“Glasseye? Glasseye!”
There's no answer.
Something rumbles nearby.
“Glasseye!”
Something wet pools around my head, and the air grows thick with a metallic odor. Oh Celestia, it's blood! Oh buck; if I'm bleeding out, there's nothing I can do about it!
There's another distant rumble, like the groan of an unseen beast awakening from a nightmare.
There has to be a way out of this, but how?! I... Wait. Wait, what was that? Something's in the hall. Light. There's light, but not from the ceiling. A flashlight? Magic?
“Hello?!" I shout. “Hello, is anyone there?!”
“Silverspeak?!”
“Beakbreaker!”
The light grows brighter, and she appears like an angel emerging from the darkest depths of the underworld. I've never been so happy to see her, or to gaze upon her smile once again... a smile that vanishes as the light fills the cell.
“Onyx!”
Onyx Shield emerges from the darkness of the hall, the light from his horn fading as he inspects the welds on the door. He tries a single kick, and then steps back, pulling Beakbreaker with him. “Cover your eyes. You too, Silverspeak.”
I squeeze my eyelids shut as tightly as I can, but it does little to filter out the bright red and orange that burns with the fury of a miniature sun. It only lasts for a few moments before fading. The normal light returns, and as I open my eyes Onyx grabs hold and drags the door off its hinges.
With the way clear, Onyx runs inside and out of my sight, while Beakbreaker dashes to me, her face pale as she looks me over. But the fear lasts only a moment; Beakbreaker forces it aside as her training kicks in.
“Talk to me, Silverspeak,” Beakbreaker says as she presses her hooves to my mangled thigh. “How long have you been like this?”
“What's the password?”
“What?”
“I was abducted by changelings,” I say. “Forgive me for being a bit paranoid.”
“Zebra grass. Now, how long have you been here?”
“A... A few minutes, maybe. I... I..." Why is it so hard to concentrate? I'm trying to think, but nothing's coming.
“Silverspeak, focus on my voice."
She's scared. I can hear it in her voice. “Is it bad?”
She hesitates. “Yes. Yes, it's bad.”
The rumble comes again.
“What's going on?”
“Don't worry about that now. We need to get you to a hospital. Come on, get up.”
“I can't.”
“What?”
“I can't move. Mangus... I tried to fight him, but he used magic to break my neck... I can't feel anything below my jaw.”
The color in Beakbreaker's face fades to nothing as her eyes shrink to tiny pinpricks. “Oh buck... oh buck, oh buck, oh buck! Onyx, we need to get him to the hospital, now!”
“We don't have time, Beakbreaker. You know what's happening with the-”
“The room...”
Glasseye's voice is so weak I can barely hear him.
“Onyx... The room...”
“Sir, we need to get you both out of here. We can-”
“We have to get to it... The machine.”
“Sir, there's no time. We-”
“We have time enough for this.”
Onyx hesitates only a moment longer. “Beakbreaker, can you take him?”
“Yes.”
“I'll take Silverspeak." Onyx's horn glows, and I'm lifted into the air, magic forcing me to remain as still as a stone while Beakbreaker maneuvers Glasseye onto her back. Oh sweet Celestia, how can he still be alive? The entire floor of the cell is soaked with his blood, his coat now as pale as bone.
“Beakbreaker... so glad I could see you again...”
“Don't talk, Glasseye. Save your strength.”
Glasseye hisses as Beakbreaker yanks him onto her back.
“Sorry.”
“It is I who should be sorry,” Glasseye gasps. “All those years ago, at the university... I never should have been so hard on... you...”
“It's all right,” Beakbreaker says. She's trying to be brave, but I hear the tremor in her voice. “I just need you to hang in there. Can you do that?”
Another rumble shakes the hallway. A light panel breaks somewhere nearby.
“What's going on?” I ask.
“It's the engines,” Onyx growls. “Someone tempered with the safety protocols and engaged the emergency lockdown procedure. Access to the control room is blocked off, all secure facilities are sealed shut, and every way in and out of the city is locked.”
“Mangus... it must be Mangus! He said he was going to fly out with TechInc's data. He must have already done so-”
“And triggered the lockdown to make sure nobody could follow him,” Beakbreaker guesses.
“Then there's no time to spare,” Glasseye gasps. “Onyx... we have to hurry...”
Nodding, Onyx heads out of the cell, magically floating me along. He activates a chest-mounted flashlight, letting it guide us through the darkness as he takes off, Beakbreaker following close behind.
***
I can do nothing as Onyx and Beakbreaker run through the labyrinth of corridors, the flashlight's beam joined by the red glow of emergency lights. From my position above the others, I can only watch as Beakbreaker hurries to keep up with Onyx, struggling to keep Glasseye from sliding off her back.
