Chivalry Reborn

Chapter 24:

Tell Me More

As I could make out the outline of my house through the darkness, I quickly glanced around me for anyone around me. I kept my hand on my hip, resting on top of my blades the entire walk home.  Besides the rustling in the bush outside of the library, no strange noises seemed to reach my ears.

Quickly stepping onto my front doorstep, I pulled my house keys from the hook on the opposite side of my waist, quickly deciphering the right key from the number of edges I could feel on the end, and unlocking the door. I stepped in, closing the door behind me and locking the door behind me without a second thought. I flicked the light switch beside me on, looking over my shoulder for anything out of place.

…

Everything was as I had left it this morning.

….I should be fine now.

I slowly moved my hand away from my hip, relaxing at last. I’ve been quite thorough in making sure I never got dropped on. For some reason, something just screamed inside me to stay alert until I was sure everything was okay, so I normally didn’t let my guard down until long after a sudden noise of figure slid by my senses.

I sighed, turning around and tossing my bag on a pulled out chair around the table, as I stretched my arms out and got my breath out. I walked into the kitchen, turning on the lights and walking to the other side of the room. I swung the refrigerator open, looking at what I had in stock.

Let’s see…I got some fresh chicken breasts and some broccoli…but I don’t feel like cooking. My pendant clattered against my dog tags to remind me where I lived now. Not to mention meat is going to be hard to come across now. Everyone in Ponyville was a horse, therefore making a community absolutely absent of carnivores. So basically any meat that was dead or fresh wasn’t around. The meat looked like it wasn't going to go bad anytime soon, anyway. I’ll save it for a special day.

My eyes slid to the top shelf. Milk…. I pulled out the white carton, unscrewing the top off and putting my nostrils right over the opening, sniffing lightly.

YYiiiiCK!

Yuck! Spoiled..! I held the expired dairy over the sink, pouring it down the drain, and then tossing it into the garbage bin. Shit, now I’ll have to buy some Equestrian milk from Applejack…Hope it doesn’t taste different.

I scanned around the fridge once more for something to eat. There was a small pack of string cheese inside the drawer. It seemed like it was in okay shape. It’ll do. I grabbed that sucker, and closed the fridge, walking back into the living room.

Okay, secret studies time… I pulled out a chair, snapping open the leather bag, putting down the string cheese on the table. I took off my glasses, putting them beside the small snack. The small bold numbers appeared at the top of each scroll as usual, allowing me to single out the next lesson.

Okay, let’s see… I moved my finger through the scrolls, looking for the right one. I think left at number two….so that means….Ah! Here it is, 3!

I pulled out the rolled up message, pressing my fingers against the small planet seal. I slid my nail underneath it, flicking it upward and breaking it.

Let’s see what we have this time…I slowly unfurled the secret message, letting my eyes scan and read what it said.

Spirit Glow

For a Flare, there are two kinds of magical energy in one of our kind: Mental and Spiritual.  While mental magic is quite simple to tap into for most ponies, spiritual magic is something only few ponies possess, for it comes straight from the good in one’s soul.

As far as Equestrian history is aware of during this time, the only beings capable of tapping into this energy are the pure hearted: such as users of The Elements, and the Royal Sisters, more specifically Princess Luna.

It was said to be used to immobilize corrupt beings or ward off evil spirits, and can be seen by all as a bright light, in which there laid only warmth inside it.

Oddly enough, however, most naturally born Flares that are good-spirited can at least spark a small piece of spiritual magic out, making a small glow come off of their external shape. This what we have come to call “Spirit Glow,” A small field to ward off incoming doses of the *Nightmare’s Spirit*.

If you are indeed the young Flare to save Equestria, you must learn pull emotion from your soul, and bring it out into the world. This could be the most crucial skill, if my fears are realized.

This task is not an easy one. One normally first finds that first spark of spirit when they least expect it, experiencing a moment of great doubt. Be strong, young Flare, and you will come to build this power.

….So basically, it’s some sort of equivalent to an exorcism technique?

I stared at the text, scratching my head. I really didn’t understand this crap. Okay, yeah, maybe I WAS a Flare, but what’s a light going to do to save the world? This wasn’t a Japanese manga, for crying out loud.

