//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Ryezing: Tome of Dreams // by ThatOneGuy0531 //------------------------------// Well, I’ve certainly found myself in a pickle, haven’t I? “You say you’ll help, but I’m having a hard time believing you.” “That tends to happen…” My eyelids are getting heavier. “I don’t doubt it. I’m going to need some kind of insurance If I’m going to release the spell.” “Is that really necessary? Can’t we be civil abou-AAAAAAAAAGGGH!” “You’re in no position to bargain.” Yeah, I know. “Who knows how much longer you can last. You must be exhausted.” “I’m getting there…but if I go...you’ll never get it to work.” “Well I wouldn’t say never.” “The only people who know about this book are sitting in their high-chairs back in Canterlot...and they have no idea what to do with it…” “You could be lying.” “I could be…” He didn’t break his gaze against mine. “It’d definitely save you the trip.” “Heh, It would, wouldn’t it.” I was still on the ground in a lower portion of the cave. He walked along the wall moving his fingers across a table that I couldn’t see the top of. I could hear the rumbling of metal and wood each time he moved one thing against another. “But,” He found something he liked. “Just to be sure.” He lifted a small crossbow up to his shoulder. Engravings lined the wooden accents of its metal frame. In the metal frame was a symbol etched in turquoise, likely the crest of some family, but hell if I knew the name. He loaded a bolt and aimed toward what looked like my lower waist from where I was sitting. “Turn around.” I complied. CHINK. He shot the bolt toward the metal chain holding my left arm to my belt. From where he was standing, I wasn’t exactly in position that made it easy for him. I could finally move my arm around. “Next one goes in the head if you get any bright ideas.” That was a very fast bolt. “...Sounds fair.” He motioned for me to walk toward the table. From here I could see the rest of the cave. It was not large but It was bigger than the one from last night. I was essentially sitting in a natural pit that doubled as the end of the cave. The central, and largest space, was where I was standing. A table in the center with assorted ingredients, tomes, and reagents served as some kind of haberdashery of miscellaneous supplies. An opening in the wall led to a staircase-like climb towards the mouth of the cave. That Diamond Dog patrolled aimlessly up and down the would-be stairs. A pedestal was across from me on the other side of the table. It was void of symmetry and the stone used to build it matched the wall of the cave. On top of it sat the tome responsible for this little adventure. It was already open to the runes that baffled my host. “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you using this particular spell for.” “There’s nothing about it that I’m particularly interested in.” “Then why bother? You seem knowledgeable enough for all the other spells and rituals in the book. From one studious colt to another, why would you go through all this effort? What if we had captured you, killed you? What would have been the point?” “I try not to think too hard about all the what could have happened. I’m a live-in-the-moment kind of colt. Those what-ifs? It’s not real. Not tangible. I can’t feel it nor can I interact with it.” He walked by me to a bowl of berries sitting on a protruding rock near the incline leading to the cave’s exit. He ate a blue one, then held the second in his hand. “But this. This book! It’s real. I can feel it. The knowledge that it holds is a tangible thing and those grandiloquent, high-and-mighty authors have the gall, the audacity, to lock it behind some unicorn magic.” His voice found energy. “As if to say ‘this is ours and ours alone’ and that I am not worthy of their precious insight. This lock, this seal that keeps me from those pages is a monument to their arrogance.” He sure loves to hear himself talk. I usually have to prod them a little more. “Then why keep the book at all? Wouldn’t it be easier to just get rid of it, erase all their work from history? Leave nothing of their memory.” Not that I want the book destroyed. I’m on a job after all. “Because that’s just giving up! It’s me admitting that I could not beat them! No...no, no, no, no, I need to access it, make it my own. Prove to myself and to them that they can’t keep anything away from me.” “Perhaps it was done for a reason?” “The limits they choose to bestow upon themselves are not-” “-Your own?” “...yes.” This is going to be either very good or bad. “Did I steal your thunder there? I’m sorry, you must forgive me if I don’t find your spiel to be all that interesting.” “...” I don’t think