The Reality Engine

Rarity woke up, head swimming from air so hot and thick she could taste it. She blinked, eyes focusing on the moldy cloth ceiling above her, rippling in the wind. Now where was she? Groaning, she tore off her coarse bedsheets and pushed herself upright. The room resolved itself into a beige brick-shaped tent. Gray metal bunk beds lined the walls, a dozen a side. All had the same khaki sheets that made Rarity's stomach churn. While the majority were empty, the bed opposite held a figure, covers rising and falling to the rhythm of soft breathing. At the far end of the tent, a flap opened onto a worn dirt path, glaring under harsh sunlight.

Rarity shuffled towards the ladder but stopped when a sharp pain erupted in her chest. She gasped, clutching a hoof over her heart. She recoiled when it contacted something hard. She paused, dry swallowing, before gingerly bringing her hoof back to her chest. It clacked against a glassy surface, sending another ripple of pain through her. She let her hoof fall away and sat sullenly for a long while. She thought back to the crystal the doctor had put in the mare earlier. Had that happened to her as well? No. She didn't want to think that. She wanted to forget she'd felt anything. She would just gaze at the gently undulating wall until she fell asleep from boredom. But she knew she couldn't, and instead had to force herself to see what it was.

Reaching into her magic, Rarity summoned her pocket mirror. Shakily, she levitated it in front of her, tilting it down to inspect her chest. She gasped, nearly dropping it. A crystal protruded from her chest, just like the one the doctor had embedded into the pegasus mare. Around it, her fur was singed and her skin swollen. Her heart pounded, harder and harder until she banished her mirror. She sat sullenly, taking shallow breaths against the throbbing in her chest. She might have guessed it was the crystal, but knowing what she might see was a vastly different experience to seeing it for herself. She sighed. Normally, she would be enamored by the beautiful, clear quartz gem. But inside of her, it became an enemy: a violating object ruining her appearance and crushing her pride. She reached out to touch the crystal again but stopped when she heard a noise. A groan, coming from the bed beneath her.

Bracing herself, Rarity peered over the edge. On the lower bunk, the unicorn stallion she recognized from the medical ward stirred. He drew a deep breath, eyes fluttering open. When he locked his gaze onto Rarity, he froze. Rarity made it halfway through a greeting before he screamed and scrambled away, sending bedsheets flying. The bunk rocked, and Rarity toppled forward, yelping as she landed on the floor headfirst.

"By the Stars, ye startled me half to death!" the stallion exclaimed, huddling behind the other side of the bed.

Rarity hauled herself upright, groaning and rubbing her head. Something inside her felt loose, like a wobbly tooth, dislodged by the fall. She gingerly patted her chest, holding her breath as she touched the area near the crystal, but nothing seemed out of place. She felt a clunk within her, like a bubble bursting. It made her cough.

"I... startled you?" Rarity said between wheezing breaths, glaring daggers at him.

"Well, it's not my fault if ye jump off ye bed at any old sound."

Rarity focused on her breathing, slowly returning it to normal. "Well, you didn't have to—" she wheezed "—scream like that!" Rarity paused. She took a deep breath and pushed her hair out of her face. Affecting a smile, she continued, "Anyway, I don't believe we've met." Rarity stood tall and puffed out her chest, an act she instantly regretted. "I am—" she coughed "—Rarity."

The stallion stared blankly.

"What I meant to say was—" she coughed again "—do you have a name, darling?"

"Oh. Uh, Starbound."

"Well, Starbound, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Silence.

"You, ah, can stop staring at me now," Rarity said.

Starbound shook his head. "Right, sorry. It's just, I've never seen a mare yer eh… quite like you before."

Before Rarity could ask what he meant, there was a cough from the bed opposite. "Starbound?" a mare rasped. "Starbound? Is that you?"

Starbound's ears pricked up. "Sparky?" he kicked off the remaining bedsheets and stood. His knees wobbled and, before he took a single step, collapsed. He placed a hoof on his chest, patting it around. "Oh. Heh. Aye, that figures."

"Starbound? What's wrong?" the mare asked.

"Nothin'. Just dandy." Starbound shakily rose up, only to fall again. "Hold on, I'm comin', I'm comin'."

Rarity rushed forward and helped him to his hooves. He wrapped a foreleg around her neck and together they hobbled over to the mare's bed. He was so light. Confused, Rarity studied him closely and soon realized what his comment on 'never seeing a mare like her' meant. It wasn't a clumsy compliment on her looks like she'd assumed. No, there were marked differences in his physical appearance, well outside of the norms for a pony. She stood half a head taller than him, despite his unnaturally long limbs. Small facial features highlighted his eyes: completely black, entirely lacking a visible iris.

When they reached the other side of the tent, Starbound pulled away from Rarity, teetering slightly before steadying out. He stepped up to the bed, far sturdier on his hooves than when they had started. "Sparky?" he asked.

Rarity inched around him to see the figure on the bed. Unsurprisingly, she found the occupant was the pegasus mare from before. Her eyes were closed and every few seconds, her body was wracked by shivering. Rarity hadn't noticed before, but the mare's features were small, like Starbound's. If everypony here looked like they did, it was no wonder Starbound had gawked at her. Still, it was no excuse to be rude.

"Sparky, how ye holdin' up?" Starbound asked.

Sparky—Rarity assumed that was her name—took a long, drawn-out breath. "Starbound: You. Are. An. Idiot." She opened bloodshot eyes and rolled to face the stunned Starbound. She started to say something more but broke off into a fit of coughing.

"Now, look," Sparky resumed, "I expressed my dissolutions with your plan, but I went along with it anyway. Because I trusted you. Also, because I didn't want anything to happen to you. Do you understand?"

Starbound mumbled a response, pawing at the ground.

Rarity glanced between them. They both seemed to be around the same age; she couldn't see why Sparky would berate him like a child. Maybe she was his older sister?

"Starbound, look at me."

Starbound looked everywhere but Sparky.

"Goodness, Starbound. You can't even look at me. Astonishing. Well, I just wanted you to know that you've broken my trust. Don't be expecting me to forgive you anytime soon, especially seeing as you can't even apologise."

