“W-Where am I?” Sweetie Belle chirped miserably. It really was the million bit question.

She had been dragged from the forest, taken to a castle, now dropped in a place she could hardly recognize. The stone around her was dark and gray, looking more like the ruined remains of the castle from the Everfree than Canterlot Castle. But everything still looked so clean, she knew she wasn’t in any ruins.

Her eyes looked up a spiraling staircase like she would a monster in her closet. It didn’t matter that the glass windows around the winding steps were stained, that the stairs were carpeted red, or that the ceiling above them shined of gold. Everything, by appearance alone, looked majestic, large, powerful, and most importantly royal. However, that didn’t change how she felt.

It looked like a castle, but it felt like a dungeon.

She had no idea where she was, and she had no idea what was going on.

“H-Hey,” Sweetie let her blurry vision look up, seeing a pale hand reach towards her. With a squeak of fright, she backpedaled away, forcing herself down the stairs she was on.

Her despondent green eyes looked at the two taller… things next to her. She knew who they were, if she could trust what Discord had said, but that didn’t mean she could trust them.

One of them was looking down at her, a short pink mane hanging off of its head. It looked worried, with its lips pulled back and dull claws retracting towards itself. The other figure was looking up the stairs, its forelegs crossed over its chest. It wasn’t looking at either Sweetie Belle or the other creature.

Sweetie Belle felt the tears roll down her face.

“H-hey,” the pink maned one spoke again. “I-It’s okay. There’s nothing here to hurt you. I-I promise.” She watched the thing for a moment, debating in her mind whether it would be safer to run down the stairs and away from them, or to trust what it was saying. A small twist of her head showed the disappearing staircase behind her, just as dark and intimidating as the rising twist in front of her.

“Um,” the thin thing spoke again, its forelegs rubbing against one another as it spoke. Its lips twisted and bent in many directions, but Sweetie Belle didn’t hear a word coming from them. She didn’t know whether she should be confused or terrified. Both still seemed like a purely logical option.

“M-My name is… is Chrona.” Sweetie Belle bit her lip as he spoke. He sounded just as scared as she felt. “What’s yours? I-I mean, um, what’s… w-what’s your name?” The small unicorns’ legs pulled themselves closer to her body, curling her already petite form into a small fragile ball.

“S-,” her lips clamed up before another syllable could be spoken. The pink maned thing twisted its head at her in confusion, but instead of annoyance, Sweetie Belle only saw patience in its eyes. It was a truly comforting sight.

“S-Sweetie Belle…” she spoke her name like it was her darkest secret, whispering it on a hushed breath. “M-My name is Sweetie Belle. What… are you?”

For a moment, Chrona looked at her with another curious expression, its eyes blinking and mouth slightly open. It wasn’t gripping its foreleg anymore, but it didn’t look any more relaxed either. If anything, it just looked a little more lost. But for what it was worth, it didn’t look frightening, just scared.

“I’m… I’m human,” Sweetie Belle heard the word, but the meaning of it escaped her. Her green eyes looked at the other figure behind the human, a blue maned figure that also looked like the boy. But the figure was taller, less clothed, and didn’t appear to be uncomfortable in the slightest.

“And… it?” the unicorn asked with a shaking hoof towards the blue maned human, earning a glance from the creature. Sweetie Belle cringed under the glare it gave, and oddly enough, so did Chrona.

“Do not refer to me as an ‘it’.” The figure spoke with a tone the unicorn had heard from her sister several times before. “My name is Maya, and I’m human, too. But if my name is too hard for you to remember, just call me a woman, ‘cause that is what I am.” Her cold golden eyes turned from the unicorn, looking to the pink haired human instead. Sweetie Belle could see it shaking. “But I can’t tell what you are.”

It was impossible to miss the look of silent shock that passed over Chrona’s eyes.

“I-I’m a boy!” He spoke in what could better be described as an exclamation. It caused the woman’s brow to raise and for Sweetie Belle to shirk away from him. However, the sudden display died down, and he was left to shivering again. Maya’s gaze grew even colder than before.

“Very well, boy,” Her commanding tone echoed again. Her eyes looked at Sweetie Belle, and the only reason the mare did not turn tail and run was the fear keeping her hooves grounded into the carpet. “And what are you anyways, Sweetie Belle? A horse capable of speech?”

A small seed of rage planted itself in the unicorn foal’s chest, burning like a kindling flame beneath a cold wind. But with her lips caught between her teeth, and legs still shaking, no words were able to come from her throat.

“It doesn’t matter,” Maya continued, ignorant to any signs she may have seen in the foal. “All that matters to me right now is trying to understand just what the hell happened. One minute I’m on a train, then I’m in a castle, being attacked by something, then I end up… well who knows where this is?” A curt sigh passed the woman’s lips. Her golden gaze fixed itself on Sweetie Belle and Chrona again

“It’s bad enough that I’m being toyed with, but I have no idea how I ended up with you two.” Her eyes gave a glimmer of some emotion Sweetie couldn’t name. “A boy thinner than a twig and as stern as leaves,” that same gaze turned to the unicorn foal. “And a talking baby horse with a horn on its head.”

And just like that, Sweetie Belle found her fear being replaced with anger.

“Sh-Shut up!” She exclaimed much like Chrona before, jumping to her hooves and screeching like a threatened banshee. However, whereas the spark of fire from the boy died almost instantly, Sweetie Belle kept hers ablaze. “I-I’m not a horse! I’m a pony! A unicorn! So’s my sister! I don’t need you talking bad about me, or Chrona, or… or any pony!”

“S-Sweetie…” Chrona softly spoke her name beside her, but it was as paid as much attention to a pebble on a gravel road.

“I don’t know where I am either!” The foal continued to scream. “I was with my friends! I was having fun! But then Discord made me help him and I didn’t want to! Now I’m lost! And, scared! And… And…” Her voice shook like a weight on an uneven pillar, bending one way then the other.

And like all things without balance, her voice eventually fell.

Miserable sobs ripped and tore their way through Sweetie Bell’s throat, wracking her small vulnerable form in violent waves. Her legs gave out from beneath her as she fell to the carpeted stairs, tears staining the thick material as they fell from her eyes. Her voice echoed off the stone walls, coming close to shaking the foundation they stood on.

Chrona, frozen like a statue by the sudden display, had a face caught in an expression of horror, watching the sobbing foal. Her hooves pushing on her lids in a vain attempt to stop her tears, throat shaking with the force of her cries. He felt his own fragile heart cracking at the sight.

