“Abracadabra! Hocus Pocus! Friendship!” Moonwhisper clutched the Flashstone Amulet tightly in his talons as he pointed it at a nearby rock and yelled out every set of magical words that he could think of. The amulet, however, stubbornly refused to react. “If this thing is as powerful as it supposedly is, I should be able to get it to do something. Just once I’d like to run into a magical artifact that comes with an instruction manual.”
“Maybe you should have Garbunkle take a look at it? He is the one with skill points in sorcery, after all.” Moonwhisper spun around to see Discord (or Captain Wuzz, as he was insisting being called) standing right behind him.
“How long have you been watching me?” Moonwhisper asked after a moment’s pause.
“Oh, I wandered by somewhere between ‘Shazam’ and ‘Klaatu Barada Nikto’,” Discord replied with a grin. “In any event, I just came by to let you know that we’ll be breaking camp soon.”
Moonwhisper grunted an acknowledgement before returning his attention to the amulet. The group’s current plan was to escort Pluma to Pannopolis, the region’s capital city, reasoning that she’d be relatively safe there. While Moonwhisper agreed with the logic in heading there, the issue was that the most direct route to the city ran through an isolated and densely forested area, what Moonwhisper estimated near-perfect terrain for an ambush.
None of this seemed to bother Spike or the others, however, who in Moonwhisper’s eyes seemed to treat the entire expedition as little more than an extended camping trip. “Hey, Captain Wuzz, did you find Gregor yet? If he doesn’t hurry then he’s going to miss breakfast.” Spike, or rather Garbunkle, burst out from the nearby underbrush as Moonwhisper winced.
“Spike, for the last time you can stop calling me that. Everything about our current situation tells me we should be taking this all very seriously, something that will only be harder if we keep using our character names. It’s already bad enough that Captain Wuzz here won’t answer to anything else,” Moonwhisper said as he gestured towards Discord, who responded with a look of feigned innocence.
“Why, whatever else would you expect me to answer to, my dear gryphon?” Discord said.
Moonwhisper glared at Discord for a few seconds before turning away in annoyance. “It’s too early for me to deal with this. Let’s just get back to camp so we can get moving. The more distance we can get between ourselves and whatever Squirk is sending after Miss Pluma the better.”
“You really need to lighten up,” Spike said as he led the way back towards the camp. “We made sure there was no way Squirk would have any idea where we were headed when we left town, and besides, this forest is huge. Even if Squirk did somehow find out which direction we were headed in he’d never be able to actually find us. Trust me, there is absolutely no possibility whatsoever that any of Squirk’s minions will catch us. And even if they did find us, I wouldn’t be too worried,” Spike added. “I mean, with a name like ‘Squirk’ how bad could this guy possibly be?”
*********
“Never going to find us, huh? How bad could Squirk possibly be?” Moonwhisper growled as he, Spike, Big McIntosh and Discord formed a semicircle between Pluma and an advancing band of skeletal ponies.
“Okay, I get it, you told me so,” Spike wailed as he fired a blast of magic from his staff at one of the skeletons, blasting it apart. “Can we please focus on these guys for now?”
Moonwhisper nodded as he fell back into his military training. “Spike! Dis – Captain Wuzz! Stay back with Miss Pluma and take out as many as you can from a distance! Big Mac, get front and center and keep these things back from the others!” With that, Moonwhisper leapt into the branches of a nearby tree and vanished into the forest canopy.
“Where does he think he’s going?” Discord said irritably as he fired an arrow between the eyes of one of the advancing skeletons.
“Gregor’s an assassin, remember? He’s probably trying to go after them from the shadows or something.” As Spike spoke, he waved his staff in a wide arc in front of him, sending out a rain of multicolored fire which incinerated several of the skeletons.
“Eeyup,” Big McIntosh agreed as she cleaved two more of the undead horrors in half.
As the three brave heroes continued to fend off the battalion of undead, a thought suddenly occurred to Spike. “Is it just me, or is all this not quite a scary as it should be? I mean, right now we’re fighting off a bunch of skeletons trying to kill us, but for some reason I’m barely even worried.”
“Nnope,” Big McIntosh replied as he swatted one skeleton into another with enough force to send both flying through the air.
“I don’t see what you’re making such a fuss over, these are only skeletons after all,” Discord said as he fired off several more arrows into the horde. “We’ve faced off against plenty of these in our battles with the Squizard, it only stands to reason that the horror of the threat would wear off eventually.”