he’s ever been interrupted before. “I mean, come on.” At least not like this. “It could be compelling, to some. Maybe to someone who has never heard a motive before, but you must agree with me that it is at least wholly unoriginal.” Hey, I’ve seen that look of disgust before. “X says Y can’t have it, but Y wants it anyway so Y takes it and then Z happens, and you know what Z is, right? You have too! You’re obviously a reader, you’ve read enough stories to know where this goes.” “If you’re implying that you’re somehow going to get the upper-hand-” “I’m not implying.” Sweet Celestia, I hope I’m right. “...then you’re as arrogant as-” “-yourself?” That one just slipped out, I must admit. “ANNOYING! Raaaaagh!” He pushed several things off the table in a fit, though nothing particularly useful. What even is useful to me right now? I’m exhausted and I’ve got one good hand. I’m not even sure I could last another spell. A few seconds of panting and he had calmed himself down. “You know, If you had come around I would have seriously considered letting you and your sister-wife go!” Not all the way down it seems. “I think I’m rather forgiving, yes! Even the spit in the face! I would have ignored that! Now!? That’s gone! Raaaaagh!” “Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Got to keep this going. Keep pressing, but not too hard as to get myself killed. Just keep pressing until you’ve found that delicate balance. “Weirdly enough! I thought you would understand. Considering what you did just to keep yourself and the other one awake.” Oh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “It doesn’t take a first-year at one of those fancy schools to figure it out. Those colors earlier were very telling. You might as well have announced it from the top of the mountain..” “Figure what out?” Stall. Play dumb. Make him lose it again! “You are looking nervous.” “Only, because you are in my personal space.” “I know they don’t teach that in any of Celestia’s classrooms. You must have gone behind a few backs, pulled a few favors. With enough of that, I wouldn’t need you. I could force it to work.” He pulled his arm back and shot his weight into my bad arm. The pain raced down my spine and forced me to collapse. It was a long moment before I could muster out words. “If you’re as smart as you think you are...ugh…” “I heard stories of a family in Canterlot who had access to knowledge privy only to a few.” “...then you know what happens if you fail…” “To think I would ever meet a member of such an esteemed clan, let alone have them grovel at my feet.” He started shooting bolts into the cave wall. Five, in the shape of a semicircle. On each bolt he secured a clear, egg-shaped stone. The details of the cracks on the cave became distorted when one looked through them, yet somehow the stone itself remained pure like frozen air. “You’re familiar with the concept of magical translation and its subsequent storage in a vessel, right?” “...unfortunately…” I’m gonna have to do something drastic if I can’t pull myself up. “I’ve never transferred from a living creature before, I’m kind of excited!” “...You know, I’m kind of in the mood for some rune translation.” “Ah, no. Your chances were spent. Don’t worry. You can rest easy knowing that you were a step on the staircase. My staircase. The only staircase that matters. The staircase that leads me to the fruits of my labors.” He started to walk back over to me. “The endless toiling and suffering over dusty spells and tomes, the exhausting exploration of ruins for torn scraps of pages.” He took a deep breath. “Just know that it will be worth it.” He turned toward the stones and began chanting a practiced verse. The stones began to gleam a delicate crystal light. The warm light reached toward me and started bathing me in a crystal-like glow. Hues of purple, green, and black seeped from my skin and my horn. They strangled the white light and reached toward the precious stones. It felt as though there was vomit boiling in my stomach. My head felt light and I could feel my body convulse. My fingertips scratched at my palms and I pulled my good arm over my stomach in a futile effort to dull the pain. He continued on with his chant. A sinister, self-satisfactory smile possessed his face while his eyes lit up in anticipation. There was a pressure building in my skull, I wished it would pop so it could end this. How much longer...can I keep this up...Maybe if I just...rest a bi- “Rejoice and revel! For the Great and Power-” “WHAT! NOW!?” “-Aahhh!” In an instant, my exhaustion left me and I could stand on my knees again. My vision was blurred but I could concentrate on my surroundings. “CHOPS! How did she get in here?!” The