode help me, I’ve been drinking, drinking, living beings. Humans. Humans like you! Don’t you see? I’m a… I’m a vampire!”

“Pfff!” Blue nearly doubled over in laughter. “Vampires!”

Celandine was incensed, “You think this is funny?!!”

“Actually… yeah, I kinda do,” Blue held his hands up. “But I suppose having an ancient vampire pony for a wife isn’t the strangest thing that’s happened to me since I got here.” He gave himself a hard shake. A habit, Lyra noticed, that looked uncharacteristic for a creature with no fur, mane nor tail. “Right then, fill me in on the way. Let’s get the fuck out of Dodge before some clown thinks we’re useful target practice.”

“Wha-? Hey, hey now hang on a minute!” Celandine started. And then she stopped in her tracks. “Wife?”

“Shush!” In a flash, Blue bounded to the door and peered round the frame into the corridor. “Later. I’ll take point, you back me up with the oerlikon. You loaded up?”

Blue’s commanding tone had a peculiar effect on Celandine. From confused and frightened she suddenly became cool, calm and focussed in an instant. The two, Lyra noted, had an uncommonly strong bond which made her feel, much to her relief, pleasantly reassured. The yellow mare gestured to the large gun on her back, “Got to have eyes in the back of my head to do it, but I fixed in the mirrors like you showed me to the saddle mounting.”

Blue nodded once, “Good girl. Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Cool. You give me the directions and-”

“I know the shortest route out of the citadel.” All eyes turned to Parchment. “The Maester gave her word that Lyra and the human could leave,” he explained, “and she is true to her word.”

“The Maester.” Celandine looked perplexed, “She said you could go. All of you.” It didn’t sound like a question, more a sounding out of the words as though trying to come to terms with what they meant.

“Apparently,” Blue said with a shrug. “These two freed me just before you arrived, love.”

“Gods above. “Celandine hung her head and groaned loudly, “You’ve got some bloody explaining to do. And that means all of you!”

“It also means you’re up with me, Purple.” Blue motioned Parchment beside him, “You know how to use one of these?” He held up another pistol which was tucked into a belt holster. Parchment shook his head. “Maybe it’s just as well. Just keep you head down, and if I say jump, you jump, capeesh?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Do you understand?”

Parchment nodded.

“Good, let’s go.” Blue looked up as another detonation sounded above them, “Jesus, I don’t like the sound of this. That’s some serious artillery they’re using up there.”

Celandine confirmed what they already knew, “It is.”