“To tell the truth, we know quite little of the unicorn who aided Ruff in his efforts to secure the Flashstone Amulet or the land he supposedly hailed from,” Calamus said, through Moonwhisper and Garbunkle were the only two who seemed to be listening. Captain Wuzz was clearly bored with the conversation, and while Sir McBiggun tried following along his breakfast proved to be too much of a distraction. “Sadly, we can’t even be sure of what the mage’s name was, as not even firsthand accounts seem to agree on that point.”
“And yet you know for certain that whoever they were came from Equestria,” Moonwhisper said.
“Yeah, how can you know where this guy came from but not know what his name was?” Garbunkle added.
“To tell the truth, the reason I know that for certain is because before the mage returned to Equestria he left behind a message with Ruff to be given to anycreature from Equestria who came here after him.” As Calamus spoke he gestured towards one of his servants, who placed an elaborately carved wooden chest down onto the table. “My family has been protecting this chest for generations now in the hopes that relaying whatever message Ruff’s ally left behind would repay the debt that we owed him for his help.”
“Awesome, let’s see what it says,” Garbunkle said eagerly as he reached out towards the chest. Opening it, Spike gently lifted out a folded piece of parchment, yellowed with age and sealed with wax.
“Careful, if that letter is as old as Mister Calamus says it is then it’s liable to disintegrate if handled improperly,” Moonwhisper cautioned.
“Normally you’d be quite correct, but the chest we kept the letter in had enchantments to preserve it,” Calamus said with a distinct touch of pride. “We wanted to ensure that the intended recipient of the letter would be able to actually read it. Speaking of which, what does the letter say?”
“I…have no idea,” Garbunkle said as he stared at the letter utterly dumbfounded. “Its written in this weird language I’ve never seen before.”
“Given the age of the letter, it’s probably in Old Ponish,” Moonwhisper said. “Would you mind if I had a look at it? My Old Ponish isn’t quite as good as Twilight’s but I should be able to figure out the gist of what it says.”
“Sure, go for it,” Garbunkle said as he passed Moonwhisper the letter.
Gingerly taking the letter in his talons, Moonwhisper immediately able to confirm his suspicions regarding its language. Thankfully, the thin, spidery hornwriting was far more legible than Star Swirl’s script and Moonwhisper was quickly able to translate the document in his head.
If you are reading this, then I must assume that, like me, you are a denizen of Equestria who has been carried to this world through a magical process even I have been unable to fully understand. Unfortunately, there is little I can do to assist you in returning to our world, as I fully intended to seal the portal I will use to return to Equestria once I return. While I regret that this may leave you stranded in an unfamiliar world, it is the best way that I know to protect Equestria from the dangers that lurk here.
Moonwhisper’s entire body visiably tensed as he struggled to resist the urge to tear the letter to pieces out to sheer rage.
“Uh oh, bad news?” Garbunkle asked.
“The…individual who wrote this apparently sealed the way back to Equestria after they returned,” Moonwhisper replied through clenched teeth.
“I see, that’s truly unfortunate, but not altogether surprising,” Calamus said, prompting Moonwhisper to angrily glare at him. “What I mean is, he must have been afraid that Squirk would pursue him to his home and wanted to protect his world,” Calamus added quickly. Moonwhisper seemed to accept this argument with a grunt as he resumed reading.
You may very well already be familiar with the chief danger with which I was concerned, the dread tyrant Squirk. I have borne witness to Squirk’s terrible power first hoof, and at his peak he may well have rivaled the Pony of Shadows in terms of magical might. It hardly needs to be said, but should Squirk find his way to Equestria the results could be catastrophic. Mercifully, much of Squirk’s magical power is bound to an artifact known as the Flashstone Amulet, without which the threat Squirk poses shall be greatly reduced. I have managed to steal this artifact from Squirk and intend to bring it back to Equestria for safekeeping, but should anything go wrong you must never allow Squirk to reclaim the amulet. Not only would this spell the doom of this world, but with the power of the amulet Squirk could potentially threaten Equestria itself.
As Moonwhisper let out a snort at this latest statement Garbunkle looked at him quizzically. “What’s the letter say now?”
