//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: BEDLAM III: Quiet on the Set // by Gormless Wheaton //------------------------------// In any other circumstance, I'd have derived some level of spiteful joy from this situation. However, as the leaders of Equestria's nearest allies sat around the table before me, I was too preoccupied with our mutual adversary to find any humor. The only comfort, which we all shared, was that thanks to good old manual magic letters, Lace's maids were able to keep an eye on my double down at the Citadel. And luckily, he's remained pretty inactive since we departed. "My guess is he's trying to both repair the Crystal Mind and himself," I explained. I gestured to Lace, between Thorax and Ember. "Lace claimed he amputated his own arm to nullify the effects of her disrupting wand, but I can't imagine it didn't have any lingering effects on his motor functions." "And as we discussed, so long as we keep the bell hidden he cannot achieve his dark design," Celestia added. While everyone present had been glaring at me while I spoke, they relaxed somewhat at Celestia's words. Couldn't have that. "Where is the bell, anyhow?" I asked, stroking my chin. "No," Twilight spat. I stuck my tongue at her. "We're taking a big enough risk letting you and Jury use the castle's console, so don't push your luck." "Or do," Ember added, leaning on the table with a smile. "Be my guest." "Yak agree," Rutherford humphed. "I also would not be opposed to you aggravating the princess and urging her to retract her protections briefly," Lace added with a polite nod. I cleared my throat and leaned back in my seat. Twilight smirked and turned to the rest of the table. "Rest assured, we aren't out of options yet. I'm certain we can make use of the balefire we took from Bedlam's bunker," she shot me a momentary glance. "And if all else fails, we could risk using the bell to drain the magic from Bedlam's old network, hopefully ensnaring Bedford in the process." I grimaced at the thought. Something like that would practically ruin.. Everything. Jury and I had performed a series of tests I don't think Twilight was aware of back in the day. When the bell is used on magic-rich gems, the siphoning effect fries them. Meaning, if that's the route we wind up pursuing... Well, all the more reason to get the bell first, isn't it? And all the more reason to slide as many alternatives forward as possible. "Another option I was mulling over was reversing his transformation." Everyone's attention was on me again. I stretched and cracked my knuckles, drawing a grimace from Twilight. "If you remember, I figured out how to reverse the flesh-to-metal transmogrification spell. So if we could pin his consciousness down, we might be able to turn him fully human again," I explained. "Now there's an idea," Twilight replied, rubbing her chin before frowning at me. "But, when you say 'pin his consciousness down'.." I sighed hard. "He can slip from body to body, leaving behind empty animunculi, which I can't imagine the reversing spell would work on," I shrugged. "But who knows?" "I say we smash all you metal things," Rutherford offered. "He have nowhere hide then. Then smash him too." I snorted and waved my hand at him. "Sure, good luck with that." Twilight smiled at me. "Thanks, Eddy." "Mhm." "Eddy?" "Mhm." It was only for a moment, but when the bell drained the magic from her, I felt it. All of it. It was like that night back in the Castle of Two Sisters, when I first set my animunculi to work. The raw potential it presented. My fingers drummed the bell as I stared at it and my mind went to work. Chaos magic has no limits when used right. If you avoid its counters and just think things through, there is literally no limitation to what can be accomplished. I wouldn't even need to use it in combat. I could just use it to test my animunculi in ways only possible in my wildest imaginations. Because that's literally the framework I held in my hands: Imagination. Raw creativity, unchecked by reality's constraints. Within my hands, I held everything I ever wanted and more. The world. My world. Mine. The world I wanted to show Twilight. I paused. "Embrace the opportunity she's offered wholeheartedly. Or you will never have her." My eyes darted back and forth. "I will not compromise on my vision for the world by even one half-acre." I grit my teeth. "I get what I want in the end." "Eddy?" I looked down and saw Twilight's concerned frown. I felt the weight of the stone bell now more than ever. I clenched my eyes shut as my breathing began to match that weight. Glasses or no, there was no way she couldn't see my tears. "Are you okay?" I took a shuddering breath and nodded before smiling at her. "Sorry." I flipped the bell around and