Chapter 26

Dust and Echoes

Grey and Trixie entered a small tavern that had several people eating, drinking and conversing with one another. The two young mages grabbed a seat and Grey ordered a tall drink. Trixie looked around at the different faces occupying the small tavern. “I’m surprised an old fashioned place like this still exists.” Trixie said as she sipped her drink.

“This city is older than most folk think.” He said with a smile. “This city, this part of Canterlot anyway, was the first piece to be built. Then they expanded into what is now what everyone knows is Canterlot. Even built their own castle here too.” Trixie raised an eyebrow at the words. She hadn’t seen anything that looked like a castle.

“Where?” Grey paused for a moment.

“It’s in an old section of the city. Long abandoned for years since the last king who lived in it.”

“This place had a king?” Grey sipped his drink once again.

“That was the old way of doing things, now we have the council members.”

“Was one of them the old king?” Grey gave her a hard look. His eyes sharp as knives. The performer shuddered slightly as their food arrived.

“No, he’s dead.” His tone was cold like ice. “He went completely mad with power and started a war.”

“A war?” Trixie looked at him in surprise. “I never heard of such a thing happening.”

“That’s because Celestia and the other Princesses didn’t get involved. They deemed it as civil unrest.” He said dryly. “Lasted for a little over two years.” Trixie bit her lip as she prepared her next question.

“Did you fight in it?” Grey was silent for a long span as he chose his next words carefully.

“I did what I could.” He said in a stagnant tone. There was a small shimmer of guilt in the man’s eyes as the words came out. Trixie drank from her glass and wondered if she hit a sore spot. The rest of the meal was spent in silence.

The two left the tavern after finishing their meal, they went back out into the city and returned to the mask emporium to retrieved their masks for the gala. Trixie’s mask was light blue with decorative white swirls around the eye holes and a dazzling star was connected to the top right corner of the mask. Grey’s mask was white with black trim. Both edges of the mask were cut in a jagged shape making it look like feathers set a flame. The mask came down to the tip of his nose and was made to look like a bird’s beak. There was also a red faux teardrop in the center of the mask’s forehead.

Grey paid the mask maker and the two mages left the shop in somewhat good spirits. “Mind if I ask something?” Grey said as he looked at Trixie who gave a nod. “Why train with me? I’m sure Princess Luna would’ve been more than happy to instruct you. You are her personal protege after all.” Trixie rolled her eyes at the question.

“Unfortunately she had royal duties to attend to, preparations for the gala and all that.” She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “However, Trixie did hear something a few royal guards were saying.” Grey quirked an eyebrow up. “Apparently, the guard has captured a dangerous person and Princess Luna is interrogating them.”

“Interrogated by Luna?” Grey shuddered at the thought of being at the lunar princess’ mercy. Everyone knew that The Princess was quite old school when it came to most things. The man feared what kind of tactics she might use on whoever was in her custody. As they walked through the streets Grey felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around ready to defend himself.

He relaxed slightly as he saw a familiar red haired changeling. “Dusk, what did I tell you about sneaking up on me like that?” He huffed.

“Sorry, but that friend of yours left a while ago.” He said as he scratched his head. “The chick with the white hair and crazy red eyes.” Grey sighed deeply as he thought of Eris going off on her own. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking back up at the man.

“How long ago did she leave?”

“An hour, maybe two?” Grey sighed and asked Dusk to take his and Trixie’s masks home while he went and looked for her. Trixie butted in and demanded to help Grey look for Eris as she did not fully trust the red haired newcomer. He didn’t want to argue and agreed to have her help.

“How are we even supposed to find her?” Grey smiled and pulled out a small green jewel the size her fist. He channeled his magic and an arrow appeared on the surface that pointed ahead of them. “What is that?”

“It’s a dowsing stone. Think of it as a compass that points to whoever’s magic signature I have it set to. I figured Eris would eventually run off on her own, so I made a way to find her. ” The two walked all over the city following the gem. The sun started to set after a few hours of searching up and down for the white haired woman. Grey stopped when the gem started to blink a bright yellow color.

“Looks like we’re getting close.” He looked up from the gem and he felt his blood run cold. He looked ahead and saw a set of barricades lined up to separate the two districts in the city.

“Are you okay?” Trixie asked as she looked at the man.

