//------------------------------// // Cagestruck II: The First Night // Story: Tales Of Planes and Ponies // by Southern Ice //------------------------------// Cagestruck II: The First Night “Allesha? Allesha, are you there?” The wizard called, while occasionally turning his gaze to the mares. Still shivering, they didn’t even dare to look him in the eyes. After saving them from the ‘chaosman’, the mysterious stranger asked them some questions, most of them went unanswered. A combination of shock, starvation, stress and tiredness made them less than capable of holding a proper conversation. The next thing they knew was him leading them to somewhere in the city. Or more precisely, he walked somewhere, and they followed him, like little geese following their mother. They stopped before a large building, standing before it was a small monkey boy, with a glowing staff in his hand. But the wizard didn’t talk to him. The boy turned to them, silently. His eyes focused on the mare, while the grip on the staff tightened. Lyra looked at the building, it was old, the brick wall was scarred with burn marks and some holes. Parts of it were covered in patches of moss. Some looked like it was fixed recently, if not a little jury-rigged. Hung on chains was its sign, ‘Allesha’s Pantry’. The building by itself didn’t have much to note down, beside its rather blocky and had more hard edges compared to most buildings in Ponyville. To the mares, it looked less like the soup kitchen it claimed to be, but if it was a prison, it would fit right in. Oddly enough, the imposing structure of it made them feel more welcomed, compared to the rest of the city. The stranger turned the door open then shifted his gaze to them, his head bowed slightly. Hesitantly, they entered the building, Bon Bon held her friend’s hand tight and as close as possible.  Stepping into the building, the fresh scent of baked bread and herbs washed over them. It was refreshing, compared to the foul air outside. The interior, however, fitted right in with the rest of the city. The entire first floor was a vast communal room, with a bar at the end of it and several pillars to hold the structure. Tables and benches are set to the left side of the room, making space for its guests to rest. A set of curtains hid the bar behind it, but not enough to keep the sound of clattering metal pots and ladles away. Many others… ‘folks’ were there, some sleeping, turning and twisting, some stared at them, others minding their own business: combing their tangled, dirty hair, whispering, tapping the wall, but it seemed that they agreed to keep their problem to themselve. Most of them had mattresses, some just slept on the floor. On the walls are old, faded posters, but the words written in bright red color stayed: ‘Tomorrow is a new day’, ‘A smile a day keeps the fiends away’, or ‘A full stomach lifts the spirit’. “I am coming, you berk!” From behind the bar, a voice came out, hurriedly. It was senile, like an old grandmother, kind with a hint of laughter. “This old sod isn’t going to walk the plane anytime soon.” The curtain opened, and from it, a woman stepped out.  She was a hawk, Bon Bon almost spoke her mind out. And it wasn’t far from the truth. The lady was old, she properly had many grandchildren who called her granny, or any other names a child would use to call their grandmother. But she was far from senile. The wrinkles on her face were akin to scars of a war veteran, and her eyes, it was the eyes of a hunter, a hawk in its prime. Her head shaved clean, as clean as it could be, shone nearly as bright as the golden ring on her nose. Under all of those spikes and thorns, was a tender, gentle smile. “Oh, it’s our local barmy blood.” Her gaze fell upon the two mares. “And who are those with you this time?” Her eyes squinted, piercing through them. “And by the look of it, some clueless, perhaps?” “First time too, as it seemed. With no jinks to their name.” The wizard said. “Is the kitchen still open?” “It’s nigh anti-peak, berk.” Allesha spat, her lips parted and curved, revealing pearly white teeths underneath. A mischievous but genuine smile. “Of course it is, come in, come in! You two looks like an Athar on the Sixes.” Sitting comfortably in the bar, feeling the heat coming from the stove and inhaling the scent of boiling pumpkin soup, Lyra and Bon Bon felt relaxed for the first time of the day. The lady gave them a warm cup of tea each, with a sliced loaf of bread and butter. The bread wasn’t fresh, neither was it stale, not the fancy kind of white bread either, just a simple loaf bread made of wheat.  