Starbound remained silent. Rarity stepped back, occupying herself by chewing her lip, staring at the floor, and doing anything that prevented her from making a comment. She could certainly see the absurdity of the situation, but somehow, she didn't feel the other two would appreciate it. Besides, it would be presumptuous of her to intrude.

"Now look, Starbound. I don't want to be mad at you. We're probably going to die in the next few weeks, and I don't want to die while angry at my best friend. But, seeing as it's your fault I'm going to die... well…" Sparky made a vague shrug "...you're leaving me little choice."

"It wasn't my fault! We both went after the soldiers."

"I went with you to stop you doing anything stupid."

"Well, a fine mess ye made of that!"

"How's that even an argument? It was your fault for doing the stupid thing! It's not mine for not stopping you!"

Withdrawing further from the argument, Rarity thought back to her escape from the doctor. Something about it bugged her. Something on the edge of her memory. But everything from the night was jumbled and blurred. She furrowed her brow and closed her eyes. In the last moments of her escape, she had burst out of the building and then had run along the path. Then what? Something important. Something very important.

Rarity opened her eyes with a gasp. The moons! Starbound and Sparky paused their bickering to stare at her.

"Um, sorry to interrupt; but could one of you explain to me where exactly we are? I seem to recall waking up in some kind of hospital ward. Then I ran outside and, well, I know this might sound a little strange, but I could've sworn there were two moons."

"Starbound, who is she?" Sparky asked.

Before Rarity could speak, Starbound cut in. "Oh, right. Sparky, allow me to introduce to ye: Charity."

"Rarity, darling," she corrected.

"Aye, that too."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rarity. I just wish it were under better circumstances." She shot a glare at Starbound.

"As I was asking: what are our circumstances, exactly?"

"Oh, ye mean ye don' know?" Starbound asked.

"Of course she doesn't know. She was petrified," Sparky said.

"See, when I—Wait… Petrified?" Rarity cocked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what in Equestria are you talking about?"

"What in the what?" Starbound asked.

Rarity frowned. "Equestria?"

Starbound and Sparky stared blankly.

"It's where all us ponies live? Yes?"

The blank stares continued.

"Land of harmony and friendship? Foremost in the culture and arts?"

"Never heard of it," Starbound said.

Rarity glared at him, determining if he was serious or not. She felt her eye twitch. Calm. She needed to remain calm. Melodrama, no matter how satisfying, wouldn't solve anything. She forced a smile. "Anyway, what was this about me being petrified? Would somepony be kind enough to give me some answers?"

"I can give you some information," Sparky said. "But I don't know what you know and what you don't know." She paused. "What I'm saying is that I mightn't be very helpful."

Rarity nodded, keeping her mouth clamped shut. She was willing to take any information possible if Sparky would just get on with it.

Sparky pushed herself higher on her bed, into a sitting position, but succumbed to another coughing fit. Starbound gingerly patted her on the shoulder but received only a glare in response. He scurried away, cowering behind Rarity.

When Sparky recovered, she locked eyes with Rarity. "We're in a place called The Red Shore, on a planet called Illeria. I hear it's quite a popular tourist destination for the 'adventurous of spirit.' After all, there's the scalding heat, the blinding sun, and the vicious natives. That's us, by the way. We're the violent natives." She put a hoof over her face, making a sound somewhere between a chuckle and a sob. "But apparently, it's all worth the trip because the sunsets are stunning."

"Yes, yes," Rarity interrupted with a wave of her hoof, "that's all very fascinating, but—"

"But, yes, I digress. Look, I haven't heard of this 'Equestria'. If it's your home planet, it's not one I'm familiar with. Now, as to why you were petrified—"

"Sorry, did you say 'home planet'?" Rarity's frown intensified. The two moons; the funny languages; the giant airships; the strangely proportioned—dare she say alien—physical appearances of Starbound and Sparky: she'd been sucked into one of Twilight's science fiction stories!

Rarity's impatience melted and she giggled, which rolled into full laughter.

Starbound stared at Rarity like she might spontaneously explode. "Uh, ye feelin' alright?"

Rarity wiped away a tear. "Yes, I'm quite alright, darling. I was a bit worried there for a minute, but now I understand: I'm in a story."

Starbound stepped back and stared at Rarity, head cocked to one side. "I'll take that as no, then?"

Sparky coughed. "Under extreme stress, it's not uncommon for the mind to conjure up a coping mechanism: a way to dissociate or explain what's happening."

Starbound raised an eyebrow. "Ye mean like gettin' real snippy?"

Sparky gave him a sarcastic glance.

"No, no. I mean I'm literally inside a story. An enchanted book, where the reader can play a role as the characters in it. It's happened before to my friends and me. It's the only explanation that makes any sense."

Sparky's jaw worked wordlessly. "That's… absolutely mad! How could this possibly… I don't… I don't even know how to counter you! We're here, we're about to die, and you think it's all just a story?" She buried her head in her hooves. "Perfect. I'm stuck with a fool and a madmare!"

Rarity scowled. "You've mentioned danger a couple of times; is there something I should be worried about?"

"Danger? Oh yes, I'd say we're in danger. We're in a labour camp."

Rarity blinked. "A what?"

"A labour camp," Starbound said, "ye know: for working and stuff. Gangs of ponies captured, forced to slave away in mines or factories until they keel over and die?"

Rarity paused, trying to wrap her mind around the concept of a labor camp. She understood what Starbound had said, of course, but she couldn't fathom how any pony could devise such a nefarious concept. A deep anger started bubbling inside of her, but she calmed herself with a deep breath. It was just a story, so of course this place was riddled with injustice and evil: there wouldn't be a story otherwise. And this story looked a textbook case of 'a hero unites the natives and expels the technologically superior villains'. Possibly. She didn't read much science fiction as she just couldn't get into it. Perhaps reading a more diverse range of literature would be prudent, lest she wind up in a mess like this again. Although Celestia help her if she ever landed in a math textbook. Still, so long as she was in a story, she might as well try and enjoy it. She snapped her head up. "Oh, right, terribly sorry. I think I'm beginning to understand. I suppose that means we're, slaves, yes?"

