//------------------------------// // The Winter Solstice // Story: Changeling Holidays // by CrimsonCowboy //------------------------------// The Winter Solstice ----- Solstices. The longest either day or night of the year. During the winter solstice, it is the night. There is a strange magic about on the solstices. A magic that can be tapped into, a magic that can empower spells, if you just tune in. On this, two nights before the longest night of the year, Twefy fi' Oson is making her plans. ----- Tami is carrying a microwave oven that has seen better days. She's walking next to Oson, back from the thrift store. They had already purchased more gold dust to mask out a number of runes on it's surface, and some intense cleanser to clean up the microwave before that. "Sure you wanna do this, Oson? I'm just worried, 'cause really bad stuff happened the last time we did something like this." Oson nods. "It's the winter solstice! Magic is the strongest this time of year. If we ever want to even try this, it's gotta be tomorrow." Tami shakes her head. "Fuckin' A... Hey! You didn't answer the question!" Oson tilts her head with a smug grin. "I think I did." "Cheeky little bug." "Your cheeky little bug. You're right, though... we should get some more wire so we can be at a safe distance." Tami sighs. "We're probably gonna need more safety equipment, aren't we?" Oson nods. "I think we're gonna need glass goggles, and a plastic one behind it, incase..." "In case it blows up in our face?" "Yeah. I know we should be able to pull this off, but I'm still a bit sketchy on how the solstice will interact with this." ----- Quantum is pulling out some equipment from their basement. "Riot shields, check. Geiger counter, check and double check. Camera, check. One hundred meters of electrical cable? Check." Java is pulling out various tools. "Multimeter, electric-proof gloves, an assortment of screwdrivers and wire snips..." Tami comes down the stairs with Oson. "One modified microwave oven, and a micro-chaos generator." Oson holds up a device "And a remote start for the tea kettle." Quantum sits by while she's loaded up with the various parts. "Oh, one more thing, when is the solstice at it's peak?" Java holds up a copy of the daily paper. "We've got about two hours to set this thing up." Oson nods. "You got the nog, Java?" Java pulls open his own saddle bags. "Three different kinds of nog." Oson smiles as they head out the door. "We're ready. We're taking the side streets cause the guard has started checking our normal pathways." ----- Oson points at a location in the still ruined field. "Let's set up here." Tami is pulling the items from Quantum's back. She is setting up the microwave and the associated bits. Java is rooting through the wiring of the one of the busted lamps. "Ha, like I thought! They still hadn't shut off power to some of these. We've got enough wattage with these to power the microwave and the tea kettle!" Oson drags the cable between the hole in the ground they had earlier created in a previous misadventure, and over to Java Stout. "Wire us up, Java! We've got a few minutes till the Solstice reaches the peak!" Once Quantum was unloaded, she gallops to the safe zone - well, what they assumed was the safe zone. She sets up the riot shields as a sort of safety barrier, and makes a quick gallop around the field to make sure no one at all was in the area. Oson sits behind the shields and puts on her protective gear. The other's shortly join her. "You guy's ready?" They nod. She places her hoof over a switch. "Then get set. It's the longest night of the year, and we're here to make a great light." The switch is depressed. The power connects. From the whirring of the microwave and the hiss of the tea kettle, the experiment is clearly underway. The runes on the microwave oven glow, and the chaos generator interacts with them... Light is accelerated to super luminal velocities, shrinking them to gamma rays and beyond. A small fusion reaction begins to occur inside of the microwave oven. Then another set of runes trigger. This crushes the microwave at a speed that would on any other night be otherwise impossible. Tami speaks, but she is not heard. "Fucking. A." The reaction they caused was sufficiently crushed to reach explosive force. Dirt is thrown up with the mushroom cloud that forms. They are all thrown back, the riot shields protecting them from the main blast of dirt, and their glass goggles protecting them from the UV flash. They lie gasping in the dirt. Quantum speaks first. "Hey, Oson, successful test?" Oson tries to nod. "Successful test. Ow." Tami tries to move, and cries out in pain. "Damnit. Java, you ok?" Java meekly says, "Kinda." Tami tries to nod herself and cringes. "Can anyone move?" "No." "No." "No." Tami says, "Is the geiger counter clicking?" Java, with a groan, twists his head towards the geiger counter. "It's fine. Or broken. Ow." Tami tries to nod. "Think we can get up before the guard get's here?" "No." "No." "No... maybe..." Oson pauses. "I know a mild repair spell, might be able repurpose it, what with the ambient magic..." Quantum groans. "I'd really appreciate you trying it." Java continues. "Yeah, I'd like to not get arrested tonight." Oson focuses her mind on the spell. She sucked at magic and she knew it, but she also knew how magic worked on nights like this. Her horn flashes green. They all groan in pain, but have regained the ability to move. Quantum rolls over. "Load me up and let's get out of here. Ow." As she's loaded with the items that were not consumed in the blast, she comments. "Oson, are every solstice like this?" Oson shakes her head. "No. I think this is a first. Ow." Tami says, "Best. Damn. Solstice. I've ever seen." Java breaks out one of the bottles of nog. "High proof nog, anyone?" "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." As they take the nog, Java asks, "Hey, Quantum, why did you have riot shields in the basement?" Oson pauses. "Oh, those were mine. You're going to like sportsball week."