It was when she drank the tea that Bon Bon realized how parched she was, downing half of the cup with a single gulp. On the other side, Lyra took little sips, with some bite out of the bread slices. The stranger sat opposite of them, sipping his own tea while observing the mares. The lady brought out two metal bowls of soup. “You are lucky, cutters. Normally, we don’t often have leftover soup.” She chuckled. “But this berk right here messed up the delivery and we have to cook half of the pumpkins he brought to us! The sods surely loved it though.” “Half of what I brought in hand.” He coughed. “Most of them are in my bag of holding.” “Oh you old Cipher, take a joke, will you?” She put the bowls on a metal tray on the bar. “Care to give these two cutters some hot soup, or are you going to force them to chow down your old, worm-ridden pumpkin cold?” The stranger pulled a wand out of the holster on his chest and pointed them at the tray. “Värme.” The tip of the wand lit up as if it was heated metal, so was the tray. From where she sat, Lyra could feel the heat radiated from the tray and the tip of the wand. Soon, the soup in the bowl began to boil. The wizard flicked his wand, blew the heat away before holstering it back. The lady brought the tray to the mares. “Here you are.” For the next fifteen minutes or so, Lyra and Bon Bon ate the food in silence, while the two strangers observed them. The food wasn’t exceptional, neither was it something professionally cooked. There were chunks of pumpkin in the soup, while the salt was sparsely used. They could make out the taste of some herbs, but it didn’t elevate the taste of the soup, just enough to get rid of the slight bitterness of the vegetable. Yet, it was one of the most memorable meals they had. Bon Bon was the first to finish her meal. She was sated, sure, but not full. The portion wasn’t comparable to her daily meal, but she had to make do. She set the cleaned bowl of soup to the side and drank the last of her tea. Lyra looked at her friend, then to her meal. Knowing Bon Bon’s appetite, she took a slice of bread and offered it to her. “Here, you can have mine.” “What?!” Bon Bon stared at her friend, then at the slice of bread. “I am full, Lyra. You can keep it.” “You can take it, you know? It’s not like I need it as much as you are…” Her eyes focused on Bon Bon. “Besides, you walked around much more than me today.” Protected her too, she thought to herself. “You should take it.” Bon Bon knew that Lyra was right, but she pushed that part that thought so deep down. The mare crossed her arms and turned to the strangers. “And you should finish your meal.” Reluctantly, Lyra ate the last slice of bread, using the tea to wash it down. Bon Bon gulped, but she kept it to herself. “Thank you, sir, for helping us.” Lyra said and hitched on Bon Bon’s side. Still holding some suspicion in her, Bon Bon tried her best to thank the stranger.  “What she said. And thank you for the food.” She said to the lady. “Oh, it’s nothing, cutter.” The lady smiled. “But pray tell, what brought you to Sigil? You two don’t seem to be the adventuring kind.” “We… we don’t know, ma’am. We were on the street, there was this portal and we-” “Stepped in and found yourself here.” The wizard said. “Clueless, didn’t know where you were, wandering around the Hive in blind. Did I get that right?” “How did you know?” Bon Bon stared at him. The strange creature scratched his black, no, charred skin with his long fingernails. “Chants from before there were tiefling, cutters. We had like what? Three, four Prime wandered into the city this week? Make it six, with you two here.” He took a moment, then tapped the side of his head. “Ah, I almost forgot my manner. We haven’t greeted each other properly yet, have we? I am Diz, planewalker, merchant and part-time gate-seeker.” Lyra raised her eyebrow at the strange names, both of the guild and of the titles. “And this is-” “Oh shush, I can do it myself.” She offered her hand to them. The mares shook her hand, feeling the unexpectedly strong grip of the elderly lady. “Allesha Sheevis, the owner of this armpit of a pantry. I hope that the food won’t give you a stomach ache later.” The mischievous grin rarely left her face. “I am Lyra Heartstring,... a musician. And this is…” She turned to her friend and waited. Bon Bon exhaled, continued from where Lyra left. “Bon Bon, I am a candy maker.” “Ah, I can see that.” Allesha nodded. “You two surely don’t look like the adventuring kind. It had been a long time since we had candy here, when was it, the Day The Torment Ends?” “When the Dustman celebrated the death of an immortal, was it?” Said Diz. “I remember that they went to every soup kitchen around the ward, brought gifts from a nameless benefactor to every sod in the Hive. A once in a lifetime celebration for sure.”  “Maybe you can make us some then? If we had enough spare sugar for a candy that is.” Allesha chuckled. Bon Bon followed with an awkward chuckle of her own. Lyra was somewhat amused by the sight of it. “And where did you come from, cutter?” The wizard turned the conversation back to them. “Somewhere in the Prime, perhaps?” “We came from Ponyville…” Lyra replied. “Is it your kingdom’s name or your continent’s name?” Asked the planewalker. Lyra realized what he meant to ask her. ‘Which part of this wide world did you come from’, not ‘which town did you come from.’ She quickly corrected herself.  “In Equestria! It’s a town in Equestria. And Equestria the largest kingdom on our continent. The kingdom of ponies… Have you heard of it?” “Kingdom of ponies? Can’t say that I have heard of that, cutter.” Allesha looked at them from top to bottom. “From the look of it, did you two come from south Faerûn? Your clothes surely looked the part, without the horse imagery at least.” “We haven’t heard of Faerûn, nor do we know where or what it is.” Bon Bon shook her head. “We don’t even know where we are.” “You are in Sigil, cutter. The heart of the Outland, center of the Multiverse and the true neutrality between the Outer Planes.” He took notice of their confused faces. “In other words, far from your home. Planar far.” His arm opened, giving them the sense of distance. “Is there a way to take us back home? Maybe we can use that portal to return?” Bon Bon asked him, desperation found its way into her cracked tone. “Yes, you can do that. If you have the key that is.” Diz explained. “Every portal needs a key to open, hence why we call them gates. But you don’t have it, do you?” To which, the mares looked at each other and shook their heads. “Well, sir ‘gate master’ over here might just know how. But he didn’t feel like telling you that yet.” The old lady remarked. “You can?” Lyra’s ears raised, waiting for a response. Diz waved his hand. “Bar that. I am no lily, but I am no conny-catcher either. I don’t know anything about a gate to Equus, much less Equestria. If the Halls did, it would be under heaps of forgotten paperwork and outdated maps.” “Wait…” Bon Bon caught something from his words. “You said Equus, we didn’t tell you the name of the continent.” Diz tapped his chin, eyes fell onto the mare. She could feel him cutting her open in his mind. It took Lyra and Allesha a moment to catch up with them. “This cutter is sharp, blood sharp even.” Allesha said with a smug. Diz sighed and took a pinch of herbs out of his pouch, chewing them while he said. “I have been to your kingdom once, yes. But it was a long time ago.” “So you do know how to bring us home?” Bon Bon rushed over to him. Diz held a hand out to keep her away. “I only knew a gate to it. And even if you were here a century ago, I couldn’t help you out. That gate is locked, locked tight, as tight as the Lady is to the powers. Besides, after the Tempest, the gate was moved by the dabus. Only the Lady knows where it is now.” “Maybe it is the one that brought us here?” Lyra asked, a spark of hope held tight in her hands. “Cutter, I hate to tell you this, but it can’t be. And even if it was, like I said, the gate was locked, and I don’t have the key.” He sighed. “However, I do have a way to help you. Do you remember where the gate is? I can try to find a key for it, but I need to examine the gate first.” That should be simple, right? After all, it happened just that morning. Yet, the city was a maze. And they were lost. Bon Bon and Lyra tried their best to remember. They dug into their memories, tried their best to find a landmark, or something noteworthy. But they couldn’t, everything was too blurry. Lyra tried to dig deeper. She could see the city’s crowd, moving on the streets as they tried to escape the brute. There were towers, a lot of towering buildings, and spikes too. The world turned dark, there was no sun, no moon, no star, everything was dark, then… came the chaosmen. Lyra felt a hand on her shoulder, and a silk handkerchief on her face. Looking up, she realized that her eyes were shut closed, tears ran on her cheek. Allesha gently wiped them out, giving her a reassuring smile. “Cutter, you don’t have to force yourself. It will come to you, naturally. You are exhausted, that’s all. It must have been a long day for you.” Behind her, Lyra saw Bon Bon, worriedness painted all over her face. Yet, she remained calm, forcefully, but calm nonetheless. “Cagestruck, wandering aimlessly around the Hive tends to do that to the clueless like you.” Diz then added. “But you will get used to it soon, give it a day or two. Not to mention the chaosmen horde, that is mentally exhausting, even for me.” “Chaosmen?! Why haven’t you told me about that?” Allesha nearly shouted at them, but managed to keep her voice down to not disturb the guests outside. “Oh, cutter, that explains everything. Come, you two need some rest, immediately! Then we can talk tomorrow. Brise! Come up here, please.” Behind the bar was the kitchen and where the staff lived, where most of the food was cooked, and the mattresses washed. From it, a staff member of the pantry walked out. Her face and hand were covered in white flour, yet it wasn’t enough to hide her beauty. Her skin was as white as the cloud, and equally soft. Her hair moved in an unnatural pattern, as if a small breeze passed through her. When she spoke, her words were carried by the wind, gentle, echoing. “Lady Allesha, we have finished our last patch of bread, do you need me with something else?” “I need you to rest, cutter.” She scowled. “I will take care of the rest. Can you bring these two to the beds? Remember to wash yourself before laying down. Lady knew how long you had worked down there.” She ushered them out of the bar, while she strode to the kitchen. Brise used a towel to clean her hands, then turned to the mare.  “Please follow me, your bed is this way.” Lyra and Bon Bon turned to the wizard, who dusted himself and stood up, prepared to leave.  They didn’t want him to do so, but they didn’t dare to ask him to stay either. “Rest well, cutters. I will meet you again tomorrow.” He gave them some words before he left. “Oh, and you should help Allesha tomorrow, just ask her, and she will tell you about it. Believe well, cutters.” “G-goodbye, Diz… See you tomorrow…” Lyra said, words stuck in her throat. Bon Bon only gave him a nod, which he replied with his own. The wizard waved his hand and left the soup kitchen. Standing next to them, Brise patiently waited. The gal didn’t seem to be in a hurry, but her presence made the situation a little awkward. Unlike Diz, who saved them, and Allesha, who had the air of comfort with her, Brise was cold, or at least she acted that way. She just stood there, not a single word out of her lips, hair swayed. She felt like something out of this world, or their world, in this case.  