Chapter 25

Appropriate Attire

After the meeting with Widow, Grey and Eris met up with Winter. She needed to get Roach a Hearths Warming’s gift and she had no idea where to look. Thankfully Grey knew the city like the back of his hand and lead her to a nearby book store where they could find the aspiring doctor some medical books. Eris trailed off on her own and started to look at different books, quite the rare occurrence.

Something about the ice mage had been bugging Grey for a while and he figured that this was the best chance to ask. “Hey Winter,” The blue haired girl looked up from the book she was holding. “what’s the deal with you and Flare?” She narrowed her eyes and sneered at the mention of her sister. “I mean I know siblings fight, but you two go at it like a cat and dog twenty-four seven. What gives?”

“That is none of your business.” She hissed.

“You’re my friend and it’s obviously something that troubles you. So it is my business. Especially since we’re all on the same team.” She let out a heavy breath of frosty air as her anger spiked. “I mean you two are twins right? So there should be at least some sibling connection.” She figured she might as well tell him just so he’d know the real story and not Flare's heavily abridged version.

“We’re not twins.” She stated flatly. “We were born on the same day, but we have different mothers.” Grey had not been expecting that.

“So your dad is in a harem?”

“He was in a harem.” She put the book back and picked up another. “Flare was born about an hour ahead of me and there were complications with my mom. Long story short, she died a few hours after she delivered me. Leaving my dad and Flare’s mom to raise us.” Grey bit his lip as he listened to her story.

“According to my uncle, my dad had a deeper emotional connection with my mom and after she died, he just sort of shut down emotionally. Flare’s mother blamed me for his emotional problems. That lead to Flare and I constantly trying to get him to notice us. I eventually moved past it and did what I wanted, but Flare thought it’d be more fun to make my life a living hell.” She closed the book in her hand with a fair amount of force causing a loud slapping sound to echo through the air.

“How so?”

“Everything I’ve ever done she’s either one up’d me or ruined it. Whenever I made a friend, she’d become their best friend and turn them against me. She’d steal my diary, steal my clothes, any guy I was interested in.” Now Grey understood why she and Roach were keeping things on the down low. “She didn’t even want to go to Starswirl Academy until I got accepted and I worked my ass off to get there, while she just slept her way to the top.”

“She did what?” Grey’s eyes widened.

“My sister is a slut.” She said in a harsh tone. “Not afraid to screw a few teachers to get her way.” Flare started to sound a lot more like Widow, but with less morals. “So I tried to join a club that she’d hate, but that didn’t work.”

“Have you tried being nice?”

“Gee, I never thought of that.” Her tone was dripping in sarcasm. “I tried many times, but she continues to be a bitch and she’s ‘mommy’s little angel.’” She gagged as she decided on a book. “Not to mention Flare and her mom have the same magic element, so they spent a lot of time together. I’m sort of the black sheep of the family.”

“So who taught you magic? Your dad?”

“Mostly my uncle,” Her expression shifted to a warm smile and grey could see light in her eyes at the mention of him. “Great man, taught me everything I knew.”

“Your sister didn’t try to suck up to him too?”

“He’s too smart for her bullshit.” She decided on two medical books and went up to pay. Grey picked out a book and met up with Eris who had two books in hand.

“Should I even ask what you bought?” Grey asked.

“You’ll see~” She teased. “Well, one is a gift for Sparkle.”

“It’s not gonna blow up is it?” He asked as the trio made their way out of the store. Eris just gave him an innocent look and batted her eye lashes like an innocent looking lamb. “Right. Anyway, Winter did you bring a swim suit with you?”

“It’s snowing, why would I want to go swimming?” She asked in a slightly confused tone.

“Just get one for yourself and Roach. You too Eris. You’re gonna need it for later.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.” The three made their way into a clothing store and thankfully the swim suits were on sale. Grey waited for the girls outside the changing rooms. Once they made their selections they headed off to collect Roach and then went to Grey’s house to check on Trixie. The performer’s magic and vitality were replenished for the most part.

“So how’s our favorite patient?” Eris inquired in a half sincere tone.

“Up yours.” Trixie huffed.