But what terrified him the most, what about the sobbing foal truly made him freeze, was that he saw more than just what his eyes were showing him.

He saw himself.

Chrona saw a ring around the foal, a soft scribbled line that was supposed to keep the world out. Sweetie Belle was stuck in the center, alone and confused, looking for help. He saw himself just outside that fragile circle of protection, looking at the child stuck in side.

He knew what he had to do. He would not let her misery be endured alone. Not after someone had risked so much to help him with his own tears and fears, in the same way Sweetie Belle was.

Chrona’s hands reached out for the foal, slow as a tortoise and twice as careful. Sweetie continued to release wracking sobs, shaking her small form with every fearful cry. His hands began to shake as much as her the closer he drew. Softly then, like a leaf falling from an autumn tree, his hand touched the foal’s coat.

Sweetie Belle froze with a sharp gasp.

Her wet red eyes looked at the hand touching her, following it upwards until she saw Chrona’s pink eyes. His lip was quivering, pulled downwards in a frown. Water was hanging at the edges of his eyes.

They stared at one another for a short amount of time, the only sound between them Sweetie’s Belle’s sniffling to control her still flowing tears.

More cautiously than ever before, Chrona began to move his other hand towards the foal, making sure it was running against the carpet of the stairs, not looming over her like a dark, terrible shadow. Experience had taught him how frightening such things were.

Sweetie watched his hand move slowly towards her, crawling almost. Her coat bristled, afraid of what he was going to do. Her eyes looked up at him again, her lips shaking as the wails threatened to return.

She only saw him looking down with that same sympathetic gaze.

She felt his other hand touch her just as softly as before. It was… warm, comforting and gentle. Before Sweetie could think otherwise, she felt herself leaning into the touch, savoring the warmth. Her voice was starting to shake again.

The soft sounds coming from her throat stopped as she was lifted from the carpet. Terror overtook her for the slightest of moments, eyes looking up at the boy that was holding. But all she saw were the same sad eyes and frown, eyes glistening only slightest less so than her own.

She watched his lips tremble as they parted.

“You…” He began to speak, voice breaking as he spoke. Sweetie sniffled and wiped her hoof against her eyes. She whimpered as he tried to speak again.

“You’re not alone. I… I’ll help you.”

Chrona pulled the foal into a hug, wrapping the pony in his arms. Sweetie belt was beyond shocked, frozen by the sudden protective nature. She hiccupped, whimpered and groaned.

Then Sweetie began to cry again.

“Shh… it’s okay… it’s okay…” Chrona continued to whisper to the foal, wrapped in his arms and crying. Every wail the filly let out drowned out the soft kind words the boy was speaking to her, lost beneath her misery and fear. Yet, he continued to speak to her.

He continued to softly shush her, rubbing his hands over her coat as she continued to cry and sob and wail and scream. She was just a child, hardly an adult by any measure. Yet she was just as lost and confused as they were, taken from her friends and likely her family. Chrona could relate too well.

Sitting on the stairs, mortified by herself, Maya watched the boy comfort the small foal. Her lips were parted just enough to breath, but her eyes were wide enough to nearly let them roll of out of her skull.

As the cries and miserable sobs continued to echo up and down the stairs, she fed her fingers through her hair, letting her palms rest on her forehead. Slow controlled breaths entered and left her, calming her frantic and jumbled thoughts.

Of all the many ways she wanted others to see her, after she had left the monastery she now could call a prison, a monster was the last thing on her list. It’s what the villagers thought of her as she was kept behind locked doors, feared like a rabid beast on a chain.

With just a few words she had proven herself more than capable of being that kind of monster, making a child cry with cruel words and taunts.

Slowly the ringing in her ears faded and the cries of the child were reduced to whimpers. Her head rose from her hands, seeing the foal in the boy’s arms, gripping at the black gown he wore. Her eyes were red and puffy, limbs shaking as the terror of the breakdown slowly began to subside.  Seeing her chance to speak, Maya rose from the steps she was sitting on.

Chrona looked up at her, and she saw daggers in his eyes.

“D-Don’t come… any closer.” He spoke simply, arms shrugging to hold the pony in his arms just a bit closer. The action alone hurt Maya more than the Sweetie’s cries ever came close to.

She stopped walking towards them, standing still above them. Her golden eyes watched the two, swimming with what was close to tears, but held by years of training. Instead, Maya opted keep her vision locked on the boy who was so much smaller than her, in every dimension that could be measured. It was nothing short of heartwarming that he stood up to her to protect Sweetie.

It was only too bad she was the source of the filly’s pain.

However, there was one way to fix it.

“I… I’m sorry.” Maya replied in a shaking voice. Chrona wasn’t sure she meant the words.

“Why?” For a moment, Maya thought he was intentionally mocking her, asking such an obvious question after such a horrific display from the white unicorn. But after another second, she realized he could be asking about any number of things.

Why did she snap? Why was she sorry? Why did she say what she did? Why was she apologizing? Why was she even talking to them? So many whys, all of them worth answering.

“I’m sorry… for snapping at you, both of you.” Her eyes looked down from the boy’s pink gaze to look at the white filly still curled in his arms. “What I said… you didn’t deserve that, neither of you did. It’s completely my fault, and I am sorry for it.”

Maya licked her lips, wetting the cracked skin. She didn’t hear a sound from the boy, either confirmation that he understood or denial towards her words. Either way, that meant she had to keep going.

“I’m honestly just as confused as you are. I’m just… I have a hard time trusting others.” Her gloved hand pinched the bridge of her nose before sliding down her face, hanging off the edge of her chin before falling back to her side. Her eyes looked towards the two, and they boy finally saw some small amount of pain in them, a crack in the golden irises.

“Okay, I’m a little more than confused, and I’ll admit I’m even a little scared.” She let out a humorless chuckle. “But I’m honestly mortified by the way I reacted. So I’m sorry. I’m very, very sorry.”

A tense silence was caught between the woman and the other two beings in the hallway. As the dead air continued to persist, Maya almost wished for the cries to start again. They were easier to deal with.

“So… y-you’re sorry?” Sweetie Belle asked, still curled tight in Chrona’s arms.

Maya let out as silent gasp as the filly spoke large green eyes looking up at her. There was still a ring of red around her whites, dry from the salty tears, but she wasn’t shaking even a quarter as bad as when she was sobbing. Chrona held her a bit closer as she spoke, protectively covering the filly. The action did not go unnoticed by the woman.