“Yeah,” He said with a nervous gulp and swallowed his nervousness. “Let’s just find Eris quickly and get out.” Grey said as he and Trixie crossed the threshold.

~~~

Eris had been following the map for the better part of four hours. She could feel an odd chill in the air ever since she passed the barricades. The whole section felt dead. The streets were coated in snow and the only sound she could make out was the wind blowing through broken windows and door frames. She pulled her coat tighter to her body and she looked down at the map and made her way to the streets.

She came to a small clearing from the abandoned buildings and saw an abandoned concrete building that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. She walked along the cobblestone path that lead up to the entrance. She passed a broken down sign that read ‘Rosewood Elementary.’ A small shiver worked it’s way up her spine as she went inside. She snapped her fingers and a small ball of light hovered a few feet in front of her.

Much of the building was in disrepair, and the white walls were charred black halfway up the walls. She searched the rooms but only found broken desks and a few chairs. Eris was about to give up when she came across a set of double doors that had been chained shut. Her curiosity spiked a little and she easily broke the chains with a quick chop from her hand. The chains landed in a pile and the doors sagged inward.

Eris pushed open the doors and stepped inside to see a large hole in the roof that let in the white light of the full moon. There wasn’t much left but she could clearly see the deep grooves in the floor that made up some sort of spell circle. She crouched and rubbed her hand against the blackened ground, but her hand came back just as dark. She rubbed her blackened fingers together and recognized the substance.

“Soot?” She said as she cleaned her fingers. She looked along the walls and saw that the scorch marks had shapes to them. They looked human.

“Eris!” A familiar voice rang out. She turned around and saw Grey marching up to him. His silver eyes were darker and rage was clearly present on his face. “What the hell are you doing here?” As the man walked towards her the spell circle on the ground started to glow as he got closer. It eventually burned a brilliant light as he crossed the outer edge of the circle.

Grey froze as if someone had just pressed ice into his spine. He clamped his hands over his ears and he fell to his knees before he started shaking in pain.

“Grey!” Eris said as she and Trixie hurried over to him. He clutched his head as he curled up. He felt like someone was cracking his head open with a mallet. “What’s wrong?” Trixie let out a gasp as she pointed to the wall.

Eris followed her finger and saw that something was coming out one of the shadows on the wall. It was small, no taller than a child and it looked at them with bright white eyes. Soon, more of the things came out of the walls. They were all of similar height except for a few of them who were more adult sized. They all looked at them with their heads cocked to the side.

Grey was still writhing in pain that had now turned to a burning sensation. Eris looked at her lover and saw a magic circle burning on his forehead.

“Just get me out of here.” Grey said as he fought to stay conscious. Eris quickly picked him up piggy back style and rushed out of the room with Trixie hot on her tail. As they ran, more of the things seeped from the walls like sap from a tree in the Spring. As they got outside Trixie looked back and saw the creatures looking at them and they wouldn’t cross the school’s doors.

“He’s burning up.” Eris said as she put her hand against his forehead. The mark was still there, but it wasn’t glowing as brightly as it was.

“Let’s get out of here.” Trixie said. Eris nodded and followed Trixie through the streets. As they walked, they noticed that more of the things started coming out of houses and out of the concrete. “What the hell are these things?”

“No clue, and I don’t want to find out.” Eris said as they broke into a run. More of the things came out into the street, but they halted when they saw close to a dozen of them blocking the way. She gulped as they started shuffling towards the three. “Not good!” Trixie pulled her wand out and got ready to defend herself. She shot off a few spells at the creatures, but the magic bolt’s just passed through them as if they were just air.

“Over here!” A voice called out to them. Eris looked around to see a cloaked figure gesturing them to follow. “Hurry!” Seeing no better option, Eris ran with the man on her back as Trixie followed. The ran down several alleys all the while trying to avoid the pursuers that seemed to be staying at a shuffling speed. The cloaked figure lead them to where three alleys met and ended at a high wall.

“Dead end!” Trixie turned to see a horde of the creatures making their way down the alley way. She heard the sound of metal against stone and looked back to see the stranger moving aside a portion of the wall to reveal another passageway.

“In here!” They followed them before the door slid shut.

“Won’t those things just phase through the wall?” the stranger shook their hooded head.

“No, there are wards in here to keep them out.” The stranger pulled back their hood to reveal that they were a young woman. The white streaks in her wavy golden hair sparkled in the light of Eris’s magic orb. She kept walking down the tunnel.

“What is this place?” Trixie asked.

“Think of it as an escape tunnel for VIP’s.” The woman said as she came to a door. She knocked in a sequence of four and the door swung open. As they stepped up, Eris saw they were in a massive hall that was fit for a noble. The stone pillars and floor were scorched black as if a fire had broken out. “This was where the boss of this city lived.” The woman stated.

“Grey told me there was a king here once.” Trixie said. Eris laid the man down on the cool floor and put a hand to his forehead. The shining mark was faded, but it was still present and he still had a high fever. Trixie looked around the hall and saw what appeared to be a large throne in an elevated part of the hall.

