//------------------------------// // Chapter 06 // Story: The Broken Toy // by DarkKnight_RUS //------------------------------// That evening, the hovertaxi landed at an unremarkable house in the southern district of the Grey City, near the skyscrapers-needles of the White City. The high towers shined in dusk like fairy-like torches lighting up streets of lower levels better than any kind of illumination. “Pony-Play” -- this was the discreet sign hung above a heavy door, between the pillars. A brawny man in jeans and a guard's jacket walked back and forth beside it. His heavy boots made the same heavy sounds with every step. Lyra paid the taxi driver and walked up to it. She was overtaken by a man and a pony. In the twilight, the unicorn couldn’t discern who it was, but both of them were in a hurry. When the door opened, music and noise came from inside, the type of music usually appropriate for the wildest fun. Surely that’s Pinkie Pie, making a party with or without an occasion, thought the unicorn with a smile. The fact that Victor had not harassed her the previous night, as well as the Princess's words, came into sharp conflict with what she had seen. Lyra decided that she should figure everything out by herself and at the same time arrange for herself another test of courage. She had imagined dark torture chambers, filled with imprisoned ponies. A black castle, an ominous manor, or a tower of evil wizard… However “Pony-Play” was a common building, with a none-too-catchy holographic sign and a gray facade typical for the area. Windows, glittering with sprays of reflective paint, polished to a mirror-shine, hid what was happening inside, but the club did not stand out on a brightly lit street full of round-the-clock establishments. The bored guard at the entrance stared, a little surprised at the mint-green pony walking alone into the club. It wasn’t weird by itself -- many synthets liked such pastimes. But this pony reminded him of a schoolgirl from the White City, one that had escaped from educators: strict suit, neat hairstyle, wide-open naive eyes, and no trace of cosmetics on the muzzle… “Good evening, sir, may I come in?” she asked, her head slightly tilted to one side. The guard, on whose chest was a badge with the name “Jack”, overcame his surprise and ran a scanner over the pony’s head. It blinked with a blue indicator -- the mark was ok, the pony was neither free nor ownerless. “Where is your master, filly?” Jack couldn’t resist asking “Inside?” “No,” the unicorn was slightly embarrassed, “My... friend has no idea where I am.” The human smiled and jokingly shook his finger. “You’re a naughty pony if you’re going in such places without asking. If I were him, I’d give you a good beating if I knew where you were going.” Lyra, whose heart sank after the first of Jack’s words, could barely restrain herself from stepping back. Vic would never hit me she wanted to reply but said something completely different. “So...can I come in?” “Oh, ‘course,” Jack stepped aside “Come on in. Rainbow runs wild today... again. Have fun.” “Thank you, sir,” sang the unicorn with girlish voice, before she joyfully clattered inside, telekinesis sliding the revolving door. Jack grinned. It seemed that this pony didn’t know where she was going… Quickly passing a small hall, Lyra Heartstrings found herself in the vast room, filled with the uneven light of strobing lamps.  The center was a dais, surrounded by a circular recess, and directly above which was a stage, hanging over the room and its deep pit, like a rock. The rest of the free space, which was shaped like a horseshoe, was occupied by tables and sofas, separated by low partitions into cozy nooks. Actually, “Pony-Play” seemed much larger than the Solaire Club, and there were clearly more people. And ponies. But that was not the main difference. Lyra was a little uncomfortable when she first saw the pony-waitress. A blue unicorn with a white mane, she quickly passed by, carrying a tray of five foaming mugs in the glow of magic. She was dressed in high black socks with embroidered stars and a rather frivolous harness that left little room for the imagination. Her croup was covered by a short skirt, lifting by the tail and hiding only the cutie mark. Lyra, who swiftly got used to humans’ customs, thought that  these ponies were dressed to immodestly. Every intelligent being in this world dressed themselves, after all, but these waitresses barely did.  All the other waitresses were dressed exactly the same, except in different colors that were in harmony with their coat. None of those present gave a damn about this, and the unicorn decided that it was common here.  