//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: Dark Rites 
// by Sporkbacon 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 8


Thankfully, I made it back to the road without any other monsters coming after me.  On my left was the Everfree Forest.  To my right was the way back.  Wanting to make it back to Sophie as soon as possible, I took the path to my right and headed back towards the main pathway.  Again, I reached the intersection where I had been before.  This time, I went to Manehatten to meet Sophie.  It didn't take so much longer to see the lights coming from the city.  It was almost dark by now, so I wanted to get to the house before I got ambushed.  Since I had killed a Primary Demon, I figured I was top on the priority list.  
Finally, I arrived at the main gates of the city.  Stepping inside, I felt overwhelmed at how many ponies were around and how tall the buildings were.  Coming from a small town, I had no idea what big cities were like.  There was no way I could find Sophie just by looking around.  I focused my energy into a telepathy spell and willed it to communicate with Sophie, since she had given me no direction on where to find her in the first place.  By now, I had done the spell enough times to be able to perform the spell without the use of DNA.  Like usual, I saw the long tunnel with a light at the end.  I plunged myself into it, momentarily blinding myself.  After my vision cleared, I saw Sophie standing in front of me, in a white room, like before.  I supposed that the more times a telepathy spell was used to link the same ponies, the quicker it was to tether the link to them.
"Sophie!" I said, excited.  "Spellflash!  How are you darling?  I was just about to start making supper; you're just in time!" She said with a big grin on her face.  "Umm," I said, pausing, "How do I get to your house?  I just arrived in Manehatten and it's pretty overwhelming coming from such a small town." I told her.  "Oh, right.  Well, I live in a house fairly close to the entrance of Manehatten, it's hard to miss, with the giant anvil on the sign." she explained.  "It will be on your left as you enter the main gates, it's between a few skyscrapers, actually." she continued.
"I see," I said, nodding. "I'll be there in a minute, I just have to find my way to you.  See you soon, well, face-to-face." I said, winking.  "Wonderful!  I'll start supper then.  I may even have it done before you get here.  See you!"  The link to Sophie severed and I was once again greeted by the sight of all the ponies in the city.  I got off the road to let a carriage by and took to the left sidewalk.  Inhibited by traffic, I slowly walked across the path, glancing at the left side of the street to find Sophie's house.  After a few blocks, I found it.  She was right, there was no mistaking the giant anvil sign hanging in front of the building.  Sophie must work on the first floor and live on the top floor.  I pushed the door open and walked inside.  
I was right.  The walls of the building was filled with various armor types, in the corner was a forge that looked frequently used, and a rack of tanning leather hides.  On the other side of the room was a counter with a register for exchanging bits for Sophie's products.  "Is that you, dear?" Sophie said, calling from up the stairs.  I trotted over to the stairs and yelled "Yes, it's me!"  "My goodness," Sophie started, "You don't have to yell.  Come on up and let's have some dinner and chat about what we're going to do."  I went up the stairs to meet her.  
As I arrived at the top of the stairs I saw that I was now in her kitchen.  The top of the store looked barely larger than the room I was now in.  I wondered how this was possible as I scanned the walls of the room.  There were at least two other rooms on the top floor.  Confused, I asked her, "So, Sophie?  How is it that the kitchen can take up this much space, yet from the outside it looks as if this room is the whole top floor?"  She laughed.  "Oh, that.  My dear, that's the trick, it looks much bigger on the inside." she told me and winked at the same time.  "Do you think I could get a tour after we finish dinner?"  I asked her.  "Most certainly, darling.  I'm almost done.  Please, take a seat and I shall serve you momentarily." she said with a flourish.  
Nodding, I turned around and saw a fancy dining room set with six chairs and a large table.  I took a seat and waited patiently for my meal.  "What are we having, anyway?" I asked Sophie.  "Oh, right.  Of course.  For starters, a scrumptious salad with a nice home made dressing, hay noodles and mixed vegetables in a sweet orange sauce.  The recipe is straight from the master chefs of Neighjing.  I've even got chopsticks!" She said excitedly.  I had liked her cooking before and I had not had any food from Neighjing before.  Deciding to get into the culture, I was curious about how to use these "chopsticks".  I grasped them with my hoof and clicked them together.  Finally, I got the hang of it by picking up other utensils with them.  
