//------------------------------//
// Only By Circumstance 
// Story: Dearest Beloved 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Six: Only By Circumstance
~BlackRoseRaven

Last Call stumbled through the darkness, gasping for air, his eyes wide with fear and terror as he bolted mindlessly down the path. All he could think of was that he had to get away, he had to get away, he had to escape before-
He tripped, and went sprawling head over heels, rolling violently off the trail and crashing painfully down a steep embankment to finally roll to a stop in the middle of another trail, groaning and shivering in pain as he slowly picked himself up.
His hooves slipped out from under him and he fell back to the ground, his whole body pulsing with pain. He shuddered weakly, then pushed himself slowly up as he let out another faint groan, blinking slowly before he carefully clambered up to his hooves with a mumble.
He rubbed slowly at his face, then shook himself out as he looked blearily around. He felt like he'd just been hit by a train, and all the night's horrors and exhaustion were catching up to him. He had no idea where he was and he could hear the woods rasping and shifting around him, but he was too confused and foggy to make anything out of it.
He had been running for his life, but not even that seemed important anymore: everything hurt and the fall down the hill had disoriented him and taken all the fight out of him. He simply stood, head lowered, body shaking a little as he rasped for breath, feeling nothing but pain and heartache and a terrible longing to just... just turn around and give up.
“What would your wife say?” asked a voice from the trees, and Last Call sighed a little as he looked away. He knew she wouldn't just give up. She never gave up. She was too tough to give up.
Why did everyone use her as the measuring stick against him? That wasn't fair. She was someone he could never live up, never do more than crawl along in the shadow of. He was a helpless, toddling foal without her... was that what she wanted him to admit?
He shook his head slowly, then whispered: “It's not what she would say. She'd tell me it's okay. She'd support me, help me be a better pony than I ever really was on my own. But everyone else would look at me like I'm weak. They'd always compare me to hear and I never could measure up, really, but... how do you equal the sun?”
He laughed briefly, then shook his head again before he sighed as he looked up, catching sight of Silent Wish shifting through the trees above, moving with feline grace across the branches. And yet even that sight couldn't awe or frighten him, as he lowered his head and began to drag himself down the path, not knowing where he was going, what he was doing... how he would survive the night with all these horrific things that were out to get him.
But as the stallion staggered his way onward, he felt his gait beginning to straighten out, his breathing easing before he glanced up as Silent Wish asked: “Tell me about you, then, Last Call. What do you do? Who are you?”
“I don't know.” Last Call murmured, before he shook his head quickly and continued: “I'm a musician. I sing, play instruments, write music. Or I used to, at least. I just... I'm a jingle writer for Happenstance's products now, mainly, and I guess I... do sing-alongs with the foals at the daycare and...”
“And why is that not something to be proud of? Teaching, inspiring foals. Funny, how we're told that's one of life's greatest achievements, and yet we sneer at the ponies who do it.” Silent Wish smiled a bit, before she added quietly: “But maybe I'm biased because of how I'm trapped like this. Always a foal. Eternally a child.”
“What are you?” Last Call asked, even knowing how rude it was, and Silent Wish sighed in the trees as she shifted overhead. But as he looked up at her, he wasn't afraid of her... uncertain, confused, a little anxious, but she didn't scare him. She didn't have the malice that all the other hideous monsters had... and, well, she isn't a hideous monster, either. “I... thank you, by the way, for... you know. Keeping me alive.”
“I only hope that I'm doing you a favour, Last Call. Believe me. There are far worse fates than dying, and some of the entities here are far more cunning and manipulative than either of us can comprehend.” Silent Wish murmured, before she suddenly glided down from the trees, landing beside him. Last Call flinched a little, but it was more out of surprise than nervousness, and Last Call studied him for a second before she gave the smallest of nods as she turned her eyes ahead, the two walking silently side-by-side through the darkness together.
It made it a little more bearable, he thought, having someone here, even as Silent Wish murmured: “I don't think we're moving in the right direction, but it's hard to tell... and all the same, I think the route you took here has been blocked off by now. We'll need to find another way back to the village.”