“More or less nothing we didn’t know already. Squirk is incredibly dangerous and one of our top priorities needs to be keeping him from recovering the Flashstone Amulet. Although, from what I’m reading here, it sounds as though it might be possible to use the Flashstone Amulet to return to Equestria,” Moonwhisper added.
“Of course, that first would require you to actually possess the Flashstone Amulet,” Calamussaid before a thought seemed to occur to him. “The unicorn, he didn’t actually lave the amulet here, did he? We had always assumed that he had carried it with him to Equestria, but if that was just a ruse of some kind to protect it…”
Moonwhisper said nothing in response, but instead continued reading the letter.
While Squirk may be the most obvious threat this world poses, there is a far more insidious threat as well. When I was pulled into this world by whatever force responsible, I had been preparing to take part in a pageant commemorating Gusty the Great’s triumph over the monstrous Grogar. Since I have come here, I’ve increasingly struggled to hold onto my mind whilst my very memories twist themselves into a copy of my character. Regrettably, I don’t have any answers as to what the cause of this phenomenon is. All I can do is hope that my warning can help you to avoid this threat lest it prevent you from finding some pathway home.
Signed, Clover the Clever
“Well, that wasn’t quite as helpful as I had hoped it would have been,” Moonwhisper said as he returned the letter tot eh chest. “It was essentially more of the same; rambling on aobut dangers we’re already well aquainted with. Although, it did provide the answer to one question you seemed to have, Mister Calamus. Specifically, the name of the unicorn mage in question, which was Clover the Clever.”
“Wait, the Clover the Clever?” Garbunkle exclaimed. “As in the guy from the Hearths Warming pageant Clover the Clever?”
“You’ve heard of him, I take it?” Calamus asked excitedly, to which Moonwhisper nodded.”
“He was an incredibly accomplished wizard who’s credited with helping to found Equestria itself,” Moonwhisper replied. “I’m curious, though, you mentioned that your records regarding his name were inconsistent. Are there any other names in particular associated with him that tend to crop up?”
“Well, many of the names are rather similar to his actual name, but as I recall there are alos quite a few accounts that insist his name was ‘Gusty’ or something similar,” Calamus said.
“Thank you, that tells me all I need to know. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to speak with my companions in private for a few minutes. We need to discuss how we’ll be proceeding going forward, and at minimum the letter did clarify a few points on that account. “While Moonwhisper’s last statement drew odd looks from Garbunkle and Captain Wuzz, Calamus didn’t seem to notice as he motioned for his servants to give the group the privacy.
“So, was there any actual point to all that or were you just humoring the old buzzard?” Captain Wuzz said impatiently once the four were alone.
“I apologize for being vague there, but I thought it prudent to avoid revealing that we have the Flashstone Amulet in our possession,” Moonwhisper said. “More importantly, it seems part of the reason Clover the Clever took the amulet with him is because he was afraid that Squirk would be able to use it to invade Equestria.”
“And how does knowing that help us, exactly?” Captain Wuzz asked.
“Wait, I think I get it,” Garbunkle said. “If Squirk could have used the amulet to get to Equestria that means that we should be able to use it to get home too!”
“Exactly,” Moonwhisper said. “The only problem at the moment is that I’m not sure any of us know how to actually use the amulet in any real capacity. The only individual I can think of who would know is Squirk himself, and I think we can agree that keeping the amulet away from him is our other top priority.” The other three all nodded in agreement, not even Captain Wuzz looking to argue the point.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Garbunkle said. “We might not know anycreature who would know how to use the amulet, but I bet Calamus does.”
“True, but I’m not sure how well he’d react to finding out that we have the amulet, not to mention that the fewer creatures that know about it the better,” Moonwhisper replied.
“Yeah, but we don’t really need to tell him that point,” Garbunkle countered. “You said when you read the letter that the amulet could get us home, right? In that case, somecreature who knew a lot about the amulet could probably help us too.”
“Actually, that does sound like a solid strategy,” Moonwhisper admitted. “Let’s talk to Calamus, then. The sooner we can find somecreature to help us use the amulet the sooner we can return to Equestria.”
“Just one thing, though,” Garbunkle said. What are we gonna do about Squirk? I mean, se can’t really just leave and let him keep terrorizing everycreature, can we?”