Something thundered from the side of the stage, and tongues of flame mixed with fireworks soared into the air. A man in a black suit and a top hat on his head appeared on the dais, raised his hands and proclaimed, “And now, ladies and gentlemen, mares and gentlecolts, we have an occasion to listen to our very own celebrity -- Rainbow Dash, the one and only! Welcome!” The audience burst into applause and tramping, whistling and hooting. A few pegasi flashed through the air, and Lyra noticed that all of the Rainbow Dashes that were present tried to fly away from the stage.  The only? thought the unicorn, That’s interesting, is that really?... The first one? Or just a braggart? The first chords of the music pounded, but for Lyra it was like dead silence. In the strobing light of the special effects, the mint pony examined the other ponies who were in the club.  At first glance, there were no essential differences from the “Solaire”-- except for the decorations, maybe. Well, the music was more dynamic. Also the pony-waitresses, again.  But Lyra could see what the main difference was. In that small corner of Equestria, there were happy friends gathered under the wing of the Sun Princess, and the eyes of both ponies and humans glowed with similar joy and fun. Here... Here Lyra could notice that there were no happy smiles. Malevolent and mocking ones -- yes, no doubt, but nobody seemed to be having actual fun. Many ponies here were barely dressed, even compared to the almost naked waitresses. Defiant and sometimes pointedly strict outfits of aggressive colors only made the effect stronger. Some of the ponies did not move - the ones that sat next to people on leashes and chains leading to collars or halters. And it didn’t seem that these attributes of subordination were put on willingly. Her heart throbbed violently on her ribs at the sight of the ponies, bridled and twisted with black belts. It was in their eyes that most often flashed fear or indifference, and they almost didn’t participate in the reigning fun around. They only glanced at some other ponies, looked at the stage, or one of the screens. And the people sitting nearby, often holding the ends of leashes and bridles in their hands, paid almost no attention to their captives. Lyra flinched whenever she saw this or met another hunted down look. Obviously, many ponies here were just slaves. And Celestia knows how far people went in such “entertainments”. Quite far, it seemed. Her imagination thought up bad people, of capturing ponies in slavery where they were waiting for a tragic fate… “You are a bad, bad filly!” -- again flashed through her head. At this time Rainbow Dash appeared on the stage, clutching an electric guitar in her front legs. Spreading her wings for balance, she looked around at everyone present. The roar of discordant heavy music, which stun the unaccustomed unicorn, played. The rainbow pegasus started to sing. At the limit of her vocal cords, even closing her eyes from the tension. The familiar voice sounded with some strange intonations as if something bad and gloomy was settled in the soul of the performer: — Покажи же мне, как лгать, Ведь тебе равных не сыскать, Искусству судьбами играть Не так-то сложно научить. Ввернешь одно словцо - И результат уж налицо, Ты растворяешься в толпе – Уже кого-то идут бить... Lyra was ready to swear that this Rainbow Dash was bursting with wild delight. And if not for her singing being filled with spiteful aggression, maybe the mint unicorn would have found even such music attractive. At that time Rainbow hit the strings of the roaring guitar and raised her voice, although it seemed it was the limit of possibilities. Пляши же, гад, пляши, Жизнь за сущие гроши. Никто так не узнал, Почем кому ты их сдавал. И вот опять ты улизнешь, Его с дороги уберешь, Молодец, так держать! Далеко же ты пойдешь! There was a pause in the song, allowing the vocalist to catch her breath. But it seemed that Rainbow would fly up from her rapture, closing her eyes and completely surrendering to the roaring music. “I’m afraid all the tables are taken today,” someone suddenly said beside her, and Lyra almost jumped. Turning her head, she saw a young black-haired man in a suit with a badge, informing her that the person in front of her is the administrator Harlon. “Excuse me, what?” asked Lyra, trying to out-shout the music from the speakers and the screams of the audience. “Today all the tables are occupied,” the man repeated louder with an artificial flattering smile, “Because the Rainbow Dash is having fun and wasting money for three days in a row. I can only offer you a seat at the bar.” Lyra was