Sparky gaped at Rarity. "Ah. Ah… Yes?"

Rarity nodded. "Excellent."

"No… No, not really," Sparky said. "I'd rather fancy not being worked to death."

"Well, you're in luck then. I think I know just what we need to do. We need to free the camp!" Rarity adopted a triumphant stance, pointing her hoof in the air. Her composure fractured as pain flared again. She brought her leg down through a grimace that she forced into a triumphant grin.

She glanced up at Starbound and Sparky. Both were staring at her, Starbound was half-smiling while Sparky went through a series of expressions: frowning, then one eyebrow raised, then mouth ajar, then she pressed her lips together, then she pointed at Rarity, then she stopped and slunk down on her bed, frowning again, this time at the ceiling. She sighed.

Starbound gave a vaguely impressed 'hmph'. "Well, better than just rollin' over in any case, so ye can sign me up."

Sparky ran her hoof down her face, groaning. "Well, you do that. I, for one, will cherish these twilight hours of my life for what little they're worth. If you want to recklessly throw them away at the hooves of this madmare, then be my guest."

Starbound looked to Sparky, then to Rarity, then back again. "Oh, get off it, Sparky! Get up and quit ye mopin'."

Sparky sighed, remaining silent for a long while as she stared at the ceiling. Just as Rarity started to walk off, she spoke, words measured and slow. "We are in a prison camp. Ponies are sent here to die. How can you be so… blase about it? You're acting like we… we're just lost in the forest or something."

Starbound shrugged.

"Starbound! This is serious!"

"Aye, I'm not stupid, ye know. I just think tryin' to do somethin' about the situation rather than lyin' down and letting it trot all over ye… Well, I think ye got a better chance of survivin' that way, ye know?" He paused, waiting, but when no response came, he turned and pushed past Rarity.

He turned back around to face Rarity. "So then. What's ye plan?"

Rarity tore her gaze off Sparky. "Well, let's see." Rarity stepped into the walkway between the rows of beds and made her way to the door-flap entrance.

"Starbound, darling, the door is wide open."

"Aye?"

"What I mean is… can't we just walk out?"

Starbound peered at the apparently empty space. "Maybe? Could be a trap."

Rarity frowned. It did seem rather suspicious for a prison camp to leave doors wide open. "Go and see, would you?"

Starbound scuttled forward, stopping a few steps before the door. "Wait. Why am I doing this? It's yer plan."

Rarity flicked her hair off her face with an exaggerated sigh. "Very well. I will nobly put life and limb on the line and test the door."

She trotted up to the door-flap and inched her hoof towards it.

There was an exasperated groan from the far end of the tent. Rarity and Starbound turned simultaneously to find Sparky staring at them. Rarity could almost smell the derision dripping off her.

"There's a forcefield. You idiots. There's a forcefield."

"Oh," Rarity mustered. She dropped her leg down. "Is there any way to dispel it?"

"Sure. From the outside."

"I don't suppose we can just—"

"—cut through the wall? Good luck. It's ballistic fibre. Thick ballistic fibre. If you bothered to shut up and look around you, you'd have noticed that. The floor is too, and it's sewn right into the walls. When it comes to escaping, this tent may as well be made of solid concrete." She paused. "Oh, goodness, we're all going to die…" Sparky's icy composure cracked and burst, and she started crying.

Starbound sighed, shaking Rarity's attention from Sparky. He rolled his eyes. "Ack. Oh, she's just bein' emotional. She'll get over it, don' worry."

The intensity of Sparky's sobbing increased, suggesting to Rarity that she wasn't about to 'get over it.' Rarity's ears instinctively fell flat in a vain attempt to block out the sound. "It's not real, Rarity," she muttered to herself. "She's not real. Starbound's not real. It's all just a story. Stories are fun." She closed her eyes. Stories are fun. To read. Characters being thrown into life-altering situations is all just entertainment until you're in there with them.

Rarity vowed that once she got out of this mess, she would be more empathetic to the plights of characters in stories. The thought made her chuckle. And there it was again, the levity she had been feeling a moment ago. Such an absurd situation. How could she ever let it go to waste?

"Ah, Rarity?" Starbound prodded.

Rarity pulled her attention back to Starbound, who was staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

Rarity frowned. "That was no way to talk to your friend when she's upset. You ought to be ashamed."

Starbound scoffed. "Ye heard the way she was talkin' to me before! Treatin' me like a foal."

Rarity sighed. "Well, you're acting like one. Adults apologize when they've made a mistake." On second thought, maybe this was more trouble than it was worth. Not that she had a choice.

"Apologise? But it wasn't my fault!"

"Yes, it was!" Sparky screeched in between sobs.

Rarity raised an eyebrow at Starbound. "Well, it appears your friend differs in her opinion. I think maybe it would be best if we all find a way to make amends. Before it becomes a problem. After all, escape is our priority here! You'd hate to let a little disagreement get in the way of that, wouldn't you?"

Starbound stamped the ground. "Ack! Fine! Sparky: I'm sorry fer running after the soldiers and draggin' ye along with me."

Sparky heaved herself out of bed and dragged herself in front of Starbound. She peered at him until he shrunk back. She took a deep breath and, far faster than her physical state should have allowed, belted Starbound across the face.

Starbound rubbed his cheek. "Ow?"

Sparky sighed, which devolved into a coughing fit. "Starbound: you're an idiot. But you're also my friend. That means if you're going to do something stupid, I'll be right behind you, making sure you don't get killed. And if that drags me into the fire too, I reserve the right to complain the whole time I'm saving your sorry rump. Are we clear?"

Starbound nodded. "Aye. That we are. Hug?"

"No."

Starbound's ears flopped. "Oh, okay."

"That being said, you may need to… to carry me…" Sparky swayed, then collapsed.

Starbound rushed in and, with Rarity's assistance, draped Sparky over his back.

"Are you quite sure you're going to be alright with carrying her?" Rarity asked, glancing at his legs, as thin as twigs.

"Pegasi weigh, like five pounds. I'll be fine."