Onyx reaches an unmarked door and enters a lengthy password into a nearby console. The door slides open, revealing a hallway of stainless steel, and a reinforced door at the far end.
“What is this place?” Beakbreaker asks.
Onyx doesn't answer as he heads to the door and unlatches it. I float after him as he enters and flicks on a light, revealing a room packed with machines, gears, tubes, and wires running between panels and jars containing crystals of every shape, size, and color. I've never seen machinery like this before, not even at Medicomp.
Onyx gently lowers me to the floor and takes Glasseye off Beakbreaker's back. “Stay calm, sir. I'll hook you up-”
“No. No, not me... Silverspeak. Put him on.”
“What?”
“He needs it more than I...”
Onyx hesitates. “Sir, if we don't put you on-”
“I know full well the consequences of my actions, Captain." Glasseye coughs. “Now, do as I say.”
Onyx hesitates before lowering his employer to the floor and using his magic to levitate me once again. A button press extends a gurney from the floor, and I'm lowered into the contoured grooves.
“Beakbreaker, I need you to hook him up,” Glasseye says from somewhere behind me. “Onyx... Try to lift ...The lockdown.”
“Sir-”
“Do as I say.”
Beakbreaker comes up besides me and ties several straps over my paralyzed body. Her hooves shake so badly she can barely put the buckles in. I've got to calm her down.
“Beakbreaker? How did you know where we were?”
“You tried to make love to me and gave the wrong password, so I... I tased you.”
“Oh... that must have been strange.”
“Yes, it was... I went to Onyx, and we realized that if you had been impersonated, that meant Genesis had been invaded, and anyone could be a changeling." She tightens a strap. “We realized that was true when Glasseye started acting weird, so we went down here to search for you both.”
“Weird?”
“Becoming desperate to get TechInc's research onto airships and flying them away. Onyx and I tried to stop him, but he was too well guarded, so we figured we'd come down here and try and find a secure connection to call for help. But then the lockdown started, and we came to the cells to see if we could find one of the tech specialists. I had also hoped you'd be here, too.”
I manage a grin. “Bingo.”
The room shakes, and Beakbreaker loses her balance, momentarily falling on me. She pushes herself back up, her cheeks turning red. “Sorry.”
“Beakbreaker, hurry!” Glasseye calls out. “Connect the tubes to his veins!”
With a shake of the head, Beakbreaker finishes the straps and goes to work slipping medical tubes into my legs.
I close my eyes. “Beakbreaker? My parents... are they-”
Beakbreaker bites her lip. “I'm sorry, Silverspeak, but they were taken onto one of the ships. Onyx and I couldn't save them; they were too well guarded.”
Buck! Buck, I... okay. Okay, don't panic. They were taken, but it's not the end of the world. There's still time to save them.
The last tube is inserted and tied down. “Okay, Glasseye,” Beakbreaker says. “Done.”
“Good. Come back here, Beakbreaker! We have to remain in this booth while the machine works!”
Putting a comforting hoof on my shoulder, Beakbreaker then hurries to the booth.
Glasseye's voice comes out of a nearby speaker. “Silverspeak, can you hear me?”
“Yes,” I call out.
“Listen very carefully: Normally you'd be knocked out for this procedure, but time is a luxury we don't have. No matter what happens, you must remain calm. Don't panic. If you move too much, it could throw the machine's aim off, with catastrophic results.”
I sweat. “Glasseye, what does this machine do?”
The room shakes again. Dust falls from hidden cracks in the machines.
“Beakbreaker, the entire process is automated. All you have to do is...” Glasseye struggles to breathe. “Throw that switch.”
Beakbreaker's voice comes over the speaker. “Okay, Silverspeak, here we go-”
A thought comes to me. “Wait!”
“What?!”
“Do you see any anesthesia?!”
“Yes. And it's full.”
Thank Celestia... I close my eyes and breathe as deeply as I can. "Do it."
I hear the faint click of a switch being thrown. The machinery around me comes to life, the crystals sending out rays of yellow and orange as colored liquids rush through tubes and wires. I breathe deep as a mechanical arm brings a needle towards me.
Celestia, this feels familiar... far too familiar...
The needle injects something into my leg, and my head goes slightly numb. Not enough to knock me out, but enough that I feel like a disembodied mind trapped inside an unresponsive head.
“Silverspeak, stay calm,” Beakbreaker calls out. “Everything's going fine.”
That's easy for her to say. She's not lying helplessly on a gurney not knowing what's going on-
Several needles descend to my neck and inject a red liquid, plunging so deep into my skin that the needles disappear from view.
“Glasseye?” I call out, struggling to talk through numb lips, “is this normal?”
Even more needles are shoved into my neck.
“Glasseye?!”
“Stay calm, Silverspeak!” Beakbreaker calls out. “Let the machine do its work!”