“Yes, I am. You didn’t deserve me lashing out at you. I apologize.” The woman bowed her head towards the two, blue bangs covering her features as she did so.

Another tense moment settled between the trio, hanging on the silence of the castle stairwell. Not a single strand of hair shook on the woman’s head as she kept her bowed state, just as Chrona didn’t dare blink as he watched her, caught between caution and confusion. Sweetie Belle, however, sniffled her nose and matted her fur as the time continued to pass. Slowly, reasonably, the filly began to control herself.

“O-Okay,” the word was spoken like a judge’s verdict. Maya raised her head to see the filly gazing at her, green eyes still moist with tears, but no longer releasing heaving sobs. The most notable feature, however, was small subtle smile across Sweetie’s lips. It brought a small turn of the woman’s own mouth as she saw it.

“I… I forgive you.” Maya’s golden eyes twisted upwards to see Chrona, whose own gaze was focused on the floor. His feet played with one another as his mouth twisted and bent, trying to form more words to speak. The woman was patient for him to finish. “I-I’m scared, too.”

“We all are.” Maya confessed as she began to rise. “I don’t think any of us knows where we are, and I’ll admit that I have only a faint idea of who you two are.” Sweetie and Chrona exchanged gazes at one another before looking towards the woman again. “But I can at least assume that none of us wants to be here, right?”

The duo shook their heads up and down with vigor.

“Then we only have to decide where to go. There are only two options.” Maya cupped the bottom of her chin in thought, already deciding on where to go.

“Wouldn’t going up be the best option? That’s where most people go when they use stairs.” Chrona answered simply as he held the shivering unicorn to his chest. “And there are windows, so we aren’t in a basement. So… there’s nothing down… right?”

The blue haired siren gave the boy a hard gaze, looking him over like she would a new model of weapon. He shut his own eyes as he shivered under her golden gaze. They reminded him too much of too painful memories. The way Sweetie Belle shook in his arms did not help at all.

“You’re wiser than you look.” The compliment caught the boy off guard, and he hid no surprise with his widening gaze. The first thing he saw was Maya smiling down at him from the higher steps she stood on. It was an odd sight. Welcome, but odd.

“But… if we are above ground, then going down would bring us to… ground level. That’s where the door usually is, right?” Chrona watched Maya’s gaze fall to his arms before his own purple eyes followed suit. The alabaster unicorn looked up at them, her eyes swimming with confusion. Yet, somehow, she was still able to speak sense.

Maya smiled at them both.

“You are wise as well.” Maya’s words carried the same comforting tone towards Sweetie Belle as they had towards Chrona. The boy could feel the unicorn calm in his arms. It helped ease him as well. “But the problem I’m afraid of is that we must go up to find… whatever it is that brought us here.”

“I-Is that why we’re here?” The pale boy asked with genuine curiosity, walking closer to the blue haired woman. She sighed with a shrug before responding.

“I haven’t an idea. I’m sure you know as much as I do, either of you.” Chrona stopped his approach as he saw her arm glow blue. “What I do know is that I am going to find and brutally maim that… monster.” Maya’s left hand flexed, balling into a muscled fist that shook by her size. Though she was facing towards them, showing her brow furrowed in anger and golden eyes gleaming with a hidden sort of rage, Sweetie Belle and Chrona could only continue to stare at her arm.

It wasn’t just glowing blue, it was sparking.

“Y-Your leg!” Sweetie Bell shouted in alarm, earning a quick gasp from the woman as well.

“What? What is it?” She asked quickly, eyes scanning up and down her black clothed legs, seeing nothing living, dead, or foreign upon them. The filly only shook her head with wide eyes as she pointed her hoof higher.

“No! You’re foreleg!” Confusion washed over Maya’s face before she lifted her arm, the meaning of Sweetie Belle’s words reaching her own golden eyes settled on her shining tattooed arm.

She smiled peacefully, almost apologetically, as she twisted the appendage in front of her.

“This is not my leg.” She explained to the foal, “It’s my arm.” Her words did nothing to calm the frantic unicorn and the boy holder her.

“W-W-Why’s it glowing?” Chrona spoke in a rushed voice, one of his legs taking an impulsive step back, down the stairs they stood on. Maya’s eyes widened as she noticed the gesture. Her smile fell in the same instant, her arm returning to her side and glow slowly fading away.

She stood above the boy and unicorn, a few steps higher; a good foot or two taller for it. Unlike the confrontation before, there was no anger or hatred in her eyes, no reason for them to be afraid of her. But Chrona didn’t make a move to go closer to her, and Sweetie Belle only curled deeper into the robed boy’s arms.

Maya just looked… disappointed.

“I’m… sorry, again.” She spoke in a tone that held no life. The sigh that followed her words was just as emotionless.

“What… What was that?”Chrona spoke carefully, hand instinctively rubbing over Sweetie’s coat as the foal continued to shiver in his arms. Neither of them were of the highest opinion of magic at the moment, let alone from creatures they weren’t familiar with.

Maya lifted her arm again, looking it over herself as if expecting there to be something different about it. But her disappointed frown was evidence that it was the same appendage now as she had had all her life.

“I am not completely human,” she began to explain to the two, twisting her arm as she did so. Chrona was more than familiar with that action. It’s what he did whenever he was asked to talk about himself, too.

“Then what are you?” Sweetie Belle asked from Chrona’s arms. The foal, however, wasn’t shivering or hiding in the boy’s embrace. If anything, it appeared that she was trying to find a better view.

“Where I’m from,” Maya began individually flexing the digits of her tattooed arm. “There are six women born throughout the galaxy that have strange mystical powers. I’m one of them.” Her hand fell to her side as she focused her gaze on the boy and foal.

“I’m called a Siren, able to channel and control energy like magic. And these tattoos, the lines you see growing on me,” her gloved hand ran the length of her uncovered arm, tracing the blue lines that decorated her skin. “I was born with these markings. They’re proof of who I am.”

“Wait!”

The sudden shout from Sweetie Belle caused the boy to holder to jump in shock. Maya stiffened her muscles as if a gunshot had rang through the stair well. The filly, however, pushed and jumped her from Chrona, landing with grace on the red carpeted stairs. Before the woman knew any better, the foal was at her feet, pressing her fore hooves against her legs, larger green eyes looking up at her.

“You were born with your Cutie Mark?” The question caused nothing but confusion for Chrona and Maya.

