Fabrication

by Bomber

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Luna, Original Character, Tragedy, Adventure, Human, Main 6, Lyra, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 99419

One human runs for his life. One pony will be there to catch him when he falls.

Ever since she was a little filly, Lyra has had dreams of two-legged creatures with technology far beyond ponykind's own. She knows they exist, and she's determined to find any and all information about them.

Blake Johnson has spent the last several days running for his life. He has seen and done things that he wishes he could completely remove from his memory. He'll do anything to survive. But will his past drive him to the point of insanity, and will there be anyone there for him if he does?

Published 2012-01-02 03:59:47 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-24 02:45:54 UTC

Chapter 1: Survival

She glazed through Ponyville’s library, searching for books that would satisfy her needs on the topic of the two-legged, hairless creatures.

But they were just a myth — a legend. No pony ever believed that a species like this could possibly have ever existed except for a certain, special unicorn: Lyra. Ever since she was a little filly, she would have dreams of these bipedal species. How they would create vast metropolises with looming towers that dwarf even large Equestrian cities such as Manehattan and Canterlot. How they would create probes to search the unknown reaches of space, far beyond their own blue planet. And how they would gather at enormous stadiums to watch sporting events that would seat thousands of these creatures.

For the most part, Lyra kept her dreams to herself. She had only told her family and her roommate, Bon-Bon, about the two-legged species she would see almost every night in her dreams. She kept a journal though, constituting things like hips and joints. The uses they had with their… well Lyra didn’t know what exactly what to call them, but these parts of their bodies, attached to their arms, would make simple tasks like grabbing small items much, much easier. Lyra loved to write in her journal, creating small masterpieces of artwork of building based on the creature’s architecture. She would even write short stories on how their society might act or how they might get along. She even composed several short melodies on her lyre describing the greatness of this species.

Today I’ll find something that will lead me to having proof that these creatures do in fact exist, Lyra thought, scanning through more books trying to find titles that easily grabbed her attention and might have something to do with them. She had told Bon-Bon that she was going out to purchase extra sets of strings for her lyre in the event that hers broke. That was always the excuse Lyra made when she was going to look for additional information.

Bon-Bon for the most part disapproved Lyra’s obsession with this strange alien race. She did love her roommate, even with her constant rants on how these creatures have gotten so technologically far advanced without the use of magic or the ability to fly on their own.

“This looks intriguing!” Lyra said, engulfing a massive, purple book in a sheet of magic. The book glided smoothly through the air and gently landed on a table in front of Lyra. An Equestrian Guide to all Myths, Monsters, and Legends the book title read. Lyra slightly grinned. This would be perfect. With a book this colossal, there would most likely be plenty of information of this species. Lyra would have liked to search the library for longer, but she had been there for the better part of at least a couple of hours. Twilight Sparkle looked as if she needed to get things done, most likely a letter to the Princess. Lyra decided she would take this one for now.

“Hey Twi’, I think this book will be good with me for now,” Lyra said, placing the book in a saddlepack.

Twilight smiled. “That’s great! Just be sure to bring it back by the end of next week!” she called out to Lyra.

“Will do!” Lyra assured, trotting towards the door that lead to the outside world. Lyra felt her stomach begin to churn with excitement. It wouldn’t be too long before she could get to work. She kept a cantering pace throughout the streets of Ponyville, making sure to say “Hello!” to any other pony she passed by. She also stopped several times to chat with any of her other pony friends. She wanted to maintain as many of her friendships as possible, because if she spent too much time in her small office working, her only friend left in Ponyville would be Bon-Bon. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to converse with other ponies for a few minutes, even though it would be taking time out of Lyra’s research.

After ten minutes of trotting through the streets of Ponyville, Lyra finally made it to her small cottage that she shared with her roommate. Lyra smiled as she trotted up to her front door. She attempted for the thirtieth time to turn the doorknob open with one hoof, only to find that the task was still impossible. She sighed as a glow entombed the doorknob, following the sound of a door slamming open.

“Why would ponies invent an object that’s so hard to use with hooves?” Lyra pondered quietly to herself. She made it a habit of talking to herself when thinking of the creatures and ways they could use their claw-like joints to handle objects. The doorknob, for example, would be an easy use for them. And what about the little handles on the end of teacups? Most ponies thought it was simply for decoration, but Lyra knew that the creatures would be able to grip the handles with ease.

“Bon-Bon! I’m back!” Lyra called out, slamming the door shut.

“My gracious, how long does it take to purchase strings for your lyre?” Bon-Bon rhetorically asked, trotting around the corner of a hallway that led to their living room.

“Um… I didn’t exactly buy any strings for my lyre… you see, I…” Lyra trailed off, trying to think of different reason for heading out of the house.

“What do you mean? Oh wait, I see,” Bon-Bon said with an annoying tone when she noticed a large book protruding out of Lyra’s saddlepack.

“I can totally explain! I—”

“No, it’s perfectly fine. I can understand that you really believe that these aliens really exist. But Lyra… you really need to let this go. You look like a little school filly cantering around with this two-legged creature nonsense.”

“But I—”

“Don’t take this the wrong way! I think it’s good that you’re keeping something of your childhood with you. That’s something I wish I could do now.”

Lyra remained silent for several moments, thinking carefully of Bon-Bon’s statement. “Thank you,” Lyra said. “You really are the best roomy a pony could have.”

The two hugged tightly for several moments. “Now go on and have your fun,” Bon-Bon said. “I’ll be making potato soup for supper!”

Lyra grinned as wide as she possibly could, showing her gratitude. She then burst down the hallway into her small office. Drawings and miscellaneous books littered the floor. A trash can sat in the corner under a mountain of crumpled up pieces of paper. Lyra removed all her excess items from on top of her desk, then placing the book onto it. She began to use her magic to rapidly flip the pages as if it were a race.

“C’mon… c’mon… I need answers,” Lyra said, concentrating as deeply as she could. “No, I don’t need Manticores. No, I don’t need Phoenixes. Wait, what was that?” Her brain saw an image on a previous page that looked exactly like the creatures. Lyra flipped the pages backwards, more slowly this time so that she didn’t overshoot it. This is perfect! She had finally found something worthwhile! There was a whole two pages dedicated to the two-legged species. Lyra read the subtitle of the current page. Apparently these creatures were dubbed “Earthlings”.

“Earthlings?” Lyra asked herself, completely confused. “That doesn’t sound… right. I’m sure that they must have a different name.” Lyra began to read the first paragraph.

Earthlings are bipedal omnivores that tend to scavenge for food. They are considered to have low intelligence, but can fight with the strength of five earth ponies combined. They were clothing to conceal what many historians believed to be “private parts” of the Earthling’s body. There have been several suspected sightings of Earthlings in the Everfree Forest, near the town of Ponyville. While none of these reports have been confirmed, there are some ponies who believe that the Earthlings are real, however the common Equestrian pony will deny that these creatures even exist.

Lyra continued reading for fifteen minutes when Bon-Bon called her for supper. Lyra sighed, placing a bookmark to remember where she had left off, and then closed the book.

“Eat now, read later,” Lyra said. Her stomach began to rumble, and only food would satisfy it.

<><><><><><><><><><>

It was half past midnight, and Lyra was still awake. A small candle illuminated the cluttered office. Lyra yawned, trying to keep awake for as long as possible. She had drunk at least several cups of coffee, but the caffeine now seemed to wear off faster every time she drank a cup.

“Must… find… more answers,” Lyra said, skimming through the two pages again for the thousandth time. She had read it enough now that she had almost completely memorized it word for word. She had yet to find where they came from, or how they reproduce. She wasn’t sure if they reproduced sexually or asexually, but based on some of the pictures they most likely produced sexually.

Lyra’s eyelids began to feel like heavy weights. Sleep was going to soon overcome her, but she was fighting to stay awake for just a while longer. Lyra yawned again, this time much more loudly and much more sustained.

“You know what? Maybe I should get some sleep. I can look through the book again tomorrow,” she figured. She trotted softly to her room, trying not to wake Bon-Bon. Her bedroom door made a loud screeching sound when she tried to open it. Lyra clenched her teeth. After waiting several seconds Lyra guessed that the door had not woken up her roommate. Lyra decided it would be best to leave the door open and not risk the chance of waking her roommate again.

She jumped onto her soft, comfortable bed with a dull thud. Her eyes closed gently, and she almost drifted off to sleep when she heard the sound of hooves hitting the wooden floor. Lyra figured it was just Bon-Bon but something didn’t sound right. The sounds weren’t as constant as the sound of a pony walking. Either that or Bon-Bon was walking very slowly. Lyra got out of her bed and decided to investigate.

She trotted ever so lightly, making sure her hooves made no sound on the wooden floor. It was a difficult task, but Lyra managed to do so. Lyra first searched the kitchen and the living room. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. It didn’t seem like there were any intruders inside her house. A cold Jetstream of air then entered the room, causing Lyra to shiver. Why was one of the windows open? Lyra thought not much of it and closed the window, forcing the cold wind to stop. While she was out in the kitchen, Lyra decided it would be good to munch on a midnight snack. She opened one of the cabinets with her magic to see that half of their food supply was gone. So there was somepony in her house! She would have to find out who it was.

Lyra checked all the corners of her house. The hallway, the bathroom, both hers and Bon-Bon’s bedrooms (she had found Bon-Bon fast asleep in her bed). That only left her office, the last place she would think anypony would be. As she crept towards the office she heard the sounds of papers in book turning rapidly. Was somepony stealing all her hard earned work on Earthlings? Not if she had anything to say about it. She marched towards her office, putting her furious face on.

When she stood outside her office, she heard a whisper of a voice, certainly male. “Perfect! Maybe I can get some information here.”

She entered the room saying, “Who are you and why are you in my house?”

She then stopped dead in her tracks. It was one of them… an Earthling. Standing erect, hovering over her planner that she used to keep track of all her things she needed to do during the week.

“Oh shit!” the Earthling said, startled. His eyes turned to meet hers. In a split second, the Earthling jumped on her, with a black object in his right hand. The Earthling pressed the object on her side, near her stomach. The object felt icily cold. Lyra heard a click from the device. An excruciating pain came from it. It burned… so badly. She was paralyzed on the floor, unable to say anything. The Earthling put his mouth close to her ear and whispered, “I’m sorry I had to do this, but I’ll do anything to survive.”

He then left the office, leaving Lyra paralyzed on the frigid wooden floor.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Fourteen Hours Earlier…

The vibration of Blake’s iPhone woke him up quickly. He slid his thumb on the bottom of the screen, unlocking the iPhone, and then turned off the alarm. The short three hours he allowed himself to sleep went by so quickly. They were coming for him, and he was determined to keep himself alive, even if that mean traveling across Switzerland entirely just to get to France, the closest country where the crash site was. He only had about twenty miles left before he would get away from this hell hole, and possibly a chance to get back to the States.

Blake groggily stood up, wishing he was back home on a nice, soft bed, instead of running for his life. He used the glow from his iPhone to locate his flashlight. It took him a second because he kept the iPhone’s brightness to a minimum to conserve as much of its battery as possible. He picked up the flashlight and it slipped out of his grip. The sound of the flashlight hitting the ground echoed throughout the cave. He was still very weak and very exhausted. He began to felt dizzy but he quickly subsided it by finishing off the rest of his water. He once again picked up his flashlight and used it to locate the boulder he had used to close off the small entrance to his (sort-of) safe haven.

Before moving the boulder, he decided he should quickly update is video log he was started on his iPhone after… no don’t think about it. It’s best that you don’t think about it.

Blake touched the camera app on his iPhone and hit the record button. He made sure that the flashlight was shining on his face so that the iPhone would be able to pick it up in this pitch-black environment.

“This is the beginning of day four of my… marvelous vacation. I’m only twenty miles away to the borders of France and hopefully of my freedom. I hope at least some people there will be able to speak English because I don’t know a single word in French!” He chuckled to himself for a second before continuing.

“I… did it again last night. The guy never knew I was behind him. I…” He began to pout softly.

“I just want to go home, dammit!” he sniffled. He hit the record button again so that the recording was put to an end. He was about to shut the iPhone off when he realized that his it said that the battery was at one-hundred percent. That couldn’t be possible. The “20% Battery Remaining” message popped up the night before. The damn thing must be broken now. He shrugged and stuffed the iPhone into the right pocket of his tattered jeans.

He walked up to the boulder, and with all of his strength he was able to move it. He entered the forest outside. The suns glare hit Blake directly in the eyes. He moved his hand up to cover it while he put his sunglasses on.

“Wait a second… I fucking overslept didn’t I?” he exclaimed. He remembered that he went to sleep at 2:00 AM. Judging the angle of the sun it was about noon. Blake pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and checked the time. 5:06 AM it read. Yep, it was completely broken and now his pursuers had about an extra six or seven hours to catch up to him. That certainly wasn’t good. He told himself he would take it a little more easy today. His legs were already sore as is, but he had to get more distance in between him and the enemy. He pulled out his compass and checked to see which direction west was, then began to sprint in that direction.

Several miles in he was already fatigued and he had to give himself a short break. He opened his backpack and pulled out some of his dwindling food supplies. For the past several days he limited himself on how much he would eat per meal. However, he decided that he was now so close to his goal, he might as well eat a little extra to give him an extra boost to get to France. He pulled out the rest of his beef jerky and shoved a whole pile of it into his mouth. Sure, it was very hard to chew, but he needed to eat as quickly as possible. Time was of the essence.

After finishing the dried meat, he shoved the rest of the jerky into one of his backpack’s pockets and stood up. He was ready to go before he noticed the weirdest lion he had ever laid eyes on. It had the tail of a scorpion with bat-like wings stuck on both sides of it. Fear coursed through Blake’s body. Could it be possible that he was hallucinating? The mutant lion was a fair distance away, and it might be possible that it’s passive and won’t notice him.

He decided he would keep it low-key, and wait for it to pass. He didn’t want to risk shooting the thing, for the fear that his pursuers will hear the shots. Plus, we wanted to conserve as much ammunition as possible for the AK-47 that he happened to “borrow” and the handgun which he didn’t know the name for. Blake was fairly accurate with guns, as his dad was the owner of a shooting range back home. However, if the mutant lion ever decided to attack him, he would attempt to subdue it with his Taser that he “acquired” earlier.

The only sound that Blake was making was the steady sound of him breathing in and out. The mutant sniffed the air, as if hunting for prey. It turned in his direction. Now it was coming for him, with its scorpion tail poised to strike. The pupils in Blake’s eyes double in size when he realized that the mutant wanted to make lunch out of him. He slowly stood up… then ran. By now he didn’t care which direction he ran in. His only goal was to get away from the damn thing and survive.

The ground seemed to shake every time the mutant’s paws hit the ground, which must’ve meant that the mutant was now in pursuit of Blake. The thing was as fast as lightning, and it struck Blake to the ground, holding his left arm down, and tossing the assault rifle out of his reach. The mutant licked its lips, knowing that it had caught its prey easily, and now would be relieved of hunger. There was only one thing that would ensure Blake’s survival. He took the pistol from the holster attached to his jeans, and pulled the trigger. The bullet went straight through the lion’s right eye. It stumbled to the ground, covering its ears as if they were super sensitive to the large crack from the gun. The sound of its roar was like thunder, and just the sound of it seemed to trigger an earthquake. Blake sighed as he was left with again one option: He would have to kill it so it wouldn’t be able to hunt him down again. If the thing had half a brain, Blake was sure that it would want revenge. It was a risk he couldn’t take. Blake put the pistol right next to the thing’s head, and fired. The roars came to a stop and a pool of blood started gushing out of the mutant’s wound.

Blake picked up his backpack and the AK-47. It was time to get on the road. If the enemy was in a few mile radius of Blake’s location, they would know where he was now. He might as well have built a fifty-foot tall billboard with lights and neon saying, “I’m here! Come and get me!”

He was on the move again.

<><><><><><><><><><>

According to his phone, it was only ten o’ clock now, but the sun said it was about five o’ clock instead. He placed the phone back in his pocket and surveyed what was in front of him: a path. Yes, it was a trail that looked like it had been used repeatedly, which worried Blake. If he continued west down this trail, he could be very well walking into an ambush. It was very likely that they may have placed one somewhere along this road, assuming that they had somehow have gotten ahead of him.

He decided it would be best to follow the path, but still stay in the trees where he would be harder to see. This dirt road will most likely be the quickest route to France, so it would be something that he would have to take advantage of.

By now he couldn’t even maintain a jogging pace. His legs ached, his thighs burned, and fatigue was once again creeping up on him. There had been no signs of water since he began the trek this morning. He should have remember to stock up on water in that little stream near the cave, but the realization that he had overslept made him completely forget about it. He was hungry but he didn’t want to eat. Every time he ate, his thirst would get sharper. The hunger helped mask that thirst, and Blake wanted to keep it that way.

After several more minutes of walking, Blake found himself at the edge of the forest. Rolling green plains stretched out ahead of him, with seemingly no end. He must be getting close to France by now. Yes, he would be much more compromised out in the open, but if he waited here much longer, he would have his ass executed. He had to keep trudging on.

This time he stayed right on the dirt path instead of to the side. There was no point keeping to the side of it anymore. The sun would begin to set soon. He was determined to get to France by sunset. If not, he would have to travel through the night. He didn’t want to succumb to sleep again until he was on French soil.

Out in the distance he could see a small town. It was hard to tell how large it was as he was still at least a few miles away from it. He decided to walk another mile or so and take out his binoculars to see if there were any threats in the village ahead. After he did so, he found the largest hill in the area and rested on his belly. He opened his backpack and took out the small pair of binoculars and looked through them. No tanks, no choppers, but… no humans either. At least that’s what it looked like. Instead of people milling around it looked like… multicolored horses? And were they… conversing with each other? Blake placed the binoculars on the ground and rubbed his eyes. He must be sleep deprived. However, he thought he was hallucinating when he saw the mutant lion, but that was very real. Is it possible that horses are intelligent and have their own society now? Blasphemy, what the hell kind of mad experiments are going on in Europe right now?

Wait… was this Europe or could it be possible that this might be another planet, or even another dimension? Just the thought was ridiculous, but could he have somehow been transported somewhere else while he was sleeping in that cave? Was this a curse, or was it a gift? After him losing his… no! Do not think about it! Keep those memories locked in chains! He shook his head and then looked into the binoculars again. Yep, it’s still a village full of colorful horses. Nothing has changed in the past fifteen seconds.

Well, if these… horses have built themselves their own little town, that must mean they grow their own food and get their own water. Blake didn’t want to have to steal again, but he’ll have to do it to survive. He wished he could waltz right in the town and beg for food, but there’s no way to tell if these horses are hostile or not. Yes, they may look girly, cute, and able to cuddle on the outside, but they could be vicious carnivores on the inside. The killer rabbit scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grailplayed back in his mind. He smiled at the thought and began to plan his next moves.

It would be best to wait for nightfall before even attempting to get close to the village. From there he could get whatever food and water he needed and then could make a dash for it. But this method would get ineffective very quickly, as the horses would eventually realize that their food is being stolen, and would make sure that their houses are burglar-proof. This would mean Blake would have to live in the outdoors, and hunt and gather for himself. This would mean he would have to learn the way of the land. Learn what plants are edible and poisonous, what creatures will be provoked to attack, and most importantly, nearby rivers and lakes. He would have to steal some books as well. If the horses had a written language, it would most likely not be English, but if Blake could just get his hands on some maps… Maybe they had a library somewhere in the town as well. That would be a good place to start, but his top priority would to gather some more resources.

It would still be a couple of hours before the sun even set over the horizon. Blake turned over so that his back was resting on the soft ocean of grass. He pulled out a pair of headphones from a pocket in his backpack and plugged them into his iPhone. He clicked the music app and began to relax.

<><><><><><><><><><>

It was probably a little past midnight by now. The moon provided a natural light over the surface of the planet, letting so Blake could easily see without any streetlights or such sources of light back on Earth. Blake still couldn’t decide whether he would like to be back on his home planet being chased by a bunch of psychopaths, or on an unknown planet with a bunch of aliens. He didn’t have much else to live for, it’s not like anybody would be missing him at home anymore, after the… dammit Blake! Get a hold of yourself! There was nothing you could’ve done for them! You can mourn for them later, but now, you have to survive.

Blake stifled a yawn, and began operation: Get Whatever You Need and Run Like Hell, as he called it. He was now only about a hundred meters away from the edge of the town. He pulled his binoculars out one more time to check that there weren’t any horses taking a midnight stroll. Empty, everyone must be asleep by now. He heard a cricket in the distance, symbolizing the peacefulness of the cool night.

Blake decided that he would first try to find any open windows, before attempting to break any. He wanted to leave little or no evidence that he had been in this town at all. He put the binoculars back into his back pack, and began to jog towards the town. His tennis shoes made little sound as they hit the ground, which was a good thing. He wanted to be like a specter moving quietly through the wind. He came up to the first house, and started searching for any windows that may have been forgotten to be closed shut. Blake would occasionally tug on any closed ones, for the chance that they may be unlocked, but so far, to no avail.

First house down, no way to get inside without breaking anything. Time to move on to the next one. Blake continued to check one house after another. Locked, locked, locked, locked, oh wait… nope that’s locked as well. Blake guessed he had checked about twenty houses by now. It was now time for Plan B. He raised the butt of the AK, and prepared to strike at a window when caught something in the corner of his eye: an open window. It was across the center of the town, and he would be temporarily out in the open where anyone could see him. It was a risk he would have to take. His hunger and his thirst were slowly overtaking him.

Blake scanned the area around him to double-check that there was still no one that could spot him. He heard the cricket for a second time.

“On three,” he whispered. “One… two… three!”

He sprinted as fast as his legs would let him. It only took several seconds for him to reach the house with the open window. Blake looked behind him. No one saw him, or followed him. Good… all has gone according to plan so far. Before entering the house, he took out his flashlight and flipped the switch so that it turned on. He let the light scan inside the house. No horses in sight…

Blake climbed over the windowsill and let his shoes softly hit the wooden floor. Moving as stealthily as possible, he looked for anything that could resemble a kitchen or a pantry. Who knows, maybe they even have refrigeration. Ah, here we go. Blake found what looked like a modern kitchen. Cabinets, a fridge, an oven, a counter. It seems weird that these horses could have built all of this without the use of opposable thumbs. Maybe they used… magic! Blake quietly laughed at the thought of it.

He opened one cabinet to find a bunch of plates and cups. Another one revealed towels, oven mitts (square-ish ones, without extra part of it for the thumb), and tablecloths. Blake groaned. Food… I need food, he thought. He decided he would open one last cabinet before searching for any books. He grabbed the handle and swung it open.

“Halle-fuckin’- lujah,” he said, feeling as if he had died and gone straight to heaven. Without caring what the contents were inside the cans, he grabbed as many as he could, then stuffed them straight into his backpack. There were even several water bottles that were filled as well. He grabbed those and shoved them with his food. Feeling satisfied, he zipped his backpack and decided he should move on to phase two of the operation.

He crept through the house, avoiding any closed doors for the possibility that there may be sleeping horses inside. Throughout his search he only found one open door that led into an office. Or at least a room that looked exactly like an office. For all he knew, this could be the entrance to some secret, evil lair. He facepalmed himself for even thinking of something as silly as that. Blake began to look through random papers for any information he could find about this land at all. What he saw was not what he was expecting. All of them were drawings of humans, or human cities and inventions. Blake noticed one landscape of Times Square in New York City, which seemed unbelievable. How could these horses possibly know about Earth and none of us know about here, where ever this is? Is it possible that they could be planning an invasion? Who cares? Blake bet that any of the world’s greatest militaries could take them on own their own. Russia, China, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or any other country who knows how to fight could easily take them on. You just have to look at them and you can tell that they’re (99.9999% chance of being) completely harmless.

Blake noticed a small book out of the corner of his eye. For some reason, this caught his attention. He picked it up, opening it to where it was marked by a bookmark.

Blake read the words inside out loud. “Pick up books at Twilight’s library today. Remember, the library is inside a tree in the center of town…”

Well, that was certainly easy. If any place had any information on this planet, it would be there.

“Perfect!” he said. “Maybe I can get some more information here.”

Blake then heard the sound of hooves trotting on the floor. A horse entered the room. “Who are you and why are you in my house?” she said, with a voice sounding like a female.

“Oh shit!” Blake exclaimed. He made eye contact with the teal colored horse… wait… it’s actually a unicorn. It even has a little horn on the top of its head. The unicorn had its mouth gaped open, wide enough that a semi-truck could fit through it. If Blake waited any longer, she would call for help. Wishing he had a way to avoid it, he took out his Taser and pressed it against the unicorn’s side. He clicked the switch and the unicorn fell to the ground, immobilized.

Blake felt sorrow drench him. He wanted her to know why he had to Taser her, so he whispered, “I’m sorry I had to do this, but I’ll do anything to survive.”

He then left the office, leaving the unicorn paralyzed on the frigid wooden floor.

Chapter 2: Search

The library wasn’t at all difficult to find. But Blake couldn’t find the words how to describe it. It was a library that was literally a tree. Was it a library built inside a tree or was the architecture so stunning that it made the naked eye trick the brain into thinking it was just a plain, ordinary tree? Whatever it was, it brought an entire new meaning to the word “tree house”.

Blake had already checked all of the windows. None had been carelessly left open or unlocked, which would mean he would have to do this the hard way. But then Blake remembered that there was a door as well. He had to crouch slightly to reach the door handle, as he was almost as tall as the door itself. The door slid open with no resistance. “Oh you’ve gotta be shitting me,” Blake said, a bit annoyed that after he had tried multiple times to go the hard way in, it was much simpler just to walk right through the front door.

Blake crept inside and shut the door as quietly as he could. It was time to get to work. Wishing he had more holsters to hold items in, he set his already overstuffed backpack and the AK-47 on the ground and took out his flashlight. Flipping the switch on, he scanned the main room of the library for anything that might contain information of the geography of the area. A Foal’s Guide to Magic: Year 1, The History of Hearth’s Warming Eve, The Greatest of the Wonderbolts were just some of the plethora of titles stacked neatly across the library. Blake couldn’t help notice that all of these books were non-fiction, well, horse non-fiction for that matter. He didn’t recognize any titles that would have suggested Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance, or any other genre of fictional book.

Wait a second, could this be exactly what he was looking for? Tips, Tricks, and Many Other Knicks for an Outdoors Pony the font on the spine read. He culled the book from its resting place and before he could even look through it, he heard (hoof?)steps descending down from a staircase he hadn’t noticed before. Without wanting to harm another pony, he shut the book and tucked it under his arms. He rushed over to his backpack and assault rifle, plucked them both from the ground, and dashed to the door. Using all of his might, he kicked the door right open (as he had no free hands to turn the door handle) and sprinted outside.

“Why the hell would a horse be in a library so late at night?” Blake wondered aloud. “Well, so much for this being a stealth mission. Now I’ve got two of them who know I’m here.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Lyra woke up, lying in her bed. “So it was all just a dream,” she said, disappointed.

But if it was a dream, why did her side still hurt so badly? Lyra massaged the area the Earthling had struck her with her hoof. The events of the previous night played back through her mind. Was her eyes playing tricks on her, or was the Earthling really there? There would be no way to tell now. Who knows where it could have possibly gone.

She rolled out of her bed. Using her magic, she laid the sheets nicely on top of the bed, making sure that there were no wrinkles visible. She then grabbed her feather-stuffed pillow with both of her hooves, and tossed it on the bed. Feeling satisfied, Lyra trotted to the kitchen where she saw Bon-Bon already making breakfast.

“I found you passed out on the floor in your office this morning,” Bon-Bon said, cracking two eggs and placing them in a white bowl. “I thought I would be a good roommate and I put you in your own bed. You should really think about getting a good night’s sleep for once. And do you know what happened to all of our food? It seems to have disappeared.”

So it wasn’t a dream! Lyra could hardly contain her excitement. She needed to track down the Earthling. She had so many questions to ask… but what if the Earthling decided to attack her again? Was it really violent, or was it just scared?

“I’m sorry I had to this, but I’ll do anything to survive.”

The Earthling did what it had to do, but why would it break into her house, steal their food, and attack her? It could have just asked somepony for help. There were a reasonable amount of ponies in Ponyville who would’ve been happy to help, even if it was an alien they had never seen before.

“Hello? Is anypony in there?” Bon-Bon asked, shaking her hoof in front of Lyra’s face.

“Yes, I’m here,” Lyra laughed.

“You looked to be in deep thought. Is everything alright?”

“Uh… yeah. Everything’s fine.” Lyra hated lying to her roommate, but she felt that Bon-Bon would never believe her. Bon-Bon would think that Lyra has gone crazy if she tried to describe what happened the night before. She might would even force her to visit a psychiatrist. Lyra decided that she would keep quiet for now, and go hunt later. Her stomach rumbled. She needed to eat anyways.

Before Lyra even knew it, Bon-Bon had already whipped up a pile of scrambled eggs and a stack of pancakes. Using utensils she had bought from Twilight, she tried to eat with a fork and a knife. She knew that Twilight’s assistant, Spike, was easily able to grasp the fork and eat with it. If Spike could do it, Lyra could do it. It took much concentration and balance, but in the end, Lyra found herself chomping on pancakes by the mouthful. It was delicious. It was very warm and succulent. Before she knew it, her plate was devoid of any food, not even a scrap was left.

“Hey, Bon-Bon,” Lyra said, placing her plate and utensils into their sink.

“Yes, Lyra?”

“I think I’m going to go out for a walk now.”

“Okay… I have things to do as well. I’ll see you later!”

“Bye! See you soon!” Lyra said, even though she knew that she most likely wasn’t going to be back for a while.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Twilight’s busted down door led Lyra to believe that the Earthling had been at the library after he had electrocuted her.

“Perfect! Maybe I can get some information here.”

Why would the Earthling need to steal books as well? Lyra knew that the Earthling needed to eat and drink, which was why it had taken Lyra and Bon-Bon’s rations. But, why books? Was it starved for entertainment? Was it possibly injured and had taken a book that displayed remedies that could mixed from simple ingredients? The possibilities were endless as of now.

Lyra saw Twilight examining the busted down door. From the way she yawned and the bags under her eyes, Lyra figured that Twilight didn’t get much sleep either. Lyra then had a bright idea! Twilight knew her library like the back of her hoof. She would easily be to tell which books were missing! If she could even get a brief description from any of the books the Earthling had taken, she might be able to narrow down the possibilities as to where the Earthling was now located at.

Lyra cantered over to Twilight.

“Hi Twilight!” Lyra smiled.

Twilight yawned loudly. “Oh, good morning Lyra.”

Even though she already knew the answer, Lyra decided to ask a question anyways. “So do you know who broke into your house?”

“I don’t know what it was. Last night I was aroused by the sound of books closing suddenly. When I went downstairs to check out what was going on, and then a creature with two legs, like Spike, kicked open the door and ran. I tried to go looking for it, but it seemed to have disappeared, like it was never even there.”

Even though her story was interesting for Lyra, it was now time to get the answers she actually wanted.

“Well, did you check to see if had stolen anything?” she asked.

“That’s what Spike is doing right now. From what I could tell, everything was still the way I had left it save a few books and my door.”

As if on cue, Spike walked up to Twilight and said, “There’s only one thing that seems to be missing.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that it had not stolen much more than that. “Well, what was it?” she asked.

“A book called Tips, Tricks, and Many Other Knicks for an Outdoors Pony,” the young dragon replied, sounding confused. Spike certainly didn’t understand why anypony would steal a book by that title, especially from a library. It did make sense, however, to Lyra. The Earthling was going to make camp somewhere in the area. There were many things in that book that would certainly benefit it.

“Thanks Spike,” Twilight yawned for a second time. “I think I’m going to go back to bed after writing another letter to the Princess about this situation. I’ve been up all night fretting about this. See you later, Lyra.” And with that, the purple unicorn lazily trotted back inside her house. Although the title of the book didn’t narrow down the locations the Earthling might have been headed towards, Lyra was grateful for the information. At this point, anything helped.

For the next little while, Lyra continued to investigate, interrogating almost anypony she could talk to. Even though she must’ve asked at least twenty different ponies if they had seen anything mysterious the previous night, they all shook their heads saying “no”, and trotted off to enjoy the rest of their morning. At this rate, she would never be able to find the Earthling, but then she thought: Why don’t I just use common sense? Remembering things that she was taught as a filly, she knew that all life required a source of water. If the Earthling was an herbivore, it would also need to settle in a place near a source of food, like the Sweet Apple Acres orchard. If it was a carnivore, it would need a place near plenty of animals. Maybe Fluttershy’s cottage perhaps? Although she couldn’t think of anypony would be heartless to trespass and poach on another pony’s property, she couldn’t rule out the possibility.

There were many small lakes and rivers located near Ponyville, but in light of this simple common sense, there was only few places the Earthling could be, unless it for some reason decided to get as far away from civilization as possible. Lyra figured she would first get back to her house and pack food for her hike she was about to endure. She would most likely be out until lunch and probably past dinner. There was so much distance to cover for just one little unicorn.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blake’s back was cramped when he woke up. He had decided to rest near an apple orchard. He knew that there were more ponies in the area, as he had noticed an enormous, freshly painted barn out in the distance. Even though he knew that he couldn’t risk any more of the horses seeing him, he knew that with an orchard as large and wide as this one, there had to be at least several streams or rivers nearby. If there wasn’t, there would have to be at least some irrigation ditches he could follow that would lead him to a place where he could at least bathe, even if the water was to dirty to drink. When was the last time Blake had a shower? He probably stunk worse than a garbage dump.

Blake put on his sunglasses, then using his hand as a bit of cover, Blake looked at the position of the sun. Eleven-thirty. He still had plenty of time to find some H2O. But before trekking, he decided he should pack on some energy. Unzipping his backpack, Blake examined his golden treasure that he acquired the previous night. Taking out one can at a time; he said aloud the item that the can contained, based on the label.

“Sliced peaches… sliced apples… canned corn… more peaches… peanuts… and look at this! Sliced peaches. What a plot-twist.” He waved his hands in the air, chuckling a bit at his own cruddy joke. He then counted the water bottles. He had four, and each contained about a liter. Since he would try to keep his supplies going as long as possible, he decided he would pick several apples from the orchard and munch on those instead. He was sure the owners of the orchard wouldn’t notice a few apples missing. Blake hated stealing again, but if this is what it would take to stay alive, then so be it.

Wanting to stay as light as possible, he decided it would best if he could find a place to put his belongings. A tree would be perfect. Horses can’t climb trees as humans can, as they have no fingers to grasp things with. But if there were unicorns in this land, could there be a chance that there may be pegasi as well? Blake decided to hope that luck was on his side and his stuff wouldn’t be seen. Finding a tree with low branches and several foot holes, he climbed several feet up it, being as careful as he could as he was also balancing an assault rifle as well. There was still a chance that a branch may somehow get caught on the trigger, causing it to fire. The noise would attract some unwanted attention, which Blake couldn’t allow. Feeling that he was high up enough that none of the horses would even be able to get ahold of his things, he placed his backpack and the AK-47 on a large branch. He then steadied the objects to the point they wouldn’t fall on their own. Blake climbed down the tree, jumping off of it when he felt he was low enough that the shock wouldn’t be severe.

The apple orchard was only several hundred yards to where he had fallen asleep the previous night. Only jogging lightly to conserve energy, Blake made his way to the orchard. Scanning the surrounding area to double-check that there were no horses around, he climbed the tree that seemed to contain the most apples.

These apple trees were unlike Blake had ever encountered before. These trees grew multiple types of apples. Blake could tell that as the apples were either red, green, or yellow. How did the horses make it so they could do this? Crossbreeding? Artificial selection? Blake figured it didn’t really matter, as long as the apples weren’t poisonous or anything. He plucked the largest and reddest one he could find, and took a large bite into it.

The second the juice of the apple hit his taste buds, he knew that this was the best, damn apple in the whole universe. It burst with flavor, and it was very moist. Blake took another bite, then another. He ate as much as he could without swallowing, which was a bad idea as it took him forever to crush apple into small fragments that he could swallow down his throat. He didn’t care, he finished the apple to the core. After he had finished, he flicked it onto the ground. He was reaching for a second apple, this time a green one, but before it was in his grasp he heard a voice. It was female, with a huge stereotypical southern accent.

“Now jus’ who are ya, and whaddya think yer doin’? This ‘ere is Apple family property!”

Blake looked down towards the ground. What he saw was an orange horse wearing a cowboy hat on top of its head.

“How the hell can you horses sneak up on me like that without me noticing? Those goddamned rebels couldn’t do it… So, why can they?” Blake wondered aloud, his voice quiet enough that the small horse wouldn’t be able to hear him.

“Get yer varmint behind, down ‘ere, or Ah’ll buck ya outta that tree muhself!” the horse threatened. Blake still kept the pistol and the Taser with him, in case something like this happened. The horse was only about seven or eight feet down from where he was. It was an easy shot, and if he could line the sights up correctly he could… no. He wouldn’t harm this horse. She had a good reason to be angry with him, as he was trespassing on her property. Plus, he had only killed before because there were bullets flying in his direction. He had only done it to save his life. Blake now could tell the pony was now getting furious as to why he wasn’t responding.

“Alright! Ya asked for it!” Using her hind legs, she bucked the tree as hard as she could. The shockwave was immense, and Blake came tumbling to the ground.

Chapter 3: Arrival

Blake was fortunate enough to land on both of his feet. However, the millisecond that his shoes touched on the surface of the earth, the orange horse tackled him and pinned him to the ground. Blake tried to resist, but somehow, some way, this horse was much stronger than him. Her green eyes glared at him, as if they were trying to suck his soul right out of his physical body.

“Now Ah’ll ask again, politely. Who are ya, and what’re ya doin’ ‘ere?” the horse asked angrily.

Blake’s mind raced as it tried to find a way to get out of this situation. If he wasn’t able to rely on brute strength on force, he would have to act on quick wits instead. Blake turned his ahead towards a random tree and gasped as if something terrible was there. His plan would rely on the horse’s gullibility to look at the tree he was staring at. It did. And the moment it turned its head, Blake pushed off it and pinned it to the ground.

“How the tides have turned,” Blake mumbled. The horse had rope with her. Perfect. Using the skills he had learned in Boy Scouts, he tied the horse’s hooves together so that she would not be able to escape and chase after him.

“Jus’ wait ‘till I tell Big Macintosh on ya! He’ll be chargin’ like ya were the last jar of Zap Apple Jam in Equestria!”

Blake smiled. It was now time to go, but what if the horse ever needed to eat? It might be hours before someone else found it tied up. Sighing, he climbed another tree, as fast as a monkey would.

“Are ya seriously gonna steal more of muh apples right in front of me?” the horse rhetorically asked, struggling as it attempted to free its hooves.

Blake picked several apples and climbed back down. He kneeled down as he set the handful of apples next the horse’s head, where it would easily be able to bite into the apples if it ever got hungry.

“Now what’s this all ‘bout?” the horse asked confusingly as it stared at the apples placed next to her.

“I’m being gallant.”

“What!? Ya wouldn’t know how ta be gallant if it hit ya in the back of the head!”

Blake narrowed his eyes, becoming increasingly flustered with the orange horse that couldn’t shut its mouth to save its life. He moved in closer that their faces were only inches apart. He said with a cold tone, “Now look here, cowgirl. You don’t know the hell I’ve been through these past few days. If you did, you should consider yourself lucky that I haven’t decided to take your life right here and now. Now where I come from, if you for some reason attack a person, they’ll retaliate and attack back. And did you see those apples I was eating?” Blake waited for a response but the horse gave none.

“Well those things let me survive until the next meal, where I may have to steal again. It may be unethical, but I want to see my life through to the end instead of taking the coward’s way out.” He waited a few moments to let his words sink into the horse’s mind.

“Now I’m gonna have to leave you tied up like this. You know why? Because I don’t trust you, and I would rather not have a knife stuck in my throat the second I turn my back on you, because I’m sure you’re thinking of doing something along those lines.”

The horse opened its mouth to say something, but then it decided otherwise as it closed it instead.

“You have a real good day know, y’hear?” Blake said, standing up to leave. Let’s just add that to my mile-long list of sins I’ve committed in the past week, Blake thought to himself.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Lyra trotted on the trail that led to Sweet Apple Acres. It would be a good place to start looking. The Earthling may have already taken her food, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t look for more. Sweet Apple Acres was very grand and could be seen from miles away. It was easily spotted from a large distance away and there was a very good chance that the Earthling had noticed the large apple orchard and decided to scavenge for food there. Lyra was sure that Applejack wouldn’t mind her “visiting” for a while as she continued her search for the alien.

As she continued along the path, she noticed Applejack and her little sister, Apple Bloom, dashing as fast as they could along the dirt path. They certainly seemed in a hurry to get to Ponyville, and Lyra had a vague idea why. Before the two sisters passed by Lyra without noticing her, she called out, “Hey, Applejack! What’s going on?”

The two sisters skidded to a halt in front of Lyra, kicking up a storm of dust behind them.

“Applejack says there’s a scary monster over yonder!” Apple Bloom said, looking scared.

So, Lyra was right. The Earthling did stop by Sweet Apple Acres for a tasty snack. Lyra exploded with excitement, and began to run towards the apple orchard, but Applejack stopped her by sticking her hoof out in front of her.

“Now just where d’ ya think yer goin’?” Applejack asked.

“To see the Earthling of course!” Lyra replied, trying to move forward again but Applejack maintained her posture, not letting Lyra go by.

“An Earthin’? What in tarnation is that?” Applejack asked.

“It’s got two legs, has only hair on top of its head, can grab things easily with its—”

“Well that’s exactly what was over in muh orchard! Wait, how d’ ya know ‘bout all this?” Applejack interrupted, wanting to know how Lyra had gotten all off her information.

“Well… I-uh… um… It’s because…” Lyra stuttered, trying to find an excuse.

“Just spit it out, girl!” Applejack said impatiently.

“The thing broke into my house, stole my food, and attacked me! Okay?” Lyra broke.

“Did ya tell anypony about it?”

“No… I didn’t…” Lyra replied, feeling guilty that she had not said a word about the incident.

“Why not?”

“Because I… um—”

“Ya can explain this when we get over to Twilight.”

Applejack dragged Lyra with her. She resisted but to no avail. Apple Bloom smiled at Lyra, which did not make her feel any better. Her search would just have to be postponed.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“Are you crazy? You didn’t tell this to anypony, and you even lied to your own roommate about the Earthling robbing your food and assaulting you?” Twilight asked furiously. Lyra had never seen Twilight, well actually anypony, get as angry as this.

“Uh… yeah, I kind of did…” Lyra replied, frowning.

Twilight facehoofed. “I don’t understand why you would keep this to yourself like this!”

“Because nopony would believe me, that’s why!”

“Well… I guess you are sort of right… but why were you searching for this thing? Between both yours and Applejack’s stories, this creature sounds very dangerous!”

Lyra was going to tell Twilight what the Earthling had said before it left her house, but Applejack cut in before she could say anything. “The Earthlin’ really doesn’t want to hurt anypony. It just doesn’t trust us,” she said.

Twilight looked at Applejack quizzically. “How could you defend it like that? It stole your apples and tied you up! By the way how did you get out of the rope anyways?”

“Big Mac eventually heard me and got meh untied. But anyway I hafta admit that the Earthin’ really did drive its words into muh heart.”

"What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“It sound like it’d been hurt. Not hurt as in fur and bone, but hurt emotionally.”

“It sounded similar to me last night. It said that it was sorry that it attacked me, and it would do anything to survive,” Lyra added.

Twilight pondered for a moment. Using her magic, she used a quill to write a quick letter, presumably to the Princess. After she was finished writing, she looked over it and handed it off to Spike. Using a small breath of green fire, he had magically sent off the letter to Celestia. This caused Lyra to wonder how the Earthlings communicated over long distances. She remembered having a recent dream about a large building that orbited aimlessly around the Earthling’s planet. Maybe that building helped the Earthling’s communicate. She also remembered an Earthling in a bulky, white suit fixing something on the building with tools that she had never seen before. The suit to her seemed airtight, which didn’t make sense. She knew that Nightmare Moon was trapped on the moon for a thousand years, so the air must certainly be breathable. So why was that Earthling in a suit? She would just have to add that question to the list she was creating inside her head.

It was only a few minutes before another letter appeared magically in front of Twilight.

“Wow, that was fast,” Twilight said, astonished. She began reading the letter.

“My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. It seems as if the disturbances I have been feeling recently have become a reality. As I am attending to other things at the moment, I am dispatching my dearest sister, Princess Luna, and a squad of Royal Guards to Ponyville immediately. When they arrive, I want you to aid in the search of finding the Earthling and interrogating it. Let Luna handle the questions though. And if possible, see if you can gather several pegasus ponies, specifically Rainbow Dash, to help in the search as well. I bid you all luck, and report to me if you are able to track the Earthling down.

“Signed, Princess Celestia.”

The library was silent for several minutes. “Can the Cutie Mark Crusaders help find the monster? We could become CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MONSTER SLAYERS!” Apple Bloom said happily, breaking the silence. She pranced around, punching the air with two hooves as if engaged in mid-combat.

Twilight grinned. “I don’t know. Only if your sister says she’s fine with it.”

Apple Bloom put a pause on her imaginary battle. She glared at her sister with her puppy-dog eyes, something she had been practicing so that she could get what she wanted if ever needed. She had almost perfected it, but it was certainly not as powerful as Fluttershy’s “Stare”.

Applejack was quick to give in. “Oh, alright. But Ah’m gonna keep an eye on ya three the entire time. If that thing outsmarded me, it’ll outsmard you.”

Apple Bloom jumped for joy. “Yay! We’ll get our Cutie Marks this time for sure! Ah’ll get the other girls!” She left Twilight’s library with an enormous smile planted on her face.

After Apple Bloom was gone, Lyra asked, “Twilight?”

Twilight turned her attention to the teal unicorn. “Yes, Lyra?”

“Would it be alright if I helped too? “ Lyra asked.

“I guess so. Do you still have a bone to pick on it?”

Lyra giggled. “No, I just want to meet it.”

Twilight glanced at her, confused. “I still don’t understand. Why are you so obsessed with finding the alien so badly?”

Lyra was about to object Twilight’s argument that she was obsessed with the Earthlings, but she then realized that she really was. Because of recent events, it was now time to reveal her secrets. “I’ve been having dreams about these creatures for years,” she started. “At first I thought they were just funny little fairy tales, but my dreams continued to become more clear and vivid, and I don’t believe that the scenes I were seeing were just a figment of my imagination. I saw Earthling cities that made even Canterlot look like an ant in comparison, literally. I’ve been keeping a journal and—”

“Wait! You’re keeping a journal about all the dreams you’ve been having?” Twilight interrupted.

“Yes…”

“I want to see it, if it’s fine with you.”

“Okay. I never dreamed of the moment that somepony would actually be interested in all my research. It’s like another dream come true!”

“Another dream? What was the other one?”

“An Earthling showing up in Equestria! Duh.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Twilight glanced through Lyra’s notes that she had taken over the course of several years. Some of the drawings of large city landscapes were absolutely breathtaking in Twilight’s eyes. She wondered why Lyra didn’t have a quill or a paint pallet for a cutie mark instead of a lyre. Although some of the information of the Earthling’s physical features was helpful, Twilight was disappointed that there was a lack information about how an Earthling acts, tendencies, emotional, or any other type of mental background. Based on Lyra’s and Applejack’s encounters with the Earthling, it was cunning and used wits to get out of trouble. It may be difficult to capture the creature, but with the power of Princess Luna, the Royal Guards, and any other ponies that volunteered in Ponyville, it should be done relatively quickly.

“So where d’ ya reckon we should look first?” Applejack asked curiously.

Lyra told Applejack her theory about that the Earthling would most likely be near a river or lake with food sources nearby. It would greatly narrow down their search.

“But what if it decides t’ head on over t’ the Everfree forest?” Applejack asked hypothetically.

“I doubt it would even get close to it. There are many deadly creatures in there. Everypony knows that,” Twilight replied, confused why Applejack would ask a question with suck an obvious answer.

“But this isn’t a pony, Twilight. It doesn’t know that the Everfree is dangerous. However, there may be something in that book he stole that could lead him away from the forest,” Lyra said, hoping that the Earthling wasn’t stupid to go wandering in that forest. She had only been to the Everfree once, because she had lost a bet, and it was the scariest night of her life. But, if they were forced to go into the Everfree, they would be under protection from the Royal Guards. This made Lyra relax a little.

There was a knock on the door. Lyra was about to let Bon-Bon answer it, because she was normally the first one to greet any guess, but she then remembered that Bon-Bon was out gathering ingredients for a batch of caramel apples. Lyra trotted to the door and opened it with her magic. A cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane was waiting outside.

“Hey, Lyra. Is Twilight in here? She told me to come meet her here and—” Rainbow Dash said before being cut off by a purple unicorn.

“Rainbow Dash! We need your help,” Twilight said.

“With what? Maybe it’s performing in front of a crowd of thousands, or battling off an army of Manticores, or saving a baby from falling off the cliff again, or—”

“We need your help with finding an alien,” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash began chuckling. “An alien? Hahaha, oh Twilight. Have you been reading too many books again?”

“She’s tellin’ the truth, Rainbow,” Applejack said, trying to get the pegasus to stop laughing hysterically.

“She’s got you on this too? I know this is a prank, so I’ll just be heading off now…” Rainbow Dash said. She attempted to fly off bought Twilight caught onto her tail with a magic spell. She wasn’t going anywhere.

Lyra trotted underneath the pegasus that was stuck in mid-air. “We’re all telling the truth, Rainbow Dash. There is an alien in Equestria. And since you’re one of the fastest flyers around, it would be a great help if you go looking for it with us.”

Rainbow Dash stared at the trio of ponies as if they had lost their minds. She was now, however, able to stifle her laughter. “So you guys are actually being serious?” she asked, still skeptical. The three nodded their heads simultaneously. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as if she still couldn’t believe them. The only thing that would convince the Earthling was real is that if she actually saw it with her own two eyes. Twilight stopped her spell and let Rainbow Dash fall to the ground.

“When are we going to start searching for this thing?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“As soon as the Princess and the Royal Guards arrive,” Twilight replied.

“Celestia’s coming?”

“No, it’s Princess Luna.”

Rainbow Dash tried to mask her disappointment, but failed. Although after the previous Nightmare Night, it would seem like everypony would like both Princesses equally, but there were still some that were a bit doubtful that the Princess of the Night would still attempt to eat them. Rainbow Dash was one of them, as she had been too busy playing pranks to see the true side of Luna, so she had no idea what Luna was really like.

Just then, a thunderstorm magically appeared, pouring rain down all over the small town of Ponyville. The four ponies then emerged from the safety of the house to greet the princess. Lyra could see the chariot that Luna had ridden in when she had last visited Ponyville being pulled by two pegasi with bat-like wings. There were also a dozen of Celestia’s Royal Guards following the chariot in a semi-circle formation, protecting the rear of the chariot. Luna’s chariot landed in the center of Ponyville, near Twilight’s library. The four ran up to the princess as soon as she had landed.

“GREETINGS, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! ART THOU READY FOR THE SEARCH FOR THE ALIEN?” Luna shouted deeply.

“Luna! Remember what happened the last time you used the Royal Canterlot Voice? Everypony was afraid of you!” Twilight yelled, trying to speak over the loud noises of the thunderstorm.

“Yes, you’re right… sorry,” Luna apologized, lifting out her front right hoof in front of her.

“And what’s with the thunderstorm?” Twilight asked, shaking her hoof with Luna’s. “We’re all soaking wet out here!”

“Tia had told me that there should always be a forewarning before one us arrives at a town besides Canterlot. With Tia, it’s her chariot that radiates as bright as the sun, and with me it’s—”

“Yes, yes, we understand! Could you please stop this storm please? It’s only going to make our search more complicated!”

“Oh, alright.” Using her powerful magic, Luna was able to cast away the storm as quickly as it had appeared. The bright, yellow sun gleamed over the ponies in a ray of sunshine with a warmth that was welcome to the ponies who were now soaking wet. But somehow, Luna remained completely dry, as if a rain drop had never got near her coat or her mane.

“Alright my little ponies,” Luna said. “Here’s the plan.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blake’s hard work was completely soiled in a matter of moments. Using the maps that were gratefully located in the book he had borrowed, he found a web of small lakes and ponds with tiny streams that connected in between them. Blake had decided that this would be a perfect place to settle for the time being. He knew that because of recent events, the horses would come looking for him, just as his previous enemies did. He had built at least several different campfires at random points in the valley, to confuse any search parties that would come looking for him. He knew that the smoke from the campfires would attract attention, but that was what he wanted. He had picked a small hill where he would easily be able to overlook all of the campfires, so when he saw a group of horses investigating one, he would know their exact position and be able to retreat away from them.

However, as if by magic, a large thunderstorm literally appeared out of thin air. There was no warning, no thunder booming in the distance to forewarn of the impending danger, it just appeared without explanation. His campfires were completely doused by the heavy rain, and he wished to seek shelter but there was none around. From lessons in school, he knew that lightning strikes at the tallest object in the area where it does, which is why it is dangerous to go near trees while there was lightning around. And that was the problem; the only way to get out of the rain would be to hide under the branches and leaves of a thick tree.

Blake ran to the lowest point in the valley and lied on his stomach. He would just have to wait for the storm to pass by. Fortunately enough, the storm disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Rays of sunshine hit on his drenched clothes.

As he didn’t want to risk the chance of catching a disease in these water-ridden clothes, so he found a tree with low branches and stripped off his clothing until he was naked. He hung all of his clothing on the tree, including his shoes and socks, placing them on a specific branch so that the clothes would be in the sun rather in the shade for the rest of the day. Hopefully they would dry before nightfall.

It was very awkward and uncomfortable to be out in the open like this without at least something covering his private square. He thought of doing something like Tarzan and have one skinny cloth to cover the area, but he then decided against it. It would really only be embarrassing if someone else could see him, but fortunately the closest human to him was probably millions of light years away.

He went out to search for more wood so that he could rebuild his decoy campfires.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Author’s Note

Well there you go, chapter three is finished and done. I’ve decided that I wouldn’t put an author’s note at the end of every single chapter like I did with the my last fic, as that probably got a bit annoying, so I won’t do that with this one.

However, I would like to know what you think about this fic and any criticism you have so far. Any and all comments are appreciated (unless you’re just trolling, because if you do post a troll comment, I’ll just delete them). I do reply to almost all of my comments, so if there’s anything that confuses you or anything, I’ll be glad to help. I’d also like to know any ideas that you have that I may be able to implement into the future. So anyways, thanks for reading.

Siege, out.

Chapter 4: Capture

They had split into several different teams. Each team was sent in a different direction than the others, to maximize their coverage area. There was no way to tell where the alien had decided to move on, unless they could find tracks from the shoes that it was wearing. Lyra had been put into a team with Luna herself and her two wicked looking guards. It seemed like she was very interested in Lyra’s visions of the strange, alien homeworld of the Earthlings.

While they were searching, the two discussed about Lyra’s dreams. Luna had no explanation as to why Lyra was having such visions about the Earthlings during her sleep. She figured that Lyra was possibly a very powerful unicorn, and wondered why Lyra never enrolled in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. With a pony that could see distant planets while it was asleep, would be a pony with a wonderful knack at magic, and one that could be as talented as Twilight Sparkle.

They had continued down a path for at least several miles, with no signs that the Earthling had been anywhere nearby. The sun would set in a matter of hours, and if they still couldn’t find the Earthling, they would have to call it a night and call off the search until the next day.

Lyra’s hooves were beginning to feel sore. She had been walking for almost the entire day, and never really had much of a chance to take a break. There was no way she was going to stop though. As she was so close to actually communicating with an Earthling! She had almost completely forgotten about the previous night, the memory of the alien attacking her was already fading away. It was a dream come true indisputably, and even if she had to face hardships to capture that dream, she would take it.

