But love is what we want, not freedom. Who then is the unluckier man? The beloved, who is given his heart's desire and must for ever after fear its loss, or the free man, with his unlooked-for liberty, naked and alone between the captive armies of the earth?

                                                                                           - "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" by Salman Rushdie

***

The Ground Beneath Her Hooves

"Layla..." Silver Dawn exhaled. He was stunned. He was perplexed and disheartened. His dream wasn't a dream, after all. Or it was. Or, maybe, just maybe, his mind had lost its ability to comprehend and the dim remembrance of the underground city was a lie. A delusion born by a weary mind. But this 'delusion' was standing before him, smiling warmly, probably enjoying the black pony's mental turmoil.

It was the transcendence. The violation of all laws and rules that had ever been established. The dissection in reality. Silver couldn't find any more words. What would he say? Why would he address her in the first place?

"Layla..." He whispered again, pointlessly trying to find any discrepancy between the Layla from before and this Layla. There was none. It was the same unicorn, exactly resembling the one from that strange dream. Or not dream.

Realising that his eloquence had completely abandoned him, Silver silently approached the purple mare, slightly poking her with a hoof. She felt real. Her body was solid and very soft, not the kind of elastic softness, but a sturdy one.

Layla snickered, stepping back and covering her mouth with a hoof.

"Now what do you think you're doing?" She asked Silver, with perfunctory rigour but with a hint of natural curiosity in her eyes.

Silver stepped back as well, shaking his head. Great. Now he was making a droll of himself. Or, what would be much, much worse, Layla could consider it to have been a sign of infatuation for her! He had to think of something quickly, something smart.

"I was... investigating?" The black pony said half-questioningly. Smart indeed, Silver. Way to go, he thought the next second, mentally scolding himself for stupidity.

The red-maned mare raised a brow with an unspoken question in the corners of her lips.

"I mean, I was checking whether you were real or not!" The lavender-maned pony exclaimed apologetically, forcing himself to fall into the trap of his own device.

"And why would you need to do it, Silver Dawn?" The unicorn enquired deprecatingly. "Do I look like a ghost?" She wondered mockingly.

"Um... no," Silver mumbled. He cast a brief glance upon the mare. She looked real. She was real. Or not. In any case, he knew she was the only one with whom he could exchange his worries and speculations. If she were a part of his imagination, she couldn't give him advice, right? Silver recalled the dream about Lancy. Or not dream. Yes, life was very confused, after all.

Inclined to hear Silver expound his idea, Layla stomped a hoof in impatience.

"We've not much time, Silver Dawn. If you are in a mood for poltroonish mumbling, come another day," she said with an ostentatious glare.

That was obviously intended to foment sedition but had a diametrically opposite effect.

"I think I'm insane!" The earth pony blurted out, instantly regretting his action. Such a strenuous confession would not only plant a seed of doubt in Layla's heart but also assure her that he, Silver, was fully and completely mad.

Silence endured in the room. The sound of ponies laughing could be heard from outside.

"Those ignorant, blissful morons..." Layla whispered contemptuously, resembling Silver's thoughts, making him once more believe that she was a mere resemblance of his own subconsciousness.

"Anyway," she continued with a frown. "It's unsafe to stay here any longer. Let's get to the City, Silver Dawn - we'll discuss your... issue," the unicorn concluded demurely.

Upon seeing fear in the black stallion's eyes, she sighed.

"No, you won't faint this time. I've improved the spell, don't worry," she said before her horn lit and Silver started to feel light-headed. There was a flash of light and darkness enveloped him.

***

However, it didn't last long. In an instant, eyesight returned to Silver. After a few seconds of adjusting, he saw him to be in the 'Sleeping corner', in the underground city. By the way...

"Layla, what do you call this place anyway?" He suddenly wondered, following the mare, who had begun walking along some invisible path, manoeuvring between ponies with ease and grace. Silver couldn't help staring at her in awe - she seemed so elegant, yet so bold!

"We call it 'The City', why?" She replied, not looking back at the black stallion.

"Well, I think something like 'Steampunk' would've suited it better, don't you think?" Silver asked as he increased his pace to reach Layla and they began trotting side by side.

"Strange name... Strange word, I mean," the unicorn said in a bland tone. "Made it up yourself, Silver Dawn?" She wondered with visible disinterest.

Silver resolved not to answer. If she were a part of his mind, she would know about the book. Or was it an intended motion?

"So are we going to continue our saunter or finally find a quiet place to sit?" The black pony wondered with feigned vitality.