“A… Cutie Mark? Maya parroted with confusion, raising an eyebrow as she bet at her knees. As soon as her arm was close enough to the ground, Sweetie Belle grabbed at it, pulling it in front of her as she stared at the painted appendage.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle spoke as she continued to examine the Sirens arm. “You know, the mark that supposed to tell you your special talent. Every pony gets one once they find out what they’re special talent is.” Her bright green eyes looked up at the woman, full of adoration.

“But you were born with yours! And it’s not just on your flank, but your entire leg, I mean arm!” The smile across Sweetie’s face was dangerously close to splitting her in two. “That must make you extra special!”

How odd, Maya thought, that this filly changed from anger, to fear, to idolization in in the span of a few moments. It was difficult to call such a thing admirable or pitiful.

But the words were doubtlessly kind. Kind, thoughtful, and as sweet as the pony’s name.

Maya gave her own kind smile in return.

“Thank you for calling me special, but I’m sorry to say that humans don’t have Cutie Marks, at least, not the way you’re describing them.” For a moment, a flash of horror cascaded over Sweetie’s features, and Maya was fearful she was about to be the cause of more tears from the foal.

“Y-You don’t?” The Siren bit her lip before she spoke again, her arm still held in the tiny hooves of the filly. Her eyes looked up towards Chrona, offering a silent plea for help. The boy crossed and held his arms, shifting left and right uncomfortably, just as unsure of the situation as she was. She doubted he knew how to deal with this.

“Well… no,” Mayas free hand found its way to the back of her neck, scratching at the hairs there. “Humans… don’t have Cutie Marks. I have these because I’m a Siren.” Slowly, Sweetie Belle let her hooves fall off the arm, sliding down their length before she touched down on the carpet again. Maya didn’t dare breathe else she give another reason for the foal to cry.

“Is this why it’s hard for you to trust other ponies?” The foal asked in a miserable tone, eyes wet with unshed tears. “They keep judging you because you’re different.”

The breath Maya was holding was let out a harsh chuckle. This little foal wasn’t just wise, she was clever.

“Not completely, but you’re very close.” The Siren admitted to the filly. Sweetie Belle, however, looked no more convinced than before. Fortunately for Maya, she knew where to start from. “But I’m not there anymore. I may not have had the perfect time growing up, but I’m stronger for it.” The woman’s other hand let itself fall on the filly’s back, working to pat Sweetie like she would a dog. The foal shook it off quickly with an angry huff. The Siren pulled her hand back, but the action combined with the tight lip pout from the filly earned another smile from her.

“If it means anything though, it does feel nice to know you’re worried about me. Thank you for that.” Sweetie’s eyes had an odd mixture of happiness and pity, shimmering with unshed tears as a smile hung beneath her overly sized eyes. Maya had the slight thought that if she were a few decades older, her heart would not be able to handle the sight.

“I understand.” Sweetie spoke lightly as she nuzzled herself against Maya’s legs, wiping away the remnants of her tears as she did so. “And thank you.”

The pony turned from Maya, trotting the short distance down the stairs until she was standing at Chrona’s feet, barely past his knees in height. Her neck craned backwards looking up at the boy who towered over her. A sudden, but rather embarrassing, thought crossed her mind.

“Um…” Sweetie Belle began uncertainly, look scrapping her hooves against one another as she bent her head down. Chrona gave her a curious look before bending his own knees, shrinking to the ground until his head was just above the Sweetie.

“Can… can you pick me up again?” She bit her lip as the question left her mouth, as if it was a rude thing to ask for. Chrona blinked twice before the unicorn went on. “I don’t like having to look up so much, it’s hurting my neck.”

The boy only smiled brightly as he heard the request.

“S-Sure, if you want to.” Without waiting for another word, Sweetie Belle jumped into the chest of the boy, earning a small oomph of surprise. Maya watched the small display with a smile almost too small to see.

Hesitantly, Chrona began to stretch his legs, rising with the unicorn foal in his folded arms. Her legs and underbelly pushed and prodded his arms and hands for comfort, adjusting them as if they were pillows on a bed. The boy didn’t speak a word of discomfort as she did so. What he did say was quite the opposite.

“Your… Your coat’s very soft.” He spoke the compliment like it was an insult he was taunted into saying, his face flushing red as the words slipped away. Sweetie, however, only seemed to happy to hear the words.

“Thank you!” She jubilee squealed as she continued to adjust herself in the boy’s arms. “My sister keeps saying that it’s a mare’s duty to keep herself looking fresh and clean.”

“Then you are doing her proud.” Maya spoke as she approached the two again, walking down the few stairs that separated them. The foal beamed up at the woman with the kind words, who returned the smile with still subtle grin.

“I’m glad that we’re all on good terms now. Really, I am. But, we do have something important to discuss.” The sudden change in tone from Maya put Chrona and Sweetie Belle on a curious edge. Not frightened, not worried, but definitely unsure of where the woman was going.

“What’s that?” Chrona asked curiously, flexing and slightly extending his arms as Sweetie Belle continued to adjust herself against his chest. The Siren’s answer was not immediate.

Instead she raised her hand to eye level, holding it partially closed beside her head. Her thumb stuck outwards, jabbing towards the ascending stairwell behind her. Before Chrona or Sweetie could speak, her hand fell forwards. Maya’s thumb curled back into her hand as her index finger extended, pointing past the pair and down towards the twisting stairs.

The meaning became clear in an instant. Maya still spoke the meaning all the same.

“Should we go up or down?”

Silence momentarily reigned between the three of them, each wearing a different mask of thought as the question swam and spun in their minds. Maya let her hand slowly rub up and down her face, reaching the bottom of her lip before sliding back down to the edge of her chin. Chrona hummed in thought, head bending left and right as each thought came and went. Sweetie Belle mirrored his movements from the safety of his arms, bending her body left as his head moved right, then leaning right as his head swung left.

“Why don’t we vote?” Sweetie Belle chirped between the two humans, causing their collective gaze to look down at the foal. Her large green eyes looked up at both of them, her own curiosity still written across her face.

“A vote?” Chrona spoke again, earning a nod from the foal.

“Yeah, it’s what me and the girls do when we can’t decide on something. It usually works, unless we got too many ideas, but it works most of the time!” She explained and defended herself simultaneously, earning an amused smile from Maya. The woman set her glove hand over the foal’s mane, causing said pony to shake her hand madly in an attempt to remove the foreign object.

When Maya lifted her hand from Sweeties head, the young unicorn gave the woman a scowl of disapproval. It was one of the most adorable things the Siren had ever seen.