"Hm. Well, if you're sure…" Rarity tapped her chin. "Now where were we, again?"

Starbound frowned. "The door?"

"Oh yes." Rarity walked past Starbound and up to the allegedly forcefielded door flap. With bated breath, she inched a forehoof towards the opening. Just as she was sure it would pass through, the air flared a fluorescent yellow and a powerful electric shock shot through her foreleg. With a yelp, Rarity jumped away. She waved her injured hoof back and forth, resisting the urge to suck on it.

"Well, at least we know for sure," Rarity said, eyes tearing. She carefully placed her hoof back down on the floor and tested it with her weight. It hurt, but she suspected she would recover within a few minutes. It made her wonder if she could be seriously injured—or worse—in this story. Hopefully not. No, definitely not. It would drain all the adventure out of an enchanted story if it came with real risk; any reader would be too busy worrying about their own safety to have fun.

"Right. Well, any ideas?" Starbound asked. "Sparky? Yer the smart one."

Starbound and Rarity looked at Sparky. She grimaced, coughed, and returned to a grimace. "All my energy is focused on not whimpering like a sad puppy right now. But I'll let you know if I think of anything."

Rarity sat down. Surely she'd been in situations like this before? Several sprung to mind, but she'd always had her friends there beside her. Rarity smiled. This whole mess was shaping up to be quite the interesting story to share with her friends.

But first, Rarity had to get out of this 'whole mess'. Even if her friends weren't here, they could still help her. She would take a page from Twilight's books and begin by assessing the skills and tools and their disposal. She had no idea what Sparky and Starbound were good at—besides arguing. They had cutie marks, but they weren’t like any she’d seen before: Starbound's was three concentric ellipses, each with a dot along their circumference, and a line speared through the middle. Sparky's was a triangle containing a line moving into an explosion. Neither of them had any color: Starbound’s was entirely white, and Sparky’s was entirely black.

"Right, well, what do we have to work with? I'm assuming you two have special talents. Or… other skills?"

"Oh," Starbound said. "Well, I'm great for astrodynamics."

Rarity stared blankly.

"Ye know, navigating things in space. Plotting trajectories and stuff. I'm also really good at maths." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Probably should've started with that."

Rarity continued staring.

"Ah… Sparky's an engineer, but she seems to have been hit pretty hard, poor lass. By the whole crystal thing, I mean. I reckon we're better just lettin' her rest."

Sparky mumbled her agreement.

"I suppose that leaves it to me then," Rarity said. She skirted Starbound and stepped between two of the beds on the far side, stopping with her face a few inches from the wall. A seam ran down the wall, undoubtedly made from the same material as the walls—whatever Sparky had said it was—and hence impossible to cut for any normal pony. But a lifetime of sewing had taught her a few tricks, including spells that dissolved stitching. She ran a hoof along it; as Sparky had said, the fabric was extremely heavy but remained taut. She followed the seam up, tracing it to where it met another.

"I think," Rarity said, prodding the wall with a dull thud, "that I can get us through this wall."

"Great." Starbound said. "How?"

"Why, with my magic, of course. I am a seamstress and, after all, is this not a seam before me?"

Starbound tapped the crystal embedded in his chest. "Great idea. Except, the crystal blocks all ye magic. Otherwise, any unicorn could just pick a lock and walk right on out."

Rarity frowned. "Are you quite sure? I conjured up my pocket mirror not five minutes ago."

"Ye what?" Starbound frowned.

"I conjured up my pocket mirror." Rarity reached into her magic and from it, pulled her pocket mirror back into reality.

Starbound took the mirror, turning it over in his hoof. "Well, by all means then..." Starbound gestured to the wall absently. "Never seen magic like that before," he muttered, returning his attention to the mirror.

With a sharp nod, Rarity twirled to face the wall. With a modicum of effort dissolved the thread holding the wall together. She stopped once the split was large enough to walk through and pushed the separated panels of wall wide open. "After you," she said, grinning at Starbound.

Sparky stirred, raising her head to frown at Rarity. "I've studied the spells within the crystal quite extensively," she said. "They block all magic, including flight. And if you tamper with them, they explode. You should be dead."

Rarity shrugged. "It's a story, darling, and I'm the hero. I'm bound to break a few rules."

Sparky coughed. "Look, Rarity. You seem like a reasonable, at the very least sane, mare."

Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"Ignoring my earlier comments: I was trite angry. Anyway, I was willing to entertain your fantasy—albeit briefly—but now our lives depend on us working together. I won't be put in harm's way because you refuse to face reality."

Rarity frowned, studying Sparky. The pegasus' eyes drooped, but every time she closed them fully, she jolted back into an alert state. Her breath, shallow and uncertain, was labored, but not against pain. Her legs shivered with more than cold. Rarity's frown morphed into a compassionate smile. She'd been swept up in the moment and hadn't seen how terrified Sparky was. "Oh, Sparky, you poor dear." She walked up to Sparky and brushed her cheek. "Sparky, it's okay to be scared."

"I'm not scared. I just have a very strong will to live and this is a very dangerous situation."

Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. Perhaps I am scared, a little."

Starbound scoffed. "Oh, trust me, ye don't know the half of it. She's always like this. If it weren't fer me, ye'd never leave the brim of ye hat!"

"Ignore him, darling. It's quite alright to be worried. If what you say about this place is true, then you have every reason in the world to be."

Sparky stared at a patch of wall somewhere behind Rarity. "Are you scared at all, Rarity?" She closed her eyes and groaned. "Oh, great: I sound like a five-year-old."

Rarity chuckled. "Well, I'm certainly no stranger to misadventure, and I still feel there's a high chance this is all make-believe. But… Well… In a word, yes. And I'd wager Starbound is as well."

Starbound fidgeted. "Honestly, I'm more worried fer Sparky than I am fer me."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Do you hear that, Sparky? He's worried about you."

"No, I mean, like, specifically. She's a sittin' target on my back." Starbound arched his back, bumping Sparky.

"Ow," Sparky groaned, scrambling into a better position.

"Sorry. But ye see what I mean? I reckon she'd be safer with you."