“Yeah, but that’s different,” Spike protested. “All that was int eh game, but this is real life! At least, I think this is real. I mean, everything here feels real.” Unfortunately, Spike’s sudden turn pondering the meaning of reality caused him to momentarily lose track of his surroundings. Sensing a moment of weakness, one of the skeletons at the front of the pack charged forward, a rusty blade clamped in its teeth. Before it could reach Spike, however, a shadowy figure pounced upon it from a nearby tree.
“Spike! You need to stay focused! Save the philosophical pondering for when things aren’t trying to kill us!” Moonwhisper snapped as he reached down and grabbed hold of one of the skeleton’s forelegs and pulled it back until a sickening pop signaled it had been wrenched out of its socket. Without a moment’s hesitation, Moonwhisper then took the dismembered limb and smashed it down into the still struggling skeleton’s skull, crushing it to pieces. “The good news is that it doesn’t look as though this group had any reserves, so unless Squirk is much less capable then we’ve been led to believe I doubt this was a serious assault.” As Moonwhisper spoke his forelimb shot out, throwing a silvery, feather-like blade between the eyes of another skeleton.
“Wait, how is it good news that all this what happens when Squirk isn’t serious?” Spike asked.
“Simple. It means that either this group wasn’t meant to target us specifically, in which case Squirk doesn’t actually know where we are. Or, it would mean that we’re not a high priority for Squirk to make a serious effort against. Or, if we really area priority for Squirk, then it means that he’s greatly underestimated our capabilities,” Moonwhisper said as he counted off possibilities on his talons. “In any event, the problem is that there’s a high likelihood that this encounter will correct at least some of the deficiencies in Squirk’s intelligence on us, so I recommend we get moving again as soon as possible.”
“You’re rather bossy for somecreature who ran off right when the fighting started,” Discord snapped as he watched Big McIntosh cleave the last of skeletons in half. “Where exactly did you run off to, anyway?”
“I thought it would be prudent to prioritize eliminating the skeleton’s ranged support before they could get a clear shot at any of us,” Moonwhisper said as he tossed a sack towards Discord. “For what little it’s worth, I picked up a few spare quivers for you while I was at it.” Discord prodded the sack a few times before peeking inside. After a brief inspection, Discord let out a huff and walked off with the sack, apparently satisfied for the time being.
“Hey, Moonwhisper, can I talk to you for a minute?” Spike whispered as he gestured for Moonwhisper to come closer. “I think something weird is going on with Discord.”
“Discord behaving oddly? That’s certainly unprecedented,” Moonwhisper said dryly.
“Ha ha, yeah, I get it, but I’m being serious here. During the fight I was talking with him and the way he was talking…it was almost like he thought out Ogres and Oubliettes games were real life. Do you think getting sent here might have messed with Captain Wuzz’s mind or something?” Spike asked.
“You mean, did coming here affect Discord’s mind, right?” Moonwhisper asked after a brief pause.
“Yeah, that’s what I said. I mean, he does get really into character when we play, but this felt different somehow,” Spike said.
“It’s certainly possible that whatever brought us here and turned us into our characters had other effects as well, but there’s no way I could be certain right now. On a possibly related note, how have you been feeling?” Moonwhisper asked.
“Me? I’m fine, I think. At first, I thought it was kind of weird that I wasn’t scared of the skeletons or anything, but Captain Wuzz and Sir McBiggun seemed fine too,” Spike replied. “I’ll let you know if I start to notice anything else, though. We definitely don’t need to start having to worry about going crazy or something on top of everything else right now.”
“Yes, I’d appreciate that very much,” Moonwhisper said. “And if you could talk to Big McIntosh as well, I’d like to know if he’s noticed anything out of the ordinary as well.” As Spike nodded and ran off, however, an expression of concern fell over Moonwhisper’s features. “So, Spike still recognizes our original names, and he doesn’t seem to be aware of his use of our character names. I’d better keep an eye on this going forward. Spike’s right about one thing; with everything else right now we can’t afford to have to worry about mind manipulation as well.
*********
Several more days of hard but mercifully uneventful travel eventually brought the group to Pannopolis, a massive walled city that rose up above the canopy of the surrounding forest.
“Finally, we’re here,” Discord cried out as the city came into view. “For some reason I’d forgotten that adventures involved this much, ugh, walking.”
