//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Starting to Understand // Story: Rarity and Spike vs Fantasy RPG Tropes: The Sabre of Omens // by SS Nomad //------------------------------// Everything was a haze. Rarity blinked to awareness, feeling lost and suspended in space. There was a distinct feeling of motion, but she couldn’t entirely place a source. She just felt limp, unaware. Something that sounded like voices came from what seemed like forever away. She tried to call out to them but no noise left her lips. The world around her started to feel soft, comfortable, and warm, yet the surrounding space got far darker than it had been. She once again tried to call out for help and got no reply. Dark figures milled around above her… yes, that was above. She was laying down now. Everything was still a haze. Unconsciousness dragged her back down into the blackness. Rarity found herself on a mountaintop, overlooking the hills and plain below. She wasn’t entirely sure how she got there and found herself looking around, trying to get her bearings. She was standing beside a snowcap, the water melting off the edges and trickling down the rocks in small streams. It slowly occurred to her that she wasn’t cold. Somewhere behind her was a cave, the snow all around it missing. Curious, she stepped forth to look at it, sabre at her side. It was dark, but for some reason there was a dull glow coming from inside. It had that monochrome hue unique to unicorn magic. She decided to step down the path. She blinked and was at the far side, standing in what seemed to be a vast, open crater. Everything was warm, and the snow was all gone. A few ponies stood around, carefully doing… something to the base of the crater. She began to realize the warmth was coming from the stone itself. Rarity abruptly woke up, attempting to jolt upright, but finding herself far too sore and exhausted to manage it. She instead simply groaned and flopped back to the… bed she seemed to be in. It was plush, comfortable, and quite welcoming. Not really sure how to process this all, she just lay there, staring up the stone ceiling. Eventually she flopped her head to the side, spotting Spike in a chair beside her bed. He looked like he’d been camped out in the seat for a while, just sitting there, clutching the sabre to his chest. Rarity cracked a weak smile, sort of appreciating the sentiment. Her mind slowly came to terms with how she’d gotten here. She remembered passing out, the feeling of being carried, and being set in the bed. She tried to remember more, but could only patch together small bits of the dream she’d just woke up from. Logically, Spike had gotten the attention of somepony at the old temple and they’d picked her up. The ceiling… looked temple-ish. Regardless, she knew she’d find out shortly. There was a bleary grunt from Spike, followed by a sudden shout, “Rarity! You’re awake!” The sudden loud noise brought it to Rarity’s attention that she had a horrid headache, the type that always came to her with magical overexertion. With a grumble, she forced a grin, “That I am, Spike.” Spike dropped the sabre and dove toward the bed to hug her, finding himself getting caught on the sword as it hung in midair. With an awkward chuckle, he set it aside and more calmly stepped toward the bed, clutching Rarity around the shoulders, “When we found you passed out… I just…” Rarity slid a hoof around behind Spike to return the hug, “I’m fine, Spikey. You got to me in time. I-” The reality of the situation hit her all at once. She’d been bitten by a giant, poisonous bug, and nearly… Beyond just that… The memory of it dashed on the rocks hit her from the other side. She felt queasy. The only reason she’d ever set out from Ponyville was to meet an artisan. After all of this had happened- “Rarity…” Spike whispered, “Are you okay? You’re shaking.” Rarity gasped back to reality, turning to look Spike in the eye, her nerves shattered, “I- I’m fine, Spike. I’ll…” She reached down to her chest, finding the wounds entirely missing. Surprised, she looked at her leg as well. Healed, with hardly a scar. “The sages cured you,” Spike explained, “Pretty impressive healers, actually.” Rarity sighed, having at least one reason to feel relieved, “I’ll be fine, then. I just have to… cope with what happened, is all.” Spike could see through her forced mood, “Rarity…” With a huff, Rarity lay back, her voice distant, “It’s… dead, no?” Spike said nothing, instead just hugging her before sitting up on the edge of the bed. “I figured,” Rarity continued. There was a long silence. They both knew. As much as combat was a normal part of an ‘adventure,’ what had happened wouldn’t leave her soon. Staring up, out past the ceiling, into nothingness, Rarity struggled to come to terms. It was it or her. She had to do it. The door opened, snapping them both out of their mood, to reveal a tall unicorn mare, “How is she- Oh, you awoke.” Rarity blinked at her for a moment, eying her over, “Y-yes, and you are?” “The high sage would see you,” she replied flatly, “When you are ready.” Rarity slowly turned to Spike, who simply replied with a shrug. “Well… okay then,” Rarity agreed, “I’ll be there once