Rarity shot him a puzzled look.

"I mean, ye probably stronger than the both of us put together."

Rarity blinked. Her: the muscle of the group? Not a situation she'd ever anticipated being in, but perhaps, in this one circumstance, understandable.

Sparky sighed. "Starbound, I'm not giving you a choice. It's your fault I'm in this state, so you get to carry me."

"Oh. Right," Starbound said, ears flopped back and eyes downcast. "Hey! What happened to ye 'strong will to live'? Ye know ye'd be safer with Rarity."

"I've weighed the options. Yes, Rarity is larger and probably stronger, but that just means if there is a fight, she can fight it without me getting in the way." Sparky coughed. "So... you carry me. If you're really not strong enough, then I'll move over to Rarity. With her permission, of course."

Rarity stifled a giggle. "Of course, darling."

"Ack! Fine. But no backseat driving."

"Well, don't do anything stupid and we won't have a problem." Sparky scrambled for purchase and rotated around so she was sitting on his back, as opposed to being draped over it. She wrapped her forelegs around his neck and, for an immature second, Rarity worried she might strangle him, but instead she only nodded for the group to leave the tent.

Rarity pushed her way through the hole in the wall and into the blinding light. She shaded her eyes with her foreleg and blinked heavily while they adjusted. She searched around for signs of movement but thankfully found none.

"You seem to know a lot more about this place than I do," Rarity said as Starbound and Sparky appeared beside her. "Any ideas of where to go?"

Sparky shook her head. "What, precisely, gave you that impression?"

Rarity circled her hoof in the air. "Well, you knew that it was a prison camp and that they make their tents out of... whatever it was you said they used, and you seem to know a lot about how these crystals work. I just assumed…"

Sparky nodded. "I can see how you might form that conclusion, but I've never actually been inside the camp before. Like I said, knowing what the tent was made from was merely a matter of looking. I learnt how the crystals worked from bodies that washed up on the shore. The camp throws dead prisoners in the sea rather than waste time burying or burning them."

"Oh." Rarity pushed that image out of her mind before it took root and made her ill.

"Oh, aye. It's right gruesome, it is," Starbound said with far too much enthusiasm.

Rarity peered at Starbound, deciding if he was serious or not until an idea hit her. "You mentioned 'the sea'? Is this camp by the seaside? Can we swim to safety?"

Sparky started winding up for another lengthy explanation, so Rarity cut in before she could begin. "I'll take that as a no, then."

Sparky gawked. "No? Do you have any idea what would happen if you tried swimming?"

Rarity shook her head.

"Well, do you have an immunity to heavy metal poisoning? Because I don't. Well, I do. But not enough." She circled her hoof about in the air, shaking her head. "Point is, it's not called the 'Red Shore' for nothing: it's full of dissolved ores. And even if the water weren't so toxic you'd die in a few mouthfuls, you might notice that the camp is built on a hill? That's the headland. It's a long drop down, with a nice soft landing of rocks and crashing waves."

Rarity shrunk back under the torrent of Sparky's bitterness. "I'm only putting out ideas." She forced a smile. "Now, rather than telling me what we can't do, why don't you tell me what you think we can do?"

Sparky's gaze returned to its former weakness. "I'm sorry. I'm just so angry about being put in this—but you get it. Nevermind. Well, here's what I think: before we even entertain the notion of escaping, we have to disable these crystals. They'll explode if we try leaving. So unless you have the ability to walk around without your head, I suggest we do something about them."

"I think I know somepony who can help us with that," Rarity said.

Starbound and Sparky both peered at Rarity. "Who?" they asked.

Rarity smirked. Finally, something she knew that Sparky didn't. "Just follow me."

Rarity led the group behind the tent and into its shade. Instantly, the temperature fell ten degrees. Stretching out from the back of the tent, several dozen yards of barren, grainy dirt ended piled up against a fence. Beyond the first fence, a second gave any escaping pony that had gotten that far the time to reconsider. The fences weren't high, but they were definitely unclimbable. Not that it mattered if Sparky was right about the purpose of the crystals. What mattered was that they were heading the wrong way. They wanted to be going into the camp, not away from it.

With an awkward clearing of her throat, Rarity turned and trotted back to the dirt path in front of the tent. Another row of smaller tents dotted the other side of the path, boasting such cheery colors as gray, beige, and faded livid. The tents continued down the road until they disappeared over the crest of a hill, and up the road until they hit yet another fence. This fence seemed more determined to keep would-be climbers at bay, boasting curls of barbed wire. Not that any pony could ever hope to reach that high. Hooves and chicken-wire didn't mix. The best a pony could hope to manage was a step ladder.

Fortunately, it appeared no climbing would be necessary: the path led straight through an open gate. Open, but not unguarded, as four ponies flanked it, two on the near side, and two on the far. Three of them carried… objects. From the way they were held, Rarity guessed they were weapons, but she saw no evident cutting edge. Not that she could be sure until she got closer.

Rarity turned back to find Starbound catching up to her. "Pardon my ignorance, but those guards… what are they carrying?" she asked.

Starbound squinted at the guards. "What do ye mean? All I see are their casters."

"Casters?" Rarity rolled the unfamiliar word around in her mouth.

Sparky rolled her eyes. "Casters. Squeeze the trigger and they fire a bolt of magic. They hurt like a bitch. Some can also stun."

"Oh, so, what's the point of them if they don't work?" She continued watching the guards, running through ideas to get around them.

"Hm? No. I didn't say that."

"Oh. Then why did you say 'they hurt like a bitch'?"

"I'm takin' ye never heard that expression before, then?"

"No. And it strikes me as rather odd, to be honest."

Sparky face-hoofed. "Well, look… If you do get shot, it probably won't kill you. But it might. So, just avoid being shot, and you'll be fine."

"I… see."

"So... ah... any ideas?" Starbound asked.

Rarity tapped her chin. "I have one, but I don't think you're going to like it."

Sparky groaned. "Let's hear it."

"Right. Well, I still have my magic, which none of the guards will suspect. All we need to do is distract them long enough for me to take their casters and overpower them."

