Valve’s life had been far from solitary. Growing up in the wilds of the Peak and Lagoon with her mother and father gave her ample opportunity to listen and observe others. She had known many names and even more faces, and as she grew from a small and unruly filly into a sleek and strong Akhal-Teke mare like Black Heart Machine, she became even more interested in the intentions and purposes of those around her. Slenderman had taught her that others were malleable—they could be molded like clay to whatever shape was most useful.

She met his nose with her own and listened closely as he explained that he was looking for someone named Corinth. Valve tilted her head and peered over her shoulder, searching her mind for any familiarity that name held.

“I never met her,” she replied, at last locating the memory. “But I know of her.”

Corinth had been one of her mother’s sisters of the Peak—one of three leaders that worked in tandem to rid the islands of the oppression mares faced here in the past. It was indeed a long time ago, as the black stallion had said.

“She was a friend of my mother’s,” Valve finished.

What would they think if they were here now, she wondered silently. The two of them fought hard to bring equality to these islands, and that time had finally come. Would her mother be proud of her? And whoever this stallion was, would Corinth have wanted to see him again? Valve shook her head, ridding her mind of these unanswerable questions. Perhaps they weren’t important, and yet she was still curious as to why the black stallion would return after all this time, just to chase a ghost.

VALVE
slenderman x black heart machine