One thing did stand out, however: Nightmare’s Spirit. The very term made my spine get chills. It was as though I know exactly what it was, but I just don't recognize it at all.

Didn’t Baking Soda mentioned about becoming a walking nightmare in his breakdown earlier…? What in the world is this “Nightmare” that keeps getting mentioned, and WHY did it sound so…familiar…?

I put the scroll aside, thinking about the message. “Pull emotion from my soul, and bring it out…” Just how do I do *that*…?

I leaned back in my chair, sighing lightly as I picked the string cheese back up. I had no real idea what the scroll meant by using that phrase. I thought I had plenty of control over myself, so this just plain confused me.

That’s not a very clear instruction… I sighed to myself, swinging my leg in the air lightly. Maybe I’ll just practice on that Magician’s Touch spell. It might work for me like this... I thought these, holding my hand out in front of me and staring at it.

I started to peel the packaging for the small snack open, when I felt something vibrate in my pocket.

Vrrrrt

“Goodie…a phone call…” I sarcastically muttered as I dug my hand into my pocket. Probably from that nerdy jackass again.

On the caller I.D. it read Unknown number. Mhm, it’s him, probably.

I pressed answer, putting my cell phone to my ear. “This is Winston.”

“Hello again, Mister Flash.” It was indeed that same nerdy and girly male voice on the other line. “Just calling in to check on your status.”

Oh, how sweet.

“I see,” is all I let go through the line.

“So, has anything happened?”

“Well, not really…” I began slowly, thinking back on the day’s events. I didn’t really trust this guy yet. Was it really a smart idea to tell him about Baking Soda?

“…Is what I’d normally say.”

I decided to tell him after all. This isn’t the kind of situation one would normally face. Not exactly an everyday thing to try and make a freshly mind-wiped man turned pony fit into a magical society, ya know.  What the hell else CAN I do in this situation? I’m someone who’s been transferred as well, and I’m suddenly finding out I’m part friggin’ horse to top it off!

It might be a little stupid to just leave it be and hope it never happens again. No, something’s not right here, and these guys are my best bet if I want to find out what’s going on.

“Oh?” Ramon sounded interested almost immediately. “What did you find?”

I sighed, looking at the clock on the wall. Here we go…

“Well,” I started to explain what happened today hesitantly, hoping this wouldn’t come back to bite me, “it began when I went to the nearby forest here in Ponyville…”

“-and then he just suddenly started to….snap. Have a mental meltdown in front of all of us.” I finished my sentences with a small sigh, biting into my snack as I waited for his response.

“I see…” Ramon muttered, letting the words hang out, as the sound of quick typing could be heard over the phone as well.

I’ve been sitting for about a good 30 minutes now, telling Ramon everything that happened between me and Baking Soda. I told him everything: how he said he woke up in the middle of Everfree Forest with no memory, how he was a complete wreck when I found him, how he wasn’t comfortable around other ponies, how he had a human’s shadow when I took off my glasses, all of it.

He’s been sitting here, listening to me talk the whole time, the sound of tapping keys droning on constantly behind his presence. He had only stopped me once for me to describe how he looked, but that’s about it.

Apparently, comparing the description I gave of him, and telling him the fact that he seems to be into bread and said he had been in the forest for like five days before I had found him, he narrowed it done to a match with a person on Earth that had suddenly disappeared.

His human name is (Or I guess “was”) Kiss Baker (What a weird first name and an ironic last.), a shy but very kind 25-year-old who was a chief who worked at a bakery that made specially made breads. Though Kiss’ mother died a few months ago, his father didn’t really seem to approve his way of life, and basically ignored him once he decided to go after this career. He was known to be an upcoming world-class baker, being able to make almost any kind of bread you could think of, and make it delicious. However, he was outshined by the shop owner’s son, and was ignored. No one really took notice of his disappearance except a few concerned friends, but otherwise, no one has really raised questions.

Personally, it kind of upset me that no one truly cared enough to wonder where he’d gone for the past week, let alone not care about it. But then again, maybe it was a blessing for him to come here after all. He may be able to live a good life here in Equestria, better than he could have on Earth.