“She’s fine.” Grey said as he looked her over. Aside from her unbrushed hair, the performer looked as normal as the day Grey met her. “You up for some training?”

“Trixie was born ready.” The woman stood up and cracked her back.

“You don’t perhaps have a swimsuit do you?”

“Yes, but why?” Trixie said as she raised an eyebrow.

“Because you will get wet.” Eris chuckled at the phrasing of the words. Grey rolled his eyes at the comment and lead the group back down into the snow-covered streets. “Not like that. I swear you’re almost as bad as Widow.”

“Don’t rope me in with that nymphomaniac.” As the words left her lips, Grey shot Eris a stern glare. A small hint of fear was just barely visible on the man’s usually neutral looking face.

“Eris, please do not say anything derogatory about that woman, at least not out in the open. She has eyes and ears everywhere.” The man shot a glance to three women standing on the corner wearing some risqué clothing. “She may not look it, but she’s one of the strongest mages in this dump and holds a council seat.” Eris looked at him in surprise.

“Her? She’s got the same job as Trixie’s old man?” The performer hissed at the mention of him.

“Who?” Roach asked feeling lost in the conversation.

“An old friend of mine runs an escort service.” Grey said in an explanatory tone.

“You two seemed close.” Eris grumbled as she put her arms under her chest while making a pouting face.

“We go way back. She was a member of the guild when it was still up and running.” Grey stated. "She's very strong."

“So what do these council members do?” Winter asked.

“Basically they keep the city from falling apart. They’re each in charge of a section of the city so if something bad happens it’s up to one of them to handle it. Cops around here are basically useless, so they need to enforce it using their own means.”

“Just how many of them are there?”

“There are six. They each built up a reputation a few years back.”

“What kind of reputation?”

“The kind that makes you think twice before insulting them. We’ll be meeting another one soon.” The group stopped in front of a bathhouse. The group could feel the heat radiating from the building and could see the steam rising behind the fences made of bamboo. Grey turned to face the group. “Now before you go in, understand that the owner, Lily is a very kind, very patient woman, but she will not hesitate to strike if she feels insulted. So what ever you do, do not ask her about the blindfold.” The four looked at one another before giving Grey a nod of understanding.

The bell above the door rang out as the group walked into the establishment. There was a calm feeling about the air and the scent of herbs can be smelt. “Why are we at a spa?” Grey ignored Winter and rang the bell at the front desk. A woman with long straight pink hair walked out. She was donning a white shrine maiden outfit with long pink sleeves. She had a blindfold over her eyes and a white lily clip parted her hair to the right.

She held a long staff in her left hand and tapped it along the ground. She took a moment and sniffed the air before turning her head towards the group. “Grey, it’s been a while.” Her tone was gentle and warm to the ears.

“Lily, nice to see you’re doing well.” Grey kept his face neutral. “My friends and I were interested in a hot mud bath.”

“For what purpose?” The woman asked as she cocked her head to the side.

“I’m gonna teach them to walk on water.” The group looked at the man in surprise. Lily nodded and lead them to a large bath. Grey whispered something to the owner who nodded. The group went to the changing rooms and got into their swim suits. Grey and Roach had a normal pair of trunks and waited for the girls to come out. “So told Winter yet?”

“No,” Roach sighed. “it’s kinda hard to find the right time to drop a bomb like that. Especially since I have no idea how she’d react.”

“Worse case scenario, she dumps you.” He shot Grey an angry glare. “I doubt Winter would call the cops, besides Celestia allowed you into her school. I doubt she’d make a fuss about it.” Grey shrugged nonchalantly.

“I don’t want Winter to dump me.” He grumbled. “Thought that’d be obvious.”

“I’m just talking hypothetically. There’s no guarantee that she’d dump you.” The two put the conversation on hold as the three girls came out. Winter had on a white one piece, Trixie had a light blue bikini and what Eris was wearing could hardly be considered a bathing suit. It was more like three triangles barely covering her chest and crotch area. “Seriously Eris?”

“Oh like you’re complaining.” Eris said as she rested her hand on her hip. Grey felt a pink hue brush across his face and walked over to the mud bath and stuck his finger in it.