Lyra took a step forward and held her hand out. She tried to give Brise a smile. In her hand, she felt Brise’s fingers. Delicate digits, cool like the summer breeze, just as gentle as Allesha. “I am Brise. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” “I am Lyra, nice to meet you too.” She then turned to Bon Bon, who only sighed. “And she’s Bon Bon.” “I have heard of you from the kitchen.” Brise said, her pale skin blushed slightly. “You are clueless, aren’t you?” “Well, everyone we met called us that. What does it mean?” They walked to a shelf at the end of the room, where the mattresses and sheets were. Brise took three sets out, gave one of them to Lyra, another to Bon Bon and the last was for her. They set the ‘beds’ down next to each other. Lyra felt the mattress, it was stuffed with feathers, just soft enough to give her small comfort. The sheet however, was made of material she didn’t recognize. “It’s how we call those who haven’t come to Sigil before, and didn’t know a single thing about it, like you. Most of them are Prime, and human too. Though it isn’t rare to see clueless from different races.” “Are you a ‘human’?” Lyra asked her. Brise's smile became a little smug as she shook her head. “I am a wind genasi. A plane-touched, like you.” “But we aren’t.” Bon Bon inserted. “We don’t even look alike. What is a plane-touched anyway? The lady and that guy kept on calling us that. And now it’s you.” “Pardon me, but aren’t you two tieflings?” Brise asked, a little confused “No, we aren’t? What’s a tiefling?” It was the mare’s turn to be confused, again. “Half fiend, half human? You two look like them, especially you.” She pointed at Lyra. “I haven’t seen any human with skin color like yours, and your legs too, they had a certain equine feel to them. And you even have a horn.” “It’s because I am a unicorn.” Lyra said a fact. “No? Unicorn walks on four legs.” Which Brise didn’t accept. “We are,” Bon Bon looked down at herself. “Or were, ponies. We didn’t have arms like this before this morning.” Tired, she laid down on her mattress. Lyra laid between the two. “That doesn’t make any sense.” The genasi laid down with them. She brushed her hair aside, which was still swaying, despite her effort to keep them down. “And this city doesn’t make any sense either. It was just… weird!” Bon Bon exclaimed. “It is bizarre.” Lyra added. “So what was your world like then?” Brise asked, excitement barely contained in her voice. “You said you were ponies, right? So what was it like being one?” As the night went on, the three exchanged stories. Brise wasn’t as hard to talk to as they had thought. She was just another mare. And talking about that, she showed them some of the basics, of the human and some of the Sigil’s cant. In turn, Lyra and Bon Bon told her of the ponies, and of Equestria, little tidbits about their lives, and their world. Lyra woke up in the middle of the night. She couldn’t sleep, or close her eyes. It was in the silence of the night that we were truly alone with our thoughts. She took a look around the room. The folks, the people in this room, were they like her too? Stranded to a strange land, couldn’t find a way out? Diz said that he would try to help them, but would him? How could she be sure that he would help her? Why would he help her? What if he couldn’t? Would she be stuck here forever, never having the chance to see Ponyville again? She remembered her home, her family. How long had it been since she last talked to them, or sent them any letters at all? She always told herself that she would do it when she had the time. She took it for granted that she would have the chance to do it, after all, Ponyville wasn’t isolated. But the chance didn’t come, and she was here, in Celestia knew where. With only Bon Bon by her side. She missed her bedroom. She missed her lyre. She missed her meal and the sweetness of a cupcake. She missed the theater, her band, and the many parties she had back there. This city, it was cruel, ugly and strange. It lacked the cheerfulness, the excitement of Ponyville. Its buildings were imposing, made of stone and metal, guarded by razor sharp vines and spikes. The people were equally bizarre, they talked in an aggressive language, they rarely sang and if they did, it was songs of blood and fight.  If she couldn’t go home, could this be her new normal? Quietly, Lyra sobbed. She felt cold. A hand reached out for her, hugged her close. The other patted on her head. Lyra opened her eyes. It was Bon Bon. She mumbled something in her sleep. She still had Bon Bon. Together, they might just get through this.  Lyra hugged her friend tight. Little did she know, Bon Bon didn’t fare much better either. But she knew that she couldn’t be broken, not yet. If they wanted to pull it through, they needed strength. Pushing her tears back in, Bon Bon reassured Lyra, as the two drifted back to their restless sleep.