“I don't think the village is far enough. Why is this happening now, do you know?” asked Last Call, but Silent Wish only shook her head. 
“Things happen. That's all there is to it. I've been trapped in the void with these things for so long that eternity is nothing but a brief interlude, and I still don't know what they are, what their intentions are, who they are, or where they came from. The Old Ones, the Kiz or Kzkttrrrkt or the star-lords, I don't think it matters what we call them. They certainly don't care.”
“You called that thing before a Vorpal.” Last Call said, glancing over at the filly, and she gave a small smile.
“That's right. That's what I call it, but I don't know what it calls itself. I call it that because that's what...” Silent Wish quieted a little, looking down as she murmured: “That's what the Doctor called it.”
Last Call looked at the filly, but decided not to press his luck for now as he only nodded briefly, looking up as he murmured: “I guess we've all lost things, haven't we?”
“Yes. We all have.” Silent Wish stopped, then she said finally: “I'm sure anyone who knows anything about the Kiz can tell you more. But be careful: those who know about the Kiz are often corrupted by them, even if what they mean to do is good. But no sane person is driven to become a hero, do you understand?”
“Better than I ever wanted to.” Last Call muttered, before he shook his head and asked after a moment: “No one can stop this, can they?”
“You can only survive it. And I'll help you as much as I can.” Silent Wish answered with a small smile, before she shook her head slowly and looked down, chewing on her lip for a moment. They came to a halt, and after a few seconds, Silent Wish looked up and said quietly: “There is always hope. That's what the Doctor told me, and that's what I choose to believe, even now. You can't fight these things, but you can escape them, survive them, and... protect yourself. Not just your body, but your mind.”
“I feel like I've been turned inside out. Like who I actually am... it's all being peeled out of me. It hurts.” Last Call said after a moment, touching his own chest before he dropped his head and muttered: “I still don't know why the hell I jumped out of that hayloft.”
“You lose track of reality when the Kiz are around. The more powerful ones distort reality to such a degree that... reality twists on itself, loses track of what's real and what is not, and creates new shapes and life to fill the gaps left behind.” Silent Wish laughed faintly, shaking her head slowly before she murmured: “We call those Residue. The Wallowers and those primal weird are the Ichor, and the Vorpals and the greatest of the Kiz are the Malice. Not because they are malicious, but because of their effects on reality, because... they are anathema to us.”
“I find it funny you keep talking around the subject like it's not their fault.” Last Call said, although he supposed he understood, in a way, even if at the same time he didn't really want to.
Silent Wish only smiled briefly at him, then she shook her head with a soft sigh before she murmured: “All I know is that if we gaze too long into the abyss...”
“The abyss gazes also into you, yeah, I know.” Last Call answered, shaking his head briefly before he looked down and muttered: “I guess that's more true here than anywhere else, huh?”
He halted, then frowned as he looked back and forth, but Silent Wish was gone. Gone to... take a breath, or whatever she'd said before that she did, he figured, and he smiled wryly before he turned his eyes back down the path, only hoping that he was heading in the right direction.
It became easier to make himself move when he reminded himself of what he was doing here: he was going to find his wife, and then get out of here with her. She'd know just how to escape and as long as they got out of this forest, they would be fine. Their home had always been safe, hadn't it? The villagers certainly didn't seem to think anything had been out of the ordinary... and if this Alignment or whatever was responsible, then it likely had to do with all those old ritual sites and...
And he was just trying to reassure himself, blindly, again. No, he'd find the mare, they'd get out, and come morning, they'd run all the way to Canterlot. They could stay with friends for a while or something... she still had friends there, right?
Last Call shook his head briefly, then frowned a little, slowing his pace as his eyes caught on a light in the distance. He bit his lip, slowing down a little as he remembered what had happened the last time he'd followed a light in the darkness, but all the same he felt drawn towards it; and, as he drew closer, he realized it was a much smaller light than had come from the logging camp, which hopefully meant it was less interesting to whatever monsters might be lurking out there.