“Perfect.” Grey then pulled out a beach ball that he’d asked Lilly to fetch for him. “Okay, today’s exercise is to get this ball.” He threw it in the center of the mud pit that was about thirty feet away. “However, you have to pick it up with your hands and you can’t get wet.” The group looked at him like he had grown a second head.

“Are you nuts?” Grey ignored Eris’s comment and walked to the edge of the mud pit. He took a moment and stepped onto the surface of the mud. His feet glowed and he started walking on the surface of the liquid like it was solid earth.

“Seems to work just fine.” Grey said smugly as he turned back to face the group.

“This will be too easy for Trixie.” The performer stepped forwards and as soon as she tried to step on the surface she fell in and the mud swallowed her up. Winter and Eris chuckled slightly. Trixie immediately shot out of the mud. Some of her skin was now red. “Hot! Hot! Hot!” She yelled as she quickly exited the pit.

“Oh right, I forgot to mention that I asked Lily to crank up the heat. Think of it as an extra incentive to not fall in.”

“Grey, has anyone ever told you that you’re an ass?” Roach asked as he looked at the bubbling pit of mud. Grey put a finger to his chin and thought for a moment.

“Only almost everyone I know. Now get to it.” Grey walked off the mud and sat to watch the four attempt the challenge. Roach fell in a few times once before he started to get the hang of it. Winter fell in several times before she managed to stand still on the surface, but couldn’t take a step without sinking.

Trixie fell in once more before she was able to slowly walk on the muddy surface with ease. Eris however was having difficulty holding her balance. She’d had trouble with controlling her vast amount of magic since day one and her continued failures only added to her aggravation. Every time she fell in she cursed and glared at Grey who kept a neutral look on his face. “What is the point of this?” She hissed.

“Sending your magic to any part of your body is a challenge at first. If you can send it to your feet and stabilize it, then you can focus it anywhere in your body. This is the first step to performing hand magic.” The group turned their heads towards a gruff voice that belonged to a familiar raven haired man.

“Owl, always swooping at the right moment to make a speech and sound impressive.” Grey said as he eyed the older man. “What are you doing here?”

“I was visiting an old friend. I see you’re still training the rabble and you’re still going easy on them.” He crossed his arms as he looked at the group and looked down at the pit. “Mud? Really?”

“I’m not going to make them stand on sword blades.” Grey huffed.

“It builds character.” He then turned his gaze to the mud covered Eris who was stepping out of the mud pit. “I see your pet hasn’t improved much.” Eris hissed at the older man. “For a demigod you aren’t that strong are you? Can’t even walk on water, something even a mortal can do yet you struggle with. That must sting.” Eris gathered a large ball of magic and launched it at the older man.

The man swatted the blast as though it were nothing more than a fly buzzing around his head. “I’ve had bees who’s sting was worse than that.” Eris tried to run across to the older man with a magic charged fist, but she fell down in the mud as soon as she stepped on the surface. The man guffawed at her vain attempt. The other three mages let out a chuckle as the mud covered girl reemerged.

“Screw you old man.” Eris said as she teleported out of the mud. The dirt had stuck to her like a second skin. She started to brush the mud off herself as she glared at the newcomer.

“Don’t call me old.” He squinted and saw something out of place. He stroked his chin for a brief moment before speaking up. “Hey brat, come here for a second.” He gestured with his pointer finger for her to walk to him.

“Why should I?” She huffed. Owl then teleported in front of her abruptly causing her to take several steps back. His eye seemed to glow slightly and he could see some magical runes etched into her stomach. “Quit staring at me. It’s creepy you old pervert.” Eris said as she covered her chest.

“No wonder you can’t do anything right. That seal on you is interfering with your magic flow.” Eris looked down on her stomach but saw no such seal. Owl gave her stomach a soft tap with his cane and glowing runes appeared on her mud covered skin.

“What the hell is this thing?” Eris said as the rest of the group crowded around her and inspected the odd symbols.

“It’s a stint.” Owl stroked his beard as his eye danced over the runes. “Think of it as a way to seal powerful magic. Not surprising that you have one, but this particular formula is odd.” He said as he started to analyze it.

“How so?” Roach asked.