“I understand your concerns, and given that Squirk represents a potential threat to Equestria I’d undoubtedly be pushing for his termination myself under different circumstances. That said, at the moment the risk of what could happen if Squirk recovers the amulet outweighs the benefits of eliminating him,” Moonwhisper said. “Once the Flashstone Amulet is safely back in Equestria then we can discuss how best to deal with Squirk, preferably with Twilight’s help. It won’t be the first time she’s had to clean up a mess one of our so-called founders left behind,” Moonwhisper added under his breath.
“Hmph, seems like a rather unsatisfying adventure to me,” Captain Wuzz snorted petulantly.
“I know what you mean,” Garbunkle agreed. “It feels kind of wrong to just leave here without stopping Squirk But, I also get what Gregor’s saying about it being risky to go after him while we have the Flashstone Amulet. And besides, we’re definitely coming back to stop him once we’ve got the amulet somewhere safe, right?”
Moonwhisper thought for a moment before giving his reply. “You have my word that once the Flashstone Amulet is secured, Squirk’s days will be numbered.” This response seemed to placate the rest of the group, and Moonwhisper saw little point in mentioning that dealing with Squirk would likely be handed over to Greater Good. “That smirking idiot is the reason we’re here in the first place and Squirk sounds like the perfect candidate for his method of problem solving.” Moonwhisper silently thought to himself.
With Moonwhisper’s attention focused on his companions, however, he failed to notice one of the doors leading into the room, which had been left ajar, quietly close.
*********
Convincing Calamus of the need to speak with one of his contacts had proven to the considerably easier than Moonwhisper had expected. True to Garbunkle’s prediction, Calamus was quickly swayed by the argument that an expert on the magic of the Flashstone Amulet might also know how it might have been used to get them home. Even better, the researcher Calamus directed them to lived in the city, meaning they would get their answers that much faster. Consequently the general mood of the group was quite high as they made their way through the city, with only one minor issue to potentially sour the mood.
“Do you guys thing Pluma’s alright?” Garbunkle asked. “After breakfast it kind of felt like she was avoiding us or something.”
“You worry too much,” Captain Wuzz replied. “She was probably just still a bit tired from our trip here. Perfectly understandable.”
“As much as it surprises me that I’m about to say this, I have to agree with Di – I mean, with Captain Wuzz,” Moonwhisper said. “Pluma doesn’t strike me as the type who’d be used to days-long marches across the wilderness, and beyond that we really have no idea what she had gone through prior to crashing through the roof of the inn.”
“Geez, I hadn’t even thought about that,” Garbunkle admitted. “Squirk’s minions must have really put her through something awful to get her to that point, huh?”
Moonwhisper nodded. “Just one more reason why its imperative that we resolve our current situation as quickly as possible. Once we’re back home we’ll be able to refocus on dealing with Squirk.”
“Speaking of our current goal, who exactly is this supposed expert Calamus is sending us to?” Captain Wuzz asked.
“Oh, for the love of Celestia, you were literally standing right next to us when Calamus explained all of this,” Moonwhisper yelled.
“Well, its not my fault the old coot is excruciatingly boring! Besides, I knew either you or Garbunkle would be paying close enough attention to pick up all the details, so what’s the harm of letting my attention slip a little?” Captain Wuzz asked.
“The guy we’re headed to is a wizard who’s supposed to know more about the Flashstone Amulet than just about any creature other than Squirk himself,” Garbunkle quickly said before the argument could go any further. “If anycreature can tell us what exactly the Flashstone Amulet is and how we can use it to get home then it’ll be him.”
“The trick will likely be getting him to tell us what we need to know without revealing that we have the amulet itself in our possession,” Moonwhisper added. “In my experience, mages who focus their studies on…let’s call them subjects of questionable societal acceptability, tend to be particularly tight-lipped about their research.”
“I know I keep saying this, but you really worry too much,” Garbunkle said. “We’re a group of noble adventurers working with a good friend of his. Of course he’s going to want to help us.”
With the group rapidly approaching their destination Moonwhisper decided to forego arguing the point any further. The wizard Calamus had sent them to lived in a ramshackle stone tower not too far from the center of the city, the weed-choked gardens surrounding it doing little to boost Moonwhisper’s confidence. Garbunkle, however, either didn’t notice or simply dismissed it as unimportant as he skipped up to the front door and knocked on it eagerly.
