//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: Chiroptera // Story: Meliora // by Starscribe //------------------------------// The jungle seemed to go on forever. It looked darker than anything she’d ever seen in South America, with impossibly tall trees covered with a perfect canopy of vines. Perfect to block out all light from below. But it was night up there anyway, with only feeble stars and a new moon to light her way. Jackie was not discouraged. The night was the domain of her kind, as surely as the Dreamlands. She could almost feel that they were getting close. Dreams could be infinite—but more often than not, space itself was a meaningless concept. They didn’t have measurements, they had sets. Stages for the dream to take place, without anything behind the backdrop but a few props and shallow people. Here she’d seen no one—not even any animals. No fierce predators covered with fungal rot, as she might’ve expected from a jungle like this in the real world. But the further she went, the worse the rot became. Huge trunks covered in creepers were replaced with fruiting bodies fifty stories tall, fat and red and dripping with greenish ooze. In places the web of pulsating vines got so thick she had to draw her dagger and slice through. The knife was more than just a blade. Using it was no less useful here than a unicorn using their powers—the manifestation of intention sliced through the will that would’ve kept her back, burning away whole swathes of growth with only a few seconds of effort. “You try my patience,” said the voice, shaking the jungle but still without a specific source. “We have no reason to quarrel. I think you would find, after a conversation, that our wills allign.” “Yeah?” She sped up, flying as quickly as she could. Like everything else in the Dreamlands, that was mostly about intention—and Jackie had some of the strongest intentions of anyone. “If that’s true, then you’ll be so guilty for fucking stealing a little fish kid that you’re going to give her right back. Do that, and maybe we can think about not slicing you into little pieces.” She broke suddenly into a clearing, that looked as though an asteroid had smacked into it. The ground cratered inward, and everything organic had been charred and melted black. And in the very center of the crater, water had filled to within a few feet, water with a scummy surface of ash and what must be a truly dreadful taste. But there was Liz, safe under the surface, with her exosuit shattered into a million pieces all around them. Well shit. Not that it would be that hard for Jackie to get her out, assuming the owner of the mysterious voice didn’t intervene. Once out of this dream, she could conjure a perfect suit for the fish, and that would be that. But they would have to leave first. Jackie landed on the edge of the water, and Liz’s face emerged from within, wide eyes filled with relief even as ash stained her scales. “B-behind…” the fish sang. “This is… ambush.” “Obviously.” Jackie spun around, slashing at the air with a swift backhand from her dagger. If there had been anything there, she would’ve cut it in half. But there was nothing there, at first. Only a distant laugh. “You’re wasting your time if you think you can stop me,” said the voice. “There is nowhere you can go that I’m not already there. I live within every mortal heart. I am inside yours even now.” That was why she couldn’t find the voice—it was coming from her own mind. It wasn’t lying about having influence over mortals.  But what it could do with that influence… “Maybe,” she said, standing a little straighter. “But that means you can’t do shit to me either. I’m not afraid of you.” She slid the knife back into place, then turned her back on the jungle and lowered her head to the water. “I’m going to cut you out of here,” she whispered. “When I do, get ready to hold your breath. Does that… even work for fish? Whatever. As soon as we’re out, I’ll make you a new suit… or something.” She had an idea, an idea she knew Liz wouldn’t like. But Misty might find it amusing. Something moved behind her, something that set Misty to little squeals of terror. Jackie didn’t spin around, but she did grip the dagger hard, folding her wings and bracing for impact. A massive shape loomed behind her, though it was far too dark for it to cast a shadow. “This creature will become one of my tools,” the voice said. “The enemy I will use her against is one of yours too. Together we can strike an accord… when we share enemies, it is wise to work together. There is much for both of us to gain. Don’t throw away an opportunity.” She turned around. The shape behind her was tall, towering over her even at a human height. Yet it was thin, serpentine, with a single massive eye. But the longer she tried to look at it, the harder it was to find dimension to it. Its other features were unstable too—one minute it had ridges, the next only raised scales. Only its head seemed stable. And however large it looked, she wasn’t afraid. You’re someone else’s demon, not mine. That wasn’t uncommon. Creatures like this fed on those who were weak to them. Whatever this ate, she didn’t have enough to keep it sustained. “I have no enemies I would leave to fight you alone,” she said. “None left alive, anyway. Go fuck yourself.” It lunged at her—and Jackie didn’t even move. She had no doubt in her intention—her will. This was still just a dream, and her rules were more important. This creature was just a parasite—she was a god here. Its glittering teeth passed through her like she wasn’t even there, body dissolving into smoke. She could still make out its voice, stretching lower and lower. “You’ve made a new enemy today. We could have been allies. I have torn down greater beings than you. You will hear my whispers now.” “We’ll see.” The demon didn’t reappear on the other edge of the clearing. She turned her back on the jungle with contempt. Then she drew her dagger again, and reached down into the water. She found a weak point in the fabric of the Dreamlands, and cut