uncomfortable with his gaze. Not that he was openly staring or undressing her with his eyes, the unicorn just felt uncomfortable. “That’s... great, mister... uh... Harlon,” she mumbled and walked carefully to the center of the room. The administrator, holding a hand over the pony's head, redid the guard’s gesture and was surprised by the blue indicator on the bracelet. Rainbow Dash from the stage joyfully and shouted under the hysterical roar of power tools. She was helped by the stocky man on a drum set and a creature resembling a dragon with human proportions. The strange keyboard instrument, like a mixture of a guitar and a piano, in his clawed paws seemed quite unnatural, although it sported spiked-scaly dragon paraphernalia. — С этой ложью без конца, Не открыв лица, Бей их прямо между глаз! Бей их прямо между глаз! И вот ты уходишь прочь, Говорить не в мочь, Глаза молнией искрят - Врагов твоих разят! Я покидаю их ряды, Жертв бессмысленной вражды, Сыграй теперь со мною, друг, Ведь эта сцена про меня! Посмотри же впереди - Это плата за грехи, А не получишь, что хотел - Знай, это все из-за меня! Пляши же, гад, пляши, Жизнь за сущие гроши. Никто так не узнал, Почем кому ты их сдавал. И вот толпу ты за собою Ведешь за светлою мечтою. Молодец, так держать" Далеко же ты пойдешь! One of the three bars located in the “Pony-Play” was very close to the recess in the center, which now looked like it was filled with ink darkness. Passing by the cavern with tables, Lyra threw the resting people and ponies curious glances, trying however, not to make it look too impolite.  Rainbow on the stage, meanwhile, had gone wild, and her voice hoarse with anguish sang the last words of the song. — С чередою небылиц, Герой бесчисленных страниц, Бей их прямо между глаз! Бей их прямо между глаз! И вот ты уходишь прочь, Говорить не в мочь, Глаза молнией искрят - Врагов твоих разят! (http: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLhk0MdW9Fo — hear Dash sing on the stage in English) Rainbow stopped singing and gave herself to the music. Now, when it wasn’t possible to either turn it off or down, Lyra suddenly caught herself thinking that she had even begun to like this kind of music. To some degree. Lyra noticed a thin man in jeans and a sweatshirt kissing Applejack in one of the nooks. The earth pony, having her eyes closed and her hat on the back of her head, hugged the man with her front legs. He, in turn, hugged the pony with his hand, and the second one was feeling around her back, which covered with a plaid shirt. The tail, sticking out of her tight jeans and tied with a red rubber band, was swinging back and forth, not being too chastely. The unicorn looked away a bit embarrassed, and continued on her way. She felt her muzzle started to redden. Looking closer, Lyra saw a lot of such acts, and others even more vulgar. And ponies. And people. Together and with each other. Or all at once. Kisses and vulgar embrace, hands and hooves, fumbling over bodies. Even ear-biting. Thank Celestia, Lyra hasn’t met any entirely explicit scenes, like that frightening show.  Although some alcoves of the club were tightly closed off by folding partitions, Lyra had no wish to imagine what was beyond them. It was quite wrong to do in a public place, something which was customary only to happen between the most special friends. It's one thing to affectionately poke a muzzle or hug a friend, or even a peck on the cheek. But a kiss on the lips or to even bite an ear -- it was a little indecent. And, as Lyra realized, among humans, such acts were even stricter. Then why were the people and ponies behaving like this here? The unicorn went to the bar, where people and ponies were sitting on high chairs. For the latter, the furniture was too tall and not too comfortable, but Lyra was used to sitting like a human in Equestria, hanging her tail. The bartender, a stocky man with noble gray in his dark hair, reminded Lyra of an elderly earth pony. The same calm strength, full of dignity, far from wasted over the years. “What will you have, young filly?” the man asked, setting aside the mug he was wiping with a clean cloth. “Uh, cider?” Lyra asked with a blush, feeling like a colt who had run away from his parents for a night dance. The human grinned, and after a couple of seconds a huge glass mug topped with foam stood in front of the pony. The pleasant aroma of sour apples tickled her nostrils. The handle was familiar to ponies, although to Lyra, as a unicorn, it was not too important. Lyra barely had time to drink a good cider before she was about to talk to someone at the bar, but the music abruptly stopped. The audience burst into