“You’re as wise as you’re cute.” Maya spoke with a smile on her lips, grinning down at the foal that continued to scowl up at her. Her golden eyes looked up to the boy, still beneath her in terms of height.

He was smiling a soft gentle smile, eyes shut as he was enjoying himself as well.

“You’re right though,” Maya spoke again after she had let the foal stew enough her childish anger. Her words instantly cooled Sweetie’s temper. “A vote would be the best way to settle it, and in a group of three, with only two ways to go, we have to reach a majority.” The boy and foal nodded, the latter beginning to grow a grin that appeared wider than her face would allow.

“Then I vote we go up!” The foal cheered a she lifted a hoof from the boy’s arms. Her eyes were confident and strong, reminding the Siren very much of another child she had met not long ago.

“Alright, that’s one,” Maya’s eyes looked up again. “You, Chrona?”

The boy’s smile left in a hurry as he was left looking down the dark stairway before averting his gaze up towards the winding path. No one direction looked any different from the other. In the end, there only two facts to consider. One went up, and one went down.

“I-I want to go down.” There wasn’t half as much confidence in his voice as there was from the foal in his arms, but his answer was clear all the same.

“Good,” Maya spoke again, looking at the two as she let a tight lipped smile grow across her face. “Then with my vote, I say we go up.”

Sweetie Belle gave a small cheer in the boy’s arms, hooves hanging over the clothed appendages like she would the railing of a window. Chrona, however, let out a sigh of disappointment as he let his head fall, hiding his face beneath his bangs.

“Hey,” Maya spoke with a strong tone, earning the attention of the boy instantly. “Don’t go moping on us. We still have no idea where we are, and the last thing any of us need is thinking about something that doesn’t matter.” The Siren raised and rested her arm on the boy’s shoulder, earning a small gasp of surprise from him, but he didn’t make a motion to fight it off.

Confident, Maya performed the same action on the unicorn foal with her opposite hand, grabbing onto Sweetie’s free hanging hoof with her hand. The pony was more curious than surprised, but she too didn’t fight off the touch. With their full attention, Maya spoke on.

“Right now, we can’t kid ourselves.” Her voice didn’t have the same cheer it had just a few moments ago. “We are, for all intents and purposes, being played with by Discord. We have to remain, alert, vigilant, and above all else, honest with one another.” If Maya had their attention before, now she had their devotion.

“W-What do you mean?” Chrona’s voice trembled on a fragile wire as he asked his thought aloud. Maya answered him all the same.

“I mean we can’t hide anything that might endanger us. If any of us knows anything, if any of us sees anything, we have to tell the others. We cannot, under any circumstances, let ourselves being tricked or cheated by that monster. Understand?” The boy and foal both slowly nodded their heads, eyes wider than saucers. Maya’s smile relaxed as she saw them do so.

“Have you done this before?” Sweetie naively asked the Siren. “Because you sound like my sister when she’s talking about designs, or fashion, or some dumb fancy fabric.” Maya gave out a small chuckle before she responded.

“Experience? No, but I have been trained.” Her tattooed arm rose and flexed itself as she spoke those words. The boy and pony both wisely left their questions unspoken. When the woman’s arm fell, and her gaze returned to the two, she smiled the same way as before.

“Anyways, let’s go. We won’t go anywhere staying still.”

And with those words three began to ascend the twisting stairs of the castle.

“Two crybabies and a girl with control issues. Nothing can possibly go wrong!” Discord cheered jubilee as he watched the trio from a screen, hanging on the outside of the monolith his victims were trapped within. “It does my heart good to know those ponies did their part in making these games just that much better.”

His claw lifted to his elongated face, wiping away a crocodile tear as it fell from his eyes. He was careful not to knick the muscles of his, pushed upwards due to his monstrous smile.

“Ah, but as much fun as it is watching those three banter, it would just be a poor show of sportsmanship to ignore the rest of the players.” The draconequus spoke to himself as he snapped his lion paw. In a flash and bang of white, he was gone from the air. In another moment, he reappeared on another side of the cliff face, facing a new screen bearing a still familiar image.

“It’s not like I can pick favorites with these groups,” he spoke to himself as he carefully eyed the three creatures on screen. “But I have to admit, these three are by far the most entertaining yet.”

“Karl?” Luna parroted the man, brow furrowed as she spoke his name. The man kept the same crooked smile as he nodded towards the dark alicorn. His stone fingers drummed across the strings of his violin.

“Yes, Karl,” he spoke again. “I know it can be a difficult name to remember, so I always try and spell it out with words that could never be used to describe me.” His undamaged hand rose forwards, holding the bow straight up as his fingers slowly extended as he spoke.

“K is for Killing, A is for Arson, R is for Robbery, and L is for Lunacy. Four things I would never do.” His smile only appeared to grow as he spoke. Luna, however, felt her own lips twisting in disgust and confusion. A very quick glance told her Riku was differing little from her in terms of a response.

“That is simply abhorred.” Luna spoke her thoughts, not bothering to hide her sickened state from her words. Her hooves were already preparing to trot backwards in avoidance to the man. Karl, however, only appeared confused by her words.

“Really, why?” His tone carried genuine curiosity. “I find spelling to be a rather easy way to remember things, and as long as you think of things I would never do, then you should easily be able to spell my name.”

“That’s some pretty messed up logic.” Riku’s words carried a tone just as cautious as the monarch’s, carried on a far more hushed tone as well. Luna was preparing to flee, but it appeared that Riku was already preparing to fight.

“Oh come now, do you really think I’m some sort of threat?” The question momentarily caught the princess and boy off guard, but the stern return of their gazes would have been answer enough to anyone. Karl appeared to give an exasperated sigh.

“Really, do I look that frightening?” In truth, he did not look frightening, but he was the farthest cry away from looking trustworthy. Luna was keen on speaking her mind.

“It is not out of fear that I… am hesitant to approach you,” she phrased her words carefully, “You are just a stranger we have come across in a place both my companion and I are unfamiliar with.” Luna knit her brows as she thought of a new question to ask the man. “How have you come to be here?”

“Me?” Karl asked as he placed his hand over his chest, violin still held strong in his grasp. “Why I honestly have no idea. One moment I’m fighting for my very life, then the next, I wake up in here with nothing by my trusty violin in my hand and Arma on my shoulder.”

“Arma?” Riku asked as the name was spoken. The bird on the man’s violin jumped into the air, fluttering briefly before settling next on the same man’s shoulder. Its red eyes opened and closed soundlessly.