I squeeze my eyes shut. I can do this. I've been through worse before, far worse. At least this time there won't be any pain. Just concentrate on my breathing... don't fight. Trust that Glasseye knew what he was talking about and that the pain didn't affect his thinking...
Wait. Wait, what's that noise?
I know that noise.
It's a bad noise.
A very bad noise.
Before I can stop myself, I look up and... oh Celestia, no! Not these! Anything but these!
Three miniature saws descend towards me... towards my neck.
“Beakbreaker!”
The saws get closer.
“Beakbreaker!?”
There's no pain when the saws hit, but I can feel skin being sliced to ribbons.
Blood sprays nearby machinery.
“BEAKBREAKER!”
I can hear Beakbreaker yelling something, but the whine of the saws drowns her out. Oh Celestia, I've got to get out of here! I've got to-
Something goes over my mouth; it's a mask. A tube forces its way down my mouth and into my throat. I try to spit it out, but it's in too deep. I can't scream or yell or call out. I can't even breathe anymore; the machines are breathing for me. But why?! What's this for?!
Blood splashes against the mask.
I try to call out, but I can't even make a sound with... Wait. Something's around my skull. Clamps are tightening themselves into place, forcing my head to remain perfectly still.
Another mechanical arm goes down, and I smell burning flesh. I can feel the saws hitting bone. But why aren't they stopping?!
Why are they going deeper?!
There's a pulling sensation.
It stops.
The ceiling's moving. The drugs must have gotten to me; maybe I'm about to pass out. Oh please, let me pass out. Just a few seconds of blackness and I'll wake up and everything will be better. But I don't pass out. The ceiling keeps moving.
This isn't normal... am I dead? No, I can still feel my head even through the numbness. I can see my body lying on the gurney. I must be hallucinating. The drugs are making me delirious, making me think that I can see my own body, now mutilated and mangled, with a big, bloody hole where my head should be, complete with a severed spine and blood-soaked arteries jutting...
Oh no...
Oh no, oh no, no, no...
Beakbreaker screams.
I want to scream, too.
Darkness closes in from the edges of my vision. Things are going fuzzy as I'm moved onto something. Beakbreaker's screams are muffled, as if I'm sinking deep into water, into darkness beyond the reach of light.
Needles. More needles. They have wires, tubes, and electric things dangling from them. They pierce what's left of my neck.
I can't fight them. I can't stop them. I can't do anything but listen to the hiss of machines.
I can't do anything.
Can't remember when this started. When it will end? I don't know.
Needles. Electrics and tubes and wires. They're wet with blood. They're moving up. The other arms, other tools; they're all pulling away, going quiet, powering down.
Everything's going dark.
“Silverspeak!”
A face in front of me... a hoof. Someone's waving at me.
“Silverspeak, can you hear me?!”
Who-
“Silverspeak!”
Wait. I know that voice. Familiar. Comforting.
Beakbreaker....
She's fuzzy. Can barely see her.
“Silverspeak, please, answer me!”
So tired...
The thing over my mouth is pulled away. The tube comes out as Beakbreaker takes a needle and injects me.
It's like a fog's lifting. I can think again. My vision clears and things come back into focus. The numbness is fading away, but there's no pain, only a soreness beneath my jaw, like the skin is stretched too tightly. But beneath my head, there's a strange feeling, something I don't even know how to describe.
“Beakbreaker...” I have to force the words out of my sore, raw throat. “What... what happened?”
Beakbreaker doesn't answer.
“Beakbreaker?”
Gulping, Beakbreaker holds up a large mirror.
I stare at the reflection. I see my eyes, my face, and the hair that I've seen thousands of times in thousands of other mirrors... but beneath my head is a body I don't recognize. There are legs, hooves, a chest, and a neck built from tubes, pistons, and gears. Wings hang from the body's sides, built from steel and gears instead of muscle and sinew, with tiny crystals embedded in the joints.
Is this... is this really me?
The wings... I imagine them extending. They do, unfolding and moving around before I tuck them back against the body's sides.
I'm controlling this body with nothing but my thoughts. It can't be happening. It just can't be... wait. What's that? Something on my head. It's a... a...
A horn.
I reach up and touch it.
This... This can't be happening.
I touch my cheeks. Metal strokes living flesh.
The cradle holding the body up detaches itself. I'm falling! I... oh my gosh. The legs have braced themselves against the floor. But how? Did... Did my instinct to brace myself against falling cause them to act? If that's so...
I imagine the legs pushing up like I've done countless times. They do so, but I can't feel it. All I feel is the vague sensation of movement beneath my head.
Cables detach themselves as I take a few steps, feeling like a newborn trying to walk for the first time. One leg in front of the other, just like I've been doing my whole life. But the legs wobble. My sense of balance is hopelessly out of tune, and I'm forced to go slowly just to stay upright. Beakbreaker stays close, ready to catch me if I fall.