“Normally a seal like this is meant to mix two magics in a stable way so that in the event any does leak out, it won’t go rampant and you’d get used to it so you could eventually control it.” Owl stroked his beard as she glared at it. “However, this seal seems to be stopping one of them in it’s tracks rather than filtering it.”

“Two magics?” Trixie said in confusion.

“Inheritance,” Winter clarified. “along with the magic you learn, mages can inherit specific types of magic from their parents. For example, my mother was a water mage and my father was a wind mage. I use both of those for my ice magic.” Owl looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, I guess you lot aren’t completely hopeless. Your friend is correct and this seal is diverting power from your own magic in order to keep it in check and limit the amount of magic you can use. It’s also screwing up your control over it.” He said as he stood back up straight.

“How’d this thing even get on me?” Eris huffed.

I’d put my money on Celestia. This definitely seems like her work, albeit a little sloppy. Owl thought as the finger tips on his right hand began to glow. “Hey kid, I may know a way to fix it, but you need to put your arms up.” Eris looked at him hesitantly and did as he asked.

“What’s the point of-” Owl quickly dug his glowing fingertips into her stomach and gave his wrist a sharp twist. The force knocked Eris back off the side of the pit. Eris quickly recovered and kept on her feet before dropping to her knees as she clutched her stomach in pain. “What the hell was that for you old crone?” She glared at the older man with fire in her eyes.

“Before you go shooting your mouth off take a look where you are.” Eris looked down and noticed she was kneeling in the center of the mud pit. As she slowly stood up it felt as if there were solid dirt beneath her feet. She slowly walked over to the ball and picked it up in her hands. “Feel free to thank me any time.” Eris grumbled at the older man’s remark.

Owl snapped his fingers and his clothes vanished and was replaced with a pair of swimming trunks. Despite his age, he had the muscle definition of a thirty year old fighter and a few scars going across his chest and back. He sat down in the hot mud and let his muscles rest. “Ah, this feels nice.”

“So who was this old friend of yours?” Grey inquired. “I’m more surprised you even have friends.” Owl scowled at the young mage.

“I was visiting a former pupil of mine. I had her mana blade and was returning it.” Grey’s pupils shrank. “The one you found.” Grey huffed and adverted his eyes from the older man. “Why did you have it anyway?”

“I borrowed it.” Grey muttered.

“Okay, what’s a mana blade?” Winter butted in feeling a little more than annoyed not being clued into their conversation. Owl summoned his cane and twisted the owl head piece at the top and the metal handle came free. There was a small handle grip below the owl head. He channeled his magic to the handle and a bright blade of blue magic erupted from the handle.

“Holy crap you’ve got a lightsaber.” Eris said.

“This is a mana blade.” Owl said as he gave it a swing. “It’s a concentration of my magical energy, focused through a crystal in the handle. It’ll cut through steel like hot butter.” He made the blade vanish and set the handle back inside the cane. A few hours passed and the other mages got accustomed to the water walking trick. Grey couldn’t help but feel a little jealous as he watched them. They had completed an exercise in one afternoon that took him close to two weeks to perfect. The group washed the mud off their bodies before getting dressed and leaving the establishment.

It was late in the day and the group spit up, Roach and Winter headed back to their hotel room while Grey, Eris, Trixie and Owl mad their way through the city streets. As they got o the door, Willow came out and smiled as she saw the one eyed man. “Owl, it’s been ages.”

“I see the years have been kind to you.” He said as he took her hand and kissed it. Willow blushed and couldn’t help but giggle. Grey rolled his eyes and knew where this was going and he didn’t particularly want to be around for it.

“Grey, there’s a bird with a message for you.” Grey raised an eyebrow as he stepped in the house and sure enough a red and yellow Phoenix sat at the windowsill with a message attached to it’s ankle.

“That’s Philomena.” Trixie said looking at the bird.

“Who?” Eris asked.

“Princess Celestia’s pet phoenix.” Grey took the note as Cinder swooped down and landed in front of the new bird. He cocked his head and inspected the female phoenix before spreading his wings and puffing his chest out in a way of boasting to the feathered visitor. Philomena simply turned her head, huffed and flew off back towards the castle.