“Oh that would be my friend here.” Karl lifted the hand holding his bow, letting on of his gray digits scratch beneath the bird’s beak. “She can be a bit naughty at times, but I’ve never met a truer friend than her. That reminds me though,” He spoke as he twisted his eyes towards the pair again, smile as curvy and uneven as before. “You have yet to tell me your names. I think I’ve earned that much at least.”

Hesitantly, Luna bit her lip, shifting her eyes towards her silver haired companion. Riku’s gaze was stern and focused, his lips tight and held in a straight line. It was hard to judge what he was thinking, too little light and even less being allowed beneath his silver bangs. She could assume, however, that he was not going to be the first to be forthcoming with much information. That was the wise decision for a cautious mind.

However, they could not risk another enemy, not with Discord somewhere beyond where they could see, most likely toying with them for his own sick and twisted enjoyment. If they continued to withhold who they were from Karl, it would only be a matter of time before they would be forced to part ways. In the worst case, by battle.

As a princess, it was Luna’s duty to not only address the problems at hoof, but prevent them as well.

“I am Princess Luna, Guardian of the Night. You may address me as such.” Her wings spread to their fullest as she spoke, widening her form and raising her head until she was an intimidating figure for those who saw her. Karl, however, only continued to watch and smile, no different than before.

Then slowly, almost calculatingly so, he lowered his torso until he was parallel with the ground, arms spread out far from his sides. One hand held the neck of his violin, the other on end of his bow. The raven on his shoulder lightly jumped and bobbed to keep its balance, but it didn’t make so much as a chirp of noise. When Karl’s figure settled itself, his neck bent upwards, revealing a closed eyed smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you your majesty.” Of all the responses Luna was expecting from the man, this was not one of them. Her wings visibly shook with unease, unprepared for what she saw as genuine grace. Her frame gave a light shake as she composed herself, coughing into her hoof as she did so.

“Yes, it is… my pleasure to meet you as well.” Her cerulean eyes looked up to Riku, seeing the same cautious stare from the boy as he had given before. She watched his mouth give a slight rise as his lower lip pushed on it, a doubtful thought being worked through his mind no doubt. The boy’s shoulders gave a roll, then he spoke.

“My name is Riku,” he spoke simply towards the man, face kept stern and neutral. “And that’s all I’m giving you until I know you’re not a threat to us.”

‘Well, if one of us must be blunt…’ Luna quipped in her own mind.

“Life favors the cautious and strong.” The words came from Karl in a tone the dark alicorn did not recognize. It didn’t have the sing-song beat to it, nor any manner of joy or elation. It was calm like her night and neutral like Riku’s own voice. It brought back every amount of caution Luna had done away with.

Before Luna could remark on the sudden turn in the man’s demeanor, however, Karl rose from his bow, standing to his tallest. As he did so, his arms disappeared behind his back, vanishing beneath the tan coat that hung from his shoulders. Then in a flash, his hands extended outwards again, free of any violin or bow. His smile was open and bright.

Neither Riku nor Luna enjoyed the sudden movements he made, even less so with his open smile.

“Oh please don’t be threatened by me, I honestly mean no harm.” He spoke with both of his palms in front of him, open and facing towards the duo. “I was just finding it a hassle to hold a conversation with my violin in hand. Besides, take this as proof that I’m completely unarmed.” That much was true, at least as far as Luna or Riku could tell.

Aside from the bird on his shoulder, and the violin now presumably behind his back, there wasn’t another thing on his person that could possibly inflict harm.

“It’s good to know, Riku, that you have a healthy level of caution about you. You can never be too sure of who you’re meeting, so it’s a good idea to keep your guard up. For example,” His hands fell forwards until his palms were facing upwards, eyes still gazing at the alicorn and boy with a jagged smile across his face.

“I have no idea what you two are capable of, or even where you are from, so the best course of action is get to know you first. After all, only a fool or a madman randomly attacks people.” His words sounded honeyed to Luna’s ears, but she could see no fault in his logic or thoughts.

“Then what are you planning?” Luna spoke her words in her careful tone once more. She could not be threatening, not to a man she knew nothing about. She wished the smile he gave could be taken as a sign she spoke her words correctly. However, she had never seen Karl lose his smile yet.

“Why nothing at all, to be quite honest.” It appeared that he would not be satisfied until he was a complete enigma to the alicorn and boy. “Didn’t I tell you I’ve been waiting here for some time? It actually benefits me for you two to have found me. If anything, I would be hoping you would help guide me out of here. You can never have too many friends when you’re stuck in strange places.”

And now twice in a row, Luna found herself unable to find any fallacy in his mindset. This time, when she turned to Riku, she made sure the boy was looking back at her. His head twisted to meet her gaze, their eyes meeting. His eyes were strong and focused, churning with an innumerable amount of doubts; she could see it clear as the stars on a cloudless night.

In her own mind, however, the princess found much in the name of reason to at least tolerate Karl. Trust, she knew better than most, was a thing hard earned and precious to have. They did not have to trust him, but in the very least, they could tolerate him. Caution however, would still be necessary.

Riku gave a slow nod of understanding as he looked into her eyes, and Luna gave tilt of her head in agreement.

“Karl,” the dark alicorn began with her royal voice, strong in pitch and tone. “Though we know little about you, we would be safer to let you follow us for now. However, should you do anything to give us reason to doubt you, we will not hesitate to deal with you as is necessary.”

The man’s face lit up like the sky with a morning’s first sun.

“That’s wonderful!” He cheered, giving a small twirl of his form as he did so. The bird on his shoulder took flight as he did so, keeping itself from the centrifugal force the man was generating as he spun. As he finished his twirl, both feet firmly on the red rock floor, the bird took its place once more. Karl’s smile did not change.

“So,” Riku spoke up, the fingers of his free hand drumming against his palm in tense thought. “You said you were fighting someone before. Who was it?”

“It wasn’t just one person, it was several. And let me tell you, they were simply the worst.” He spoke in the same tone in which he had spelled out his name, arms wide to his sides with his smile twisted and neutral. It was impossible for either the alicorn or swordsman to figure him out.

“I was fighting for the chance to use a wishing machine, but so many of them fought me tooth, nail, hammer, and steel against it. And I was close to it, too. So very close to getting my wish answered.” Karl held his stone hand in front of him, flexing the digits individually, letting the harsh material grind against itself with the movements. Luna and Riku watched on in with cautious curiosity.

“… same mistake.” The words came so quietly and so suddenly, the dark alicorn missed what they were.

