Chapter 10
Delving Directly into Destiny Divination
Luna and company traversed through the spacial background of the dream realm and reached the crossroads to determine which vortex seemed the best option for crossing. Needless to say, the group, namely Luna and Flip, were indecisive when each vortex appeared more inviting than the last among second glance. Luna held her sights on a green vortex "How about that one there? Perhaps yonder portal may lead us to a dimension that shalt verily sate our appetite for adventure!"
Flip shook his head "Sorry, princess, but no way!" He pointed to a red portal with a smile "That one over there's looking pretty swell! I say we go that way!" Flap squawked in agreement.
Luna turned to Flip "Can we honestly trust thy judgement as to where we shalt advance next, Flip? We're definitely most certain that our choice is more dominant!"
Flip raised an eyebrow as he took a drag from his cigar "Who's this 'we' we're talking about here? Darky over here hasn't made a decision yet, and I doubt he'd agree with ya!" He smiled over at Darkrai "What do ya say, pal? My choice is looking fine for picking, right?" His smile left when he noticed Darkrai taking its time looking among the many vortexes.
Luna snorted "Darkrai wouldn't go so far as to easily agreeing with thee! Thou hath lied for so long that we can simply tell by listening!" She turned to Darkrai "Thou would agree with us on our choice of travel, right, Darkrai?" She was confused when she didn't get a response.
Flip rolled his eyes "Sheesh, aren't you observant! But I've been a navigator in my time, so I have the better judgement around here! We're taking the red one!"
Luna narrowed her eyes at Flip "Thou art a liar in the highest degree and thou hath not traveled around this part of the dream realm! Our destination is the green vortex!"
Flip stood on his bird and crossed his arms as he frowned "What's gotten into you today? I'm an EX-criminal! We're taking the red one!"
Luna glared "A change of title dictates nothing of thy behavior!! Thou would probably cause mischief when mine or Darkrai's back is turned! We art taking the green one!"
"Red!"
"Green!"
"Red!"
"Green!"
"Why not that one?"
Both Luna and Flip were surprised to hear Darkrai speak, and turned to see it point to a vortex different to the desired points. It glowed with a shade of brilliant, yet ominous velvet. Darkrai only stared back with unreadable intrigue "...I detect two presences beyond that portal...Both are powerful..."
Luna stopped her arguing and tilted her head in curiousity "This is thy decision, Darkrai? That portal there?"
Darkrai turned to its friends and nodded "This was one of the many places I have not visited in my travels around this realm. I only wish to discover what lies beyond my choice so that we may know where we can or cannot go...If this choice does not appear to be the best, then I shall go with whatever you deem fit."
Luna gave a smile to Darkrai's words. The pokemon seemed to be rather wise for only visiting only a few parts of the dream realm. Not to mention it was most considerate of its friends no matter who they are. If only Darkrai existed in Equestria...
Flip smiled as he straightened his tuxedo "Well, since you put it that way, what say we visit the red vortex first so we can get right to it?"
Luna glared at Flip "Perish thy thought, Flip!" She turned to Darkrai with a friendly smile "We shalt go with Darkrai's judgement instead..." She said in a softer tone. The two dream masters shared a nod as the group went to approach the velvet vortex.
"Ugh...The only thing more annoying than that smoking clown is your incessant need of letting somepony decide for our well-being..."
Luna stopped her tracks before she shifted her narrowed eyes away "Dost not chastise our decision!" She hissed. Her eyes widened when she earned the attention of the others.
Darkrai stared back at the princess of the night "Is everything alright, Luna? You do not sound well in mind..."
Flip scoffed "I'll say! Years of talking theatre does things to your brain sometimes!" He took another drag from his cigar while Flap squawked in laughter.
Luna grunted before she looked flustered "We art fine! A random thought in our head and nothing more!"
"Adorable..."
Darkrai paused before he nodded "Very well...We are here if you need our help when it is most appropriate. But we should make for the portal and see what we will see, yes?"
Flip smiled "You heard the ghost, Princess! Shake all four of your legs and let's get a move on!" He ignored Darkrai muttering about not being a ghost.
Luna gave an awkward chuckle before she nodded back to the others and joined them towards the vortex. There was a bright flash as they crossed through it until everything was completely black. The group looked around in surprise to wonder if they had been lured into a trap, Luna especially "Who is-...!? What is going on!?" She darted her head around.
"Before you point any hooves, it was not my doing...You've successfully crossed into another realm that we both have no knowledge of..."
Luna narrowed her eyes to the abyssal heavens before she sighed in defeat. She lit up her horn to provide her and the others with light "Darkrai, could thy choice hath led us astray?" She looked down to see that there was a strangely tiled floor that revealed itself in her magical light.
Flip and Flap looked around while shivering "I could say the same thing! Where the heck are we now!?" It was unsettling for the mischievous clown to hear his echo in the darkness.
Darkrai shifted its eye left and right until it noticed a faint and distant flicker ahead of them "Over there..." It looked and pointed ahead as the rest of the group focused their sights to Darkrai's direction. Luna and Flip perked up when they noticed the same flicker viewed by the pokemon "We may be able to find the ones that govern this particular realm. Come, everyone..." Darkrai floated away slowly and awaited for its friends to follow.
Flip raised a hand "W-Wait a second! Shouldn't we have the princess here take point with her light?"
Darkrai turned its head back to meet Flip's gaze "Trust me...I am well-aware of my surroundings. You, Flap, or Luna will not be misled under my care..." It then continued floating away, with Luna following after.
Flip and Flap hesitated before they joined the others "H-Hey, wait up!"
The group traveled forward for what seemed like minutes and noticed that the flicker they have spotted had neither grown nor receded in brightness or distance. Flip moaned in complaint "What kind of sick place is this, huh? This is the kind of thing nightmares are made of!!"
Darkrai looked ahead "But I detect no hostility at the moment...Only that flicker of light far from us..."
Luna looked around "How can we be certain this is somepony's dream or a realm of infinite darkness?"
Flip scoffed "You're asking the wrong guy, sweetheart! I hope for my sake that this place doesn't drive me crazy!" He and his feathered companion shifted their eyes around in a simultaneous and fearful, yet comical fashion.
Darkrai stayed vigilant despite dealing with the dismay of its friends "I cannot answer myself...If only we could be able to reach that area from this very spot..."
Luna stopped looking around to think. Then, an idea came to her "Maybe we can..." She turned to Darkrai "Darkrai, thou claimed that almost anything is possible in the dream realm, correct?" The pokemon nodded in reply "Then perhaps we do not need to walk!" She said as she stood on all fours and directed her gaze onto the darkness with hardened eyes.
Flip stared at Luna in silence before he scratched his head "What, are you having a staring contest with the void or something? You lost your mind already?"
Darkrai shifted its eye between Luna and her gaze's direction before it nodded "Luna is onto something..." It floated alongside Luna and looked ahead with its piercing eye.
Flip and Flap tilted their heads at the same time in confusion "C'mon! Don't knock me out of the loop, Dark! What's going on here?"
Darkrai kept its gaze ahead, but responded to Flip "Join us and look ahead, Flip. Imagine the destination with us so that we may move forward..."
Flip stared dumbfounded "You really HAVE lost it...Oh, geez, we better split, Flap! Our friends here have flown the coop!"
Darkrai responded in an even tone "No we have not, Flip. Trust us as we have trusted you..."
Flip and Flap were reluctant about heeding Darkrai's words, but when you're trapped in an endless void of darkness, there isn't much left to do. While Flip rested on her back, Flap walked over and joined Darkrai and Luna as the two mischief makers looked ahead "...I don't see it, Darky..."
Darkrai did not let up "Just focus...You'll know..."
Flip rolled his eyes before he went back to looking. With the incentive of escaping the darkness surrounding him, he decided to do as he was told and imagine himself at the destination.
There was a short moment of silence, but then the group felt themselves lifted from the ground and launched forward at a speed similar to Rainbow Dash. The sudden action startled Flip, whereas his partner-in-crime did as she was told and focused. They were led along a straight trail over the tiled floor until a bright light began to emerge behind a door shape in the darkness and engulf the group completely.
_____
The light receded finally, and the group looked around as they found themselves in a strange room composed of the same velvet seen on the vortex they crossed. Luna almost seemed mesmerized "What in Equestria is this place?"
"Welcome to the Velvet Room..."
The group turned to see a table couch holding a strange elderly man with a black tuxedo who had a long nose and dialated pupils while bearing a toothy grin as he sat in front of a table. At his side stood a woman wearing a blue attendant's outfit who looked with a thin smile and deep yellow eyes. Behind them was a mysterious gate with a large spinning dial similar to a clock. With different lights descending behind them, it would seem they were in an elevator of sorts. The man spoke again "I never would have known we would hold another number of guests here again...I look at you all and none of you have fulfilled a contract whatsoever..."
Luna stared in intrigue 'More humans...Two of them...'
"Do not be so certain, Luna. Even I cannot consider these two the same kind of humans that were seen the other night..."
Flip was easily unsettled by the man's appearance as he winced "Holy cow! That's a face that only a mother could love!"
Darkrai floated forward and bowed "Forgive our intrusion...We only wished to know what was beyond the portal..."
The man shook his head "No trouble at all, friend! It was only a small while since we've last had guests here. Your audience is but a pleasure to our sights..." He then placed a hand on his chest "But I mustn't skip formalities, yes? My name is Igor..."
Flip shuddered "You got that right..." He muttered as he stared at the long-nosed man. Flap only gave a light squawk in uncertainty to the man's introduction.
Igor continued despite Flip's insult "I am delighted to meet your acquaintence!" He then waved to the woman on his left "This is Elizabeth. She is a resident here, like myself."
The one called Elizabeth gave a small and polite bow as she smiled "Pleased to meet you..." She said in a calm tone.
Luna smiled and nodded "The pleasure is ours. We art known as Princess Luna of Equestria, but thou may refer to us as just Luna."
Darkrai placed a claw on its chest "My name is Darkrai..." It waved a claw to Flip and Flap "This is ex-criminal Flip of Slumberland, and his friend Flap."
Flip gave an awkward chuckle as he waved, while Flap squawked with a smile.
Luna looked ahead "We must ask thee, Sir Igor. Thou claim that there were guests here before us, yet we found this very room through means of dream travel. What is the means of this location of thine?"
Igor's grin widened "This is a realm that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter...and only those who have fulfilled a contract can be acknowledged as guests here in the Velvet Room. And yet you four have all managed to arrive here without the aforementioned requirement...A rare occasion, if I do say so myself."
Luna tilted her head "Pray tell, what is this...'contract' thou speakest of? Is it of parchment and quill like any other? Or is there a ritual involved?"
Igor held out his hand "It is considered as a wild card of sorts...The ability to wield several entities at once known as Persona. The ability to tap into one's psyche and harness the power of the entity that resides within you, be it the opposite of what you think or otherwise. That 'wild card' is what forges the contract and grants you access here. But none of you are able to wield many at once like the two guests we've held before...However, only one of you is capable of such a feat with practice..."
Darkrai floated as it listened in "Shall you tell us?"
Igor kept his grin "It is wise to let you all find the desired answer on your own...If I am most certain, you all reached this place through other means of travel, yes? It could only mean that all of you are able to traverse into the unconscious with relative ease. Fascinating, but I mustn't keep you here if you wish to venture deeper into your quest..." Igor held out a hand and a deck of cards appeared out of nowhere onto the table "Tell me...Do any of you believe in fortune telling?"
Flip forgot his uneasiness to answer "Fortune telling? Pssh! It's nothing more than just simple sleight of hand! I don't need no crummy fortune to tell me how I'll live my life!" He looked away with stubborn indifference as he smoked his cigar.
Darkrai's expression was unchanged "I am incapable of future sight much like the other psychic types I am familiar with in my world, but yes, I believe in seeing the future."
Luna stared "We art nary familiar with the method of oracle readings or fortune telling, but it doth not seem bad to know what shalt happen in the day ahead before its time..."
Igor chuckled at their responses "Splendid, then I can begin by reading..." He pointed at Luna "Your fortune..."
Luna perked up when she was picked by the long-nosed man "Us? Dost thou see potential in our heart?"
Igor nodded "Precisely...You seem to be the most intriguing of your friends...I would like to read your fortune, if you wouldn't mind of course."
Luna turned to her group and they looked back with their own respective responses. Darkrai only gave a knowing nod to Luna's choice, while Flip shrugged out of disregard to whatever she saw fit. Flap only shook her head out of fear. Luna paused before she thought to herself for a moment.
"Feh, a simple card reading would be a waste of our time, mine especially. Disregard this decrepid relic and let us see what other worlds lie in store."
Luna narrowed her eyes, unaware of the glances she received from her friends. She was about to speak, but she did not speak to save herself trouble again 'Thou canst be so bitter when we're in a place where almost anything is possible! For all we know, Sir Igor could hold the key to our future!'
"Utter rubbish! Nopony decides your future but yourself! Would you honestly stand idly by and let the old fool work his foalish magic trick?"
Luna stood before a smile crept onto her face 'But of course...And this is my decision, so thou hath no say in this matter!' She stifled a giggle when she heard an echoing scoff in her mind. Luna then looked back at Igor with a smile "Yes. Please do, Sir Igor. I would be delighted to see what thou hath in store for us! Could thou begin?"
Igor nodded "Most definitely, Princess..." He waved his hand as seven different cards were spread in a star pattern while laying face down "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different..." He chuckled for a moment "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" Igor flipped over the card on the upper left position. It showed a picture of a lamp with an 'IX' under it "Hm...The Hermit in the upright position represents the immediate future. You are to encounter another being who could help you understand that which you seek in your journey...The card indicating the future beyond that is..." He then flipped the card on the upper right to reveal a picture of two silhouettes falling out of a crumbling tower caused by a bolt of lightning with an 'XVI' under it "The Tower, in the upright position. Oh dear...this means that a terrible catastrophe will happen in the near future..." The long-nosed man said in a curious tone as he grinned despite the horrible prediction.
The group shared their own expressions of shock, and Luna broke the silence "A catastrophe!? Is it bound to happen in Equestria!?"
Igor's expression did not waver "I cannot say for certain, but your prediction has been revealed, princess..." He pointed to Luna "You shall meet another possible friend in your travels, but will have to deal with a later catastrophe...However, you have the power to see if you can do something about said fate and change things for the better...That is all I can tell you..." He waved a hand over the spread cards and they all vanished into thin air.
Darkrai floated "So...We're to be met with a terrible fate in the future, hm? And Luna is the only one able to stop it?" It said in a neutral tone.
Elizabeth finally chose to speak after remaining silent for so long "That is not entirely true..."
Igor held his hand out "Princess Luna, if you have close ties to people you call friends, remember this..." He spread out his arms "Strength of heart, when united, is barred by no door..."
Flip stared with a deadpan look in his eyes "So that's our catastrophe? A giant scary door?" A part of Flip wanted to choose his words carefully in hindsight when he remembered opening the gate that contained the dreaded Nightmare King.
Luna looked down in thought before she looked to the rest of the group. So far, they seemed to have played a large role in broadening her horizons and letting her explore deeper into the realm of dreams. She smiled at them, and then turned to Igor "We thank thee for thy advice, Sir Igor, and the fortune as well. We may know nary of what the future contains for us all, but we shalt remain both vigilant and resilient for when that time arrives!"
Igor gave a curt bow as he sat "The pleasure is all mine, Princess Luna. Elizabeth and I wish you and your friends the safest travel into the unconscious. Hopefully you'll find your newest addition soon, as well as the means to fending off whatever stands in your way. But now, I believe our time together is nearing its end..." He gave a knowing nod "Be sure to take my advice to heart for when that fateful day arrives. Until then...Farewell..." He gave a wave to the group.
Luna and the others waved as well "We shall, Sir Igor! Thou hath our sincerest gratitude!" They tried to figure out where they could make their leave, but the group then found themselves engulfed in another bright light.
_____
When the light receded, the group found themselves back at the dream realm where the many vortexes spiraled about. Luna and the others looked around "How did we manage to leave the Velvet room? We did not even go to move after our goodbyes!"
Darkrai turned to Luna "We must remember that Igor and Elizabeth are both powerful individuals...They must have planned an exit while we were conversing with each other."
Flip shuddered in detest "I just hope we don't have to see him again! Did you see that weird look he's been giving us that whole time? I've had my share of scary before, but that's just wrong!" He cringed and winced at how Igor kept his grin throughout the whole conversation.
Luna took a deep breath "Regardless, Sir Igor hath paved the way for us to press on and await what we'll be met with in the near future." She looked nervous "I hope that we'll be able to stop whatever catastrophe he hath mentioned..."
"My my...Anxiety? And here I thought you were bold, Luna..."
Luna narrowed her eyes and looked away 'Thou should be as concerned as the rest of us, Nightmare Moon! For all we know, our precious home could be on the line!'
"..."
The princess of the night smiled contently when she noted her other half's silence as her way of taking back her words. She then turned to her friends "Okay. Where shalt we go next?"
Flip went to speak until Darkrai came in at the last minute "Why not the green vortex like you mentioned before?"
The mischievous clown dropped his jaw before he moaned in complaint "Hey, come on! What about me!?"
Darkrai turned to Flip "With how Igor's prediction mostly pertained to Luna, I figured it would be best to respect whatever decision she makes from now on...You would agree, wouldn't you, Flip?"
Flip paused before he grumbled "Fine, we'll go through the boring green vortex." He crossed his arms in a childish fashion as he looked away in a pout.
Luna giggled "It is settled! Green portal it is then!" The group then made for the desired vortex and crossed it as they made their way towards another unknown world.
End of Chapter 10