applause, stomping, and cheering. “Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” chanted several voices. The blue pegasus threw the guitar away and jumped down in one motion. The light of the floodlights followed, and Lyra heard the voice of the man in black again. “Ladies and gentlemen, mares and gentleponies! Make your bets! The evil creature of darkness will be put in a fight against the Rainbow Dash! Bane Blade Preston, a bat pony, warrior of the night!” Lyra shuddered. She had only heard about thestrals, a legendary race of bat ponies. And what does it mean: put in a fight against Rainbow Dash? Were they going to have a competition? Under a roof? What happened next plunged Lyra into a state of mild shock. A huge stallion in armor, who got up on the stage, attacked the azure pegasus to the roar of the crowd. Obeying the gestures of unfamiliar yellow-green winged pony on the turntable, the music struck, as if specifically designed for this moment. The pegasus vaguely reminded Lyra of Vinyl Scratch. It even seemed that she specifically copied DJ Pon-3, and quite successfully, in her eyes. (http: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW1-pN7pfsw — Rainbow Dash, Fighting is magic, arena’s theme) The unicorn watched with rounded eyes as the night pony chased after Rainbow with a roar, who was repeatedly raining down on him a hail of hoof attacks. The bat pony kept up, and the ponies were exchanging blows with incredible speed and fury.  It just stunned her. Ponies, peaceful creatures of the kind world, fighting on a stage for someone’s entertainment? Of course, pegasi were the descendants of great warriors, and the winged ponies have kept many martial arts which had given birth to breathtaking competitions in strength and agility. However, the times when one pony really raised a hoof on another had sunk into oblivion thousands of years ago, along with Dark Ages, when Discord was sowing hatred and odium for his joy. Lyra, looking on the fighting gladiators, thought,Well, those monsters were specially designed for this purpose, though battles for entertainment are savagery in its purest form. But ponies? And Rainbow Dash?! The fight in the arena was absolutely serious. Hits weren't held back, roars and screams let out by both ponies, were full of genuine pain and wrath. Sometimes red spray swept through the air when hard hoofs hit on their pelts, leaving abrasions and bruises. "This is for Spitfire, rainbow bitch!" growled the night pony, slamming his hoof into Rainbow's nose. Red splashed through the air. The pegasus flew off to the very outer rim of the arena. With choked curses, she stood up and spat blood onto the dirty floor. On the flashing holographic scoreboard was glowing the number of bets. The azure pegasus obviously was on top. "On the Rainbow Dash!" yelled Pinkie Pie, dressed in a white suit with a shining with million tinsels. The girl next to her, dressed similarly, echoed the pink pony, and both were giving the man with a tall hat more and more money, which joined the yet more as it traveled down the esophagus of some grotesque machine. “On the Bain Blade!” roared a big man, holding a leash, on the end of which sat a dejected Fluttershy. The mane of the yellow pegasus was braided in a brush (or ponytail, as she would later learn) and her muzzle was hidden behind a leather mask. The gong sounded and the betting stopped. Rainbow Dash seemed to be waiting for this. Soaring into the air, she dove on the bat pony like a rainbow vortex. He desperately fought back with his hooves and tried to grab the pegasus with his sharp teeth, but she didn’t seem to feel any pain. Having missed a felling blow in the chest and the jaw, Rainbow hobbled the hefty stallion, having clamped down on his membranous wings and front legs.  For a while the stallion snarled and struggled, but Rainbow Dash, under another wave of enthusiastic shouts, tightened her grip. Bain Blade, howling, buried his face in the sand of the arena. “I’m going to be kind today!!”  Rainbow shouted, so that it could be heard by the audience, “I'm not even going to kill you! So live, sucker, and remember my kindness. And that you couldn’t avenge that yellow bitch Spitfire!” With those words, she jerked up the howling night pegasus and sent him flying towards the wall of the arena with a rakish kick. The bat pony, whose helmet had been knocked off during the fight, hit his head on the side and crumpled to the floor without any movement. The stands roared, and their cries were drowned out by the indignant cry of Bain Blade’s master, the loud announcement of the winner by the man in the top hat, and the battle cry of Rainbow Dash herself.  