“I beg your pardon?” Karl lifted his head at the question, hand dropping back to his side as he did so. He blinked twice before responding.

“Oh, nothing, just thinking on something from a long time ago. We’ll call it an unpleasant memory and move on. Sound fair?” Neither the alicorn nor the boy found confidence in pushing a conversation the man was so joyous to avoid. “Excellent. Now then, where should we be off to?”

“Off to?” Luna repeated the question herself, unsure of what they meant.

“He’s asking where we go now, and it’s a pretty good question. Nowhere to go from where we came from, but no where to go in here.” Riku’s eyes scanned the walls in the room, all the same red rock as the fiery pit outside. “Maybe it would be a good idea to-”

He cut himself off as he saw Luna’s horn glowing as it had before, a flashlight aiming along the walls. With a grin, Riku turned silently as he followed the probing light.

“Now that really is something!” Karl cheered as he watched the alicorn worked. The grin along Riku’s face fell in a moment. He gripped the Path to Dawn a bit tighter than he had before.

“Keep your distance,” he warned the man carefully. “The princess has to keep her concentration as she’s doing this. Distracting her isn’t an option.” It was a lie, a quick and sloppy one at that, but an enemy wouldn’t risk it. It would only be too obvious if he tried to break the alicorn’s concentration, something an ally would not do. With a practiced grin, and a retreating step, Karl responded.

“I’ll stay few yards back then. I couldn’t risking ruining her majesty’s work.” His grey eyes followed the light along the walls the same as Riku, watching the faint lines of magic glow beneath the light. “Can I assume she is looking for a false wall?” The question earned a rogue thought from the boy.

“Actually yeah, she is.” He twisted himself until his side faced the man, his gaze partially hidden beneath his bangs. “How would you know about that?” For his credit, Karl didn’t give a single sign of surprise or shock. Instead, he turned to face Riku, head lolled to his side and with the same ever-present smile.

“Well it’s awfully hard not to guess what I’ve already seen. Or have you already forgotten how you got into this room?” The silver haired boy found his confidence quickly eroding away as the man spoke. “My head’s as thick as stone and even I remember that you walked through a wall. It’s a pretty hard thing to forget. Oh, it’s alright though, we all lose our minds from time to time.” Nothing about that sentence brought Riku any peace of mind.

“But, while we wait for the pretty whittle pony to work her magic, maybe you can answer a question for me now?” Karl twisted on his heel, taking a slight spin on the ground as he did so. Riku watched him as carefully as he would an enemy in battle. There was no part of him that wanted to answer the questions the man might have. The possibility of them being harmless were less than nothing. However, there was a way to turn into a risk with reward.

“Sure, I can do that.” Karl stopped as Riku spoke in compliance, clearly giving some level of shock to the violinist. His smile was no less crooked, but his large grey eyes blinked before continuing.

“That was quite the change of pace. What’s the catch?” Riku’s face was no less stern or focused than before.

“I don’t trust you.” Karl smiled brighter at the comment. “And you don’t trust me.”

“Hey now, it’s rude to say what someone else is thinking.” Riku continued on regardless.

“So for every question I answer, you have to answer one of mine. That fair?” Karl’s stone grey hand rose to his mouth as Riku finished, curling itself over the curvy smile on his face.

“Clever and cautious.” Again, just like before, the jarring change in the man’s speech give Riku a chill, his hand tightening on the hilt of his blade as he heard it. The action drew an amused chuckle from Karl.

“Now calm down, I was giving a compliment.” The man’s hands lightly waved in front of him, Arma on his shoulder lightly jumping up and down to adjust itself. “I think it’s a fine idea. Why don’t you lead?”

For a moment, Riku played with his tongue, biting and twisting the unseen object in his mouth. His eyes tilted towards Princess Luna, still working her magic along the walls. He didn’t seen any anomalies like the one she had found on the wall before this room, and as she had yet to stop, it was likely she had not either. This was a larger room, with much more area to search.

“Alright,” he spoke carefully, watching Karl’s eyes twist into a smile similar to the ever present beam he had on his lips. Lifting his hand, Riku motioned towards his eye, clawed over and marred. “Why’s your eye all grey like that? Your hand too?”

Karl lifted the hand in question, twisting it like he was attempting to put a price on the object. He straightened a single digit on it, rubbing it down the claw marks on his face as he did so. It wasn’t a sight Riku found all that pleasing to watch.

“Just an old mark from a long time ago. The paint wore off here,” Karl spoke as he waved his hand in the air. “And Arma and I had a fight for her to give me these scratches.” He flicked at the grey wounds on his face with shut eyes and a wide smile.

“Then… why are they g-”

“Ah!” Karl interrupted, raising his hand with single finger in the air. “I answered your question, now you have to answer mine.” He twisted his head as his eyes looked the silver haired boy up and down, Riku giving him glare all the while. One of Karl’s hands played with the bottom lip of his smile.

“I know,” he declared with a snap of his fingers. “Where did you get that sword of yours? That isn’t anything a normal human can make.” Slowly, Riku lifted the path of dawn between them, the blade still held with a tight grip in his hand. It’s curved edge bent towards him, the purple guard and blade shining like the last light of a fading sun.

For a moment, Riku thought of lying. There was no way the man would know any better. He could say he found it in some chest and there would be no way to prove him right or wrong. Then again, telling Karl exactly how he came across the blade would very well put the man on more guard, that is, if he were here to harm them. It was a gamble, but then, every action he and Luna had taken so far was.

“I was chosen to wield this blade because of the strength of my heart. It is one of only a few, reserved for warriors spread out across the many worlds.” Riku watched, with an undeniable sense of satisfaction, as Karl’s mouth opened into wide expression of shock. The edge his lips, however, seemed just able to maintain his smile.

“That is impressive!” He congratulated, hands clapping together as he did so. “I would have never guessed you humans had so much power to have weapons flock to you. And here I thought I was lucky when Arma flew by my way. Isn’t that right?” His hand tickled the underside of the bird again, causing the raven to bend its neck towards the appendage.

“My turn now,” Riku knew his question before before Karl ever asked his. “Why are parts of you grey?”

“For such a clever boy, you keep asking such obvious questions.” Karl chuckled at the flat look of annoyance Riku gave him in return.

“The answer is obvious though.” Karl raised his grey hand, balling it into a fist. He placed the wrist of the appendage against his torso, holding it in place for a moment. Then his fist flexed twice, knocking against his chest.

It sounded hollow. Hollow like carved stone.

Little else could have caused Riku’s eyes to widen so fast.