"You didn't even know what a caster was until I explained it to you literally just now," Sparky said.

"I've practised archery. I can't imagine it'd be that different."

Sparky humphed. "And this distraction? What precisely did you have in mind?"

Rarity grinned and Sparky.

Sparky looked around as if surprised Rarity was looking at her. "Nuh-uh. Nope. I'm not going out there. I can hardly stand, remember? Send Starbound instead."

"Oh, don't worry, he's going too. Now, here's what I need you to do..."

A minute later, Rarity watched from behind a tent higher up the hill as Sparky awkwardly galloped into the middle of the road, screaming for help. She frantically flapped her wings but couldn't rise more than a few inches off the ground.

Rarity counted down the seconds until Starbound leaped out after Sparky, hurling a series of embarrassingly restrained insults. He pounced on her, throwing equally restrained punches. Sparky kicked him, and, after a brief pause, his attack became more aggressive and far louder. Rarity turned her attention to the guards, who had noticed the struggle. The three stallions cantered towards Starbound and Sparky, weapons raised.

Rarity remained crouched in the shadows, waiting until the guards were past her hiding spot and sufficiently distracted with breaking up the fight before striking. Using her magic, she grabbed onto one of the guard's casters, wrenching it from his mouth as he threatened Starbound with it. She turned the caster on him and fired. She didn’t know what to expect from the weapon, but she hadn’t expected him to hit the ground screaming. Rarity stood, dumbstruck as the guard writhed and screamed.

Rarity closed her eyes, reminding herself that this wasn’t real. The guard wasn’t real, Sparky and Starbound weren’t real, this camp wasn’t real. She ignored the niggling voice telling her otherwise, the very idea was ludicrous.

When Rarity finally looked up, she saw the other two guards spinning wildly about, casters at the ready. She slunk backward, out of their sight, and focused her attention on the guard who'd remained at the gate. Naturally, it was the mare. She had been slower to act, only just now throwing herself on the ground, tracking Starbound and Sparky with her caster.

Rarity steadied her new caster and aimed at the mare. She went to fire, but the scream of the guard burned in her mind and she couldn’t. She clenched her jaw, but the caster shook in her magic. After a moment, she gave in and lowered it, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She scowled. This was ridiculous. The mare wasn’t any more real than the first guard, and even if she was, Rarity was just incapacitating her. Not like there was any permanent harm done. Still scowling, Rarity raised her caster and, shutting out her lingering doubt, fired repeatedly at the mare, the shots scattering over the distance until eventually one connected, and the mare slumped to the ground. There, much better. Honestly, not being able to shoot a guard at a slave camp? Rarity shook her head.

Meanwhile, several startled yelps and crashes from the direction of Sparky and Starbound told her they still needed help. She poked her head out from cover to find the two guards on the ground under a stunned Starbound and a terrified Sparky. Or, maybe, they didn't need her help. Her scowl disappeared, replaced with a half-smile. It seemed her two new friends weren’t quite as helpless as they appeared.

Rarity trotted towards the pair.

"Well, that was surprisingly easy," Rarity said. "Somehow, I expected stiffer resistance. I suppose they just must have counted on these... crystal things stopping magic entirely."

"Wow," Starbound said. "I… I can't believe we did that! See Sparky? I knew ye could do it!"

Starbound nudged Sparky, who looked close to fainting. She rubbed the side of her face. "You know, you didn't have to be quite so convincing with those punches. I think you gave me a black eye."

She turned her face to Starbound and Rarity, standing next to him, revealing a fresh cut under her right eye.

Starbound winced. He reached out a hoof as if to comfort her, but stopped and lowered it again. "Ah… I'm… I'm sorry. I thought when ye kicked me, ye meant I wasn't convincing enough. Honest, I really tried hard not to hurt ye."

"I know you tried. That's what worries me. But no, you weren't convincing enough. Still, I suppose a black eye is just a trifle compared to the guards recapturing us." She gently prodded the already swelling cut.

"Would ye… like an apology hug?"

“No.”

Starbound ignored her, wrapping her in his forelegs. She remained stunned for several seconds before patting Starbound on the back with all the emotional conviction of clockwork. She lipped something to Rarity, something that surely wasn't 'save me'; after all, who doesn't like hugs?

Starbound pulled back. "To be fair, though, you did belt me 'cross my face a minute ago."

"Firstly: I didn't give you a black eye. Secondly: I thought you'd doomed us both to a slow and painful death. I'd say that's a fair reason to hit you."

Starbound surveyed the guards on the ground. The one Rarity shot by Rarity remained conscious, curled into a ball and whimpering. The other two almost looked peacefully asleep.

Sparky picked up the nearest caster and fired it at the still-conscious guard. Rarity shrunk back. Sparky spat the weapon out, raising an eyebrow. "What?" she demanded.

"Um… Nothing." Rarity squeaked.

"He can't stay conscious, you know that. Now we need to drag them out of the way." Sparky grabbed onto the guard by the neck of his uniform and pulled. The guard didn't budge. Sparky strained, then stopped, panting. She spat his uniform out. "Well, are you going to help me?"

Together, but mostly owing to Rarity's magic, the trio pulled the guards out of sight. At the recommendation of Starbound, they put on the guards' uniforms: gray jumpsuits of light but sturdy material. They had built-in webbing, over which were worn knee and shoulder pads of a material Rarity had never seen but felt like ceramic when she tapped it. The outfit was completed by heavy boots and a face shield that none of the guards had worn, opting instead to let them dangle from their webbing. Rarity tried various poses in the uniform. The baggy affair was hardly flattering, and it smelt of sweat, but for the task of blending in, it was undoubtedly a wise choice.

Starbound trotted around in front of Rarity, an askew smile on his face. the uniform was comically large on him, swaying as he walked and threatening to slip off at the slightest provocation. And the boots… it was all Rarity could do not to laugh.

Starbound’s smile turned to a frown. "It’s not funny."

Rarity sealed her mouth shut, but not before one last giggle could escape.

"I don’ suppose there’s anything ye can do with ye magic to ah… fix this? I mean, ye said ye were a seamstress, right?"