The azure pegasus flew up and made a loop under the high ceiling, suddenly landed right beside Lyra Heartstring, who was frozen in horror. Now the unicorn could take a close look at that Rainbow Dash. The famous rainbow mane was cut short and stuck out with a short crest. In the ear of the pegasus gleamed the ring of a piercing, and around her eyes was some defiantly bright eyeshadow, miraculously not flowing even after the fight. Dash's skintight outfit consisted of black leather and did not cover her legs. The worst part, however,  was that the entirety of her skin was covered with the uneven stripes of healed scars. One of the largest even had broken up the pattern of her cutie mark. A little above each hoof Rainbow wore wide bracelets with spikes. At the sight of the red-smeared sharp pieces of metal, Lyra felt sick. But the pegasus contemptuously sneered again and spit to the side, slamming a hoof on the counter. “Sam, damn it! How long will this poor filly suffer from thirst?” The bartender smiled and a glass with ice went along the counter to Dash, and a rectangular bottle of brownish liquid soon did the same. “Applejack Daniels,”  the label said. Above the inscription proudly shone the emblem of Equestria and a stylized apple of "Sweet acres". The pegasus splashed some liquid into the glass and drained it in one gulp. And one more. And more. Sniffing, Lyra realized with horror that Rainbow Dash was pumping herself up with something much stronger than cider right here and now. “Ah… Heartstrings,” the pegasus said suddenly, as if she had only now noticed Lyra. “I haven’t seen your mint mug here for a while.” “I'm here for the first time…” said the confused unicorn, but Dash interrupted: “I don’t give a shoot. As you can see, there is a lot of me here.” Lyra looked around, and indeed, quite often in the crowd flashed a rainbow mane and blue fur. “But it doesn’t make this sub-rainbows veritable, does it?” “What’s the party about?” Lyra asked, changing the subject, calling a smile to the face of this strange Rainbow Dash, like when a foal recalls his recent birthday… “Freedom, Heartsrings,” spoke the azure pony, “Luna-damned freedom! I've been going wild like this for three days. The show must go on, motherfucker!” The hoof slammed on the counter again, leaving a banknote on it. Lyra spotted that after that performance, nobody had come up to Dash to either congratulate or to express gratitude for such a specific, but exciting, contest. “Rainbow, why do you fight in the arena?” asked Lyra, “Is it necessary?” “At first, the owner made me, after I got in. For years it was almost the only place where I could let off steam.” “Made?” inquired Lyra, wincing at the word, “He didn’t love you?” “Oh, he did. Every day he loved me. Especially after the arena -- he was excited when I was made into a horse chop…” Rainbow touched a scar that crossed her cutie-mark. “And the marks of his love will stay with me forever.” Lyra felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest. “And you're so calm about it?” The sky-blue pegasus, with creaking leather clothing, reached out and downed another full glass of booze. Repeating it again and again, she was smiling at something, and Lyra realized that Rainbow Dash, a champion and a sportsmare, the Element of Loyalty, simply got drunk. Purposefully. A pack of cigarettes was fetched -- Lyra already knew what it was. Deftly taking one, the pegasus sent it in her mouth and lit it with a lighter that was carefully brought by the bartender. The acrid smoke stung her eyes, and Lyra made a gentle breeze by her telekinesis to ward off the stench. Many people in “Pony-Play” were smokers, but over the fenced tables hung powerful cones of hoods, and the smoke almost did not penetrate into the main hall. Rainbow Dash released a stream of smoke upwards and said,“I'm in the mood today, Heartstrings. Do you want me to beat up your master?” The golden eyes stared at the pegasus. “What for?!”  But Rainbow didn’t hear her anymore. Standing on her unruly hind legs, she leaned on Lyra, who had not managed to dodge, and holding the almost finished bottle in her front leg, proclaimed, “T-today your little Dashie is kind...” The pegasus almost fell but stayed on her hooves. “Eh, tore my ass!.. Well, I won’t even beat you, dump sub-rainbows! O-only in the arena! Vicky, rounds for everyone! On my account! Old Apple Daniels!” Several people came to the bar to enjoy a free drink. A couple of toasts to the health of the champion were shouted, and someone called her to their table… Rainbow just grimaced and fell back on the chair. A wad of cash tied with a rubber band flew onto the bar. Lyra leaned over to ear of the blue flyer and quietly said,“You won’t find friends by pumping up everyone around with alcohol, Rainbow Dash...”  “F-friends?” she asked in a slurred language, “I don’t need f-friends! In this world nor in another! F-friends’ll give you up as soon as you turn. Your loving owner will kick you into the arena, and at night will bandage you to bed and fuck you so hard that you won’t be able to walk straight for two days! You can trust only in yourself.”  “No, it isn’t so!” retorted Lyra with horror, she finally understood why leather bands had not only spikes but also steel rings. “It is so,” a wry smile crossed Dash’s muzzle, and the last sip of whiskey was sent into her mouth, this time right from the bottle, “L-look at me. I am what I am because... hic… of my... master… owner, who has brought me the biggest gift in my life. Just the gift of my whole l-life, tore my ass!” The empty bottle flew to the arena and stuck in the sand. The bartender, with an indifferent expression on his face, sent another one, which was deftly caught by Rainbow. “What gift?” The azure pegasus pulled out bottle’s stopper, made a couple of gulps and happily laughed. “He just died! Died! At last! Oh, how I dreamed of it, you would know!” She couldn’t get it. Rainbow Dash, joyful, perky, the fastest and the most reckless pegasus in the world, has been celebrating… the death of her… friend for three days in a row? Or master? That’s what she said? Celebrating someone’s death -- it wasn’t even weird. It was unthinkable. “But…” started the unicorn, however, Rainbow was immersed in a state where in tipsy fog you get very loose-tongued and your ears seem to be plugged with cotton. “R-remember, little pony, no… hic!... no one can be trusted, especially people. Especially those, who want… to become” – even in Rainbow’s drunken condition, a bitter irony was heard in her voice -- “ a ‘true friend’! Remember, all that people need from you – show and porn! So, watch your croup, little pony, until it… wasn’t… hic!... until they made it useful!” Lyra really wanted to get away from this Rainbow. A smell of the tobacco smoke was mixed up with alcohol and unpleasantly irritated her nose. According to the behavior of the azure pegasus, she didn't seem to be herself anymore.  Who did that with her, and why? Meanwhile, a man sat nearby the two ponies. Rainbow didn't show interest, because she tried to hit a bottleneck of a new bottle in the glass. A few drops of whiskey were already spilled on the counter. Lyra noticed that man who looked at the pegasus, who was barely maintaining a vertical position. The stranger was wearing jeans and a leather jacket over a t-shirt, which in ‘Pony-Play’, seemed to be about the most common style. On his sleeve there was a silver mark in the form of three apples, obviously depicting Applejack’s cutiemark. The pony herself, however, was not with man.  The man ran his hand over his shaved bald head, which was covered with a cobweb pattern. “Rainbow Dash Vendar?” he asked, “Is that really you?” Dash could hardly focus her ruby eyes on the new participant in the conversation and spoke, confused in her own language: “I-If you call m-me the na-ame of this as-shole again, I'll count your bones! I, fuck, am the on-ly Rainbow Dash, the only… hic!... and unique. And let all the other fakes t-take the names of their… hic!...” the voice of pegasus was filled with endless contempt “owners! What do you need?” “Listen, Dash, since Alex is gone, you're kinda on your own?...” A surprised expression appeared on Dash’s muzzle: “Ah, Franky…. I r-remember ya. Y-you visited us… several times. A lover of rough p-penetrations.” “That’s what I’m talking about. It seemed you liked it, how about a repeat?” “Franky… b-bitch… Molestia’s brat,” There was boiling hatred in Rainbow’s voice. The pegasus turned to stunned Lyra. “And w-why do only morons stick to me all the time?..” The human wasn’t fased by her refusal. “I’ll give you a cut, baby..., Synthets like you always need money. Moreover, I really like you.” Rainbow Dash found some strength to stand up on her four hooves. The human stood up too and tried to stroke the pony on her short crest. The pegasus bowed her head with a muffled roar and twisted her ears, dodging the palm. “Oh, I’ll give you a cut,” she said through her teeth. Lyra had no time to do, or even to understand, anything. The human suddenly doubled over, gripping his groin where he had been hit by a shod hoof. Paying no attention to the numb unicorn, Dash spun around and added one more blow to the face of man, who started to fall. A few drops of blood flew into the