Darkside of the Moon

Have you ever had one of those moments that seems to go on for months? Like eternity itself was dragging on and on? Yeah?

Because that's exactly what stepping out of the bus was like. Slow motion until I hit the ground.

I say it like that because a cobalt missile sent me and Thorn flying the minute we went to lay hoof outside. Stormwall towered over us as time sped up, the dust devils I had watched form from her sudden descent dissipating quickly in the blistering air.

"Who said ya could run around, hmm?"

I wasn't much hurt by the impact. Nor was she crushing me, or threatening to impale me, or stomping me out of Thorns body with brute force. She was just there, a slight frown on her face as she looked over us. "Wandering about like you own the place isn't exactly the best idea dude."

"I didn't realize I'd get knocked on my ass for wandering about, sorry," I tried to pick myself up, relying on Thorns brain to have the motions down even as the earth pony mentally rolled his eyes at Stormwall.

Stormwall snorted. "Not everyday someones runnin' about in my favorite gluesticks body. Special rules 'n all that."

Well. At least she was funny, or trying to be. "Well, truth be told, I think we should figure out a way to deal with that..." I petered off, frowning pensively. Well, I knew who might be able to help for sure, but that'd require finding her. Add to the fact who she was and that she was supposed to be dead, well... not a simple task.

"Good luck with that."

I glared at the massive pegasus as we moved into the shade, Thorn speaking up. 'I don't think she trusts you."

"You figure?" I swore the moment Stormwall furrowed her brow at me. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" Before she even replied, I had my face covered by Thorns hooves. "This is the most impossible fucking thing, I swear..."

"Dude, you'd better friggin' calm down before I buck some calm inta ya."

I pulled the hooves over my face, sighing. "Tempting," I wandered back to the black guitar case, fiddling with the locking mechanisms even as Stormwall sprawled out over a cannon. "How is it that you're so calm about this anyways?" I glanced over at her as I said this, the faint glow of magic manipulating the steel locks. Odd feeling, that, almost like a phantom of fingers lost.

"My last line of work saw weirder things, and this line of work ain't much better," The massive pegasus somehow rolled atop the cannon, looking at me upside down, amber eyes studying me and Thorns face. "Why are ya so calm yerself?"

I paused, frowning. That was a good question, actually. I could feel the barest start of panic bubbling up at the edges of my thoughts, but there was something else there, icy and unfeeling and it was clamping down on the feeling. Actually, I could practically see it, in that vague, mindscape sort of way, a deep indigo wall blocking off a portion of the landscape as Thorn whistled, apparently seeing it himself. I found myself blinking to try and regain a sense of reality. "Whatever changed me is mucking about with my head too."

Silence met that, gold eyes looking over me intensely. Stormwall slowly raised an eyebrow, every part of her 'relaxed' lounging subtly becoming anything but. Apparently nervousness was still a very viable reaction, because god-damn I was not liking that look in her eyes. Thorn was mentally fidgeting, that vague sensation distracting me for a moment. Turns out a moment was all it took for a cobalt pegasus to be in my face.

Que a stumbling step backwards, and cowering behind the guitar case. An exasperated sigh escaped Stormwall. "That ain't gonna save ya if I try and hit ya ghosty," She shoved the case to the side with a clatter, prodding at me with a hoof. "Now, what exactly do ya mean?"

"There's a wall there, and it's stopping me from completely losing it," Stormwall raised an eyebrow again. "No, really, the-" I was cut off by a hoof.

"I believe ya, now shut up. It's an old military spell If I'm guessing right," She snorted, a wing grabbing my head and twisting it this way and that, Thorn protesting to me the whole way. "Hard to see if it's gonna make your head explode when I'm not even sure how you work..." My jaw dropped as she let go of my head, peering into my left eye while humming. "Yeah, dunno."

She turned to leave, flicking her steely tail behind her, suddenly calm again. "We'll give you a lift where-ever you need tomorrow I guess. This section's been kinda bare for the last while, closer to the mountains should be better."

I guess she wanted to be rid of me as fast as possible then. I was fine with that, I supposed.