Now with only an hour left before Luna had to call it quits so that she could raise the moon, as she did every night, Lyra’s hope that they could find the alien was dwindling, until they saw smoke. It was at least a half a mile away from where they were, but it was a sure sign that the alien had built a camp there, and was resting near a campfire.

Luna turned to both of her guards. “Grab everypony you can as quickly as possible. Have them meet us at this exact location. Once we get a large enough party, we’ll be able to surround the Earthling and capture it before it can escape. Is that clear?”

Both the guards saluted and said simultaneously, “Yes, Your Highness!”

The two bat-winged guards took off with astonishing speed. Those two are probably highly trained, Lyra thought.

“What will we do while we wait?” Lyra asked.

“I think this’ll be a good opportunity to try some new spells I’ve been experimenting with. Maybe a spell that greatly increases one’s vision would be good one to test, perhaps?” Luna replied.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blake finished tying the shoelace on his right foot, then began to work on the other one. His clothes had finally dried from all the water and he had already put them on as quickly as he could. He may be out in the wilderness, but that didn’t mean he was safe from prying eyes. The concealment of the clothing lifted a weight on his shoulder. He absolutely despised being naked out in the open. He then wondered how streakers at football games were idiotic enough to run out in a stadium full of people with his balls dangling out like he wanted convey a message to the people of the Internet. Blake had now fallen into the routine of daydreaming about random, stupid things whenever his past memories tried to creep on him. It was a good way to push those memories deeper and deeper into the abyss, where he hoped no one would ever be able to unlock them again for the rest of eternity.

After tying the shoelaces on his Nike sneakers, he opened his backpack to check to see if his electronics had shorted out or not during the storm. Thankfully, his iPhone was still in working condition. That device was a great reliever of boredom, which was by now a travelling companion with him. However, even though that he had accidently forgot to turn his iPhone off to conserve power, the battery still read as completely charged. This was unquestionably strange and otherworldly to Blake. He felt like it should have died days ago, but yet it somehow kept going. Blake decided he shouldn’t care. As long as it kept working, he’d be good.

He next took out his flashlight, where both AA batteries had been knocked loose. He sighed as he picked up each battery and checked where to insert the positive and the negative sides. By accident, his thumb hit the switch and the craziest thing happened: It turned on, without electricity. Blake’s jaw dropped wide open. He rubbed his eyes to make sure it wasn’t some crazy illusion, but light still illuminated from the should-be-powerless device. He clicked the switch several times. The flashlight responded as the bulb inside turned on and off, on and off, on and off. Was this place he was at, wherever the hell it was, somehow powering his electronics without the need of electricity? Blake couldn’t believe it, but if he had devices at his disposal that would never run out of power, he would be set for a long time.

Smiling, he took out the can of peanuts and began to snack. He didn’t feel hungry at all, but it would be best he could pack as much energy as possible in case that his new pursuers found him. Blake then realized if he wanted energy, he shouldn’t be eating peanuts. Remembering more lessons from school, he knew that peanuts were a good source of protein, but the body hardly uses proteins for energy. Protein is instead used as building blocks for muscles. He also remembered that carbohydrates were a better source of energy for a quick, fast workout. Sadly enough, he didn’t have any carbs with him, so the fruit would have to do instead.

He opened one of the cans of peaches, and began eating them from the can itself. He didn’t have any forks or spoons, and he knew that his hands were easily contaminated by bacteria (as he was still careful to not get sick), so slurping the peaches would have to do for now. He wished he was back home, digging into a fat, juicy steak. The beef jerky had been his only source of meat for the past week, and the thought of becoming a vegetarian make him go crazy. Maybe if he had to, he could shoot a rabbit or dear, and cook that.

He then felt the sense that someone or something was watching him. He turned around in a three-sixty degree angle to check his surroundings for any intruders. He couldn’t see any, but he still felt weary. He then grabbed the binoculars and again did another three-sixty sweep of the valley, and still saw nothing but lakes, grass, and trees. For some reason, he remembered that in movies when the protagonist was searching for something, they never decided to look up towards the sky. Not wanting to make the same mistakes as those fictional characters, he looked upwards and for the second time, he dropped his jaw.

Pegasi, probably over a dozen, were flying towards him in all directions. He turned to run, but several unicorns literally teleported next to him, and barged his escape route. He quickly found himself surrounded with nowhere to run. This was a fight or flight situation, and flight had been immediately dropped off the list. The AK-47 lied only a few feet from him. He somersaulted, grabbing the weapon and aiming directly at a dark indigo hybrid of a pegasus and a unicorn. Blake figured that the hybrid was either their commander or leader or whatever he wanted to call it. If worse came to worse, he could kill the leader and while the rest were stunned he could make a dash for it. He was hopelessly outnumbered, but on the bright side, he figured that he at least outgunned them.

He was still strong, he could still fight. But the thought being surrounded and helpless had unleashed a bombardment of recent memories to flood his mind. He remembered the brave voices of the people that helped him survive a little longer.

“Python Four is down! I repeat: Python Four is down! One pilot’s dead and the other’s seriously wounded! We’re getting swarmed over here and we need reinforcements!”

“Dammit! We’re being jammed!”

“Left side, left side! Bad guys comin’ in at ten o’ clock!”

“Get those RPGs! They’ll tear us to shreds unless we take ‘em out!”

“FUCK! I’m hit! They got me in the arm!”

“Ah shit! Rodriguez is down! They’ve got snipers camping out in those trees forty meters to the front!”

“Kid… take this and start headin’ west. We’ll hold these fuckers off as long as we can. Just get to France! I’m sure the UN will get you back home safe and sound!”

His memories were now tearing him apart, and the converging horses were now the least of his worries.

<><><><><><><><><><>

The sneak attack was successful, almost too successful in Lyra’s mind. It seemed that the Earthling had failed to live up to its past reputation of being able to escape tricky situations.

Both Lyra and Luna had spent the last twenty minutes watching the Earthling from afar. Something Lyra had noticed was that it had built more than one campfire around the valley. When she pointed this out to Luna she had replied, “It’s a simple ruse. My guess is that it was hoping that when one of our teams went out to investigate the fires, it would know where to run next. Why do you think it had decided to pick a hill in between all of the campfires and not camp next to one itself?” It made sense to Lyra.

When the rest of the ponies finally arrived, Luna commanded the pegsasi to come down on the alien from above, while the rest of the ponies would be teleported by the combined power of herself and Twilight. Unless the Earthling could see into the future, it would not be able to evade such a lightning fast strike.

It was now encircled with no avenues to escape. It clutched a sort of large club in its claws. It was probably some sort of weapon. However, the barrel of it was being pointed directly at Luna’s head. Lyra noticed that the Princess did not flinch. She stood firm, ready to take the alien into custody if it didn’t surrender itself to them.

The Earthling’s pupils then seemed to shrink in size. Its legs began to shake. The club-like weapon began to release from its grip, and gravity pulled it to the ground. The ponies could not comprehend what was going on with the creature to make it act like this. It clasped its claws over its ears, like it was trying to cover itself from a piercing wail.

Luna engulfed the weapon with her magic and levitated it in front of her face to study. Lyra was now examining the features of the club as well. It was long and a little slender. It also had grips where the Earthling could grasp it. She also noticed a small little switch which she guessed triggered a projectile to fly out of the barrel. But out of the corner of her eye, Lyra saw that the alien had regained its senses, and was staring at Luna.

“Put… the gun… down… now…” it commanded, still shivering. Maybe it still hadn’t come out to its senses quite yet.

Luna began to speak in a calm, soothing voice, but did not cooperate with the Earthling’s fiat. “Hello. I am Princess Luna, ruler of Equestria. Would you like to tell me your name?”

“I SAID PUT IT DOWN!” the Earthling shouted. Sweat beaded down the top of its face, which should have signaled that it was hot. So why was it shivering like it was the middle of winter right now? Its response however, shocked everypony to the point that they could not stop their mouths from dropping and their eyes unblinking. Luna howbeit remained the same. She even took a few steps closer to the alien. Lyra noticed that Twilight was taking notes with a quill. Does that pony ever stop studying, Lyra thought, letting her thought wander off for a brief moment.

“Look, it’s just a simple question. Nopony wants to hurt you. We just want to know your name,” Luna said, keeping her cool. It was not every day that you were speaking with an alien from another planet.

“Don’t take another step closer,” the alien threatened.

“Or what?” Luna asked, taking the bait.

“…I’ll kill you.”

Luna stopped in her tracks. Her horn glowed but nothing seemed to happen. Maybe it was to scare the alien or something? After she finished casting her pointless spell, she took another step forward against the alien’s wishes.

“I don’t give second chances!” the Earthling announced. It reached for an object that was holstered to the side of its belt. It pulled out what looked like a miniature version of the weapon it was previously holding… Oh no! It was going to attack Luna! The guards were too late in their reaction. The alien aimed it at Luna’s head, and clicked the switch. An ear-deafening BANG came from the weapon. A projectile that seemed to go fast than the speed of sound came for Luna, but Lyra then gawked at the spell the Princess had casted earlier: A forcefield to protect herself.

The alien was quickly frustrated and fired again and again, each time the projectiles bouncing effortlessly off the forcefield and falling onto the ground. The guards had now tackled and restrained it. It desperately tried to free itself from the guards’ grasp, but the combined power of Celestia’s Elite were too powerful for it.

“Well it looks like this is the end!” the alien said. “I’m ready for my place in hell!”

Lyra felt sympathy for the two-legged alien. Even though she couldn’t believe it had actually tried to kill the princess, she had a strange urge to calm it, and say that everything would be alright. This is the creature from her dreams, this is what she had been struggling to find her entire life, and even because it made some horrid choices, she still didn’t want to let it go. The princesses would now probably lock it away in some dungeon, where it would never be able to steal or hurt anypony ever again, but Lyra knew that wasn’t what this creature was destined to do.

“Don’t lock it away on the moon, Luna!” Lyra pleaded. A dozen pair of eyes turned in her direction.

“Why do you think we would do that?” Luna asked, puzzled.

“Princess, you have to put it in a place it can’t escape! This thing could go on a killing spree on innocent Equestrian ponies!” Twilight argued.

“Twilight, put yourself in the Earthling’s hooves for a moment. What if you found yourself on the Earthling’s planet surrounded by these creatures, with nopony else to help you. Wouldn’t you be scared out of your wits?” Luna asked.

“I… guess so. But this creature is unstable and crazy! We can’t let it roam around freely in Equestria,” Twilight still debated.

“We’re not going to do that quite yet. Tomorrow morning we’ll set off to Canterlot. Tia, I, and our top scientists will be studying it. This is quite a big discovery, and we might also need your help. If you and your friends would like to join us to Canterlot, it would be most appreciated.”

Twilight couldn’t help but accept Luna’s offer. “Of course! I do have to admit that I’m quite interested in the Earthling as well.”

Luna smiled, and then turned to Lyra. “I would like you to come along as well.”

Lyra was stunned. “Me? Why me?”

“If these dreams you’ve been having are true, then you may have some sort of link between you and the Earthling. Maybe we can find this link and put it good use.”

“I would be happy to come!” Again, Lyra could hardly contain her excitement. She would be going back to her hometown of Canterlot, where she would be able to visit her parents again, and would still be able to analyze it.

“It seems like I’ll be spending the night in Ponyville... Twilight, you’ll be having some guests staying with you tonight.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

“What does it take for us to just get your name?” Luna rhetorically asked.

The Earthling was sitting on a small bench from the Ponyville Park as it had no other place to rest. Several candles illuminated Twilight’s library. There were only several ponies in the room: Princess Luna, Twilight, Lyra, and a few guards to keep the peace. They had been trying for an hour to get the alien to at least reveal its name, but something was going wrong with it. Luna had told the others earlier that she was tempted to try and read its mind, but she actually feared to look into it. Something was causing the alien to tear itself apart, and even though Luna wanted to find out what it was immediately, she wanted to gain high ground before going trying to dig deeper.

The Earthling mumbled something. The ponies perked up. This was the first sound it had made besides breathing in the past hour.

“What did you say?” Luna asked. “And could you speak louder?”

“My name’s Blake, goddammit!”

Blake… it was a peculiar and interesting name to Lyra. It wasn’t like pony names that were mostly just composed of compound words of nouns, adjectives, or verbs. It was unique in its own sort of way.

“So your name is Blake?” Luna asked.

“Blake… Johnson…”

Lyra could tell that Luna was happy to get at finally get at least something out of him. Lyra had now begun to train herself to think “him” instead of “it”. She thought it wasn’t really fair to think of him as an “it”, like he was some sort of insect.

“So Blake, can you tell us what other Earthlings are like?” Twilight asked. She was still taking notes.

He chuckled. “What’s an Earthling? Sounds like something from Star Trek.”

“Isn’t that what your species is called?”

“No, I’m a human.”

While Twilight continued to write down notes with her quill, Lyra took the time to actually look specifically at Blake’s characteristics. He had short, brown hair on the top of his head. His eyes were a deep blue. It reminded Lyra of waves drifting aimlessly on a small, peaceful lake. He was much taller than a pony, probably about two feet higher.

Luna continued to question Blake. “How old are you?”

“How old am I? I’m sixteen.”

“Interesting. Could you tell us anything about your family? Or your friends and what they were like?”

Blake looked as if he had been slapped across the face. Without warning, he began to sob. “I could’ve saved them… but there were too many! I watched them die! I could hardly contain my screams! Just go away… please just go away…”

He continued to bawl like a little foal.

“Did he just say that he watched some ponies close to him die?” Twilight asked, clearly not believing what he had just said.

“I think it will be best if we just leave him alone, for now,” Luna judged.

Just seeing Blake cry made Lyra want to cry too. It almost felt like there was a connection between her and the human. She heard more shots from the weapon go off, but it was not in real life. It was from his memory. Without knowing it, Lyra had somehow felt his memories for a split second, like they had clawed their way into her mind. Lyra felt the sense of being helpless just like the human. Wanting the terrible emotions to stop, she trotted up to the sobbing human, and hugged him.

Chapter 5: Ligatures

Blake turned his iPhone on to check the time. 7:32 AM the phone read. Their flight would leave at 8:30, which would give them a little less than an hour to get through the JFK International Airport and onboard their flight.

They had travelled all through the morning from their current town of Albany to reach New York City, where they would board their flight on a Boeing 747 to travel to Europe. Blake’s parents thought that they would have made it to the large airport over three hours before their flight even started boarding, but major construction had postponed their long car ride.

“I knew something like this would happen! I told you we should’ve booked a hotel in New York!” his mother had said earlier while his father was trying to maneuver around a traffic jam.

“Honey, you know how expensive this trip is. We couldn’t have afforded another dime without skipping at least several meals while we’re in Paris or Berlin or any other town we’ll visit on this vacation,” his father had replied, with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

The memories of his two parents bickering and arguing with each other during the car ride still lingered in Blake’s mind. His family now moved around the sea of people, sprinting as fast as they could. Blake couldn’t believe how crowded the airport was, this early in the morning. When they reached security, all hopes of making it on time had vanished. The lines to get through were enormous, and would take at least an hour and a half just to get through.

But somehow, a miracle happened right in front of them. Apparently, one of the metal detector machines was malfunctioning, and the airport had brought a team of electricians to come and fix it. And somehow, someway, they finished it at the exact moment the Johnson family arrived at security. An airport security officer announced, “This line’s now operational!”

A hoard of people bombarded their way to try and make it first in line, including the Johnsons. Even though they weren’t in the front of the line, it would only take fifteen minutes tops to get through. Blake passed the time chatting about baseball with his dad. They were both big Florida Marlins fans, as they had lived in Miami before his dad bought several acres of land in Albany where he could build his dream gun range.

After they had gotten through security free of any bombs, chainsaws, axes, rat poisoning, guns that fired portals, or any other dangerous items that might be used as a “terrorist” weapon during their flight, they sprinted to reach their gate before they started boarding. As before, they pushed past their way through a crowd of people. Blake wondered why his family wasn’t getting stares from all passerbies they were rushing passed, but then figured that it was probably normal for a group of people who were sprinting to be late for their flight. All the people who were waiting at their gate had most likely seen groups like his family plenty of times.

Blake checked the time again. 8:17 AM. They had made it with thirteen minutes to spare. His stomach then rumbled. He had wished they could’ve gotten breakfast but there was no time for that. His family boarded the flight and took their seats according to the number on their tickets. Blake wished he didn’t have to get stuck next to his annoying, bratty eight-year-old sister for the eighteen hour trip it was going to take for them to reach wherever they planned to go first. Was this trip even worth it? It was going to cost Blake his entire summer vacation, but he might be able to bring back a bunch of souvenirs that he could brag about to his friends when he got back, and possibly a hot French chick too. Blake mentally facepalmed for letting his hormones get the best of him.

Although, he needed to get the courage to go up to a girl and ask her out. He’d never been on a date, kissed a girl, danced with a girl, and he’d never even hugged a girl save the ones in his family. His friends always teased him about it, but he had hardly cared. Every time he did get the guts to go ask, he’d choke and would totally annihilate any chances of a girl saying, “Yes.”

His thoughts wandered off while the flight attendant went through the standard safety procedure of how to deploy the oxygen masks and where to go if the plane had to land and blah, blah, blah. He took his iPhone out of his pocket and turned on the Airplane mode feature, so that he didn’t mess with the plane’s radar or whatever the hell electronics with access to the internet did to it. Before he hit the music app, he noticed his sister watching a TV show on their parent’s laptop that she borrowed from them. Curious, he asked her what she was watching. His sister replied, “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic! You should totally watch it with me!”

Blake snickered. “I’m too old to watch that shit, Melody,” he said.

“You’re never too old! There are actually some guys in my class who watch this show too!” Melody countered.

“Are they gay?”

“Of course not! How could you say something so mean?”

“Because any straight male would rather lick a donkey’s ass rather than watching twenty-two minutes of pure girly torture. That show is meant for five-year-old babies, not for sixteen-year-olds like me.”

“Well, do you still like Disney movies?”

Blake thought about that question for a moment, trying to figure where his sister was going with it. “Yeah… I guess.”

“Those movies are made for both kids and grown-ups to enjoy. The same goes for this one!”

“When pigs fly, Melody.” He decided he was finished with this argument. He inserted his headphones over his ears and turned his music up enough to drain the voice of his bothersome sister. He didn’t dare put it up on full volume, because his headphones were also designed to be speakers. If the volume was at its max, the whole plane, including pilots would be able to hear it too. He figured he would be at least respectful to the other people around him. This was going to be a long flight.

Blake continued to drift in and out of sleep. The only reason he woke up was because his sister would use a wrist band to whack him on the side of the arm within minutes of him falling asleep. He knew better than too tattle, as his parents were over-protective of Melody. He could never win an argument.

After he believed that his arm was starting to bleed, he snatched the rubber band, snapped it in half, and then tossed the remnants of it into his backpack. Unfortunately, his sister had a back-up one, and was preparing to strike his arm again.

Blake glazed at her with an ice-cold stare. “If you hit me with that thing again one more time, I’ll toss you off the Eiffel tower and into the Seine River.”

She stopped and turned her attention back to her pony infested TV show. Blake let out a sigh of relief and turned his head towards the window.

He saw a bright light emerging from the ground at a ridiculously fast speed. It took three seconds for Blake to recognize what it was: A SAM, or a surface-to-air missile. It collided with the right wing of the plane, causing it to lose altitude at an alarming rate. There were prayers, pleads, cries for help, screams, or whatever noises came from the panicking passengers after the missile collided. The intercom from the cabin came on, telling everyone to remain calm. Blake ignored it and used his body to cover his sister. He then awaited their certain death.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Lyra jolted awake, panting heavily. She rolled off the side of Twilight’s guest bed, pondering about the dream she just had. Something was different with this dream than the others she had about the human world. It was like she was actually there. She had felt all of Blake’s movements, heard all of his thoughts in her head, could smell everything he could smell, including all of the other senses as well. It was just so impossibly realistic.

She moved her sight to the balcony of Twilight’s library, where she noticed the Lunar Princess gazing at the stars. Figuring she wouldn’t be able to get anymore sleep, she joined Luna.

“Having difficulty sleeping?” Luna asked calmingly.

Lyra described everything in her dream to the princess. Luna remained silent, taking in all of her words and trying to put them together as if they were a puzzle. Once Lyra finished, Luna turned to her and smiled. “It seems that there is a strong bond between the two of you. It’s almost as powerful as the one between Celestia and me,” Luna said.

“Do you have any explanation as to why this is happening?” Lyra asked, curious.

“None,” Luna replied, pointing towards a shooting star that soared through the night sky. “It is something I have never heard of before.”

Lyra let her eyes follow the trail the shooting star had made, taking in all of its beauty. “One more question,” she said, turning her attention back to Luna. “Do have any idea what’s happening to Blake?”

“Unfortunately, psychology is not one of a princess’s fields of expertise. We will only know what’s causing him to act this way when we know his entire story. It most certainly seems to be a terrible one, if I might add.”

The two couldn’t think of anything else to say. Lyra could do nothing but admire Luna’s excellent job of raising the moon and the night. It felt so peaceful, like there was nothing in Equestria that could cause discontent. Lyra began to wonder what Blake’s planet was like, besides the landscapes she had seen in her dreams. Did they have humans that control the weather like the pegasi? Was it possible that they could perform magic like a unicorn? Did they have the ability to fly— wait, she had just seen in her dream that the humans had built large machines to fly. What about more simple things like housing, food, or music? Being a musician, it only made Lyra even more intrusive to wonder what human music was like.

“I believe we should go check on our special guest,” Luna said, breaking the silence. Lyra nodded and quietly followed her through the bedroom, trying not to wake either Twilight or Spike. When did Spike get here? Lyra thought. They then silently tiptoed down the staircase and into the main room of the library below. The two guards were still stationed at the door, ready to stop Blake if he tried to escape.

Both Lyra and Luna stood in front of Blake. He was lying down on the hard, wood floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. Twilight had prepared a bed for him, composing of only sheets and blankets as she had nothing else, but for some reason Blake completely ignored it and decided to stay uncomfortable and cramped. His eyes were bloodshot from crying and he was inhaling deeply.

Lyra waved a hoof in front of his face. He made no attempt to acknowledge her other than exhaling.

“Looking as quaint as ever, I see,” Luna said sarcastically.

Blake turned his gaze to meet hers. He lifted his hand off the ground and balled it into a fist, shooting his middle finger up into the air. Neither Lyra nor Luna understood what the expression meant other than it was most likely an insult.

“Why can’t you damn horses see that I want to be left alone?” Blake asked rhetorically.

“We’re not horses, we’re ponies,” Lyra corrected.

“And I’m giving a fuck, because?”

“You’re giving a fuck? Is that like a human item or tool or something?” Lyra asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t understand Blake’s vocabulary.

He laughed obtrusively. “I have a dictionary app I could let you use on my iPhone, but you ponies took away all my shit.”

“We can’t let you have your things until we know that you’re not going to hurt anypony,” Luna explained.

It was now Blake’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “I only do what’s necessary to keep me alive. Even if that means killing other living things,” he said.

“But what if we gave you food to eat, a place to live, ponies to talk to? Would you still try to harm anypony then?” Luna asked hypothetically.

“The only time I will ever take another soul for the rest of eternity is if I signed up for the military, which was what I was planning on doing as soon as I turned eighteen.”

“Why?” Luna asked, keeping mental notes of everything the human said.

“Because… there’s nothing left for me. I hardly have any friends, I now have no home, and my family is dead. They’re gone! Taken away from me!” The tears once again flooded out of Blake’s eyes. Even though this had happened before, both Lyra and Luna were taken aghast by the sudden change of emotion. Like before, Lyra felt melancholy herself just as Blake did.

Lyra thought, feeling tears swell up inside her own eyes too.

What? Who said that? Blake’s voice said inside her head. Was it possible that they were sharing thoughts now as well?

Lyra thought, trying to figure out if whether or not the voice inside her head was real or just imaginary.

It’s you? You’re reading my mind, aren’t you?

“What’s going on here?” Luna asked, noticing that something strange was going on. They both ignored her and continued with their telepathic conversation.

Your world is fucked up.

Um… which ones?

You don’t know what cussing is?

Can you promise me something?

If you ever hear a word that comes out of my mouth that you don’t know the definition of, it’s probably a swear word. You could consider them ‘bad words’. So don’t ever curse, because seeing a bright-colored pony swear makes me want to laugh my guts out.

Look, I’m killing myself inside-out right now! My heart feels like a black hole that sucks all the happiness that I used to have right inside it!

You really think you can help me?

I want you to get my pistol.

It’s the thing that was on the side of my belt. It shoots bullets.

No, I’ve just decided that I now don’t give a shit about survival. I’ve had it with life. I’m a dog that needs to be put down.

Blake looked away from Lyra, not saying another word.

Blake remained silent. He curled up into a ball, and began rocking back and forth like an old pony would do on a rocking chair. Lyra frowned, knowing he would be curled into blackness until he could regain his senses.

“Lyra, I command you to tell me what’s happening between you and Blake this instant,” Luna ordered.

“We were just talking to each other,” Lyra replied.

“What do you mean?” Luna asked, puzzled. “It seemed as if you two were having a staring contest.”

“We communicated through our minds.”

Luna thought briefly, scratching her chin with her hoof. “Forget what I said before,” she stated. “Your bond is much stronger than I had originally thought.”

“What does this mean then?” Lyra asked, trying to figure out the future she would have between Blake and herself.

“I’m not sure,” Luna said. “But the sun is rising, and it’s time for us to head off for Canterlot.”

Chapter 6: Tribulation

The guards were forced to drag Blake to Luna’s chariot, as Blake wouldn’t budge an inch. Lyra predicted that Blake would’ve attempted to at least resist the guards a little, but he quickly submitted and let them haul him across the soft dirt. The two snow white pegasi threw him into the chariot without even considering his safety and well-being. Luna climbed into the chariot and ordered her bat-winged pegasi to take off. The chariot lifted above the ground and darted across the early morning sky. The rest of Celestia’s Elite took off after, positioning themselves the same way as they did when they had arrived.

Lyra was disappointed that she was parted from Blake, even if it was temporary. Luna’s chariot just simply didn’t have enough room for herself, Twilight, and all of her friends. They were going to take the next train to Canterlot, which was departing in only a half hour.

Lyra decided she would use this time and explain to Bon-Bon where she had been for the past twenty-four hours, and why she would be leaving Ponyville for a short while.

When she arrived at her home, she saw Bon-Bon cooking herself breakfast. Lyra could easily tell that she didn’t look pleased, as she sighed and rolled her eyes when she noticed Lyra walk in through the front door.

“Lyra, you don’t know how worried I’ve been,” Bon-Bon ranted, pouring flour into a bowl. “I figured that you were just on one of your little adventures and decided to spend the night at some other pony’s house, but you could have at least told me.”

Lyra paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to best describe what she had been doing for the past little while. Since she couldn’t find the right words, she decided to get straight to the point. “Bon-Bon, they’re real.”

Her roommate chuckled to herself softly, but it was still audible. Lyra knew that Bon-Bon thought she was joking… or was possibly going insane. “Alright,” Bon-Bon said, turning her attention away from her mixing bowl to the mint-green unicorn and putting her serious face on. “I’ve honestly have had enough of this charade. We’re going to see a psychiatrist in Manehatten immediately. I’m really starting to worry about you, Lyra.”

Lyra then told all of the events of the previous day, explaining to her roommate that a human had somehow found himself in Equestria and was going through some difficult times. At first, Lyra could tell that Bon-Bon was reluctant to believe her story, but as she kept going, she could tell the emotional changes in her roommate’s facial expression. She finally told her that she would be gone for a while. Maybe a few days, maybe a week, or possibly even a month. She told Bon-Bon that if she wasn’t able to pay rent, she could borrow any bits she needed from her bank account. The two friends said their good-byes, and Lyra left her home, knowing she would not be seeing it again for a long time.

<><><><><><><><><><>

The human had fallen asleep, and was snoring softly in the corner of her chariot. His forehead was bleeding from scratching his head on the side of the chariot because the guards were too clumsy to just set him softly down. Luna wanted to punish them for their stupidity, but she ended up giving them a warning. She then threatened that the next time she caught any of the guards harming the human unless he put pony’s lives in danger, would be stripped several ranks and would be suspended from their duty for a short while.

Luna knew that this incident would hamper her progress on trying to get Blake to trust them. She already understood that trust took time, especially in a case like this. Even though slip-ups were prone to happen, every mistake would set them back that much further.

The Lunar Princess took out a cloth from one of her saddlebags that she had poorly packed before coming to Ponyville. Blake’s small wound was bugging Luna, and all the excess blood would just distract her from correctly performing a healing spell on the unconscious human. Using her magic, she dabbed the downy, soft cloth on his forehead, wiping away any of the red blood that was oozing out. Once he was cleaned, Luna concentrated and attempted a simple spell that would heal the wound. Shockingly, nothing happened.

Impossible, was Luna’s only thought. It was a beginning level spell that even unicorns at Magic Kindergarten could execute without difficulty! Now setting a goal, Luna tried again with the same results. She attempted it again, and again, and again, to no avail. It was like Blake’s body was rejecting the spell. Luna sighed and gave up in complete frustration.

With having nothing else to do, Luna watched the fields below, admiring at the beauty of nature itself. She watched the sun slowly creep itself over the horizon, knowing that her very own sister was pulling it up out of its resting place. She then wondered how the sun and moon rose where Blake came from. Was it possible that humans didn’t have magic? Was that why her healing spells failed? A multitude of questions streamed into her thoughts.

Out of nowhere, Blake shouted, “Melody, no!”

The unexpected exclamation startled Luna out of her wits. She instantaneously turned to Blake, trying to see if anything was wrong. She found him still immersed in sleep, which would only mean he was having a nightmare. More unanswered questions showed themselves to Luna. What is causing him to act this way? What happened to his family? Why is he so unstable around the subject? How did fate affect them?

Because she was devoting all of her attention in scrutinizing Blake, she did not notice that her guards were already descending on Canterlot. The landing astonished her, and woke Blake from his sleep.

“W-where am I?” Blake asked, shivering from his recent nightmare.

Luna smiled at him, hoping that the gentle gesture would lift his spirits. “Welcome to Canterlot, the capital of Equestria,” she said, hopping of the chariot. She raised a hoof, offering to help him get down. He refused it and jumped off himself. He placed a hand on his forehead, feeling his own warm blood against the coolness of his hand.

His eyes then beamed at Luna. He was now angry, and Luna cursed at herself for not being able to ameliorate him.

“Did you do this?” he asked.

“No it wasn’t me. It was the guards that hauled you onto the chariot… It was only an accident and I—”

“No, it wasn’t an accident!” Blake barked, accusing her for purposefully putting harm on him. “You attack, I retaliate!”

He lunged at Luna, aiming his arms at her neck. The guards were prepared this time, and tackled him before he could even get close. He thrashed against the guards like a fish out of water. Luna could do nothing but watch in awe as the guards shackled his arms and legs in chains. Luna was tempted to order the guards to immediately take them off, but he would really harm, or even kill anypony if he felt he was being assaulted.

“Do I dare ask what is even going on?” Luna’s older sister asked, entering the scene next and stopping to the right of her. Her mane waved brilliantly in the cool summer breeze. Celestia gawked at the setting alongside Luna, watching as Blake somehow was able to kick two of the guards off his body. He swung his chained arms like a club, knocking another guard directly in the eye. The guards were finally were able to overwhelm him with a sheer amount of numbers. His nose was now bleeding and he had developed a black eye after a guard had stomped his hoof on his face.

Luna noticed Celestia gazing at her, silently demanding an explanation. Luna swiftly retold the story of her journey in Ponyville.

“I just have one question,” Celestia said after Luna had finished. “Why weren’t you able to conduct the healing spell?”

Luna felt herself blushing, feeling embarrassed that she wasn’t able to. “I think that magic possibly doesn’t affect humans. To me, it felt like his body was refusing to let me alter it with magic at all.”

“Interesting,” Celestia said, turning her gaze back to the human. “I’m assuming that he now believes that we’re taking him captive and that he’s now our prisoner. Do you have any ideas on how we can turn that around? Because if throw him in the dungeon, then he really is our prisoner.” Her sister waited for a response, but she gave none since she could not think of anything in particular.

“Maybe the guest suite reserved for special visitors, perhaps?” Celestia suggested. Luna nodded her head in agreement. Celestia ordered the guards to take him away at once, but to take the long way around so no residents would accidently see him and cause a commotion throughout the city. Two guards dragged him down the road while another two flanked behind for precautions in the case that he escaped.

“We should leave him be for a while. I think we it would be best to give him time so that he may collect his thoughts before we confront him again,” Luna said, nuzzling against her sister to make up for lost time.

<><><><><><><><><><>

The pony pegasi unshackled him and tossed him into a large bedroom. He lost his balance and fell onto the ground, falling flat on his stomach. Blake heard the door slam hard behind him, following the sounds of it locking. His eyes immediately darted across the walls, looking for a window where he could escape, but there were none. He tried to stand up, but his legs wobbled too much to the point where he collapsed back onto the polished floor.

Knowing that standing would do him no good, he began to crawl, scuttling across the floor. He had noticed a bathroom that was connected to the room, where he hoped that there may be a bathtub where he could clean himself off. When he saw that there was one, he sighed in relief, and threw off all of his clothes and tossed them on top of a marble counter next to a sink. He turned on the shower and threw himself in, letting the warm water drench his bare skin.

He hadn’t had a shower in a week if he didn’t count the two minutes he had spent in the rainfall. He found a bar of soap resting on the side of the tub. He scrubbed himself until he was cleared of the all dirt and grime he had been collecting. Since he couldn’t find any bottles of shampoo, he improvised with the bar of soap. It felt so good to be finally clean. He then sat in the tub, feeling the water wash over him. He did absolutely nothing and kept his mind clear of thoughts.

After sitting in the shower for what felt like hours, he finally turned the shower off and got out using the little energy he still had left. He grabbed a nearby towel and dried himself off. He then ransacked through the drawers under the sink, looking for the chance that there might be a toothbrush and toothpaste so that he could brush his teeth. To his disappointment, there wasn’t any.

He crawled out of the bathroom only in his underwear, as he was too lazy to put the rest of his clothes on and flopped himself onto a bed that felt as if it was made for royalty. It was composed of the finest sheets that Blake had ever rested on. The pillows felt like they were made from the softest feathers plucked from artificially selected birds. He closed his eyes, letting sleep overcome him. Deplorably, he then relived the nightmarish memory for the second time in one day.

<><><><><><><><><><>

He opened his eyes to see his mother and sister crying over his dad’s dead body. The plane had been split in two when it landed, and the front half had rolled down an enormous hill and into a lake, where Blake could see dozens of people trying to swim to shore. His eyes glanced at the area around him. He saw nothing but grasslands and a forest in the distance.

Tears began to well up in his eyes too, knowing that his dad wasn’t alive with them anymore. He wasn’t strong enough to handle the crash, and most likely had a heart attack when the plane smashed into the ground. He had two of them already, and each time those had brought him close to death, but each time he was able to pull through… until today. Blake joined the rest of his family to mourn him, as the rest of the survivors tried to figure out where they were and what caused the plane to crash like this. Blake already knew the answer but he decided to keep quiet.

Smoke rose into the air, and the remnants of the Boeing 747 burst into flames. Anyone trapped inside was now a dead man, as the closest source of water was a half-mile away. His family ignored the heat wave, and prayed for their lost father and husband, hoping that he was now in a better place.

Blake then heard the sound of moving vehicles. Maybe it was someone coming to rescue them! He turned around and saw army jeeps and trucks packed with soldiers dressed in camouflage to match the forest that was about a mile away. The troops hopped out of the trucks, barking orders at the survivors in some foreign language that Blake couldn’t understand. The soldiers started filing up any human not dressed in a uniform in a horizontal line with their hands behind their heads. Were these people arresting the survivors, or were they going to execute them?

He whispered to his family that they had to leave before the soldiers found them. His mother refused to budge, and Melody couldn’t bring herself to leave neither of her parents. Blake found both his and Melody’s backpacks lying on the ground near them. He sighed, took his own backpack, and ran around the edge of the plane until he was on the other side. He found a lone soldier smoking a cigar. Without thinking, Blake ran up to the soldier, and punched him to the ground. He covered the man’s mouth so that he wasn’t able to call for help and continued to thrash at him until he was unconscious.

Blake took the soldier’s weapon, an AK-47, and any extra magazines he had, placing them all into his backpack. Noticing that the soldier also had a pistol and a holster attached to his belt, he grabbed it as well and placed it over his waist. There was one more thing that caught Blake’s eye: a small metal rod with a switch on its side. He picked it up and clicked the switch experimentally. A bolt of electricity shot in between the small spokes that were sticking out of the rod. It was a Taser, perfect for incapacitating people, which he would have to do if he was going to get his family out alive.

He turned back, peeking around the corner of the ruined plane. He saw several soldiers dragging his family away from his father’s corpse. Melody fought back, slapping her hand on the side of her captor’s face. In retaliation, the soldier shoved her as hard as humanely possible. She landed on her back several yards away. Blake aimed down the iron sights of the AK-47 at the soldier’s head. He prepared to fire, but couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger. It would be taking another human being’s life, even if it was one that threatened his family and killed his dad.

The soldier began kicking his sister. Melody cried out in pain as the soldier didn’t let up. He booted her in the face, legs, hip, and the stomach. Blake’s finger was slowly tugging on the trigger, but not enough for it to cause to fire. In his peripherals, he saw more soldiers, dozens of them, crowding in a circle over Melody. They were chanting a word that was too foreign for Blake to understand.

The group was too large for Blake to face on his own. A gunshot rang off from the center of the circle, which only meant one thing. They had shot his sister.

Melody, no! Blake cried out in his head, forcing himself not to say it aloud. The soldiers turned on his mother, who was sobbing even more. The same soldier that had shot his sister had emerged from the group and now turned on his mother. The other soldiers began cheering the same word again. A pistol aimed straight for her mother’s head, and another shot went off. Blood splattered everywhere, getting all over the uniforms of the other soldiers who were standing behind her.

Blake stifled a cry. They were all dead. Every single one of them, and he did nothing besides sitting idle and watch their own executions, all because he felt he was outnumbered. He was a selfish demon that deserved the worst place in hell. There was now only one thing left to do. The incapacitated man that Blake had knocked out earlier was standing back on his feet. Blake raised the butt of the gun and struck him again in the back of the head. The man went down without a sound. Blake searched the body for a second time, finding three frag grenades.

He pulled the pins on all three, tossing two into the squadron of soldiers and the third next to the unconscious man he had knocked out twice. He dashed for the woods, hearing the sounds of three deafening explosions behind him.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blake woke up to the sound of something knocking on the door. He didn’t understand why they would need to knock, as the locks were on the outside, and could come in without permission. Maybe it was just a forewarning? Nonetheless, the door opened, and in came the indigo hybrid followed by another one, except this one had a white coat with a multi-colored mane that flowed as if a fan was blowing on it.

“Greetings, Blake,” the indigo one said.

“Get the hell away from me!” Blake shouted, jumping off the bed and making a run for the now open door. A pink aura emanated from the object. The door shut itself, leaving Blake trapped in the room again. He budged on the handle, but it wouldn’t move. The door had locked itself as well. He mumbled a curse and then whirled around to see the two hybrids staring at him not with hatred, but with curiosity.

“Just trust us when we say we mean you no harm,” the white one said, her voice sounding motherly and gentle. But that alone wasn’t enough for Blake. He had been assaulted and captured by these equines twice! And they just expect him to forgive and forget? He knew that he was a prisoner of war, despite the accommodations they had given him.

“Why is so hard to get the message through your thick skulls?” Blake complained, wishing he could just escape from this world right now and dig himself a grave. “I just want to be left alone!”

“I think we should properly introduce ourselves. I am Princess Celestia,” the white one greeted.

“And I’m Princess Luna,” the indigo one said. Blake gave no response. He simply turned his head away, realizing that he was only in his underwear. Great, he thought, I have no dignity and now I’m going to be embarrassed too!

“Would you mind telling us where you came from?” Luna asked in a calm voice.

“Hell,” Blake replied, trying his best not to make eye contact with either of the hybrids.

“What is this place like?” Luna asked, trying to get as much information out of Blake as possible.

“It’s reserved for the cruelest souls known to mankind.”

a voice said inside his head. Was it his conscience? No, he recognized the voice as Lyra’s. Wait, how did he know that name? Who was she? Was it that mint-green unicorn that had communicated through their minds the previous night? He didn’t comprehend why, but he trusted her. He felt some sort of special connection, one that he had never felt before. It was like she was a part of him, and he was a part of her.

Blake sighed. “I come from a planet called Earth,” he began. "It's blue, lots of oceans, and it has seven continents. Now fuck off."

Chapter 7: Inquiry

“Ah wonder what’s gonna happen when we finally git ta Canterlot,” Applejack said.

The seven ponies had been traveling on the train for over an hour, and surprisingly talk of Blake had been kept sparse the entire ride. Lyra distanced herself from the six friends, not knowing any of them too well save their names. She kept her head looking out the window, admiring the scene outside as the train passed by. Lyra wished that train would move faster. Fast enough that it would perform a Sonic Rainboom on its own, but chances of that were impossible as Rainbow Dash has been the only thing in recent history to be able to pull one off.

“Well, duh! We’re going to have a party, of course!” Pinkie Pie nudged merrily, bouncing up and down on a seat as if it were a trampoline.

“Girls, this is the first time Equestria has ever seen an alien from another planet!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Yeah! So Equestria will also have the first ‘Welcome to Equestria, Mr. Alien’ party!” Pinkie asserted.

“Pinkie, you don’t understand—”

“Are you trying to tell me that the alien doesn’t love to party?” Pinkie interrupted.

“We’re not sure of that but—”

“Then there’s only one way to find out! We’ll throw a big, super-duper party and surprise it!”

“He! It’s a him, not an it!” Lyra called out, correcting the crazy, hyperactive pony.

“Yes, what Lyra said,” Twilight agreed. “But surprising Blake is the last thing we need. He has a troubling past and will fall into a state of something similar to depression every time the word ‘family’ or something similar is brought up.”

“Blake? Who’s Blake?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“The alien’s name is Blake,” Twilight answered.

“Maybe if we tried to be nice to him, he’ll feel better,” Fluttershy guessed.

Twilight shook her head. “He’s almost impossible to get answers out of. It took us an hour to just get his name, but I think he only gave to us because he was annoyed. He sort of yelled it out loud in an angry tone.”

“Well I say we beat it outta him!” Rainbow Dash said.

“No! We need to get him to trust us, or else we’ll never get any information out of him. If he feels likes he’s being attacked, he’ll quickly retaliate. He’s already tried to kill Princess Luna,” Twilight said, followed by the sounds of Fluttershy and Rarity gasping, as they were the only ponies who weren’t helping with the search party, so they didn’t know of Blake’s attempt to kill the princess.

“What kind of monster would do such a thing?” Rarity wondered aloud.

“He’s scared, Rarity,” Twilight said, defending Blake. “He’s just as afraid of us as we are of him. I don’t think you could stay calm and not panic if you found yourself on another planet. It’s only natural for him to do so.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Rarity said. “I also heard that he wore clothing. I wonder what he wears. Maybe a fashionable suit? Or maybe something light? It’s still summertime and—”

“Hello? Equestria to Rarity!” Rainbow Dash said, waving a hoof in front of her face. “Is this really the time to be thinking about that kinda stuff?” Rarity simply eyeballed at the rainbow-maned pegasus with a slight frown.

“Weee! This is so fun! You guys should totally try this with me!” Pinkie interjected, continuing to bounce on the seat. Lyra chuckled, wondering if the pink pony ever ran out of energy. She began to feel tired. Sleep was difficult for her the previous night, as Blake’s memory had woken her up in the middle of it. Her eyelids began to close, and she drifted off into sleep.

She found herself in Blake’s head again, just as she was in the previous dream. He had survived the flying machine crash and was staring over another human’s dead body, which Lyra recognized to be his dad. Both his sister and his mother were crying over their recent loss. The next series of events happened so quickly, Lyra could hardly contain them all. Blake knocking out a soldier, the execution of the remaining members of his family, and those three round balls. At first she didn’t get what they were, but when she heard the noises of three separate explosions going off one right after the other, she then realized that the balls were explosive devices. The dream ended, but Lyra still found herself in Blake’s body.

The two princesses were standing side by side. Blake rushed towards an open door, but either Celestia or Luna used their magic to close it, trapping him inside the room. The princesses and the human exchanged in conversation, but Lyra could tell that he was constantly trying to back out of it based on the answers he gave back. Lyra was starting to be annoyed at the thought of him avoiding the princess’s questions. Quickly being fed up with it she said in his mind,

Lyra felt him mentally recoil at the sudden statement. For the next few seconds, he silently battled with himself, trying to figure out whether to trust her or not. Blake sighed, giving up. He said, “I come from a planet called Earth. It’s blue, lots of oceans, and it has seven continents. Now fuck off.”

If Lyra had control over her own body, she would be facehoofing herself as hard as she could. She could tell that Blake trusted her, even if it was a small amount, but he still had doubts of giving up (for some reason) his information of himself, his past, and Earth. Lyra asked.

Nothing. There is nothing in this entire universe that will make me say anything. I don’t care if you ponies torture me, chop off my legs, or whip me dozens of times. In fact, I deserve all of those things. I’m Satan in the form of a teenage kid.

What about it?

I have no friends. They’re all gone, billions of light years away, where they’ll never see me again. But after this last week, I’d rather end up in a prison. I don’t think I could show my miserable face to all my buddies after I’ve killed so many.

How could you know possibly know about that? You don’t know a single damn thing about me.

B-but how?

So you know that I’ve taken other people’s lives just to save my own skin. If you were smart, you’d stay away from me.

War.

…

…

…

T-thank… you.

I’m thanking you… I-I trust you, but I still don’t trust them. I’ll talk to you later… hopefully in person, Lyra… Oh shit, I’m crying now…

Lyra woke up surrounded by six ponies of various colors of coats and manes. They all looked at her with faces of worry and confusion. “Um… hi?” she said, scratching the back of her head with her hoof.

“Lyra, what was going on?” Twilight asked. “Your pupils just suddenly turned a ghastly white color, and you were moving your mouth like you were taking to somepony but no words came out.”

Lyra retold the six about everything that had been happening to her, from her dreams to her telepathic conversations with Blake. They stared at her in awe as she was speaking, not interrupting her one bit. Once she was finished, the train whistle blew, signaling that they would be arriving at their destination shortly.

“’Bout time!” Rainbow Dash said impatiently. “It’s been way too boring in here, and my wings could totally use some exercise.”

The train screeched to a halt, and the conductor opened the door to let the passengers out. The seven filed their way through the door, pushing and shoving because of sheer excitement. Two guards stood outside the train. “Ms. Sparkle?” one of them asked, voice sounding rough and raspy.

“Yes, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” she replied.

“Princess Celestia has sent us to collect you and your friends. If you would follow us, please.” The guards turned and began to march their way through the train station, with the other ponies following closely behind. Lyra hadn’t been in Canterlot since last year’s Hearth’s Warming Eve play, and she felt exited to be in her hometown once again. She had only been living Ponyville for a short while, only one or two years, but she always felt a little homesick from time to time. Being in the capital relieved her of that sickness and she felt grateful, but this was no time to be fiddling around. She could visit her parents later and do other things later because this was the time to meet Blake once again.

They cantered for at least twenty minutes before finally making it to the castle itself. Once there, they moved through the interiors, dodging servants, guests, and other guards along the way. They climbed up several flights of stairs which led them to an outside path. From there, they made their way to one of the castle’s guest rooms, one of the finest in all of Equestria.

“Ooh! I remember staying here not too long ago!” Rarity thought aloud, causing the rest of the ponies to stare at her.

“What?” she asked, shuffling her eyes between her friends. “It was a pleasant stay… well, for the most part it was.”

One of the guards knocked on the door three times. The door magically swung open, and the guards gestured the ponies to go inside. Twilight nodded her head and did so, with Lyra and the rest of the ponies following close behind.

“What is this device, hmm?” Princess Luna asked, holding a small, rectangular item in her right hoof. “Or maybe this?” she also asked, replacing the rectangular item for a red, slender cylinder with something that looked like a switch on its side. Blake remained quiet, not even mumbling a response. Lyra was surprised to see that most of his clothing had been taken off, and the only thing left was a very small pair of pants covering his crotch. As they entered the room, Blake’s gaze immediately shot to Lyra, where he made eye contact with her, and refused to budge. Lyra returned the gaze, smiling because she was happy that he remembered what she looked like. He raised his hand in the air and waved it for a few brief moments, and brought it back down, returning his attention back to the princesses. Lyra wondered what the gesture meant.

“Why won’t you respond to us?” Princess Celestia asked. “You can trust us. We won’t hurt you.”

“Both you and I know that’s a lie,” Blake spat back.

Celestia flinched slightly, finally noticing the new ponies that had recently entered the room. “Hello, my most faithful student,” she greeted, nodding her head.

“Hello, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “I’ve brought the Elements of Harmony and Lyra Heartstrings with me under the request of Princess Luna.” Lyra heard Blake chuckle softly when Twilight said “Element of Harmony”. She guessed that he found it amusing. It was a good thing though, as he needed a break from being his old, grim self.

Lyra then listened in on the conversation between the five other ponies.

“Oh my, he’s so tall,” Fluttershy examined quietly.

“An’ where’s the rest of his clothes? Ah don’t understand why he would take ‘em off,” Applejack said.

“I was wondering about that as well. I’m just interested to see what aliens wear,” Rarity said.

“Maybe he jus’ felt like breathin’ in some fresh air. He probably gets all stuffy wearin’ those clothes all the time,” Applejack chortled.

“But Applejack, darling, he doesn’t have a coat of fur anywhere except the top of his head. I bet he needs the extra clothing on to stay warm,” Rarity guessed.

“But that doesn’t ‘splain why he doesn’t got ‘em on now.”

“Just look at him! He looks like he’s all saddy-waddy right now, and he needs cheering up! You know what this calls for?” Pinkie asked rhetorically before pulling out a cannon out of thin air.

“Pinkie, I don’t think this is a good idea—” Fluttershy started before being cut off by Pinkie.

“A PARTY!” Pinkie shouted gleefully, lighting the fuse on the cannon. It was pointed straight at Blake, and his eyes widened at the sight.

“JESUS CHRIST!” he shouted before chucking a dresser onto the floor in front of him and covering himself behind it. The cannon went off with a deafening BANG! Streamers and balloons flew out of it, covering every square inch of the room.

Lyra sighed, knowing that this would most likely force Blake back into his traumatic state. She trotted over to Blake, while the rest of the ponies stared at Pinkie, baffled. She peered over the dresser, seeing Blake curled up into the fetal position once again. “They got tanks, man. They’ve got fucking tanks. I’m never going to make it out of this damned hellhole alive!”

Lyra trotted around the dresser and placed her hooves on his shoulders, shaking him gently. “Blake, snap out of it. For the love of Celestia, you’re not being chased anymore.” Blake stayed the same, mumbling something about wishing that the “Marines” had several “Apaches” to assist him. “Blake, you’re safe. You’re here, in Equestria. Please just snap out of it.”

He turned his head to her, a small tear streaming down his cheek. “I’m here… in Equestria.”

Lyra grinned. Now she was getting to him! “You’re perfectly safe. We’re not going to harm you.”

“I’m safe and you’re not going to harm me,” Blake repeated, panting silently.

“Now please answer the princesses to any questions they ask you truthfully and without hesitation.”

Blake opened his mouth to repeat, but paused. “No,” he said firmly.

Lyra frowned. “Answer any questions the princesses ask you. Pretty please?” she said, trying again, hoping for better results.

The answer remained the same. “No.”

“Pretty please, with a cherry on top?”

“No.”

Lyra pondered for a few moments. “Would you tell me?” she asked.

“Uh… only if the rest of them,” he pointed at all of the other ponies, “aren’t here.”

“Did you hear that?” Lyra asked Celestia.

She confirmed by nodding her head and saying, “I did. We will all leave temporarily. I will send a guard for both you two when it is time for lunch. Until then, ask him anything you like, and hope for the best. We’ve been trying for quite some time, but without any luck.”

And just so you know, I’ll be enchanting a spell on this room so that we’ll be able to hear everything that is said from the outside. But since it seems that magic is ineffective on the human, I would still like you to take notes on him and report them to me. Writing everything down as if he were an experiment, Celestia said inside Lyra’s mind. Any other everyday pony might flinch at the feeling that somepony else was inside their mind, but as Lyra was already experienced with this, she nodded and flicked her hoof to shoo them off.

“Alright my little ponies, it is time to go,” Celestia said.

“Can’t we have a race first?” Rainbow Dash asked, complaining. “I wanna really see how fast he can run on two legs compared to my four!”

“Ah’m not so sure ‘bout that, sugarcube. He might beat ya and ya would resort to usin’ yer wings ‘stead of yer hooves,” Applejack said.

“Okay, that’s it! Me, you, dining hall. First one there gets the other’s dessert!” Rainbow Dash challenged.

“Oh, yer on!” Applejack said, sprinting out the door.

“Hey, that’s not far! I never said go!” Rainbow Dash called out, chasing after the orange cowpony.

“Aww… I really wanted to have a party! Now I’m going to have to buy more party items to reload the cannon…” Pinkie Pie said, drooping her head as she walked outside. The rest of the ponies followed behind. The door then was shut and locked, leaving Lyra alone with Blake. She noticed a small writing pad, along with a quill and a small jar of ink lying on the bed. Using her magic, Lyra levitated the items to her.

“Okay,” Blake said with his tone sounding like he was in disbelief of the sight before him. “So you ponies can teleport, read minds, manipulate objects, and levitate them? Am I sure this isn’t Narnia or some shit, because the story is practically the same.”

“Levitation spells are some of the first a unicorn can learn. In fact, I was able to levitate my first toy when I was only a few months old…”

“Wait, only unicorns? So you’re saying that—”

“Yes, pegasi and earth ponies can’t perform magic. Only unicorns can.”

“Damn, I wish I could do magic. You know how easy it would be to pitch in baseball? You would never have to worry about throwing your arm out!” Lyra quickly jotted down several notes, remembering that she was supposed to be examining him.

“What’s baseball?” Lyra asked.

Blake spent the next twenty minutes explaining to Lyra how baseball worked. The rules, how each team scores, and the positions on the field. He went into a deeper analysis, briefly telling her how different attributes of the game worked, such as fielding, pitching, baserunning, and batting. Lyra was stunned by how a game with such a simple objective could turn out to be so complicated. Once he was finished, Lyra continued to question him. “Are there any other sports on Earth?”

“Are you kidding?” Blake asked. “There’s dozens of them! And even more if you count E-Sports as well!”

“What’s the most popular sport on Earth, then?”

“Soccer, hands down.”

“What’s soccer?”

“This is a bit harder for me to explain, since I’m not into soccer that much, but it’s basically there’s two large goals with nets on opposite ends of a field. The objective is to kick a ball into the goal. You can use any parts of the body except for the hands and arms. Except for the goalies, they can use their hands though.”

“Oh I know this sport! We call it hoofball here.”

“Well, the official name for this sport in our world is football, but the people in my country call it soccer because we already have another sport that’s called football.”

“And what’s that one like?”

“As much as I would love to talk about sports all day, I believe we should push onto another subject. Maybe one that isn’t about physical activity, because that’s the last thing I want to think about,” he said, massaging his muscles.

Lyra finished taking her notes and flipped to a clean sheet, as the previous one was completely dotted with information. She dipped the quill in the black ink, so that it would be ready to write. Out of her peripherals, she noticed that Blake’s devices were lying on the floor. “Maybe I should continue where Princess Luna left off,” she said, levitating the other items with her magic and leaving them hovering over his face to study.

“Okay, so what’s this one?” Lyra asked, pointing her hoof at the red cylinder.