Several moments ticked by before a raspy male voice answered from the other side of the door. “What do you want? Actually, never mind, I don’t care. Go away!”
“We’re here to see Aqua Regia,” Garbunkle called out. “Calamus sent us, he told us you’d be able to answer some questions we had about the Flashstone Amulet.”
A second of silence followed, succeeded by the sound of half-dozen latches and deadbolts being unfastened before the door cracked open and an elderly unicorn stuck his head out. “Hmph, so you’re some of those vagabonds Calamus is always consorting with. I suppose it was too much to hope that the old fool had sent me somecreature actually worth my time. What possible interest could you rabble even have in the Flashstone Amulet.”
“We came from the same land as the unicorn who helped Ruff acquire the amulet,” Moonwhisper said as he stepped forward. “We have reason to believe that the magic of the amulet could have been used to return home. Unfortunately, we lack any actual information on what exactly the Flashstone Amulet was and how it worked, so we have no idea how it could have been used.”
“And so Calamus sent you lot to me, is that it? Well, you can all clear off. Calamus might be fine with wasting his time listening to tall tales from wandering hoodlums, but I have better things to do with my time!” Aqua Regia snapped.
Moonwhisper opened his mouth to respond, but before he could utter a word Garbunkle started pulling him away. “Come on, Gregor, its no use, we may as well head back.”
“Listen to your wizard friend, griffon,” Aqua Regia said with a sneer. “Clearly he at least has a lick of –”
“I mean, its obvious that this guy doesn’t know the first thing about the Flashstone Amulet and that’s why he wants to get rid of us so badly. We’ll just have to tell Calamus that this guy’s a dud and hope he knows somecreature who actually knows enough to answer our questions.’
“You little…of all the…do you have any remote inkling of who you’re talking to?” Aqua Regia sputtered as his faced started to turn a deep shade of crimson.
“Somepony who doesn’t know enough to answer or questions about the amulet.” Garbunkle replied with a smirk.
“Doesn’t know…I’ll have you know I’m the foremost researcher of the blasted artifact alive today!” Aqua Regia raged, veins pulsing along his brow. “You think I wouldn’t be able to answer whatever half-baked questions some band of glorified exterminators could come up with? I’ll show you what it means to challenge a true scholar on their chosen subject!”
As Aqua Regia angrily gestured for the group to follow him inside, Garbunkle could barely suppress a massive grin. “Works every time,” he said under his breath as he received a claw bump from Captain Wuzz as went in.
*********
“So, assuming the lot of you are as clueless as you say, and going by your looks I’d certainly believe it, I suppose I should start with the very basics,” Aqua Regia said as the group settled into a cluttered sitting room. “The Flashstone Amulet is, or rather was, a multiversal transmorphic amplifier.”
“A multihoosal whatsit?” Garbunkle replied.
“I believe it means the amulet let you take a bit of your own magic and use it to alter reality on a larger scale than you could otherwise,” Moonwhisper said. “But, for the amulet to be something like that doesn’t make any sense.”
“Oh, and why not?” Aqua Regia said with a smug grin.
“Because magical devices like what you’re describing are almost always massive structures, not some hoof-sized trinket,” Moonwhisper replied.
“You sure seem to know an awful lot about this sort of thing for a glorified pickpocket,” Captain Wuzz said as he eyed Moonwhisper suspiciously.
“Regardless of how he knows it, the griffon’s observation is accurate,” Aqua Regia interjected. “Or, at least he’s accurate as far as normal multiversal transmorphic amplifiers are concerned. The Flashstone Amulet, however, is anything but normal. I don’t have any solid evidence as to how Squirk managed it, but he somehow crafted one of the most powerful relics in recorded history.”
“I’m still not sure I really understand what this thing is supposed to actually do, exactly,” Garbunkle said, eliciting an irritated sight from Aqua Regia.
“Think about how normal magic works; you have to know a spell, understand it well enough to cast it and then have enough magical power to actually cast it,” Moonwhisper quickly said. “A magical device like the Flashstone Amulet, however, essentially let’s you bypass virtually all of that. All you need to do is focus a bit of your own magic through the device and concentrate on what you want to have happen and the artifact does the rest.”