The throne was colored black with veins of red stone running throughout. However, running down the middle of the chair was a large cut. Like someone had melted a large hole through the center of the chair. Trixie looked up and saw something carved into the stone wall behind the ruined chair. She could not make it out in the darkness, so she summoned an orb of light to illuminate the wall.

The letters were carved into the wall the same way the chair was cut. There were only two words written.

No more!

“No more?” Trixie repeated. She turned her head towards Grey who groaned. Eris gently put a hand on his head as something caught Trixie’s eye. Something shined in the light of her orb. She approached the dark throne and saw a silver handle of a sword without a blade. The handle was nothing special, it was just a simple leather wrapped handle, but the cross guard looked like a pair of wings and where the blade met the hilt was styled in the shape of a bird’s beak. Trixie took the odd item and put it in her coat’s pocket.

“We should get moving.” The stranger stated. The girls nodded and each girl put one of Grey’s arms over their shoulders and followed the cloaked figure through the halls of the abandoned castle.

“Why is this place such a dump?” Eris asked.

“No one has lived in here for years.” The stranger stated. “It frightens them.” She said as they reached a pair of large double doors made of hardened wood and braced with bands of steel. The stranger grabbed one of the large handles and pulled one of the large handles.

The door creaked open and Eris felt her heart jump into her throat. On the border of the large palace were dozens upon dozens of the shimmering creatures.

“Oh shit.” She said as she looked to see that the stranger had vanished and a familiar owl swopped down and landed in front of the group. The man then shifted to his human form and he glared at the three with his one eye.

“What in the name of Celestia’s tits are you doing out here?” He looked back to the shuffling specters. Owl took in a deep breath and slammed the end of his cane onto the ground and a large dome came around them. He took Grey from Eris and tapped his cane three times, before there was a bright flash of light and Eris saw they were in front of the orphanage. “Let’s get him inside.”

Owl and Eris put a hand under Grey’s arms and helped him up the steps as Trixie got the door. In their rummaging, they woke up Willow who came out in a robe and a long pointed staff in her hands. She dropped the weapon as Owl brought Grey up the stairs and put him in his bed. She turned her attention to Owl and the two girls.

“What happened?” Her dark brown eyes were filled with anger. Owl turned his attention to the two girls.

“Grey and Trixie were going after her.” Eris shot Trixie a dark glare. Willow crossed her arms under her chest and narrowed her eyes.

“Grey told me about what happened there when he was a kid.” Willow took in a deep breath and exhaled. “I was curious.” Owl cuffed the side of her head making her hiss.

“Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, ‘curiosity killed the cat?’”

“Cats have nine lives.” She said as a pair of feline ears poked out of her head. Owl narrowed his eye.

“Don’t sass me brat.” His eye flashed and her body transformed the rest of the way into a white house cat. The girl hissed before she changed herself back to normal.

“You morphed me into a cat!” She yelled.

“Would a flea be better?” Eris closed her mouth. Owl pinched the bride of his nose and glared at the young girls. “There are things that exist in this world that are more powerful and unpredictable than you two can imagine.”

“You mean those glowing things?” Trixie asked.

“Exactly!” He stated. Owl walked over to Grey and put a finger against his forehead. The man’s fingers glowed and the mark on Grey’s head vanished. “Problem solved. I wiped Grey’s mind of this little misadventure.”

“Why would you do that?” Trixie asked.

“Because it’s what’s best. Now, you can either keep your mouths shut about it, or I’ll do the same thing to you two.” Both girls gulped and gave their word they wouldn’t mention it to Grey. “Good, Grey should be fine in the morning.” He said before he left the room. Willow gave them another pointed look before she stormed out. Eris stuck her tongue out at them after the door had closed.

“What were those things?” Eris shrugged at the performer’s question.

“How should I know?” She looked down at Grey and sighed. “I’m going to bed.” She paid no mind to Trixie as she started to undress herself. Trixie quickly left the room and headed downstairs towards the door, but stopped when she heard raised voices coming from the kitchen.

“I don’t care Owl! You’re supposed to be keeping him safe!” Willow said in an anger filled voice.

“I know that, but I can’t watch him every second of the day. Besides it’s only prolonging the inevitable.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Sooner or later that seal will wear off and we both know what happens after that.” Trixie couldn’t see their faces but she could feel the tenseness in the air.

“You brought him into your fight!” She huffed. “If something happens to him, then no god will be able to keep you safe from me!” Trixie peered her head around the corner and saw that Willow was shaking and her eyes were filled with as much tears as rage. Owl nodded and walked towards the window and opened it.

“He get’s his stubbornness from his mother.” He said before he morphed into a bird and flew off. Willow slammed the windows shut and calmed herself. She quickly turned and saw Trixie staring. The woman was too tired to give a proper lecture on eavesdropping.

“You’re free to spend the night.” She said as she walked past Trixie. “It’s not safe on the streets.” Trixie thanked her and found a room for her to lie down in. Back in Grey’s room, Eris put her hand on her lover’s head and felt that his fever had dropped.

An idea crossed her mind, a very bad idea. She pressed her forehead against his and focused as she closed her eyes. Her body went limp and she faded into darkness.