“That’s a flashlight,” Blake replied, snatching it out of the air. “It produces light. It’s normally used for helping us see things in the dark.” He flicked the switch, and a cone of light emanated from it. Lyra was aghast as she had seen nothing like this before. She scribbled more notes and drew a crude drawing of the flashlight.

“How does it work?”

“Frankly, I don’t have a clue. All I know is that batteries power the thing… well, they used too, at least.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know how, but for some reason my electronics aren’t relying on electricity to keep them going. It’s like your land is somehow magically powering them.”

“Huh, weird,” Lyra then pointed her hoof at the other device. “What’s this one?”

“That’s my iPhone. It’s practically a miniature computer. With it, I can talk to other people anywhere in the world, text them, play games, listen to music, and—” Blake stopped speaking when Lyra lost her concentration and all of the items she was levitating fell to the ground.

“Music? Did you say music?” Lyra asked, wide-eyed. Being a musician herself, just the thought of hearing music from the human world excited her.

“Uh… yeah…”

“Can we listen to some?”

“Sure, I guess. The iPhone’s speakers don’t exactly produce the best sound… but if I can just get my headphones I could…” Lyra levitated a large pack that she found in the corner of the room and brought it up to his face.

“My backpack? Where’d you get this?”

“It was just lying on the other side of the room. I figured that your ‘headphones’ might be in here.”

“Gracias.”

“What?” Lyra asked, not understanding the word he just said, hoping that it wasn’t one of those “curse” words Blake had told her about earlier.

“’Gracias’ means ‘thanks’ in Spanish, which is another language on Earth,” he explained, zipping open his backpack, and pulling out what Lyra remembered was a pistol. Why would the princesses leave a weapon like this where he could get it? she wondered. Blake’s knees began buckling, and he fell to the ground. He began shaking crazily while also covering his ears with his hands again. His trauma would end up becoming Lyra’s trauma as well. Not wanting to begin acting like Blake, she did the same thing she did before, and began shaking him softly.

“It’s okay Blake. I’m here, and you’re safe with me.”

He began sobbing, tears streaming down his face and a small amounted of snot protruding out of his nose. She tried shaking him harder, her voice becoming louder and louder with each sentence she said to him. He refused to break, and he once again started mumbling about not being able to make it out a forest alive. Lyra didn’t know what to do, and she almost gave up as she started sobbing along with Blake. The next thing she did surprised her, but she began to sing a lullaby that she had once hear from Fluttershy.

“Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head.

Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to go to bed.”

Blake’s sniffles began to slow as Lyra continued to sing like an angel. Once she was finished, Blake stared at her calmly, with a look of innocence in his eye. He then hugged her as tightly as he could. Lyra embraced it, feeling triumphant that she was able to break him from his trauma twice in a row.

“Are we friends now?” she asked.

“Yes… yes we are.”

Chapter 8: Candor

The door swung open and several guards walked inside. Lyra swiftly let go of Blake, breaking the hug. She shuffled to get onto her hooves. Blake stared at the guards with a cold stare. Lyra noticed that two of the guards were pretty beat up, and they matched Blake’s stare with their own iciness. But what could they possibly want now?

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have requested that you two are to go to the dining hall immediately. We are here to escort you there so that there are no… complications.”

Blake sighed. “Just let me put on my clothes really quick,” he said to Lyra, ignoring the guards completely. Lyra watched as Blake scuffled to the bathroom. He slammed the door shut and the guards moved their way forward as they were expecting something suspicious. Lyra stopped them and shook her head. The lead guard looked reluctant to obey Lyra’s request, but he did so anyways. A few minutes later, Blake opened the bathroom door fully clothed. Lyra told herself that she would need to request some new clothes for Blake, as his current ones reeked from sweat and being in the outdoors for so long.

Blake nodded his head, signaling that he was ready to go. The guards placed handcuffs on Blake. Lyra could tell that he was trying his best not to knock out the guards with a single swing of his hands. She wondered how long it would be before Blake would be able to roam freely without having to be locked up all the time. With the way Blake was behaving, she figured it would take a very long time before the trust and relationship between the two races would be in full swing. Lyra was overjoyed though that he recognized her as a friend. She wondered what made him change his mind about not trusting any of the ponies. And why her, out of the thousands of ponies in Equestria, had to have this special bond with the human?

They then walked out of the guest suite, and backtracked back to the castle, where they were then led through numerous corridors around and eventually to the dining hall. The décor blossomed throughout the room, with plentiful bouquets of flowers lining along the wall. The table was long and elegant, and the many chairs surrounding it were composed of fine materials. Various foods lay about the table, and about a dozen ponies were digging into it. Two chairs lay empty, where Lyra figured that were reserved for Blake and herself. She hopped onto it, beckoning for Blake to be seated by her. He rolled his eyes and lifted his hands signaling that he was still cuffed. Using a key, one of the guards unlocked the handcuffs and motioned for Blake to seat himself. He did so immediately.

Lyra glanced at all the food that was before her. It looked like they were serving a kind of soup, bread, and fruits. She used her magic to quickly gather everything that she felt would satisfy her stomach. Blake did the same, but had a harder time reaching foods that were farther away from him, as he couldn’t use magic and had to reach for it himself.

She began to slurp her soup, tasting the delectable spices and vegetables that were inside it. She savored the deliciousness for a moment, wishing she could have royal food all the time. She looked at Blake, who staring blankly into the soup.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, hoping that he wasn’t really carnivorous. She then remembered that Applejack had told them that he was stealing her apples, which meant he could eat fruits and such.

“Um… do you guys have like, utensils that I can use?” he said.

“Can’t you just use your hands?” she asked. Hands were so convenient, it didn’t makes sense to Lyra that he wouldn’t use them.

“With things like fruit and the bread, yes,” he replied, peeling an orange. “With soup? No. I would rather not burn my hands.”

Lyra was about to ask one of the waitresses had any utensils, but Princess Celestia had apparently been listening in and already had taken care of it. “Handle?” she called to get the waitress’s attention. “Could you bring our guest a spoon, please.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Handle replied, quickly leaving the dining hall. Several moments later, she emerged from what seemed to be the kitchen, and handed the spoon to Blake. He simply grunted, not even bothering to say “thank you”. But at least he said something in acknowledgement to the waitress, who now returned to the position she was in before. The hall was then eerily quiet, with only whispers between the Elements of Harmony. Lyra wondered why neither Celestia nor Luna has said anything to Blake yet. It seemed like they were both were just simply enjoying their meals without a thought in the world.

Twilight then broke the silence. “Blake, can I ask you question?” she asked.

“You’re not giving me much of a choice because you just did,” he replied, blowing on the soup on top of his spoon.

The purple unicorn rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure whether to take that as a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’.”

“No.”

“Well, you let her talk to you,” she said, pointing her hoof at Lyra. “Why won’t you let anypony else ask you anything?” Her tone was becoming a bit more aggressive, as she seemed to be frustrated that the human wouldn’t comply.

“Because she understands!” Blake erupted, slamming his hand on the table. The other ponies in the room turned their heads to the human, whose face was now a bright red. “She just… knows. It’s something that the rest of you can’t comprehend.” There was more whispering between the Elements, and now even the Princesses were mumbling something to each other. Blake took a large bite out of a piece of bread and began to chew on it vigorously. Lyra patted his back with her hoof, which seemed to calm him down a little.

Celestia stood up from her chair and announced, “My little ponies, we shall leave the human in peace for the time being. Unless I allow it, I don’t want any of you to say as so much as a word to him, or else you will leave the dining hall at once. Understand?” They all nodded their heads simultaneously. They were a bit scared of the princess as well, as they had never seen her be so assertive before.

Unfortunately, this would mean that Lyra wouldn’t be able to talk to Blake at all. But wait, she had communicated with him telepathically before, so why not now? Using all of her effort, she tried to join their two minds together, but nothing happened. It would only happen at random moments that she wouldn’t be able to control. She sighed and started to finish her meal. She was really hungry, and it would be best to get rid of that hunger or else it would be harder for her to think straight.

About ten minutes later, they had all finished eating and began to disperse out of the dining hall. Pinkie seemed to be unable to control herself and was constantly bouncing up and down near Blake, which Lyra could tell was making him uncomfortable. Eventually, Twilight had to use her magic to keep Pinkie from getting anywhere near him. She levitated that crazy, pink earth pony away from him and out of the room. Pinkie dropped her head, mumbling something about not being able to have a party.

“Blake,” Celestia said, rising once again from her chair. “You will be escorted back to your room. We’ll be sending extra clothing articles to you later. And Heartstrings—” she said, turning her attention to Lyra, who was confused at the use of her last name instead of her first. “—you will be spending the rest of the day here in Canterlot. Come back at sundown where I’ll have Handle here show you your room. We’ll be handling Blake for the rest of the day. You may talk to him once again tomorrow morning.”

“Of course, Princess,” Lyra said, excusing herself from the table and trotting of the dining hall.

Hasta la vista.

She tried talking to him through her mind, but there was no response. She could only wonder what the phrase meant. Perhaps it was just some way of saying goodbye. Using her memory, she found the exit to the castle. She wandered the streets of Canterlot thinking of something to do. It was only a few second later when she realized that she could go visit her parents. They would be delighted to see her and vice versa. It was only a little past noon so her parents would not be home. Her father was certainly at the castle library, as he worked there.

She turned around and made her way to the castle once again, even though she had just left it. She wished that she would have thought of this earlier to save her some time, but unfortunately she couldn’t change the past. Five minutes later, she entered the castle gates. Normally the guards would ask visitors several questions before letting them enter, but since the two currents guards had just seen her, they let Lyra in without any interrogating. She smiled at them and went inside.

She meandered through the castle interiors for at least an hour, as she had only been to the castle a couple of times before today. She never got to see her father’s workplace much, and she didn’t know much about what he did other than him being a librarian. Getting bored of cantering in circles, she eventually asked for directions from a guard who looked to be a new recruit, as he took several seconds to think before replying. Once he showed her the way to go, she thanked him and eventually found the library.

Her father was stacking several shelves with a multitude of books. The old, blue unicorn had a small smile on his face.

“Dad!” Lyra merrily shouted.

Her dad turned his head to her, and the width of his smile tripled in size. Lyra gave her dad a tight hug and he returned it. “Lyra, my girl, what’re you doing here?” her father asked her as soon as they broke apart.

“It’s a really long story. How much longer will you be working?”

“If you’re here, I’ll take the rest of the day off. Mom’s home today since she’s sick with the flu, but she’ll be delighted to see you! I can just picture the smile on her face!”

“That’s great, dad! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you two.”

“I have to admit that things have been much more quiet without you and your wacky experiments. But I’ll still miss the time where you changed your hoof into one of those…” he trailed off, trying to think of the correct word.

“Hands?” she offered.

“Oh, yes! Hands, that’s what they’re called. It might’ve scared the two of us back then, but now it’s just a silly little memory.”

Before leaving the library, her dad called to one of his co-workers saying that he’ll be leaving work for family. The two left the castle, making small chat as they made their way to her father’s home. Lyra wished she could still call it her own, but she had moved out and left Canterlot to have a more quiet life in Ponyville. Once they reached the house, they went inside. The living room and the hallway were still furnished the exact same way the day Lyra left. Her father beckoned her to come into their bedroom, as her mother wouldn’t be able to leave bed in the condition she was currently in.

“Lyra, darling! What a surprise!” her mother said happily before coughing abruptly.

“Hi mom,” Lyra greeted.

“How’s—” her mother coughed several times again, “Ponyville been for you?”

“It’s been great. I have this great roommate! Her name is Bon-Bon and she’s a baker. We have this small house in the center of town.”

“That’s just wonderful. We’ve both missed you so much.”

“I know. I’ve missed you both too.”

“So what’s the real reason for your visit to Canterlot?” her father asked curiously. “I know you didn’t come all the way out here just to see your old man.”

“I hope you’re ready for a long story. Here it goes.” For the next couple of hours, she retold her parents everything that happened in the past couple of days. She knew at first they wouldn’t believe her, and they would be disappointed that she was still researching things about humans, but once she told them that humans were in fact real, both of their faces brightened up at the revelation.

“I heard rumors that there was a strange guest in the castle today. I guess that was about the human,” he father had commented. She then told them about the memories she’d been reliving and the strange bond that was shared between Blake and herself. Once she was done telling the story, both her parents were astonished like they had seen a ghost.

“Do you think this means?” her mother asked her father.

“Yes, it probably does,” he replied.

“Do you think we should tell her?”

“We can’t hold off the inevitable. She needs to know sooner or later.”

What were her parents hiding from her? Did they know something about this bond that Lyra didn’t? Whatever it was, it was something dark enough for her parents to keep it from her for all of these years.

“It all started when you were born,” her mother began. “After I gave birth to you, the doctors found out that you had a brain tumor already nudged inside that head of yours. The doctors were led to believe that you had cancer. We thought…” she sniffled several times before continuing. “We thought that you were going to die only two weeks after your birth. It crushed both your father and I…”

“So in a last ditch attempt, the doctors at the hospital performed a complicated spell on you to get rid of the tumor. It was so complex spell, they had to call in specialists from Manehattan to come and help. It took well over a half hour, and after it was done, they brought us the good news that they were able to get rid of the tumor and you would be a very healthy baby foal. But there were side effects to this spell…”

“What side effects?” Lyra asked, beginning to panic. “Please don’t tell me I’m going to die before I even have a coltfriend or get a chance to perform at the Grand Galloping Gala or—”

“You’re not going to die earlier!” her father snapped, causing Lyra to flinch. “It’s just that… you grew a horn within the first year you were born.”

“What?!”

“You were born an earth pony, Lyra,” her mother said, sneezing into a tissue. “The spell they casted on you didn’t really get rid of the tumor… it grew into horn. It was the only way to keep you alive. They didn’t tell us this would happen until we went in a few months later wondering why you were growing a horn.”

“So… originally I was an earth pony… and I couldn’t perform magic?”

“Yes. There were more side effects than you just transforming from an earth pony into a unicorn,” her father said. “Your horn can perform all the spells a normal unicorn can. But it also came at a price.”

“Why do I have a feeling that this will be bad?”

“You’re much more powerful than the average unicorn, Lyra. You can see distant planets when you’re asleep. You’ve had visions of the human world. You became obsessed with them because you couldn’t comprehend everything at such an early age. You were trying to put together a puzzle but you didn’t have all the pieces.”

“So what you’re saying is that all of my visions I’ve had is because my horn is much more powerful than others?

“It’s much more unpredictable than you think. When you were speaking to this Blake through your mind, were you casting any spells?” her father asked.

“No, not that I was aware of.”

“You did it subconsciously without knowing. That’s how unpredictable it can be. Normally it takes decades of practice before a unicorn can cast a spell powerful enough to read minds.”

“Is there anything else I need to know, or are you two keeping more secrets as big as this from me?”

“No, my daughter. We’re being candor with you. There’s nothing else that you need to know,” her mother said, before drifting off into sleep. Her father motioned her out of the room. They walked into to the kitchen where her father boiled a cup of tea for the two of them.

“Will you be staying with us tonight?” he asked, levitating the tea to his mouth where he took a small sip.

“No, I’m going to be staying at the castle,” she admitted, blowing the steam that was emitting from the hot tea.

“That’s unfortunate. I hope it isn’t because of what we just told you. I don’t want to scare away my only daughter.”

“I’m going to be needed at the castle helping with Blake. I’m the only one he trusts.”

“Oh yes. From what you’ve told me, he’s suffering from PTSD.”

Lyra lifted an eyebrow in confusion.

“PTSD is an acronym for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a case rarely seen in Equestria, but there have been a few ponies known to suffer from it.”

“How do you know this?”

“I’m a librarian, dear. I know a lot of things.”

“PTSD, huh? I guess that’s a good think to know about. He’ll curl up into a tiny little ball when anything triggers a memory.”

“I suppose these aren’t very good memories, then?”

“They’re… horrifying. Death, destruction, killing… it’s hard to understand war. I don’t get why humans kill each other like that.”

“They aren’t ponies, dear. All I have to say is that I’m glad I’m here in peaceful Equestria and not in that forsaken place that humans call home.”

They chatted for several more minutes about Blake. Once Lyra finished her tea, she saw that the sun was already setting! Had she been here that long already? “It’s been great seeing you dad. I’ve missed both you and mom so much, it’s been sometimes unbearable,” Lyra said, hugging her dad once again.

“It’s been great to see you too. I hope you aren’t mad with us about keeping a secret like that.”

“Of course I’m mad, but I’ll forgive you. Just… don’t do anything like this again, okay?”

“Trust us when we say we have nothing else to hide from you. We just did what we could to keep you from the truth. We didn’t know how you would react and we were trying to find the perfect time to tell you… but your current situation says otherwise. I suppose you did have the right to know, however. I’ll miss you, Lyra,” he said, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll see you later. Tell mom that I said bye.”

“I will. Just be careful out there, will you?”

“I will. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Lyra left her parent’s house with heavy thoughts. Part of her wanted to deny that she was really an earth pony with a strange case of cancer, but the other part of her knew that it was the complete truth. It made sense to why she was reliving Blake’s memories and having conversations through his mind and completely random times. She wondered if she would ever be able to control these powers that she had. Was it curse like her parents led her to believe, or was it really a gift?

She made it back to the castle where she noticed Handle waiting for her like Princess Celestia said. The servant showed Lyra to her room, and she thanked her for the hospitality. She plopped onto the soft bed and let her eyes slowly close. She heard Blake once more before she fell asleep.

Once I get out of this goddamn labyrinth, I’ll fucking kill every single one of them! I don’t care if they tell me they’re just testing me! I’m not some stupid lab rat to be toyed with! I’m Blake Seegmiller Johnson for Christ’s sake! Lyra, if you can hear me, you need to help me. I don’t know how much longer I can keep up with this!

<><><><><><><><><><>

Author’s Note

I’m super sorry that this took so long to get out. I’ve spent the last few days attending a funeral and doing family stuff and before that I was really caught up trying to get school stuff done. I should be back onto my normal schedule of releasing chapters every four or five days. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this so far, and I pray that you’ve had a couple of surprises this chapter, because if you didn’t, then I’m a crappy author.

Siege, out.

Chapter 9: Deceit

Blake simply rested on the bed, thinking about everything that had been happening in the last couple of days. He had been in the same exact position for the last two hours, knowing he had nothing to do except sit in this room waiting to see what the ponies had in store for him. He had hoped that he would still find his backpack resting where he had left it earlier, but when he returned he found that it was gone. He wanted to at least listen to some music on his iPhone, but he figured that he would have to wait just a little longer.

He began to talk to himself. “None of this makes sense,” he said. “How did I get here?” He hopped off the bed and began pacing back and forth. His muscles were now rested enough that he could at least walk around without too much difficulty. They were still sore though, but Blake ignored the pain and kept his pace.

“Why am I even here? Should I be happy that I’m here, or should I feel terrified being so far away from home?” He brought his right hand up and used his fingers to rub his eyes. “Do I trust these ponies and see if we can make peace or do I continue to avoid their questioning and try to escape? Decisions, decisions, decisions…” He moved his way back into the bathroom. He turned on the sink and cupped his hands under the rushing water. He splashed it all over his face. The coolness of the liquid calmed him somewhat. He grabbed a towel and dabbed his face until it was dry.

“I need to consider my options here,” he continued while beginning to stretch his sore muscles. “If I do somehow escape, where do I go? They’ll be after me guns a blazing… well, if they have any… but they’ll be hunting me nonetheless. Then there’s food and water to think of as well. From what I can tell, this city has been built on the side of a mountain, as impossible as it sounds. I’m sure there are animals like mountain goats I can cook and eat so that won’t be an issue, but what about water? Maybe I can find some underground reservoirs or something…” He stopped stretching and scratched the back of his head.

“But is this really how I want to live the rest of my life, always on the run with no place to go? Maybe I should just stop running and face my fears.” He scooted across the floor until his back was against a wall. He rested his entire backside against it, taking deep breaths as he continued to try and calm himself. “But should I continue to fight against what I can’t win? Enter an unbeatable war?” He sighed and shook his head. He was doing his best in trying to keep himself from sobbing. He felt too many separate emotions at once, and they were taking their toll on him.

“There’s thousands of them and only one of me. I can’t hope to outsmart them for my entire life, but I can’t simply comply too their whims like I’m some sort of prisoner… And that’s another issue. How do they view me? Am I a friend or foe?” He thought back to the time he fought with the pegasi guards that morning. The shock of seeing his own blood caused him to not think straight. Did they intentionally hurt him as he thought, or was it an accident as that indigo hybrid had tried to tell him?

“But what happens if I answer their questions? Will they attempt some sort of freak experiments after I tell them what they want? Will I become dissected like a frog?” He rubbed his eyes once again. He then lay on the floor with his front facing the ceiling. “This isn’t fair. It’s just not fucking fair.” He heard voices from outside the door. He silently stood up and he crept his way towards the noise, making sure that his footsteps were silent. Once he made it, he pressed his ear on the door. The voices were audible but were still a bit muffled.

“—sure nothing bad happens. He is very unpredictable and will attack at a moment’s notice. However, he’ll only do so if he feels as if he is threatened.” It took a moment for Blake to realize that the voice belong to the indigo alicorn. What was her name…? Luna! That was it.

“I can assure you, Your Majesty, that we’ll have no problem with the human whatsoever. We’ll just be conducting some tests to figure out his mental capability,” another voice said. Blake didn’t recognize this one, but it was definitely male with a hint of a British accent to go along with it.

“I hope so, for your sake. Nothing out of the ordinary or you’ll be hearing from me personally,” Luna threatened.

“You have my word,” the British pony promised. “Now where are those blasted keys?”

Blake’s gaze moved the knob on the door. It was slowly moving in a clockwise fashion. Realizing that they were unlocking the door, he rushed to the bed. He settled onto it, posing as if he hadn’t been eavesdropping on the ponies’ conversation. The door flung upon, and four unicorns wearing white lab coats trotted into the room. A large blackboard was being magically levitated behind them.

“What the hell is this?” Blake asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Hello there. I am Professor Day Break, and these are my colleagues,” the British pony introduced. He had a bright yellow coat with a reddish-orange mane. He wore square glasses that screamed nerd to Blake.

“That wasn’t the answer I was looking for,” Blake grunted, folding his arms. The unicorn pony that was levitating the chalkboard hung it on the wall near the door. It had to be at least half the size of a normal whiteboard that he would see at school.

“Well we’re going to be simply testing you in a few basic fields of study. Even though you can talk, you may be either much more brilliant or much more uneducated than us ponies. We’d just like to see what you know. Let’s start with math, shall we?” Day Break lifted a small piece of chalk into the air. He wrote the uncomplicated question of, “2 + 2 = ?” on the chalkboard.

Blake rolled his eyes. “Four,” he said, already bored. The three other unicorns scribbled notes using quills and clipboards.

“Very good. Next question.” Day Break erased the previous question and then wrote, “Pi is equal to?”

“Three point one-four,” Blake said.

“Well I can see that you have at least the basic understanding of mathematics. Let’s try something different.” The other scientists nodded their heads in agreement. Blake was trying his best not to flip a table, even though there weren’t any in the room. But maybe the bed would be sufficient…

Day Break then wrote, “How are the seasons caused?”

“Why can’t you ask me the question out loud?” Blake asked.

“I was just trying to be formal is all.”

“You guys got a strange definition of ‘formal’,” he muttered under his breath. He then proceeded to answer the question. “The seasons are caused by the amount of sunlight that his hitting the Earth while it is orbiting the sun. And since the Earth is tilted at an angle, the seasons are different in the northern hemisphere than what it is in the southern.”

The scientist ponies stared at Blake as if he had said the most ridiculous thing since the creation of the universe. At first, they wore confused looks on their faces. They then burst out laughing as if someone had said a funny joke. “Are you being serious?” one of the unicorns laughed. Blake kept a closed mouth, but his reaction told the scientists that he was telling the truth, which only made them laugh even harder. If he wasn’t trying so hard to bottle up all of his emotions, he would’ve socked them all as hard as humanly possible. No, just calm down, and don’t let hate and anger get to you or else you’ll explode, he thought to himself.

“Enlighten me,” Blake barked, unable to stay completely pacific. His sudden statement quelled the scientists of their laughter, and they turned their attention to him. “How do the seasons change?”

“Magic, of course,” Day Break answered. Blake was left a bit baffled, but it was now his turn to laugh. He began chuckling, causing the scientist ponies to stare in confusion for a second time.

“Bullshit! I’m calling bullshit!” Blake snickered. “So are you ponies gonna also tell me that you also use magic to make the sun rise every morning?”

“Well, yes… we actually do,” Day Break admitted. Blake stifled his laughter and was now all ears. “Princess Celestia uses her magic to make the sun rise every morning, and Princess Luna does the same with the moon.”

“Mmhmm… sure. Whatever you say, because that makes complete sense,” Blake said with a tone of sarcasm.

“Oh, I’d love to hear your explanation on how the sun rises and falls.”

“You mean like how the Earth spins around its axis at a twenty-three point five degree angle? Y’know, how it takes twenty-four hours for it to make one complete spin? It’s not the sun that’s moving. It’s the planet as it is bound to it by gravity.”

“Blasphemy! That goes against everything we know!”

“Humans were the same way centuries ago. They created gods and goddesses to explain natural phenomena, even though they didn’t exist. We even thought that our planet was flat! It was only when technology progressed was when we learned new things. And we will continue to learn as time goes on. If we learn something that doesn’t fit our current explanations, we’ll modify it in the light of any new evidence.”

The scientists chatted among themselves, trying to put together what he had said. This left Blake wondering if this was to be his new life, arguing with a bunch of ponies dressed in lab coats all day, every day. He began devising ways to escape the capital in case that it was, because it was only a matter of time before they said something that would cause him to flip out. Hell, he felt like he was going to go crazy right then and there. Instead he folded his arms and slowly breathed in and out as he attempted to calm himself.

“We’ve decided that we’ll put this case to rest for now, but we shall bring it up later. We only have one test for you and we will leave you alone for the rest of the day,” Day Break finally said after conversing with his fellow scientists. Thank God, Blake thought. Even though we’ve only been talking for like ten minutes I feel like bashing my head against the wall.

Day Break’s horn was engulfed by a golden aura, and the door swung open. He motioned for Blake to follow. Although reluctant to, he stood up and followed the yellow pony. The second he was outside, he was flanked by two guards who were waiting for him. They were not taking any chances. As they walked through the castle, Blake scanned all of the hallways, trying to look for the best escape routes. He also watched any other guards he could spot, trying to see if they followed some sort of pattern. Even though he couldn’t sense any, he realized that there were plenty of curtains to hide behind in the chance that he was surrounded but not yet spotted. All he would have to do was tuck himself behind one of them, and wait for any passersby to be on their way.

He was constantly receiving strange looks by most of the ponies that they passed by. He shrugged them off and continued to formulate his stupid and daring plan. He hoped that he would never have to go through with it, but there was always a possibility.

Blake followed them outside, where he found himself in a large garden. He had never seen such a vast range and variety of plants and animals in one place before. Except for the time he went to the New York Zoo, but other than that it was rather quite stunning. He wished he could say it was beautiful, but all the greenery had reminded him of that damned forest. He felt his darkest fears creep up on him again and he started to hyperventilate. The scientists looked at him with worry, but he was able to clear his mind and was able to revert back to a peaceful state. Small beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. He brought up his sleeve to wipe it off. The party stopped in front of what seemed to be a large wall of hedge with a large, arched entrance.

“Here we are, at our destination,” Day Break said. “Your task is simple. There is a small but beautiful diamond in the center of the… garden. You grab it, come back out, and you will be finished for the day.”

“And what is this supposed to accomplish?” Blake asked, feeling suspicious of Day Break’s hesitation before the word “garden”.

“Endurance, for the most part.”

Blake felt like the bright yellow pony was not telling the whole truth. What would happen if he just said “no” and walked away? He didn’t know, so he might as well play along with their little games for now. This would be the perfect opportunity to think and be alone with no distractions. “Alright, I’ll do this, but there better not be anything in there that will kill me instantly.”

“You have my word that there are no dangerous creatures or poison or quicksand or anything dangerous. In fact, your worst enemy will be yourself.”

Blake didn’t like the way that sounded. He cracked his knuckles and his neck, feeling the crunching sound of the bones popping, which caused the scientists to jump. Blake began to move at a slow jogging pace into the entrance of the so-called “garden”. He was immediately at an intersection with only two ways to go: left or right. He turned right to quickly find himself at a dead end. He turned around and went back the other way. Again there was only the option of going left or right. He moved around the left corner this time. For the next ten minutes, he was constantly finding himself at an intersection with only those two ways to go. It then hit him that this wasn’t a simple garden… it was a maze.

“What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” Blake cursed. Why didn’t he figure this out earlier? How could he be so stupid to fall straight into Day Break’s stupid, little board game? There was no turning back now, as he couldn’t remember where he had come from. It didn’t really matter, as everything looked the same. Wait a second… footprints! All he’d have to do his follow his footprints back out of the maze and into the castle again, where he’d give them a piece of his mind sent by his fist.

He knelt down on the soft dirt, looking for his ticket out of this place. His heart sunk to the ground when he saw that he somehow wasn’t leaving any imprints on the ground. How was this even possible? Well, that ruined his hopes of getting out.

“Goddammit! Day Break must’ve known that this would’ve happened,” he said. He scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground, crushing it in his tight grasp. He let out all of his anger on the soil, and then tossed it back on the earth. He shuffled back onto his feet and was maneuvering through the maze once again. He was now determined to find the diamond and bring it back, no matter the cost. He was driven like a mad-man, and for no apparent reason. It was like all of his emotions that he had been storing had exploded like a supernova.

At first he was just jogging, then running, and then sprinting. He felt the energy drain out of him quickly, but he didn’t care. He kept his pace even though his legs and chest felt as if they were on fire. All of the burdens his body had been going through for the past week had now crushed onto him at once like the weight of a thousand tons. His rest for the past day now was wasted. He maintained his strides as he turned left, right, left, forward, right, dead-end, turn around, and begin again. It was a series of patterns that never stopped like the universe itself. He was panting heavily and felt as if he was to collapse at any given moment, but he never stopped even to rest.

He didn’t know how long he had been going, but it had to been at least four or five hours as the sun was now setting. His mind felt dizzy, and all of a sudden he puked his entire lunch onto the soil. The taste was vile, and he unexpectedly now felt dehydrated. He knew he was going to pass out soon, as he had pushed himself much too hard. He looked up once more to check in with his surroundings. He was in a large clearing with a stone pedestal that was resting in the middle of it. Even though his muscles didn’t want to respond, his curiosity got the better of him as he began to crawl towards the pedestal. After twenty minutes of moving as slow as a snail, he finally made it.

He laid his hands on the top of the pedestal to support him as he got onto his feet. In the center of the pedestal, a small igneous rock lay in the center. Blake’s mood immediately turned sour, as he knew that he had been lied to.

“All of this, for a fucking rock?!” Blake shouted angrily, grabbing the rock with his right hand and chucking it as far as his energy could muster. “You mean to tell me that I nearly killed myself over a motherfucking rock?!” He then that gravity pull him to the ground, and he sobbed until he couldn’t produce any more tears.

He tried to speak, but all that came out were heavy coughs. He then thought to himself, Once I get out of this goddamn labyrinth, I’ll fucking kill every single one of them! I don’t care if they tell me they’re just testing me! I’m not some stupid lab rat to be toyed with! I’m Blake Seegmiller Johnson for Christ’s sake! Lyra, if you can hear me, you need to help me. I don’t know how much longer I can keep up with this!

He then fainted from exhaustion.

<><><><><><><><><><>

He heard the distant beating sound of at least two helicopters closing in on him. He thought he had killed the majority of them with those three grenades, but apparently he had only shaken the hive. He had only turned his head around once, and that was when he first entered the forest. He remembered the hum of the dozen army trucks as they began to give chase, and the piercing wail of a sniper’s bullet flying right past his head. What did they want with him? Why were they executing all of the survivors? He had no clue, but his only option he had was to survive.

He jogged through dense forest with his over packed backpack weighing down on him, not to mention he was also lugging an assault rifle. He didn’t care, as he knew that if he slowed down even for a moment, there was a possibility that he would be shot. If he had to rest, it would be in a place that heavily concealed his presence.

His panting had now become a steady rhythm as he waved back and forth through the trees in a zig-zag fashion. He knew that they were probably going to be following his tracks, so it would be best to maneuver in a way that would confuse his opponents the most. He had also made a habit of darting between trees so that he was almost always in cover. Every five minutes or so, he would slow down just a small amount, but enough that his breathing wasn’t fast enough so it wouldn’t drown out any other sounds in the forest.

The beating noises had given up the chase, as they grew more and more distant. It would be almost impossible to detect him from the air in such thick foliage. A small grin formed on his lips, as the helicopters were probably his biggest threat. With them out of the picture, it would be that much easier to keep a low profile.

Blake drew his phone out his pocket to check the time. 7:00 PM. He would only have a couple of hours left of daylight before he would have to find someplace to spend the night. His stomach rumbled, begging for food. He didn’t want to comply, but he submitted to his hunger and hunkered under a fallen tree. A large rock covered his back, so he would only have to worry about keeping his eyes in one place instead of an entire three-sixty degree angle.

He zipped open his backpack and removed all of its contents until he found what he was looking for. A large pack of beef jerky. If he was smart, he could use this to keep him going for two weeks at the most. He ripped open the pouch and stuffed his hand inside. He grabbed onto a few bits and placed it inside his mouth. He savored the flavor, but chewed as quickly as possible. He organized all of his items back into his backpack. By the time he was done, he swallowed the last of his small meal. He stretched his legs for a few moments and then began to move, still running in a zig-zag pattern.

He was tired and wanted to stop. He wanted to go home and run away from all of the horrors he had witnessed not too long ago. But if he stopped, he was admitting defeat. He had to do this for his mother… his father… and his sister. If he could just find someplace where he could contact back home, he was sure he could get the government to come and put a stop to this mess, even as ridiculous as it sounded.

The sun was now setting over the horizon. The sky turned an orangish color, and Blake knew that this day was about to end. He placed his gear near a tree and climbed up it as fast as a monkey would. He scanned the area around him, trying to find the best place to sleep for the night. He saw a small cliff that overlooked the area down below. It would be the perfect place to spot any of the soldiers. Maybe he could even snipe them off, but that would be a stupid idea, as the loud bang the gun would produce would alert all the other soldiers that were miles away.

He slid back down nimbly. He picked his gear and dashed towards the cliff. When he arrived, he set his stuff onto the ground and collapsed onto the soft wild grass. It felt soft yet itchy, but it didn’t matter to Blake. There was nothing to do except get some sleep, but there was one thing he thought of doing before drifting off into. He pulled out his iPhone again and opened up the video app where he could record himself. If he couldn’t make it out of here alive, then maybe someone else would find his phone and get all of the information out of it. Wait a second… he had access to the internet! He could upload the video and hope that someone would find him. It was a slim chance, but it was still possible. He focused the camera on his face and then hit the record button.

“This is Blake Seegmiller Johnson. I’m making this video to record my vacation to Europe, which it isn’t as it seems. Eight hours ago, my plane transporting me and at least two hundred people was shot down by a SAM and crash landed about at least fifteen miles or so from where I am now. All of the survivors, including my family, were executed by soldiers whom I couldn’t identify their nationality. I believe that these aren’t your run-of-the-mill pirates, as they’ve got helicopters and technology that would be difficult for a small force to maintain. Whoever they are, they’re now after me. I don’t know why they’re so hell-bent on killing me… wait, never mind that I do. But this is a message to anyone out there, you’ve gotta help me. I don’t know where I am, but if I don’t get help, I’m a dead man.”

He paused the record button, and now would just wait for the video to upload.

“Mom, dad, Melody… I hope you’re enjoying heaven, but I won’t be seeing you guys any time soon because I’ve now entered hell.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Author's Note

Hey guys, I just want you all to know that I'm going to be entering the February Write Off competition on this site, so the next chapter will be a bit delayed because of it. Just though I'd let you all know.

Siege, out.

Chapter 10: Uprising

Beams of sunlight poured in through the window. Lyra’s eyes slowly creaked open, and she saw that she was back inside her room instead of Blake’s memories. Just another piece of the puzzle, Lyra thought to herself.

She slid off the bed, letting her stiff legs fall onto the recently polished floor. Although her dream last night had been shorter than the others she had recently, she was grateful that she had not been exposed to any more violence. Even though at times it was hard to bear, her dreams were the only way to piece together Blake’s recent events as it was explaining his trauma and the effects of his PTSD.

But what had befallen him last night? Why did he sound like he was about to go on a psychotic rampage? If anything, she figured that the princesses may have had something to do with this. She didn’t want to blame the princesses for anything at all, but chances were that they were most likely the cause of his dilemma.

Feeling the need to relax, she cantered to a bathroom that was connected to her guest room. She hopped into the bathtub and turned the water on as hot as it allowed her. She cleaned her coat and her mane for fifteen minutes using the soap and shampoo that had been provided for her. Once she was finished, she lay in the tub, trying to clear her mind of any and all thoughts. The recent excitement of the past few days was beginning to take a toll on the young, mint-green unicorn. She took a few minutes to collect herself, letting the warm water soothe her muscles.

Once she had enough, she opened the drain to let the water sink inside of it as if it were a vacuum. She slowly got out and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel to dry off. She stared at herself in the mirror that lay above the sink. She had heavy bags under her eyes, her main and tail were still wet and dripping with water, and for the first time she noticed a small burn mark on her side. At first, she couldn’t remember where it came from, but she quickly recalled her first encounter with Blake and how he struck her with the metal rod. That event seemed like it had occurred eons ago, but the truth was it had only been a few days.

She finished drying off and placed the towel to its original resting place. Her mane had now dried and was in its natural position. Feeling satisfied, she left the bathroom, letting out an enormous yawn. As much as she desired to hop straight back into the cozy bed, she knew that she had other things to do. Her stomach rumbled as loud as a lion’s roar. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to do much on an empty stomach, she made her way out of the guest room and through the grand hallways of Castle Canterlot.

Thankful that she had a decent memory, she found her way back to the main dining hall, where she saw that many ponies were already munching on a delicious morning breakfast. And that was the problem: All ponies and no humans.

Lyra seated herself in the same chair as she had the previous night. The empty seat next to her bothered her to an extent. She prayed that Blake was simply still asleep and had not been woken up by any of the servants. This seemed like this was the most logical solution, but considering current events, anything was possible.

A waiter pushed his way through the dining hall, dodging any oncoming passersby with skill and precision. He laid a dish in front of Lyra, taking off the metal top to reveal the contents it was concealing: Scrambled eggs, hash browns, and various fruits. Lyra thanked the waiter and he nodded in acknowledgement. He left the room as quickly and as gracefully as he had before.

Lyra nibbled on her breakfast with too much going on her mind, feeling as if an elephant was crushing the top of her head. The food for some reason seemed very bland, as it had not many spices or herbs to flavor things up a notch. But Lyra wasn’t complaining, knowing that she couldn’t cook to save her life. That’s why she had Bon-Bon as a roommate, as she was an excellent chef. Well, that wasn’t the only reason, but it was still a big and important one.

Both of the princesses then arrived, marching side by side with their every step in sync with another, as if it were a steady rhythm. Lyra wondered if this was something that the two co-rulers had to practice, or if it just simply came naturally. The two set themselves in the front of table, on top of two beautifully crafted chairs embodied with a plethora of gemstones. Why didn’t Lyra notice these the night before? They had a certain majesty to them that would make almost anypony drool with awe.

Once Luna seated herself, her eyes immediately shot to where Blake was supposed to be sitting. She let out a faint gasp that caught the attention of her sister. The two whispered with each other, engaging in a quick conversation.

After a few moments, Celestia raised her voice and asked in a gentle tone, “Will somepony please summon Professor Day Break?”

Why in Equestria did the two most powerful ponies on the planet not know where the human’s whereabouts were? A sudden urge came to Lyra to just slam her head on the table as hard as possible, possibly knocking everything on the table onto the floor. She suppressed the urge but didn’t know if she would be able to stop this feeling again if it happened to come by a second time. However, she allowed herself a small facehoof.

Blake, just where the hell are you? she thought. She startled herself by using one Blake’s “curse words”. Where did she learn and how to use that word anyway?

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blake woke up parched and starving. His head felt dizzy, and close to the point where he may collapse again. He pushed himself too hard and way past his limitations the day before, and he was now paying the price. He scolded himself for being such a gullible idiot.

He slowly shuffled onto his feet, arching his back with a satisfying pop coming from his spine. After his eyes took a moment to adjust to the daytime, he scanned his surroundings as he had dozens of times before. At first, he panicked as he couldn’t remember where he was, but the memories of the day before came to him in time. He clenched his hands into fists. His blood began to churn faster. He felt as if he was going to explode like a volcano.

He turned his head to the sky and began to shout. “Do you think this is come kind of cruel joke?!” He knew that he would go to hell for this, but he didn’t care.

“Well, you have a gay ass sense of humor! Now I’ve busted my ass this past week, but it seems like every time I solve a problem, you have to find another one for me! And each time it’s worse than the one before! I mean a world full of multicolored ponies? Are you fucking kidding me? Is that seriously the best you could come up with? It couldn’t have been a world with flying two-headed man-eating octopi? I’m done with life. If you love me, you’ll kill me now! Smite me!” Blake waited for a lightning bolt to strike him, but nothing happened. “Nothing, huh? Am I some sick puppet that’s only purpose for life is to be toyed with?” He waited for an answer, but the world stayed silent. He shot a middle finger towards the sky, and walked away.

Letting out all of his anger felt good. He felt calm but he knew his face was probably a bright cherry-red, as it was still swelling with anger and frustration. Small trickles of sweat beaded down his forehead, and he brought up a sleeve to wipe them off. For no reason, he punched a hedge with all of his might. It was as solid as a brick wall and he yelped in pain. A small amount of blood began to pour down his knuckles, and he licked it off, tasting the saltiness of the red liquid.

As he left the clearing, a song came to his mind. It was Uprising by Muse, and it was one of his favorites. He had never thought deeply of its meaning before. The situation seemed suitable, so in a raspy voice, he began to sing.

“Paranoia is in bloom
The PR… transmissions will resume
They’ll try to… push drugs to keep us all dumbed down
And hope that… we will never see the truth around
So come on.”

He coughed several times but continued forward with the song.

“Another promise, another seed
Another… packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed
And all the… green belts wrapped around our minds
And endless… red tape to keep the truth confined
So come on.”

Blake jumped at the sudden voice. He recognized it as Lyra’s. Had she been listening the whole time? He felt somewhat embarrassed as he didn’t have the greatest singing voice in the world.

Blake shrugged and cleared his throat.

“They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
So come on

.

“Interchanging… mind control
Come let the… revolution take its toll
If you could… flick the switch and open your third eye
And see that… we should never be afraid to die
So come on.”

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and then continued to finish the rest of the lyrics.

“Rise up and take the power back
It’s time the… fat cats had a heart attack
You know that… their time is coming to an end
We have to… unify and watch our flag ascend
So come on.

“They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
So come on.”

He repeated the chorus once more and brought the song to an end.

What do you mean by that?

Of course. Without music in the background it seems rather dull.

I’m in a goddamned maze, that’s where.

You heard me and understood me completely fine, I know that.

Go ask Professor Day Break. He played me like I was damn toy. He told me this was going to be a simple exercise of speed and endurance or whatnot. So it turns out I’m stuck in this maze with no clue how to escape and I’m sure I’m getting on the verge of insanity.

Something to eat and something to drink would be nice.

Thanks, bro.

Their conversation came to an end. A small grin formed on Blake’s lips. He made his way back to the clearing, and sat against the pedestal with his back resting against it. He popped his knuckles one by one, and began to sing Shadow of the Day.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“I know where he is!” Lyra announced. Dozens of pairs of eyes turned towards her with curiosity, looking for an answer. “He’s in the castle labyrinth! I’m going to get him, but Rainbow Dash, I’ll need your help.”

The rainbow-maned pegasus’ ears stood up at the sound of her name being called. “What do ya need help with, boss?” she asked, eager to be finally doing something rather than sitting in a stuffy, old castle.

“I’m going to need you to fly over the labyrinth looking for him. Once you find him, I want you to lead me to where he is. And we’ll also need you to lead us out,” Lyra explained.

“Why can’t you just teleport him out? It would be waaaay easier,” Rainbow Dash wondered, stretching out the “way” as long as she could.

“Because magic is ineffective on him,” Luna replied. “And what is this about him being in the labyrinth? Has he gone mad?”

“I’m afraid that I’m the reason that the human is in there,” a new voice said. Everypony turned their attention to the newcomer. It was a bright yellow stallion dressed in a pale white lab coat. He had a heavy accent that Lyra didn’t know the origin of.

“All I have is one simple question, Professor Day Break,” Celestia said. “Why?”

“It’s just a simple test of his emotional and physical capabilities. Nothing more, nothing less,” the scientist replied with a wry smile planted on his lips. The room was dead silent. Lyra even thought that she heard a cricket chirping the background. Things have been taken to the next level.

“Are you a fool?!” Luna barked. The statement caused everpony’s jaws to immediately hit the floor, including her sisters.

The professor was completely taken aback, with his eyes wide and his knees buckling. It takes a lot to upset either of the two princesses, and when they begin to spit insults at anypony, they know that they messed up big time.

“B-but Princess Luna, I don’t understand why—” Day Break began before a spell was casted on him to zip his lips shut.

“I told you specifically that the human was emotionally unstable! I told you specifically that you were to do nothing out of the ordinary! And I specifically told you that if you were to do anything crazy, consequences would ensue! Do you remember that?” The professor nodded his head meekly. He tried to say something but all that came out was incomprehensible noises. “Well, you’re fired. Somepony take this worthless scumbag out of our castle, now!” Two guard ponies grabbed the professor by his hooves and dragged him out the dining hall.

Lyra rubbed her eyes. Did this just really happen?

“Luna, what has gotten into you?” Celestia asked, confused by the sudden outburst of her sister. “You’re behaving incredibly unladylike, and this is not a way a princess should rule. We need to do so out of love and compassion, not fear and anger.”

“I know Tia, but I told him exactly what he was supposed to do. I’m almost completely sure that our mission to get the alien to trust us has now failed miserably. Do you understand the emotional trauma is caused by being trapped in that forsaken place? We knew that if he made one slip-up, everything would collapse. I knew I should’ve overseen the tests that were going to be taken place on him, as I never would have allowed this to happen.” The Princess of the Night let out a long sigh. “It never would’ve happened…”

“I didn’t know you could be so bashful, sister,” Celestia said.

“Neither did I.” Complete and total silence followed.

“Well, I’m done sitting on my a—” Lyra began, but cut herself off when she realized what word she was about to say. Had Blake had really become that big of an influence on her? She would just have to find a way and control that… later. “I mean I’m done sitting around. You ready to go, Rainbow Dash?” she asked, trotting around the table to the pegasus’ side.

She saluted and was about to take off when Lyra caught her by the tail. “I also want you to bring some food and water with you. Give it to him when you find him and tell him to stay put where he is. After that I want you to come find me and we’ll continue forth with the plan. Got it?” Lyra asked.

“Got it,” Rainbow Dash repeated, exiting the room at super-sonic speed.

Before Lyra was about to leave, a hoof rested on her shoulder. She turned around to see Twilight behind her. “I think we’d all like to help,” Twilight said, motioning to her friends standing side by side. They were all grinning like maniacs.

“Yeah, Ah agree with Twi’. It’ll be hard t’ cover all that land with jus’ two ponies. Let us help ya out,” Applejack said.

“We should totally bring him some cupcakes! That’ll put a smile on his face for sure!” Pinkie jumped merrily.

“Thanks guys. This really means a lot to me. I mean it,” Lyra said, grateful for the help from all the six ponies.

“Of course, darling. What are friends for?” Rarity said.

Princess Celestia rose from her seat. “Good luck my little ponies. We’ll all be waiting for your return.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

It took several hours before Rainbow Dash finally found Blake. She had given him the food and water exactly like Lyra had commanded her earlier, and came back to gather all of the ponies together so that they formed a single party. It took another couple hours for Dash to lead them through all the twisting turns and tight corners that the labyrinth contained as if it was a game. The pegasus wasn’t the best leader in the world, as she accidently led them into dead ends at least several times.

The sun was beginning to set when they finally made it to the clearing where Blake was resting. The human uncapped the water bottle that he gripped in his hands and took a swig. He made a sigh of relief when he noticed the seven ponies converging on him.

“So I assume that you’re my rescue party?” Blake asked, standing up. He slapped the back of his pants several times, wiping off all of the dirt and dust.

“Yes, we’re your rescue party,” Lyra said with a smile.

“Good. I hope that this time you all don’t get shot in the face by a heavy caliber sniper bullet.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Author’s Note

Well, I’m finally back. I bet that half of you have completely forgotten about this story since I last updated a month ago. I’m sorry that this took so long, but I was busy with school and my laptop was acting up and I had to get it fixed. I’ll probably be back to my normal schedule of releasing updates and stuff every five days or so.

And if any of you were wondering why I put Uprising’s lyrics in the story, well I just heard while I was listening to Pandora. I liked the song… a lot, and I found the lyrics online. For some odd reason, I thought that it fit into this story pretty well, and it also let me create a new way for Blake to help himself with his trauma… and I guess that’s singing. Hopefully ear drums won’t shatter anytime soon.

If you clicked on the link, you should leave a comment saying that ponies sent you there, just because you can. We shall achieve world domination! (*wink* *wink*, *nudge* *nudge*)

Also, I'd like to thank Pyros for proofreading all my shit for me. You've been a big help.

Siege, out.

Chapter 11: Pitfall

Blake’s phone set off an alarm, causing him to burst wide awake. He was ready and prepared for any danger that he faced off on his third day on the run. He turned off the alarm and rubbed his head, which was feeling as if a hammer was pounding constantly against it. Sleeping on a cold, hard patch of mud near a riverbed was certainly not the wisest choice to spend the night, but the area provided excellent cover in the event that he was attacked.

Feeling parched, he drank a small amount of water from his water bottle. He regretted not having any liquid-purifying pills, as he would be able to refill his bottle and not worry about becoming ill. If worse came to worse, he would just have to drink from a river or a stream, even if it’s contaminated with bacteria. One of his number one priorities was making sure he had a decent supply of water. If he ran out, he wouldn’t be able to last much longer. He was already dealing with the constant nagging of hunger and exhaustion. He figured he was just going to have to add thirst to his ever-growing list of things that were trying to kill him.

He struggled even to get on his two feet, as his legs were trying to drag him down every inch that he attempted to move them. He coughed several times, fearing that he may have caught the cold or the flu. Any disease would expend precious energy, and he only had a little left in his reserves.

“Why did my parents have to choose Europe?” Blake asked himself. “Why couldn’t it have been Canada? At least they’ve got pancakes. Man, I could go for some pancakes right about now.” He chucked to himself, craving the delectable breakfast food, and then began to trudge onward, wherever that was. For all he knew, he could be traveling in circles or triangles or nonagons. He honestly didn’t care where he was going, as long as it was away from them.

He brought out his iPhone once again, and hit the camera app. He recorded himself again, telling the experiences he had the day before. He really didn’t have much to say, so he decided that it wouldn’t be worth the trouble to try and upload the video to the internet.

By now, Blake had become disgusted with the sight of trees. He had seen nothing but trees for the last couple of days, and now he would pick any other place to be, whether it was the dry Nevadan desert, the Antarctic wasteland, or any other perilous climate or landform.

He then heard the continuous beat of a helicopter heading towards him. Oh, son of a bitch, Blake thought. He searched the clearing around him, looking for a place where he would be concealed from any prying eyes that may happen to catch a glimpse of him. There was nothing but a tiny river and a few tall, elegant evergreens here and there. The nearest cluster of forest was about a hundred yards in any direction. The beat was drawing even closer, probably less than a mile off, and he still had no place to run or hide.

“Looks like this is where my journey ends,” Blake said, clicking the safety off on his AK-47. “I tried to run and that failed. If I’m gonna die here and now—” he chuckled for a second “—I’m gonna take a few of you dirty white-headed bastards with me.” He aimed his down the iron sights in the direction of the chopper, based on where he could hear it coming from.

Seconds seemed to pass by like minutes as he waited for the chopper to enter its sights. He knew that the enemies’ cockpits could be visible from the ground. Even though the shielding protecting the pilot would be bulletproof, there may be a chance that a bullet may get through and nail the pilot, causing the chopper to crash. Sure, it was a one in a million chance, but at this point he didn’t really care.

Once the chopper came into view, his itchy trigger finger squeezed on the trigger, and several bullets were sent flying to the air. The bullets harmlessly ricocheted off the chopper’s thick armor. Blake cursed and was about to fire again, but he saw something that lifted his spirits and gave him new hope. “United States Marine Corps” was printed in fine, white text on the side of the twin-bladed chopper. At first, the teenager couldn’t believe his eyes. He blinked several times, just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, but the fine print was still there. The chopper began its descent into the clearing. Blake smiled and ran off to the side away from the landing zone, as becoming human sushi was not one of the things he wanted to experience.

The moment the chopper touched the ground, a hatch protruding out of the back opened, making a mechanical gear-grinding type sound. Several marines made their ways out of the chopper, and Blake ran up to meet them.

“He’s over here!” one the marines said, pointing a finger at Blake. He found himself met by five soldiers with bulking muscles and miscellaneous weaponry. They were all dressed in heavy forest camouflage, with face paint and all the other items you would typically see in modern war movies.

“So… I assume you’re Blake Johnson then?” one of the soldiers asked, his voice sounding fairly deep and rough.

“Yeah, I am,” Blake replied.

“Well, at least we now know that your video of yours wasn’t fake,” another soldier said. It was to Blake’s surprise that this was a woman, probably in her early twenties.

“What do you mean by that?” Blake asked, curious as to what they were talking about.

“Kid, you sparked up a lot of debate in the White House when that video was posted,” the first soldier said. “But when we noticed that one of our own American flights went missing, the Department of Defense did a little research to figure out what was goin’ on. Turns out a civil war broke out here in Switzerland.”

“A civil war?” Blake asked. “If it’s a civil war, then why did my flight get shot down? Why would they target innocent lives?”

The soldier simply shrugged. “We’ve got no clue, kid. We don’t know if it was done out of some sort of terrorist attack, or whether the rebels didn’t want anyone witnessing what was goin’ on down here. Either way, they’ve still killed American lives.”

“Sir, we can tell him everything he wants to know on the way back to the firebase. We need to get out of hostile territory as soon as possible,” the female soldier said.

“Alright, Simmons, we better go,” the soldier said. He grabbed Blake’s arm and began to lead him to the chopper. If they were addressing this guy as “sir”, he was probably the Sergeant or Lieutenant or whatever commanding officer of the bunch. Blake nicknamed the guy grasping onto his bicep as Leader.

A rocket was then launched from seemingly out of nowhere, shooting off in a high pitched squeal. The rocket detonated inside the cockpit of the grounded chopper, causing an enormous explosion, also sending off several heat waves. Fortunately for Blake and the rest of the Marines, they were just out of the initial blast zone, and survived the detonation relatively unscathed.

“Holy shit!” another soldier said, bringing up his weapon to bear. “Where the fuck did that come from?”

“Right over there, there’s a bad guy hiding behind those bushes!” the female soldier replied, pointing at a bushel of shrubs. Blake’s heart began racing the millisecond he realized he was now in the middle of a combat zone. He began hyperventilating as his worst fears were finally coming true. He didn’t understand how they caught up so quickly, as he believed he had finally shaken them off.

“Rodriguez, Simmons, and Cannon, I want you guys to lay covering fire while Benson and I check to see if any of our pilots are alive. Understood?” Leader asked.

“Sir, yes, sir,” the four Marines saluted in unison.

Leader then turned to Blake. “And you,” he said, pointing his index finger at Blake. “I want you to stick to me like gum on a shoe. You got that?”

Blake gulped. “Yeah, I got it.”