Layla suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Already found, Silver Dawn," she said, finally looking in the red eyes, pointing with a hoof at a couple of pillows by the wall.

With a sigh, the black adventurer placed himself on one of the pillows.

Layla followed him, lying on another pillow, shaking her head.

"And I thought mares get to lie before stallions," she said, making the earth pony blush.

"So," she interrupted Silver's unspoken apology. "What's been bothering you, Silver Dawn?" She asked sympathetically.

She can surely change her tone, Silver thought. Though, she sounded honest; thus, he resolved to tell her all the truth.

"Well, in short... I had... a dream about Lancy, and when I told him about it, he assured me it was real. And..." Silver stumbled upon what he would say next. He looked at Layla, who gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. "And he also told me that this underground city was a dream, on the contrary," he finished in a sombre tone.

To his astonishment, the purple mare only laughed.

Silver raised a brow and already opened his mouth but Layla pressed a hoof against his lips.

"Wait, Silver Dawn. I know what you're trying to say. Don't worry - you're not the first one and probably not the last one," she said. "You see, Lancy's a powerful mage, and a pernicious one. He can easily manipulate the very mind of most ponies," the unicorn continued, taking her hoof off Silver's mouth, yet still leaving him in complete silence.

Layla moved closer to Silver and looked into his eyes. Her gaze was soft and tender. Her eyes reflected the artificial light of the city. She didn't blink but that look was by no means a superficial one. It wasn't drilling Silver but instead slowly sliding into the depths of his mind and heart.

"I'm real, Silver Dawn. Don't you see?" She asked, not moving at all.

Silver gulped. Yes, she seemed real. But... No, no more 'but's today. She felt real, therefore she was real.

"I do," he whispered, instinctively closing his eyes - he could still remember the last night and knew very well what came after such close intimacy.

"Great, now let's get straight to business, shall we?" a voice reached the adventurer's ears, making him open his eyes. The voice belonged to Layla, no doubt. Well, maybe not all affairs were the same...

"Um... What business, Layla?" Silver asked, recollecting his composure, hoping that Layla hadn't noticed his embarrassment.

"Escape, of course!" The mare exclaimed, throwing a hoof in the air.

Escape. Silver had already forgotten about it. Escape. It was so strange... Like he had truly already forgotten about it. Of course, he wanted to break free. But he thought it to be a rather distant future. He thought he had time for... For what? Talking to Lancy, the sinister doyen of Stealth? Sleeping with Shining Star - a mare he found physically attractive but had no romantic longing for? Spending the year he had left with ignorant youngsters whose only purpose in life was to live it? And what is your purpose, then? A voice echoed in his head. He shook his head to get rid of such thoughts that were obfuscating him, crawling into his mind like desert snakes, deadly creatures that wait until the very last moment to strike - but strike incessantly, till their target would collapse on the ground, shaking from the venom, slowly and painfully dying.

Silver shook his head again, this time more fervently. He couldn't allow such ideas to ruin his already impaired sanity.

"So, how are you... I mean, we going to escape?" He wondered, returning on the familiar track of business talk. Easy, donnish and not tendentious. Like two partners would talk. Two allies. Two... friends?

"A wonderful opportunity turned up, Silver Dawn! I guess you won't even have to kill Lancy!" Layla said cheerfully, making the black pony snap out of his troubled reflections.

"Oh, really?" Silver asked mockingly. He had already forgotten about that stupid plan. "You guess, huh?" He turned his head towards the purple mare, who looked like a preceptor and a sentry at the same time: she looked recalcitrant yet indulgent, firm yet gentle.

"Well, you never know for sure, right?" Layla replied in the same merry tone.

Silver sighed. Right. Never know for sure. The exact feeling that had been haunting him for the past few days. He felt so insecure. He had lost his orientation. He couldn't be sure of anything any more. A valid point, Layla. You never know for sure, he thought.

"Anyway, here's the plan," Layla said, lowering her voice. "Tomorrow, the Earth Brothers will attack Stealth. This will be our chance. The panic will be exacerbated with each passing second, and, while the ponies will be fighting or screaming and running away in terror, we will escape and..." She continued in a conspirational tone but was interrupted by Silver's waving his hoof before her face.

"Hey, wait a minute!" He exclaimed, utterly dumbfounded and disoriented. "Earth Brothers? Attack? Tomorrow? What?"

Layla exhaled, turning so that she would be face to face with the black earth pony.