“A facet of them that you’ve been vocally protesting for the last several days nonstop,” Moonwhisper said testily. “Anyway, now that we’re here we should probably give some though to what we plan to do next. On a similar note, Miss Pluma, do you have anywhere to stay in the city?”
“Yes, my uncle has a home here. Actually, you may want to see him as well if you’re between quests right now. My uncle is something of a magical historian and he often hears rumors that would be of interest to adventurers such as yourselves,” Pluma said.
“That’s perfect!” Spike explained. “Maybe he’ll even know somecreature who could help us get back home.”
“It does seem rather convenient,” Moonwhisper said before shrugging. “On the other hoof, we’re not exactly in a position where I can comfortably question good fortune.”
“Sounds as though it’s settled then. Lead on, good lady, that we might meet with this uncle of yours,” Discord said with a dramatic flourish.
As the group allowed Pluma to lead the way through the city, Moonwhisper allowed himself to drift to the back of the group. Discord had increasingly displayed the over-dramatic mannerisms he had adopted while playing his character, and while he seemed less inclined to be deliberately annoying in this state it was still concerning. Meanwhile, it was considerably harder for Moonwhisper to tell what state Spike and Big McIntosh were in, since neither’s in-character behavior was significantly different than how they acted normally. Every so often, however, one of them would seem to have a slip of the tongue where they would reference their game-world as if it were real life.
“Whatever’s causing this is subtle, changing their thoughts slowly enough that they don’t notice,” Moonwhisper thought to himself. “What I don’t understand is why whatever it is is affecting us at different rates. Its not based on how long we’ve been playing these characters, at least not purely. Otherwise Spike and Big Mac would have been affected well before Discord. In any event, I need to stay vigilant for any signs that I might be succumbing as well.”
As Moonwhisper continued to ponder the situation while bringing up the rear of the group, Pluma sidled over to Discord. “Is your friend back there alright? He’s just staring at us, and it seems like there’s been something bothering him ever since you fought off those skeletons.”
“First of all, I’m not quite sure I’d call Gregor a ‘friend’ just yet,” Discord replied with a hint of indignation. “The griffon is a rather recent addition to our little group and while he may have proven himself to be reliable thus far…well, trust is something which takes time to build.”
“What’re you two talking about?” Pluma and Discord both looked down in unison to see Spike walking along beside them.
“Oh, nothing much. We were just discussing our new griffon friend and how some of his habits seem to be a bit…unsettling.” Discord replied.
“Unsettling? Oh, you mean the whole ‘silent brooding’ thing he’s got going on. Yeah, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I’m pretty sure that’s just a rogue thing,” Spike said. “Besides, I’ve known Gregor for a while now, and deep down he’s actually a really great guy once you get to know him.”
“Really? I was under the impression that none of us had met this Gregor before he approached us to help infiltrate the Squizard’s lair,” Discord replied.
“Right, we hadn’t met Gregor before that…but I’ve known him for…how long have I know him?” Spike grabbed at his head as competing memories began to battle for dominance in his mind.
“Garbunkle, are you alright?” Discord asked in sudden alarm as Spike stumbled forward and fell to his hands and knees.
“What…I….” Spike’s eyes seemed to glaze over for a few moments before suddenly clearing as he stood back up. “Huh, that was weird, I don’t know what just happened there. Anyway, you asking about Gregor, right? I know him from back when I was still studying magic, before I started adventuring. I wasn’t going to say anything since Gregor didn’t bring it up himself, but yeah.”
“And you don’t find it the least bit odd that he didn’t say anything earlier?” Discord asked pointedly.
“Nah, that’s just how he is. Rogues, am I right?” Spike said with a laugh.
*********
Due to the size and density of the city, it took quite a while for the group to reach the home of Pluma’s uncle, a palatial mansion in a quiet corner of the city.
“You said your uncle was a historian?” Moonwhisper asked as they approached the front door.
Pluma nodded. “I’m guessing all this is a bit more than you were expecting, isn’t it? I didn’t want to bring it up earlier, but my family are minor nobility. Uncle Calamus takes his work as a historian seriously, but to be honest its really more of a hobby than anything else.” As Pluma spoke she rapped on the door a few times before turning back to the group. “I suppose I should warn you, while he’s very kind, Uncle Calamus also can be a bit…odd.”
Moonwhisper looked around at his companions before responding. “I think we’ll be able to manage.”