“And one more thing,” he said, his gaze giving off a fiery sort of sensation. “For the love of God, do not use that thing—” he shifted his finger to the AK-47 Blake was gripping “—unless it’s one-hundred percent absolutely necessary.” Several gunshots rang into the air like the bells of a church.

“Alright, let’s move, move, move!” Leader commanded, sprinting his way to the helicopter that was already erupting into a tower of flames. A somewhat skinny man Blake recognized as Benson was following close behind. The other three began squeezing the triggers to their automatic weapons, sending dozens of bullets towards their attacker. Blake, so caught up in the moment, almost forgot that he was supposed to be sticking to the leader. He charged towards the downed chopper as well, hearing several bullets whiz by his head. His stomach knotted up, realizing that he was now a target. He did not stop running until he made it to the chopper. He ducked behind it, hearing the chink, chink, chink of bullets pouncing against the heavy metal. There must be a lot more than just one guy with a rocket launcher, Blake thought, gasping for air.

“Dell’s still breathing!” he heard Benson shout joyously.

“I’ve got your M4. Just grab her and let’s get the hell out of here!” Leader said. More gunshots were echoing off in the forest, as if it were the climax of an aggressive symphony. Blake couldn’t see what was going on. Smoke began to blur his vision, and he started coughing maddeningly. As desperate as he wanted to leave the thick smog, he knew that if he left his current cover for even a brief second, he would get shot and the fight for survival would be over. He had no body armor, bulletproof vests, or any type of helmet to protect him from incoming fire.

He then noticed two silhouettes emerge from the thick smoke. One was very distorted, looking as if it were a very large human with a hunchback. It took Blake’s brain a moment to process that it was Benson carrying the pilot over his shoulder.

“Kid, what’d I say about stickin’ to me?” Leader accused, pulling Blake out of the smoke. “I want you to make a break for the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing. The rest of us will cover you and Benson! Now, go, go, go!”

Blake didn’t think about it for another second. Using all the energy he had left reserved, he dashed towards edge of the clearing, exactly as leader had ordered. He didn’t turn his head once, even though his instincts were telling him to check to see how far behind the rest of the Marines were. He was panting heavily as his tennis shoes were rhythmically striking against the mud and dirt. He jumped over the small river in one gigantic leap, and continued onwards.

“They’ve got tanks, man! They’ve got fucking tanks!” one of the Marines shouted. Despite his best efforts to keep his eyes forward, Blake instinctively turned his head around to see if it was true. Unfortunately, it was. A pair of heavily armored vehicles of death and destruction on tracks were headed towards the small group, mowing down any tree in their paths. For some reason, tanks looked more menacing than ever before. It was if they had arrived straight from the deepest pits of hell and they were there to wreak havoc on every living soul.

“Oh man, I’m never gonna make it out of this damned hellhole alive!” Blake thought aloud, his steps now becoming unbalanced and awkward.

“Keep running, kid! Don’t stop for anything!” Leader bellowed, while firing several rounds at the enemy from both of his fully-automatic rifles. Blake complied, pushing his limits to the extreme. Time seemed to almost move at slow-motion, similarly to a movie. But in this case, this was no motion picture. Several seconds later, the exhausted teenager finally made it to the edge of the clearing, with the rest of the Marines following closely behind.

“Take cover behind those trees!” Leader commanded, handing one of the rifles to Benson as he set the pilot down behind the trunk of a thick tree. “We’ll have to hold out here until the Arizona can send in evac!”

“Understood, sir!” the female soldier called “Simmons” said. “But we’re not gonna last long against those tanks!”

“Private Cannon, you’ve got the C4, right?” Leader asked.

“Got it right here, sir!” Cannon responded, holding up the explosives.

“We’ll need to draw them in to this side of the clearing and ambush them,” Leader said, pointing downwards for emphasis. “First we take out the infantry, then we plant the C4 on the tanks.”

“Rodriguez, radio the Enterprise and tell them to come pick us up,” Leader ordered.

The Marine nodded his head in acknowledgement, and began tinkering with the radio attached to his helmet. Once he was able get it on the correct frequency, he began to talk through it. “Arizona, this is PFC Rodriguez of the 172nd Infantry Division. Python Four is down! I repeat: Python Four is down! One pilot’s dead and the other’s seriously wounded. We’re getting swarmed over here and we need reinforcements!” No reply, only static. The Marine repeated the message, only to still receive no answer. “Dammit! We’re being jammed!” he cursed, punching one of the trees in frustration.

“Left side, left side! Bad guys comin’ in at ten o’ clock!” Benson warned, shooting down any enemy that was unfortunate enough to have their head poking out.

Another rocket shot off, detonating right above the heavily outnumbered troop. Debris came crashing down on the battle-hardened soldiers, causing them to take their eyes off the battle for a brief moment.

“Get those RPGs! They’ll tear us to shreds unless we take ‘em out!” Leader commanded, jumping out of the way of an enormous tree that was tumbling towards the earth.

Another gunshot rang off, and a bullet lodged itself into the soldier with the radio. He yelped in pain and collapsed, covering his wound with one hand to stop the blood from flowing. “FUCK! I’m hit! They got me in the arm!”

“Ah shit! Rodriguez is down! They’ve got snipers camping out in those trees forty meters to the front!” Simmons said, shooting a charging enemy in the head with clear precision and skill.

Leader fumbled for something in his pocket. He ran over to Blake, who was scared out of his wits. He placed a hand on Blake’s soldier, and placed an object in his hand. Blake instinctively examined it, revealing that it was a compass.

“Kid… take this and start headin’ west,” Leader said, with the obvious tone of fear in his voice “We’ll hold off these fuckers as long as we can. Just get to France. I’m sure the UN will get you back home safe and sound!”

“Okay…” Blake replied, following the needle on the compass.

“And kid…” Leader trailed off. Blake turned around. “Semper Fidelis.”

The Marine turned around, swapping a magazine for a fresh one. “Now let’s show these boys why the US Marines are the greatest badasses of all time! Hoorah!”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blake’s entire body was sore as he forcefully lifted himself off of the guest bed. He groaned, taking in all the pain at once, and shuffled onto his two feet. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright light that was shining through the windows. It must already be long past morning, Blake thought, dragging his way to the bathroom. He turned the knob on the bathtub, turning on a stream of water. Once it felt warm enough, he plugged the drain to let the water fill up. While he waited, he locked the door that led into the bathroom and stripped off all of his clothes. As soon as the tub was filled with water, he turned the knob until the stream ceased flowing, and slowly set himself in the warm water, feeling his muscles become instantly relaxed.

Instead of scrubbing himself off with a bar of soap, like he would normally do, he began rubbing his hand through his slightly shaggy hair. He began to ponder what would’ve happened if he stayed behind and fought. What if he didn’t run away like coward, and held his ground?

Those men and women he fought with that day were what true heroes looked like. He’d never seen any soul as brave as any of those five in his entire life. He should’ve stayed and fought with them… and maybe then he could call himself a hero, instead of just some backwater teenager who ran away from all of his problems, especially the ones that were trying to kill him.

I know, I know. But because of that, I just can’t call myself anything besides a coward or a deserter. I have no clue if any of those guys are alive or not, and it’s just eating me from the inside-out. I just find it sickening that I didn’t do anything to help the Marines that saved my life.

And that’s why I feel like just committing suicide right now! I could’ve made a difference, or I could’ve made a change. Instead of fighting for those I love and for those that keep me safe, I just watch on the sidelines. I’m just a spectator watching the deadliest game known to man, and everyone I care for is a participant.

MISTAKES?! You think those were just tiny mistakes that can just be looked over?! Because of those mistakes, my family is dead! Those Marines are probably dead! Everyone that tries to help me just dies!

No you don’t. You don’t get anything. Even if you are witnessing all my memories from the past few days, you still don’t understand my emotions. My intentions. My decisions. My regrets.

No, duh. It’s not like I want more death in my life.

Been there, done that.

Yeah, but there’s one problem.

I don’t really have any friends right now… except you… I guess.

What?! You can send me back?

Well… I guess that’s good news.

Yeah, but, I’m not sure I want to go back.

I don’t really have anything to go back to. My family’s dead, so I wouldn’t really be able to support myself. I can’t go live with any of my other relatives because I honestly don’t know where they are. I could quit school and get a job, but I would suffer a lifetime of unhappiness and crappy paying jobs because I didn’t finish my education. But I guess I could start over here, like literally all over again. Maybe I could stay here for a while and find a job and earn the money to buy a house or whatever. I can’t really decide though. I doubt the ponies here would really be accepting of me.

This is something I’m really going to have to think about. I’ll give you my answer later.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“And then Daring Do swooped in and grabbed the ruby before a huge boulder could crash on top of her!” Rainbow Dash explained, using her hooves to help describe the details of the book she was currently reading, apparently one of the Daring Do series.

“That sounds great, but if you don’t mind, I’m going back to bed. I’m really sleepy,” Fluttershy lied, faking a yawn. Dash had been telling her about the adventures of the famous heroine for the past hour, and everypony was already getting tired of her endless blabbering of how the great the books were. Okay, maybe they were good, but it’s not like anypony has to explain every little detail of what was happening throughout the entire series.

“But I haven’t told you about the time she almost was stabbed by—”

“Oh that’s great! I’ve got to go, bye!” Fluttershy sputtered as quickly as she could, bolting out of the study as far as her wings could carry her.

Dash shook her head and groaned. Her gaze then turned to Lyra. “Well, since you’re the only other pony here, I guess I’ll have to tell you.”

Lyra faked a smile. “No thanks,” she declined. “I’ve already read every book. I don’t need to know what happens, again.”

Dash let out a sigh of disappointment. “Whatever…” She began tapping her hooves on the floor in a messy beat. The hyperactive pegasus then began pacing around the room, examining every object in the study, which wasn’t really anything more than dusty, old books and old globes of the world and old… well, everything that was inside of it was old.

“Why did Twilight seriously suggest we meet up here?” Dash wondered, flipping through the pages of an atlas. “It’s so boring. I bet we could make another run though the labyrinth and be back before the rest of them get here.”

“Don’t ask me, I’d rather be doing a bunch of different things right now,” Lyra said.

“Like what, talking to the alien?” Dash asked, taking off into the air and doing small acrobatic loops. She crashed her head into the ceiling, causing a small red bump to form on the top of her head.

“Actually, that is what I’d like to be doing,” Lyra confirmed, barely able to stifle her laughter.

“Hey, I can see the look on your face, and I don’t like it!” Dash said, landing on the ground devoid of any gracefulness.

Four ponies then entered the study one by one. It’s about time they got here, Lyra thought.

“Sorry we’re late!” Twilight apologized. “The princess requested that I was supposed to meet her this morning, so I got jumbled up with that.”

“And I’ve had the worst hair day today!” Rarity complained, levitating a brush which was combing her hair in its normal twirl style. “It took me hours just to get it just the way I like it!”

“What were you doing, Pinkie?” Dash asked, curious.

“I was baking cupcakes! No wait, I did that before we left Ponyville… I was actually planning a party! No wait, I already finished my plans for that party for Blake…”

“Ugh, never mind. Forget I even asked,” Dash groaned.

Another figure then entered the room. He folded his arms and leaned against the doorway.

“So the princesses have already let you roam the castle without any guards, huh?” Lyra asked. The human grinned.

“No, I doubt that,” Blake replied.

“Then where’re your guards?” Lyra asked. The human shrugged his shoulders. “Then how did you get out of room?”

“I picked the lock. Honestly, I’m tired of being treated like some sort of fancy animal. I’d like to do what I want, when I want.”

“The princess is not going to be happy about this,” Twilight claimed.

“Hey! Did anypony give you the clear to leave your room without somepony watching you?” a voice called from outside the study, presumably a guard.

“Son of a bitch.” The human then took off running.

Chapter 12: Discussion

Chapter 12: Discussion

The already fatigued human was caught by a pair of pegasi guards in only a matter of moments. Despite getting a decent amount of sleep, Blake was still exhausted from the events that took place in the course of the last few days. He quickly found out that his legs would barely respond under physical exertion, and it was because of this he was inevitably captured with ease.

“Ha! Gotcha!” one of the guards exclaimed as he tackled Blake onto the ground.

“Congrats,” Blake mumbled, feeling the wind knocked out of him.

Lyra and her six companions caught up to the scene the instant that Blake was forced onto the polished floor. Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie began to fill with laughter at the sight of the struggling human. Lyra sighed as she was disappointed in the fact that Blake even dared to attempt such an idiotic thing. She knew that this would certainly not help his case in trying to gain his freedom.

“Alright, it’s back to the ‘guest room’ with you, buddy,” the guard that tackled him said in a rough tone. Together, the two pegasi forced the human back onto his feet and began leading him through the castle interior, not allowing him to take a step out of line. Surprisingly, Blake allowed the guards to drag him. He wasn’t attempting to fight back, and he wasn’t suddenly falling into a state of trauma.

As the guards were about to round a corner, they were halted by the Princess of the Night herself who must have coincidently been passing by.

“What are you doing with him, may I ask?” Luna queried, motioning at Blake with one of her hooves.

“We found him outside the guest room without permission, Your Highness. He tried running but we caught up to him in no time at all,” the other guard replied, standing firm like he had just captured some big prize.

“I see,” Luna said, trotting around the guards. “If both of you would just follow me and bring him to the dining hall, that would be splendid. My sister and I would like to try to converse with him again.” When she noticed the other seven ponies watching everything unfold, she continued, “And you all may come too if any of you are hungry.”

They all nodded, accompanying the princess as she cantered lithely through the hallways. Any passersby glanced curiously at Blake as they trotted, as the sight of him was still so new and otherworldly to any of the ponies who hadn’t seen him before. It wasn’t going to be long before the rumor spread throughout the city that an alien was residing within the Canterlot Castle. Either it may cause an uproar, or it may cause the entire city population to flood inside the castle, trying to get a glimpse at the being from another world, or maybe even another universe.

They made it into the dining hall, where it was completely devoid of any life besides the other co-ruler of Equestria. Celestia was levitating a small cup of tea, gently blowing on it, trying to cool off the piping-hot drink. “I see that my little ponies are finally able to join me this fine morning,” Celestia smiled, taking a sip from her tea. “Guards, you may let go of the human. I doubt he’ll be doing any harm.” The two pegasi nodded in acknowledgment, and let Blake go from their iron grips, pushing him lightly. Blake stumbled forward a bit, but quickly regained his balance. The guards smirked, inciting Blake into sticking up his middle finger towards the guards. They bore looks of confusion, as they didn’t understand the gesture. Blake grinned, turning his attention away from his previous captors.

“You may now leave the room, Captain Steele and Private Pyros,” Celestia said, dismissing the guards. They bowed their heads in respect and left the dining hall. There were now only ten individuals in dining hall, a significant difference from the first time Blake ate a meal in here. This only added to Lyra’s ever growing list of questions. Why would Celestia dismiss all of her guards? It would only make her more vulnerable to attack from the unstable human.

“You must be either very trustworthy or very foolish if you’re gonna shoo off all of your soldiers like that,” Blake stated.

“I’ve lived for over a thousand years,” Celestia said, taking another sip of tea. “I’ve learned many defensive spells that can leave you completely immobile until I call off the spell. I’ve also even learned ones that can set you aflame.” She leaned in closer. “I think I know a thing or two about self-defense.”

“Touché,” Blake said, seating himself onto a random chair.

“But princess, I thought that the human was immune to any forms of magic—” Twilight interjected before Lyra stuffed a hoof into her mouth, cutting her off from saying anything else that would give Blake any suspicious ideas. Once Twilight calmed down, Lyra removed her hoof and seated herself next to Blake. The rest of the ponies were quick to find their own seats around the now shortened dining table.

“Ooh! Hay fries, my favorite!” Pinkie said cheerfully, stuffing her face with numerous amounts of food.

“Hay fries?” Blake asked. He stared into the plate of food that lay before him. It was nothing but a huge pile of crispy hay. “You mean as in actual hay?”

“Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?” Lyra asked.

Blake pushed the plate away, and then reached for the pile of fruit that sat in the middle of the table. He grabbed a juicy looking pear and examined it. “Hay is something that I can’t really digest,” he answered, taking an enormous bite out of the green fruit.

“Well ya can’t just be eatin’ fruit all the time,” Applejack said. “Why don’t you try a daffodil sandwich? Ya can’t go wrong with that.” The orange cowpony slid a plate containing a delicious sandwich across the table, stopping directly in front of the human. He looked at it suspiciously with one eyebrow raised. He lifted one piece of bread to more fully examine the contents in between the two pieces of bread. Looking unsatisfied, he slid the plate away from him as well, taking an extra bite from the pear.

“Same thing applies with flowers,” Blake explained. “I can’t eat it unless I want to spend hours in the bathroom puking vigorously.”

“You didn’t seem to have this problem with this wonderful selection of food last time, darling,” Rarity noticed.

“I guess it was just stuff that I could eat without getting an upset stomach,” Blake shrugged.

“Do you have any particular requests for a meal?” Luna asked. “After all, you are our… um, how should I say it… you’re our special guest, and I’m sure the castle chefs can prepare a meal in no time.”

Blake pondered for a moment before replying, “I could go for a hamburger right about now.”

The Princess of the Night eyeballed him curiously. “What is this hamburger you speak of? It is something that I have never heard before.”

“Makes sense that you wouldn’t know what it is. It’s something from my world, after all. I was just hoping that there was a chance that you guys would have them here too. If that’s not an option, then I guess a nice, thick steak would do me good,” Blake requested, hoping that his choice would be available.

“I’m afraid that I don’t what steak is either,” Luna said, trying to figure out what kind of strange foods Blake was talking about.

Blake suddenly looked depressed. “You seriously don’t have steak?” he sighed. “Well, you’ve got to at least have bacon.”

Luna shook her head, not understanding anything that he was saying.

“There’s no bacon here?!” Blake exclaimed. “Mother of God... Wait a second… I’m suddenly getting this strong vibe that ponies are herbivorous. Dammit, I should’ve figured since ponies are plant eaters back home too.”

“Yeah, ponies are herbivorous,” Twilight confirmed, nibbling on her stack of hay fries.

“Well that sucks,” Blake said, finishing off his last bits of his pear. Once he felt it was finished, he set the core on the plate of hay fries. He wiped off his hands on his clothes, trying to get rid of all the stickiness of the fruit.

“Why is that?” Lyra asked, almost afraid to say the question, because she was almost positive of what the answer was.

“Humans are naturally omnivorous,” Blake said, causing all the ponies to stop what they were doing and turn over their attention to him, either with faces of disgust or mouths gaped wide open. “So yeah, we eat both plants and animals. I can tell by your reactions that you think that this is sick and wrong. Whatever you may think, I just want to let you know that I don’t really care. Unfortunately, meat is necessary in the human diet, and it is unhealthy for us to quit at any given time. If worse comes to worse, then fine, I can change my diet so that I become a vegetarian if it really upsets you all that much. It’s possible for humans to not eat meat; it’s just that it’s not recommended.”

Fluttershy looked as if she was about to have a heart attack. “But what about all of those poor animals?” she asked, on the verge of tearing up. “How can anypony be so cruel as to eat such cute little critters?”

Blake shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not our fault we crave the flesh of other animals,” he said as if it were no big deal.

“But doesn’t it torture ya’ll when ya hear the screams of innocent critters when ya kill ‘em?” Applejack asked, astonished.

Blake chuckled quietly as if he had just remembered a funny joke. “Erm… no. Animals where I come from aren’t exactly sentient. Like ponies, for example, can’t talk and communicate the same say you guys do. They can’t build houses or fly or do magic or anything. They’re simply just… ponies. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“So, humans are the only sentient creatures where you come from?” Twilight asked.

“Yep, all seven billion of us,” Blake replied.

“Wow… that’s a lot of humans,” Twilight said.

“Indeed,” Blake agreed.

“Blake, I kinda just need to know… do humans eat ponies?” Lyra asked.

Blake laughed. “No, you don’t need to worry, most humans don’t eat ponies. Honestly, I think that pony meat would be completely disgusting.”

“So you’ve never eaten a pony before?” Lyra asked.

“Never,” Blake assured. Everypony in the room let out an enormous sigh of relief. Blake smiled and leaned back against his chair. This then reminded Lyra that this was actually the first time that Blake was openly talking to ponies other than her, even if it wasn’t the most desired subject. Was Blake finally beginning to have a change of heart? Was he finally becoming more trusting of other ponies? Or maybe it was just that he needed a few days to adjust to a new world. Whatever the case, Lyra was happy that the human could finally come forth with open arms.

“I have one quick question,” Dash declared. “Something’s just been bugging at me for the past couple minutes, and I need to ask something.”

“Fire away,” Blake said.

“Do you eat meat raw?” Dash asked.

“No, for a few a few reasons,” Blake said. “One, we’re not that barbarous. We don’t just kill like a bird or something and then stuff it into our mouths. That’s just… weird. Two, raw meat is just plain disgusting and it’s hard to swallow. And three, raw meat tends to have a lot of bacteria that will give us nasty diseases if we don’t kill it off first. So yeah, we always cook our meat before we eat it, because the heat kills off most of the bacteria and such.”

“Does this rule apply to all humans?” Dash asked.

“Hell no. It varies from where you are in the world. Different cultures lead to different styles of food. I know that there a few places where people in Africa will eat bugs, because they hardly have anything else to eat. It’s very unfortunate, but that’s life for ya. It sucks.”

“Blake, I have so many questions about your world,” Twilight said, levitating an enormous checklist in front of her face to study. “First of all, do you—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Blake interrupted, holding up both of his hands to signal the purple unicorn to shut her mouth. “That scroll must be a mile long. I understand that you’re very interested in well, me, but we’ll be here for days if I try to explain every question that you must have on there in full detail. Also, I’m not a walking encyclopedia. I highly doubt that I can answer everything that you have for me either. I’m just one person, and my knowledge is very limited to only stuff I’ve learned in school, which I’m not even close to finishing yet.”

“But the princess told me—”

“I don’t know what she told you, but whatever it is, it’s probably wrong. Again, I don’t know everything about my world. Not even close to that. I mean, I’m only one individual. For example, what if I tried to ask you about every single little detail about your society and different cultures work here in… uh, Equestria? I’m sure you couldn’t do it, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose so,” Twilight said, drooping her head a tad.

“So now you understand what kind of position you’re trying to put me in. Please, for now, let’s just stick to one subject for the time being. It’s not like ponies are the only ones with questions here. I have plenty myself, but I can worry about that later,” Blake said. He then turned to the two co-rulers of Equestria, gesturing in their direction. “I assume that there is a reason you two decided to bring me here instead of stuffing me back into that disguised cell,”

“Yes, there is, as a matter of fact,” Luna said. “We would like to discuss your future here in Equestria.”

“My future?” Blake repeated.

“Both Princess Luna and I have been discussing for the past few days about what we should do with you,” Celestia clarified. “As much as we would like to keep you here for the rest of eternity, mainly so we can study and learn from you, we figured that basically we would be keeping you imprisoned for your entire life. That wouldn’t be fair, to keep a soul captured like that when it hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“You obviously don’t know what I’ve done, then,” Blake mumbled quietly, only loud enough for Lyra to hear.

“So we’ve decided that we should talk to you about how you would like to go about your life,” Celestia continued. “But before you speak, know that under your current circumstances, we can’t exactly let you go free right away. You’re still too unpredictable, and I don’t want to risk you harming any of my little ponies, whether you mean to or not.”

“I guess I understand. To be honest, I don’t really trust myself either at the moment,” Blake said.

“I remember you saying just a second ago that you were still in school. Is that correct?” Luna asked, making sure she heard right.

“Yeah, I still got two years of high school left, and then I head out to either a college or university. The amount of time I spend there depends on what I want to do for a living. It could be from anywhere between two to eight years,” Blake said.

“But that seems so late to be figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your life,” Twilight said.

“What do you mean by that?” Blake asked.

“Ponies find their special talent while they’re still just children. It’s normally then that pony decides what they’d like to do for a career or occupation when they get older. Our Cutie Marks even show what our special talent is,” Twilight said, pointing towards her Cutie Mark.

“So is that like some sort of inauguration or something?” Blake asked. “When a pony finds out what they’re good at, you tattoo some sort of symbol on their ass to signify that?”

“Nah, it just sorta appears,” Applejack said.

“Just like that?” Blake asked, snapping his fingers for emphasis.

“Just like that,” Applejack said.

“Well, I have to say, that’s really… what’s the word I should say… interesting,” Blake said, scratching his chin.

“Wait… what’s a tattoo?” Lyra asked.

“In a sense, it’s similar to a Cutie Mark,” Blake said, feeling awkward about saying “Cutie Mark”. “But it doesn’t magically appear. How we do it is that we inject hundreds of tiny little nails filled with ink into our skin. It then comes out as some sort of design like your Cutie Marks.”

“That must hurt a lot,” Dash figured.

“I’m pretty sure they do,” Blake said. “I guess I’ll never find out though, since I’ve never really been a big fan of them.”

“I think we’re starting to get a little off topic now,” Luna interrupted, trying to halt the conversation that was veering from its original course. “So let’s start back where we were before, and work our way from there, shall we?”

Blake nodded his head in agreement.

“So you said that you were still in school?” Luna asked again for the second time.

“Yep,” Blake replied again for the second time.

“If you’d like to, you may stay here at the castle until you finish your studies. If you can stay on good behavior during that time, then we will let you go wherever you’d like to without a fuss,” Luna began. “In the meantime, we’ll have our researchers begin to look for a way to bring you back to your home. We don’t know how long it will take, but I’m sure that—”

“Who said that I wanted to go back home?” Blake challenged.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand,” Celestia said with a frown. “I thought that you would want to return back from where you came from as soon as possible. Would you care to explain why you want to stay?”

Blake didn’t reply, as his eyes began watering up. He covered his eyes with his hands, wiping away any tears that attempted to stream down his face. Lyra herself suddenly felt mellow, just as Blake was. The other ponies in the room watched the crying human with awe, not muttering even a whisper. They knew that Blake was emotionally unstable, but Lyra was the only pony that knew why he would suddenly change moods. So, Lyra began retelling every memory-dream that she had over the course of the last several days, explaining them in extreme detail. The reactions from the listeners varied from pony to pony, but most of them were either frightened, scared, or didn’t comprehend. Blake’s story, Lyra knew, was very dark. There wasn’t a single book or novel that she had ever read that was frightening as the challenges Blake had to overcome. The tale took a little over an hour, and she wasn’t once interrupted.

“So you see,” Lyra concluded, “that he doesn’t have any place to return to. Like I said before, his family was… executed, and he’s been trying to cope with this for the past while. He’s been suffering from PTSD, and you all have seen how that’s been affecting him. It also explains why he has either sudden emotional or violent outbursts anytime somepony says or does something to trigger any memories.” The mint-green unicorn drank a large glass of water in one go, because her mouth was as barren as a desert from talking for so long.

“It makes sense,” Twilight said, jotting down several notes on a rather large scroll. The purple unicorn had been recording everything Lyra had said to the letter.

“I agree,” Luna said, looking as if she were taking mental notes in her head.

“Is there any way to relieve him from this horrid disorder?” Rarity asked. “The poor thing must be tearing himself up from the inside-out.” Nine pairs of eyes turned towards Blake, who was staring into the ceiling, lost in his own river of thoughts. He had said nothing in the past hour, and it was likely he wasn’t listening to their conversation at all. It was almost like he was dead, as he lay unmoving. The only sign to signal that he was still alive was the steady beat of his chest rising and falling.

“I’ve noticed that he’s slowly been getting better over the time he’s spent here,” Lyra stated. “Unfortunately, I think the only thing that will mend his PTSD is time. I believe that he’ll fall into these states of depression periodically over the next month or so. However, I’m pretty sure they’ll start becoming few and far in between when he can finally bring his senses to reality, and to also forget about the past and live in the present. Maybe the best thing to do for now is to try and find things to keep his mind occupied so that he doesn’t try to remember his recent memories.”

“And that’s one of the reasons why we were planning to have him study in the castle library,” Luna said. “But I must ask, why didn’t you tell us what you’ve been learning about him until now?”

“Because, I’ve still been trying to piece it together,” Lyra said. “I only relive his memories while I’m asleep, and even then it’s still only a small fragment of it. The memories can be anywhere from ten to thirty minutes long, and it’s complicated trying to figure out everything that was going on. It’s like reading one page of a book, skipping ten pages, then continue reading. Then you try to figure out what happened between that portion of the book. I bet it would get rather confusing. I’ve just been thinking about this long and hard, and I didn’t really finish putting together the puzzle this morning when I talked with him.”

“How did you do that?” Twilight asked, not believing her. “I thought he was in his room all day. Well, until he picked the lock and escaped, that is.”

“Long story short, I can communicate with him telepathically,” Lyra said.

Twilight’s jaw almost hit the floor. “But how?” she asked. “Telepathy is something that even I can’t do yet!”

“Again, it’s a long story. And I’d rather not explain how for private reasons,” Lyra said.

“Okay…” Twilight said, still not convinced.

“Oh yes, my dear sister has told me about your bond with Blake,” Celestia said. “Something like this hasn’t happened in over a few centuries. This is very intriguing if I do say so myself.”

“I know, but the idea I can do something like this still seems extremely farfetched,” Lyra said.

“Can you control this telepathy?” Celestia asked.

“No, I can’t,” Lyra sighed. “It happens at random times, but the times that it happens have been increasing lately. Even though I can’t now, I’m sure that I’ll be able to do it in the future.”

“I don’t believe you,” Twilight said firmly. “I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve been studying the highest levels of magic for most of my life! And the few times I’ve tried a telepathy spell, I only end up getting an enormous headache for an entire week. How is it possible that you can just randomly perform this spell without getting any side effects?”

“I honestly have no clue. But can I convince you if Blake confirms that he can communicate telepathically with me as well?” Lyra asked. “I really don’t want this argument to go on much longer. I don’t really see a point to it.”

“Fine,” Twilight said in a gruff tone.

Lyra softly poked at Blake several times with her hoof, trying to get his attention. He didn’t respond, as his body continued to lay unmoving as if he were a living statue. Come on Blake, snap out of it, Lyra thought.

What do you want?

His thought rang through her mind like a bell. Lyra smiled, knowing that she got him to snap out of his trance.

Is that all?

Whatever.

Blake sat upright in his chair. His eyes had the faintest hues of red still residing within them. He rubbed them, which must’ve stung at least a little. His gaze scanned across the room. “Which one’s Twilight, again?” he asked, scratching his head. Lyra pointed towards the purple unicorn in reply. Blake’s eyes locked with hers. He inhaled before saying, “Yes, we can communicate through our minds. Now you know.” He then placed his elbows on the table, clenching his two hands together and resting his head on top of it.

Twilight huffed, clearly bemused. She muttered several words under her breath.

“I guess that settles that little debate, then,” Lyra said, happy to get it over with.

“Blake, since you’re finally back with us, would you mind joining this conversation again?” Luna asked. He shrugged, obviously not caring. “We haven’t received a reply from you yet.”

“About what?” Blake asked, not moving to meet the princess’ gaze.

“Whether or not you’d like to study here at the castle for the time being,” Luna said.

“When I think about it, it seems like I hardly have any other options,” Blake said. “I doubt that anybody would hire me if I tried to get a job, until word spreads around that there’s an alien living among them. Maybe it actually would be possible if you two pulled the strings a little, but I’m sure that any of my co-workers would feel weary around me. Now that I consider it, I guess it’s the best idea to just stay here for a while until all the other ponies feel comfortable around me or whatever. So yeah, I’ll study here for a while. It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

“Then I guess it’s settled,” Celestia said. “Welcome to Equestria.”

Chapter 13: Anew

Blake had ultimately fallen into the same routine every day for the next week. Wake up, make his way to the dining hall for a morning meal, then study in the grand castle library for the rest of the day. The routine had quickly become old, and Blake virtually found himself stuck in school again, despite being sent to another world. He was mostly under tutor of Princess Luna. Apparently, she had only returned to the throne a little over a year ago, and her sister still took care of the majority of the royal duties of Equestria, whatever those were. In time, she will find herself on the same level as her sister, but things took time to adjust. But because of this, Luna was constantly trying to find stuff to keep her mind occupied, and helping Blake with his studies was an excellent time-waster.

Even though Blake had ultimately decided that his place was now here in Equestria, he still felt the nagging feeling that the ponies he was cooperating with still couldn’t be trusted. He always felt like he had to be watching his back at all times. His gut knotted in the feeling that someone was going to stab him from behind, whether it was physically or mentally. He longed for his weapons, as they gave him a sense of security. For unknown reasons to Blake, the princesses kept his belongings in hiding until they felt like he could be trusted one-hundred percent. The biggest blow to Blake was probably his iPhone. He always used music as sort of a key to withdraw himself from the world, which is why he now found himself singing or humming whenever he felt the demons from his past nudging at him. He even tried begging the princesses for just use of his iPod and headphones, but he was blatantly rejected. His own voice would have to occupy him for now.

But he also felt the stinging sense of loneliness as Lyra had to leave the capital of Canterlot and take a train to her current town of Ponyville. She had long over lived her stay at the castle, and she needed to get back home to continue her work, whatever that was. She never really did tell Blake what her occupation was, so it was still another item shrouded in mystery. If he could remember, he would ask her during their next conversation, whenever it happened. Even though they were probably about a hundred miles apart, they were still somehow able to keep the minds connected. They would converse in small talk here and there, but they hadn’t had a decent conversation since the time several days ago when Lyra had to make Blake promise that he would be on his best behavior while she was gone. He remembered them joining together in laughter, even though that they would be separated from each other for a while.

All in all, Blake was now living a rather dull life, as his only friend was long gone. Lyra would only be able to visit him every few weeks when she found the time and the money to make the long journey from Ponyville to Canterlot. Both he and Luna were slowly getting acquainted with one another, but Blake still saw the Princess of the Night as a mentor or a teacher rather than a friend and vice versa. Every now and then, the two would discuss of their personal lives or would engage in asking questions about each other’s worlds and how they work. But for the most part, Luna was only there to help Blake with his studies, which for the first few weeks would mainly be about Equestrian history and society. Celestia had been very generous in offering him a citizenship to Equestria, but he would only obtain that by learning how Equestrian society worked. He would then be tested on his knowledge. If he passed with flying colors, he would then be able to obtain citizenship.

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the end of his stay at Canterlot Castle. Once he passed, Luna would give him a list of occupations that would most likely suit him well. Once he is able to find work, he would have to earn the money to purchase or rent a house in which to live in. As soon as he was able to afford all the living expenses for a least a few months, he would then finally be able to leave the castle and live on his own. Celestia roughly estimated that all of this would take at least one, maybe two years of hard, dedicated work, depending on the job would be able to get and the pay he would receive.

Blake wished for something exciting to happen to his life. He knew it was an idiotic thing to wish for, as it might somehow actually come true. He obviously knew from personal experience that too much excitement was a bad thing, but the constant routine of doing the same thing every single day was beginning to get aggravating. The only reason he was able to get through long school days back was that he knew the second he got home he could plop onto his computer or watch TV. And the problem was that there was no electricity in Equestria. Everything that was similar to electronic devices was powered and fueled by magic, so the use of electricity wasn’t ever needed.

How humiliating would it be if he were to literally die of boredom? It was only two weeks ago he figured that if he were to die, it would be a bullet to the knee, or most likely the head. He needed someone in his life, someone to be able to talk to at any given time. Lyra was only accessible at random times when their minds randomly decided to intertwine, so he could only talk with her every once in a while. He decided that he was going to have to make some friends. But that would have to wait. He still needed to read several textbooks that dwarfed even War and Peace. Life was not living up to its expectations.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“Blake, wake up!” Luna snapped. “You’ve fallen asleep for the second time today!”

Annoyed, Blake rubbed his eyes. “That’s because you made me write a five page essay on the founding of Equestria last night,” he yawned. “I didn’t get any sleep at all thanks to you.”

“It was only five pages,” Luna deadpanned, levitating the book that lay underneath the sleepy human.

“Yes, but I had to write it entirely by hand,” Blake complained. “In fact, it still cramps from trying to use a feather pen and ink. It’s so damn difficult to use.”

“I don’t see the problem,” Luna said, her eyes shuffling through the pages of the textbook, trying to find the page to a specific text. “It’s not like I assigned you to write a full-fledged novel or anything like that. I’m sure you’ll live.”

“You don’t understand how hard it is from transitioning from information that’s easily accessible from the internet, to looking through a textbook that’s as long as all of the Harry Potter books combined. It’s close to impossible to find anything you want immediately unless you get lucky and just happen to flip on the page that has everything you need then and there,” Blake said, resting his head on the table that was supposed to be his workstation.

“Oh my, the horror! The horror!” Luna joked, gasping as if something terrible had happened.

“Actually, it is horrible, you know. Imagine getting all the information that you want in an instant, to have to actually use books. As a wise man once said, ‘When in doubt, Google it,’” Blake said, letting loose a painfully long yawn.

“Your society certainly has some interesting quotes,” Luna said, drifting the book through the air towards the half-asleep human. She poked him several times with it, causing him to groan in annoyance. “Read one more chapter, then you can be done studying for the day.”

“It’s only noon. Why’re you letting me finish so early?” Blake asked, slowly lifting himself up until he was sitting in a normal position.

“You’ll see,” Luna said, quickly winking at him. She then turned around and cantered out the library, leaving Blake to himself. She winked. Why did she wink? Why did Blake not like that wink? He shook his head, turning his attention to the book.

“Chapter sixteen: Chancellor Puddinghead is about to be brilliant,” Blake read aloud. He stared at the title of the chapter, smirking awkwardly. “Who in their right mind decides to title these chapters like this?” He sighed, and began reading through the chapter. It was mainly about Chancellor Puddinghead and her earth pony followers as they searched for a new land after a dispute with the other two pony tribes. Blake wanted to slap himself, because the boredom was overpowering all of his other emotions in an unfair contest. It was almost as if the author of the enormous textbook was trying to be as boring as possible. There was nothing but long walls of texts with few paragraphs and no pictures. It was difficult for Blake to keep his mind focused on the book and not let it wander off. But the entire time he was reading, a certain question lingered in the back of his mind. What was Luna planning?

<><><><><><><><><><>

“I dunno Lyra. It’s just that ever since you returned from Canterlot, you’ve been… well, different,” Bon-Bon said, not breaking eye contact with her roommate.

“In what way?” Lyra asked, trying to avert her gaze away from Bon-Bon, but doing so unsuccessfully.

“It seems like you’re just in your own little world now. Half the time I try talking to you, you don’t even respond. It’s always like you’re in a state of cogitation. I mean, you used to be a super outgoing pony who liked to be with her friends, except during the times that you were… researching,” Bon-Bon explained, spitting out the last word like it was poison.

“Of course I am,” Lyra agreed. “Bon-Bon, just think about it for a second. My life’s work has finally become a reality. I’ve always had dreams and visions about humans. I’ve been studying the better part of my life away on this subject known as anthropology, according to Blake, but just seeing it all come true is just a feeling that I’ve never had before.”

“I feel happy for you, Lyra. And I’m also surprised that all this ‘human’ nonsense is actually true, to be honest. But you need to focus on your life now that you know that they actually exist. I understand that you want to keep a close connection with Blane—”

“Blake,” Lyra corrected.

“Yeah, whatever his name is. But your career as a musician has been on the balance for the last few months. If you can’t find yourself another orchestra soon, you’ll be forced out of work, and you know what that means,” Bon-Bon said.

“You’ll kick me out,” Lyra sighed.

Bon-Bon trotted up to her lifetime friend and rested a hoof on her shoulder. “You know that it would kill me inside to do that,” she frowned. “But that’s the way life goes. I can’t afford to pay the rent on my own. I need somepony to help me with that. If you can’t help me pay, I’ll just have to get a new roommate. I’m sure that you understand.”

Lyra then began grinning like a wild fool, which caused Bon-Bon to stagger several steps back in confusion. “But there’s something I forgot to tell you,” Lyra smiled.

“What’s that?” Bon-Bon asked.

Lyra then spoke so speedily that her roommate was unable to understand a single word that she said.

“What did you say, and could you speak more slowly this time?” Bon-Bon asked.

Taking a deep breath, the mint-green unicorn said merrily in a sort of sing-song voice, “Princess Celestia asked me to play at this year’s Grand Galloping Gala!”

Her roommate’s jaw hit the floor. “You’re kidding,” she said in disbelief.

“Nope, I’m not. She offered me the spot during my stay in Canterlot!” Lyra said happily.

Bon-Bon hugged Lyra as tightly as she could with a smile on her face. Lyra embraced it, hugging her back. “That’s amazing!” Bon-Bon said. “I can’t believe that you actually earned a spot in one of the most prestigious events of the year. Do you even know what kind of honor it is to play at the Grand Galloping Gala?”

“Of course I do, don’t be silly,” Lyra said, breaking the hug. “Frankly, I almost shot off into the air like a pegasus I was so excited. And gratefully for us, the pay that I’ll receive should keep us going for at least several months!”

“So when is the Grand Galloping Gala scheduled this year?” Bon-Bon asked.

“Just in a couple of weeks,” Lyra said.

Bon-Bon’s pupils grew wide. “A couple of weeks?!” she said. “That’s not enough time to learn your music, let alone memorize it. I can’t imagine what kind of stress this puts on you. You’ll be playing in front of hundreds of ponies, and if you mess up even once, your whole career could be ruined.”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Lyra said, flicking her hoof to dismiss the comment. “I’ve been practicing since the day Princess Celestia asked me to play. I’ve already got half my music memorized, and I’ve learned most of the other half. This’ll all be a piece of cake, trust me.”

“When were you planning to tell me all of this?” Bon-Bon asked, wondering why her roommate didn’t give her this information earlier.

“I just did,” Lyra said flatly.

“You know what I mean,” Bon-Bon said.

“I was gonna tell you closer to the date of the Grand Galloping Gala. I wanted it to be a surprise, but I just kind of let it slip out of my mouth by accident,” Lyra said.

“I wish you would tell me these kinds of things as soon as they happen! I’ve been worried sick for the past couple weeks because I thought you couldn’t find any work! I was almost sure that I was going to have to kick you out, and I’ve been trying to figure out the easiest way to do that. But if you had just come out and tell me as soon you returned home, I wouldn’t be so stressed out,” Bon-Bon said angrily, irritated that her roommate was withholding information from her. Lyra could see the fury in her eyes. She thought that Bon-Bon would be much more excited and happy for her (which she was, but only for a miniscule amount of time). Why would she be so angry about this now?

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you until this afternoon,” Lyra spat back. “I figured that you would be jumping for joy when I told you. We’ll be living easy for several months without worrying about getting evicted after I get my pay.”

“Lyra, do you know how many nights I’ve had with little to no sleep worrying about this?” Bon-Bon rhetorically asked, increasing the volume of her tone. “I’ve spent the last two weeks tossing and turning in my bed, because I just couldn’t bear the thought of shooing my best friend away! I spent a lot of time thinking about this, and if you weren’t such an insufferable dimwit, I could’ve spent more time working and earning more bits!”

Lyra felt as if a knife sliced her heart into two pieces. Being called such ridiculing name almost caused the unicorn to burst into tears. If it were just some random pony she would’ve just shrugged it off. But being called a terrible name by her best friend was just unbearable. “Why are you acting such like a bitch right now?” Lyra asked, emphasizing one of Blake’s swear words. “You’ve just turned something innocent into something…. into something—”

Lyra never finished her sentence. She ran out the door to her home, tears streaming down her face. She continued as fast as her hooves could carry her, trying to get as far away from her roommate as possible. “Lyra, I’m sorry!” Bon-Bon called out. She ignored the plea and continued forward, ignoring any stares that she was receiving from the other inhabitants of Ponyville. Why would Bon-Bon act in such a way? She did have a legitimate reason, but the way she presented it was out of line. What could have Lyra done to have prevented such an argument to rise so quickly? Maybe if she did just tell Bon-Bon as soon as she arrived at Ponyville, none of this would’ve happened. But Lyra had the best intentions, and she believed that it would be best saved for a surprise rather than telling her straight away.

Lyra eventually found herself in the familiar surroundings of the Ponyville Park. Feeling somewhat exhausted, she found a place to rest under a shady tree. She looked to the sky, forcing her mind clear of thoughts. She watched as several weather pegasi knock clouds out of the sky, popping them as if they were mere bubbles. Lyra decided she would remain at this spot until she was sure that Bon-Bon had blown off all of her steam. But how long would that take? Hours? Days? Weeks?

She wished she could just hop aboard a train and ride all the way to Canterlot. She suddenly felt the urge to go visit Blake. In the past couple of weeks, the two had slowly been becoming more and more fond of each other’s company. It was true that they could communicate with each other telepathically, but it just didn’t feel the same as talking with him face-to-face. She pondered what she should do next. She knew that would quickly find herself bored of simply watching pegasi fly in the sky. The answer came quickly as soon as she heard Blake’s voice in her mind.

Something you want to tell me?

Not too great I suppose. Luna’s been making me work and study like ten to twelve hours a day. I’ve been doing nothing but writing long essays and reading long books. And somehow, someway, you ponies have somehow made textbooks even more boring than the ones we had at my school. I didn’t even think that was even remotely possible, but you’ve all proved me wrong. It almost makes me want to go back to Mrs. Hendrickson’s class again, and trust me, that’s not a good thing.

Lame doesn’t even describe it. I would even say that’s too nice of a word to describe the studying I’ve had to do. Bah, I miss having only seven hour school days. But you‘ve also still haven’t answered my original question. Is there something you want to tell me? I can tell that you’re feeling depressed right now.

Dare I even ask what it was about?

The Grand Galloping what?

Huh. So you say that you’re going to be playing in it?

A musician? I’ve been wondering what your occupation was. So what instrument do you play?

A lyre? Those things are like from ancient Greece. I guess I’m now curious to see what they’re really like and how they sound. Okay, so when and where is the Grand Galloping Gala? I’m kind of intrigued to see you play.

I’m guessing that’s going to be the next time I see you then?

I’ve been getting better.

I guess you’re right. I’ll talk to Luna about this and see what her opinion is on the subject. It won’t hurt to ask. I mean, the worst she can say is that I can’t go and I’ll just have to stick around in my room during the Gala. It’s not like she’s going to bite my head off for asking.

But if she does say no, can you promise me that you’ll still come visit me in my room? I know that you’re going to be playing all night long or however long it lasts, but if you have time to spare before or after it, I want to you to come see me. And bring you’re lyre too. I would like to see you play.

I have no clue… Oh great, Luna wants to see me now. I guess I’ll have to talk to you later, Lyra. See ya later.

Their communication was then cut off, and thus, their short-lived conversation ended. Two weeks, Lyra thought to herself. Two weeks until I’ll be able to see him again. Lyra decided it was time to return home and hopefully save her friendship with Bon-Bon.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“How many times do you keep letting your mind wander off like that?” Luna asked coming up from behind Blake, startling him. He jumped up in his seat and turned around to face her. He stayed silent for a few moments while he said good-bye to Lyra. As soon as her was finished, his gaze moved to meet Luna’s.

“Can’t I just have a few moments to myself without you bothering me like that?” Blake asked in return, standing up. He stretched his legs and arms, his body thankful for being able to finally move around as it pleased.

“I know that you were talking to your unicorn friend,” Luna stated, closing the large textbook that Blake was studying from with a quick spell from her horn, signaling to him that she was allowing to be finished for the day.

Blake raised an eyebrow. “And how just would you know that, O Princess of the Night?” he asked, heaving the textbook off of the table and placing it onto an enormous bookshelf among the hundreds of others in the grand library.

“Your changing facial expressions say it all. Plus, you were also subvocalizing everything that you said to her. I could make out the basis of your conversation based upon the movement of your lips,” Luna explained, motioning Blake to follow her. He nodded his head and followed the princess who stood at the same height as the position of his nose. The only pony that Blake met who stood taller than him was Luna’s sister, Celestia. It wasn’t by much, but she was still a few inches taller.

“Was it that easy to figure out?” Blake asked, following Luna through the many corridors of the large castle.

“Yes, it really was,” Luna replied.

The two continued walking, neither saying a word. Things suddenly felt a tad bit awkward for Blake. What was it that Luna wanted to allow him to stop his studies midday? Pondering about for several minutes without concluding to an answer, Blake finally asked, “Okay, what is this all about? This seems like it is very unlike you to let me just quit all of a sudden. It’s not that I’m complaining, because I’m glad to get away from those dusty, dilapidated books, it’s just that it seems weird.”

“Well my loyal subject—”

“I wouldn’t say that I’m loyal quite yet. Just so you know, I’m still very loyal to my country, even if I’m on another world,” Blake interrupted.

“Don’t patronize me,” Luna said, stopping in place. “I was trying to say that what you said was exactly the reason I’m dismissing you early. I thought you could use a little fun.”

“And what exactly do you have in mind?” Blake asked, still moving forward.

“Nothing big for today,” Luna admitted, catching up to Blake. “I just thought that I would show you around Canterlot. You’ve been stuck inside this stuffy, old castle for the better part of almost two weeks. I’m sure that you could use a little fresh air.”

“So that means going outside the castle gates?”

“Yes.”

“I thought my existence was supposed to be kept secret,” Blake said.

“No, your existence as an alien is supposed to be secret,” Luna said. “You’ve passed by hundreds of ponies already. There’s no way that we can force hundreds of ponies that have seen you to be a secret. I’m sure by now that word has spread all throughout Equestria that there’s unknown species staying here in Canterlot. For all they know, you’re just a creature visiting from a faraway foreign land. What we’re trying to subdue is the fact that you’re from another planet. I’m not sure what would happen if that truth got out, and I don’t want to know either.”

“But won’t I still make a scene?” Blake asked. “I’m still a creature that they’ve never heard of. Wouldn’t that just cause turmoil?”

“You’ll get some stares, yes, but nothing out of the ordinary. Canterlot constantly has griffin or zebra visitors, so the sight of a different species besides ponies isn’t too extreme,” Luna explained. “If it makes you feel any better, we’ll always be under the watch of my elite guard. But for more than one reason, of course.”

Blake chuckled. “Don’t worry; I’m not capable of attacking anyone today. You’ve fried my brain to the point where it would lag too much if I tried to get in a fight. My reflexes would far off-balance,” he claimed.

Luna swung a hoof towards his face. Even though it was swift and unexpected Blake was barely able to knock it out of the way before glaring angrily at Luna. “What was that for?!” he demanded.

“I was trying to see if you were lying, which you were. I’m sure that you’re still fit enough to fight, especially after a full weeks rest,” Luna said. “C’mon, we’ve made it to the front gates.”

Blake turned his attention away from the princess, and turned his eyes forward. They approached a large gate, with four guards standing side by side, their eyes unblinking. This wasn’t the first time that he had noticed that almost all the guards looked exactly the same. Maybe it was some sort of law that if a pony signed up for the military, they had to get both their coats and manes dyed and cut to the point where it was like they were all identical twins. It was certainly interesting, and Blake was almost positive he would read about it when he made it to the military chapters of his textbooks. Luna spoke to the guards, asking them to open the gate. One replied with nothing but a grunt, and shifted a lever that was placed on the stone wall. The gate slowly creaked open, causing bright sunshine to fill the interior of the castle.

“Shall we go?” Luna asked, trotting into the outside world.

“Whatever, it’s not like I have anything better to do,” Blake said, in tow with Luna.

For the next several hours, Luna led Blake through a quick tour of the capital, showing as many significant and monumental places as time would allow her. Whether it was art museums, grand opera houses, lush parks, or extravagant restaurants, every new sight left Blake in awe. Sure, some of the sights felt fairly similar to places he had seen in New York when he used to visit, but it was the just the stunning architecture that made it seem so… awesome. It didn’t feel like just some ordinary city with tall skyscrapers and rows upon rows of streets and cars. The large city felt like its own little world, with a completely different culture than any place on Earth.

Both Blake’s legs and feet felt sore and tired, but he didn’t mind the pain. He wanted to keep going on and on all day, without stop. Sadly, the day eventually ended as the sun began to set. Luna needed to attend to her duties of the night, most importantly, rising the moon from its hiding place and into the sky for all the ponies to enjoy.

As Blake made it back to his room, he thanked Luna for the wonderful day.

“It’s no problem,” Luna smiled. “Anything for my star-pupil.”

Blake froze in place. He slowly turned towards Luna, who winked at him for the second time in one day. “Wait, wait, wait,” he said, holding up his hands. “What do you mean by that I’m your ‘star-pupil’?”

“You remember Twilight Sparkle, correct?” Luna asked.

“Yeah, the purple one who seemed obsessed with taking notes like everything around her was some sort of science experiment,” Blake replied.

“So you also remember that she is my sister’s prized pupil, right?”

“Yes,” Blake said, motioning “go on” with his hands.

“Look, I’ve been watching you with a great deal of curiosity. You’ve made more progress than even historians who’ve been studying for years. To be honest, I see great potential in you. I’ve felt like I should be the one to take you under my wing as my star-pupil,” Luna said.

Blake was baffled. He thought that Luna was only helping him because she was bored. But to receive complements from a princess, even if she was a pony, it was surely a great honor. “So what does this mean for me?” he asked. “Do you just teach me random stuff for my entire life or what?”

“For now I’d just like to let you continue with your studies and see where the doors open from there. But for now, get some rest. You’ll need it tomorrow after you see what I have planned for you.” And with that, the Luna Princess left Blake alone with nothing but his swirling thoughts.

Just wait until Lyra hears this, Blake thought, opening the door to his room.

Chapter 14: Antics

“Took you long enough.”

“Well sorry, but sneaking past dozens of royal guards while staying completely hidden isn’t the easiest task in the world.”

“Your tone of sarcasm amuses me, but never mind that. I assume that you’ve been putting your special talent to its maximum potential. Isn’t that correct, Vigilant?”

“Of course, I’ve been observing the human for the past week, just like you’re paying me to do.”

“And?”

“Princess Luna has taken him directly under her wing.”

“Oh, is that so? That wretched cur actually trusts that filthy mongrel that much? I find that very amusing.”

“I think you need to get a thesaurus. You seriously use the word ‘amusing’ way too much, my good friend.”

“And I think you need to get a life. What is with you and your grammar anyways? It’s fairly annoying.”

“Not as annoying as your mother.”

“You’re bringing my mother into this now? Do you wish for me to decapitate you where you stand? And since when did you meet my mother?”

“Just two days ago. She was kind enough to offer me a nice home-cooked meal when you sent me to her house to recover some documents. She’s a nice lady, but she cannot stop talking! She might have well been reciting an autobiography from her old, fragile memory.”

“Ugh, enough about my mother! We’re getting off topic.”

“Not like the time when your—”

“Did I not just say to quell it about my mother? Goddess, why did I even hire you in the first place anyways?”

“Because I’m the best of the best, obviously.”

“Vigilant, it was a rhetorical question.”

“Don’t care. You still asked it.”

“Okay, from now on you will only speak when I ask you a question, and you will only stay on topic to that specific question. Is that clear?”

“Yes, it’s as clear as mud! Wait, that wasn’t a question. I can’t talk unless you ask me a question, but I had to acknowledge you in some way and—”

“Just shut your insignificant mouth for two miniscule seconds, please! A simple nod will do. It’s not like you have to speak for me to understand that you heard me. Body movements work as well. Why is it so difficult for you to get these things through your miniature brain?”

“I’m not sure. If you’d like to know, you should go ask my doctor.”

“Shut. Up. Please. I’m not paying you to give me your ridiculous comments.”

“Sorry… oh wait, that wasn’t a—”

“Moving on… Has the human left the castle yet?”

“Two days ago, Princess Luna took her newly proclaimed ‘protégé’ on a tour of Canterlot. To be honest, it was close to impossible to stalk them without getting caught. Guards were everywhere!”

“Did she take him anyplace significant?”

“Not really. Just some dusty, old museums and the park. There aren’t really any significant places in Canterlot rather than the castle itself. Even though Canterlot is the capital, it’s not necessarily the largest and most culturally diverse city in Equestria.”