“So, it’s like a shortcut for magic, then,” Garbunkle said.
“It’s a bit more complicated than that, since it also provides a great deal of the power needed to accomplish the effect. Normally you’d be looking at a building-sized structure that pulled magic from a ley line convergence or something similar to provide the magical horsepower necessary,” Moonwhisper said before turning to Aqua Regia. “Which brings up a question, just how potent was the amplification factor for the Flashtone Amulet, anyway?”
“Now that’s hard to say, unfortunately,” Aqua Regia admitted. “There are plenty of stories about the atrocities Squirk committed using the amulet; sinking islands, flooding cities, warping creatures into all manner of abominations. Sorting through the stories and picking out what was real and what was the product of somecreature’s overactive imagination has proven to be somewhat difficult. Add to the act that we don’t really have a clear idea for what Squirk’s baseline abilities are, and well…” Aqua Regia shrugged. “We can say for certain that Squirk’s reach was much longer and he was much more dangerous with the amulet, but not much more than that.”
“I don’t suppose there is anything else you could tell us about the amulet itself, is there? Items of that level of power do have a tendency to be a bit temperamental,” Moonwhisper said before noticing Garbunkle giving him quizzical look. “You know, corrupting the user, turning them evil, driving them to try filling the universe with potatoes, that sort of thing.”
Aqua Regia shrugged. “It’s possible, but I doubt the Flashstone Amulet had any quirks like that. There’s no record of the unicorn who helped Ruff ever going evil, and Squirk’s just as rotten without the amulet as he was with it. Of course, its all a moot point since the amulet’s been lost to time. I understand why it had to happen, of course, but from a purely academic perspective it’s a true shame.”
“Yes,” Moonwhisper said as he unconsciously placed a talon on his side satchel. “It’s a true shame.”
*********
“Come on, Captain Wuzz, that wasn’t that bad,” Garbunkle said as the group made their way back to Calamus’ home.
“Oh yes it was, and you know it! All that little expedition amounted to was listening to some insufferable windbag prattle on to our gryphon ‘friend’. Who, might I add, is surprisingly well-versed on the ins and outs of magical artifacts,” Captain Wuzz added as he glared at Moonwhisper.
“I know the basics, at least well enough to understand the common terminology. When it comes to the actual enchantments themselves I’d be as clueless as you are!” Moonwhisper paused for a moment to savor the dawning look of offense on Captain Wuzz’s face before he continued. “In any event, based on that little dissertation we now know how we can use the amulet to get back home. I couldn’t activate it because I can’t use magic, but Garbunkle should be able to use it to open a portal back to Equestria. That’s most likely the method Clover the Clever used to get back when he was stuck here. Personally, I think we should head straight to someplace secluded outside the city and open the portal right away.”
“I don’t know,” Garbunkle replied. “I get that we need to get back as soon as possible, but I feel like we should at least say goodbye to Calamus and Pluma first.”
“Eeyup,” Sir McBiggun agreed.
“Personally, I’d rather put this miserable side trip behind us as fast as possible, but if the rest of you want to stay one more night…” Captain Wuzz said.
Moonwhisper let out a sigh of resignation. “Alright, fine. We’ll spend one more night at Calamus’ before we return. I suppose that course of action poses a sufficiently low risk that I can hold off on arguing over it.” Despite saying this, however, Moonwhisper was already composing a list of ways the delay could potentially turn out to be disastrous.
It didn’t take long for the group to return back to Calamus’ mansion, where they were greeted by one of the Calamus’ maids. “I’m afraid Master Calamus is currently engaged is a discussion with Lady Pluma and is unavailable to greet you at the moment. If you come with me to the drawing room to wait, I’ll be sure to let you know when he’s finished.” Despite the maid’s best efforts to hide it there was clearly something wrong based on her tone, and as the group entered, they could hear snippets of the discussion underway.
“I won’t discuss this madness any further, Pluma! What happened to your parents was a tragedy, but that’s no excuse to –”
“Don’t you dare drag them into this!”