conjured a portal with it before jumping through. I hurled myself to a sitting position with a gasping shout. My eyes darted around until I saw the dark silhouette of my lamp, and I nearly fell out of bed scrambling to flip it on. As the light peeled away the shadows of my room, I blinked and scanned the air, panting and muttering. "What the fuck was that?" I swallowed hard, threw my legs over the edge of my bed, and leaned on my knees until I managed to catch my breath. Blinking again, I looked up at my clock and groaned at the time. I dragged my hand over my head and stood up. "Eddy?" I jolted in my seat and turned to see Twilight trotting into the garden with a concerned look. "The guards said they saw you wandering, are you okay?" I grimaced and rubbed my chin. "Not really," I replied. She hesitated before teleporting onto the bench beside me and placing her wing on my back. "You have a nightmare or something?" She asked. I frowned and rolled my hand. "Kinda? It wasn't like, terrifying or anything, it was just.." I shook my head. "Wrong." My eyes were open. My heart was beating in my ears, and my breathing was heavy, but I made no reaction. I just stared up at the ceiling of my room in Canterlot's castle. Turning my head, I slowly remembered what reality was and checked the time Three A.M. Jury was waiting. I threw my legs over the edge of my bed, just like in my dream and that caused me to shiver. "Luna's magic is sealed in his bell," I quietly grumbled, rubbing my temples in thought. "So, what then?" I took a deep breath and mulled over what I knew. I'd been having these dreams since they locked me in stone. Now that I'm free, they're evidently still happening, although this time was something different. A dream within a dream? Hell, that'd be peculiar even if I wasn't likely cursed. I rubbed my chin and growled in thought. They'd given me a room to myself, albeit a small one, but that didn't mean they trusted me. Was the stress of his presence and their hostility getting to me? So, why was I having these dreams while stuck in stone? I blinked. They'd turned me to stone three years ago. Jury claimed she lost access to the Mind around then. It's not unreasonable to assume that was when he started trying to dig his way into this world. My face worked into a venomous grin. "I get it," I hissed and rose to my feet. "Too much evil Bedlam in one place. Too much of the same guy. Too many timelines intersecting. That's what's causing them." I laughed weakly. "Has to be." The chamber was quiet. Only the quiet hum of the partially functioning Crystal Mind filled the room, occasionally accompanied by a sharp snap or crackle as a magical discharge leaped from its shattered face. Just before it and leaning up against its console sat a limp and unmoving humanoid animunculus, missing one arm and with a face fixed in a permanent sneer. As the mind slowly rotated, it shuddered and then an arc of magical lightning leaped into the golem which sprang to life with a shout. "Ho-ly!" Bedford heaved and took a single step before falling forward, narrowly catching himself on his one remaining arm. "Damn it. That cow trashed this one. No wonder I lost connection." He looked up and scanned the room. "Let's see.. KS 6 is.. there. The alicorn duplicates are.. there," his eyes weakly flashed as they locked on unseen targets, hidden behind walls and throughout the facility. "You three are going to have to handle things on this side while I restock." His one good arm hissed and gave out. "Tight," he groused, his voice warbling and weak. "Well, whatever, you have your orders." His eyes began to dim and his body shuddered for a moment before going still. Again, quiet held the chamber, but for a far shorter period this time. Bedford suddenly let out a chortle. "Tell you what," he struggled and glanced back at the Crystal Mind. "That rock's about to break down anyhow, so why not use it while we can? Give you ladies an edge over those lowlifes. HA-HA-HA-HA." His eyes flashed violently, and the Crystal Mind lit up. Magical energy danced up its face and arced all around the room, burning shallow trenches into the floor and walls as the gem spun and whipped its tendrils of power around. Bedford cackled as the energy swept through him, melting his body in half just before he abandoned it for his home world. The gem continued spinning until it cracked and splintered. Still, its power snapped out and tore up the chamber, before coiling up in on itself, forming a sphere. The entire Crystal Mind collapsed and then exploded, sending glass shrapnel in every direction. Out of its wake and through the smoke the explosion generated, a set of hooves slowly and deliberately clacked against the floor, carefully and begrudgingly stalking toward the exit.