“Even though I studied geography a long time ago, Vigilant, I still remember the majority of the things I was taught. No use in letting learnt items going wasted, right? There’s no need for you to tell me anything I don’t need to know. Anyways, has the human left the castle at all besides the time two days ago?”

“Nope, that’s the one and only time.”

“Well if he hasn’t been doing anything outside the castle, then he must be doing something inside the castle, correct?”

“Yep.”

“And what exactly is he doing?”

“From what I could tell, he’s mainly been studying Equestrian history in the castle library.”

“And out of all subjects, why would he even consider Equestrian history?”

“He’s trying to obtain citizenship to Equestria… Whoa, why is your eye twitching like that? It’s pretty dang creepy if you ask me. It’s like your some sort of cliché villain from a mystery novel.”

“I brought the human to Equestria so we could study and learn from the dastardly thing, not to let it prance along the streets with the other ponies! This is the beginning of a revolution, and if we just learned from the stupid human instead of treating it as a pet, we could have already made though with several break-through innovations!”

“Hold on there for a second, pal. What’s this talk about a revolution? Last time I checked, almost the whole population either loved or tolerated the princesses. Why in the name of Celestia is there going to be a revolution?”

“No, no, no you fool! Not a military revolution! It’s the beginning of the industrial revolution! For far too long we’ve been relying solely on magic on a day to day basis.”

“Last time I checked, friend, there are tons of Equestrian inventors that have built some pretty amazing gadgets. I don’t see your point in this.”

“Yes, you are right… for once. But tell me, Vigilant, what powers all of these amazing gadgets?”

“Erm… magic?”

“Yes, magic! Magic, magic, magic! It’s the source we’re all leaning towards! But what if a baby boom occurs, and only pegasus and earth ponies are born for the period of a year? That leaves the new generation with an enormous imbalance that can’t be fixed unless ponies began growing horns for some unknown reason.”

“That’s a very slim chance.”

“Yes, but it may happen, and you can never be too sure. There several other instances I can think of as well that may leave us without magic.”

“Such as?”

“I’d rather not go into details yet, mostly because my theories are well, theories, and still need to go through experimentation before I feel that they can be considered a threat to Equestria society.”

“So how does the human fit into all of this?”

“Humans are far more advanced in technology than us ponies. They harness this incredible power called ‘electricity’ that powers most of their machines.”

“Are you sure that ‘electricity’ isn’t some fancy human term for ‘magic’?”

“Humans are non-magic users. They use tools and machines rather than magic.”

“And why exactly are we observing the human?”

“I’m looking for patterns, Vigilant. I want to figure out the daily habits of the human.”

“And why are you looking for patterns exactly?”

“Why, I plan on kidnapping him and forcing him into work. He will be the base of our pyramid for our revolution.”

“But what if he doesn’t agree into helping you? It’s very likely he’ll tell you to kiss your butt and then attempt to escape.”

“I’ll attempt to persuade him first. If that doesn’t work, then I may have to get a bit more physical. If he still refuses, then I’ll just send him back from where he came from. There’s no use for him being here if he refuses to help me.”

“But what if he develops… you know… attachments towards any of the ponies? Whether it’s just a simple friend or… something more. I’m sure that he’d reject to that statement of yours, Professor.”

“I’m the one who brought him here, so I’ll be the one to send him back. If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t even be in Equestria in the first place. And don’t call me ‘Professor’. I believe I’ve been stripped of that title a little over a week ago.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blake stared at the scroll in front of him with the most bizarre look plastered on his face. How was he supposed to answer these questions? Not once had he read anything about what this test was asking him to answer. He knew that Luna was eagerly awaiting his finished work, so he needed to get started. She only allotted him an hour to finish the test, which was hardly fair. Each question was to be answered in a full paragraph with complete sentences. If that wasn’t bad enough, there were over forty of them, each referring to a random point in Equestrian history.

Blake took several deep breathes to calm his nerves. He rubbed his eyes, mentally kicking himself for only getting four hours of sleep the previous night. He turned his attention back to the impossible exam that lay in front of him.

“Question one,” Blake said aloud, lifting up the test for his eyes to see. “What caused the Equality Rebellion and why?” He placed the paper back to its original spot, his confused look still lasting. The Equality Rebellion? What in the hell was that? Did he accidently miss something while reading those ragged textbooks? He didn’t have a clue as to what this rebellion was.

“Might as well move onto the next question,” he sighed. “Maybe my memory will be able to remember whatever that thing… in the place… was.

“Okay, question two. After the founding of Equestria, what caused the three pony tribes to debate amongst themselves and eventually separate to look for new lands?” Blake then squinted and reread the question, making sure he didn’t misread any words. And wanting to make sure his mind wasn’t playing any tricks on him, he triple-checked the question, reading as slowly as possible. Something was wrong with this question. If it was a true or false one, he’d be able to answer it, but his mind immediately picked up on the contradiction.

He slid his chair outwards away from the table, grabbing the test in his right hand. He immediately sprang up onto his feet and began searching for the Prankster of the Night. He moved through row after row of the library. Where could she be?

After nearly ten minutes of running in circles, he finally found the princess reading some sort of scroll that looked like it had been murdered by an angry cat.

Luna wound up the scroll with her magic after she noticed Blake coming her way. She smiled and said, “Finished with the test already? Wow that fast, you must have a new pony record.”

Blake folded his arms. “You’re very funny princess,” he deadpanned, putting extra emphasis on the last word.

“And what do you mean by that?” Luna asked innocently. Unfortunately for her, Blake had already figure out her little tricks. She wasn’t going to smooth talk her way out of his verbal grasp.

“You very much know what I mean by that,” Blake said. He lifted up the test directly in front of her face to see, and used his index finger to point to the second question. “This test is a fake. This question isn’t correct.”

Luna cocked her head to one side while lifting an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, but I don’t really know what you’re talking about. I had Scribe go through it and double-check everything just to make sure I didn’t get anything wrong. That test is perfectly fine. I just think that you haven’t been taking your studies seriously.”

“Objection!” Blake said, suddenly raising his voice.

“Blake, you’re not a lawyer, there’s no need for you to point your finger at me,” Luna pointed out.

Blake brought his finger back down to his side. “Sorry,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “Kind of got caught up in the moment.”

“But please, tell me what is wrong with this test. If you can’t find a clear contradiction, then I’ll make you write another essay on Ponroe Doctrine, and trust me, it’ll be a long one.”

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” Blake said, pointing his finger at Luna for the second time. “Question number two asks, ‘After the founding of Equestria, what caused the three pony tribes to debate among themselves and eventually separate to look for new lands,’ am I right?”

Luna snatched the test out of his hand, letting it hover in front of her eyes to read. “Yes, it does say that. What’s the contradiction, then?” she asked, floating the parchment back to Blake.

“The pony tribes didn’t separate after the founding of Equestria, they separated before it. In fact, if they had never separated, this country probably wouldn’t even exist today!” Blake explained, grinning in triumph that he had bested Luna.

“Oh my, you’re right,” she said. “But that doesn’t really matter.”

Blake’s shoulders drooped. “What…?” he said dumfounded, the simple word barely escaping his mouth.

“Sure, we may have messed up on one of the questions, so what?” she said, shrugging off the mistake as if it had never happened. “You still have thirty-nine to complete in less than an hour.”

I could’ve sworn I had her, Blake thought.

Blake jumped at the unexpected voice midway through the sentence. Ugh, Lyra don’t do that. You nearly scared me half to death.

Yeah you’d think that, wouldn’t you.

“Blake, is there something wrong?” Luna asked, noticing Blake’s sudden drawback from their conversation.

“Just thinking is all,” Blake said, not telling the whole truth.

What’s something else that you can think that could be wrong about this test?

Yeah, thanks for the support.

Piss off for a moment.

And since when were you sarcastic?

Wonderful.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” Luna asked with a tone of concern. “You keep suddenly spacing out like you’re — oh, never mind, you’re talking to Lyra. I should’ve figured that out sooner.”

“Yes you should’ve, just like you should’ve been thinking when you were writing this test,” Blake said.

“Well, like I just said, that doesn’t really matter now. We may have made one tiny mistake, but other than that, the test is still legitimate,” Luna said calmly. Maybe a bit too calm. But that’s not the only thing that Blake noticed that seemed out of place.

“Luna, I think you’re lying to me,” Blake claimed.

Quiet you. Just keep listening or thinking or whatever.

“And what makes you say that?” Luna asked, smiling sweetly as if she were a small child.

“You blink twice when you lie,” Blake said.

“I do not!” Luna immediately came back.

“You just did it again.”

“That’s not true!”

“And again.”

Luna remained silent for several moments. She turned her head away from Blake, obviously not wanting to make eye contact with him.

There’s no way you’re squirming out of this one, princess!

I just saw that by chance. I can’t believe that I’ve never noticed that before. At least I’ll always know when she’s lying to me now.

Luna slowly guided her gaze back to Blake. Then out of nowhere, she began to laugh hysterically.

“What’s so funny?” Blake asked, curious to his mentor’s sudden mood change.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” Luna cheered, jumping up and down in place.

“What the hell has gotten into you?” Blake asked, rubbing his eyes just to make sure he was actually seeing this right. “One moment you look as if you’re plotting to kill me in my sleep and the next you look like you’ve just won the lottery. Seriously, what’s going on?”

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you,” Luna said, still chuckling in between phrases. “A couple days ago my sister wanted me to give you a pop quiz to see how you were progressing with your studies. To be frank, I absurdly hate pop quizzes. I don’t see the point in them.” She began giggling again, like someone had told her a funny, yet idiotic joke. Blake made a “go on” gesture with his hand. “So anyways, I thought it would be funny to play a little prank on you because you’re always so grim while you’re studying.”

I just knew she was pulling my leg with this stupid test.

“So I came up with a test where there were impossible to answer questions that were ridiculously long with little time to do them. I’d then pretend like I’m searching through scrolls or whatnot, but in reality I’d be watching you the entire time to see your reaction. After I hatched my devious plan, I told my sister to see what she thought of it. She said, ‘I’m sure Twilight would easily see through this ruse instantly’ with a straight face. To which I replied, ‘Are you saying that Blake wouldn’t be able to catch on?’

“And then she said, ‘I’m not saying anything, but I’m sure his reaction will be priceless’. However, I was sure that she was hinting at me that you couldn’t do it, so I said, ‘I’ll bet you that he’ll be able to see through it within the hour he takes it’,” Luna explained, pausing for a moment to catch her breath.

“So I take it that you two made bets,” Blake said, curious as to what the bets were.

“Oh yeah. We agreed that if you were able to figure out the test was a phony and give evidence that it was, then Celestia would have to paint herself pink for an entire day,” Luna said, giggling again. “I just can’t wait to see the look on her face!”

“Just wondering, but what would’ve happen if you lost?” Blake asked.

“I’d have to play ‘Sunshine, Sunshine, Lady Bugs Awake’ with Cadence in the streets of Canterlot for an entire hour,” Luna explained, slightly shuddering at the thought of having to play a child’s game in front of the entire city.

“That does sound terrible. But remind me, who’s Cadence again?” Blake asked, shifting his eyes upwards to suggest that he was trying to remember who this pony was.

“She’s my niece, of course.”

“I haven’t met the entire royal family then, huh?”

“I guess you haven’t.”

“Is there any time that I’ll get to meet her?” Blake asked.

“Her wedding is actually just a couple days after the Grand Galloping Gala. There’s probably a good chance that you’ll be able to meet her then.”

“A wedding, huh?” Blake repeated. “Who’s she marrying? I’m sure that her fiancé is probably a more prestigious figure, right?”

“She’s marrying Shining Armor, a captain of the royal guard. Not to mention he’s also the brother of my sister’s protégé, Twilight Sparkle.”

“She’s the purple unicorn, right?”

“Yes, she is.”

“Well, uh…” Blake began, wanting to change the subject back to where it was before. “So, do I not have to take that long ass test now?”

“No,” Luna laughed, “you don’t have to take it at all. I just can’t wait to tell me sister.”

“A pink Celestia. That ought to brighten my day up.” Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a black silhouette shudder through air as if it were an optical illusion. Blake wasn’t sure, but he was almost positive that it was a form of a human. Were his eyes playing tricks on him, or was it just his imagination? What if the silhouette was something that was waiting for the precise moment to… kill him.

He clenched his hands into fists, trying to keep the tears from shedding. Did those guys make it out? Were they still alive and well, or did they all end up getting shot or executed?

“Blake, are you alright?” Luna asked, trotting up to him.

“Yeah,” he lied, trying to hide the pain. He leaned himself against a bookshelf and massaged the corners of his eyes with his left hand. “I think I’m just gonna need a little time to think.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Several days had passed since Lyra “received” the news from Blake that Princess Cadence was getting married, and only a couple days after the Gala as well! It would be the opportunity of a lifetime to attend a royal wedding, and Lyra wouldn’t miss this for the world. She was obviously going to need some way to get in, and she was certain that Blake would be her ticket. Although Lyra knew it wouldn’t be right to use him as a way to convince the princesses to give her (and a few friends that she knew would absolutely love to go) invitations to the wedding.

After discussing with Bon-Bon and assuring her that she would be able to receive tickets to the wedding, she immediately headed to Rarity’s Boutique to place orders on dresses. While her roommate was out of the house, Lyra left it herself to talk with her other closest friend, Colgate.

She and Colgate had been friends since school, but hadn’t really talked with each other much as of late because of a recent influx of cavities caused by Pinkie Pie’s “experimental” candies. Colgate was always busy in her Dentist Office, trying to clean ponies’ teeth around the clock, several days a week.

Colgate literally jumped for joy after Lyra told her that she would most likely be able to get her in. It was almost like a dream come true for her blue-coated friend.

After giving her the good news, Lyra returned home and began practicing again for the Grand Galloping Gala. Her stomach churned in anticipation for the wedding. It was going to be one of the greatest days of her life.

Chapter 15: Beleaguer

The next week passed by like a blur, even with doing the same exact thing every day. And today was the day that Celestia was supposedly going to paint herself pink. It would be nice to get a few laughs
out of his system for once. Funny moments were rare in this castle, as most of the nobles were more uptight and for the most part didn’t even know how to laugh. The guards were always silent and unmoving. The servants just milled about doing their job. The same exact things happened every single day in this multicolored castle, and a change of pace was a good thing.

Blake woke up with mixed emotions. He was always wary of his surroundings now; keeping check of everything to make sure it was in order. He’d see that silhouette every now and then. Sometimes he would see it as a pony, but other times he would see it as a human. He couldn’t make out the distinct features of the shady figure, as every time he’d see it, it would vanish the next second. The figure gave him a sense of insecurity, and it was something he did not enjoy.

On the other hand, if the figure didn’t creep on him, boredom surely would. He’d been in Equestria for about two and a half weeks now, and he was quickly finding himself running out of things to keep his mind occupied besides textbooks that might has well been uncovered from ancient Egypt. He’d also asked another couple of times for him to receive his old items back, but was still rejected by Luna. He had no clue as to why they wouldn’t give back his stuff. Maybe they thought that he would have access to materials to make a homemade bomb if they did. Who knows?

His short conversations with Lyra were something he looked forward too. Whatever the subject was, he’d always be glad to talk about it with her. Well, except obviously his recent past, but other than that he would be more open to talk about anything from Earth. Lyra brightened Blake’s days up every time he spoke with her. Sometimes he’d laugh, sometimes he’d smile, other times he’d bang his head against a desk.

Blake also considered Luna a friend by now. They got along together fairly well, but would always get into arguments while she was tutoring him. Mostly the debates were about Blake falling asleep in the middle of the day. Luna tried to get Blake into drinking coffee so he’d stay awake, but he flatly refused a cup every time she asked him. She actually tried to get him to try it by switching his normal breakfast drink of orange juice to a cup of the caffeinated liquid. The second he tasted its bitterness, he smacked his lips and set the cup aside, not even gazing at it for the rest of the meal.

Blake rubbed his eyes, letting loose a yawn. He yearned to fall back asleep, but the thought of seeing Celestia pink was enough to get him out of his comfortable bed. He took a quick shower, shampooing his hair and scrubbing his body with a bar of soap. Once he was spick and span, he dried himself with a fluffy, white towel. He gazed into the mirror, staring at his naked self.

I wonder what I looked like when I first arrived at the castle, he thought, slowly grazing his hand through his shiny, brown hair. Sweaty, covered in dirt, and bloodshot eyes, I bet.

He chuckled at the thought, and went on to change into his new clothes. Luna had hired a tailor in Canterlot to make him attire, as washing his same clothing every night was getting repetitive. The tailor did her job fairly well. The clothes fit him almost perfectly. His t-shirts were simply plain color, each individual one different. They felt silky, sort of like the materials that athletes use. His pants were jeans, or at least they were close to jeans. They were made of the same material, but for some reason they just felt a little different. At least they had pockets.

Feeling refreshed, Blake headed out of the bathroom and towards the door that led outside. He grabbed the handle and forced the door open. In front of him was the path that led to the interior of the castle, and it was completely bare of any life. That’s weird, where’s the guard that’s supposed to be stationed at his door? Something wasn’t right. There was always someone there to escort him around the castle if Luna wasn’t just to make sure he didn’t do anything “suspicious”. Blake could only think of three possibilities. One: Luna trusted him enough to not do anything stupid. Two: the guard slacked off and wasn’t at his post. Three: the guard was either assassinated or murdered. He figured it was most likely the former, and began his short five minute walk to the dining hall.

<><><><><><><><><><>

The moment he strolled into the dining hall, he began laughing his guts out. Celestia had actually done it! She was a bright shade of pink from head to hoof. The human wasn’t the only one making fun of the older princess. Servants, guards, and nobles alike were giggling to themselves at the Celestia’s sudden change in the color of her normal pristine white coat.

Blake wandered to his usual seat, not taking his eyes of the pink princess for even a moment. He even almost accidently knocked into a guard because he wasn’t paying any attention to anything around him. He positioned himself in the comfy chair, laughing a little more.

“Oh stop it, all of you,” Celestia said, turning her head away from her subjects. “It’s not that funny.”

“Okay Tia, I’ll admit, it’s not very funny,” Luna said, smirking.

“Thank you my precious Luna. Now I hope you see the consequences in your actions,” Celestia said, her eyes piercing into her sister’s.

“It’s not just funny, it’s hilarious!” Luna chuckled. Blake couldn’t help but side with Luna.

“I have to agree with her Majesty, dear Celestia. It is quite a sight to see you in such a… marvelous hue,” a noble pony with a rough voice stated. If Blake remembered correctly, his name was Green Pines. The name perfectly fit him, with his dark-green coat and neatly combed brown mane.

“Aye, I second that,” another noble pony agreed, sounding vaguely like a pirate. What was his name again? It was Hidden Treasure, he was pretty sure. He was introduced to this pony the day before yesterday. He was visiting from Los Pegasus if memory served right. Hidden Treasure was an overall strange pony. Upon first seeing him, he had said, “Oi! I’ve seen plenty a-strange things in Los Pegasus, but a creature with no fur? That’s a mighty strange sight!” Blake replied by silently slipping the finger. Of course, he didn’t understand the gesture, but it was enough to get him off his back.

“If it was up to me, I’d put her in a tutu and have her perform a ballet for us!” a female voice called out. Blake couldn’t quite recall her name, but he remembered her as being more kind and gentle than her male counterparts. But apparently those characteristics weren’t applying to her now, with her teasing the princess. The ponies inside joined in laughter. Blake even thought he noticed Celestia chuckling to herself along with them as well. Well, it was a good quality to have the ability to laugh at yourself instead of sulking in sadness, Blake figured.

“Hello, Blake,” that same female servant greeted. “Wonderful morning we’re having today, isn’t it.” Blake turned his sights away from Celestia to the servant who was standing beside him, smiling intently. Sidestep was her name, and she was his little “stalker” that he’d been unfortunate enough to pick up about a week ago. For reasons unknown to Blake, she’d been serving him during breakfast, lunch, and dinner every… single… day. If that was it, then he’d be fine with it. However, he’d “coincidently” bump into her a couple times during the day, and it would always be when he was with accompanied by a guard, rather than Luna. She was a sandy coated unicorn mare with a bright red mane, and seemed hyper during the times that she was around him. Maybe was she was just interested in him, but frankly, it somewhat creeped him out. But at the same time, he thought it was kind of cute. He honestly didn’t know what to think of this mare.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Blake concurred.

“You ‘guess’?” Sidestep repeated, her eyebrow cocked. “You can’t just say that you ‘guess’! Just look at the princess! Your reply should be, ‘It totally is! Have you seen the princess today? She looks really funny!’” Another noble pony made a comment about Celestia, and the group joined up in laughter again. Blake wished he had heard what he said, but he assumed that he’d be hearing plenty more jokes today and probably more for the next month at this rate.

“Well I’m sorry that my personality doesn’t fit the one that’s stuck inside here,” he said, knocking on the top of her head. She giggled, pushing his hand away from her cranium.

“So what would you like to eat this dandy morning, Blake?” she asked, smiling again.

Blake scratched his head. “Some oatmeal would be fine,” he said.

“But that’s so boring,” Sidestep stated, shifting the weight on her body to the opposite side.

“And a banana too if you’re gonna be like that,” Blake said, taking another glimpse at Celestia. She was silently sipping on a cup of coffee, now trying to tune out all of the other ponies in the dining hall. Blake wasn’t convinced that it was working.

“May I suggest that the chefs put a few habanero peppers in your oatmeal to spice your day up?” Sidestep asked innocently.

Blake looked at her with a confused look plastered on his face. “Habanero peppers? Really?”

“Yeah, trust me, it’s really good. It just gives your breakfast that little kick you need to get the day going,” Sidestep said.

Blake facepalmed. “I’m not stupid,” he said. “I’ve had a habanero pepper before. My mouth felt as if liquid lava was being poured into it for the next couple of hours. What makes you think I’d be idiotic enough to agree to let you put habanero peppers in my breakfast?”

“I just thought it’d be funny,” Sidestep shrugged. “Today just seemed like the perfect day to pull pranks with Princess Celestia being pink and all.”

“If you want to pull a prank, you don’t tell the victim what you’re going to do to them. It would’ve been smarter just to sneak the peppers in it without tricking me into wanting to try them,” Blake said, staring at the sandy-coated pony.

“Ooohhhh,” she droned. “I didn’t think of that.”

“Now I’ve kinda lost my appetite,” Blake said, placing his hand on his chin.

“But breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” Sidestep interjected. “You can’t just skip out on it.”

“I think I’ll live.”

“I won’t put any peppers in your oatmeal, I promise,” Sidestep assured.

“You better not, or I’ll kill you in your sleep,” Blake threatened flatly.

The servant giggled. “You’re funny,” she said.

“What makes you think I’m joking?” Blake asked, ready for her the answer she was bound to throw at him.

Her expression suddenly changed to one of surprise. “I’ll just be getting your meal, then,” she quickly said, leaving Blake. Blake sighed in relief, glad to finally be rid of the unicorn. Sidestep wasn’t a bad or annoying pony at all, but it was just the fact that she was so friendly around him is what made Blake a little conscious of her. She acted as if they were friends for years. Maybe it was just her personality. When he thought about it, that was the most likely case. She was just friendly towards everypony, despite if they were a being from another planet. But of course, she didn’t know that he was an alien. Or did she? There was no way to tell.

Blake whistled to himself while he waited for Sidestep to return for his breakfast. He tried to listen in on the noble’s conversations, but quickly grew bored of them constantly yammering about the princess painting herself pink. Yes, it was quite funny, but it grew repetitive after a short amount of time. He could easily see that she was pink. A person would have to be color blind to not be able to tell. There was no point in informing every single pony in the room fifty times that the princess was pink rather than white.

About ten minutes later, Blake noticed Sidestep levitating a silver tray holding a bowl and a plate. It didn’t take a fool to figure out that it was his oatmeal and banana. She stopped by his seat, gliding the dishes through the air and onto the table. Utensils were already at the table where he’d been sitting, so at least he didn’t have to eat oatmeal with his hands.

“That’s a pretty tune you’re whistling,” Sidestep noted.

Blake shrugged his shoulders and grasped a spoon into the palm of his hand.

“Just curious, but what’s it called?” Sidestep asked.

“What was that?” Blake asked, unable to hear her question over the loudening voices of the nobles.

“What’s the name of the song that you were whistling?” Sidestep asked again, raising her voice a tad.

“It’s called Paradise by one of my favorite bands,” Blake replied, scooping a small portion of oatmeal into his spoon. He blew onto it, cooling the piping hot oatmeal down, and then slowly let the spoon enter her mouth. The oatmeal tasted normal. No peppers in it. At least Sidestep kept her word.

“And what’s this band called?” she asked curiously.

“Coldplay,” Blake replied, scooping a much larger portion this time.

“I’ll have to purchase one of their records sometime,” Sidestep said. “Well, I better get back to doing my job. I’ll see you later!” And with that, she turned away and entered the kitchen area.

“Heh, good luck with finding a Coldplay record,” Blake chuckled, “considering the fact that we don’t even use records anymore. And also the fact that Coldplay’s a band from another world.” He hoped that Sidestep wouldn’t press him about the matter in the future. He’d have to remember not to whistle or hum around her, lest she get all nosy about it.

Blake enjoyed his breakfast. The oatmeal was close to perfect for his tastes. It wasn’t too hot or too cold, and it wasn’t lumpy at all. He could also taste a hint of cinnamon along with some other spices he couldn’t recognize. The banana tasted like a banana, as it obviously should. It was ripe and was free of any bruises. He placed the peel onto the now clean bowl, and set the bowl on top of the plate.

As he finished the last bit of his banana, the dining hall busted open, and about a dozen of ponies sporting cameras and miscellaneous hats came pouring through. At first, Blake thought he had been found out and they were coming for him. Fortunately for him, their attention was directed at Celestia. The cameras were constantly flashing, signaling that they were taking pictures. What an interesting headline this is going to be, Blake thought.

“Hey, you’re not authorized to be in here!” one of the guards posted in the dining hall stated. The guards quickly took their positions, shoving the reporters out of the room. Just as they thought they were doing to be rid of them, another wave of reporters, mainly pegasi, flew into the room and flashed their cameras. The reporters were flooding a series of questions at the princess, who was staring blankly at the reporters trying to piece together what was happening.

“Blake,” Luna whispered to him. “You need to leave the dining hall right now.”

“Why?” he asked even though he already knew the answer.

“Because I don’t want you to be found out, that’s why!” Luna hissed.

“I’m sure they all know that I’m already here. Plus, I think that they’re too busy snapping photos at our pink friend over there to even notice the hairless ape sitting here,” Blake said, tilting back his chair.

“Fine,” Luna said, already admitting defeat. “The moment it gets hairy for you, I want you to make your way through the kitchen and out through the East Wing. Try to make it back to your room if you can, okay? I don’t even know why you want to stay in here in the first place.”

“Because this is far more entertaining than most of the shit you give me to do,” Blake chortled.

Luna rolled her eyes and teleported out of the room, not wanting to get caught up in the mess. Blake chuckled to himself as he witnessed the battle between the guards and the reporters. There were probably only four guards trying to take on about two and a half dozen reporters. One of the guards slid his way out of the room, running to call for backup. The nobles had all stayed put, none of them moving an inch. Blake found this odd, because figured that the nobles would normally try to get away from a tsunami like this, but they acted as if they were statues. They were probably trying to not stand out from the reporters. Any sudden movements might attract a horde.

The guard that had left returned with another squad of pegasi Royal Guards. The combined numbers were now enough to hold off anymore incoming reporters and push back the ones already inside the room. The tide quickly changed and reporters were being forced and shoved back. They tried to make one last attempt to push forward, but the Royal Guards were now simply too much for the non-athletic ponies. The last of the reporters had been routed. The battle had lasted probably about fifteen minutes, and Blake loved every moment of it. It was just something about seeing ponies engage in battle (metaphorically speaking) that was just hilarious.

The dining hall looked as if a tornado had swept through it. Plates lied shattered across the floor. Food had been splattered onto the walls and utensils were scattered everywhere. It was complete chaos. It was worthy enough to even be appraised by Discord himself.

Sidestep entered the dining hall. “What in the name of all things good and evil happened in here?” she asked, her eyes widening.

“Hurricane Fluttershy,” a Green Pines said, wiping off a glass of milk that had splattered onto his head.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blake retired back to his room shortly afterwards. He luckily made it out of the dining hall unscathed, not a single piece of food attached to him. He fell backwards onto his bed, letting out a sigh of relief. This was probably the most interesting and amusing morning in his life. He had always heard from the news back on Earth about pop stars being mobbed by the paparazzi. He decided that this case was pretty much the same thing, except with ponies.

A few moments later there was a knock on the door.

“Who could it be now?” Blake wondered. “Guess it’s probably just Luna with another ten chapters to assign me to read tonight.”

He opened the door to see none other than Sidestep, a cart of cleaning supplies by her side. “What the hell are you doing here?” Blake asked, bemused.

“Hello again, Blake,” Sidestep greeted. “I’ve been tasked to clean up your room from now on.”

“Oh? And who assigned you to do this?” Blake asked.

She shifted her eyes awkwardly. “That’s not important,” she said, completely dodging his question. She attempted to push the cart into his room, but he stuck is foot out in front of him, stopping it from moving. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t believe I gave you permission to enter my room,” Blake said, folding his arms.

“But this is my job. I was told to clean your room, so I’m gonna clean your room whether you like it or not,” Sidestep said, clearly not taking no for an answer.

“Okay then,” Blake said, removing his foot from the front of the cart, allowing it to move freely. Sidestep nodded her head in acknowledgment and pushed the cart into his room. It’s not like it needed cleaning though. Sure, it could use some dusting, but other than that it was still mostly neat and tidy.

Sidestep heaved the cart into the middle of the bedroom, where she levitated a feather duster into mid-air and began to dust random objects. There was just something different about this pony than most of the ones he had met. From what Luna had told him, the majority of common folk in Equestria were generally gleeful. But Sidestep seemed to take that to the next level with her cheerful demeanor. Without reason, his eyes began to wander toward the rear of her body. What he saw confused him. Even though he’d rather try to keep conversation with Sidestep to a minimum, this was something that he just couldn’t leave unasked.

“Hey, Sidestep,” Blake said after a minute of silence.

“Yes?” Sidestep replied, replacing her feather duster for a spray bottle containing some sort of blue liquid and several rags.

“Your Cutie Mark—” Blake began, but was cut off by the sandy-coated unicorn.

“What about it?” she asked in an annoyed tone. This surely wasn’t like her.

“It’s just… that it’s a sixteenth note,” Blake observed, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

Sidestep turned towards him, the items she was levitating still floating in the air. “Yes it is. And why do you care?” Her tone suddenly turned harsh. Obviously this was something that bothered her. Most people would back off in this kind of situation, but Blake was determined to find out what made her happy mood turn black.

“Well, from what I’ve learned, a Cutie Mark appears when a pony discovers his or her special talent. Almost a hundred percent of the time, a pony pursues this talent as their occupation for the rest of their life. It doesn’t take an idiot to figure out that a sixteenth note doesn’t really match with cleaning peoples’ rooms. Do you see where I’m getting at?” Blake explained, taking a couple steps towards her.

“Congrats, you’ve figured out something that foals learn when their still babies. Would you like an award?” Sidestep said angrily, turning away from Blake.

“No, utilizing common sense is an award unto itself. I was just curious as to why you’re here cleaning my room, and not out playing music, unless, of course, your Cutie Mark is a fake,” Blake said.

“It is not a fake!” Sidestep exclaimed, stomping a hoof as hard as she could. The sound silently echoed throughout the room.

“Look, I don’t want to pry into anything you don’t want me to, but if you need anyone to talk to, I’m… I’m…” Blake said, trailing off. He wanted to help, but his instincts told him to just back off. He didn’t need to make any more friends, but he really didn’t need to make any enemies either. He’d already tried to go through with it, so he decided he might as well carry it out.

“I’ll be willing to listen,” Blake finished. He shuffled to his bed and sat upon it, his gaze directed at Sidestep. She shifted her weight again, and set the cleaning supplies back to their original resting place.

“Alright, I suppose I need to tell somepony sometime,” she quietly said. She hopped onto the bed, resting alongside Blake. “I guess this also ties into why I’ve been following you this past little while.”

I guess that’ll be two questions answered, at least, Blake thought. But why am I doing this? I shouldn’t be putting any trust in her at all. For all I know, she’s that silhouette that’s been following me for the past couple of weeks. She could slit a knife into my throat or shoot me with some disguised crossbow in that cart.

He did his best to immediately remove these thoughts from his mind. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life not trusting anyone other than himself. He did have two people that he could consider friends, but was that enough? He might as well hear her out. If she did end up attacking him, he’d be prepared. He was on guard for any sudden movements that could be directed towards him. However, Sidestep didn’t look like the kind of pony who could do that, but looks can be deceiving. He shook his head as Sidestep started to speak.

“Well, I better talk about my parents first before I go anywhere else,” Sidestep began. “Light Step was my mom and Sidewinder was my dad. They were the champions of the Manehatten Ballroom Competition for seven years straight. They put their hearts and souls into dancing, and they could never imagine life without it. When I was born, they always believed that I was destined to be some sort of world-class dancer, and they named me Sidestep, both adding elements from their names and that Sidestep suited a pony who would be dancing their whole lives.

“They enrolled me in classes when I was only four-years-old. At first, I never could get the hang of it, especially during numbers where I had to stand on my hind legs. Eventually after a few years, I was the top of my class, and my parents were amazingly proud of me. But the problem was I absolutely hated it. I never enjoyed dancing, and while all my classmates were receiving their Cutie Marks, I was still a blank flank. This never worried my parents though; they always believed that one day I would eventually earn my Cutie Mark. They even told me I could quit school and become a full-time performer once I earned it. But still, at the age of ten, I hadn’t earned my Cutie Mark. I became the laughing stock of my school. Ponies were badgering me because I hadn’t earned it yet.

“I became aloof, and I hardly had any friends. I ridiculed myself for the next few months. I practiced as hard as I could every day right after school for two reasons. One, I was trying to keep my parents happy, and two, I was determined to get my Cutie Mark, no matter the cost. There were even a few days where I collapsed from exhaustion because I pushed myself too hard. A year later, I turned eleven, and I still had no Cutie Mark.

“I started the new school year still being called names. I believe that I was the only pony in the entire school that hadn’t earned their Cutie Mark yet. However, I met a mare that day. She had a grey coat with an equally dark grey mane. Her Cutie Mark was an odd symbol that I couldn’t quite understand. Feeling curious as to what it was, I trotted up to her and introduced myself. She replied in kind, and I learned that her name was Octavia. She told me that her family had moved from Canterlot after her parents had some financial issues and had to purchase a cheap apartment in downtown Manehatten.

“After the first day ended, Octavia was kind enough to invite me to her house. I quickly ran home to my parents and told them I would be skipping practice. Even though they were reluctant to let me go, they allowed me to visit Octavia’s place.

“When we arrived at her apartment, there were still moving boxes scattered around the place. She apologized for the mess, and we headed straight for her room. I don’t quite remember what it looked like, but I do remember that there was a large instrument placed on a stand in the far corner. I immediately took interest into it. Octavia explained to me that it was a cello, a stringed instrument. I asked her to play it for me and she complied with a smile.

“The first time I listened to the beautiful music that she played, I knew what I wanted to do. I asked her if she could teach me how to play it. She joyously laughed and agreed to teach me.

“We met every day right after school. She taught me how to read music, how to guide the bow to play notes, and how to position my hoof on the strings. I still practiced dancing as soon as I finished my lessons with Octavia. After a month or so of this routine, my parents began to get suspicious. They would constantly ask me questions like, ‘Where have you been, young lady?’ or ‘What did you do after school today, Sidestep?’ I avoided their questions by answering, ‘nothing special’ every time they interrogated me. It was a dumb answer, but it still got the job done.

“Two months into practicing with Octavia, she placed in front of me a piece of music that I had never seen before. And coincidentally, it was called Paradise and it sounded identical to the tune you were whistling earlier today. Anyways, Octavia told me that this would be a test to see if I’ve actually learned anything. I sight read it the best I could, and I believed I didn’t do the best job I could’ve, but Octavia was absolutely stunned. She told me that I played the piece almost perfectly, and that was the day I earned my Cutie Mark.” She turned her head towards her flank, glancing at the sixteenth note engraved to her side.

“So I assume that your parents weren’t very happy about this,” Blake said.

Sidestep sighed. “Yeah, they were furious. There wasn’t any way that I could sidestep out of that one.” She made a noise that sounded in between a chuckle and a whimper. Blake couldn’t exactly tell which it was. “I was grounded and grounded hard. I wasn’t allowed to visit Octavia anymore, and I was signed up for even more dance classes, despite earning my Cutie Mark in music.

“However, Octavia figured out a way around it. She actually signed me up in secret for orchestra class and surprised me. The school even allowed me to rent a cello for the year. Unfortunately, I had to pay for it behind my parent’s backs, and it took me a lot of favors to finally earn the money. By the time I was thirteen, I was old enough to get a job. I worked part-time as a cashier for a large candy shop on Rhymes Square. After a few months of hard work, I finally earned enough bits to purchase my own cello. I kept it locked in a locker in the orchestra room for the rest of my high school life so that my parents would never figure out that I was still playing music.

“After I graduated, I received a music scholarship from the University of Manehatten. I quickly enrolled, despite my parent’s wishes. They wanted me to enroll for the Winstons’s Academy for Fine Arts in Canterlot, so I could continue a path for a dance career. I blatantly ignored them, and moved out of their house and stayed on campus. Octavia, however, chose to return to Canterlot to go to some really fancy school. She never specified to me what it was called.

“So we parted our separate ways. We still communicated to each other through letters for our freshmare year, but after that, our friendship kind of just faded away. After I graduated from the university, I moved to Canterlot to join the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra. I was easily accepted, and I began my career as a cellist.

“I was happy for about six months. I slowly moved my way up to first chair, and I was being paid graciously. We were always practicing in the Symphony Stadium, day in and day out. However, one day I heard that there was another cellist that was joining the Symphony, and it was none other than Octavia herself. At first we waved to each other awkwardly, as we hadn’t seen each other for at least a few years, but we never spoke. We never talked, we never even said ‘hi’ to each other. And as I did before, Octavia made her way through the cellist section and became second chair, just right after me. She was determined to take first chair, and that determination turned into a bitter rivalry.

“I managed to keep the first chair for two weeks, but Octavia eventually bested me and took over my spot. I was devastated. I know now that I shouldn’t have been, since second chair still received a pretty good pay, but I hated myself for not being able to keep the spot. I tried my hardest to take back what was rightfully mine, but every time I showed improvement, Octavia doubled that. We bickered and argued with one another for the next couple of months. It was if our childhood friendship never even existed.

“I swore that first chair was mine. I swore to myself that I would take that spot again. And there’s only two ways in the Symphony where a pony could be promoted. Either the conductor would choose, or you could challenge somepony to take their spot. So, being fed up with the conductor, I challenged Octavia. When you challenge another pony, the two would enter a room which was called the ‘Spotlight Room’. In this room, the sound inside would be amplified to the rest of the symphony by magic. However, the ponies in the Symphony couldn’t tell who was playing, so no favoritism was allowed. Each pony would then play a piece of music, and the Symphony would vote who they think sounded the best.

“And again, I lost... I lost… I lost... I lost… Octavia won by a landslide, and I was forced to stay in second chair. After that, I just sort of lost my talent. I had no desire to play anymore. I was eventually fired from the Symphony as I wouldn’t even show up to rehearsals half the time.

“I eventually drowned out my sorrows by drinking at a local bar. I hated myself for all that I was. But I knew that since I quit the Symphony, I needed to find a new job. My savings were running low and I was purchasing all my hard-earned bits on alcohol. I then quickly found an open position as a servant at the castle, and that’s where I’ve been working since then. It’s not the greatest job in Equestria, but at least I can afford to stay in Canterlot… I guess that’s all I have to say. I’m done.”

Blake pondered to himself, trying to piece together her entire story. It was very melancholy, and Blake could somewhat understand her pain. He still had doubts if she was telling the truth, however. He still wasn’t entirely positive if he could trust her. Again, what if this was some way for him to feel sympathetic for her, and her story was just some cover for what she was really plotting: to harm him. But no parts of her tale seemed like she was lying, and she seemed sincere throughout the entire time she spoke. Just in case, Blake decided to speak up about something that seemed missing. “Sidestep, before you began, you told me that this would tie in into why you’ve been following me the past little while. I’d just like to know how this all fits in,” Blake said, making eye contact with the unicorn.

“You know how I told you how I was always so aloof during the time I hadn’t earned my Cutie Mark?” she asked, jogging his memory.

“Yeah, I still remember you saying that,” Blake replied.

“It’s just that I see so much of me back then in you,” Sidestep stated.

Blake cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? And why’s that?”

“You’re always in the library reading those books that are older than my grandmother. You hardly ever speak to anypony unless it’s sort of forced, and if you do, you always try to retreat from those conversations as quickly as possible. That’s exactly how I was. I never wanted to talk to anypony, and I always wanted to be lost in my own little world,” Sidestep said, shifting her weight on the bed to get more comfortable and snug. It must be a habit of hers to shift her weight like that, Blake thought.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much true. So what about it?”

“You can’t comprehend how happy and joyful I was after I met Octavia. I was so much more open towards ponies, and I could talk and mingle for hours on end. The world around me seemed so much more vibrant and colorful, and I could never but help to smile during my school years, even when I was being lectured by my parents. My point is that friendship is something that can and will change your life. I’ve been talkative and friendly with you because I wanted to show you what it’s like to have friends that make your life easier to live with,” Sidestep said, lifting a hoof and placing it on Blake’s shoulder. At first, he flinched from the sudden feeling of another person making physical contact with him. He forced himself to relax, ignoring the signals from his conscience telling him to shake her off.

But the thought about friends reminded him of… home. It reminded him of his family… his friends… and all the wonderful times that they shared together, the happy events that will forever be burned into his memory, just waiting to be tapped at any given time. Blake lost himself in thought that was as empty as the Pacific Ocean. Sidestep noticed his unexpected shut down of everything that was around him, and attempted to snap him out of it.

She gently nudged him with the hoof that was resting on his shoulder, trying to get his attention. He didn’t comply as he continued to directly stare into the empty walls in the opposite corner of the room. She began enunciating to him, but her words came to Blake an annoying buzz, like flies that were a nuisance to get rid of.

“Melody,” Blake mumbled, twiddling with his thumbs. “Mom… dad… Zach and Kelsey. I miss you guys so much…” He leaned forward, clutching his hands over his face to hold the tears from flowing.

“Oh my Celestia,” Sidestep said, hopping off the bed. “What did I say to make you burst into tears?”

“Please… just go,” Blake cried. He wanted to move on from his losses, but every time he would think about them, he would lose control over himself. He tried telling himself that nothing was his fault. Everything that happened to him was just fate picking a fight with him. Trying to bully him into submission. He wanted to fight back, but he couldn’t. He was too afraid to let go, and move on. There was nothing he could to bring them back, so why was he clutching so hard on something that was impossible to hold onto?

“If you could please just tell me what’s wrong—”

“JUST GO!” Blake snapped, his eyes now a red shade.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…” Sidestep never finished her sentence. She ran out of the room with the most confused look on her face.

What did he just do? She was trying to show him kindness, but he swatted it away like it was nothing. Could things have gone better?

He slammed the door behind Sidestep, and then proceeded to force himself under the covers of his bed. He cried himself to sleep with the heaviest thoughts on his mind.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Author’s Note

Okay, before you say anything about Sidestep, I just wanted to say that I was originally planning for her backstory to be only a couple paragraphs. Those paragraphs eventually turned into about two pages worth of words, because I couldn’t stop myself from writing more about it. I just wanted to say that before any of you wonder why I suddenly threw this character into the mix.

Siege, out.

Chapter 16: Festivities

Lyra arrived in Canterlot in the welcoming coolness of the early morning to prepare for the Grand Galloping Gala. She had ridden aboard the Friendship Express the previous night to allot herself enough time to get ready. By the time she found herself within the corridors of the immense castle, the majority of the decorations had already been set in place from streamers to balloons to ribbons. It was almost as if Pinkie Pie was the devious mastermind of the whole thing from the beginning. To be frank, it wouldn’t surprise Lyra if the hyperactive pink earth pony really was in charge of the entire Gala.

She smiled in content, insanely excited for the upcoming Gala. She immediately set her sights on the ballroom, where she would be performing her lyre for the entire duration of the dance. As she made her way to her destination, she couldn’t help but shake in anticipation. This was the most prestigious event in Equestria, and performing for it would be a huge breakthrough in her music career. Plus, she really was desperate for a little extra cash. She was a little behind on her share for this month’s rent and Bon-Bon was becoming fed up with her baseless promises of more cash soon. But after tonight, she could literally bathe in all the bits that would be showering upon her. Not like she wanted to do that, but it was rather tempting…

As she reached the ballroom, she couldn’t help but forcefully halt in her tracks and shift her attention to the two mares arguing in the far corner of the room. She recognized one of ponies as Octavia, a world-renowned cellist she would be performing alongside. The other mare she was unfamiliar with, but it rather was easy to deduce that she was a servant based on the black maids’ outfit she adorned. Their argument was evident as the pair were both shouting as obnoxious as their vocal chords would allow.

“Because of you, I lost everything!” the maid pony cried, getting right up in Octavia’s face.

“You never had to quit the Symphony!” Octavia claimed, moving her own face forward until their foreheads were literally up against each other. Lyra swiftly cantered over to where the mares were bickering nastily, but kept a good distance apart just in case. “You could’ve just happily stayed as a second chair, but no, you had become a whiny son of a mare who cried to the conductor whenever somepony was better than her!”

“Both you and I know that first chair was rightfully mine, hooves down!” the maid pony yelled, spitting into Octavia’s right eye.

“Ouch!” Octavia yelped, staggering several paces away from the maid pony. “You dirty, little…”

“What was that?” the maid pony rhetorically asked, lifting a hoof next to her ear. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Sidestep, you are the most despicable pony I have ever had the ill chance to meet!” Octavia abhorrently said. In return, she spit a wad of saliva in the direction of Sidestep, however missing her target and nailing her dead center on her nose instead.

Sidestep’s expression was bemused, and she made no effort into wiping away the disgusting saliva off of her face. She stuck her tongue out —and without muttering another word – began childishly tramping away. “Just remember to watch your back tonight!” she called. “You’ll never know when I’m right behind you ready to strike!” The maid pony stomped out of the room, leaving a heavy atmosphere behind her.

Lyra cantered over to the mare left to her lonesome. “What was that all about?” she asked with a clear tone of honest concern.

“It wasn’t my fault she decided to stroll in here and start barking at me for no reason whatsoever,” Octavia replied flatly, cautiously rubbing her bloodshot eye.

“I’m sorry that you had to go through this. It must not be easy for somepony to start yelling at you like that, but if you ask me, she seemed to have a reason,” Lyra said, Octavia replying the death glare. “Whoa, whoa, whoa… I never said it was a good one.”

“Nevertheless,” Octavia said, removing her hoof from her eye, “that argument has certainly taken a toll on my conscience. I think I need a drink.” The dark grey earth pony wandered over to a decorated table, where all the miscellaneous foods and drinks were being arranged for the Gala. The mare placed a glass ladle inside a nearby punch bowl, scooping a large portion of purple fluid into the container of a plastic cup. Judging by its color, it was probably grape juice or some sort of fine wine.

“Isn’t that for the guests?” Lyra curiously asked, raising an eyebrow.

She merely shrugged as she chugged down the cool liquid. Watching her made Lyra’s throat a tiny bit more dry. Once the cup was thoroughly finished, she set it back on the table and slowly began to meander away. “I believe that I never got your name,” she said.

“Lyra Heartstrings,” the quirky, mint-green pony introduced, holding out a hoof. “I’ll be playing with you tonight at the Gala.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed the lyre case that you’ve been carrying, so I figured as much,” she drabbed, almost as if she really didn’t care for her name in the first place.

“And your name would be?” Lyra asked as Octavia stood up on her hind legs, resting against her cello. Even though she already knew her name, she felt that it would still be polite to ask.

“Octavia,” she replied, beginning to tune the well-crafted instrument.

“Just Octavia?” Lyra asked, feeling that couldn’t be her entire name.

“I like to keep my last name to myself until I can get to know a pony more. I have had trouble trusting ponies ever since… her.” It was obvious that she didn’t want to reveal too much about herself, and Lyra decided it would be best not to press her any further.

Three more ponies entered the ballroom, all lively chatting amongst each other. Each of them was wearing fancy dresses or suits that appeared to be far out of Lyra’s budget. They then immediately stopped their conversation and introduced themselves to Lyra. All three even complemented her dress, claiming it was “lovely” and “breathtaking”. She would have to jot a mental note to thank Rarity at later time for creating her such a beautiful dress. After their idle chit-chat, they began their one and only practice before the Gala. Most of the pieces were easy, yet fully complicated at the same time. It was true their real purpose was for playing background music, except for a few pieces of ballroom dancing tunes that were saved until near the end of the Gala.

The practice lasted several long, drawn-out hours. Lyra was more than prepared to exhibit her musicianship, even if it was in front of hundreds of higher class ponies. The practice at least gave her the chance to hear what her accomplices’ parts were like, and it gave her some much needed time to adjust and balance her sound into theirs. By the time they adjourned their rehearsal, Lyra’s stomach felt as if it were going to shrivel up from the hunger pangs that were constantly badgering her.

She helped herself to the food that was supposed to be for the guests, wolfing everything in sight quickly as possible. Once her stomach was satisfied with hundreds of calories of miniscule snacks, she settled her lyre back into its golden case and started to seek out Blake. It had been several weeks since she had last seen him, and she couldn’t think of any other to spend the next few hours until she had to be back down in the ballroom before the Gala commenced.

She briskly searched up and down the hallways, the library, the castle gardens, the front gates, but he was nowhere to be seen. She tried to communicate with him telepathically, but her thoughts failed to reach his own. The last place she thought he’d be at was his room, since he told her he was normally hitting the books day in and day out. The only time he was able to be in his room was for when he slept or needed to clean and shower.

Lyra changed directions, heading for the opposite end of the grand castle. The deeper she made her way through the enormous halls and corridors, the more servants and hired ponies preparing for the Gala she almost accidentally bumped into as they frantically tried to touch up any last-minute preparations.

“Princess Luna!” Lyra called out, recognizing the Princess of the Night. The princess was by her lonesome, staring deeply into a gracious painting of herself and her sister. Lyra’s sudden voiced startled the princess, but she still welcomed the unicorn with a warm smile.

“Hello, Lyra Heartstrings,” Luna greeted. “I trust that you’re settled in and prepared for tonight’s festivities?”

“You bet, princess,” Lyra winked, returning the smile. “You don’t happen to know where Blake is, do you?”

“Unable to conceal your anticipation to see him, are you?” Luna joked.

“Yeah, it feels like it’s been a lifetime.” They both awkwardly gazed into each other’s eyes with nothing more important to add onto the conversation. Lyra fumbled with the golden bow that held her mane in a ponytail while Luna broke contact and stared again into the portrait like she was lost to the world.

“Is there anything wrong, Princess?” Lyra worringly asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Luna swiftly replied, stumbling over her own words.

“It certainly doesn’t seem that way. Is there anything you want to talk about? If it’s anything too bothersome, I’m sure I can find some way to—”

“I understand you want to help, but I believe it is something that only I can discuss with my sister. It’s more of a personal matter than anything else.” It was obvious that the Princess was in a melancholy mood, but there had to a reason why.

“I don’t want to pry or anything, but if you need somepony to talk to, I’ll be here, okay?” Lyra supported, patting Luna on the back if her neck. In response, she received a small half-smile which transformed back into a depressing frown. “And don’t be so sad, tonight’s the Gala! This should be a happy occasion.”

“You’re right, it should be,” Luna said, “but I have a feeling it’s going to be trashed just like the year before this one.”

Silence had eventually befallen the hallway again, and Lyra parted away after saying her good-bye. Her conscience was nagging her to go back to the Lunar Princess and try comforting her again, but it was obvious that it was a lost cause. She offered her help but Luna politely refused it without a second thought. She trotted briskly along the long hallways until she came across the outside walkway that led to Blake’s private room.

She paused for a moment, trying to catch her breath. She had been wandering for the better part of a half-hour, save for the minute she chatted with Luna.

“Hello, miss. I’m sorry that I have to inform you that this area is off-limits,” a teenage voice said before she could take another step. She turned around, quickly taken aback when she saw the tall, broad guard standing before her. His armor was much different than the rest of the Royal Guards, and the crest that he bore looked vaguely similar to Twilight’s Cutie Mark.

“I’m sorry,” Lyra apologized. “I’m just trying to visit a friend.”

“I can only let you through if you have a note of approval from Princess Celestia. If you don’t, then I’m going to have to ask you to leave this area,” the guard said.

“Are you sure you can’t make an exception?” Lyra pouted, trying to look as cute and helpless as possible.

The guard chuckled. “No note. No access. That’s what I’ve been told. No ifs, ands, or buts.” Lyra changed her facial expression, trying to imitate a helpless puppy as best she could. “No note. No access. Again, that’s what I’ve been told and that’s final.”

“You had to say that twice?” Lyra questioned. She wondered who exactly this guard was. He didn’t seem dark and grim like the rest of the detachment stationed at the castle. He certainly spoke with a more joyful smile on his face. He acted like the two had known each other for a while, and even if what he said was spoken like a guard, his tone made him seem friendly and approachable.

“Good, then I hope I don’t have to repeat myself for a third time,” the guard said. “Enjoy your evening at the Gala, ma’am. I hope you have a great time here tonight.” With that, the guard politely marched off, his stature tall and firm.

Lyra glanced towards the walkway which now lied unbarred and unobstructed. Not a single living, breathing soul lied near her. Her mind began a war of epic proportions, each side attempting to decide the inevitable consequences that would befall upon her if she was caught wandering around restricted areas. She sat motionless for more than a minute. Did the risks really outweigh the benefits?

Sorry, Blake, Lyra thought, turning away despite her greatest wishes. I guess I’ll see you later tonight.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

Blake blankly stared out the rectangular window of his room-now-turned-prison. Tonight was the Grand Galloping Gala, and his desperate attempts to persuade Luna in allowing him to attend were in vain. He frankly didn’t care if he was huddled in a dark corner, solemnly observing from afar. Luna was very clear earlier that day that he was to stay away from the Gala, and under no circumstance he was granted permission to leave on his free will. The princess continually stated that the vast land of Equestria was unfit to receive the news of an alien making his home amongst them. Thus, he was wonderfully stuck in his boring, dull room with nothing to do but sit tight and ponder in deep thought. The scene outside was breathtakingly incredible. He’d never seen the capital so lively and so energetic before. He watched a plethora of carriages being pulled by miscellaneous earth ponies of varying size, shape and color.

Laughter and music tickled the interior of his ears, which seemed close to impossible considering he was trapped within the confines of his dimly lighted room. The atmosphere around Canterlot seemed so happy and chipper; he even bore a slight smile on his lips. He recalled that Lyra would be visiting him sometime later that night. It had been at least a few weeks since he had conversed with her in face-to-face, and he anticipated their meeting with a hint of excitement and joy.

However, there was still one item that his conscience mercilessly nagged in the back of his mind. He still hadn’t apologized to Sidestep for his recent malevolent behavior. He didn’t mean to snap like an angry German Shepard, but he let his disordered emotions get the best of him… again. Sidestep avoided him like the plague ever since the incident, and would always quietly slip away whenever he would try to speak with her. He sincerely wanted to make up with the mare, but she wasn’t allowing him the opportunity.

Blake inhaled wearily, leaning back into the velvety chair he was situated in.

Knock, knock.