red eyes of the diamond dog stared blankly at his master. Before my captor could have another outburst, Trixie started parading around the table. “Trixie told him that I meant him and his master no harm.” She was eyeing the table. Her eyes lit up for a single second before she returned her attention to the colt. “In fact, The Great and Powerful Trixie has come to offer her magical services to, uh...What’s your name?” “Fleece…” “Fleece? We’ll work on it.” His fists clenched. “Chops.” As if on cue, the Diamond Dog began his march toward her. “Wait wait wait!” Just like that, the air of confidence she had disappeared. “Trixie can do other things too! She can uh...juggle to your heart’s content, just for you! Maybe clean out this cave!” She reached for the bowl of assorted fruits. “You’ll never have to feed yourself again!” She placed the bowl back down. “ Or I could polish all these little tools you have here!?” She picked up a crossbow bolt and started dusting it off on her clothes. Fleece seemed offended. I yelled, “Oh, yes! Offer to polish his little tool!” “You know what! Trixie is having second thoughts about this whole thing.” She let the bolt drop. It bounced toward my direction but landed well out of my arm’s reach, though a good leap could close the distance. “It just slipped out.” I said. In what seemed like a combination of exhaustion and delirium, Fleece, who had just been watching, stumbled to the other side of the table near his ornate bowl of assorted fruits. “I...I...can’t believe it. You two are...Insufferable.” He reached his hand into the fruit bowl and slammed a handful into his mouth. Trixie and I were silent. By stealing glances, we could tell that the other could not get a read on him. “Chops.” He chewed for about ten seconds before opening his mouth again. “Kill her.” Chops dropped to a ready stance and leaped as quickly as the command came. He landed on top of her and flared his fangs before trying to dig into her neck. I got up to intervene, but Fleece was quick to plunge his boot into my ribs. I rolled onto my backside. “You are not going anywhere.” Feigning a little weakness, I waited for him to get close enough to grab my coat before lunging the base of my boot into his stomach. He fell back down into the small pit where I was being held, while I used the force of the kick to reach for the single bolt. “ARCANE DO SOMETHING!” “Working on it!” I grabbed the bolt and ran over to Chops and jumped onto his back, plunging the bolt between his shoulder and his neck. He recoiled, pushing me off as he returned to standing on his hind legs. “I think I got him!” Instead of falling backward, he pulled the bolt from his wound and bent it in his hands. He turned his attention toward me. “TRIXIE! DO SOMETHING!” He brandished his claws and sprinted towards me. “Duck!” She tossed something towards us and I rolled to my right side before I could even process her command. A puff of blue smoke punched into my face, I couldn’t see in front of me. Sparks flew from where I was laying, ignited by the claws scraping against the hard, stone floor. For a brief moment, I could see chops and his deep red eyes bathed in an orange glow through the smoke. He had noticed me too and flared his fangs at me before disappearing into the haze. “Trixie! I can’t see him! I don’t know where he is! Where are you!?” “Over here!” “Where’s here!?” Our voices kept bouncing off the cave wall. I couldn’t tell where she was standing. Don’t worry about that now. Just listen. I could hear his quick yet heavy feet hitting the ground, tip, tap, tip, tap; though I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. “Here’s here!” She screamed. As if that were useful. “Hurry up so we can get out of he-” “Grab the book!” “That’s what you’re worried abou-” CHINK. “-ahhh! He just shot at me!” “Are you hit!?” “I’m fine!” “Then keep mov-ahhh!” I caught a glimpse of Chops’ shadow just before he lunged toward me. He missed and sliced the cave wall behind me bathing himself in sparks again. He followed the first strike with a flurry of claws and teeth, glimpses of which would fade and reappear through the smoke. The only constant being the unyielding gaze of his crimson eyes. “Keep moving! Don’t let him get a clear shot at you!” “More Smoke!?” “More Smoke!” I heard the popping of three other bombs. The smoke was very thick now, I could barely see my own hands. I dropped to the ground and rolled away to break the chase. It seemed to work since the shrill scratching against the wall of the cave ceased. I stood back and let myself drift. It was getting harder to breathe. I started coughing more frequently. “Trixie? Trixie *cough* grab the boo-AH!” “AH!” We bumped into