After a few minutes of slow walking through the darkness, he reached the source of the light: a weak lamp, glowing over a broken trail guide. It looked like something had smashed through it, leaving more than half the sign in wooden debris on the ground, but it was the other half, at least, that interested Last Call, even if he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering back to that jagged break and from wondering what the hell had done that.
He had fallen onto the Green trail. If he kept following this trail, he would cross both the Blue and Orange trails. If he remembered right from his brief look over the ranger's maps, there were a few unmarked paths ahead too, that led up through the foothills around the mountain and eventually to a pass that would take him up the slope.
He mused over his options for a few moments, then shivered a bit as he glanced over his shoulder. He was terrified that the ugly trash-bag masked thing was still following him, but he was also exhausted. If he pushed himself too hard at this point, he might make himself easy prey... and he had to remember that the monsters he'd seen so far likely weren't the only ones out there.
If he followed the Green trail, he could either rejoin Blue trail and go to the base of the cliffs, or he could even switch to the Orange trail and head further up into the mountains. Since the logging camp had been a bust and Happenstance had come running from who-knew-where, he guessed that the mountains were the next best place to look. 
Last Call nodded a little to himself, looking up at the board for a few moments again before he murmured: “I guess I'll head towards Orange trail. Make my way up into the mountains and hope for the best.” 
He looked uneasily one last time at the broken board, and then he shook his head before he finally pulled himself away from the guidepost, turning and heading out from beneath the sanctity of the light and into the grasp of the shadows. He grimaced a bit as strange shapes danced in his eyes as he made his way along the path, but as his eyes adjusted, he saw they were just branches and trees swaying in the wind...
Except there wasn't much of a breeze, was there? And how was it that entire trees seemed to be shifting and moving around?
He didn't want to think about that.
The stallion grimaced and lowered his head uneasily, chewing nervously on his lip and keeping his eyes to the ground. He needed to focus on where he was going, not on everything happening around him.
Of course, the moment he looked down, he felt terrified that the shadows were closing in all around him, that monsters were crawling eagerly through the dark towards him or the trees were leaning in to snatch him up in their claw-branches or maybe some great and terrible bird was about to swoop down from overhead-
No, he had to remember what Silent Wish had taught him. Not to listen or look, but to feel for the presence of those terrors. They made his skin crawl and brought ancient prey instincts to the surface once they drew close: now that he'd felt their presence, no matter how nervous or anxious he got, it would never compare to the feeling those monsters gave him.
He glanced up slightly, then blinked in surprise and rose his head higher: ahead, he could see a faint, cleared area where a guidepost stood, marked clearly by two coloured signs that marked the Blue trail and the Green trail. But in the distance, he thought he could see another light, flickering faintly through the trees: it was hard to tell thanks to the creeping darkness and the swaying forest how far away it was, but since it was visible...
He passed the crossroads, only glancing for a moment at the guidepost before he continued towards the light, letting it draw him onward down the relatively-straight path. The forest here was looser, the trees shorter and stouter and the ground underhoof was much tougher and rockier, growing firmer as he approached the great black shape of the mountain in the distance.
Last Call glanced uneasily up at this looming monolith against the starlight, and then he turned his eyes warily back towards the light in the distance. Now that he was getting closer and the cover was getting sparser, he realized it was likely just past the Orange trail junction: had there been a camp, or cabins here at some point? He couldn't remember, but from the light...
Well, he couldn't be sure of anything at this point, could he? The stallion grimaced a bit, then shook his head hurriedly: no, he couldn't start thinking like that. As screwed-up as everything was, things were mostly the way he remembered them: if the forest seemed strange, if the paths seemed a little different, well, that was because it was the dead of night, and Horses of Heaven knew that the mare had always had trouble dragging him out here even at the best of times.