“Wait, you’re a statue?” It was doubtful to the boy that even Sora could have smiled as brightly as the stone man was now.

“But of course, why else would I have paint on me?” For a moment, it looked as if he was going to speak again, doubtlessly another quip to give Riku a reason to groan. But then, Karl’s head cocked towards the bird on his shoulder, the raven facing his ear. Not a sound was produced between them for a few moments.

“You’re as clever as ever, Arma.” Karl spoke suddenly, hand rising again to play with the black bird on his shoulder. “Such a devious little bird.”

“There.”

Neither Riku nor Karl spoke those words.

Their eyes simultaneously turned to see Princess Luna looking upwards, horn alight and glowing towards the ceiling. High above them, on the curved edge of the stone where the wall became the ceiling, there was a bright white glowing spot. Both Riku and the princess knew well what that meant.

“Very impressive, your majesty,” Karl spoke with a chipper tone, walking beneath the glowing section of wall with a hand perpendicular to his eyes. “I must confess, that magic of yours is really something to see! I would be hard pressed to find anything else like it, and then be challenged further to be told to leave it.” Luna wasn’t aware of a proper response to give.

“Yes… well…” she spoke her words with large breaks, mind shifting for a proper answer. “I am glad you appreciate my efforts.” Karl gave a bow to her words.

The princess was finding it more and more difficult to be cautious around such a formal and polite man. Statue, she silently reminded herself. A statue.

“Hold on a second.” Riku’s words were the only warning he gave before his blade left his hand.

The steel sailed upwards, cutting through the humid air with metallic song. It made contact with the red rock of the ceiling, lodging itself partially into the material. The other portion of it was reaching into false wall Luna had found.

“There,” the boy spoke with a finished tone. “You can relax now.” It took a moment for Luna to understand the meaning of his words. But with a nod of understanding, she let her horn stop humming, her magic fading away. High up above, Riku’s sword was still stuck in the material.

He raised his hand upwards, palm facing his caught sword. Luna and Karl watched on as they stood still for a moment, not doing so little as even flinching or breathing. Then, from up above, they heard the harsh grind of stone on steel. It came once, twice, then they heard metal singing again.

It took only a moment before the Path to Dawn was returned to Riku’s grasp. He caught it with hardly any effort. The next sound to pierce the air was Karl clapping in amusement.

“You two are as clever as you are interesting.” He spoke with a tone Luna could only guess was complimentary. “All I can show off is my chiseled form.” And again, the princess had little idea of how to take his words. Riku, however, had no hesitation to place his forehead against his open palm.

“Once more I am complimented by your words, Karl.” Luna spoke to the statue man, offering a small nod of her as well. “However, I do not enjoy being trapped in this place, and I would enjoy more than little else to be able to leave. Now that we know the way, I suggest we go.”

“Wait,” Riku held up his hand. His eyes looked towards Karl as an unsettling grin fell across his lips. “Why don’t you go first?”

Karl cocked his head to the side as the question was proposed to him.

“Eh?”

Luna gave a perplexed look as well.

“We can’t leave the princess alone in this place, as dangerous as it is, and I’m sure she trusts me to stay by her side more than you.” Riku looked towards the alicorn as he spoke. When her gaze met his, he gave a wink of his eyes, facing away from Karl’s vision. Luna caught onto his scheme swift as a night’s wind.

“He speaks the truth, Karl.” The monarch spoke. “It would be improper and foolish to leave royalty unattended.” Her head motioned towards the false wall, marked above and below by Riku’s sword. “We will be close behind. Think of this as a final test of our trust with you.”

With those words, Karl’s smile grew a bit wider.

“It would be an honor to do a service to the crown.” He spoke to them both, leaning back on his heels as he body skillfully bent forward, precariously balancing itself.

Then, before either Riku or Luna could prepare themselves, the stone man bent at his knees, hands flat on the ground in a crouch. His gaze looked up at the wall confirmed to be fake, his eyes lining with illusion.

With a single powerful extension of his legs, he flew from the red rock floor and through the empty space, vanishing from view.

Luna and Riku watched on in silent astonishment.

“His body is far stronger than I previously thought.” Luna admitted, eyes still focused on the wall high above them. Riku gave a single slow nod of agreement.

“Yeah, doesn’t mean he’s any less dangerous.” His eyes gave a glance towards the monarch as he spoke on. “I’m not the only one who doesn’t buy his story, right?”

“Of course not,” Luna agreed. “Discord would not give us aid without a poison to take it with. I am doubtless this Karl will turn into either a foe or a crutch, neither beneficial to us. However,” Her eyes hardened, lids falling into a determined stare. “It is wiser to keep an enemy close and observed than to be guessing where he could be.”

“You got that one right.” Riku agreed. A slow sigh escaped his lips as his body slowly started to relax. “Well, guess it’s time we go now. That is the only way we have left.” Luna gave a humorless laugh in agreement, shaking her wings as she relaxed her stiff form.

“Indeed.” The monarch eyed the wall for a moment before a sudden realization hit her. With a small swallow, she turned to Riku again. “Would you please… prepare another… portal?”

The uneasy question earned an amused smile from the boy, which only flushed Luna’s coat with heated embarrassment. The words Riku spoke only made it far worse.

“Of course, m’lady.” He spoke with a low bow, arms appropriately bent to his sides. “It would be my honor to help a woman in need.”

“S-Silence…”

“Hmm…” Azula hummed as her hands ran across her lips, light delicate fingers tracing the bones beneath her porcelain skin. Her lips slowly curved upwards as her thoughts continued to spin.

“Nothing is ever as it appears to be.” She spoke lightly to herself, fingers drumming against the tip of her chin. “Burning stone, sealed stone, false stone, and now living stone. At least there’s a theme I can see.”

Azula straightened herself as her eyes slowly scanned the screens over the monolith of the floating castle, looking for another show to watch. It was boring, playing with the same toys all the time. Variety was the spice of life, and a little bit of misery within mystery sounded perfect to her.

Her sharp golden eyes settled on another screen, bearing the image of a canary colored horse and a man dressed in black. She was more than curious who those two would interact.

She was even more curious how they would deal with the beast she chose for them.

“Songbird, Songbird, see him fly,” her lips sweetly sang, one of her fingers dancing to the tune she made. “Drop the children from the sky. When the young ones misbehave, escorts children to their grave. Never back-talk, never lie, or he'll drop you from the sky.”

Azula’s smile was sharp enough to cut steel. Next Chapter: Untold Mysteries Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 7 Minutes