"Certainly," Rarity said with a nod. "Just hold still."

Rarity used her magic to pull the fibers of the uniform together, effectively shrinking it. It was a trick she used to save a lot of time doing adjustments for dissatisfied customers. Never did she imagine it’d be useful outside of her store. Once she’d cast the spell on both Starbound and Sparky, who was facing a similar sizing problem, she took a step back and scrutinized her work. While she watched, Sparky tugged at a belt of webbing that had caught in the suit’s zipper. All in all, she had done a reasonable job. The boots were still too big, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. To a casual observer, nothing would seem too amiss.

The group returned to the path and walked through the gate. There were no tents on the other side, only the same red, dusty ground. It continued up the hill until the remnants of a village came into view, huddled on the top of the headland. Buildings near the fence had been demolished, leaving only foundations and loose stones half-buried in the sand. Further in, signs of life arose. A few ponies, many wearing the same gray uniform, walked between the buildings, and snippets of shouting were carried over the breeze in amongst swirls of dust and the smell of sea spray. Almost all the buildings were in disrepair, although even in its heyday the village looked to have been quite poor, consisting mostly of squat buildings with tin roofs, made of mud brick bleeding white mortar onto unpainted walls.

One guard, twenty paces away, glanced in the direction of Rarity. Automatically, Rarity nodded a polite greeting. The guard frowned and scurried away.

"So, did we make it, then?" Sparky asked. "Is this where you're planning on taking us?"

Rarity glanced in her direction. She seemed a lot healthier than before, head held high and keeping pace without complaint. Rarity suspected she might've been exaggerating her prior frailness. Just a bit. Ignoring her question for the moment, Rarity searched for the building she had run from last night. A challenge, considering she'd only seen it in the dark, and then only briefly, and then only whilst panicking. Her best guess was a building poised on the edge of the hillcrest overlooking the mine. It stood out from the rest of the village, if only because it was made from concrete and not brick.

"There," Rarity said, pointing to the building. "It's some kind of medical facility. It's where they put the crystals into us, so it's our best chance for getting them out again." She trotted off in the direction of the building.

Posted by the entrance to the medical ward were two ponies. Unlike the other guards, they wore makeshift armour that struck a chord in Rarity's memory. One of the guard's faces was bandaged. He grinned to reveal missing and broken teeth, leaving no doubt in her mind: these were the two ponies she'd fought whilst escaping last night.

Rarity stopped dead, scanning her surroundings, but no opportunity to hide presented itself as the medical facility lay on the fringes of the village, separate from the other buildings. What she did see, however, were more guards charging at them from the centre of the village. She estimated a dozen or so.

"Oh, great," Starbound said, indicating the approaching guards.

Sparky spat her caster onto the ground. "Well, that's it. Rarity: it was nice knowing you. Starbound… most of the time." She lay down on the ground and put her hooves over her head.

"Seriously?" Starbound asked. He sighed, shaking his head at Sparky. He snapped back around and fired into the center of the guards. Rarity froze, stunned by his sudden action, but quickly readied her own caster and started shooting.

Rarity barely managed two shots before a retaliative volley of magic bolts hurtled towards her. She threw herself sideways, but not fast enough: she watched a bolt sail towards her and hit her side with a blinding flash. To her surprise, it didn't hurt. In fact, she hardly felt it at all. It made sense, of course, validating her theory that the story couldn't hurt her. A scrape or a bump perhaps, but certainly not anything serious. A pony brought into the story would just have to play pretend. And at another time, a pinch of drama would appeal to her, but right now she'd run out of patience. So, not only had she dived out the way for nothing, but she'd done so right into the dirt. And even if the dirt wasn't actually real, it still felt dirty. Rarity scraped the dust off her tongue. This adventure was quickly losing its charm.

Rarity rolled onto her belly and tried to stand, but found she couldn't. Her limbs dragged, and her joints ached and groaned, trembling whenever she put weight on them. She fell back onto her side, overcome with exhaustion. Maybe the story created the effects of being injured without the actual injury? Or maybe the bolt was designed to incapacitate rather than directly hurt? Hadn't Sparky mentioned they could stun? Did that mean this could be real? Rarity sighed, leaving it as a floating 'maybe'. She looked up at the sky, far whiter than Equestria's. She wondered if her home was up there, somewhere. Equestria, that was. Again, a maybe. She might ask Sparky, later. But now, she needed to take a nap. She closed her eyes, welcoming the warmth—

"Rarity!" Sparky shouted.

Rarity snapped awake to see Sparky pointing to something behind her. Sluggishly, she rolled to her other side to find the stallion with the broken jaw looming over her. Rarity's heart leaped, but he didn't move. He just looked down at her, as if savoring a good meal before eating it. Rarity stared back at him while the rest of the guards arrived. They encircled the trio, casters ready to fire at the slightest twitch.

Rarity briefly broke eye contact with the stallion to see Sparky was still lying on the ground with her hooves over her head, muttering under her breath. Starbound had apparently been stunned while Rarity wasn't watching and now lay on his back, his leg twitching every few seconds.

Rarity let her head rest on the bare earth. Compared to the effort of keeping her head off the ground, a bit of dirt was nothing.

"Take fem twoth away," the stallion said through labored breathing. "I goth a score to sheffle with fith ’un."

Nopony moved.

"Well? Whath are you whating for?"

Somewhere behind Rarity, a mare coughed. "Ah… regulations clearly state-"

The stallion jumped up and down on the spot. "I don'th care! She broth my faith!"

"Your... faith?" the mare asked.

"My faith! My… friggin’-" he dug into his mouth and pulled out a saliva-drenched dental plate. "My face. Just look at it."

"We have rules here."

"She's one of them savages."

"Savages? You mean she's a native?" A quiver entered the mare's tone. Rarity heard approaching hoofsteps, which stopped right next to her. She rolled back over to find the mare standing over her, peering at the stallion.

"You know I can't officially condone any actions you may take. But that being said…" She looked down at Rarity, eyes growing cold. She snarled and, with a growl, brought her hoof down on Rarity's head. Rarity tried pulling back, and the hoof slammed into her muzzle, bouncing her head against the ground.