It was a few minutes more before he drew close enough that he was able to make out a little more detail about what was ahead: just a little up the Orange trail, there was a small camp, brightly lit by portable quad-lights hooked up to faintly-humming generators. They lit up the area around the rectangular tents, illuminating stacks of lumber, corroded fencing, a port-a-potty and some scattered tools and workbenches, and it took Last Call a few moments to realize that this was a construction site of some kind.
What had they been building or repairing out here? She had never mentioned anything to him...
How selfish and stupid was that? How could he be mad about her not telling him about work when he always walled himself off, when how the hell could she have known that this, of all things, was going to end up happening?
He grimaced and shook his head briefly as he looked down, chewing on his lip for a few moments before he winced in surprise when a bright light suddenly shone out of one of the tents, blinding him. He staggered backwards under the spotlight, swearing under his breath as a voice snapped: “Who the hell are you?”
“Who the hell are you?” snapped back Last Call, and then he shook his head as he realized that he didn't know what else these people might be pointing at him, and moreover, that they might actually be people, not monsters, adding quickly: “My name is Last Call! I'm looking for my wife, is she in there with you?”
“Doubt it.” muttered a voice, and there was a tangible feeling of hesitation before the spotlight went out, and that pony sighed before she invited tiredly: “Come on up. Watch your hooves, the jerk who was here before set out traps.”
Last Call frowned uneasily, looking nervously at the ground as he rounded the lumber piles before he grimaced as he spotted one of said traps: it glinted on the ground, a naked metal maw eager to lunge up and bite him. “Bear traps. What the hell.”
Fleetingly, he wondered if they were any use against the monstrosities he'd seen, but either way, he figured they were probably much more of a danger to them than the things lurking in the darkness. He shifted around a few of them, asking as he approached the tent, noting the enormous spotlight standing sentinel just past the entrance: “So I guess you guys have seen them too, huh? Does that light work?”
“So far. They can't stand the bright light.” said the mare's voice grudgingly as Last Call entered the tent, and he frowned in surprise as he ducked around the spotlight to find two ponies, both looking at him warily.
One was a faded pink, with a messy, poofy mane and tired blue eyes, heavy with sleeplessness. She smiled at him a little, but it was a strained expression on her face as she introduced: “I'm Pink. This is Schmisse.” 
She gestured at the other occupant, who was seated at a table: a bruise-blue unicorn stallion with dark, veiled eyes, his features gaunt and unsettling, his mane a dark copper so thick and ratty it seemed black. He scowled a little at Last Call, and the stallion grimaced as he met the unicorn's eyes through the cracked glasses covering them: he had seen that same cold blue somewhere before...
“Guten tag.” Schmisse said in a dry voice, before he carefully pushed himself away from the table and stood, gesturing at the empty seat across from him. “Sit, if you like. The pink one certainly won't.”
“Someone has to keep an eye on things.” Pink muttered, as she paced to narrow flap that covered a 'window' in the tent, pushing it aside and scowling out at the darkness around them. “We barely got here in one piece. Hey, Last Call, what did you see out there?”
Last Call glanced over at the mare: for some reason, her cutie mark of three balloons seemed familiar to him, but it was also faded. The whole mare seemed faded, really, as he studied her curiously, then he smiled briefly when she shot him a glower, answering: “Sorry. Been a... a long night. I don't know if you'll believe me if I talk about it. I don't even believe myself. I just want to find my wife and get out of here.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” Schmisse asked dryly, as he sat back down at the table with a grimace of pain: Last Call frowned slightly, but he didn't notice any wounds across the unicorn's lanky body, but then again he supposed anyone who'd been here for long had probably taken more than one beating by now. And it sounded like... “We've only been here for a few hours, but even after escaping that psychopath-”
“Thanks to another psychopath.” grumbled Pink, and Last Call frowned deeper.
Schmisse only smiled dryly at this, answering sardonically: “Well, that has always been the least of bruder's  flaws. But my point is that even working together we were only able to get this far. There are a few other ponies out there, but by now the monsters have likely taken them, or the madpony has reclaimed them.”
