Guardian

CHAPTER 7 - CONTINUITY

“What!” Brimstone suddenly stirred into alertness from his sleep, flipping out of his chair and onto the floor. Another wave of Psi had passed through the area from the north again, though this time he tracked it from slightly east of the last wave.

“My, oh my, finally awake, I see! I'm surprised that you did not feel the shaking of the tree!”

“The tree shook while I was asleep?”

“A blast of wind, quite a gale! Then came through rain and hail!”

“Woah, really?” Brimstone stood up and walked to the window, looking out into the forest. Many trees had been bent back from some kind of blast. Brimstone questioned if wind alone was responsible. He also wondered if it had anything to do with the waves of Psi he kept feeling.

“Over now, the storm seems to be. If you are ready, I can escort you out of Everfree.”

“Thanks, Zecora, but an escort won't be necessary. I memorized the correct route off of your map.”

“Oh, quite a mind! Very well, then, go ahead and I will stay behind.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.” Brimstone smiled as he opened the door. Suddenly, an idea caught his attention. “Oh! I know!”

“Hm?”

“Hang on just a second.” Brimstone walked out into the swamp. A blast strong enough to tilt so many trees would have probably upturned a bunch of dirt too. “Ah ha!” Brimstone caught sight of a shimmering rock. Using his power, he lifted the large rock from the muck and then focused.

A glow enveloped the chunk of naturally-occurring iron. Using his Psi to manipulate the atoms, Brimstone compressed the element and smashed together the atoms with his Psi, releasing the energy skyward as a yellow beam of light. Zecora watched in awe as the metal chunk shrunk and changed color from red and silver to all silver to a brilliant gold. The chunk, now a perfect, basketball-sized sphere, landed in front of Zecora.

“There!” Brimstone took a deep breath, “I don't know if you value gold as highly as my native kind does, but hopefully that can at least get you something nice for all of your generosity to me.”

“What a sight to see! Never before have I seen someone so proficient in alchemy!”

“What? Oh, yeah.” Brimstone had heard the term “alchemy” before, but never thought much more of it than of nonsense. He figured that this zebra that lived in the woods probably had many mystical beliefs considering the totem outside and the potions and such. “Alchemy is part of my specialty.”

“A talent quite fine! You must be as rich in materials as you are kind!”

“Uh, well... Thanks. But I really do need to get moving, Zecora. It was nice meeting you. Thanks again!”

“A thousand goodbyes as you leave my home. May we meet again someday, Brimstone.”

Alone again, Brimstone wandered off into the woods and began his trek to the west. If he headed that way, he would soon be in Ponyville. There, he would be able to more-quickly find some way to an entrance to the next universe, and be one step closer to being back with Ailain.