//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: The Inner You // Story: The Bridge Between Worlds // by Artemis Orion //------------------------------// The Inner You Returning to the cave entrance, we found Applejack and Rainbow Dash had set up our tents for the night. We had been in the cave for so long, we didn't notice that it was already night out, and the storm had turned to light rain. Not that it made much of a difference now, when the Air Balloon was already damaged. "You fellas took yer time!" Applejack was just hammering in the last peg. "Ah'll continue repairs tomorrow. With a li'l luck, we'll be back in the air by the day after." "Thanks, AJ. If you weren't with us, we'd probably be stuck for days!" Twilight smiled, and checked the logistics one more time. "We can't be much farther from the Lost Civilization. I'd say no more than a couple of days befor-" "Goodnight, guys!" Rainbow Dash darted into her tent. Light snoring was heard almost instantly. Twilight rolled her eyes. "...before we reach it. But I gotta say... we don't even know what to look out for..." "Well, it's a good thing we met The Baron then." I said. "If anything, he could tell us what to look for. I'll ask him tomorrow." I was just about to head to my tent, until I remembered that I was still covered in dried mud and other things that I couldn't identify. No way was I sleeping like that. And above all, I looked like crap, and it wasn't as if I had a way to get clean either. Applejack must have noticed it. The next thing I knew, I was lightly kicked to the entrance, almost entering the rain. "Yer gonna have to settle for rainwater fer now, cowboy. Jus' go soak yerself in it fer awhile." I stuck an arm out to the rain, feeling the cold droplets pelting my skin and clothes. Indeed, it did feel nice. "Well, it'll have to do..." Rarity magicked another set of clothes from the basket, leaving it by the side of my tent. She bidded everyone goodnight, and left for her tent. I didn't understand why she was wearing a bed robe, let alone bringing one on this trip. Fluttershy went off next, followed by Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie smiled and winked at me before bouncing off. I sighed, walking out into the rain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I sat on the ledge, extending from the cave, getting drenched in the rain. Even though I was soaked to the bone and cold, it was somewhat peaceful. After all the action and travelling, it felt good to just stop and enjoy the moment. I looked out into the endless night. Hundreds of stars dotted the dark blue sky, accompanied by Luna's moon. It was so bright and beautiful. Living in a city as I did, there was hardly any time to appreciate the things around me. Something I found I was doing very often since I had come here. It brought my thoughts back to Earth. I began to question why I did what I did in my life. And ultimately, whether I was happy doing it. I knew the answer to that before I asked that question. Sure, I miss doing normal things, but at the same time, I know I will soon dread it once more. I decided that, if I ever got back, a lot of things were going to change. I couldn't possibly act like nothing happened when and if I got home. My eyelids became heavy, and only the pitter-patter of rain kept me from dozing off. My feet were dangling over the edge of the mountain. Sleeping here would mean death in the most humorous way. I was out long enough. In my wet clothes, I trudged back into the cave. My shoes made a little splash sound for every step. Walking back, I recalled everything that happened in the past few weeks. From when I arrived, till now. From royal interrogation to parties, to packs of wolves to hydras. Things were getting stranger everyday. This whole place is weird... and I wouldn't want it any other way. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Well, you ponies certainly rise early..." The Baron was still curled up in a sleeping position, like an oversized dog. It was only the beginning of the day, and we had probably just woken up a few thousand year old dragon. He didn't seem to mind in the least. I was accompanied by Twilight and Fluttershy. "Are we bothering you?... we're sorry..." Fluttershy was still a little afraid of The Baron. "No, not at all! I must say, it's a lot better than waking up to nothing for the past few hundred years." The Baron uncurled himself, reaching for a deep blue sapphire. He eyed it eagerly before throwing it into his massive jaws. "Now that you're here, I suppose you have more to ask of me?" "We do actually..." I pulled the book of legends from my backpack and flipped to the pages of humans. "This might explain why the Medallion 'mysteriously' disappeared." Baron extended his hand and I placed the book in it. The book was tiny compared to him, but he read it with interest. "Theft? Petty theft? That's rather ironic." He read on, "Oh... these aren't just regular thieves are they?" "Guess so..." "They have no idea what they did. Ah well, it's too late now..." The blue and purple dragon placed the book back on the ground, using only two fingers. Twilight magicked it away. "Now, besides the Legends, you're the only other being that has been to the Civilization." I said. "And we were wondering if there was anything we should know, or how to find this place?" "Well, I'll tell you what I know. It may not be a lot, but you can gather only so much watching from afar..." He