"The Earth Brothers is a nationalistic organisation whose headquarters is located to the East, in the outside world," the red-maned unicorn began her explanation, and Silver noticed her intonation: she wasn't pronouncing those two words, 'outside world', disdainfully; she didn't put any emphasis on them at all. "They attack Stealth from time to time, trying to kill all the unicorns and pegasi they can. This usually leads to chaos among Stealth citizens. All of their previous attempts were too weak and way too short: the Earth Brothers were just sounding the defence of Stealth - but now they're ready for a full-scale attack. That's our chance, Silver Dawn," she concluded firmly.

Silver felt his mind slowly rupturing, breaking into tiniest shards. There were other ponies in the outside world. They were going to attack. There was going to be a battle. He could escape. Maybe there were other ponies than those 'Earth Brothers'! Suddenly, he felt that breaking free was a marvellous prospect. He was not alone.

Somewhere deep in his heart, he felt miserable. He felt small. He felt impecunious. He wasn't special, after all. All those years of travelling alone were just a cruel coincidence. He could have met other ponies on his way but the sinister Providence decided for him not to. Providence? Was he truly that superstitious?

Silver began questioning himself - long, long ago. While he was sure he was a full-blown materialist and realist, he couldn't disagree with the fact that some mystical serendipity had assisted him throughout his adventure for survival. But serendipity comes from a pony's mind, whilst Providence is something of a godlike nature. No. Silver had tossed faith away before and he would toss it away now. Faith was an useless expenditure. Faith was for the meek and the weak. He, Silver Dawn, was by no means weak. Or meek. ...Or was he?

"So, how can you be so sure of it?" He asked Layla, trying to maintain a practical tone. He didn't want her to find him in a state of deepest confusion - he had an image to keep, after all! Or was there a different reason for it? Maybe you like her? The ever-vigilant voice in Silver's head whispered. No. He didn't like her. Even physically, not to mention mentally. She was an ally, just an ally. Oh, so now you admit she's your ally? The same voice cooed. Of course. Of course she was an ally. Maybe she would eventually become his friend. But that didn't prevent Lancy from being his friend. Lancy was his friend as well, right? Or wasn't he?

One way or another, he didn't have much experience with such complicated issues as making friends.

"We have ears in many places, Silver Dawn," Layla replied, smiling softly, yet letting a hint of self-respect touch her lips. "Very few things escape us," she concluded dramatically.

"You have agents among Lancy's troops, in other words?" Silver wondered, gifting Layla with an unamused look.

The purple unicorn sighed.

"Did you really have to ruin the moment?" She asked discontentedly but broke into laughter the next second. "I may have overreacted a little bit, now that I think about it." She wiped a tear off her eye.

Silver chuckled.

"Yes, you may have," he said, feeling slightly warm inside. Life had its positive moments, after all. Like his father had always said, life was divided in dark and bright periods. However, to Silver's mind, it was mostly grey.

"You are a marvel, Silver Dawn, you know that?" Layla suddenly asked, rising from the pillow.

Silver repeated her motion, standing on his hooves, rising a brow questioningly.

"It was a rhetorical question," the purple mare said with a fire of mockery in her eyes.

"I know," the black pony replied in the same tone.

In fact, it felt great - just talking to Layla, teasing her, getting teased... But they had a mission - a mission that needed to be either accomplished or... No, it needed to be accomplished.

"Say, Layla, what's my part in all of this?" Silver asked, regaining his businesslike tone.

"It's simple, really. Tomorrow, when you hear ponies shouting and gunshots, run towards the entrance to Stealth and find me. I'll tell you what to do," Layla told him, still smiling, despite all the affected formality.

The lavender-maned adventurer nodded.

"Now, I'll send you to your flat - you can't be absent for long, or else Lancy will notice," she said as her horn began glowing.

"Layla, wait..." Silver said, making the mare hold her spell. "One more thing."

"What is it, Silver Dawn?"

"You can call me Silver."

With a flash of light, the unicorn before him disappeared, but before the temporary darkness circumscribed him, Silver could see Layla smiling and silently whispering his name.

***

The room materialized before Silver with a flash, making the black pony wince and rub his eyes. He looked around, only to see his flat in the same state he had left it before. His head ached, however - the signs of the previous night still refused to abandon his long-suffering mind.

The earth pony proceeded to the bathroom with a clear intention to cleanse his worries under the stream of flowing water. He had one more day. The next day, it would happen. He would be free. But do you want to be free? The naughty voice kept bombarding Silver. The adventurer responded by turning the tap. Cold, invigorating water enveloped him whole, delivering the much desired pleasure both to his exhausted limbs and weary mind. It was amazing how he managed to be tired without much activity. Maybe the fact of being safe, protected, finally unleashed the tiredness that had been assembling in Silver's body.