“What madpony?” asked Last Call, before he added quickly: “Do you know Happenstance? He said he escaped because of...”
It clicked into place, and Last Call hesitated only a moment before he said slowly: “Your brother. Toadfall.”
“Todesfall.” half-corrected Schmisse, his lips twisting in a sour sort of smile. “He was always proud of himself more than his heritage, though.”
“Guess your brother made a great impression on everyone he met, huh?” Pink asked ironically, and Schmisse shrugged before Pink continued as she eyed Last Call moodily: “I don't know how I got here. I was on the road, and someone jumped me. I woke up with a bag over my head, in a cell, tied up to a bunch of other ponies.
“Eventually we were dragged out. I don't know where we were going, but Todesfall managed to get free and broke a rock over the head of our kidnapper. They fought for a bit while a bunch of us slipped free.” Pink glanced over at Schmisse, and Last Call reflected that the mare was a very bad liar.
On the other hoof, Schmisse barely played along with Pink's story, the stallion shrugging as he said: “Todesfall and I found Pink after dear bruder drove the stallion away. Or rather, took the credit for doing so. Considering the things that ambushed us moments later, I think whether the pony was mad or not, he was smart enough to see the signs before they came upon us. We ran, and nearly tripped over this mare.”
Schmisse gestured almost dismissively towards Pink, who scowled horribly at the stallion, but the unicorn ignored him as he continued: “We fled here. The monsters were not fond of the light, and with a few bricks, Todesfall drove them away. They can be hurt... or at least some of them, can. There have been other things-”
“I haven't seen anything else.” Pink snapped sharply, glaring at Schmisse with an awful, painful desperation that Last Call recognized all too well: the desire to cling to whatever shreds of sanity you had left, even when you knew everything was impossibly wrong.
Pink was frightened under that cold, cynical mask. But Schmisse? Now that he knew he was Toadfall's brother, he could clearly see more than physical resemblance; but as similar as that coldness was, Schmisse seemed more cynical and nihilistic compared to the maliciousness that Toadfall exuded.
Schimisse ignored Pink, studying Last Call before he asked: “Do you know what I am talking about?”
“I haven't really tried to pick a fight with any of the monsters trying to eat me, thanks.” Last Call replied, and Schmisse smiled dryly.
“So you must be the coward he's always talking about. He was very taken with your wife.” Schmisse said, and Last Call gave a sour smile in response.
“Fantastic. Didn't know Toadfall thought that highly of me. But I'd trust my wife with the monsters more than him.” Last Call said, and to his surprise, Schmisse smiled again even as his eyes shifted away.
“Not a terrible choice.” Schmisse said softly, and there was an awkward silence for a few moments before the unicorn asked brusquely: “Where are you going, then? Where is she?”
“I don't know. But I heard from... a friend, uh, she said that there might still be people here. On the mountain, I think.” Last Call replied, fidgeting a little.
“She thinks this, or you think this? You seem to have met many friends on your travels tonight. And I cannot help bu notice none of them are here...”
“Happenstance ran off and Silent... my other friend, she's... around.” Last Call said defensively, glaring at Schmisse, who was eyeing him coldly as Pink shifted warily. “I don't know what you're thinking, but I-”
“I do not blame you for being a coward. Most ponies are. And I suppose it is better if you are going to run away at the first sign of danger than if you are going to murder us. I see clearly that you are no killer, after all, Last Call.” Schmisse said with derision, and Last Call glowered at him as Pink looked uncertainly at Schmisse.
But after a moment, the unicorn simply sniffed disdainfully and waved a hoof as he shifted back into his seat with a grunt. “Fine. Rest and recover. Do not expect us to-”
“Look, I just want to find my wife and leave, that's it.” Last Call snapped, glaring at the unicorn. “I didn't ask for your goddamn help, and I figure Toadfall would probably be happy to snap my neck and use me as bait, so I don't intend on sticking around here, either.”