Who could be possibly knocking at a time like this? He assumed it couldn’t be a member of the Royal Guard to summon him. There was no reason why Luna positively needed to see him at the moment. After a couple moments, he figured it was just some pony that had just gotten lost. He dismissed the badgering thumps as if he never heard them.

Knock, knock.

Who wanted to pester him so badly? Lyra and Sidestep were out of the equation as well, as both of them would be too busy with the Gala to even have a moment to spare until it was all said and done

Knock, knock.

If he patiently waited it out, there was a good chance whoever it was would give up. Out of the very few ponies that he had met and befriended, they were all unable to tarry at this time, so who was it?

Knock, knock.

Blake ultimately caved in, sluggishly sliding out of his chair and onto his two feet. He paced towards the door, his mind trying to solve the mystery as to who wanted to see him so badly. Maybe it was a door-to-door salesman. They never give up. He reached out his hand, grasping the shiny, metallic doorknob and twisting it counter-clockwise.

He swung open the door, and standing before him was a yellow stallion dressed in a newly tailored tuxedo, sporting a polka-dotted bowtie. The stallion was grinning widely, showing off two neat rows of pearly white teeth.

“Are you lost?” Blake asked with a slight tone of annoyance, hoping to be rid with the passerby as soon as possible.

“Oh surely you haven’t forgotten me already, my dear Blake. Do you not remember me?” the stallion asked with an ever so familiar British accent. His name was on the tip of Blake’s tongue, but he simply could not recall from where he had been introduced to him before.

Blake shrugged his shoulders, quickly admitting defeat. “Well then allow me to reintroduce myself then. I am Professor Day Break. I am the one who brought you here, and therefore, I am responsible for you. You will be coming with me, my little human. There is much work to be done,” Day Break said, reaching out to grab Blake.

Blake’s primitive instincts instantaneously kicked into gear, violently slapping the intruding hoof away. Day Break cursed, but still proceeded to try and grab a hold of Blake by lunging forward. Blake easily outmaneuvered the scientist and forcefully shoved him back several feet.

“Stand still, why don’t you?” Day Break hissed. “Vigilant! I believe it’s time we gave our friend the human here our little surprise.” Blake mentally flinched, but he was primed for whatever cunning tricks or gimmicks they threw at him. He escaped the pits of hell before; it wouldn’t be too hard to do it again. But this time, he didn’t have the grateful assistance of friendly soldiers.

“Of course, boss,” another pony chuckled with a distinct Brooklyn accent. A silhouette emerged from seemingly out of nowhere. Not just any silhouette, but the one that had been stalking Blake these past few weeks.

Blake winced, withdrawing several spaces backwards and holding up his hands to show he didn’t want any trouble. “It’s you,” he murmured. “Why’ve you been following me everywhere I go?”

Neither of the two approaching ponies replied to his inquiry. Instead, a distinct, colorful glow began emanating from their horns. Without warning, two beams of energy shot rapidly through the air. Blake instinctively used his arms to cover his face. Several seconds passed, but nothing seemed to hit him. In fact, it was as if the beams shot past him like light passes through a transparent window.

The two stallions eyeballed each other with astonishment and confusion. “Boss, was that supposed to do anything?” Vigilant asked curiously.

Day Break’s mouth was wide enough for a small cart to pass through it. “It was supposed to knock him unconscious, but I suppose we’ll have to—” he began before a foot collided with his lower jaw, sending him wobbling onto the hard concrete below him.

“What the…” Vigilant gasped, not expecting his employer to get knocked out so suddenly.

Blake switched targets, tackling the jet black unicorn to the ground. The stallion grunted in pain, but immediately retaliated by bucking the human off with his hind legs, causing Blake to stumble back into the interior of his room.

“You alright, boss?” Vigilant worried, rushing towards Day Break’s side. The yellow unicorn responded only with a loud groan before passing out cold. Vigilant slowly craned his head in the direction of Blake, who was fiercely gasping for oxygen after getting the wind knocked out of his lungs. The unicorn glazed at his side, wear a small dagger was sheathed. He pulled it out with his mouth, balancing the small blade between his jaws.

“So not fair…” Blake gasped, raising his fists in a defensive stance.

Vigilant grumbled something incoherent before breaking towards the human at full gallop. In that instant, everything seemed to move in slow-motion, like every second lasted an hour. The dagger shined brilliantly in the moonlight, its gleam making it seem all the more deadly. Blake frantically searched for an item or projectile to use against the charging unicorn, but nothing was in reach. He stood his ground, estimating how long it would take for his aggressor to reach him, which was right about… now!

He swung wildly, his fist connecting with the top of the unicorn’s head. His fine-edged dagger was sent sliding across the floor towards the opposite end of the room. Blake groaned in triumph, but his victory was short lived. Vigilant was already back on top of his hooves, ready to continue the skirmish. A jolt of pain shot through his arm, causing Blake to yelp in agony at the burning sensation. The dagger had sliced into his wrist when he punched the unicorn. The wound wasn’t of much importance, but a small trickle of crimson blood came rushing out of his flesh.

Blake ripped his shirt off, wrapping the cloth around his wrist to obstruct the blood from flowing out. Vigilant was through waiting for the human to initiate the next move, so he viciously commenced his next attack. The unicorn swung several times, his last punch finally able to connect with the agile human.

It felt as if a sledgehammer had nailed Blake in the back of the head. He fell onto the ground with pain shooting all over his body. He was lying face down until the unicorn forced him so his eyes could catch the ceiling. The dagger was now right up against his throat with an forest-green aura engulfing it. “Game over, kid,” Vigilant panted, sweat streaming down his forehead.

Lyra, if you can hear me… get Luna.

He cried out in anguish before the world turned to black.

Author's Note

GUESS WHO’S BACK?! (though I was never really gone, I simply became bored of writing this and thus it was placed on hiatus. But on the bright side, I finally got myself to finish this thing, finally!)

I know it’s been around ten months since I updated, but after this long, freaking hiatus, I finally have the next chapter up. I’m super, super sorry that I ditched on you guys. This chapter I’m still not proud with, mostly because it follows more of my old writing style because it was already mostly complete when I started editing this. I just spent the last couple of hours going through and changing things to make sure this was at least a decent comeback chapter.

Note that the end is neigh, and Fabrication will reach its inevitable close within the next few chapters. I promised myself from square one that I was going to finish this, and I will! TRUST ME ON THIS, GUYS!
Anyways, I’ll update as fast as I can. Hopefully there won’t be any thousand-year-long breaks in the future.

Siege, out.

Chapter 17: Revelations

Formal dancing was an item Lyra had hardly ever been exposed to. Though she grew up in the more high-class neighborhoods in Canterlot, her childhood was mostly spent along with other fillies and colts that lived in the more outlying districts of the capital. They generally spent time dancing senselessly to old records on hand-me-down phonographs. So of course, the sophistication and finesse of the elite of Equestria’s nobles astounded the unsuspecting musician to no bounds. A dozen couples formed a perfect circle, fancy dresses twirling and pivoting in immaculate unison to the rhythm of the complicated piece Lyra and her fellow musicians were performing. With every note, every beat, and every phrase, the dancing ponies followed through with a unique movement and posture that could only be perfected with long hours of dedicated practice.

Lyra found herself having much difficulty concentrating on the burden of constantly playing for hours on end. At least her part in the Gala was thankfully coming to a close. Once this last dance was completed, the servants would eventually close the ballroom for cleanup and Lyra would still have a full two hours before the Gala was finished. At first she thought this would allow her time to catch up with old friends, but the urge to visit Blake tugged on her mind with herculean strength. I can see my old pals later, Lyra thought. I promised Blake that I’d come to visit him as soon as possible and I’m intent on keeping that promise.

Plucking the final few notes, the beautiful melody found its inevitable end with the elegantly twirling ponies coming to a standstill. It was finally over. Lyra gratefully sighed in relief, her golden-colored magic sailing her stringed instrument through the air and into its case hidden behind the slightly elevated stage.

“Wonderful performance,” Octavia complimented, heaving her cello into its enormous case as well. “I believe we left them in awe with that final piece.”

“I do say we did an excellent job tonight, especially you, Miss Heartstrings,” the blue-coated piano player praised, shifting himself off his comfy-looking seat. Lyra’s cheeks turned a rosy hue in response. She had to admit, he was kind of cute with his gorgeous eyes and neatly combed mane. What was his name again? That’s right, it was Key Stroke. How could she forget? “I was thinking we might spend the last few hours of the Gala together. You wouldn’t want to be all alone for the rest of the night, now would you? I think we’d look great together, me in my fancy tuxedo and you in your extravagant dress. Why, we would draw the pairs of a thousand eyes!”

The rate Lyra’s heart was beating increased tenfold, the valuable internal organ nearly popping out of her chest. She had never been put under these circumstances before as she was never one to pursue romance. Okay, maybe Blake can wait, Lyra mused, nodding her head in agreement to his proposal. I might not have another opportunity like this for a long time.

Key Stroke smiled widely in response. “Well, I’m glad you’ve accepted my offer,” he said, draping a muscular arm over her shoulder. “Why don’t we head to the castle gardens first? Maybe we can find some refreshments somewhere along the way.”

“Uh, okay,” were the only sounds that Lyra managed to escape her lips. She started to sweat. It was nothing too noticeable, but enough to raise suspicion.

“You seem a bit dreary,” Key Stroke noted, leading her away from the ballroom. “We ought to get you a glass of water as quick as we can.”

“But, my lyre,” Lyra stammered, trying to break out of Key Stroke’s iron tight grip.

The sudden struggle only made Key Stroke hold onto the mare a little tighter. “Not to worry, my dear Heartstrings,” he said. “The servants will deliver it to your room, no problem whatsoever. Now how about those refreshments, hmm? I’m feeling quite quenched myself.”

“Okay,” Lyra said again, allowing the bulky stallion guide her through the corridors of the castle. Everywhere they went, there was at least a small group chatting or gossiping about the most tedious things, ranging from bank accounts, business deals, relationship issues, and the more recent event of Princess Celestia painting herself a bright pink color. Along the way, Key Stroke also chatted about random conspicuous things occurring in his life. Lyra attempted to respond to some of his odd upper-class tales be injecting her own comments, but Key Stroke completely dominated the conversation. He continued to drone on and on with no sense to even take a break for a brief moment. Lyra eventually tuned out of the boring recounts of his life’s dull accomplishments and began looking for something else to entertain herself or for an excuse to leave his side.

Then without warning, Blake’s thoughts pounded inside her head, his voice sounding eerily distressed.

Lyra, if you can hear me… get Luna.

She hoped for an immediate response, but not a single syllable came in return.

Again, no response. Only dreaded silence.

Nothing. It was as if their connection with each other was somehow severed.

“I’m really sorry, Key Stroke, but I have to go,” Lyra said, her anxiety levels quickly escalating. She desperately tried to break free from Key Stroke, but the stallion was determined to deny Lyra of hardly any sharp or sudden movements.

“But my dear, sweet Heartstrings,” Key Stroke said in a flirtatious tone, dragging her down yet another endless hallway and peering out a large window. “Look here and you can see that Princess Luna’s night is still quite young. We have much to see and much to do. Trust me when I say this will be the greatest night of your life.”

“I appreciate the offer,” Lyra said, refusing to quit her steadfast struggle to escape from her captor’s tenacious embrace, “but something very important has come up. I need to go. Now.”

Key Stroke immediately silenced her by aggressively pressing his lips against hers. He tried to wiggle his slender tongue into her mouth, but she outright denied him any passage. Fortunately for her, his defenses were down as he was too focused in trying to force himself onto her. She nimbly slipped out of his clutches, proceeding to vigorously punch him directly in the eye with as much force as she could muster. The stallion cringed, his legs almost collapsing upon themselves.

“You son of a bitch,” Lyra spat bitterly, forcefully kicking the stallion again. A loud yelp came in response as he crumpled onto the neatly polished floor beneath him. “I can’t believe we actually performed on stage together, you dirty little freak. I’m calling the Royal Guard right now, and I hope that I never have to see your ugly face again.”

“Don’t worry,” an unfamiliar voice said from behind Lyra. “I saw everything and already sent somepony to fetch a guard. Are you okay?”

Lyra craned her neck to see the maid pony that was the other side of the heated debate in the ballroom that morning. She had a worried expression present on her face as she trotted beside Lyra. “Yeah, I’m fine,” Lyra assured, the bigger problem still nagging at her conscience. “Have you happened to see Princess Luna anywhere?”

“No, can’t say I have,” the maid pony said, gesturing a hoof forward. “The name’s Sidestep, by the way.”

“Lyra,” she introduced, shaking the sandy-tan unicorn’s hoof with her own. “You mind staying with this creeper until somepony from the guard comes? I’ve got something to attend to and it’s really important.”

“Tell me what’s going on. I happen to know a lot of ponies in the castle and I might be able to help with whatever you need,” Sidestep said.

Lyra glanced at the maid pony curiously with an eyebrow raised, contemplating on whether or not she could really trust this random stranger she had met not even two seconds ago. But if Blake was in serious trouble, then time was of the essence. She had no other choice. “Do you happen to know about the human that’s residing in the East Wing of the castle?” she asked.

Sidestep slightly recoiled, and Lyra noticed that she tried to hide the fact that she did. “Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Sidestep hesitantly replied, joining Lyra in exchanging perplexed glances.

“Look, there’s no time to explain, but something’s going on over there,” Lyra said, thrusting a hoof in the general direction of Blake’s room. “Once the guard arrives to deal with this jerk, tell him to send a detachment over to his room with haste!”

“What’s going on?” Sidestep questioned, trying to puzzle together all these events that were transpiring simultaneously.

Lyra gradually turned away from the befuddled mare, beginning to canter away. “Again, there’s no time to explain!” she called, her pace quickening. “Just do what I say, please!”

“Whatever, I’ll tell him to send somepony over!” Sidestep assured, raising her volume in order for Lyra to be able to hear her. With the hopeful promise that the guard would likely initiate an investigation soon, Lyra darted as speedily as her fatigued hooves could carry her. She sped by dozens of wandering ponies, drawing a steadily increasing portion of eyes attaching to her. She didn’t care that they were gawking in bewilderment. There was one single thing that lingered inside her head.

Everything’s going to be okay, she reminded herself as she narrowly dodged a mass of ponies attempting to get a glimpse at some prestigious stallion. There’s always a chance that I’m blowing this completely out of proportions. There’s always a chance that I’m just being paranoid. But there’s always a chance that he might be in serious trouble and in need of imperative help. Oh, I just hope that he’s still okay.

Her destination was the main hall where the one and only Princess Celestia would be standing tall and graceful, greeting arriving ponies and bidding farewell to ones that were departing. The likelihood that Celestia’s sister would be poised beside her was meager at best, but it was Lyra’s sole lead to the information regarding Luna’s present location. Turning left at another corner, she found herself at a complete dead end. It was now she realized that she had absolutely no clue as to where she was currently situated in the castle. Coming to terms that she was utterly lost in this maze of numerous corridors and hallways, she slumped onto her haunch and covered her eyes. Several tears began to stream down her cheeks. It would take hours to find the Princess of the Night. By the time she did, the investigation (assuming it took place) would be over and the guards would have no idea what to do next. She failed.

“Lyra, is something troubling you?” a thankfully familiar voice asked, the gentle sound of shoes clanging against the floor wholly apparent.

“Hello, Princess Luna,” Lyra greeted, reluctantly revealing her reddened eyes. She shuffled onto her hooves, her posture slightly off-balance.

“Please tell me, my dear subject, what is bothering you ever so greatly?” Luna tenderly inquired again.

Lyra rubbed her stinging eyes for a brief moment, then bringing up her gaze to match the princess’. “It’s Blake. I think something’s wrong,” she claimed.

Luna’s expression transformed immediately. She was struck in awe with this supposition coming from out of the blue. “And what, pray tell, is going on?”

“I don’t know,” Lyra said, her head drooping lightly. “He communicated with me briefly, but he didn’t get much of a message across.”

“Lyra, it’s imperative that you inform me as to what Blake told you,” Luna said, her tone rather serious. Lyra knew of Blake’s becoming as Luna’s protégé, and that the princess would be unfaltering at protecting him no matter the cost.

“He said, ‘Lyra, if you can hear me… get Luna.’”

“That is all?” Luna asked, unmistakably expecting additional information.

“Unfortunately, yes, that’s all it was,” Lyra somberly replied. “But he sounded hurt, like something really bad was about to happen.”

“And you tried to communicate with him again?” Luna questioned. Lyra shook her head in response, affirming her suspicion. “If that is the case, then we should make due to Blake’s room at once!” The princess broke into a light trot with Lyra following closely in tow. With the way things were currently presenting themselves, Lyra couldn’t think of any positive outlooks on this situation. Please be okay, Lyra pleaded, her indispensable reserves of energy ceaselessly fading out of existence. She longed to take a quick break to regain her spirits, but time was ticking against them. They hustled through passageways, shoving any unfortunate ponies in their path.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“Princess Luna!” the guard that Lyra had met earlier in the day greeted, bowing respectfully to the co-ruler of Equestria. At first glance, Blake’s private quarters seemed completely normal. Did he leave his room and get into a fight? Or accidentally slip off the roof of an enormous building? There were a billion possibilities and Lyra couldn’t settle on even one to be the most likely case.

“At ease, Captain Armor,” Luna said, allowing the highly-ranked officer to disengage from his bowing stance. The captain complied, shifting himself to stand at full attention. “How fares the investigation?”

“I have to admit,” Captain Armor began, turning his gaze to the scene behind him, “when a maid pony first explained to me that a problem had arisen in one of the restricted parts of the castle, I was a bit skeptical at first.”

“Spare me the details, Captain. I just want to know the facts,” Luna stated, her deep blue eyes darting incredulously around the room, trying to analyze every subtle element including the walls, ceiling, floor, and multitude of furniture.

The captain nodded in acknowledgment. “Of course, Princess Luna. As I was saying, at first everything seems to be normal. There’s no overturned furniture, no broken shards of glass, no discarded weapons. If you simply walked into the room and hardly paid attention to anything, you would easily overlook the small details. However, there are two small clues our unicorn inspection team uncovered after detailed analysis.”

“And?” Luna asked, gesturing with her hoof as if to say go on.

“We found a small quantity of dried blood over there,” Captain Armor informed, pointing a hoof to where a few droplets of crimson blood could barely be noticed after careful inspection. “As far as our inspection team’s concerned, there is no magical residue within it. We need to run more tests to be absolutely certain, but if our current assumptions are true, then it’s obviously the human’s blood.”

Luna brought a hoof to her chin, tapping on it patiently. It was unusual to see the princess remain so calm at a time like this, but after living for over a thousand years, patience for her must truly be a virtue. “I see,” she said, taking a closer gander at Blake’s dried blood. “You mentioned that there were two things to suggest a fight broke out. What was the second?”

“On the far wall, we found a small scorch mark. I don’t if you haven’t noticed the awful odor that’s been emanating from it, but it’s quite apparent if you’re within close vicinity of it,” Captain Armor said, ushering the two ponies to the scorch mark. It was probably only a few inches in diameter, with a small trail of smoke continuing to gush out the blackened mark entrenched into the wall.

“Wait a minute, I recognize this scent.” Luna said, sniffing intently. All of a sudden, her pupils doubled, even almost tripled in size. “Captain, please do not tell me that this is… forbidden magic.”

“I’m afraid so,” the captain responded. “And what’s even more stunning is that we found the distinct magical residue of not one, but two ponies. If we can become more certain that this is one-hundred percent true, then the kingdom is truly at more risk than it already is.”

“Wait,” Lyra interrupted, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean by Equestria becoming even more at risk? I thought that we were at peace right now.”

“Several days ago, both my sister and I received a threat from an anonymous source stating that we were to give up the kingdom immediately or face invasion,” Luna quietly said, her mood quickly turning sorrow. “We believed that it was some sort of sick joke, but if the event of Blake’s disappearance and the letter are somehow interconnected, we may be facing something very grand in scale. But the question arises, how does Blake fit into all of this? I honestly don’t comprehend who would use him as a pawn to conquer the entire kingdom of Equestria.”

“It could be possible that the two aren’t directly related,” Captain Armor said, his tone semi-hopeful. “This may just be a simple coincidence.”

“We still can’t rule out the probability that these two threats are very real and are somehow connected,” Luna remarked. “Captain Shining Armor, I understand that this may be difficult for you to hear this, but as of now I am officially postponing your wedding with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. In light of recent events, I can’t have anypony at risk. I believe we may have to issue a lockdown.”

“But, Princess, you can’t do this!” Captain Armor rejected, angrily stomping a hoof on the floor, creating a deafening crack that could probably be heard from Ponyville. “I apologize for my sudden outburst, but there has to be some way around this. We’ve been planning this wedding for months! The presses are going to be all over this considering they’ve been gossiping about it ever since we announced the dang thing. If you decide to postpone this without second thought, it’s going to raise a lot of suspicion, and both you can Princess Celestia will inevitably have to reveal the threat signed by this nameless pony!”

Princess Luna endured in pure silence for several minutes, pondering in deep thought. Both the captain and Lyra exchanged confused glances as the princess remained speechless. “I see your point of view on this whole little fiasco we have on our hooves,” Luna eventually agreed, opening her eyes and locking gazes with the captain. “But I will have to converse this privately with my sister. Nonetheless, I am ordering you to cast and maintain a force field around the city of Canterlot.” The captain tried to cut her off with his own objections, but she continued before he could even voice a single word. “I will try to convince Celestia to allow you to continue with your wedding, but know that our first priority is the safety of Equestria and all of its citizens. If anything amiss happens to occur between now and the time of the wedding, I can and I will postpone it. Is that clear, Captain?”

“Yes, Princess,” the captain reluctantly saluted.

“And I’d also like you to send a letter to your sister and invite both her and all six of her friends to the wedding. I have a feeling that we’re going to need the Elements of Harmony present at this blasted event,” Luna stated.

“Yes, Princess,” the captain repeated, retaining his respectful salute.

“The two of you get a good night’s rest. We’ll begin a full investigation of Blake’s current whereabouts at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Captain, I’m going to have you sit out this round. I need you to focus all of your energy on the wedding and maintaining that force field. Lyra, I’ll send a pony to fetch you at six o’clock in the morning. If at any time during the night you manage to interlink your mind with Blake’s, please do not hesitate to find me in my private quarters. I will alert the guards to grant you access if you need to see me. Any questions?” Luna asked. The two ponies nodded their heads. “Good. Both of you are dismissed.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

“Boss, he’s coming to!” a nearby voice said right next to Blake’s ear, causing him to flinch at the sudden noise. His head span and throbbed with the pain like a steel baseball bat bashing on him mercilessly. His eyes steadily fluttered open, the room around him slowly coming into view. It laid entirely barren save for a plastic table with his old belongings scattered across the top. Only a few bright candles dimly illuminated the dull grey room. With no windows placed on the unpainted walls, it was impossible to tell if it was night or day. Not like it mattered anyways.

“It’s about time,” Professor Day Break said irritably, his yellow figure entering Blake’s field of vision. A door shut silently behind him as he stared at the human intently. “Now it’s time to finally get down to business!”

Blake viciously struggled to move his arms in order to initiate an attack on the professor, but he regrettably found them, along with his legs, bound to a wooden chair by some durable material. The surface texture didn’t feel like rope or tape, but something in-between. “Yes, those bonds may be physical and not nearly as powerful as magic, but they’ll have to suffice,” Day Break snickered. He studiously walked around Blake, examining his every feature. Blake glared daggers in return. “Such a wonderful specimen, aren’t you. You’re resilient to every single form of magic known to ponykind with it passing by you like visible light through an untainted window. I guess this has its advantages, but it must have its downfalls as well. Slower healing processes, lowered strength, not being able to cast even a simple spell like levitation. Humans are so fascinating!”

“I get it, we’re pretty damn cool,” Blake said, playing along with the professor’s bizarre rant. “But that still doesn’t explain what you want from me?”

“Ah, getting straight to the point, are we?” Day Break smiled, trotting over to the table displaying Blake’s miscellaneous items. “I want you to tell me how all of these work, of course. Your species’ inventions, your creations. Your marvels, your wonders. Your accomplishments, your successfulness. Your powerful weapons, your armored machines. I can go on, but that wouldn’t get us any further than we already are.” The professor paused, levitating Blake’s AK-47 assault rifle in front of him to inspect. “I know more about Earth and humanity than you may think, my little human. I’ve been studying your species for years, examining and scrutinizing every last drop of detail I can squeeze out of your blue and green planet. But there’s only so much I can learn as a spectator from the far reaches of the unknown. I need somepony with firsthand experience with these tools and machines. Somepony who knows how to work and rebuild them from scratch. That is why I brought you here, Blake Johnson, and I intend to keep you here until I can suck every bit of information trapped inside that abomination you call a brain.”

Blake stared at Day Break remarkably calm. “That’s it?” he asked. “You just imprison me here against my will until I tell you how this stuff works?”

“In a nutshell, yes,” Day Break affirmed, swapping the rifle for Blake’s red flashlight. He flickered it on and off several times, waving the cone of light all over the room.

“By the looks of it, you don’t need my help,” Blake noted, watching as Day Break manipulated the flashlight with ease.

“This tool was rather easy to figure out,” Day Break shrugged, dropping it on the table as if he was suddenly disinterested in it. “There’s an engraving above a little button that clearly says, ‘on.’ A foal could find out how to turn it on if they put forth some effort into it. But these other ones are still beyond my comprehension. I understand what their basic mechanics and purposes are, but it’s the issue of breaking them down piece by piece and putting it perfectly back together that plagues me.”

“What if I refuse?” Blake asked, growling fiercely. “Are you gonna starve me? Torture me? Kill me?”

“Why, none of those options, of course,” Day Break replied a bit too energetically. “I’ll just send you back to the pit of Tartarus where you came from.” Blake noticeably recoiled at his threatening statement. Day Break began to press this to his advantage. “Yes, I know of your past and the last few days you spent running. I understood the consequences of the teleportation spell I used to bring you here and I knew it would select one of you utterly at random. I watched everything happen, from your airplane crash-landing all up to the point of the large skirmish between the soldiers of your own nation and the enemy troops that flooded your position from all directions. You see, I wanted to properly know who I was dealing with before my spell finished its charging and I was able to send you here to Equestria. Unfortunately, some unknown variables came into play and you found yourself within the deadly perimeter of the Everfree Forest instead of the Canterlot castle.”

“Out of seven billion people on the entire planet, I’m the one your so-called ‘spell’ chose?” Blake inquired in disbelief.

“So many questions with you,” Day Break remarked with a hint of annoyance present in his tone. “And to answer your question, yes, my spell chose you at random. You see, forbidden magic is very, very unpredictable. It’s quite difficult to control. Only skilled unicorns who’ve had years of practice can perform such dangerous magic, and as you can tell, I am one of those few skilled magic users that are still alive to continue the legacy of practicing forbidden magic.”

Blake shut his lips. He had nothing else to say. He proceeded to shut his eyes and turn his head, refusing to make any sort of eye contact with the crazy stallion. “I’ll leave you to your thoughts for now,” Day Break said, the sound of his hooves heading towards the door on the far side of the room. “My assistant will untie you and bring a meal in a few hours. I want a decision by tomorrow.”

The horrid screeching noise of the door creaking open made Blake want to clasp his hands over his ears to drone out the terrible sound, but the tight restraints forced him to listen to every moment. “Oh, and just one more thing, Blake,” Day Break said before ushering himself out of the room. “I do know of your unicorn friend’s telepathic ability to communicate with you. I just thought I’d let you know that this room is magically enchanted to prevent any unwanted conversations occurring while I’m gone. Expect help from nopony, not even your pretty little Princess Luna... Not to worry, my little human. She’ll be out of the equation soon enough, along with Celestia and the rest of the Royal Guard.” With that, the door slammed behind him, leaving Blake to his lone self.

Whatever, you slimy bastard, Blake thought, desperately trying to squirm his way out of his restraints. I’m going to put a stop to this madness whether you like it or not.

Chapter 18: Mendacity

“He’s never going to cave in, boss.”

“I beg to differ. Based on his dreadful reactions towards absolutely anything that triggers a painful memory, it’s quite clear that he hates his past with a burning passion. The human has two options: Either he can assist my efforts in revolutionizing state-of-the-art Equestrian technology… or suffer for the rest of eternity in that cruel and spiteful world he originated from.”

“Boss, you always say to expect the unexpected. There is still a slim chance that he may very well choose to return to his homeworld. You’ll have to start almost completely from scratch if that happens.”

“Not necessarily. I’ve already sent blueprints and diagnostic sheets to several of my contacts based in Manehattan. They’ll figure everything out eventually, though it might take years — maybe even decades to begin mass production of the machines without the aid of the human. As much as I hate to admit it, we need Blake’s help. He holds the key to unlocking the unmatchable power of electricity that the humans harness to greatly advance their world.”

“I understand, but you can’t hide within the confines of your workshop forever. We’re right under the Princess’ nose. It’s only a matter of time before she sniffs us out and sends our sorry flanks straight to the moon.”

“What I can’t fathom is why the Princess has placed so much faith in the human in so little time. What has it been? A month, maybe? No more than two, that’s for sure. I don’t see how he was promoted from psychopathic freak to star pupil with a simple wisp of her silly magic. Just like that. Now he’s suddenly a top priority, a bigger threat than any of those snobby, uptight nobles.”

“He’s still technically an alien. Knowing that our planet is not the only source of smart life in the universe is pretty fascinating, don’t you think? He’s learning from us and we’re learning from him. They may be trying to accomplish the very things we are.”

“That’s absurd. Celestia has made no move to push for better technology in a thousand years. Ponies have used magic to power everything for a millennium, so she continues to believe that it’s the only source of energy that exists even when obvious evidence is handed to her on a silver platter. It’s idiotic. Only recently have our species begun to make a push for a better understanding of our universe as a whole. We’re learning more and more as science progresses. I intend to be a hero of our time when I’m finally able to utilize the power of electricity and share it with the rest of the world.”

“Both you and I know that can’t happen if Equestria is overrun.”

“What are you blabbering about now?”

“I know everything about this little deal you made behind my back. You seriously thought that I wouldn’t notice? My special talent is discerning pony’s secrets for Celestia’s sake.”

“Which is why I’m paying you to do your job and keep your mouth shut.”

“Boss, I was once a part of the police force in Manehattan. I’m through with that line of work because they became corrupt, so I had to use my skills as a paid mercenary. However, I still have a tendency to care for the civilians. It’s always been a part of what I do. I’m warning you know. If you follow through with this plan of yours, I’m breaking the contract and alerting the Royal Guard. While I agree with your goals, this is not the way to do it!”

“Both you and I know that this is the only way.”

“It was only a couple of weeks ago that you said you were going to do nothing of this sort. And now you’re making a bloody deal with those parasites to help them conquer Canterlot. You see, I may not be the smartest pony in the world, but it doesn’t take an idiot to know that you are one sick, twisted little unicorn.”

“I don’t care of your opinions, Vigilant. Know that the Blood Pact is still intact and I have hidden it from prying eyes such as yourself. Any time that I feel that your loyalties are fading away from their true purpose, I can and I will kill you where you stand, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“This isn’t what I signed up for.”

“Of course it isn’t, but new pieces have been set into motion in our little game of chess. Pawns that are ready to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of ponykind. Valiant knights and bishops who will charge headfirst into battle when called upon. Rooks that will wreak havoc among the enemy lines. I am the king… and Chrysalis is my queen. Everypony will protect me while she does all the dirty work.”

“What if the changelings win? We’ll all be forced into slavery with those things feeding off our love.”

“It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. There are already dozens of incognito changelings within the borders of Canterlot and an army awaits at its gates. No matter what unexpected variables may occur, we will win. Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will be defeated and the changelings will reign supreme.”

“You’re a bugger-lover. And here I thought you were trying to add benefits to everypony in Equestria with this new-fangled technology of yours. Should’ve figured you would end up stabbing everyone when our backs were turned.”

“I am doing nothing of the like.”

“Are you even hearing yourself right now?”

“Yes, I am as a matter of fact. That’s not the whole plan.”

“What, has the bugger-queen promised you a throne by her side after she destroys everything?! You even admitted it yourself, saying you’re some king and all in a game of chess.”

“You didn’t understand what the meaning behind it. The king is the most valuable piece. If it falls, then the game is lost. But the queen… the queen can be sacrificed. The queen doesn’t need to live in order to win. As soon as we have made some modifications to Blake’s weaponry to better suit ponies and begin mass production, we will return to Canterlot and slaughter every last changeling within a thousand miles. It will be then that the ponies see how important this technology is to us.”

“…”

“Nothing else to say? Good, because I have your next assignment for you. There is a changeling in the north district posing as that one famous model. Fleur-de-lis is the name I believe. I want you to track its location and bring it to me within the next hour. I think I have formulated a plan to get the human to talk.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blake began to hate the dreariness of his makeshift prison cell. Everything was bland and grey. The only escape route was through that dilapidated, wooden door. A semi-powerful kick could easily splinter the fragile wood into two pieces. But what if Day Break hired more goons to guard the door? If that was the case, he wouldn’t hesitate to end their lives. All of his equipment still lay on a plastic table barely out of his reach. The professor was a fool for leaving everything behind.

Is this what I’m becoming? Blake thought as his sore wrists continued their struggle to escape his constraints. Some killing-machine that shoots his problems without second thoughts instead of trying to solve them peacefully?

For the first time in over four hours, he paused his squirminess. It’s survival of the fittest. If there’s two of us in a room with only one coming out alive, then I’m gonna be damn sure that I’m the one standing victoriously on top. I’m not going to be murdered… like the rest of my family. He sat silently in his uncomfortable chair, his conscience nagging him to mourn his losses immediately. But he did not cry. He did not pout. He did not even shed one tear. I’m going to be strong. Not just for me, but for my family and the ponies who have begun to make my life worthwhile. I’ve always been an aggressive person. A sarcastic prick who’s hostile towards everyone and everything. That’s going to change. Once this over, I’m going to apologize to everyone for my idiotic behavior. And if Luna lets me, I’m going to make a proper memorial for those that have lost their lives these past couple of months… including the ones that died by my hands.

The door swung open, its ear-piercing creaks forcing Blake to turn his head away. Day Break marched into the room, a happy-go-lucky grin still present on his face. “Have you come to a decision yet, my little human?” he asked, his hooves echoing throughout the barren room.

“I thought you were giving me a full day to make my choice,” Blake replied, his voice calm and controlled. Day Break picked up on his sudden change in attitude, an eyebrow rising in question.

“You are correct, but unfortunately, I am on a very tight schedule,” Day Break said, his expression returning to one of mock-joy. “I’m afraid I cannot allot your twenty-four hours to make a decision. But to make up for this sudden loss of time, I’ve brought somepony to help you with your difficult choice.”

Blake sighed in relief when his eyes caught a mint-green unicorn entering the room. “Lyra…” he said.

The ponies’ ears perked up to the sound of her name. She steadily turned her head, her golden eyes locking tensely with Blake’s. “Blake!” Lyra shouted cheerily, rushing to the human and crushing his lungs in an enormous bear-hug.

“It’s good to see you too,” Blake gasped, returning the embrace as best he could with his hands tied behind his back. “But I can’t breathe.”

“Sorry,” Lyra quickly apologized, reluctantly letting go of her human friend. She took a few paces backwards in order to grant him some much needed personal space. “It’s just been a long time since I’ve last seen you.”

Blake smiled. “It has been,” he agreed. “How was the Gala?”

“It was tons of fun!” the energetic pony replied. “I had a really great time performing and the night was perfect… up until the point I heard that you were kidnapped.” Her head visibly dipped towards the floor. It was clear to Blake that she was killing herself inside for realizing that she was powerless to do anything to help.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not your fault,” Blake reassured. “I could’ve done more to protect myself.”

“No, no,” Lyra said, shaking her head. “I should’ve come to visit you earlier. I should’ve convinced Princess Luna to allow you an invitation to the Gala. I should’ve at least tried to communicate with you. This could have been stopped before it even happened!”

“While I’m sure that the two of you have a lot to talk about,” Day Break interjected, sounding incredibly impatient, “this is not the time and the place for idle chit-chat. I’ll be leaving the room so the two of you may discuss the topic at hand, but know that I will still be able to hear every word that both of you say.”

“Then what’s the point in leaving?” Blake asked.

“Just so my presence doesn’t intimidate either of you,” Day Break said, taking course to the outside of the room. Blake couldn’t tell if he was playfully joking or being quite serious. An orange aura engulfed the brittle door as it slowly shut itself, its annoying squeals refusing to abate.

Lyra’s gaze drifted to Blake. “I know what you’re going to say, but I can’t help you escape,” she said, her tone slightly apologetic. “They told me if I tried to do anything funny, they’d beat you to a pulp and force me to watch.”

“It’s okay. Remember, Lyra, I’m immune to magic,” Blake reminded her. “Day Break left everything right in front of me to swipe. If you can undo my bonds, I can bust both of us right out of here.”

“What if they come for us?” Lyra asked, her voice suddenly becoming a tad aggressive. “Are you going to cruelly kill them without mercy? Like those humans that were chasing you?”

Blake was unmistakably taken aback. He knew that she had relived his memories and all the events that transpired the week before his arrival. She knew that no other options made themselves available to him. It was kill or be killed. They already had several deep conversations about his dark past with each time Blake breaking down pieces. But she would be there to piece him back together. Despite some of the terrible things he had done, she honestly understood everything he went through. Why would she change her views about this now of all times?

“I don’t enjoy killing. I’m not a vicious, blood-thirsty monster,” Blake said. “But if the time comes that I have to take someone’s life in order to protect mine or others that are close to me, I’ll do it. You know this. I know this.”

“I’m sorry, Blake,” Lyra said, though there wasn’t a hint of compassion present. “That came out wrong because I’ve been under a lot of pressure from the stuff that happened last night. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“There’s no need to worry about it,” Blake said. “But I still need you to cut me loose. This chair is practically glued to floor and these restraints are allowing me no room to wiggle my way out. But we do have an opportunity to get out of here and I don’t want this open window to close. Day Break still hasn’t attempted to stop you from doing anything. We can do this, Lyra. We can do this.”

Lyra shook her head. “I can’t Blake. I’m sorry.”

“Lyra, I need you to help me,” Blake patiently said, starting to become angry at her lack of support. He didn’t make it obvious in his tone, however. He remained calm and collected. “Luna has to know about Day Break. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I know for a fact that there’s more to him than meets the eye. He wants to use my species’ technology for something devious. I saw how interested he was with my guns just a few hours ago.”

“There’s nothing I can do Blake,” Lyra said. “But I have to ask, do you even know where you are?”

“No...” Blake hesitantly replied.

“Neither do I,” Lyra said a little too speedily. “They blindfolded me so I couldn’t find my way back here with the princess and a whole squad of Royal Guards. We could be anywhere. There’s no way to know for certain where we are and if we can escape. We could be a mile beneath the castle for all we know!”

“Are you saying that you were kidnapped too?” Blake asked.

“No, I came here on my own free will. They came to me and said that they had you captured and they could bring me to you. However, they gave me no room to inform the princess before making a decision,” Lyra replied.

“Who’s ‘they’?” Blake questioned. “You keep saying ‘they’ said something or ‘they’ took you somewhere. Can you tell me who these ponies were? As far as I can tell, it’s just Day Break and his one assistant that managed to beat and knock me unconscious. We might be able to give their descriptions to the princess for interrogation if the Guard can’t get their hands on Day Break once we get out of here.”

At first, Lyra didn’t mutter a single word. She stayed completely motionless, her eyes darting back and forth to retrieve the information in the banks of her memory. “I don’t know,” she eventually said, obviously lying. A few drips of sweat trickled down her forehead and her legs looked as if they were on the verge of buckling.

“Lyra, I thought we could trust each other,” Blake said with affliction. “Did they do something to harm you in anyway? Is there some reason you can’t say anything?”

“No, I can’t tell you,” Lyra said flatly. “My purpose is to convince you stay in Equestria. Help Day Break with whatever he asks you to do. Don’t worry, Princess Luna’s commanded half the Royal Guard to search for you, the other half is locking down the whole city. You can trust me when I say that I will do everything in my power to find you again, okay?”

“Okay,” Blake said. The back of his mind pestered that something was amiss, but he couldn’t exactly pinpoint any glaring issue. Unless his mind was playing an extensive trick on him, the pony that stood in front of him was surely Lyra. But this Lyra was slightly different than the one he came to know and love as a friend. She was effortlessly dodging his questions left and right and she refused to untie him. There was no doubt that this was highly suspicious. Something was going on behind the scenes for her to act this way.

The unicorn mare trotted up to him. “Look, I have to go, but I’ll see you soon,” she whispered. She pecked him on the cheek, causing his face to instantaneously flush an intense red hue. She smiled sweetly and hurriedly left the room without giving him the liberty to respond. Did Lyra harbor feelings for him? As far as Blake was concerned, their relationship status was just friends. Nothing more, nothing less. He had no clue that she actually liked him. There was a possibility that the peck was some sort of pony reassurance ritual or tradition, but during his stay in Equestria, he came to the conclusion that ponies were practically humans in equine form. There weren’t many blatant differences between the two species save for magic and the numerous puns with their language almost identical to English.

“He got suspicious and kept asking too many questions,” Lyra explained to someone outside the door. It was arduous to make out what she said, but the door was opened just a crack to fortunately allow sound to still easily pass through. He leaned forward in his chair with his ear facing the door. “I had to get out of there as soon as possible. I’m sorry I failed you.”

“You haven’t failed me quite yet,” another voice said, presumably Day Break. “Once you leave, I’ll proceed to ask him of his final decision. I am not giving up hope because I’m sure that you have swayed him in our favor. You were very, very convincing. If it wasn’t for the human’s meddlesome inquiries even I would have even believed that you were the original!”

“It’s what we do,” Lyra said, her voice strangely monotonous. “But I do not care for your praises. My task here is finished. What are my orders now?”

“Report back to me in six hours on the capture of Princess Cadence,” Day Break said. “After the swap is complete, gather two other of your swarm-mates and pose as Chrysalis’ bridesmaids. If the original or the princess is at any time within a close vicinity of you, find a place to hide immediately and hunker down until they leave. Hopefully this will allow me to transfer messages to the queen whenever I wish.”

“I will do as you command,” Lyra said.

“One more thing,” Day Break said. “How has the princess responded to the disappearance of our good friend in there?”

“They have become very paranoid. A lockdown is imminent and the captain of the Royal Guard has magically placed a forcefield surrounding the entire city. Nothing is getting in or out of the capital without the approval of the Guard,” Lyra replied.

“Interesting,” Day Break said, drawing out the word for as long as his diaphragm let him. “That is all. You are dismissed.”

Realizing that the professor would be visiting him promptly, Blake sat upright in his chair, pretending to have never eavesdropped. As he expected, Day Break barged into the dull room seconds later, smiling as creepily as ever. “Hello, Blake,” he greeted, closely inspecting his handgun by briefly levitating it in mid-air. “Have you come to a conclusion?”

I might as well humor him for a while, Blake thought. I don’t know jack shit about how this stuff works, but I bet I can come up with something that’ll fool even Mister Know-It-All over there. Plus, this will give me more time to puzzle together everything that just happened.

“I’ll cooperate for the time being,” Blake said, matching Day Break’s wandering gaze with his own piercing one. “I think my knowledge is good enough to help you… for now.”

“Excellent!” Day Break declared heartily. “Come, my little human. Let us begin with haste!”

There were a plethora of things that Blake wasn’t sure about on both this world and on his own. But there was one particular item that he was almost positive with:

That pony was not Lyra.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“Miss Heartstrings! Your presence is requested immediately from the Princess of the Night!” a forceful, boisterous voice commanded from directly outside Lyra’s door.

“Is it six already?” Lyra heavily groaned, glancing at the circular clock that rested by her bedside. Unfortunately, her eyes did not deceive her. The short hand pointed at the number six while the longer one shifted towards the number twelve. “At least they’re on time.”

She sluggishly hopped off her cozy, warm bed, her hooves practically dragging themselves across the polished floor. The tired unicorn only acquired a few precious hours of sleep, her body craving a plentiful portion of caffeine to enter her system to jump-start her day. Her horn then dimly lit a golden shade, the doorknob proceeding to follow suit. She twisted the shiny knob and clumsily opened the door to see a rather impatient-looking guard standing at attention.

“Do you mind if I take fifteen minutes to get ready?” Lyra yawned, bringing up a hoof to stifle it. “It’s been kind of a long night and I’d like to take a quick shower.”

“Permission denied,” the stern guard asserted. “I’ve been ordered to escort you to the princess without delay.”

“No exceptions?” Lyra asked.

“No exceptions.”

“Fine.” Lyra quickly shut the door behind her, then began to follow the bulky stallion through the immense corridors of the castle. Everywhere they went, she noticed at least one pair of either unicorn or pegasi guards patrolling the hallways, relentlessly checking every corner and every potential hiding spot. The princesses must have called the entire Guard plus its few reserves into action. If there wasn’t a dangerous threat looming over Canterlot, then the need of dozens of patrols wouldn’t be necessary.

After trudging across the castle and up several flights of stairs, a set of enormous, metallic double-doors bearing the crest of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood proud and tall before them. “This is where we part,” the guard grimly said. “The Princess of the Night is waiting for you inside.”

“This isn’t Princess Luna’s private quarters,” Lyra noted, closely investigating the huge doors.

The guard shifted his attention towards the giant doors, then back to the young unicorn. “This is the observation post. Only the princesses are granted access to this room, so consider it a huge honor that you have been invited inside.”

“I don’t think I can open those doors,” Lyra guessed. “They’re gargantuan, not to mention that I don’t see any form of door handles to open them.”

“That’s because it can only be opened from the inside. Knock three times and shout your name. The doors are enchanted to allow the princesses to hear anything that’s said in these hallways. Her Majesty will be able to hear you without a hitch.”

“That is correct, Lieutenant Hayes,” an exhausted voice said, causing Lyra to flinch at the unexpected newcomer. Princess Luna’s stature was bedraggled, her flowing mane a mess, her eyes partially bloodshot, and her crown and two sparkling shoes missing. “I couldn’t but help overhear your conversation and I thought it would be proper to greet the two of you myself. Thank you for bringing Miss Heartstrings to my attention, Lieutenant. You may return to your post.”

“At once, Princess,” the guard bowed and proceeded to depart, leaving Lyra alone with the princess.

“Please, Lyra, come inside,” Luna said, gesturing to the interior of the observation post. Lyra complied with a nod, following the younger princess as she had followed the guard that escorted her across the grounds of the entire castle.

The observation post was without a doubt, a complete and utter mess. It was as if the entire weather team from Cloudsdale swooped with a powerful typhoon and wrecked the place as much as they could. Maps, scrolls and parchments lay strewn about the entire room with a multitude of books missing from their shelves. Lyra had to take every step with extreme caution in order to avoid stepping on one of the many numerous items that were thrown and littered. Lyra glanced at Luna, who was carelessly stepping on top of the items without care of their condition.

“I apologize for the mess,” Luna apologized, scooping a pile of cluttered objects off a velvety couch and carelessly tossing them aside. She once again gestured for Lyra to sit beside her. The mint-green unicorn nodded in reply, shifting herself into a more… comfortable position. “Imitating Blake’s posture while sitting, I see.”

“It’s become a bad habit,” Lyra laughed, pulling her tail out of the way for it to abstain from being crushed by her body. “He’s rubbed off me a lot.”

“Hopefully it’s more of his likeable traits rather than his scornful ones,” Luna smiled.

Lyra shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, he can be pretty thick-skulled at times.”

“Interesting character, he is. He has the personality of dice,” Luna said.

Lyra glanced in confusion. “The personality of dice?” she asked, scratching the back of her head. “I’m sorry when I say that I don’t follow your train of thought.”

“I’m just saying that there are plenty of sides to him, like he has six different personalities similarly to dice. Sometimes he’s a bitter, hateful person who’s hostile to everything around him. Other times he can’t help but feel melancholy and depressed to the point where I fear he may become suicidal. Then you have his happy, playful, and at times sarcastic part of him that I have come to welcome and love. If you took all his different personalities, you could shove them into six different bodies and they’d all be completely unique,” Luna explained.

Lyra’s brain took a moment to process what Luna had just said. “I have to agree with you, Princess—”

“Please, call me Luna,” the princess interrupted. “I’m frankly sick of all these formalities right now and I’d rather be addressed to as a common pony rather than a benevolent ruler. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Of course not, Prin— I mean Luna.” Lyra slightly blushed after noticeably stumbling over her words.

“Not to worry, Lyra,” Luna chuckled. “Just know that I am your friend, as well as your princess. There’s no need for the titles when it’s just the two of us.”

“You got it, Luna,” Lyra said. “But since we’re talking as friends, I have to say that you look like you’ve had a rougher night than even mine.”

“I have had no sleep ever since my sister and I received that letter,” Luna said wearily. “That was days ago. I’ve been able to keep myself awake with a plentiful supply of coffee, but the effects of zero sleep have only taken effect a few hours ago. I do not know how much longer I can continue, so I summoned you here like I promised I would, and both you and I know that I didn’t bring you here for gossip and mare talk.”

“We’re starting to search for Blake, yeah?” Lyra guessed.

“The investigation began shortly after I dismissed both you and Captain Armor,” Luna informed. “Unfortunately their searches have brought up nothing fruitful so far, but I know that they cannot be far from Canterlot if they are not already within the confines of the captain’s shield. If worse comes to worse, we’ll have to interrogate the locals if they have seen the former professor or a six-foot tall bipedal creature.”

“I thought that you didn’t let Blake go the Gala because you weren’t ready to tell the population about him yet,” Lyra stated.

“Half the country knows about Blake,” Luna deadpanned. “’Hairless Minotaur is Welcomed by the Princesses,’ end quote. I read it on the front page of the Canterlot Daily a couple of weeks ago. What I’m trying accomplish is to hide the fact that Blake is an alien from the general public. I didn’t allow him to attend because there was a high probability of him being pestered from all the attendees. His full name, date of birth, where he used to live, what he did as a career. There’s an endless amount of questions they could’ve asked him and I didn’t want the poor human to crack under the pressure, especially considering his fragile state of mind.”

“I guess I can understand why you did that,” Lyra agreed, nodding her head.

“With this threatening letter and Blake’s sudden disappearance, I do not understand why Captain Armor is so intent on following through with his wedding. There are dangers looming around every corner, he has to see that,” Luna said.

“If you can’t get through to the groom, maybe you can try to talk some sense into the bride. If you can convince Princess Cadence to prolong the wedding, it’s basically one-hundred percent guaranteed that it will be prolonged,” Lyra said.

Luna chuckled heartily. “Oh? And what’s to say that Captain Armor can’t convince his fiancé to make sure to happens at any cost?”

Lyra grinned. “I don’t know how much you know about love, Luna, but in these kinds of relationships the mare always wins.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Luna giggled, rolling all over the couch unable to control her laughter. Lyra joined in and the two were immediately thrown into several laughing fits. Neither of them could understand why their moods drastically changed, especially since they both mutually shared the feeling of major drowsiness. Nonetheless, they laughed and laughed like they were old friends retelling old stories that brought up old memories. Only when their entire reserve of oxygen was depleted were they finally able to contain their relentless chuckling.

“Thank you, Lyra,” Luna said in between breaths. “I have not laughed like that in a very long time.”

“Tips are appreciated,” Lyra joked, pretending to hold a glass jar in front of her.

“The service was good, but not that great,” Luna said, levitating several bits hidden under a pile of papers to Lyra. “Maybe you can by yourself a few juicy, red tomatoes with this.”

“Nah, I think I’m going to invest in a gem, preferably a ruby,” Lyra decided, contently tapping her chin with a hoof. “In time, I might be able to buy an industrial sized blow dryer!” Again, the two shared a laugh, albeit this one much shorter than the first.

“As much as I have appreciated your company, I am in much need of some rest. It looks like my sister has already begun the day, and thus my beautiful night does not need any more attending to.” She paused, staring deeply into the sun drifting over the horizon. “Search for Sergeant Ebony. He’s in charge of the investigation and I have informed him that you will be assisting him until I assign you with another company. His team is currently in the mess hall in the South Wing. I informed him that you would be arriving at seven-thirty sharp. I have given you this time to prep yourself as well. But do not dawdle, Miss Heartstrings, you look just as bad as I do.”

The princess gently rested her head on a soft, plush pillow, her eyes slowly shutting snug and tight. Within seconds, she had already succumbed into a deep slumber. Lyra smiled at the sight of the sleeping princess, lightly slipping off the couch and making as little noise as she could, though she probably could blare intense music next to her ear and gain nothing more than a toss or a turn. She carefully made her way to the balcony on the opposite end of the room, a large telescope aimed towards the badlands of Equestria. Lyra didn’t bother touching the large instrument, figuring that the princess might have it scoped in that direction for a specific reason.

Princess Celestia’s sun had now fully shown itself, not a speck of it hidden because of the horizon blocking the view. Lyra was flabbergasted at its beauty, the various hues mixing together with the clouds in the foreground. It was like admiring a famous landscape painting in a museum.

The day after we find you, Blake, Lyra thought, we’re going to watch one of these together. Just you and me. Maybe then you’ll see that the world isn’t as dark and cruel as you think it is.

Chapter 19: Inquisition

“For the billionth time,” Blake nearly laughed, barely able to stifle his seemingly inevitable laughter. “The doo-hickey inside the cylindrical ballistic rod creates a miniature nuclear explosion, propelling the bullet faster than your bows and arrows could ever hope to accomplish.”

For the past two hours, Blake fed Day Break inane and ludicrous information, steering the gullible professor far more off his current course to understanding the complexities of human ingenuity than he previously thought possible. The lemon-yellow unicorn ate up every half-baked word that came out of his throat, jotting down a multitude of various notes on a thick parchment. Of course, Day Break wasn’t entirely stupid. At many points during Blake’s dense descriptions on how his assault rifle functioned, the professor would ask about something very specific, a countless amount of miscellaneous questions stockpiled for future use.

“Why on earth would anypony name the parts to their inventions as idiotic as this?” Day Break questioned, closely examining the torn apart weapon with a tiny magnifying glass. “This makes absolutely no sense. The weapon itself is genius, but the names of all the components? Moronic.”

Blake briefly craned his neck away, a few chirps of laughter escaping his lips. He immediately disguised his hilarity by roughly coughing to hopefully dissuade Day Break from picking up on the fact that everything Blake said was complete nonsense. “I suppose I haven’t explained to you why the parts were named like this,” Blake sighed, pretending to seem annoyed with the professor’s numerous inquiries.

Day Break’s ears perked slightly. “You better tell me the complete and honest truth,” he commanded, dipping his raven black quill in a small jar of ink. “My patience is running low. You’re treading on thin ice, my little human. So far your words sound similarly to total hogwash.”

“I can see why you’re feeling this way,” Blake smirked, leaning forward. “I thought it was complete bullshit too when I first learned about it during school.”

“Tell me!” Day Break snapped, his usual merry grin abruptly transforming into a deep frown. “The clock is ticking, the hour hand speeding faster than I had originally hoped. I need to know every discrete detail at once, and this goal cannot be accomplished with your sudden and irrelevant tangents.”

“Alright,” Blake agreed, half-smiling. “So the inventor of gunpowder and firearms was a man from London, the capital of England. His name was Sherlock Holmes, I believe, though I’m not one-hundred percent sure. As I already told you, humans had been using weapons like ponykind’s for thousands of years. Swords, axes, spears, crossbows. So of course, when word got around that this man had invented a more powerful weapon than all of those combined, people sought to steal his blueprints and recreate their own versions of the rifle before he could patent it.

“After a failed robbery into his workshop, Sherlock realized the importance of his new creation and how rich and famous he could become once he revealed its use to the world. He then proceeded to produce new blueprints almost identical to the original ones, but instead he thoroughly explained how to construct the rifle from scratch in a code that he created. He named the components with names so ludicrous, robbers thought that his plans were fakes. He burned all of the originals in his fireplace so that no one could steal his blueprints and build their own. So yeah, doo-hickey sounds incredibly stupid, but that’s how it has been traditionally called for thousands of years. Deal with it.”

