Mornings started early with regard to the holding cells in New Humansville. A contingent of C.W.G. officers and volunteers from the Hospital entered the hall at 0500 sharp. Most of the officers pushed carts filled with hot breakfast foods and cold juices, while five Human officers and eight Kavim officers carried shoulder bags filled with medical equipment. On this particular day something different happened. A tall young African/American man walked in with the officers carrying the shoulder bags. He had finally mastered Velensovth well enough to speak in the same manner he was comfortable with and he was doing so with gusto. He spoke sternly to his charges, "Bobby gone an' charged me with makin' sure you bone-heads know how to treat an' care for Ponies properly since Beacon has to be monitored all the time. This is one o' the core responsibilities o' the Community Welfare Guardians. You already got some hands-on experience with the Unicorns we rescued from these guys an' now it's time to broaden your horizons." Leo clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing solemnly, "Now I ain't a member o' the C.W.G. but Bobby an' I done talked about this plenty an' I agree with him. It don't matter what we think o' somebody. Not how they look, not how they act, not how they treat us... as long as they need help an' they ain't doin' no physical harm to nobody, we got a responsibility to help 'em."
Leo stopped and waved his right hand around at the cells, "When you look at these Ponies you ain't allowed to see Bloodmages. You only allowed to see Ponies. Now I ain't sayin' it's gonna be easy or nothin'. I'll admit if I had to help some racist redneck who was callin' me unmentionable names all the time, I'd have... a bit 'o trouble helpin' him." The statement caused more than a few chuckles from the officers.
Leo continued, "I'd still help his racist ass though. I might be a bit stingy with the anesthetics, but I'd make sure he'd make it. I know some o' y'all are probably still pissed about all the officers that the Bloodmages killed..." Leo waved at the cells again, "But THESE ones didn't do that. Whether or not they might have... it don't matter none. They ain't hurtin' nobody none right now, we gonna help 'em. Simple as that."
Leo clapped his hands together and looked back and forth across the line of C.W.G. officers, "Now first priority goes to whom?" he asked openly.
One of the armored Human male officers raised his hand, "To those with the most significant injuries or foals, whichever is more apparent."
Leo nodded enthusiastically, "My man!" he then began pacing again, "Now I know this... scenario," he gestured to the Ponies in the closest cell, "Ain't the best one to be testin' yall on, but you need to be able to deal with uncooperative or even disruptive patients. If somebody is in a lot o' pain, they ain't gonna be holdin' still for you. You got to learn how to be physically forceful, but merciful an' gentle at the same time."
"We got to get them checked out again. We ain't goin' to be holdin' nobody in poor health. So, when they come out to use the bathroom an' shower... guess what boys and girls? We gonna collect us some samples and do a few physicals." Leo finished, "So be sure to wash your hands and warm 'em up today cause we gonna get... personal. As soon as we clear the first cell, they're gonna be interviewed by the Captain then taken to identify their loved ones. This ain't a game so no actin' the fool or crackin' jokes about 'em. We lost a bit less than two dozen o' ours, they lost a couple hundred o' theirs. Treat 'em with the same respect you would want from somebody else if you were in the same position." Leo turned around and faced the closest cell, "Let's get started."
* * *
Captain Joyner sat across from a very clean smelling burgundy Earth Pony mare. There was a folding table between them and on the table was a sheaf of paper, an ink well, a quill, and a small sand box. Seated next to the Captain was Cessily Richardson, also with identical writing implements on a folding table in front of her. All three sat on cushions on the floor of the hallway with the holding cells on either side of them. The other Bloodmages watched silently, waiting for the interview to begin.
Other C.W.G. officers were hard at work in and around the empty cells. They scrubbed the cells down while the occupants were out showering and relieving themselves. They changed bedding and checked for parasites, doing their best to maintain clean conditions for their prisoners. The Bloodmages had been very cooperative after the Captain had explained what was going to happen to the remains of the Ponies who had died during the raid. The Bloodmages were confused and off-balance and it had made them pliable.
Captain Joyner put his right fist to his mouth and cleared his throat pulling the mare's attention away from the officers cleaning the cell. He picked up his quill and dipped it into the ink well in front of him, "May I have your name please?" He asked calmly.
"Sanguine Satire." The mare answered quietly.
Mike wrote the mare's name down on the paper and continued speaking, "Alright. You're an Earth Pony I see. Age?"
"Eighty-one years old." she answered.
Mike had to refrain from raising his eyebrows in surprise, 'I forgot they live for over a hundred and fifty years on average.', "Did you lose any loved ones during the raid?"
Sanguine Satire nodded, "Three of my Sister/Wives and our Husband."
Mike wrote down the information, "Please name any foals from your family who may not be accounted for."
"Onyx, she's a black Earth Pony filly with a charcoal mane and tail." Sanguine Satire hesitated briefly before continuing, "I-if this is official... do I need to include foals who died at birth?"
Mike stopped writing and looked up, "You had a foal who died at birth?"