Never once did he ask about how he felt in advance or even show pity or worry about his well-being. It was starting to tick me off just a little.  I was just telling him about he started to break down in front of all of us.

“And did he happen to mention anything during this breakdown?” He asked behind the ever-going racket of keys tapping.

He didn’t seem to be asking because he was concerned about the victim. Rather, he seemed like he was interesting just what was driving him to the brink of madness. That irritated me to no end.

I breathed quietly to myself, trying my best to keep my cool. I just wanted to punch him through the damned phone, he was sounding like such a tool. I took another bite of the string cheese I had been eating between portions of my explaination.

“He was talking about dreams he was having,” I explained, hiding any hint of irritation, “saying he was being told to do things.”

The clicking of his keyboard suddenly stopped over the line, and he didn’t seem to have said a word.

“….Did you just say his dreams were telling him to do things..?” He asked quietly. He suddenly sounded extremely blunt, his tone sounding almost afraid.

“Yeah,” I replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable with this suddenly heavy mood, “he said they were telling him to kill, rob, and cause suffering.” I looked to the side remembering what he called it all. “He said it wanted him to be ‘a walking nightmare.’”

There was another pause.

“….’a walking nightmare…?’” Ramon echoed my voice, sounding stunned. “No, no, no ,no, no. That can’t be right. If the history is right, there should be no such thing as that…!” He sounded like he was trying to deny a truth he had gathered on his own, almost sounding like he was about to panic for a moment.

“Hey,” I called out to him, snapping my fingers toward the speaker, “don’t freak out on me! Calm down and tell me what the hell is going on.” I sat up, putting the snack down, once again at full attention. “What’s the big deal with the whole nightmare thing.”

“Right, right.” Ramon calmed down rather quickly, puffing a bit of air towards the speaker before explaining. “You see, Julius spoke that during the final years of his life in Equestia, he was forced to assist Princess Celestia force Princess Luna to the moon.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask someone about that.” I broke in, letting my curiosity get the better of me. “Just what happened with that? Why send Luna to the moon? I’ve seen her, she seems fine aside from some..volume issues.”

“Ah, well,” he began. The silence starting to make the call feel off, “you see, Princess Luna was overtaken by a strange entity. A type of parasitic essence that seemed to have  made its way into her heart, and then grow and nurture itself by feeding on negative emotions in the princesses heart.” He paused, the sound of a pencil scribbling against paper present. “This eventually led to the energy overtaking her body and mind in jealous and anger, and became someone….or something* else. The term Equestrian history should have it as Nightmare Moon.”*

I could feel a rush go down my spine slightly as I listened on.

“The battle against Nightmare Moon was difficult for Princess Celestia, so Julius and some fellow Flares had to assist her throughout the brief period of war between the two former siblings.” Ramon didn’t sound like he was losing interest this time. He actually sounded a bit uneasy with this topic altogether, yet he pressed on. “During the war, Nightmare used some sort of ray that blasted some of her energy onto others; contaminating them and making them give into the Nightmare’s demands. We later called this Nightmare’s Spirit because when the host is infected, it’s basically their very person being taken over by the Nightmare’s will and desire for pain.

“When the battle was over, and Celestia had successfully banished her sister to the moon, we thought for certain it was gone. However, Julius said he was certain there were more of the Nightmare. So, during the time of peace between when the Battle of Nightmare Moon was over and his sudden retreat to Earth, he developed a special line of magic called-“

“Spiritual magic..?” I broke in, glancing toward the slightly opened scroll on table.

“Ah, so you’ve gotten that far in the scrolls, excellent. This will make it easier for you to understand.” Ramon chimed, sounding relieved. “Anyway, the spiritual energy is a special kind of magic that Julius discovered upon first seeing the Elements of Harmony in action. He supposed that one can harness a small amount of similar energy to the Elements if one has a good heart, and can efficiently use this to drive out things such as the Nightmare’s Spirit.”

“And this is basically where I come in…?” I raised an eyebrow, scratching my head.