air, accompanied by a pair of teeth. “H-how long I have waited for this, dammit..” Rainbow hiss out the words, “B-bitch… I hate… Today is just an unstoppable party, tore my ass.” With those words, Dash sat back at the table and again reached the bottle. From the hall there was a certain amount of applause and ponies’ approving trampling. Lyra noticed that the trampling came from ponies who wore visible collars or other signs of slavery. Some of them earned a slap or jerk of their leashes from their masters for showing their feelings. The moaning man was carried away by a burly guard, who quietly gave Rainbow thumbs - up. She didn't pay attention to that. “Who are synthets, Dash?” asked Lyra, causing a blast of drunken laughter, “What was so funny about what I said?” Rainbow barely coped with a fit of homeric laughter and replied,“Oh, y-you… cutie, you think you’re from… ha-ha… from this… Questria?” “Equestria, yes. What do you mean ‘think'? Have you forgotten your home?” A new burst of laughter shook the azure pegasus. “Well if it’ll be easier for y-you to believe… I was already born in this w-world. And if I was in your country of fairies, I’ve forgotten about it.” “What’s the first thing you remember?“ Lyra tried to cheer the pegasus up, but saw a severe look in return. “Collar.” The short answer shook her to the core. Well, if you take a very, very flexible morality, you can understand the close relationships between a pony and a man. After all, love doesn’t know species. But putting a collar on a foal? “I-I have news for ya,” said Rainbow between teeth, and leaned closer to the unicorn, “There is… NO Equestria! All this is a human deception, a game. To be e-entertained! Previously there was only the L-luna damn... cartoon. Now we’re here. Synthets. Toys for humans… hic!” “I am not a toy!” Lyra replied sharply, “I am alive and remember my home!” Rainbow burst out again with mocking laughter. “Oh, I can’t!.. Home, she remembers! You were born at the moment, when… hic!... you saw your master! All, that was before -- it’s an ar-hic!-tificial memory, a sweet lie to make it fun for him to play with you. Naive... hic!...horse...” Lyra felt that the world which was barely beginning to line up, start to crumble again. It couldn’t be true. It was too monstrous to be. Golden eyes getting wet and looking into the ruby ones that were clouded by alcohol. “Welcome t-to the real Luna damn world,” said Rainbow, “Sam, more!” “I think that’s enough, Dash.” He cautioned, “I don’t mind as a bartender, but you’ve never drank so much.” “I’ve never LIVED so much, tore my ass!.. Shit!” the hooves slammed against the counter, attracting few third party glances. “Pour, Sam, damn you! Give me the fucking whiskey!” Lyra, shrinking down, began to back away. She thought that the human world had already shown her all its ugly facets, but if what Rainbow said was true… The unicorn looked at Sam hopefully, but he shrugged. “Sooner or later you would have known the truth. Accept it, little pony. Because there's no choice.” “No!” Lyra nearly shouted, “No, it can’t be! It’s not true! I don’t believe it...!” In tears, she rushed to the door. The unicorn waited for threats, laughter, even a chase, but the atmosphere of the “Pony-Play” did not change. The music was the same, and from the arena sounded sudden strikes, ringing of metal on metal and shouts of people and ponies making their bets. The air was filled with the smell of smoking potions and alcohol, laughter and other sounds that accompany the daily life of the club… All of them didn’t care. The human world didn’t care. After she escaped the grim place, angry music and a morose chorus sang: — In the Rainbow Factory, where your fears and horrors come true… In the Rainbow Factory, where not a single soul gets through… Lyra ran out of the bar and, without picking her way, ran somewhere, choking back sobs. Equestria, home, all of her life… It was a lie? A cruel, merciless lie created by humans for... entertainment?  Her foalhood, her happy, carefree life in the magical land, Princess Celestia -- it was all a lie? Magic of friendship and sincere, warm feelings and words? And Victor knew about it? He, after all, couldn’t have not known.… Her hoofs pounded asphalt, and soon it was followed by a walkway of some kind of square or park. The unicorn stopped at a lakeside. In the misty haze around the piece of nature towered and glittered with the lights of the large city, huge world that did not want to notice the tiny pony. “Who am I?!" screamed Lyra desperately, shutting her eyes. Although no one was around, she  then repeated quietly, “Who am I...?” Tears no one saw flowed on her cheeks.