"...you go right ahead," the mare finished, addressing the stallion again. She looked back down at Rarity, disgust oozing from her. "That was for Solstice's squad, you… you… barbarians." She backed off but kept her eyes locked with Rarity's. "Let's go. Bring the other two."

The was a shuffling of hooves as the guards hoisted up Starbound and Sparky and trotted off. Rarity watched them slowly march around the hill, stretching out a foreleg in a futile attempt to drag them back. Sparky said something inaudible, and then they were gone.

Rarity rolled herself onto her other side, seeing the second stallion had joined his comrade. Rarity sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. It came away bloodied. She stared at it until the exertion forced her to lower her foreleg back to the ground. This was all just a story. She couldn't be hurt in a story. Right?

The second stallion chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about ya nose if I was you. Youse goin' to have much bigger problems in a moment." He knelt down beside Rarity, befouling the air with toxic breath. Rarity squirmed and clawed at the ground, determined to drag herself away. The stallion chuckled and stood on her outstretched foreleg, pinning her to the ground.

"Now, let's see," the second stallion said. "When ya threw that bloody stove at me, ya smashed up my shoulder and broke two ribs. So, I reckon we start with that. What do you think, Tal?"

"Sounds good to me."

Rarity ignored them, working on her magic instead. It was as shaky as the rest of her, but with enough concentration she reached into the guard's holster and fumbled with his caster until it fell out.

"Are you even listening? I said I'm gonna—how the Tartarus are you doing that?" The stallion snatched his caster out of the air and shoved it back in his holster. "Right. Change of plans. Break her horn."

Heart pounding, Rarity again pushed herself to her hooves again, only to collapse onto the ground, panting. She wasn't getting away. She rolled to face her attackers. Only one option left. She swallowed her pride.

"Oh no!" Rarity exclaimed. "No! Please don't hurt me."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Please!" Given her situation, it wasn't hard for Rarity to force herself to cry. "Please! I was just scared. I didn't mean for anypony to get hurt."

"Yeah? Well... too late."

"No! Please! I'll do anything."

The first stallion sighed. "Really? Ya think I'm gonna fall for that? Oh, don't get me wrong: I like my mares. But a native?" he spat. "Damned if I know where you've been! I reckon I oughta get out my gas mask just so I don't catch my death of ya."

"But I'm not a native! I'm from a... a planet called Equestria. I don't even know how I got here!"

"Equestria? Yeah. Real inventive name. And I bet ya live a town called Ponytown."

"Ya reckon we oughta gag her?" the second stallion asked.

"Probably. Merry might be fine with us screwing around with the natives, but I reckon Rex ain't gonna be for it. Don't want her screaming, neither."

"Wait! I'm rich! I can pay you!" Rarity grabbed onto the uniform of the closest stallion, but he swatted her away.

"Oh, just shut up already," the second stallion derided. He bit into the fabric of Rarity's jumpsuit and tore a strip off it. He then wrapped his hoof around Rarity's hair and yanked it back. Rarity yelped. The first stallion took the scrap of cloth and tried to shove it into her mouth. Rarity closed her mouth and kept it firmly shut, no matter how much her scalp stung from being tugged on.

"Oh, so we're gonna play this game, huh? Well—I win." The stallion hit Rarity in her exposed neck. She spluttered, gasping for air, and before she could do anything to stop him, he shoved the gag into her mouth. He tied it around the back of her head, even as she tossed back and forth.

"Right. Now we break her horn."

Rarity arched her back, pushing herself out the second stallion's grip, but he immediately threw her back to the ground. He stood on her head, forcing it into the dirt. "Youse a real pain, ya know that, right?" He turned to his comrade, still kneeling beside Rarity as calmly is if he were meditating. "Would you like to do the honours?"

The stallion swapped his left hoof on Rarity's face for his right one and placed the left on her shoulder. Rarity squirmed, mustering what meager strength she had left. The stallion responded by pushing harder, crushing Rarity's ear against the side of her head. She grimaced, her sides heaving as each breath felt like her last.

The second stallion placed a hoof on Rarity's horn and put pressure on it. Rarity clenched her jaw, eyes already watering in dread of what would follow. She screwed her eyes shut. But no blow came. Cautiously, she cracked an eye open.

The first stallion was looking at something behind Rarity, hoof poised above her head. Rarity tried to throw the second stallion off, but this only alerted the first one. He hit Rarity in the cheek, knocking her head onto a patch of hardened earth with enough force for spots to dance at the edge of her vision. Before she recovered, his hoof slammed into her horn. Rarity heard a sickening crunch as magical sparks went flying. A breath later, the wall of pain slammed into her, sending another round of spots through her vision that threatened her with unconsciousness. She bit her tongue to avoid screaming—she wouldn't dare give these brutes the satisfaction—and her eyes streamed with tears. She tasted blood. Her sides heaved and her heart pounded in a valiant struggle to keep her head from swimming. Her forehead screamed at her to do something, anything, but her only response was a defeated whimper.

The stallions talked to each other again but their words were slurred to Rarity's ear. Even so, their laughter was unmistakable. One by one, more patches of pain ignited across her body. Her right foreleg, then her ribs, then she was rolled onto her back as wave after wave crashed down upon her face, tossing her fragile world about like a leaf. Sunlight glinted on a knife-blade. Her nose and mouth filled with the dry, powdery dust, soon accompanied by blood that ran in hot streams across her fur and pooled around her head. Even though she spluttered and spat to clear it, its metallic taint smothered everything, turning her entire world red. She retreated into the deepest recesses of her mind, her world slipping away from reality with each passing second. What snippets she later remembered were surreal scenes of clashing colors, overpowering light, and muffled sounds.

The last thing Rarity saw was the two stallions galloping away. They fled into the medical ward, dropping their knife alongside Rarity. Thundering steps approached, and a colossal shadow fell upon Rarity, haloed by the sun. Soft whirring accompanied its every movement as it peered at Rarity with insectoid eyes. Gracefully, it reached down and plucked her from her bloodied patch of dirt, lifting her high into the heavens.