each other, backs first. I turned to see her ready to attack, but I’m not sure how well her blows will land if she keeps her eyes closed like that. “Trixie it’s *cough* me.” “Oh, here. Hold still.” She pulled out a rag and wrapped it around my face. She secured it tight and helped me gain my bearings. “This is just smoke, right? We’ll be okay if we breathe some of it in, right?” “It’s homemade.” “What’s in it?” “Just whatever is lying around and some blue dye.” “Oh.” “...Yeah.” She seems to already know that we may be in a poison chamber. “We should go. Like now.” “We can’t let him have the book.” “Don’t worry, I already have it.” “You do? Why didn’t you just say-” “Shut up! The whole room doesn’t need to know!” Fair point. “Fair point.” She started off into the smoke. “Come on, The smoke is flowing this way, it might be catching a draft.” I grabbed her cloak and she started through the smoke. She crouched low and focused her attention on the subtle drifting of smoke, stopping occasionally to inspect it more thoroughly. “This wa-Aggh!” From the smoke came a thunderous boot finding its mark across Trixie’s face. “Trixie!” She rolled over to her right side deeper into the smoke. I lunged into Fleece’s gut, knocking him over, and started throwing my left arm into his side as hard as I could. I tried a few times for his face but they failed to find it’s mark. “You’re gonna have to try better than that! Haha!” he grabbed my right forearm and began twisting it toward himself while it was still in its sleeve. It felt as though I had been struck by lightning as the pain traveled through my body. My punches ceased. From the smoke lunged Chops, pulling me off his master with one powerful leap. Fleece returned to his feet. “Chops, hold him.” The wolf-like Diamond dog pressed against my bad arm on my chest and held my left hand off to his side. He used his knees to press into my abdomen. I could barely take a breath. “Knight,” Fleece started while loading a small bolt into his crossbow. “I’ve come to a realization. You and her,” I could make out his silhouette through the smoke as well as his crossbow, trained for my head. “You are not worth this hassle.” As he squeezed his finger I could see another silhouette growing behind him. “Rraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Trixie leaped from the smoke and slammed the wide and heavy cover of the tome into the side of his skull knocking him further into the smoke. Chops loosened his grip for a brief moment to look back at his master and, in that moment, I shifted my weight as hard as I could, fighting through the pain emanating on my arm as I did so. The bolt found its mark in Chops’ forearm and he let out a shrill roar, still determined to fight whoever assaulted his master. But, she was determined as well. She didn’t stop at Fleece. Tossing the book, she ran at the Diamond Dog bearing down on me and jumped onto his back. Cards flew from her sleeve and wrapped themselves around Chops’ neck, at least that’s what it must have seemed to him. I could see the slight indentation of his fur in the spaces between individual cards. She had run a hair-thin string though the cards beforehand. I did what I could with my knees. The cards began to glow, we both knew it was our time to move. Chops released his grip on me to shake Trixie off his back; throwing her off a few feet away. He then turned his attention to the glowing cards. I took that chance and got to my feet as quickly as possible. The glow grew brighter and brighter even through all the smoke. Chops’ roars became more frustrated with each second. Trixie was getting to her feet when I tackled her in her delirium. We both braced ourselves for the finale. It sounded like a dragon had flapped its gargantuan wings inside our heads. The vibrations rebounded on and off the walls; searching for an escape. My organs felt like they were going to shake themselves out of place and I struggled to get to my feet with my good arm. I opened my eyes and to my surprise, I could see all the details in the cave again. The explosion pushed the smoke out completely save for a few pockets of light-blue puffs here and there. When I got my bearings, I looked back at Chops. His fur above his neckline was slightly charred and puffed upward. He made no noise while he laid on the ground. I looked back at Trixie. I had to shove her a couple of times to get her moving. She turned her head toward mine and opened her eyes. She lifted her cloak to reveal the book, unharmed. A half-smile appeared on her face and a small chuckle escaped me. I almost didn’t notice the blood trickling from her teeth. I helped her onto her feet and she let me lean against her while I