Silver's staid state didn't last long - a knock at the door interrupted his sedated flow of thoughts. Lancy. That was most certainly Lancy. The red unicorn wouldn't leave him alone - after all, he probably wanted to enquire about Silver's condition after the previous night. Or was there another reason? He definitely shouldn't depreciate Lancy's wits as well as his abilities. The black pony remembered what Layla had said. It felt so strange: while Layla and Lancy were enemies, or at least opponents, standing on the opposite sides of the shed - but Silver experienced a friendly kindling while being with either of them.

Silver grunted and left the bathroom. Slowly making his way to the door, he shouted: "Coming, Lancy!"

It was not Lancy. When he opened the door, a blue orange-maned unicorn appeared before his eyes. Shining Star.

"Will you invite me or what?" She asked with a smile - but not with a friendly one; to Silver, it seemed cold, even arrogant.

He silently took a step back, inviting the mare with a nonchalant hoof gesture. He couldn't say he despised her; sure, he mentally decried her for taking advantage of him - in fact, of his drunk body - the previous night. But even more he abhorred himself: for getting drunk, for letting her abuse him... Why didn't he condemn Lancy? That was partly his fault as well. He would definitely talk to him about it later...

"So, that's your place, huh?" Shining Star asked casually. "Not bad, not bad - mine's better, though," she continued, making sure her insult (Oh really? You're insulted, Silver? The voice laughed) was audible to the earth pony.

Silver shrugged, countering Layla's offence with his disinterested face.

"Well, you live in a library," he replied rather coldly. He didn't use the local term purposely - 'House of Wisdom' was now a mere 'House of Lust', or even 'House of Shame' to him. Not 'wisdom', anyway.

The blue unicorn waved her hoof, laughing in a farfetched manner.

"Ah, sleeping with the Coordinator has its benefits, you know?" She said, wiggling a brow.

An overwhelming wave of disdain engorged Silver Dawn. He wanted this mare to leave - as soon as possible - and never dare to appear in his presence.

"What do you want from me?" He asked rather rudely, still not having closed the door, as if he were expecting the unwelcome guest to take her soonest departure.

"Why, my dear Silver..." The mare licked her lips. "Aren't you happy to see me? After the wonderful night we shared together?" She asked, moving closer to Silver - and to the door.

The black pony knitted his brow slightingly and inhaled deeply before beginning his speech:

"No, I am not. In fact-"

"Hey, Silver, pal, what's going on?" A voice echoed across the corridor.

A red white-maned unicorn entered the room. His red eyes shone with concern and... Fear? No, Lancy probably knew no fear. He wasn't the type of pony to be afraid of anything. And he, Silver Dawn, wasn't one either.

"Nothing, Lancy," Shining Star cooed. "Just on my way to leave," she said, tossing Silver a wink and leaving the flat.

After the blue mare had left, silence endured in the room.

Finally, Lancy whispered:

"Hot stuff, don't you think, Silver, pal?" He turned to Silver, making him lower his gaze.

"I don't want to talk about it..." He mumbled. "I hate her," he suddenly said, lifting his head and meeting the unicorn's gaze. The red eyes he looked into expressed genuine concern and sympathy. His look resembled the one Silver's father used to use whilst talking to him about the black colt's problems.

"Wasn't good enough for you last night, huh?" The unicorn asked, closing the door behind him. His eyes showed that he didn't mean that - the question was a fake, provoking Silver to express his honest thoughts.

Silver shrugged and looked through the window.

The sun had just reached its zenith, radiating warmth, casting its light on the whole town. The usual hustle never stopped: ponies were moving to and thro, exchanging smiles and glances, talking to each other, enjoying the fine day.

"No, not that, Lancy..." Silver finally said, stepping aside from the windowpane. "Just... I thought she would be more..."

"Mare-like?" The red unicorn finished the phrase exactly as the lavender-maned pony wanted to finish it himself.

Lancy chuckled and approached Silver, patting him on the shoulder.

"That's mares, Silver, pal..." It seemed that the unicorn got lost in thought, reminiscing events of his own past. "Don't take it close to your heart," he continued, his face expression becoming serious. "But never, I repeat, never let a mare in your life, Silver, pal," he finished, his look becoming somewhat doleful.