"Oh, we also have apple pie for dessert, it's still in the oven, but should be done by the time we finish." Sophie grinned as she said it.  She went all out with the meal, I was excited to dig in and enjoy.  "Oh, right." I said as I fumbled in my satchel. "The whole reason I'm here, besides your wonderful cooking, of course." I winked as I pulled out the musty tome and gave it to her.  "Yay!" she said enthusiastically. "You found it!  I hope those pesky bat demons didn't give you any trouble."  she continued, skimming the pages.  "Yeah, Sophie, those demons definitely were the most powerful I ever seen." I said sarcastically.  She winked at me.  "I was just messing with you, darling.  I knew they would hardly put up a fight."  I blushed then said, "So, when do we get to e-" I was cut off by a whistle.  "There we are, the noodles are finished boiling." She replied happily.  "What do you want to drink?" she asked, walking around her kitchen, wrapping things up.  "You have apple juice?  That's my favorite." I told her.  "Of course.  I think I'll go with some hard apple cider."  She gave me a sinister looking smile.  I supposed she didn't bust out the hard stuff often, this was a meal for celebration, after all.
Sophie flew up to reach the top cabinets and grabbed a few plates and glasses, stacking the cups atop the plates.  After she set the table, she trotted back over to the stove and dumped the watery noodles into a strainer.  Trotting over next to the fridge, she grasped a keg, popped the cork out of it, and poured the liquid into her glass.  She returned the keg to its original position, just before she went to the fridge to get my apple juice, retrieved the container, and poured the drink into my glass, then replaced the jug into the fridge.  After that, she shook out the strainer to get excess water off the noodles, then returned them to the original container.  With an unreal skill, she grasped a serving fork, twirled it around the noodles and threw at the plates.  Surprisingly, the noodles formed a perfect pile on both of our plates.  Next, she picked up the orange-sauced mixed vegetables and flipped them at the plates, again landing perfectly, on top of the noodles, sauce dripping down the sides and onto the plate. 
"You have way to much time on your hands, but that was impressive."  I said, resisting the urge to hold up a sign with the number "9" on it.  "Years of practice," she told me as she sat down across from me.  If it hadn't been for her amazing armorsmithing abilities, she'd definitely have a chef-themed cutie mark.  I didn't wait for her to start eating.  Expertly, I grasped my chopsticks and plunged them into the noodles, twirled them, then brought them to my mouth.  Suddenly, my tongue felt like it was on fire.  The food was extremely spicy.  Not expecting the heat, I coughed a few times to clear my throat, then took a big swig of my apple juice.  The cool liquid slid down my throat and quelled the flames.  Gasping, I said, "You should've told me it was hot." I said angrily.  Sophie just smiled then looked down at her plate, swirling her chopsticks around her own food.  Just then, the full flavor of my food hit my taste buds like a crossbow bolt through a demon skull.  Potent orange dominated the meal, followed by the grassy taste of the hay noodles, then the satisfying juicy crunch of the vegetables.  I would have to have more Neighjing food in the future; this stuff was great!  Seeing my satisfied smile, Sophie gave me a smile of pride back, then went back to eating, taking occasional gulps from her cup.  
"So, Sophie?  What makes that book so important?" I asked between a mouthful of salad, her homemade sauce dominating the lettuce in a sensational cooling flavor.  "It has some demon armorsmithing techniques that I could use to improve my craft.  I'm excited to get into it so I can increase my prices!" She said, a little bit of greed showing.  "I see," I said as I slurped another mouthful of the flaming, delicious, food.  We sat in silence for a while, only the sounds of slurping noodles or gulps from our drinks.  "Spell?  I have something to tell you."  Sophie said, her look, serious.  "Yeah?" I said, gulping a bite of noodle, then swallowing it so I didn't seem rude.  "I'm so proud of you.  The way you saved all of us back there was more than just impressive.  I'm still in shock because I can't believe it.  Honestly, I expected to see you in a cage next to me." I saw a tear start to fall as she lowered her head and wiped at her eyes.  "I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you Spellflash."  I gave her a weak smile and a shrug.  "My dad's Demon Hunting experience I guess.  I don't know what to tell you.  Everything I did felt natural, like an instinct.  There was no way I was getting this far without my dad's help."  I said, producing a bigger awkward smile.