“Exactly.” He replied, sounding grateful that I was actually following along. “If what Julius said is in fact true, and the Nightmare’s Spirit is still present and infecting transferring humans, this must mean that ponies have been transferred here and infected with it as well. If so, this could be indeed be something that could lead into a crisis for *BOTH** our worlds.”* He spoke very carefully, emphasizing just how important the situation was. “You need to learn how to apply spiritual magic and find a way to properly get rid of any Nightmare when you see it. It could be the only way to properly get rid of it.”

This is full of frickin holes! Also, STOP PUTTING PRESSURE ON ME, YOU BASTARD!

“Wait a second.” I stopped him again, about to question him myself. “First of all, how in the world can I control this special magic, if I don’t even know how to use it? Hell I don’t even know if I have this special power!”

“If you can transform into a horse and use magic and fly like you said you did in your story, you can figure out a way to tap into that power.” He answered me immediately in a snappy tone. “You’ll NEED to. The fate of the world practically depends on it”

“And shouldn’t the Princess know about this crap?” I pressed, “I mean, wouldn’t it be better if we had the two mares that are most familiar with this to be aware?”

“They would probably wouldn’t really believe you and call you mad.” He quickly replied with a harsh but somewhat logical conclusion. He had a slight obnoxious tone that basically sounded like he was thinking I was a moron for asking. “You’d best wait until you make first real contact with someone taken over by the Nightmare’s Spirit.”

“Bah…” I grumbled, hating the fact that he had a point. If I just wrote to them telling about a big threat is on the way, and had no real evidence other than suspicion, who knows what'll happen to me. But still, Luna was there. If she was the previous holder of the Nightmare, wouldn't she know about it better than anyone else? Buh...

“In any case, we’ll continue trying to find a way to send our agent into Equestria.” Ramon added, the sound of keys being struck once again sounding off in the background. “We can send matter through just find, but we can’t seem to send anything with a memory or mind without it being properly wiped clean. We’re close to finishing, so he’ll probably appear in Ponyville within a few days if my estimates are correct. We’ll speak again shortly.”

“Hey, wait a damn min-“

Click

....I hate that shit.

I sighed, finishing the string cheese and putting my phone away. I knew something was up with Soda as soon as I heard about him being uncomfortable as a pony, but now it’s something that could quite easily mean the destruction of life for humans and ponies alike. This is so friggin’ meta…

I looked up warily at the clock. Almost midnight… I yawned, putting the scroll back into the bag. I’ll just sleep now and worry about this in the morning. Too tired… With that, I got up lazily, tossing the wrapper into the garbage bin before heading to bed.

Plip

Plip

Plip

What…?

I suddenly heard the sound of water landing in some sort of puddle as soon as slumber’s hold took me. I just slowly sit up, opening my eyes carefully.

I can’t see a thing. It’s completely dark. The only sound I can hear is the sound of me shifting in…water, and that constant dripping.

Plip

Plip

Ooo-kay… I slowly shifted to my feet, feeling around myself.

It felt like I was in some sort of wide and really wet cavern. I can only feel along a smooth stone wall, still unable to see ahead of me.

“..Hee-…!” I bit my tongue right before I started to call out. After the last time I found myself in a dark place in my dreams, I rather not take my chances with facing something ELSE in the darker parts of my mind.

I began to slowly walk forward, letting my hand slide across the smooth almost-marble like wall. The air was cool around me, almost pleasantly grazing my body.

“Hey, anypony here?” A cool voice called out from the darkness, bouncing along the walls. I recognized it immediately.

“Shadow?” I looked around myself to find the source. To hell with this dark cave.

“Winston, 'that you?” He yelled a ways off, “if it is, try lighting this place up, Damnit!”

“How the hell am I gonna do that!?”

“Use that damned spell you just learned, you twit!” He barked back. “The hell was it..? “Magican’s Touch?”

“How the hell is THAT gonna help us?” I countered.

“How about using you’re damned spell and making your hand like a torch?” He offered sarcastically “Just a thought!”

I mentally facepalmed. That’s right…the spell is compatible with other species, not just unicorns or ponies…

“Point taken!” I shouted back, moving my free hand in front of me.