Sanguine Satire nodded, "Yes. I don't know if it was a colt or a filly though. The Grand Magus is present for all births so he can provide aid if necessary, since we didn't have good medical supplies. I'm afraid I don't even know the coloration of the foal or even whether it was a Pegasus or Earth Pony." Her voice was soft as she spoke.
Mike nodded and placed a question mark next to the entry then continued with the interview, "The remains of your loved ones who perished, we are going to have you identify them. How would you like for them to be laid to rest?"
* * *
Hours passed and slowly but surely the names of every Bloodmage civilian was written down. They started in the morning and it was not until late at night two days later that they finished. Every single Pony was accounted for and cataloged. Those who had lost loved ones in the raid were offered their own choice of how their loved one would be buried.
Initially, the thought had been to preserve the corpses as a gruesome monument, but nobody actually wanted it that way. Eventually it was decided that the cave would be cleaned out then given to the Diamond Dogs who had arrived to help. A statue was set to be built in Canterlot as a monument to the event of the raid and would feature a plaque listing the names of all the deceased participants in order to acknowledge their deaths. The Bloodmage civilians would be free to attend the burials of their loved ones while under guard. It was a small kindness, but nobody wanted to be cruel when so many lives had been lost. The eleven Bloodmages that Chris had sent into space would be mourned and the families compensated for the loss of the remains.
After the interviews were finished on the third day, the Captain and his officers bid the Bloodmage civilians a good night and promised to see them in the morning. Little did the imprisoned Ponies know the monumental shock Mike planned on delivering the following morning.
* * *
"Alright Catalyst, your chest has healed enough for you to be discharged. We accelerated the healing process for you. I just need to go retrieve the paperwork and you'll be free to leave." Bobby wore a huge smile at being able to deliver such good news.
Catalyst who was still lying on her hospital bed, inclined her head in thanks, "You've done much for me Dr. Jewel. I can't thank you enough. If there is ever anything I can do for you, just tell me."
Bobby raised his eyebrows and planted his fists on his sides, "Do you really mean that or are you just making a sentimental statement?"
Catalyst blinked in surprise, "Why, I mean it of course. What kind of question was that?"
"It's a serious one Catalyst. There are a lot of Ponies stuffed into the Guardians' holding cells. What's going to happen to them? Are they going to have their minds wiped? Are they going to be imprisoned? Banished? Executed? What about foals? The ones here in the hospital? The ones in the holding cells?"
He sighed, "Captain Joyner has a plan. He thinks that we can reach the Bloodmages here... but in order to do it in a way they will accept... we need to do a few things their way..."
"Never!" Catalyst snapped, "We cannot allow ourselves to fall like that! To become like them! To hate and murder-"
"It's a tool Catalyst." Mike said as he opened the door and stepped into the room, "Just like all magic is a tool." He closed the door behind himself, "The same way so many of us hated Unicorns after the massacre, that's how you think of Blood Magic. It's only a tool, all forms of magic are. None of it is inherently good or evil, it's all in how you use it." He pointed to the pistol nestled in its holster on his belt, "Is this gun good or evil by itself?" He shook his head, "No, it's just a tool. It may be USED for good or ill, but it is merely a tool."
Mike crossed his arms and leaned against the closed door, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Before long the Princesses are going to announce that New Humansville has the right to annex from the rest of Equestria. We will get to make the laws here. Human nature makes us very curious. There are people who will be curious about Blood Magic and whether or not it's legal, they will experiment with and practice it. We're accepting of everybody and if we can reach the Bloodmages I think we can get them to live with us peacefully. The biggest hurdle we have to get over is reaching them. We need them to see that we aren't the enemy."
Catalyst pursed her lips, "Captain, I understand what you're trying to do. You have a big heart and you're a kind soul, but the kinds of things they've done... they murdered your officers, they tried to murder you."
"And one of them chose to help us when we went to get our friends back." Mike quipped.
Catalyst waved her left forehoof, "He wasn't an actual Bloodmage. If he was, he would have betrayed you and killed you the first chance he had."
"He wasn't declared a Bloodmage, but he knows all the incantations and rituals. He was an Acolyte but he was on his way to become one." Mike shifted his weight from leaning on one shoulder to the other, "He has the power of a Bloodmage, the only difference was that he hadn't taken the test yet."
Catalyst shook her head, "That can't be right. He would have done something horrible before now."
"Or maybe he just doesn't want to hurt anybody." Mike countered, "In fact, he came to me and told me about what he knows. I think you should talk to him, Catalyst. He's been taught to be afraid of Unicorns because of what they can do, it's the same reason you're afraid of Bloodmages." He pushed off the door and slowly walked toward the Arch Magister, "Both sides are wrong here." He clasped his hands together in front of his stomach, "What about the supposed massacre the Unicorn royals perpetrated against curious Ponies?"
Catalyst huffed out air, "From the old Bloodmage texts I've read, it did supposedly happen. There are no official records of it, but the date of the supposed massacre was around the same time the Unicorn monarchy was rendered powerless by the Princesses. They retained their titles but their power was stripped from them. It may have happened, but we'll never know. We DO know that Bloodmages murdered your officers. They're responsible for countless deaths and abductions over the years."
"And one of your own staff turned away somepony who might have been a great student of magic and who knows how many others as well." Mike sighed, "Catalyst, get over yourself. This is very serious. We're talking about Ponies' lives. All I'm asking you to do is just talk to Starburst. Listen to him, let yourself see his side of things. You owe it to him."
The Arch Magister's head whipped up toward Mike, "How is this MY fault?"
"It was your employee who rejected his older sister after all." Bobby said.
"Leaving civilization was her choice. You cannot blame me for what she did." Catalyst shot back.
"There HAD to have been signs of his tribalism. Nobody would do something like that spontaneously just because they felt like it." Mike countered.
Catalyst rolled her eyes, "He was misled into thinking the university was only for Unicorns..."
"Do not defend him Catalyst," Mike warned, "What he did was wrong and you know it."
"I'm not arguing that. What he did was extremely wrong, but as soon as I found out I did something about it. I am not the enemy here-"
"Then don't act like it." Mike said sharply, "Talk to Starburst. Be open-minded and honest, that's all I ask."
Catalyst sighed and rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'll talk to him. If he tries anything though-"
"He won't." Mike said quickly, "Now quit looking for reasons to distrust him. Don't see the Bloodmage, see the Pony."
"ALRIGHT!" Catalyst snapped, "Alright. Go get him. I'll talk to him." She grumbled, "I hope I'm not making a mistake."
Mike smiled, "Trust me, you're not." He turned to leave but stopped with his hand on the door handle, "Oh and by the way, Starburst used Blood Magic to save a unicorn that had broken off his horn."
Mike walked out of the room, leaving an awestruck Catalyst staring at the door.
* * *
In the morning the C.W.G. officers made their rounds delivering food to the prisoners and letting them out, cell by cell, to relieve themselves and make use of the communal showers. The ordeal took a good deal of time and began at 0500 every morning.
After the last of the prisoners had been taken care of, around eleven in the morning, the C.W.G. officers uncharacteristically departed. The Bloodmages were confused. The officers never left them alone in their cells. A few minutes later Captain Joyner led in a very slow procession of medical Ponies and Humans carrying eleven Unicorns on stretchers. The Unicorns were so weak they could barely hold their heads up. Their eyes were open though, they looked around in wonder, as if seeing everything for the first time. The Unicorns were thin and the muscles of their bodies were significantly underdeveloped. The Unicorns on the stretchers were young,, some looked to be as young as very early teens. The Bloodmages became nervous at the sight of the Unicorns and began talking among themselves until one foal noticed something, "Look Mommy, those Unicorns don't have cutie marks." The Bloodmage civilians slowly ceased speaking as the fact settled into their minds.
As the final stretcher cleared the doorway to the holding area, many more C.W.G. officers entered the area and began helping the medical staff set the stretchers down. It took a while, but eventually the Unicorns were all set down between the two rows of cells.
Captain Joyner slowly strode down each side of the rows of cells as he began speaking, "These Unicorns were rescued from YOUR safe house. They had been hooked up so that they supplied a constant drip of blood, which was collected in bags and stored in another chamber of the cave." He gestured to the Unicorns, "You will notice, that none of these Unicorns have cutie marks. At first we were puzzled as to why that was. It was later determined that they never attained their marks because none of them had been active or even awake enough to get them. They were taken as foals and drugged into a near coma. Their bodies aged but their minds are still the minds of foals. We woke them up but at first we could not figure out why some of them could not even speak. These are the youngest of the Unicorns as far as we can tell."
He strode out into the middle of the hallway and pulled out a piece of parchment from his belt pouch, "We have a theory about these Unicorns. You don't know this, but it is a widely known fact that foals dying at birth are almost unheard of among Kavim yet five of you have expressed that you had foals who died at birth. We believe that some of these Unicorns on the stretchers are actually the same foals that you were told died at birth."
Despite the expectations of every member of the C.W.G., the Bloodmages did not explode into shouting. They said nothing at all. They were in shock. Mike continued, "Now we have not yet performed any tests to either prove or disprove this theory. We wished for you all to be present when we did so. We have also gained permission to use your own methods, Blood Magic to do this. After we ensure that you know what was really going on, we are going to ask each of you to answer a few questions to determine whether or not you knew about the various unsavory practices going on in your own safe house." Mike then turned toward the entry way and yelled, "Send him in."
All eyes turned toward the door as Mike waved his hand toward the silhouette of a Pegasus standing in the light, "Mares and stallions, fillies and colts, I present Equestria's first recognized and royally sanctioned Bloodmage."
Starburst slowly crept through the doorway, "I'm..." he trailed off at seeing so many of the Ponies he had grown up with in cells. He swallowed hard and raised his head, "I'm ready."
Mike turned toward the Unicorns and waved his right hand, "Begin when you wish Starburst."