Pink scowled at him, and Schmisse tapped a hoof against the tabletop before he asked abruptly: “Why the mountains?”
“There's... a cave system up there. I have maps. And if my wife wasn't one of the ones who escaped with you, she has to be wherever that psycho asshole who grabbed you all is. It's the best place to look and... I'm going to find her or...” Last Call couldn't quite make himself say 'die trying,' considering the circumstances, but he wasn't about to let his resolve waver either as he shifted a little on the spot, glaring at Schmisse.
Schmisse studied him, then he shrugged before he glanced over at Pink and said: “You said the ghost was-”
“There's no such thing as ghosts.” Pink muttered, covering her ears and lowering her head as she took a slow breath, and then she nodded once as Last Call looked at her uncertainly.
Schmisse, however, only nodded before he turned his eyes towards Last Call, ordering more than asking: “Show me the maps.”
“You could learn some manners, pal.” Last Call grumbled, even as he dug in his satchel. Schmisse only sat back as Last Call unfolded the general map of the area before he tossed down the ranger's guide, flipping through it even as Schmisse immediately began to trace his hooves over the mountain routes. “I have this, too, which details the emergency paths and shows where-”
“Yes, good, good.” Schmisse muttered, waving a hoof absently before he tapped on the map, asking: “Are these up to date? Do you know what this structure is, at the top of the mountain?”
Last Call frowned slightly as he leaned in, looking at what Schmisse was indicating, before he remembered an old discussion he'd had with her, how she'd said they should go sometime, and he'd been too lazy, too tired, too... miserable. “Yeah, the old weather centre. I know there's an observatory still there, and-”
“It may have been where we were taken. But these markings indicate the end of a road, not a trail.” Schmisse said, tracing a thick black line on the paper to where it became a thin, dotted path. “The key has been torn off this map, but this may indicate a lift, a roadway, a cable car... something we could take to a road.”
“Great. So if we climb up the mountain and sneak past the psychotic asshole who kidnapped us, we might be able to get to a road, which we can trot happily down until the monsters catch us and eat us.” Pink said sourly, and Last Call smiled wryly, unable to help but to agree.
Schmisse, however, only looked at them both with disdain before he explained, as if he was speaking to a child: “All roads lead somewhere. There will be homes, settlements, and these creatures may not desire to leave this forest. But if you would rather simply die here, by all means, go ahead. But I suppose I should not be surprised that a coward-”
“I'm not leaving until I find my wife.” Last Call said firmly, and then he hesitated before he added in a quieter voice, as he looked over at Pink: “And if we all move together-”
“We won't be any safer. I don't think the monsters are going to be more afraid of you than they were of Todesfall. No offence.” Pink replied dryly, before she hesitated, then muttered as her eyes drew towards the thin walls of the tent: “I guess it won't be safe here forever, anyway.” 
“There are supplies in the other tents. See if you can find anything useful, and then we should leave, while the monsters are still gone and before the beasts that are trailing you catch up to us.” Schmisse said, and Last Call gave him a wry smile.
“I guess I can't blame you for wanting to move out before Toad gets back. No love lost, huh?” Last Call asked ironically before he could stop himself.
Schmisse studied him for a few moments, and then he gave a thin smile, answering: “I want you to consider what you know of my bruder, Last Call. And I want you to consider if he would approve or disapprove of leaving a stallion behind for the benefit of the group. Or for himself, if you want to cut through the lies.”
Last Call scowled a little at this, before Schmisse added in a quieter voice: “Be grateful that I am not entirely like my brother, or I would spare myself the frustration of your added weight. That goes for you as well, Pink.”
“Whatever.” was Pink's only response, the mare rolling her eyes before she said: “Watch your hooves, who knows where else Todesfall set those traps. There's a bunch of weird stuff in the other tents. Bring what you can and we'll divide it up between us.”
Last Call hesitated for a moment, then he simply nodded, turning and heading out of the tent. He figured that these two weren't going to cut and run on him, but all the same, he couldn't help but feel nervous: then again, the last thing he'd ever imagined was that Todesfall had a brother. 