Internally, my host blinked. 'I take it back,' I shot him a puzzled glance. 'I think she likes you.'

Man, this pony was like a faulty rotary switch with no labels and a loose grip on the panel - When you turned it, it'd spin, so the spot you hit might not be the same next time. 'If this is her liking me, I don't wanna see hate.'

Thorn snickered.

For some reason the guitar case wouldn't get out of my mind. I found myself fiddling with the lock absent-mindedly as Thorn grumbled. 'It's not gonna open dude.'

'Says you,' he snorted as I tried prying the latch open again - there was no actual lock, I had found, just a simple drawbolt latch. A little bit of rattling even showed that the loop part of the latch wasn't even tight. That said, I was not having any luck opening the thing.

'Stormwall couldn't get it open. I thought she was gonna blow it to pieces.'

Well then. I fiddled at it again, blue magic running over the case. Hell of high water, I was gonna open this thing then. I rattled at the latch, staring at the ceiling in the low light of the evening. Right back to boring, it seemed.

Stormwall was upstairs, sleeping if the trend was to be believed. I was really wondering if the massive pony wasn't part cat or something, between her sneaking skills, tendency to pounce upon ponies and the napping it was really beginning to look like she was just a puma in equine clothing.

Apparently I was thinking out loud, because  Thorn piped up. 'I've thought of that before. Don't ever say it out loud, she'll give ya an earful.'

"Heh, well, I'll be sure not to say anything then."

We had another break in our conversation, Thorn just seeming to phase into the background. It was really odd, talking to someone in your head. It didn't help that it seemed like my head auto muted him on occasion, then let him ramble for minutes at a stretch about nothing. Apparently the same magic that was letting me control his body was putting his mind under at times and making him overall not as panicky as he normally should be. Pretty powerful magic, I supposed.

Also of interest to me was how Stormwall seemed content to let me wander about in Thorns body. It seemed like her best move would be to knock me out and shove me in a chest or something, gods knew I didn't need to breathe right now. Hell, I could use the time to figure out what was going on with my body.

I rattled at the lock again, my host coming around shortly afterwards to ask me why I hadn't given up yet. This was pretty much the pattern for the next while as I waited to get tired enough to fall asleep.

A set of hooves clacking against the floor suddenly caught my ears. Aww hell no. "Hey, Thorn, I was wonderin' if you two foud-"

I stared up at the pony who had just walked in, my two-toned eyes blinking at him from a distance of about two feet away as his jaw went slack. His eyes widened and his face contorted into an expression I could only translate into an 'OH GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT' before he took off out the front door faster then I could think to stop him. A clattering of metal told me he had run right into the stack of fire pails near the gate, and the slamming of said portal was enough to make me wince.

I sat there for a few moments, hoof still on the Guitar case before Thorn spoke up. 'Frig.'

I couldn't agree more as I surged to our hooves, clattering up the stairwell, bursting into the upper living space with enough grace to make Stormwall jerk her head up.

"I think I need to go. Now."

Stormwall looked at me quizzically. "Why?"

"Someone just came in and saw me."

The room was silent for a moment, before the pegasus laughed, a short barking thing. Both me and Thorn just stood there blinking, jaw slightly slack. 'I think you broke her.' I ignored Thorns comment, choosing instead to stare at the massive pegasus as she went right back to lounging.

"This is serious," I growled it out, stomping a hoof down.

She waved a hoof, snorting. "Not really. It's right after Nightmare Night ghosty, ain't no-one gonna believe any cracked out stories."

"Isn't Nightmare Night about an evil, slit-eyed pony with a ghostly mane that eats ponies?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

Stormwall rolled her eyes. "Yes, because every gluestick in the place is gonna show up the night after with pitchforks and torches because some idiot says he saw Queen Meanie herself," she snorted, lounging on the table. "He's gonna go ta the pub, get laughed at and drink himself to sleep," I opened my muzzle to retort, only for her to hold up her hoof. "Look, I know you're all certain there's gonna be a witch hunt for ya, but we'll be fine. We set out tomorrow, get some rest."