Surprisingly enough, Silver didn't question Lancy. He took his behest in his hear as a testament, believing the red unicorn completely. Lancy was his friend, and friends believed each other, right?

"I was a fool back then, yesterday," Lancy suddenly confessed. He hung his head low in sincere shame. "I thought you needed a mare for the night but it seems you need more than that," he said, moving towards the door. "I'm sorry," he concluded.

Silver nodded. it seemed so natural. Lancy offended him the previous night - indirectly, by setting him up with Shining Star, but offended nevertheless - and he apologised. That was exactly what a friend would do in such a situation. No words were needed. Silver only silently nodded.

Friends. Friends were Silver's terra incognita, his sear earth, the shaking ground beneath his hooves. He didn't remember about his foalhood friends - and he thought he didn't need to. The outside world, with its unforgiving pressure and sinister longing for blood had taught Silver to cling to himself, and only to himself. And now he was not alone. He had friends. It was a pleasant, warm, satisfying feeling. ...Or wasn't it?

"Silver, pal, I need to show something to you," Lancy added, opening the door. "Come on." With that, he left the room, holding the door for Silver to follow. The black pony trotted out of his flat, checking whether he still had the key with him. He did.

The door slammed behind them.

***

Never in his life had Silver thought that the world after Cataclysm would impress him. Sure, there were no animals or birds that would sing and impress ponies with their beautiful tunes. There was no grass or any plants at all - Silver had already forgotten their natural colour. Dark green? Light green? Lettuce green? Like it mattered now. The world was still dark, grim and cruel and the happiness in Stealth was a showcase, a fake. Yet... Yet Silver found that day to be extremely pleasant. Was it because Lancy had apologised to him? Was it beause he showed his character to Shining Star? Was it because he met Layla? Maybe it was everything at once? His father once said that all events in one's life leave an irreversible imprint on them, changing their attitude in most astonishing ways.

One way or another, Silver felt content with the day, and Stealth didn't seem half as repulsive as it did the previous day. He trotted with Lancy by his side, enjoying their silence for a while.

A group of foals ran past them, kicking a rubber ball in front of them. A game of hoofball, if Silver recalled correctly. He used to play it when he was a foal, too. He smiled and shook his head when an overwhelming urge to join the youngsters knocked at his mental door.

As if he were reading his very thoughts, Lancy smiled indulgently.

"We're a bit too old for hoofball, aren't we, Silver, pal?" He asked, still smiling. It wasn't his usual grin - instead, it was a lament, bitter smile of a pony whose life had been painful and sore, a smile of a pony who had wasted his time waiting to live - but never began to. It was his smile. It was Silver's smile.

Trying to get rid of the distressing thoughts, Silver resolved to keep the conversation flowing, no matter what direction it would take.

"By the way, how old are you, Lancy?" He wondered as they walked towards the town square.

The white-maned unicorn was silent. They approached the Sphere, accompanied only by the sound of hooves hitting stone.

The Sphere was constantly glowing. The light was intense and enticing, flickering and trembling but directing its steady flow all around the square, though it seemed that the mystical light was covering all town.

"Twenty-four, Silver, pal," Lancy said, stroking the Sphere. It reacted by slowly turning red. Now that Lancy turned his face towards Silver, the black pony could see that the Sphere perfectly resembled the unicorn's eyes. "Always twenty-four," he added after a moment of silence.

Silver opened his mouth in amazement.

"What..." He began.

"I'll explain," Lancy interrupted his stuttering. "But before it, Silver, pal, please, come here." He nodded in the direction of the Sphere.

Silver Dawn, dumbfounded and completely disorientated, came closer to the shining object.

"Touch it," Lancy said, taking his hoof off the object. The red colour immediately vanished. It didn't sound like an order; yet, Silver felt compelled to obey.

He pressed a hoof against the Sphere. He thought it to be cold, for it was made of stone - at least, some kind of stone. On the contrary, it was warm. Warm and solid. The second he touched the Sphere, it turned red again.

Lancy's eyes widened and his mouth fell agape.

"So it's true..." He whispered, staggering back from Silver.

The black pony raised a brow.

"What's the matter, Lancy?" He asked, coming closer to the unicorn and putting a hoof on his shoulder in what seemed to him like a friendly manner. "And what do you mean by 'always twenty-four'? Is it a local joke?" Silver wondered, knowing very well that it wasn't a joke.

Lancy gulped, his eyes expressing utter astonishment.

"It's complicated, Silver, pal," he said. "Or... should I say... brother?"