through. Water roared, pouring through the opening. Jackie clutched Misty close to her shoulder, then jumped. They poured through to the other side, back on that little floating island. But this side followed the ordinary rules—all of Jackie’s powers were within her reach again. Before the rest of the water could be poured out, she conjured a giant net, and it was ready when Liz slipped through the opening. She caught the fish, then did to her what she’d done to Misty, shrinking her down to a more convenient size and settling her into a bowl she could carry under one arm. At her size, the ash and slime on her body quickly melted away into the rest of the water. The ground under her hooves started to rumble, then a massive chunk fell away. Jackie took off, flying straight up. She gritted her teeth, dodging between falling trunks and sections of slimy vines, until she was high enough to watch the island tumble into the void. She glanced down at the bowl in her arms, at a terrified Liz… and Misty, who had apparently joined her for a song that Jackie couldn’t hear. But no matter—Jackie had to escape from this damn place before it fell in. She flew as quickly as she could, but a trip from this deep in the Dreamlands was still several days journey before she could return to familiar territory. As soon as they’d escaped from sleeping hell and weren’t in danger of being captured and enslaved by demons, Jackie sat aside the several hours required to get a working exosuit for her seapony companion. Of course she had no idea how to get her hooves on the real thing, but that didn’t matter much. Liz knew how it worked, and so she could instruct her about how the various joints connected, or how the water-circulation functioned. “No more creaking,” Liz said, walking in a slow circle through their little cave. It was still lit by glowing fungus, but this time it was entirely mundane. This part of the Dreamlands was the home of dreams of caves, of exploration and mining. Nothing as dangerous as the demons behind them. “You fixed the joints. And the water doesn’t taste stale anymore. This is great, Jackie!” Liz actually hugged her—and didn’t let go. She clung so tight, Jackie started losing feeling in her foreleg. She was a pony again, which put her easily within reach. “Thanks for… for finding me. The things it said it would do…” “Of course I came for you,” Jackie said, returning the hug with only a little awkwardness. But Liz could be like a little sister to her too—that would make it easier. “You were my responsibility. You wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for me. Negotiation went pretty well, by the way. Breezies are flying to Meliora right now. We should probably try and beat them there. The city council… well, let’s make sure they don’t think it’s an invasion fleet or something.” “An adorable invasion fleet.” Liz finally let go. Misty circled in the air around them, but she’d had a sour look on her face ever since Liz had returned to normal. I guess she enjoys company. Alex was pretty close to her sister back when. Maybe this isn’t good for her. She couldn’t just make the figment forget who she was created to be, not without breaking her sanity permanently. But the more she clung to that old past, the less she could develop into someone new. It was a difficult balance to strike. “Well, let’s get going,” Jackie continued, gesturing at the cavern ahead of them. “It’s a long trip, and the sooner we start…” It took weeks of subjective time. There were thousands of steps to climb, an entire continent of the Dreamlands to cross to return to where they’d come. But that was just fine, she was used to it by now. And Liz was enjoyable company—maybe more than ever. Seeing the breezies had been good for her—she hadn’t heard her say “songless primitives” once. Eventually they reached the great dream-city on the other side, or at least where the massive border-wall rose. There was a single gate, along with a well-guarded path with many trained figments to patrol it. Jackie took them there, though she didn’t actually go near the gate. “I… have some bad news,” she said, keeping her voice down. “That armor you’re wearing… it isn’t real. And you aren’t a bat, so you can’t keep physical objects with you. The instant you’re out of my presence, it won’t exist. But if you stay in the Dreamlands… you can keep it as long as you want.” “Well… that’s stupid,” Liz said. “And terrible, and won’t work. I have too much to do over there, and you’re always off on your own.” She frowned thoughtfully. “I’ll… sing to the exploration authority. I’m sure my sister can pull a string or two for me. She always did before. And in the meantime, I’ll… you are going to walk with me to the heartwood. I’ve got hookups to our computers… I can do some work from there.” She looked over her shoulder. “And I’m going to borrow your pet.” “She’s not my—” But the figment didn’t protest. Jackie just shrugged. “Fine, you can keep her with you. But I might need her myself. Having a unicorn around can be useful.” “The real question is, when do we do the other half of this job?” Liz asked, as they crossed in front of the guards and began the long road into the city. Jackie knew they had to hurry—the city itself was in slow time, which meant they were now losing real time outside. Not to mention the six or seven hours they’d spent with breezies, and it would probably amount to a full day of a missing governor. Jackie grinned. “The deer? How about… as soon as you get your armor?” “Isn’t that a little soon?” She shrugged, watching Misty circle around Liz’s shoulder. But she didn’t land, and she kept glancing back to Jackie. As if she was waiting for approval. “I’ve been listening to their dreams. Mundi is dreaming of invasion, and soon. We need to make sure the result is catastrophic. We’ll need every drop of magic we can find on the continent to make that work.” “Count me in, then,” Liz said. “Just… give it a few days for the Authority to send me more armor. Don’t go without me.” “Wouldn’t dream of it.”