He stepped back outside, and noted the other tent was just as brightly lit up as this one: all the same, he approached it carefully, keeping his hooves where he could see them at all times. He couldn't help but notice, now that he knew what to look for, that Toadfall had set up a few conspicuous traps around the entrance of the other tent, where an unwary pony might step on their way to get supplies... where the hell did he even find these, anyway?
Last Call's question was answered when he pushed the tent flap open and stepped into a warehouse of the bizarre; while it had likely once been home to nothing more strange than pallets of lumber, construction supplies, and a messy rack of tools, these mundane things were overshadowed by piles of chains and stakes and bear traps, carelessly tossed aside satchels overflowing with what looked at first glance like garbage and rotting food, and lockboxes and security chests. Quite of the few of the last were open, revealing contents that ranged from innocuous, like flares and first aid kits and batteries, to unsettling, such as barbed wire and hooks and things he couldn't even identify.
Last Call fished around through the mess as quickly and carefully as he could, thankful there were a few already-empty satchels placed aside that he was able to immediately start tossing things into. He wasn't sure he had the stomach to try and clean out the other bags, which looked like they had been overstuffed with everything from apples that were now infested with maggots, to... oh God, is that a hoof?
The stallion nearly gagged as he turned quickly away, trembling a little as he did his best to convince himself it wasn't real, that his eyes were playing tricks on him, that it was something, anything else. He rasped a little for breath before he flinched and looked over his shoulder when a voice asked quietly: “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“I... nothing seems like a good idea anymore.” Last Call answered, turning around as he studied Silent Wish for a few moments, before he asked quietly: “You sure you want to be here? They might not-”
“You aren't the first pony I've tried to help.” Silent Wish said, but it sounded strangely like an evasion as the bat-filly let her eyes travel slowly around the tent, before she murmured: “It's happening again. Time is losing its meaning: soon it won't even be useful as a measurement. You'll try and count the seconds, but then you'll look up, and realized that even though you counted as slowly as you could to a thousand... not a moment has passed.”
Last Call studied Silent Wish for a few moments, and Silent Wish gave a brief smile before she shook her head and murmured: “I apologize. It's... it's very hard, going back and forth. But you have to be careful, Last Call... as reality bends, it bends the ponies trapped here, too. And any plans you make are bound to fail.”
“I don't know. This... it sounds suicidal, and maybe it is, but... all I really care about is finding her, do you understand that?” Last Call looked down, shuffling through one of the satchels before he shook his head. “I barely remember the observatory on the mountaintop. I thought they'd converted it into a ranger's station, but then it went unused because it was too hard to get to... I don't remember any cable car.”
“That doesn't mean you're right, but Schmisse could be wrong, too. And that other mare... she doesn't know where she is at all. She's not from here, you know.” Silent Wish warned, and Last Call had the feeling she wasn't just talking about the area. “But realities are bleeding together. The Kiz exist simultaneously everywhere and nowhere. Who knows what they might cause to fall between the cracks of the worlds?”
“Why us?” asked Last Call almost desperately, and Silent Wish tilted her head with a slight frown. “I don't think we were chosen, I think we were all stupid enough to have wandered in here or unlucky enough that some asshole grabbed us for... I don't know, whatever rituals come with the Alignment, or maybe he thinks if he feeds the monsters, they'll leave him alone. But why are you helping me, and why are we still alive when if they wanted to-”
“You know the answer.” Silent Wish said gently, and Last Call lowered his head a little. “I can't change the answer just because you still don't understand, or don't want it to be true.”
Last Call sighed a little, and then he hesitated before he asked finally: “Are you going to come with us?”
“I'll try. For a little while.” Silent Wish answered, to Last Call's surprise. “I don't think they're dangerous, though. Afraid, strange, a little twisted, as we all are; but we have to be, to survive here. To be able to survive the Residue and the Ichor, and to be interesting enough to the Malice that they don't simply consume us outright.”