"Wait, have you even healed from the torture?" I asked seriously.  "Well, no.  The wounds still hurt, now that you mention it."  "Let me heal you up after we finish eating.  It's better to not sleep on open wounds." I said.  The last sentence I said seemed to just slip out, like I knew what I was talking about.  "Thanks mom, your sacrifice will not be forgotten." I thought to myself.  She nodded, and we continued to eat in silence.  A few moments later, the oven made a noise.  Sophie got up, stumbled slightly over to it and took out the crispy apple pie and set it on top of the oven to cool.  She shut the oven off, then returned to her seat, clearly drunk.  "Shhhpell?  Dids I tell you, that I love you?" Sophie slurred, obviously from the alcohol she had been consuming throughout the night.  She had re-filled her glass at least four times.  I looked at her curiously and nodded slightly, a little confused.  "Shhhpell?  I don't feel sho good." she slurred again, holding her stomach.  "Alright, Sophie.  That's enough for you.  Time for bed." I told her authoritatively.  "H'okay, you're the boss." she giggled, then burst into a random fit of laughter.  She fell to the floor and started rolling around, being obnoxious.  "Come on, get to bed.  I still have to heal you." I commanded.  I watched her disappear into the hallway, her shadows casting into the kitchen.  
Eying the dishes left on the table, I decided to clean up before we went to bed.  I levitated the plates over the trash can and discarded the small left over portions, then floated them into the sink.  Next, I took the glasses and put them in the sink as well.  Not sure what to do with the pie, I left it as is, but put a cloth over it so it wouldn't go stale.  Seeing that there were still noodles and some sauce left, I put them in a small bowl together and stuck it in the fridge so it wouldn't go bad.  Then I dumped the pans that Sophie had used for cooking into the sink and ran hot water over all the dishes.  Satisfied that my cleaning was good enough to leave alone, I switched off the light and followed Sophie into the hallway.  "I guess the tour will have to wait til tomorrow." I sighed aloud.
Easily, I caught up to her; she was leaning against a wall for balance.  "Come on Sophie, move it."  I commanded.  "H'okay, fine.  Gimme sssec." she hiccuped as she stumbled across the floor.  Almost getting into another giggle fit, she flopped onto her bed and laid there.  "Do what you need to do, Shhpell." she said, alcohol now clearly inhibiting her normal actions.  Sighing, I focused my energy and flowed it into her, closing wounds and healing her skin and lightly scarring over.  "Hehe, that ticklesh, quit it!" she said loudly, shaking her legs into the air.  I ignored her and said, "Okay, there.  You're good.  Night Sophie.  I'll find somewhere to sleep so you can get your rest."  "Acthually, Shhpell, this is the only bed I have.  But, there'sh plenty of room."  she purred.  After she finished her sentence, she closed her eyes and instantly started snoring.  Shrugging, I crawled into bed with her, took off my glasses, set them on the nightstand, and closed my eyes, falling asleep almost as fast as she did.
A beam of sunlight shone through the window on my face and woke me up.  Rubbing my eyes, I retrieved my glasses from the nightstand and put them on.  Turning, I looked at Sophie.  She was still asleep and looked peaceful.  Deciding to let her sleep, I got up carefully as to not wake her, and went to explore the upstairs of her house.  Walking out of her bedroom I looked around for the bathroom.  I tried the door to my right, nope, closet.  Tried the door to my left, nope, map room.  The room was filled with large maps of various cities and provinces within Equestria.  I guess Sophie had a thing for map-making.  Sighing, I continued forwards, the pressure building, making me desperate to use the bathroom.  The next door on my right was thankfully, the bathroom.  Quickly, I rushed in and relieved myself.  After I finished washing my hooves, I noticed a thump and hoof-clicks coming towards the door.  When I opened it, there was Sophie.  I supposed that the noise from the toilet woke her up.  