pulled myself up. We staggered toward the pseudo staircase and paused for a moment looking at the exit. It was now midday, the journey back would be another three, maybe four days in our condition, though that realization didn’t weaken our sense of relief. The past few days suddenly caught up to us. Slowly we ascended the rocky steps, occasionally slipping here and there, but we didn’t fall. We were too tired to fall. “That was pretty good, with the cards, Lulamoon.” “Their replacements are coming out of your share.” “Let’s not get ahead of ourselv-” CHINK. A whip of wind flew between our heads. Suddenly there was a small metal rod with a strand of her mane embedded in the rocky staircase. “Yes... let’s not get ahead of ourselves... Haha!” A pit formed in my stomach. We barely had the energy to move let alone dodge. I turned and saw Fleece bleeding from his ears, one eye swollen from a blow, courtesy of the mare holding me up. He readied his crossbow again and aimed it towards us. He brandished a wicked smile, chuckling every few words. He looked like he’d gone mad. I stole a glance from Trixie. We both knew we were sitting ducks. “Oh come on, Fleece! Just stay dow-” “NO! No! You do not get to decide when this is over! I! Get to decide... when this is over! Not you! Not her! Meeeeeee! Me! Me! Meeeee!” Trixie joined in. “Gosh, you’re pathetic! You lost! Take it! Why are there so many children on this stupid mountain!?” “Hey, that was plural.” “I know what I’m saying!” “You clearly don’t.” “SHUT YOUR MOUTHS! Both of you! You damned horned devils!.” Fleece’s frustration grew. I guess he didn’t take kindly to us ignoring him, even for a brief moment. Trixie began again. “Oh, boo hoo! What’s the matter, things didn’t go baby’s way?” Fleece’s breathing quickened and his pupils constricted. “YOU! HIM! And all your damned kind on that pretentious little hill!” He started thrusting his arms to his side without any rhyme or reason. “You will boooooooooow to me! And once I’m done making you lick the gunk from beneath hooves! Once I’m done defiling everything you love.” Trixie continued to egg him on. To me it seemed they wanted to find out who was the loudest in the cave.” “Wah! Wah! Does baby Fleece want his bottle!” Trixie shoved her body forward with each word. “Then and only then!” “Wah! I’m baby Fleece! I lost! Wah!” She was done with this journey. “Will yooooooou be allowed to die! On my terms! On my whim!” “Wah! I smell bad! Wah!” What followed was some ungodly noise from Fleece’s mouth. It sounded like someone was forcing an eagle to sing while stringing its neck at the same time. He arched his body backward and aimed the shrill toward the roof of the cave. He held the note for one...two...three grueling seconds before jutting the crossbow towards us again. As he pulled the trigger he bounced his chest forward before holding his hand to his mouth. A thick greenish-brown goo poured through his fingers. The pitter-patter of chunks hitting the cave floor echoed to where we were standing. His bolt had missed by a mile. Trixie was chuckled softly. The small chuckle turned into laughter. Then full-blown hysteria possessed her. “HAHAHA! You lost! Why!? Because of me! Me! Me! Me!” She bounced her head each time she repeated a word. “Does your stomach not feel good!? Maybe you ate something!? You should have checked the berry bowl!” I suddenly recalled the single blueberry she had been carrying around. “The second you ate him! The second you ate Mr. Berryington! You were on borrowed time, and now Trixie has come to collect! This was mine! You were playing my game! On my time!” I grabbed a card from her pouch and used my thumb to rub some blood from her chin. She didn’t seem to notice. On the card I wrote a familiar rune in her blood. It will be more than enough to end this. Fleece struggled to speak through the rancid chunks. “I...will...kill...yoooooooou!” “Bite my Great and Powerful a-” “It’s been a pleasure, Fleece!” I threw the card halfway between us and him. A vibrant crimson glow consumed the cave. It grew brighter. I didn’t have to tell Trixie what that meant. We used what little we had left to rush out the cave. We let our bodies roll down from the mouth. Before stopping we heard the massive shock-wave shoot through the dense rock of the mountain. A crimson blast blasted horizontally from the mouth of the cave. The red mist danced above us for a few moments before finally dissipating into the air. Then...silence. A silence so deafening we could hear each other’s hearts beat. Soon, the howl of the great mountain winds returned. They whistled along the rocks. We stayed there on our backs, listening to the natural lullaby, inviting us to rest.