~~~

She opened her eyes agains and saw she was in a replica of the city. The streets were vacant, but she couldn’t fight the feeling like she was being watched by someone, or something.

“Figures it’d be this place.” She dusted herself off and continued to walk through the empty streets that made up Grey’s mind. She heard the sound of something soaring towards her and she whirled around just in time to dodge a sword that would have gone right through her heart.

She scrambled to her feet and looked around, but saw no one. Another sword soared at her, and another, and another each missing her by no more than an inch. As she ran more swords came down behind her. The flying blades were right on her heels, but as she ran past a corner something reached out and grabbed her.

Eris felt her back hit the wall and a hand gripped over her mouth. She looked ahead to see a pair of angry sparkling silver eyes. The figure placed a finger their lips. The swords had stopped falling. After several long minutes, the figure pulled their hand back.

“That was too close.” Eris quickly got in a defensive stance. “Oh please, you have no power in here. Neither of us do.” A woman in slimming golden armored chest plate that matched her golden arm and leg bracers stood before Eris with a long sharpened spear in her right hand, a sword handle with no blade was secured on her belt and a round shield on her back.

The figure’s dark red locks of hair were held back by a golden headdress that wrapped around her head and matched the rest of her outfit. She looked Eris up and down and something seemed to click in her mind. “Ah, you’re Grey’s squeeze right?”

“Who the hell are you?” Eris asked.

“Nike Titania, I’m Grey’s wand partner.” She said as she crossed her arms under her chest. “What the hell are you doing here and how did you even get in?” Eris shrugged.

“My dad taught me how to get inside people’s heads, literally.” She peered out of the alley way. “What the hell were those things?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Nike stated. “apparently Grey has some spell to seek out foreign entities in his brain and kick them out.” She said as she cracked her neck. “I don't know what the hell happened out there, but things have been getting crazy in here.” As Eris opened her mouth she heard the sound of a what sounded like a battering ram hitting a large piece of iron.

The bangs stopped after the fourth hit, but picked up again after a few minutes of silence. “Then there’s that.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing good.” Nike said as she lead Eris through the streets of Grey’s mind, all the while avoiding the roaming swords. They soon came outside of the city to see a wall in massive scale. There were two massive doors made of metal that shook with each time the sound emanated from them.

“What the hell is this thing?”

“I have no idea, but this is the first time I’ve seen it do that.” Another rhythm of four crashed against the metal. “I think it’s some sort of barrier.”

“No shit.” Eris said in a flat tone. “but why is something like this keeping us out?” Nike just raised an eyebrow at her.

“Are you really that thick?” Eris glared at her. “This thing isn’t designed to keep people out. It’s keeping something in.” Eris was about to protest when she felt a stabbing sensation coming from her chest. She looked down to see three ethereal blades coming from her stomach. Eris looked down at her hand and saw it fading. “Bye-bye.” Nike said with a wave.

“Bitch.” Eris said before she was exited from Grey’s mind.

Author's Note

Man it has been a LONG ass time since I updated this one! Stay tuned for more!