“Let the meat sit.” Schmisse said ironically, and Last Call and Silent Wish both looked up as the unicorn shouldered his way through the tent flap, studying Silent Wish for a few moments with his cold eyes, before he asked simply: “Is this your friend?”
“Yes.” Last Call said dumbly, as Silent Wish rubbed self-consciously at one of her wing-arms. “She's-”
“I don't care.” Schmisse said bluntly, before he strode over – hiding his limp well, Last Call thought – and grabbed one of the satchels, glancing through the supplies before he flung it over his body. He lifted the other in telekinesis, carrying it at his side as he ordered: “Hurry yourselves up. And cover yourself, fledermaus. Pink is... nervous.”
“You know, it makes sense that Toad is from Germareny, but why the hell are you the one who sounds like a stormtrooper?” Last Call asked sourly, but Schmisse only smiled dryly over his shoulder. “I... fine. We'll be there in a moment.”
“Good. I will not wait much longer.” Schmisse said, beginning to turn, but then he frowned as Last Call called him back.
“What's wrong with you?” he asked bluntly, and Schmisse scowled at him before he only snorted in contempt. “If you're injured-”
“I will not slow you down. Perhaps you could try and avoid doing the same.” Schmisse said acidly.
Last Call watched as the unicorn stormed out, and then he looked over at Silent Wish and said moodily: “Nice guy.”
Silent Wish only sighed a little, and then she strode over to a pile of safety equipment, half-glancing at the bear traps with a shudder as she passed them. “No matter how strong we may seem, Last Call, we are all being twisted by this. What we armour ourselves with is shaved away, what we try and hide within... it all comes to the surface.”
Silent Wish pulled a poncho free from the pile of protective clothing, throwing it quickly around her shoulders before she sneezed a little at the dust that filtered off it, and Last Call couldn't help but smile faintly as he shifted his sidepack back on, saying softly: “Even you, huh?”
“Even me.” the filly agreed after a moment, and then she strode out of the tent, and Last Call sighed before he followed after her, wincing a bit as he worried for a moment she might stumble into one of the traps.
But no, she moved swiftly, smoothly, soundlessly across the yard without triggering a single one, joining a scowling Pink and a stonefaced Schmisse. Last Call joined them as well after a moment, and then he asked, in spite of it going against all his better instincts: “Should we wait for Toad?”
“No.” Schmisse said, undeniable and final. And, to be entirely fair, not an answer that Last Call wanted to argue with anyway.
The stallion realized after a moment the three others were looking at him, and he grimaced mentally before he sighed, beginning to open his mouth: but before he could even ask for it, Schmisse passed him both the map and guidebook, and Last Call smiled awkwardly, tucking the map away as he flipped through the ranger's guide, his eyes travelling across the pages before he nodded once to himself and shoved that back in his satchel as well.
“We're going to take Orange trail up into the mountains to search the caves along the way for anyone else who might have escaped. They used to do a cave tour, so there'll be a ranger station halfway up: when we get there, we can decide if we want to try and take a shortcut through the caverns or if we should just go the long way around, depending on... what we encounter.”
Schmisse, to his surprise, only nodded impatiently, gesturing irritably at him as Pink shrugged, the mare not hiding her suspicion as she looked down at Silent Wish, but also not saying anything more than: “Fine. You and your... friend, can show us the way.”
Silent Wish nodded, and Last Call shrugged before he said, unable to stop himself: “Glad you're all getting along.”
All three glared at him, so Last Call only sighed before he said finally: “Try and keep the noise and light to a minimum. They hate light, but they're attracted to it, too. Well, let's... go.”
It was an awkward note to leave on, but all the same, Last Call took the lead, if only to get away from the discomfort of the situation. Silent Wish fell in beside him, and Pink and Schmisse followed behind, the mare frowning at everything and Schmisse keeping the pace with them despite the tremble in his legs, cold eyes focused forward as they headed out of the brightly lit campsite, and into the darkness and the unknown.