"Good morning sweetie." She said softly, yawning.  "You too." I said, smiling back at her.  Realizing that she was next in line for the restroom, I moved out of the way.  She nodded towards me slightly, then closed the door.  Suddenly I heard a muffled retching coming from inside.  "You okay in there?" I said under the door.  "Yeah,"  Another retch, then, "Never better."  A second gurgling sound, followed by spitting.  Disgusted, I wandered off back towards the kitchen to get some breakfast.  Searching through the cupboards, I found some cereal.  I brought out the milk and found a couple bowls and where she keeps her spoons.  I wanted to be nice to her, since she seemed sick and all.  Plus, I was a guest, so I wanted to show her thanks for letting me sleep over.  I poured the cereal into the bowls and coated it in milk.  
Shortly after, I heard the toilet flush for about the seventh time and she finally appeared in the doorway.  "Hey, I'm sorry you're sick, so I made you some cereal." I said, giving her a compassionate smile.  "I'm not sick, I'm just hungover.  Sorry about last night.  I drank waaay to much for my own good."  "Hung...over?"  I asked, puzzled.  "Oh, right, you're still young.  A hangover is when you have too much alcohol in your system, it makes you act weird and gives you a big headache in the morning.  Also, it makes you throw up, a lot." She explained casually.  "That makes sense," I thought to myself. 
We munched on our cereal for a while before Sophie said, "I've got a few errands to run today.  Mind giving me a helping hoof?" She asked, her eyes sparkling in the sunshine.  I couldn't say no to those eyes, plus, what else did I have to do?  "Sure, I guess." I said around a mouthful of oat cereal.  "What do you have to do?" I asked, wondering what kind of stuff she needed to get done.  "Thanks ever-so-much, Spell.  Anyways, I need a few supplies from the leather supplies store, down the street for some of my new garments.  I need to hunt for some gems to socket into some of my other projects.  Also, I need to go to the store to do my weekly grocery run." she listed.  "How about, you go get my leather from the store down the street, I'll get the groceries, drop them off here, and I'll meet on on the other side of town.  I have a good spot for gem hunting."
"Sounds good to me.  After I finish eating I'll head out." I told her.  She nodded, pleased.  Shortly after, I finished my bowl and placed it in the sink.  "Bye Sophie, see you in a bit." I said, grabbing one of my satchels and dumping stuff out onto the floor to make room for Sophie's leather.  "Ciao, darling.  See you." she smiled and waved back.  As I left her home I looked around.  It was less busy than before when I came at night.  I took a left down the street and after a few blocks I saw a large sign with a knife over some leather with a needle and thread going through the leather.  Figuring this was the right store, I opened the door and pushed myself inside.  
"Hello!  Welcome to Brann and Wrynn's leather shop, where "If it can be skinned, we sell it!"  How may I help you, young filly?" the shopkeeper asked me.  He was a tan-colored earth pony with deep brown eyes.   The plain brown leather vest he wore made his muscles stand out.  His mane was black, styled simply.  Looking fairly young, he didn't look the correct age to run a store.  Well, I suppose Sophie did and they looked about the same age.  For his cutie mark, he had a piece of leather with a thread and needle through it.  His cutie mark looked exactly like the sign out front.  I assumed the knife was the cutie mark of the other store owner.  I just noticed that he had a name badge pinned to his vest.  It read "Brann".
"Hello, I'm picking up a package for a miss "Sophie Redmane"," I told Brann.  "I'm her niece." I added.  "Ah, right.  Be right back.  I'll get it for you." he said, walking into the back of the store.  While I waited, I looked around at all the animal skins hanging about the store.  "I guess this is the place for all your leather needs." I thought.  Shortly after, he came back with a wrapped package.  "Alright, here you go.  Have a good one.  Please be sure to come again." he said kindly as he handed the package to me.  "Bye, thank you." I said, leaving the store.  After I went back outside, I stuffed the leather into my satchel.  That should have given Sophie enough time to fly over to the store and back to her house before I got to wherever her "secret gem spot" was.  
I continued down the street until I saw a sign.  It pointed every direction.  The most obvious one was probably "Emerald Valley".  I followed it with my eyes then started to trot in that direction.  Upon reaching my destination, I waited there for a while.  "Sophie should be here by now.  She must be stuck in line." I mused.  To pass the time, I pulled out a book from my satchel that hadn't fallen out when I dumped it, and started reading.  Suddenly, I heard a scream of, "Somepony!  Hel-!" come from a cave not to far away.  The voice was silenced almost instantly.  Quickly, I dumped the book back into my satchel and galloped off towards the distressed pony.