“Looks like your pigeon just got rejected.” Cinder spat a fire ball at Eris for the comment. She quickly grabbed a pan and shielded herself from the blast. “Who wants chicken?” She hissed as the large black bird flew back upstairs. Grey chuckled as he opened the letter and read it to himself.

Grey,

I am writing to you as a reminder that the Gala is four days away. Remember to dress accordingly and there has been a small change to the dress code. Everyone is required to bring a masquerade mask. It must fit the decorum.

~Princess Celestia.

P.S. Inform Trixie as well.

“Great.” He said in a sarcastic tone as he crumpled the letter up. “Trixie, we need to get some masks for the Gala. Luckily I know someone who can help us.” Willow and Owl then entered the kitchen. “Willow, you still have that old mask of yours?” She put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment.

“Yes, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve worn it.”

“Good, Celestia just changed the dress code on us and you’’ll need that to get in.”

“Very well.” Trixie sighed. As they walked towards the door, Grey noticed Eris was off to the side and looked in her direction with a questioning look on his face.

“Coming?”

“Nope, I’ve had enough walking today.” She said as she sat on the couch. “Besides, I can’t go to the gala so what’s the point of me going to a mask shop?” She was still miffed about Celestia saying she couldn’t go. Grey shrugged and made his way out of the house with Trixie at his side. They walked through the snow covered streets in silence as the people passed them.

“It’s strange.” Trixie said. “That section we were in a few days ago was like a ghost town, but this place is thriving. Why?”

“No one goes into that section anymore. They think it’s haunted.”

“Haunted by what?”

“Ghosts, the man on fire, the phantom blade, monsters. Take your pick.” He said with a shrug.

“The what?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Just stories used to frighten children.” Grey found a shop that had several masks in the front window. He walked inside to see several pedestals with different busts that each had a mask on it’s face. “Shriek? Where are you?” Grey started to search around the vacant store as Trixie looked at each of the masks. She found a bust and pedestal that was covered by a large white sheet.

She pulled the she off and found herself face to face with changeling with dark purple hair and bright blue colored eyes sitting with his legs folded against his chest. “Boo!” Trixie shrieked and fell back on the floor as he spun and hopped off the pedestal. He landed and bent his knees so he was eye level with Trixie, a wide grin plastered on his face. He sniffed the air and thought for a moment. “You smell like fear,” He sniffed again. “and mud.”

“Shriek, what the heck are you doing?” Grey said as he walked over and helped Trixie up. The Changeling looked at him and cocked is head to the side. He had a light purple vest on and similar matching pants along with a black tie.

“I like surprising my customers.” He said in an innocent tone.

“You scared the daylights out of me.” Trixie said crossing her arms over her chest. Shriek stood up and cracked his back.

“I’ve been sitting there for hours.” He bent back until his spine was flush with the back of his legs. Trixie gawked at the man’s flexibility and it just hurt to look at someone bending like that. Shriek then stood up straight and cracked his neck before setting his purple cat like eyes back on the two.

“So how can I help you?”

“We need two masquerade masks.” He nodded and quickly gestured Grey to a chair in the center of the room. Grey took a seat as Shriek pulled out a tape measure and wrapped it around his head.

“So what’s the occasion?”

“We’re going to a gala and need masks to get in.” The changeling looked at Grey in surprise.

“Don’t tell me you’re going noble on us.” He said in a semi-fierce tone.

“Of course not. I’m just going because I was asked to.” Grey would have to have a serious talk with his wand partner after this was over. Shriek finished taking his measurements and made quick sketch of the mask. It was Trixie’s turn and she let the man take her measurements.

“I was thinking of putting a star on one side. That okay miss?”

“Yes, Trixie’s should look the best.” She smiled. He finished the measurements and made a sketch before he got to work.

“It will be some time before they’re ready. Come back later today.”

“Good, I need to get my suit anyway.”

“Trixie still needs a dress.” Grey gave her a blank stare. Apparently her big head was filled with nothing but air.

“Seriously? The gala is at the end of the week and you wait till now to get a dress?” Trixie huffed and stood up out of the seat while making a face at the mage. “We’ll be back at the end of the day.” He said to Shriek who was already hard at work. Grey and Trixie made their way out of the mask shop and back out onto the street.