It strikes me that this is likely one of the greatest moments in Equestria's history... someone's head transplanted onto an artificial body.
I turn back to the machines that chopped me apart... and to the teal-colored body lying upon the gurney, blood flowing from the neck.
I can barely manage to reach my body. It takes me a good thirty seconds just to touch my chest. There's no sensation of temperature. I take my former leg and hold it between metal hooves. It's a leg I've used for a lifetime, and now it's lifeless.
My chest doesn't move, and my heart doesn't beat.
My body is dead... And yet, I live.
“Silverspeak?”
I turn to Beakbreaker. The color is still gone from her face as she takes a hesitant step towards me. I remain still as she touches my new body. She lingers for a moment before going to my cheek, her warm hoof touching living flesh... And then Beakbreaker's legs go around me, grabbing me as tightly as she can. It's not the same feeling as a hug; the warmth isn't there, nor is the sensation of closeness. It's like she hugging a puppet.
Putting my new legs around her, I gently hug her back.
“It works...”
Beakbreaker and I look back as Glasseye pulls himself from the booth. He's pale; his hastily-covered wounds are still bleeding. Letting go of Beakbreaker, I try to rush over, only to trip and fall. Grunting from the impact, I get back to my hooves and reach Glasseye as he leans against a wall.
“I'm sorry for putting you through that, Silverspeak,” Glasseye wheezes, “but there was no time to explain it... The first functioning artificial body, enchanted with the most powerful of spells, meant to replace my body as it was overcome by... by this accursed disease.”
“But the body at the convention-”
“A prototype." He points to me. “So was this. But I was running out of time. I spent everything I had on accelerating development, including using crystals from Saddle Lanka. Their magic... sped up the development process, but it was a tremendous risk. High chance of failure, both mechanical and physical... the spells to remove your head alone have never been tested, but it seems you've beaten the odds."
“Is there another one?” Beakbreaker asks. “One that we-”
Glasseye shakes his head. “Bodies are expensive, my dear." He chuckles. “Not to mention how enormously difficult it was to cast the spells that make the thing move. Truth be told, there was only a 50 percent chance of it working." He coughs. “The spells and crystals will help you adapt. I just wish... I just wish I could be there to see it when you do.”
Beakbreaker takes Glasseye's leg. “Don't talk like that. We'll get you to the hospital. We'll-”
“I was going to be dead in a few months,” Glasseye says. “Mangus just accelerated the inevitable." He bites his lip, fighting to stay awake. “I could have transferred myself to the body, yes... but Silverspeak needed it more." He looks to me. “You're still young. You still have your family... you still have her.”
I don't know what to say.
“Glasseye...” Beakbreaker says.
“We all die someday, Beakbreaker. What matters is that we make a difference before we go... and my difference is standing before me.”
“But the horn-” I ask.
“You'll need it if you're to stop Mangus. I imagine you'll get used to it again soon enough.”
“Again?”
Glasseye shakes his head. “My boy, don't you recognize it? It's your horn. The one you had back in Manehattan.”
If my blood could go cold, it would.
“I was most fortunate; the Sisters were going to destroy the horn, but I persuaded them to let me study it. It has so much power; I hoped we could learn how to infuse our artificial horns with the same potency... but we never did.”
I reach up and touch the horn... the same one I almost lost my life to get, and that I would never see again after it was removed. But here it is once again, adorning my head as it did so many years ago.
It feels like it never even left.
The main doors are thrown open as Onyx Shield runs in. “It's no good, I..." He stops at seeing us, particularly me.
“Silverspeak...” Glasseye wheezes.
I kneel before him.
“Do me a favor... will you?”
“Anything.”
“Your body... your wings... your horn... use them to stop Queen Chrysalis... and her wretched lapdog.”
I take his leg. “Consider it done.”
Nodding, Glasseye looks at me, and then my new leg. “It works...”
He grins.
“It really... works...”
His eyes remain on the leg. Then they quiver.
They go still.
A moment later, so does his body.
It's a long moment before Beakbreaker presses a hoof to Glasseye's neck.
She closes her eyes.
“Is he-” Onyx asks.
Beakbreaker nods.
The room shakes.
“We... we'd better hurry,” Onyx says, trying to stay focused. “We can mourn him later.”
Biting her lip, Beakbreaker closes Glasseye's eyes and follows Onyx to the door. I stand and follow after them. Reaching the door, I look back. It doesn't feel right leaving Glasseye here, left behind like an unwanted piece of furniture. If we have enough time, I'll come back for him... and for my body, too, the skin now pale as the flow of blood slows to a barely-perceivable trickle.
I watch my body for a moment longer before following the others.