“Why shouldn’t’ I? They were my family too, in case you’ve forgotten. But just because you’ve suffered a loss doesn’t give you the right to –”
“What would you know about loss? You hide here in safety while occasionally deigning to do some good by hiring others to take the risks for you. And what has that ever accomplished? What has any of this ever accomplished?”
“If you had even the slightest notion of what things were like then maybe you – don’t you walk away from me!” The sounds of slamming doors and stomping feet coming from upstairs soon signaled the end of the ‘discussion’, and a few minutes later Calamus waddled into the room looking somewhat mortified. “I apologize for anything you gentlemen may have overheard. My niece has been going through a great deal these past few years, and sometimes that can lead her to saying things she doesn’t quite mean or even understand.” Calamus heaved a deep sigh before continuing. “Anyway, on a hopefully happier subject, how did your visit with Aqua Regia go? Were you able to find the answers you were looking for?”
“Once Garbunkle convinced him to speak with us, it proved to be very informative,” Moonwhisper replied.
“Once…of by the boundless sky, did that miserable old coot really give you a hard time? I swear, that stallion just thrives on being difficult. Honestly, I wouldn’t have even directed you to him had it not been for the fact that nocreature else has researched the Flashstone Amulet the way he has,” Calamus said.
“It’s fine, like Gregor said I was able to talk our way int there and he pretty much told us everything we needed to know,” Garbunkle said as Moonwhisper nodded his head in agreement.
“Thanks to the information Aqua Regia provided we’ve been able to deduce a way to return to our world. Once there, we intend to gather our resources and return here to deal with Squirk,” Moonwhisper said.
Calamus’ face lit up in delight as Moonwhisper spoke. “You really mean it? Oh, you can’t possibly imagine how happy it makes me to hear that!”
“We’d like to rest for the night, if that’s alright with you, and we’ll head somewhere where we can start the process to return home in the morning,’ Moonwhisper said.
“Of course, of course, I completely understand,” Calamus said before barely suppressing a squeal of joy. “To think, that Squirk’s days of terrorizing our lands will finally be drawing to a close.”
*********
The following morning saw Captain Wuzz, Sir McBiggun and Garbunkle alone at the breakfast table as they waited for Moonwhisper to join them. “What’s taking him so long?” Captain Wuzz asked as he impatiently drummed his talons on the table. “It figures the one time I actually do what to get started early is the day he decides to sleep in.”
“Yeah, this seems really weird for him,” Garbunkle agreed. “Gregor always gets up right at the crack of dawn. I wonder if there’s something wrong?”
The answer to Garbunkle’s question came swiftly in the form of an enraged scream bellowing out from Moonwhisper’s bedroom. “IT’S GONE!” Moments later, Moonwhisper burst into the dining room, his face a mask of pure fury. “The amulet’s missing! Somecreature must have snuck into my room last night and stolen it!”
“Calm down, how do we know you just didn’t lose it?” Captain Wuzz replied.
“For one thing, I’m not a complete idiot,” Moonwhisper snapped back. “Besides which, I’ve already torn the room apart looking for it, and I know it was there last night because I checked before going to sleep.”
“Everycreature calm down. We’re not going to find the amulet by freaking out at each other,” Garbunkle said as he interposed himself between the two. “Now, let’s think about this. If somecreature did take the amulet there can’t be too many possibilities as to how it could be.”
“It was Pluma.” The group all turned to see a crestfallen Calamus standing in the doorway. “This amulet you’re referring to, I presume it’s the Flashtone Amulet?”
“When did you figure it out?” Moonwhisper asked.
“I started to suspect something when Garbunkle asked me about scholars who had studied the amulet,” Calamus said. “I had assumed that if you did have the amulet then you’d want as few creatures to know as possible, so at the time I said nothing. Unfortunately, it seems Pluma overheard you discussing it, and she didn’t take the revelation quite as well. Pluma assumed you were planning on abandoning our world to Squirk, and now she’s taken matters into her own wings.”
“Don’t tell me she’s planning on using the amulet to fight Squirk herself?” Garbunkle cried.
“Is she crazy? The amulet is useless unless you already have some form of magic of your own to kickstart it,” Moonwhisper added, to which Calamus sorrowfully shook his head.
“If only Pluma’s goals were so laudable. No, Pluma intends on returning the amulet to Squirk.”