Before Pluma (or an indignant Discord) could respond, the doors to the mansion swung open and a graying avian, who looked more like a goose than a swan, poked his head outside. “Yes, what do you want?” the avian squawked out before noticing Pluma. “Pluma, my dear girl, what are you doing all the way out here? And who’s this lot with you?”
“Uncle, these are a group of adventurers who helped protect me on my way here from Squirk’s forces. Everyone, this is my Uncle Calamus,” Pluma said.
“So, Squirk’s on the move yet again, is he. I suppose it’d be too much to hope that the miserable lump of chum would leave our family alone. Well, in any event I suppose I owe you lot a bit of gratitude for keeping my niece safe from that lunatic’s undead. Come inside, I’ll put you up for the night.” With that, Calamus ducked back inside while gesturing for the others to follow. “As I’m guessing Pluma already told you, I’m something of a historian of the arcane, and because of that I tend to get brought all sorts of tidbits of news about magical happenings and whatnot. So, if you’re looking for a quest, I can sift through the recent rumors to see if there’s anything worthwhile for you to look into.”
“We appreciate the offer, but I think we already know what our next quest is going to be,” Spike said.
“Yes, finding our way back to Equestria,” Moonwhisper quickly added, suspecting Spike was about to suggest they were going to hunt down Squirk.
Judging by the look of irritation on Spike’s face, Moonwhisper’s intuition was likely right on point. That argument was forced to be put on hold, however, as Moonwhisper’s mention of Equestria seemed grab Calamus’ attention. “Equestria? You say that you four are from Equestria. This is extraordinary!”
“I can’t say I’ve ever heard of that place before,” Pluma said. “Uncle, is this ‘Equestria’ someplace you’ve ever visited?”
“Oh, goodness now. Equestria is the name of the homeland of the unicorn wizard that helped our ancestor Ruff steal the Flashstone Amulet from Squirk all those centuries ago. If you really have come from there yourselves then perhaps this is a sign that the time has come for us to finally be rid of that menace once and for all. But, that’s a conversation for the morning, you all must be exhausted from your journey here. I’ll have one of my maids show you to the guest rooms so you can relax and we can speak about this more tomorrow.”
As Calamus waddled away with Pluma in tow, Spike nudged Moonwhisper before giving him a thumbs up. “Nice work there, I wouldn’t have even thought to tell him about Equestria and now he’s probably going to tell us a lot more than he would have. We’ll be able to stop Squirk for sure now.”
*********
“‘Able to stop Squirk’? Am I the only one who hasn’t completely gone of their mind?” Moonwhisper muttered to himself as he paced back and forth in his room. “We need to stay focused on getting back home to Equestria, not picking a fight with some despot from another dimension. When in Celestia’s name am I the only one to be at all concerned about the situation we’re in? I’d think McBiggun at least would…wait, what did I just say?” Moonwhisper screwed his eyes shut as he tried to focus on the names of his companions. “Alright, there’s Discord, the spirit of chaos, Twilight’s assistant Garbunkle, and Big McIntosh, the farmer. No, that’s not right, Twilight’s wizard student is named Spike – GAH! This place, it’s starting to affect me too, isn’t it? I need to fight it, have to stay calm and concentrate…”
As Moonwhisper began taking deep breaths in a desperate effort to calm himself down, he began to focus. Battling mind control and other forms of mental manipulation was tricky business under the best of circumstances and required a pony to have a mental anchor of some kind; an immutable part of their core being. Moonwhisper’s anchor was hate.
Memories of the abuse Moonwhisper and his mother had suffered at the hooves of his father soon filled his mind. Some details, like the sound of his mother’s cries as she was beaten for some imagined slight or the sting of his father’s crutch as it collided with his face, surfaced immediately and in vivid detail. Moonwhisper had no need for context, however. At that moment, all Moonwhisper needed was emotion, an intense hate that he could define himself by even as it wiped away everything else clouding his mind.
Granted, the technique wasn’t necessarily without its flaws. When Moonwhisper had used it to block out King Sombra’s mind control spell, he had lost himself in his rage and been reduced to little more than a mindless berserker as a result. In the strange world Moonwhisper found himself in now, however, there was no such potential complication, and as he completed his meditation, he felt a distinct clarity.
His name was Moonwhisper. He hated Penumbral Dusk. And he had a mission to get back to Equestria.