I slowly let the image of my hand fade into my mind. Then, slowly, I let the thought of it being engulfed in a blaze appear in my mind. I focused, flexing my palm slowly. I could feel it getting warmer.

I focused some more.

Warmer…

I really let my imagination show the flames crackling around my hand.

There we go…!

...wait, *no***

“HOT!”  I shot my eyes open, seeing my hand was covered in flames. Good god, did it burn like hell.  Gotta put it out!

“HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT!!!” I let the words burst from my mouth, as I swung my hand like a madman trying to put out the blaze. “GODDAMNTHATSHOT!!!”

“Winston!?” I could hear Shadow Flare galloping, splashing the water around as he moved. Not like I was paying attention, of course. Having your hand burn and you being able to feel it kind of makes you focus on that before anything else.

I started blowing profusely at my hand, still shaking it to put out the fire. “HOLY ZEN THAT BURNS!” I shoved my hand downwards, suddenly feeling my hand go through some water.

**SSSSSsssssss….

I could feel some hot steam hit my face, and the sensation of cool liquid washing over my hand. Oh man, that feels soooo much better.

“You’re an idiot.” I could hear Shadow mocking me from somewhere right in front of me.

“Oh, shut up.” I dug my hands into my pockets, searching them. I quickly found the glove Rarity had sewn up for me. I always put it in my pocket if I wasn’t using or wearing it. I paused for a moment to wonder just why I still my things on me, even though I was in a dream.

Oh well, doesn’t matter. If I recalled properly, the spell basically had the element wrap around your hand, effecting it like it would normally would to it. Sense Rarity's glove was said to be fireproof, I was hoping it would stop my hand from becoming a roast. I slipped on the glove, before focusing the flames around my hand again.

Focus..

I could see a small flame appear in the center of my hand, creating a small light around me.

The cave was a dark blue, with some of the rock actually sparkling a bit around us. There seemed to be several cracks on the ceiling, however, letting water drip through and fall into the water that had probably built up for some time. The water was high enough to cover my feet, and go up to almost my ankles.

“Where are we…?” I asked, glancing about.

“This is the tunnel  around your soul.”Shadow answered, looking at the fire in my grasp.  “Think of it as an underground for your psyche. It goes all the way through each segment of your mind. You probably never came here because you would be lost forever trying to get out.” He chuckled slightly, turning around. “Until now, anyway.”

“Whatever…” I looked down the way as I muttered my response. The cave really did go down quite a ways down. It seemed to split multiple times too, like a maze or a dungeon. Was I really this dark and empty…? “Just why are we here anyway..?”

“Soul searching.” Shadow Flare casually answered, starting down the way.

“Huh?” I was lost, in both this conversation and this place. I started to follow him as I questioned his words. “What the hell does that mean?”

“We’re gonna look in here for some hints on how to tap into that spiritual magic the scroll and that jackass were talking about.” He explained, turning his head toward the small oil lamp hanging on the wall.  “Light that.”

I complied, placing a finger into the center of the pit, lighting the black liquid ablaze as I listened intently.

“Anyway, you need to use this new magic to beat whatever this Nightmare Spirit is, right? Well, I agree with the idea 100 percent. It may be hard to do, and it may not be the best thing to use against this thing, but it’s our best shot.”

“Hmmn…” I grunted, looking around at the cavern more.

“Besides,” he added with a grin, “you’ll get some practice using this new magic while we’re at it! It seems handy in all kinds of situations.”

I peered at my hand still covered in an orange and red fiery haze. The glove was still intact, and I could only feel the warm of the flames around it. This thing really was fireproof! I’ll have to thank Rarity later.

….Then again, this could just be my mind just making some shit up. I don’t know if this is really the glove or not…hmn…

I was pondering the likelihood of this being how the glove really was or not, when Shadow splashed my leg with some of the water in the cave.

“Don’t go all psychologist on me!” He yelled with a broad smile, as he turned back around and continued down the cave. “Come on! We got emotion diving to do!”

“ Ya-huh.” I merely answered, following him down the dark, dank tunnel that was supposed to be my soul.