Dreams

"What? You mean the person who made her heartless was there!? At the wedding! That means there is another heartless in the village! We have to go back!" Satin sat bolt upright.

"No, can do. My killer is long gone now. Plus, you don't want to end up like Chanty, so we are going to get you a pretty little heart, and then it will all be over." Tart huffed and stretched out on the bed.

Satin glared at the large round belly of the cat. Azuki was still sitting shyly against him.

"Who made Chanty heartless?" Satin dared ask, making Tart chuckle. He rolled to his side, found Azuki's tail, and gave it a loving groom. She fluffed more and flicked her tail away.

"She would turn me into a hat if I told you," he said with a grin up at her. Unlike Azuki, his regular simple canine teeth had become sharp and serrated like his masters. He, too, was some strange, part machine heartless. Satin rubbed her face.

"Look, just get some rest. You do still need to sleep even as a heartless." Tart purred and rubbed along Azuki, making her shiver. He then slipped off the bed with a thud, somehow landing on all fours.

"Sweet dreams." He mewed as he stepped outside and bumped the door shut with his butt.

Azuki relaxed and flopped over, laying in the warm spot Tart had left. She sniffled along with it, opening her mouth slightly to get his scent.

Satin felt the same warmth in her chest and reached out, thumbing Azuki's soft ears. They were no longer warm but as cold as ice.

"So, I made you a heartless to?" Satin slumped back on the bed. She shifted, having to sleep curled so her back end would fit on the bed as well. She looked like a half-moon with Azuki in the middle kneeling the blankets.

"Yes. But it's okay. I will always be a part of you." She yawned.

Satin lay staring at the slowly turning gears laced with heartstring for as long as she could keep her heavy eyes open.

Dreams came.

Satin stood in the center of her once a beloved village. Unlike the color that had graced each building and engulfed the sky and road, everything was gray and void of life. The only thing that stood out was a single red thread. It was limp and wound around the ground, slowly slinking its way up to Satin. Her eyes followed it, finding the tip was plunged right into where her heart used to be. Satin thumbed along with it before slowly starting to walk ahead, following the coiling string.

As she passed it, it spooled back into her chest like she was being reeled in like a fish. Finally, her hooves stopped in front of Tea's flowered teapot house.

Satin reached and touched the dull door. It suddenly bloomed with color. The little pot was pure white but covered in vivid pink tea tree flowers, red poppies, and purple lilies. It had a little wooden door and two small round windows facing the front.

The smell of freshly steeping tea permeated the air. Satin was surprised it smelled good. All she had been able to smell for a while was the sourness of lemons. She reached for the door handles and opened the door. Her eyes first fell on the small downstairs cafe. The red thread wound over a perfectly decorated white table with three chairs around it. There was tea set on the table, complete with a half-nibbled plate of cookies. The thread tucked under each cookie and dropped off the other side of the table, leading to the staircase to the second floor. The smell was alluring, and Satin made her way inside.

As soon as all four hooves had stepped inside, the door slammed, and the room turned dark. Satin could still see the outline of the tea set as the red thread glowed like a lantern. Satin swallowed and stepped back to the door. As she reached for the handle, it disappeared.

Her ears pricked up as a scream came from upstairs. In a panic, she bolted up the steps, leaping to cross most of them in one jump. She landed on the second floor and found the string could illuminate the whole upper floor on its own.

Then she felt it, a dull aching thrum of a heartbeat. It was unmistakable to a heartless. To Satin, it felt like the dinner bell was ringing. She hated it. The heartbeat again, and her eyes focused on the red glow. It was beating in time with the dull thudding of the unknown heart.

The string snaked down the hall and disappeared under the door to the bedroom. Where the scream had come from. Satin made a dash for the door hoping the knob didn't evaporate like it had before.

This time the handle was solid, and she thrust open the door.

The whole room was bright, making Satin recoil as the light hit her eyes. As she squinted into the bright light, she could make out Ribbon. She was still dressed from her magical wedding day. Her hair down, with long curling pink ribbons and bows. Her dress spilled off her horseback and folded to the floor. Her eyes were dark and cold, making Satin shiver at sight.

The other centaur stood over the bed with blood dripping off her fingers.

"How dare you! You belong to me now, we are married! Now lay down and let me do what I want to you!" Ribbon barked as she towered over Tea.

Tea was sitting on the bed, still in her wedding dress. Blood slowly dripping down from the heavy scratch marks Ribbon had just made on her cheek. The thin satyr took a breath, touched the blood, and bit her lip hard. Finally, she shifted and started to undo the buttons on her dress.

"Yes, I - I am sorry, my love." Tea breathed with shaking hands as she slowly undressed.