I can.” The mare left the room, and Spike leaned to whisper, “They’ve all been weird like that.” With yet another sigh, Rarity lay back and responded in a hush, “How long have I been here?” “Uh… most of a day?” Spike explained, “You were out for like… eighteen or so hours.” Rarity just nodded in reply, closing her eyes, “I hope you don’t mind if I add a few more to that.” Spike chuckled, “No worries, you get your rest.” Rarity yawned quietly and relaxed back against the mattress, needing just a bit more sleep before she was ready to deal with strange sages. The great hall of the temple of the sages was startlingly huge and empty, even to one used to the halls of Canterlot. Perhaps it was the closedness, the space lacking the grand windows of the castle, instead lit by the dim glow of magic and the dark stone of the walls a far cry from white marble. Maybe the near silence, missing even the usual quiet presence of a guard or two at the door. The only thing filling the room was gentle smell of incense wafting through the air, a strong-scented type that only made the recovering mare feel more groggy. At the far end of it all, a unicorn in robes that Rarity would have forgiven herself for mistaking for the same one that opened her door earlier. The high sage. Crossing the room, Rarity’s eyes couldn’t help but wander to the tapestries and reliefs decorating the walls, tracing out the familiar curves and forms. It was a short moment before she placed why the style was so familiar, but as she did, her mind only filled with more questions. Sure, it was in fabric and stone, but the markings were the unmistakable style that covered the guard of the sabre. “You’ve come a long way, haven’t you?” an older male voice called, the stallion in robes turning to face her as he stroked his beard. Rarity closed the gap, stepping up to him, “It’s… been a journey, yes.” The stallion nodded idly and continued, “I have to admit, you’re not the hero I expected, but if the sword chose you, then you’re the one we need.” The statement flooded Rarity’s mind with questions, so she picked the first one she could pin down, “What do you mean… the sword chose me?” The stallion stopped stroking his beard and stood resolutely, “We, the Sages of the Temple of Destinies, have protected the Sword of Omens for generations. It has its own will, and when it took to the sky, we knew tragedy was about to befall the region, and to await its chosen hero.” Rarity blinked at him, slowly taking in his words, trying to pull as much information from the statement as possible, “The… Temple of Destinies?” Gesturing around the great hall, the sage spoke again, “We of the Temple have seen many heroes such as yourself pass through our halls, called to help the region in a way only they are capable.” The term ‘hero’ was starting to wear on Rarity’s patience, but she simply smiled at him, “So you are the guardians of the sabre, I take it?” The stallion simply nodded before continuing on his own, “I’m sure by now you know of the flooding in the south. We have agreed that it must be the reason you have been called here.” Rarity was shocked as her question got ignored, but was curious where he intended to take the conversation, “It seems as if it’s an engineered flood, from what I’ve seen. I have my suspects. Are you saying the sword knew that I’d be able to figure this out?” “It is your destiny,” the sage replied lowly, “You have been called to protect the region.” The non-answer irritated Rarity, but she forced herself to maintain a calm expression, “So are you here to help me, or just to explain the situation?” The stallion tilted his head a bit, like he couldn’t quite follow the question. Something was clearly wrong with the conversation, a sort of disconnect, and Rarity was concerned there wasn’t much more to gain from the high sage. That’s when Rarity had an idea, “What’s your name?” The stallion blinked at her, like he’d not expected the question at all, like none had ever asked it before. After an awkward silence, he lost a bit of his air of purposeful mystery and replied, “Scroll. Scroll Dowel.” “Well mister Scroll,” Rarity smiled back at him, already knowing it had worked, “I think it would be the most useful if you explained to me a bit about how this place works.” Spike was out of his seat before Rarity had even finished opening the door, “How’d it go?” Rarity smiled at him proudly and quietly shut the door behind herself as she stepped into the small bedroom she’d woken up in, “It took a bit to get him talking to me and not at me, but I learned a good deal.” “Spill,” Spike commanded cheerfully, hopping up on the edge of the bed, his feet dangling over the side. With an altogether amused chuckle, Rarity explained, “Well, he said it in about ten times as many words, but what I managed to gather was the sabre has some sort of mystical power and can tell when the region is threatened. It seeks out and finds the ‘right pony for the job,’ as it were and draws them back to the region to solve the problem.” Spike just mouthed two words teasingly: chosen one. “Oh shut up,” Rarity retorted in jest, “Basically, he suspects that the things you and I have uncovered so far are likely