“Amazing story,” Day Break sarcastically said. “But this brings me no closer to what I have brought you here for. At this rate, I won’t figure out anything in time.”

“Well, you asked a question and I answered it, simple as that,” Blake shrugged, the pit of his stomach roaring like an enormous lion. He couldn’t remember the last time he consumed a plateful of food, but he ignored his stomach’s constant pleas for even a mere crumb to digest in order to continue to please Day Break. It was impossible to tell the exact time in that dreary, cramped room. Minutes? Hours? Days? There was no current source to satisfy his needs to figure out the time. He knew that he had only three measly days before his bodily functions began to shut down. If Day Break planned on refusing him food or drink, he longed to know how close he was to the clock reaching zero and his short life coming to a sudden close.

Day Break, for the first time, decided to abide to Blake’s silent demands. “Even though I do not have the seconds to spare, we cannot proceed if you are not in top condition. I shall depart from our conversation momentarily to allow you to eat. My assistant will bring you a meal shortly, and will undo the bonds holding your wrists after he has left the room. Do not attempt to escape. Know that I have a much stronger outside force than you may think. Vigilant and I are not the only players in this little chess game of ours. There are dozens of spectators perceiving every move we uphold, making sure that there are no cheaters or ponies trying to shortcut their way to victory...” He paused, a cloud of sparkly magic gently lifting every item from the plastic table. “You have ten minutes. Use them wisely.”

The professor marched his way to the exterior of the room, Blake’s miscellaneous tools and gadgets following suit. Damn, so much for blindly shooting my way out of this mess, he thought, his mind desperately trying to formulate another brilliant way to escape the unicorn’s vile clutches. He transiently had the idea of fighting his way hand-to-hand until he could reassemble his military-grade weapons or grasp his hand over the Taser, but that jet black unicorn, Vigilant, had already defeated him once. Who’s to say that he won’t do it again? Not to mention if Day Break wasn’t jesting about hiring additional goons, he’d be outnumbered and beaten at a moment’s notice. The human was certainly no black-belt karate expert, and his fighting style consisted only of carefully timed blocks and concise jabs at his opponent. Fighting multiple enemies simultaneously would only end in utter disaster.

“Speak of the devil,” Blake whispered to himself as the black unicorn scuffled into the room, levitating a glass plate with a decent quantity of food mixed together on top.

Vigilant delicately dropped the plate onto his lap. He then trotted directly beside Blake, raising his thick muzzle next to his ear. “You’re not alone, kid,” he murmured in a barely audible tone. “Look, I know that you don’t trust me, heh heh, I’d be surprised if you didn’t, but you should know that my contract with that son of a mare will be terminated soon.” The unicorn gave pause, glancing at the door intently to double-check that the professor had not randomly reentered the room. After reassuring that he was still quite safe, he turned back to the human who was curiously staring at him. “Have you heard the saying, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend?’ We might not be on equal terms, kid, but we both share a common interest, and that’s kicking Day Break’s sorry flank until he can’t even bear to stand. Just give me three days and I’ll have you out of here.”

Vigilant shifted his weight, swinging his body around until it swiveled towards the door. He calmly cantered away, and before Blake could voice that he was still left tied, a bright aura enveloped the rope-tape. Gravity overcame the material and went limp across Blake’s lap, knocking a small portion of his precious food onto the dusty concrete floor. Blake cursed, aggressively tossing the rope-tape across the room.

He investigated the contents on the plate before him. A piece of slightly moldy bread slathered with butter, a semi-rotten golden delicious apple, a pile of assorted nuts, and a (not even close to ripe) banana. It certainly wasn’t a feast fit for a king, but Blake chowed down nonetheless, quickly shoving mouthfuls of food at a time. He was grateful that the professor didn't choose to provide him with any inedible food such as flowers or hay.

While he ate, he also used the time to cautiously contemplate Vigilant’s words. He tried to weigh the various outcomes and the unavoidable consequences that would follow if he chose to trust his life in the unicorn’s hooves, the same ones that rendered him unconscious and stuck in this catastrophe in the first place. It’s not like I have many other options, he pondered, the dryness of the apple he chomped into almost causing him to gag. Despite it tasting awful, he forced himself to take bite after bite. But if any other opportunities arise, I’m gonna take them. Something seems off with Vigilant, and I doubt he really cares for my well-being. I bet this is probably some trap to give Day Break an excuse to brutishly torture me in some way. However, I highly doubt that I can keep up this fabricating phony information business that’s going to cause me a lot of trouble if I get found out. I guess I’ll have to improvise and make a quick decision when the time comes.

In a few short minutes, his plate was thoroughly cleared of any and all food. He carefully set the core of the apple and the leftover banana peel aside. Then without hesitation, he slammed the plate onto the ground with a huge amount of force. It shattered into a hundred fragments, swiftly spreading all across the tainted ground. Blake snatched two of the fragments and stuffed them into the back pocket of his tattered, worn-out jeans. He hypothesized that the broken and jagged pieces would be able to cut through the rope-tape without too much difficulty. Unfortunately, his theory would have to be tested at a later date as Day Break burst into the room with full speed to investigate the sudden, sharp noise.

“What in the blazes happened in here?” Day Break angrily questioned, staring daggers into Blake’s eyes.

“I sneezed and accidently dropped the plate,” Blake lied, his poker face better than ever.

“Vigilant! Fetch me a broom!” Day Break shouted, just noticing the serrated pieces of broken glass strewn about the room. “I suppose we’ll have to force feed you like a foal from now on. This is inconceivable.”

“You keep using that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means,” Blake said, having to stifle another few fits of laughter again.

“Excuse me?” Day Break barked, suspiciously raising an eyebrow.

“Never mind,” Blake shrugged, as if he previously said nothing at all.

“Unbelievable.”

And the score is: Blake Johnson: One. Professor Day Break: Zero.

Three days was a lengthy period to be trapped in that congested room, but he ultimately decided that making Day Break’s life a living hell would be an awesome way to pass the time.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Lyra felt completely out of place as soon as she entered the mess hall, like a vegetable surrounded by various sugary treats at Sugar Cube Corner. She mentally counted twenty-one stallions in the huge dining area, almost all of them neatly dressed in heavy, golden armor. However, only one stood out from the crowd, a jet black pegasus with a sapphire-blue mane sitting alone in the far corner of the mess. Guessing that this was the sergeant she was informed of previously, she made her across the room, ducking her head to draw attention away from herself. Despite her wishes to stay out of the spotlight, the majority of the grim soldiers eyeballed her apprehensively, but refrained from making any skeptical comments about her sudden arrival.

“Sergeant Ebony?” Lyra asked once she reached his table.

The pegasus glanced at her curiously, then returned to his breakfast consisting of some form of oatmeal. “Yeah, that’s me. What of it?” he asked irritably, shoving a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth.

“Um… my name’s Lyra Heartstrings,” she introduced somewhat shyly, scratching the back of her neck with a hoof. “I was told that I could find you here.”

The sergeant nodded his head. “Yep, Princess Luna informed me that you would be tagging along with our investigation team today,” Ebony said angrily, like he hated the entire world and everything that resided within it.

“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” Lyra cautiously asked, unsure of what she was apologizing for.

“Today’s my anniversary with my wife,” Ebony explained. Another spoonful of oatmeal. “We were supposed to be leaving for Las Pegasus later this afternoon, so as you can tell, I’m not too happy that I was called in for an investigation last night. But considering the lockdown that’s been set into motion by the princesses, I guess we wouldn’t be leaving too soon anyways. Still, I would rather be spending the whole day with her rather than working on some missing-pony case.”

“Uh, how long have you two been married?” Lyra inquired, trying to continue the conversation and hopefully get on his good side. She could easily tell that this particular pony was not a force to be reckoned with, especially when he was rather pissed off.

“Eleven years,” he replied, a half-smile creeping on his lips. Another spoonful. “And I’ve loved every day of it.”

“It must be difficult working as a part of the Royal Guard full-time. You probably have no time to see her that often,” Lyra figured.

Ebony chuckled. Another spoonful. “The Royal Guard? Miss, I’m a member of the Canterlot Police Department. It’s not often that our two forces correlate with one another on any kind of assignment, but with big toughies like one we have on our hooves right now, we sometimes require all the help we can possibly get.”

The mint-green unicorn nodded her head in apprehension. “That makes sense,” she said, uncertain of what else to say. It had only been a couple of minutes, but she felt extremely intimidated by the sergeant. He wasn’t towering in height, and he certainly wasn’t packing on gargantuan, bulging muscles that could be noticed from a mile away. He simply had that distinct aura that made him, well, different than other ponies. Lyra couldn’t exactly place her hoof on it, but she knew that there was more to the private investigator than met the eye.

“You’d think it would, but working with those grim fellows is not exactly the most fun thing to do in Equestria,” Ebony said, rolling his piercing blue eyes. Another spoonful, but this time, all that grazed his mouth was a chockfull of oxygen. He sighed in discontentment, gently pushing the bowl away. Immediately, as if sensing that somepony was thoroughly finished, a maid pony entered the room. Maids were plentiful throughout the castle, and normally Lyra wouldn’t have paid any fraction of her attention to any of them wandering around, but this one caught her golden eye. It was Sidestep, the pony who originally called the Royal Guards to her aid the previous night.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Sidestep said, suddenly noticing the presence of Lyra as well. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Lyra replied, shrugging her shoulders, “though I can’t help but feel extremely tired.”

“You and me both,” the tan-coated unicorn yawned, collecting the leftover bowl and spoon with a wisp of her magic and steadily placing the items on a large, black tray probably used for compiling large quantities of dirty plates and dishes. “Just thought I’d also let you know that the creeper from last night had to spend the entire night at the city jail and pay a small fine. Nothing too big, but they’ll probably let him out by noon later today.”

“That’s reassuring. Hopefully he doesn’t get his greedy hooves on any other unsuspecting mares too soon,” Lyra chuckled, catching the suspicious gaze of the police sergeant through her peripheral vision. It barely dawned on her that the poor guy had absolutely no idea what they were even talking about. She matched her own sight with his. “Uh, don’t worry about it, there was just this incident with a stallion at the Gala last night, and this mare happened to see it.”

“Key Stroke, I presume?” Ebony asked, raising an eyebrow. Lyra nodded, affirming his suspicion. “Nothing too big happens in Canterlot, not nearly as much as crime in Manehattan and Fillydelphia, so when something goes down within the limits of this city, you can be sure that I’ll be the one of the first ponies to know. Unfortunately not many charges can be pressed against your loving companion, considering he didn’t attempt much and his intents are still unknown, not to mention that if there wasn’t a witness, he would’ve gotten off scot-free. Trust me miss, if that stallion would’ve gone a single step further, he’d be spending the next few years of his life under the generous hospitality of the Canterlot Jail. It’s still good to know that you made it out in one-peace, however.”

“I wouldn’t have hesitated to knock him up-side the head if he tried anything more suspicious,” Lyra said.

“Well, as much as I’d love to make small-chat, I have a job to do,” Sidestep interjected, trotting away from the two ponies with the tray in tow. “Maybe we’ll catch up sometime later, Lyra, but my rent doesn’t pay itself.”

Good, because I still want to know what the heck happened between you and Octavia, Lyra mused, watching the unicorn mare envelope a whole army of glass bowls and silver spoons with her levitation magic.

“She’s right,” Ebony said, lifting himself away from the exceedingly long table obviously meant to seat a whole squad of troops, not just his lone self. “We also have a job to do, and from the looks of it, the guards are ready to get started.” He walked beside Lyra, the clip-clop of his hooves apparent throughout the most of the room. “Now, miss, here’s some ground rules. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to directly work with a common resident, but I’d rather you stay out of my way and only give away information when I ask you to. We’ll be quite busy for the duration of the day, so we honestly will not have many opportunities to make idle chat on the side. Also, don’t even bother trying to communicate with the guards; they act like thick stone walls twenty-four-seven, I swear.”

Lyra nodded her head, tagging alongside the sergeant. The guards continued to glare at her precariously, like she was planning to unfold a villainous plot to take over the castle. She did her best to avoid eye contact, but the guard’s bulky, golden armor was unbelievably daunting. She didn’t understand why she felt this way, especially since the guards were a dime a dozen, spreading throughout entire grounds of the castle. It was probably because all attention was pinpointed on her, for whatever reason, but she remained skeptical that it was the accurate answer to her insecurity.

They then proceeded to join the glorious, warming outside world once they left the large confines of the mess hall. Princess Celestia’s gleaming, yellow sun was now far past the horizon, but still laid far off to the east. Only a few small batches of drifting, pure white clouds dotted the morning sky, though they seemed a slightly different shade due to the enormous bubble encircling the entire city. A cool, late summer breeze was apparent, with several strands of Lyra’s messy two-toned mane beginning to wander aimlessly. The looming front gate was immediately dropped for the incoming double-file line of Royal Guards, and once Lyra’s hoof hit solid pavement, she realized that she had now left the castle grounds and into the streets of Canterlot. With all the events that had recently transpired, her conscience was uneasy leaving the tight security that the castle had to offer. Nonetheless, she knew that she had to help in any way she could to assist in recovering the location of Blake’s whereabouts.

Sergeant Ebony turned, ordering the platoon to split up into ten different two-pony teams, commanding each individual couple to investigate a separate portion of the city. Once he was through giving orders, he asked Lyra to follow him closely, copying every direction he took and never straying far from his side for no reason unless directed to.

For close to a half-hour, Lyra poured every little detail about Blake’s appearance to the sergeant after she was asked to do so. The structure of his face, his height, color of eyes and mane (though Blake insisted that it was called “hair”), his stature, the clothes he usually wore, and even a bit of his personality. Ebony remained voiceless during her rather drawn-out explanation, only interrupting to inquire with a few bits that he wasn’t one-hundred percent certain about. While she spoke, she desperately kept trying to communicate with the human, but her unsuccessfulness persisted with absolutely no replies in return. This struck as very outlandish to Lyra as they usually communicated telepathically on a daily basis. The prolonging silence worried her deeply.

The pair spent the entirety of the morning in the downtown district of Canterlot, questioning meandering ponies left and right as to what they were doing during the previous night. As most of the high-class citizens generally resided in the surrounding areas, the majority of the ponies described to them that they were fruitfully attending the Grand Galloping Gala at the castle. However, this did not give them the alibi that they were hoping for. Since the kidnapping had transpired at the castle itself, Ebony intensely interrogated each and every pony that admitted to being present at the ball. Most of the ponies seemed indifferent about the whole situation, but Ebony let loose every pony once he was thoroughly finished with his questions. He noted the names of the more equivocal individuals on a small notepad.

Their efforts continued to remain futile as the famous downtown clock struck twelve, its astonishingly boisterous bell clearly audible as it rang three distinct times. The morning was officially over and the two were no closer than when they had started. Hardly any ponies were able to reveal any decisive or significant clues, and the guards that returned to voice their reports also brought no good news. Lyra’s reserves of energy were slowly dwindling. Her body wasn’t used to functioning off of so little sleep and the lack of it was unquestionably taking its toll.

Though it seemed that it was hopeless, they finally found a pony who actually had a decent quantity of information.

“Yeah, I’ll admit, we were near the back of the castle, South Wing, I believe” a dark-grey stallion recalled, scratching the back of his head as his face flushed an intense red. “It was one the restricted areas of the castle, but it was the perfect place for us. I thought that nopony would actually see us…” He paused, too embarrassed to continue with his rather elaborate explanation.

“Please, stop there,” Ebony said, shaking his head furiously. “We don’t want to know any more about that… Just tell us what you saw and you can be on your way.”

“Okay, I saw two dark figures,” the stallion stated, his face remaining a deep shade of crimson. “I couldn’t make out their faces or the color of the coats due to there being almost no light in the hallway, but it looked like they were dragging something. It was long and slender, maybe a bag of some sorts? I’m not positive, but it kind of resembled a skinny minotaur, but I’m sure that it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.”

“Do you remember the type of ponies they were?” Ebony asked.

“Both were unicorns, definitely,” the stallion said.

“Thank you,” Ebony nodded, gesturing that the stallion could leave. “We may be in contact with you again soon, so don’t be alarmed if the Canterlot Police happen to show up at your doorstep later today. You’re free to go.”

“Good day to you, officer,” the stallion said, cantering away at a breakneck pace, obviously wishing to find his way out of his situation as soon as possible.

Ebony stared off into the distance, contemplating in serious thought. “What do you think this means?” Lyra cautiously asked, knowing that she wasn’t supposed to say a single word unless spoken to first.

“It’s genius, but also incredibly stupid at the same time,” Ebony smiled, laughing under his breath.

Lyra glanced at the sergeant inquisitively. “I don’t follow.”

“Think of it this way,” Ebony said, craning his head so that their gazes would lock with each other. “The human’s tower is in the East Wing, all the way over yonder.” He turned his sights at the castle, pointing his hoof in the general direction of Blake’s room. “And the gate is in the North Wing. Now, if the witness’ account is accurate, there is no reason that these two should be in the South Wing if neither of the co-conspirators were pegasi. It’s impossible teleport outside the castle’s walls, if from what I heard is true that the human is unaffected by magic. So, this must mean they’re hiding in one of the restricted parts of the castle. Why they’re doing this, I can’t fathom, but it’s actually fairly smart on their part since they must’ve realized that the last place we’d ever look is within the castle itself.”

“But what if there was a carriage of pegasi that ended up transporting them somewhere else?” Lyra asked, poking a hole through the sergeant’s hypothesis.

Ebony shook his head. “The only place for carriages to land is in the West Wing, and that’s for the personal use of the princesses only. Plus, it’s guarded by a small detachment at all times, so not a single soul is getting in or out without the approval of the guard that’s stationed there.”

“So I assume that we’re heading to the South Wing next?” Lyra asked.

“The castle is enormous, but it will certainly narrow the search,” Ebony reasoned, turning his attention back towards the castle gates. “I’ll have half of our investigation team sweep the castle while the rest remain within the city. There’s a good chance that our good friend, Sir McPlayer blatantly lied to us in order to get out of a rather, uh, odd predicament, but since no additional clues are present, it’s all we have to go on. We’ll grab a quick lunch at the mess hall and continue on afterwards. Sound good?”

Lyra nodded, her stomach growling loudly at the thought of a scrumptious meal. There’s still hope yet, she thought. We’ll find him. I know it.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

“My queen, everything is set into place and our army is only a few days away from Canterlot. It’s now a waiting game.”

“Precisely. My ‘fiancé’s’ love is even more powerful than I had originally thought. Every moment I’m even within a thousand yards of his mere presence, my power grows ever stronger. By the time of the wedding, I’ll be more powerful than Princess Celestia herself.”

“You will ultimately win, my queen. May we feed soon?”

“Not yet, larvae, you will be able to soon enough. How fares the struggle with Cadence?”

“She is trapped within the Crystal Caverns beneath the castle as you have commanded, my queen. She shall remain there until the kingdom is under our dominant control.”

“And what has been transpiring with our… temporary ally?”

“He has spent hours with the human, my queen. He is quite interested in the creature.”

“I’m sure, considering that’s all he ever wanted in the first place. A little toy to be under his permanent control.”

“What shall we do with the professor after Equestria is ours, my queen?”

“Assimilate his love and feed, of course. Nopony will escape from us with their love unscathed. Not even the human. He will be ours to feed off of as well.”

“We have also received word that the Elements of Harmony will arrive at Canterlot later today. Shall we keep watch of them, my queen?”

“Yes, I want a pair of eyes fixed onto all six at any given moment, even when they’re fast asleep. I want nothing to go awry, as I have sacrificed far too much for the invasion to fail. Now go, larvae. Keep close contact with all of your kin. I believe my ‘future husband’ is in dire need of a visit from his wife.”

“Long live Queen Chrysalis!”

Chapter 20: Unknowns

“This honestly makes no sense,” Sergeant Ebony irritatingly stated, his morning oatmeal bowl already thoroughly depleted of the gooey breakfast meal. “Two full days of searching, totalling around twenty-five hours of intense investigation and we've come up with absolutely nothing. We've found several decisive clues, yet they lead to nowhere. We’re missing something important from the big picture here. But what is it?”

Lyra bobbed her head back and forth, desperately trying to grasp onto some vague idea of what they were truly unable to discern. Tomorrow was the day of the grand wedding between Captain Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and their investigation would inevitably have to come to a sudden halt as they wouldn’t have any opportunities to question ponies or wander about town with the whole event almost forcefully drawing the attention of an enormous mass of ponies from one corner of Equestria to the other.

“There must be something we overlooked,” Lyra figured, chowing down on her own mushy oatmeal.

“Impossible,” Ebony said, burying his toned face beneath his jet black hooves. “We’ve triple-checked everything, gone over every miniscule possibility, and even questioned some of the same witnesses twice. The only logical explanation we can deduce from our current understanding of this case is that our kidnappers have taken the human outside the city limits.”

“But you said it yourself,” Lyra pointed out, her mouth half-full with food, “there was no way these ponies could’ve found a way to leave the castle walls since Blake is practically immune to any form of magic.”

“Which is why this makes no sense,” Ebony softly shot back. Sidestep entered Lyra’s field of view, briskly taking Ebony’s finished dishes and quietly slipping away, knowing that the two were undergoing a heated discussion and did not want to be bothered. Ebony only glanced at the maid pony, hardly giving any sign of acknowledgment. “The most logical conclusion is also the most unlikely,” he continued, audibly sighing. “I’ll give it until midday. If nothing new happens to show up, I’ll have to postpone the investigation until a couple of days after the wedding. It’s going to be party-central in Canterlot. Those uptight nobles absolutely adore their ‘important’ and ‘salient’ events.”

Lyra chuckled briefly, but her expression then immediately turned sour. “We can’t resort to procrastination,” she solemnly voiced, he eyes slightly squinting. “We have to find him soon, or else… or else…”

“Or else what?” Ebony questioned, urging for her to go on.

“I don’t know…” Lyra frankly replied, her sight drooping downwards. “But it’s something terrible, it has to be.”

“Miss, from what I’ve gathered so far, this human, Blake Johnson, is a close friend of yours. Am I correct?” he asked. Lyra lightly nodded her head in return. “Then trust me when I say that I will do everything in my power as one of the head detectives in the Canterlot Police Department to find your missing friend. Cases as extreme as this one don’t come by too often, but we always solve the case in the end. Always. We haven’t failed a single one since our founding.”

“There’s always a first for everything,” Lyra silently whispered, only loud enough for her to hear, drawing a suspicious look from the detective.

“I’m sorry, did you say something, Miss?” he asked inquisitively.

“No, it’s nothing,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Alright, if you say so,” he exhaled, shaking his head. “We better start now if we’re going to get anything done today.”

Midway from steadily leaving his seat, a guard from the opposite side of the room shouted assertively, “Attention! The Princess of the Night has arrived!” All twenty guards plus the sergeant immediately saluted in unison, standing tall and firm. Swiftly realizing that she wasn’t a member of the military or police force, Lyra respectfully bowed at once, as she wanted to avoid standing completely out of place.

“At ease, gentlecolts,” Luna calmly stated, setting her sights on the lone pair in the far corner of the mess hall. After the rest of the guard took note that the princess was not here to lecture or command them to do something imperative and out of the blue, they gratefully sat where they had before, finishing their small and insufficient breakfast.

“Sergeant Ebony,” Luna greeted.

“Your Highness,” Ebony addressed courteously.

“I’m here to relieve Lyra Heartstrings as your partner,” Luna said, causing a large, yet unnoticeable shocked expression from the mint-green unicorn. “You’re on your own from here on out. I hope she didn’t impede on your investigation too much.”

“Not at all,” Ebony smiled, seemingly for the first time in a few days. “In fact, Miss Heartstrings was quite helpful. She would make a great detective’s assistant, and we really could use a few more ponies like her in the force.”

Lyra slightly blushed at his humble praise, but quickly managed to cover her cheeks with a hoof. “Well I’m glad to hear that,” Luna chuckled, subtly glancing at her. “However, I’d like her to come with me. There are some items that I’d like to discuss with her.”

“Of course, Princess,” Ebony nodded, then proceeding to crane his head towards Lyra. “Until next time, Miss.”

“Until next time,” she repeated, and with that, the jet black unicorn promptly trotted out the mess, his tiny notepad and pencil in tow.

“A good pony, that stallion is,” Luna said as she watched him briskly leave. “But we have some important matters to attend to, Lyra. Please, follow me.”

As the princess took the same route Ebony did to depart from the mess, Lyra trailed closely behind her, certainly glad that she wouldn’t have to spend the dreary mornings in that bland place anymore. The second the duo stepped foot outside the mess hall, they were flanked by two of Luna’s ominous personal guards. With their dark-hued coats, intimidating bat-like wings, and piercing yellow eyes, they looked eerily similar to an enigmatic demon from a foal’s storybook. “I apologize for the unwanted security, but my sister was very persistent,” Luna said, figuring that Lyra would unavoidably inquire about it sooner or later. “Though, I cannot blame her. I feel like we’re being intensely spectated at any given moment.”

“Do you have any idea who’s sent the threat yet?” Lyra asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” Luna lifelessly replied. “I fear that it will be the doom of us all if we cannot uncover the mystery behind the maleficent letter. My sister and I have been alternating taking watch in the observation post. We have sent messengers to every police department in every city, town, and settlement not just in Equestria, but to the Griffin Kingdom and Saddle Arabia as well. We have received no reply as to whom or what could have sent the original letter. Equestria’s three greatest threats: Nightmare Moon, Discord, and King Sombra are no more. It’s impossible for any of them to be behind it.”

“Then it has to be a fake,” Lyra assumed. “Some sick pony conjured the whole mess to get a couple of twisted laughs…” She paused, a potentially brilliant idea forming in her head. “Or it could’ve been Blake’s kidnappers! It’s very possible that they were trying to draw your attention besides the castle itself, trying to force you to search for an impending army so that they could slip inside and capture Blake right under your hooves.”

“An interesting theory,” Luna stated, “but also highly unlikely. This is very serious business, Lyra, and no kidnapper would go as far as to sending a direct threat to the rulers of Equestria. Nopony has attempted anything of this sort before. It’s unfathomable.”

“There’s always a first for everything,” Lyra whispered for a second time. She thought she made it only loud enough for her own ears to reach, but the princess caught on as well.

“That’s correct, there is always a first for everything,” Luna agreed. “But the odds are one in a million. I have lived for over a thousand years, Lyra, and not once have I met a soul who is more deceitful and vicious than Nightmare Moon herself. But the Elements of Harmony have purged her from this world and into the deepest pits of Tartarus. No mere mortal could ever be as appalling as that terror of an entity.”

Lyra was tempted to repeat to what she had just barely said, but remained from stating her opinion once again. “I suppose this is like piecing together a complicated puzzle,” she said. “Only there are several significant pieces missing from the box. Until we can locate them, we’re going to be kept in the dark.”

“And that’s what I’m worried about,” Luna heavily sighed. “There are only a few trails to follow, but they all lead to dead ends. No matter how hard we push forward, we keep being shoved back.” The princess stopped walking, pondering in deep thought. “Have you been able to communicate with Blake?”

“If I did, we probably would’ve found him by now,” Lyra drearily said.

Luna grimaced. “I don’t know why I asked that question, if I already knew the answer.”

“It’s okay, Princess. I don’t mind,” Lyra said.

Luna, however, refused to say anything back. She resumed her tight walking pace, albeit a bit faster than before. The two bat-winged guards continued to emotionlessly scan every hallway and individual doors leading to various rooms. The small group marched endlessly, taking a longer route to arrive at the opposite end of the castle. Lyra had a small sense of déjà vu, with decorations once again being set up for the wedding; rather they were beautiful white streams of ribbon and flowers instead of the more party-going items for the Grand Galloping Gala. The castle had a distinctly different atmosphere surrounding it. That was for sure.

Twenty long minutes later, they finally came to a set of crimson red doors adorned with a neat golden trim around the edges. “Do you remember this place?” Luna mumbled under breath. Her expression was fairly tried, clearly from avoiding long periods of sleep for the past couple of days.

“Of course,” Lyra nodded. “This is the study we used to meet at a couple of months ago, when Blake first came to the castle.”

“You have some visitors waiting inside,” Luna informed, yawning profusely. “Best not keep them waiting. I’ll be at the observation post. Come to me once you’re finished speaking with them, if you would.” The princess suddenly half-smiled and winked, then proceeded to not-so-elegantly trot down the hallway, almost tripping over her own legs on a few short occasions.

Lyra snickered, shaking her head briefly. She snuggly grasped the shiny doorknob with a hoof, twisting and lightly pushing outwards. Inside the room were five easily recognizable mares, all idly chatting amongst each other. “Hello, girls,” she waved, immediately attracting five separate pairs of eyes.

“Heya!” Pinkie Pie cheered merrily, darting out of her seated position and vigorously shaking Lyra’s hoof. “It’s been so long since I’ve last seen you. How are you? How’s Bon-Bon? Have you been on any adventures lately? Do you like cupcakes?” Without any prior warning, Pinkie forcefully shoved a dark chocolate cupcake slathered with a rich vanilla frosting into Lyra’s unsuspecting mouth. She chewed in content, eagerly tasting the enjoyable sweetness of the sugary treat. Regardless of the odd attack on her taste buds, she liked it nonetheless.

“Uh, thanks Pinkie,” Lyra said with a bright smile. “I didn’t expect that, but it was pretty dang good!”

“Glad you enjoyed it,” Pinkie grinned, hopping in place with an apparent boing every time she leapt into the air.

“So, I’m guessing you’re all here for the wedding then?” Lyra asked.

“I wouldn’t miss an extravagant wedding like this even for a lifetime supply of precious gems,” Rarity stated, twirling her curly hair. “The captain of the royal guard and one of Equestria’s princesses? The entire event screams ‘romantic’ from miles away!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, sticking out her tongue and pretending to gag. “You always have to like that sappy stuff, Rarity,” she mocked, rolling her eyes. “Just wait until you see me perform another Sonic Rainboom! It’s gonna be twenty-percent cooler than the one I did at the Best Flyer’s Competition.”

“There’s no need to be so uncouth, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity shot back.

“Hey, don’t forget that I’m the one who saved you from turning into a pancake!” Rainbow reminded the fashionista, folding her arms grudgingly.

“And I thank you very much for that, but don’t forget the time—”

“Girls!” Applejack interrupted before the small argument could intensify into a heated debate, stepping briskly in between the two mares. “Ah think we’ve had enough bickering fer one day. Let’s not ferget what happened with Twi’. Ah really don’t wanna see us more torn apart than we already are.”

“Yeah, what happened with Twilight?” Lyra asked, noticing the obvious absence of the purple bookworm. “I don’t see her anywhere.”

“Twilight actually had the nerve to call Princess Cadence ‘evil’ at the rehearsal earlier this morning,” Rarity informed, shaking her head. “We haven’t heard a single peep from the poor girl since then. All of us are still wondering what lead her to make such an accusation.”

Lyra’s jaw noticeably hit the cold stone floor. “Twilight actually called Cadence evil?” she reiterated, unable to believe what she had just head.

“Yeah, she said it right to her face,” Rainbow confirmed, agreeing with Lyra’s befuddlement.

Lyra implanted her face into a velvety, fuchsia chair. She hopelessly attempted to say something intelligent, but the only audible sounds that came out of her throat were a bunch of incomprehensible mumbo-jumbo. “Could you repeat that, darling?” Rarity asked sweetly. “We can’t understand you with your head facing flat on a cushion.”

She slightly lifted her head so a flow of air could reach the interior of her mouth. “I said, ‘Why can’t anything good happened to us?’”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy quietly asked, still a tad nervous around the presence of the mint-green unicorn as they hadn’t many opportunities to get to know each other.

Lyra carefully positioned herself in the chair to resemble Blake’s seated posture, but modified it to some degree so that it would be much more satisfactory to her sore legs and hindquarters. “Have you guys not heard?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Blake’s been kidnapped.”

Five gasps shot loudly in unison. “Ya can’t be serious,” Applejack said, narrowing her eyes.

“I wish it wasn’t true, but sadly, it is,” Lyra sighed. “I’ve been helping a private detective for the past couple of days, trying to track Blake’s current whereabouts. We’ve been… unsuccessful so far.”

“No, really,” Applejack continued. “Ya can’t be serious.”

“If you don’t believe me, ask Princess Luna. She just as plagued about this as I am,” Lyra shrugged, resting her head on the side of the comfortable chair.

“Well that’s jest fine an’ dandy,” Applejack mumbled.

“So what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked, cautiously hiding behind her freshly combed, bright pink mane.

“I suppose we’ll have to carry on with the wedding as planned,” Rarity replied, draping an arm across the shy pegasus’ neck to lend her support. “There’s not much we can attempt to do besides sit and wait for this fiasco to be all said and done. Oh, Lyra, that reminds me, I have something for you!” A light blue aura engulfed her horn, a pony mannequin sailing effortlessly into the air and landing faultlessly not ten feet away from Lyra’s chair.

“My Gala dress?” Lyra asked curiously, recalling the beautiful designs embodied onto the silky fabrics.

“Yes, but I made a few revisions to match the perspicuous air of the wedding,” Rarity said, pointing towards the modifications she made. “I planned on giving it to you last night as a little surprise, but Princess Cadence’s sudden objections to the dresses forced me to alter them even to an even higher degree. Although I for one can’t postulate why she chose you as one as her bridesmaids considering you two hardly know one another. I suppose it must be your ties with Princess Luna and—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Lyra cut in, holding out her hoofs. “I’ve never seen Princess Cadence in my entire life! I’ve only seen pictures of her in magazines and newspapers. I actually haven’t met her face-to-face before.”

“Are you sure?” Rarity asked incredulously. “I could’ve sworn that you were one of the three bridesmaids that followed Cadence into my room last night to inspect the wedding dresses. The gold eyes and lyre Cutie Mark were unmistakable. Unless you have an identical twin, that had to have been you, I know it!”

“That wasn’t me,” Lyra denied. “I was with Sergeant Ebony of the Canterlot Police Department, checking out an abandoned warehouse for most of last night. I’m pretty sure you mistook me for somepony else that looked like me.”

“I would be inclined to agree,” Rarity said, “but I’m absolutely positive that I heard you say, ‘I love them,’ in your distinct voice! It’s rather unfortunate that Twilight isn’t with us, because she witnessed the whole thing too, but I don’t know of a single pony in Canterlot or Ponyville that has a voice similar to yours. Isn’t that right, Pinkie?”

“Right-a mundo!” Pinkie concurred, grinning widely.

“I’m telling you, that wasn’t me. It couldn’t have been, considering I wasn’t even inside the castle!” Lyra argued, swiftly hopping off the chair.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Rarity gasped, clutching a hoof to her chest as if she had been mortally wounded.

“Well, I ain’t calling you a truther!” Lyra bickered back.

“GIRLS!” Applejack boisterously shouted, instantly causing the room to fall into a deep silence. “This is not the time an’ the place. There’s a lot hangin’ over our heads, and the last thing we need is ta’ shout ourselves inta’ submission. Rarity, we have no reason ta’ believe that Lyra is lyin’ ta’ us. Ya probably saw somepony else an’ accidently thought it was Lyra. And you.” The orange pony paused, pointing a hoof towards Lyra. “There’s no need ta’ argue. We’re all friends here. Everythin’ may be a bit crazy right now, but please, hear me out. We have ta’ stick together. Fer better or worse, we can’t be turnin’ our backs on each other like Twi’ did to us. Not now. Not ever. That’s all Ah have ta’ say.”

The silence lingered for quite an extended amount of time, with nopony able to make any comments about Applejack’s awfully inspiring speech. They stood noiselessly, making only very short instances of eye contact. Thoughts hung heavy in their minds. There were too many dreadful happenstances occurring left and right, with seemingly no escape nor obvious solutions. It’s like what Rarity said, Lyra thought, her golden eyes staring inanimately towards the cold floor beneath her hooves. We’re just gonna have to follow through with the wedding and pray that nothing else goes wrong.

The next few days were going to be the longest of her life.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“This day is going to be perfect
The kind of day in which I’ve dreamed since I was small
Everypony with gather ‘round
Say I look lovely in my gown
What they don’t know is that I have fooled them all!”

Chapter 21: Marauders

The intense throbbing sensation from Blake’s wrists annoyed him to no bounds. It’s been three fuckin’ days, he thought frustratingly, shifting his stiff posture for the billionth time in a futile attempt to find a comfortable seating position. He’s not going to help me. I’m an idiot for even somewhat believing the son of a bitch in the first place.

Several pulsating welts and bruises dotted Blake’s paling skin, and the absence of any form of sunlight left him cold and dreary. On multiple occasions, the professor became ludicrously agitated and frustrated with Blake’s far-fetched descriptions as to how his weapons functioned, and so he aggressively threw punches at the defenseless human to vent his steeply increasing resentment towards him. Blake had taken every blow without muttering a single curse, silently vowing to get some form of revenge the moment he found himself set loose. But that time might not ever come, considering he could hardly move a few inches in any given direction.

Fortunately for him, he had the entire day “off”, as Day Break informed the previous night that he had “important” business to attend to, and wouldn’t have a smidgen of any spare time to participate in any “simple and delightful” chit-chats. Not only did this give the exhausted human a much-needed opportunity to catch his breath and reorganize his disoriented thoughts, he also had additional time to plot a way to escape the clutches of Day Break once and for all.

First off, I really need to find a way to learn the exact count of the number of goons that may be guarding the door, he thought. Regardless of whether there may be two or twenty waiting outside, stealth is the only way I’m gonna get my weapons. If I can reassemble them together, then it’s guns ablaze from there on out. Finding food and water is a priority as well, but if I can’t get my hands on any, I’m still gonna have to leave as soon as possible. Today’s gonna be the only day in a long time that I have a chance like this. I better take it while I still can.

Despite the numerous failed attempts in the past to split free from the rope-tape, Blake continued to desperately struggle in order to squirm his way out. “I can do this,” he faintly motivated to himself. “I can do this. I can do this!”

Whether it was pure determination or just sheer luck, he finally felt his right hand begin to slowly wiggle its way out. After two whole minutes of attempting different angles and various methods, his wrist decisively broke free, with the strand of rope-tape swiftly falling to the ground. He grinned at the sight. The familiar lump in his back pocket was also still there, even after a few days, and he was truthfully quite content with that fact. He cautiously slipped one of the jagged shards out of his tattered pocket, careful not to grip the edges tightly. He proceeded to cut the rope-tope tape warily, and to his favor, he made steady progress. First it was his right leg, then left. Like his wrists before, his legs were now finally unbounded.

Blake instantly stood up, but a sudden dizziness viciously blurred his mind and sight, forcing him to sit back down for a few brief moments to clear away any leftover fuzziness. Once he felt assured that he was in okay shape, he steadily attempted to stand again, using his long arms to balance himself. “That feels so nice,” Blake sighed contently, stretching his overly stiff muscles. He wished that he could sit in that room for an hour, following through with varied exercises in order to feel in tip-top condition, but time was of the essence. Vigilant could waltz into the room at any given moment, and he couldn’t lose the element of surprise by getting caught flexing his legs in an awkward stance.

He sneakily tiptoed towards the door on the opposite side of the room, modulating his breath cycles to remain utterly noiseless. He gently placed his ear on the door, listening for either bored conversations or hoofsteps clanging against the stone floor. He remained motionless, desperately trying to hear any brief or subtle noise, but not a single sound reached his rounded ears. The lingering silence slightly unnerved him, but he had to proceed nonetheless.

He slowly reached for the door handle, already formulating a basic plan on how slight he can open the door at a time. The door’s notorious squeakiness would alert any goons nearby if he happened to simply swing it wide open. This positively had to be done centimeters at a time. There couldn’t be any margin of error here. The moment he broke free of his bonds was the moment he had sealed his fate. He couldn’t predict the inevitable consequences that would follow suit if he was caught, but it was blatantly obvious that he wouldn’t be handed cake, ice cream, and birthday presents. He had already been beaten to a pulp, but there was no doubt they might try to melt his bones into a thick, sloppy pudding next.

His hand lightly clenched the handle. But before he decided to start twisting it, the audible clip-clop of thick hooves forced him to freeze in space.

“Any sign of the Royal Guards?” Vigilant asked to an unknown goon, confirming Blake’s suspicion that he and Day Break weren’t the only two ponies holding him there.

“Of coursssse not,” a thin, raspy voice buzzed in reply. “If they knew we were here, we would have been attacked long ago.”

“I see, I see,” Vigilant repeated. “I thought I would leave my post momentarily to give you guys a little welcoming present. Y’know, to show you all that you have a few ponies on your side.”

“A presssent?” another voice said, albeit in a much higher pitch than the previous one. “We do not require presssentsss. We only wisssh to feed on your love.”

“Yes, and I’m fully aware of that,” Vigilant said, “but it’s just a plain and simple ‘thank you,’ for your help with the human.”

“We have done nothing,” a third voice stated, this one rather low in tone. “We have sssat here for several daysss with only the invasssion on our thoughtsss. We do not sssee why you mussst pessster usss with thessse ssso called… presssentssss.”

“Trust me, it’s nothing too special,” Vigilant nonchalantly stated, pausing for a terse moment. “Welcome to Equestria, ya slimy, rotten buggers!”

Without any prior warning, high pitched squeals deeply penetrated Blake’s ears. He instinctively covered his ears with his hands, his ear drums clearly not ready to receive such piercing shrieks. He heard several thumps of something heavy hitting the ground multiple times over the course of a minute. We waited for few seconds after the yelps eventually died down, reluctant to remove his hands clasped over his ears. He eventually did so, realizing that he still was in imminent danger and had to proceed with his plan.

Clutching the door handle for a second time, he twisted slowly, opening the door only a small increment. He peeked a single eye out, greatly unexpected to see such carnage lying before him. He slightly flinched, seeing three separate bodies slumped against the floor, with a built jet-black stallion panting heavily over the corpses. A dagger was clenched in between his pearly-white teeth, while a dark-blue aura engulfed a rather familiar-looking combat knife, specifically the one Blake used during his wonderful journey in Europe.

He easily pushed the dilapidated, wooden door forward another couple of concise inches, and although he made sure he was one-hundred percent careful with speed in which he moved it, the door eagerly decided to creak noisily, instantly drawing the attention of Vigilant’s wandering gaze.

“Oh, shit!” Blake cursed, kicking the door wide open with full force. He splintered some of the old wood; several sharp fragments were sent flying in random directions. Blake opted to wield the second piece of shattered glass, as he was unable to find another suitable weapon anywhere around him.

Blake expected the unicorn to then charge directly at him headfirst, but much to his surprise, the unicorn proceeded to drop both weapons immediately. “I told you I was gonna get you out of here soon,” Vigilant snapped quickly in between breaths. “Guess you couldn’t be patient enough and decided to break free yourself. But you know what? I kinda like that determination. You’ve got promise, kid.”

However, Blake withdrew from lowering his guard. He took several discreet steps towards the unicorn, ready to strike at a whim. “What the hell is this?” Blake asked, briefly shivering at the creepy sight of the dead bodies. He briskly examined them. The bodies were equine in form, but the numerous holes in the limbs and wings gave the bodies an insect-like appearance.

“I’m helping you, kid. Just like I promised,” Vigilant said, unpredictably turning his back on the glass-wielding human. “Follow me, your equipment is just around the corner.”

“Give me one good reason why I should trust you,” Blake challenged, tempted to attack Vigilant while he wasn’t within the stallion’s distinct vision range. But his conscience nagged at him to stay passive, to not get into any fights that weren’t absolutely necessary. If this stallion could take down three of these insect-equines in the less than a minute, there was no doubt he could take him on fairly easily like child’s play, especially with his ridiculously stiff muscles that wouldn’t allow any sharp or jarring movements. This was a fight or flight situation, and he was leaning heavily towards making a break for it.

“Like I said before,” Vigilant said, glancing over his shoulder, “you have no reason to trust me. And though you may think I’m doing this just for you, know really that I am not. I’ve got a deep personal grudge against Day Break, and it’s clear that he holds you pretty dear to his ‘special’ project. If this is gonna piss him off in the end, then I’m gonna set this trapped little bird free from its cage.”

“…Alright, I’ll come,” Blake consented after carefully pondering the situation for a few seconds, tossing the shard aside, “but I’m keeping a close eye on you.” He cautiously stepped across the dead corpses, snatching both of the slick blades from their resting places on the freezing, rocky floor.

“I wouldn’t expect any less, kid,” Vigilant chuckled, gesturing him to hurry up.

Blake narrowed his eyes, his scrunched facial expression clearly saying, “Don’t cross me, I’m not in the mood.”

Vigilant smirked, lightly cantering towards a narrow path facing away from the stone building behind him. Blake followed suit, fairly happy that he didn’t have any abysmal cases of claustrophobia. Several dimly lit torches dotted the path, with shiny, iridescent crystals surrounding him on all sides. Blake was just short enough for the tip of his head to not hit the ceiling above him, and the path was wide enough for him to maneuver without too much difficulty.

“Where are we?” Blake inquired, concentrating on a distinct patch of clear crystals that created a beautiful reflection across the path, mixing with shades of various colors to form a disjointed rainbow.

“Right beneath Canterlot,” Vigilant replied, steadily increasing his pace. “The Crystal Caverns is what they used to call them; a mining site that was abandoned centuries ago due to unknown reasons. Only the princesses could probably tell you what really happened down here. This place is pretty Celestia-danged creepy though, if ya ask me.”

“So ponies really used to mine down here, huh?” Blake rhetorically asked. “That explains the square building out in the middle of freaking nowhere.”

“They used to be storage units,” Vigilant informed, breathing at a quickened rate due to the increased speed in which he was beginning to move. “Places where miners could store their mining equipment or be used as temporary barracks where the miners could sleep at night. There are dozens of them spread out across here. You just happened to be stored in the one farthest built from actual civilization.”

“You’d think that the Guard would have checked here to search for me,” Blake speculated, continuing to quicken his pace in order to stay behind the speedy pony.

“The Crystal Caverns have become nothing more than a mere mare’s tale, only being told as bloodcurdling campfire stories,” Vigilant said. “In a nutshell, the legend says that the reason the miners abandoned this place was because of some rampant, carnivorous creature that had escaped from Tartarus and decided to make this place his home. He began picking off ponies one by one, eating their raw flesh for food. Of course, most ponies believe the Crystal Caverns is only fictional place used to scare little fillies as a cheap horror story.”

“Trust me, I’ve seen and heard a lot worse than that,” Blake said, shaking his head at the thought of the gruesome images.

“I doubt that,” Vigilant said skeptically, stopping in front of another cube-shaped storage unit almost identical to the one Blake was kept in. “Anyways, this is where Day Break and I slept, plus it’s where we kept all of your equipment. You can put together your weapons here, plus we should eat a quick meal before we head out. I also still need to explain to you what’s probably gonna happen to Equestria soon.”

Blake lifted an eyebrow curiously. “Good, because I still need some answers.”

Vigilant’s horn became encased in a blue aura, the door handle on the door leading to the storage unit instantly doing so as well. The pair ducked inside, Blake watching the pony’s every subtle movement. There was a possibility this was all still a trap, but would Vigilant really go as far as killing several living, breathing beings in order to trick Blake into some sort of false sense of security? He highly doubted it, but if there was still even a miniscule possibility that this was all a deceitful ruse, he certainly wouldn’t overlook it.

The inside of deteriorated building wasn’t decorated at all, just like its predecessor. In fact, it seemed much more worn out, with eroded and withered away stone noticeable throughout its walls. The only contents of the room contained two sleeping bags, a small pile of crates, and Blake’s items strewn about the floor with blueprints and pieces of paper jotted with illegible notes alongside them.

“Lovely place,” Blake commented, immediately darting towards the scattered components of his assault rifle, picking every piece he could find and mentally noting which ones he had in his possession and which ones he didn’t.

“It’s not the greatest place to stay, obviously, but it still serves its purpose,” Vigilant said, diving into the crates. The unicorn tossed any littered garbage aside, then finally settled on half a loaf of bread and several rotten apples. He divided the food equally onto two separate plates, floating one towards his torn sleeping bag and the other right beside Blake. The human eyed the food apprehensively, unaware if he should proceed to devour it or not. He shrugged his shoulders, gripping onto a semi-red apple and tearing a huge chunk out of its core.

A couple of minutes later, Blake had already put together the AK-47 masterfully, the gun looking exactly as it should. He aimed the down the iron sights, digging the stock of the weapon into the arm pit of his shoulder. Still feels okay, he evaluated, tempted to pull the trigger to reassure that it was still in working condition. I probably should save ammunition though. I’ll have to take a few tests shots later. He then went through the same operation with the handgun. He couldn’t recall the name of the gun for the life of him, and the only thing he could remember about the slick gun was that it used .45 caliber rounds.

“So, would you like to tell me what the hell happened back there?” Blake asked in between mouthfuls of food, prudently aiming the pistol until it was at eye-level.

“It’s a long story, so I’m not gonna bore you with too many details,” Vigilant replied, chomping into his own food likewise. “Those bugger-like things are called changelings. They’re basically shape shifters and can take on the form of any pony they desire to. They also gain all their memories of the original pony in the process as well. Those things feed off of love, which is why they’re planning on invading Equestria. They’re in the middle of some sort of hunger crisis, with their workers not even making it past a few months old.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on,” Blake chuckled, unable to believe what the unicorn was saying due the complete hilariousness of its context. “Are you trying to tell me that these things feed off of love? Are you serious?”

“Look, kid, this is very serious business here,” Vigilant impatiently said, locking his deep blue eyes with Blake’s. “I used to be a detective for the Manehattan Police. I was on a multitude of cases where ponies were reported missing but then mysteriously reappeared several days later. Essentially, those changelings would take on their form and replace them, feeding off the love of their loved ones. Heck, even several times those buggers murdered some poor ponies before attempting to replace them. They’re sick, heartless creatures only set on feeding off other sentient beings.”

“I see,” Blake said, nodding his head understandingly. “So again, what’s this deal with the changelings invading Equestria, and why were they working for you?”

“Day Break made a deal with the changeling’s queen,” Vigilant replied, spitting out Day Break’s name like it tasted like acid on his tongue. “He provided them with intel about the defenses of Canterlot, and in return, the changelings tracked you down and kept close watch on you when Day Break performed that teleportation spell thing.”

“If the changelings were keeping an eye on me, then why did I keep seeing a silhouette that looked strangely a lot like you?” Blake questioned curiously.

“The professor didn’t trust the changelings,” Vigilant replied, “he kept alluding to them as ‘pawns’ in some sort of chess game. So he ordered me to stalk you during your stay at the castle, trying to find the perfect moment to knock you unconscious and drag you here.”

“And looks like you did your job pretty well,” Blake deadpanned, his grip on the handgun involuntarily tightening. He fortunately caught himself, and immediately loosened his hand. “But I have to ask: if you had a personal grudge against Day Break, why you keep doing his dirty work?”

“Another long story,” Vigilant replied, suspiciously tossing the question aside. “But as a contracted mercenary, I obviously sign a contract with my clients in order to show my determination to get any job done, no matter how villainous it may be. It even says so in my job description. That dang professor tricked me, however, into signing something called a Blood Pact. It’s a form of forbidden magic designed to completely bind my free will to him. If at any time he thinks I’m not doing my job well enough, he’ll initiate the Blood Pact.”

“And?” Blake asked, gesturing with hand for him to continue.

“I collapse onto the ground as a lifeless corpse, simple as that,” Vigilant sighed, finishing the last few bites of his moldy food.

“So if you tried to run, Day Break would notice you went missing…”

“Like I said, there’s nothing I can do about it,” Vigilant said. “The only way to break the pact is to destroy the original document itself. The only problem is, I have zero clue as to where it may be.”

“That is a big problem,” Blake agreed.

“Tell me about it,” Vigilant said, shaking his head.

“Wait a second,” Blake said, an important fact dawning on him. “By helping me escape, you’re directly disobeying Day Break himself. Aren’t you just signing your own death wish by doing this?”

“Kid, I’ve done a lot of unmentionable things that I’m not proud of these last few years. But if an invasion on Equestria is imminent, somepony has to know that the invaders are already within Canterlot itself, because I’d rather be sent into the deepest pits of Tartarus rather than sitting on my sorry flank watching everypony I used to know get butchered and slaughtered by these buggers,” Vigilant disclosed.

“What are we gonna do?” Blake inquired.

“First, we’ll have to find one of the exits to the mines,” Vigilant informed him. “The closest one to us leads directly to the castle, but there’s already several patrols of buggers guarding that way, though I don’t know why. There’s another one that heads underneath the sewers, and fortunately for us, that path lies unobstructed. I scoped it out an hour ago. If we keep a steady pace, we could easily reach it in twenty minutes tops. After that, we need to find my twin brother. He’s a sergeant for the Canterlot Police and has direct connections to the princesses. We get word to him and the Royal Guard will have time to mobilize.”

“Sounds good,” Blake remarked. “I’d just like to check one more thing before we go.”

“Go ahead,” Vigilant said, “but we’re leaving in five minutes. The invasion’s gonna begin sometime today, and I’m not gonna miss the opportunity to kick some bugger flank for the world.”

Blake chuckled in response to his comment. He then quickly proceeded to pull out the leftover ammunition from his backpack, clipping the rounds into each magazine. The AK-47 had three extra mags, but he only had enough ammo to fill an entire one and slip only half into another, which left the final one devoid of anything. His handgun underwent a similar situation, with only five measly rounds to spare, almost filling the revolver. Shaking his head, he clicked the fully-loaded mag into the assault rifle, carelessly tossing everything else into his backpack. He double-checked that the safeties were both switched on, stuffing the handgun into his back pocket and lifting the assault rifle with two hands. He swiftly slipped the straps of the backpack over his arms, nodding to Vigilant.

“Let’s go.”

<><><><><><><><><>

To say that Blake’s legs were merely sore was a profound understatement. The difficult three mile trek from Vigilant and Day Break’s temporary residence to the streets of Canterlot took a definite toll on his tense, inflexible legs. It was exceedingly laborious to force his already sore legs to move step after step after step, but despite their desperate pleas to take a rest, he pushed them forward until their maximum limits.

The sun’s beaming rays hit Blake in both loving warmth and severe discomfort. On one side, his skin soaked in the loving rays as if he wouldn’t feel the brightness of the sun ever again in his lifetime. But his eyes, however, instinctively slammed themselves shut in response to the sudden brightness that they had fallen out of habit from seeing. It took several tenacious minutes to adjust, but eventually he could see clearly in the broad daylight.

“The town seems rather lively despite the giant pink bubble surrounding the city,” Blake commented, noticing several groups of high-class ponies going about their day as if nothing overly-suspicious was occurring. The human attracted the stares of several passersby, but they only fixed their attention onto him momentarily.

“You’re right, I don’t like this either,” Vigilant concurred, glancing at the force field. “But we don’t have the time to dawdle. Let’s head to the CPD headquarters. I think it’s just a few blocks down from here.”

Vigilant began sprinting at a breakneck speed, but was immediately halted when a thunderous boom slightly quaked the cement streets beneath them.

“What the hell was that?” Blake asked, the sky above them darkening as enormous, black clouds began blotting out the sun’s light.

“Oh, Celestia!” Vigilant exclaimed in awe. “That’s the invasion army, and they’re trying to force their way through the shield!”

“How many are there?” Blake asked, thoroughly astonished at the luminous sight.

“Close to fifty-thousand,” Vigilant replied grievously. “And the number of conscripts in the Royal Guard is only around five-thousand, making them outnumbered ten-to-one. Dang, they needed that extra time in order to brace for the invasion too, but it looks like it’s already under way.”

“Got any other bright ideas?” Blake inquired. “Looks like Plan A’s gone down the drain, now that we can’t alert the princesses.”

