Black Heart Machine was no less observant than the sun in the sky. Her eyes searched over the Peak every day, making good on her promise to protect the mares of the mountain from the thieving minds of disgruntled men. She knew all of their faces and some of their names, but that did not stop her from caring all the same. The dark mare knew they were all different—some were here because they wanted to stand up for what they believed in; others sought refuge here, and some wanted both.

And then, there was Balthazar.

The first time Black Heart Machine laid her dark eyes upon Balthazar was many years ago. It was during the time Corinth and her traded ambitions and sparkling plans for retribution. They were young, the world was unfair and only they could stop it from turning long enough for anyone to notice. And now Corinth was gone, Machine was old and the world was still unfair.

And Balthazar still came to visit.

The dark mare knew him instantly when her eyes fell upon him standing in the meadow at the base of the Peak. She watched him graze from afar, flicking her impossibly long tail to and fro, almost catlike in calculation. Seeing him was like an omen—a sign of some kind of imminent change.

As the wind kicked up and tousled her mane, a chill crept up Machine’s spine. She flattened her ears as it whispered seductively to her. ”Fuck off Slenderman,” she said very quietly, barely above a whisper, and at once the wind died down.

When the other mare approached Balthazar, Black Heart Machine moved closer too. She lifted her ears forward as she drew close enough to catch her name and ask for his. A slight smile crept over her black lips as she answered for him.

“Well hello again Balthazar.”

There was a certain powerful steadiness in her voice when she spoke to him. It was perhaps a bit unnerving. After all, Machine did not typically bother starting conversations with the silver-haired boy. But today was different. Today, the Vulcan Codebreaker wanted to know why instead of leaving, he had stayed.

BLACK HEART MACHINE