lazily reached for another gem. "Their city was built in two parts. One part was built on the surface. This was where most of them lived, in a city of stone. Honestly, you can't miss it if you tried, but it's not the same as it's glory days. There is another part... it is underground." "Underground?" Everypony's jaw dropped. "Indeed. The underground part was where they kept resources, and ultimately, the Medallion. I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you. I have never been underground there myself." The Baron shrugged off the thought. "But I suppose if you find the city on the surface, the underground shouldn't be that hard to locate." "Now I have a question..." Twilight raised a hoof. "There are hardly any dragons that live for a few thousand years. One thousand, maybe, but beyond that is rare! What breed of dragon are you?" The Baron lightly chuckled. "Very few have actually shown interest in that matter! Well... if you must know, I'm what some would like to call a 'God' dragon. My species is indeed rare, because normality among dragons are rare in the first place! My species can't breathe fire, produce smoke, or cast any form of magic. In fact we're quite the opposite! We are immune to magic, we heal overtime and age very slowly. There are many species, like that annoying Hydra down by the swamp..." "Yeah, he's not going to be bothering you anymore..." I smiled, "I think he's a charred heap at the bottom of the swamp." "You defeated a Hydra?" The Baron was surprised at first. "Well, well, well... maybe you have potential after all!" "I couldn't have done it without my friends." I put an arm around Fluttershy and Twilight. Both smiled sheepishly. "Or Aura..." "On the topic of Aura, I suggest you try to control it." Baron became a little more serious. "Whatever emotion you feel, no matter how strong, is and may be expressed in Human Magic. The Medallion amplifies it, and it could cause some unwanted effects... or defects..." The Baron lightly prodded the pendant with a clawed finger. "Control. Got it." an idea popped into my mind. "We'll talk to you later, Baron. I'm gonna go try something out." I turned to leave. "Twilight, could I ask you a favour...?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You sure about this?" I don't see why not. It could come in handy. Rarity, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were out with me on the Sky Desert. The storm had died down, and light clouds dotted the sky for miles. Twilight was reading a levitated book. Rarity was instructing me on how to use basic magic. "For unicorns, we have to practice spells in order to perfect them. However, levitation and the movement of other objects have no certain spell. It can be done by just thinking and concentrating on it." "But, it looks like Human magic can't control anything, other than itself." Twilight put the book down. "You probably can't directly affect or control other things. But seeing as you can do things with enough concentration and will, let's try this out first." "Okay..." I stood there, and closed my eyes. "Remember; think about it, concentrate..." "This is boring! Can we get on with it already?!" "Be quiet, Rainbow Dash!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What exactly are you trying to achieve by doing this?" Better understanding. "Yeah... sure..." Oh, and by the way: 'Artemis Orion'? Seriously? Couldn't you just name yourself something other than my Steam username?! "Subliminally, that was my idea. So, no!" Shut up and help! I can't think with your damn voice in my head! "I'm here indefinitely. You will always hear me." God, I wish I could just separate you from my mind- "Woah! Dude! Did you feel that?!" Feel what? "Do it again. Think about cutting me out again." ... "Keith! I'm moving! Keep at it!" What the hell are you talking about?! This time, I felt it. Something was moving. It felt like a part of me, breaking away into something else. But when it did, it became harder to concentrate. "Aw yeah! Keith, open your eyes!" When I did, I was confronted by a figure. On the clouded plains before me and everypony else. A plain white, opaque figure of a man mirrored mine. There was no face, or real shape. It was just the shape of a man. We were all silent. When I looked at it, I felt a link. It was hard to keep it there, like my mind was under a sort of stress the whole time it was there. Nopony spoke as I lifted my arm. The figure followed the motion, mirroring my movements. It was like looking at yourself that was looking at you. It was so weird! Slowly, I stuck my right hand out. It did the same. I was going to shake its hand. And then it slapped me. It wasn't really physical, but I felt it nonetheless. "Ha! Gotcha!" A voice similar to mine emitted from my phone. Arty laughed, and the figure's action followed the sound. "You suck." I laughed as well. It was almost unbelievable! "Amazing!" Twilight spoke up. "You've managed to embody Aura!" "No Unicorn has ever done that!" Rarity exclaimed. "This is awesome!" Cheered Rainbow Dash. "Heh, not bad..." I examined the figure. On closer inspection, I noticed that it was the same build as mine. "I agree!" The Aura spoke from my phone, but the silhouette moved in correspondence. I raised a hand for a high five. Arty responded likewise. Technically I was high-fiveing myself. Now was the perfect opportunity to test myself out. Artemis Orion read my mind. "Alright, let's see what you can really do!"