“You, human!” a boisterous voice shouted from behind them. Both Blake and Vigilant instantaneously craned their heads to search for where the loud call came from, another crackling boom pounding their ears. A member of the Royal Guard dashed towards the two, fully dressed in Greek-like armor and wielding an intimidating, slender spear. “We’ve been looking for you for the past few days. Where have you been?”

“The Crystal Caverns beneath Canterlot,” Blake answered, a third and a forth boom transpiring one after the other.

“But… those don’t exist!” the pegasus guard objected in confusion, a fifth and sixth boom shaking the streets even more so than before. By now, a plethora of ponies began to descend into a panic-like state, darting from corner to corner completely unaware as to what was going on.

“They do now,” Blake refuted. “But that’s not the issue. I need you to take us to the princesses right away.”

“But Princess Celestia is ministering the wedding between the captain and Princess Cadence, and Princess Luna is keeping watch for any foreign threat and they shouldn’t be disturbed—”

“Look at the sky for two seconds, you knucklehead!” Vigilant interrupted. “As of now, the wedding has been cancelled and Equestria is facing invasion. We need you to take us to either of the princesses now! We both have invaluable information that they need to know right away!”

Seventh and eighth booms.

“Okay, okay!” the guard conceded, turning towards the direction of the castle. “Follow me and I’ll escort the two of you directly to Princess Luna immediately!”

Ninth and tenth booms.

“Let’s go!” Blake shouted, following the guard closely.

After the eleventh and twelfth booms, the shield simply couldn’t sustain any additional damage from the changelings body-slamming onto it from above. The pink forcefield shattered into millions of tiny pieces, gravity uncomplicatedly taking over and plunging the fragments towards the streets at high velocity.

“Take cover!” Vigilant commanded, grabbing Blake and violently shoving him under a table before he could even react. The jet-black unicorn and the guard followed suit, bracing for the incoming impact. The fragments of the shield splattered similarly to raindrops as they hit the surface of the streets, disappearing after emanating a strange bright sparkle.

“And that’s just the first wave…”

Before Blake could inquire as to what he meant, dozens of electric green missiles began barreling towards the city, colliding into the buildings and streets in a multitude of tiny explosions, leaving small craters in their wake. Behind every explosion was a single changeling, promptly beginning to terrorize the still panicking ponies with their frightening features and jagged teeth. These must be the changeling’s version of paratroopers, Blake mused. All three then shifted from underneath their ephemeral cover places, taking on the several changelings that landed near their position with brute force.

Blake decided to use the butt of his gun to engage the changelings, wisely preserving ammunition for when he absolutely needed it. From what he could tell after a brief fight with two of the insect-like ponies, they weren’t particularly skillful in hand-to-hand combat as individuals, but probably used sheer numbers to overcome their adversaries. Blake had no difficulty rendering the two changelings unconscious with vicious, wild swings. He glanced towards his allies, taking note that they all had taken out six changelings altogether in less than fifteen seconds. The invaders gave them no time to recuperate, as another six landed in the near vicinity of them.

The two ponies plus the human wasted no time in waiting to initiate an attack. All three aggressively assaulted the unsuspecting changelings in a fury of steel and unmatchable power. The guard’s long spear could stab and jab at enemies from farther distances, while Vigilant used his swift magical abilities to cut and clash with his dagger from afar. Blake was forced to fight in closer quarters, but the pair changelings that dared to challenge him took a quick blows to the head, rendering them both unable to retaliate.

“They’re just gonna keep coming, we need to move somewhere else!” Vigilant shouted as a large congestion of changelings began to swarm the trio from the ground and the air. The airborne invaders dive-bombed the resisting force in hopes of forcefully toppling them over, effectively losing their balance and allowing their grounded friends to entangle them in thick green goo-like substance that closely resembled snot.

“And what do you propose?” the guard asked inquisitively as he began using the end of his spear more like a type of club, bashing the changelings’ skulls without much complication. “The majority of my detachment is still in the castle—” He paused in the middle of his sentence, wrestling an airborne changeling that decided to use his back as a landing pad. The guard shook it off effortlessly by viciously bucking his hind legs, sending it flying off into the distance. “Like I said, my squad is still the castle, and there’s no way we can link up with them when there’s an army standing between us. We need a place to hunker down immediately!”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The slight recoil from the AK-47 dug into Blake’s shoulder, its loud bursts of fire ringing in his ears. Three individual rounds flew through the air faster than the speed of sound, splitting through three separate skulls. They all found their inevitable marks as even more changelings slumped over in a heap of lifelessness.

“Keep it down, will ya?” Vigilant chuckled sarcastically as he dug his dagger deep into the flesh of an incoming changeling. “I’m trying to concentrate!”

BANG! BANG!

“Sorry, trigger finger’s feeling a bit itchy,” Blake joked in return, effectively killing a fourth but missing the fifth by mere inches. It was a big mistake, missing the pissed-off changeling charging at a full-on sprint. It struck Blake dead center in the torso with extreme force, and he ultimately crashed onto the cracked sidewalk, losing possession of the assault rifle and scraping his arm in the process. Without hesitation, he instantaneously pulled the revolver from his back pocket, aiming the sights in between the changeling’s eyes. He delicately squeezed the trigger, another BANG easily audible. There was no way to miss with the close proximity the opposing sides were sharing, and the changeling was tossed back several feet, lying stone-cold dead.

After a few brief minutes, the changelings eventually came to terms that they were not winning this fight. The surrounding invaders turned tail and retreated, leaving the defenders slightly enervated and exhausted for air.

“Where the hell are they going?” Blake wondered as he clutched the body of the AK with a hand, heaving it off the ground. He only used six rounds during that battle, but he knew that meant six rounds closer to being depleted, which bothered him beyond reason. The numbers of the invading army indubitably outnumbered their own, and he absolutely needed every bullet he could spare.

“Regrouping and probably preparing to overwhelm us, no doubt,” the guard figured, glancing towards the hundreds of changelings continuing to bomb the city via airborne attacks. “That’s not a bad idea, after all. We should head back to the castle and find the rest of the guard. They’ll be doing their best to protect the princesses, and we should be there to help defend the sisters, no matter the cost.”

“What about all the civilians?” Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. “If the guard focuses all of its energy defending the princesses, then there’ll be no one to protect all the ponies panicking within Canterlot. I think our best bet is to send several large groups of twenty guards each to round up all the civilians we can and gather them into the castle. If we can set up a tight defensive perimeter from there, we might be able to hold them off long enough to send the message that their invasion’s risks outweigh the benefits.”

“I have to admit, it’s a good idea, but I don’t call the shots,” the guard sighed, shaking his head. “Along with the rest of the Royal Guard, I can only take orders from Captain Shining Armor or the princesses themselves. This idea of yours will have to go through one of them first before rescue parties can be effectively set into motion.”

“You’ve got wings, you can probably make it to the castle quick if you lay low and take the alleyways,” Blake said, following through with a complete three-sixty to check his immediate surroundings for any unbarred roads. “In the meantime, we’ll try our best to round up all the ponies we can and probably take positions inside the CPD headquarters.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” the guard said, inching closer to Blake. “I have direct orders from Princess Luna herself that in the event we happened to find you, we’d take you to her without hesitation or delay. This is no time to play hero, and you should let the Royal Guard do the job it’s assigned to do. Neither of you have a place in the front lines, even if both of you can fight like a beast.”

Blake intimidatingly marched up to the guard, slouching his back slightly so that the two could lock eyes at an even level. “Look, buddy, I personally know what it’s like to lose family and friends who get caught in the middle of a war, and I’ll be damned before I see the same thing happen to other innocent bystanders who don’t know how to handle themselves in these kind of situations. If the princess wants to see me so badly, she can find me herself. I’m gonna stay and fight, whether you like it or not.”

“Bold words, human,” the guard said back, his stern facial expressions remaining as rock solid as ever. “Not many ponies would dare to cross a member of the Royal Guard.”

“I’m not a pony, now am I?”

“Note taken, but if you happen to mortally injure or manage to kill yourself, I’ll have your head,” the guard said jokingly, breaking the stiff eye contact. “I would never disobey direct orders in most cases, but I’ll let this one slip by, just this once.” Without another syllable escaping his lips, the guard unfurled his large, chalky-colored wings, taking off into the air with little ease.

“Let’s head out before those buggers decide to make another pass,” Vigilant urged, breaking into a light canter in the opposite direction of the CPD.

Blake painstakingly began moving his legs as well, questionably wondering why the unicorn was moving the wrong way. “I thought the headquarters was in that direction,” Blake objected, pointing a finger towards the general area they had been running to before.

“We’re finding my brother first,” Vigilant said, sweat already trickling down his forehead. “I know I’m not gonna make it to see another sunset by the end of the day. Day Break will know what I’ve done, and he’ll initiate the Blood Pact without hesitation the moment he notices I’m not where I’m supposed to be. But if I can just see my brother just one last time, then I may finally rest in peace.”

BANG! BANG!

“Ack, what was that for?!” Vigilant recoiled, his big ears drooping in order to drown out the ear-crackling noises. “You’re just gonna draw attention to ourselves!”

“There were a few more following us,” Blake shrugged, content that both rounds reached their targets without issue. “I didn’t really like that.”

“Warn me before you shoot that blasted thing next time, I don’t wanna become deaf just yet,” Vigilant joked, but voiced at the same time quite seriously.

“We’ll see.”

<><><><><><><><><><><>

The brief journey to the residence of Vigilant’s twin brother extended only a short period of time, and fortunately for the lone pair, there were no additional encounters with any of the changeling army. There were several instances where enormous patrols would sweep by the streets, forcing the two to duck into a nearby alley to remain incognito. As far as they could tell, the majority of the residents had obstructed entrance to their homes with battered and overturned furniture, and hardly any ponies entered their field of vision from the outside.

“This is it,” Vigilant informed, coming to a halt before a quaint, homely building, its architecture similar to the ones in the near vicinity. “Knowing my brother, he’d risk his life trying to protect his wife. If there was one place in Canterlot he could be at this time, it would be here. Not any force in the universe could draw him away from her, unless they both decided to leave to find better shelter.”

He beckoned Blake to accompany him, gesturing towards the front door. The human nodded in acknowledgement, double-checking the surrounding areas before tagging along. Vigilant pounded on the door boisterously in attempt to grab his brother’s attention. “Ebony, open the blasted door!” he shouted loudly. “It’s your brother!”

Silence ensued for what seemed like an eternity. Vigilant continued to knock on the door periodically every few seconds, refusing to give up hope. “I guess he’s not here,” Vigilant sighed after minutes of constant battering against the door, uncertainly departing away from it.

However, his ears instinctively perked upwards when the sound of several deadbolts unlocking caused him to jolt in surprise. A stallion’s head poked out the door, his features identical to Vigilant’s own. “Brother, is that really you?” Ebony asked skeptically, apparently unsure of what to say.

“Yes it is, Ebony,” Vigilant chuckled momentarily, smiling intently. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed it has, Vigilant,” Ebony said in reply, opening the door widely and welcoming them inside. “Perhaps you can finally tell me where you’ve disappeared off to these past few years, and why you have the human I’ve been searching for as a companion.”

“This isn’t the time and the place,” Vigilant alleged, shaking his head. “We’re planning on relocating everpony we can find to the CPD headquarters. There’s plenty of room to hold a large crowd and it will be a good fortified area we can hold until the Royal Guard can escort all of us to the castle.”

“I’m sure most ponies would rather protect their homes and loved ones rather than risk going out in the open where they can be captured. You’re going to have a tough time trying to convince ponies to leave without the guard’s escort,” Ebony stated.

“If ponies would prefer to stay inside their home, that’s great, but I’m talking about saving the ones that are still scouring the streets still trying to find a decent place to hide,” Vigilant said. “We saw the mass panic that occurred when the changelings began their attack, and I’m sure there may be hundreds either captured or hiding under an easily blown cover place. It’s just a stroke of bad luck we didn’t happen to come across any ponies on our way here. We’re both police here, Ebony, and ya know that it’s our sworn duty to protect the innocent no matter the cost.”

“I understand that, Vigilant, but I’m going to gamble Autumn’s safety by sending her out into the middle of a combat zone!” Ebony remarked. “I’m not going to do it, not with an army hanging over our heads!”

“Ebony, all I’m asking is that ya do this for old time’s sake,” Vigilant pleaded. “For the glory days when we were both considered idols and heroes. We both need to redeem ourselves from some of the terrible things we did in the past in the name of what we used to call ‘justice’ and ‘truth’, and this is the only way to do it. Please brother, don’t help just because I’m asking ya to. Help because you know it’s the right thing to do.”

Ebony speculated noiselessly for a few minutes, the pupils in his sapphire-blue eyes darting back and forth. “Alright, it may take a little bit of convincing on Autumn’s part, but I’ll help as long as the first drink’s on you.”

“I think it’ll take far more than just a few measly drinks to convince me to come,” a feminine voice giggled from behind Ebony. The stallion fumbled out of the way, revealing a ruby coated mare with a cropped light orange mane adorning a loving smile. “Maybe buying an entire bar will do the trick.”

“Hello, Autumn, long time no see. It’s good to know ya haven’t changed a single bit,” Vigilant laughed, lightly embracing his sister-in-law with a welcoming hug.

“And I’m glad your Manehattan accent is still as unique as ever,” Autumn snickered in response.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Dang it, Blake!” Vigilant cursed, looking quite frustrated towards the interrupting gunshots. “You’re ruining a family moment here.”

“I’m not the only one who’s going to be crashing the reunion,” Blake said, pointing in the direction of two-dozen changelings taking notice of the ponies standing idle in the open. “Ebony, you take your wife and make a break for the CPD headquarters. Vigilant and I will cover you until there’s a decent sized gap and we’ll hook up with you as soon as we can.”

“Wait, we’re going to do what?” Vigilant questioned bizarrely.

“You heard him, brother,” Ebony smirked, levitating an expertly crafted crossbow from somewhere inside the house, along with a fully stocked quiver of bolts. “You’re going to take on a regiment of changelings while the two of us take off into the sunset.”

“Remind me why I thought that coming to ya was good idea,” Vigilant murmured, bringing his dagger to bear.

“Your crazy schemes are always terrible, but for some reason, I always end up getting sucked into them,” Ebony sighed.

“That being said, who’s the true idiot now?” Vigilant pointed out.

BANG! BANG!

“Like you said, Vigilant, this is not the time or the place!” Blake barked, another few changeling bodies dropping to the ground. “You two get moving! The path from here to the CPD should be clear for the most part! If any large patrols come by, take cover in an alleyway and lay low until they pass!”

“Roger that,” Ebony nodded, friendly patting his brother on the back. “Hopefully we’ll see you in twenty?”

“You better count on it,” Vigilant said, half-smiling in return.

“C’mon, sweety. Let’s go,” Ebony gestured to his wife.

“Oh, and I don’t get an awesome weapon to use?” Autumn sarcastically joked, eyeballing her husband suspiciously.

Ebony sighed. “Mares…”

The loving couple then entered a swift running pace, dashing away from the stallion and human and into the nearby streets.

Blake and Vigilant turned towards the incoming opposition, their body stances shifting into a defensive posture. “Yippie-ki-yay, motherfuckers!” Blake chanted, carefully aiming level and squeezing the trigger several more times.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Two more extra bodies collapsed into a lifeless clump, renewing the changeling’s vigor to avenge their fallen allies. The second before the two opposing forces unavoidably collided, Blake viciously held the trigger of the assault rifle, firing mercilessly until the dreaded click, click, click of the weapon signified his current mag contained no more additional rounds. He carelessly dropped the weapon, realizing he didn’t have time to reload and sheathed his combat knife. He aggressively lunged towards the nearest changeling, the sharp blade slipping into its torso.

Squeals penetrated his ear drums, but he forced himself to ignore its cries. He proceeded to cautiously slip the knife out of the dying changeling, awkwardly tossing the body into the clump of his attacking friends, effectively knocking the balance of several more. He lurched, slashing and stabbing the blade recklessly, adrenaline renewing his body’s depletion of energy.

Blake couldn’t count how many more lied either dead or in a comatose state, but he endured any assault on his position by pushing forward briefly, then maintaining a basic defensive position, taking paces back when he need to. Vigilant opted to copy Blake’s same strategy, striking when only individuals moved forward and backpedalling away when they tried to surround him with massive numbers.

No matter how many they took out, another three took their place. It wouldn’t be long until they were both outnumbered and outmatched. If the changelings couldn’t bring them down themselves, then exhaustion surely would. With several minutes of back-and-forth skirmishes, the defending side was steadily becoming weaker and less reflexive. Unfortunately for them, the changelings noticed their increasing sloppiness, stepping forward to feign another attack, but easily dodging when the defenders tried to push on their position, sapping them of more energy with have swing, stab, or attack.

“I think your relatives are gone by now!” Blake speculated, removing his revolver and taking another couple of random potshots.

BANG! BANG!

The changelings cringed at the cacophonous noises, allowing Blake the concise moment he needed to snatch his assault rifle from the ground where it had been temporarily lost.

“You’re right, let’s get outta here!” Vigilant agreed, attempting another few slashes then breaking into a headlong sprint away from the amassing swarm of changelings.

The two were immediately pursued, half of the crowding changelings electing to take off into the air. The sound of buzzing plagued the two’s ears to no bounds as they bombed them from all directions, narrowly missing them a multitude of times. They then decided to dart into a nearby alley in attempt to shake off the chasers, speedily changing directions multiple times. As they suspected, the changelings’ numbers thinned as they lost sight of the quick defenders, though a couple persisted in maintaining an approaching distance.

“Vigilant, we’ve got three behind us!” Blake counted, his body desperately wanting to give up on him and collapse onto the grimy, filthy cement underneath him. He didn’t know how much farther he could carry himself if he didn’t take an opportunity to recharge his lost reserves of energy soon.

“We should take ‘em out…” Vigilant panted, gasping for oxygen. “The CPD isn’t too far from here. We take these guys down and we can probably crawl the rest of the way there if we want to.”

“Take a left here and wait for them to come by?” Blake suggested pointing a finger towards the next intersection.

“Sounds good,” Vigilant said, taking a sharp ninety-degree turn. The two skidded to a stop, once again opting to set themselves in an established, defensive posture. They clenched onto their weapons tightly, as if they would decide to fly out of their grasp for no reason whatsoever. A brief moment later, the three changelings turned the corner, only to see their retreaters taking the immediate fight to them. It was obvious that the changelings unexpected the sudden turn of events, and even though the pair was almost unwilling to fight for another minute, they knocked them unconscious in a matter of moments.

“Those sons of bitches never give up,” Blake coughed, leaning his full weight against the closest wall within close proximity of him.

“Tell me about it,” Vigilant agreed, his breathing relentless.

“You said we were almost there, right?” Blake inquired, wiping the storm of sweat from his forehead with a dirtied arm.

“Yeah, we’re almost there.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

“I’m a pony, I tell you!” Vigilant barked, pounding on the door to the CPD rigorously. “Let us in!”

“Back off, changeling scum!” a muffled, masculine voice came from inside. “Your disguises can’t fool us!”

“How can I prove that I’m a pony?” Vigilant asked, excessively agitated at the pony who refused to unlock the large double doors in order to allow them access to the interior of the headquarters.

“Go home! Just stay away from here!” the voice persisted, not changing his mind for even a brief second.

“That doesn’t help me at all!” Vigilant said angrily.

“Not my problem!” the voice shouted back.

“I’m gone for three minutes, and you already are denying access to ponies without even checking them out first?” a familiar second voice asked. “Open the doors, private.”

“Yes, sir…” the voice said, doubt still present in his voice.

The entrance opened imperceptibly, an acquainted face poking outwards. “You’re ten minutes late, little brother. Just like you were the day we were born thirty-five years ago,” Ebony chided playfully, allowing full entrance to the tired pair.

“I was never one to be on time, ya know that,” Vigilant said, trotting inside with Blake trailing along beside him.

“You bet. This is a heck of a birthday present, isn’t it?” Ebony laughed. “Because you know, to celebrate our birth, the changelings decide to throw us a little surprise party in the form of an invasion!”

“They’re so thoughtful,” Vigilant chucked, playing along.

While the two brothers bantered lightheartedly, Blake scoped in the immediate setting of the headquarters. Several Royal Guards held spears, swords, and crossbows at the ready, intently gazing out the window in search of any more aggressors. The bulky stallion that refused to let them in was dressed in a blue police uniform, shutting the doors snug and tight, looking rather embarrassed about his recent mistake. In the corner of the main lobby, a mother and father huddled close to their three frightened children, protecting them with their bodies as best as they could.

And entering the room from the flight of stairs on the far side was… “Lyra!” Blake announced cheerily, gaining of attention of the mint-green unicorn that now bore an enormous, toothy grin on her face.

“Blake!” Lyra shouted in response, rushing to the human and tackling him to the ground in a friendly bear-hug.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Blake asked, returning the embrace eagerly.

“Gosh, Blake, what happened to you?” Lyra question worringly, taking notice of the numerous bruises and cuts that were sprawled across his skin. “You look absolutely terrible.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Blake deadpanned, staring at her earnestly.

“No, I just really meant—”

“It’s okay, Lyra, I’m just joking,” Blake interrupted, silencing her by pressing a finger against her lips. “But if you really want to know, I happened to get in a few fights on the way here, nothing big.”

“You like you’ve just been hit by a hurricane,” Lyra said. “Plus you stink… really badly.”

“The perks of not showering for almost a week,” Blake jested. “But seriously, can you get off my stomach? I’m already having enough trouble breathing as it is.”

“Of course, sorry,” Lyra apologized, mirthfully rolling off of his torso and landing on top of her hooves delicately.

“Thank you,” Blake gasped, arduously shifting his weight onto his arms as he endeavored to stand upright.

“It’s not a problem,” Lyra smiled.

“Well, this is a swell time for you to decide to show up,” Princess Luna quipped as she gracefully entered the main lobby, causing the guards to stand at attention and bow respectfully. “At ease, gentlecolts. There is no need for such actions every single time I decide to make an entrance.” The guards nodded their heads in unison, returning to their posts at hand.

Blake snickered, walking clumsily towards the princess. Luna held out her hoof in greeting, expecting a hand to grasp around it in return. Instead, she received two lengthy arms wrapping around her neck, involuntarily seizing her into a close embrace. “Forgive me if I say that I am puzzled as to why you’re giving me such affection, Blake. I thought we merely had a simple student-teacher relationship,” Luna incredulously stated.

“Let’s just say that I had a lot of time to think these past few days, and I’m finally realizing that I’ve taken a lot for granted even with some of the fairly recent events that have taken place,” Blake said. “So this is just a plain and simple ‘thank you’, for taking me in even when you knew that I was psychologically unstable and a total prick to everyone and everything. Though I still don’t understand why, you ponies continued put up with my constant bullshit on a daily basis, but at the end of the day, you still were able to find something good about me. Something that I honestly couldn’t see before, but now I do. So again… just thank you.”

Luna smiled, her heart nearly happily breaking into several shattered fragments. She grasped her arms around his back, tugging him closer than they were previously before.

“Aww, isn’t that sweet?” Lyra chuckled, tears nearly starting to swell up in her eyes.

“I suppose it is,” Blake said, reluctantly removing himself from Luna’s arms, an important question starting to formulate inside his head. “But you guys are going to need to explain to me why you’re here and not the castle. Has something happened?”

Luna visibly drooped her head sorrowfully, sniffling almost inaudibly. “The castle was overrun, and my sister… was ultimately defeated by Queen Chrysalis. The queen is in control of Celestia and Shining Armor, and I am unsure as to where the Elements have headed off to. The Royal Guard was scattered shortly after they realized two of their leaders were captured, taking off into mass panic and spreading themselves throughout Canterlot trying to fight the changelings by their lone selves in attempt to get ‘revenge’ for the capture of the two ponies. I narrowly missed capture myself, and I found myself out of the castle being pursued by dozens of changelings. A corporal informed me of your reappearance and your idea to protect the citizens. Fortunately, I’ve managed to scrape together several platoons to coordinate search and rescue missions like you suggested, and I only sent them out a few minutes before you arrived here. But with the guard in such disarray and my sister under containment, I don’t think we can win this battle. I’m even pondering on initiating surrender…”

“Luna, don’t you dare say that,” Blake stated, gently lifting her chin so she could meet his eyes. Her quivered lips and depressed face saddened his mood. “Saying things like that can lower morale. If you let the few ponies who are actually trying fend off this invasion see you in such a state, they’re going to give up as well. You have to be strong. Be the leader that your citizens are trying to see you as. I have faith that you can find a way to win this battle, trust me.”

“You’re right,” Luna said, her expression beginning to brighten. “I am the Princess of the Night, and I shall do everything in my power to see that the ponies of Equestria have no enemies to fear, no matter how tough they seem to be.”

“That’s the spirit,” Blake grinned, ruffling the top of Luna’s head like he would a pet.

“I know that this may be difficult thing to ask of you, but can you continue to fight?” Luna inquired unsurely, also taking note of Blake’s numerous bruises like Lyra had. “We’re going to need every able-bodied stallion that can put up a decent fight if we’re going to retake the castle and defeat Queen Chrysalis.”

“I can fight, but I don’t know for how much longer,” Blake said. “I’m very inexperienced with hand-to-hand combat, and as you can see, I’ve paid quite the price for it. The only thing I can use to effectively fight with is my rifle, but that only has about a dozen rounds left in it. After I use those up, it’s pretty much going to be downgraded into a fancy-looking club.”

“Here, let me see what your weapon uses to fire with. I think I may be able to help with your predicament,” Luna hypothesized, staring at Blake intently.

“Alrighty then…” Blake said, proceeding to slip the backpack onto the ground. He speedily zipped open one of the pouches, pulling out the extra magazine he hadn’t used yet. Shaking the curved magazine furiously, he managed to knock one of the shiny bullets loose, gripping it in between two fingers and holding it front of Luna’s face to examine.

Luna’s horn began to glow dimly, snatching the bullet out of Blake’s grip. She shut her eyes snug in order to concentrate deeply, both her horn and the round illuminating brightly. A moment later, almost fifty rounds clattered against the floor, causing Blake’s jaw to smash against the ground in pure awe.

“How did you do that?” Blake asked, immediately kneeling and clipping the new rounds into his magazines.

“Duplication spell,” Luna replied, lifting her head proudly. “Any intermediate-level unicorn can perform it if they put forth a conscious effort into practice and training.”

“Well this fancy magic just saved my ass from having to fight six bad guys at once with just a small knife. Thanks, Luna,” Blake chuckled, noticing Lyra gratefully helping him by levitating the scattered rounds in a golden aura next to him for quick and easy access.

“All in the day of a princess’s work,” Luna smiled. “Now the next order of business is to plan out our next decisive actions until the search and rescue parties return…”

<><><><><><><><><><>

After a seemingly long, drawn-out hour, all the search parties had returned, each with at least fifty ponies and a few extra guards to boot. The CPD headquarters were quite crowded as all three floors were jam packed with families and neighbors alike. Trepidation still ran rampant throughout the civilians as they retold tales of watching their loved ones become captured by the changelings and rumors of how Princess Celestia herself had already lost the battle. Luna managed to quell most of their fears by promising a sound victory against the invaders, but panic still dug deep into the ponies’ minds, the emotion just waiting for an excuse to infect the ponies once again like a deadly virus.

The majority of the guards waited patiently in the lobby, eager for their next orders, while the civilians were stuck in the upstairs rooms and the storage located in the basement. “Alright, listen up gentlecolts!” Luna said, the guards immediately saluting in return. “I commend all of your excellent work on relocating these panicking ponies to the Canterlot Police HQ. However, there still may be dozens more awaiting rescue, and there’s still the issue of retaking the castle from changeling control. I see hardly any possible we can do this alone with just the hundred troops we have here right now, which is why we’re going to broaden our search radius and amass as many troops as we can. I believe if we can at least gather at least a fifth of our original numbers, we stand a fighting chance. Now I predict this battle may draw out for several days, but with our will and our pure determination, we can and we will push these invaders far into the badlands of Equestria!”

The guard broke into cheers, their vigor increasing ten-fold. Luna waited for their hurrahs to quiet down before continuing her debrief. “Now, these are your orders: I want platoons Cloud and Rune to sweep the north district, while platoon Everfree—”

“Princess Luna, we have a problem!” a guard impeded, boisterously bursting through the front doors.

Luna turned to face the newcomer, raising an eyebrow. “What is it, corporal?”

“The changelings have figured out that we’re trying to establish a base of operations at the CPD. Scouts have reported that there’s an enormous force merging on our position. They estimate around five minutes before the assault commences.”

“Thank you for your report, corporal. You may return to your post,” Luna dismissed, the guard nodding and rushing again towards the outside world. “Looks like we have a change of plan, gentlecolts. Platoons Windigo and Manticore will remain inside the CPD to protect the civilians. The rest of us will form a defensive perimeter outside the walls. Once we fend off this attack, we’ll proceed with our original plan. Any questions?”

Silence.

“Good. Stay with your platoons at all times and don’t break formation for any reason whatsoever. Let’s move!” Luna commanded, her angelic wings unfurling as she prepared to take off into the air.

“For Equestria!” the guards chanted in unison, raising their weapons into the air. The crowd funneled out the door, their princess in the lead. Blake, Vigilant, Ebony, and Lyra remained behind, waiting for the troops to leave before they even bothered to take a chance.

Blake shifted his body towards Lyra, squatting slightly so that he could look into her eyes without much difficulty. “You’re staying here. Go downstairs with the rest of the ponies. You’ll be safe there.”

“No, I’m going to fight with you!” Lyra objected. “I’m not going to sit on my flank while I watch my hometown become destroyed like this. I can handle myself, I swear!”

“This isn’t an option, Lyra,” Blake said, placing a hand on her shoulder tenderly. “You may be able to use a simple levitation spell, but there isn’t much you can do besides that. I don’t want to see you panic and end up in the grasp of a group of changelings when I can’t do anything about it. The battlefield can become very chaotic, Lyra, and I don’t think I’ll be able to keep track of you the entire time. You’re staying here, and that’s final.”

Lyra whimpered towards Blake, imitating the best face of a small puppy dog that she could. “I’ll come back from this fight in one peace, I promise,” Blake said, hugging the unicorn once again. “No tears now, only dreams.”

The unicorn smiled contently, snugging her head into his chest. “Pinkie Promise?” she pleaded.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Blake recited, internally surprised that he could remember all the correct words and hand gestures to the phrase.

“You better come back then,” Lyra threatened. “You don’t want to see Pinkie when she hears that somepony broke a Pinkie Promise.”

“I don’t plan on it,” Blake said, letting go of the soft unicorn mare hesitatingly.

“You ready, kid?” Vigilant asked as Blake lifted his body upwards, steadily balancing himself with ease.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Their gaze focused onto the married couple on the opposite side of the room, their lips locked tightly.

“Don’t you go dying on me out there,” Autumn said as she grasped onto her husband firmly. “We still have that anniversary trip we haven’t gone on yet, plus your brother still owes us a full night’s worth of drinks.”

“That he does,” Ebony chuckled, glancing at Vigilant and playfully winking. “I’ll see you soon, honey. I’ve done a lot more dangerous things than this.”

“I’m sure you have,” Autumn said, nuzzling his cheek lovingly.

“Let’s go, lover boy, or else we’re gonna miss all the action,” Vigilant urged, jerking his head towards the door.

The couple reluctantly removed themselves from each other, Ebony smiling reassuringly. The trio’s nervousness towards the upcoming fight became apparent, and the two mares took note of it. The three then shuffled outside, joining amongst the ranks of the Royal Guards.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“They’re breaking through from the right!”

BANG!

“We need additional reinforcements on the west flank, right now!”

BANG! BANG!

“They’re trying to break through the windows! Stop them before they breach the inside!”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Airborne changelings are trying to bomb the CPD! We need a protective shield around it at once!”

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Platoons Cloud and Comet, hold your positions and form a close proximity! Don’t let those bombers break through!”

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Discord would have a field day if he was present during this battle, Blake mused, randomly remembering the unpredictable draconequus from his studies at the castle’s library. His current mag ran low and he instinctively swapped for a fresh, fully loaded one. It was becoming exceedingly difficult trying to spot a changeling who wasn’t already engaged in a close attack with another member of the Royal Guard. Friendly fire was almost the point where it was unavoidable, so he hung low until the pristine moment decided to clearly show itself.

Chaos ensued as thousands of changelings tried to breach the insanely packed group of battle-hardened warriors. Three pegasus platoons fought desperately in the skies while the remaining five took on an innumerable amount of changelings who sometimes took on the form of a guard themselves, allowing them to sneak past the line of unicorn guards. Unfortunately for them, their shape shifting magic didn’t sway Blake, as he could still easily discern their original forms. He fired upon any disguised changeling that managed to break through, and they immediately reverted back to their normal insect-like appearance once they were pumped full of a decent amount of lead.

Effective communication also became nearly impossible as the battle dragged on. At the beginning, their formations were dense and compact, but as more and more changelings broke through their thick lines, they began to crack, and every pony had to fight for himself to an extent. They still tried to remain in their assigned platoons, but as the minutes lingered, they couldn’t maintain their tight line as they were far outnumbered.

Hundreds of changeling corpses littered the streets while several dozen guards were trapped in a thick, sticky glop that they were unable to move around in. Additional guards that originally fled from the castle took notice of the grand battle occurring in the center of the capital city, and joined in amongst their fellow guards. The defenders gained reinforcements periodically, but it wasn’t enough to stop the incoming tsunami of the changeling swarm.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Vigilant! I could use a hand over here!” Blake yelped to the muscled unicorn as several more changelings bore down on him. Both twins, however, came to his aid when a force of over ten changelings attempted to knock them down. Magical bolts flew through the air from Ebony’s crossbow, while Vigilant’s dagger slit left and right. Before they knew it, another squad of the invaders had fallen into their metaphorical graves.

“Thanks for the assist!” Blake acknowledged, his peripheral vision catching sight of another few bombers trying to burst through the CPD’s roof. His aimed the iron sights carefully, taking into consideration the bombers’ speed and velocity.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The changelings’ destructive magic instantly failed, and their bodies bounced harmlessly against the well-constructed building.

“Nice shootin’, kid!” Vigilant complimented.

“They’re not gonna break through just yet!” Blake shouted, topping off another few rounds towards another small cluster of changelings.

“I’ve been hit!” a nearby guard yelped, clumping towards the ground as thick goo smothered him onto the street.

“We can’t hold this position much longer!” another guard informed as a huge clump of changelings piled onto him.

“More bombers incoming!”

“Pull back! Pull back!”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“I’m stuck! Somepony help!”

“We’re being overwhelmed!”

“Get outta of our country, ya lousy buggers! Take this!”

“Protect the princess!”

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

“The princess is surrounded! All platoons, form up! We have to protect the princess!”

BANG!

“I’m goin’ down! Go on without me!”

“That’s not optional, private! You’re coming with us!”

“Bombers have busted through the CPD walls! I repeat, bombers have busted through the CPD walls!”

“Over here! We’ve got fifty changelings advancing on our position!

BANG! BANG!

“That’s not our issue! We have to protect the princess!”

“Stand down, sergeant! I can hold my own!”

“We’re guarding you whether you like it or not! We’ve already lost Princess Celestia! We’re not going to lose you, Your Highness!”

BANG!

“More bombers! More bombers!”

“Gah! They’ve got me!”

“More Royal Guards are coming from the rear! Make sure you don’t hit them!”

“That’s not going to be a problem! They’re already surrounded!”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Blake couldn’t keep track of all the events that were transpiring simultaneously. There were simply too many things for his brain to process in so little time. He kept firing, and firing, and firing until he was thoroughly depleted of all the ammunition of his AK-47.

“Goddammit!” he cursed as the final few rounds sped off into the distance, knocking the trail off of another bomber that attempted to land right smack dab in the middle of the battle. He vigorously hurled the assault rifle at a charging changeling, indenting the side of its head with a satisfying crunch. He pulled out the revolver from his back pocket, trying his absolute best to steady his arms and aim cautiously.

Luna didn’t duplicate many rounds for my revolver, so I have to make every shot count! Blake thought, placing three bullets in three individual changelings. Another five took their places. This is hopeless. There’s too many of them.

The moment Blake was almost forced to the ground by another six changelings jumping on his position, a bright pink explosion imploded forcefully from the castle, only the changelings seemingly affected by it. Every single one was promptly launched far off into the distance, the goo also vanishing into thin air, freeing the trapped guards. The defenders glanced around, obviously confused as to what had just transpired.

“Did we win?” a unicorn guard asked. “Is it over?”

“I recognize that form of magic… it was from Princess Cadence herself,” Luna paused, laughing out loud. “Talk about escape in the nick of time!”

“So this means we won?” the same guard asked a second time.

“Hear ye! Hear ye, soldiers of Equestria! We have won this battle, and the changelings have been defeated!” Luna announced vociferously, the guard immediately breaking into celebration.

“We did it!” Ebony cheered, hugging his brother tightly.

“That we did, big brother. Three cheers for Equestria, everypony!” Vigilant shouted. “Hip hip!”

“Hurrah!”

“Hip hip!”

“Hurrah!”

“HIP HIP!”

“HURRAH!”

“That, my boys, is how a true stallion cheers!” Vigilant chuckled.

“I can’t believe this finally over!” Blake smiled, clasping his hands together. “I mean, that was one hell of a fight!”

Without warning, Vigilant then lurched to the ground, grasping his chest to what looked like his heart beating irregularly out of his torso.

“Brother!” Ebony yelped rushing to his brother’s side. Vigilant’s chest rose and fell quickly, and his facing became increasingly pale.

“Dang it… D-Day B-B-Break, he’s… initiating t-the Blood P-P-Pact,” Vigilant stuttered, his lungs pleading for air.

“Who’s doing what?” Ebony asked, unable to depict what his brother was trying to say.

“B-Blake will t-tell you… everything,” Vigilant said even softer than before, his bodily systems beginning to shut down one by one. “I l-love you brother… and m-mother and… f-f-father. Y-you have a very… b-beautiful wife, brother… never let her g-g-go. G-good… bye…”

The stallion peacefully closed his eyes, and as quickly as it began, it was over. The stallion was no more, his life’s reserves coming to an abrupt end. Blake’s hands clasped over his mouth, gasping unbelievably as to the sight that lay before him. A crowd had now gathered around the lifeless corpse, as a waterfall of tears streamed down Ebony’s cheeks.

Something caught Blake’s eye, a yellow silhouette spectating from afar. He immediately recognized who it was, bringing his weapon to bear.

Day Break mouthed the words: “This isn’t over.”

Blake fired twice. Both rounds missed.

Chapter 22: Interlude

Chapter 22: Interlude

The illustrious city of Canterlot showed two polar opposites that night, just like a coin. On one side, its denizens basked and relinquished their hard-fought victory over the invading changeling army during the celebration of the royal wedding, while on the other, both the Royal Guard and government officials gaped in solitary silence, both their bodies and minds steadily recovering from taking such a heavy toll. Both princesses adorned their happiest and most friendly smile within the vicinity of the citizens, but any time the spotlight drifted off of them, they dipped their heads, wallowing at the horrid aftermath of their glorious city being bombarded to shreds. Rebuilding would immediately commence at the next sunrise, but until then, they bore fake masks of joy for their niece and her newly-wedded husband.

Blake laid his aching back against a wooden bench, spectating the rejoicing ponies from a safe distance. They partied on like it was the end of the world, senselessly dancing to catchy pop songs booming through ginormous speakers. His revolver was fully loaded, loosely gripped in his right hand. For reasons unknown to him, he felt practically naked without some form of weapon by his side. Without it, he felt defenseless and vulnerable. Day Break’s final words replayed in his mind like broken record: “This isn’t over.”

But what could the former professor attempt now? The game was over, and the king had ultimately been trapped into a checkmate by a plethora of allied pieces. No matter what Day Break tried to scheme at this point, he would be plunged into defeat, as he had before. Since the princesses quickly agreed that Blake would be allowed to wield his sidearm in the event that he needed to protect himself in self-defense, there would now probably be no additional opportunities to kidnap him. Plus, Luna insisted on at least a single guard keeping tabs on his whereabouts at all times. There’s nothing you can do now, Day Break, Blake thought, rubbing his eyes thoughtfully. This game of yours is over. You can run, you can hide, but the princesses will find you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Revenge was a deadly item that both parties desperately wanted to commit on each other, but when the time came that Day Break would be apprehended and arrested, Blake promised that he would not commit any physical damage to the unicorn. He would be in the princess’ hooves by then, and he knew that he shouldn’t interfere with any of their plans or ideas in punishing and bringing him to swift justice.

Who knows what will happen now? Blake contemplated, wrapping his tired legs into a crisscross formation. There’s no doubt that I won’t just be hopping back into my studies as I was before this mess. Luna saw me in combat, and she saw what my weapons are capable of. Will she try and train me into a soldier? Or will she try to figure out how these guns work in order to reproduce them and basically attempt the same thing that Day Break was trying to accomplish in the first place. Maybe I’m just being paranoid and overthinking this. I really need some sleep. And food. Food sounds nice. How long has it been since I last had meat? Two months, maybe? I mean, can’t a guy just ask for a thick, juicy steak around these parts?

That’s their problem, Lyra, not mine. Blake chuckled aloud, his mouth grinning widely. To be honest, I’ve missed your little annoying, squeaky voice interrupting my thoughts on a constant basis. It feels nice to go back to the way things were before.

I never said anything of the sort... I think there may be voices inside your head telling you otherwise.

It’s been almost a week, not an eternity. Personalities can’t change that quickly.

I’m sorry, I promised myself that I’d stop trying to be so joking and sarcastic around you guys. Guess it’s not working quite yet.

And mine probably never will, but I’ll do my best to at least fake a smile every now and again. Sound good?

I’d rather not. Don’t you think I’d stand out in the middle of the crowd?

I hate to break it to you, but I don’t dance, or “boogie” so to speak. I’ve never been quite good with my footing, and I always tend to trip over myself.

I’ve got my handgun on me at the moment. Since I don’t have a holster for it, I just keep it in my back pocket and it just kind of bulges out awkwardly. Don’t you think I’d still look quite silly dancing around with a big lump on my ass?

I suppose you’re right. But I’m going to do this for you and you only. The moment I hear even a trickle of laughter aimed in my direction, I’m leaving without saying another word.

Lyra, what did I say about using those words? And since when was I the lazy one? I was spending the whole day fighting a war that wasn’t even my own.

Touché. I’ll be there in a few minutes.

Blake leaned comfortably back against the bench, making sure that his mint-green friend didn’t have any additional comments. As the silence prolonged, he figured that their conversation was officially over. He grunted audibly as he shifted his entire weight onto his exhausted legs, sauntering cautiously. He proceeded to drain the revolver of its lead rounds, stuffing all six into a side pocket of his dilapidated, blue jeans. He then shouted to a nearby unicorn guard, swiftly gaining his attention.

“Think you can hold onto this for a while?” Blake asked with an eyebrow raised, gesturing towards the revolver clenched loosely in his hand.

The guard eyed the human inquisitively. “Are you sure?”

“I’m going to head over to the celebration for a little while. I don’t think the princesses would be too thrilled about me toting a firearm near the civilians, especially with the invasion and all,” Blake explained, holding the weapon a little closer to the guard.

A bright aura illuminated the dusky patch of garden, emanating from his grey horn. A firm grip grappled the gun lightly, easily tugging it out of Blake’s grasp. He allowed the revolver to sail through the heavy air, floating until it reached the guard’s side. “I’ll keep it safe, you have my word,” the guard promised. “I’ll be patrolling this area for the entire night, so you can find me here when you desire your weapon to be returned to your possession.”

“Can I have a name?” Blake inquired, scratching the back of his neck. “You guards kinda look alike. It’s pretty difficult to tell one from the other.

“Sanctuary,” the guard replied, experimentally swinging the gun from side to side.

“Sanctuary, got it,” Blake nodded. He was about to walk away, when another idea struck his mind. “Oh, and don’t even bother trying to figure out how that thing works. It doesn’t have the capability to fire at the moment, as I took away its ammunition already before handing it to you. It would be like trying to shoot a bow without an arrow. Without any projectiles, it’s just going to act as a fancy-looking club.”

“Understood,” Sanctuary said, immediately refraining from making any more movements with the gun in his magical grip.

“Thank you,” Blake half-smiled. “I hopefully won’t be any longer than a couple of hours.”

Sanctuary nodded his head, with nothing to add onto their brief conversation. His eyes fixed themselves forward, grim and unwavering just as the guard was specifically trained to do while on duty. Blake decided to leave the premises, making his way to the blaring music from a short distance away. It was quite strenuous to lift his legs over nearby shrubberies and small critters scurrying about the gardens, but he trudged onwards nonetheless. He might as well try to have a little fun to distract his heavy mind filled to the brim with burdened thoughts and various terrifying scenarios.

Dozens of eyes accentuated towards his tall, lanky form as he meandered into the midst of the upbeat celebration. His ears picked up varying comments with the subject centered on his mere presence, but with the boisterous music in the background, he couldn’t depict the majority of the citizens’ idle gossiping. He tried his best to bare a false smile in order to promote his friendliness instead of his usual secluded self. Just like all the previous times he decided to make an entrance in a crowd full of ponies, attention would be fixed on him for a few moments, but then wandered off to somewhere else as they realized he wasn’t there to create a commotion or uproar.

“It’s about time you decided to show up!” Lyra cheerily stated, joyously trotting up to his side. “I thought you’d end up ditching me again!”

“Well, I guess I couldn’t really find a decent reason to not make an appearance,” Blake replied loudly, raising his voice to levels that could be heard above the obstreperous beats of the captivating music.

Lyra chuckled, her toothy grin quite apparent to his green eyes. “So, do you like my dress?” she asked, nudging a hoof towards the fabrics that were draped over her curvy back. Blake took note of the golden, flowery-like designs that accented the color of her irises perfectly. She wore a fuchsia, pearly necklace, and a trio of green flowers were mixed near her right ear. Overall, Blake smiled in response to the elegant design.

“It’s simple, yet effective,” he complimented, kneeling slightly so that he could speak closer into her ear. He knew if he even dared attempting to shout vociferously the entire night, he’d end up rolling in agony with a sore throat the next day.

“You really think so?” Lyra beamed, glancing back to admire her wonderfully designed dress momentarily.

“I think it’s beautiful, honest,” Blake said, ruffling her hair playfully and scratching the back of the ear that wasn’t adorning any flower decorations.

She gratefully enjoyed the brief contact, gently knocking his hand away. “Stop that,” she giggled, “it tickles.”

Blake snickered, removing his dexterous hand immediately. Looks like I’ve finally found a weak spot, he pondered. Now I’m just going to have to find an opportunity later to exploit it.

Of course you did.

He swiftly brought his hand up to her head, rubbing intently behind her ear. She giggled again, trying desperately to bat his hand away but to no avail. Blake attentively persisted, and her constant bursts of laughter refused to come to a halt. “Stop it, please!” Lyra pleaded, but Blake’s hand remained its current position nonetheless.

“Torture is not something condoned by the supreme law of the country of Equestria. I suggest you remove your hand before somepony gets tossed into the castle’s dungeon,” Princess Luna stated, sneaking up from behind them as if materializing out of thin air.

Blake flinched, immediately losing his balance from the awkward stance he was situated at. He clumsily slipped onto the concrete path beneath him, slightly scraping his hands as the they instinctively took the brunt of the fall. The stinging sensation only lingered momentarily, and it subsided rather quickly than he would’ve thought. The music then finally came to a respite as the DJ made the decision to swap through her records, allowing them to tone their voices down to normal levels.

“What’s the deal with coming up from behind us like that?” Blake joked, his lengthy legs stretching to full height. “It seems to be a nasty habit of yours, princess.”

“I like come and go as I please and I prefer to do so without attracting the attention of a large assembly,” Luna explained. “I find it necessary to stick to the roads untraveled in order to maintain stealth and inconspicuousness. You should know this by now, Blake. We may have only known each other for a short period of time, but I think we understand that most simple details about each other. For instance, you know that I enjoy studying the fundamental principles of alchemy while I know that you enjoy using your profane language at any given opportunity.”

“Damn right, I do,” Blake laughed, clenching his hand into a fist with a thumb protruding upwards. “And let’s be honest here, swearing is in my DNA. No matter kind of methods you try to get me to stop, I’m still going to find a way to drop a few f-bombs here and there. It’s infused into my molecular structure. It just comes to me naturally.”

“Yes, it’s certainly a suitable trait if you actually want to chase away other ponies,” Luna chuckled, shaking her head. “Anyways, exchanging silly banter is not the reason I wanted to come talk to you.”

“I figured as much,” Blake nodded. “What’s on your mind?”

“I have a few items of business I’d like to attend to,” Luna said. “First of all, we’ve gathered several construction teams mainly composed of local volunteers to help rebuild the damage dealt to Canterlot, and they will begin at sunrise tomorrow morning. Though I’d rather you stay in bed for a day or so to recuperate your energy and let your wounds heal, I know you’re not one who enjoys being trapped in a room, sitting around for hours on end.”

“Tell me about it,” Blake mumbled, just barely loud enough for both Luna and Lyra to catch.

“If your heart truly desires to assist in the rebuilding effort, then I will grant you the opportunity to work with one of the construction teams. However, I leave this decision entirely up to you,” Luna said.

“I don’t think I could stand staring blankly at a barren wall for another second, so of course I’d like to help. I’ll do whatever it takes to get this city back into top condition,” Blake said with honesty clear in his tone.

“I guessed that’s what your answer would be,” Luna figured. “More information will be provided tomorrow morning. Secondly, I thought I’d let you know that we already focusing a ton of our resources and ponypower to hunt for the location of Professor Day Break. If what you told us is true, that he was really the one who supplied the changelings with all of the confidential information on Canterlot’s defenses and patrols, then he’s been stuck on the top seed of Equestria’s Most Wanted list. We cannot and will not allow such a stallion to roam free after such an invasion, and also kidnapping and beating one of our guests prior to said invasion. Day Break will meet justice, whether he likes it or not.”

“That pony deserves to be sent to prison, especially what he’s done to Blake,” Lyra commented.

“I agree,” Luna said, nodding her head. “And lastly, I’d like you to find a moment to speak with Sergeant Ebony about his brother. You’re the last pony — or person, I should say, that spent a decent amount of time with his twin. Ebony is a good stallion, and he deserves to hear more about what his brother was tied into, since I still don’t think he truly understands the situation that Vigilant had to undergo. I’m not forcing you to talk with him right away, but I’d still like for you to visit his home sometime soon.”

“Of course, I was planning on seeing him on my own time anyways,” Blake said. “I’ll see to it that he knows everything about his brother.”

“Thank you, Blake,” Luna said, swinging her body in the direction of her sister. “I shall take my leave now. You may do as you wish, but I’m setting a curfew for midnight. Both you two absolutely deserve a good night’s sleep.”

“See you later, Luna,” Blake said, waving his hand near his torso.

“Goodbye, Princess Luna,” Lyra said, also bidding farewell.

Luna smiled in return, but not another syllable escaped her lips. She walked away from the pair elegantly, quickly greeting ponies as she passed by them.

“Alright, everypony, can I have all eyes up here, please?” a tomboyish voice announced through the speakers situated on the far side of the gardens. The entire mass of attendees then gave the spiky-maned DJ their undivided attention, putting a pause in their conversations and casual dancing. “We’re gonna take things slow now. Pick a partner and gather ‘round the bride the groom. We’ll start the next song in a few minutes.”

Dozens of pairs immediately gathered together, forming a perfect ring surrounding the newly wedded couple. Blake glanced at Lyra, who was twirling a hoof across the pavement nervously. He quietly sighed to himself, unable to believe that he was actually going to go through with his companion’s request in the first place. “Lyra,” he said, locking gazes with the unicorn and gently holding a welcoming hand outward. “Would you like to dance?”

Lyra’s cheeks hastily transformed into a rosy hue as she swiftly craned her head away to hide the embarrassing fact. “I’d love to,” she accepted, allowing Blake’s tender fingers to gently wrap around her hoof. The two scurried towards the circle, unaware when the next tune was going to begin.

“Isn’t that uncomfortable, walking on three legs like that?” Blake inquired, taking note of Lyra’s evident stumbling as they made their way to the center of the garden where the couples were setting themselves up.

“Balance is hard, but it isn’t impossible,” she informed, tripping over herself again. Fortunately, with Blake’s support, she was able to keep herself mobile and upright. “Of course, it does take a lot of practice to get it right. It makes me wonder how you humans can walk on only two legs without even a tail to help with balance.”

“We’re just talented like that,” he chortled, squeezing in between another few high-class citizens dressed in extremely expensive dresses and suits. “Do you think you can stand upright? I don’t see any other way we’re going to do this.”

“I think I can, as long as you’re here to keep me from falling flat on my face,” she guessed heartily, arduously shifting her posture so that the two were embraced chest-to-chest. The top of the unicorn’s head only reached the tip of his shoulders, while her horn increased her height to right below his chin. She placed her right hoof over his broad shoulder, while she let his hand benevolently grip over her left. Blake then grasped his free arm around her waist, using any expendable energy to keep her standing tall and straight.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Blake asked worringly, his internal senses badgering him that the two were drawing quite the attention with their alien-like setup. “You ponies don’t normally stand like this.”

“Trust me, I can do this,” Lyra reassured, grinning widely.

“If you say so,” Blake shrugged, impatiently waiting for the music to finally commence.

His wish was immediately granted, as the soothing melody of a piano accompanied by a quintet of stringed instruments blissfully soothed his ears. The pair began moving in tense steps in unison to the rhythm, swinging left to right gracefully. They rotated along with the majority of the circle, twirling and spinning agilely despite their few mishaps of stepping out of place or shifting their weight too forward. Though it was true that the friends had never danced together before, their simple spirals and twists miraculously stood out from the bulk of the uniformed circle.

“I recognize this piece,” Lyra whispered as they continued their elated movements, “I remember that this was the first time I had ever been on a recording.”

“So you’re actually playing in this song?” Blake asked in the same tone.

“Dreams of a Danseuse, is the name, I believe,” Lyra replied. “You can barely hear me as I’m only playing the harmony, but I’m sure that’s a good thing considering I was still quite new to the professional world of music back then.”

“It’s quite sweet. It reminds me of some of the classical music back home,” Blake said, beginning to increase the pace of his feet as the tempo escalated in rhythm.

“Really?” Lyra inquired. “I now also remember you promising to show me some of your kind’s music. We still haven’t had the chance to do that yet.”

“Fortunately for us, Day Break wasn’t too rambunctious with any of my gear that wasn’t built to harm other sentient beings. My phone’s in my backpack and still in working condition, last I checked. Unless some thief wanted to desperately find a way to steal and sell alien technology, it all should still be up in my room,” Blake said.

Several minutes had come and gone by in a blur. They still moved as one, pacing back and forth while maintaining a spinning momentum. They never dared attempting anything exceedingly adventurous and kept with the usual spins in order to refrain from ultimately falling in the middle of the rotating crowd of dancers.

As the tune came to its inevitable close, fireworks then shot into the twinkly, night sky, illuminating it in an ocean of color and shapes. The world seemed to shift its sights towards the illustrious patterns formed by the fireworks, as “Oooh’s” and “Aaaah’s” swiftly came from the population of ponies. They halted their dancing as the music stopped, not caring for another thing other than watching one beautiful explosion after another. It was like the invasion never occurred, as the ponies found something magnificent to savor together.

“I wish moments like these would never end,” Lyra sighed in content as she rested her tired head against Blake’s shoulder.

Blake wrapped her in closely, their warmth being transferred across their bodies. “Let's just hope that things will get better soon.”

Author's Note

Hurrah for more filler!

Sorry that updates have started to become slower recently. I've been busy with finals at school and applying for jobs in the area. I'm planning on the next chapter being another long one, so this might mean another short break until the next chapter. I'll get to it as fast as I can, I promise!

Anyways, hope you've been enjoying the story so far. With what I have planned out as of now, there's only going to be a few more chapters plus an epilogue. Guess we'll see what happens, though.