“You seem to have a lot of acquaintances.” Trixie commented.

“Having friends in certain places pays off. Maybe if you were nice more often you’d see what I mean.” Trixie stuck her tongue out at Grey as he made his way into a nearby tailor shop. “Giuseppe? You in here?” There was a shuffling in the back room and a Griffonian man with silver hair and a fabulous mustache above his lip came out. A smile graced his face as he saw the two.

“Ah my friend, how are you today?” Grey gave his hand a hard shake. The griffonian then noticed Trixie.

“This is a friend of mine and she needs a dress by the end of the week.” The tailor gave Trixie a look up and down before nodding in approval.

“A procrastinator?” The tailor chuckled. “Come, let Giuseppe take care of you.” Trixie reluctantly followed the man into the back room and started taking her measurements. “Your suit is in the back.” Grey nodded and fetched his suit and went into the changing room to change into his new suit.

A few moments passed and Grey stepped out wearing a silver sport jacket, black collared shirt, silver pants with a black leather belt and a white tie. Trixie felt a small blush brush across her cheeks, but blamed it on the temperature in the room.

“You’ve out done yourself this time.” Grey smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror.

“I aim to please.” The tailor said before returning to Trixie. “I’m thinking something blue. Yes, yes, blue will do.” He said to himself as he finished her measurements and retracted the tape.

“How long will it take?” Trixie inquired.

“You can’t rush art. Give me a day.” With that Grey paid the man and the two departed the tailor’s shop.

“You did not have to pay for Trixie’s dress.”

“With what money were you going to pay?” Trixie gritted her teeth and looked down at herself. “Thought so.” A growl then came from the performer’s stomach and Trixie felt her face blush. “Sounds like someone is hungry.” Trixie scrunched her nose and frowned at the man. “Calm down, I know a place not too far from here.”

~~~

Feeling bored, Eris sat up from the couch and pondered at what Widow had told her a few hours ago. To say she was curious about her lover’s past was an understatement. Her feline ears twitched as the door opened to show the purple haired changeling, Rogue. “Hey is there a map of this place I can borrow?”

“Yeah, think I have one.” Rogue left the room and searched around in a nearby drawer before pulling out a folded map. Rose spread it out on the table and Eris took note that the map seemed to be divided into seven color coded sections. The sections were colored; gold, blue, green, orange, pink, purple and white. White seemed to be in the center of the city with the other sections around it.

“What’s with the coloring?”

“This marks which council member controls each section.” Rogue pointed out.

“I met Lily, Swift and Widow.” She put extra venom when she mentioned the last name.

“Swift is green, Lily is pink and Widow is orange.” The three colors appeared to be in line with one another on the map. “They’re the more tame council members.”

“And the others?”

“Amber is in charge of the gold section and has the biggest fighting force. Cerulean leads the blues and has the biggest trade routes. Finally there’s Shriek, he runs the purple district that has a lot of thieves that work for him. Everyone is always in a land grab with one another or fighting over something.” She sighed.

“What about this one?” Eris pointed to the white section that was in the middle of the other six sections.

“No one lives there.”

“Why don’t one of them just take this place if no one’s using it?”

“Because no one goes in or out of there. They say it’s cursed.” Eris looked closer at the map.

“A whole district of the city was walled off because of some ghost story?” She said in a flippant tone. “Here I thought things had changed in the last thousand years.” Rogue narrowed her eyes at Eris.

“A lot of people were killed there during the war and whenever someone went in there to investigate, they kept hearing voices screaming at them to leave.” She huffed. “Not to mention it brings back nothing but bad memories from that time. Memories a lot of people just want to forget.” The changeling left Eris alone as she walked back upstairs.

Eris turned back to the map and examined it closely. The section wasn’t bigger or even as big as the other districts, but something caught her eye. A few blocks away from the edge of the district there was a building marked that stuck out from the rest: Rosewood Elementary. Eris packed up the map and threw on her coat as she made her way out of the small house and towards the abandoned section of the city.

Author's Note

WOW It's been a long time since I updated this. I know I've been making a lot of comments about Grey and Scarlet, but let us not forget a certain white haired demigod.

When eris get's angry, there is no help for you and the rage is coming.

More to come: