//------------------------------// // Ch. 4: Flyers // Story: Reconditus // by Vulpibard //------------------------------// I watched the ashes drift gently down from the heavens around me and lay on the ground like snow. I’d never burned a library before, but I made an exception for this one. No new knowledge it held, simply more commonality, lies and half truths they all shared. It bored me- no spark of interest or learning like I sought. But beneath the soot I noticed a figure slowly dragging itself from the charred remains of a bookshelf, something clutched in its arms. I strode swiftly over and put a foot on their back- Perhaps this trip hadn’t been a total waste, after all. My eyes flashed with fire, and the light faded from his own. After making sure my mysterious missive was thoroughly burnt and scattered in the dirt, I emerged from the alleyway to check my bearings. No other pony folk seemed to be about at this time, leaving me clear access to the tooth-rottingly sweet visual that was ‘Sugar Cube Corner’. I had to resist the urge to envelope this building, too, in fire as its oppressive sugary smell invaded my nostrils. I redoubled my efforts shortly after knocking on the door, when it was answered by the eye blinding bright pink explosion of a mare I quickly deduced to be Miss ‘Pinkie Pie.’ Upon seeing me, her eyes widened like saucers and her mouth began to open- And that’s when instinct kicked in, as well as the mare’s entire jaw structure once my foot found her mouth. “No shouting.” I growled “No gasping, fainting or even so much as a hurried step. Am I understood?” She nodded and I lowered my hoof to size her up. Completely pink, as said, with an uncontrolled, curly mop of a mane. Her eyes were of a sapphire blue and her cutie mark- which I found myself checking more and more readily despite its unfortunate location- depicted three ovular shapes attached to curved lines at their bases, each its own color. I was sadly left with more questions than answers. The pink creatures tilted her head at me, clearly waiting for my lead. Good. “I have been… employed to deliver invitations to a particular carousal in the market square. I was told you might be able to procure the flyers?” The mare tilted her head in obvious confusion. “A carousel? Why do you need invitations to that? You just put a coin in it and start spinning and spinning and spinning and ooooh! You mean a carou-sal!” “... Yes. A carousal. Can you assist me?” “What kind of party is it? A birthday? An anniversary? Reunion- Oh! Is it-” Again my hoof found her mouth. “A bonfire party. Commemorating a rather… bright future for miss Carrot Top.” “Oh Carrot Top! I know her!” the pink creature declared, before vanishing into her house in a bewildering blur, only to return mere seconds later with a stack of papers. “Alright! Just need to make a few minor changes aaaaaaaaand~” She dragged the last word so long as she scribbled at the papers that I was tempted to remove her tongue entirely. It was a pity I needed that inside her mouth for now. “Done!” Pinkie Pie declared and slid the documents over to me. I took a glance at the mountainous pile, then back at the pink one. “You wouldn't be in a position to assist, would you?” The ensuing gasp alone told me I would immediately regret that particular invitation. An hour and a half later I found myself in the middle of town square, with a beast so talkative it made me wish I could still cast silencing magic- or worse, simply go deaf. "-And then I saw that all the pumpkin pies were being eaten and was like omigosh omigosh I have to bake more and so I ran back to-" I held up a hoof to interrupt the talkative mare, Serpents bile, if this was my previous world I would have killed her ten times by now. “Ms. Pie, I appreciate your help with the posters, but I have another preposition for you." "What is it, mister Greyskull?" I breathed deeply, desperately trying to maintain my composure. "My name is Reconditus, Grey-skull was an... acquaintance of mine." I explained, a little less calmly than I could've, luckily she didn't seem to notice. "Oh, sorry, but I was thinking; Reconditus is such a weird name for a pony! Then I was looking at your cutie mark and how grey your fur is and I figured ‘hey he’s grey, and he must reaaally like archaeology. Or anthrope anatomy but I really wasn't sure about which it might be since you sound super foreign and old-timesy. So I decided to put two and two together and just call you greyskull. And it seems to fit, too! But if you don't want to be called that we could call you something else, like Flashy-Bones or Ashhooves- Oh or maybe something off of your mane like-” “Pinky Pie.” “Oh no, silly, that’s my name-” “Focus.” “Huh? Oh right. What’s the idea, Reccy Deccy?” Monkshood I hate this one. But moving on from the depths of her childish mind, I took another breath before continuing my preposition “I think we may cover more ground if we split up?” We were not very far from Carrot Top’s fire, and I could feel her eyes burning holes into the back of my head. “We could each travel to the town’s edge and work our way clockwise until we’ve delivered all the hand-outs.” "Okey dokey lokey!" She beamed, expression remaining a joyous grin until I departed. That this place could hold such a creature speaks volumes, am I honestly doomed to wander a world so distressingly vapid? Regardless, I trudged my way thoughtfully to the edge of town with a watchful and curious gaze. I eventually found myself treading down a smaller dirt path, curious to see where it led. It wasn’t until I saw the house at the end of this path that I realized how far I had gone from Ponyville. It was harder to notice than the rest- built from the side of a hill, or just purposefully camouflaged beneath a layer of dense grass.The door itself was round, and the few windows I could see were semi-circular in shape. To my eye, it was either a halfling hole- and sweet jequirity did I hope it wasn't one of those diminutive rodents- or a druid’s hovel. As if sensing my presence, a small army of forest creatures began to flock and surround the building as if to defend its occupant. Just when I was in a good mood, I thought fouly. Though I found myself pausing as I stepped forward. The bear was fascinating, though no surprise- so long as they weren’t threatened and kept well fed, I’d be more worried of a wasp in my path. But was that a snake? Coiled around a pack of rodents? Clearly the work of a fellow druid. But why would they send the animals out without approaching first? Fascination overtook my reason or purpose and I found myself pausing to sit down, and set the papers beside me. I suppose it was time to see if my old masters’ training hadn't gone rusty from disuse… or from the change in plane. Arcana was a force of the mind, and of will, enacting quite obvious physical changes on the world. Something I excelled at. But druidism was a subtle art of the spirit, which is perhaps why I was less skilled in the art. But this realm was different, as was evident enough with my new body. I frowned as I turned my attention from the animals briefly inward. The state of my soul had been… somewhat of a concern to me, given recent events- but one I’d planned to overlook until I’d found a place of more safety. Somewhere to experiment. A distraction, for now. Focus, Domin. After finding the wellspring of will and energy in myself, and took a moment to still it. Theurgy will be far harder in this world. I thought to myself, If i need to so often switch from emotional to passive. Nonetheless, and without much more ado about the hows, whys and whats, I found myself smiling- It was still nothing compared to my old greatness, but it was a comfort to know at least some of my magic worked similar to how I expected. The speak with animals spell- Advanced for arcanists, yet simple for the nature mages. Opening my eyes again I looked to the gathered animals and, with a single commanding word, watched as they confusedly hesitated. … Perhaps my ability to control animals needed a little more perfecting. But I could take confusion over obedience. I strode forward with confidence, brushing past each of the animals with care not to offend any- a challenged predator would be dangerous for my health at this juncture. Fortunately the animals let me past and I was able to reach the hovels door and give it a sharp kock. A minute passed, and I knocked again. Then again. Was nobody home? It would explain the animals roaming free… But just as I reached for the door handle, I heard something move within. “N-no Angel Bunny, you shouldn’t-” A voice came, and the handle began wobbling. The door creaked open, and I found myself blinking. There was a small, white rabbit in front of me, who appeared to be crossing his arms in a scowl. It reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t exactly place it- Ah, well. I probably killed them, anyway. “Ah, you must be... ahem, Bunny,” I tripped over my words for the first time in about two days. Snakeroot feed them all, using words like that in a name. The bunny didn’t move, though, and began tapping his foot. “May I come in?” No response. Troublesome. “May I meet the owner of this homestead?” I asked a second time, the little fur ball continued tapping his foot. Ugh, let’s just make this quick. My horn began glowing a shade of grey and the rabbit rose by his foot, “I’ll take that as ‘please do.’” Trotting in I looked around, the hovel was surprisingly clean for one who courts with so many animals. It was full of furniture, mind you, but kept surprisingly spotless. A table sat in the middle of the waiting room, flanked by a group of soft chairs and couches, and a row of potted plants were to my right. I sniffed the air and had to jerk my head back in instinct- It smells worse than the outside, I refuse to learn how that’s possible. Okay, perhaps that was a lie, but knowledge could wait. “Please,” a quivering voice sounded to my right, feminine in nature. like most of the creatures here, I noticed. I turned to look at one of the potted plants. Was it the plant? No. But still, I had seen stranger things. “Please don’t hurt Angel,” the plant sounded again, “I’ll do anything.” The gears slowly turned in my head, Well well, anything I want. I forced a grin, turning the rabbit right side up and bringing him closer. “I wouldn’t dream of hurting your little fre- ow!” Son of a nightshade! The little demon had kicked me in the face before my sentence could close. I dropped it in disgust. This beast is dead, I mentally noted, but outwardly held my smile. “Well, little... bunny, If you are an angel, where is your trumpet? Perhaps I should find a brugmansia for you?” “Please no!” The voice answered in a hushed, yet worried exclamation. So it knows it’s poison. No matter, the second I get a chance. Returning to the task on hand, I levitated one of the flyers over to the plant- which suddenly grew eyes. A mandrake? A quiet one if so. “Oh, looks... dangerous.” Yep, definitely a mandrake. “Well, you said you would do anything. But you don’t have to go- I can think of something else.” I began edging out of the house, keeping the ball of fluff a good distance away from me, “But I certainly hope to see you at the party.” Almost gagging at the combination of her house’s smell and the falsehoods escaping from my mouth, I closed the door behind me and turned around. Mandrakes, I giggled inwardly, this world is already brightening up. Putting one hoof in front of the other, I strolled back down the path, it was still early in the evening and there was much more to learn.