steps toward the solution already. Some nonsense about the coincidences of fate, but to be honest I’m… more than slightly suspecting he’s right. Everything seems to fall into place so easily.” After a moment of thought, Spike’s voice turned low and suspicious, “You’re right… this has been pretty straightforward.” Rarity understood the tone, “You suspect something’s up?” “What’s a story without a plot twist?” Spike replied with a knowing tone. Rarity pouted at him disapprovingly, but the more she thought about it… “You’re right, it’s probably not for the best to assume this is the only possibility. It’s too easy to only focus on the facts that support our theory. Let’s step back a moment. If it’s not a petty land-grab, what other possibilities are there?” Spike rested his chin on his claw as he thought, “Well… it could be a classic antagonist destroying a region for no good reason, but… that wouldn’t explain the surveyors.” “You know, despite everything we’ve seen so far, I feel like that one’s still too… unrealistic,” Rarity agreed, “Perhaps… something magical? They need to follow the contours of the river perfectly, so they surveyed it?” “Not bad,” Spike nodded, “It… mostly fits. For some reason I feel like we heard something that contradicts it, though…” “We still have no explanation for the cent-” Rarity started before locking up, a chill running through her as the shattered insect’s body flashed into her mind again. She swallowed back the bile in her throat. “Hey…” Spike consoled softly, reaching out to put his claw on her shoulder, “You… doing okay?” “Yes,” Rarity lied, “The point stands, we still don’t know what was going on with it. It seemed… intelligent.” “Giant bugs are mindless, though,” Spike mumbled, “If it was a shapeshifter, it would have reverted on death… maybe… it was being body-jacked?” “The what now?” Rarity questioned. “Uh…” Spike stumbled coming up with a way to explain, “Like… somepony took control of it. Took over its mind. I’ve heard of unicorns managing to pull that off with simple beings. If they were watching you through its eyes and controlling it, that could explain the apparent intellect.” “Huh,” Rarity whispered, a part of her feeling better at the possibility, “Then that would imply we’re up against a mage of some kind?” “Plausible,” Spike nodded, “Did the sages give you anything else to work with? Any clues?” Rarity dropped down into the chair Spike had been using, “Well, after I actually got him talking, we mostly went over the history of this temple. Apparently it used to be much more well respected by the locals, but time and isolation took their toll. The way they’re so secretive about things seems to turn ponies off. I asked him why things were kept so occult, but he didn’t have a real answer for me, just that it’s ‘always how it’s been.’” Spike chuckled, “Secret orders are like that.” “Well, I suggested he just stop it,” Rarity continued with a shrug, “Who knows, he might even listen.” Shaking his head, Spike dismissed, “Eh, you can’t knock the npcs out of their ways.” A sly smile creeped onto Rarity’s face, “Who said I let him stay one?” “Wh-” Spike turned to her in confusion before it clicked, “You asked his name. Rarity, come on, you know that’s risky.” “It was how I got him to talk,” she explained seriously, “I know what I’m doing, Spike.” With a deep sigh, Spike nodded, “Alright, fine. We’ll see how it works out. Again. But seriously, do we have any leads? Did he mention the volcano at all?” “The volcano?” Rarity repeated in confusion, “What would that have to do wi-” A short flash of her dream came back to her. The tunnel, the warm stone crater, the unicorns. She blinked a bit, at first about to discount it as coincidence, but… “I had a strange dream while I was passed out,” she reported, “It… might have had something to do with it. I was standing outside a tunnel in the snow, and when I passed through it I was in… I suppose a caldera. There were some ponies there, but I can’t remember all the details.” “Prophetic dreams?” Spike asked curiously, “I mean, it’s not out of the question, you are apparently bound to a magical sword that can tell the future or something.” Rarity chuckled, a bit of the headache she woke up with seeping back into her mind as she thought about the dream. Magical hangover. She must have quite exhausted herself during the fight… “I was unconscious for eighteen hours?” Rarity sought to confirm. “About that, yeah,” Spike reported, curious where this was going. Rarity scratched her chin, “If that’s the case… most of my magic should have recovered by the time I awoke. If I still felt like garbage…” “...then maybe your dream wasn’t a dream,” Spike finished for her. “Spike, I have a theory,” Rarity stated. “Hypothesis,” Spike corrected. “Whatever,” Rarity retorted, “If it was some unicorn controlling the beast, then perhaps our magic got entangled when I ki- When it fell. If that’s the case, then it wouldn’t be too surprising if I somehow had my mind drawn back to the caster while I was unconscious. I mean… I’m not saying it’s likely, but if it is the case…” Spike hopped to his feet, a confident smile drawn across his face, “...then we need to find that tunnel.”